The next morning, my companions and I readied ourselves for the upcoming battle, before we left our inn and headed topside.
The weather was beautiful. The sky above was clear, and the cold air felt brisk and refreshing. I took a deep breath. A perfect day for battle.
When we arrived at the Mirkvale Adventurers Guild, the outside courtyard was a hive of activity. Dozens of adventurers hurried about as they made their own preparations, filling the air with the sounds of organized chaos.
As usual, the adventurers looked at with disgust and disdain. However, I paid them no mind. Now that we had Roxie on our side, I no longer needed to put up my act. Besides, most of the adventurers were too busy to bother with .
As they worked, I overheard a conversation between two of them.
"Do you know what's going on?" one asked. "Why did the guildmaster tell everyone to get ready?"
"How would I know?" the other responded. "Just shut up and keep your ears open. Whatever's going on is bound to pay well."
I raised an eyebrow at that. It appeared that Guildmaster Gale hadn't told many people about the upcoming assault on the Order of the Infernal Star.
Perhaps he didn't want word to reach the enemy, or maybe he hadn't had enough ti. Maybe he wanted to wait until everyone gathered before giving all the details.
My companions and I found a quiet corner of the outside courtyard, before settling down to wait. The adventurers continued to make their preparations. At the sa ti, I kept an eye out for the Vanguard of Vengeance. It should arrive soon.
About half an hour later, Guildmaster Gale walked out of the main building. Unlike when we saw him the last couple of tis, he wore a set of enchanted leather armor. Durable enough to protect him, but lightweight.
A large team of adventurers followed behind the guildmaster. Unlike most of the other adventurers here, they were all Fourth Rank Awakened. These must've been the elites of the Mirkvale Adventurers Guild.
Guildmaster Gale raised his hand for silence. After a few monts, the adventurers all settled down and looked at him with expectant gazes.
"I'm sure all of you are wondering why I mobilized every adventurer within the area," Guildmaster Gale said, pitching his voice to carry. "So of you must've speculated that a big job has co up. You would be right."
The adventurers started whispering amongst each other, their words full of excitent and worry.
"It's simple," Guildmaster Gale continued. "Looks like a group of demon worshipers have settled down in Mirkvale Forest. They have outposts all over the area. We were hired by a client to assault these outposts and destroy them."
The adventurers all looked at the guildmaster in stunned silence.
"This isn't a joke or sothing, is it?" an adventurer called out. "Who in their right mind would settle down in Mirkvale Forest?"
A man in love with a briar maiden for one. Then again, such a man wouldn't be in his right mind.
"Demon worshipers aren't known for being reasonable and sane folk," Guildmaster Gale said in a wry tone.
That earned him a chuckle from the adventurers.
"Is this info valid?" another adventurer called out. "How do we know these outposts actually exist?"
Guildmaster Gale nodded, before gesturing to the team of adventurers behind him.
"I sent so people into Mirkvale Forest to look and they confird the existence of one of these outposts," he said.
The adventurers accepted his words without further question. It appeared that the team of elite adventurers were well known and trusted.
"Wait a mont," a third adventurer called out. "If these outposts are located deep in Mirkvale Forest, how are we supposed to get to them? We'd die before we even reached them. This sounds like a suicide mission."
Guildmaster Gale shrugged.
"The client said they would take care of that," he said
In a mont of supre timing, a shadow fell over the outside courtyard. I looked up and saw the Vanguard of Vengeance hovering in the air above Mirktown. My other companions followed suit.
At first, no one else paid the shadow much attention. However, when it grew larger, they started to look up and saw the massive carrier. Everyone stared at it in shock, and several let out gasps. Guildmaster Gale's jaw dropped.
I'll admit, I felt a small amount of satisfaction at that.
"What is that?" Roxie asked, an incredulous expression on her face.
"The Vanguard of Vengeance," I said. "It's our base of operations."
Roxie looked at with a complicated expression on her face.
"You know, I'm beginning to think it wasn't such a bad idea to accept your offer," she said.
I raised an eyebrow at her.
"You thought otherwise before this?"
"I had so doubts, yes."
"Then why did you accept?"
Roxie took a mont before answering.
"It was a chance at redemption," she said. "Even if it was a bad idea, I knew I needed to take it. I didn't know if I would get another one."
Fair enough.
"Co on," I said to my other companions. "Let's go greet Captain Aleah."
We headed out of the outside courtyard. Guildmaster Gale noticed this and moved to join us, followed by the team of elite adventurers. The other adventurers seed confused by this, until a few of the sharper ones put the clues together.
"Wait, that asshole is the client?"
This dampened the other adventurers' enthusiasm, but not enough to stop them from following along.
The Vanguard of Vengeance flew down to land. Due to its size, it couldn't land within Mirktown itself. Instead, the carrier had to land at the outskirts. Even then, it ended up toppling a few trees.
When we approached, I took a mont to appreciate its size. You only realized just how massive sothing like this was when you saw it up close.
As my companions and I approached, one of the side entrances opened and a gangplank lowered. Captain Aleah disembarked with Leroy in tow. None of the other mbers of the carrier's crew joined them.
"Lord Gabriel," Captain Aleah said, giving a bow.
I nodded at her in return, before looking around.
"Where's Grandmother Sky?" I asked, frowning.
"She's ditating in seclusion," Captain Aleah said. "She says not to disturb her unless it's an ergency."
I paused for a mont, before shrugging. Fair enough. While her help would've been nice, it wasn't necessary for this part. Maybe later, when we assaulted the main enemy base.
"What did you need, Lord Gabriel?" Captain Aleah asked. "I assu you summoned for a reason."
"It's simple," I said. "There are several enemy outposts within Mirkvale Forest that we need to assault. Due to the dangers within the forest, we'll need to use the troop transports to reach them." I gestured to Guildmaster Gale. "We'll work out the details with the good guildmaster here."
Stolen story; please report.
The two greeted one another.
"Hold on," one of the adventurers said with blatant hostility towards . "We're not your servants or retainers. We aren't going to jump just because you say so." He snorted. "None of us have agreed to this job yet. What makes you think we're going to work for an ass like you?"
Guildmaster Gale glared at the speaker and opened his mouth to retort, but I gestured for him to let handle it.
"Three reasons," I said. "The pay is generous and you're doing a good deed by ridding the world of demon worshipers." I gestured to the Vanguard of Vengeance. "Most importantly, you get to fly aboard one of these. When else would you ever get that chance?"
The speaker's expression faltered at that. The other adventurers started to look intrigued. Yes, none of them liked . However, they didn't need to like in order to work for .
"You make a good point," another one of the adventurers said. "I'm in."
Others followed suit, until all of the adventurers agreed to participate.
"Excellent," I said. "Let's get started."
It took us a few hours to get everything ready. When mobilizing a large group of people, especially those who were as individualistic as adventurers tended to be, it took so ti and effort to get them organized.
Captain Aleah, Guildmaster Gale, Roxie, and I t to work out the details and figure out the logistics of everything. anwhile, the rest of my companions worked with the adventurers to help them get ready.
Guildmaster Gale planned on attacking a number of outposts by himself, while his team of elite adventurers would attack several outposts as well. According to Roxie, none of the outposts had anyone above Third Rank. Guildmaster Gale and the elite adventurers would be able to attack an outpost and destroy it, before moving on to the next one.
They left the remaining outposts to the rest of us. Each group of adventurers would attack one outpost, while my companions and I would take care of a handful. We had enough troop transports to make it work, though just barely.
At first I wanted my companions and I to take on more outposts. However, Guildmaster Gale refused. He felt that we were already biting off more than we could chew. From his perspective, we were just a group of Third Rank Awakened. Any attempts to persuade him otherwise failed. In the end, I gave up.
After we hashed out the details, we put our plan into action. We gave the adventurers as much information as they needed, before they boarded the troop transports and headed towards their assigned destinations. As for the carrier itself, it remained behind to protect Mirktown.
While the chances of sothing happening to the town were low, they still existed. Besides, sending the Vanguard of Vengeance after the outposts seed like overkill. It was better to save it for the main enemy base.
My companions and I rode in one of the troop transports. In size and shape, it resembled the personal transport we rode in before. However, it was more spartan, lacking all of the luxuries and anities. Instead, it contained several enchantnts created to protect its occupants.
As we traveled to our first destination, we finalized our plan of attack. According to Roxie, each of the outposts followed the sa basic pattern, though there was so variation for each one.
The outposts consisted of two single-story buildings in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by a series of runic circles to keep them protected and hidden. One of the buildings was for the mbers of the Order of the Infernal Star, while the other was for any monsters they captured.
According to Roxie, the runic circles protecting each outpost were strong enough to withstand a few blows from a Tier Four monster. However, that wasn't a problem for us. The troop transports were tough enough to ram through these defenses while sustaining minimal damage.
While the rest of my companions made last minute preparations, I walked over to Roxie. She appeared calm on the surface, but I felt her nervousness through our bond. It turned out that if I wanted to, I could sense her emotions.
Unlike with Aurora, where we felt each other's emotions as if we were extensions of one another, I needed to make an active effort with Roxie. However, I didn't do it too often. It felt too intrusive.
Aurora felt like my other half, so feeling her emotions felt natural. Roxie felt like a separate person. Sensing her emotions made feel like I was spying on her.
"You okay?" I asked. "Nervous about facing your forr comrades?"
Before we set out, I gave Roxie the option of not participating in this attack. She refused.
"The Order of the Infernal Star is full of scumbags who deserve death," Roxie said, shaking her head. "Besides, I need to prove myself. While you accept , the others don't."
"Then what's wrong?"
Roxie pursed her lips at .
"What makes you think there's anything wrong?"
"I can sense your emotions through our bond."
Roxie clicked her tongue in displeasure.
"Damn. I hadn't expected that."
"If it makes you feel any better, I keep it to a minimum."
"It does, a little." Roxie sighed. "To answer your question, I'm… A part of misses being a fiend, as terrible as that sounds. It made powerful. Without it, I'm afraid that I'm too weak to be of any use to you."
She nodded towards my other companions.
"Everyone here is special in so kind of way, especially you. ? I'm neither fully a human nor fully a monster. Instead, I'm a freak of nature, and not even a particularly powerful one either. Without the demon blood, I'm just a little stronger than other Third Rank Awakened."
I frowned at that. She made a good point. Roxie could turn into a briar maiden, which gave her an edge, but that was it. It didn't give her the sa amount of raw power that being a fiend did.
How could I fix this? I was her Sovereign. Surely there was sothing I could do for her.
I decided to consult Nox.
'Uh, Master?' I asked, through our bond.
I felt Nox's presence.
'Yes, my apprentice?' she asked. 'I'm a little busy at the mont helping you with your little crusade, so do make it quick.'
'Is there anything I can do to help Roxie?' I asked. 'She's much weaker now that she's no longer a fiend.'
Nox snorted.
'Of course,' she said. 'Share your sovereignty, your soul magic, with her. You don't have much to spare at the mont, so you can only give her your elental affinities, but that's better than nothing. You can share more once you grow more powerful.'
I wanted to facepalm. Of course. The answer was obvious. Gods shared their soul magic, their divinity, with their followers all the ti. It never occurred to that I could do the sa, though it should have.
'Thank you, Master,' I said.
'You're welco, my apprentice. Now, if you'll excuse , I must go.'
Nox's presence disappeared.
"Are you okay?" Roxie asked, giving a wary look. "You've just been standing there, staring off into nothing."
"Yes, I'm fine. I needed to ask my master for so advice." I gestured to her. "Stay still, I'm going to try sothing."
"Try what—"
I shared so of my sovereignty/soul magic with Roxie. It was surprisingly easy. I just willed it to happen. A portion of my soul magic traveled through our bond. However, despite the ease, it had a dramatic effect.
Roxie stiffened, a look of shock on her face. The temperature around her dropped and the sound of thunder filled the troop transport. The air around Roxie crackled with lightning, and the moisture in the air froze into little ice shards. They clattered to the ground with little clinks.
To my surprise, Roxie herself also changed. Her hang beca lighter, a mixture of silvery-blue and white. Her eyes changed color to match her hair.
This all took place within the span of a few seconds. After a while, the lightning and frost all faded away. However, the changes to Roxie remained the sa.
Roxie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she looked at with a strange expression on her face.
"What did you do to ?" she asked. "I feel… I don't know how to describe how I feel. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it."
"We would like to know as well," Anna said.
Roxie and I looked over. We found our companions looking at us with incredulous expressions on their faces.
"Oh, that's simple," I said. "I gave Roxie a portion of my divinity."
I decided to keep the existence of my sovereignty a secret from the others for now. At least, until I learned more about what it was and how it differed from divinity.
"What?!" Cally asked. "You can do that?"
I shrugged.
"It seems so."
Leroy gazed at Roxie with envy, before he gave a reproachful look.
"My lord," he said. "If you could share your divinity with others, why didn't you share it with ? I was your first retainer after all."
"I just figured out how to do it," I said, exasperated. "Besides, you already have Terra's divinity. I don't think you can have divinity from two different gods."
I looked at Priest Jai and Priestess Natille for confirmation. They both nodded.
"The gods are jealous," Priest Jai said. "If you tried to gain favor from two different ones… Let's just say that it wouldn't end well for you."
"Exactly!" I said. "Not to ntion, I couldn't share that much with Roxie. I could only share enough to give her my elental affinities."
Cally closed her eyes.
"Please don't say that like it isn't a big deal," she said. "Otherwise, I'll smack you."
"You gave your elental affinities?" Roxie asked in disbelief.
I nodded.
"Consider this my way of compensating you," I said. "While you won't be as powerful as you used to be, you can now use Lightning, which is the bane of all things demonic."
Roxie tested this by holding up her hands and concentrating. A mont later, arcs of lightning flashed between her fingers. A smile of pure joy spread across her face.
"This is amazing!" Roxie looked at , before she gave a deep bow. "Thank you, my lord!"
I scratched my cheek in embarrassnt.
"Think nothing of it," I said.
Roxie shook her head.
"I will always rember this," she said. "Before, I only served you to redeem myself and to further my revenge." She looked at with eyes full of determination. "Now, I will dedicate my life to serving you, Lord Gabriel."
As soon as she finished speaking, I felt the bond between us change. It grew stronger, and I beca more aware of Roxie. It wasn't the sa as my bond with Aurora, but Roxie and I were closer than we used to be.
However, before I could ponder this further, the troop transport's pilot called out from the cockpit.
"Brace yourselves! We've reached our destination. Preparing to ram!"
With that, the troop transport sped up and charged towards the enemy outpost at full speed.
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