Alistair was quite surprised when he looked at the titles. Usually, slayer titles provided benefits that mimicked the abilities of the slain beast. However, it wasn’t entirely shocking that this one also granted benefits related to slaying a hydra rather than just mimicking it. He suspected this had something to do with the tier of the title, as it was his first Legendary Slayer title. Mythical beasts like Dragons, Hydras, and Phoenixes were in a league of their own.
The Legendary Bounty Hunter title wasn't a surprise, though he suspected they skipped quite a few steps by killing Eberus. He had also gained three whole levels from the ordeal, which was an enormous amount for their grade.
While Alistair reviewed his newly gained titles and skills, Riseth had already informed Nessyra of what had transpired, which triggered an immediate evacuation of planet Edos for the Ryser Clan. They couldn't afford to be caught off-guard or ambushed again, so they began tracking down and recovering every clan member and fallen body, refusing to risk necromancy being used to locate them. Though only a select few in the clan knew their exact location in the universe, there was no reason to leave anything to chance.
Within the hour, they were off the planet. During their search for missing clan members, however, they discovered Eberus's stealth craft. They handed it over to the planetary government, only asking that any blueprints or valuable discoveries be shared with them. They wanted nothing to do with the dark hydra’s ship or the possibility of being tracked through it.
They had also thoroughly checked all their ships and people for trackers, finding a handful stuck to power armor and the bodies of their dead. By now, their specialists had developed skills to detect these things—caution was paramount. They would still jump to prepared beacons far from their location after each excursion, running another sweep before returning to Lacustrine. This protocol would remain in place until their planet was discovered and became public knowledge, something Alistair hoped was far in the future.
Once aboard the Kaiakos, Juliana practically tackled Riseth, overwhelmed with relief and apologizing profusely for failing her. Despite his mother's best efforts, she had been unable to breach the array set by Eberus’s minions. Their best approach had been to teleport Alistair into low orbit, where he descended like a meteor—the fastest, most effective option he could think of at the time.
Riseth, visibly moved by Juliana's concern, hugged her tightly. "I’m fine. It’s over now," she said, trying to reassure her. But Alistair knew better—neither of them were fine. They had come dangerously close to catastrophe.
The ripple effects of Eberus's death would be immense, and Alistair knew it wouldn’t be long before the Aegis Coalition reached out. But for now, he was just grateful to be leaving the system. Even then, the tension lingered until they finally made the jump to warp space. When the familiar pull of warp travel hit, a wave of relief washed over him—something he knew he’d remember for a long time. Looking around, he realized he wasn’t the only one feeling it; others on the ship visibly relaxed, their shoulders slumping. They had lost too many people in this fight.
The ground battle had been far uglier than the space combat. Up in orbit, most had survived thanks to their ejection systems and skills, but on the surface, it had been much worse. At least they had managed to recover the bodies of those who hadn’t been utterly destroyed, preventing the Syndicate from using necromancy to question the dead. The power armor their people wore had prevented even more casualties, but that did little to ease the sting of their losses.
Alistair had cursed being stuck guarding the main encampment, unable to move as freely as he’d wanted, especially as a steady stream of information came in about his people’s encounters with Syndicate members. A few had proven to be serious threats—Simon had even lost an arm to one Syndicate member wielding the blade concept, transforming his body into a razor-sharp weapon. Despite the injury, Simon had still managed to kill the opponent. Thankfully, their healers had reattached his limb quickly after the battle.
The fight had been touch and go, and Alistair had nearly been forced to intervene. That individual had a bounty on his head, and in total, they had killed roughly twenty Syndicate members with varying bounties.
After they had left the system and were likely safe from retaliation, they sent a detailed action report to the Aegis Coalition, outlining their actions, the enemies they had encountered, and the bounties placed on the Syndicate members they had eliminated. Alistair and Riseth then retreated to their cabin aboard the Kaiakos, needing some time to themselves to process and review everything that had transpired.
They had technically won the battle and struck a significant blow to their enemies, but it didn’t feel like a victory. Instead, it felt like a sobering reminder of how small and isolated they were—an independent faction meddling with forces vastly larger than themselves.
Alistair’s thoughts spiraled for a moment, feeling the weight of the situation. But then he shook his head, his resolve hardening. No, that’s not right. They wanted us dead the moment we refused to play by their rules. Today wouldn’t have changed their minds—they would have come for us anyway. At least now, they know we aren’t easy prey.
Determination surged through him. There were others like them out there, and they needed to find allies among those forces if they were to survive. Perhaps the Aegis Coalition would reconsider its standing after this as well. His eyes met Riseth's, and the embers in her eyes portrayed a similar resolve growing within her. They would come out of this experience stronger than ever and press on.
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"Let me get this straight. You want me to be your right-hand man as you rise to the open council seat?" Donovan asked, disbelief lacing his voice.
"If you make me repeat myself again, I’ll find someone else," Hadeon’s gurgling voice replied, his tone devoid of humor.
Donovan struggled to process it. He had done well for himself within the Syndicate, steadily climbing the ranks to become one of the more powerful figures under Hadeon’s group. But Sol had thrown a wrench in his grander schemes, forcing him to abandon Earth with his followers before Sol could strike his hideout. Since then, Donovan had built his reputation as a ruthless raider and slaver, recently expanding his fleet to half a dozen ships after trading a group of captured nightshade-elven women.
Though tempted to keep some for his own pleasure, he saw more value in growing his fleet—a move that had already proven lucrative. The shipwright had given him an excellent deal in exchange, allowing him to continue raiding Coalition fleets and planets, with a few independent worlds thrown into the mix. Still, despite his recent successes, nothing about his efforts seemed to qualify him for such a high-ranking position.
He chewed on his lower lip, mulling over Hadeon’s motivations and personality before finally asking, “Why me? I don’t have the following or the track record for this position.”
Hadeon’s gaze remained steady, evaluating the towering Jötunn before offering a nod of approval. “You’ve got a sharp mind, you don’t hesitate on your jobs, and you’re powerful. That’s enough reason for me. But there are other factors at play.”
Donovan nodded, feeling his resolve solidify. This was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to squander. If he played his cards right, he might even attract the attention of powerful outsiders—people who could help him climb even higher. For now, his resources were limited, but he’d change that.
A greedy, self-satisfied smile crept onto his face, though he quickly tempered it. Curiosity got the better of him again. “Who did you kill for that council position?”
The Kraken let out a guttural growl. "I didn’t kill anyone. One of the council members got themselves killed during our large-scale assault, trying to hunt down some leaders of a small independent faction."
Donovan chuckled darkly. "Didn’t know we had any council seats left for weaklings and idiots. Who managed to get themselves killed?"
Hadeon rumbled in displeasure. "Eberus."
Donovan froze, staring at Hadeon in shock before quickly composing himself. Eberus had been one of the Syndicate’s powerhouses, evolving from a serpent beastkin into a hydra. He wielded the concept of misery, spreading, sowing, and harvesting it to fuel his infamous near-limitless energy supply. He had thrived on torturing his slaves and entire planetary populations, his cruelty was legendary.
Eberus had even caught the eye of a powerful Syndicate member from the outsiders, which made his death even more shocking. He was among the last Donovan would’ve expected to fall, alongside the dragons and other monsters sitting at the top of the Syndicate's food chain.
Part of Donovan was glad that monster was gone; Eberus’s twisted tastes had been disturbing, even by Syndicate standards. He had made life hell for everyone—enemies, rivals, allies, it didn’t matter. Rumor had it that he had nurtured a relationship between two of his subordinates, only to break them in the cruelest ways imaginable before discarding them once they were broken. He’d even killed the subordinates of other Syndicate members whenever he visited their bases. Anyone with half a brain did everything they could to stay out of his path.
"Eberus? That damned beast? Who in the hell managed to kill him?" Donovan asked, his curiosity piqued.
A dark, unsettling chuckle echoed from the Kraken, his strange, multicolored eyes locking onto Donovan’s with a hypnotic intensity that sent a chill down his spine. "Your son and his wife."
Donovan’s thoughts spun—Which son? He had many children from various marriages and relationships, and considering they knew it was his son, it was likely from one of the women he’d been married to when he was younger. But before he could dwell on it, they reached the communications center for their meeting.
Realization hit him hard—this revelation and his new position would draw far more attention than he had bargained for. This connection would bring both scrutiny and danger, but also opportunity. If I can survive the week, he mused, maybe I’ll catch the eye of the outsiders, elevating me beyond my peers... and maybe even beyond Hadeon.
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Alistair and Riseth made their way to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) for their meeting with the Aegis Coalition representative. Their recent actions in aiding the Coalition had significantly shifted their standing, and now they were set to discuss the evolving nature of their relationship. Among the key points on the agenda was the staggering sum the Coalition owed them, largely due to the bounties they had collected—most notably Eberus’s, which had been valued at over a billion [ACG], or roughly a hundred million [USC].
The talks had been delayed for a few days as fighting continued across the universe, with both Alistair’s faction and the Coalition managing the aftermath. However, the Coalition wasted no time holding internal discussions and quickly reached out, even assigning them a permanent liaison. For this meeting, only Alistair, Riseth, and Nessyra would be present, as everyone else was still busy dealing with the fallout from the battle.
Alistair and Riseth's fight, along with the losses they had suffered, had opened many eyes and stoked a fire within the Ryser clan. Many blamed themselves for the lives lost, particularly James, who furiously worked to upgrade the standard power armor using battle data to address weaknesses in conceptual defenses and resistances.
When they entered the meeting room, Nessyra was already deep in conversation with a light-skinned demon sporting striking red hair and curled horns. He wore a sharp, deep green uniform adorned with the Aegis Coalition’s emblem—a shield at its center, encircled by an interconnected cluster of stars, with intricate decorative symbols. The demon noticed their arrival and greeted them with a broad smile.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ryser, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you! My name is Rolmeros, and I’ll be serving as your liaison to the Aegis Coalition,” he said warmly, his broad smile matching the friendly tone of his voice.