Eostia: Harem Quest

by EostianScribe

The Gods have given mortals the power of The Gamer as a pass time. A hobby. A means to compete and relax. One goddess, however, sees it as a means of salvation; starting with one world. As such, she rolls the dice... (Harem, Citrus and Eventual Dark Content Warning)

117. Act V-Ch V: Seek & Rally

[ - Author's Note - ]

Well, here we are. The fic has over one million views and, after this one, two million words. Yup; I've made a monster.

I have another Questline's chapter that will be posted, a Dub-Canon sequel to the last Questline's chapter. I won't spoil it too much save Olga's in it. For most of you that's all you need, I imagine.

So, this chapter? James seeks where the next clue points, Tiffany and the Rebels consider how they'll attack the Grim Mountain that stands before them, a meeting to get the state of Eostia and it's neighbors... oh, and Vult makes a short appearance...

Let's get into it then!

[ - Act V - Chapter V: Seek & Rally - ]

Training a military is more difficult then just recruiting men; you need to train them to an acceptable level at bare minimum and despite what some may think men are not interchangeable; some learn quicker, some learn slower. Some excel in some skills and some in others while some just falter in some aspects of soldiery. You cannot cookie cutter training, as much as you may wish. And yet if one does not standardize training to some degree you'll have a foot-solider lacking basic skills or knowledge.

It is best to set a basic standard for what you need in a solider and ensure your instructors are keeping an eye out for those with natural talents. Those sharp eyed should be made archers, those with silent steps made into scouts, those with great strength taught to wear heavy armor and weapons, those fleet of foot should be made skirmishers or runners. Good skills should be nurtured and if some wish to learn they should be allowed.

The greatest heroes of Eostia all started as children who grew to teenagers; born into responsibility, birthed to commoners, conscripted or volunteered to service. They all started knowing nothing and learning from there; each a mountain that began as a pebble.

~Caulder Fiorire, How to Raise Heroes

[-]

Once more I was in Bria, although this time on Enterprise. We were under cloak for the moment as we slowly moved along the sky as we hovered near Jasmine Field. I rubbed the back of my head as I looked over the map projected from my device. I opted to have every known fort within twenty miles of the town highlighted and... there was more then I assumed. Sure, there were seven forts but also twenty different watchtowers and two abandoned, walled towns that were military bases. Of course that assumed I read the clue right; I assumed that the 'now the ghosts (rest their head here)' meant an abandoned place and not, say, a graveyard.

I know why he had to be vague but I still wished Unussol could have just said 'go here, find this'. It would make my life a lot easier...

I frowned a bit as I tapped my finger to the pilot's console as I sighed. "We need a sign..." I let off as I frowned harder. Yes I frowned and I didn't know how to turn it upside-down.

"Mayhaps the gods would be kind enough to send us one." Makoto let off as Dawn minded the controls; I made sure to pick her up from her studies just in case.

"I'd take any help the gods offer, but I won't count on it happening." I said as I moved to the port side of the ship, looking off to the plains of grass under us and the forest beyond. For now we're on a wild goose chase; and worse I can't hear the damned geese in question. I tapped my hand on the railing as I sighed. "We have the clues and I'm confident in two of them but I still don't fully understand the other two. I'm sure one of them pointed to one of the old forts here but damned if I know what it all means."

"The steam could refer to a hot spring." Dawn chipped in. "I mean there's a couple around here, right?"

"Yeah, mostly man made..." I replied as I frowned. "...but there are a few, small natural ones... A couple are said to be out in the sticks..."

"But depending on the heat we may not even see the steam..." Makoto mused. "Can we use your glasses to see them, perhaps?"

"Maybe." I admitted. I turned to ask but I caught Riri's retreating form; likely off to get the glasses. "Of course we still need to find the right one..." I sighed once more looking off to the distance. "This is gonna be a pain..."

[-]

Fort Kincaid
Central East Barony of Albia
War Room

"Well... we surpassed a few major hurdles but now... now we have to deal with the real challenge of our rebellion." The fort's war room was well stocked for it's purpose; a large table in the center, books and maps needed for reference and information and more. The floor and walls were stone but the walls bore a wooden, inner wall to make the room warmer. As he spoke Zack von Rhack swung his arms about, lifting a hand up before pointing down. "We must tackle the Grim Mountain!" He let off in a deep, dire voice as Tiffany stood at the front of the table. She shivered a bit; before this meeting was called she talked to James over the voxlux for advice on how to tackle the Fortress with the rebellion.

'Not directly' was the best he could offer; even he wasn't sure how to tackle it. When the Champion of Eostia admitted he was stumped that was something to worry about.

"I know of it's reputation..." Lolek added; standing on a small stool to have a better view as he frowned. In addition to a map of Albia laid out on the table Tiffany's staff was projecting an image of Fortress Trucis Mons from above. The view alone was daunting. "Tackling it head on is next to impossible; better to contain it via a siege and bypass it."

"I'm not sure if we can." Jack von Rhack replied with his own frown. "It boasts a massive force and we'd need to put significant forces to contain them. More then we can really afford."

"And if we bypass it without a siege they'll raise hell in our back lines." Ridder Moedighart opted to add in as he looked to a scroll in his hand, reading it. "No matter what we do it's a poor play." He said with a sigh.

"Assault it directly and we risk our own annihilation." Lolek let off. "Lay siege to it and we tie up forces we could put to better use elsewhere. Avoid laying siege and we open our supply lines to harassment and destruction. Regardless of what we do it's liable to be well stocked and could hold out for months or years without resupply." He sighed before looking to Tiffany. "There is no good options here..."

"...Nothing direct, I admit... but... we might find a solution... we need to think outside the box..." She began as she tapped her chin in thought. "Okay... we can't attack the fortress directly... maybe there's something about the people inside..? Appeal to the men or it's commander..?"

"Given the importance I imagine that they have a loyal commander in control of the fortress..." Lolek said as Jack moved to the side of the room, pulling out a series of scrolls. "I doubt a mere, standard appeal would work."

"Maybe not, but we can be sure a direct attack will fail as well." She replied as Jack brought the scrolls, scanning them one by one. "But the real danger of a fortress is the men inside of it; right?"

"True; unmanned a fortress is a mere pile of carved rocks." Zack said as he nodded before pointing to Tiffany with two fingers. "But we cannot reach the men with any ease here..."

"As for it's commander..." Jack began as he read the scroll in his hand. "It's a man with twenty one years of experience in the military; a knight by the name of Lieutenant Commander Conner MacLeannan." Tiffany blinked before looking up, considering the name for a moment. "Man fought well in the last incursion and was assigned to Trucis Mons when Commander Alexander Longrider fell in combat during the Garan counter attack at Mooncast. By all accounts it was meant to be temporary... until the rebellion happened, anyway."

"Temporary? Maybe he isn't as loyal a minion as Roxellia hoped?" Ridder said as Tiffany tapped her chin.

"Conner MacLeannan... I've heard the name before..." Tiffany let off as the others in the room looked to her.

"You know the man?"

"No... no... I've not met him..." She replied to Ridder's question. "No, I've heard of... ... I remember now!" She said, snapping her fingers. "My mother talked about him! She said they were lovers! At... at least until Roxellia rose up." She said as everyone looked to her, Lolek nodded for her to explain. "Sometimes in her... well worse moments she'd lament how he never came with her when she stole me away. He stuck to what he felt was his duty... even so long after the fact she pines for him... If that's the case... maybe the reverse is true..?"

"...That's... an angle worth considering..." Jack said as he tapped his chin, looking down to the scroll. "What we have here does suggest his loyalty isn't assured... He's no rebel, surely, but perhaps not loyal to House Ardon."

"You are hoping, then, he is the crack in the fortress we can use?" Zack let off as he grinned, tapping his fingers to the table as she nodded.

"Exactly. I can... maybe use mother's feelings as a means to get him to talk. Engage in a little diplomacy... and maybe, just maybe have him declare neutrality." She said as she looked around. "I know asking him to turn his coat would be best for us but he is a man of duty. I don't think I can have him betray House Ardon directly but I can push the idea of the rebellion being best for Albia as a whole. That he can stand aside and let things play out for the better."

"It'll be a calculated risk..." Lolek said, looking to Tiffany with a worried look. "It's possible he is pining for your mother as much as she does him, even after so long... but we need to consider something else; time and distance may have hardened his heart... or he may have moved on."

