Cetanu spent the rest of the night wondering exactly what his progeny was up to, curious as to how Samyaza wouldn't be able to handle something without Ashe's presence. It must have had to do with a foreign diplomat or some inhuman force.
This led him to think about Ashe's actual Fleshcrafting abilities. He'd never seen his progeny take part in the arcane art that seemed to be exclusive to their clan of Blood Demons. It made him wonder if the art could be passed down, or if it's effectiveness could dwindle through the generations. Would Ashe's progeny be weaker and weaker as they multiplied? Would his own? It was a very curious thing.
These thoughts kept him awake, musing to himself as he continued to train his body absentmindedly, finding a newfound desire to keep himself in top shape. After all, what use would a lazy teacher be to anyone, especially a future king?
The first person to join him at the training grounds at the crack of dawn was, oddly enough, Victor. The Blood Demon didn't often see much of his creation, who found it hard to communicate with Cetanu as well. After all, what do you say to someone that transforms you from a small animal to a large, powerful human? Do you even thank them?
"Is something bothering you Victor?" he asked, noticing that the first few minutes the War Ghoul spent in his presence, all he did was simply stare. He watched the man shake his head, an odd motion accompanied by him sticking his neck forward, the action making Cetanu think of an animal trying to shake it's fur dry.
"I'm not sure. I don't know about you, but I'm really not liking this Edelgarde girl." he stated, and Cetanu glanced to him. He could agree with the sentiment, but he didn't feel as strongly about the pigheaded young woman as his War Ghoul seemed to.
"What's bringing this on? Do you consider her a threat to any of the students?" he asked. He spent most of his time focused on other things, so Edelgarde's machinations had been something of a mystery to him, something he assumed would happen. Before, he considered her an obstacle to him, but between his awakening and his decision to focus on the Growth of his students, he realized that he didn't care about the girl unless she was a problem to one of them.
"When the brats told you that Ashe was gone, did they tell you that Edelgarde found out that the engagement was feigned? She confronted Dimitri about it and I heard he got pretty heated." he mused, and Cetanu tilted his head.
He wondered why that tidbit of information was left out when Dedue relayed the information to him. He shook his limbs slightly, loosening them up as the tension from his training dissipated, the demon realizing that he hadn't broken a sweat yet, something he found much harder to do recently. He looked to Victor, curious about something.
"What do you should be done about it?"
Victor looked to him, blinking as his pupils shifted in size, becoming narrower and more cat like. It was an odd question to pose to him, but it wasn't like he hadn't thought about it.
"Well, I get that we can't just kill her. Although, I'm a tiny bit worried about the girl Dimitri was playing with. She's not like the other Adrestians and she certainly isn't a threat to anyone. If anything, her knowing what you and Ashe are is more of a threat to herself than anyone else." he mused, and Cetanu nodded in agreement. He was glad that the process of morphing Victor into what he is now didn't diminish the clever intellect that most felines had.
"I agree with you. So, what would you do about this?" he asked, and Victor hummed, scratching his head and pawing at the back of his ears as he pondered it. Cetanu himself was also curious, as part of him acknowledged that even the cat turned man was capable of Growth.
"Well, I'd either get her out of the Eagles or find a way to make Edelgarde back off. If not a real political marriage, then something else. Like one of those underground fellas bein' her bodyguard." he mused, and Cetanu chuckled. He was glad that Victor wasn't just a heaping mass of muscle, as he thought the exact same thing. He wondered if he could truly trust the Ashen Wolves, and he figured that this would be a perfect way to figure it out.
"You want one of us to do what?"
Cetanu glanced to Balthus, wondering if he wasn't clear enough with his proposition.
"I would like one of you to watch over Bernadetta Von Varley and protect her from Edelgarde and her stooge."
The Wolves looked amongst each other, and Yuri's brow was the first one to rise.
"And why, exactly, should we do that? She's an Adrestian too."
The Fleshcrafter looked to the Artist, the two of them locking eyes for a brief moment before Cetanu sighed. "Because she is an asset to me, and a liability to herself. With the fact that she is aware of what Blood Demons are, Edelgarde will continue to antagonize her until she folds."
