The heavenly messenger retreated back to whatever holy land it came from, leaving behind the two men to resume their battle that now seemed more like a petty quarrel after what they had just experienced. Ulric was still on his knees, utterly dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed. Kingston's back was still turned to him, the Mage staring at the spot where the Angel had just been a second ago. His stone face began to twitch out of annoyance, "He... left?" Seriously? He just dropped a divine epiphany on them and couldn't even stay to explain? Granted it seemed like he tried to stay for as long as he could before getting "penalized". Though... what existence other than ๐ฎ๐๐ himself could punish such a grand being? Was God a sentient entity just like the Angel was? What did the Auspex mean when he said that we would win the war for them? Who could possibly challenge a race of deities in the first place?
ย A sudden gale of wind whooshed past him, disrupting his thoughts, he could hear the hushed murmurs from the people again, and the clinking of Gaius' armor as he was frantically trying to usher them away from the fight. A brief moment of silence drew everyone's attention to the Legacy that was kneeling behind Kingston. Realizing that he was in a position unbecoming of his reputation, Ulric shot up to his feet, regaining his posture as he demanded the War Power once again, "A- er, As I am feeling quite merciful today, I will off-"ย
"๐ฆ๐ต๐๐ ๐๐ฝ."ย
All the confidence he tried to reestablish by the tone of his voice was swept away by Kingston's dismissive reply. "Everyone knows joining hands with a God Blood is like signing a slave contract in gold ink." Slowly he turned around to face the intruder, he opened his mouth to say something but quickly caught his tongue, his eyebrows knit together as he reconsidered what he should say. "Legacies are the very peak of humanities' strength when it comes to wielding magian essence. No other class of sorcery can compare." He stepped closer to the Cicero Mage. "So by whose order are you here? You are the clan's Legacy only by title. In truth you are the clan itself, nobody could command you to do anything." A Legacy class mage was more than just a clan's most powerful sorcerer. Upon the discovery of this level of magian prowess, it completely shattered any type of scale used to measure the power of mages. This was a phenomenon that had become more common recently. The sudden spike in magian essence present in the world that is. At first Apex mages were the cream of the crop, then not even a decade later primordial sorcerers appeared. The gap between the classes increased each time, but ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ as much as it did with Legacies. They may as well have been ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ, which is why they weren't allowed to officially be Lord of a clan. But even if they didn't have that title in stone... who on Earth could command such a dominant Warrior?
ย Despite the circumstances Ulric maintained an undisturbed expression, not giving Kingston any answers for his questions. Even after coming into contact with a Godly being, he still had an image to uphold, and a clan to preserve. Politics even in these times eh? The Legacy smiled warmly at his opponent, and then the crowd, clasping his hands together he was about to reply before Kingston suddenly spoke again. "First your clan's Deacon barges into the King's chambers, threatens his officials and then attacks them. Then you breach Lambridge's walls and even now, you continue to insult my compassion. Really..." He made a show of sighing in disappointment and shaking his head, "I understand you're a God Blooded Clan but even that should have its limits." The Legacy's smile wavered, his minions behind him were all itching to let loose their powers but their master's hesitance caused them to balk.
ย He was getting cornered, after their interaction with the Angel he was no longer confident that he could defeat Kingston outright, what's more is that starting a full fledged battle in the middle of Lambridge would make his clan lose more than gain. The land was not even owned by Cicero, it had been a slave state to multiple powers since its discovery. There were too many hands in play and Kingston could tell from the way the Mage was gritting his teeth that he knew. Stepping back he sneered, "The World is changing boy, you will regret denying us this day." The spitting rage in his eyes was clear for all to see, as large green flames engulfed his body. The colored fire did not burn the ground around it nor did it emit any heat. Instead it's harmless wicks simply disappeared along with Ulric. The same happened to all of the Cicero mages simultaneously, even the ones who were unconscious.ย
They were all gone now, so what was this feeling of uneasiness in him? Ah, of course, he'd accomplished absolutely none of what he wanted to today. Except... "Well I did seize the throne..." He surmised aloud, completely forgetting about the villagers whose eyes were still glued to him. "Ah." He blurted, somehow he actually preferred them protesting and screaming obscenities as opposed to this deafening silence. Nervously he placed his hands together in the least threatening way possible, and assured the townspeople, "Do not worry about the Cicero Clan, they will be dealt with." Other than some anxious shifting the villagers gave no response. "There is nothing to fear, I did not usurp your King's throne to impose a tyrannical reign..." No dice. Why would they trust anything he said, after all in their eyes he's just a rogue Mage that just stormed the Castle. But he didn't need their complete trust, he only needed them to continue to do what they were already doing, living in ignorance.ย
"Listen." He paused, carefully observing the myriad of emotions etched into each of the peoples' faces. Lambridge doesn't have any noble lineage, no royal blood, no political power whatsoever. Any "royal" figure they've ever had were proxy nobles and faux Kings. Simply put Lambridge and its citizens existed purely for resource production. The land was rich and abundant in minerals, and the main populace was uneducated and ripe for molding. Most of the people had already forgotten about the bloody past of neighboring kingdoms trying to facilitate the transformation of their town into a labor farm. Eventually they succeeded by way of ignorant assurance. Handpicking from a pool of native candidates to make them Kings, for the purpose of offering a sense of familiarity to the very naive, and desperate townspeople. A perfect puppet scheme that would allow them to slowly implement aristocratic and noble families of their own. The people held up their Kings like a shield, to protect their livelihoods these false kings were like a crutch that propped up their sense of security. Allowing them to live in ignorance so long as it felt like they were protected. Turning a blind eye to the truth of their situation, a truth that was never confronted until this moment. And Kingston understood it all too well, how humans feared, what they wanted, how to appease these fears, it won't be immediate, but it will be enough for now.