"I can say what we know doesn't state his marriage status..." Jack said as he looked to his father. "We can ask our people to search out details; what women he is seeing, if any."

"Do it!" He let off, pumping his arm. "Coat turned or made to sit upon the fence! If we can have MacLeannan stand down at the very least then we need not tackle the Grim Mountain at all!" He smirked and thrust his fist forwards. "And then we can fall unto Fort Tenner with all the force of thunder and fury! Oooohhhhhhhh yeeeeeeah!"

"Let's... not get too excited here..." Lolek said, waving his hands downwards. "Let's not count our chickens before the eggs have even been laid. We have a lot of work to do before we even come near Trucis Mons. Aside from training new recruits and integrating additional adventurers and mercenaries coming in we need to ensure our supplies flow forth. That will take us some time."

"Agreed!" Zack barked out. "Tiffany can consider her approach in the meantime! For now-" He grinned and lived his fists up and knocked them together once. "-we march forwards! Our next stop is Fortress Trucis Mons!" He let off with a grin.

Tiffany took in a deep breath... Once more the rebellion rested on her shoulders...

[-]

Forest Outside of Fort Tenner
Central Barony of Albia

"I wish we could just ride this into the fort..." Harold DuPon was, by trade, an Adventurer... although that was more of a cover for the fact he was, in reality, a Blitzhaus operative; a lieutenant in their forces, if off the books. As such he was trusted with the operation and command of the Eagle Carrier, or at least the first one deployed to their ally. He bore plausible deniability of being an Elddale operative and, thus, could join the ongoing Albian Civil War on the loyalist side without getting his duke in trouble... Material was one thing; Elddale soldiers were another so it was best to send one who was 'a trusted contractor'.

The one issue was he was under orders to hide the Carriers for as long as possible. By all accounts the rebels weren't aware of the Eagle Carriers yet but it wasn't a question of if they would be exposed, just when. "Don't complain; we're paid well for this." The black haired, bearded man looked to his counterpart; Alice DeVain. She bore her blonde hair in a tight bun (Which, oddly, bore streaks of green through it) as her blue eyes looked to him; their leather gambeson equal in quality but made to look common as opposed to high quality. The two shuffled barrels from the Carriers to a common wagon; a mix of gunpowder, ale (For morale), salted meats, clean clothing and bedding, flour and grains and much, much more... as well as crates of... Mungale Corn Flakes.

Arnold von Blitzhaus wasn't exactly happy to be sending off what was a new product from a rival house but they should have kept well and while best eaten with milk could be snacked on without. More over it was expected to keep for sometime being heat sealed in wax paper and, thus, was a worthwhile food to stock up on in case of a long siege.

Harold would admit to buying a box and snacking on it; good stuff. "I'm just saying... Be great if, uggh-" He let off, setting the crate onto the wagon, another man moving it further into the wagon. "-if we could just drop it off closer." He said, moving to grab another crate as two men moved a barrel over.

"We'll live." Alice replied with a snort, moving her own crate. "Besides; we need to be sure things don't go to shit here. My mom would be pissed if she had to give up her trips just because she couldn't travel with her slaves." He snorted at that but didn't argue; House Blitzhaus needed Ardon to win lest they be cut off from the Great Slave Chain... Even if he wasn't a fan of the whole slavery thing.

Not that he voiced it. Well, he was a fan of slave owning brothels... but he was a fan of brothels in general.

But Blitzhaus paid the bills at the end of the day and the house paid well. "Whatever. At least we get to fly this thing."

"That's true... You ever ride on a Cloud Rider?" Alice asked as he shook his head, both moving crates back and forth. "Me either. Honestly; I can't think it's better then this."

"Yeah; guess Noxdecus isn't so smart if it's so easy for Channer to copy what he did." Harold let off. Soon they were done, bid farewell to the Ardon men and their horse drawn wagon before moving to mount the Eagle Carrier and lifting off into the air. "Back to Elddale for another load. Let's hope it's lighter then the last one..."

"If there's one pain it's that it's much harder to navigate from up here..." Alice said as they rose upwards into the clouds before powering forwards as she pulled out their map.

"That's too true..." He said, sighing... Luckily it was easier to see landmarks from up there...

...and it was a hell of a view...

[-]

We've been hovering around for day and a half... and nothing yet...

Nada. Zero. Bupkis.

We used the glasses to find hot springs and map them a bit but... it didn't help. 'North of here the steam and green can be seen' is the clue... but what was the green? Grass? Forests? Both are green. Couldn't the man be a little more specific? Or was he that limited?

Yeesh... We need to find an old fort or something south of 'steam in green'; that's not helping too much... "We need a sign... from the heavens or the earth, we need a sign..." Riri let off, glasses on her face as she scanned for the 'steam'.

"It's like looking for a needle in a scatter of hay. And needles." Makoto quipped as she looked off the starboard side while I looked off the port side. "What are we even loo-"

"Look!" Dawn let off; a glance to her showed she was pointing ahead and to port slightly... in time to see a geyser fully shoot off into the air with heated water in a straight, upwards blast! Holy crap! It was in the middle of a forest and fired off water and steam high enough to be seen clear over the green of... the... trees...

...oh...

"Mark that down..." I let off as I quickly scrambled to the projected map. As the stream of water turned into steam that hovered over the treetops for a long, long moment. "What's south of here?" I let off as I looked down at the map and scrolled down... and found no forts but an abandoned town... That was a bit odd until I realized what the map listed it as; Raptor Creek... famous for the Battle of Raptor Creek. The town (I would later learn was called Raptor Creek as well for the creek there) was built as a training camp and was assaulted during the first Garanian incursion. The battle was infamous for taking nine days to finish with four clashes of forces in that time; Eostian Forces would 'win' the battle but be forced to retreat as Garanian reinforcements were spotted a half day's march after the initial foe was routed. With no time to bring their dead with them they gave those they could a burial... once armies were here and now only ghosts (So to speak) were left.

More over... when I looked at the town more directly... it wasn't really abandoned... There were wagons about that didn't show the wear and tear of age and a few people milled about. Armed people. Well equipped too; maybe a mercenary band as they were too well equipped for bandits... but it could also, perhaps, be Church Forces using nondescript equipment to avoid being identified at a distance. They could just claim to be mercenaries using the old, abandoned town as a base.

Most of the building's on the edge of town were half collapsed or even fully so but closer to the inside of the town repaired or even rebuilt buildings were visible. Then there was the town hall; one of the few stone buildings present; fully rebuilt, fully refurbished... and boasted a short watch tower built into it. Riri quickly came over and I could tell she was already noting who was doing what from our view and a glance as all I needed for Dawn to change heading for Raptor Creek.

There was a bit of excitement as we flew over as fast as cloaked flight would allow; we had our lead once more. And over an hour into our flight something else happened; a carriage rode into the town...

...in Church colors...

And who would step out of it once the vehicle came to a stop but Amram Stellaclamor... We were in luck, it seemed. That said I was less worried about tackling him then the Archbishop in terms of direct combat but it wasn't a fight I needed to have right now; not if I could avoid it. For now the question was 'what was here'? After all if the 'good' Cardinal was taking time out of his busy schedule to show up here of all places then it had to be significant. To what degree I didn't know but the last place we infiltrated had a mock, home made, spawnborne goddess... who knows what was here? Another spawnborne project?

(As a side note I spoke with Black von Adelle since that reveal; we both agreed the... body was made via a human egg fertilized with blood fused from the aspects; or at least that's the best idea on how they pulled it off. They could have just mixed all the blood into a vial and used a drop of the mixture. The thing is a human spawnborne had never been made before, or if it had I've never heard of it. That begged questions of any sort of mental stability but we had no means to answer that question; not without experimenting in... ways I'd rather not.)

Stellaclamor would enter the town hall; suggesting whatever he was here for was there. So... what was there?

We'd wait for him to leave; it would be up to Riri once more to help answer that question.

[-]

Raptor Creek
Two Days Later
Early Night

Unlike in Quietam Locum City and it's tall buildings and alleys Riri could approach her target from many, many more angles and means. She studied the patrols in the time she had and with the Invisibility Illusion given to her would have an easier time then most to get inside...

Most. Unlike the laboratory at the Lead and Gold there were many more anti illusion enchantments set up here; mostly in the alleys and narrower streets. Wider streets also had them but in more limited spots; spots that patrols passed all the times.

The rooftops was also a poor option for travel; the outer edges of the town bore weakened buildings that might not bear her weight without some collapse. Meanwhile the repaired, inner ones were fitted with small spikes, loose boards and the odd anti-Illusion enchantments. That made her approach difficult; hiding and waiting to circle around patrols, going through the odd alley with short enough counter-enchantments that she could jump over them and, in once case, sneaking through the second story hall of a building that left it's windows open. Reaching the town hall was it's own challenge.

Getting inside would be another; the windows were barred making entry that way impossible. The front doors bore two guards and were shut, maybe locked as well; as were the back doors. That left the watchtower... meaning she had to reach it. She climbed a house across from it (Being mindful of traps) to get a view of the roof of the hall. Seeing nothing out of place she hummed softly, got as much of a running start as she dared and leapt off the roof towards the hall's roof, aiming to grip the side as opposed to land on it. Like a monkey leaping tree to tree she sailed over the ground...

...and adjusted her hands to swap to her wall clinging combat art to grab the side of the roof before her fingers hit the short nails sticking up from the edge she only saw at the last moment!

A part of her felt her heart leap to her throat; the rest was silently impressed at how hard they were to see. Luckily she was able to cling to the side of the wall and moved to pull the sheathe of one of her long knives from her side and set it opposite of the nails, using it as a grip to pull herself up and avoid the nails. Replacing the sheathe she moved along as quiet as she could; moving on all fours and using her hands to check for traps, loose boards that would squeak and other things that would give her away. She had to slip around a series of such boards and soon she was able to use her combat art to climb up the watchtower.

Peeking over the side all she saw was one guard; clad in the exact same thing everyone she'd seen here wore. Basic, if quality chain mail. A steel half helm that covered the upper part of the head and bore a chain mail veil that fell to the bottom of the neck. Simple pauldrons, gauntlets and armored boots. Nothing out of place. One odd thing was how everyone seemed to be the same height and build; six-three and strong. It was... odd. The man looked about idly as she climbed in and moved to the hatch at the floor. Pulling out a small stone she held it in her hand to silence the sound of the wooden panel as she moved it and slipped inside.

She slowly moved down the tower's steps until reaching the bottom. Seeing no counter-enchantments she set her glasses to thermal vision; looking around. There were patrols on the main floor but it was much lighter then outside. She sighed and moved down and searched for whatever was there; seeking for a hidden door or hidden panel, using the thermal vision to seek a void deeper in...

She found it; save the door wasn't hidden. It was guarded well, was the issue. She could see the void in a room with two men standing on either side of the door and about a foot and a half from it. Using both the Invisibility Illusion and her small size she moved slowly and silently to the door, staying under their eyeline. Once there she made a brief check.

Locked.

She swapped to view for enchantments and, seeing the lock had none, pulled out a small spell stone her master gave her and set it to the lock, leaning in to ensure the Silence spell at her neck would cover the door. A moment later the spell caused the door to unlock, letting her open it and slip in. She looked outside even as she shut the door; the guards failed to notice.

She let off a breath she was holding.

She turned and the void her glasses showed her was another door; unlocked and lacking traps. Once opened she found a length of stairs going underground; going down she kept looking about as she frowned in concentration. No enchantments at the bottom of the stairs and while there was a door thermal told her no one was on the other side and enchantment view told her there was no enchantments. She still checked for non-magical traps but found nothing as she opened the door and slipped in. She expected another laboratory.

She found so much more.

The floor wasn't a full floor; there were railings in the center over an opening to let people look down. The walls and floors were simple, gray stone. Doors would lead to a series of rooms; labeled this time. Storage. Pantry. Main Researcher's Office. Archives. There was a lot. "I'm in." She spoke as she moved to the railing to see what was on the next floor down. "There is a lot of serious work being done... what the..?" She let off as she looked over the edge. "What am I looking at..?"

"...I'm... not sure..." Her master spoke in her ear. "I... holy crap, what is this..?"

From above she saw a series of casket like tubes arranged in two circles around a short three foot pillar, not unlike what was found in the lab under the Lead and Gold... but this was different... much different...

The caskets were made from a steel/mythril mix; she could tell even fourteen feet above them and cheaper then the one holding the fake-goddess. The upper half of the casket's cover was clear and showed off... men.

Identical men. It was as if twins but three dozen of them. It wasn't like they were all brothers; as if they were all copies! "I'm going down to have a closer look."

"Be careful..." James told her as she found the stairs and stepped down. Aside from the caskets holding men no one was there. She looked about and moved closer to peer inside a casket. The man was of fair skin and dark hair cut short; as if it was growing after being shaved bare. Around his forehead was a circlet but one with a flexible tube at the front that connected to the tube he was in. Looking to the container she saw tubes drop to slots carved into the floor that ran to the pillar in the center on which sat a spell stone; and not a small one. A mythril bowl held a green stone the size of an ogre's head on it... and she blinked.

"Is that..?"

"Unussol's emblem..." Glowing under the surface was the spiked, circular maker's mark of Unussol, shining a soft white that made it look a soft lime as it illuminated out. "He made this..."

"What is going on here..?"

"We need to know more... we need... I don't know; notes? A log?"

"I'll see what I can find." She said as she moved around the floor trying to cover up her nerves. Finding nothing, even at a desk near the front of the room, she opted to go back upstairs and to the room labeled 'Main Researcher's Office' and, with the unlocking stone, stepped in. The office was made well; marble walls as opposed to plain stone, a red oak desk, books upon books on the shelves. Rather then search the shelves she opted to go to the desk and open it's drawers first; after all the most important books for a researcher was, often, put someplace easy to reach and find. Repetition would ensure no one would misplace it.

The second one she searched (Needing to be unlocked) bore a book inside with 'Primary Research Log' set to the front. Setting it to the desk she opened it and started to flip past it; it was a thick book and... over half of it bore writing, notes, scribbles in the side margin... and if she was right, at least four or five different people writing in it. "Holy crap, there's so much here..."

"Crap... Nothing else to do; bring the book with you. Double check it doesn't have any enchantments on it; someone might have tied an alarm into if it leaves a certain area." She nodded and adjusted her glasses and, seeing nothing, moved to put the book into a bag of holding she was given for the insertion. She opted to move about afterwards to search.

Matching armor and weapons were about. Lots of food, but just flour, salted meats, grains and nuts with water. Then she found another room on the lower floor.

Barracks.

Thermal vision told her there was at least three dozen people inside, all laying down. The door was unlocked and peek inside showed her all she needed to know.

More of those matching men... all asleep. She shut the door and moved to leave the facility, making a request of her master first. Getting back to the main floor required some caution. Getting back up the watchtower was slower but quick enough. Rather then climb down, however, she climbed up onto the roof and waited. Finally she could see it; a black painted rope that was under partial Illusion to keep most from seeing it in the dead of night. Grabbing the rope she spoke to her voxlux and soon the rope pulled her upwards slowly.

Soon she was aboard the Enterprise and, while under cloak, they flew towards Skyguard...

[-]

As much as I wanted to just go over the log book right away the moment Riri was on the deck I opted to wait for the morning to be well rested to avoid missing anything. It would be missed eventually meaning the Church would know someone was running around there sooner or later but we needed to know what was going on there; even at the risk of tipping our hand. As long as they couldn't prove who was there it was fine; if they were left guessing that was better. They would suspect me, I'm sure they were smart enough to do that, but I didn't care as long as they had no proof; no proof meant that they couldn't do a damn thing about it.

So come the morning I did a lot of reading, note taking with it... and... boy was it a lot...

The project wasn't as old as the Spawnborne Aspect one; what we had was... well, a clone army like in the Star Wars prequels but on a much smaller scale... and it was begun by one Cardinal Carlos Stellaclamor, aka the father and predecessor of Amram Stellaclamor.

By all accounts the... origin of the... blood or whatever used for the... clones was three different people; Grave Levantine, Aston Arcturus and Victor Samson (One of the Church's most notable heroes of the modern era; retired and elderly by all accounts), likely with none aware of this. The log described how they tried to mix in the best of all three men; Aston's physical strength (He may have been bedridden now but in his prime he was, by all accounts, one of the strongest warriors Eostia ever had), Grave's combat awareness and Victor's determination. It took five years to get the right mix but they couldn't get one thing right; it's one thing to grow a human being in a tube via a lab, it was another thing to give him a working mind more advanced then a newborn baby's. As such to counter that they tried to program their minds in the same manner one does a golem's operating functions which... was a curious solution...

They had made zero headway however... until they got a new head researcher to help; Ulysses Nullus... and when I reached his notes in the log he'd sign it with the 'U' of Ulysses in a circle. I think this was Unussol's real name!

Progress!

Speaking of progress, that's what he made; he worked out how to use golem styled programming and adapt them to human minds and what would be needed to make the clone functional to a basic level. By all accounts it took seven years for the programming to be finished and he left notes on how to make alterations to the programming.. and what not to touch in what he had made to avoid issues. He was thorough... I mean down to the detail; he made everything in regards to how the clones operated. It was fourteen years in when the 'prototype' batch were on their feet. Alterations were made to ensure they were easier to train and even knew the basics of all common weapons once they were 'born'.

By all accounts this is where Amram stepped in and took over for his father and had the programming altered; Unussol noted the clones bore a hierarchy of who they obeyed; basic priests, then bishops, then Church Force officers (In order of rank), then Cardinals and then the Archbishop... but he included a passphrase that would make the speaker higher then the Archbishop in that hierarchy. And I could guess how many people knew it...

Maybe as low as one.

The notes afterwards included warnings from our Scorned Circle man about his worries, possible abuses and so on... but no one seemed to listen... or listened and didn't care. I could only guess what he thought at the time; the handwriting shifted to someone else's suddenly and without any warning. The next man was formal in his wiring and carried on the work left for him.

Over the course of the last ten years they've been using these men, called the 'Sanctus Natus' or 'Holy Born' (Often called just 'the Holyborne' in the logs) as they were trained for and brought out on limited Church operations. They were deployed in the Church Forces with the last two incursions and by all accounts... they worked...

That wasn't to say there weren't notes of problems and complaints made about them; the first batch (Called the First Sons) were too... formal and deadpan in their speech and manners to the point of being creepy; I imagine they were robotic in how they acted. The Second Sons were more 'human' in how they acted but still sounded so much alike people thought it was strange. The Third Sons fixed that by allowing some variance with each one; giving each a different way of speaking and acting... and sometimes odd quirks... The current batch were called the Fourth Sons and, by all accounts, was the standard they were using and the ones used in the last incursion; more or less the Third Sons with less 'severe quirks'.

Severe quirks included, but wasn't limited to, collecting the ears or noses of the dead, counting to a hundred before falling asleep, tap dancing on the last kill of a battle, humping their spears before battle, starting battles by screaming 'bozzanga!' yelling 'sneak attack' when attacking from behind and always speaking in rhyme.

Hoo boy...

The Forth Son's quirks were more 'normal' by all accounts and not 'are these guys nuts' level of quirkiness. Improvements were, supposedly, being made but any 'Fifth Sons' weren't coming anytime soon.

Most of the notes were dry and boring (Even as I took my own on a sheet next to the book) but I powered through... And yeah, this was... interesting. Once I was ready I called Akane and Celestine on the voxlux; although I passed the log book to Dawn to read to double check I hadn't missed anything. "An army of copied men, based off three of the best warriors our land has made?" Celestine said as she shivered. "What are they thinking?"

"That they wanted an army of easily replicable, if needed disposable troops who are ready to fight and die the moment they awake, are loyal to the Church alone and boast advanced skills and abilities." I replied. In case you were wondering, yes, they were pre-programmed with Combat Arts. "They've hit a roadblock in making combat mages in large numbers, but if they conquer that hurdle..."

"Dear goddess..."

(As I side note, I imagine that's why they pumped their cloned aspect full of additives; to ensure magical power. In addition, I should note, the three men used for the soldier's creation weren't known for their magical prowess. I have no idea if their combat mages experiments uses another 'mix' though.)

"There's some good news in there, still." I said as I looked to her. "They can only churn out three dozen of these guys at a time and it takes them four months to do it. They have less then two hundred of their Holyborne up and about from what I can tell and they aren't ready to unleash them en-mass yet. They're still working out how to handle the logistics in managing them all."

"...They intend to unleash these against Eostia..?" Celestine said as she shut her eyes.

"Likely... but I need to put it out there so we don't misunderstand; I saw no evidence on why they're making a copy solider army." I said as I sighed. "The recent dates suggested they wanted to up the number they could produce to five dozen a batch but were still having trouble getting the smithing done. We can assume but there's no open proof."

"Unfortunate..." Akane sighed out. "Even so; it's better we know of this then not. What are you doing with the book?"

"I plan on pouring over it a bit more and see if Unussol left another clue. Based on the book his real name might be Ulysses Nullus. It might help if we knew more of him." I said as she nodded.

"Agreed; I'll assign someone to it."

"Make sure to turn it over to the Black Watch when your done." I nodded at Celestine words as she looked to me. "We cannot act on this yet but once we can we'll neutralize the facility. The question is what else they're up to?"

"That is the real question, isn't it?" I said as I frowned. "For now... I'll keep trying to find more..."

"You've dug up more then most in less time..." Celestine said, a strained but honest smile on her lips. "With luck you'll find more..."

[-]

Dawn finished her reading and... turned up much the same I had; save a note that they spent a full year working out how to get the blood mix of the three men and discovered that certain elements within the blood bore different markers for different traits... they nearly discovered DNA in the middle of this!

They didn't care enough to keep going on it, but damn...

We turned the book over and then... went home. There... wasn't much else to do. I was doing my usual training, getting up my sparring XP and converting it to trait points. I had a total of eighty trait points between regular and universal so I opted to spend... and expand my wish list a bit. With that I took on two new traits, both at forty TP each.

The Best Defense

Half of the average of your armor's defense resistances is added to your weapon's damage bonus

Mana Manager

You can manage your mana better then most. +10% to Mnc. -5% Mana Cost for all spells with a cost larger then 'Moderate'

Better damage with my weapons and more efficient spells would pay off down the line, I'm sure. On top of that it bolstered my Mana Capacity by an additional ten percent on top of the eight by Deep Pools and raised it from one hundred twenty nine to one hundred and forty. Sure; I could be finding something to raise my worse stats but spell endurance was important for any mage.

Once home I settled back into a routine and checked up on my Corn Flakes kitchen; they were exporting boxes already and one of the biggest buyers was... House Blitzhaus to my surprise... and yes, I had to do a double take until I realized they were forwarding it to Albia as a food item that could keep for a long while. A part of me wanted to find a way to sabotage it somehow but I thought better of it; deliberately undermining their efforts could come back to bite me with ease. Instead I opted to just let it happen; I'd take their coin gladly.

I would busy myself for the coming days; catching up on duties, visiting Alicia and Prim in Ur, Kaguya in Thorn and, at request, did an inspection of the Dawn Templars with Auryon Reid (It was mostly a ceremonial thing, a showcase of support and all that) before going home. I did what I could to find a new lead and directed my network to help but for the moment I was waiting...

It was annoying...

[-]

Road Heading Towards Skycrown City
Southwestern Barony of Bria
Una Vertias Carriage

"What do you mean you can't find the logs!?"

"J-j-j-just as I said, my Cardinal... the research logs are missing from our lead's desk!" Amram Stellaclamor grit his teeth as he glared to the Raptor Creek's main administrator's face, projected via voxlux. "He claims he is sure he set it in his desk and locked it and when he went to update it it was missing. H-he double checked the room and started to examine things. I had security pour over the lab and we found possible signs of infiltration. We have to assume someone found the lab and took the logs for either their own ends... or..."

"Tsk... Up security in the region. Can we move everything to the secondary site?" He asked; this was his father's project... and his by inheritance; even the Archbishop only knew what he needed to know and not the... finer details Amram didn't need him to know...

"No, not yet..." The administrator said with a disappointed look. "Not until the current batch of Forth Sons are done and even then it will be two weeks before we can pack and move everything. Our devices are not so easy to disassemble for relocation."

"Gah! How long until the match is done?"

"Eleven days, my Cardinal."

"As soon as the batch is done start moving. Use the Holyborne for muscle to move it all to speed it up. Anything not needed to finish the sons, move now. Requisition all the wagons you need and keep them covered! If you discover anything about the intruder contact me straight away!"

"Yes my Cardinal!" Amram hung up the voxlux, catching it as he dispelled his dove as he let off a long 'gaahhhhh!' in frustration.

"Are we gonna be quick to assume he didn't just lose the dang thing and is saying someone stumbled in to cover his ass?" He almost glared at Alexandria Fyrehart as she sat across from him as she sketched something down on some notepad.

"He's loyal to me directly, I'm sure." That and he made sure to have a spell bind tattoo put on him to be double sure he couldn't betray him. "It's possible it was misplaced... but the lead researcher is a man of habit; if it's lost then he's not the one who lost it... not without help... And if there's a chance it's outside help..."

"Right then... We got suspects?" Alexandria let off as he sighed.

"Some; none we can point to without some evidence to speak of." Amram admitted... although in his opinion he had a guess...

James Noxdecus...

"So we got guesses and suspicions then?" She replied as he nodded.

"And we need to deal with one of those guesses..." He mused, frowning deeply. "Sooner or later..."

[-]

"You look worn." Miria let off in the main sitting room as I half walked, half stumbled in. She was lounging on the love seat with a visiting Cress on the same seat next to her, arm around her shoulders... and with a sleeping Miika using his lap as a pillow. He petted her head idly as I (Clad in my Armor Weave suit) moved to a lone seat and half fell into it.

"Well I've been a little busy." My spell training was in there along with training Dawn but also doing the usual 'Lord of Mungale' shit; visiting one of our outlying villages for an inspection and check... and then being on hand when a mix of human and goblin raiders decided to pay a visit for little game of 'Rape, Pillage and Burn'.

It didn't go well for them; between me, Makoto, Riri, Dawn and Aeris (Who just wanted to pilot Enterprise for a bit) we handled it. Sure, it was five dozen and change of them verses five of us but all that meant was it was an unfair fight.

They needed more dudes. At least it put me just over what I needed for level forty five. I spent my collected stat points before I forgot to do so later; seven to Magical Power and five to Agility to get both to one hundred and ten with the other two going to Constitution. As for my Sexual Stat Points I dropped all eight into Willpower.

Beyond that I had to check up on the Creamy Dream, the Games Workshop and the Corn Flakes Kitchen to ensure all was going smoothly. Miria, thankfully for me and my state, stood and moved to fill a glass from a pitcher of lemonade and brought it to me; I thanked her and drank deeply as she sat down as she and Cress looked back.. to a viewer playing a soft theme. "The news is about to be on; supposed to have updates on the Albia Civil War." Cress said as I nodded. I imagined that would come up sooner or later.

Indeed it was only a couple of moments before a soft trumpeting sound hit and viewer showed a banner that said 'Channel Six News - Sponsored by your Adventurer's Guild' came up and went by before showing a man and woman seated at a desk. "Welcome back to the news, I am Ben Hammer-" The man, in a nice looking black tunic (Maybe six-one; he was behind a desk) said, clean shaven with slicked back blonde hair and blue eyes.

"-and I am Zelda Klasha." By contrast the woman bore blonde hair in a bun with long bangs, grayish blue eyes under glasses and wore a black tunic with a mesh panel going down the middle and mesh sleeves. I could't see the waist down but I imagined she was five-seven. "Here with the news of the biggest ongoing events and none are larger in this moment then the ongoing Albian Civil War."

"To begin with; House Ardon forces have, as reported, fallen back to Fort Tenner and Fortress Trucis Mons or past them to reconstitute." Ben began as he looked to the camera. "By all accounts the rebels have moved forwards to take more territory but have yet to approach either stronghold yet."

"By all accounts the rebels are taking a moment to ensure their logistical supplies and convoys keep up with their forces." Zelda injected next. "While they are pressing forth the rebels are not rushing and attempting to lay siege yet. As for why we turn it over to our military expert; Kenneth Jason."

"Thanks Zelda." The camera turned (As in physically turned) towards a man clad in a white, splint armor with brass trim on it's edges. I could tell at a glance the armor, while functional, was ceremonial. The man looked like he saw battle though; some six foot even, cropped black hair, a scar over the nose that started over the left eye and ended under the right on an otherwise handsome face. Behind him was a map of Albia him he pointed to.

(I'd later learn he was previously a lieutenant commander in the Erogus regular forces who retired after the last incursion; with the war over he wanted to spend more time with the wife and kids. He wasn't exceptional by any standard but he was competent and able.)

"Trucis Mons, often just called Grim Mountain, has a reputation of ruining every army that ever laid siege to it; even those that took it." Kenneth carried on. "It is a major defensive structure that many compare to the Seven Fortresses at each of our kingdom's capitals." He began as he moved to point to Fort Tenner's position. "And Tenner, while not as defensive on it's own, is located opposite a bridge to it's east. Such a funnel will make it easy for the defenders to target and focus their weaponry on any assaulting force. If Tenner could be besieged on two sides then it could be easy to bring down, comparatively speaking. But to do so the Grim Mountain needs be tamed, conquered or contained in some manner; otherwise House Ardon forces can use it as an anchor or base for harassment forces."

"As for how to neutralize it that's a hard question. Any direct, frontal assault is ill advised as each force to try in the past was devastated in their attempts." Kenneth carried on. "As such the options are to lay siege to hold Trucis' forces within or ignore it and focus protecting supply lines. If Tenner could be taken swiftly then supply lines could avoid Trucis Mons in full but until then the Grim Mountain will loom over any plans and operations the rebels plan. There is more to consider of course."

He would then point to the southern border of Albia, drawing a finger along it. "While House Ardon has drawn forces from the south to other regions they are still pushing forwards and pinning down a significant force of rebels there. Either side backing down from the south could lead to a path into the rear of either side. This is going to mean half the problem with both forces is neither has enough manpower to do all they want everywhere they want. The question is this; where will the loyalists and rebels make sacrifices to make gains. Back to you, Ben, Zelda."

"He's not wrong..." I let off in a musing tone. "Neither side has all it needs to do what it wants..."

"I guess it's rare you do..." Cress mused as Zelda thanked Kenneth. What followed was much of what you'd expect; additional reports, some interviews, mostly done by Effimia Herz and other such things. The fate of Carter's Arrow came up and a report that hundreds of civilians opted to join the rebels because of it; while green and in need of training that was still a benefit to the rebels. They could be deployed to lower risk parts of the territory to manage and guard things while more seasoned forces move to the front. Hell; some of the green troops would likely be drafted to various parts of the front just to bolster numbers.

As it was a neutral organization the guild's news showed both Roxellia Ardon and Tiffany in likewise manners; leading and giving both a chance to speak. I won't bore you; you can imagine the words spoken by both and their tones. With all that said the real problem was left hanging; how is Grim Mountain to be tackled? Tiffany needed to pull a genius play to bring it down... and I'm not sure what she could do... but she could be a clever one; let's see if she had something up her sleeve.

Miika stayed asleep for the whole thing, although a drool stain appeared on Cress' leg overtime as she snored lightly and cutely. As the program started to end the door was knocked upon softly. "Ummm, M'Lord James?" Looking over Alexia peeked in; pausing to look and smile to Cress.

"Yes?" I let off as I looked to her. As a reminder; she was the dragonborne of the Catalan Quintet that Cress 'won' from House Doppiodrago in a boxing match. She was working as a maid in Mungale Manor for the time being with her fellows. She was magically capable and was being tutored to make the most of it.

"Forgive me but... may I have a moment of your time... in regards to... the Dragon's Breath?" I blinked but nodded and stood.

"Of course; if you're hoping to practice then we should go to the training room." She nodded and without another word we moved to the training room in question. I haven't brought them up much because, well, they sort of blended into the background for myself; Riri and Sora were helping them recover from their time as slaves and for the moment they were more concerned with being good workers and cozying up to Cress. To me they were new maids who needed a gentle hand and who's needs were best fulfilled by others and to them I was the cousin of the guy who saved them and the son of their current employer. That's not to say we never interacted but aside from their duties we didn't interact much; not that I minded helping her, of course. "So..." I began as we entered. "What are you hoping for?"

"W-well I'm told you can change... e-elements and have a very... strong breath..." I nodded and hummed for a moment. "I... want to learn that so... to make sure my sisters..." She didn't finish her words. She didn't need to.

"I understand. For now we'll leave the elements for another time; you're better off learning how they work with your magical tutoring and adjusting your breath to different ones once you've learned how to use them." I began gently. "That said I can teach you a more proper version of Dragon's Breath. I assume you've been using it so far?" She gave a quick, curt nod. "Show me." She nodded once more and I took a moment to set up a shield to contain the attack and grabbed a standard archery target to give her something to aim at.

Once done she took her time before breathing in and then unleashing her attack. It was messy; a neon red stream of blazing fire that was... too wide and rough to be usable beyond very close range. The target still caught on fire but it was from a few loose embers then her direct attack. "Given how long you've practiced that's not too bad." I said as I moved to the target; a quick Frost Thrower ending the fire. I knew I couldn't train her as hard as Edda did with me (A hundred in one session! Gah!) but I could get her to pull off an proper breath. "Okay... let me explain. The real power of dragonborne comes from our eyes; that's where the Dragon's Mana is. You need to draw mana from there and into your attack. You've learned to draw mana, right?" She nodded quickly. "Good. That's what you'll do. Start off light and gentle; don't worry about how much you do and build up to it. You don't want to overdraw."

She nodded and hopped on her feet (Making her huge jugs bounce with her, great sight that) before planting her feet and starting. She would let off a few breaths but nothing came out. Not yet anyway. She would try once more, then once more, then one more time before a few sparks of silver flame spat out. Finally getting the hang of it those sparks became small flames, then a small stream of fire in arcane silver. On her twelfth shot her eyes glowed a soft silver and on the next that glow was a little brighter. The next three were likewise in power as she got the feel of it. Finally she took in a deep breath and I could feel she was ready to do a real Dragon's Breath...

She rocked on her feet for a moment as her eyes glowed before unleashing a proper Dragon's Breath and this one with a more modest range; enough to engulf the target. She held it for a good four seconds and once she stopped... and the target was gone... just a pile of smoldering ash... "Well done..." I let off with a smile, I was a bit proud despite the fact I only had a small hand in her training and growth.

Now you might say when compared to my first, trained Dragon's Breath this was pretty anemic and weak... and sure, one could say that if they wanted... but you need to remember the context of the situation; I am someone who has trained since a child to harness and improve upon my magical powers, to be an able and knowledgeable mage who can put that power, mana and knowledge to use. I was afforded an impressive magical education and training and the means to learn more.

She was a collared slave for most of her life unaware she could even cast magic for most of her time on this earth. Sure; her magical ability grew naturally like anyone else by age but it's the difference between someone training to be an athlete and someone growing up normally. I had over a decade of training and learning over her; what she did was amazing by the standards that you can apply to her. "I... I did it?" She let off as I nodded.

"You'll need time and practice to master it. For now let's see if we can get another five out of you like that. Then you can come back and do another five tomorrow, and five the next day." I said as she looked to me. "Bit by bit you'll grow. There's no good way to rush this; it will take time... but also effort. So..." I said, snapping my fingers with a smile. "Five more." She nodded and looked off to the target range and took in a breath...

[-]

After a couple of days I was summoned over to Skyguard; sadly not because a new clue was found or the like. No; Celestine and Olga were finishing their talks, meaning I'd be playing ferryman soon enough, but also because her aides thought I'd have good insight as the CHAMPION OF EOSTIA and Celestine opted to listen to them so I had to join in with a rather important meeting. For some reason.

Politics... yaaay...

I wasn't excited at all about this meeting but I opted to go along with it for Cele's sake if nothing else and so off we went; parking outside of Skyguard City and then taking a Cloud Rider into the city and to the palace... and once we arrived there was a small surprise awaiting us at the gate with a smile. "Claudia?"

Yup; there she was in her usual armor but her new, gifted and enchanted blade at her back. "You're surprised to see me?" She said, hands on her hips as I (And Makoto, Riri and Dawn) disembarked to walk over to her.

"A little bit. I thought you'd be having a little more time off..." Why she took time off came to my mind as I saw her but I didn't mention it.

"I suppose but... Klaus wouldn't want me to be a lump..." She said with a sad smile as she patted her chest. "No, I'll move forwards and carry his memory with me, always." I chuckled and extended a hand for a shake... only for her to take it firmly and yank me into a firm, warm hug; one I gave back as firm and as warm with her arms about my shoulders and mine about her waist.

"Good to hear." I let off and once the surprise wore off and I was let go; patting her shoulder for a moment as I let go myself. "I should, maybe, catch you up on what I've been up to; might interest you a bit. For now though..."

"For now, our good High Queen has need of you. Come." She said as I sighed and followed as she turned about and led us in... and I'll admit watching her backside a bit as we went; you would too. Maids would direct my entourage to follow them for their quarters but I was shuffled off to a meeting room and given the notes I need. I sighed and got settled in. This was going to be an... experience... doubly so given the scope of the meeting. After a long moment Celestine and Olga walked in and I greeted both... along with Rycall's ambassador, Bingo Bronx and someone I had been introduced to before; Paul Celestia, Camafran's ambassador to Eostia. He stood five foot nine and bore one of those thick, fluffy mustaches that attached to his side burns that matched his brown hair that was neck length and a bit frizzy. He had purple eyes and wore a great coat that was purple on the left, orange on the right and bore a set of star shaped buttons in silver going down the middle. Black pants and brown boots ended the look.

(-)

Name: Paul Celestia
Title: Ambassador of the Twilight Kingdom
Class: Knight
Level: 31
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 67

Status: Healthy, Relaxed, Calm

Known Traits
[Am-Bad-Ass-Ador] You maybe an ambassador now but much of your respect came from your deeds in combat or war, not your words! +1 to Diplomacy per ten levels. In addition increase your Con & End by 2%

[?]
[We Are The Mace Men!] You're weapon of choice is the mace, man! +4 damage to all maces you use. In addition if you use an enchanted mace you can increase it's effects by 7%
[?]

Third cousin to the King of Camafran, he distinguished himself by opting to enter the Garan War as a sellsword for the Eostian side, even defeating General Agneza Redriver in one on one combat. Returning home he'd ascend the ranks of the military but his contacts and even nature made him an excellent ambassador; doubly so to Eostia.

(-)

I would end up sitting near Celestine on the side of the table by the corner (Who would seat herself at the head of the table) with one of her aides by her side with Olga across from me, Chloe and an aide next to her. Rycall's and Camafran's Ambassador's sat down next in line before someone I wasn't aware of sat down at the foot of the table with an aide either side of her.

She was standing at five-seven when she walked in; blue eyes set to a pretty face framed by violet hair with bangs that curled slightly and a long, waist length braid of hair behind her. A mid-thigh, black skirt over pantyhose and under a black corset with six buttons set in two vertical lines. White cups with a black, yellow rimmed button set to the middle of them over what seemed to be DD-Breasts. She wore an open, blue long coat with golden trim and epaulettes on the shoulder. Around her neck was a back ribbon with a blue, rounded spell stone set to it's center on a golden backing. So, who's this?

(-)

Name: Laure DuParle
Title: Ambassador of the Kingdom Reborn
Class: Rune Blade
Level: 28
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 82
Status: Healthy, Hopeful, Calm

Romance Rating: 101
Corruption Rating: 16

Known Traits
[?]
[Rapier Lady] You are a master at handling rapiers. +1 Damage to all equipped rapiers. Additionally, any enchanted rapier when equipped will increase your Mag by your level divided by 10 (Rounded up)

[Silver Tongue] Your words flow like silk. +2 Diplomacy, Bartering & Negotiation

Born of the noble house of DuParle and a cousin to the current Queen of Roxford, Laure was seventeen as what was called the Bloody Revolution hit her nation. Her family tried to flee to Camafran but was trapped due to a destroyed bridge and was stuck in Trois Anneaux City. Dying her hair black to disguise herself she managed to find work as a librarian where she would write letters to Les Bonnes Couronnes and what would become the Royal Guards; her writings were spread to keep the history and culture of the kingdom alive. With the Kingdom of Roxford now reborn she's been able to step from the shadows and was appointed an ambassador to Eostia by Alison DesCieux.

(-)

Ahh, makes sense. I recall that the Roxford Republic didn't have an official ambassador to Eostia, mostly due to Camafran making contact between the Republic and any contacts in Eostia hard. With things smoothed over now it made sense for one to be assigned for the reborn kingdom now. Celestine took a moment to formally introduce us as Claudia walked in and took a seat next to Celestine at the table's head, closer to me. She would look around for a moment before smiling. "Thank you for coming, everyone. I know this meeting is a little early but we've what information we need to hold it; mostly in regards to the ongoing Canal War."

Yup; Justical was still in the middle of a case of 'fuck around and find out' after they tried capturing several nation's leaders and found themselves on the wrong end up 'more powerful, airship diplomacy'. Needless to say they were still suffering from a combination of their own hubris and the power of the Enterprise's spell focus bolstering my magic by a major degree.

"I've been reading the reports sent to nobles but I imagine there's been a shift if it's coming up here?" I mused as the High Queen nodded.

"Aye, Champion." Paul let off with a nod. "Our collation has fully taken Helm's High and Glory's Shield, along with Crown's Watch. On top of that we've managed to get their Valor's Heart province and cut off Virtue's Song." I let off a soft whistle; that was all of Justical's northern territories and a major north-northwest one. More over that means Virtue's Song, their west most territory, was cut off from the rest and, with some work, could be worn down or laid siege to. Having said that...

"Sadly their Fortress High Heavens is going to be a major problem. None of the armies want to assault it so it's simply being held under siege." Laure filled in next. "Sadly it's lake side and boasts a well defended dock and we can't get ships within to intercept shipping. The river to get to the lake drives around Justical's east and it's well defended with narrow sections. We can't get a fleet in until we can claim the east, but Fortress Knight's Honor is it's own issues."

"Not to mention it also guards the river..." Paul grumbled as I blinked and looked to Laure.

"I'm surprised you have updates like that; I thought Alison was keeping Roxford out of the war, given it's state?" Namely as between the revolutions and Justical's (Brief) invasion it was in no shape to do so.

"Oui, but many in the nation wanted to take the fight to Justcial and petitioned her highness to have Roxford join the war." Laure replied as she looked back to me. "Rather then do so she opted to support whatever volunteers wanted to fight and equipped them before placing them under our Camafran allies command." I blinked in surprise; I could see a lot of people wanted their pound of flesh for their nation though. "Both royalist and republicans have opted to join and it's proven a good way to mend divides."

"There is little that can mend hatreds between people like a common foe." Olga commended softly as I nodded. She knew that well, after all.

(Something of interest; a Republican artist opted to make a painting of Alison holding Roxford's new flag and pointing forth as men in Royal Guard and Republican Guard armors marching off to a distant castle with Justical's flag over it. While the artist was Republican he knew the Roxford Republic wasn't coming back and unity of the nation's people was more important; it was his means to bring everyone together.)

"More important, I would say, is we have an image of the Knight Kingdom's remaining strength." Bingo added as she looked over her own report. "Their army has swelled to over eighty thousand but it's expected most are conscripts; possibly fresh."

"From first hand experience I can vouch that is a mark of desperation." Olga injected as she looked to Bingo then Paul. "We too drew conscripts heavily and without regard for much else as Eostia invaded and even had we won our position in the aftermath would be unfavorable. It has been such as we rebuild."

"To set aside Justical for a moment and address another point of our meeting-" Celestine began as her head turned to look to Olga. "-how goes the rebuilding in Garan?"

"Slow; as slow as one can imagine. The dead make for poor laborers." The Dark Queen replied with dry, grim humor as I winced. I didn't know the exact numbers but I imagine a good chunk of their youngest were dead, maimed or otherwise crippled. Given that young men in general are the backbone of any army and laboring workforce at the same time... "We have had a number of Eostian laborers migrate to Garan for work; dwarves and halflings mainly. We've much work for them, at least."

(I'd later learn it wasn't just Eostia these guys were coming from, looking for work; some were arriving from Surlahana. For the unaware; the Princedom of Surlahana was located at the southeast of the Great Lake and was a fairly small, mostly overlooked nation. It was currently suffering economic hardship; mostly due to a young Grand Prince who finally got to rule for the first time doing dumb things despite his advisors warnings. It was to the point there was threats of invasion from one of it's neighbors and the populace's response was 'yes, please'.)

"Napreryvnyy City is the worst in terms of damage suffered and lives lost, but not the only city in need of repairs." Olga carried on with a sigh. "Rekakrovi City was gutted itself in the fight against the Legion. The mercenaries we hired were far better at siege warfare then our own, at least, so they spared us some damage but half the city was left in ruins and debris has only just been fully cleared there."

"We have taken the chance to retain some to train our own regulars in urban combat and siege warfare, at the very least." Chloe chipped in as the Dark Queen gave a short, curt nod.

"Speaking of which..." Bingo let off as she looked up to Olga from her notes. "How is the fight against the Legion going? I imagine it's odd fighting your former minions."

"Indeed, although in fairness it was always more of an... alliance of convenience; one where we benefited by being the superior partner." Olga said as Chloe winced by her. "Had the early conquest of Arblade or the war with Eostia not been so... unfavorable it would have been a bargain we never struck. In regards to your first question; the Legion has mostly gone to ground. There are still skirmishes and ambushes from them but they've been oddly quiet. The reasons of which I am unsure of but given Garan needs to rebuild I am thankful for the reprieve from their mayhem; even if the reasons for it maybe... troubling."

Like they were waiting for a Black Storm to come...

"I'm surprised you have such worry about such a foe; they're in a nation away from yours with another, large one between you." Paul said as he looked to Bingo as she huffed.

"While true bear in mind they are the single largest concentration of Aberrant on the continent and sooner or later offshoots wander off and go find other hunting grounds; and some do reach us. They have a harder time getting over the river." Bingo countered as Paul huffed but nodded.

"It might behoove us at sometime to assist Garan in cleaning the bastards away." Paul let off, looking to the Dark Queen. "Like as not we'll not get them all but the more we take off the board the safer all our futures are."

Laure would be the next to chime in. "I can say while Aberrant are uncommon in Roxford they are always a pain when they show up in any numbers; the better they can be culled there the safer all will be."

"I know the question was set to later." Olga began as she looked to Laure once more. "What of the state of Roxford? You mentioned it's people who marched to face Justical but given the state of things when we left I am curious of it's current recovery."

"To a degree better then it had been." The violet haired woman sighed. "Overall unity is still an issue; Republicans are still in discontent and only the threat of Justical keeps them contained in any manner. Queen Alison is starting to tour the nation and trying to bring everyone together; the general populous is rallying behind her but the old, Republic core is dragging their heels at best."

"I can say those who fled and sought refuge in Camafran are starting to head back." Paul injected next. "The nobility are... well, some of them are unsure if they can return due to the old king's regime and populous' mood but some are returning, if at a fraction of their old influence. Many of the lower classes have left though; save those who found love or a good profession in Camafran."

(On another note; some of those refugees arrived in Eostia over the years and were starting to head back. Supposedly not just them; small amounts of elves from Whitewell were curious about the nation and, with things seeming to be returning to an embrace of it's history and normalcy, looking for new experiences. Less then a hundred, by all accounts, but Roxford would likely have an elven minority soon.)

"With the Connection Canal now open we're able to use the income to rebuild Roxford after the revolutions and start to rebuild industry." Laure added next. "Elouan and the major cities are the first priority but outlying towns are planned to receive investment once the funds are available. In addition foreign shipbuilders have begun building upon Gemme Clair Lake at the new Espoir Saphir settlement along with other such industry; a new grape farm is being established and there are plans to use the lake's water to feed a winery."

"Given the idea of twenty years free of taxes I can only imagine how popular the place is now." I quipped as she nodded.

"Oui. Very much so. Stores and storage for supplies for passing ships, a new cloth factory, textile... Much and more is being made; I would think it will be a city before the decade is over. Plans for city walls are being planned although the size that will be needed is unknown." She said as she looked down to her notes. "While the lack of taxes will likely cause some issues in time the long term gain should offset things. Even so; the benefit to other settlements should increase the taxes from them if all goes well. By all accounts there is a solid chance that Roxford will enjoy a revival of fortunes... even if people will argue who's to thank for it all."

"I'm sorry; who's to thank?" Claudia said, blinking to the woman as she sighed. "What do you mean?"

"To explain; it was under King Lucien's father who the Connection Canal truly started; the one who saw the value and possible income such could make. He planned, began and envisioned it and what it could be and King Lucien took over the project when he took the crown." Laure said as she looked to the Dawn Templar's returned commander. "Under Juno DeLiberte the idea of Espoir Saphir and using it as a form of repayment was created and brought forth, and the canal was nearly finished under her rule. Alison merely finished the work done by her grandfather, father and the Republic as well as adopted the idea of Saphir from Prime Minister Juno." I sighed and pinched my nose as I resisted the urge to groan on top of that.

"So... petty arguments then..." I summarized as she nodded with a sad look to her face and a small frown.

"Sadly; Republicans are... seeking something to hold up as something done by Juno, the Republic and their people that's better then what the kingdom has managed and the Royalists want them to shut up and are propping up their own triumphs in turn." The Roxfordian ambassador sighed deeply as she shook her head. "To her credit, Queen Alison stated all of Roxford is to be credited for the Canal and that the kingdom and the republic both are to thank. Not that it stopped anyone from bickering over it..." She shook her head before looking to Claudia. "Calmer heads are starting to prevail but it's slow going. That said Alison is more alarmed at what's going on to the north; investments to the people aside she is ensuring funds go to the military." She said as she looked to Paul. "The Dominious Civil War carries on; and is raging once more."

"Do we have details on that?" I asked, perking up a bit. After all Vult and his Black Dogs fled Eostia to go there... any details might be useful down the line once he decided to return.

"Some." Claudia injected, looking to her own notes as she read them. "The battle-lines and territories have shifted; Larion holds the bulk of the north and east but Hilda the Second holds the south from the center to the east. Hammerhands boasts the west right now but is faltering mostly to internal struggles with his commanders. Currently the fight is mostly between Larion and Hilda."

"Hilda hired the services of the Black Dog Mercenaries and they've been causing several problems for Larion. They've been focused on skirmishing and raiding then stand up battles." Paul injected. "More over they've been oddly... restrained compared to their usual, foul reputation."

"Restrained?" Celestine let off in an asking tone, tilting her head in confusion and a request for him to explain further.

"Towns aren't being left in ashes in their wake and, aside from female combatants on the opposing side, they haven't been raping women as is their uncouth reputation. At all." I was left blinking as Paul explained it, looking to his notes. "By all accounts they've been on their best behavior; outside of battle at least. They even broke off a thousand men to escort refugees fleeing to the east." I exchanged a look with Celestine for a long moment.

"Strange; we all know their tendencies. I fear they have done much debauchery and misdeeds under our employ despite orders to the contrary." The High Queen said with a frown. "Had the needs of the Garan War not been so great I would never had let them be hired to start with because of that reputation. Why would he not indulge in his and his men's worse tendencies when working under a woman willing to unleash them on her foes? What does he gain in holding the leash of his men tighter then the usual and not set them loose to howl and tear?"

"...Because for one reason or another he doesn't want to offend the Dominious populous..." I mused as I cupped my chin and leaned back in my seat. "...But why..? That's the question we need to ask, why?"

[-]

Central-East Dominious
Outside the Town of Krasnoye Ukho
Fallow Field

"Well now... hell of a turn-out to this little gathering." Vult let off with a grin as he looked over to Hicks as he stood next to him. "You outdid yourself, Hicks. You outdid yourself but good."

"Heh, getting the word out to the outlying villages wasn't all that hard." Hicks said with his own grin and a shrug as he reached to to scratch his chin. "Places like this suffered a lot in the war and even before then; once I gave them the idea there would be a chance at something better on the horizon if they wanted it I got more interest then I could have guessed." The pair looked out to a field full of men; the bulk of them young men but some were middle-aged. They varied in appearance; baby faced and world weary, tall and short, thin and pudgy, scarred and unblemished, dressed in decent clothes or tatters. And yet all shared something in common.

Life in Dominious...

Harsh condition set upon them by their lords, restricted travel, heavy taxes, subject to being killed by their own military for reasons from a risk of rebellion to culling to avoid disease... Their leaders cared nothing for the peasants of their land, those who tilled soil or chopped wood... and yet expected loyalty and subservience in return; ignoring that the peasants would care nothing for their lords in the same manner.

Those that had gathered there on that farmer's fallow field with it's short, wooden fence; they were the downtrodden... they were the forgotten... they were the expendable...

They would be excellent recruits for him and the Black Dogs... "Let's do this." He moved to climb the wagon then the boxes stacked on it to be better seen as he drew the Fang of Bahamut from his back and held it up high. "People of Dominious! Peasants! Laborers! Fodder of the Empire! I am Vult! The leader of the Black Dogs! I am the King of Mercenaries! I ask you this now! Lend me your ears! Lend me your your time! I have come to speak to you! And to those who seek more then to till dirt, die for lords uncaring or mill through life; hear me well! I bring to you and yours an opportunity to win more then Dominious Emperors or Empresses can grant you!"

There was muttering from the people as they looked to one another for a moment before slowly starting to settle as he set the point of his blade to the crates under him. "To those bold enough to seize your fortunes know this; a storm comes to the Alliance of Eostia! A storm that will unleash it's fury and it's thunder to unseat it's rulers! That will bring low their forces! And bring conquest to those willing to seek it! When the storm comes I shall be seeking to claim the lands and the bounties of Eostia as the Seven Kingdoms Alliance falls apart, shattered by the force of our might! I shall claim it's fertile fields! It's bountiful forests! It's rich mines! It's luscious women! And to those who follow my blade, to those that rally to my banner..! A piece of it, a patch of land and bounty can be yours as well! Land to build a home and retire! Bounty to spend and enjoy! Women to serve your will and birth your children and heirs!" The muttering returned once more to the crowd, louder then before. Some of what he could hear was negative...

...but far more were positive... After all, the Empire of The Dominant Hand embellished and celebrated conquest! That they, the lowly populous, the downtrodden could become conquerors in their own right like what they saw as unworthy, uncaring, unfit to rule nobility... he could see it... a fire coming alight with in them! A torch he could carry and return to Eostia with and set it all aflame!

"We will teach you the ways of war! We will teach you the ways of glory! We will teach you the ways of conquest!" He let off with a wide grin, extending his off hand and sweeping it across the crowd before pointing ahead to them. "You can follow me! Take what you deserve by the right of dominion! Seize your own destiny with your own two hands! Forge for yourself a better life as you make the women you capture bend their knees and serve you rather then demand that your knee be bent to them!" He bellowed out as the crowd shifted before him in tone and excitement.

"W-we can make a better life then living here..."

"I don't mind fighting... but I want to fight for myself!"

"I... I deserve to conquer more then a stupid lord!"

Vult grinned as more likewise voices called up and out. "Join me! Come under my banner! Take up arms! Take on armor! Take on training and the life of a solider of fortune! A mercenary in the brotherhood of the Black Dogs!" He barked out as the crowd started to roar back in approval. "Make no mistake! This will not be easy! You will suffer hardship and pain! Training to harness your own strength will be a challenge in it's own right! The enemy will show no mercy, as we will show them none in turn! There is a great risk..! But that is why there will be greater rewards for the victors! And in the end..! We shall stand! VICTORIOUS! GLORIOUS! AND AS THE FUTURE RULERS OF EOSTIA!"

"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The cheer that returned told him all he needed to know as he smirked wide.

His numbers would swell...

And this was one of many stops he would make.

He would return to Eostia, a grand army of men and conquerors behind him.

[-]

Skycrown City
Capital of the High Kingdom of Ken
Office of Amram Stellaclamor, Lux Clama Cathedral

"So... you finally found someone for the job..?" Amram said as he leaned back in his seat, summoned dove holding his voxlux.

"Yes, my Cardinal... although... they do have a... request to speak with you directly." The aide replied as he frowned. "They don't mind if you are masked; they merely wish to meet their employer directly to... ensure their orders are clear."

Amram frowned deeper and tapped his finger to the desk; it was always preferable to not directly interact with such... hired help, least of all as it could be a possible trap... but he wasn't unaware of the task he set out and that many would be... reluctant to tackle it. Those bold enough to try would be rare...

"Are they capable of the job?" He asked; that was the most important question of all...

"To be blunt there is no guarantees, given the target..." The aide replied with a serious look. "But this group... they have a solid chance at it; I would say."

Amram tapped his finger for a long, long moment, frowning in thought as he considered thing. "Very well... let's see about these... contractors..."

[ - Author's Note - ]

Whew... And there we go...

Once more the Church is up to something but unlike the Aspect body they're making something in use already... if in limited amounts. We learn a little more of Unussol, see Tiffany's plan to tackle Grim Mountain, in a sense, and get a look at the state of things... and see Vult's plan in bolstering his numbers... Oh, and Amaram found someone to try and kill James... more then one. Who?

You'll meet the team soon, don't worry.

We get to see Alexia once more, briefly, see the progress of a news network and get updates on various bits of the world. However James boasts one big problem; no obvious direction to look or go... So that begs the question; how does he spend his time to not sit on his hands? I mean... it's not like there's a problem coming up for him, right?

Again; new Questlines chapter dropped with this one. Go read if you want.

As always let me know what you liked, didn't like, would like to see and what you thought. You guys make writing this tale fun. With luck Act Five will come together just right. Until next time!

~Eostian Scribe