A/N: I was thinking of doing a weekly update of this fic, but considering my lack of progress the fourth chapter, I will slow down to a bi-weekly update.
After the news of Berthe's attack got to Hagus's ears, the news of the event reached the court of Elder in a matter of days. It was not the first demon sighting the village had seen, but this one came at a worrying time. A time the Lord of Elder had prepared for.
Wally had summoned all the nobles along the head of the Velder commerce association, Richard Hoffman, and Yiu Hie, a powerful mage that had served him for a decade. The room was sealed by heavy doors, just like a vault where they were the treasure. Wally liked to see himself as the final guard and overlord of Elder's prosperity, just like Lord Sebastian was before him. Every treasure was in front of him, aligned in two columns that forged a path to the exit.
There was still someone missing: the young engineer that had made most of his plans possible. He had the proof to make the other nobles change their opinion on his plan, but Wally thought that his speech alone would be enough to convince everyone beneath him.
"Gentlemen, I have summoned you here to discuss the events that happened eight days ago in Ruben. It has not been the first time a demon has been spotted around the area and we've all heard the contradicting rumours coming from Fluone."
The monarch looked at the faces of his court. Some seemed already worried while others simply kept the same stoic face they had always shown for all meetings. Wally took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his position get heavier over his shoulders, before continuing what he had to say.
"As you probably know already, I have been preparing an army of Nasods since the first demon set foot in that village. We don't know exactly how strong the demons are and time is clearly running out. The reports from Hamel vary from very optimistic to the worst case scenario. The only real fact is the increasing amount of refugees that are either drowning or making it to Velder's shore. They've been fleeing from something and that something might also knock on our doors."
He passed his tongue over his dry lips, knowing that revealing his plan would not be as welcomed as his previous plans. Not without any proof to back it up. "The most recent models have proven to be as effective as a unit of twenty men. With a force of a hundred Nasods and a special unit, we would have the force of two thousand five hundred men to deal with a demon threat."
Some nobles nodded, while others began to cross their arms, doubting what their ruler had to say. "There's only a last pebble on the road before we can add that colossal force to ours: we need the power of the El Shard to power the Nasod army."
Not a single instant of silence let his words weigh onto the audience when Jhonattan Hartfeld, a young blonde noble, shook his head in disagreement. "With all due respect, Lord Wally, we cannot risk the safety of seventy percent of our farmland like this."
The old leader sighed. "I am aware that this decision is not an easy one, but we'd only be moving the shard from Ruben to here. We're not taking it away from the region it helps, we're simply relocating it."
Leon Leitner, a redhead who was a good friend of Hartfeld, stepped in to support him. "I share the same concerns as Baron Hartfeld. What kind of horrible leaders would we be if we risked the lives of the villagers that work for us? That'd be asking for the same rebellion that shook Velder a few years ago."
The sole mention of the war strained the grim expressions of all the people around, specially Baron Vergnert Montern, who had lost his younger brother to the bloodiest rebellion in the history of Lurensia.
Hartfeld nodded. "Yes, and the demon threat has not come for us the way I've heard it hit Hamel, if we believe the rumours about the Resiam massacre. I doubt Fluone's capital would let his commercial heart fall overnight, but let's assume that the wildest rumours are true."
The blonde baron opened his arms and walked in front of the other members of the court. If the brat wasn't related to Count Witterel, Wally would have called his guards to take him away for his impertinence. However, Wally was barely an Viscount in Velder's Court; he could only grit his teeth and frown at the young man who had taken away everyone's attention away from him.
Wally knew very well that the golden-haired brat had no noble reason to go to Velder except to get favours from his family in the capital in exchange of expanding the royal army. The favours he could offer as a viscount paled in comparison of what a Count or the King himself would offer, but the defence of Elder came first in Wally's eyes. He couldn't let the opportunity to prove his power slip away like this.
"The demons are invading from the south of Elrios, and they're looking for more blood. If we are to stop such scoundrels, we should not battle here. We're away from the capital. Besides, the El Search Party would not allow any relocation without Hamel's approval. It is the capital of the church too, after all." Leitner continued.
Hartfeld glanced at his friend with a smirk on his face. "As Baron Leitner has said, the Party is under the jurisdiction of the Hamelian Church. This decision would cut Lurensia's good relationship with its only neighbour."
Wally saw the spark of treason in their eyes. It was not yet time to reveal his full plan until he knew exactly who would still remain faithful to him. He knew there were at least two people in the room who would not benefit to leave the town.
Hoffman, Hie and Vergnert seemed very concerned by the idea, just as Wally had hoped. Nevertheless, Hartfeld continued to boast the merits of his plan. "Our forces can unite, and we can keep our Lord informed of the situation. Our honour belongs to the King!"
"And what will you do, Baron Hartfeld, if you go with all the troops and the demons go and attack us right when we need to defend this town the most?" Vergnert grumbled.
"Sir Vergnert, there are a lot of affordable mercenary orders Wally could hire. It is a much more effective alternative instead of putting your trust in an old legend we've barely seen do more damage than one soldier." Leitner replied.
The nobles whispered between themselves, agreeing with each other or bickering between petty disagreements like they would usually do. Wally took a deep breath, stood from his throne and faced Hartfeld, glaring at the cocky grin the brat had on his face. If only Sebastian Wells were alive, Hartfeld would stay quiet.
"Very well. I will leave this matter to your judgement. You can either go with Lohengramm or stay with me to defend this town. Let me remind you that the demons could very well be trying to flank the continent, forcing all of you to fight in two close fronts if you choose leave this town unprotected."
Lohengramm scoffed. "Lord Wally, you are sometimes way too pessimistic. I suppose the years have impeded you from seeing a new tomorrow."
"Gentlemen, make your decision and leave if you desire to do so. The meeting will continue with those who decide to stay." Wally hissed.
Hartfeld shrugged with a smug smile that Wally wished he could punch off his face. One by one, nine out of the ten official members of the court left with him. Only Vergnert, Hie and Hoffman were left. Wally returned to his seat and took a deep breath, trying to wipe his frustration away from his face with his hands.
The heavy wooden gates leading to the courtroom opened, and an exhausted albino entered. He looked around the room and walked up directly to the Lord himself. "Well, I guess the meeting is over. You guys sure you want to send like ninety percent of the troops away like that? Seems like a fucking bad idea, if you ask me."
Wally cleared his throat to regain his calm voice to inform Add of the current situation.
"We are all vassals to the king of Velder, and those men have the courage to go defend the kingdom on the frontlines. They will keep us informed, Add. But that's not of our concern currently. In a way, you're on time for the meeting. Please report the progress you've made to the gentlemen here."
The engineer nodded and used his dynamos to activate a tridimensional video feed from the laboratory Wally had built through the years underneath his residence. A three-story tall Nasod was resting in the main room, connected to countless cables while smaller Nasods welded a heavy metallic blue armour over its arm. It gave it the intimidating size of chimney and the faint glow in its open hand made it clear that the appearance of the rest of the arm wasn't just for show: that arm was made to shoot powerful beams of energy from the palm of its hand. To its back, a mechanical cannon, only rarely seen on the finest war airships the kingdom had used during the rebellion.
"Where did you buy the cannon?" Hoffman asked, his eyes wide open at the fully armoured titan in front of him.
Add chuckled and pointed at himself. "I built it from scratch thanks to the military records you kept around. Nothing complicated when you have the blueprints. I had to give it a personal touch to transform it into a terror machine for any enemy infantry."
Vergnert squinted his eyes at the Tracer, demanding an explanation.
"If we get a large power source for this beauty, the main cannon will fire energy orbs that will either deal most of their damage as they fall or orbs that detonate a few seconds after hitting the ground."
The Baron turned towards Wally. "If this is true, then the force of this machine is worth way more than a whole cannoneer division. Even still, we should monitor closely the demon presence in Ruben before taking the El Shard, and talk it out with the El Search Party about this plan."
The Nasod engineer clicked his tongue. "And by the time you come back with the shard, I won't have the time to activate it, nor test if its code doesn't malfunction upon activation before demons come storming through the gates."
Hoffman sighed. "And how much time you would need to do that, Add?"
"The more time you give me to make sure everything works perfectly, the better."
Everyone's gaze turned towards the ruler of Elder, waiting for his approval
"Hie, you are the most knowledgeable on spiritual magic. You've told me you've worked with the Haan clan: the protectors of the Moon El in your native town. If we were to take the El from the Tree, how many people would die?"
The old mage closed his golden eyes, rubbing his chin as he mumbled in his incomprehensible native language. After a moment of silence where all ears were eagerly waiting for his answer, the elder from Fahrman's Peak spoke.
"I have not seen the size of the El of Ruben nor felt its ties to the forest. I would think that if the shard is big enough to power a Nasod army, then its range of influence would protect most of the territory it already covers, like Lord Wally mentioned before. The only exception might be the villages that are, at most, a two days hike away from it."
Hoffman nodded. "That would mean that only Ruben would be affected. It's a fairly small village, but it holds the training grounds of the El Search Party. Under normal circumstances, they would protect the Shard at any costs."
Add clapped, making the video disappear. "Ok, then everything is settled. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more research to do."
The albino strolled away from the room, closing the door as loudly as he had opened it.
"Why don't brats listen to me!" Wally mumbled before looking at Vergnert. "Can you summon Banthus here as soon as you can? I need him to gather his men and more to put this defence plan into motion."
Vergnert nodded. "As you wish, my Lord, but I will ask you to tell us first how you plan to negotiate with the leader of the El Search Party."
The Viscount nodded. "Most certainly, Sir Vergnert. I will offer him a good bounty for his service. Naturally, that is not limited to getting the Shard here, but also finding new men to defend this town. That golden-haired brat left us practically defenceless and I'd rather have troops that obey a man of my trust than gamble money on bandits that would call themselves mercenaries just to get food and shelter."
Hoffman nodded. "A wise decision, my Lord. But I must ask one more thing on behalf of the merchants of Elder: how much money will Banthus be given to accomplish this task?"
"At most, a hundred million ED."
The brown-haired merchant widened his eyes, utterly shocked by the astronomical value Wally was willing to give away.
"Lord Wally, that amount is absurd even as a maximum! The coffers are almost empty with the costs of the Nasod Research through the past four years. Spending a hundred million ED like that would put the town in a horrible debt! Please reconsider and offer him at most thirty million. That should be enough to hire good men for the job."
The Lord nodded. "I will take your concerns in consideration, Hoffman. I am aware of our precary economic state and I will put all the measures in my power to ensure that we do not fall in debt."
The merchant let a sigh of relief and thanked the lord of Elder before the latter concluded the meeting.
Once he was left alone, Wally looked at the small gold medallion he had once shared with one of his closest friends: Banthus's father. Sebastian Wells was a brilliant commander and the one who would always defend his view in Court just like Lietner had Lohengramm's back. His death was felt in court, mostly because it shattered the influence Wally held without imposing himself as a tyrant.
Being an old man in a court formed mostly by a rebellious youth was a challenge he could not quite step up to. The war had strained his charisma of old, but he still had a town to look over, the town Sebastian would have never abandoned. If the current taxes couldn't keep up with an offer worthy of his friend's son, he would do anything in his power to keep his city afloat.
There was the possibility that Banthus would refuse to move the El Shard
"It's time I acted like the captain I used to be, Sebastian: My word will be the law because my word is what will make the crew survive the war." the Tyrant thought to himself.
After Wally had dismissed him, Yiu Hie, as most strangers to the inner circles of the court, walked right back to his quarters, looking for the better solution in his heart. He feared that all choices he had would lack compassion. That alone weighed his conscience down for the rest of the day, where he sank in the silence of the palace, looking over the troops that left the palace. He could still overhear them, talking excitedly about becoming heroes in a future battle, earn fame and glory next to their leaders.
It was not uncommon for young soldiers to lack humility, but he had never grown quite used to the flagrant differences in the path of the warrior that Lurensia imposed. It was empty, almost without any real code for such responsibilities, leaving it up to each knight to forge his own morals. It was dangerous.
With a deep sigh, he closed his window, then the curtains of his chamber and decided to rest for the days to come.
Although his philosophy greatly differed from the native citizens, Hoffman and Vergnert walked down the corridors of the empty palace together, sharing the same worries as the foreign mage.
"I still don't trust that Albino. He has something up his sleeve, I'm sure of it." the merchant mumbled to the warrior to his side.
"What I am worried about is the bribing plan. If Banthus is an honest man, he will do exactly what Hartfeld said. That said, I'm still iffy about letting a village unprotected like that. Even if it's for the greater good, it just doesn't sit well with me."
Hoffman nodded. He still had to keep his contacts in Ruben to round up the equipment sales of his company for the El Search Party and having them as enemies would greatly compromise it. There was still a possibility, however small, that Wally succeeded in convincing Captain Banthus.
"Vergnert, you know that Banthus is the previous lord's son, don't you?"
"Of course, everyone knows it. But if that man is anything like his father, we're screwed. Sebastian was a man of honour. Someone not even Hartfeld would dare to contradict. Shame we lost him in the rebellion."
Hoffman sighed. "War always takes the best of us, unfortunately. Banthus will get to your household by tomorrow, won't he?"
The warrior nodded and a smirk twisted the merchant's face. "Then you will know first hand if Banthus lives up to the name of his father."
The colossal warrior frowned. "Hoffman, I'm not a merchant. I don't trick people and I never will."
Hoffman raised an eyebrow and chuckled wholeheartedly. "I'm not thinking anything of the sort, such tactics are only for scammers. Merchants only take honest deals. What I'm looking for is to reduce the risk in our hands. If you get the feeling Banthus is like the spitting image of his father, we would not mention any of the Lord's plan, would we?"
Vergnert chuckled. "You never take too much risks, don't you? You sly fox."
The merchant stopped and the warrior turned to the right, getting out of the Palace's grounds. Before leaving, the merchant left a final whisper of caution for the merchant's ears.
"Just be careful Ishmael doesn't make fate turn against you."
Hoffman nodded and waved at the Baron. The last remains of the soldiers working for Hartfeld were leaving, talking excitedly about finding glory in the battlefield.
At that moment, he remembered something he had heard from some faithless merchant from Lanox: people were masters of their own destiny.
Hoffman searched his side pocket and found the sacred rosary his father had left him. The small cross of Ishmael reminded him of the fate controlled by the gods. He knew he had the biggest opportunity in his hands and no goddess would stop him from seizing it.
The merchant threw away the religious artifact and walked to the nearest antique shop to buy a pocket watch. He tied it to his belt and put the artifact where the rosary used to be. It suited him better, for he would watch carefully the right time to act instead of letting the gods roll the dice.
