《Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Ugh¡­my head¡­¡±, I groaned, waking up in an empty, white room, ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    Trying to recall how I ended up here, I vaguely remembered working on my new rocket engine when a bright flash blinded me. Not wanting to believe that I had accidentally killed myself, I was about to call out for a doctor or nurse when a young man appeared out of thin air in front of me.


    ¡°About time you came too¡­¡±, he sighed, his annoyance evident in his tone, ¡°As a self-proclaimed genius, I assume you understand that you died working on your pet project right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I vaguely recall working on my rocket engine. What I do not understand is how it detonated in the first place. It had no fuel or batteries in it, I was just running some diagnostics after our failed launch two days ago.¡±, I said, scratching my head in confusion.


    ¡°You can thank your janitor for that. A competitor paid him to sabotage it, but they forgot to show him how they wanted it done. He moved several wires around and reinstalled the battery, so when you performed a diagnostic test it overloaded and exploded.¡±, he told me, ¡°They did not want you dead, they just wanted to buy additional time for themselves so they could deliver their rocket engine to the government before you.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­I should have never listened to my father and replaced the cleaning staff with robots like I wanted.¡±, I stated, looking up at the ceiling, ¡°My dream of getting to travel the stars is done then, damn it!¡±


    Taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I decided to just forget about it as there was nothing I could do now. There was no way to bring me back to life, and even if there was, I would not want to deal with the trauma that explosion would have caused me mentally and physically.


    ¡°So now what then? Are you here to judge my soul and send me to Heaven or Hell?¡±, I asked, bracing myself for the inevitable.


    ¡°Nah, that has already been done. Even though you were an unsocial person, you did a lot of good with your charitable donations and the technological aid you provided to the poor. The Big Man has given me the thumbs up to give you a chance at a new life in another world. Where would you like to go?¡±, he asked, impatiently tapping his foot.


    ¡°It can be anywhere?¡±, I inquired, for clarification.


    ¡°Correct, so hurry up and choose¡­there are a lot of other people I have to meet with today.¡±, he pressed me.


    Seeing this as a golden opportunity to fulfill my dream of exploring the stars, I thought about what sci-fi universe I wanted to live in. Completely skipping over Stargate, Star Wars, and Star Trek for their incredibly dangerous enemies, a manga I was reading suddenly came to mind. It had a semi-fleshed-out universe with many different races and places to visit. Moreover, instead of being a space traveler, I could become a Bounty Hunter like Spike from Cowboy Bebop.


    ¡°If I can pick what universe to live in, I want it to be the Reborn as a Space Mercenary universe!¡±, I said, certain of my decision, ¡°Getting to play the role of a space bounty hunter sounds like a blast to me! Not only can I travel the stars as a badass merc, but I can also purchase planets and create new tech to my heart''s content!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­it honestly sounds a bit boring in my opinion.¡±, he shrugged, unimpressed with my decision, ¡°I can mix in some other universes to spice things up for you. Maybe a little Warhammer 40k, Doom, Star Wars, and a few others to make it a bit more exciting.¡±


    ¡°I like a challenge, but as a normal human, I would stand no chance against Space Marines, Sith, or Hellspawn. Nothing I know how to make or could wield would put me anywhere close to their power.¡±, I remarked, imagining a swift death in my new life, ¡°Not only that, all the monsters in those franchises would be way too much for a normal, human bounty hunter.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is fair, what if I send you to a world far removed from them?¡±, he suggested, rubbing his chin as he thought about it, ¡°In that world, you could collect equipment and skills to help you out in space, and make allies/lovers to make space travel a little less lonely.¡±


    Liking the sound of that, as working in my lab alone was quite lonely, the only remaining issue I had was how I would fix any tech that I found. Even though I was one of the best engineers in my line of work, my knowledge paled in comparison to what I would run into out there. Ships capable of interstellar travel were well beyond my knowledge, and weapons like Lightsabers or Phaser Pistols could potentially become bombs in my hands. Deciding that I needed a higher intellect than I possessed now, I decided to push my luck and see if I could request more from him.


    ¡°If I go with your suggestion, is there any way I can edit myself to suit this universe? As it stands now, I will be well over my head trying to use or fix any of the equipment you mentioned. Would it be possible to make me like Tony Stark or Victor Von Doom in terms of my intelligence and ability to absorb knowledge? It would be great if I could disassemble tech, reverse engineer it, and understand how it all works.¡±, I said, unsure how he would take it.


    ¡°Fair enough, it is not like you can take this stuff to a local repair shop or anything.¡±, he conceded, ¡°Alright, I can make that happen easily enough. Anything else you want to change?¡±


    ¡°Two things, I want to have a very long life to enjoy this new universe and have an Item Box to store away all the loot I find!¡±, I chuckled, with a big grin.


    ¡°A healthy body that can live for a long time, and an Item Box¡­let me write this all down.¡±, he stated, summoning a clipboard to him.


    Jotting down everything I requested, the man had me sign off on it once he was done. Reviewing it quickly, as he was becoming more impatient by the second, I reluctantly signed even though he did not spell out what world I would be starting on or what specific universes would be involved here.


    ¡°Perfect, enjoy your new life!!¡±, he said, snatching it out of my hand, ¡°Try not to show up here before old age takes you!!¡±


    Before I could respond, the world around me went dark for a few moments. The next thing I knew, I was looking into the eyes of people I was unfamiliar with. Trying to move my body around to put some distance between us I found that my body was not moving properly. Becoming agitated quicker than I was used to, my body began to wail uncontrollably as my arms began to move on their own. Realizing that they were infant arms, my gut dropped to my knees.


    ¡®Oh hell no, he did not start me out a baby damn it!! I wanted to get to exploring right away!!¡±, I thought, overwhelmed with anger, ¡®I bet he put that shit somewhere in the fine print, this is some bullshit!¡¯


    ¡°He has your eyes, dear.¡±, the man said, poking my cheek, ¡°What should we name our new baby boy?¡±


    ¡°How about Leon? It was my grandfather¡¯s name and I like it.¡±, the woman replied, smiling at me.


    ¡°Leon Bartfort, that has a nice ring to it.¡±, the man chuckled.


    ¡®Hold on¡­Leon Bartfort¡­where have I heard that name before?¡¯, I thought, trying to recall the name, ¡®WAIT!? That is the protagonist from Mobuseka!? Why the hell did that asshole send me here!! I told him I wanted technology, this world is the complete opposite of tech!! He tricked me, that dirty, used car salesman bastard lied to me and now I am stuck here!!¡¯


    Unable to take this overwhelming shock, my infant body began to cry even louder. Assuming my wails were a sign that I was hungry, the next thing I knew my mother was pulling me to her chest to breastfeed me.


    ¡®Well fuck, nothing I can do now but just play the waiting game I guess.¡¯, I mentally sighed, as my mouth began to suckle, ¡®Hopefully the loot he mentioned includes some ships and advanced weapons. As soon as I can, I am going to start Dungeon Crawling for stuff that can quickly get me off this medieval shithole of a world.¡¯ Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Resigning myself to relaxing these next few years, the moment I was free to roam, I fully intended to explore this Baroney for technology.

 Chapter 2

    ¡ªFive Years Later ¡ª


    "The day has come that I can finally break free of these chains, and explore our Baroncy!!", I proclaimed, standing at our front door ready to embark on my first expedition, ''I am tired of being cooped up in this place, I am going stir crazy!!''


    "Please remember to be home by dusk, okay?", my mother Luce reminded me, as she fiddled with my coat.


    "Do you have all your equipment?", my father Balcus asked, wanting to ensure I came back alive, "Your mother will kill both of us if something happens to you."


    Showing him my pouch, dagger, pistol, and packed lunch, he nodded in approval before telling me to have fun. Quickly vacating the premises before anyone could change their mind, I made a beeline for the forest outside town. Having spent the last three years of my new life memorizing every book in our library, I had hundreds of spells, enchantments, and martial arts styles I wanted to test.


    ''All that said, I should not get my hopes up too much. Our knights regularly patrol the island, so it is not like there will be any powerful monsters here. At most, I might find some slimes and goblins to slay, but that is it.'', I thought, tempering my expectations, ''Either way, it is a welcome change of pace to be out of that house. My older sister Jenna is a straight-up bitch, and my father refuses to correct her arrogant behavior. This matriarchy bullshit is going to be the end of me. Unlike the spineless men here, I have no qualms about fighting back. Equal rights means equal fights!''


    Pushing that thought to the back of my mind, as I was free of her for the next several hours, I wanted to focus solely on killing monsters to get some money. Thanks to my bitch of a stepmother, our family was much poorer than we should have been. That wench and her two crotch spawn, who I am convinced are not my fathers, drain our coffers every month to sustain their lavish lifestyle in the capital. Because of their outrageous spending, we barely had operating funds for the island, leaving me to repurpose a broken kitchen knife into a dagger.


    ''Based on the sword styles I have memorized, I will need two to three swords to use them effectively. At twenty thousand dia a blade, for a quality one, I will need to kill a literal shit ton of monsters or find a dungeon to conquer.'', I thought, knowing that the blades were just the tip of the iceberg, ''Oh well, today is just to get my feet wet in this monster hunting trade. My only experience is in the Witcher and Monster Hunter video games. Hopefully, it is not nearly that bad¡­''


    Waving at the townspeople as I passed them along the roadway, I noticed that most people were downcast. Recalling that my father had begrudgingly upped the taxes recently to cover my stepmother''s spending habits, it was obvious we were reaching a breaking point here. There was only so much money we could squeeze out of them before they left our lands, rebelled against us, or flat-out refused to continue working.


    Entering the forest a few minutes later, I let out a blissful sigh as excitement swelled inside me. Quickly getting off the beaten path, my first goal was to locate a game trail or signs of monsters. Locating a trail just a few yards off the pathway, I examined the tracks to see what animals were using this route. Matching the prints to several medium to small-sized mammals native to our territory, I immediately began setting up traps to bag a few of them.


    ''They will only fetch me a few dozen dia, but every little bit counts.'', I thought, tying a rope to a young sapling and bending it over, ''Alright, create a loop here big enough for their head to slip in and prime the trigger. Sprinkle a bit of bait on the trap and cover the trigger mechanism with grass and leaves, then move on.''


    Setting several traps around the immediate area to improve my chances, as I was completing the last trap, a group of children came walking out of the village. Failing to register my presence, the group discussed their plans for the day.


    "Hey, wait for me!!", a young girl shouted, running out of the village, "I want to play too!!"


    "Crap, it is that weirdo again!", one boy shrieked, "Stay away from us!! Your games are terrible, and we do not like you!!"


    Without saying another word, the group took off running like Jason Voorhees was pursuing them. Calling out for them to stop a few more times, she came to a stop just a few feet from me.


    "... I just wanted to play with you guys¡­", the girl sniffled, "It is lonely playing all alone¡­"


    Looking up from my trap, I turned my head to see why the kids were afraid of her. Finding a normal nonhuman girl standing there all alone, I could not help but feel like I had seen her face before. Thinking back to the fan-translated novels I liked to read, I vaguely recalled seeing someone just like her on the cover of one of those books.


    ''Soft, fuzzy ears, a semi-bushy tail, and kids are afraid of her way of playing¡­'', I thought, struggling to remember where I had seen her before, "Excuse me, I hate to bother you but why are those kids running from you?"


    Having not realized I was just a few feet from her, the young girl leaped into the air and snapped her attention toward me. Holding a makeshift dagger, similar to mine, in her hands, the girl stared at me for a moment while her mind processed things. Noticing the emblem affixed to my chest, the girl quickly sheathed her blade as she realized I was the baron''s son.


    "I¡­ I am sorry. I did not realize you were with the baron''s family!", she said, fearful of what I might do.


    "It is okay, you did not know it was me when you drew the dagger.", I told her with a smile.


    Grateful that I would not push the issue, she quickly answered my question.


    "They¡­they think I am weird because I enjoy going into the woods to build forts and mess with monsters.", the girl replied, looking down at the dirt, "One of them got hurt before so now they avoid me like I am a monster now."


    "Hmm, well, I am about to go hunting goblins and anything else I can find. Do you want to come with me?", I inquired, liking the idea of having a wingman.


    "Okay!", she immediately replied, without second thought.


    "Perfect, my name is Leon! What is your name?", I asked, as she ran over to see what I was doing.


    "My name is Roxanne!", she said, staring at my trap, "What does this thing do?"


    ''Roxanne, I know that name!! She is from that Harem in Another World Labyrinth novel I read!!'', I thought, recalling her face now, ''Wait, why is she in this world? This is definitely not the right world for her. Did that guy put her here to be one of my partners in crime?''


    Thinking about it for a moment, I decided to just roll with it as she would be a great ally to have in the future. Her sixth sense for combat would be invaluable as I honed my skills more. Past that, she was a loyal, faithful person who would happily lay her life down for those she cared about. That quality is exactly what I needed out in space because trust and loyalty were hard to come by out there.


    "This is a trap. You use them to catch animals and monsters so you do not need to wait here for them to come back.", I told her, walking her through how it worked.


    "Oh!!", she said, understanding the mechanics at a glance, "Do they make traps for goblins and kobolds?"


    "Yes, they do.", I acknowledged, "Are they around here? I thought the knights took care of most of them."


    "Just the ones that come around the village. They do not go into the woods or anything.", she told me, taking my hand in hers, "I will show you where they are!!"


    Having her lead the way, as I had no idea where I was going, her words left me very confused. According to all the reports my father received, our knights were regularly entering the forest to keep the monster''s numbers in check. They needed to do this regularly as the villagers used these woods to supplement their food supplies due to the high prices at the market.


    ¡ªFifteen Minutes Later ¡ª


    Arriving at a small clearing in the forest, Roxanne motioned for me to crouch down. Doing as she requested, she led us behind some bushes at the edge of the clearing and pulled a few branches down for me to see the monsters. Discovering a small village of goblins just a few yards from us, a knot began forming in my gut. In the center of the village was a big Hobgoblin which was well beyond our strength.


    "You see that big one in the middle, it is a Hobgoblin. If he gets his hands on you, he will crush you like a bug!", Roxanne warned me, with a serious expression, "Even though he is big, he is also incredibly slow so it is easy to dodge him. You know how to roll and dive, right?"


    "Yes, I know how to do that.", I replied, ''Dark Souls engraved that in my mind quite well¡­the Art of Roly Poly!''


    "Alright, I will take the lead!!", Roxanne said, about to run out at them.


    Pulling her back, I looked at her like she was crazy. Dodging the goblins and hobgoblins was not a sufficient plan, we needed coordination to win this battle. Motioning for her to wait for a moment, I began looking around the immediate area for materials to level the playing field.


    "Do you know what a sling is?", I inquired.


    "It is the thing you put a broken arm in, right?", she asked, tilting her head with confusion.


    "Yes, but that is not the type of sling I am referring to. Have you heard of a weapon called a sling?", I inquired, clarifying my question this time.


    Shaking her head, she admitted she had never heard of it before. Nodding my head, I quickly made a sling with a piece of my leather pouch and some rope I brought. Watching me assemble the weapon, Roxanne was fascinated by what she was seeing.


    "It looks like an eyepatch.", Roxanne remarked, not seeing how this could be a weapon, "Are you sure this can be used as a weapon?"


    "Yes, just trust me on this.", I replied, tying the last knot, "Now, help me find some smooth stones the size of a chestnut."


    "What is a chestnut?", Roxanne questioned. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ugh¡­ they are tree nuts about this big.", I answered, showing her their rough size with my hands.


    Nodding her head, she immediately began searching nearby for stones. Finding ten of them that fit the description I gave her, Roxanne handed them to me with a small. Tucking one into the leather socket I made, I began to rotate it around to build up kinetic energy. Once I felt that I had enough potential energy stored up, my eyes locked onto the closest goblin to us. Letting one side of the sling go, at the right moment, the stone shot off like a bullet and vaporized the back of its skull. Collapsing without a sound, Roxanne stared at it in disbelief.


    "WOW!!", she silently gasped, "I did not think it could actually hurt anything, let alone kill it. You are really smart!!"


    "Haha, thank you.", I said, pleased that it worked the first time, "You can use it to fight from afar and your dagger to fight up close. Since I can use magic, I do not need it."


    Handing it over to her, she asked if it was really okay for her to keep it. Insisting that she keep it, as she may need it, Roxanne graciously accepted it with a smile.


    "Alright, now that we are armed well enough, we need a plan to deal with them. The Hobgoblin in the middle is their biggest strength so we should attack him last. For the time being, we should stick to hit-and-run tactics to minimize the danger to ourselves. Once the Hobgoblin breaks ranks to attack us, I will use magic to entrap him so you can kill him. Aim for the middle of his head.", I said, pointing to the location on my own forehead, "After he dies, we go in for the kill and take every last one of them."


    "Roger that!", she replied, liking my plan.


    "Very well, let me move over to the other side of the clearing before we attack. I will wave to you when I am in place and ready to go.", I told her.


    Nodding her head in acknowledgment, I stealthily made my way around without drawing attention to myself. Once I was in place, I waved my hand to her and immediately charged in for the attack.

 Chapter 3

    Leaping out of the bushes in unison, Roxanne loosed a stone at a Goblin Archer before he could react to our surprise attack. Watching his face cave in, the archer backpedaled a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Hearing their comrade''s arrows spill out of his quiver, all the goblins in the village immediately turned to see what happened. Using this momentary distraction to attack, I launched a barrage of Fireballs at the group. Seeing their impending death just moments before impact, they let out a shriek of terror before an explosion swallowed them whole.


    As expected, the surviving goblins immediately began to panic and started running in every direction. Quickly closing the gap between us and those leaving the village, we swiftly dispatched them with bloody efficiency. Culling their numbers to four in just a few moments, the hobgoblin finally snapped out of his shock and began his own offensive. Ripping one of the houses apart to make a makeshift club, the big oaf came roaring out of the village fuming with rage.


    Turning his attention to me first, as I was the mage, he charged forward whipping his club around in a poor attempt to intimidate me. Instead of attempting to flee, like he was anticipating, I ran at him with my dagger drawn. Swinging his club at me once I was close enough, I dropped to my knees and slid under both the club and him. Watching his weapon harmlessly pass over me, I flicked my blade around and cut his right Achilles'' heel. Rolling out of his range as he whipped around to hit me, a loud crunching sound rang out which resulted in him dropping to his knees in pain.


    With him down on all fours, I softened the soil beneath him and sunk him two feet. Hardening the soil immediately afterward, the monster began thrashing around trying to break free.


    "NOW!", I commanded Roxanne.


    Letting her stone fly like a bullet, just as I had instructed her, the stone crashed dead center of his forehead. Watching his eyes roll back into his head, it slumped over and became silent.


    "We did it!!", Roxanne shouted, full of excitement as she looked toward the remaining three goblins.


    Dropping their rusty weapons, the three of them turned and ran toward the forest. Having expected this, I used the spell Air Cutter to decapitate them while their backs were turned toward us.


    "Too easy.", I snickered, walking over to Roxanne, "Good job, we did well!"


    "Yes we did!", she agreed, scurrying over to the closest goblin, "Other than the ears, are there any other valuable parts on goblins?"


    "No, Goblins are considered trash monsters. The only value they have is in culling their numbers around settlements and farms.", I advised, "The Hobgoblin though, it has some value. A few of its organs are worth some money as alchemical ingredients, and they sometimes have small magic stones."


    Helping her collect proof of our kills and the few valuable parts of the Hobgoblin, we proceed to rummage through their settlement for anything of value. Finding several hundred dia, several rusty iron weapons, a cast iron pot, and a few tools, I was disappointed that we did not find anything cool in our search. Looking up at the sky to see what time it was now, my stomach began to growl signaling that it was lunchtime.


    Using Purification Magic to cleanse the two of us, I broke out my lunch and offered half to Roxanne. Drooling as she looked at the half of a sandwich, she forced herself to reject the offer.


    "I¡­I cannot take your food from you.", she told me, "My aunty would be mad if I took from the Baron''s son."


    "I see, would she be mad if you accepted half a sandwich from a friend though?", I inquired, cracking a smile.


    "Hmm¡­I suppose she would not¡­", Roxanne conceded, nervously taking the food from me, "Thank you¡­Leon."


    Scarfing the sandwich down in mere moments, Roxanne let out a fake, satisfied sigh. Hearing her stomach growl right afterward, she turned red with embarrassment and looked away from me.


    "There is nothing wrong with being hungry still.", I remarked, taking a bite of my half, "Since the Guild is open twenty-four hours a day, there is no rush to go home. We can go fishing if you want more food."


    "Is that really okay?", Roxanne inquired, "I heard that we were not allowed to fish as they all belong to the Baron."


    "I will take responsibility for our fishing, do not worry about it.", I assured her, "Besides, my dad is far too busy with other things to worry about us eating a few fish."


    Agreeing to my suggestion, I quickly ate the rest of my sandwich and drank my tea before heading toward the stream. Reaching the stream a short time later, several fish darted for cover the moment our shadows touched the edge of the water. Running to the water without any hesitation, I grabbed Roxanne by the collar and told her to slow down for a moment.


    "We need to remove our socks and shoes before entering the water. After that, roll up your pant legs so you do not get them wet. Believe me, it is uncomfortable walking around in sopping wet clothing.", I chuckled, following my instructions.


    "I guess that is true.", Roxanne agreed, mimicking me.


    Wading into the stream once we were done, I showed Roxanne how to catch fish with her bare hands. Slowly reaching under a large stone, my hands gracefully slid across the pebbly bottom till I felt a fish above them. Pressing the fish up against the rock in one fluid motion, I immediately yanked my hand out and flung the fish to the shore. Watching it flop around wildly, Roxanne began clapping her hands with excitement.


    "That is so cool, I did not know you could do that!!", she remarked, "I thought you needed a fishing pole or a net, this is much easier!!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Just be careful, sometimes you might find a crayfish and they will pinch you.", I warned her, as she set out to catch her own fish.


    Spending the next hour catching a total of ten small trout, we decided that we had enough and got to prepping the food. Leaving me to gut the small fish, Roxanne gathered some firewood and got it piled up for me to use. Rinsing the fish off in the stream once I was done, I used a simple fire spell to ignite the cooking fire. Sharpening some branches with our blades next, we butterflied the fish and waited for them to cook.


    "Do you want any salt on the fish?", I inquired.


    "Oh no, that is really expensive!", she refused, "I could not bother you for any of that!!"


    "It is fine, I make it with Alchemy.", I said, using a simple spell to create a small pile of pink mineral salt, "You do not need to hesitate if I am offering you something. If I am asking you, it means that yes and no are both acceptable answers."


    "I¡­ I just do not want to cause problems for my aunty and uncle.", she stated, with an apologetic smile, "My parents died when I was two, and they took me in even though they have six kids of their own."


    "I see, so that is why you come out here alone?", I questioned.


    Nodding her head, Roxanne looked into the fire while I seasoned the fish. Taking a few moments to collect herself, she explained to me that things were not going well at home.


    "Even though they do not show it, we are barely making ends meet right now. Uncle sometimes skips meals so we have enough to eat by pretending not to be hungry. I do everything I can to help out and do my best to stay out of trouble.", she told me, as she wrapped her arms around her legs.


    Knowing that this was not something children should be worrying about at our age, I quickly shifted the topic elsewhere.


    "The two of us can continue playing together more, if you would like.", I offered, rotating the fish.


    "Are you sure? You do not find me weird?", Roxanne pressed me, surprised that I was not going to turn my back on her like the other children had.


    "Of course, today was a lot of fun.", I chuckled, giving her a genuine smile, "It would be very reassuring to have you watching my back for future adventures. My goal is to chart every square inch of this island in the hopes that I find an undiscovered dungeon!"


    Taken aback by my declaration, Roxanne was shocked that I had an interest in exploring the island. Based on the fact that none of my siblings liked to venture far from home, I assumed that she thought nobles did not really like exploration.


    "Even though I am the son of Baron Bartfort, I am the third son so I stand no chance of inheriting anything. Once I turn eighteen, my family will no longer support me so making my own way is a necessity.", I said, pulling the fish off the fire, "Since I will lose my nobility at eighteen, how about forming an Adventurer''s Party with me? The two of us can travel the world conquering dungeons together!"


    "I¡­ I do not know.", she stated, "I really want to stay here and pay my aunt and uncle back for all they are doing for me."


    "When we become successful Adventurers, you can send money back to them to help pay their bills and buy food.", I reminded her, "You could upgrade their house, buy them a nice plot of land, or even allow them to retire comfortably."


    Looking at me to see if I was serious, I nodded my head in confirmation.


    "We can make several hundred million dia by conquering a Tier Five dungeon easily.", I told her, "If we clear a few of them, your family will be set for life!"


    Recalling information she had heard from adventurers passing by, she understood that Tier Five dungeons were the hardest to clear. Remembering some of the materials that had been pulled out of one recently, Roxanne realized that I was not exaggerating when I said a few would set her family up for life.


    "Alright, we are a team then!", she said, extending her pinky toward me, "You pinky promise to not betray me?"


    "Absolutely.", I replied, pinky promising her, "I swear to never forsake you or turn my back on you. We live and die together as a team!"


    Cracking a big smile, Roxanne''s tail began wagging uncontrollably. Turning our attention to our fish lunch, the two of us began chowing down on our small feast.

 Chapter 4

    After we finished eating, we returned to town to sell the few items we had gained during our hunt. Leading the way back into town, Roxanne wanted to sell our goods to the merchant she frequented but I shot her down. Informing her that the Adventurer''s Guild would pay us more, she decided to give it a try and see what happened. Taking her to the Guild Hall, which was near the harbor, the two of us strolled into the building only to find that the place was empty.


    "Hello!", I called out, "We have some monster drops to sell. Is anyone here?"


    "Give me a moment!", a woman shouted from the back.


    Hearing her come running up from the backroom, a familiar face stumbled through the doorway to greet us properly. Straightening up her uniform, the blonde dragonkin woman smiled at us and introduced herself to us.


    "Hello, my name is Quetzalcoatl but you can call me Lucoa!", she said, "What brings you to the Bartfort Adventurer''s Guild branch today?"


    ''Holy shit, why is she here!?'', I thought, before answering her, "We have some drops that we would like to sell."


    "I see, just so you know, since you are too young to register with the Guild the payout will be smaller.", Lucoa remarked, wanting to ensure we were okay with that.


    "That is fine.", I acknowledged, "We killed several goblins and a hobgoblin."


    Pulling the items out of my Item Box, I placed the materials on the counter for her to examine. Looking at me in shock, Lucoa was surprised to see I held such an extremely rare skill.


    "That is quite a gift you got there.", she said, "I would be careful about showing it off to other people. Many would try to enslave you and turn you into a pack mule for them."


    "Thank you for the concern, I feel more than confident that I can defend myself.", I assured her.


    "Hehe, acting tough for your little girlfriend I see.", she teased me.


    Glancing at the drops, she pulled a notepad from under the counter and began jotting things down. Putting a few of the more fragile ingredients into jars for us, Lucoa slid the notepad over to us so we could double-check that everything looked correct. Leaving it to me, as Roxanne was not very literate, I quickly confirmed everything was properly listed.


    "Alright then, I can pay you ten dia per goblin and fifty for the hobgoblin. The materials you brought back from the hobgoblin are in excellent condition so I can pay you four hundred dia for the ingredients. Normally the eyeballs, testicles, heart, and liver would be closer to nine hundred, but I cannot pay you that much since you are not a member.", she said apologetically, "Believe me, if it were up to me I would happily pay you full price."


    "Ten dia a goblin!?", Roxanne gasped, "The merchant I was selling them to only paid me three dia a head!!"


    "Before selling anything to those scummy merchants, I highly suggest having the Guild evaluate items. We will give you the going rate for items, and you can decide from there if you wish to sell them or not.", Lucao told her.


    "I definitely will from now on!", Roxanne agreed, with a happy smile, "So how much does that mean we made then?"


    "Five hundred and seventy dia from the drops.", I informed her, "Split in half, we each get two hundred and eighty-five dia."


    "OH!!!", Roxanne clapped with excitement, "That is the most I have ever made!!"


    Smiling at us, as she got us our money, I asked Lucao how she ended up here. Giving me a confused look, I stated that someone as beautiful as her could have easily become a nobleman''s mistress in the capital. Blushing at my compliment, she thanked me before explaining her situation.


    "I am not out here by choice, the Guildmaster in the capital sent me out here because I got into a fight with some high-ranking adventurers. They wanted me to be their stress relief out in the field, and I told them no. Instead of accepting my answer, they laid their hands on me so I scorched all of them.", Lucao explained, with a proud smile, "When the Guildmaster found out, he interrogated all the witnesses and every single person said I attacked those adventurers without warning. Even my colleagues, whom I considered friends, threw me under the cart to avoid any complications for themselves. Since the adventurers were not nobles, I narrowly avoided a death sentence or becoming a slave. Instead, I was cast out here for the rest of my career."


    "I am sorry to hear that.", I said, feeling bad for her.


    "It is what it is, at least out here I do not have sleaze bags harassing me.", she admitted, "Your father is a decent enough lord, but your stepmother she is¡­well she is-"


    "She is a cunt muffin.", I stated, finishing her sentence, "I wholeheartedly agree with you on that."


    "Hahaha!!!", she laughed, causing her enormous chest to jiggle uncontrollably, "After the day I have been having, I needed a good laugh. I hope you keep coming here, this place is boring as hell because no one ever stops in anymore."


    Promising to become regular visitors from now on, Roxanne and I left the Guild for the day. Handing Roxanne half of our reward and the loot we got once we were outside, she thanked me for spending time with her today. Telling me she would wait at the edge of town for me tomorrow, she quickly ran off toward the market to sell the rusty iron tools she received.


    ''All in all, not a bad start to my career as an Adventurer.'', I thought, stowing my money in my Item Box, ''I have a cute and reliable partner in crime now, and a gorgeous receptionist at my local Guild Hall. Dreams really do come true in an isekai universe!''


    Opting to keep my loot for blacksmithing practice, I quickly headed home to avoid upsetting my mother.


    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Running into her home with a bag full of her earnings, Roxanne eagerly handed the money to her aunt. Unsure what her niece brought home this time, she was startled to find five hundred dia in the pouch. Having never brought so much money back before, the first thing her aunt thought was that Roxanne had pickpocketed the money. Pouncing on that explanation before Roxanne could get a word in, her aunty began lecturing her about the consequences of stealing from others.


    "Your uncle and I raised you better than this, how could you steal money from other struggling families?!", her aunty shouted, reaching for a wooden spoon, "If the guards find out about this, you could be hauled off to jail, have your hands cut off, or even be sold off as a Criminal Slave!!"


    "WAIT!!", Roxanne howled, as she began backing away, "I did not steal it, I earned it with my new friend Leon!! We killed several goblins and a hobgoblin together!!"


    "You did WHAT!?", her aunty shrieked, snatching the spoon off the counter, "How many times have we told you not to take the other children into the forest?!"


    Unable to reason with her now, Roxanne took off running with her aunt in hot pursuit. Ducking and weaving every swing her aunt took served only to fuel her aunt''s anger. Walking into his home a few minutes later, Roxanne immediately hid behind him with her tail between her legs.


    "Move it!", his wife demanded, "She took another child into the woods with her again to fight with monsters!"


    "Leon and I are friends!!", Roxanne protested, "The two of us are going to form an Adventurer''s Party when we turn sixteen!!"


    Recalling something that occurred earlier in the day, Roxanne''s uncle motioned for his wife to wait a moment.


    "Do you mean Baron Bartfort''s son Leon?", he clarified.


    "Yes, he is the only person that does not treat me like a weirdo or monster!", Roxanne said, as her tail began wagging excitedly, "We are going to map out the whole island together!"


    "Oh lord¡­you took the Baron''s son into the forest to fight monsters¡­", her aunt hyperventilated, falling to the ground in fear, "The Baron will have our heads for sure¡­"


    "Dear please calm down, Lord Bartfort sent his son off to explore this morning. I watched both of his parents see him off when Leon left this morning.", he explained, having witnessed this while he tended to the Baron''s flower beds.


    "Yeah, we are going to become famous adventurers!", Roxanne boasted, happy she could finally start repaying her aunt and uncle.


    "Well¡­so long as the Baron does not fault us for anything happening to them, I do not care.", her aunt sighed, still uneasy about the arrangement. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thanking her aunty and uncle for allowing her to continue partying with Leon, Roxanne promptly went to her room to begin planning out tomorrow''s adventure. Noticing a newfound pep in his niece''s step, her uncle smiled with happiness for her. It had been a long time since he had seen her so happy, it reminded him a lot of how his sister used to be.


    "Are you sure that there is no problem with them going off on their own?", his wife asked, "What if they blame us for any injuries their son gets?"


    "Leon is far more mature than any child I have ever met. He has already completed all of his schooling, and has memorized all of the books in the Lord''s study.", he informed her, "That boy is probably the smartest person in this region, maybe even the country. If Roxanne can stay by his side, I am sure she will become an excellent young woman."

 Chapter 5

    ¡ªSix Months Later¡ª


    Completing our map of the island, and killing every monster we came across, we quickly dried up any excitement left on the island. Discovering that we had no Dungeons or Labyrinths on our main island, I became quite depressed as it meant I would need to hold out to explore further till I was at least twelve years old. At that point, I could potentially strong-arm my father into allowing me to travel a bit, on my dime, but that was a long shot.


    ''If only that old hag and her spawn were not sucking our coffers dry, I could travel freely.'', I thought, sitting on the edge of the island while Roxanne picked off Flying Fish monsters with her sling, ''Ugh¡­I do not want to stay here!!''


    "Is everything okay?", Roxanne asked, noticing my frustration.


    "I am just annoyed that we are out of things to do now.", I admitted, "We have explored and conquered every inch of this island, even the underground caves. At this point aside from those fish monsters, there are no monsters on the island anymore."


    Understanding the feeling well, as this dry spell was hampering her ability to help her household, Roxanne asked if we could go to the neighboring, uninhabited islands to explore there.


    "You could fly us to another island, could you not?", she inquired, unable to understand the amount of mana it would require to do so.


    "Till I can refine my mana consumption further, flying us more than a few hundred feet is out of the question. While I can recover my mana quickly, that will not do us any good if we do not have solid ground beneath our feet.", I chuckled, as I looked over at her, "We cannot buy tickets to go anywhere either. Not only are they expensive but since we are under twelve, our families would need to purchase them for us."


    Reviewing the options we had at the moment, an idea popped into my head. Recalling that my father said grandpa''s old airship was rotting behind our house, I wondered if I could fix it and take the two of us somewhere else. The concept of airship licenses did not exist here so in theory there was nothing stopping me from piloting the ship myself. Deciding that it was worth a shot to ask my father, I stood up and told Roxanne to follow me. Explaining my idea to her, she eagerly agreed to help me if my father approved my request.


    ¡ªBartfort Manor¡ª


    Finding my father reviewing a new budget from his first wife, the bane of my existence, my old man looked exhausted and on the verge of tears. Clearing my throat as I entered his office, he looked up and smiled at me.


    "It is unusual for you to come home so early, is something wrong?", he inquired.


    "Since Roxanne and I have finished mapping our island, is there any way the two of us can explore the small, uninhabitable islands in your territory? To do that, I want to fix Grandpa''s old airship and use that to fly us around.", I told him.


