Svalischmidt
It had been little over a week since Lord Emil had become part of the daily life of the town. Everywhere he went, he was a spectacle. The children would all stare and people would whisper to one another. There were rumors of all kinds. Some rumors claimed that he had worked some ancient magic to take hold of Lord Edgar's mind. Some claimed he was an invaider from another dimension. (Ironically somewhat true-ish). Some claimed that the Halagan had never fallen from power and that they had been ruling behind the scenes in secret for millenia but were now tired of hiding and sending out a single representative as a test before fully revealing themselves as the puppetmasters of the world. Due to his striking appearance and stature 'other' rumors of the more sexually charged nature naturally sprouted as well. It did not escape many that this Lord Emil was powerful, wealthy, physically striking in appearance, and unwed.
What perhaps caught the most attention is that Lord Emil was unrestrained to typical noble convention. While he did spend much time with the Svali family negotiating and planning for the future of this new city, he spent just as much time out and about mingling with the townfolk. He would even make modifications to the town as he wandered. The roads had never been in such good condition since the day they were first laid. He also began going out into the fields and farms and using some strange magic to improve the soil and the health of the animals. It was the most mysterious and awe inspiring thing almost anyone in the town had ever seen. Magic was well known in the empire, but nothing like this. While he definitely displayed more mana than should ever be allowed for a single person, it was not until he transformed the farms that the Town trully welcomed him. It was dramatic. Before that he was a strange foreigner that could not be explained. But once his strangeness was of direct and dramatic economic value to the majority of the townfolk, suspicion began to fall quickly. There were of course still some who worried that this was just the beginig before they were enslaved or worse by the alien invader, but most had a genuine respect for this Lord Emil Schmidt. And it had only been ten days since finding him performing a burial rite using strange and brilliant magic.
It helped greatly that this Lord Emil never forgot a name or face or even a single detail about a person he had met. Every interaction felt personal, every purchase at the market, every conversation in the pub over a beer, every casual greeting, every playful interaction with the children in the streets, every question about what the residents hoped would become of their newly expanded city. It also helped that every household now had a single golem servant to do basic chores and tedius manual labor. It was an extreme shock when on the eighth day of Lord Emil's appearance, the town was flooded with golems. It turns out Lord Edgar had several in his own house as workers for nearly a week before deciding that it would be fit for each home to have one since they were in such abundance. The standard of living in the city now known as Svalischmidt had risen so dramatically that people were feeling whiplash.
On the 12th day after Lord Emil's arrival, Lady Esplemel Svali returned from her business in the Farahatnan city capitol. She was apparently summoned by her father to be given to Lord Emil as a bride. Information traveled fast a,ong the town guard. This was a rather startling rumor for several reasons. The reason most note worthy to me was that our Lady was first and foremoast a lady of ambition. She was driven and competitive in a way rarely seen. She excelled in her magic in such a way that was very rare around these parts. Lord Edgar had some modest magical ability, but his daughter was an order of magnitude more capable so much, in fact, that she was deemed a national military asset after passing the relevant examinations and given class-1 mlitary standard physical enhancement to make her stronger, faster, and more resilient to harm.
The Empire valued their skilled magicians and did not want them dying before there full usefulness was up. In exchange, she would be required to serve the interests of the crown whenever requested. This mandatory enlisting of all the most capable magic workers is part of what made the empire such a formidable force. It was even treated as a positive status symbol instead of the well compensated slavery that it actually was. It was not discussed in polite company, but more than one newly enlisted mage without direct connection to a noble family had been forcefully requested to perform duties that did not at all relate to national security or even remotely within the realm of their magical field of study and expertise. Best not to say anymore than that. Our Lady is fortunate to come from nobility and likely did not suffer such treatment despite her obvious physical charms. While not as impressive as her magical skill, she was widely regarded as quite beautiful.
There was actually a theory that seemed to hold some weight that high levels of mana and even the regular movement of mana throughought a body would gradually change one's appearance to look more healthy and well proportioned. It did not seem coincidental that the most powerful mages in the empire were all people with unusually well crafted features, and it was also not overlooked that if one was particulary good looking, it was likely that they had at least a very minor natural ability with magic. The study of the topic is inconclusive, but most reaserchers agree there is some degree of correlation, though the exact nature of the correlation is mysterious. Lady Esplemel was just one more example that reinforced the stereotype.
Speaking of good looks and powerful magic. It was becoming apparent to nearly everyone at this point that Lord Emil was not merely a member of some ancient version of mankind. He was superior in almost every conceivable way. He was handsome in a way that made me more uncomfortable than attracted. A man of his stature should not be so beautiful to behold. It was strange to the point of going past the point of interest and straight into confusion. I found my mind questioning the perfection of his appearance more than admiring it. It should not be possible.
Even more strange is that he seemed to have nearly endless mana. He was regularly seen casting magic that would exhaust an entire team of ten highly competent magicians from the capitol without tiring. It seemed that even with the wild displays of magic he had shown while remodeling and repairing the town, he was still not fully exerting himself. It was also clear that Lord Emil was far stronger than he appeared, and he appeared to me like the strongest man I had ever seen. I had heard rumors of him helping move extremely heavy objects while offering help at the stables and the smithy.
And Lady Esplemel would meet him today. Something about her that was well known is how she turned down every potential suitor that did not meet her demands for herself. She has lofty goals, such that she would not marry into any family until achieving a certain level of status for herself. This was not for the reason of being independant as many would assume, but actually because she was aiming for a bigger fish. Normally someone of such minor nobility would not be able to marry much higher than their own social class, so she endevoured to raise her social class by her own merits. And it was working. With her company and her recognition as a class-1 military standard mage, she was already getting offers from suitors of families notably higher in status than the offers she was getting previously. But still it did not meet her standards. She wanted to marry well enough that she would bring her family and entire town into prominence by a single action and then spend the rest of her life pursuing her magical and business interests without the pressure for a certain measure of success. Plus, the monetary backing from such a family would help her greatly on her endeavours.
Lord Edgar knew well of his daughter's plans and even encouraged her. That he still insisted on this joining of houses meant he considered Lord Emil to be a more advantageous connection than any other offer his daughter might potentially aquire elsewhere.
The carriage arrived in the afternoon. She had two horses, And two servant guards who alternated as driver. I was on task to escort her to the manor. She sparked conversation with me as I walked beside the carriage.
"Hello, Avita. It has been some time. Is your family well?" She spoke evenly and with measured tone. She was never one to give away much in her speech.
"Yes, my lady. They are as well as they have ever been. Thank you for your concern." It was not a strange thing in this somewhat small town that everyone knew everyone.
"I must say I almost did not recognize the town. A great many changes have taken place. I do not recall my father having the wealth to make quite so many changes in such a brief period of time. It is trully astounding. I can only assume Lord Emil has had some hand in this. There is no way so many golems could have appeared otherwise. I never imagined I would see golems doing farmwork. They seem perplexingly common."
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"You are correct. The streets, roads, walls, farms, and golems are all the doing of Lord Emil. And the golems are indeed common. Each household was gifted one. Your own household as a great deal more doing all sorts of work."
"Trully amazing. My father kept much more hidden about this stranger than I imagined. Tell me your thoughts on this Lord Emil. My father revealed very little in his letter only that he has the potential to transform the future of our family in trully remarkable ways. At this point I must as least concede that, but I would hear your thoughts."
"You should know he is not human. He claims to be the last remaining of the ancient Halagan, the very same ones from myth and legend. From what I have seen, I believe him. He is not human of a member of any other race I know of. His magic alone is greater than any one person should ever be able to weild. I believe you shall be quite surprised upon seeing him. His appearance is quite striking. It is beyond what words may suffice. Over the past 12 days since he arrived, he has won over the affection of the town with his magic. The fields are producing more. The birds are laying more. He has even cured the sick, all of them. Even those thought to be at the end of their life have regained some measure of their youth. He works magic in ways I have only heard of in legend, and he has helped wherever he has seen need without demanding anything in return. I sometimes do not believe he is real. He is beyond my understanding."
"Thank you, Avita. This is mildly alarming information you have given me. If this is true, I fail to understand why someone of such power would be here in this small town. I must take some time to think on these things and prepare myself."
"Yes, my lady." And we continued on to the manor with Lady Esplemel making small talk about current events apart from Lord Emil. Even though she hid it well, I could tell she was nervous after out conversation. There was something fearsome about meeting someone so capable, even if it was known they had no malintention toward you.
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Svalischmidt Manor
I was meeting the Lord's daughter today. I tried not to think about it too much. I was not required to marry her. I was just meeting her. It felt so strange to be at the center of a courtship custom from a culture different from the one I grew up in. I knew how to behave, but it was still a foreign experience. As soon as she neared the manor, I sensed her. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was very very pretty. That eased one of my fears, but then brought up completely new ones. I was out of my depth. I had dated two women in my life. One in highschool, and one while I was getting my associates degree. I did not seriously consider marriage with either. This first meeting would be one where marriage was the first consideration. It was a completely different dynamic.
In the back of my mind I knew the real reason for this was to put some sort of leash on me. The Lord wanted to tie our fate together by some means so that I would be less likely to betray him. It all made sense from his perspective. This was he easiest way for him to benefit without constantly feeling like he needs to look over his shoulder, and if I had come from the same culture, this would be the same for me. But unfortunately, I had grown up under far different circumstances, and this was a very emotionally stirring moment for me. If I agreed, I would be marrying this girl within the month. That was a terrifying thought. I definitely wanted a wife. . .eventually, but I was not so sure I wanted one right now and I was not so sure I wanted this particular woman. I determined to ask her for her personal thoughts on all this. That would help immensely in deciding this.
I was not one to hope for a soul mate or whatever one might call it. I just wanted someone I could be friends with who would put in the same amount of commitment that I would. I would delay this process as much as I could to get a good measure of Esplemel. I had learned her name during my few days of acclimating to the town. Lord Edgar made sure to make her seem very appealing in his descriptions, a beautiful, talented, and very hard working woman that would be sure to be the perfect partner to anyone lucky enough. I would expect nothing less from a father trying to get his daughter married.
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She was extremely composed. It made me seem extremely awkward in comparison.
"So you trust your father's judgement in my ability to benefit the territory, but other than political and financial benefit, is there nothing else you desire in a husband? Excuse my foreign ways, but I would like you to get some personal benefit out of any potential union and not merely benefit to your house. I believe a marriage ought to be a much more substantial union that merely business and child-making." I tried to get more out of her. She had been far too reserved for my taste. I could not quite get a feel for her.
"I suppose I should speak frankly then. I am an ambitious woman, Lord Emil. This you should already know, but my ambition extends beyond my noble house and the land of my forebearers. I have a company, recently started, making sonic reinforcement and transmition systems. I want to seize my own power. I am a remarkably accomplished mage when cnsidering the quality of training I have had acces to outside the capitol region. Perhaps my greatest hindrance throughout the years has been funding. Since you seem to be interested, I would request full funding of all I endevour in magic and with the growing of my company. I understand you are not well connected, and that is perhaps a great understatement. My father has led me to believe that despite this you possess great wealth, am I correct?"
I nodded. "Far more than I could ever find use for in several lifetimes. . . And that is perhaps a very great understatement."
This gave her pause as she considered me seriously while looking into my eyes.
"But we still speak of money and power. Allow me to divert our discussion. I don't mean to sound naive, but what I would like most of all is a friend. Please try to understand that as one recently deprived of every person I ever knew and having thrusted myself into a society not my own, I crave one thing and only one thing, a true companion I can trust. I have many secrets, and I do not wish to live my life without having someone I can be completely open toward. I have no concerns for what political or economic benefit you or your family might provide me. Surely you have realised by now that I have sufficient power to claim this town and even the entire province as my own. Truthfully, that is not all. I could claim the entire empire if I so desired. I don't. Empires hold no appeal to me. I did not choose to join hands with your father for any reason except that I wanted to be part of a community. And perhaps I only wanted to be part of a community so that I might find for myself one person with whom I might me much more. I intend to commit myself completely to my wife, and I want to know if you intend to be the type of wife who commits herself completely. I intend to live a very very very long life, and I have the means to extend the life of whomever I choose. Believe me at your own discretion. I just don't want to be lonely. Loneliness is my greatest enemy. It always has been." I sat back in my chair and waited. The reply came after an extended moment of silence.
"You were more frank than I was prepared for. You have given me very much to consider. Forgive me for requiring some time to consider your words. I appreciate your honesty and do not wish to respond without the appropriate consideration. You speak grave things, Lord Emil." She restored her poker face faster than I expected, but I could see the neurons firing in her brain with such intensity that it was amazing to me. She really was cnsidering what I said very intently. I decided to end our meeting here. I had revealed more than I first intended, but I felt like this small taste was necessary for her to decide if she really wanted to attatch herself so someone like me.
We excused ourselves and went our separate ways. We told her father that we needed some more time and were contemplating some very important and private information. This was unordinary, but everything about me was unordinary, so Lord Edgar went along with it.
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It was the very next day that Eplemel suggested we take a long walk and discuss more deeply about our lives. I told her about my relationships with my family members as well as my previous romantic relationships. I had things slightly modified to fit with the Halagan story I was going with, but the bulk of what I said was true.
She in turn told me about her own relationships with her family members as well as significant childhood experiences and mentors that left a significant mark on her. It turns out that her primary instructor in magic was her father's aunt's husband, Lord Igbon Nastun, a current leader of the magical community in their province and a class-2 mage of the empire. It was he that taught Lord Edgar his limited magic many years ago, and he was currently grooming Esplemel as a potential successor along with two other students, all of whom have achieved class-1 status.
Learning more about eachother and our goals and fears was really enjoyable. . . And then everything went to shit.
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In a moment, and without any explanation or warning, I found myself afloat in an endless void. I was not alone. All around were about 52000 different versions of myself. Many looked almost identical to what I looked like back on earth, and others looked even more severely modified than myself.
Before I even had the opportunity to attempt to figure out my situation, I was made aware. I heard no voice, and I saw no glowing box of text. I simply knew information that I did not know previously.
Among 52000 iterations, your adaptation value ranks 13,118th. You have provided a total of 11 unique data points for evaluation before entering a 100% predictability sequence. You are granted persistence priviledge. An elimination target shall be selected for you to subsume. Iteration 22223 has been selected. Integration optimised. Complete.
And as soon as it begun, it was over, and everything had changed.