Scarlett Bombyx.
1 Septara, 1492.
Tri-Hollow, the Bodhi Tree.
4:55 PM.
***
We approached the faces of Amun's Troupe, seeking the man himself with mixed mindsets.
Whereas Rebecca was hesitant of the events to come and thus was reserved, I was amiable and eager to make my acquaintance with the eclectic mix, starting with two familiarly fluffy faces.
"Hi Skoll, Hati!" I stopped to ruffle their ears. "You look different."
"We are no longer Skoll and Hati," the white one huffed. "We are Geri and Freki."
"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you, anyway." I turned to the others. "Hi, everyone! I'm Scarlett Bombyx!"
They gave me their introductions one-by-one, ending with the druid from the famous Featherfall family. I had much I wanted to discuss with her. But more pressing matters came first, so I turned to Amun with a smile. "My family wants to meet you."
"And mine too, I guess." Rebecca groaned.
"Okay." Amun shrugged. Then smiled at Rebecca's expense. "You don't seem too excited."
"I'm not. Let's just go."
It was a short walk out of the alcove to get to my family's accommodations. Inside was a trip down the trail of memoirs. Mulberry trees were spread from the entrance to the edge of the grove, permitting space for my aunts, uncles, and their families to dwell while leaving the ground open for low tables and rugs to accommodate their accompanying kingdom- House Plassein.
"Here goes nothing," Rebecca groaned, stepping forward to place herself between us and her parents. It was the first I'd ever seen them, and it was strange. Her countenance was split perfectly between them. Her mother's heart-shaped face and bodily frame contained her father's stern visage, vibrant blue eyes, and raspy voice. But their mentalities couldn't have been further apart.
"Amun, these are my parents. My father, Duke Elias Plassein; and my mother, Duchess Reychon of House Plassein."
"A pleasure." Amun bowed at the neck. "I am Amun Za'Darmondiel-Nox; Grand Duke of Odissi, and the Emperor of Eotrom."
"Eotrom." Duke Elias echoed with disdain. "That is no land I have ever heard of. It matters not, however. I recognize you as the Heir to the House of Cole, Grand Duke of Odissi." He paused, bowing a degree lower than Amun did. Then snapped his eyes to his daughter. "Is it true you have taken my Rebecca?"
"She joined my guild, yes, and of her own accord."
"It matters not." He waved, cutting Amun off. "However, it poses a problem still. We cannot fare the backlash of our daughter joining your… legions. Rebecca!" He paused, turning to his daughter. "You are to refrain from using the Plassein name until further notice. All things should be sorted when you come to see us next year."
Though it was an undeniable statement, the words between words framed it as a question that we all picked up on. Especially Rebecca. "Yes, Sir." She bowed with pure disdain.
"And, Grand Duke, thank you for your time. There is much mystique and intrigue surrounding your character. We hope this event will, as they say, shed some light on your nature. Now, if you will excuse us."
Amun bowed his head a little, but said nothing as they left. He only looked at them with a curious brow raised before he turned a set of worried eyes toward Rebecca, turned away from us, holding her arm as if she were injured- holding her clenched fist out of sight.
Deciding to give her some time, I led Amun deeper into the grove to meet my parents. And therein I noticed something special.
The first step he took saw the grass and plants beneath him flourish. The next step did the same, yet turned some plants silver. And on the third step, I realized it was his divine mana, dripping off of him. It was like he couldn't control it, the way it increased in potency with each step.
His grace further blessed the grove as his mana poured behind him. As it spread before him, bits of stone aggregated and lifted to form stepping stones to the majestic tree at the rear. The energy flowing to his left and right changed the area just slightly, altering the temperature and humidity to create the perfect environments for our worms; and the grove loved it.
In both their proper forms and bestial ones, they flocked from the trees to gaze upon Amun, hopping from stone to stepping stone with the exuberance of a child. It didn't cease when he stood before my mother and father. Nor when they approached to take hold of his arms with no words and brilliant smiles.
"We have longed to meet you, Amun!" my mother began, gently shaking his hand. "I am Diana Bombyx, Archdruid of the Bombyx Grove. This is my beloved husband, Sage Bombyx. Our daughter has told us much about you."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Amun heartily bowed. Then stood to gaze around the grove once more. "I love the decor."
"As seen by your grace." My mother giggled. "And the pleasure is ours. Forgive those of House Plassein. They are in our dominion, along with several others, yet we do not rule them. Their fealty is to the Empire of Light. But we play no part in such politics."
"Our only interactions beyond the rare joint action or the constant preservation of nature are the trade of our highly prized Bombyx Silk." Father added, gesturing to the surrounding grove. "But, being druids, the wealth is only a means to an end- a means to purchase land and protect it from encroachment."
"An honorable practice." Amun rocked back on his heels. "Though, it is unfortunate such things have to be purchased in order to be protected."
"Indeed." Father nodded. "However, Scarlett has told us about your… Sixth Legion and the Druid Mary. We hear you have a peculiar way of allowing civilization and nature to thrive in harmony."
"I do; arcologies." Amun quickly nodded, but not with pride. "Although some may not appreciate its design. Including a certain wood elven ranger-king."
"Corym." Mother huffed. "He does not have favorable words about you. He calls you, Unicorn Slayer."
"We came to a disagreement, me and Carbury- the unicorn. That disagreement climaxed when he attacked me. I fought back. He lost."
"These things are only natural. That he should know. Unicorns, divine creatures of the Fae, though they may be, are no exception. But I digress." Mother sighed, squeezing a little more divine mana from Amun's hand. "These organizations of yours have claimed the same mission as the Bombyx Sphere. For that, you have our blessing."
As they squeezed his hands a final time, four of our sacred moths emerged from the sleeve of their robes and scurried up his arms to his hair to find a suitable place to lay eggs.
"Oh, wow! Thank you!" Amun beamed wider than I'd ever seen. "You have my word. I will cherish them all."
"I have faith that you will. Including my dear Scarlett." Mother winked at me.
"We would love to see you in the Kingdom, if possible." Father added. "We would even be willing to increase your standing in the eyes of Polaris and Sirius. Not the eyes of the royals, mind you. We know you care not for such things. We are offering to increase your standing in the eyes of those who truly matter- the common people."
Amun smiled one of his great warm smiles at that and bowed at the waist. "I may take you up on that offer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to attend to before the meeting. I'll see you inside."
"See!" I smiled at Rebecca on the way back to our hollow. "That wasn't so bad."
"No. It wasn't." Rebecca sighed as if she were steeling herself. "But nothing changed. Not for my family. They're still the same self-righteous pricks I left behind. 'Do as we say or don't use our name.' Fuck them!" She mocked. "And the rest of them, my older siblings and cousins, are the same. Worse, they'll teach the younger ones to be just like them. And that I refuse to stand for.
"So I've decided. Next year, I'm going home to recruit them into the Legions. And together, we'll reignite the fires of the Plassein Conclave."
Now, I smiled one of my great, warm smiles.
***
Amun Za'Darmondiel-Nox.
1 Septara, 1492.
Tri-Hollow, the Bodhi Tree.
5:17 PM.
***
Well, that was both predicable and unexpected.
I supposed it went without saying that I expected both of their families to act as House Plassein did. Foolishly so, as I had long been aware of Scarlett's ties to silkworms and the presence of moths in the World Weaver's domain. I simply didn't expect them to be aware of it.
Again, foolishly so.
Even if that weren't the case, however, Scarlett's family would have still been a pleasant surprise. Open-minded. Well mannered. Gracious beyond belief. These were all traits that left me in high spirits. As a result, my divine mana poured off of me evermore, changing the surrounding areas in the most subtle ways.
Noticing my plight, Granny Abbot pushed her thoughts into mine using her newfound powers, using no words but images of my kin drifting to and fro. And so, I did as she and the other drow did and used not my magic or my monastic abilities, but my the power in my drow blood to levitate through the halls.
While it surely lessened the effects, it only exacerbated others. Namely, the disapproving reactions of my new 'peers.' Corym upturned his face the moment I entered the meeting room while Zoop sprang from her feet to ask if my levitation was an enchantment, then to give me praise for reaching the 19th step of my monastic path.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't the man of the hour. If I can even call you a man!" A burly half-orc woman erupted in an ugly laugh that betrayed her features- if one ignored the tusks. She rose from her seat and waltzed over to loom above me, then held out a heavily scarred hand for me to shake. "Naki. Head Instructor of the Bodhi Tree's fighters guild. I don't know who to compliment, though, you, Doyle, or Olga. This year's fighters seem to need no instruction."
"I have nothing but complaints!" the other half-orc huffed; identified on the Net as Urodar, the Instructor of the Bodhi Tree's Barbarians Guild. "They don't listen for shit!"
"How barbaric of them." I snorted alongside my cousins and Granny Abbot behind me.
"I'm Mack." The fresh face I spotted through Mani's Eye stopped a few paces before me with a nod. "I'm the new instructor for the Bodhi Tree's paladins, and I have to agree, they're quite impressive. One even has a Tempest Griffon." He said, eying Geri and Freki. Then the Owl and Pora Bora, perched on my shoulders.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" I grinned. Then nodded to the silent instructors, identified on the Net or from memory as Coleman Carr, Turpin Goold, and Ferris Licht of the Bodhi Tree's Wizard, Rogue, and Witches subguilds.
"Rickley Ravenbrook!" came a familiar and yet unfamiliar voice. And so my eyes turned alongside my bard's to see none other than Sinestro, sitting beside the gnomish bardic instructor, Xalji Lammog. You… look so… changed."
"Well, change is good." I said, sitting. Though I said nothing as the rest of the guilds trickled in over the next few minutes.
At their trail was none other than the guilds of Polaris. New Dawn, Stellaris Garrison, Vergo Corps, Orion's Army, Crux Draconis, Rouge Hydra, and Canis Red. I imagined their showy entrance had been commonplace since perhaps the Bodhi Tree's opening year. Due in no small part to the curious eyes they gave me and the Imperators behind me.
That said, the infamous Dende Morningstar was not in attendance. In his place was his 'prodigal' son, Lance- and how different he looked. Though he refused to look at me with them, I could still see that his eyes had changed as much as mine, his pupils and irises becoming spheres of solid gold against the white sclera. Star-filled bands of golden light encircled his frame, seen only with my Divine Sight as opposed to the ostentatious plate armor everyone else was blinded by.
And how different Zorrenor looked, trailing in behind them with skin like rotten bark and eyes like stagnant water. But his voice was as verdant as ever, proceeding to the meeting without pause.
Of course, New Dawn introduced themselves first, with Lance naming himself as its new commander- an exercise in politics or stupidity, I assumed. It was more likely he was a commander in training and rightly omitted that part due to the image sending a trainee to such an event would present.
At any rate, his 'subordinates' introduced themselves accordingly. Raymond Polaris, Crystal Vergo, Damien Orion, Ian Drake, Terrance Rouge, and Conan Redd. Then the following organizations introduced themselves, one by one, until the 50th Ranked Guild Master stood and spoke. "I am Kai'sha Rama, Guild Master of The Misty Arbor Keepers."
She was an Amazonian. Tall and beautiful, like so many of her kind. But in her eyes was something far more interesting. Prospects of something grand. I could think little of it, however, as Zorrenor's weary sigh pulled my eyes to him.
"And…" His clawed hand trailed to me. "We have another guild joining us today. While they are not yet officially recognized by the Guild Associations, they possess the requirements to be referred to as such; a Core Annex and a Divine Tree, with a class of evolved members, comprising… eleven subguilds."
With a wave to me, I stood. "Thank you, Headmaster." I bowed at the neck before turning to the rest of the room. "Some of you may know as Amun, Heir, to the House of Cole, the Grand Duke of Odissi. My full name, however, is Amun Za'Darmondiel-Nox, Guild Master of the Legio Noctis, and the Emperor of Eotrom."
"Za'Darmondiel?" asked Mr. Mask from the 9th ranking guild, The Cowl, looking to Granny Abbot.
"He is the son of my eldest granddaughter." She regally said with a cunning smirk.
"I assumed all of you looked the same. Forgive me," Raymond Polaris mumbled.
"Only because your eyes are so weak, my dear." She quickly replied, bringing out a string of giggles from me.
"A bit of extra-species hate to start the day, then?" I chortled. "Disappointing, but not surprising in the least."
"If I may!" The gnomish Guild Master of Greywater Apothecary shouted, calming the fuss down in a near-instant before he turned to me. "What is your current level? All classes combined?"
I tossed my eyes in faux contemplation before answering. "Forty-six." Eliciting an eruption of gasps to spread through the meeting room.
"In six months, you climbed forty-six levels?"
"I started high up the ladder." I shrugged. "Relatively speaking."
"Clearly." The Guild Master- Gawin Loudspark snorted. "I see you are a monk. And I hear you are a renowned Grandmaster Artificer already. Tell me, what is the specialty of your Legio Noctis?"
"Exploration." I told them. "However, each legion, or subguild, boasts a different specialty. Industry. Commerce and politics. Seafaring. Magic. And of course, war."
"And what can you contribute to this event?" someone else asked.
"How about... entertainment? Something to make this last event a truly special occurrence, eh?" I offered. "Bards in my employ have the means to spectate, commentate, and broadcast the matches to the Peninsula and beyond in real time. The hardware is already present throughout the southern peninsula. We can also create or alter environments in which to fight, provide potions, healing, or otherwise, keep them alive. And I can make the creatures on this list stronger."
"By making them undead?" Mr. Mask asked with curious interest.
"Not so." I grinned. "I can turn some creatures, constructs, and even dungeons into magical beings. Sentient, even."
"We… may have to ask for a demonstration to learn the extent of such things." Gawin offered. Yet others were ready to shut him down.
"Such antics will be done on your own time, Gawin! This is no show and tell." Leo Blaine of the Blue Lion's Guild scolded. Thus bringing the meeting to a close for the time being. The data was compiled and condensed into dossiers of all the students. Then we were dismissed for the night with the task of determining which type of encounter would best challenge each student; to be presented at our next meeting.
But before that came our introductions to the students, scheduled in just a couple of hours.