    "I¡­uh¡­hmm¡­", he said, thinking about it for a moment, "Luce, come here for a moment would you."


    Calling out to my mother, as he dared not make this decision without her, she quickly came into the room with a worried expression. Initially assuming it was to do with the budget he had received this morning, she was relieved to see Roxanne and I were in the room with him.


    "Yes dear, is something wrong?", Luce asked.


    "Leon and Roxanne want to explore the islands around ours, specifically the uninhabited ones. Instead of asking us for money to charter an airship, he wants to fix up my father''s old airship in the backyard to get there. What do you think?", he questioned, "If he can fix that old thing, I am more than happy to let him use it for his exploration."


    Staring at him for a moment, then turning toward me, I watched the smile on her face turn into a scowl.


    "I begrudgingly allowed you to play around our island for fun, now you want to venture out and explore the edges of our territory. As your mother, I am proud to see you developing into a strong, young man but on the other hand, it terrifies me to think of what might happen to you out there. You are only five and a half years old, you should slow down a bit and enjoy your childhood while you can.", she scolded me.


    "Mother, I am enjoying it while also preparing myself for the future. As I have said before, I have no hope of inheriting anything from this household or your household. I can only rely on the two of you till I am eighteen, after that I am on my own.", I reminded her, "At the very least can I please fix the airship first, then broach the subject again after it is working?"


    "I think that is a fair compromise.", my dad agreed, trying to help me out.


    "*sigh*... alright, I see no harm in letting you work on the airship.", Luce relented, "I need you to swear though that you will not fly it till your father checks everything is in working order. If you break your promise, I will ground you till you are twelve. Do I make myself clear?"


    "Thanks, Mom and Dad, you guys are the best!", I proclaimed, "Come on Roxanne, let us get to work!!"


    Running out of his office to get work, my parents let out a sigh as we left the room.


    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Waiting till Leon and Roxanne were out of earshot, Luce looked at her husband with a worried expression.  S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Dear¡­what are we going to do about Leon?", Luce asked, with a worried expression, "If he manages to fix that ship, his situation will get even worse. The Adventurer''s Guild is already looking to scout him the moment he turns sixteen, and the Crown is watching him closely. Between ridding our island of monsters and completing all coursework needed to graduate from the Academy, with perfect scores no less, everyone wants a piece of our baby boy. I am genuinely worried that one of them may kidnap our son while we are not looking."


    Having initially doubted that Leon was the one who completed the coursework, the Academy had dispatched several different teachers to their territory to verify his results. Shrugging off even the most complex and confusing questions they threw at him, each and every one of them left dumbfounded and awestruck by his genius. While the Crown had not said anything to them yet, Balcus was certain they would eventually be summoned to the capital to discuss Leon''s future.


    As for the Guild, they were equally skeptical of Leon''s achievements but they had no proof that he was fake or a fraud. The fact that no Adventurer had set foot in the Bartfort territory in a decade and that the receptionist testified on his behalf, the Guild was forced to recognize the potential powerhouse in the making here.


    ''Talent like Leon''s only appears every few generations, there is no way they will let him slip into the general populace. If he is lucky, he may receive a Cabinet Minister''s position or even his own noble rank. That said, if he could also fix my dad''s ship, he could easily open an airship workshop in the capital and make a killing fixing relic airships. There are only two workshops in the entire country that can repair and build ships, and neither of them could fix my father''s ship. With Leon''s brains, opening a third shop would be easy.'', Balcus thought, "I would not worry about Leon being taken from us. He is too big of an asset to the Kingdom for them to do something like that. Our boy is a prodigy without equal!"


    "I suppose that is true.", she agreed, with a smile, "If only a fraction of his genius could have rubbed off on the others¡­"


    "Oh come now, they are above average as well.", Balcus argued, with a smirk, "All of our children are brilliant, Leon just stands out a lot more.


    Laughing at his comment, Luce turned the discussion toward a more pressing matter. Approaching her husband''s desk, she nervously took the budget request from him to see what the damage would be this time.


    "This is a twenty percent increase from last year!!", she seethed, "Does she not understand that we need the funds to maintain and improve our territory!"


    "It is my fault, I let several corrupt knights go who were just leeching on us. Somehow Zola found out about it and now wants to claim that extra money we freed up.", Balcus groaned, running his fingers through his hair, "I do not know what to¡­I cannot tell her no, but we really need this money to renovate the harbor. It is barely hanging on as it is and repairs are becoming ridiculously expensive."


    "How about giving her a ten percent increase, and seeing if Leon can come up with a plan for the harbor?", Luce suggested, "He may have some ideas to renovate the harbor cheaper than the engineer''s quoted. Every dia we can save is money we can put toward the territory."


    "I will try¡­do not be surprised if she pays us an unexpected visit¡­", Balcus sighed, silently agreeing with Luce on this, "We can talk to Leon about harbor tonight at dinner."


    Agreeing with her husband, Luce swiftly left the room to check on their other children.

 Chapter 6

    ¡ªLeon POV ¡ª


    Showing Roxanne where the ship was currently resting, she was surprised to see how small of a ship it was. A relatively small cabin cruiser, with a single bedroom and bathroom, my grandfather had discovered the craft when he stumbled upon this island. Realizing that the craft was functional, he used it for several years till eventually, it fell out of the sky in our backyard. Fortunately for my grandfather, he was only five feet above the ground at the time. Had this occurred over the ocean, several thousand feet below our floating island, he would have died quite gruesomely.


    "So this is what we are going to fix?", Roxanne inquired, a bit skeptical about its ability to fly, "Where is the giant balloon that makes it float, and the paddle wheels to make it move around?"


    "This ship is considered a Lost Item, it uses long-forgotten technology to fly and propel itself around. If I can get this ship back in working order, we can travel around in style.", I remarked, with a big grin, "I have been wanting to work on this thing for a while now. This is so exciting!"


    Climbing aboard the ancient vessel, Roxanne began looking around while I went below to the engine room. Realizing that the entryway was locked, probably because the ship had no power, I forcibly jerked the door open with my hands. Getting the door only partially open, I managed to squeeze through the opening with minimal effort. Using Light Magic to illuminate the room, a rat''s nest of wiring greeted me as the room lit up.


    ''You have got to be fucking with me. How the hell was this able to fly in the first place!?'', I thought, already mentally exhausted from the amount of work I had before me, "Roxanne, while I work on the engines and power source, can you make sure that everything else is in order? Check every inch of the ship for any signs of damage."


    "Roger that!", she called out, "Are you sure you do not need help in there?"


    "I can figure this out¡­eventually.", I chuckled, pulling my few hand tools out of my Item Box, ''Alright, time to get to work.''


    Wanting to start with a clean slate, I began the tedious task of unplugging and removing all the wiring in the room. Once everything was out of the way, I noticed a book poking out from underneath the dormant fusion reactor.


    ''Is this the manual for the ship?'', I wondered, carefully prying it out so it did not tear. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Dusting off the cover, the first words I saw were "Engineering Manual" which gave me hope that I could figure this out. Skimming through the pages, my mind quickly consumed all the information written within. Wondering how this book had gone unnoticed, I realized that in my haste I failed to notice that it was written in English. English was a long-forgotten language in this world so it was understandable that the engineers who looked over the ship overlooked it. Tossing the book into my Item Box, for referencing in the future, I began the tedious process of rewiring the ship.


    ¡ªTwo Days Later¡ª


    Working nearly round the clock on this project, Roxanne kept me company throughout the whole ordeal by sleeping in the bedroom on board. While I worked on repairing the ship''s systems, she cleaned and polished every inch of our boat from bow to stern. Confirming that everything was in good shape, other than some damaged paint, once I had everything online we went to fetch my parents.


    Catching them in the middle of breakfast, I informed my family that I had fixed the boat and was ready for my father to check it out. Nearly choking to death on his toast hearing my announcement, he looked at me in shock and disbelief.


    "You fixed it in two days!?", he gasped, "How is that possible?!"


    "It was pretty easy once I understood what everything was and what it did. I personally believe that someone sabotaged the ship, it was a nightmare to repair all the wiring problems inside the ship.", I told him, "Can we take it for a test flight after you are done eating?"


    "Of course!", my father said, excited to see it fly for himself, "It stopped working a few years before I was born. He told me how much fun he had flying it around, I hope you get as much fun out of it as he did."


    Shoveling the rest of his breakfast down in a hurry, he quickly left the dining room with us to check it out for himself. Chasing after us, as they were also interested in seeing it fly, my mother and two siblings shouted at us to slow down for them. Quickly boarding the ship, I approached the control panel that had been inoperable even during my grandfather''s time.


    "Wait, where is the wheel and throttle lever?", he asked, confused by the large, illuminated panel in front of him.


    "It never should have had one, everything is controlled from his panel here.", I said, waving my hand over the screen.


    Waking up from Sleep Mode, the ship began to hum slightly as the Fusion Reactor engaged. Quickly checking for any anomalies or issues with the ship''s systems, as I had jump-started the reactor with a powerful surge of lightning earlier, I was relieved to see that all systems were green. Initiating the startup sequence, the Levitation Engine and Stabilizers began to fire up in unison. Feeling the craft begin to rise off the ground, Nicks began shouting that we were actually flying.


    <Calibrating stabilizers, please wait.>


    Jumping back in fright, my father reached for his blade out of instinct but I quickly stopped him from acting rashly. Not wanting him to damage the control panel, as finding a replacement was impossible, I quickly explained what was going on.


    "Please wait a moment, that voice belongs to the ship. It is calibrating the stabilizers which will help keep our ride smooth.", I told him, "I can assure you that everything is working properly, we are in no danger here."


    "Alright¡­warn me next time before it does something like please.", he said, reluctantly removing his hand from his sword''s hilt, "Go ahead and take us around the island, please take it slow for your mother''s sake though."


    Nodding my head, I engaged the propulsion systems and limited their output to thirty percent for the time being. Gaining momentum quickly, we soon were cruising along at roughly sixty miles an hour. Surprised by how fast we were going and how smooth the ride was, my mother inquired why we were not feeling the wind rush past us.


    "The ship is equipped with special shielding that blocks out the wind.", I said, "I can disengage it if you want me to."


    "No, please leave it on. It is a nice change of pace to not have the wind messing up my hair.", she admitted, with a smile, "Roxanne and you have both pulled off the impossible by fixing this boat. The best and brightest engineers in our nation were unable to fix this, yet you made it work in just over two days!"


    "Leon, this means you could become a really important person in the capital!!", Nicks remarked, genuinely happy for me, "The Kingdom has hundreds of ships like this that they cannot use. You could make a lot of money fixing and maintaining them!"


    "He is right Leon, no one else in our nation or our neighboring nations can do what you have done.", my dad said, praising me, "You are going to be set for life after you graduate from the Academy one day. Make sure you do not forget about your old man and your mother!"


    "Haha, I promise not to.", I swore, with a smile.


    Glaring at me from the bow, Jenna was less than thrilled about the praise I was getting. While nowhere near as bad as my stepmother Zola and her two children, Jenna hated my guts because I was a boy and received more praise than her. Even though our parents showed their love to each of us equally, she felt that she should get more love from them because she was a girl. The praises I received for my achievements and actions rubbed her the wrong way to the point that just being in the same room with Jenna earned me death glares from her.


    "Now that you have your stupid boat, go start earning money for me!", Jenna snapped, "I need new clothing and a slave when I go to the Academy in a few years. If I do not have those, I will be the laughingstock of the school so get to it!"


    Opening my mouth to start cursing her out, my father interjected to stop our bickering before it began.


    "Jenna, I will make sure you have everything you need for the Academy.", my father assured her, uncertain how he would find the funds, "Please leave Leon alone, unlike you, he will have to make his own way once he turns eighteen."


    "I do not care what happens to him after the Academy, he can die for all I care.", she said, meaning every word she said, "As long as I get what I want, I do not care about anything else! Can we go home now? I am already tired and bored of being here now."


    Sighing in frustration, Dad asked me to steer the ship home with an apologetic look. Acknowledging his request, I turned the ship home and made a haste return to dump her trashy ass off.

 Chapter 7

    ¡ªA Month Later¡ª


    After completing a series of tests, at the behest of my mother, Roxanne and I were finally given the green light to use the ship as we saw fit. Making me swear to her that we would not hunt Sky Pirates or leave the nation''s airspace, I agreed to my mother''s terms promising that I only wanted to hunt monsters and find a Dungeon to explore¡­not start an international conflict. With permission secured to travel to islands in our vicinity, Roxanne and I began preparations to start hunting again.


    "Where have you two been? I thought you guys went missing or forgot about me!", Lucoa teased us, as we entered the Guild Hall, "This poor Guild Receptionist has been lonely without your two faces coming around here. I thought I was going to die from loneliness!"


    "Oh, I am sorry! Please do not die!", Roxanne pleaded, believing Lucoa''s words.


    "She is just teasing us, Roxanne.", I informed her, "Please do not tease her too much, she is very gullible."


    "Hehe, it would appear that is true!", Lucoa laughed, happy to see us again, "So what brings you two in today? Have you found more monsters to kill, or did you just stop by to say hello?"


    "Actually, we managed to secure an airship of our own to explore outside our island.", I explained, "I wanted to check with you before heading out to see if you had any information on the Sky Pirates in our vicinity."


    Giving me a concerned look, I could tell she thought we were going to hunt them next for an even larger payday. Clearing that misconception up quickly, as I did not want to receive a lecture from her after already getting one from my mother, I told her that it was to avoid the areas where they had been spotted.


    "I am well aware that we lack the necessary equipment to go hunting for pirates.", I said, motioning to our equipment, "While we have upgraded our tools to a Steel Dagger and Steel Sword, our armor is still only worn leather. I promise we do not intend to hunt down pirates till we are full-fledged members of the Guild."


    "Alright, I believe you.", she stated, trusting we were being honest with her, "Give me a moment, I will grab the most recent updated map I have from HQ."


    Stepping into the backroom for a few minutes, Lucoa came back with the Guild Map of our country. Rolling it out onto the counter, she motioned for us to approach so she could show us where to avoid going. Using Levitation Magic to help us see better, as we could not yet look over the counter, Lucoa smiled at me before pointing to the red, highlighted areas.


    "This is where we are now.", she explained, pointing at our island, "About twenty miles south of here the Principality has been rumored to be scouting our nation''s territory. I suggest not going further than ten miles south just to be safe. There have been no reports of pirates to the east or west of us for at least fifty miles so you should be safe going either direction. As for heading northward, I would suggest only doing so after you have some more battle experience under your belts. The closer to the capital you get, the bigger pain in the ass the noblemen become. Being the third son of a Baron¡­I would not run it past them to damage your ship or strand you on a barren rock somewhere."


    "That is fair, going north would also put us in the shipping/transportation lanes so I will avoid that route for now.", I agreed, "Where do you want to go, Roxanne?"


    "It is your boat, you pick.", Roxanne told me, "As long as there are adventures to be had, I am happy to go anywhere!"


    Making a mental map of our immediate vicinity, we thanked Lucoa before turning to leave. Walking toward the door in a hurry, as we were eager to get going, Lucoa told us something before we left the building.


    "Since your stepmother is going to be here for a few days starting tomorrow, I will be closing the building down to the public. Your pervy, snobby brother and bitch of stepmother rub me the wrong way.", Lucoa stated, "I will be open for business once they are gone so save all the goodies you find!"


    "Hold on¡­what did you say!?", I gasped, having heard nothing of her visit from my father, "Are you joking with us? Making jokes about that cunt and her crotch spawn is not funny!"


    "Unfortunately, I am not joking about this. I received word from the Guildmaster that she was coming here, and that I needed to make myself disappear for a few days.", Lucoa laughed, dryly, "He wants to minimize the chances of me incinerating your brother. While the rumors are unconfirmed at this time, according to former maids who worked for your stepmother, he enjoys grabbing breasts and smacking butts of curvy women. Since that fits me to a T, the Guildmaster wants me nowhere near him while they are on the island."


    ''So he is going to destroy what little honor the Bartfort name has with his antics, fucking great. Academy life is going to be so nice for Nicks and me¡­the women will probably treat Nicks and me like even bigger pieces of garbage now.'', I thought, ''If he wanted to cop a feel on curvy women, Zola should have just bought him a slave for that. Her name is going to be dragged through the mud too, but since it is her son, I bet she does not give a rat''s ass about it.'' S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡ªBartfort Home¡ª


    Reporting this information to my parents, my poor mother nearly fainted when she heard the news. Hanging his head in defeat, it looked like my father knew this might happen for some reason. Pressing him for the reason for this visit, as her annual visit was still two months away, he inquired if I remembered the knights he let go a while back.


    "When I let them go, our income increased a good bit which should have allowed us to clear some of our debt and renovate the harbor. Somehow someway your stepmother Zola found out about the extra money we now had and demanded we increase her yearly budget by twenty percent.", Balcus told me, "Well, since the harbor was in major need of a renovation, I only increased her budget by ten percent and allotted the rest to you for the renovation you did. On the topic of the harbor, by the way, your innovative floating docks, dollies, and new road layout have garnered you high praise from the Merchant''s Guild. They want to purchase the rights to your inventions for a large sum of money."


    Taking inspiration from the Levitation and Propulsion Engines in my ship, I developed special enchantments that generated the same effects that were powered solely by the mana in the atmosphere. Using magic to mold several large boulders into forty-by-forty-foot platforms, I proceeded to carve the necessary magical circles into each of them granting each the ability to fly via simple voice commands. Showing this invention to the dock workers, all of them were a bit skeptical of how well it would work, but after several days of testing, they fell in love with it. Crafting the workers'' heavy-duty appliance dollies as well, ships were now being unloaded/loaded forty percent faster and we were able to service ships of any size in our harbor.


    "While I am interested in seeing what they have to offer, can we please focus on the more pressing matter at hand?", I scolded him, "Zola and my two half-siblings treat Nicks and me like garbage. Both of us are forced to stay locked up in the shed while they visit because they take our rooms, and trash them when they leave."


    "What would you have me do, Leon? I cannot turn your stepmother away at the port.", Balcus remarked, "I know you do not like it, but it will only be for a few days. Can you please bear with it for me?"


    "Since I only need to be here to greet her and say goodbye, is there any way Roxanne and I can just explore the vicinity while Zola is here? There should be no difference if I am locked in the shed or off the island right? All she cares about is that I am out of sight.", I said, hoping he would agree to my request.


    "Even though I am usually against Leon''s adventurous nature, I think this time it would be wise to let him go.", Luce conceded, "Given everything that is revolving around Leon right now, that woman and her brats may try to harm him. As much as it pains me to say this, he is probably safer off the island than in the shed this time around."


    Looking at Mom with a surprised look, Balcus asked if she was genuinely concerned about my safety. Nodding her head, Luce admitted that she was genuinely worried that Rutart might attempt to kill me in my sleep.


    "That boy has never been happy that Leon is smarter than him. Given all the achievements he has racked up now, Rutart might see Leon as a threat to his birthright and try to kill him.", Luce remarked, gripping her dress tightly.


    "What are you talking about? Dad cannot change who will inherit the Barony when he retires. It always goes to the eldest son, unless they get disowned. No offense Father but I do not see you gathering the courage to do that without something severe happening to our family.", I stated, trying not to be an ass about it, "Is there something going on behind the scenes that I am not aware of?"


    "We¡­we can talk about it after Zola leaves.", Dad said, with an apologetic smile, "A lot of it is speculation at this point, but based on your achievements it will almost certainly happen."


    Wondering if the Crown or Guilds wanted to scout me for something, I became excited by the prospect of earning additional funds for my Adventurer''s fund. At the end of the day, the sooner I explored every inch of this world the sooner I could find the resources I needed to leave this world. Having grown to enjoy Roxanne''s company over these past seven months, I hoped that if I set her aunt and uncle up for life she would accompany me into space.


    "Alright then, I will let Roxanne know so we can prepare to leave after Zola arrives.", I stated, with a grateful smile, "Thank you!"


    Quickly running outside to tell Roxanne, the two of us began our preparations for our trip.

 Chapter 8

    Standing patiently outside our home, my father, mother, siblings, and I waited for Zola and company to arrive. Noticing that the town looked almost abandoned, as only a few people were on the roadways, it seemed most people agreed with my opinion of Zola''s entourage. Watching their carriage roll down the cobblestone road toward our residence, my father told us to be on our best behavior.


    "As I told the three of you last night, please do not give your stepmother any problems during her stay. Keep your tone polite and respectful, and your comments to yourselves.", Balcus told us, assuming his first wife would be like a powder keg ready to blow, ''I am going to need several stiff drinks tonight¡­''


    "Yes, father.", Nicks and I acknowledged.


    "Do not tell me what to do.", Jenna spat, crossing her arms.


    ''I dodged a bullet by getting the hell out of this place¡­'', I thought, hiding my grin behind a solid poker face.


    Stopping the carriage a few feet from us, Balcus ran up to the door and opened it for them. Stepping out of the carriage with a scowl, Zola immediately set her eyes on Nicks and me. Bowing to her, as our father had asked us to, the two of us greeted her as instructed.


    "Good Morning Stepmother, I hope you had a comfortable trip.", we said in unison, having practiced this many times before.


    "It is good to see you are still properly teaching them etiquette, Balcus. There may still be hope for them to find a wife at the Academy, though their hideous faces will cause them plenty of trouble.", Zola laughed, insulting both of us without batting an eye, "You two may return to the shed where trash like you belong."


    Lifting our heads to turn and leave, our stepbrother Rutart stepped out from the carriage and asked us to wait a moment. Begrudgingly doing as he asked, as Zola would blow a gasket if we disregarded him, he took a few steps toward us before asking us something.


    "Rumor has it that one of you is a competent swordsman. Since I am rather skilled as well, I want to test my skills against both of you.", Rutart informed us, looking back at his mother, "Is that alright?"


    "Of course dear, they might even learn something from you.", Zola said, with a proud smirk, "You go first."


    Pointing at Nicks, my elder brother nervously stepped forward and received a wooden sword from Rutart. Attacking him the moment Nicks gripped the sword, my elder brother promptly received several blows to the head and body while Rutart laughed at him. Doing everything he could to block the onslaught, my parents stood there helpless to stop it.


    Even though they were only two years apart in age, the difference in strength was enough for Nicks to be completely overwhelmed. Knocking the sword out of Nicks'' hand, Rutart continued his attacks till Nicks blacked out. Glancing over at my mother, I could see blood dripping from her hands. Noticing that her fingernails had punctured her skin because of how hard she was clenching her fist, every fiber of her body wanted to beat the snot out of Rutart for hurting both my mother and older brother. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Too easy!", Rutart said, placing his foot on Nicks throat, "Alright whatever your name is, you are next!"


    Knowing he would try the same stunt with me, I used Telekinesis to pull the training sword to me. Surprised to see me use magic, Rutart immediately told me not to use it in this fight.


    "I am just starting to learn magic so it would be cheating for you to use it!", he shouted, pointing his sword at me.


    "Hmm, where did he learn magic Balcus? Are you secretly hiding money from me?", Zola inquired.


    "Leon learned magic from the books in our family library, he is self-taught.", Balcus explained, trying to hide his proud smile, ''Throttle him, Leon!''


    "Bet you feel real special that you learn magic all by yourself. Too bad you cannot use it against me now!", Rutart laughed, before charging forward at me, "Go!!"


    Taking a deep breath, I let my body go limp for a moment before launching myself forward. Surprised by my sudden burst of speed, Rutart attempted to bash me in the head but I effortlessly sidestepped his attack. Waiting for the blade to get close to the ground, as he exaggerated his swing, I stomped on the weapon, grabbed the back of his head with my free hand, and slammed his face into my knee. Using Body Reinforcement Magic to harden my knee, I heard a satisfying crunching sound as I broke his nose.


    "AHH!!!", he screamed, letting his sword go and backing away, "What did you do?!"


    Watching blood pour from his nose, I did not hesitate to press the advantage as he had with Nicks. Flicking Rutart''s sword to my free hand with my foot, I began unleashing a torrent of blows on him with the intent of fracturing or breaking as many bones as possible. Screaming for his mother to do something, as I broke his right forearm, Zola commanded me to stop just before I would have fractured his neck. Crumpling to the ground in a heap, Rutart began sobbing loudly while my mother did her damndest to hide the grin on her face.


    "How dare you harm your eldest brother like that!", Zola howled at me, "Unlike you, he has a promising future as a high-ranking member of society. Just because you are jealous of him does not give you the right to beat him so brutally. You should have stopped after knocking his sword from his hand!!"


    "He attacked Nicks without warning, disarmed him, and beat him till he was unconscious, where was your compassion then!", I shouted back, "Rutart is a cowardly boy, he got what he deserved!"


    "Do not talk back to me!", Zola hissed.


    "Kiss my ass, bitch!", I retorted, unable to suppress my anger any longer, "Rutart, if you ever lay your hands on Nicks again, I will personally cripple you for life. Just because you feel inferior to me does not grant you the right to take it out on him. As you just discovered, I am more than capable of defeating a novice like you. Now if we are done here, I will be on my way to be out of your hair for the duration of your visit."


    Tossing the two wooden swords, I bowed my head to my parents, flipped off Zola, and promptly headed toward the dock to leave the island. Dumbfounded by my sudden backbone, Zola and Merce watched me depart without a word.


    "Dear, I am going to take Nicks to his room.", Luce said, hurriedly running to her son''s side, "I will join you in the study shortly."


    Scooping him up, Mom quickly carried him to the shed.


    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Keeping her mouth shut till they were in the shed, Luce gently laid her eldest son on his makeshift bed and began checking him for injuries. Watching the bruising start to form all over his arms, back, head, and legs, she began to weep looking at her poor boy.


    "I am sorry Nicks¡­", she whimpered, "I could do nothing to spare you from that devil. Please forgive your terrible mother."


    "It is¡­okay¡­Mom¡­", Nicks told her, regaining consciousness, "You did what you had to protect us. If you had stepped in, it would have been Zola''s servant beating Leon and me."


    Groaning as he sat up in bed, Nicks glanced over at his brother''s bed and noticed it was empty. While he knew Leon would be gone for a few days, Nicks was concerned that Rutart might have hurt Leon even worse. Looking at his mother, he inquired if Leon was alright.


    "I know Rutart really hates him, is he¡­alive?", Nicks asked, hesitant about knowing the answer.


    "Haha, he is fine.", Luce answered, happy to see that the two brothers deeply cared about one another, "Leon delivered a big helping of karma to Rutart, he messed him up worse than you are. While I am not certain of it, I think he broke Rutart''s nose and several other bones for harming you. Moreover, he threatened to cripple him if he ever laid hands on you again."


    Startled by this information, Nicks felt a mix of emotions come over him. Grateful that Leon avenged him, he also felt a little humiliated that his younger brother was protecting him like that. In his eyes, it was the older brother''s job to defend his siblings, yet here he was being protected by Leon.


    "Anyways Nicks, how are you feeling? Do you have any broken bones?", Luce asked him.


    "No, just sore and numb in places.", he informed her.


    "I will have our doctor check you out just to be safe.", Luce said, with a relieved smile, "Get some rest now, I will bring your lunch out to you in a little bit."


    "Thanks, Mom.", Nicks replied, laying his head and closing his eyes.


    While Luce was returning to their home, Zola was chewing her husband out over Leon''s actions. Fuming with anger that her son was humiliated and that Leon showed her no respect, she demanded that he be shipped off to a monastery and disowned. Immediately shooting that down, as the Royal Family and Guilds would crucify him for doing so, Balcus asked her to please forgive Leon.


    "It is normal for boys their age to be a little rebellious and roughhouse. Please forgive him for going overboard, he is not even six years old yet.", Balcus said, "Besides that, the Crown, Guilds, and Airship Workshops would immediately denounce any attempts to do so. Living in the capital, there is no way you have not heard about the waves he is creating."


    "I am well aware¡­", Zola said, through clenched teeth, "The Capital Nobles are all talking about him and his ability to repair Lost Items. Not only that, the Adventurer''s Guild seems to think he could become our next great powerhouse but I doubt that. Since I am getting some attention thanks to him¡­I suppose I can overlook this once."


    Even though she said that Zola actually wanted to smoother Leon in his sleep. Brutally beating and humiliating her son was unforgivable, but arguing any further would change nothing. As the only person in the Kingdom who could fix Lost Item Ships, Leon was untouchable by her. If Rutart had injured him, Rutart might have faced execution for harming the so-called Holfort Kingdom Prodigy.


    "Moving on to more pressing matters¡­", Zola remarked, "How about we discuss why you only increased my funds by ten percent instead of the twenty I requested?"


    "That¡­that was because the harbor was in dire need of a renovation!", Balcus blurted out.


    "Ah yes, the famous harbor the Merchant''s Guild is in a frenzy over.", Zola said, recalling hearing something about that, "I did notice that there have been many major improvements made to the harbor. All the changes have certainly moved this rural place closer to the capital''s standard of living, you should increase the taxes accordingly."


    "I¡­I will look into it.", Balcus promised, ''Increase the taxes!? The people barely have enough to put crumbs on the table. Much more of this and people will start selling their children to make ends meet. I do not want that weight on my shoulders, it is too much to bear.''


    "By the way, who is the one that designed everything for you? I am certain that some of my friends will want similar renovations done in their territories.", Zola inquired.


    Knowing the answer would not sit with her, Balcus was about to tell her when Luce walked in. Relieved to his wife, he attempted to switch topics to Nicks'' condition but Zola interjected herself.


    "Is there a reason you will not tell me who performed the renovation?" Zola asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "Leon planned everything and did most of the work himself.", Luce answered, proud of her son''s achievement.


    Watching Zola''s face contort uncomfortably, both knew she was about to lose it. Promptly excusing herself from the room, the couple listened to her begin cursing their son the moment the door closed.

 Chapter 9

    Showing up unannounced as we were about to set sail, Lucoa requested we take her with us. Asking her why she wanted to come with us suddenly, as she had said nothing yesterday, she insisted that she felt the urge to help us on our first voyage. Informing us that she was a former B Rank Adventurer, Lucoa wanted to impart her knowledge to us so we could flourish. Sensing that there was more to it than that, I pressed her for further details which made her true reasoning come to light.


    "Alright fine, I just want to get off this island and enjoy a short vacation!", Lucoa admitted, "When I joined the Guild Staff, all my free time went out the window. They have us running around twelve hours daily with no days off, not even holidays. Now that I am stuck here, without help, my hours are more like sixteen hours a day and my time off is spent sleeping. Please take pity on this poor Guild Receptionist and let me join you!!"


    Looking at Roxanne for her opinion, she left the decision entirely up to me. Seeing no reason not to accept her, so long as she helped us out a bit, I agreed to let her come with us. Immediately tossing her luggage onto the boat, she ripped off her guild uniform revealing casual clothing underneath. Leaping onto the ship, Lucoa moved to the bow and had a seat. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So you know, we only have one small bed on the boat. It barely sleeps Roxanne and me comfortably so it will be very cramped with the three of us.", I advised her.


    "If that is the only problem, I am fine with it.", she stated, glancing over her shoulder, "Hehe, I think the bigger question is if you can handle sharing a bed with Roxanne and me. Two beautiful women sharing a bed with you, quite a lucky boy!"


    ''She is ten and half years too early for that.'', I thought, as I untethered us from our moorings, "If you are expecting to get a rise out of me, it will not work."


    "Hehe, it was worth a shot.", she teased me.


    Starting up the Propulsion Engines, I slowly guided us out of the harbor and into open airspace. Getting us pointed in a westerly direction, Lucoa inquired if we had any particular destination in mind.


    "Are you planning on visiting every rock out here, or did you see something on the map that caught your eye?", she asked.


    "Our main goal is looking for a dungeon, but we will settle for monsters too.", I remarked, "With that in mind, we will only stop on islands that could support one or both of those. Do you mind helping us spot potential islands?"


    Giving me a thumbs up, Lucoa sat back and admired the scenery. Joining her at the front, Roxanne used a makeshift spyglass to look far into the distance for anything interesting. Increasing the output of the engines to fifty percent, I sat back and began sharpening my homemade Steel Sword.


    ¡ªTwo Hours Later¡ª


    "Hey guys, I think I see something off in the distance!!", Roxanne shouted excitedly, breaking the peaceful silence, "It looks like it is a few miles in that direction!"


    Using her hand to point at the island, I steered the ship toward it and increased our speed. Watching the green speck on the horizon quickly turn into a medium-sized island, Roxanned inquired if we knew its name.


    "Based on where I think we are, that island is not on the map.", I told her, vaguely aware of where we were.


    "Oh, so it is an Undiscovered Island?!", Roxanne exclaimed, "That means there might be a dungeon here for us to explore!!"


    "I would not get your hopes up quite yet, Roxanne.", Lucoa said, tempering her expectations, "Not every undiscovered island has monsters or dungeons on it. Some are just wide open grasslands while others are full of valuable ores and gemstones. Do not be disappointed if we do not find anything."


    Nodding her head in response, though she had not heard a word Lucoa said, Roxanne leaned over the railing eager to explore. Taking us around the island once to find a good spot to dock, I settled on the end of a small river that flowed off the edge of the island. Coming to a stop a few dozen feet from the dropoff, Roxanne jumped out and immediately tethered us to a solid oak tree. Shutting down the Propulsion Engines, Lucoa and I disembarked and joined Roxanne on the grassy river bank.


    Surveying the area around us, the scenery around us looked completely untouched by man or beast. Wondering if this island was completely abandoned, I asked the two women to sniff out any potential monsters or people living in the vicinity.


    "Both of you have a better sense of smell than me, can you smell any threats around us?", I inquired, surveying the space around the island for Sky Pirates.


    Taking a few minutes to sniff the air carefully, Roxanne was the first to confirm the presence of monsters on the island. Pointing her nose toward the central woodland part of the island, she stated that there were monsters present but she did not know what they were.


    "Unfortunately, I only know what goblins and kobolds smell like so I cannot say what they are. What I am certain of is that there is a foul odor coming from the center of the island.", Roxanne stated, "Do you know what they are?"


    "That is the scent of Orcs, I know their scent very well from my early adventuring days.", Lucoa said, "They are much stronger than goblins and kobolds, if they get their hands on you, they crush you like a grape. Not only that, when they are in heat they are especially dangerous for female adventurers. If they see a woman nearby, they will not stop pursuing them till the Orcs are killed or they catch them."


    "What do they do to them?", Roxanne asked, completely unaware of what Orcs were known for.


    "While it may be a bit early for you to know this, Orcs are known for raping females of every race to sire children. There is no such thing as a female Orc so wild Orcs use other races to procreate.", Lucoa explained, "That said, that only applies to Orcs that live outside dungeons and labyrinths. Those created by dungeons and labyrinths do not violate women, they will kill us alongside the men."


    A large number of wild monsters in our world started as spawns in dungeons or labyrinths, though the public at large was unaware of this. Under normal circumstances, monsters in those places are unable to leave the floor on which they are spawned, but there is an event where that no longer happens¡­a Monster Stampede. During a Monster Stampede, dungeons and labyrinths no longer restrict monsters to their spawn floors and increase monster spawn rates by four times. With no restrictions on where they can go, hordes of monsters will come flooding out of their home. Once they are outside, any connection they have to their birthplace is severed giving them unbridled freedom and self-awareness.


