Vitmori POV

We ended up going back to the meeting room I had met Trelio in yesterday, though we approached a pair of double doors which were in the room, and from there we entered what appeared to be Trelio's office.

It was a rather ornate-looking room that smells vaguely of oil and iron amongst other things. Of course, I quickly noticed all the weapons and armor that decorated the room, either by hanging them on the wall or on simple frames that displayed the weapons or armor. There was enough in this room to outfit at least four, maybe five individuals in a pinch, and maybe that was the point of the collection here.

Trelio took his place at his desk, sitting at a rather cozy-looking padded chair while Vivia made herself comfortable sitting on the front of his desk, mainly settling to the left-hand side of it. "So Mage Vito, what brings a being as powerful as you to our country's capital?" Trelio asks while curiously looking me over.

I took my own seat on one of the two chairs which were set out in front of his desk. They were nicely made, though it's not like I could actually enjoy it. "Well, before we go into that... Tell me what you know of Lady Diarosa and her family." I say as I gauge their reactions.

They were... A little confused when I mentioned them, the husband and wife sharing a look as Trelio considered his words. "While I don't have the pleasure of knowing Lady Diarosa myself, I do know of her father. He is Maverick Goliver, and he is a Rank 3 elite. His family doesn't have any notable might to their name, but they do have the benefit of generational wealth along with their ties to the Bank of Time. He's a bankroller of sorts who dips his coin into all sorts of endeavors and business ventures, giving him a wide network of lower-ranked elites and other people who owe their success and influence to him. The only reason his family isn't of a higher rank is simply due to not having much might to their name at all, only their money and the merit of their influence in helping develop this country in their own ways." Trelio explained thoughtfully, his brows furrowed in consideration as he racked his mind for anything else of note and coming up empty at the moment.

It was then that Vivia picked up the slack as she tapped her chin in thought. "Now that I think about it... Lady Diarosa and her entourage crossed through town almost two months ago to get to Sunspot Keep, she mentioned something about a business deal of sorts and talking about getting some new toys or something." She explained while shaking her head rather dismissively. "I can hardly believe that my own children are the same age as her, she's such a childish girl." Vivia mentioned before shrugging a bit. "I suppose the gods must have been watching over her and her attendant, especially since they managed to escape with their lives and came back through town around a week ago after losing all their goods and people."

"That's actually on me." I mentioned while leaning back into my seat, pretending to get comfortable in the plush cushion.

"Wait, what's on you?" Trelio asked with a sufficiently confused expression on his face.

"I'm the one who attacked her caravan, well, my subordinates attacked her." I explained with a small wave of my hand. "Though the only one who got killed was that catkin, Dhalia. Everyone else is alive and well back home."

I watched as the duo shared a look, not exactly sure what to make of my claims. Though it was Vivia who spoke up next as she regarded me. "W-wait a minute, you said Dhalia is dead?" She asked, sounding properly incredulous by that comment. "But I just saw her last week with Lady Diarosa, so how can that be?"

At that, I just offered a bit of a smile. "I told you about Basti, Basmori's mother, didn't I?" I mentioned leadingly.

That caused Trelio to glance over at Vivia as she nodded slowly. "Yes, she's a beastkin shapeshifter, right?"

I nodded back to her. "Yes, and she's exceedingly skilled at it and at using shadow magic." I explained as a look of realization started to cross Trelio and Vivia's faces. "With her abilities as a shapeshifter and her skills in shadow magic, she was able to convincingly change her appearance and voice to match that of Dhalia's. A little bit of memory magic and she's also got the general behavior, mannerisms, and of course memories of Dhalia; thus she's able to convincingly take her place."

"That is... Unnerving." Trelio commented after taking a minute to digest all of that. "As much as you have done for us, Mage Vito... I must ask as to why you've done all this... A-are you willing to share that as well?"

"Before I answer that... What do you know of the slave trade going on between a faction within the Theocracy and the Hegemony? Not to mention the enslavement of the Hegemony's own people?"

"The what?" Trelio and Vivia said at once with varying amounts of confusion and disbelief.

At that, I couldn't help but smile as I sat up in my seat. "I knew there was a reason for my good feeling about you two, your ignorance in this only further proves to me that I could trust you all with this." I mentioned kindly.

Trelio and Vivia shared yet another look before Trelio regarded me once more. "I am honored to have your trust, Mage Vito, but please, continue... Tell us about this slave trade you speak of."

Nodding slowly, I went about leaning back in my seat all over again. "Yes, though seeing as you've gained my trust, I suppose I can also tell you a little more about myself." I mentioned before gesturing to myself. "My real name is Vitmori, and I am the Druid who is now in charge of Lichtdren's Folly."

This earned a look of surprise from the two elites, but they didn't interrupt, intent on listening to what I had to say.

I went on to tell them a story mixed with truths and lies, changing the timeline of events compared to what actually happened. As far as they know now, I've been at my mountain for at least a year now, I've told them about the blue dungeon core in my care and how I've lived a quiet life with Basti and our kids as well as mentioning Oururu, Frisby, Jack, Pratemis, Dionyba, and Legosi for now as intelligent beasts who helped me protect and manage my territory.

From there I talked about the sting operation I came across and how I mistook Reyvyre and Reonim for bandits before I realized she was an elf I recognized and worked with her to ambush the caravan from the Theocracy.

I told them about Haven and how I helped the people settle on the land that I've been watching over, even mentioned that the blacksmith who made my sword was among them.

I spoke of the Sinners, and how they decided to defect from the Theocracy and work with me to take down what they called apostates within the church and also what little they knew of the buyers from the Hegemony.

I then talked about Rita, Lanzak, Jaz, and Mina, touching on how they were people from the Hegemony who were enslaved in one way or another, though ultimately the means for their enslavement ended up being tied into dealings with the Bank of Time.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"So our plan was set in motion, Basti would return with Diarosa while posing as Dhalia and I would follow soon after on my own. We would figure out who was involved in this whole mess and hopefully rescue the enslaved beastkin from the Hegemony while we were at it." I then looked between the two elites before speaking up again. "And I intend on killing any who was involved in this."

"As is your right dictated by the laws of our country." Trelio said firmly while nodding along at my words. "You may be an outsider, but you've already established yourself as a powerful figure amongst our people. You certainly have the backing of my house, that's for sure." He mused with a toothy grin. Though it wasn't a charming or cheerful grin, from his expression alone I could see a tempered rage just seething through his teeth, like an animal baring his fangs with fury.

Vivia nodded along, her own rage blistering like an ice storm as she stared off into the middle distance. "I can't believe I let that little bitch sleep under my roof." She muttered before sighing a bit. "But yes, Trelio is right. You have our support Vitmori."

"How can we help?" Trelio pitched in, leaning forward on his desk as he propped himself up on his elbows while his fingers interlock with each other.

"Well, I need information... Not to mention the means to open doors and make more connections. I already have a link to the Thieves Guild thanks to Krys and his team, but I need more ties through proper channels. Do you think you can help me with that?"

Trelio and Vivia share a contemplative look before Vivia decides to speak up again. "You know what, there's actually a summit for the elite next week, so there will likely be more notable figures in the capital than usual... I believe I could help you properly navigate the various social circles and cliques."

That... Would be pretty useful. Especially if there's going to be more elites in one place than usual. Who knows what sort of trouble that much activity could bring? "Yes, that would be extremely helpful." I say before considering something else. "That reminds me, are you going to be reporting the information I gave you about the foreign raiders? Or do you intend on handling it yourself?"

Vivia nodded with satisfaction before looking at Trelio curiously as he spoke up. "As much as I would love to have the glory of wiping them out myself, considering the forces you spoke of as well as just how fortified their base is... Well, I'll need to petition others for their aid, more than likely we'll each be equipping our children and sending them with our personal forces so that they might have a chance to bring our families the merit and glory of taking down the foreign soldiers and liberating the villagers they have been taking."

"So you're sending your children to fight this battle?" I asked, I can't help but sound taken aback by the notion. After all, I was still putting my own life on the line well into my old age back in my world; sure the young would have to get involved in the battles to come, and sheltering them would do no good in their development as survivors in the world we lived in.

Trelio just offered a sympathetic smile before leaning back in his seat. "I understand how that may seem to an outsider, but it is not like we'll be sending them in unprepared." He explained as his eyes began to wander the arms and armor that filled his office. "My children have been trained to fight since even before they developed their manahearts, and since developing them they have honed their abilities as far as they can through natural means while consuming the best herbs, ingredients, and potions that money can buy." He said with a proud look on his face before sitting back up and leaning forward onto his desk again. "And while they do have experience fighting people and monsters, what they don't have is any real merits to their name. It's not often a major threat like this comes to our lands to present us with an easy means of raising our names, so many battle-focused families like ours will definitely rise to the challenge."

"Many of our children will likely die, though that is ultimately the price of being an elite. It is our duty as the exceptional to rise up and fight for those among us who aren't. Those who survive will have earned their place amongst us as our peers rather than those dependent on our care." Vivia explained a little more soberly as her hand absently touched the scar that crossed along her artificial eye. "Aside from that, we'll be able to see a more defined hierarchy among the next generation as they deal with these foreign soldiers, leaders, and those who will support the truly elite among the exceptional."

From what Vivia just said, I couldn't help but be reminded of the concept of Noblesse Oblige. Perhaps they aren't nobility in the sense of those in Ferodias' empire or even in the Theocracy, but the honor of duty to their people that they seem determined to carry out despite the privilege of their station they earned is rather admirable. I knew far too many people who grew stagnant with their influence once they managed to cut out a stable slice of the apocalypse for themselves, these men and women decided to live like kings and queens of their territory and ignore all those beyond their borders; but I suppose that was the way of the apocalypse.

"I see, I suppose if that is how it is done here, then it is not my place to judge what works." I offered simply before looking between them. "So, how are we going to move forward?"

Krys POV

The twins and Puh'ma were truly sights to behold. The way they fought alongside each other showed just how many years of training they put into themselves to get as good as they are now.

Krys watched as the twins and Puh'ma faced off against everyone else in what ended up being a sparring match turned into a free-for-all brawl.

Larkis and Vitra both wielded wooden swords and shields, flanking Puh'ma who wielded a wooden greatsword which she swung around with incredible ease.

Puh'ma would lash out with what seemed like reckless abandon, crashing her wooden blade into Rantz's shield and sending him stumbling before pressing her advantage to get him down on the ground.

However, when Lily and Sera aimed with their bow and crossbow, the twins were quick to step forward and block their shots before getting out of Puh'ma's way and turning their attention back to Zax and himself.

Krys couldn't help thinking that if they were fighting seriously, his team would have likely been wiped out rather quickly before soon being followed by the adventurers.

With that in mind, it's not like they were even fighting at full force, this was all just basic sparring without fully utilizing their manahearts or any other abilities that he's only heard about.

As the sparring match went on, he would occasionally glance at the other end of the training yard, watching as Cecil and Aspen traded blasts of magic. Working on Cecil's casting speed as well as the force of his magic while experimenting with either end of the spectrum and trying to find a good balance or something. Whatever they were doing, it seemed Ren had been paying rapt attention.

A sudden swing of Larkis' wooden blade towards Krys' face brought him back to the moment as he managed to bring up his wooden mace to block the strike, the heavy clack of wood on wood made his arms shake, though he managed to disengage Larkis before retaliating with a hard swing of the mace down on Larkis' wooden shield which caused the young half-elf to grin with eager delight.

"Pay attention, you have nothing in a battle if you lose your focus." Larkis mused before bashing his shield into Krys' chest, sending the foxkin stumbling to the ground before being forced to retreat when Sera threw wooden daggers at Larkis to keep him from pressing his advantage.

As he rolled to his feet, a feline yowl and a bright flash of light momentarily caught his attention as he spotted Tul'mi fending off Legosi, Freyli, and Basmori. The wolf took on the role of the main attacker, making Tul'mi keep her full attention on him while Freyli did her best to distract and disorient the veteran adventurer with bursts of light that flashed from her feline body.

He didn't spot Basmori at first, but suddenly he watched as the beastkin boy launched out of a shadow and lashed out at Tul'mi, landing a solid punch on the woman's shoulder with a gauntlet that looked to be made of shadow, though after making contact, Basmori shifted back into a cub while pushing off Tul'mi and dashing away before she could properly strike back.

Having wasted those three seconds not paying attention to his own fight playing out, he was once again caught by surprise as Puh'ma changed targets without warning, sliding past Rantz and turning her focus on Krys with a playful smirk on her feline face as she swung her wooden greatsword in a right diagonal slash.

Purely on instinct, Krys just narrowly dodges her swing as he rolls to the left before hopping back to his feet and back peddling as Puh'ma presses after him.

Having been separated from the group, Krys was very much on the back foot as he kept bobbing and dodging Puh'ma swipes and slashes while Larkis and Vitra easily controlled the crowd and kept his team and the adventurers from giving him any support.

Surprising even himself, Krys managed to at least keep up with Puh'ma for a little while, blocking three mighty swings one after the other before finally being completely disarmed as Puh'ma followed up with one more swing only to stop short at his neck while his wooden mace clattered noisily along the stone floor.

Puh'ma flashed an amused smirk, drawing the wooden blade back as her ears flicked for no apparent reason. "That's what you get for letting your attention wander too much." She teased while stepping back.

Krys could still hear his heart pounding in his ears as he panted heavily, not having realized that his breath got caught in his throat during Puh'ma's last swing. It was at that moment he realized that she'd killed before and likely would've cut him down in that moment if this wasn't a mere sparring match.

With him having been defeated, the sparring match had come to an end as the teens took a moment to unwind, rehydrate, and wipe down sweat as needed so that they could get ready to do this all over again.

His eyes wandered over to the young elites as he greedily downed some water from a cup provided by one of the attending maids. Even though they were the same age as him, they were already so strong and skilled in ways he likely couldn't have even considered a week ago... Now that he had his own manaheart, he couldn't help but wonder just how much work he was going to need to put into himself if he wanted to reach even a fraction of their strength.

As the teens started to regroup and get ready for the next round of sparring, what sounded like a wooden whistle trilled out into the air. Krys' ears turned to the sound before his eyes could as he looked over, spotting Vito with the Mayor and his wife. His boss brought his fingers down from his lips with a vaguely amused look on his face before he regarded the Mayor.

"If my children and our guests could gather around me, we have some things to discuss." The mayor said with a more stern and stoic expression on his face as he regarded everyone there.