"Among the dragon horde that serves as the shock troopers for the ever-expanding empire of the All-Father was a singular individual called Niphres, his scales dark as the abyss of the cosmos, his roars mighty and true. It was said Niphres could take over entire star systems in months alone, but He shined best in combat with his fellow brothers and sisters of the Draconic Horde, Alas even mighty Niphres wasn't enough to stop the entity that would eventually spawn the Sea of Rage, being one of the first killed in combat, to this day All-Mother mourns his death"
On the dragons and their long stories, Imperium Version.
Richard got up shaking due to the cold, the sun had barely broken the horizon with its golden glow when he was "summoned" by his friend for training. Of course said a friend had to pick the time where only the undead, spiritual entities, and those who were up to no good were up and about.
"Fuck me its cold" Richard spoke as he got off the shower and cast a spell to instantly dry himself, another to put on his workout clothes and he was off for a jog to the Academy gym that stayed open from dusk to dawn, on his way he saw a few familiar faces, mostly the undead kind as the spirits that lived in the Academy were shy around new students.
He stopped by a tree to catch his breath, even with the "training" he was getting as a side effect of hanging around with Lucrezia and that monster that was Hope he was far from the powerhouses they were, War aspected Blessings were unfair and he wouldn't hear otherwise. Still, he was in far better shape now than a month ago, his belly slowly but surely going away and muscles long thought dormant flaring into life.
He couldn't lie, the ego boost was enough to put a smile on his face in the morning shower, but Richard was never one to let the good tidings in life distract him from the grim reality around him, and thus he set about to work on his original goal. Setting up ties with the many factions and power players of the Academy and lo and behold it was going so smooth he was suspecting someone was pulling the strings behind his back.
Yet neither his mother nor the clan's matriarch had their paws on it, on the contrary, it was thanks to his "friendship" with Lucrezia, Kaine, and the Prince that gave him enough social credit to burn and thus he was dealing in goods and information far faster than what he thought.
Often Lucrezia would pay him a token amount for the latest information and Items the crafters of the academy couldn't make, he wanted to do it for free but she insisted as to not devalue his budding empire, a gesture that stuck in Richard's mind for a long while.
"Good morning Richard" a voice spoke to his side and the young man nearly jumped, seeing Lady Ironheart standing by him with the same workout clothing as him. she smiled at him but he could see the tiredness in her eyes.
"Still not used to waking up at this ungodly hour" she confessed to him "I don't know how Lucrezia does it, the woman doesn't stop the second she wakes up and she has barely 5 hours of sleep a day!"
"Maybe some sort of magic from the north, or she's drinking a far more potent version of that coffee drink of hers" Richard spoke as he began to get up from the ground, having taken the liberty of sitting in the soft grass near the gym for his usual inner monologues, he was taken aback when Ironheart extended her hand but took it anyway, not wanting to risk making a bad impression.
"Suppose we shouldn't keep the Duchess waiting, let us go at once," she said with a tired smiled and Richard nodded and both walked up to the gym's entrance, the front empty but the far reaches of the complex were occupied by several knights training.
"I wonder why they don't use the equipment in the front," Ironheart asked as they walked by them, the Knights glancing at both but saying not a word.
"The machines and weights at the front, they are rigged to inflate the ego of the nobles, uh no offense meant of course" Richard explained what Lucrezia had told him in class, Ironheart laughed and said "None was taken, that doesn't sound good now does it? I wonder why the school officials let this happen"
"You should ask Lucrezia, she has the answer for everything in this bloody place" Richard fired back and Ironheart nodded "That she does, It fascinates me how much she knows, and her wisdom too, a rare combination for someone so young and hotheaded as she is"
Both arrived at the section Lucrezia was using to train, the woman was alone, her maid not around this time. Richard watched as she slashed the air with a beautiful katana that bore the mark of the Arch-Duke, each slice flowing like water as she attempted to imbue her attacks with her elements, in a way Kaine had taught him last time they trained together.
After a series of slashes and cuts, she finally got the spell to click and a circular pattern manifested in the dummy, cutting the thing into pieces as Lucrezia sheathed her weapon and shook her first in awe.