ย He spoke again in a louder, more demanding voice, "It is no secret that this Kingdom is not really your own. Though you all have chosen to live peacefully in ignorance, it doesn't change Lambridge's true identity as a slave state to higher powers." As expected, the peoples' reactions were of course not very welcoming. Though they were quite tame, scattered rumbles of discontent rippled through the townsquare. He knew there would be resistance but these people were so used to accepting their fates lying down that they have never known to fight for themselves, "And so I offer you this, freedom... at no price at all. Believe it or not it's too late now. The only way Lambridge can break free of its chains, and withstand the oncoming onslaught...is with me." And there it was, salvation in a mighty hand, even if that hand was a stranger's. Ignoring the fact that Kingston forced them into this predicament in the first place, it wouldn't be outrageous to say that they had always hoped for an escape from this oppressive way of life. And it was undeniable that only a man whose power could rival a Legacy's, would be able to defend against the dozens of clans who have stake in their land. "Horseshit." A young lady spat. The sea of people parted to reveal a bull necked woman with a strikingly belligerent look on her face. The blistering fire in her eyes would have been enough to burn down the entire village. "Why in God's name would we accept you? If anything, you're the one who is directly responsible for what happened today, and what will happen soon." Her armor was cracked and the color was faint, her sleeves were torn and her hair was matted in dust, but he could tell that she wore the equipment of a high standing Mage. In a ponderous tone he asked, "You... are one of the King's Mages?" As he said those words, somewhere in the back Gaius flinched, his shoulders tensed, as if he was bracing himself for an oncoming storm. The girl was now almost trembling with rage, Kingston blinked, unaware of the explosive atmosphere. "You're not?" A vein formed on her forehead, "Are you just a common Mage then?" Her clenched fists began to shake. Just before the bomb was about to go, Gaius grabbed the girl's shoulder and pulled her behind him. Before she could protest he had already locked eyes with the War Power. Now that they were standing face to face, he was quite a big fellow, easily a head taller than Kingston who was already larger than most people. Looking up at the man he had a certain strength in his eyes, a determined shade of blue that made people want to trust him. And from the way he was able to control the villagers, and how they all fell behind him, he was someone who they respected greatly. Gathering the confidence to speak, he took a deep breath, puffing out his chest, "I have no loyalty to the throne."ย
Oh? Kingston raised a brow. A mildly amused look on his face. Gaius chose his words carefully, all while closely observing the man's reactions as he spoke, "Things were bound to change sooner or later. Our people have been enslaved for far too long. If you are the man who could free us. So be it." What an incredibly favorable turn of events, at first he thought this boy would be the most difficult to deal with. But it turns out he's surprisingly realistic. "But." He held up a finger, "My purpose is for my people, I will not serve a stranger... but you will have the cooperation of the King's Elite." He flashed a look towards his companions out of the corner of his eyes. Isolda and Rekken stood atop the broken terrace, their faces were solemn, like they had more or less accepted their situation but they feared what would happen next, the fourth male member whose identity was still unknown stood a couple feet behind Gaius, his expression was grim and unreadable.
ย It was clear that Gaius was their leader, or something of the sort, and that they were willing to follow in his steps. But what a pleasant surprise this was, although maybe it wasn't so surprising. It made sense that they had no allegiance to the King, after all, the Royal family was literally imported from another Nation. Perhaps they were all anticipating a change, waiting for a force of revolution to appear. Someone who could release them from this false haven that was going to cave in on them at any moment. In that aspect they were no different from their people. All he had to do was be that person for them, "I am not looking for people to serve under me. This is more like a... mutual exchange, a common goal, I can help you accomplish what you want to... and so, so much more." His tone was honeyed and genuine. It wasn't a lie after all, ultimately their goals were the same... somewhat. "As long as the lives of the people are not endangered, we will assist you." Gaius nodded, the man was smart, he understood the situation and used this as a chance to reassure the villagers. Reminding them that their livelihoods wouldn't be compromised, dissuading any fearful thoughts. Perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised, Gaius was likely older than Kingston after all, he looked to be somewhere in his mid twenties while Kingston had just turned 21 this year.
ย He had to restrain a smile from creeping onto his face when the tension was released from the townsquare. Gaius and his group were already directing traffic, organizing the relevant mages to assess and repair the damage. The rest of the villagers dispersed, mumbles of doubt slipping through, "He looks awfully young, is it right to let him lead us?"ย
"Can they really take back Lambridge's Sovereignty?"ย
"Are we going to war?"ย
"But how will the other Kingdoms take this?" Still uncertain about their situation but lacking the ability to do anything about it, they all trudged home, hoping for the best. The unfortunate but absolute Law of this world, power. Ignoring the innately evil nature of humans, they are meek and feeble minded. They can hope with all their might, that despite the difference in power, there are still things they can do to change the outcome of their circumstances. They're wrong. The area was now cleared, all except for the crew that was restoring the structures that were damaged from the fight. Now he could properly execute his plans. Despite the new information that was given to him, his goals remained the same. The complete annihilation of all systems and monarchies. Humans are a despicable race, he knew firsthand that corruption was rampant and inevitable. That is why these constructs cannot exist among people. As long as there is power there will be those who abuse it. The ones who wield in abundance will gain more and more, the ones who lack will continue to lose more and more. And that is why there is such an impossibly large divide in power among the Kingdoms today. The world needed to be corrected, someone needed to exist in order to balance out this... evil. And how glorious it was, that the Gods have gifted him with the ability to exterminate this... species.
ย But still... what that Angel said... Kingston doubted that the Divine race would send an Emissary straight from heaven itself just to deceive him. Actually the things Sol' Ra said provided some clarity to what he was thinking. The Angel confirmed his biggest uncertainty, there are others like him. If there were other individuals as powerful as him, there was no time to waste pondering on the Auspex's words. Turning towards the palace that was already being reconstructed, he promptly strode into the entrance. The Royal residence and all its luxury was a despairing contrast to the impoverished settlements that surrounded it. Seeing the main district of the town as compared to the rest of Lambridge was like a flake of snow in a muddy swamp. Gold linen streamed along the palatial white limestone, fancy water fountains and gold statues decorated the open spaces in the castle. The manor was all but empty except for a cluster of voices that echoed throughout the grand corridor. Their conversation was not very discreet, Kingston's footsteps could hardly be heard as the boardroom of men and women shouted obscenities over each other. "- CANNOT ACCEPT THE HAND OF THIS SCORNFUL BASTARD."ย
"-Have seen what he is capable of."ย
"-Grown tired of being used as pawns by the God Bloods."ย
"-The King's Elite are still intact, we should order them to eliminate-"ย
"Surely you jest, as prodigal as they are, they are still children. You saw how Legacy Ulric looked at the man." The tidal wave of voices continued to overlap each other, rising and rising until it crashed as the decorated gates to their meeting room swung open. The entire table fell silent, their limbs went slack and sweat dripped down their spittingly arrogant faces, into their pompous attire. "Why do you all seem surprised to see me?" The man stepped into the room, he made no hostile gestures and his arms remained by his sides. But what was this gripping intimidation that wrapped around their throats? "๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ฃ๐ after all. Do continue your discussion." He bowed ever so slightly as his eyes surveyed the room, daring anyone to object to his rule.ย
Look at them, everyone here was of noble descent or a member of a dominant clan. None of them native to Lambridge. And yet here they were, making decisions that would heavily impact the citizens, a group of prideful and ignorant aristocrats deciding the fate of an entire people. No wonder the state of this land never improved, every single person gathered here only came with the interests of their own kingdoms in mind. Pulling Lambridge in a dozen different directions, without knowing it, Kingston was pretty much scowling at everyone in the room. "You..." A man at the table breathed. Here it comes. Some middle aged diplomat pointed his finger at him, "Who are you to come in here and mock us?" Somewhere among the frantic murmuring that erupted was a hushed, "Lord Adenot!" Their eyes bounced from the noble, to the Mage, unsure of how Kingston would react. Some stood up from their seats in preparation for a possible attack, some nervously gripped their chairs, while the more arrogant ones studied him carefully.ย
At this point he was still very much an enigma, an unknown variable that nobody knew how to deal with yet. That is why what he would do next is very important, something that would incite enough fear to send a message, but not too much so that he doesn't immediately make enemies of everyone in the room. Calmly he answered, "As I said, I am the ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ." The nobleman pounded the table with his fist. "Do you seriously think we will accept that?! Do you have any idea how many kingdoms are watching over Lambridge? What will you do when the Queen returns with the Royal family?" Oops, had he forgotten about that? In all honesty he hadn't entirely laid out the plans on how he would deal with the politics of taking a kingdom. And in hindsight it may have been a bit immature to assume that he could just seize Lambridge and immediately set off on his great conquest. The question caused Kingston to think, letting slip a moment of hesitance that egged on Lord Adenot, smirking he continued to press him, "You haven't accounted for that have you? My, is this the man that will send us back to our Superiors with our tails between our legs? He is but a brash boy who was lucky enough to obtain a power that is obviously more than he can-"ย
"๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐." His voice cut through the room, the tone entirely different from the diplomat that had originally approached them. "I am sure that my actions today have shown that I am anything ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต merciful." Walking over to the noble he leaned in close, enough to see the beads of sweat forming on his face, the slow staggered breathing that changed each time Kingston blinked. "How many times must I remind you." His eyes intentionally drifted off of Adenot and looked at the rest of the people at the table. "That you are speaking to a King." Straightening his posture, he continued, "The Queen's reaction to my rule is irrelevant. Engeram has lost the respect of the people and by proxy his power. The veil that you all have so meticulously drawn over the citizens is no longer there." He began to pace around the large round table, each member could feel his presence brush across their backs. "Do you know what the people are thinking now? What they're feeling? Now that they have accepted everything? Your false kings, their Oppression, all the years of living like slaves..." Lord Adenot was still standing, glaring at Kingston incredulously, his body trembled and his mouth opened but he could not think of a reply to utter. Stopping at the head of the table, he spread out his arms, "To them, I am their champion, their solution and shield. So be careful, prying their salvation from their hands... you may end up losing it all."ย
There, that wasn't so bad, no need to prepare a speech if he could just whip up something like that purely off his wits. He was young and although he wasn't an adept Mage he was gifted with a... unique shrewdness. Of course he was horseshitting, he needed to be convincing enough without revealing his motives. If he succeeded and they left, then there's no stopping what Kingston was about to do. But of course, again, things would not proceed in the direction he wanted it to. The woman in front of him shifted, her raven black hair somehow felt familiar, what did it remind him of?ย
"You made quite the fool out of my elder brother, young man." Elder brother? The woman remained seated, looking forward in her chair, away from Kingston. She spoke coyly, smoothly, like she was talking to a kitten, "Tell me, what do you intend to accomplish from this insurrection?" He clenched his jaw, they were forcing out his bluffs already, the more lies he'd say today would complicate things in the future. But if things went as planned, his relationship with other Kingdoms wouldn't be of much importance, just say anything that will satisfy them enough to send them home he thought. They need answers, enough so they won't immediately brand Kingston as a brute who needs to be put down. "Simple." He leaned over her chair and stretched his arm out in front of her. She recoiled slightly, mildly surprised at how close he was. Bringing his face closer to her ears he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "๐๐ ๐ช๐ค๐จ."ย
Kingston snapped his fingers, conjuring a small ball of pure magian essence. It was white, shapeless, colorless, nearly translucent, like he was holding light itself in his hand. Slowly the ball grew until it was the size of a large apple. The woman's entire body tensed, a brief moment of surprise slipped through but quickly sank back underneath her unamused face. Energy manipulation, a skill that in theory doesn't require a rune, the ability to freely influence the ambient magian essence that is all around them. Ikuos was the name of the ruins where this power was discovered, other than its location of origin, little else is known about it. But everyone at the table recognized it, an extremely high grade skill that only the most prominent God Bloods were capable of teaching. The only reason he had the ability to use it was through his immense foundation of essence. A causal result of possessing so much power, inevitably his eyes are opened to properties of Magium that he could never have seen before, thus increasing his understanding of it. The image of the ball warped, suddenly becoming clearer, the outer edges of the orb hardened and turned black. "It's not pure." She observed. "How do you know this technique?" Shocked gasps and murmurs rippled through the room, echoing the same phrases, "A meager soldier like him?"ย
"Adopting Ikuos?"ย
"If our Clan finds out about this..."ย
It was a slight gamble, using one of his rarer abilities off the bat so that he wouldn't have to reveal anything else, but it was good that he was generating interest. Maybe it will stop the expected attempts of assassination and perhaps... show that he is someone worth acquainting. "It isn't perfect. I still need to use my runes as an outlet, to harness the energy and make it my own so as you can see..." The sphere bursted into a small flame, its tiny black wicks licked at the air. "It is tainted by my essence. But to answer your question Milady." He closed his hand, extinguishing the spell,ย "I want power. I want to grow my potential and I need the agency to do so without being chained by my status." Generic, but a compelling motive, though, the woman didn't seem to be convinced.ย
She still hadn't looked at Kingston during this entire encounter, was she checking all the members sitting with her at the table perhaps? A show of dominance to assure them that she was able to control the rogue Mage. "You, by yourself, possess more than enough power to rival the strongest Nations in this continent." Finally she turned her head, just enough for him to see her face, but not enough for them to make eye contact. "Nobody knows of your name, or where you came from. Yet you were able to not only stand your ground, but you fought against one of the seven known Legacies in this world." Her words were smooth and softly strung together, she was trying to convince the noble representatives of something. That this man was not to be trusted, as it stands he is someone who was preventing them from taking Lambridge. Almost every clan in the continent have been at arms with each other over this land, Kingston suddenly jumping it would complicate the situation even further... or maybe simplify it.ย
Then, her eyes met his, a distinctive shade of purple that lit up a candle in his head, the brother she mentioned earlier, was Ulric. So the Legacy's kid sister was Cicero's diplomat, how threatening. Kingston would prefer to not have a bounty on his head, ordered by a dozen different clans, but that was the exact opposite of what this woman wanted. A years long standoff, no clan dared to make the first move, but each one waiting in the dark. Preying, sharpening their blades for the first opportunity that will arise where they can lay their claim to Lambridge's lustrous agriculture and rich mines. She needed Kingston to be that opportunity. How bothersome, he didn't want to come here to engage in theatrics, he knew that the representatives of each clan would convene and wanted to send a quick message. Hiding his impatience he responded curtly, "I think we can both agree that if I act independently, your Kings will decide I am too dangerous and unpredictable to be allowed to live." He opened his closed fist, releasing the black wisps of the smothered flame into the air. "I wish for us to be treated like a Sovereign Kingdom, all exports and trades will not be affected. It will be a smooth transition of power so please, tell your Lords that the situation has been resolved." The woman pursed her lips, the room was quiet as everyone watched expectantly, she opened her mouth to reply but the echoes of frantic footsteps stopped her. Bursting into the room was an older lady in a maid's uniform, "Young Lady!" She said sternly as she strode towards the woman's seat. Looking at her now flushed cheeks and quivering lip she seemed more like a kid preparing to be scolded by her parents in front of her friends. "Lady Audovera!" An abnormally large knight in bulky armor followed in behind the maid who was now chastising the woman quite annoyingly. "Arura is turning the entire clan upside down looking for you!"ย
"Highborn Amon requests your return Milady." The knight corrected.ย
"You and that brat of a boy never could listen to anyone."ย
"Lady Audovera and Legacy Ulric should consider our words more seriously." He echoed meekly.ย
"Have you forgotten what I said would happen if you ran off on your own again?! Oooh, you little-"ย
"Lady Audovera please come home with us, the Highlords are waiting." The giant of a man chuckled nervously, his heavy armor shaking the room.ย
The maid grabbed her ear, to which Audovera responded in pained cries of protest as she was lifted off her seat and guided out of the room. Her howls of agony faded away, the Knight smiled and bowed... "Good day Sir Adenot."ย
"Strulin, Iacor, Caephexios..."ย
... bowed to literally everyone in the room, and said goodbye to each of them by name before leaving. All of them responded in silent, slight nods, some didn't do anything at all. Still digesting what happened today perhaps, formulating a worthy explanation to relay to their leaders. After a short moment of silence, one by one they reluctantly gathered their things and stood up. Some of them looked feverish as they dragged themselves out of the room. There were definitely things they wanted to say, but none of them looked back once. This wasn't how he envisioned today unfolding, but it didn't turn out... terrible. And now that the road has finally been cleared. The real rebellion... ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐.