"I see, so this is the place where you opperate, these are the most used hideouts and code breaking tools." Nodded Aki as he slowly noted down the words of the assasin. They'd been separated and actually didn't tell any kind of controversies, so they either had something that changed their memories when captured or they were telling the truth.
Strangely enough, Aki only got one level on the torture skill from breaking the will of two highly trained assasins. He thought it strange, but some of his unique skills were problably hogging the XP.
When finished, he'd wondered wheter he could actualy have some use for them besides getting level. They were around level 500 even if they were scouts after all.
"Well, i can get Xp from other sources, so i guess they can just stay here and serve as practice for the skill. It will take tons of pain, fear and mental scaring to level it after all." He muttered while bitting a bone.
Being done with the assasins, Aki unssumoned the mind bugs. They'd been useful to make sure the prisioners wouldn't get even a wink of uncounciousness, but were too dumb to actually work well for anything else. They obeyed well enough though.
Aparently 'mind creatures' and mind magic practicioners were more affected by his race and skills. The male assasin looking like he was about to have a seizure whenever he looked at him before was more than enough proof that something was wrong with him, so when he broke the man's mind barrier and the his partner's broke too, he was certain he knew mind magic. Some questions latter and it was revealed that it problably had something to do with how his class' domain trait interacted with what others who had opened themselves to caos senced instead of working like an affinity or something.
Something about how he was technically everywhere inside the sphere of influence, so to then it was like starring point blank at a gun to be fired or something.
Conclusion, Aki should probably look into getting an organ that produced a similar effect.
Intead of thinking what he should try to kill and how to extract said organ though, he went to the top of Arcenis' heart three, a tiny thing with three hundred something metters, and started trying to look for things that could be a signal transmition. When one that could see and hear looked around they would be able to see many a soul roaming around, some barely wisps, some looked like confused humans staring at Aki or his surroundings.
It didn't take long though, It was quite literally floating around making a sound like something Bob Marley singing.
"IS THIS LOVE THAT I'M FEELING!?" Correction, the soul just had a very strong accent and was singing Bob Marley.
"HEY! You the guy who's supposed to talk to me? Yeah, i can see you, come here, i will lower the barrier!" Aki was preparing to apologize for the wait, but the translucid black man imediatly started crying while floating towards him and latching onto a hug while muffled french left his mouth. "It's ok, it's ok..." Making Aki relatively confused, but he could imagine this guy had passed through some problems because of his security measures and the forest's natural drawn of spirits.
*****
*Cough* "Thank you, the tea is delicious." Said the embarassed wispy man with a voice and expression that suited his full lips and rigid features much more than the panicked crying. The guy looked like a brick. More like, that character from the game no one wants anymore, Doomfist i think his name was. He was built like that but withouth the giant metal fist.
This guy had very obviously either passed through some shit and didn't want to fight anymore or had some serious indecion problems, because he looked like he would hold dumbells for stress relief while deciding what to do for breakfast than start a series to decide what to eat first.
Aki wondered if instead of getting here he'd died on earth he'd have met a asshat blondie and gotten into a journey towards paradise together.
"I don't know how to thank you enough. Even if i could survive for weeks before permanent damage started appearing, my mind would have been torn apart way before that." Aparently he'd been stuck in a nightmare since Aki's last rank up. His english was now at native speaker level, so the vision must have been bad.
"It was by consequence of my abilities anyway, it is a matter of course that i'd solve it. More importantly, your reinforcments have reached me on the day before yesterday, at the same as the attackers, but they are currently inside my dungeon because of some circunstances." This raised alarm in the man even if he didn't show much of it, but Aki simply raised a hand and put on a helpless air. "I don't have a 'guest's room' and they are dangerous individuals, so i don't really have much better options since i actually have manpower deficiency around here. Though i say dungeon, they are in a fully furnished room with a double bed, three meals a day and have a beautiful personal maid who doesn't torture them. I'd say i have not actually harmed them." Certainly, that passed his meaning to the man.
Even if he'd been reduced to a crying baby mere moments ago, the fact he wasn't in a complete blank state was enough proof of his mental capabilities.
"Since they are of no imediate concern, them i shaw resume my official business if there isn't a problem with you." Aki simply nodded and signed for the man to continue. "I am Frey, speaker of the guiding hand. We are few, but wish to help those in similar circumstances. Even if you do not wish to join us, I'd like to point that getting to meet us could be beneficial as well. We are currently based in a nearby kingdom and would like to invite you for a visit at your nearest discretion." He calmly explained. While not rash and imposing to begin with, this was definitely not the original version either.
