Rhea made her way down the last stretch of the incline that led to the mountain peak where the academy was located. It was quite sunny today, and the heat was all the more prevalent due to the heavy cloak she had over her head. there was a lot of movement on the incline, some of them were from students who had gone down the foot of the mountain into the town for a moment of fun a spot of fun. She found it annoying though, the students knew the status quo of the empire was rapidly changing, it was all hands on deck for the war that was definitely brewing on the horizon, yet instead of diligent study and practice they were gallivanting about and wasting their time. Obviously they would be amongst the first to die, war is an ugly business.
Soon as she got to the foot of the mountain there was an ornate carriage waiting for her, the four bronze automaton horses flared steam from their nostrils as she came closer. They were a fearsome sight, and their dull bronze matched the brown and gold lined edges of the black carriage that carried the symbol of the Ramses noble family. The Void basilisk was a fearsome beast of poison and a petrifying gaze, even though they were of the rank viscount the Rameses family still had a storied history of war and conquest. Counts and dukes they may not be, but even the emperor gave them an ear whenever they had something to say, but perhaps having the secrets of 45% of the nobles on the parliament might be another reason why he values them…. or rather is wary.
Rhea ignored the automaton coachman, he was just a golem, a singular construct along with the automaton horses, each sharing a collective consciousness formed from a network of runic formations and pathways carved with magic. In simple terms they were golems made for transportation with a few defensive capabilities, Rhea smiled as she remembered Asd's fascination with them a few years back, she caught him trying to take them apart as a boy. It was a crazy story, a slave tried to pull apart his master's most prized possessions. The lashing that came next was well deserved but her curiosity about the young Werelion had been stirred.
"Are you going to stand there staring into the void child, or are you going to come inside and give me the report you summoned me here for… your father won't really if I delay young mistress." Rhea huffed in annoyance as the door of the carriage slid to the side with pneumatic hiss, steam being let out of the edge as she entered into its decidedly cool interior.
She stepped in and sat on the cushy leather seats, facing off against an elf with a beard. That in and out of itself was weird apart from the hair on their heads, there wasn't a single trace of hair on an elf's body, not even pubic hair. However, the small well-trimmed beard was the least of his peculiarities as one half of his face was a smattering of gears and tiny pistons, with an eye that glowed a dull and sinister yellow. Rhea had to withhold the shudder that threatened to go up her spine; she's known this elf all her life, but yet every time she was face to face with him, she couldn't help the terror she felt as his visage.
He clasped his hands together, both hidden under a pristine white glove, but Rhea knew they hid the twisted form of metal and flesh underneath, an unholy amalgamation of flesh, machine and magic. Some people call him a cyborg, of a machine man. Those willing to place their lives on the line would dare to call him a Were-automaton, even though there was no such thing. But the one name Rhea felt suited him the most, was that which the elves have taken to calling people who get infected with Bio-Mechanical Mana Virus or the [BMMV]. It scared her, it scared her a lot, especially since she lost her mother to it.
It was sickness that infected and twisted those with living tissue into horrors of sinew, tissue, flesh and mechanical parts. Few people survive it, some have their bodies torn apart by the encroachment of the virus before it settles, others have their minds torn apart and turn into wild raving killing machines. Others are lucky, they bond with the virus, they survive it, but in return they are forever changed by it, never to be the same again, forgotten by the world and nature itself, they become the Forsaken.
"Majordomo Lawtell. I would say it's good to see you, but you and I both know that's a lie. Either way I'll get straight to the point, so please do not interrupt me." Rhea said as her entire visage took on a regal look. She was one of the heir to the house of Ramses and Lawtell was a servant of that house. He might terrify her, but he was still a dog that would be brought to heel, her very own in fact.
"Harris now goes by the name Asd Leo Elmalk. I suspect that's his given name from his father, but be that as it may it is not consequential to anything other than keeping tabs and tracking him. The important things to not is that he has advanced to 1st circle mage, a full 8 months ahead of schedule, and he seems to have somehow fallen into the emperor's radar. He would be transported to the capital this evening, so if we are grabbing him as my father have planned we have too small of a window to do so. But beyond that it's the nuances behind his advancement that's a problem.
He Completed the Draco Sequence. He was able to fit all 777 draconic runes in perfect order and used it to advance to the 1st circle with a meditation method that's called [Cradle of The Dragon] you should investigate if there is any information about this method and if it can be replicated. But ultimately his advancement gave him a gift that I think no one else but me knows about. You see I was the first to find him after his advancement, and I noticed that his body has a rune etched on it, the complete rune for the 777 Draco sequence which as it turns out Is a puzzle of a dragon. Or at least that's what he and everyone else thinks.
I noticed discrepancies on the tattoo on his body Majordomo. All 777 Draco Sequence runes are not the secret to immortality or ultimate runic magic. It's a fucking map. And while I didn't have enough to study it, it was able to discover routes to it, and what seems like waypoints marked. I would need to have a closer look at him, since that map vanished into his skin after a few minutes. I believe a significant amount of stimulation from mana would bring it out, I need to be closer to him when it happens. I advise against recapturing him, with the emperor now having his eyes on him, it would be better to focus on the other assets. I'll keep a closer eye on him and make sure the family's assets are protected, but for now I think it's too early to expose our hand, not if we really want to overthrow the current dynasty. Father has to keep the other nobles on the parliament in line for now, it's much too early to make a move." Rhea finished as Lawtell looked on impassively, taking stock of what she just said, his yellow eyes brightening and dimming at intervals to show his mind was running through a couple of scenarios.
"So the question that remains is that do you think the prophecy is plausible, that what the oracle of the hidden isles said is true?" Rhea shook her head as she smiled.
"I know there is a lot of crazy and weird things in this world Majordomo Lawtell, but I don't believe in destiny or fate or a predetermined future. What I do believe in is what I can see with my own two eyes and what I can achieve with my own two legs. Sure things seemed to be unfolding like the prophecy says it would, but Asd is not the only person or thing performing amazing feats. So there no need to put stock in the prophecy of some chosen one who will command dragons to burn the world as we know it and become the most supreme power of all times. If there's a chosen one then you can damn well sure that it's going to be me, and if anyone, even destiny and fate itself decided to stand in my way…. I'll destroy them all!"
She left the carriage with the scent of her perfume lingering behind her. Lawtell released the deep breath he had been holding as his rapidly beating heart began to calm down. Rhea might feel a little terrified and unsettled by Lawtell's Appearance. But the Majordomo of her household basks and drowns in abject horror and terror every time he was in her presence. Rhea was a monster unlike any other…. It was too bad she didn't see it herself, woe to all who has her attention.