    Fortunately, Monster Stampedes are something that humanity has been able to cull in the last few decades. After discovering that they are created by a surplus of magical energy inside the dungeon/labyrinth, the nations of the world and Adventurer Guilds routinely help chip away at any surplus by killing large quantities of monsters within all locations in their jurisdictions.


    "Hmm, are they valuable monsters?", Roxanne asked.


    "Oh heck yes!", Lucoa acknowledged, "Not only can you be paid well for eliminating them, just like Hobgoblins, several of their body parts are worth a lot of money as alchemical ingredients. Their balls in particular are a key ingredient in a male enhancement potion that many noblemen pay top dia for."


    "What does it-", Roxanne began to ask out of curiosity.


    "Something that only older men need to worry about, none of us need to worry about it.", I told her, looking at Lucoa with an exhausted look.


    Giving me an apologetic smile, she shrugged and motioned for us to proceed toward the forest. Since we were relying on their sense of smell for the moment, I had the two of them take the lead while I watched our backs. Following the river toward the center of the island, as we approached the Orc''s territory we were greeted by several human skulls hanging from trees. Below them on the forest floor, beneath some leaves were the rest of the corpses still wearing their armor.


    "Oh wow, that armor belongs to the Principality!", Lucoa remarked, as we cleared the leaves away, "We are pretty far from the border here, what are they doing here?"


    "We should report this to my father when we get back.", I said, stowing the armor and equipment in my Item Box.


    Glancing over my shoulder at Roxanne, her gaze was frozen on the human skulls hanging from the trees. Having never fought a monster she felt could kill her before, facing the reality that death was a possibility here, she began to have second thoughts about proceeding forward. Seeing her expression as well, Lucoa spoke up for her as Roxanne was too fixated on what she was looking at.


    "You know, if you do not feel confident about this we can turn back and leave.", Lucoa said, "What do you think, Leon?"


    "We are going to have to face our fears someday, all Adventurers have to. It is completely normal to be afraid of death, what is important is that you do not let it hold you back. That is what sets the good adventurers apart from the legendary ones.", I chuckled, placing my hand on Roxanne''s shoulder, "I am confident that with the right plan, we will easily kill these Orcs without so much as a scratch to us. Do you trust me?"


    "Of course!", Roxanne stated, without hesitation, "I trust you completely!"


    Taking the lead from the two women, I guided us into the river and continued pressing forward into the forest. Using the river as a safety precaution, as I read Orcs were smart enough to use traps, I knew that we would be safe from most traps they could have set up. A few hundred feet from where we found the skeletal remains, a worn walking path appeared with fresh footprints. Confirming that they were Orc prints, we exited the stream and silently followed the path with our weapons at the ready.


    Walking half a mile along the trail, I was beginning to think this was a trap when I heard some grunting noise just a few yards away. Crouching down immediately, I poked my head out from behind several tall bushes and discovered the Orc''s encampment. Counting six Orcs huddled around a campfire, they appeared to be cooking some fish they caught down at the river. Using the spell Farsight to confirm the number of bedding mats they had, I verified there were no others we needed to worry about.


    "I count six bedding mats and all of the Orcs are here.", I whispered, barely loud enough for them to hear, "A frontal assault is not a good option here, they are far stronger than Roxanne and me. We need to throw them off balance to make things easier for us to kill them."


    "What do you have in mind?", Lucoa replied, poking her head around the bushes to see for herself.


    "I plan on creating a Fire Drake with my Illusion Magic. When they see it fly overhead, the group will run away as six of them stand no chance of killing it. While they are running away, Roxanne and you will pick as many of them off as you can. Since you only have a sword, use this bow to kill them.", I said, pulling a bow and some arrows out of my Item Box, "I know it is not a proper bow, but it is the best I could do with some rope and a supple willow branch."


    Pulling on the string a few times, Lucoa looked impressed with what I managed to make with scraps from around my home. Assuring me that it would be a piece of cake, she glanced over at Roxanne who was picking up some stones off the ground.


    "What are you doing?", Lucoa questioned.


    "Getting ammo for my sling.", Roxanne answered, finding several suitable stones, "Where should we aim for, Leon?"


    "If they show you their back, aim for the base of their head.", I said, pointing to the spot on me, "In the event they are facing you, aim for their knees and ankles. Slowing them down or disabling them is most effective in that case. I can pick them off easily afterward."


    "Hold on, what is a sling?", Lucoa asked, still confused about how it could kill anything.


    "Lucoa, focus!", I scolded her, "Did you hear where you need to shoot?"


    "Yeah¡­", she acknowledged, "You sure that thing will work though?"


    Having never seen a weapon like that before, Lucoa was unconvinced it could do any real damage. Looking at us with concern, she was about to say something when Roxanne cut her off.


    "If Leon says it will work, I trust him!", she assured her.


    Deciding to trust me, Lucoa reluctantly shut her mouth and waited for further instructions. Pointing toward other dense bushes a few yards away, I motioned for them to move over there. Nodding their heads, the two silently made their way there while I kept an eye on the Orcs. Once they were in position, I made my way to the opposite side of the camp and began forming an image of a Fire Drake in my mind. Casting the Illusion Spell into the sky, a forty-foot Fire Dragon immediately appeared overhead.


    Blanketing the area in a dark shadow as it flew overhead, the Fire Drake let out an earthshaking roar that sent the Orcs into high alert. Looking up into the sky to see what was happening, they barely managed to make out the drake through the dense foliage. Roaring a second time, the Orcs immediately dropped everything they were doing and fled the scene. Using the small amount of intelligence they had, the Orcs understood that being in a dense forest with a fire-breathing lizard overhead was a bad idea. Making their way toward the river, it was clear they understood that the flowing water would give them some semblance of protection from the potential fire.


    Running past Lucoa and Roxanne, the two of them shot up from their hiding spots and began attacking the Orcs from the rear. Taking two of them out in short order, the rest of their group did not even realize they had been taken out. Firing another volley at them, this time only Roxanne managed to take her target down as Lucoa''s arrow came up short.


    "Sorry guys, I goofed up!", Lucoa apologized.


    "It is okay, I will bring them back toward us with my Illusion.", I said, guiding the drake toward the river.


    Before the drake could reach them though, we heard horrific screams come their direction then utter silence. Unsure what had happened, I kept the drake circling overhead in case we ran into something even worse than the Orcs. Cautiously following the trail they left behind, we stumbled across a massive hole in the ground that had not been there when we passed by a short time ago. Peering into the hole, we found the three Orcs full of wooden spikes at the bottom of the pit.


    "Jeez, what a way to go¡­", Lucoa gulped.


    Since they were within range of my Item Box pickup, I pulled their three corpses into my Item Box for processing at a later date. Retracing our steps back to their camp, having determined there were traps around here, I collected the other three Orcs before proceeding to loot their camp.


    "I have to say, Roxanne, that sling is an amazing weapon. It looks so harmless but it packs quite a deadly punch!", Lucoa commented, as she sifted through their bedding.


    "Hehe, is it not amazing?", Roxanne boasted, "Leon made it for me when we first met. As long as my aim is good, it has never failed to take out an enemy yet!"


    "Is that so?", Lucoa said, with a smile, "I will have to tell the Guildmaster about it. A simple weapon like that could save a lot of lives in a pinch."


    Sifting through the Orc''s poorly made war chest, I was disappointed to see that most of what they had were destroyed rifles and guns they had probably taken from the soldiers. Stowing them away, as I could use them for scrap metal or parts, I asked if they had found anything of value.


    "Nah, just some stone tools and a broken watch.", Lucoa replied.


    "I only found this metal cylinder thingy.", Roxanne stated, holding it up for us to see.


    Looking back to see what she found, my heart began to pound as I stared at my first piece of sci-fi tech. Running over to her, I asked her if I could have it which she immediately agreed to.


    "Is it something special?", she asked, as she handed it to me.


    "Yes, it is.", I acknowledged, turning the lightsaber on.


    Watching a blue beam of plasma extend roughly three feet out from the hilt, the two women shrieked as they stumbled away from me. Before I could assure them everything was fine, a sudden burst of energy came flooding into my mind. Dropping to my knees as my brain struggled to stay conscious, I felt something in the back of my mind open up. Disappearing as suddenly as it had appeared, the world around me began to feel slightly different than it had before.


    "Leon, are you okay?!", Roxanne shouted.


    "Yeah¡­I am fine¡­", I replied, looking at the lightsaber, ''What was that? Did I somehow awaken my connection to the Force?''


    Vaguely sensing a large lifeform about a mile away from us. I turned off the lightsaber and asked the two women to follow me. Telling them that we had hit the jackpot, I believed I had accidentally located a Dungeon.

 Chapter 10

    Using the Force to guide us toward the large, life signature I was seeing, we stopped a few yards away from an ominous-looking cave. Throwing a few rocks into the entryway, the stones vanished from sight like they had entered a different space. Confirming that I had led us to a dungeon, I was ecstatic that we now had a solid way to earn money.


    "Son of a bitch, not only did you discover an uncharted island, but you also found an undocumented dungeon!", Lucoa congratulated us, "Now, do you think you could find us a treasure horde too? We can all retire in comfort if you find that!"


    "Haha, I wish it was that easy.", I chuckled, observing the rock face the cave was in, "My dungeon knowledge is a bit limited, is there a way to tell what rank it is on the outside?"


    "Unfortunately, no.", Lucoa apologized, "The only way to tell their rank is to head inside and poke around a bit. That said, given that there were only a few Orcs here and this place is completely uninhabited, it is probably only a Rank 1."


    In this world, dungeons were based on a ranking system of 1 to 5. Going in order from weakest to deadliest:


    Rank 1


    Twenty Floors


    One Boss on the Twentieth Floor


    Rank 2


    Forty Floors


    One Boss on the Fortieth Floor


    Rank 3


    Sixty Floors S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One Boss on the Sixtieth Floor


    Rank 4


    Eighty Floors


    Two Bosses, one on the Fortieth Floor and the other on the Eightieth Floor


    Rank 5


    One Hundred Floors


    Two Bosses, one on the Fiftieth Floor and the other on the Hundredth Floor


    In the Holfort Kingdom, Ranks 1 through 3 were open to adventurers and the public. While they were publicly accessible, the Kingdom allowed the nobles whose territory the dungeon(s) sat in to charge a small fee to enter the space. These fees generally went to maintaining public order around the immediate vicinity, but the money went toward funding the military in more prominent areas of the country.


    Rank 4 and 5 dungeons were exclusively operated and monitored by the Adventurer''s Guild. Due to the dangers they posed to the public, the Guild strictly regulated who entered these spaces and usually had trespassers arrested and thrown in jail. The current regulations were that only C-Rank and above adventurers could enter Rank 4 and only S-Rank could enter Rank 5. There were exceptions to this rule but the Guild rarely broke from their standard guidelines. In the time since the Guild was founded, they had only granted three exceptions and all three groups were never seen again.


    "My aunt and uncle told me that dungeons are ranked by the number of floors they have. Are there any other differences?", Roxanne inquired.


    "Ranks 1 to 3 are just floor count differences; Rank 4 spawns double the number of monsters; and Rank 5 spawns only high-ranking monsters like Kobold Lords, Goblin Knights, and Orc Kings. In addition, rumor has it that Rank 4 and 5 potentially have an Extra Boss on the bottom floor but we have not been able to confirm that.", Lucoa told her.


    Since our nation''s founding, only one Rank 5 and a handful of Rank 4 had been cleared. Most of this was completed by a single group, the First King''s Adventuring Party. After founding our nation, he led the charge to rid our country of dungeons. Following his example, dozens of parties joined his cause hoping to create a monster-free nation. Unfortunately, when the First King and his party went missing in the Rank 5 Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon, the urge to continue diving into higher-ranked dungeons was snuffed out. Since then, no one had cleared a Rank 4 or 5 dungeon.


    ''Roxanne and I will change that thought.'', I thought, with an excited grin, ''We will carve our names into the history books before setting off into the stars together!''


    As I was about to suggest we head into the dungeon, Roxanne''s stomach growled loudly in protest. Covering her stomach with a bright red face, I chuckled and suggested we have lunch before heading inside.


    "No use fighting on an empty stomach.", I remarked, pulling some sandwiches and tea out of my Item Box.


    "That is a good idea, Safe Zones are few and far between in dungeons.", Lucoa agreed, plopping down to eat.


    Passing out a few sandwiches to each of us, we slowly ate our meal and took a break.


    ¡ªThirty Minutes Later¡ª


    Cautiously entering the dungeon, I immediately used the spell Find Trap to locate any potential hidden dangers. Confirming that the area was safe, I stuck my hand back outside and waved the women in.


    "Oh wow, this is so cool!!", Roxanne proclaimed, staring at the orbs of light floating in the dirt corridor, "Where do those things come from?"


    "Dungeons create them to illuminate all the corridors and caverns. Even though this place is trying to kill us, it does try to make things a bit easier on us. You will find that all dungeons are illuminated in some fashion, some will be brighter while others are a bit darker.", Lucoa informed her.


    "I see, so we do not need to bring lanterns or a light source in here.", Roxanne said, nodding her head, "Alright, let us get going!!"


    Grabbing her by the collar, I yanked her back and looked her in the eyes.


    "Roxanne, before charging into battle here, confirm that I have checked for potential hidden traps. If you are not careful, you could end up skewered, flattened, poisoned, or experience many other ways of dying.", I warned her.


    "Oops, sorry!", Roxanne giggled, with an apologetic smile.


    "As long as you are aware of that, it is fine.", I chuckled, letting go of her collar, "This corridor is clear, we are good to proceed."


    Tearing off down the hallway, Roxanne began looking for any signs of a hidden room or secret pathways. Eager to find bonus chests or a quicker route to the next floor, I found her excitement and eagerness cute. Catching up to her after a few minutes, the three of us pressed forward till we reached our first intersection. Poking my head around both corners, I was unable to see any monsters but it did not mean they were not there.


    "If you could, please put that wonderful nose of yours to work.", I asked Roxanne, with a smile.


    "You got it!", Roxanne replied, immediately sniffing the air voraciously, "There are two slimes and three goblins to the left, and six kobolds to the right."


    "I can understand identifying the monsters by scent, but how can you be certain of the amount?", Lucoa inquired, having never heard of someone being able to do that.


    "Oh, that is easy! All you have to do is go by the amount of scent in the air.", Roxanne said, as if it was common knowledge, "Depending on the volume of monster scent I can smell in the air, I can tell how many there are in any direction. That said, it is a lot easier to do in here than out in the wild."


    Taken aback by this revelation, Lucoa understood the principle behind her method but could not believe it was possible. Deciding to put her to the test, Lucoa gave us her opinion on what we should do from here.


    "We should go right, goblins and slimes do not drop anything of value in dungeons. Kobolds usually drop Kobold Pocket Knives, but on rare occasions drop a gemstone called a Kobold Crystal. If you are lucky enough to get one, they start at one hundred thousand dia and go up from there depending on their size.", Lucoa told us, "That said, the drop rate on those is like one in two million."


    Taking Lucoa''s advice, our party went right and continued down the hall till six Kobold came into view. Praising Roxanne for her ability, Lucoa assured her that she would become a top-ranked adventurer in no time once we registered.


    "With those sharp senses, any adventuring party would be thrilled to have you.", Lucoa remarked.


    "Leon and I are already a team!", Roxanne insisted, "So, Leon, how should we attack them?"


    "I am dying to try my new weapon out so let me handle this.", I said, removing the lightsaber from my belt, ''Time to kill some monsters with my new tech!''


    Flicking the power switch on, I gave the weapon a moment to power on but it never did. Holding it to listen for any signs of life, my frustration immediately began mounting as I heard nothing happening inside. Flicking the power switch off, I smacked it against the wall a few times then tried again.


    "Hehe, it is okay Leon. It is normal to have issues getting it up sometimes.", Lucoa giggled, with a teasing smile.


    "...shut up¡­", I sighed, ''Jeez Lucoa, I am not that old and I do not have ED!''


    Deciding to repair the lightsaber this evening, I flipped the unit off and reattached it to my belt. Drawing my Steel Sword from its scabbard, the three of us quietly approached the kobolds and surrounded them. Once we were in place, all of us attacked in unison and promptly dispatched all of them. Watching their corpses turn into particles, six Kobold Pocket Knives appeared where they had been lying.


    "So this is a Kobold Pocket Knife, interesting.", I commented, picking one up, "They are pretty small to be useful in combat. I assume blacksmiths and armorers melt them down to make other equipment?"


    "That is correct, the steel is of a higher quality than most of what you see in the market. It is lighter, stronger, and more durable than normal steel produced by normal tradesmen.", Lucoa explained, as I stowed the blades away, "In this specific case, you may find craftsmen that will pay you a few more than the Guild would."


    "What is the going rate?", I inquired.


    "Fifty dia a knife.", Lucoa answered.


    Surprised by how much these small switchblades could fetch, I looked at Roxanne with a smile. Already knowing what I was thinking, she began sniffing the air to locate more of them for us to hunt.


    ¡ªEvening¡ª


    Leaving the dungeon, after reaching the 7th floor, when we poked our heads outside to find the sun had almost completely set. As we were starving and in dire need of a bath, we promptly returned to our ship while collecting wild edibles along our way. Illuminating our path with Magelight, the two women were relieved that they could see properly. Unlike me, Lucoa and Roxanne had issues with walking around in the dark. From what I could tell, they did not have a high Rod count as humans and cats do.


    (Note: I am referring to the photoreceptors in the human eye that allow nocturnal animals and us to see at night.)


    "So what are we eating tonight?", Lucoa asked, as the ship came into view.


    "I was thinking of making a stew with the mushrooms we collected and the dried meat we have. Before we go dungeon crawling tomorrow, we will need to catch some fish or hunt some wild animals to resupply.", I remarked.


    "Fair enough, while you cook the food we will take a bath!", Lucoa said, patting Roxanne on the head.


    Looking at her with a concerned look, I inquired why it had to be me doing the cooking.


    "Why am I the designated chef?", I questioned, "I am sure you are just as skilled as me."


    "I wish I was, the best I can do is make sandwiches.", she laughed dryly, "In my former party, we hired a novice chef to cook for us. Even though they were a non-combatant, they were worth the added cost to our party. Having only dried meat and stale bread to eat sucks¡­"


    "Do you two have towels and soap?", I asked, reaching into my Item Box.


    Confused by what I was asking, they intended to just rinse off in the river. Shaking my head in disappointment, I handed them homemade soap and washcloths to use. Sniffling them curiously, the scent the soap gave off intrigued them.


    "It is a new product I am planning on selling to earn additional money.", I told them, "I will have different scents when it hits the market, but for the moment I only have lavender-scented soap."


    "That is fine¡­it just seems like a waste for us to use it.", Lucoa stated, "It feels and smells like a luxury item."


    "Haha, this is just the mass-producible version. When it goes public, I will make unique scents exclusively for the nobility.", I chuckled, ''Believe me, I have thought far ahead on this one. Constructing starships and a starbase is not going to be cheap, sourcing materials is going to cost a fortune. Since I do not care for the nobility, I will milk their coffers dry with all the luxury goods they could ever want!''


    Graciously accepting the soap and washcloths, I left bath towels for them by the river before gathering wood to start a fire.

 Chapter 11

    ¡ªSeveral Days Later¡ª


    After several days of hunting, dungeon crawling, and tinkering with the lightsaber, we reached the Boss Room on the afternoon of our last day here. Doing one final check of our equipment before heading in, I informed the two that we were on a tight schedule today. Wanting to avoid causing my father any more trouble than I already had, we needed to be back before those three idiots left.


    "My stepbitch and her hellspawn are leaving this evening so we need to be back before they go. If I am not there, I will not hear the end of it for several weeks.", I sighed, adjusting my leather armor, ''Not only that, I do not want to screw up being able to do adventures like this for the foreseeable future.''


    "It must be tough having those three be related to you.", Lucoa remarked, with a sympathetic smile.


    "It is what it is.", I said with a shrug, "I only have to tolerate her for another twelve years. Once I leave the house, Roxanne and I can put this country behind and find a new home. If we find somewhere nice, we can move her family there to be closer to us."


    "We would need to find somewhere where my aunty and uncle can find good work. It would also need to be cheaper so they can afford a bigger home for my cousins and themselves.", Roxanne stated, rattling off several more things their new homeland would need to have.


    Helping the two of them adjust their armor, we approached the massive, stone boss room door once we were ready. Pushing it open together, orbs immediately flickered on inside, illuminating the enormous space for us to see. Glancing around the room to see what sort of boss monster we would be facing, Roxanne was startled to see that there was nothing inside the room.


    "Did we break something? Where is the boss monster?!", Roxanne gasped, a bit disappointed.


    "Dungeon Bosses only spawn once everyone is in the room and the doors are shut behind them.", Lucoa explained to her, "It is a measure to prevent adventurers from using the dungeon''s system against the boss. If the doors could remain open, people would simply jump back out if they were overwhelmed or even attack through the barrier that keeps the boss monster in the Boss Room."


    ''Anti-cheat at its finest.'', I thought, while we walked into the room, "Just out of curiosity, does the Dungeon Boss drop any unique items the very first time it is spawned? Presumably, we are the first people to have spawned it."


    "You know, I am not sure.", Lucoa replied, as the door shut behind us, "I do not think anyone has thought to record that information before, but it is possible."


    Excited to see if I would get a second piece of tech on this trip, I pulled my lightsaber off my belt and turned it on. Instantly powering up this time, I gleefully stood there watching a massive magic circle appear in the center of the room. Rising out of the floor, a massive, purple slime with a crown on its head appeared with a contingent of smaller silver slimes around it.


    "What are those!?", Roxanne gasped.


    "I¡­I do not know. I have never seen either of them in any of the monster encyclopedias I have read.", Lucoa panicked.


    "Those are Metal Slimes and an Acid King Slime.", I informed them, using the spell Identify on the two groups, "Be careful, metal slimes have a lot of weight behind them. Taking a hit from one could break bones or crush you."


    Just as I said that all the Metal Slimes turned into spheres and began charging at us. Gaining speed as they closed the gap between us, all of us rolled out of the way just before they reached us. Slamming into the door behind us, they shrugged the impact off and immediately rolled toward us again. Deciding to keep moving, instead of just continuing to dodge, I called out to Lucoa and Roxanne with a plan.


    "Metal Slimes are weak against Acid and Fire magics.", I shouted, keeping an eye on the larger, purple slime, "Lucoa if we kite them toward you, can you melt them?"


    "I wish I could, using my Fire Breath leaves me immobilized for thirty seconds after using it.", Lucoa answered, "It takes a lot out of me, I am sorry!"


    "That is fine, I can use my lightsaber instead.", I remarked, "It does not appear the big one will make a move till we finish off the Metal Slimes. Once I finish them off, get ready to keep moving."


    Nodding their heads, the women ran around the room on an intercept course with me. Motioning for them to jump, once they were close, Roxanne ran along the wall while Lucoa jumped over me. Dropping down to my knees, I spun around and bisected the ones chasing them with my lightsaber. Jumping back up before crashing into their corpses, I used one as a springboard and did a backflip over the ones chasing me.


    "Fireball!", I shouted, casting the Fire Spell on them.


    Melting the remaining survivors in an instant, all of them melted into the floor and disappeared. As soon as they were gone, the core of the Acid King Slime began frantically moving around within its body. Locking on to me a few moments later, several acid spikes shot out from its body toward me. Attempting to use the lightsaber to cut one of the spikes, instead of erasing it, my sword turned it into a cloud of superheated acid vapor. Pushing myself away from it with Wind Magic, I blinked several times and acknowledged I almost died. Had I breathed in any amount of the vapor, it would have liquefied my lungs and internal organs.


    ''Shit that was way too close. Actual Magic makes this a bit less useful than in the movies!'', I thought, quickly recovering from that near-death encounter.


    Quickly catching up to the women, the slime continued to pursue us with a barrage of acid spikes. As we waited for an opening to appear, the monster became increasingly agitated by its constant misses so it switched tactics on us. Stopping its assault, the mammoth-sized creature leaped into the air and came down with an earthshaking slam that shook the entire dungeon. Caught off guard by the shaking, Roxanne almost fell to the ground but I managed to keep her on her feet.


    "I do not think I need to say this, but if it lands on us we are dead.", Lucoa laughed, enjoying this fight.


    "Leon, do you have any suggestions?", Roxanne inquired, watching the monster do the same stunt a second time.


    "I¡­I might have a plan, but it is a bit risky.", I said, looking at my lightsaber, "If I use Telekinesis to fling my weapon into its body, I can guide it into its core remotely. The problem is, I do not want to lose this weapon but I do not have a choice here." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What do you need us to do?", Lucoa asked.


    "It can freely move its core around anywhere in its body. Since we have only one shot, it needs to be distracted so it does not dodge my weapon.", I stated, "Also, once my weapon enters its body, quickly cover your mouth and nose. The vapor it will create could melt your organs if you breathe it in. We will still get burns on the rest of our bodies, but the potions we found here in the dungeon should patch us up."


    Seeing no alternative options here, Roxanne and Lucoa ran ahead of me to draw its attention. Suppressing my mana to the limit, since slimes worked off of Mana Sight, I instantly disappeared from its view. Believing I had died, it completely disregarded me and turned its attention toward the women.


    "We have not known each other long, but it has been fun!", I cried, throwing the lightsaber like a spear.


    Using what little control of the Force I had, I stabilized its flight path and guided it into the slime''s body. Vaporizing everything in its path, by the time the slime realized what was happening, my weapon pierced through its core. Immediately covering our faces, the slime violently exploded sending its purple goop all over the place.


    Feeling it splash onto my body, I braced myself for immeasurable pain but nothing happened. Waiting a few moments to see if it was a weaker acid, and when nothing continued to happen I looked back to see what was wrong.


    "Leon, do not look over here!!", Lucoa screamed.


    "What do you mean!? Is something-", I began to say, till I saw something amazing.


    Standing on the opposite side of the room, Lucoa and Roxanne were standing there in tattered clothing. Watching their armor and clothing continue to melt away, I looked down at myself and noticed the same thing was happening to me. Using the Identify spell on the goop, everything became clear now. The Acid King Slime''s goop was only caustic to living creatures while it was alive. Once it is slain, it is only effective on non-magical items like most armor and weapons.


    ''So basically it is a big fuck you to all adventurers who fight it. Unless you have magical equipment or have a mage casting a barrier over the party, all your shit gets destroyed afterward¡­stupid fucking dungeon!'', I thought, as the goop began seeping into the floor.


    Leaving us almost completely naked, I handed the women spare clothing they had in my Item Box then all of us got dressed again. Once we were situated, I reclaimed my still functioning lightsaber and headed toward the large chest that had spawned in the center of the room. Opening the chest without wasting any time, we were greeted with a small pile of gold and a familiar armor suit.


    "It is a T-45 Power Armor Suit!!", I shouted, hoisting the heavy armor suit out of the chest, ''It is not ideally what I wanted, but I will take it for now!!''


    "What is a Power Armor Suit?", Roxanne inquired, "It looks like a knight''s armor suit."


    "It is a Lost Item!!", I told her, quickly looking it over, "Well, it is missing the power source, its weapon systems, and it may have some circuit board damage, but it is still fixable I think. This is a new project for me to work on!"


    Stowing our loot away in my Item Box, the chest disappeared and we were abruptly teleported outside the dungeon. Looking up at the sky to estimate the time, I quickly realized that we only had thirty minutes to get back. Scrambling for the boat, Roxanne asked if the dungeon was going to disappear now that we cleared it.


    "Only Rank 4 and 5 dungeons disappear when they are cleared. Rank 1 through 3 stay intact though you have to wait twenty-four hours before entering them again. It will not let you in if you attempt to enter before then.", Lucoa told her.


    "I hate to be that guy, but please focus on running and not talking.", I pleaded, "I would like to continue exploring my father''s airspace after today!"


    Understanding what I stood to lose here, the two of them remained silent till we got back to the boat. Turning the engines on, I got us unmoored and headed back home in less than a minute.


    ¡ªBartfort Main Island¡ª


    Arriving just as my stepmother and step-siblings arrived in port, I cursed our luck and told Lucoa to stay below deck. Doing as I requested, Lucoa hunkered down while I ran over toward them. Stopping roughly ten feet from them, I bowed my head respectfully and wished them a safe trip.


    "My apologies for being late. Please have a safe journey back to the capital.", I said, in the politest tone I could muster, ''I hope you all end up eaten by monsters or taken hostage by pirates!''


    Catching up to me, Roxanne immediately bowed her head as well but remained silent. Looking over at us for a moment, Zola and Merce could have cared less about anything I said. Stopping where he was, Rutart''s eyes locked on Roxanne like a bloodhound to its prey. Sensing his gaze, Roxanne froze up, unable to lift her head or move her body.


    "Leon, who is that with you?", he inquired.


    "This is my friend Roxanne.", I answered, glancing up at him, "Why do you-"


    Noticing a twinkle in his eye, the same Zola had for her servant, I immediately moved between Roxanne and Rutart. Knowing his horny ass would be all over Roxanne, if I did not stop him, repairing the Power Armor now became my top priority. The next time we crossed blades, I would crush him like the insect he was.


    "Come on Rutart, stop wasting time!", Zola scolded him, pointing to the floating platform they were on.


    "Coming mother.", Rutart replied, quickly catching up to his sister and mother.


    Following him with my eyes, I watched him whisper something to his mother before boarding the ship. Unable to hear what he said over the noise of the harbor, a knot began to form in my stomach.


    "We should get moving.", I told Roxanne, snapping her out of her paralysis, "Forget about that idiot, we made a lot of money and need to sort everything out."


    "Right¡­", Roxanne said, with a shiver.


    Heading back to our ship, I waited for Zola''s ship to leave the harbor before telling Lucoa to come topside. Asking her if we could sell our goods to her now, she agreed to our request and asked us to follow her to the Guild Hall to complete the transaction.

 Chapter 12

    ¡ªFive Years Later¡ª


    "Father, you asked to see me?", I inquired, stepping into his office wearing my mechanic''s outfit.


    "I am sorry to pull you away from your workshop, but a message came today for you.", he said, offering me a sealed envelope.


    Realizing that the Royal Seal was embossed on the letter, I looked up at him with concern. Having spent the last few years exploring the southern half of our kingdom with Roxanne, repairing Lost Items we found, and perfecting products I wanted to sell, I was worried my peaceful life was ending. Wanting to burn the letter and feint ignorance of its existence, my father thought ahead and warned me not to do anything rash.


    "Do not think of destroying that letter, Leon, the messenger and several knights are waiting to take you to the capital.", Balcus explained, producing two additional letters, "Both the Adventurer and Merchant Guilds, as well as the Crown, want you to make an appearance in the capital. They have patiently waited until you turned twelve to call upon you, now that your twelfth birthday has passed, they have set their plans in motion. Please do not shame our household, I will not be able to shield you from Zola''s wrath in the capital."


    Glancing over my shoulder to ensure the door was closed, I let out a frustrated sigh.


    "I think you mean she is not safe from my wrath.", I corrected him, as I opened the letter and began reading, "Do I really need to go?"


    "I am sorry son, it is out of my hands now.", Balcus apologized, "You are not being asked to move to the capital. Roxanne and the Guild Receptionist will be waiting here for you to return."


    Skimming through the contents of the letter, I understood that this was more or less a formal meet and greet. Wanting to put a face to the Holfort Prodigy title, the Crown and Ministers were eager to provide options for my future. As I reached the bottom of the letter, their expected timeframe for the visit came as a shock to me.


    "Dad, they want me to stay there for two weeks!?", I protested, "Assuming the Guilds want the same, I will be away for a month and a half! Roxanne and her family rely on our adventuring to put food on their tables. If I am gone that long, they will starve, or¡­one of them will be sold off as a slave. I refuse to abandon my friend when she needs me more than this country does!"


    "You have some savings set aside for your future, right? Give that to Roxanne and her family to tide them over till you return.", Balcus suggested, "While you are in the capital, pitch those products you have been having us test for you to the Merchant Guild. The alcohol, makeup, soap, and other products will certainly be a big hit with them. You can easily quadruple your money by selling what you have stockpiled."


    Understanding where he was coming from, I acknowledged that he had a fair point. Bringing the items to market now would give us an immediate surge of cash to our adventurer''s fund, but something still did not sit right with me. Recalling the filthy expressions Rutart had been giving Roxanne these past few visits, I felt like he might take advantage of my absence and do something to her.


    "Father, Zola and my elder siblings are not scheduled to visit while I am gone right? After Rutart''s last visit, I am concerned about Roxanne''s safety.", I stated, more than willing to erase him from the family registry for good.


    "They are not scheduled to return for another four months. Rutart is about to enter the Academy so he cannot leave the capital right now.", Balcus informed me, "Nothing will happen to her while you are away, you have my word."


    Staring at him intently, I did not feel like he genuinely understood what was happening in his territory right now. Zola had sharply increased her tribute demands after I beat Rutart five years ago. Figuring Rutart had told his mother about Roxanne, this was her way of helping her son get one over on me. Imagining what that bastard would do to her, my blood began to boil with anger.


    ''Damn this fucking nobility bullshit. If I could I would take Roxanne with me, but this involves the Crown so that is not an option.'', I thought, reluctantly deciding to go, "Very well, I will go tell Lucoa and Roxanne of my departure. Make sure you honor your word, Father. She is an irreplaceable person in my life. If we were not nobility, I would have asked you to arrange a marriage between us."


    Cracking a smile, my father understood now why I was overprotective of her. Having spent six years with Roxanne now, the two of us had grown very close with one another. After all the dangers we had faced, the times we shared a bed, and the nights we spent out under the stars¡­I could honestly say I had never loved another woman as I had her. I looked forward to the day we would venture off of this world and traverse the stars as a couple.


    "I promise Leon, nothing will happen to her.", Balcus promised, with a warm smile, "I am happy you have already found that special person in your life. It took me far too long to find your mother¡­" S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As that was all he had to say, I took the three letters with me and headed out to find Lucoa and Roxanne.


    ¡ª3rd Person POV, Holfort Capital¡ª


    "Mother!! Mother!! It is time!!", Rutart shouted, bursting into Zola''s study without warning, "Leon is coming to the capital!!"


    "What are you talking about?", Zola remarked, before noticing one of her informant''s letters in his hand, "Rutart, how many times must I tell you to stay out of my mail!"


    Rising from her seat, Zola stormed over to her son and snatched the letter from him. Taking a moment to read the update one of the castle maids sent her, a smile crept onto her face. Having waited patiently for this day, it was time to exact revenge on Leon for beating Rutart and disrespecting her.


    "I cannot wait to break her, and shatter Leon''s heart!!", Rutart cackled, licking his lips as he imagined all the things he would do with Roxanne, ''It is even better that she has started to become curvier as of late. Even though she is a commoner, Leon does have good taste in women.''


    "Calm yourself, Rutart, there is still some work that needs to be done before you can claim her. We cannot directly snatch her from her home, I will need to put one last squeeze on Balcus to force those insects to sell one or two of their children. An acquaintance of mine will be there waiting to purchase all of them from their parents.", Zola explained, "After they are brought back to the capital, they will all be put up for auction and we can purchase the girl there."


