After spending several restorative hours together, Minos and his wives felt considerably refreshed, the tension from their years in Hell and hasty return to the mainland finally beginning to ease.
Their period of rest had been punctuated by a steady stream of visitors—various Hilltop City leaders seeking an audience with the enigmatic head of Armhands in Uzira. Each visitor arrived with their own agenda, eager to establish connections and negotiate potential dealings.
Though Armhands hadn't yet achieved major prominence in the local hierarchy, its association with Mylecent had secured its official entry into the city—a fact well-known among the local powers. Minos and his companions' dramatic arrival the previous day had transford even the most skeptical observers into believers that there was more to this group than was initially apparent.
Despite his natural aversion to such diplomatic engagents, Minos strategically accepted several eting requests. He and his wives divided the audiences among themselves, efficiently gathering intelligence about what each faction could offer and at what cost.
By mid-afternoon of their second day in Hilltop City, the group reconvened to synthesize their findings. As they shared their newly acquired information, a clearer, albeit troubling, picture of Mylecent's situation and the continental political landscape erged.
The news regarding Mylecent was grim, to say the least. Not only had her rebel faction suffered multiple defeats and been forced underground, but she now found herself hunted by a formidable level 125 Celestial.
According to rchant sources, the tide had turned decisively against the rebels after a key mber of Mylecent's inner circle fell victim to a curse cast by soone within the royal family. Since that pivotal mont, the rebel movent had experienced an almost unbroken string of setbacks.
While Minos and his group treated the intelligence with cautious skepticism, they couldn't dismiss the underlying cause for concern.
The broader continental situation remained relatively stable, if predictably chaotic. The royal family persisted in their dual crusade—hunting down unauthorized necromancers while simultaneously pursuing uziran invaders. Bounty-related skirmishes erupted across all corners of the continent, making travel even more perilous than in previous years.
Fortunately, Uzira's tumultuous state had a minimal impact on the guild's operations, largely due to Minos' foresight in establishing a secluded outpost where most mbers remained safely secluded.
Beyond these broad strokes, no other significant intelligence reached the four humans' ears. They did, however, succeed in negotiating several helpful arrangents for the guild before proceeding to their eting with Tiolos and his selected introductions.
Having accomplished their imdiate objectives in Hilltop City, the quartet departed early the following morning, heading for where the over 290 high-level individuals of the 12th stage should wait for them.
However, the journey to reunite with these Hell Lifelings proved far more treacherous than their earlier separation. As they traversed the mountain path alone, the relative quiet of their journey was shattered by an ambush. Bounty hunters, having caught wind of their presence, seized the opportunity to strike.
Unfortunately for the bounty hunters, the enemy group was already so strong that only a very high number of high-level Supres or a Celestial could put them in danger!
...
Several days of travel later, traveling without the use of wormholes, Minos, and his formidable contingent of hundreds of Supres arrived at the fjord concealing Armhands' hidden outpost.
Amidst a desolate landscape devoid of visible life for kiloters in every direction, they located the guild's hidden entrance portal—a gateway accessible only to those privy to its secrets.
Minos, leading the vanguard, crossed the threshold into the subterranean complex. As they traversed the final series of walls and protective formations, the true heart of the guild's inner sanctum revealed itself.
The sight that greeted Minos was at once familiar and transford. The physical structures remained unchanged from decades past, a testant to the guild's thorough initial developnt. However, the atmosphere pulsed with a vitality absent during their departure for the Awakening Peak so long ago.
The once-quiet halls now teed with life, the bustle of activity a tangible reminder of the outpost's evolution into a nexus of a burgeoning power. The contrast was stark and invigorating.
Minos observed the guards' reactions with keen interest. Their expressions flickered between awe and alarm as they beheld this unprecedented influx of strangers—individuals whose combined might dwarfed the entire outpost's defensive capabilities.
Minos didn't frighten them for long. Carrying with him the sign of the Commander of this guild post, he took the pressure off those guards' shoulders, making them kneel in front of him in recognition of his stature.
"Welco back, Commander Minos!" A chorus of twenty voices greeted him as Minos crossed the last barrier, passing through the entrance gate into the heart of his domain.
Acknowledging the guards with a curt nod, Minos strode towards the inner sanctum of the outpost. His mind raced with the myriad tasks awaiting his attention, each a critical component of the complex machinations he had set in motion.
Now firmly ensconced in his seat of power, Minos' priorities crystallized. His imdiate focus: preparing the expedition back to Oqia. The first order of business would be to summon the navigator Diret, followed swiftly by the montous task of resurrecting the old First Elder Juma.
After a brief but thorough briefing on the outpost's current status, Minos intended to launch these two pivotal initiatives without delay. His tiline was ambitious—within a week, he aid to be traversing the continent, extending a lifeline to the beleaguered Mylecent. Following that, he would set his sights on the Violent Sea, pursuing the tantalizing lead provided by Devdar regarding a True Celestial's body part.
'Ti is of the essence,' Minos mused, his resolve hardening. 'The power struggle in Uzira, the hunt for this invaluable artifact, competitors vying for the True Celestial's legacy nipping at my heels, and the looming threat of Qhava's pursuit—all converge at this critical juncture. This is the crucible where my fate will be decided, where I'll either et my end or finally grasp the pinnacle I've sought throughout this extraordinary journey.'
Pausing to address his assembled n, Minos' voice rang out with authority and promise, "Well done, people. I have returned. Now, we stand on the precipice of achieving what even the Elders of our sect never dared dream possible in such a brief span.
We are about to take that final, decisive step!"
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