Sorin felt as though his inside was a volcano. He had kept his side of the bargain and these people had not kept their's. He was beyond sick of this empire and it's selfish, uncaring, useless people.
It wasn't the collar that affected him. He had surpassed their hold on him, but it was the actions of the duke to place him in chains once more as a beast of burden that really made his blood boil. He had won them the war and done it while saving hundreds if not thousands of lives.
"Hey freak...do you still feel like a Sovereign?" A guard said laughing as he walked by his cell. It was nothing, but an inconsiderate jab that under normal circumstances, Sorin would have ignored. Today however, it was the tiniest straw that broke the camel's back.
"Hey little rabbit, your mother was calling me a lot more than Sovereign last night." Sorin said coldly hoping these people were easily manipulated by pride and a misplaced sense of honor. He wasn't disappointed as he saw the guard come back into view and start to pull his keys fury and cruelty written across his face.
Sorin didn't give him a chance to unlock the door as he waved his hand of the reinforced aether steel bars causing them to melt away.
"Wha...?" The guard said as his face went as pale as fresh snow. The last thing he saw was Sorin's collar fall away smoking, followed by a flash of blinding light as Sorin vaporized him his a miniature thermal ion cannon that continued and sliced though the stone ahead of him hundreds of yards.
He spread out his aetheric sense to encompass the whole castle and then with overwhelming power of will, he pulled every ounce of aether he could and erupted.
- Phorcys-
"Father! Have you no sense of honor?!" Euryale shouted at her father in his private healing chamber as multiple healers were working as hard as they could to repair his core and channels.
"Do not dare speak to me like that!" He snapped back at his youngest daughter who had stormed in after hearing what had been done to her subordinate.
"If I cannot speak to you in a way that demands accountability, then what separates you from an uncontrollable tyrant?" She responded.
"The method in which you do it child. Tact is a leadership trait and it is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in a way that they not only thank you but look forward to the trip." Duke Phorcys instructed.
"Your actions have tarnished my honor and have harmed my credibility. That man won us this war and saved our people. Financially, he has kept us from paying the death benefit to even more families, but what do you do? You stick a collar back on him and throw him in a cell!" Euryale spat venomously.
"I will put whoever I want in a cell and that includes you if you cannot hold your-" The duke was cut off as a massive explosion rocked the entire castle. The ground was quaking as if a volcano was erupting then a beam of violet ripped through the floor. Euryale and Phorcys were thrown into the wall and the heat caused their family trait to activate setting them both ablaze right before the aether in the air was forcefully pulled away extinguishing them followed by message scrolled across their HUD.
Warning!
You are in the presence of a Sovereign. Any user under their Tier will have their path suppressed. All aether effects will be diminished.
"Some fool removed the collar!" The duke exclaimed as he got to his feet pulling his sword from his side. He still couldn't chance using his full path due to the damaged core and channels, but there was no way this upstart would do this and get away with it. It was execution for this.
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Before Phorcys could react, he was blasted backwards by a massive tendril of water. He slammed into the granite wall which rippled like water itself and then solidified locking him in place as a massive bolt of electricity slammed into his chest taking his breath away and burning without triggering his trait. He doubted it would even activate at all as all of the excess aether was gone. His core, which was always pulling aether was unable to find any.
A cold sweat broke out across the duke's body as he was beginning to think that he had made an enormous mistake. How was it possible that someone so much lower in tier than him could be doing this much damage and about to defeat if not kill him?
Phorcys began to shake and began thinking rapidly as it had been a very long time since he had felt this and he recognized it to his dismay...as fear.
He looked up as a figure clad in now black aether steel from head to foot with two swords at his sides slowly floated down to the ground with the help of lightning forcing the smoke, dust, and debris away from where he was which revealed his bloodied daughter slowly regaining her senses and trying to get to her feet, clearly concussed.
Phorcys was about to speak when the sword in the man's left hand lashed out and lodged itself into his stomach right where he had stabbed the man earlier knocking the wind out of him.
"You think you can place a collar on me?! Never again will I be a slave to anyone!" Sorin Ekart screamed at him. With every word every single type of aether poured from the man hitting Phorcys with the force of a hammer.
"You don't get to rule anymore you disgusting piece of filth. In fact I'm going to make sure the lowest of your subjects gets to be more powerful than you." Sorin continued coldly as he flashed forward extending a hand and began to rip the remaining aether out of his core.
- Euryale -
The room smelt of dust, smoke, and burnt flesh. She opened her eyes and nearly threw up as it was spinning so fast.
Her mind was trying to process everything as she began to stir and sit up. Something warm and wet seemed to be running down the side of her face so she reached up to wipe it away only to pull her hand back covered in blood.
She hardly reacted as a shockwave knocked her back down again causing her to hit her head again and nearly sending her back into a state of unconsciousness. With an act of pure will, she remained awake and tried to get back up as she felt another smaller impact and a gasp followed by someone shouting.
She looked around and saw what appeared to be what she could only describe as the embodiment of the mythological god of war Ares, who was supposed to be guarding the Royal Valley, looming over her father who was trapped in the wall by the stone itself with a sword sticking out of his stomach.
She heard the voice again and knew it immediately, but shuddered and quaked in fear as she had never heard that voice in any way but controlled and gentle. This was fury and cold malice aimed entirely at her father.
She started to make her way over to Sorin when he flashed out a hand and she saw a ripple of aether pour out of her father into Sorin.
"No!" Someone shouted. She wasn't sure who it was in her delirious state, but then watched as if someone else had taken control of her body as her hands closed around Sorin's armored arm. She then realized it was her that had shouted.
As she closed around Sorin's arm a spike shot out of the armor and nearly punched through her eye before stopping.
"Sorin! Please do not do this! What my family has done is dishonorable and you didn't deserve this. I will keep my side of the bargain and get you home!" She shouted over the screaming wind. She couldnt even amplify her voice as his status as Sovereign blocked her path and somehow he was draining every single mote of aether leaving nothing for anyone.
Sorin stopped pulling aether from the duke and turned to face her.
"I can't trust any of you! Traitors and liars all!" He snapped as his right hand lashed out and punched the duke in the face which in her still rattled mind nearly caused her to giggle from the shear absurdity of it. It did next to nothing to her father, but was just so petty it was comedic.
"I understand Sorin. I will hold off anyone I can and let you get far away. I will not say more about the plan I have. However I will give you more. DD 12. Please do not kill my father. It will make everything impossible." She explained quickly and as clearly as she could in her state.
Sorin stared at her before looking back at the duke. He looked back at Euryale and slapped the duke this time.
"Really?!" She exclaimed.
Sorin just shrugged.
"DD 12." He said still so beyond angry before blasting an even bigger hole in the ceiling vaporizing everything in his way before vanishing in a flash of light.
Euryale was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she felt and heard another explosion coming from the direction of the throne room.
She didn't even have to look. She already knew what he had done. She couldn't really blame him, but wanted to so badly.
Instead she glared at her badly injured father who still had the sword still in his stomach.
She just turned and shouted as much for herself as for her father.
"Healers!"