"I understand. As long as the hand does not wish to antagonize me than I see no problem why we should not cooperate and benefit each other. As of now I have heard that your body is currently being taken care of at your base, but I imagine you wish to return, so I will be releasing Berry and Arlo so they may escort you back. As of right now they are occupied." Aki imediatly sent them a mind message to stop fucking. Followed by one saying he hadn't actually looked to check if they were, but Ju was going to come in any moment now. "But they will soon be ready. Allow me to distract you from whatever may be happening behind your back with tea and some music" He smilingly said to his guest, who was actually a bit frightened by what he said, but noticed he was only joking.
*****
Looking at the three otherworlders going away, Aki loomed over mysteriously in a window facing them.
Suddenly there were colorful ponies floating around the tree and singing a very catchy commercial song. From their point of view only, but still, it gave them pause for more than a moment.
Aki slowly walked away with a grin.
"That was very necessary, yes." He said, not even looking at the questioning driad and baby.
*****
Count Eric was very nervous today. He'd received a note with not so pleasant details this morning. He was very tempted to believe them though. The clergy had never come back after the explosion, neither had the shadowy figures that went after that or the scouts he'd sent to try and comune with the driad in case she'd been the only survivor.
It didn't take long for him to be proven right in reuniting the guard.
Standing in the walls, the cold sweat started dripping from his back as the undead army went out of the woods. They had four times their number or so, with floating horrors circling around. He didn't show much more than a frown, the morale was already very low and in the best of situations, they'd be getting reinforcements in one or two weeks.
'We're dead. Or worse.'
"Attention!" A strong and loud voice resounded. Probably through the whole city. "People of Louela! I am here not to kill and pillage, but to make my presence known to the civilized world. As long as you surrender and don't attack the undead, no harm shall come to you or your family. Otherwise you shall be detained and interrogated before release may be granted. To any and all military personnel, please stand down." Eric didn't doubt many would obey. Even he felt like it. "To whomever is in command here, come at me if you wish, but I will not hesitate to kill you if you don't carry a white flag with you. Me and my army will wait for two hours before marching through the city gates. Be they open or not." Aki finished and summoned a book before sitting down and ignoring the arrow his barrier caught.
Eric was not happy with the guard captain's results, but he was not about to berate the man.
Turning around to go gather others and deal with the situation, Eric was caught not looking when an arrow shot through the good captain's head and broke the palisades behind him before going further.
That woke everyone up. Many broke formation while few tried to maintain it, resulting in complete chaos on the walls.
*****
Two hours and fifteen minutes later.
"And so I will be confiscating any and all slaves for statal purposes." He opened the gates with his fucking voice. "Publicly executing all those who attacked me." Took down every insurgent noble with one force spell. "Instituting an agricultural reform with the lands of those being executed and unclaimed land until all producers reach a certain standard, where they will be given assistance to properly cultivate their new land." Assembled everyone and started meticulously taking over the city. "Keeping taxes as is while reformulating them on a need to basis and starting a new permit for exports and inports handling. Refurbishing the guard training program and further limiting private stamding militia, while maintaining the same policies relating to the guilds as long as the current staff members prove to be responsible enough during this time of anxiety and doubt." When the whole town square was filled, he started make an announcement while keeping Eric behind him while the black knights guarded the podium they stood in.
'Everything but the slave gathering and the reform is standard for the city take over. Those make it seem like this is more than a ransom operation. To begin with though, I haven't seen any other living person in the army but this guy, so he is either the necromancer or the commander. If it's the first than we should kill him as fast as possible, but if it's the later than we have no way to win.' Despite his sudden tiredness and the stressing events, the count's mind was still sharp and calculating.
"I'd like to point out one more thing before we are done with the anouncements, which will remain posted in this and other places with clercks to answer your questions. As you have noticed, the army marching with me is not of humans, elves, dwarves, beast-kin or even demon folk, but undead. What you might not have noticed that they are also people." Aki said, causing most present people to either drawn blanks or think 'Wait, what?' "I think therefore i am. They still feel, grow, reproduce and love. The undead present are all people. I'd like to make it clear that they will also follow the same laws and receive status of citizen as most of all people present." This raised several questions. Many couldn't believe what they were hearing, including some undead. "Silence." Aki didn't raise his voice, but all present found themselves unable to speak anymore. "This will be all from me. The only other imediate change in the city's management is that the lich Samal Baraotir will be taking over as the city head and have the previous Count Eric as his assistant in all affairs related."
Eric had heard nothing about said new job either though. He started drying himself with magic, for his image could not take any more blows, nevermind being seeing as the strange guy sweating so much all his clothes were drenched. He kept doing so until his new undead escort left him in front of his office, now a lich's. He really didn't want to go in.