"Hello!" Augustus waved at Valentine, walking down the forest and into the village through the open gates to meet her standing with Melissa, "How are you doing princess?"
"I feel like shit." Valentine sighed, rolling her eyes to the side. She'd tried, but the fire chains were tight on her arms, leaving no room for escape, "I'll get out of this very soon."
"Sure you will." Augustus turned from Valentine to Melissa, "I heard Aaron's situation has improved. Have you looked into that stuff I asked you? About the weird sightings?"
"Well, I've asked the villagers. No one has been seeing them." Melissa held her waist, turning from Augustus to Valentine, her gaze calm, "I guess you wouldn't know a thing."
'If she did, she'd have ran away a long time ago.' Augustus chuckled to himself, then he stepped past them and began walking through the village, "Rebuilding is going good."
"Well, after a few attacks you learn to improvise." Melissa grabbed Valentine's arm, turning around to join Augustus in walking forward, "We just don't use much material."
She sighed, "The less materials needed for production, the easier it is to rebuild. You can trust me on this one, I've got a lot of experience. Although, the structure isn't tough."
"Well, what do you know? Substandard materials means substandard defence." A cold sigh escaped her lips as Valentine joined the conversation, "You are just pathetic, really."
Augustus stared at her out of the corner of his eyes, then rolled his eyes to the side, "I asked you to gather the villagers with the most special talents for me. Have you done it?"
"I still don't know why, but yes I have. I also gathered our armed militia at the town square." Melissa scoffed, "You are doing a lot for someone who's been here for like what?"
"A few days." Augustus replied, stopping in his tracks. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, 'I can only evolve and not revert the changes, so I need to be careful with it.'
"He's only been here a few days? One of those princes sent to act as regional lord?" As the word left her lips, Valentine's face contorted and she burst out laughing, "Like Argus?"
Aaron paused, his aura shifting. He cleared his throat, and sighed, "I guess you've met with an elder brother. How any of the princes and princesses do you know in the palace?"
"Apart from you, I've only met Argus and Celina. They've been very active in the parts, maybe they have some business with Enryon." Valentine shrugged, her brows furrowed.
"I've also met that nameless one, and tried tracking down the burning trail of that boy dragon across Ullyr, but haven't seen him." She continued, her gaze growing quite distant.
"Ullyr? That cold place?" Augustus frowned, his heart beating in his chest, 'Valentine was a player too, and this is most likely a trap. These are too many cards to reveal here.'
He continued walking again, 'Believing Lucas would dive so deep into enemy territory is madness. She could be using this to gain an advantage over me. She also mentioned her.'
Celina, top ten alongside Lucas amongst the children of Sol, was a tier above Augustus and most sibling in their starting advantage. Their forces are terrifying in the early game.
Late game cities like Iona wouldn't match their starting potential unless they received a substantial boost. Augustus had witnessed for himself how maddening the early game is.
'She also mentioned that Enryon and Argus. That's a lot of names she knows this early into the game… Dammit, I wonder how many cards they've gathered.' Augustus frowned.
"Who's Enryon? That name seems familiar." Melissa joined the conversation, causing Augustus and Valentine to turn to her with lifted brows. She sighed, "What? I'm curious."
"Enryon is a faceless prince of the palace of darkness. He's been helping Esmeralda to secure Silverna against Celina's forces. It's why I was sent here." Valentine answered her.
"They are involved too? What the f— wait." Melissa turned to the stunned Augustus, a serious expression on her face, "I guess that why they want that stuff. This one's clueless."
"She must have tried to sneak in a win during the chaos. So Enryon has been sneaking in those demons from the palace?!" Augustus pieced together everything he had observed.
'It must be why the event triggered. I guess the raks couldn't have been coordinated if some bastard behind the scenes didn't—' A loud bang sounded, shattering his immersion.
Augustus turned around, and his expression twisted. He stood with his hand relaxed on his blade, watching as countless silver owls took off into the sky, shrouding his gaze.
"Ah, I guess they've caught on to our growth." Augustus pulled his blade, watching as the heavens turned a golden-red hue, "Take Valentine away. I'll handle the situation here."
"What's happening?" Melissa tightened her grasp around Valentine's arm, pulling her back and away from the flying owls. Everyone else turned towards the owls, gobsmacked.
"Eliminating competition, obviously." Augustus dashed forward, dodging the a golden bolt of lightning that collapsed from the heavens upon the grounds, his heart beat rising.
He lifted his gaze to the heavens, watching a familiar silver haired woman stand atop the clouds, surrounded in an ethereal halo of light, dressed like a goddess in flowing robes.
"I guess she was right about you." The woman spoke in a commanding tone, her voice soothing to the ears yet carrying a great authority, "Give me your best challenge, prince."
"You want a challenge, beautiful?" Augustus drew in a deep breath, his aura blowing up in a fiery burst to shroud the area around him, and his gaze grew lukewarm, "Come."
"Haha!" The woman laughed, waving her hand in a graceful arc, and creating sharp feather-like blades out of nothing, raining them from the sky in a vicious surge, "Okay!"