Chariot arrived at the meeting place precisely at dusk, a broken and abandoned village, signs of violence abound just as had been for the town before. A gate opened immediately and a blonde woman emerged, glancing at them all briefly.
“What happened with the Duchess?”
“We came to a deal. A truce of sorts.” Kamala explained.
“...will it hold?”
“At least until near the end. The other side does not want to make enemies of us.”
“I see…” Johan paused for just a moment. “Things have worked in our favor faster than anticipated. I’m going to bring all the otherworlder accomplices together for the next stage of the plan.”
He opened a second gate near them. “This will take you outside the range of anyone’s perception who may be there. Head east, to the base of the ruined hill fort.” Jonah stepped back through his own portal without delay.
“We still cooperating?” Donny asked.
“Yes.”
At the priestess’ answer he stepped through the gate first, and the rest followed at his becoming arm. True to his word, they found no sign of anyone but themselves within the barren hills. Silently, they headed in the direction told and soon they came across the designated land.
A ruined hill fort, apt to its name. Not quite a castle and even less so usable despite its favorable perch. But of far more importance were the people already gathered there, all of whom turned assessing eyes to the party of ten. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, draconians, nine foot tall goliaths and four armed devi, otherworlders of all kinds stood by in their groups, most at least half a guild strong. Among them was a group of humans not quite a full guild, led by a slightly familiar lightly bearded face.
“Don’t.” Kamala said as Mujin drew his spear.
“Hey, the reigning champs.” Miguel greeted them. Thick black hair combed back donning light warrior gear, every bit the image of his Bandit Leader class. “Sorry about the trap back in the trials. No hard feelings.”
“It weren’t much of a problem, honestly. Don’t worry about it.” Donny replied casually.
Miguel cracked a smile as he glanced away for a moment. “So you’re going along with this cult rebellion alliance thing too, huh? To be honest, I thought you were more more of the, uh… outlaw type, you know?”
“We’re opened minded.”
A gate appeared and Johan stepped through with the appearance of a handsome black haired man as he looked around calmly. None of the other groups showed any confusion or wariness, which some of Chariot picked up on, but they kept silent.
“We are missing one group, but we cannot wait around any longer.” Johan spoke, his voice more impressive too. “You’ve all been doing missions for some time now, and at last the church has been pushed back into a corner enough to take the next step. The capital.”
Tension and severity spread among the faces of many as Jonah continued to speak. “Some of you already know, but the security of the capital has been greatly heightened, to the point where it is dangerous for even the residents. I would not recommend infiltration. But eliminating the paladins on the walls day after day will create an openings that can be exploited. I remind you. The church has monopolized most of the wealth of this world. You are all here for the rewards of the tower, so cooperation in some small form is to your benefit.”
Some in the crowd smiled at that, Dante and Miguel among them. Though Johan continued unaware. “The church will grow desperate if-”
Powerful bolts of elemental attacks cut off the cardinal’s words, crashing against the ward of Miguel’s group. A young woman flickered forward and her whip flickered faster still, shattering the ward in a single attack, allowing for several to be killed as the guild of bandits retreated through a gate of their own.
The remaining groups went on edge but no further aggression came from the newcomers. Brown skinned all, some lighter than others, most with rich black hair, and standing out more than any other was a man in stunning golden partial armor with a white lotus on his forehead.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
[Human Justiciar (legendary) - Greater Lord]
[Human Beastmaster (legendary) - Greater Lord]
“Father isn’t tolerating your tantrums any longer, baby sister.” The whip recoiled neatly into the beastmaster woman’s hand as she walked arrogantly towards the party, her face one of graceful mockery. Hair parted to the sides and tied back elegantly, a stunning beauty enhanced further by clothes more silk than leather, adorned with jewelry tasteful and majestic where might otherwise be gaudy. “We were going to retrieve you after this anyway, so this saves us the trouble.”
Kamala’s response was only a cold stoic stare, one that did not dissuade the woman from her wicked taunts, one hardly masked by the veneer of tenderness. “If you’re still worried about being passed around by the Atreus, there’s no need. That deal is off. Why waste you on those fools when there are so many better options now. You should be happy, Rani. We’ll find a nice god for you.”
“We do not have time for further conflict.” Johan spoke up, doing a fair job of sounding authoritative and in control.
“Priya.” The woman smiled slightly more deeply at Kamala before sauntering back over to her clan at Chandra’s words.
Johan glanced around, waiting a few moments to ensure things had properly settled down. “The plan has not changed. You are to whittle down the forces of the capital with ambush tactics. The church’s covert strategy against this is to capture hostages and force the rest through a gate to their prisons under that threat. Take precautions against that, and do not concede to their threat under any circumstance. The prisons are nigh inescapable now and all within are interrogated to death. The paladins as a whole are more aggressive now as well, so do not linger with your attacks. Strike and retreat. I will contact you for the final assault when the time is right.”
“Wait for me outside the gate.” All members of Chariot received a direct message to their minds, in Johan’s normal voice.
Gates opened up all around for the individual groups and one by one they quickly left through, Priya giving one last taunting smile as both sides entered theirs. Chariot found themselves inside a small church building, damaged but structurally intact. Shin’s eyes flashed prismatic and returned to normal in a moment with no further action. Johan followed them shortly after and closed the gate behind him, morphing back into his true form.
“What was that fighting about?” He asked immediately, some tension in his tone.
“Bandit Boss killed someone important to that clan in our trials. Nothing to do with anything here.” Donny told him.
“Will he be a problem?”
“Don’t really know much about him. But no, probably not.”
Johan sighed some of his stress away, seeming to relax just a little. “...we need to discuss our situation.”
“Laying the groundwork to finish things off, yeah?”
“On the contrary.” The gravity of Johan’s bearing returned. “The Pope has taken no action. I had expected something to show by now… which means the power under his control runs deeper than I thought. I’m also concerned that the vampires have made no noise yet. If things are as I fear…”
“Ran into a duke and some elites, actually.” Donny informed without warning.
Johan looked up with obvious interest and vigor. “When? Where?”
“East. Couple days ago.”
“Are we to do something differently?” Kamala interrupted the cardinal’s silent contemplation.
“No… Attack the capital as planned for now. I need to learn more about the situation. It’ll be a little while. A few cardinals have be assassinated so the number of scrutinous eyes have increased.” He opened a gate for them. “Lure and kill the ranked if you can. The shallower their well runs, the better.”
The party left without further word, and Johan paused for rest of mind where he stood, then withdrew the bodies of those killed by the Pandavas attack. Murky necrotic mana enveloped them and they rose as undead. Wights, liches, death knights, and vampires. He stared at the monsters of his own creature with some slight revolt and disdain before reaffirming his resolve once more. Things were slipping out of his control and he knew that must respond with more drastic measures. This world must fall into his hands, so he could experiment more freely.
---
Luther sat in his study with a smile on his face, calmly contemplating his next move. Duchess Lorraine’s faction had gotten quite bold quite quickly, to the point of near rebellion. Key figures of the extremist cardinal faction and capable members of the church’s operations were being targeted. Effectively.
He took some small joy in the certain vexation Odwin must be feeling now, but he did recognize the danger that arose in the differences of the otherworlder’s powers. The Krause had weathered the worst of it under his guidance, but only just.
Luther leaned back in his chair slightly. Things seemed to be going quite according to Johan’s plans, he mused. He suspected his guilt the moment he pushed for such power to be given to the militias but he had to admit the upstart was bolder and smarter than he had given him credit for. Though of course, still green in the matters of intrigue.
It would be small issue to have him eliminated, if he was prepared to lose a few valuable pieces, but caution stayed his hand. He needed to know how connected he was, and who exactly was supporting him.
A woman appeared in his sights so uneventfully and undetectable that it froze his thoughts for longer than he thought possible. Slender, draped head to toe in black leather and cloth, her cold purple eyes staring straight through him as though he were the mere furniture beneath him.
“I have gotten people to talk, and they seem to think you are someone with ambition.” She spoke emotionlessly, but a weight held her words. “Are you ambitious?”
Luther regained the poise and confidence he had slightly lost for a moment, and smiled at the solution that just fell into his lap. “Some would say so, yes.”