A massive construct whirred as it basked in the open starlight of the observatory. It was an astrolabe the size of a training field or around 80 feet in diameter. As it spun its intricate pieces slotted into each other perfectly, making no sound as the components rotated in different patterns and trends. The way it moved was mesmerising and one would find themselves staring at its gentle, yet precise movement for hours, before being able to extricate themselves.
In the centre of this marvel of an astrolabe sat an individual decorated with fine robes and gems. He was in deep concentration as he perspired in this meditative state.
After what seemed to be hours, his eyes snapped open, as the great construct abruptly ceased all movement. The prophecy was complete.
"The Pantheon has already made their opening move,"
Slamming the transcript onto the table, the attendant relayed the message.
Flipping through the report King Astar's eyes turned dark. His own countrymen had already betrayed him and the Pantheon had already planted their roots deep in his territory.
His Court Seer had truly done a good job. It was already easy to decipher that the Pantheon would pull such underhanded tactics however, the problem lay in that it was difficult to track and even more difficult to prevent. The report detailed not only the identities of those cooperating with the Pantheon but also many operations that the Pantheon was destined to undertake, giving them an advantage in the information game.
"Reinforce the border, recall all royals and deploy all knight orders. Also, call the Insurgency Section, tell them we need a cleanup,"
Calling an aide over, he relayed his orders.
With that settled, he looked over at the report of an internal affair. Looking at the recent happenings, his somewhat lifted mood plummeted again.
Reading over a classified document, King Astar wanted to stab a man.
Not only was the Pantheon breathing down their necks and the elves playing sabotage, to make things better, there was a Heretic prancing through his lands as well!
If he didn't know any better, he would think that the gods themselves were messing with him.
Nonetheless, pushing those matters aside, for now, he would first check up on all the daily affairs.
I wonder how the Hero is progressing?
Shuffling through, he found a document reporting on the Hero's progress. He made sure that regular reports were given about the Hero to make sure that nothing was going off track.
Skimming the report, King Astar frowned.
"Withdrawal?"
Indeed, according to the report, the Hero was suffering from social and emotional withdrawal after his encounter with the Heretic. The cause was allegedly the death of an elf that he had bailed from jail.
He was starting to doubt the authenticity of this summon of theirs. First off, though it showed great potential and even took on a form that was verified to be near identical to humans, it was doubtful about where its true allegiances lie. However, from what he could glean, the summon most likely only bailed the elf, because of a strong sense of justice. If that was the case, then it would be extremely easy for it to be manipulated, it was summoned with the thought of getting a weapon that would follow orders after all.
This is going to be tricky, he can't let the Hero be at leisure anymore. Only by keeping it occupied would they be able to limit its influence with any outsiders without seeming suspicious. And there was one job that would fit the bill that the Hero would without a doubt oblige to do.
A bit of inquisition one may say.
"Sigh, I'm starting to sound like those zealots,"
…
"They truly put the luna in lunatic don't they?"
"Ohoho, rightfully so, my good sir!"
Putting down his teacup, the archbishop inspects the strategy map before him with reference to another map detailing a certain Kingdom's territory.
"Say, good fellow, have you put any of these stratagem into action yet?"
"Why, of course, I've already put my left general to work, what's left is to finalise the blueprint,"
"Yes, quite, go ahead, I consent, this plan of yours looks rather impeccable,"
Complimenting the grand general's plan, the archbishop shifted the topic in another direction.
"Say, fair chap, what do you think of the current state of affairs?"
"Where so might you be speaking of?"
"Of course, I mean about the power dynamic of the very continent we reside on,"
A peculiar topic to speak of. Nonetheless, as people at the top of the chain, such information of power balance was easily within their grasp of knowledge.
"That's hard to say, but what I don't think much will change even after we take over the Kingdom," pausing, the grand general, added another comment, "Though the Empire of Steel might implode again,"
The Empire of Steel, one of the oldest nations on the continent with the richest history among them. However, it was plagued with constant revolutions and coup d'états, stunting their growth and pushing them into the same league as the current powerhouses of today. However, the Empire's one redeeming point was its technology. Their technology or at least their scientific technology was unmatched by any in this continent, nay, even this entire realm!
Though, in recent times, their disassociation with magic has led to a dramatic power division within their Empire. As magic was outlawed and any who practised it were deemed enemies of the state and burned. It's only a matter of time until another revolution occurs.
"Do you think so?"
"Well, your holiness, it certainly is within my expectations,"
"Hmm, it truly is a pain to live near such secular powers,"
What the archbishop was not only referencing the Kingdom and the Empire, but also the land of daemons that they neighboured. As a human supremacist nation, they barely even tolerated demi humans, when daemons were put into the equation, then, there was no further negotiation needed.
Countless crusades had been launched into the land of daemons to cleanse them, but despite their large successes in each crusade, the daemons still linger in this domain. However, what brought this topic to the archbishop's attention were rumours of a new power rising in the land of daemons. In normal circumstances this was nothing of note, after all, there were countless warlords and new forces were rising in the land of daemons, however, none were ever successful in uniting anything more than half of the daemon lands.
The daemons were never truly united, be it their race difference or their volatile tempers, but in spite of their terrible condition, they refused to cooperate with each other. This only made it, oh so very easy for the Pantheon to sweep them time and time again.
However, spies had found rather concerning information within the daemon lands. According to the reports, over fifty warlords had rallied under a certain banner, proclaiming themselves as the saviour of the daemon races. The one leading said power was a daemon by the name of Lolicia of an unknown daemonic race. However, speculations have it that Lolicia is a variant type of shadow daemon, noted from their peculiar method of killing and inability to be physically or spiritually observed.
"Your holiness, nary should you let such rumours bother you so,"
"It does not take much to stay ginger, don't you think, good sir?"
Sipping his tea once more, he eyed the grand general. His subtle message being relayed across.
"No need to worry your holiness, I'll make sure to disclose the importance of this matter to his holiness the pope,"
"Well said!"
Offering the grand general another cup of tea, the two continued their airy chatter.
"Hmm, speaking of new powers," Taking a sip of tea, the archbishop continued "It would much seem that the Moonshine have been propagating their new hero,"
"A Hero, huh?" Taking a bite out of a butter biscuit, he downed it with some tea, "How intriguing,"
Looking out a window, his eyes narrowed, staring into the vast landscape.