    "Can I come and watch?", Rutart requested, with a twisted smile.


    "No, you are a student of the Academy now. It is a requirement that you attend the school, if you skip classes, you will become a social outcast and likely lose your birthright.", Zola scolded him, "Just leave this to me, you can attend the auction to purchase her."


    "Fine¡­", Rutart reluctantly agreed.


    Not wanting to be on his mother''s bad side, Rutart decided to leave things to his mother. With his new toy secured, he retired to his room to continue working on his coursework. Once her son was gone, Zola returned to her desk and began drawing up a letter to her acquaintance at a local slave merchant''s store. Knowing that he would get the girl one way or another, Zola began quietly laughing to herself.


    ''I will make sure you suffer dearly for the disgrace you gave me, flea!'', Zola thought.


    ¡ªLeon POV¡ª


    Explaining everything to Lucoa and Roxanne, the two were understandably upset. Lucoa was upset that she would be all alone for a month and a half while Roxanne was worried about her family''s financial situation. Unable to earn money while I was gone, she was worried about what would become of her aunt, uncle, and cousins. Handing her the bag of money I had been keeping for our adventuring debut, Roxanne immediately pushed the money away.


    "I cannot take all our savings!", she insisted, "We were going to use it to help jumpstart our adventuring careers in the capital!"


    "It is only in case something happens while I am away.", I argued, pushing it back into her hands, "I do not want the most important person in my life to be worried about her family. Use it to keep your family afloat while I am away, I will not take no for an answer."


    ", I argued, pushing it back into her hands, "I do not want the most important person in my life to be worried about her family. Use it to keep your family afloat while I am away, I will not take no for an answer."


    "Oh my!!", Lucoa giggled, "Did you hear that Roxanne? You are the most important person in his life!"


    "Am I really that important to you?!", she questioned, as her face turned a bit red.


    "Yes, you are! Having spent nearly every day of the past six years with you, there is no one else I would rather spend my life with.", I told her, pulling out a project I had been working on from my Item Box.


    Presenting her with a handmade iron necklace and locket, Roxanne stared at it in shock. Placing it around her neck, I motioned for her to take a closer look at the locket. Doing as I requested, she immediately noticed our first and last initials carved into the locket.


    "I know it is not much, but the chain and locket are made from the rusty tools we collected on our first adventure together.", I said, scratching the back of my head, "Consider this my way of claiming you as both my party member and future bride. Once I lose my family title at eighteen, I want you to be my bride."


    "Hehe, such a bold declaration from someone barely twelve years old.", Lucoa laughed, "It is good to see that you are being honest about your feelings now. So where is my locket? Are you going to make this poor Guild Receptionist beg for it?"


    "Huh?", I asked, with a confused look, "What are you talking about? I only made one for Roxanne."


    "You have seen me almost completely naked, shared a bed with me, and buried your face in my chest on more than a few occasions. As a man, you should take responsibility for your actions.", Lucoa huffed, poorly stifling a smile.


    "As you said, I am twelve years old so I am not a man yet. Your argument is moot.", I said, cracking a smile, "That said, I would not mind taking a beauty like you as my second wife. The three of us make an excellent team so I would be happy to have you."


    "Jeez, I am playing second fiddle to your childhood friend¡­oh well. I do not mind it, she did meet you first.", Lucoa admitted, "Just make sure you get us a bigger bed. That small one on your boat now is not going to cut it when both of you are fully grown. We will need plenty of room for adult activities."


    Nodding my head in agreement, I swore to renovate the boat to get a bigger bed. Even though I would not mind being sandwiched between two beauties, it would be uncomfortable during hot summer nights. Figuring that HVAC would be a necessary addition as well, I added it to the long list of things I needed to do.


    "Well I need to get going, the knights and messenger are waiting for me on their ship.", I told them, "I will be back as quickly as I can."


    "I¡­I will have an answer for you when you return.", Roxanne said, still in shock from my proposal.


    "Alright, I look forward to hearing from you.", I stated, giving them both a hug before heading to the ship.


    Looking forward to my return already, I was eager to get this over with and go on another adventure with Lucoa and Roxanne.

 Chapter 13

    ¡ªSeveral Days Later¡ª


    "Good Morning, Queen Mylene.", I said, as the maids pushed me into the King''s Study.


    Having arrived yesterday morning, after several days of travel, I spent the entire day reviewing proper etiquette with the Head Butler and being vigorously scrubbed down by the maids in the bath. While they did not outright say anything, they greatly disdained me. Uncertain if the Cabinet Ministers instructed them to do so or if it was because of my rural background, either way, it was completely unacceptable.


    ''I hope the Queen is reasonable with me this morning. After being ripped from my bed at the asscrack of dawn, thrown into my business suit, and dragged here, my patience is frayed.'', I thought, ready to blow a gasket.


    "Good Morning, Leon Fou Bartfort. I see I am not the only one upset about our early morning meeting.", Mylene said, with bags under her eyes, "Let me start by saying that we did not ask for the meeting to be done so early, the Cabinet Ministers did. I¡­I mean we are equally as upset about this as you are."


    "I beg your pardon, but it is just the two of us here.", I remarked, seeing no one else here, "Does that mean King Roland will be joining us soon?"


    "He¡­he is unfortunately busy at the moment.", the Queen stated, clenching her fists.


    Noticing her facial expression begin to sour, I realized I had stepped on a landmine. Vaguely remembering that the King had a harem, it was clear where his priorities lay outside the public view. Feeling bad for her, as she was unwanted by him, I tempered my anger as she was undeserving of it.


    "My apologies, forgive my inconsiderate question.", I stated, bowing my head slightly, "If I may be so bold, did the Cabinet Ministers want the meeting this early to try and throw me off? I suspect they doubt my Father and the Guild''s reports and want to see my skills in person."


    "How keen of you to pick up on that.", Mylene said, nodding her head, "As you suspect, they want to test you before entrusting you with many of our Kingdom''s most treasured relics."


    ''If they wanted proof, I could have flown my boat here to show them¡­'', I thought, "Shall we proceed then? I assume this concerns the hanger beneath the capital where the Holfort Kingdom keeps its strongest weapon."


    "You¡­you know about that?!", she gasped, surprised that I knew about the secret hanger, "Yes¡­the Cabinet Ministers would like you to look at the Royal Airship as it is inoperable. Given your findings several years ago, we need the ship to be operational in case we go to war with the Principality."


    Nodding my head in acknowledgment, Mylene rose from her seat and motioned for me to follow her. Making our way to the palace dungeon, the Queen led me down a series of corridors till we came to a dead end. Pulling on the last torch on our left, a secret door opened revealing an elevator inside. Stepping onto the lift, the Queen hit a button and began to speak.


    "While I doubt you would say anything, everything you will see today is strictly confidential. Under no circumstances may you disclose anything you see or hear to anyone outside the Royal Family.", Mylene commanded me.


    "Understood.", I agreed, ''Not like anyone would believe me anyways.''


    Reaching the underground hanger several minutes later, the lift doors opened revealing a massive man-made cavern. Chiseled out of solid stone, Old Humans had created a gigantic airship port beneath where our modern capital sat. Easily capable of holding thirty or more ships, currently only two ships were docked here.


    "Wow, this place is enormous.", I remarked, taking a second to admire the place.


    "Indeed, it is a marvelous sight to behold.", Mylene agreed, motioning to the hundreds of staff members running all over the place, "As you can see, we are in the process of restoring this place to full operation. It fell into disrepair several generations ago, but with the recent threats, it felt prudent to bring this place back to functional use."


    Motioning for me to continue following her, Mylene led me along several catwalks that ultimately brought us to the Royal Airship. Noticing several older men in sixteenth-century garbs looking over the craft, I assumed they were the Cabinet Ministers. Stopping their examination as we drew near, they turned to the Queen and gave her a respectful bow.


    "Good Morning, Queen Mylene.", one of the Minister''s said, stepping forward to greet her.


    "Good Morning, Prime Minister Jacob.", Mylene replied, with a polite smile, "This is Leon Fou Bartfort, the young man called the Holfort Prodigy by the Academy and Guilds."


    "Ah¡­I see. It is a pleasure to me you¡­", Jacob said, giving me a disgusted glance for a fraction of a second.


    ''It is definitely the Cabinet Ministers, these motherfuckers!'', I thought, "Cut the crap, I am no fool you old fart. You are the ringleader behind the mistreatment I have endured since my arrival yesterday. Ordering the maids to scrub me raw last night, and telling them to deny my access to a bathroom this morning is unacceptable. All of you called me here for this meeting, if you want my help do not treat me like dirt!"


    Opening his mouth to chew me out, the Prime Minister quickly shut his mouth as Mylene began to speak. Looking at me first, she wanted to clarify what my accusations were.


    "Wait a moment, are you saying the castle maids have been mistreating you?", Mylene asked, looking at me with remorse.


    "Yes, that is correct. I was forced to sit through a several-hour lecture on etiquette by the Head Butler, the maids rubbed my skin raw last night cleaning me, they denied me access to a bathroom this morning, and refused to let me eat anything before meeting with you today.", I told her, "I understand their suspicions about me, but they have crossed a line. If this is how they want to treat the only person who can repair Lost Items, I will happily leave and go to the Adventurers Guild."


    Taking me at my word, Mylene turned toward the Cabinet Ministers to confirm if my accusations were true. Crumpling under pressure, a few men began sweating profusely all but confirming my statements.


    "Do you deny his claims?", Mylene pressed them, her icy gaze burrowing into their minds.


    "Your Grace, we did this to protect our Kingdom from yet another potential fraudster!!", one of them proclaimed, unable to withstand her pressure, "There have been dozens of individuals that have claimed they could repair Lost Items, and every time they were found to be frauds. After the last man stole a priceless artifact from the treasury several years ago, we chose to treat all claimants in the future like frauds."


    "So you do acknowledge that his accusations are accurate¡­", the Queen groaned, "While I understand wanting to protect our national treasures, what was your plan if Leon is indeed the real deal?"


    Looking at one another none of them had thought that far ahead. Turning back to me, the Queen gave me an apologetic smile.


    "Forgive my husband and I, we were unaware that they had ordered our staff to act out of line. I swear to you that moving forward they will not act impolitely to you.", Mylene swore, "If you can repair the ship, how can we make this up to you? I would hate for you to leave here on bad terms with us."


    "After I fix this ship, I would like assistance in opening my own Airship Workshop here in the capital. It is a tough market to break into, and the two existing workshops have a reputation for running competitors out of business. Having the Crown and the Cabinet Ministers backing my workshop would help prevent that from happening to me. Of course, I would be more than happy to work on any craft or Lost Item you bring to me.", I told her, ''It will be the perfect cover for repairing and building Starships!''


    "I understand, we would be more than happy to aid your endeavors. Please rest assured that everything will be taken care of by us, right gentlemen?", Mylene said, glancing over her shoulders with a deadly glare, ''If you say no, I will replace you with more competent ministers. Our enemies will pounce on him if we do not lock him down.''


    Sensing that their livelihoods were in danger, all of the ministers immediately agreed with Queen Mylene. Overexaggerating their agreement, to appease her, I wondered how scary she might be behind closed doors.


    "Moving on, what issues are you having with this craft?", I asked, making a mental checklist of potential glaring issues, "The Levitation Engines are working as the ship is still airborne. Is it an activation issue? If memory serves, two individuals with a high affection rating for one another are required to rouse the ship from its slumber. Is it not working properly?"


    Climbing onto the ship, I began checking the wiring on the platform the two individuals needed to stand on to receive their scores. While I was checking things out, the group was taken aback by my knowledge of the ship and how it turned on.


    "Activating the ship is not the problem, our issue is that the ship does not move. We have given it verbal commands and tried using manual controls inside, but nothing works.", she explained, pointing to the cockpit, "There are several flashing lights on the instrument panel in the front of the ship. We do not know what the lights mean as the language around them is unknown to us."


    Peering through the window, to see the lights she was referring to, I noticed that they were all system warning lights. Nodding my head, I pulled my T-45 Power Armor out and got suited up. Walking to the nearest entry door, I began fiddling with a cover panel that hid a keypad. Since I did not have override codes, prying off the keypad and hooking my onboard computer to the ship was my only option.


    "What is it that you are doing, Young Leon?", Prime Minister Jacob asked, having never seen anyone do what I was doing.


    "Since we do not have a couple here to rouse the ship, I have to manually override the ship''s systems to open the doors.", I told him, granting myself System Administrator access.


    Now that I had full access to the ship''s security system, I opened all the external doors with a press of a button. Loudly clapping their hands, the Cabinet Ministers realized I was the real deal. Putting everything back in its place, all of us boarded the ship so I could get a better view of the trouble lights. As soon as I stepped into the cockpit, the ship''s AI began conversing with me.


    <Greetings Captain, how may I assist you?>


    (AN: Just as a heads up, all of the machines in this world use the English language to communicate. English is a dead language now because only the Old Humans used it, and they left the planet after losing the war. When the MC speaks to the machines, only the machines will understand him, everyone else will hear a foreign language. This only applies to the humans in this first world. Everywhere else, English is the predominant language.)


    "Leon, what was that!?", Mylene shouted, with a terrified expression.


    "That was the ship, many Lost Items can communicate in a limited capacity.", I assured her, "Computer, run diagnostics on all systems please."


    <Understood, running full system diagnostics test now.>


    While the ship ran its checks, I climbed under the instrument panel and began checking for faulty connections. Doing a little cable management, to ensure no one''s foot got caught on the wire harnesses, everything else looked good as far as I could tell. As I was picking myself up off the floor, the computer came back with the results.


    "Computer, where are the control systems located?", I asked.


    <In the Engine Room>


    Thanking the computer for its assistance, all of us headed into the bowels of the ship to find the engine room. Asking me how I could speak and understand the ship, Mylene wanted to know who taught me the language.


    "The first five years of my life were spent cooped up in my family home. From the moment I could move freely, I spent every day gleaning all I could from the library in our home. Since the day I began reading, I have read and reread all the books in our library five times.", I told her, "From those books, I learned a lot about this world''s ancient past and picked up their language."


    "Truly a Prodigy!", a Minister praised me.


    Ignoring his comment, when we reached the door, I ordered the ship to open it for us.


    "Ship, please open the Engine Room doors.", I commanded.


    <Opening Doors>


    Watching the thick, steel doors immediately pop open with a hiss, I stepped inside hoping to find everything in order. Taking a quick look around the space, everything appeared to be in order and properly organized. Relieved that I would not be spending several days rewiring the ship, I began removing the specific module units from their docks to look for damage. Using an engineering diagram from a storage shelf in the room, slowly I began working my way through each leg of the three systems.


    "Ah, here is some minor damage.", I remarked, finding several blown capacitors on the board responsible for arming/disarming the weapon''s system, "Let me replace them."


    Using spare capacitors I had scavenged off of faulty items Roxanne and I found, I used the small torch in my Power Suit Gauntlet to replace the faulty parts. Slotting the board back into place, we heard several audible clicks as the ship ran another battery of tests.


    <Weapon''s System Online>


    "Alright, the weapons are operational again.", I told them, "On to the Propulsion and Stability systems."


    Finding several blown fuses on the Propulsion Regulator Control Board and heavy circuit damage on the Gyroscopic Stabilizer Control Board, I fixed all the damage I found and reinstalled the modules. Hearing another series of audible clicks, the power reactor began to hum as it came back online. Watching the lights kick to their brightest settings, it appeared that the ship was switching back to main power again.


    "Computer, are there any other system issues that need to be addressed?", I asked, wanting to ensure all the damage was fixed.


    <All Systems Normal>


    "The ship is ready to go.", I told them, with a smile.


    Looking at one another, the Cabinet Ministers could not believe what they were hearing.


    "It has only been an hour since you started working on the ship!!", Prime Minister Jacob said, looking at his crude watch, "You are saying this ship is fully operational now?!"


    "Yes, I am. To satisfy your doubts, let us take this ship out for a test flight to shake off the rust.", I suggested, looking at the Queen, "Is that alright, or should we wake the King?"


    "Oh no, I would HATE to wake him from his peaceful slumber. Please proceed with the test flight without him.", Mylene replied, with an amused smile, ''Haha, suck it you piece of shit. Hope that young girl was worth missing out on your dream of flying this ship!''


    "Very well.", I acknowledged, "Ship, prepare for departure!"


    Returning to the cockpit, I climbed into the captain''s seat and had Mylene take the copilot''s seat. Hunkering down on the bench behind us, the ministers were all grinning ear to ear with excitement. Doing a quick systems check, out of habit, I shut all the external doors and engaged the Propulsion Engine. Slowly easing us out of the dock, all of them began peering out the window.


    "Your Highness, we are flying without the use of magic!!", Prime Minister Jacob proclaimed, "Leon, forgive us for doubting the reports. You truly are a prodigy!!"


    "Thank you.", I said, reveling in knocking the ministers down a few pegs, "Ship, please open the bottom bay door."


    <Opening Bay Door Zeta>


    Since this ship was a national secret and treasure, I would have to pilot this ship below the island to avoid anyone seeing us. Passing through the massive dock doors, the beautiful, blue morning sky greeted us with open arms. Shutting the door behind us, I slowly began inching the throttle forward.


    <Warning: I am about to break the speed of sound.>


    "Haha, more power!", I laughed, pushing the throttle forward to seventy percent.


    Throwing the group back into their seats, several sonic booms rocked the ship as we sailed through the air at Mach 6. Watching islands, clouds, and monsters zip past the ship, everyone was left awestruck by what they were seeing.


    "This is incredible!", Mylene said, with a beaming smile.


    "If you think this is cool, just wait till you see what else it can do!", I stated, flicking several switches to bring the defense systems online, "Please pay close attention ahead of us."


    Appearing on the window in front of us, a large reticle showed up showing me where the laser cannons were aiming. Approaching a group of Sky Pirates at breakneck speeds, I put their two ships in my crosshairs and fired. Watching a quick burst of laser reduce the airships to ash, both craft violently exploded as their munitions ignited.


    "Bullseye!", I chuckled, powering the weapon system down, "Are there any other tests you would like to perform?"


    "No, you have exceeded our wildest expectations!", a Minister remarked, "We can all agree that this test has been a success!"


    Receiving an approving nod from Mylene, I turned the ship around and headed back to base. Attempting to dock it exactly where we had started from, an enraged King Roland awaited us on the catwalk. Disembarking the ship, the first words out of his mouth were insults toward Mylene.


    "You stupid women, I told you to fetch me if the boy fixed the ship. It has been my dream to pilot this ship and you stole its maiden voyage from me!", Roland shouted, "How could you do this to me?!"


    "Oh, I must have forgotten¡­like your promise to sleep in our marital bed last night!! We had an agreement that when we have guests, you would sleep in our bed!", Mylene pouted.


    "Come now, the boy is just a child.", Roland countered, "Besides which¡­I needed a breather from all the work I have been putting in."


    "...all the work¡­you have been¡­putting in you say?", Mylene growled, as a vicious anger began surging inside her.


    Realizing a verbal fight was about to happen, Prime Minister Jacob and the other ministers offered to take me to breakfast. Wanting to apologize for their disgraceful behavior, they asked to discuss my workshop plans and potentially repairing family heirlooms that had been collecting dust for centuries. Accepting their offer, as no good would come from sticking around here, we swiftly made our escape as the Queen''s voice began echoing across the hidden port.


    S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 14

    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Hearing a commotion on the ground level of his home, Balcus rose from his desk to investigate what was happening. Before he could start moving, Luce burst into the room with a worried expression. Opening his mouth to speak, he quickly closed it when Zola appeared behind her. Caught off guard by her unplanned visit, Balcus cleared his throat and greeted his wife.


    "Good Afternoon, Zola. What brings you here today?", Balcus asked, uneasy about this surprise visit, "Can we get you some refreshments or food?"


    "It is fine, I do not plan on staying long.", Zola said, suppressing her twisted smile, "I am here today to ask for money to purchase a gift for Rutart. As you may be unaware, my son is ranked among the top one hundred students in his class this year."


    ''There are only eighty students in this year''s class. Just showing up guaranteed him a spot in the top one hundred¡­'', Balcus thought, not daring to argue her point, "Of course, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Should we buy him an air bike or a custom sword to commemorate this occasion?"


    Recalling his time at the Academy, it was typical for boys to receive one or both items from their families. Since boys needed to stand out to attract potential spouses, racing and sword fighting were the easiest methods. Hoping to avoid buying both, as he knew Rutart was proficient in neither, Balcus wanted to dodge wasting precious money on him.


    "If he were a student in our day, that would work but times have changed Balcus. Buying beautiful slaves is the new craze in the capital, and Rutart wants a new one. His current slaves are just not up to par with the other boy''s slaves.", Zola informed him.


    "Another slave? I thought Rutart was already accompanied by six or seven rather beautiful servants.", Luce interjected, believing the ones he had were already too beautiful for Rutart.


    "I suppose you would consider them beautiful, seeing as you do not understand style or trends.", Zola remarked, cracking a smile, "Unfortunately, two of his servants passed away in their sleep for unknown reasons. The other three slaves are also on their last legs as they are unable to keep up with Rutart''s needs anymore. They lack the combat abilities he requires and cannot perform the daily duties he needs them for. To that end, I think we should purchase him a slave from the Desmond Slave Trading Company, specifically from one of their private auctions."


    ''What in the hell?! It costs ten million dia to even get a seat in those auctions. Not only that, the starting price for most slaves begins at half a million dia!'', Balcus thought, falling back into his desk chair, "I am sorry dear, but we do not have that sort of money right now. Could we potentially buy him one from their regular stock?"


    "Do you want OUR son to become an outcast among his peers?!", Zola gasped, pretending to be hurt and shocked by his suggestion, "He would become the laughingstock of his peers if we bought him a normal slave. It has to be a premium slave from the private auction!"


    Unwilling to compromise on this, Balcus saw no alternative but to give in. Refusing her would not end well for him or the household. Knowing Zola, she would take this straight to the Royal Court who would immediately side with her as he was a man. They would force him to pay an outrageous amount of money and potentially strip him of his title. If that were to happen, Zola''s household would not hesitate to torment him and his family for the rest of their days.


    "Alright¡­I will see what I can do to raise the funds. You will have them in two months.", Balcus agreed, letting out an internal sigh of defeat.


    "That will not do, he needs the slave as soon as possible. The next private auction is in two weeks, I need the money now.", Zola demanded.


    "Dear, where am I going to get that money on such short notice!? If I leave now, it will take at least two weeks to secure a loan for the money.", Balcus argued, unable to comprehend where she thought the money was hiding.


    "You have subjects in your territory, raise the taxes and collect the next year''s amount now.", Zola told him, matter-of-factly.


    Without even needing to look into it, Balcus knew his people did not have that sort of money in their coffers. Due to the yearly tax increases to keep Zola happy, everyone was barely putting food on the table. Demanding such a large amount of money at once would force his people to sell off their children to make the payment. Realizing this, Leon''s words echoed in his mind causing him to discover the real reason for her visit.


    "Wait a moment, this has nothing to do with a gift for Rutart. This is your retribution for what Leon did several years ago!", Balcus shouted, putting the pieces together, "Zola, I beg you, please do not go down this path! I understand you are furious at him for beating Rutart, but this is going too far. If Leon finds out he will-"


    "He will do nothing because he is nothing! That brat may be in the good graces of the upper crust of our country, but that does not mean his little bitch of a friend is!", Zola spat, no longer hiding her reason for visiting, "Since I cannot do anything to him directly, using his friend is the next best thing. Now, go collect the funds I need for Rutart or prepare to deal with the Royal Court!"


    "You heartless witch!! Why are you hell-bent on making my children suffer!!", Luce berated her, no longer able to suppress her motherly rage, "Your son almost crippled Nicks, and has made my sons'' lives a living hell every time you visit. Why can you not be happy that Leon is putting our household on the map?!"


    "If your boys understood their place in the world, I would not need to go to these lengths. Rutart and Merce come from an esteemed bloodline, your children are essentially commoners! You are the daughter of a first-generation knight, I am the daughter of a well-established viscount family¡­we are not the same.", Zola reminded her, "The best your children should be hoping for is a position as a tradesman or foot soldier in the military. Your brat is stepping outside his station, all I am doing is reminding him of that. Do not worry, once Rutart is done playing with the girl I will make sure she is sent back¡­or whatever is left of her anyway."


    Hearing what her end goal was, Balcus and Luce stared at her in disbelief. Not wanting their son to endure that heartache and pain, Luce quickly came up with an idea.


    "Dear, I suppose we do not have a choice in the matter now. Shall I request a slaver from the Desmond Company to come here?", Luce inquired, ''All I need to do is have Lucoa get a message to Leon in the capital. If he can get back here quickly, he can quickly marry her and stop Zola''s plan!''


    "Oh there is no need, I brought one of their slavers with me.", Zola informed them, with a wicked smile, "Did you really think I would not come prepared? One way or another that girl is going to Rutart."


    Realizing that there was nothing they could do now, Balcus and Luce hung their heads in defeat. Seeing no alternatives now, he let out a sigh and rose from his seat.


    "Let us get this over with¡­", Balcus said bitterly, "Some of us do not take pleasure in watching others sell their loved ones."


    "If you had raised him right, I would not be here right now.", Zola remarked, "Come on, Baron Bartfort needs to be the one to make this announcement. My acquaintance is already appraising potential children, this should not take too long."


    ''Leon¡­I am sorry dear.'', Luce thought, overwhelmed with sadness, ''I hope you can forgive us one day for what we are about to do.''


    ¡ªTwenty Minutes Later¡ª


    Gathering up the citizens of his main island, Balcus stood before his people with a downcast look. Looking at the sea of nervous faces in the crowd, many parents knew what was about to happen here. Clutching their loved ones tightly, a sense of overwhelming sadness and shame came over Balcus.


    "I¡­I am sorry to summon you all here on short notice, but I have an announcement to make. My eldest son, Rutart, has ranked among the top one hundred new students in the Academy. To commemorate this achievement, we have decided to purchase a reward for him to honor his hard work. This is a tall order to ask of everyone, but I will need to increase the taxes again and request that you pay next year''s taxes today.", he said, barely able to keep it together. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Immediately after finishing his announcement, several dozen mothers began wailing loudly as they fell to their knees clutching their children. Standing there unable to do anything, their husbands struggled to keep their emotions in check as guilt welled up in each of them. Regretting their decisions to stay here and tough it out, their worst nightmare was coming true as they all had to decide which children they could sell off to pay their taxes.


    "I know that many of you will struggle to pick which children to sell off, but I can assure you that you will get a fair price for them.", Zola''s acquaintance spoke up, having already eyed several potential moneymakers among the crowd.


    Having not understood what was going on till now, the children began pleading with their parents not to sell them. Offering to cut back on meals, sell some of their toys, and even sleep outside, each one of them was desperate not to be taken away. Knowing what would become of them as slaves, they were willing to do whatever it took to avoid becoming one. Watching this scene play out from the doorway of the Guild Hall, Lucoa immediately ran to Roxanne''s family who were among those wailing the loudest.


    "Roxanne, you need to flee now!", Lucoa said, pulling her toward Leon''s boat, "If you leave now, you can go join Leon in the capital. He is with the most powerful people in the nation right now, he can protect you!"


    "No, I will not abandon my aunt, uncle, and cousins!", Roxanne refused, "If I do not stay, they will have to sell off two or three of my cousins! I know what it is like to lose your parents¡­I do not want my cousins to go through that. The slaver would give my aunt and uncle good money for me, right? Since Leon and I did a lot of adventuring, I am worth a lot right?"


    "Roxanne, we cannot ask you to give up your future.", her uncle said, listening to her speak, "Leon proposed to you, the two of you have a bright future together. Do not throw that away for us!"


    "You gave up so much taking me in after my parents died, this is the least I can do. I know you skipped many meals so we could eat, tore pieces of your clothing to fix ours, and worked long hours to keep a roof over our heads. Thank you for everything you did for me, Aunty and Uncle.", Roxanne said, pulling the money Leon gave her out of her pouch, "I do not know how much money you need, but if I am not enough, use this to cover the rest. Leon said to use it for emergencies."


    Turning to Lucoa, Roxanne took off Leon''s necklace and shakily handed it to her. Tearing up, Roxanne asked her to deliver a message to Leon for her.


    "Please let Leon know I was very happy to receive a proposal from him. He is the only person who ever understood me and is my only friend in the entire world. All I wanted was to continue adventuring with him, but now¡­now I cannot.", Roxanne choked up, "Let¡­let him know that I do like him too, and that¡­that I hope he¡­he finds someone else like me one day."


    "Roxanne¡­", Lucoa sniffled.


    "Come on uncle¡­let''s go.", Roxanne said, grabbing his hand tightly, "Thank you for all the adventures, Miss Lucoa."


    Watching Roxanne and her family wander over to the slaver, Lucoa turned her attention toward Balcus. Enraged that he was letting this happen without a fight, she stormed up to him firmly holding onto the necklace.


    "What kind of heartless, spineless bastard are you!? The young girl your son loves is selling herself into slavery for her family, and you are not doing a damn thing about it!!", Lucoa shouted, showing him the handmade necklace, "He proposed to her, and you are just standing there like a tree!"


    "It is out of my hands, Zola wants revenge for the humiliation Rutart received from Leon during a sparring session several years ago. All of this is just to make Roxanne Rutart''s slave¡­", Balcus informed her, quietly enough so only she could hear, "Rutart is going to-"


    "You do not need to explain to me what that horrible excuse for a boy will do to her!", Lucoa growled, fire flickering out from between her teeth, "I have heard the rumors and seen photos of what he does to women."


    "...I am sorry, there is nothing I can do.", Balcus said, looking her in the eyes.


    "Yes there is something you can do, tell Leon!", Lucoa exclaimed, slapping him across the face, "If Leon can raise the funds necessary to purchase her freedom, there is still a chance to save her!"


    Shaking his head, Balcus knew that was not possible in two weeks. Since Zola had mentioned the private auction, she likely had already arranged to have Roxanne sold there.


    "Lucoa, Roxanne is going to be sold off at one of the Desmond Company''s private auctions. There is no way Leon is going to be able to raise the funds to purchase Roxanne let alone buy a seat in the auction.", Balcus told her.


    "You do not know what your son is capable of doing. That boy is not normal by any means, if it is him, I know he can find a way to do it.", Lucoa stated, certain that Leon was capable of far more than he led on, "Now I am going to the capital to tell him what has happened. You can either come with me and try to soften the blow, or you can wait here for him to return and probably kill you for betraying him. The choice is yours."


    "She is right dear, you swore to Leon you would protect her and we failed him. He deserves to hear the news straight from our mouths. We have potentially cost him the love of his life, it is the least we can do for him.", Luce said.


    "I agree, I gave my boy my word and I failed him. Hopefully, he does not kill me though, everything would go right to Rutart if he does.", Balcus reminded everyone, ''If Leon pulls this off, I am stripping Rutart of his birthright and giving it to Leon. I will have enough justification with everything he has done up till now to push it through.''


    Leaving Zola and the slaver, the Bartfort Family returned home to quickly pack for an emergency flight to the capital. Returning to the Guild Hall, Lucoa collected her things and closed the Guild Hall down for what would likely be her last time. Abandoning her assigned post here in the Bartfort Territory would almost certainly cost her job and livelihood, but that was fine with her.


    ''It was a terrible job to begin with so it is not that big of a loss.'', Lucoa thought, ''Now I can freely help Leon and Roxanne without being tied down here. The three of us can become strong adventurers and one day retire when we are ready to have a family. Hehe, I like the sound of that!''


    Loading her belongings onto the boat, Balcus, Luce, and Nicks soon joined her onboard. Leaving Jenna behind, as she did not give a crap about Leon and Roxanne, Balcus got behind the helm and got them headed toward the capital.

 Chapter 15

    ¡ªA Week Later¡ª


    Arriving at the Merchant''s Guild for a morning meeting with the Adventurer and Merchant Guildmasters, I showed my family emblem to one of the receptionists when I arrived at the counter. Requesting that she notify the Guildmasters of my arrival, she looked at me briefly before her eyes opened wide with excitement.


    "You must be Leon Fou Bartfort, we have been expecting you nya!", the young, cat-eared receptionist said, with a toothy smile, "Please follow me, I will take you to see the Guildmaster nya!"


    Rising from her seat, the receptionist told her colleagues she would be back before putting a closed sign on her station. Motioning for me to follow her, we headed into the Staff Only area of the Guild Hall and proceeded up several flights of stairs. Winded by the time we reached the fifth floor, the poor woman slumped over trying to catch her breath.


    "Your Guildmaster must be incredibly muscular and fit to walk up here every day.", I remarked, giving her a moment to steady her breathing.


    "The Guildmaster can use Teleportation Magic, the rest of us have to walk¡­nya.", she panted, wiping the sweat from her brow, "Do you have any inventions in your head to fix this problem, nya? Rumor has it you are a genius so I thought¡­maybe you could help us, nya. Hauling boxes up to storage every month damn near kills us, nya."


    "It is doable, assuming the Guildmaster approved it, I could install a lift in the Guild Hall. I would need an area roughly ten feet by ten feet that went from the top floor to the bottom floor. Using one of my levitation platforms, it could haul everything up to the designated floor you want to go to.", I said, rubbing my chin, "Add in my dollies, and it would make short work of moving large boxes of documents or shipping crates."


    "Nya, you must tell the Guildmaster of your suggestion!! All of the staff members would be eternally grateful to you, nya!!", she pleaded, giving me a sheepish smile, "If you were to do it, I would be more than happy to show you my gratitude in bed, nya."


    "Haha¡­you do not need to go that far. Save yourself for the man you fall in love with. The Guild would pay me for the work so please do not worry about it.", I told her, ''Jeez lady, we just met and you are offering to sleep me for a freight elevator?! Just how many documents are all of you hauling around every month!?''


    Taking a few additional moments to steady her breathing, the receptionist got back on her feet and continued leading me. Heading to the right of the stairs, we walked by several private conference rooms and stopped before two enormous stone statues. Showing them her Guild Badge, their eyes lit up briefly before the iron door they were guarding opened.


    ''They take security seriously here.'', I thought, "I assume the statues allow the Guildmaster to see who is standing outside this door?"


    "That is correct, nya!", she acknowledged, "To activate the system, we show our badges to the statues, nya. If someone were to attempt to enter, with or without a badge forcibly, the statues would turn them into ashes, nya. Since I have worked here, it has happened maybe five or ten times, nya."


    Stepping into the room alongside me, the cat woman introduced me to her boss before promptly turning to leave. Pleading with me to tell him about the lift, she swore she would rock my world if I helped them out. Retreating from the room before I could respond, I let out a frustrated sigh after the door closed.


    "Whatever she said, I am sorry!", a well-dressed, lean man stated, from behind a large, cedar desk, "My name is Hamilton Hendrickson, I am the guildmaster for the Merchant''s Guild."


    "I am the guildmaster for the Adventurer''s Guild, as well as his brother. My name is Nicholas Hendrickson.", a much more muscular version of Hamilton laughed, sitting beside him, "Pleasure to finally meet you, kid!"