"Congratulations Lucrezia! I see you finally mastered Kaine's spell" Ironheart spoke as she walked up to Lucrezia, hugging the woman who smiled at both of them, her face always warm compared to those cold azure eyes of hers.
"Aye, that I did my friend," she said "What took you so long? I was beginning to pack it up and grab both of you myself you know!" she boasted by thumping her chest "So Raffe, decided to join us then?" Lucrezia asked as she grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off her brow in a way that was oddly erotic, Richard shook his head, bloody Saal'Xhir magic doing tricks on him.
"I will, I am not that much of a fighter of mage but I think with you, the prince and Hope we can afford someone green like me or Richard here" Ironheart spoke and Richard couldn't help be agree "You forget Kaine" he spoke and both women nodded.
"Now, for the gear, you two will be using in the dungeon run..." Lucrezia clapped her hands and walked towards a stand where gleaming armor and weapons set around crates "Brand new infantry armor straight from my forges in the north, all Magi-Tech made!" and gods did they look good! Richard Blessing kicked in full gear as he picked his gear and flipped around, knowledge flooding his mind on the quality of the material, the proper usage, and who to sell at the right price for maximum profit.
"Spears! the best weapon for the warrior who is taking their firsts steps into battle" Lucrezia grabbed the odd spear that shone blue "Magi-Tech made as well with spell capabilities as long as you have aspected crystals" she grabbed a pouch and took a fire crystal from it, loading the thing on a small hole and firing a fireball at the dummy "This together with the shield will keep you safe from the many beasts of the dungeon"
It was the same for Ironheart, but she also got staff for miracle casting the woman had a blessing from a healing god, Richard once again cast the spell and the armor came to him, clothing him in an instant. He heard Lucrezia whistle in an impressed tone "And you told me you weren't capable of keeping up with the rest" she spoke with mirth in her voice "Now help me with Raffe here"
Richard made short work of the very fancy armor Lucrezia had just gifted to him and Ironheart, his mom had trained him on how to properly help noble scions with clothing at a young age after all.
"My, Aren't you experienced with this" Ironheart spoke with mirth,
Richard smiled and fired back "I am a Silverbrand Lady Ironheart, this is all but a part of the clan's training"
When the two of them got ready, Richard heard a commotion from the entrance of the gym, where a red ponytail bounced up and down as someone came running towards them.
"So so sorry I am late! Must've overslept" Hope spoke with an apologetic smile, Already dressed in Magi-Tech armor and with her weapon this time, a fancy-looking sword that bore the insignia of her family's mercenary band.
"The Prince isn't coming?" Ironheart asked, noting the missing member of this little group Lucrezia had put together.
"Nay, He and Kaine were called to their homes, something about a big celebration in the palace..." Hope was not happy with the fact, Richard snapped his head to Lucrezia and the woman explained "Annual thing with the big nobles, pay respect to the crown, give them a few gifts you know how it is" she shrugged not thinking much about it.
"Are you going?" Richard asked, not wanting to imagine how the Queen would react to her son's killer walking the palace halls.
"I am bound by duty to do so, but only on the actual day of the ritual, so I should get back to the Academy anon" Lucrezia replied putting her katana down and picking her dragonbone ax "Now there's still a fair bit of time before that happens so our expedition to the Red Dragon's dungeon is still happening without delay in case you are worried about it, I've already done the paperwork and got us the return marbles in the eventuality of life-threatening injures" Lucrezia finished and summoned 4 little marbles that were tied to a necklace "put those on and send your mana to it, it will be bound to you and you alone while we are in the dungeon"
Richard sent a sliver of his mana towards it and felt a click ring in his ears.
After a few pleasantries were exchanged, Lucrezia began her brutal drilling exercises, the woman was relentless as she fought all 3 barehanded! then after a few minutes, she switched to her main weapon.
Richard wasn't a fighter, far from it in fact, while he liked chatting up knights while pub crawling as they often had hilarious stories to tell his sole combat achievement was winning an archery competition when he was younger!
So following his newfound knowledge of the martial arts imparted by his classes in the academy and what he had witnessed so far began barking orders to Ironheart and Hope, Ironheart cast self-healing magicks on him and Hope and began lobbing pure mana lances towards Lucrezia who jumped back and dodged most of them, with a scream Richard dashed forward and planted his shield right in front of where she landed and stabbed with his spear.
