– PoV: Quinlan –
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That was the thought swirling in my mind as I examined the forces of the Ascendants. We were small in numbers, but our members were all special in their own right with a very tantalizing potential to blossom into true powerhouses of the Iskaris continent.
I stood in front of the combatants of my faction.
Ayame, Blossom, Aurora, and Lucille were obviously present as my oldest allies.
Seraphiel, Kaelira/Ambition, and the five rangers. I’ve [Subjugated] them, as well as all of my other slaves. They offered no resistance. To the elves being subjugated by the Primordial Subjugator who was the son of Luminara, compared to being enslaved by a human was like the difference between water and fire. They took it as the greatest honor as opposed to feeling miserable and hateful.
Lastly, Lyra, Selene, Cedric, and Abudha. The newest additions. Lyra was a completely different person compared to how she looked as the dejected slave of Soren, the traitorous dude with the Geomancer class. She spent the last few days in the company of Iselda and my lovers as well as the elves, and doing so seemed to have filled her happiness meter up to the brim. She was energetic, smiling, and eager to be of use.
Selene was momentarily absolved from providing company to my laborers because, at the end of the day, she was arguably the second strongest member after me at the moment, thus I would be stupid to leave her out of our clash with an entire criminal organization and a baron family. It was going to be the biggest undertaking of our history thus far.
The ‘boys’ who were busy with her at the time were saddened when I came by to grab her, but when I offered them a bottle of rum and a fair extension of their time with her I could hear them singing my praises once I left the room with Selene in tow.
As for how the redhead mage looked, well… ashen face, sunken features, and dark eyes would be the best words to describe her. Basically, the complete opposite of Lyra. She was in tip-top physical shape thanks to my Seraphiel’s healing spells, but I imagine some mental trauma would remain. Good. Although I did end up gaining an insane amount of benefits from the primordial Rank-Up Mission, that doesn’t change the fact that it was because of her that I had to enter the trial abruptly with 0 preparation time which saw me suffer for more than a decade. If not for the amazing people surrounding me, namely my two primordial mothers and my lovers, I would’ve likely become a shell of my former self.
To be fair though, she didn’t look that bad considering the circumstances. I wouldn’t even call her depressed, just humiliated and miserable due to her situation. I had to give it to Selene, she had a strong mental fortitude.
Cedric and Abudha were also present. After Cedric was done learning all the information his mother could provide, I gated him back a few hours later. Abudha meanwhile had been traveling with Vex and Iris back to the nearest Consortium branch, at which point the silver-haired prankster of a woman had immediately dipped. It was a bit of a risk to bring the monk back since Vex could be potentially spying on him, but it was a risk I was willing to take because on our end of the [Warp Gate] all of us stood ready to attack her with our spells already half-cast. Whether that would be enough to take her out was up for debate, but at some point I had to bring Abudha back anyhow. Having him travel all the way here on foot would not only take months but also show her the exact location of where my stronghold lay.
I devised a scenario where I told him to begin sprinting headfirst into a wall. On the wall’s surface I opened the portal just for a millisecond right in front of Abudha’s face and closed it immediately as soon as he stepped through. Vex didn’t follow, or if she did she was still hiding… Man, dealing with these powerful ancient people was a giant pain in the ass.
As for Iris, she was a neutral force for now. She spent multiple days with Vex and Abudha but made no moves to betray me by spilling my secrets. I knew she needed more time to come to terms with reality, so I left her to her own devices. I would meet her at the final round of the Phenom candidate competition and check on her there.
The final people present were David, Anna, and Beatrice. They would not be coming with us, but the Blackthorn baron family and the Wraithclaw criminal organization had more or less ruined their lives, so they were here to see us off and wish us great fortune. The man in question was still looking at me with moist, grateful eyes even though it had been hours since I informed him that I would be accepting his request for his reward. The maids on the other hand were more worried than grateful. I knew that they would be happier if I didn’t personally partake in this risky undertaking, but I couldn’t afford to do that.
Anyhow.
With my musings done, it was time to begin. “My cherished Ascendants, today we will invade an entire barony and the lowlifes living on their premises. You already know the plan so act accordingly. We have three main goals that we need to achieve today.
First, resources. We will take all valuables these shady, horrible people have accumulated in their treasuries by exploiting innocent weaklings. Coins, artifacts, jewelry, weapons, armor, all are welcome.
Second, rescue the innocents like Dorothy. It has become abundantly clear to me that not only are the Vraven Kingdom’s royal family unable to protect their citizens, but so are the aristocrats working under them. We will seize the workforce and relocate them to our stronghold where they will enjoy our protection and we will enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Lastly, enrich the combat forces of the Ascendants. At any point, if you are in the position to capture instead of kill, then do so. Combatants are even more important to acquire than laborers but remember, your keeping your lives is on a much higher position on the list of priorities so kill if you deem it necessary. Blossom, come. Elven archers, come.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Yes, Lord!”