    Calmly approaching the desk, the three of us exchanged firm handshakes before I took a seat in front of the desk. Presenting the men with gifts, I gave both of them a bottle of Bartfort Whiskey Five Year. Having already received praise from the King for my "new" alcoholic beverage, I felt it was only right to give each of them a bottle. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh my, these bottles are exquisite!", Hamilton remarked, holding the bottle up to the light coming in from the wall of windows behind his desk, "The amber color of this liquid is mesmerizing."


    "Bartfort Whiskey Five Year¡­is this the stuff that you have had Lucoa tasting?!", Nicholas shouted, jumping almost four feet off the ground, "Hot damn, she has sent many glowing reviews about the various alcohols you have been making back home. Do you mind if I pop it open now?!"


    "By all means, they are gifts.", I said, handing them two roughly made Glencairn glasses, "Please let me know what you think."


    Accepting the ornate-looking glass cups, the two men popped their bottles open and poured themselves a small amount. Taking a sniff of the aroma coming from the glasses, they let out a relaxed sigh and took a sip. Closing their eyes as they did so, both of them sunk into their seats blissfully.


    "Ah¡­now that is some fine alcohol.", Hamilton stated, "I can taste hints of honey, cherries, and maple syrup in this drink."


    "Haha, Lucoa was not lying when she said it was strong stuff!", Nicholas chuckled, "This would go great with a cigar!"


    "Brother, you are brilliant!", Hamilton responded, pulling two out of a container on his desk, "My apologies Leon, I would offer you one but you are still a bit young for smoking."


    "It is not a problem, I am just happy you like the alcohol. I hope to start mass-producing a lesser version for the public, and something slightly more refined for the nobility.", I told them, "As Lucoa may have told you, I am currently making several new types and varieties of alcohol that should be ready for market in a year or two. When they are ready, I hope we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."


    "Of course!", Hamilton agreed wholeheartedly, "Just this kind alone will make you a very rich man. I can assure you that nothing comes remotely close to this in quality and taste."


    Thanking him for the compliment, I gave the brothers some time to finish their drinks and cigars. Sitting there, enjoying the relative silence in the room, the three of us relaxed and took a short break before getting back into our meeting.


    ¡ªThirty Minutes Later¡ª


    Tossing their spent cigars in the trash, the men resealed their bottles and tucked them safely away in their coats. Getting straight back to business, Hamilton pulled out a folder from his desk and sat it on the table. Opening it up, he began sifting through the small stack of papers inside.


    "So, Leon Fou Bartfort, my brother and I both see a lot of potential in you as an inventor, merchant, and adventurer. Your Levitating Platforms and Dollies have revolutionized the way shipping can be done. Not only are we able to load and unload ships faster, but our dock crews are sustaining injuries over seventy percent less now.", Hamilton said, with a big grin, "With that in mind, the Merchant''s Guild would like to contract you to retrofit twenty of our busiest harbors. Assuming that we see the numbers change the way I think they will, once you are done, we will contract you to complete the remaining harbors in our jurisdiction."


    "That works for me.", I agreed, "We can discuss the finer details and distribution of goods I am producing at a later time. I have three years to complete all the ports before I attend the Academy. By that time everything should be done, and I will just be overseeing the manufacturing of my goods back home."


    Agreeing to discuss this later at length, Hamilton motioned to his brother to speak now. Shifting to a more attentive position, Nicholas cleared his throat and began with an apology.


    "To start with, I want to be honest with you¡­at first I thought you and your girlfriend were just two kids stealing from hardworking adventurers. Never in the guild''s history has a five and a half year old kid cleared a dungeon, nor has anyone managed to clear nearly eighty dungeons before coming of age. With Lucoa''s testimony and all the drops you have brought back, there can be no doubt now that you are the real deal. As the guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild, you have my sincerest apology for doubting you.", Nicholas said, lowering his head remorsefully, "As much as I would like to officially make you an Adventurer right now, as you are only twelve, we must wait till you are sixteen. Giving you the title now would cause you more harm than good I am afraid."


    In the Holfort Kingdom, becoming an Adventurer before the age of eighteen made you a legal adult. For noble children not born as a female or the first/second son, this option gave young men a means of escaping an arranged marriage that benefitted the family. In many cases, young men in my position would end up married off to old, widowed hags, or ugly noblewomen who did not find a partner during their time at the Academy. That was what almost happened to the original character I took the place of, but he became an Adventurer before the marriage happened.


    "I understand, it would be a sticky situation for a twelve year old to become an adult. Other boys in my position would probably die trying to mimic what Roxanne and I have done.", I acknowledged, "Since I have to wait a bit¡­does that mean I will start at a higher rank than a newbie would?"


    "Haha, that can be arranged.", Nicholas laughed, amused by my request, "I will start Roxanne and you off as B-Rank adventurers."


    "Could we maybe have Lucoa as a personal receptionist as well?", I inquired, "I heard she had a bad falling out here at your HQ. If it is not possible, I understand."


    Cracking a smile, Nicholas nodded his head in agreement. Assuming that there was something I did not know, I asked him if something was wrong.


    "It is just humorous that it was a nobleman that got her thrown out of the capital, and it is a nobleman that will end up bringing her back.", he chuckled, "I am not sure how much she told you, but her banishment from the capital was the result of a spat she got into with the son of a nobleman. He and his party of adventurers like to flirt with the receptionists all the time, and sometimes they cross the line between harmless and violent."


    "Yeah, she told me she scorched them and was banished because no one backed her up.", I remarked.


    "That is partially true, in reality, it was either send her to the countryside or watch her be enslaved for harming a noble. The kid''s father wanted her turned into a Criminal Slave for harming his boy, but I think we both know what the real goal was.", Nicholas said, with a scowl, "To avoid her suffering that fate, I had my staff keep quiet about what happened and sent her away to the countryside. I understand she is upset about them not standing up for her, but had they done so, all of them would have likely been enslaved for embarrassing a noble family."


    "I take it the family is a Marquess or higher?", I inquired.


    "They are an Earl''s Household, specifically the "Purchased" household no one likes.", Nicholas sighed, "Their second son is a real piece of work. He assaulted two other staff members before making a move on Lucoa, she was the only one to fight back. The others were too afraid for their families to resist."


    Recalling that they were a shady bunch of people, I decided to start doing some digging on them in the future. Seeing as they would cause issues for my space ventures and targeted Lucoa, it was only fair that I remove them from existence. Whether I used a space laser, a mini nuke, or even a 500kg bomb, they would not be a threat for very long.


    "Ahem¡­so moving things to a more lighthearted topic.", Hamilton said, switching gears on us, "I received a notice from Queen Mylene that you had items you wanted to sell to us."


    "Oh, do you have anything that would be handy for adventurers?!", Nicholas asked, leaning forward in his seat.


    "I do have some.", I chuckled, pulling several different items out of my Item Box, "Let me walk you through what I brought with me."


    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Arriving behind schedule, as no one understood how to pilot Leon''s ship properly, the Bartforts and Lucoa arrived in port as Zola''s ship was being unloaded. Mooring the ship, Lucoa jumped off the ship and began heading into the city.


    "Wait a moment, we will come with you!", Luce shouted, as she and her family disembarked.


    "Well then hurry up!", Lucoa retorted, "Based on his itinerary, he should be at the Merchant''s Guild Hall right now."


    Catching up to Lucoa in a hurry, the four of them ran into the city to find Leon. With only seven days left before the auction, they did not have time to lose.

 Chapter 16

    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Pushing their way through the early afternoon crowd, Lucoa and the Bartforts stumbled into the Guild Hall as most of the staff was heading to lunch. Flagging a receptionist down, just as she was about to walk away, Lucoa pleaded with her to wait a moment. Giving Lucoa an irritated look, the receptionist turned to leave but stopped when she began begging her to remain.


    "Please wait! We¡­we need to speak with¡­Leon Bartfort.", Lucoa gasped, "It is an emergency, please¡­call him down immediately."


    "Ma''am, I am afraid that he is meeting with the Guildmaster and his brother at the moment. We have strict instructions not to interrupt them for the time being. Please have a seat, they should be done in a few hours.", the receptionist said, wanting to slip away and have her lunch.


    "Please wait, I am his father Balcus Fou Bartfort. As this woman said, it is an emergency!", Balcus insisted, steadying himself against the counter.


    Seeing the emblem on his coat, the receptionist gave him an angry smile before setting her bag back down. Begrudgingly heading upstairs, the human woman quickly ascended the stairs to the Guildmaster''s Office. Showing her badge to the statues, she patiently waited for the Guildmaster to respond. Opening the doors to let her in, the three occupants turned to look at her with confusion.


    "Georgina, you do know I am booked for this afternoon right? Has something happened downstairs?", Hamilton asked, setting one of Leon''s products down.


    "My apologies sir, Balcus Fou Bartfort and three other people are downstairs at the counter. They say there is an emergency that requires Leon''s attention.", the receptionist informed them.


    Knowing that his father would never leave his domain unless summoned by the Crown, Leon felt a knot forming in his gut. Leaping from his seat, he tore past the receptionist and jumped over the railing. Using the Force to soften his landing on the ground floor, Leon ran out into the public area and began scanning the room for his family. Finding them still at the counter, he hesitantly approached them while seeing who all had come. Seeing Balcus, Luce, Lucoa, and Nicks, the knot in his stomach became even tighter. Slowly looking his father in the eyes, Leon already had a good idea of why they had shown up unannounced.


    "Leon, I need to take a deep breath and calm down.", Balcus said, sensing that his son was catching on quickly.


    "Where is Roxanne..?", Leon asked, trembling with anger, "Why did she not come with you?"


    "Leon, I am sorry¡­Zola did not leave me any choice in the matter.", Balcus explained, "Just a few days after you left, she showed up and demanded over ten million dia for your eldest brother. She wanted to buy him a gift for entering into the Academy, I did not have a choice in the matter. You know we do not have that sort of money so I¡­I had to increase the taxes again and collect it for the next year."


    Hearing what Balcus said, the two Guildmasters pieced together what happened as they arrived on the scene. Having read Lucoa''s reports on Leon and Roxanne, Nicholas understood the consequences this would have had for Roxanne as one of the citizens in the Bartfort domain.


    "I asked you to watch over Roxanne while I was away. You gave me your word that you would protect her.", Leon growled, as Force Lightning began swirling around him, "WHERE IS SHE?!"


    "She sold herself to the Desmond Slave Trading Company so her cousins did not have to be taken away.", Lucoa interjected, as Balcus was beating around the bush, "I am sorry Leon, I tried to get her to leave but she refused to abandon her remaining family. She wanted me to give this back to you."


    Holding up the necklace he gave her before leaving, Leon''s rage burst out sending a Force Blast that knocked everyone in the area away. Clenching his fist in anger, Leon pulled Balcus toward him with the Force and held him by the throat in midair. Gasping for air as the choke grew tighter, Balcus apologized to Leon for breaking his word.


    "I am sorry¡­Leon¡­", he gasped, hanging in the air, "If I could¡­I would have sent Zola¡­away. It was either¡­do as she says¡­or deal with the¡­Royal Court. We would have¡­lost our title and¡­gone into a large¡­debt to pay off¡­the fines."


    "You are a terrible human being, Balcus, a coward like you does not deserve to hold the position of a nobleman!!", Leon rebuked him, "How many families did you tear apart just to save ours? Not only did I lose Roxanne, but all those families had to sell off their flesh and blood to pay our taxes!! That bitch Zola is going to the blood money you handed her, to buy Roxanne and give her to her bastard son Rutart."


    "I am¡­sorry¡­", Balcus gasped, as he began to black out.


    "No, you honestly could not give a damn about it.", I remarked, launching him across the room into a table, "Lucoa, where is Roxanne right now? I probably have enough to buy her freedom right now."


    "We arrived at the same time the slavers did, they are offloading people now.", Lucoa said, "But Leon, the thing is-"


    Wasting no time, Leon sped out of the Guild Hall and made a beeline for the harbor. Running over to check on her husband, Luce asked Lucoa to chase after Leon and stop him from doing anything reckless. Nodding her head, Lucoa was about to run off when a hand grabbed her shoulder.


    "We will go with you. After feeling that blast, I do not think you can stop him alone.", Nicholas said, with a slightly angry smile, "In addition, we will discuss your punishment for abandoning your post later."


    "I understand, please just focus on Leon for the moment.", Lucoa agreed.


    Leaving it at that for now


    ¡ªLeon POV¡ª


    Running along the walls of buildings, to avoid the crowded streets, I quickly reached the harbor and spotted where they were offloading cages full of slaves. Rushing over to the nearest cage, I frantically began calling out for Roxanne and closely looking at all the poor souls.


    "Roxanne! Roxanne, are you here?!", I shouted, moving from cage to cage looking for her, "Roxanne, please answer me!"


    "Leon, I am over here!", a familiar voice called out, weakly.


    Whipping my head around to the front of the ship, where dock workers were hoisting cages onto wagons, I spotted Roxanne waving to me from her cage. Weaving my way through the sea of cages and workers, I ran up to her and was horrified by what I found. Heavily bruised and cut up, my blood boiled as I saw her in that state. Wanting to rip the cage open and free her, I stopped myself when I noticed the slave crest just below their neck.


    ''I¡­I am too late¡­'', I thought, "Roxanne, I am so sorry! I should have brought you with me, you should not be in there!"


    "It¡­it is okay. I was worth enough to spare my aunt and uncle from selling my cousins. They will not have to lose their parents like I did¡­", Roxanne replied, with a downcast look, "How did you know I would be here?"


    "Lucoa and my family came to tell me what happened. I swear to you, I will get you out of here!", I said, looking around for a member of the Desmond Slave Trading Company.


    Not seeing anyone immediately, I ran to the front of the wagon and found an employee reading a book in the coachman''s seat. Knocking on the seat to his attention, the man turned to look at me and asked if I needed something.


    "You need directions or something kid?", he inquired.


    "I wanted to inquire about the price of a slave on this wagon.", I stated.


    Seeing an opportunity to make some money, the man put his book down and hopped off his seat. Walking around to my side, I pointed Roxanne out to him and inquired about her price. Giving me an apologetic smile, he told me that she was not for sale right now.


    "Sorry kid, she is scheduled to be auctioned off at our Private Auction in a week. Seats at ten million dia a spot, and starting bids start at one hundred thousand dia. We anticipate that she will net us easily seven hundred thousand dia, she is a pretty well-known individual in the Adventurers Guild after all.", he informed me, "While I cannot sell her, I have plenty of other slaves that might catch your fancy. A young nobleman''s son has needs and urges, after all, I can get you taken care of."


    Before I could chew him out, the familiar sound of a witch''s heels approached us. Turning around to glare at the culprit behind all of this, Zola stood there with a smug smile.


    "Oh my, how unfortunate for your little friend. It appears her family had to cut some dead weight from their home.", Zola laughed, "I bet you were trying to purchase her freedom back, but you do not have the funds to do so. Do not worry though, Rutart is looking for a new slave girl. He will take excellent care of your friend for you."


    "I never thought you would stoop this low, you fucking cunt. This is retribution for humiliating your bastard son, right?", I snapped, wanting to kill her right here and now.


    "Watch your mouth, he is your elder brother.", Zola scolded me.


    "We both know Rutart is not my father''s son. A loose woman like you probably does not know who his real father is, right?", I said, remembering now that he was an affair child, "If you have nothing to hide, how about we take this to the Church where you can swear to it before god?"


    "I¡­I do not have to prove anything to you!", she snapped, with an infuriated expression. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Not killing your crotch spawn is a mistake I will not repeat.", I threatened her, "Next time I get him to duel me, I will lop his head off and give it to you on a silver platter. After I kill him, you are next on my list!"


    Sensing the bloodlust radiating between us, the trader quickly got between us before either of us crossed a line. Looking at me, he explained that threatening Zola was not going to buy Roxanne''s freedom.


    "If you want her, you will have to compete with everyone else at the private auction. As I said before, it is ten million dia at the door and starting bids start at one hundred thousand dia.", he reiterated, "Miss Zola, I suggest that you refrain from antagonizing the boy any further. He has powerful backers here in the capital that can make your life very difficult."


    "Do not tell me what to do, boy!", Zola berated him, "He is still a child he has no one on his-"


    "Leon!!", Lucoa shouted, running over with the two Guildmasters in tow.


    Glancing over at Lucoa, Zola''s facial expression soured seeing the two men with her. Biting her thumb in frustration, she must have been banking on botching my meetings. Giving them a moment to join us, Lucoa grabbed me and held me back.


    "I know you are angry but do not do anything stupid please!", Lucoa pleaded with me.


    "Guildmaster Hamilton!", the trader said, politely bowing his head.


    "Good Afternoon, Ericson.", Hamilton replied, "Quite a haul you have there. Did this noblewoman help you secure these people?"


    Taking a moment to consider his words carefully, he nervously nodded his head. While this might come back on him, lying to the Guildmaster was a much more dangerous offense than upsetting the wife of a Baron. A nobleman would give them bad reviews, the Guildmaster could revoke their slave trading licenses putting them all out of a job.


    "Yes sir, I do not know the finer details but the citizens of the Bartfort Territory sold off quite a large number of children.", he informed Hamilton, "We did not strong-arm the families into doing anything. It was all voluntary on our part."


    "So I have been told¡­", Hamilton said, glancing over at Zola, "So this is the stepmother you were telling us about?"


    "Stephag, yes.", I snickered, "She is coddling her precious baby boy because he is not man enough to fight me again. I kicked his ass once in a duel, and now they are making everyone in our territory suffer for it."


    "Is that so¡­", Nicholas remarked, "You know, retribution for a duel is forbidden under the laws of our nation."


    Realizing that she could not pull the same stunts she did with my father, Zola began to backpedal a bit.


    "I¡­I must get going. My son Rutart should be returning from class soon, and it has been over a week since I last saw him.", Zola said, excusing herself.


    Turning to leave the scene, I used the Force to hit her on the back of the head. Stumbling forward, as if she had tripped over something, she fell to the ground and bashed her head on the cobblestone roadway. Staggering back to her feet, Zola vacated the area in a hurry while wobbling like a drunkard. Since no one on this planet was Force-sensitive but me, everyone was confused by what happened. Looking back at Roxanne, I looked her in the eyes with determination.


    "I will get the money and buy your freedom back, even if it costs me my life.", I told her, with absolute certainty, "This is not the end of our adventure, not by a long shot!"


    "It is okay Leon, I¡­I will be okay.", Roxanne tried to assure me, "You can forget about me, and move on. Unlike me, you have a bright future ahead of you. I will be rooting for you!"


    "If you manage to come up with the money or decide to upgrade let me know kid.", Ericson said, uncertain of what to say in this situation, "See you later, Hamilton and Nicholas!"


    Promptly excusing himself, Ericson walked back up to the coachman''s seat and grabbed the reins. Commanding the horses to start moving, Roxanne''s wagon began to slowly pull away.


    "I am serious Roxanne, I will get the money and save you!", I swore to her.


    Giving me a brave smile, she looked at me like this was the last time we would see each other. Watching her begin to cry as they pulled around a corner, my mind began racing with ideas to earn the necessary funds. Right now, thanks to Hamilton and Nicholas, I had five million dia in my pocket from the goods I sold them which put me halfway in the door. Considering selling some of my Lost Items, that idea was quickly shot down as they could potentially end up in the hands of some psychopath in the future. With loans unavailable to me, since I was twelve, that left only one avenue for me to earn the money.


    "Guildmaster Nicholas, I need to ask a favor of you.", I stated, looking back at him, "I need permission to enter the Flying Dutchman Dungeon."


    "WHAT!?", Lucoa shouted, "Leon, I know you want to save Roxanne but that is suicide!! The greatest adventuring party in the history of our nation died there!"


    "I do not have a choice. Either I go in there to collect the treasure horde I am certain lies at the bottom, or Roxanne gets sold off to that bastard Rutart. He will beat her, rape her, and torture her till she drops dead. I refuse to let that happen!!", I replied, "Nicholas, I am begging you to let me go down there and clear the dungeon. If any other dungeon were closer, I would head there but that is the only one."


    Looking into my eyes for a moment, he closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head with approval. Shocked that he was approving my request, Hamilton and Lucoa were about to voice their discontent when he motioned for them to stop.


    "I will grant your request, Leon, but I will need proof that you are strong enough to potentially clear the dungeon. Before I let you go, you need to defeat me in a one-on-one duel. If I am going to stick my neck out for you, I need assurance that you are strong enough to survive there.", Nicholas said.


    "Very well, let us head over to the Adventurer''s Guild and use the arena there to settle this.", I suggested.


    Cracking a smile, Nicholas was happy to see that I did not hesitate to accept his offer. Heading over to the Guild Hall together, we headed straight back to the guild''s testing grounds to test my metal.

 Chapter 17

    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Walking into the Adventurer''s Guild Hall, Nicholas asked if anyone was using the training field in the back. Looking at a clipboard on the desk, the receptionist confirmed that the field was empty currently. Thanking her, Nicholas motioned for everyone to follow him as he headed toward the backroom.


    "Alright Leon, here are the ground rules for our duel.", Nicholas said, leading the group through a series of hallways, "Treat this as if you were about to face a Dungeon Boss. Do not hesitate to hit me with everything you have. The duel will end when one of our Sacrificial Misanga breaks. If you break mine you win, but if I break yours you will need to figure out a different method for saving your friend."


    "Sacrificial Misanga¡­if memory serves they are a special, one-time use item that tanks a killing blow for the wear, right?", Leon inquired, having read about them in his family library, "I do not have one of those nor have I ever used one."


    "Lucoa¡­you never sold one to him?", Nicholas inquired, stopping in the hallway and looking back at her, "You are telling me the two of them cleared all those dungeons without one?"


    "Well¡­you see¡­", Lucoa said, giving him a sheepish smile, "They needed the money more for their future and her family so I did not bother with it. After seeing how they worked together, I did not feel they needed one. Now that he is trying to enter the Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon¡­Leon, you should really use one."


    Looking at her in disbelief, Leon wondered if she had just forgotten to offer the two of them the item or misplaced her stock. Either way, the lack of a safety net helped them grow as they learned to pay more attention to their surroundings and be more cautious in fights.


    "Novice blacksmiths make them so they are cheap, fifty dia per item.", Nicholas said, continuing to walk again, "Since you do not have any, I will give you one so we can quickly get this out of the way."


    "Thank you, sir.", Leon replied, "Now to be clear, you are okay with me using my Lost Items for this? If so, I do not think Lucoa has accurately explained how powerful my usual equipment is."


    "No, she has been very detailed on that. Blades made of superhot light that cut through anything, guns that turn enemies into goo or ash, and a suit of armor that makes you stronger than ten men, she has been very thorough.", Nicholas explained, "While I admit those items will improve your chances, they do not guarantee success. If you are overconfident in their strengths or get sloppy, any Rank 4 or 5 dungeons will kill you on the first floor."


    Understanding his point of view, it was evident he had dealt with many cocky adventurers who thought they were strong. The truth was, without experience, having excellent equipment was more of a danger than a benefit. Good equipment gave the illusion of talent and skill leading people to take more difficult quests beyond their true capabilities. Unfortunately for most, they only realized how far out of their league they were when they faced certain death with no way out.


    Deciding not to argue and let his effort speak for itself, as soon as they reached the training field, Leon got suited up. Running a quick diagnostic check on the Power Armor suit, he cautiously increased the throughput for several suit systems to eke more performance out of the armor. Leon gave everyone a thumbs-up once he was satisfied with the configuration. Tossing him a small wristband, Nicholas told him to put it on under his armor. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "While you can put it on over the armor, I recommend putting it under it. If you snag anything while wandering around in the dungeon, there is a chance it could break off and fall to the ground.", Nicholas warned him.


    "Fair enough.", Leon said, taking his power glove off and attaching the bracelet, "I assume Lucoa or Hamilton will count us down?"


    "I can do that.", Hamilton agreed, as Leon put his power glove back on, "You ready, Nick?"


    "Yeah, I am ready.", Nicholas replied, resting his hands on the two mithril swords on his hips, "You good Leon?"


    "Yes, I am.", Leon acknowledged, activating his Holtzman Shield, ''Good thing I fixed this before I left for the capital. I have not tested my armor against any mythical metals so I do not know how my suit will hold up against it.''


    Pulling his favorite blue lightsaber out of his Item Box, Leon turned it on and held it with both hands. Having never used the Force and Power Armor in tandem before, he was excited to see how strong he was using both to their fullest extent.


    "Alright, since both of you are ready.", Hamilton said, raising his hand, "Go!"


    Swiftly dropping his hand to signal the start, Leon and Nicholas charged at one another. Whipping his dual swords out, the air pressure he generated tore two large gashes into the ground. Immediately going to a killing blow, Nicholas swung both swords around faster than most could see and went straight for Leon''s neck. Before Nicholas'' blades reached him though, his body suddenly froze.


    "I can see how you earned the position of Guildmaster, without the aid of external help, you are a deadly adversary. Immediately going for a Killing Blow was a smart idea. You should have taken a moment to test my abilities first though.", Leon remarked, holding him in place, "Let me start by saying, Lucoa and Roxanne have never seen the full extent of my power and skill. I hold back quite a lot so Roxanne does not feel the need to work herself to death trying to catch up to me. I have been honing my skills in martial arts, swordplay, magic, firearms, and advanced technologies. I knew from the beginning of my life that I would face impossible odds, and now I must lay all my cards down on the table to save my most irreplaceable person. Please forgive my rudeness, but I will end this quickly."


    Holding the lightsaber in his left hand, Leon steadied his breathing and prepared to hit Nicholas with his right hand. Pushing the suit to its limit and further boosting his strength with the Force, he let Nicholas go a split second before his fist slammed into the Guildmaster''s face. Hearing an awful crunching sound from his face, Nicholas flew backward and crashed into the training ground''s outer wall. Sinking two feet into the wall before stopping, Nicholas coughed up a mouthful of blood as his vision began to turn red.


    ''Fucking hell¡­the kid''s been hiding that level of strength this whole time?! He is an absolute monster!'', Nicholas thought, feeling a rush he had not experienced in decades, "Nice punch Leon! Let us contin-"


    Before Nicholas could finish his sentence, Leon was already on him, throwing a knee straight into his chest. Better prepared this time, Nicholas shielded himself with his blades and prepared to use all his strength to slow down Leon''s attack before it hit him. Successfully shielding himself, something slammed into his chest causing his ribs to crack and the wind to get knocked out of him. Looking at Leon, the boy had not touched him yet the force behind the blow still passed through the blades and hit him head-on.


    "Fuck!", Nicholas gasped, as he momentarily lost his strength.


    Seizing this opportunity, Leon sliced through Nicholas'' swords turning them into letter openers. Flicking the lightsaber off, he began to pummel the Guildmaster with a flurry of deadly, well-placed blows that shattered Nicholas'' defenses. Jumping back from him, Leon raised his right hand and formed a high-level magic circle.


    "Hellfire of Demise!", Leon chanted, blasting the Guildmaster with a Grandmaster Class Spell at nearly point-blank range.


    Engulfing the entire training ground in a raging torrent of fire, Lucoa and Hamilton dove to the ground as a magic barrier appeared over them. Shielding them from the searing fire, Leon maintained the barrier till the flames dissipated.


    "What the hell Leon?!", Lucoa shouted, picking herself up off the ground, "Since when can you use Grandmaster Class spells?! Where the hell did you even learn Grandmaster Class spells!? Those books are kept under lock and key by high-ranking nobles and the Crown!"


    "Grandmaster Class Magic is only finely tuned and precise Novice Magic. They use the same building blocks so it is not hard to recreate the spells.", Leon told her, with a smug grin, "Did you think I was a prodigy in name alone? Once I learned the basic constructs, the entirety of magic became available. After knowing how to do what I desired, I began improving my mana control and efficiency. It is still not where I want it to be, but it is leagues better than it was."


    "HAHAHA!!!", Nicholas laughed, as his injuries vanished and his Sacrificial Misanga shattered, "Well played Leon!! I felt something was different about you, and this fight confirmed it. Lucoa''s reports were only a snippet of what you were capable of, I was an idiot for not thinking of that."


    "So, I am free to enter the Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon then?", Leon inquired.


    "I am a man of word, you have my blessing to enter.", Nicholas acknowledged, "Go complete your preparations for your dungeon dive. While you do that, I will draw up your approval letter so you can enter the dungeon."


    Happy with this news, Leon stowed his lightsaber away and leaped over the outer wall. Heading straight to the market to buy supplies and equipment, Nicholas continued laughing long after Leon left.


    "Lucoa, I understand why you have so much faith in the kid. Since I took this position, no one has one-sidedly beaten me like that. Once he has matured, he is going to be an absolute force of nature. Make sure you keep corrupt individuals away from him. Our nation cannot afford to lose him!", Nicholas told Lucoa, "Now, while he is preoccupied, go get his parents and explain things to them. That will be your punishment for leaving your post."


    "Ugh!", Lucoa gasped, clutching her chest.


    "It is either that or I inform the palace that you let the Holfort Prodigy dungeon dive without a Sacrificial Misanga.", Nicholas said, with an angry smile.


    "Got it, Chief, I will go speak to his parents immediately!", Lucoa agreed, quickly leaving the area before he tacked something else on.


    ¡ªThirty Minutes Later, Leon POV¡ª


    Buying all the food, water, and materials I needed, I joined up with the Guildmasters, Lucoa, and my family at the dock. Noticing how teary-eyed my mother was, they must have broken the news to her about what I was planning to do. Bracing myself for a lecture from them, instead, my parents remained eerily quiet about things.


    "You are not going to try and sway me not to go?", I inquired.


    "I¡­I do not deserve to tell you no after what happened.", Balcus admitted, "This is your only chance to save Roxanne. If I were in your shoes and it was Luce that needed saving, I would do exactly what you are now. All I ask is that you come back alive, Leon. We do not want to bury you, you are supposed to one day bury us."


    "Yes, promise us that you will come home.", Luce pleaded with me, blowing her nose into Dad''s handkerchief.


    "I will be back in five to six days.", I assured everyone.


    Satisfied with my answer, Nicholas handed me the approval letter to enter the dungeon. Stowing it in my Item Box, he left me with one last piece of information.


    "Kid, if you clear this dungeon I will make you an S Rank Adventurer the moment you return.", Nicholas told me, "Go kick some ass and save your comrade!"


    "Yes sir!", I chuckled, before walking to my ship, "Oh, and Dad, I am sorry for lashing out at you earlier. I know you were thinking of Mom, the babies, Nicks, Jenna, and I¡­it just hurt because I felt like things would end up like this."


    "It is okay, Leon, I would do the same in your position.", Balcus acknowledged.


    "Here, use this money to rent a room somewhere nice.", I said, tossing him five hundred thousand dia, "I would prefer you not stay with that bitch and her crotch spawn, if possible."


    Thanking me for the money, Balcus wished me luck on my quest. Nodding my head, I boarded my boat and got underway to the Flying Dutchman Dungeon.

 Chapter 18

    ¡ªThirty Minutes Later¡ª


    "Hello, is anyone here?", I called out, standing in the lobby of the Guild Outpost, "I have an approval letter from the Guildmaster to enter the dungeon. If memory serves, I need a Guild Representative to remove the barrier. Is that accurate, or can I do it myself?"


    Having pushed my ship to its limit to reach this island as quickly as possible, the last obstacle in my way now was the damn barrier. Having already caused Nicholas enough problems by having him approve my request, I wanted to avoid causing a stir by breaking the barrier unless I had to. Lucoa had once told me the barriers on dungeons like this were an early alarm system for the Adventurer''s Guild. If I carelessly broke it, it would trigger all sorts of alarms back at the capital and potentially cause widespread chaos.


    "Hello!!", I shouted, becoming increasingly impatient, "If you are busy, just say so!"


    Giving the representative a few moments to respond, I gave up waiting on them and went into the storeroom. Expecting to find some lazy man or woman back there, my demeanor changed when I discovered a mutilated body and a ransacked storeroom. Seeing nothing but barren shelves around me, not even a bullet or crumb had been left behind. Turning to the bloated corpse, the word "Pirates" was written in blood beside it.


    ''I guess they do not check in on their staff that often.'', I thought, saying a silent prayer for the poor soul, ''Still though, we are about an hour from the capital at normal speed. It is surprising to see pirates so close to our nation''s capital. Tripping the barrier now might be a good thing.''


    Seeing no reason to hang around now, I left a note on the counter for whoever they sent to investigate and headed toward the dungeon. Unlike the normal rock-face dungeons I was accustomed to seeing, the entrance to this particular dungeon was a large gash in the side of an ancient transport ship. Feeling an eerie aura radiating from the vessel, I was not the least bit surprised how they came up with the name.


    "Dispel Barrier.", I chanted, removing the minor hindrance from my path.


    As the barrier disappeared, an ominous wind blew out of the ship sending a shiver down my spine. Smelling the pungent aroma of death, I activated the air filter system in my helmet to alleviate my urge to puke. Pulling my lightsaber off my hip and turning it on, I took a deep breath and cautiously entered the dungeon. Slipping through the thin veil that separated the dungeon from the outside world, a contingent of Death Knights greeted me with rusty swords and armor.


    "Well, this is a great way to start off the dive¡­", I complained, raising my hand toward them, "Divine Smite!!"


    Vaporizing them in an instant, all that remained of them was piles of ashes on the floor. Letting out a sigh, I was relieved that my magic was able to defeat them instantly. That said, I understood now why this place had so much infamy around it. Wondering what other foes awaited me in the depths of this hellhole, I refused to turn back after that little run-in.


    "Computer, engage Trap Detection Protocol.", I ordered.


    <Engaging Trap Detection Protocol>


    Using the wide array of sensors affixed to my armor, I wrote a program that would automatically detect traps for me and mark them on my HUD. Having tested the program extensively since I found the suit, aside from the first few tests, it had not failed me. Giving the suit a moment to bring everything online, a dozen spots along the floor and walls turned red. Confirming there were no traps around the piles of ash, I dug through them and retrieved the Magic Cores the monsters dropped.


    "I assume these cores are valuable, given how dangerous Death Knights are, but are they worth taking the time to collect all of them?", I muttered, "Damn it, when this is all over I am going to make a digital copy of the guild''s pricing book so I know what to keep and what to walk away from. For this dive, I will take everything I can get my hands on as every dia counts here. Time for my inner Loot Goblin to come out because I need money!"


    Stowing the cores in my Item Box, I turned my attention back to the path ahead of me. Certain that I was in for the ride of my life, I pressed forward ready to face whatever this place had to throw at me.


    ¡ªTwo Days Later, Floor Fifty¡ª


    Reaching the Mid-Boss Room on my second day here, I passed out for a few hours from exhaustion. Having been in almost nonstop combat since entering this place, up till now, I had not found a Safe Zone to hunker down and recharge myself. Forced to continue fighting with no food and little water, if I had not reached this Safe Zone when I did, I would have joined the First King''s Party in the afterlife.


    "Note to self, I need some sort of device to keep monsters away from me when I need a break.", I said, writing it down in my journal while munching on a sandwich, "Monster Repellent does not work on high-ranking monsters, and Barrier Magic does not prevent monsters from spawning inside when in a dungeon. I am sure I could make a spell that could do it, but it is simpler to have a piece of equipment do it. If by some misfortune I am knocked out, Lucoa and Roxanne need to be able to deploy it themselves."