Lucrezia smirked and batted the weapon away as if it was a simple stick, with a grunt she rose her ax and was ready to drop only to dodge with inhumane speed when Hope teleported on her left flank and planted a nasty kick in the woman's ribs.
Another bark and a blue flame fireball shone from Ironheart's staff and flew in an arc towards Lucrezia, who bolted to the right and conjured a wall of thin ice, only for the blue flame to melt it and land right at her feet and explode, Richard knowing what Lucrezia would do (that is retaliating against Ironheart) got up and ran right in front of the woman's path, burning through his meager mana reserves he summoned an aegis of mana, taught by Kaine himself.
And as he did so, he felt Iron strike true against his spell, as thin rods with nasty looking tips bounced from it, Ironheart not missing a beat cast a defensive spell on Richard to improve his defenses and make sure he didn't waiver in the face of an upcoming attack, feeling his spirits soar he saw Lucrezia flying towards him in slow motion, in that split second Richard felt pure dread as her eyes locked into his and the sheer bloodlust assaulted his very soul.
Lucrezia wanted his head, and she would chop it off with deadly precision, he felt primal fear assault him as he nearly dropped his spear and shield. Yet in that selfsame moment, a whisper of something spoke to him, its words too faint to fully comprehend but Richard felt a deep sense of calmness wash over his dread, in his mind's eye he knew exactly what to do, and with a perfect parry, he swatted Lucrezia's ax away.
Hope teleported again and began striking Lucrezia with a series of fast slashes with her saber, In his supernatural state of calmness he poked at the woman with the precision that bordered on the famous pikemen of the Imperium, and yet Lucrezia dodged and outright took slashes and pokes with her metal arm, a flurry of speed and martial prowess that looked nigh unbreakable.
More blue fireballs flew from the rear and Lucrezia was starting to feel the pressure, she wasn't even bothering with incantations and hand gestures, summoning panes of ice and metal at will, which Richard knew would tax her mana reserves, yet a battle of attrition wasn't the right call here, her mana reserves were too deep even when compared to monsters like Kaine and Hope.
Richard's mind went into overdrive, and the whispers once again guided him, with another bark he called Hope "Chronomancy!" the call was clear, and thus hope focused her mind, slowing Lucrezia's body to a near halt with the magicks she had learned from Kaine, after establishing a rapport with his ornery Goddess.
Ironheart bolted forward and with a grunt, slammed her staff into Lucrezia's open back making the woman lose her balance if only for a second. Hope quickly warped in and with a nasty uppercut planted right into Lucrezia's belly made her fall to the ground with a grunt that sounded suspiciously like a moan of pleasure. Richard felt the whispers recede out of his mind and the battle high leave his body.
Both he and Ironheart dropped to the ground, tired as if they had run a marathon for the entire day and night, Hope fared a little better, planting her sword on the ground as to not fall, but it was plain to see this took her toll and casting Time Magic wasn't that easy yet for her.
Lucrezia on the other hand was getting up with a big smile on her face "Amazing stuff! Gods I didn't know you had it in you to command the battle like that Richard! granted you need more training with your weapon and shield but that can be arranged in the coming days!" she came in for a hug of all things and Richard mind was taken back by how good she smelled even after this intense martial bout.
That was when he was reminded that part of the Saal'Xhir Blessing granted its people a constant cleaning effect that would entice those they had in their sights, he sighed thinking himself lucky for not being under such a spell.
"Raffa! superb spellcasting, those fireballs were intense..." and so she continued, pointing out flaws and where they needed to improve, Richard noticed that they had gotten a small crowd of Knights watching silent from the distance, he wondered if any of them were survivors from the battle in the north, and how they felt watching Lucrezia fight again so close to them.
After a short round of goodbyes, Richard quickly made his way to his room, taking a shower and sleeping the rest of the day away, Gods he was tired as he felt the last of his strength leave him and sleep come in its gentle embrace.
Arriving at the entrance of the Fields of Seresval she felt that accursed magic assault her soul, gods how they got around the laws to build this place were mindboggling, she wasn't alive at the time, but to hear her grandmother speak about it, it was the recipe of a divine war!
And now this place was but a den of degenerates whose ringleader abused his powers to stall away righteous retribution, Castra-Cam growled in the night, her hands itching to get inside there and slice those fools with her scythe, that whelp and his magical sword would pose a problem and she would have to tap into powers none could know about to defeat him.
And yet...that anomaly of a woman had put the fear of gods in him, she heard his screams that day as Lucrezia used her accursed powers to scare him and his harem. Castra-Cam still didn't know how to feel about Lucrezia, she never liked nobles, having to kill a fair number of them for illegal necromancy and the fact they were all pretentious assholes, and Lucrezia certainly didn't lack in the later department.
But her actions were all against the norms of the nobles in this fancy school of theirs, she made connections with everyone but them even the godsdamned food and cleaning staff! why in all hells did a Duchess need to buddy up with cleaners and line cooks? It made no sense, no godsdamned sense.
Then she got the news of her necromancy and mind magic training, the usage of that ghoulish device to test her mettle and the technical depth of knowledge she had that would put even a few senior members of the clergy to shame, always humble, always making double sure she's doing everything to the letter the way the Undying prefers his flock to act and speak.
It honestly made Castra-Cam lose her mind, and now rumors were that she was bringing the All-Father's chosen to also learn the arts!
"Wherever she goes, trouble soon follows" Richard spoke once and Castra-Cam couldn't help but agree with the merchant scion, he was often the voice of reason of their little group, one Castra was day by day being drawn towards.
"Nice night for a walk eh?" A voice spoke from the shadows and Castra-Cam cursed loudly, pulling her scythe and flaring her magical tattoos boosting her arcane and physical powers.
The demoness walked out of the shadow, her azure eyes staring at Castra's weapon with great interest "Hm, still with the standard-issue Scythe I see" Lucrezia spoke, her voice warm. Castra noticed she was unharmed and her mechanical arm was not attached to her person.
"How?" the undead woman asked, her voice betraying no surprise at the fact someone managed to sneak up on her.
"I've been training, as I am sure you know" Lucrezia patted the ground and sat with a plop, Castra was taken aback by the gesture and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Thinking" Lucrezia fired back with a smile "and you? what are you doing near the force field?" silence followed, dragging its heels across the soft earth beneath both women as the awkwardness in the air grew to a suffocating crescendo.
"Did you mean what you said, to Azarel and his ilk?" Castra asked.
"Yes, yes I did, that boy is a disgrace, a stain in the tapestry of this kingdom and the heroes that fought for it using that sword, the fact the weapon hasn't denied him makes me want to vomit, same for his mother and grandfather, both wielders of the sword and decorated war heroes..." Lucrezia sighed "To say nothing of the other weapon holder that walks this hallowed halls"
Castra-Cam brown furrowed, that was a big accusation coming from someone as powerful as Lucrezia.
"And yet, he remains untouchable, shield by his family and sword" Castra-Cam spoke "short of bringing your army to the capital and laying siege to the keep it would be impossible for a single person to take him out, or the army of knights he and his harem have at their back and call" she sighed "One could sneak ships via the port but the wards would ping the Royal Knights and you would be arrest for attempting a coup"
"Indeed" Lucrezia smiled "It itches, doesn't it? the hunger to put these degenerates to the sword?"
"I don't know what you are talking about" Castra-Cam fired back, cold as ice.
Fucking hells, this woman freaked Castra-Cam to the point of goosebumps, how in all that was holy and unholy does she knows that!? once again silence dragged on, Lucrezia saying nothing but staring at the force field that ebbed and flowed at the edges.
"Do I scare the First Scythe successor that much?" Lucrezia asked, mirth dripping from her voice, But there was a hint of something else there, almost as if she was sad with herself that she couldn't connect with Castra, Castra took a long hard look at Lucrezia looking for mockery or sneer but behind that initial mirth there was an earnest wish to establish some sort of rapport with her.
"If I didn't know any better I would ask if you are trying to seduce me, alas you have some weird thing going with your Blessing and lack of nighttime activities so let us skip this courtship ritual, what is it that you want with me Lucrezia? I may be a young undead but I know when someone wants to butter me up" she paused "I don't know your deal, but I do know your actions, and they tell me you have no love for your blue blood kind, so give to me straight Wulfgrem, what is it that you want?"
Lucrezia sighed, and there was a shift in the mood as if her persona had changed as she got up and walked up to Castra, in those eyes of hers there was a hunger for something, something she thought Castra had.
"Would you believe me that I want you, and everyone else I've reached out to become their very best in life? to reach their true apex of skill and power and become legends whose very names would put fear and awe in the hearts and minds of the people? and together bring forth a brighter tomorrow to the whole world and beyond?" Lucrezia stopped, giving time for Castra-Cam to answer back.
"Prince killer, Kin slayer, and an Idealist? what are you?"
"I am...me" she whispered, a hint of uncertainty tinged her soft voice "I did what I did for the right reasons, your God will vouch for me on that front" she spoke with conviction.
And he did, weeks after the battle in the north her grandmother got the news the old duke and his wife were doing unsanctioned necromancy, plus dealing with the evils from beyond.
"She has the makings of a Scythe" her grandmother spoke "A shame she's a noble"
"But yes, I suppose I am an Idealist, full of hope for the future together with my friends and people" Lucrezia finished as she laid down in the soft grass and stared at the stars.
This is godsdamned weird Castra-Cam thought to herself, was Lucrezia casting some sort of seduction spell on her? cause she wanted to get to know her better, there was an allure there, hidden beneath her words that called to Castra as life force did to a lowly undead.
Then it clicked, the reason why she couldn't trust but also stay away. Lucrezia knew things, she had some sort of innate knowledge as deep as the ancients where she could point with precision unmatched and explain in a way that made those around her truly understand and even take something more out of it, she saw how Kaine was advancing leaps and bounds with Time Magic, how under her tutelage the All-Father's chosen was becoming a one-woman army monster, even the others in her little group were also improving their skills.
And Castra wanted that, that sweet nectar of finally moving forward! learning something new and growing stronger thanks to it, her status as undead and hunter of unsanctioned necromancers made her fall into a repeating pattern that made her feel stuck, forever alone in her peak but unable to surpass her grandmother even after using the forbidden power she had nearly died a true death to learn.
Power, godsdamned she wanted so much, so very much! to feel alive again in battle and grow ever stronger as mightier foes fall to her blade, maybe it was the Saal'Xhir blessing, maybe it was the mood but those deep-seated wishes burst forward as she spoke "You already knew didn't you? the same way you knew about Hope's blessing or the fact the Professor was an ancient living among us"
Castra-Cam sucked in the air "Give me what I want Lucrezia, give me the power you know I crave and gods above and below I will follow you to the ends of this planet and beyond"
Lucrezia smiled "A little too intense but I like it! Come then, we have much to talk about...starting with your choice of weapon and gear"
"I was told you and your little group of friends are going dungeon hunting. is that correct o son of mine?" Catarina Silverbrand asked as Richard ate with vigor, he had gotten his favorite dishes today, from extra salty cuts of beacon to ribs and thick potato mash made with the aforementioned potatoes from the south of the Shogunate, to top it all off a casket of wine from the Imperium vineyards.
The reason for such a feast? He had just broken a great deal with several minor noble families thanks to his connections with Lucrezia and had with the administration's stamp been allowed to set up a small shop inside the school, complete with a personal room close to the cafeteria where he could get the most foot traffic in peak hours.
Of course, he didn't tell his mom the fact that Lucrezia herself cleaned the place with the precision of an upper-tier maid, even her own maid was impressed with how fast and effective Lucrezia was with something far below her status. The woman herself? she didn't mind it at all, simply saying it helped put her mind at ease much like training or fighting, he didn't buy it but Richard was wise enough to not bring it up.
All he needed now was to hire some clerks and get the ball rolling, as his father was fond of saying.
"Yes mother, I've been receiving training from both Lucrezia and Kaine in order to shore up my meager combat skills, with Lucrezia's inventions bridging the gap left by my lack of combat or magic focused Blessings" Richard spoke between eating and drinking.
"Bah, there's no need for those! Knight-Commander Felix didn't have a single combat blessing and still fought like a demon!" His father spoke with vigor "And with her help, you will become a fine warrior!" He finished by slamming his glass on the table.
His mother laughed "For once your father is right dear, even without the proper blessing, Ser Felix rose in ranks and granted us victories many thought impossible, but I won't lecture you on Vermilion history, tell me why does our mutual friend want to raid the dragon's maze?"
"Combat experience, Hope is still green and often freezes in our training, Lucrezia aims to remedy that" Richard answered.
"And you don't?" His father spoke "Well well Catarina, our son can stare death in the eye and not freeze" he smiled feeling proud of Richard which felt a bit odd to the young man in question because it sounded like he was mocking him.
"Don't mind your father, he gets rude when drunk but he means what he said, we are both proud of you my son, not only did you manage a feat very few have done before you even got martial training from one of the best fighters of the Kingdom!" Catarina spoke, her face listing up in a warm smile " I know you are smart Richard, and you can feel it too, how that young woman shapes the world around her and the resulting consequences of such actions"
Yes, his mother was correct there, wherever she did or whoever she talked to something happened, be it small or big Lucrezia brought unpreceded change to her surroundings and she had a depth of knowledge that gave her power to control the very fate of those around her. But she didn't use it to her own gain! she was always propping someone up, giving them power or knowledge or something that made them better.
"It is scary, I will not lie" He confessed and his parents nodded.
"The first time I met her, my instincts told me she would do something like this you know? you two should've seen her underground city, the marvels of Magi-Tech down there were on part with the masters of the arcane!" Catarina spoke "But amidst that great revolution of metal and magick there was something else lurking, the thirst for war was strong even then"
Richard sighed, he had seen that side of hers of late, whenever they sparred he could feel her lust for combat like a thick wave, constantly crashing against his defenses, again and again, tempting him to join the slaughter.
A harsh contrast compared to her somber mood.
"Something is brewing Richard, something big will happen in the Academy and you will be in the thick of it" Catarina got up and gave him a small bronze ring "Our clan never was one for war, we trade, we break deals, we make peace between warring tribes and bring prosperity to the common man even if our bottom line is hurt in the process, long term is the only term" the ancient motto of the clan Richard nodded "This is an artifact from those days of yore, blessed by a number of Gods and Goddesses for good luck, wear it on you at all times my son, and it will keep you save, as it has countless others"
The feast went on for a time before they had all cleaned their plates, tomorrow they would finally go to the dungeon and put their skills to the test.
Richard woke up before the sun had gotten up, as he began prepping for the day he heard a knocking coming from the front door, when he opened it he found a crate full of spell rods and a pouch with mana crystals of various elements, on top of the crate a small letter saying "Bring honor to the clan"
"The matriarch sure loves the dramatics" he spoke out loud and went strapped his armor in, grabbing the rods he inspected each one, most were healing ones which made sense as the only one that could cast healing magics and miracles was hope but she lacked the expertise of a proper healer, and thus to shore up their healing Raffa was bringing in rods, Richard grabbed his Infinite backpack, which had cost him an arm but the near bottomless thing could hold well, anything really.
"Stone and Steel wall spell rods huh, I can make chokepoints with these" Richard called the tale of one of the patrons of a pub he frequented, the half-demon half-elven woman told him that her party was ambushed by a raid when the dragon lets stronger enemies of the lower floor go up for a number of reasons, this raid consisted of marauder minotaurs, to counter their charge the woman was constantly pulling them into kill zones and chokepoints. Her party eventually made it to the adventurer run outpost in the 10th level of the maze but they were nearly dead and spent thanks to the raid.
"Magic missiles, fireballs, thunderclap!" The matriarch was spoiling him today heh.
Finishing his preparations he set off to the dungeon entrance, their meeting place Lucrezia had arranged. Along the way Richard noticed a few stares being shot in this direction, mostly from the city guards watching a heavily armed and armored man with gear never seen before moving towards the dungeon.
Lucrezia was already there, in full armor no less, she greeted him with a smile and soon the other two showed up, with a wordless nod they walked towards the checkpoint and gave their papers to the guard, who nodded in silence as well and opened the gates, the atmosphere shifted as they went down the stairs towards the depths, and then they were inside of the dungeon proper, the amulets Lucrezia had gotten would keep them alive.
Hopefully, that is.
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thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter