Gysil Vilignin.
Grandmaster Mage of the Marulean Guild Association.
[Prestige Fighter: Amazonian Warrior: Step 20 - Crowned Warrior-Queen.]
2 Septara, 1492.
04:42.
***
My return to the Bodhi Tree was unprecedented, unannounced, and unwarranted. So too was it urgent, deeply unsettling, and well within my rights. Namely, because I could go wherever I damn-well pleased. But also because the Marulean Guild Army was ranked 8th in the Optimus Regni and thus was expected at these events. We simply never showed.
Due to the recent events in Maru, however, that was no longer the case. And more, it seemed Maru wasn't the only place to have faced such growth.
The Bodhi Tree had always seemed impossible for it to change. Perhaps that was why its change seemed so pungent. The forest looked a lot less verdant. Mist hung to the ground, and the shadows seemed deeper. I could sense many beasts watching me from the distance. Strong beasts. Intelligent beasts.
So... beautiful.
When the entrance came into view, my eyes were drawn not to the mountainous tree, but to a vast structure in the distance, with many paths leading to it. It looked like some grand administrative hub or something, or perhaps a chariot racing track; wide and stout, with a flat top that seemed like it was open to the skies. As I got closer, though, I saw it for what it was - a coliseum. Made of wood and stone, it poured a familiar silver light from the spires encircling the unseen arena within.
I was just going to enter when a trio of excited voices pulled me to my left, where a door of shimmering light stood out in the open, surrounded by five young mystics. Two of them ran forward the moment they spotted me. But only one was familiar. An exceptional one from Maru- from Odissi, and trained at Corvus Academy by one figure in particular.
Morris Frasier had brown skin that reflected the silver glow of the lights behind him majestically, almost like his fighting prowess, which he augmented with his Gem Magic and elemental manipulation abilities far beyond those of his peers.
Grandmaster Vilignin!" He bounded to me with the other Marulean trailing close behind him. "I never expected to see you here."
"I can say the same," I said. Then chortled at their bemused expressions. "It's too early for you to be prancing about, though. Or do you not take this event seriously?"
"Quite the opposite, Madame. I can't sleep to save my life."
"Oh?" I turned to the one in question with a raised brow. She had skin like glacial ice, gray with hints of blue. Dull, unlike her sapphire eyes and radiant white hair. Like Morris, she had a fighter's build about her. Which was surprising, considering she was a water Djinni. "And what's so special about this place?" I asked, turning to the shimmering door.
"Amun's in there!" Morris beamed. "I was hoping to see him again. He looks so different!"
I turned to the doorway with a new glint in my eye. "Is that so?"
"A lot of the other Guild Masters as well," said Jace Hardy, the other Marulean, as he turned to me with wide eyes. "Is… is what he said true, Madame? Youteran elves are in the Marulean Darkworld, preparing for war?"
'Of course, he told them.' I sighed, already feeling the weight of another report building up. "Between his forces and ours, we have it handled. Just focus on your studies so you can be as ready as possible when it comes time to act. Assuming you do, of course."
"Of course I will!" Morris slammed his fist against his chest. "Maru is my home!"
"Mine too!" Jace shook his fist. Then gestured to the other three; a Nimbuan, a blue Sapiavi, and the water Djinni. "I'm trying to get them to come along, too."
"Then I'll see you on the other side." I gave them each a proud nod and stepped through the standing doorway.
The icy fingers of death slapped against my face the moment I entered, but I faltered not because of that, for I have felt such a thing before. What made me falter was the space in which I found myself. The backdrop was endless and black, speckled with countless stars but illuminated by a silver light poised overhead. Solid rock was beneath my feet, stretching out in terraces that housed some of the Optimus Regni, many of which I'd never seen.
Their focus was held on scrying windows inlaid in their seats, each showing something more beautiful than the last, while the platform in the distance only showed smoke churning by the volley of countless shockwaves.
I took the closest seat and turned my attention to the window, where I saw a much different being than I was familiar with. His eyes were different, draconic and white, with black sclera limned in a multicolored radiance. Horns protruded from his hairline, blacker than black but with a couple of white markings akin to stretch marks laid horizontally across their surface. Arcane fire wreathed his ashen hair and eldritch blue veins glowed along his arms, wrists, and temples.