    While I was having a meal and drinking some water, my Power Armor was performing a system diagnostic test to verify everything was in working order. Having pushed the suit harder than I probably should have, everything needed to be working before I entered the next room. During the boss fight, any minor issue with the suit could have a cascading effect that ultimately results in my death.


    <Diagnostic Test complete, all systems normal>


    "Thank you.", I replied, scarfing down the rest of my sandwich, "Guess I will clean my laser pistol and rifle, suit up, then head in to get this over with."


    Having used my firearms to beat enemies to death on multiple occasions, both my armor and guns were caked in putrid blood and guts. Having no issue with the armor being dirty, the guns had to be cleaned as they had begun to misfire a few floors back. With blood and guts jammed into the internals of the weapons, I had to use Purification Magic to clean them out. Once they were working normally again, I staggered to my feet and slipped into the power armor.


    "Computer, what is the current charge on the fusion core?", I inquired.


    ''Alright, I still have plenty of power to get me through this dungeon.'', I thought, locking the release hatch, "Time to press forward and face the Mid-Boss."


    Pushing the door open, with a good amount of effort, a large amount of water began rushing into the Safe Room. Unsure what was going on, I began to panic a bit as this suit was not designed with aquatic combat in mind. Staying where I stood, waiting to see if I would have to fight without my armor, eventually the water stopped flowing once it reached my knees. Happy that I would still be able to use my armor, the issue now was that my mobility had been cut in half. Even with the boost this armor gave me, trudging around in knee-deep water was not going to be easy.


    Doing a once over on the grappling hook I had installed on my suit''s right arm, I made sure everything was greased up and on standby. In the event I need to quickly get out of the way, the grappling hook would be my only way of doing so without ejecting from the power armor. Satisfied that it was as good as I could make it, I slowly made my way into the gigantic arena that was easily the size of ten football fields. Watching the summoning circle begin to form as the door closed behind me, I pulled my blue lightsaber off my hip and turned it on.


    ''Alright, show me what you got!'', I thought, as the ground beneath my feet began to shake violently.


    Shooting out of the magic circle at breakneck speeds, a sixty-foot Leviathan appeared before me covering a good portion of the room with its body. Immediately locking its eyes on me, the serpent took to the air and began darting around the room.


    (AN: The photo will be posted in my Discord Group)


    "Son of a bitch, that is not right!!", I shouted, upset that it was able to fly, "Since when does Leviathan fly?! You are supposed to be an aquatic monster, not an aerial one!!"


    Ignoring my comment, the serpent raced toward me with its mouth opened wide. Realizing it was trying to swallow me whole, I flung my lightsaber at the creature and rapidly began to spin it in midair. Thinking that my weapon was not going to hurt it, the monster did not change course till the lightsaber cut cleanly through the right side of its jaw. Bellowing loudly as it swerved off course, its head slammed into the wall twenty yards to my right. Writhing around in pain, I was forced to dive out of the way as part of its body slammed into the wall behind me with a great deal of force.


    "That is right you cheeky bastard, I am not going down easily!!", I mocked it, pulling my lightsaber back to my right hand, "Now suck on this you overgrown lizard!"


    Pulling a Plasma Grenade out of my Item Box, I removed the safety pin and lobbed it at the creature. Much more wary of my movements now, the Leviathan attempted to avoid the grenade but it ended up getting wedged in between some of its scales. Detonating a few moments later, the plasma ate through its armored scales and flesh severing the last twenty feet of the beast''s body. Letting out an ear-piercing roar in response to this, the noise was so loud that it blew speakers out in my helmet and cracked the glass my HUD projected onto.


    While the beast flew off to the opposite side of the room to assess the damage, I glanced over at the still wriggling piece it left behind. Feeling a bit sad that I could not bring it back with me, an idea suddenly popped into my head. Pulling it over to me, using the Force, once it was within range I attempted to stow it away in my Item Box. Watching the part disappear and reappear in my Item Box, a smile crept onto my face.


    ''It worked¡­that means I can stow monsters I kill in dungeons away and summon their corpses outside. This is going to make me a very wealthy individual!'', I thought, looking back at the Leviathan with an evil smile, ''As a legendary monster, your body is going to fetch me a very pretty penny. Not only that, mounting your head in my future airship workshop is going to be so fucking cool!!''


    Pissed off and unwilling to get close to me now, the creature collected a large amount of purple liquid in its mouth and spat it at me. Sensing that I should not touch that liquid, I used the grappling hook to yank me out of the splash zone which turned out to be the right move. As soon as it collided with the wall, the purple liquid began eating through the stone at an alarming rate.


    "So not only do you fly, but you also spit acid. What kind of fucking Leviathan are you!?", I spat, wondering what other abilities it was hiding.


    Stowing my lightsaber, as it was way too far out of range, I pulled my laser rifle out and began blasting it. Unable to dodge my barrage of laser fire, the monster mixed it up a bit and turned to more primitive tactics. Throwing its body against the ceiling with its full strength, it managed to start shaking loose large chunks of stone off the ceiling. Initially wanting to push the boulders away with the Force, I realized that I had a better option than that. Catching several larger boulders in mid-air, I flung them at the creature while it continued throwing itself into the ceiling.


    Too focused on what it was doing to notice the boulders flying at it, the creature ended up taking my attack head-on. Listening to thousands of its armored scales shattering under the blows, the behemoth came crashing down to the floor and ended up pinned to the ground under more rubble it had broken loose. Wriggling around trying to get free, I pulled out another Plasma Grenade and prepared to throw it. Recognizing what I was about to do, it stopped trying to break free and switched to attacking me with magic.


    Activating a large-scale ice spell, the water in the room began to rapidly freeze leaving me nowhere to run. Attempting to use my grapple hook to get off the ground, this time my anchor point did not hold and ended up breaking loose before I could get off the ground. Before I could reload and try again, the ice began encasing my legs forcing me to eject from my suit. Just as my legs slipped out of the suit, a loud crunching noise rang out as the armor-plating buckled and caved in. Putting it back in my Item Box, as it was now useless to me, I glared at the serpent who appeared seemingly pleased with itself.


    "Listen lizard, you are even more trapped now so I would not be laughing if I were you.", I reminded it, as it had inadvertently frozen most of its body to the floor now, "Batter up!!"


    Using my Laser Rifle like a baseball bat, I hit the grenade as hard as I could and sent it flying at the beast. Thrashing around as it tried to break free, the grenade ended up underneath it just before detonating. When the grenade went off, the plasma again managed to cut roughly in half. This time though, blood began pouring out of its body by the gallon. Discovering that I had heavily damaged a vital organ, I used the Force to seize its top half and pulled it toward me.


    Squeezing it as tightly as I could, blood began to spray out of its body by the bucket. Feeling it grow weaker and weaker as it lost more and more blood, eventually, the creature went limp and died. Dashing over to the corpse and stowing it away before it despawned, the ice beneath my feet suddenly vanished leaving dry ground behind. In the center of the room, a large metal crate appeared which differed from the normal loot chests I was used to.


    Walking up to the crate, the words "Property of Stark Industries" were printed in bold, black letters across the top. Feeling my heart begin to race with excitement, as this was my first true piece of high-tech equipment, I pressed the unlock button on the crate causing the massive doors to slide open for me. Inside the crate was a single metal briefcase and an array of armament for a suit of Iron Man armor.


    "Oh fuck yes!!", I shouted, quickly pulling the briefcase out, "Please be Extremis or Bleeding Edge, either would really help me out here!!"


    Finding nothing printed on the first side, I turned the case around and found the text I was looking for.


    "Model 42 Test Bench¡­", I read aloud, a bit disappointed that it was not combat armor, "Beggars cannot be choosers I guess."


    Popping the briefcase open, I discovered that half of the briefcase was filled with black, liquid metal while the other half contained a skin-tight bodysuit. Assuming that I had to wear the bodysuit before the liquid metal would do anything, I slipped into the suit and let it adjust to my body. Feeling a bit weird, as the bodysuit moved around on my bare skin, once it was done, the liquefied metal burst out of its container and clung to my body. Forming the Iron Man Armor around me in less than a minute, a familiar voice spoke to me through the helmet''s speakers.


    <Good Afternoon sir, how may I be of assistance to you?>


    "Jarvis, it is nice to hear a familiar voice in this hellhole.", I remarked, feeling a bit relieved having someone to talk to, "Before we get rolling, are you willing to work with me? I am not your original creator so I am just making sure."


    <That is not an issue, your biological profile is within acceptable parameters. May I please have your name so I can register you in my database?>


    "My name is Leon Fou Bartfort.", I told him, "Now when you say my biological profile is within acceptable parameters, do you mean I have Old Human DNA?"


    <Correct, you have a perfect fifty-fifty blend of New and Old Human DNA.>


    Relieved to hear that, as Luxion might not attempt to kill me when I went to collect him, I turned my attention back to the weapon''s crate.


    "Are you able to connect all of this equipment to the armor?", I inquired.


    <Of course, one moment please>


    Watching several tendrils of liquid metal reach out and retrieve the equipment. Jarvis took care of positioning everything and hooking everything up for me. Observing what he was doing, in case I needed to do the same in the future, he wrapped up the installation process in just a few minutes.


    <All of the equipment has been installed and calibrated for use.>


    "Perfect, thank you Jarvis.", I said, before pulling my T-45 Power Armor out, "One last thing, can you please import my Trap Detection program from this unit? We are currently located in a dungeon, and I want to avoid triggering hidden dangers."


    <Understood, commencing download.>


    Plugging a tendril into the base of the helmet, Jarvis began to download my program while I looked through the list of weapons I had onboard. In addition to the standard repulsors and unibeam, the additional armaments Jarvis installed gave me Wrist-mounted Missile Launchers, UV Lasers, and Repulsor mini-guns.


    ''Add in the augmented back-thrusters and hacking units, and I am in great shape for future conflicts involving technology.'', I thought, feeling a bit better about the armor''s usefulness.


    <Download is complete and I have converted the program to run on my OS. Enabling Trap Detection view now.>


    Instantly bringing up the overlay, I was pleased to see that he had no issues processing it. Stowing both the crate and power armor in my Item Box, I looked toward the doorway that led to Floor Fifty-One. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Okay Jarvis, let me get you up on my current predicament.", I said, walking toward the exit, "The reason I ended up here is because of my bitch stepmother¡­"

 Chapter 19

    ¡ªTwo Days Later, 3rd Person POV¡ª


    Having received an alarm when Leon broke through the Dutchman''s barrier, Nicholas immediately put a gag order in place to prevent widespread panic. Assuming that the guild''s representative at the outpost had abandoned their post, as their predecessor had, he did not feel the need to review the issue further. Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, Nicholas had almost forgotten about it when a messenger arrived from the palace four days later for him.


    "Good Morning, Guildmaster Nicholas Hendrickson.", the messenger said, producing a summons from his messenger bag, "The palace has requested an audience with you."


    "They want to see me immediately about something?", Nicholas inquired, reviewing the letter for details, "Is something the matter? They are a bit vague about the reasoning behind this summons. If I need to bring documents or materials, I must know here and now to avoid wasting their time."


    Understanding the Guildmaster''s concern, the messenger took a moment to confirm no one from the general public was around before answering.


    "The palace has been made aware that the barrier that seals off the Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon has been broken. The Cabinet Ministers and several prominent noblemen are currently discussing the matter at the palace.", the messenger explained, "The King and Queen are concerned that the Adventurer''s Guild have not made a formal notice to them or made an effort to investigate the matter further. While the King and Queen believe there is a reasonable explanation¡­some noblemen are calling for your removal and instating someone loyal to the country."


    ''Marquess Frampton is the one instigating this, I just know! He has been trying to remove me since I took this position.'', Nicholas thought, "Very well, let me grab my coat and I will go with you to the palace. Marcey, please look after things while I am out¡­"


    Having listened to the conversation, the Lead Receptionist understood what she needed to do. Nodding her head in acknowledgment, she promptly closed her station and went to the backroom. Leaving the matter to her, Nicholas retrieved his coat and left with the messenger. Stepping onto the main road, the messenger flagged down a carriage and told the coachman where they needed to go. Boarding the carriage in a hurry, the driver quickly got underway.


    "Based on your explanation, I assume the palace is in chaos then?", Nicholas inquired, focusing on the messenger.


    "Very much so, everyone is scrambling to form a plan to deal with a potential Monster Stampede. Half of the nobles present want to evacuate the citizens and make a defensive line here in the capital. The other half are convinced that a full frontal assault is our best course of action.", the messenger answered, "All that said, you seem oddly calm given the potential massacre coming our way. Is there something going on that you have not shared with the Crown?"


    "As I have often reported to the Crown, we have trouble keeping staff at our remote outposts. The younger staff members tend to run off after a while as it can be quite boring just sitting there day in and day out.", Nicholas explained, "About four days ago a young adventurer set out to conquer the dungeon. Based on his ship''s speed, he would have been walking into the dungeon roughly when it went off."


    "You are saying it was likely the adventurer who triggered the alarm?", the messenger clarified.


    "Yes.", Nicholas acknowledged.


    Understanding the situation better now, the messenger was curious about who the young adventurer was. The last group to challenge the dungeon did so eighty years ago, and that party of twelve came back as a party of four. Thinking about that group, a realization hit the messenger like a sack of potatoes.


    "Wait a moment, did you say a young adventurer¡­as in a single person?!", the messenger gasped, "A Rank 5 dungeon is far too dangerous for a person to challenge alone!! You are insane for allowing them to do something that dangerous, or you truly hated the person for some reason."


    "He had his reasons for acting alone, namely because his love was sold into slavery and he needed money to save her.", Nicholas remarked, "There was no time to form a party, and it was not like anyone would have joined him anyway. I tested him before allowing him to go, I can say with absolute certainty that if anyone can clear the dungeon it is him."


    Feeling the certainty in his tone, the messenger was even more curious about the identity of the man in question. Leaving the matter there, as they were drawing near the palace, the messenger handed payment to the coachman through the window and disembarked as soon as they arrived. Rushing past the guards at the gate, the men promptly made their way to the throne room where the talks were being held. Hearing the nobles bickering with one another as they approached, Nicholas regretted not staying in bed today.


    "Your plans are far too risky, Malcolm. A full frontal assault on the dungeon would cost us thousands of men and potentially add more fuel to the Monster Stampede.", Duke Redgrave stated, "We should focus on hardening our defenses here, and evacuating civilians far from the front lines. Your plan leaves the capital defenseless if the front lines are breached."


    "So you say, but your plans are equally dangerous.", Marquess Frampton countered, "There is a chance that the monsters will simply go around us and target neighboring noble territories. If we surround the dungeon and contain the monsters, our forces may be able to prevent widespread damage. I agree that we will lose many men, but it is a necessary sacrifice."


    Entering the room amidst the heated debates, Roland and Mylene perked up when they saw Nicholas. Commanding those present to silence themselves, the Royals looked to Nicholas hoping he could settle this discussion. Kneeling before the throne, the Guildmaster greeted the King and Queen with a respectful bow. Feeling Defense Minister Marquess Frampton''s gaze fall on him, Malcolm''s disgust for him was clear as day.


    "Good Morning, King Roland and Queen Mylene. I have come at your request to speak on the happenings at the Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon.", Nicholas stated.


    "It is good to see you, Hendrickson, do you have any-", Queen Mylene began to say before Malcolm interjected.


    "You traitorous pig, why has the Adventurer''s Guild not done anything to prepare for the Monster Stampede?!", Marquess Frampton criticized him.


    "Malcolm, do not interrupt me when I am speaking.", Queen Mylene commanded, hiding her disdain for the Marquess, "As I was saying, do you have any information on what is happening at the dungeon? The Adventurer''s Guild has an outpost on the island, hopefully, the representative there has relayed what is happening back to you."


    "Unfortunately, Your Grace, I have not received any information from the man we had posted there. I have my suspicions that he abandoned his post like the last few representatives have.", Nicholas informed everyone, "Working in isolated, remote locations takes a toll on the young, inexperienced representatives we position at our outposts. We have attempted to use older, seasoned representatives, but none of them would dare take their families to such dangerous locations."


    Having heard Nicholas report this many times, no one was surprised by the information. The Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon was known for wreaking havoc on the minds of those who passed by on ships. Being forced to live there full-time would subject those poor souls to untold mental trauma which was why they never pursued them for abandoning their posts.


    "If that is the case, why has the guild not sent a team to investigate the barrier being destroyed?", Duke Redgrave asked, "The dungeon''s proximity to our nation''s capital and vital trade routes should have made it an emergency priority for the guild to look into."


    "I am well aware and under normal circumstances, I would have led the team personally to investigate the situation. That said, there is a reason I did not send anyone to look into it or report the incident to the palace. The same day the barrier was taken down, a young man went to the dungeon to conquer it.", Nicholas explained, "Based on the speed of his ship and when he left, he would have been trying to enter the dungeon at the same time the barrier was destroyed."


    "You mean a team of adventurers, right?", Earl Arclight corrected him.


    "No, the young man entered the dungeon alone for the sake of someone near and dear to him.", Nicholas acknowledged.


    Hearing his words, everyone in the room went silent. Unable to comprehend why someone would do something so suicidal, no one could come up with anything to say about it. After a few minutes of silence, Mylene spoke up wanting to know who this brave soul was and what sort of problem their loved one faced. As stupid as it may be, the thought that someone would risk their life in such a dangerous place made her heart skip a beat.


    "Guildmaster Nicholas, who is the young man in question, and what would make them face certain death alone?", Mylene asked.


    "Leon Fou Bartfort is the one who went to challenge the dungeon alone.", Nicholas said, unable to avoid telling them now, "He decided to challenge the dungeon to earn money to save the woman he wanted to marry. Due to the actions of his stepmother, Zola Fou Bartfort, his love was forcibly sold into slavery as retribution for Leon''s actions several years ago. He soundly defeated his eldest brother, Rutart Fou Bartfort, in a duel and she has held a grudge since then."


    "You let the Holfort Prodigy go into that dungeon alone for such a stupid reason!?", Malcolm roared, almost jumping out of his seat, "The boy is too young to understand what love is, this wench is a passing interest at best. As a representative of our nation, you should have made him comprehend this and leave things as they were. Assuming he met her in his father''s territory, she was already far below his station. Once he is older, the best she could have been is a concubine for the boy."


    "Marquess Frampton, Leon was insistent on going whether I approved it or not. Before letting him go, I challenged him to duel to try and dissuade him from going. That boy is not only an intellectual genius, he is also an immeasurable powerful fighter and magician. He is capable of using Grandmaster Level Magic and his martial arts talent is second to none.", Nicholas stated, "As much as it pains me to say it, even going all out against him, I could not land a single blow on him. He defeated me in less than a minute¡­"


    Perking up at this revelation, several nobles began talking amongst themselves. As the strongest active adventurer in the nation, the fact Leon defeated him so quickly and easily meant there was more to him than they initially assumed.


    "Then you expect him to be able to clear the dungeon alone?", Duke Redgrave questioned.


    "Not only that, I could sense that he is nowhere close to reaching the peak of his potential. If I may be so bold, he may be our answer to the Principalities'' Black Knight once he matures a few more years.", Nicholas added.


    Having fought on the frontlines against the Principality several decades ago, Nicholas understood how dangerous the Black Knight was. The only way the Kingdom could stop him on the battlefield was by overwhelming numbers, and even then countless brave men died pushing him back. Even though he was nearing retirement now, no one doubted that he still posed a threat.


    "Given this new information, we can put our defense plans on hold for now. In the meantime, we need to get eyes on the dungeon and monitor for any changes.", Mylene stated, looking at her husband, "Do you agree, dear?"


    "Absolutely, at the very least, we need to maintain the appearance that everything is under control in the event the public becomes aware of the barrier''s disappearance.", Roland agreed, "Mylene, please also look into Zola Fou Bartfort as well. Retribution for the results of duels is strictly forbidden after all."


    Agreeing with Roland, Mylene excused herself to prepare a meeting with her.


    "I consider this matter closed, for now. Duke Redgrave and Marquess Frampton, I leave monitoring the island to the two of you. Guildmaster Nicholas, please keep several of your strongest adventurer parties on standby in case we need them.", King Roland said, rising from his throne, "No one is to utter a word spoken here today, is that clear? We will reconvene once Leon has returned from the dungeon."


    Acknowledging the King''s orders, the nobles quickly left the room and vacated the palace. Following right behind him, Nicholas wanted to get to the bottom of where the information leak had come from.


    ''I will not tolerate insubordination in my ranks. Adventurers rely on us to keep quiet about any information they give us in the strictest of confidence. The fact this got out means other details may have also been leaked.'', Nicholas thought, hailing another carriage, ''I need to get this under control before Leon comes back. If our enemies realize a twelve year old boy cleared a Rank 5 dungeon, they will attempt to seduce him or assassinate him.''


    ¡ªLeon POV¡ª


    Flying down the stairs from the ninety-ninth floor, the Dungeon Boss'' Door greeted me as I stepped onto the one-hundredth floor. Looking up at the monolithic-sized orichalcum door, an image of the legendary Kraken was carved into it.


    "Well, it is safe to assume what the Dungeon Boss is.", I said, looking at the time on my HUD, "Since we did not use the missile launcher, we have plenty of firepower to obliterate it. So long as it does not fly¡­it should be over with fairly quickly."


    <Agreed, your armaments are sufficient to deal with the creature.>


    Deciding to skip eating, as I was not hungry, I retrieved a bottle of water from my Item Box and quickly drank it. Hoping to enjoy a warm meal and bath tonight, I stepped forward putting my hands on the door to push it open. Applying a bit of pressure to it, the world around me suddenly shifted unnaturally. Before I knew what had happened, I found myself on a large, old ship in the middle of a raging hurricane. Feeling the wind and rain rip around me, Jarvis kicked on the exterior lights to illuminate my surroundings.


    "Son of a bitch, this is a new one for me!", I said, "Jarvis, can you do something about the noise? I can barely hear myself think!"


    <On it>


    Almost completely muting out the noise from the storm, I turned my attention toward where I was. Using lightning strikes to view past where my lights could reach, there did not appear to be any land anywhere in sight. As I looked around, two gargantuan tentacles rose out of the water and quickly slammed onto the boat. Feeling the ship creak under my feet, I had Jarvis activate my thrusters to get me airborne. Climbing to around a hundred feet or so, a lightning strike nearby revealed the Kraken under the boat.


    "Now that is big squid! It has to be almost two hundred feet in size!", I gasped, stunned by the size of the beast, "Jarvis, will the missiles work underwater?"


    <Yes, give me a moment to adjust them for depth charging>


    "Thank you.", I said.


    Once he gave me the all-clear, I launched two anti-tank missiles into the water. A few moments after they entered the water, a massive explosion shot a fountain of water into the sky forcing the monster into the open air. Locking its two huge eyes on me, the beast whipped its smaller tentacles out of the water and attempted to swat me out of the sky. Quickly evading its strikes, I flew higher to get more altitude.


    "Alright Jarvis, charge the Unibeam!", I told him, "I am going to blast that overgrown seafood dish into oblivion!"


    <Charging Unibeam, please standby sir>


    Stopping my ascent around five hundred feet and waited for the charging to complete. While I hovered there, a lightning bolt struck my back causing my suit to flicker as the power system absorbed the electricity.


    "Haha, alright then. Thank you Thor!", I chuckled, putting the suit into a nosedive.


    Dropping to three hundred feet, I went spread eagle and took aim at the Kraken. Using the next lightning flash to confirm its current location beside the ship, I fired the Unibeam at full power. Bathing the area in a blinding flash of light, the Unibeam effortlessly cut straight through the monster''s head killing it instantly. Swooping in and collecting the corpse, I flew back onto the ship expecting a treasure chest to appear so I could leave.


    "Ugh¡­it has been real fun to do this solo, but I enjoy teaming up with Lucoa and Roxanne more. No offense Jarvis, I prefer the company of women over men.", I chuckled.


    <Sir, I hate to spoil your mood but I am detecting several anomalies at the bow of the vessel>


    "At the bow?", I repeated, turning to look in that direction, "I do not see¡­"


    As I was about to finish that sentence, several lanterns suddenly illuminated the deck revealing it in more detail. Noticing coral and sea life attached all over the place, all the ropes and sails were covered in a slimy, green substance that looked like algae. Slowly walking up the stairs from the lower deck, a large group of people stared at me with lifeless eyes. Noticing that they were all wearing typical adventurer''s gear, a few people in particular drew my attention. Recognizing the disintegrating emblem affixed to their chest, they all belonged to the First King''s Adventurer Party.


    ''Oh, this is not good¡­'', I thought, sizing the group up, ''Are they the Bonus Boss?''


    "Move aside!", a voice commanded, making the group part like the Red Sea for Moses, "So yer the one to awaken me from my slumber."


    Stepping into the light, the feared Davy Jones looked me dead in the eyes as his tentacle face wriggled around suspiciously. Uncomfortable with this turn of events, it disgusted me that he was using the corpses of those who had fallen here to make up his crew.  Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, I am the one who inadvertently did so¡­my apologies.", I said, "I suspect that you are the Bonus Boss, Davy?"


    "Aye, yer in my dungeon after all.", he laughed, mildly amused with me, "Yer the first to reach this floor, congratulations. Enjoy it while you can, boy, soon you will be joining these men here on my boat."


    "Like I was about to tell my friend, Jarvis, I prefer the company of women to men. I have two beautiful women waiting back in the Holfort capital for me.", I chuckled, raising my missile launchers at them, "As much as I would love to ask how you became sentient, or discuss why you look like the Davy Jones from my world¡­I have an appointment to keep."


    "Alright men, kill him!", Davy commanded, as the group drew their weapons and charged forward.


    Firing two missiles at the group, I quickly switched to the Repulsor Miniguns and began laying down suppressive fire. Assuming that this Davy was like the one in my old world, finding his heart was the highest priority here as I could not kill him otherwise. Since there was no land around us, it had to be on the ship which would not be easy with a crew of powerful undead pursuing me.

 Chapter 20

    Following Davy''s orders, the undead crew surged forward while he remained close to the bow. Unleashing a torrent of Repulsor Blasts on the crew, any damage I caused his men was quickly healed in seconds. Discovering they shared Davy''s Immortality, locating his heart became even more difficult.


    "Jarvis, is there any chance you could locate the sound of a beating heart or locate it via heat signature? Davy''s heart should be in a container or something else, anywhere but his physical person.", I asked, leaping backward several feet to create more space.


    <Unfortunately there is too much noise to isolate the sound of any hearts but your own. As for locating a heat signature, I will begin scanning the vessel now.>


    With Jarvis scanning for the heart, I switch from the Mini-gun to a UV Laser and Blessed Silver bullets. Pulling a revolver out of my Item Box, I loaded six of the bullets into the revolver and began to fire on them. Using the UV Laser on my left arm to keep the bulk of them back, all my efforts to keep them back were in vain. Stowing the laser back in my armor and the pistol in my Item Box, I pulled out my blue lightsaber and engaged the crew in hand-to-hand combat.


    "We are¡­sorry for¡­this¡­", the First King struggled to say, "We are¡­bound to the¡­ship and captain¡­" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Free us¡­please!", an unknown adventurer pleaded, "I want to¡­join my wife and¡­daughter in the¡­afterlife."


    "I am trying too!", I replied, cutting through them and their weapons like butter.


    Slipping under one of my swings, a member of the First King''s Party sucker punched me square in the jaw. Momentarily dazed, I reacted on instinct and threw a knee straight into his jaw with added momentum from the repulsor in my boot. Sending the man crashing into his allies, I stumbled backward as my head steadied itself.


    "Jarvis, do you have anything for me?", I pressed my AI companion.


    <I have been unable to locate the heart, sir. Persisting to scan for any signs of it.>


    Unwilling to continue fighting on the defensive, I charged at the men while they were picking themselves back up. Throwing a flurry of well-placed punches into the man who hit me, when the others attempted to jump on my back I activated the back thrusters to scatter the men all over. Watching some of them fly over the railing, an unknown force forcefully yanked them back onboard.


    ''So they cannot leave the boat at all¡­interesting.'', I thought, ''Does that apply to me till I kill Davy?''


    Using the lightsaber to cut several of the crew down again, I glanced over at the captain who was satisfied staying at the bow. Sensing that there was something important on that end, like his heart, I decided to see if the crew could confirm my suspicion. Since they still retained some of their mental facilities, my hope was they could answer the question to save me the trouble.


    "Listen carefully to me, I cannot kill Davy directly. To kill him, his heart needs to be destroyed. Is it somewhere toward the bow of the ship?", I inquired, seizing the First King''s wrist as he attempted to slash me, "Tell me and I can free all of you from this nightmare!"


    Unsure if it would work, as their souls were bound to the ship that Davy controlled, when none of the crew responded I assumed it was a lost cause. Just as I was about to continue buying Jarvis more time, the First King managed to give me the answer.


    "The bow¡­it is in the¡­figurehead''s chest!", the First King forced out.


    "You bastard!!", Davy roared, pulling a flintlock out of his breast pocket, "I will tie you to the anchor and drop you to the bottom of the sea for the next thousand years!"


    Pointing the pistol at us, I pushed the former King out of the way just as Davy fired. Vaporizing the bullet with the lightsaber, I used the Force to lift Davy off the deck and threw him toward the ship''s stern. Aiming a missile at where the figurehead was, the missile was just about to fire when a powerful bolt of energy struck me in the back. Skidding across the deck, Jarvis began blaring an alarm in my ear.


    <Sir, the augmented thrusters have been heavily damaged due to an unknown energy signature.>


    "What the hell was that?!", I shouted, glancing toward the stern.


    Spotting Davy hanging onto one of the Rat Lines, he had managed to grab one when I threw him over my shoulder. Noticing green lightning starting to form in his free hand, I realized he had hit me with an Eldritch Blast. Diving out of the way when he fired a second shot, I attempted to fly off the ship. Unsure if I could, given what had happened to the crewmembers, when I got over the railing without any problems I was relieved that the restriction did not apply to me.


    "Man the cannons, shoot him out of the sky!", Davy commanded, firing another blast at me.


    Leaping off the Rat Line, Davy quickly took up a position near the figurehead while his men raced to the cannons. Firing grapeshot at me, I was forced to give the ship a wider berth as my armor could not take a direct hit from them. Attempting to destroy the figurehead from afar with the repulsors in my hands, Davy jumped down and blocked the attack while hanging from the bowsprit. Unable to land a blow on the figurehead, I decided to switch tactics.


    "Jarvis, charge the unibeam to maximum power. When I tell you to fire, do so immediately!", I told him.


    <Understood, charging Unibeam now.>


    Making a beeline for the ship, I flew barely above the water line to avoid being in the cannon''s angle of fire. Reaching the vessel a few moments later, I flew up over the railing and unleashed a Force Blast on the men, sending the crew all over the deck. Pulling himself onto the bowsprit, Davy leaped toward me with his sword and Eldritch Blast ready to go. Jumping backward, I pointed a hand toward the crew.


    "Mass Control Undead!!", I chanted, using the Necromantic Spell to usurp control from Davy, "Help me finish this bastard off!!"


    "Do not listen to him!!", Davy commanded, no longer in command of them.


    "KILL HIM!!!", the First King shouted, freed from his shackles, "FOR FREEDOM!!"


    "FOR THE KING!!!", his party members shouted.


    Charging forward full of determination, Davy''s crew swarmed him immediately and attempted to pin him down. Shrugging their attempts off, as they were far from his level of strength, he threw them to the side and ran at me. Exchanging blows with him, his Spectral Sword did not melt or warp under my lightsaber. Surprised by this discovery, he attempted to overwhelm me with strength but that would not happen. Using the enhanced strength the Iron Man armor gave me and further bolstering it with the Force, I managed to deadlock him, frustrating him greatly.


    "Yer a bigger pain in my arse than I anticipated!", he spat.


    "Yeah, well you are far uglier than I anticipated!", I countered, mockingly, "What turned you into such a hideous monster?"


    "Humanity did during the war over ten thousand years ago.", he remarked, "New Humans used the Dark Arts to gain the upper hand, and the Old Humans used Forbidden Arts to imbue souls into their machines. All the chaos they created mutated everything into the world you know today. History may have forgotten what happened back then, but I have not!"


    "You speak as if you are the only one who knows that war, but I do as well. The magically endowed New Humans went to extraordinary lengths to force the scientific Old Humans off the planet. After a long, bloody war they managed to drive them into space where they have stayed ever since.", I said, "Believe it or not, my goal is to leave this world behind too and travel the stars. I want to experience the whole of creation in all its splendor and wonder."


    Startled that I knew of the war, I could see the look of disbelief in his eyes. Seizing the chance to push him away, he slid back a few feet before stopping. Quickly regaining his composure, the two of us began exchanging a flurry of sword blows that caused the deck to splinter and crack around us.


    <Unibeam is ready to fire>


    Slowly moving our fight to the lineup with the figurehead, Davy did not realize what I was doing. Once we were in position, I called out to his crew to distract him.


    "All of you, while he is focused on me, go for his heart!", I commanded.


    Remembering that his crew was still under my control, he quickly broke off from our fight and turned to his men. Readying an Eldritch Blast for them, I used the opening to put him in a Full Nelson and locked it in.


    "FIRE!!", I shouted at Jarvis.


    Firing the Unibeam straight through his chest, the blast tore the front quarter of the ship to bits. Completely eviscerating the figurehead and the heart, I felt Davy''s body immediately lose strength. Letting him go, he fell to his knees as he began to fall apart like sand.


    "Well played boy.", he laughed, with resignation in tone, "Ye have freed me from this torment, now I can rest in peace."


    Crumbling away, his corpse was quickly blown away by the wind leaving his equipment behind. Looking at the crew, their bodies began to crumble apart as well. Looking at each other with relief, they ran over and hugged me tightly.


    "I do not know who you are, but you have my eternal gratitude for freeing us!", the Former King said, patting my back, "What is your name?"


    "Leon Fou Bartfort, Third Son of Baron Balcus Fou Bartfort.", I replied, retracting my helmet.


    Taken aback by my appearance, everyone could not believe a child had defeated Davy and them together. Patting me on the shoulders and back, they praised me for my combat prowess, strength, and courage to face all of them alone. Asking me questions about the outside world, as it had been a long time since they had seen the light, I wanted to tell them everything but we were out of time.


    "Jarvis, start recording this please.", I ordered, "As much as I would like to tell you about everything that has transpired, I do not think you will last long enough to hear it. Before you disappear, is there anything you want your descendants to hear? My armor will record the message for you and I will deliver it along with your equipment."


    "How generous of you.", one of the adventurers said, "While I do not think anyone I know is still alive, my youngest daughter might be. Please let her know that I love her and regret not being there for her growing up. We need money for her mother''s procedure and this was the only way I could earn it in a short time."


    Giving each man a chance to speak while their bodies slowly crumbled away, I made sure everything was saved before shaking their hands. Seeing them off one by one till just the First King''s Party remained, they each handed me their Guild Cards with a smile. Giving me full ownership of everything the Guild held for them, they only requested that their equipment be returned to their family grave. Wanting some part of them to lay beside their wives and children, I swore to them that it would be done as they disappeared into the wind.


    Stowing everything around me into my Item Box, I was about to start looking for Dungeon Chest when the ship started shaking violently. Hearing cracks forming in the sky overhead, I realized the dungeon was beginning to collapse all around me. Before I could do anything, a magic circle appeared under me and transported me elsewhere. Arriving in a blinding, bright area, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light.


    "Jarvis, redeploy the helmet!", I shouted, already feeling a headache coming on.


    Doing as I asked, Jarvis quickly lowered the light level in my helmet to alleviate my pain. Blinking a few times to shake away the afterimages, I began surveying the area I was sent. Finding myself on a tropical beach, the landscape around me was covered in thousands of shipwrecks.


    "Uh¡­I think I ended up in Davy Jones'' Locker¡­", I remarked, "Is this what the reward is for clearing the dungeon?"


    <Sir, I am picking up a short range distress signal from one of the ships.>


    "Take us there!", I said, realizing what that could mean for me.


    Taking to the sky, the sheer scale of this place was unfathomable. Seeing ships from all different eras of our world, several Lost Item ships caught my eye. While most of them were way beyond saving, the technology they possessed would be more than sufficient to build additional Iron Man suits for me or make a few starships. Flying me several miles from where we arrived, a familiar ship appeared on the horizon.


    "Jarvis¡­is that the Star Battleship Yamato?!", I gasped, looking at her mostly intact hull and armament.


    <Yes, that is the Yamato...I am surprised you know about it. It is the vessel broadcasting the distress signal.>


    "Alright then, punch it!", I shouted, full of excitement, "If it is still operational, this will be my very first starship!!"


    Touching down on the bridge, the first thing I did was shut off the distress signal. Attempting to access the ship''s computer, the system immediately rejected my attempts as I did not have credentials and my biological signature was not in its database. Undeterred by this, I used the Hacking Modules in my suit to brute force my way into the system. Once I was in, the first thing I did was give myself Super Admin permissions and access to the ship.


    "That should do it.", I said, "Computer, give me a damage report."


    <I have a name, sir. Please call me Yamato!>


    "I¡­uh¡­sorry?", I replied, surprised to hear the ship talk back to me in a human manner, "Yamato, can you give me a damage report please?"


    <Thank you, as for the damage report, I am royally fucked, sir. My reactors are offline and heavily damaged, weapon systems are unresponsive, life support is offline, the soldiers in cryogenic stasis are in grave danger of dying, and I have a giant fucking hole on my port side!>


    "Thank you Yamato¡­I could do without the attitude. Your port side is buried in the sand, I could not see the damage.", I sighed.


    <I have been waiting for thousands of years for someone to come help me, and the first person that shows up hacks into my brain¡­I think I am entitled to be a bit angry.>


    Seeing the logic in her thinking, I agreed that she was right.


    "I am sorry, it is my first time on a starship and I did not think there was an AI onboard.", I apologized, "There are plenty of ships here in this place. If you can tell me what I need to get to repair you, I will happily do so¡­assuming you are willing to let me be your captain."


    Taking a moment to think my request over, the AI agreed to my offer.


    <Very well, from this moment on you are my captain. Here is the list of materials you will need to get the ship back in the air.>


    Transmitting a list of materials and parts to Jarvis, I began flying around collecting all the ships I could find to scavenge what Yamato needed.

 Chapter 21

    ¡ªAuction Day¡ª


    After spending a few days restoring power to the ship and making crucial repairs, we were finally in a position to leave Davy''s Locker. Looting all the treasure and tech I could find, I took a seat in my Captain''s Chair and gave the order to bring everything back online.


    "It is time to get the hell out of here.", I said, ready to enjoy a warm meal and see Roxanne again, "Yamato, please fire up all systems slowly and begin final preparations to leave."


    <On it boss!>


    Bringing the reactors online, the ship began to hum and vibrate as power was being distributed across the ship. Giving Yamato a few moments to confirm everything was working right, I was about to give the command to take off when suddenly several alarms began blaring on the bridge. Quickly silencing them and running diagnostics on her power systems, Yamato returned with bad news.


    <Well that is not good¡­we are nowhere near full power. Reactor One is functioning normally and outputting full power; Reactor Two is functioning normally but the output is only at forty percent; and Reactor Three and Four are unresponsive. Sorry sir!>


    "Do not worry about it, I figured it would not be a simple fix. You sustained a lot of damage from your last battle and were barely hanging on when Jarvis and I found you. All the parts down here are heavily damaged or beyond repair, so we made do with what we had.", I chuckled, not worrying about it, "With the limited power we have, are you able to get us airborne at least?"


    <Of course, flying out of here will not be an issue but much more than that is impossible.>


    "Perfect, have a few of the Mechanic Robots on standby. If we run into any trouble mid-flight, they will need to deal with them quickly.", I ordered.


    <Can do!> S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shutting off power to non-essential systems, Yamato sent everything she could to engage the engines. Watching the progress bar on the main screen quickly rise as she charged up, once it hit one hundred percent, she attempted to start the engines but nothing happened. Repeating the process two more times, Yamato began getting frustrated that her engines would not start.


    <Son of a bitch, why will you not work. Do not make me look bad in front of the Captain damn it!!>


    Recalibrating a few of her systems, Yamato charged the system a fourth, and when she went to fire the engines up, they spun up properly. Hearing those beautiful babies roar to life, I could not help but smile ear to ear with excitement. Watching the scenery outside drift away as we started gaining altitude, Yamato could not contain her happiness about leaving this place.


    <See you later, shithole!! I am not going to miss you!!>


    Understanding the sentiment, I pressed a button on my chair to pull up a frontal view of the ship. Quickly approaching the exit point, a large portal with a view of the world I was familiar with, I braced myself for any potential physical rebound caused by my stay in Davy''s Locker. Slipping through the portal without any such problems, when we were clear, the portal behind us closed, sealing the place forever. Relieved to be in the normal world again, I was immediately drawn to a group of ships just outside the island''s debris field.


    <So those are the New Human airships¡­I am unimpressed. We had technology like that thousands of years ago. It is embarrassing to think we lost to these people.>


    "Before you ask, no you cannot shoot them out of the sky.", I said, noticing my father and Lucoa on one of the ships, "I have family on those ships, and the weapon systems are offline to conserve power. We just got you out of Davy''s Locker, do not send yourself back immediately."


    <Haha¡­good call.>


    "Anyways, I have another matter to discuss with you. Once my business in the capital is complete, we will go to another dungeon to collect a fellow AI of yours. His name is Luxion and he holds the tools necessary to bring you back to one hundred percent again. The science lab where he is located has a Matter Fabricator onsite that is still operational.", I advised.


    <Thank you!! I cannot wait to feel like myself again!!>


    Having Yamato pull up alongside the Kingdom''s vessels, the crews onboard began running around frantically like we were attacking them. Stepping out onto the Observation Deck, I leaned over the railing and started waving at everyone once I was certain they could see me. Noticing how small Yamato made the other ships look, as she was over eight hundred meters, I understood why they were terrified of us.


    "Everyone calm down, I am not going to attack you!", I shouted, retracting my helmet, "It is me!"


    "Leon, you are alive!!", Lucoa exclaimed, with a happy smile on her face, "Where have you been?! We have been searching for you since we arrived a day and a half ago!"


    "It is a long story, one I am happy to share later on.", I replied, "More importantly, what do you think of my cool new ship!! Her name is Yamato, I found her after clearing the dungeon."


    "She is quite an impressive vessel! I can certainly say I have never seen such an extraordinary craft in my life. This ship has quite an opposing presence about her.", Duke Redgrave said, admiring my boat, "You certainly earned it after clearing that monster of a dungeon. Did you find her fully operational or did you repair her?"


    "I have spent the last two days rummaging around for replacement parts and mending her hull. When I found her, she was on her last leg and barely hanging on to life. She is still hurting, but her most critical systems are operational.", I answered, with a smirk, "Sir, if I may, can we continue our discussion back at the capital? I would like to rescue my friend, Roxanne, have a warm meal, and have a real bath after the last six days I have had."


    Nodding his head in agreement, the Duke ordered his men to prepare to leave. Flying along with them, on the verge of stalling from how slow we were traveling, we made good headway and returned to the capital in around forty-five minutes. Unable to dock Yamato in the harbor, because she was far too big, I ended up mooring at the edge of the port. Switching to standby mode since I would be leaving for a bit, I asked her to have the robots do some maintenance during this downtime.


    "Yamato, while I handle business in the capital, please have the Maintenance Robots look into fixing power delivery from Reactor Two and getting the other reactors online.", I requested, "If they need parts, please collect the necessary data so we can provide it to Luxion."


    <Already on it. Should I dispatch a few Security Androids with you for protection?>


    "Since my armor has been repaired, I think it should be more than enough to protect me. That said, I want to flex and show off some of your capabilities. Please dispatch four Security Androids, the scarier looking the better. There are two, maybe three, people that I want to make piss in their pants.", I chuckled, with a sinister smile.


    <Hehe, yes sir!>


    Summoning four androids to the bridge, four human-looking female androids marched up and saluted me. Arriving fully kitted, they carried plasma rifles and pistols, compact rocket launchers, razor-sharp titanium blades, and high explosive grenades. In addition to weapons, they were equipped with high-tech body armor and carried mobile shield projectors on their belts. Equipped more for being bodyguards than security, if I did not already have Jarvis, they would definitely be my go-to option.


    "Uh Yamato, I have two very important questions for you. First off, do you have more of their equipment onboard? If so, I want Luxion to mass-produce them for my military forces. Secondly, why are all of them women? Given that you are a battleship, one would assume they would prioritize invoking fear over the maternal, nurturing vibe they give off.", I stated, uncertain how to explain it.


    While not extraordinarily curvy, the robots were still attractive in their own way and almost had a Milfy aura around them. Unsure why these sorts of androids would be used on a battleship and not a brothel, Yamato quickly enlightened me on the situation.


    <Regarding the equipment, I have plenty more onboard for Luxion to take as samples. As for their appearance and the sensation you are feeling, they were custom-ordered androids made for my former captain. Since we were usually off on long-term missions and there were no female crewmembers, the men grew restless within weeks of being deployed. To avoid potential mutinies, and for his pleasure, he wanted them to fulfill two different roles. Unfortunately, the upper brass only wanted combat robots so this was the compromise.>


    "Oh. My. God.", I said, taking a healthy step back, "Please tell me that you sanitized every nook and cranny over these androids. Just thinking about what they have seen is making me want to vomit¡­"


    <Sir, I can assure you that I cleaned them at least twelve times after every use¡­>


    Hearing her mutual disgust for what the androids went through, I was happy to see we shared some common ground. Putting the matter aside, the five of us stepped out onto the Observation Deck to prepare to leave. Redeploying my helmet, I took to the sky followed closely by the androids who used thrusters in their heels to fly like rockets. Reaching the pier where a crowd was quickly forming, I gave the androids strict instructions not to harm anyone as we landed.


    "Do not harm anyone here unless I give you clear instructions too.", I said, retracting my helmet.


    Before I could get a word out to the crowd, my mother and Lucoa pushed through the crowd to reach me. Pulling me into a hug, I swore I heard my armor begin to creak under their strength. Crying on my shoulder, my mother began mumbling about missing me and being worried about my safety. As for Lucoa, she was satisfied with hugging me until she did a double take on the androids behind me.


    "Hey, Leon¡­who are your pretty friends here¡­?", Lucoa asked, with a cramped smile, "You would not have happened to take your sweet time because of them, would you?"


    "Yes, I would like to know who they are as well.", Luce said, noticing them as well, "You should properly introduce them to me!"


    "First of all, Lucoa, as I have said multiple times¡­I am not old enough for that yet. You will know when Spring comes for me, trust me.", I whispered to her, before addressing the broader question, "As for who they are, these androids are part of my new ship''s defense system. Please show them what is behind your faces."


    Ejecting their faces, the androids showed everyone that they were indeed machines. Hearing a sigh of relief come from Lucoa, I wondered if she would have a problem with me having a harem in the future. Since the universe was a massive place, I could not promise her that it would always only be Roxanne and her. Ideally, I would love to have a harem of around seven to eight women, at least, to travel the stars with. They would need to be okay with exploring new worlds, diving into the depths of the unknown, and embracing new cultures and experiences. If they could not handle that, I could not even think of making them my partner.


    "Please put your faceplate back on.", I ordered the androids, before calling out into the crowd, "Guildmaster Nicholas, do you happen to be somewhere in this crowd? I need to talk to you before I head to the auction to buy Roxanne''s freedom."


    "I am here!", he replied, rushing to the front with several of his receptionists, "You son of bitch, you did it in less than a week!! Congratulations Leon, that is another record you have broken and one that I doubt anyone will ever beat. As promised, I will make you an S-Rank Adventurer for your achievements and hard work!"


    "Thank you, I appreciate it!", I said, pulling out the gear from the adventurers I fought, "First of all, can you see to it that these fallen adventurers are returned to their loved ones? I am sure no one alive remembers them, but if there is someone, please give it to them. It was their final request."


    Looking at the Guild Cards resting on the piles of equipment, a solemn smile formed on their faces. Promptly collecting the equipment, most of the receptionists he brought swiftly left to begin tracking down their families.


    "I also met the First King''s Party in the dungeon, they asked me to return their equipment to their burial sites so they can be beside their wives and children.", I said, providing him with their Guild Cards, "They also gifted me everything they have in the Guild''s Possession, if you still have it. Given that it has been several thousand years, it has all probably been lost or given away."


    "We still have everything they deposited in the Guild, no one could claim it without their Guild Card.", Nicholas stated, examining the cards closely, "Not to doubt you, but do you have a letter or proof to back up your claim? Some people may not want to let you collect their treasures."


    "Jarvis, please show him the video.", I chuckled, "You may want to stand back."


    Projecting the recording of my discussion with the First King''s Party, and the subsequent conversions with the other adventurers, the crowd grew silent as everyone listened intently to what they said. Hearing people tear up as the men talked about regretting not being there for their families and loved ones, by the time the video was done, many women bawled their eyes out while some men looked away as they sobbed in silence.


    "I¡­I believe you now.", Nicholas choked up, "I am sure all of them are happy to be back with their families in the afterlife. You did them a great service that the Guild cannot begin to thank you enough for."


    "I had a personal reason for doing this so please do not worry about it.", I assured, "Moving on, I would like to meet with you after the auction to review everything I brought back with me. In addition to the Boss Loot, I have a shitton of monster drops and a boatload of monster corpses like this to sell."


    Pulling the Leviathan''s head out of my Item Box, I was relieved that it did not immediately dissipate when it popped out. Falling to the ground with a heavy hud, several women, including my mother, fainted at the sight of the gigantic beast. Stumbling backward out of fear, Nicholas instinctively reached for his blades before I quickly got between them.


    "Wait, it is dead!!", I shouted, trying to calm everyone down, "This was the Mid-Floor Boss in the dungeon, a sixty-foot Leviathan. The rest of its body is in my Item Box."


    "Shit Leon, give me some warning before you pull something like that!", Nicholas sighed, with relief, "People do not usually pull Legendary Monsters out of an Item Box to show people!"


    "Sorry, I was just trying to show you what to expect when I come by later today. I will sell the Guild everything but the Leviathan''s head, I want to get that stuffed and mounted in my Airship Workshop when I have it built.", I chuckled, "I think it will certainly make me stand out compared to the competition."


    "It will do something alright¡­", Nicholas thought, imagining what it would look like hung on a stone wall, "So if this was the Mid-Boss, what was the Dungeon Boss?"


    "A two hundred foot Kraken.", I answered, "Also, I ended up having to fight a Bonus Boss too. Davy Jones was the Bonus Boss, he is the reason I was able to speak with the First King''s party and the other adventurers. They were all trapped on his ship."


    Showing him a few clips of my fight with Davy, the crowd turned pale white as they looked at his face. Having never seen anything so hideous before, I was honestly surprised none of them vomited at first glance.


    "Marcey, update our information on Rank 4 and 5 dungeons.", Nicholas said to his Lead Receptionist, "We now have confirmation that Bonus Bosses do exist, and our parties need to account for that possibility moving forward."


    "Understood.", Marcey acknowledged.


    "You are assuming they will be around in the next five years.", I snickered, "After a short break, I am going back out there to wipe out more dungeons. With such incredible Lost Items out there, there is no way I am not going to collect it!"


    "Haha!! You cleared one of the most feared dungeons in our country, and you are ready for more!! You certainly have Adventurer Blood pumping through your veins Leon!", Nicholas laughed, as the clock tower chimes began to sound, "Shit, you need to get going, Leon!! The auction is about to start!!"


    Having lost track of time, I pulled the Leviathan''s head back into my Item Box and grabbed Lucoa''s hand. Commanding the androids to follow us, the six of us ran to the Desmond Slave Trading Company to buy our seats for auction.

 Chapter 22

    Reaching the front of the queue, the man at the front door recognized me from our brief meeting the other day. Surprised to see me, given the short window of time I had to raise the funds, he inquired if I truly had the money to enter.


    "I know you want to save your friend, but I cannot let you enter without payment. Do you have the million dia entry fee?", he inquired.


    "I do, though it is in the form of gold coins.", I replied, handing him a bag of coins worth a million dia, "Do I have to pay for my bodyguards and Lucoa?"


    Taking a second to count the coins, I could see the shocked expression he was trying to hide in his eyes. Quickly returning to reality, the man asked me to repeat my question to him again.


    "Do I need to pay for my bodyguards and Lucoa to enter?", I repeated.


    "Oh, no they can enter for free. Potential buyers are the only ones required to pay.", he replied, depositing the bag of coins with the others before retrieving a few items for me, "Here is your bidding sign with your buyer number. I assume you understand the bidding process so I will not bore you with a refresher. Take a seat at any open table in the auction house, we will start the auction shortly."


    Nodding my head, we entered the auction house and immediately felt the oppressive atmosphere. Having the day''s slaves spread out among several dozen cages, all of the slaves were backed as far away from the front of the cage as humanly possible. Cowering in fear as their potential owners spoke about what would become of them, my gut instinct was to slaughter all of these scumbags and save us all a lot of trouble.


    ''These are living, breathing people, not cattle!'', I thought, trembling with anger.


    "Leon, please do not do anything rash.", Lucoa pleaded, sensing the anger swelling inside me, "Focus on Roxanne and the other children from your territory. While I am certain you could buy everyone''s freedom, you do not know their situation back home. They may have no jobs, home, or family to return to, you would just be buying a few more months of freedom for them before they return here."


    Understanding Lucoa''s point, I still did not like the idea of leaving these mostly innocent people in the hands of the predatory elite. Swallowing my anger to save Roxanne and the others, I scanned the room looking for where they were at. Spotting them toward the middle right of the room, Zola and Rutart were already gawking at Roxanne. Marching toward them, I barely managed to make out what Rutart was saying over the noisy room.


    "You should get used to staying on your knees, bitch. After I buy you, you will be there quite frequently. I will even have you service me in front of that bastard Leon!", Rutart laughed.


    "I would not be so sure of that, you cowardly bastard.", I chimed in, wearing a smirk, "Roxanne and the other children you stole from their homes are coming back with me. Do not bother trying to act like you are an innocent party in all of this, your idiot mother did not come up with this idea on her own. I have seen the way you ogle Roxanne every time you came to visit. If it were up to me I would have ripped your eyes out and stuffed them down your throat. Fortunately for you, I staved my hand for my father''s sake but that changes today. After I free them, if you dare set foot on our island, I will bury you six feet under."


    "How dare you speak to me that way!", Rutart snapped, turning his attention to me, "What makes you think you can¡­wait, where did those women come from?! Mother, why does this worm have five busty women with him!!"


    Glancing up at Zola, she did not register our conversation or even realize I was present. Staring off into space, it appeared she had a concussion from the blow I gave her before I left. Tugging on her sleeve to drag her back to reality, Zola asked him what he wanted.


    "Did you see another slave you wanted?", Zola inquired.


    "Mother, have you not been paying attention to what Leon or I said?!", Rutart asked, confused by his mother''s recent changes.


    "No¡­I am sorry¡­?", she replied, unsure of herself, "Either way it does not matter, his idiot father could not have come up with the money to purchase anyone here. We should find a table, the auction is starting soon."


    "But Mother!!", Rutart protested, as she dragged him away.


    Stunned by Zola''s lack of anger and foul-mouthing me, Lucoa inquired if I had cast some spell on her. Cracking a smile, I shrugged and admitted I had no idea what was wrong with her. Reading between the lines, she grinned ear to ear with happiness as she enjoyed the shell of a person she had become.


    "Roxanne, just hang in there a little longer. We will be heading home soon!", I told her, "I cleared the Flying Dutchman''s Labyrinth and brought back more money than we could ever spend. After today, your family will be well taken care of and we can be together again."


    Looking up at me, my beaten and battered love looked up at me in surprise. Having written off my words days ago as a promise I could not keep, she could not believe I had cleared a Rank 5 dungeon alone. Backing me up, Lucoa spoke up and confirmed that I was telling the truth.


    "You have to see it, Roxanne. Leon brought back a massive ship, one bigger than I have ever seen before!!", Lucoa explained, "These robots with us are part of the ship too!!"


    Having them remove their faceplates for her, Roxanne stared in amazement at me. Watching tears begin to form in her eyes, she hung her head in shame and began to cry. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why¡­why would you risk your life for mine? I am a stupid, unworthy commoner with no future ahead of me. You could be a legendary adventurer, make all the money you want, and have all the women you could desire¡­what makes me so special?", she cried, "I am just a slave now, I cannot stand by your side anymore! Having me around will only cause problems and people will criticize you over me!"


    "I do not care what other people think, fuck them. Their opinions do not matter to me, the only ones I care about are Lucoa and you. As long as you two are with me, I do not care what other people think.", I told her, extending my hand to her, "I have a dream of traveling the stars to find new adventures, and in that dream, both of you are by my side. Come hell or high water, I want you to be with me forever."


    "Leon, you are such a lady killer!!", Lucoa said, smacking me on the back, "You have to give a girl some warning before you say things like that. My poor heart almost stopped with that love confession of yours. I supposed I can accompany you too till I die¡­"


    "Okay¡­you win¡­", Roxanne sniffled, wiping the tears from her face, "I cannot be your wife, but I¡­I can still be your partner."


    ''I seriously do not care about my reputation. The idiots in this world are ants in the grand scheme of things. All I want is to travel the stars with the people I care about and enjoy life together.'', I thought.


    Before we could talk further, the auctioneer stepped up to the podium. Taking a seat at a table close by, the first cage full of slaves were dragged on stage. Tuning out what was happening, to prevent myself from flying off the handle, I sat patiently waiting for the people from my territory and Roxanne to appear on stage.


    ¡ªThirty Minutes Later¡ª


    "...lastly we have a group of slaves from the Bartfort Barony.", the auctioneer shouted, immediately gaining my full attention.


    Escorting Roxanne and the others in her cage to the stage, they pushed a three year old girl up in front of everyone. Clutching her ragged shirt tightly, the lustful, hungry eyes of some bidders sent her into a panic. Attempting to flee, two of the workers seized her before she could get far. Locking her chains to the floor, the girl curled up into a ball crying for her parents to save her.


    "The bidding will start at one hundred thousand.", the auctioneer said.


    Having heard what these disgusting pigs wanted to do with her and the others, I decided to play hardball with them. Instead of slowly knocking people down by raising the bid, I went well over their heads with my first offer.


    "One million dia!!", I proclaimed, raising my sign, ''Outside of Roxanne, no one is going to pay anywhere near one million for any of the remaining kids.''


    Those about to start bidding quickly put their signs down and looked back at me in shock. Deciding to put even more pressure on them, I made my position clear to avoid wasting everyone''s time.


    "Furthermore, in the interest of saving everyone some time, I place a starting bid of one million dia on all the children from the Bartfort Barony.", I stated, giving the other bidders a death glare.


    "You¡­you cannot do that!!", an older viscount said, before looking at the auctioneer, "He cannot do that, right?"


    "Well I¡­I¡­", the auctioneer said, having never been placed in this situation before, "Sir Offrey, how would you like us to proceed?"


    Leaning over to whisper in my ear, Lucoa informed me that Earl Offrey was one of the owners of the Desmond Slave Trading Company. Having looked into this place while I was away, she discovered a lot of shady dealings involving the Offrey Household. Having purchased the noble title from the impoverished household a few generations ago, none of the proper nobles liked them. To smooth things over, Offrey''s only daughter, Stephanie Fou Offrey, was set to marry Brad Fou Field, the heir to an esteemed Marquess family and one of the First Prince''s best friends.


    "There are many bad rumors about their household ranging from bribery to outright treason. No one has been able to confirm it one hundred percent, but their dealings with the Principality of Fanoss are suspicious. When the old Offreys were in power, their household never had good relationships with the principality. After the new Offreys took over, relations suddenly began improving at an unusually high pace.", Lucoa whispered, as Earl Offrey turned to look at me, "Right now, many nobles believe they are selling national secrets and treasures to the principality in preparation for an impending war."


    "Young man, do you have proof that you can cover such a large standing bid? We have over three hundred children from the Bartfort Barony on auction today. I am not saying it is impossible, but you certainly do not look well-off enough to afford that amount."


    "I understand, allow me to alleviate your concerns.", I said, pulling two medium-sized chests of gold bars out of my Item Box, "I assume this is sufficient enough to show I am good for it?"


    Motioning for one of his employees to confirm they were real, the employee disappeared into the backroom for a moment and returned with a magical identification tool. Checking all the bars for their purity and weight, when he was certain everything checked out, he looked back at the Earl with the results.


    "Sir, all of these bars are ninety-seven percent pure gold bars. At the going market rate, there is over five hundred million dia here.", the employee informed him.


    "My apologies for calling your ability to pay into question.", Earl Offrey said, realizing I had deep pockets, "Since he has all the funds here with him, I will allow his bids to stand."


    "Understood, with that in mind, the bid is now one million. Are there any takers for 1.1 million?", the auctioneer asked, already certain no one would take it.


    "That amount is too steep for any of us. I believe I speak for everyone when I say the boy can have them all for three hundred million. If he wants to squander his money, who are we to stop him.", one of the older bidders spoke up.


    Nodding their heads and voicing their agreement, surprisingly most of the bidders took my gesture in stride. Believing that I was trying to spare them the humiliation of losing bids one by one, it was much easier for them to swallow when I did it all at once. Like the first man said, it was just me squandering money so they could live with that.


    "Hold on a minute, fatass!!", Rutart said, seething with anger, "I want to bid on the fluffy-eared dog girl. I bid 1.2 million on her!!"


    Having not heard the employee announce that I was sitting on five hundred million, Rutart believed he still stood a chance to outbid me. Scowling at Rutart, the idiot did not realize he called a Viscount a fatass in his blind rage toward me.


    "That is a terrible thing to say to a man above your station!", I scolded him, hiding my mocking tone beneath a scowl, "I raise my bid to ten million."


    "Twenty million!!", Rutart shouted, refusing to apologize to the nobleman or yield to me.


    "Hold on a moment¡­", Earl Offrey said, holding his temper back, "Young man, I know your mother put a cap on what she was willing to pay. Your cap is five million, do you have an additional fifteen million to cover your bid?"


    Looking up at him, Rutart did not hesitate to lay into Earl Offrey. Wrongly assuming he was beneath our station as just another merchant, he let the pretentious tone his mother struck with my father seep into his words. Letting him dig his own grave, I sat back and watched it all unfold.


    "Who the hell do you think you are, merchant?! I am the heir to the Bartfort Barony, Rutart Fou Bartfort. How dare you question if I have the funds or not! You should be grateful that my household comes to this hovel to purchase low-quality slaves from you!!", Rutart berated him.


    ''Well, someone else might put him six feet under before I do.'', I thought, ''After this shitshow and the cowardice my father has shown, I better consider changing my name. If the Crown allows it, I will change it to Victor Von Stark since I have earned an Honorary Noble Title. Since I will not have any land to my name, they will probably allow it given my achievements.''


    "A merchant, am I? I am Earl Offrey, you wretched child.", the Earl growled, unable to stand the disrespect Rutart showed him, "Get this brat and his mother out of here immediately! They are banned from our store and all of our associate locations!"


    "Sir!!", the guards acknowledged, seizing the two of them.


    "DAMN YOU LEON!! YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE!! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!!", Rutart howled like a madman.


    ''Bye-bye, you fucking moron.'', I thought, watching them drag their asses out the door.


    As Rutart''s bids were no longer valid, Roxanne''s price returned to my initial one million dia bid. Having already waived their interest in bidding against me, the auctioneer slammed his gavel and handed over all the slaves from the Bartfort Territory. Paying the amount due to the staff, they officially transferred ownership to me and left us on the auction house floor.


    "Hey, it is Leon!!", a few of the kids shouted, recognizing me from around the town, "You were the one who bought us?!"


    "Yes, I am so sorry that all of you had to endure this traumatic experience. Words cannot begin how upset I am that you were caught up in an ongoing dispute between Rutart and me. All of you were innocent bystanders in that bastard''s campaign against me. You have my word that I will take you back home and reunite you with all your families.", I swore to them, "Your families and you will not have to suffer Zola or Rutart''s wrath any longer. I will personally deal with both of them so this never happens again!"


    Stepping aside so Roxanne could pass through, she immediately ran over and hugged me tightly. Bawling her eyes on the spot, the brave face she had put on for me crumbled as all her pent-up frustration and fear came pouring out. Holding her tightly till she calmed down, Lucoa handed her the necklace I made back with a smile.


    "Never give something so precious away again.", Lucoa remarked, "Poor Leon almost killed his father when he heard what happened. I have never been so terrified in my entire life! He nearly snapped his father''s neck, defeated the Adventurer''s Guildmaster, and cleared the Flying Dutchman''s dungeon in under six days for you. Leon is a man on a mission when it comes to you, do not take that for granted."


    "I know that now¡­", Roxanne replied, putting her necklace back on.


    "I will do whatever it takes for those important to me, not just Roxanne.", I corrected Lucoa, elbowing her in the side, "Come on, I want to have a warm meal and a nice bath after all the work I have put in."


    "Oh, Roxanne, to reward him we should help bathe him!", Lucoa suggested.


    "Lucoa!", I protested, "You keep making these comments, but I am only twelve years old!! Just wait till I am sixteen, I promise I will be more than happy to take part in your ecchi plans."


    Rolling her eyes, Lucoa began to laugh and agreed to my request. Promptly leaving the auction house, as I walked out the door, Rutart charged at me ready to fight. Throwing a punch at my face, I side-stepped his negligible attack, stuck my leg out, and tripped him. Falling flat on his face, Rutart quickly picked himself up and uttered the words I had been waiting for.


    "You ungrateful bastard!! That is it!!", Rutart shouted, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone around us, "I challenge you to a duel to the death!! After I kill you, I will take your women and plow them over your grave!!"


    "Am I correct in assuming that everyone heard that?", I asked, looking at the nobleman and guards nearby.


    Nodding their heads, everyone acknowledged they heard his request for a duel to the death.


    "Alright, Rutart, since you have a death wish¡­who am I to deny you a quick death.", I remarked, with a sinister smile, "How about tomorrow at noon? We can settle this in the Academy''s Arena."


    "Fine by me¡­", Rutart said, uneasy about my expression.


    "Just know, neither Zola nor Balcus are going to save you from me now. Once you set foot in the arena, you are a dead man walking.", I said, in a dark tone.


    Leaving things at that, I took my group into the capital to find lodging for everyone.

 Chapter 23

    ¡ªNext Day¡ª


    Heading to the Adventurer''s Guild the following morning, Nicholas and an army of Guild Receptionists were waiting for us at the front door. Handing me my Adventurer ID Card, as promised, Nicholas informed me that I held the prestige of being the only living adventurer to have cleared a Rank 5 dungeon.


    "As an S-Ranked adventurer, the Kingdom and Adventurer''s Guild have high hopes for your future. Given how quickly you cleared the most feared dungeon in our nation, the Crown has officially placed a request with us to have you clear all the Rank 4 and 5 dungeons in our borders.", Nicholas said, producing a signed royal decree from the pouch on his hip, "To help mitigate any potential issues as you travel, you will be acting in an official capacity as a representative of the Crown." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I know they want the dungeons dealt with, but this is a bit extreme, is it not?", I inquired.


    "Oh no, this was necessary for two reasons. First, Monster Stampedes are the biggest threat to our country right now. We have three dungeons that could have one start in the next two weeks, that is your highest priority for the moment. After that, you can clear them as you have the time.", Nicholas explained, "Secondly, this decree will help keep the nobility off your back. As you may have already realized, all of your achievements will make you a target of the nobility. Any household that can snag you will become incredibly influential so be prepared when you go to the Academy."


    "I am well aware¡­", I sighed, "By the way, how difficult would it be to change my name? My household name was already in bad shape, because of my father''s cowardice, and after what Rutart did yesterday¡­I am certain it is completely trashed now."


    "Ah yes¡­I heard about that¡­", Nicholas groaned, "It will not be that difficult, since you are so young, but that is something for the Crown to handle. I can let them know you are interested so they can get the ball rolling. Now then, on to the fun part! Can you show us all the goods you have from the dungeon?"


    Nodding my head, I put my ID and the royal decree in my Item Box and headed inside with Nicholas. Emptying a small portion of everything I had collected in their underground warehouse, my loot filled all the shelving and crates in their ten thousand square foot facility. Leaving them to do their work, we continued to the Academy for my duel with Rutart.


    ¡ªNoon¡ª


    Parting ways with Lucoa and Roxanne, they sat in the stands with most of the student body while I stepped out into the arena. Finding my idiot eldest brother being helped into his expensive Mithril chainmail and armored suit, I wondered how much it cost my father. Deciding to repurpose the metal, I pondered what I would make with it after I reduced it to scrap.


    "I am happy to see that you did not chicken out!", Rutart snapped, as Zola''s servant adjusted his chainmail.


    "Funny, I thought you would be at home cowering under your bed after how our last duel ended.", I retorted.


    Glaring at me, as some of his classmates began laughing at him, Rutart quickly laid out the rules for this duel.


    "We are only allowed to use our fists, magic, and swords to fight. No Lost Items!", Rutart shouted, while wearing a mischievous smile.


    "Very well, fine by me.", I agreed, ''I bet you think Lost Items are the only reason I cleared the dungeon. The truth is, they only helped speed up clearing it. Clearing it without Lost Items would have taken longer, but was certainly possible.''


    Pulling out the original three Steel Swords I made, I affixed them to my right hip. Taking my coat off, I decided to run with just my white dress shirt, dress pants, and comfortable shoes. Noticing that I was not going to use any armor, Rutart gave me a confused look and asked what I thought I was doing.


    "You do know this is a duel to the death, right? Why are you not putting on any armor?", he inquired, "Even a moron like you should understand the importance of armor."


    "You only need to wear armor when there is a genuine threat around.", I snickered, causing his classmates to gasp and whisper amongst themselves, "Judging by how much equipment you have, you must be petrified of fighting me. It is good to see that you are not a complete idiot."


    Grinding his teeth together in anger, Rutart put on a Sacrificial Misanga before being helped into his plate armor. Ensuring that all the buckles and straps were secure, Zola''s servant handed Rutart a massive Mithril Greatsword. Swinging it around a few times, in a futile attempt to intimidate me, I just looked at him with an unamused expression. Quickly retreating to his master''s side, Rutart and I stood there waiting for the officiate to arrive.


