With that, they ran after the still marching platoon of fighters, and filed in behind them. It was quite impressive, and a testament to Jonathan’s power, that Tier 3s were unable to notice their presence. Then again, the real test would be at the gates, where the scrutiny would be highest.
A few minutes later, the platoon stood before the gates, and the woman on the palanquin leaned forwards, coughing loudly.
“What is your business here?” One of the gate guards said.
“You know well who we are,” the woman replied, an angry look on her face. At least, Jonathan assumed that she was glaring at the man. “My father is waiting for me.”
“You know I cannot simply let you in, madam. We need to check for the presence of mimics. The enemy has grown ever stronger in recent years.”
“Fine. Do whatever you need,” she replied, scoffing. The guard pulled out a strange rod of crystal from his belt loop, and imbued it with mana. It shone with a bright white glow, and bathed the procession in luminance. Nothing happened, which seemed to be to the relief of all present.
The group began to file in, and Jonathan edged between the last few ranks, relying on his superior agility to avoid touching any of them. Touch was the one sense that his cloaking ability could not confound. The three Uthraki pushed in behind him, and as one unit, they strode through the gates. Just in time too, as the gate slammed shut behind them with enough force to shake the ground.
With that, they were inside the fort. The interior was very martial in appearance, with straight roads and uniform houses and buildings. At the very center was what looked like a parade ground, with a large flag standing in the center. On it was a motif of an erupting volcano, with two crossed swords behind it. A statue stood beneath it, fashioned in the image of an especially bellicose Uthraki. He was covered in scars and rippling muscles, and bore no weapons. It seemed that it was another pugilist, just like Jonathan. Perhaps this was the mysterious lord of the realm that the soldiers had spoken about.
He made sure that he and the others were carefully secreted away before he dropped the cloaking skill on them. They walked off, as if they belonged here. They did look a bit out of place, but many of the Uthraki were clad in attire other than uniforms, so it seemed fine for now.
They trooped down the street as if they belonged there, but it was clear that they were unused to such pageantry and military efficiency. Everyone around them marched rather than walked, strode purposefully instead of slouched. It was as if Jonathan had walked into a highly effective military camp instead of an Uthraki base. Then he realized that things in this realm were a bit different than what he was used to. There was clearly more of a unified civilization here, and a lot more of an attempt to civilize the realm.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
A few minutes later, he overheard a conversation between two Uthraki, one of whom was a soldier, and the other, what looked to be a priest of some sort. Of course, given that they were both Uthraki, the priest had a massive mace strapped to his back.
“I feel that I have failed the Lord,” the soldier was saying to the priest, his voice hushed. “I have been unable to kill a single mimic in the last few weeks. They are too few and far be-” He paused. “No, I should not be making excuses. Not after everything that has been done for me.”
“If you truly believe that, then there are other ways to prove your devotion. You can donate mana through the city altar to the capital to aid the defenses there. My child, you are far from useless.”
Although the priest sounded sincere, almost fatherly in a way, Jonathan saw what was going on here. It was all a ploy to get people to act as mana batteries. Fostering guilt in the population through handouts would create a civilization of users who would pay for their gifts many times over.
“Thank you!” The man said, almost exuberant. “I will do that.”
“Very well. Come with me then, and we can see to the process. Your debt will be forgiven in no time.”
Curious, Jonathan followed them down the street, pressing through the crowd to keep up. With how many there were, the few accidental points of contact went ignored.
They made their way towards the parade ground in the city center, where the statue of the massive Uthraki stood. Now that he had a comparison, Jonathan could see that the statue was easily twice the height of the normal Uthraki. Either it was inflated in size, or the lord of the realm really was a giant among men. He could feel a sense of anticipation building within him, as he thought about fighting against such a powerful being.
The soldier stepped up to the statue, and laid his hands on it. Immediately, the air began to hum, and power drifted out of the Uthraki and into the statue. With his Energy Manipulation Pathway skill, Jonathan was able to sense this on a deeper level than he normally would. Then he felt a presence begin to emerge within the statue, one that blazed with power. A dark flame began to flicker atop the head of the edifice, and he felt a profound aura dropping down upon him. The statue tilted its head, and looked down at the soldier. Then it looked up at him. It frowned, and he felt a sudden pressure upon his cloaking skill, that ramped up dramatically over time.
He almost panicked, but instead searched within himself, and withdrew his Rune of Physicality. It was not a perfect enhancement rune for his Mantle of the Void skill, but it would have to do. He searched within the skill matrix for a place, and found a section that seemed to deal with mana regulation and strength. He pressed the rune in, not having enough time to fully check. A pulse of power shot through the skill, and he sighed in relief as the statue turned away.
You have reached Apprentice 6 in Runic Augmentation!
He was starting to press further and further towards Journeyman Rank, where he would be able to combine his skills once more. For now though, he was content with the small bonus to his skills.