After they were placed on the boat Asd had been relegated to the back of it. The boat itself was called steamboat, only it ran on an Aurous Mana Core, then coal. Contraptions that used coal were now so rare that they could only be found in the boonies, Mana practically powered everything in this world now. Now they didn't need a steamboat, it would have been better to use a simple canoe too. But the Reilin River could be quite tricky with its currents, plus a steam boat with proper covering is needed when going up a waterfall. The river might make the boats defy gravity, but the people in it could not. A simple boat means you're being tossed right back into the Reilin river, and that would be a worst case scenario.
The mine was just half a day away, it was just three mountains away from the academy, now Asd had no idea about all of this. Apart from the briefing he had received before he was placed on this boat with three 3rd circle mages and a sailor, the information he has gotten about the Reilin river had come from two of the mages explaining it to the third who was just leaving the academy for the first time since she joined 7 years ago. He kept to himself but made sure to keep his ears open, and lucky for him, they didn't bother him during the journey.
They got to the mountain mine in due time, it was weird how they came up to it. They just went round the bend of a mountain covered with vines, which were equally covered with a variety of purple, red and white flowers. Filling the air with a fragrance that calmed the soul and opened up his mind. He heard one of the mages call it Nimuean Wisteria. The flowers had a lot of alchemical properties and were used quite well in Witchcraft, wizardry and sorcery. But the beauty came to an abrupt end when looming ahead of them was a mountain so black it seemed to suck all of the light from the world.
The mountain itself was pockmarked with caves, and many of those caves had copper and steal platforms crisscrossing all over the mountain. Massive bronze pipes dug in and out of it as they slowly billowed and released grey, and red colored steam into the air. There were soldiers allover, dressed in the reds and dark blue of the Albion empire, and besides them, were the Beast people.
Weres as far the eye could see, all looking haggard and dirty as they moved from one point of the quarry to the other. Carrying loads, running errands, or being beaten. Asd felt a heaviness in his chest as a growl was released, unbidden and unhinged as rage and bloodlust flashed in his eyes for a second. But he reigned it down and kept his head down. This wasn't any of his business. There really wasn't anything he could do about it, until just a little while ago he was in the same boat as they were, showing sympathy was a sure way to get him imprisoned and back into slavery. He would keep his head down, do what he had to do and get the fuck out of here.
"Come on slave! We don't have all day." One of the mages said to him as the steam boat came to a stop at the docks of the mountain.
"I am not a slave!" Asd replied to him, with more steel and malice in his voice than he intended.
"I don't care, it doesn't matter what the world say, you can never be anything more than an animal!" he jumped off the steam boat as he said that, stumbling a bit as the suppressive power of Ionite kicked in. Asd came down from the boat, a strange temper building up within him as he replied.
"Unfortunately for you. What the world says matters. And this world says I'm a free man and within my right to defend myself should you be abusive, whether by physicality or verbalism. I will happily return in kind and then some, and all I would get is a slap on the wrist from the academy, after all unlike you…. I'm actually a rainbow mage."
The mage let out a hiss of anger as he made to get up, but his companions held him back; telling it wasn't worth to antagonize the academy's new guard dog. That insult got to him, but he brushed it off as a man walked forwards them, a fierce look on his face as he drew closer. There was an old man behind him, partially transformed with a deep rustic red coat with black stripes all over his body. as a were tiger, and one that has lived for quite a significant amount of time.
"I take it you're the help the academy sent? You guys need to do something as things are about to get out of hand- "
"Gasp! Your Highness!"
The man had barely finished talking when the weretiger besides him quickly fell to his knees and brought his head banging hard on the ground. Asd cursed out softly as a silence quickly descended on the entire mountain, with only the sounds of machines working in the background being heard. The old weretiger was in front of him, bowing so low that he was practically prostrating. A manner of respect that till tomorrow no were would give to even the bloody emperor of the western Albion empire.
Asd didn't take this happening into consideration. Weres had a connection, even amongst the different species. It didn't matter if you were a werewolf, a weretiger, or an avian, or the elusive merfolk. The blood of royalty would always sing out whenever it was close by. Asd was hardly around other Weres, but the times he has been around them, except for when his mother, brother and sister were still around when he was younger; they deferred to him. Being the last Werelion was not just enough, he was the last of the royal family; a prince.
"Please get up, I am not what you think I am." Asd said as he moved to quickly help the old weretiger up, but he stubbornly refused, and soon enough everywhere were who could see and feel his presence went down on both knees, heads bowed in respect.
"we may have been slaves all alive, so much so that we would forget the feeling of the wind when we run, the thrill of the hunt under the light of the fool moon and the join of finding your bonded mate or mates. But no amount of suppression would ever make us forget blood, much less the blood of our great and first kings. The dragons fell with not a single bloodline left behind, but the lions left you sire. The 7th royal bloodline of the great beast kings. You are a Leo sire, aren't you?"
This was happening too fast, and normally no slave would have as much guts to openly defy authority like this. And that's when he understood why; the revolt. To have a measure of a chance to stand up against authority, even at the risk of death was something they could only experience once every 100 years. A chance to once again feel alive and in control of their own fates. Asd wanted nothing to do with this, he didn't want a bigger target on his back than was already there, but the lion in him will not let him dishonor his bloodline by putting his head in the sand like some feeble ostrich.
"my name is Asd Elmalk Leo. Son of Regis Ruyal Leo. Please rise, all of you. We don't want to give this people anymore ammunition to use against us. Please elder…. Tell me what has happened here so that I can figure out a way to help us all."
"As you wish your Highness, please come with me."
Asd really wanted nothing to do with this, all this talk about Royalty was a big problem brewing. He didn't want to care or act like he was some important person, but he didn't have a choice. Not even to other Weres even he the so call royal did not have a choice in believing and following the creed that has seen Weres united even with their warring nature; Blood is thicker than water.
Asd turned around and looked at the mages that came with him and the rest of the soldiers who had furious and dumbfounded looks on their faces. They held their guns tighter along with their swords and spears as these were the only method available to combat them. but Asd noticed quickly a select group of Weres…. they too were also armed to the teeth. The entire mountain was in a stalemate with the very mountain itself serving to level the playing field by eliminating magic and having Weres outnumber their captors ten to one. This stalemate was to avoid unnecessary bloodshed; they might be armed nut their families were all still here. This situation was a whole lot more complicated than it seemed, and right now he has just been thrust right into the middle of it and in the worst way possible.
"Fuck!"