That, I was familiar with, for that was what me and every Marulean saw during his address.
What was unfamiliar was the stench of death about him and more, his deathly visage, shrouded in the ethereal blue-green fires of… ki.
I saw a streak of tan, red, green, and blue fly past Amun, leaving much of his throat a mangled, bleeding mess. Yet he did not flinch or react. He didn't even falter. He simply stood and stared while the cloak of blue-green ki spread into a domain around him. And when the next streak appeared, the living lich became a blur as well, effortlessly snatching in mid-flight what at first seemed to be a colorful Sapiavi's talon and lifting it overhead to slam it into the ground.
It was an unbelievable display compared to what I saw just a year and a half ago; both from him and the one annotated on the window- Jaimess A. Corey, the… Tengu Tamer.
A tidal wave of roiling red liquid poured from the smoke behind them, threatening to overtake them. Simultaneously, Amun and Jaimess leaped in opposing directions, only to be attacked by claws of lightning sparking from all angles. They began to react but were cut off by a shadow looming overhead, giving them little time to react before a giant's hand of metal smashed them to paste.
Eager to see more, I flicked the switch on the side of the screen and came to see a young girl with vibrant blue eyes and a tunic of the same color, engaging a hooded knight wreathed in electricity. Iris Cole and Zane Cooper. Sadly, that glimpse of their engagement was all I was privy to see, as a horrendous buzz reverberated throughout the space, clearing the smoke in an instant to reveal what had to be nearly a hundred individuals bearing that legendary mark on their chests.
The crowd did not erupt in cheer, as one would expect from such a display. They were motionless and stunned or muttering meaningless nothings to themselves. Only a few voiced their opinions openly. Me included.
Perhaps it was because I did not witness the entire show, but I marched to the edge of the audience to cast a wide smile of admiration on those in the distance. "I knew you were exceptional, but I never imagined you to be a Marulean God walking among mortals!" I couldn't help but chortle in dismay as my eyes turned. "And the rest of you are so strong! That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"
"I find myself saying the same," said a wizardly drow before Amun suddenly appeared next to me, lowered in a bow.
"Grandmaster Vilignin, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"
"You, actually. I'm on orders. Official business with your guild. So I'd appreciate if we could speak in private." I said, looking around at the other Guild Masters.
Surprisingly, it took little else for them to leave. I assumed it was their shock. But in truth, I didn't care for anything other than being alone with Amun and the many members of his guild. My mission did not pertain to them.
They had to be several hundred, if not a few thousand strong, given the numbers of their senior leaders, yet were organized into eleven sub-guilds. Legions, I assumed, colored and armored differently, from the warriors, hooded knights, and giant men standing behind Toril, to scale mail clad humanoids corrupted by darkness standing behind a vampyr lord. All of them had arcana. Moreover, all of them were divine. They held slivers of him in their spirits, granting them immense power. But not as immense as those closest to his side. The girl with blue eyes, the wizardly drow, and several more. Including one of my cousins- a Gerdian.
"So, this is the guild I've been hearing so much about?" I smiled.
As did Amun. "The Legio Noctis. Eleven Legions, led by the Deities of my pantheon, my classmates, and my Troupe." He gestured to the strange gathering around us. "In turn, they lead demigods. Explorers and warriors, creators and destroyers. What you see, however, is only the beginning; the upper echelon."
"Well met!" I guffawed. Then began pacing before their ranks. "For those of you who do not know, I am Grandmaster Mage, Gysil Vilignin of the Marulean Guild Association. An Amazonian Warrior, like some of you." I winked at those in the crowd before facing Amun once again. "I come at the order of Guild Master Amos Silva. In short, my primary order is to ask for your allegiance in the defense of Maru against the Ulaian threat and the Youteran interlopers."
"That's already a given." Amun smiled, then carelessly waved the matter away. Only for a curious grin to befall his face as it returned to focus on me. "What's your secondary order?"
"Already accomplished." I smiled. "It was to gauge the strength of your forces. However." I quickly added. "I am also to request for Imkeruram to host this year's assessments, if possible, for the whole of Maru, given it is now the safest place in the realm. And, should you agree, I'm to establish a preliminary plan for Maru's protection. After that, I will continue across Nonus in search of powerful allies."
"I see. I see. Yeah, that's no problem. We may have to work with the locals to build up some infrastructure to make it happen. But me, Ed, and Iris have just the thing for that. I'll send the word and have someone contact your people," He muttered while fumbling in his shadow.
From it came something I never suspected. A… tablet. It looked like one, at least. It was about the size of my hand, but not of stone. Instead, it was polished and black, as if made from obsidian, but flexible enough to envelop my wrist comfortably. "This is a Data Slate, one of things I sell as a Grandmaster Artificer."
"A- wow!" I mentally stumbled at the revelation of such a rare class. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you." He calmly bowed. "Devices like these use mana and radiation for instantaneous communication across vast distances, even the realms or planes of existence. Worry not about the elves detecting it. This version is for our civilians and allies. It's infused with my void sorcery for encryption, hence the name- VoidNet. On it is a database containing much of my knowledge. It has blueprints for better infrastructure, weapons, and equipment, and knowledge of the natural world, which can be used to amplify one's magical or manipulation capabilities. Use them to your full advantage. That one is yours. Imkeruram will distribute more to your superiors, to be distributed to your subordinates. Simply connect your mana to it and it can be made to disappear, reappear or otherwise be controlled by your mana."
I did as asked and the… slate illuminated with images and words that threatened to steal my concentration, thus I willed it away and marveled at how it simply vanished from my hand.
"Thank you, Guild Master! Together, we will make Maru into the realm it was meant to be. And, by the Gods, may we take back the Motherland!"
"We will, Grandmaster." Amun grinned in a way that reminded me of his ancestor- a reassuring sigh. "We absolutely fucking will!"
I nodded resolutely in response to Amun's grin. Then turned with a gesture for the door. "If you would be willing, I can remain in the area for some time, so we may agree on a plan."
"Well." Amun tossed his head, though he began moving for the exit. "My subordinates are enjoying a period of leave. I would prefer to not interrupt that, so it would only be the two of us."
"Fine by me."
That marked the start of a conversation that would be most enlightening. To begin with, I grew more acquainted with the data slate as we entered the compound. Through the illusory words and images it displayed through the surrounding mana- which only I could see- I learned of the many features found within this grand complex and the creatures the students would soon battle. Then, I used my newfound proficiency with this… technology, to learn more than enough about the Legio Noctis to give my report.
Upon our relocation to a booth within the colosseum, we were treated to breakfast and got down to official business. To begin with, we agreed there would embassies constructed in each of our lands, besides the added presence of their Marulean advisers to our rear base on an island off the southern coast of Ulai.
There, they would construct coastal defense infrastructure and assess our forces stationed to keep the monsters within contained. Preliminary blueprints for a new class of shipyard were created after that, as well as the design of a 'skyport' to bolster our supply lines and gain superiority over Marulean sky and seas. Both were to be built across Phaegrath and Epethia while our diplomats, warriors, and artificers engaged in 'cross-training' to learn how each group operated and tweak their procedures to 'piggyback' off each other; thereby boosting camaraderie.
Considering the efficiency and artificing prowess of this guild and empire, everything but the cross-training was projected to take less than a month. That was not so for the next phase, however.
Once superiority over Ulaian waters and air was established, Amun's numerically disadvantaged forces would be responsible for reconnaissance. Somehow, they would map the continent from above with enough detail to pinpoint resources, enemy positions or fortifications, and other points of interest accurately, and track them in real time.
In our end, we would take up the role of trainees. Our forces would seek his in Maru, and using what was learned in the phase prior, we would learn to use these flying machines, advanced battle fleets, and spell canon 'batteries' effectively; then emplace them around our cities.
In the meantime, our civilian allies would be venturing to those resource points to begin an industrial age the likes of which the realms have never seen, intending to spread mechanical roots across the whole of Maru to shield the underground and fortify the surface, starting from the vast lake surrounding the Tree of Life.
By that time, Amun suspected the elves would act. If not, that would be the time to probe the Darkworld. As such, there was little more planning to do past that.
Although my directives were complete, I decided to stay for at least one match. I could have fulfilled my other directive as well, I supposed, but I doubted any of the Nonus-born guilds would be willing to return to their ancestral roots by assisting those of us in Maru.
If their minds would change was up for debate. But in the end, it mattered not, for the Bifrost was soon to close forevermore.