He inhaled, glancing over the group one more time. "And I'm sure that the last thing you want is all of Adrestia to know that we exist. If Edelgarde were to figure out a way to supplement her forces with Blood Demons, Revenants, or any other kind of inhuman or beyond human thrall, this country would be wartorn within the year. I know that war with Edelgarde is inevitable, but I would pray that I could hold it off until I think my students are ready for her."
The four of them sat for a moment, processing the information that washed over them, feeling the weight of Cetanu's words. They understood that this was a ridiculous task, but with there even being a possibility of Edelgarde starting a Fodlan wide civil war with Blood Demons at her back and call, they knew it was necessary.
"I would have no qualms rising to meet this request."
Cetanu's eyes stared forward at nothing in particular for a moment, not wanting to hear Constance's voice agree to his proposal. He turned to the former Adrestian noble, his brow ever so slightly furrowed in hesitation.
"You do understand that in order to complete this task, to aid me in preventing an unwinnable civil war, that you will have to oppose the next Emperor, directly to her face?" he asked, wondering where her loyalties lied. If his question made her back down, he'd know that she was too far gone to reason with.
Instead, her haughty voice and posture were only emboldened by his question, and she lifted her nose slightly as she squared her shoulders.
"I, Constance of House Nuvelle, will gladly rise to the challenge! For if the Emperor of Adrestia sees my stalwart determination, she will have no choice but to restore House Nuvelle to it's former glory." she said, and Cetanu looked to her.
He wasn't an idiot, and he understood that while she was a member of the 'Moon', a clan of Blood Demons known for their inherent lack of sanity, her words weren't some delusion or vague prophecy. She was willing to listen to him because she hoped that Edelgarde would grant her entire House it's noble Adrestian status back. If she did, Cetanu was sure that she'd turn on them all. He knew that he would anticipate the day, but he had no idea that the Madwoman was so determined to make that day as soon as possible.
If there was one thing that the trio called the Barons of Heaven weren't expecting, it was that the Lord of the land they were inhabiting would be so incredibly interested in them. Be it their skills, their appearances, or even their ability to tolerate Samyaza, something about each of them fascinated the young Lord Formorian.
Which is why all three of them were tasked with the job of dropping their Lord back off at the Monastery. It was rather odd to them, but each of them felt a sense of gratitude, not used to being so appreciated.
"You really seem more into us than our actual boss." Bestla had said, and Ashe's pale green eyes looked to her, a smile across his features.
"I like the idea of all of my allies standing out from one another. You three all look very interesting, and the weapons you carry are pretty unique too."
The Queen of Storms, Baron Bestla Kirinmir of the Norn division, chuckled. Her axe had an oddly jagged blade and appearance due to the fact that it was made from the bones of an Oghma Wolverine, something that she hunted with her father when she was a child. The armor she wore that complimented her snow white hair and golden eyes was also made from the Wolverine, which was an oddly pale color for it's species.
"I think you focus too much on appearance, and not on substance." Rathalos had said, agitated by the lack of focus on his battle prowess. He was a man of war, the idea of being complimented on his appearance and choice of weapon wasn't something that sat well with him.
Ashe looked to him, finding his agitation incredibly misplaced. "I'm very sure that you're all very accomplished warriors. I can be rather certain that Captain Jeralt or Samyaza wouldn't hand out a rank like yours lightly." he mused, and the red haired warrior sighed.
The Dreadking, Baron Rathalos Goamagala of the Fatalis division, wasn't one to argue with people. Particularly those with higher social status that looked like they couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. He let the comments about his appearance slide, because despite his volatile and combat hungry nature, the Dreadking had a sense of respect for the Lordling, who obtained his status through mortal combat with his own father.
"We appreciate your kindness M'Lord, but the praise is not necessary, we're merely doing our jobs." Samedi noted, inwardly sighing at the fact that he had to be the humble member of the trio. Both of his teammates were known to take compliments the wrong way. Bestla had a habit of desiring more praise, while praise only agitated Rathalos and made him want to fight someone. It was up to him to be the one to say thank you and smile.
Ashe looked to him, smiling still as they breezed through the beautiful skies of Fodlan.
"You don't need to be so humble. Your weapon interests me the most since we're both archers." he mused, and Samedi glanced to his weapon.
The Cemetery of the Sky, Baron Samedi Guedhe of the Vodun division, couldn't disagree with the statement. He earned his theatric epithet because of his incredible accuracy, the men he grew up fighting with saying that his arrows were like flying tombstones because whenever he fired, someone on the other side of the field fell. And a large part of that accuracy was because of his bow.
Given to him by his mother, the weapon was called the 'Ogun' amongst his people, a tribe of hunters that lived in a swamp like bayou in southern Brigid. It was made from something that he couldn't identify, but he wagered it was made with the bones of some prehistoric animal that was abnormally large, as the bow was nearly double the length of his arm. It had an incredibly comfortable grip and was strung with an almost religious care, the string still exactly as taut and brand new as when he was first gifted the bow decades ago. He couldn't blame the Lordling, anyone who called themselves an Archer would be intrigued.
When they came upon the Monastery, Ashe noticed that there weren't many people about, making him wonder if he missed some important event or if his timing was poor. He glanced about the huge cathedral and the surrounding area, wondering exactly where he should land.
He wasn't sure why, but he was ever so slightly hungry, and not the kind of hungry that made those around him pop their collars. He looked to Samedi, his pale eyes brimming with a sense of power. "Land in the Market."
The dark skinned archer nodded, looking to the sprawling street that held the marketplace near the main entrance. The trio swooped around, their wyvern all crying out to each other in response to their riders' orders. The townsfolk and church staff walking the streets of the market could only move out of the way, surprised at the fact that three oversized wyvern were descending on them. They knew that the Knights of Seiros had Pegasus Knights, but Wyvern Riders?
When the three wyvern landed, Ashe smiled as he leapt from Samedi's wyvern, reaching out to stroke the draconic beast's jaw, thanking it for it's faithful service and hard work. He was joined by the Barons of Heaven, who all made a mental note to remain passive, as Ashe had a habit of slipping into an odd state of theatrics.
"You're cluttering the street with your paltry display."
Ashe tilted his head as he stared at Samedi's wyvern. He blinked, slowly turning to see Hubert standing and staring at him, the Princess in front of him as always, a few of the other Eagles with them. A smile spread across his face, and Bestla blinked, finding his aura rather different than before.
"You're quite the bootlicker, Hubert. Dragging your classmates out so that we can continue where we left off?" he asked, finding a great sense of amusement at Hubert's visible tension. While the younger Fiend greatly enjoyed taunting and provoking him, it was for entirely different reasons than his sire.
Ashe enjoyed being the Lord of Gaspard, and he'd make sure that everyone knew that he was no longer a crestless, human ruffian anymore.
"It doesn't pay to insult one of the noble houses of Adrestia. I am aware that your status is in it's first days, but surely you were taught that much."
He looked to Edelgarde, his smile fading as he stared at her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he couldn't stand her. And it wasn't the kind of disdain you held for a crying child on a carriage or a loud passerby. It was more familiar than that, like the disdain between siblings. Why, exactly, did he feel that way?
"This little hussy is the next Emperor? Adrestia really is suffering." Bestla chuckled, and Edelgarde narrowed her eyes before looking back to Ashe.
"You had best tell your underling that she'd better watch her tongue."
"Or what?"
The Eagles all blinked at that. It wasn't often someone challenged Edelgarde, much less to her face with witnesses, no matter who they be. She narrowed her eyes, Hubert taking a step from her shadow to stand by her side.
Rathalos stamped forward, the burly armored man snarling like some kind of agitated dragon.
"Take one more step and I'll rip you into so many pieces even insects will balk at the sight of you."
Again, a blatant threat, this time a death threat from one of the Wyvern Riders.
"Calm down Rathalos."
The red haired man looked back to the dreadlocked archer, who stood with his eyes closed and arms folded.
"There is no honor in killing that which has no face, or that which already bears the flag of death upon itself."
He opened his eyes, looking to Hubert as he spoke. However, they noticed that what he was saying wasn't a threat or a taunt. He made a statement, and that statement was that Hubert was already going to die.
Edelgarde pushed past Rathalos and Hubert and grabbed Ashe by the collar, frowning and furrowing her brow.
"Come the Battle of Eagle and Lion, I'm going to make it my mission to humiliate you in front of the world. You'll wish that poison killed you." she said, and Ashe could only smile.
His lips parted, as if he was going to speak, but he could only muster laughter. His inner Fiend found this incredibly amusing as well. She was boldly declaring that she'd defeat him, something that he didn't doubt she could do if she truly trained and tried. However, what really made the demon and his subconscious both laugh at her, was the fact that she was almost nose to nose with him, and that her neck was exposed.
"Ashe."
His laughter ceased at the sound of Cetanu's voice, Victor accompanying him as Edelgarde shoved him off. She turned away, moving to walk off when Cetanu looked to her.
"You recall what I said to you all those moons ago?"
She looked to Cetanu, narrowing her eyes before looking to Ashe. Her eyes passed back to the ebon mercenary, who smiled as he turned to his progeny. "I'm glad that you came back so quickly. Come, we have things to discuss."
As Samyaza walked the halls of Castle Formorian, he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Besides the fact that Ashe had taken a liking to his three best men and taken all of them with him for a mere dramatic entrance, there was something else that disturbed him.
It was the fact that the two Blood Demons were both incredibly unstable. He was fully aware that they weren't human, so that alone made them impossible to predict, but seeing even Cetanu flip through so many emotions and facades was incredibly odd to him. It was even worse with Ashe, as his emotions were fewer than Cetanu's.
Ashe had only shown varying levels of arrogance and anger, his brief fear and hesitation all abandoned the second he took Lonato's life. It was odd to him, but he'd read all the reports and talked to many people, and it seemed like Cetanu was trying to force people to evolve, pushing them to overcome shortcomings and fears. Samyaza shook his head at the thought of the mild mannered Ashe Ubert throwing a kick with enough force that it transformed him into the confident Lord Formorian.
He hesitated, his sharp ears picking up on an odd screeching sound. It was familiar to him, as it was much akin to screeches that you'd hear in a hatchery. The first mewling caws of a newborn Wyvern were unmistakable to the Demon Lord of Sloth. However, the sound shouldn't be coming from inside the castle.
He followed the noise, his brow furrowing and his posture lowering as he continued closing in on the noise. His fighting style wasn't often seen, but it was very submission based, so whatever was making the noise had better pray it could slither out of his grip.
However, he noticed that he was in the throne room, the unimpressive chair snapping him from his focus, his eyes scanning the room before locking onto the pedestal that held the cracked egg that was passed down through his family.
It was gone, the shell of the egg scattered across both the pedestal and the floor. His eyes moved up and down, scanning the ground for the rest of the egg, his mind also wondering what happened to the egg, as he'd expect someone to try and steal it, not shatter it.
He heard the noise again, and spun around only to freeze in place. It was about the size of a large dog, and with furled wings that remained close to it's body. It's neck was long and it's front legs were short. It was almost like a winged salamander if not for the powerful jawline it had despite it's visible infancy.
The creature reared up on it's hind legs and unfurled it's wings, letting out a screech like roar that Samyaza barely processed. He looked back to the egg, and then to the winged beast in front of him, his mind flashing to Ashe's odd fascination with the egg.
Samyaza held his hand out to the dragon, who bowed it's head and let the Wyvern Lord stroke it's skull. He inhaled, exhaling slowly as he realized that the younger Fleshcrafter's first time using the arcane art was incredibly effective.
"I bet you've been waiting over a thousand years to get out of that shell, huh?" he asked, and the dragon looked him in the eyes, throwing it's head back and roaring once more. The Demon Lord of Sloth could only chuckle, a sense of pride filling his being at being the one to finally, with help of course, hatch his family's dragon egg.