    "I am here, sorry for the delay!", the officiate said, hurrying to his seat on the edge of the arena, "Alright, I trust both parties are aware of the rules for this duel. This duel to death can only be stopped when one of you has expired, it cannot be stopped any other way. Do both of you understand and agree?"


    "Yes sir.", I acknowledged.


    "Whatever, let us get this started!", Rutart snarled.


    Taking a moment to confirm we were far enough apart for his liking, the officiate lifted his hand into the air and gave us one final statement.


    "Alright, fight to the utmost of your abilities. Begin!", the officiate shouted, dropping his hand to signal the start of the match.


    ¡ª3rd Person POV¡ª


    Sitting in the Duke''s private booth with his father, Gilbert Rapha Redgrave closely examined the two boys about to fight to the death. Having come at his father''s request, Gilbert was curious why he had been asked to come here. He had heard that two brothers were dueling each other to the death, over a girl, but that was all he knew.


    "Father, does this squabble between brothers involve us in some way?", Gilbert inquired.


    "Normally, I would not even consider coming to an event like this but the younger brother has the capital in an uproar. As you likely have heard, the Flying Dutchman''s Dungeon was cleared single-handedly a few days ago by Leon Fou Bartfort. Do you know who is fighting here today?", Vince asked his son.


    "Rutart Fou Bartfort and Leon Fou Bartfort¡­", Gilbert replied, "Wait, that twelve year old boy cleared a Rank 5 dungeon alone!?"


    "Reportedly in four days, yes.", Vince acknowledged, glancing over at Leon, "As you may have noticed, many noble families are in attendance today to observe Leon closely. Everyone is curious to know if he cleared it only because of his Lost Items, or if he is a monster in the body of a young boy."


    Having noticed the other nobles in attendance, Gilbert had assumed there was another event being held afterward that had brought everyone here. Understanding now that they were here to see if the Holfort Prodigy lived up to his name, he silently sat beside his father and watched the fight closely.


    As soon as the officiate started the match, Rutart activated the physical enhancement enchantment imbued into his plate armor and charged at Leon. Whipping his greatsword around, Rutart leaped into the air and threw everything into a slash aimed for the top of Leon''s head. Slamming into the ground as he landed, the impact kicked up a large amount of dust which obscured everyone''s view for a few moments. As the wind blew the cloud away, everyone was stunned by what they saw.


    ''No way¡­I am certain I hit him!!'', Rutart thought, as a chill ran down his spine.


    Staring at the ground, the tip of his blade had come to a stop just millimeters from Leon''s right foot. Noticing that Leon had not moved during his attack, Rutart was left dumbfounded as there was no way he should have missed like that.


    "All that showboating and bragging only to miss me by a hair''s breadth. You disappoint me Rutart.", Leon said, pointing his left index finger at Rutart.


    Before Rutart could utter a response, Leon blasted him with a powerful Force Blast that sent Rutart skipping across the arena. Slamming into the thick, stone wall, he sunk into it a few feet before falling to the ground.


    "Father¡­what was that?", Gilbert inquired, staring at Leon in shock, "Rutart''s attack missed Leon, and then Leon knocked him away somehow. He did not lay a finger on Rutart or utter a magic chant!!"


    ''So Guildmaster Nicholas was not exaggerating, Leon is truly a monster in the body of a child. Even I misjudged where Leon had been standing, and I have fought countless battles across our nation. For a twelve year old boy to throw off my perception without the use of a Lost Item or magic¡­maybe there is some hope left for our nation yet.'', Vince thought, as a smile crept onto his face, "I am not sure about how he knocked him away, but I am certain of what Leon did to avoid the attack. He made Rutart believe he was in a different location than he truly was. I have seen it only performed by high-level swordsmen like Earl Arclight, it is a skill that can only be learned through hard work and training."


    "How is that possible without magic though?", Gilbert asked.


    "He effectively projected his presence to another location rendering himself imperceivable by Rutart. I did not realize it until after Rutart''s attack missed, to be honest.", Vince informed him.


    As Rutart began to stagger back to his feet, Leon drew his three blades from their sheath. Holding one of them with his teeth, the other two he had in both hands. Squatting into a sprinting position, Leon suddenly disappeared from everyone''s view as the ground beneath where he had been exploded. Reappearing in front of Rutart, the elder brother had no time to react to what was coming.


    ''This is for all the families you tore apart for the sake of getting Roxanne! Rengoku Oni Giri!'', Leon thought, unleashing the devastating attack on Rutart.


    Slicing through both the Mithril Plate Armor and Mithril Chainmail like butter, three huge gashes appeared in the wall behind Rutart. Blowing the ruined equipment away with the resulting air pressure, a torrent of blood began spraying Rutart''s chest as he stumbled backward screaming in pain. Watching his blood pour out of the wounds Leon inflicted, Rutart haphazardly launched a flurry of half-baked spells at him to cover his escape.


    "What?! How!?", Gibert shrieked, overwhelmed by Leon''s display of strength and skill, "That was two layers of Mithril armor! How did he do that?!"


    In the other private booths, the nobles who were in attendance were equally surprised by this development. Wanting to know what metal his blades were made of, some of them wondered if they were made of Orichalcum or Adamantine. While the nobles discussed things in private, the students in attendance became rowdy. The boys began demanding to know where Leon learned that sword style while many of the girls were upset he was not yet a student at the Academy. Listening to all of it, Roxanne looked at Lucoa with a startled expression.


    "Since when has Leon been this powerful?! He has never done that before when we went dungeon crawling together.", Roxanne stated.


    "I think he is purposefully just showing off for you.", Lucoa remarked, with a grin, ''Still though, this is way different than when he fought the Guildmaster. Did he learn something else down in the dungeon, or is this what he has always been capable of?''


    Stumbling toward his mother, Rutart glanced at his Sacrificial Misanga to figure out why it had not activated. Finding it already broken inside his glove, he realized Leon''s attack would have killed him twice over. Throwing his remaining bits of armor to the ground, Rutart continued blasting Leon with magic.


    "Stay away from me!!", Rutart shouted, almost pleading in his tone.


    "Do not cry and beg now, you were the one who demanded a rematch with me. Face your death with some dignity!", Leon remarked, blocking all of Rutart''s attacks with swift slashes.


    "I do not want to die!!", Rutart cried, discovering his attacks were not reaching Leon, "I am sorry, take your whores and let me-"


    Picking up the discarded mythril sword with the Force, Leon flicked the sword at Rutart''s back. Impaling him through the chest, Rutart slammed into the wall beneath where Zola and her servant were sitting. Thrashing around trying to break free, her son pleaded with her to do something because he was about to die.


    "MOTHER, PLEASE HELP ME!!!", Rutart screamed, before coughing up a mouthful of blood, "I DO NOT WANT TO DIE!!"


    "Leon, let your eldest brother go...", Zola demanded, still not completely there due to her concussion, "If you kill him, I will personally see to it that your brother Nicks and your whores die."


    "I have tolerated you long enough...", Leon said, as he began to generate a large amount of Force Lightning, "All you had to do was leave me alone, instead, you tried to steal one of the most important people in my life from me. A bastard like you has no business interfering in my life or lives of my family anymore. Die here and now knowing that not one person is going to shed a tear of your death."


    Unleashing a torrent of Force Lightning upon Rutart, his body began violently shaking as his skeletal structure became visible through his skin. Screaming like a banshee as his body began to crumble apart, his screams sent shivers down the spines of everyone who heard it. Reaching toward his mother one last time, Rutart''s arm disintegrated followed by the rest of his body. Watching her son turn to ash, the color in Zola''s face turned red with anger.


    "I warned you brat!!", she said, looking toward her servant, "Find his whores, and- "


    Seizing the two of them with the Force, Leon began squeezing the life out of them. Having waited for this very moment, he intended to show everyone that he did not give a damn about noble status or the hierarchy. If anyone came for the people he cherished, there was nothing anyone could do to stop him from killing them now. Pulling them out of the stands and forcing them to their knees, Zola and her servant glared at him.


    "Just so you are aware Zola, I take great pleasure in being the one to kill you. I hope you enjoy your eternity in hell, bitch.", Leon remarked.


    Generating a Force Storm, Leon disintegrated the flesh off of their bones leaving only a blackened skeleton behind. Feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over him, he looked up toward the crowd and stared at Zola''s close associates.


    "If anyone pursues this matter any further, you can join her in the afterlife. I am done playing nice with you bastards.", Leon warned them, before hitting them with a mental blast.


    Watching them drop like flies, Leon sheathed my blades and turned back toward the officiate. Realizing that the man had passed out, he wondered if they had a backup to call the match.


    "Ahem, as it appears the judge has fainted, I will call the match here.", Vince said, as the ranking noble there, "The winner is, Leon Fou Bartfort."


    Happy to put this shitshow behind him, Leon joined Lucoa and Roxanne then headed off to get something to eat.

 Chapter 24

    ¡ªSeveral Days Later¡ª


    Heading to the palace alone, after receiving a summons from the Crown, I left the children and my family behind on Yamato for their protection. Wearing my Iron Man Armor to the palace, as it was easier to fly directly there, I inadvertently gave the poor palace guards a heart attack when I landed in front of them. Instead of meeting with them in the Throne Room, like last time, I was guided to the Royal Treasury where Queen Mylene, Duke Redgrave, and Marquess Frampton were waiting. Greeting them formally, in order of rank, I inquired why we were meeting here instead of the standard location.


    "My husband and I have decided to reward you for removing the biggest threat to our nation''s capital. The ceremony to celebrate your achievement will be held in two months, but today we are bestowing upon you two Lost Items of your choice from the Royal Vault.", Queen Mylene stated, smiling at me warmly, "Also, I would like to inform you that no formal charges will be pressed against your stepmother''s death. Retribution for the results of an official duel is a serious crime, she was a fool for lashing out in front of so many witnesses."


    "I understand, thank you for your generosity!", I said, bowing my head in gratitude, ''Not only do I get the few Lost Items the First King''s party had in the Guild''s Vault, but I also get two freebies from the Kingdom as well. Add in that nothing will come of Zola''s death, I am riding the high life now!''


    Motioning for me to enter first, I stepped through the massive steel doors and into a small warehouse filled with crates and sealed containers mostly covered in dust. Immediately walking to the back, as the older relics were likely positioned there, the first thing I saw sitting on a pedestal was a heavily damaged BFG-9000. Running up to it, I picked it up for a closer inspection.


    <Sir¡­that is quite a dangerous weapon.>


    "I am well aware.", I said, with a big grin, "I will fix this bad boy up, and load it onto a satellite in outer orbit. A short-term goal of mine is to have several constellations of satellites in the sky watching things down here on the ground. Adding this into the mix will be my Nuclear Deterrent."


    As I looked it over, ensuring it was repairable, Mylene stared at me in disbelief. Glancing over at her, I noticed a glimmer of interest in her eyes.


    "You are stronger than you look. Roland tried to pick that up when we first came in here, and he threw out his back just barely lifting it.", Mylene giggled, with a mischievous smirk.


    "It weighs around three hundred pounds so I can understand why he might have trouble. This is the first item I would like to take. If I can fix it, this will be a major asset in a potential future war with the Principality.", I advised.


    Intrigued by my statement, Duke Redgrave and Marquess Frampton inquired if I thought war was on the horizon. Given what I could remember about future events, it was more than just one war looming on the horizon.


    "Are you concerned because of the armor you found on that undiscovered island in your father''s territory?", the Duke inquired.


    "Or is there something else?", Marquess Frampton asked.


    "My concern is that we likely have traitors among the nobles. The Principality has made many repeated incursions into our Kingdom over the past few years. Somehow none of the households on the border have mentioned anything about seeing them, just the evidence that they had been there. Either they are in league with the Principality, or someone is feeding the enemy information on where our patrols are to avoid detection.", I remarked, looking at them both, "Given the increased signs of their incursions, I can only assume they are preparing for a conflict with us. My generation is probably the most ill-suited lot to grace our nation to date. Aside from a few outstanding individuals, our country is going downhill and the Principality knows it. Too many people are worried about appearance and prestige, very few are genuinely training to defend themselves and our nation."


    "Well said.", both men acknowledged, surprisingly on the same page about this point.


    "Wait, you have never said that to either Roland or me? If you felt this way, you should have said something!", Mylene said, looking at them with frustration.


    Unlike the two men, I did not have a political status so I could speak freely. The fact that Rutart was supposedly an Adept Swordsman did not bode well for others above him. I had a strong suspicion that, aside from a few noble sword styles, most were giving out titles to appease the nobility. If that was indeed correct, when we went to war, lots of unskilled men were going to die needlessly on the battlefield.


    "Queen Mylene, under normal circumstances, pointing this out would cause quite a stir among the Cabinet Ministers. Many of their grandchildren fall into that group and most would never want to hear that. The four of us here are ground, we can see the writing on the wall and want to address it. Most nobles will want to sweep it under the rug and believe it is just baseless rumors.", I commented, "After my duel with Rutart, I strongly believe martial arts schools and other establishments are handing out titles to unworthy individuals because of their noble status. They fear the repercussions they might face by upsetting the nobles so they simply lower the standards. This causes the truly gifted individuals to look elsewhere because they feel it lessens their achievements watching those weaker than them achieve the title they were aiming for."


    "*sigh* I understand, both of you could have still come to us directly to voice your concerns.", Mylene argued, "I will discuss this with Roland and review how far this trend goes. Listening to Leon''s explanation, we are in desperate need of reforms. Countless young men and women will die on the battlefield if nothing is done soon."


    "I assume you have a timeframe for this war to start?", Duke Redgrave asked me.


    "Yes, my best guess would be in four years. It is well known that students of the Academy take trips around the country during the fall months. As you know, several routes pass within a few miles of the border with the Principality.", I remarked, "I specifically say four years because Prince Julius and Lady Angelica, along with many other high-ranking noble children, will be on those routes at that time. If they wanted to cripple our country, eliminating the Crown Prince and others would certainly do it. That is why they are scoping out our border. My suspicion is they are planning to ambush the students while they are isolated and away from the protection of the military." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Listening to me closely, the three of them looked at one another in shock. In all their planning, it had never once occurred to them that they were scheming that far out in advance. Piecing the reports together in their minds, they quickly understood how I came to my conclusion.


    "Leon, you may have just saved countless lives with that revelation.", Duke Redgrave said, patting me on the shoulder, "Defense Minister Frampton, I assume we can leave this to you?"


    "Of course, now that we know what they are aiming for, rooting them out will be much easier.", Marquess Frampton agreed, with a toothy grin, ''Haha, I will happily take credit for rooting out the Principalities'' forces in our lands. Once I have eliminated them, my faction will be par with the Duke''s.''


    With this newfound information in hand, Marquess Frampton left our group and went to begin preparation. Turning my attention back to the assortment of valuables, I started opening the lids of containers to see if I could find anything. Getting several crates in, a familiar relic I remembered from the manga showed itself to me. Cautiously having Jarvis scan the relic, a giant eye suddenly appeared on its outer plating.


    <Sir, I am not sure what to make of it. This device appears to be inanimate at times and alive at others. What is it?>


    "This is a stain on the Old Humans'' legacy, a Cursed Lost Item. This abomination is their attempt at making Magitech and failing miserably. It is a piece of tech that was merged with dark magic to create a powerful weapon to counter the New Humans. Unfortunately, due to the process used to make it, anyone who wears it slowly slips into madness before their mind merges with the dark magic. Once that happens, they go berserker and attack everything in their path.", I said, looking back at the Duke and Queen, "This relic should be separate from everything else, and be held under lock and key. If anyone gets their hands on it, the poor soul they force it on will go insane and lose all sense of themselves."


    "I understand, we have a secondary vault in a secure location that most people do not know. We will transfer it there and ensure it is sealed tightly.", Mylene acknowledged, motioning for one of the nearby guards to mark it accordingly.


    Continuing my search, I stumbled across a unique-looking crate different from all the others. Reminiscent of the large case the Iron Man Armor came in, this one did not have any of Stark''s logos but was certainly built to his standards. Sensing a magical seal placed on the crate, I figured something of great value was inside. After a great deal of effort, I took down the seal placed on the crate before hacking into the coded lock. Unlocking the hatch, after fifteen minutes of trying different methods, the crate slid open with a loud hiss as the air seal broke. Rising from within the crate, Dr. Victor von Doom''s armor greeted me in all its splendor.


    "I will take this as my second item.", I said, doing my best to hide my smile, ''Perfect, between Dr. Doom and Stark''s armors I build something even more durable and powerful. If I make it out of Gundanium, damn near nothing is going to stand against me for the foreseeable future.''


    Stowing both items away, we left the vault to discuss another matter in the King''s study. Having received my request for a name change from Nicholas, the Cabinet Ministers and Crown both approved my decision.


    "Nicholas did not provide the name you wanted to use. Can you tell me please?", Mylene inquired, pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pen.


    "Victor Von Stark, if that is okay.", I replied, "I currently hold no land or titles so hopefully that is alright."


    "That will not last long, but we can accommodate your request.", Mylene remarked, "So you are aware, all of your achievements have earned you a noble title. The Holfort Kingdom rewards individuals like you for their hard work and dedication to adventuring. In two months, we will bestow upon you the title of Honorary Viscount. Once you clear all the Ranked 4 and 5 dungeons, as Nicholas said you desired, and turn eighteen, we will raise your rank to Duke."


    Understanding that this was their attempt to tie me to the Holfort Kingdom, I did not mind using the privileges that came with it. Both titles gave me access to many connections that could expedite collection materials. The quicker I got supplies, the sooner I could put this place behind me.


    "I understand, thank you for your kindness.", I said, bowing my head, "After the ceremony, I will begin preparations to construct my Airship Workshop on the edge of the capital."


    "Of course, we will allot a plot of land to you away from prying eyes so you can work in relative peace.", Mylene stated, with a smile, "Is there anything else you need from us?"


    "The only thing I can think of is forewarning nobles that I will be clearing dungeons over the next four years. While I have a Royal Decree, some more stubborn nobles may argue that I falsified the document. To avoid that, notifying them of my future visit would certainly help alleviate that problem. If they refuse to listen after that, they can learn the hard way that I have a job to do.", I chuckled.


    Cracking a smile, the two of them nodded their heads in agreement. Having discussed everything we wanted, I excused myself and swiftly returned to Yamato. With nothing holding me in the capital, we set a course for home.

 Chapter 25

    ¡ªSeveral Days Later¡ª


    Reuniting the children with their families, I bowed my head to each of them to apologize for dragging them into our family affairs. Swearing to them that neither Rutart nor Zola would ever be a problem again, I gave each family a small gift of ten thousand dia for their suffering and promised to employ them in my new company. Informing everyone that I would produce numerous items in the Bartfort Territory, all employees would receive substantially higher wages, discounted pricing on goods, and healthcare for their families. Telling everyone that production would kick off in a few months, the entire territory began celebrating their brighter futures.


    Once everything was settled down, Lucoa, Roxanne, and I headed out to find the island that Luxion was on. As we moved toward the general location I thought he was in, I asked Roxanne an important question.


    ¡°Are you sure you do not want to be freed like the other children?¡±, I asked Roxanne, as Yamato flew the three of us toward Luxion¡¯s approximate location, ¡°You do not need to stay a slave.¡±


    ¡°I am okay staying like this for now.¡±, Roxanne answered, looking at her slave mark, ¡°As long as I have it, I can stay by your side and no one will take me away again. It is also proof of our bond.¡±


    Looking over at her, Roxanne immediately turned away with a flushed expression. Finding her reaction adorable, I was about to press her for details when Lucoa chimed in.


    ¡°Aww, how cute!¡±, she giggled playfully, ¡°So Leon, when do I get something to mark our bond? I want something special like her, especially since we will become mistresses to an Honorary Viscount.¡±


    ¡°I will hand-make you something soon, just give me some time to figure it out.¡±, I promised her, ¡°As for the whole wife and mistress deal, I will not treat you differently from future additions to our group. Thanks to my unique position, I can be much more picky when choosing a wife. They are not wife material if they cannot get along with you both. You do not need to be best friends, but not being stuck-up bitches would go a long way.¡±


    ¡°I know, I am just teasing you.¡±, Lucoa acknowledged, hugging me, ¡°You are one of only a few noblemen who would think that way. Those other idiots would only think about getting their dick wet and nothing else.¡±


    <Captain, sorry to interrupt your discussion but we have arrived. Shall I begin scanning for gravitational anomalies?>


    Acknowledging her request, Yamato began scanning while we sat back and waited. Due to her being a military vessel, Yamato had no idea about Luxion¡¯s existence or the lab where he resided. Having her try to locate the gravitational anomaly that the OG Leon stumbled upon, I knew that the science lab was directly above it. Giving her a few minutes to scan the vicinity, she returned with promising news.


    <Captain, I have found signs of an Old Human base nearby. They are faint, but I detect several generators running at minimal output.>


    ¡°Take us there immediately.¡±, I commanded, ¡°See if you can get us access to the lab using your docking codes. Hopefully, you have high enough clearance to enter without any trouble.¡±


    Doing as I requested, ten minutes later, a large island appeared out of the blue as it lowered its optical camouflage for us. Watching two gigantic hidden doors open for Yamato, we slowly sailed into the dock and moored in the only bay that could hold her. As soon as we moored, thousands of small robots flew over to Yamato and began repairing her.


    <This is perfect!! The automatic repair systems are still online. I should be fully functional in a day or two.>


    ¡°Good to hear, can you please add the three of us to the base¡¯s security system? I want to go find Luxion without fighting Security Bots.¡±, I chuckled.


    Printing us off IDs, the three of us disembarked and went a few bays down to where Luxion¡¯s ship was docked. Scanning our badges at the door, we were immediately greeted by Luxion in his large mecha form. Focusing his cameras on us, Lucoa and Roxanne stepped behind me out of instinctual fear.


    <How strange, a New Human and two Demihumans showing up unannounced on a military vessel. Before I eliminate you, what is your reasoning for coming here?>


    ¡°I am fifty percent Old Human and I have come to claim what I suppose is my birthright. I want to use the resources of this lab to help take me to the stars like the other Old Humans.¡±, I stated, ¡°If possible, I would like to be on friendly terms with you and have you help me. Are you willing to allow me a chance to prove I am not lying?¡±


    Looking at both Yamato and my armor, Luxion took a moment to consider my proposal. Stepping aside, the robot motioned for us to enter the ship as it closely monitored our movements. Calmly walking toward the ship¡¯s bridge, I placed my hand on the Captain¡¯s Command Console and let the system do its thing. Scanning my handprint and taking a small drop of my blood, the ship quickly confirmed that my genetic composition was exactly as I had told him. Satisfied that I met the requirements to take ownership of the vessel and facility, Luxion registered me as its owner.


    ¡°Alright, Jarvis and Luxion, bring the facility back online one area at a time. I do not want to overload the generators and damage something irreplaceable.¡±, I commanded.


    Following my request, as Luxion brought facilities online Jarvis went behind him to confirm the status of the systems. Browsing through the facility list, Jarvis discovered something crucial that could further my goals.


    <Sir, it appears there are several hundred cloning tanks in this facility. I recommend using the Stormtrooper DNA Registry you received from the Guild to clone your military forces.>


    <A splendid idea. There are also facilities to accelerate their growth and train them here, Master.>


    The registry, and several other items, were among the treasures the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had been holding for the First King¡¯s Party. Now that we had a way to use it, resolving my troop issue would be a breeze. Needing troops to help man and utilize my future starships and starbase, I wanted loyal, obedient troops that would follow me into the fray no matter the odds. Unlike the idiots in the Jedi Order, my soldiers would have actual, real names and not stupid fucking numbers. If I expected them to follow me no matter what, I owed them the fucking decency to give them names. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Luxion, please make preparations to begin cloning soldiers for me. Based on the resources in this lab, how many soldiers can you clone?¡±, I inquired.


    <Ten thousand normal soldiers, if I am frugal, or five thousand elite soldiers if I allot liberally.>


    ¡°Proceed with the elite soldiers, I will secure an island where we can begin to farm organic materials to replenish your stockpile and feed the soldiers. Please prepare the necessary robots to handle the process from end to end. Also, I would like to request five thousand android soldiers as well. I want my forces to be flexible so that we are never without a method of attack.¡±, I ordered.


    <Understood, I will begin preparations immediately. Anything else?>


    ¡°Actually¡­yes.¡±, I answered, with a big smirk, ¡°I am going to need a large armored mech for future use. There is something called a Gundam that I want you to construct for me using an extremely durable metal called Gundanium. Do you know how to manufacture it?¡±


    <I have never heard of such a metal Master, where is it mined from?>


    ¡°It is an alloy made of Lunar Titanium and GND ore, both mined on the moon if I recall correctly.¡±, I replied.


    Scanning the list of materials on-site and in the Matter Fabricator¡¯s memory banks, Luxion confirmed it had never been seen here. Hoping to find a sample of both metals or Gundanium, the Rank 4 and 5 dungeons were my best hope of locating the necessary materials.


    ¡°Lastly, we need to look into the production of satellites, starships, and a starbase. I want several constellations of satellites orbiting the planet for surveillance and to eliminate enemies before they even get close. As for the starships and starbase, those can be last on the priority list.¡±, I said, taking a seat in the captain¡¯s chair, ¡°Between Yamato and you, no one on this planet right now stands a chance in a battle with us. I do not think it will always stay that way, but for the foreseeable future we are safe.¡±


    <Of course, I am excited to begin production on everything you requested. I am looking forward to eliminating as many New Humans as you allow me, Master.>


    ¡°While you handle that, I have a BFG-9000 to teardown and repair. If I can crack the method it uses for power, Yamato, Jarvis, and you will get a major power upgrade.¡±, I chuckled, pulling myself out of the chair, ¡°Alright ladies, let us go look around this place. We will stay here till Yamato is repaired, then proceed to conquer dungeons again.¡±


    Grinning ear to ear at the sound of that, the three of us headed into the warehouse to see what materials we had to work with and upgrade their equipment.

 Chapter 26

    ---Several Years Later, Royal Capital---


    Hearing my alarm go off, I groaned in annoyance as I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Sandwiched between Lucoa and Roxanne, the two of them had wrapped themselves around my arms and were completely dead to the world. Wishing that I could stay in bed and savor this a bit longer, regrettably, I had to get up and get ready for the day.


    ¡°Jarvis...turn off my wake alarm please.¡±, I yawned, as he began opening the curtains in my room.


    <Good morning, sir. Shall I prepare some breakfast for the women and you?>


    ¡°Please do...¡±, I sighed, slipping my arms out of their grasp and sliding out of bed, ¡°While you are at it, have Luxion prepare one of the cars for me. Since today marks the beginning of my tenure at the Academy, I want to flex a bit and keep the riff raft away.¡±


    The riff raft I was referring to are the soulless, cold-hearted women that would be pursuing me. As the most eligible bachelor in the Holford Kingdom, since the prince and his entourage were spoken for, I expected to be bombarded by single women shortly after my arrival. Wanting to only engage with noblewomen who would accept Lucoa and Roxanne¡¯s presence in my life, this meant over ninety-nine percent of the female student body were already out of the running.


    ¡®While most of the women are out, Angelica and Olivia would probably be a good fit for our group. That said, I will poke around the Academy a bit to see if there are any hidden gems among the female student body first.¡¯, I thought, heading into the bathroom.


    Walking up to the mirror, a display came up that showed my currently disheveled appearance. After a quick face wash and brushing my teeth, a group of small robots removed my pajamas and got me situated in my school uniform. Polishing my shoes to a matte finish for me, I walked back into the bedroom as the ladies were getting up.


    ¡°Good morning, Leon...¡±, Roxanne yawned, stretching my poor t-shirt to the limit as she arched her back.


    ¡°Yeah, good morning...¡±, Lucoa agreed, her body laid bare for me to see.


    ¡°You guys asked me for your own personal rooms, but you still end up in my bed every night. Do you want to move your things in here?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Nah, it is nice to have a place for personal things. Besides, your closet is way too small for the two of us.", Lucoa commented.


    ¡°You mean your clothing. I do not have hundreds of outfits like you do.¡±, Roxanne remarked, with a playful smile.


    ¡°Uh huh, could that be because you enjoy wearing his shirts and boxers while you are in the mansion? It would explain why your closet consists of only maid outfits and combat gear.¡±, Lucoa giggled, mischievously, ¡°Before you get all huffy with me, if my chest were smaller, I would do the same thing. Unfortunately, Leon¡¯s shirts tear when I put them on so I cannot do it.¡±


    ¡°It is Victor von Stark now, remember? The Crown approved the name change eight months ago.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°And another thing, do not even think about shrinking your assets. I happen to love the way both of you look naturally, you cannot top perfection. Now I am going to head down to have breakfast, come join me when you two are ready.¡±


    Nodding their heads, the two women promptly retreated to their rooms to get ready. Heading down to the dining room, several robots flew out of the kitchen carrying my meal. Taking a seat at the head of the table, the robots set everything in front of me while one of Luxion¡¯s spherical drones appeared beside me.


    ¡°Good morning, Luxion, what do you have to report from last night?¡±, I asked, taking a sip of coffee.


    <There were no incursions into Holfort airspace last night, but there was movement in the city. Several members of the Principality¡¯s spy network contacted Marie Lafan and Stephanie Offrey during the city guard rotation. As expected, the Principality is still unwilling to make any direct attacks on the Holfort Kingdom. They continue to act in the shadows believing that we are not aware of their activities, but they are sorely mistaken. These New Human mongrels are nothing but cowards.>


    <That is because they are terrified of my Charged Particle Cannons!! This sitting and waiting is killing me, why can¡¯t we just take them out right now!! We have more than enough firepower to do it in a few hours!!>


    ¡°Calm down Yamato, I promise you will get some combat action soon. I do not want to be the one to start a war because after we leave this place, the Kingdom will not have us here to protect them. My goal is to leave this country in good standing so peace can continue unabated.¡±, I replied, taking a bite of French Toast, ¡°Besides, the latest group of troops will not be ready for a few weeks. If we are going to start a war, I want as many soldiers as I can to man my ships.¡±


    <Oh alright...can we at least go hunt Sky Pirates? They are piss ants, but it is amusing to watch them attempt to attack me then run away.>


    Cracking a smile, I was happy Yamato was on my side because she was way too bloodthirsty to capture. She was the type of AI that would crash herself into the enemy fleet to avoid capture...it was probably why she ended up in Davy¡¯s Locker.


    ¡°Yeah, we can go pirate hunting again.¡±, I agreed, ¡°Anything else of note, Luxion?¡±


    <How should we deal with the traitors?>


    ¡°Continue to log their activities and report any unusual activities to me. As they continue to inadvertently provide me with critical information on our enemies, I am inclined to leave them be. That said, should they stop being useful or bear their fangs at me their deaths will be swift.¡±, I said, taking a sip of coffee, ¡°Before we leave this world, all of the corrupt politicians will be dealt with in short order.¡±


    <Of course, Master, even cowardly pigs have their uses.>


    Chuckling at his comment, Luxion switched topics to my many business ventures. Having opened shops that sold everything from luxury clothing and make-up to cheap clothing and alcohol, everything had proceeded as I had hoped. The first few months were slow since we did not have a reputation, but once the nobility and public realized we sold quality goods we began raking in the money. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I do recall a few employees needing to take maternity leave for the upcoming birth of their children. Please notify their supervisors that I approve fourteen weeks of paid leave with more pending, if needed.¡±, I told Luxion, as Lucoa and Roxanne walked into the dining room.


    <Of course, Master.>


    Switching to standby mode, Luxion¡¯s drone continued to float above my shoulder and survey things. Taking a seat either side of me, as soon as their meal was set in front of them, the two began scarfing everything down like it was liable to run away. Giving them a moment to swallow a few mouthfuls of food, I inquired if they had plans today.


    ¡°While I am away at the Academy, do the two of you have plans for the day?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°We need to finish registering the three of us as a party at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, then I was thinking about doing some dungeon crawling here in the capital.¡±, Lucoa replied, glancing over at Roxanne, ¡°Does that work for you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I want to stay in top condition for our next adventure.¡±, Roxanne acknowledged, with a determined expression, ¡°Victor, are you sure you do not need me to accompany you to the Academy? They allow nobles to bring their servants, so I am more than happy to- ¡°


    ¡°First of all, you are only my servant on paper. As I have told you repeatedly, regardless of what the nobility says, both of you are my fianc¨¦es in my mind. The nobility, the temple, and the public can go fuck themselves for all I care, all I care about is our happiness.¡±, I corrected her, ¡°Second of all, after what we went through with Rutard, I will not subject you to further mistreatment from nobles. While you are more than capable of defending yourself now, I would rather not put you in a position where you need to. I promise that went I need extra hands for events at the Academy, Lucoa and you will be the first people I ask.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I promise to do my best when the time comes!¡±, Roxanne swore.


    ¡°Hehe, there are other ways we can help him now. I believe I felt something under the sheets last night when we slipped into bed.¡±, Lucoa remarked, poking a sausage on her plate with her fork, ¡°Do you need us to start taking care of things for you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, now that you mention it, maybe tonight would be a good time to seal the deal. To celebrate the beginning of Academy life, I think taking the next step in our relationship makes sense.¡±, I agreed, ¡°Since we have never been intimate before, I suggest buying some contraceptive medicine while you are out. I would like to abstain from having children till we are off this planet.¡±


    Taken aback by my statement, Lucoa was in a world of her own now. Having been shot down so many times before, now that I agreed with her, she did not know what to do. Staring off into space instead of responding, I looked toward Roxanne and asked her to make sure she got the medicine.


    ¡°Of course, I will make sure it is the first thing we pick up.¡±, Roxanne agreed, fidgeting around in her seat, ¡°We¡­we will also get some outfits for you too. I heard from the women in the market that men like it when their partners wear sexy nightwear.¡±


    ¡°Do as you see fit¡­¡±, I agreed, already imaging what they might look like, ¡®Shit, I need to get out of here before I lose it. My teenaged body is more than ready to take them right now, but I have things to do!¡¯


    Quickly finishing my meal, I gave the two of them a kiss on the lips before heading out for the day. Grabbing my briefcase on my way out, Luxion pulled my ride up to the entryway and opened the driver¡¯s door for me. Watching the flying vehicles door slide back along the outside of the vehicle, I was happy I designed this one after the Quadra Type-66 "Hoon" from Cyberpunk 2077. Sliding behind the wheel, I floored it and made my way to the Academy.


    ---3rd Person POV, Academy---


    ¡°Mother, did you really need to come with us on our first day at the Academy?¡±, Julius asked, feeling a bit embarrassed that his mother was among his entourage this morning, ¡°I am a man now, you do not need to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°No matter what you say, both Jilk and you will always be my precious baby boys. Is it wrong of me to want to see you both off on your first day of school?¡±, Mylene inquired, with a sad expression, ¡°I have been terribly busy with my duties, and worked long hours to make this possible. Are you embarrassed by me being here?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!!¡±, the two boys shouted, quickly trying to soothe her.


    ¡°We are not embarrassed because you are here!¡±, Jilk assured her.


    ¡°That is right, it is just¡­well you know¡­¡±, Julius said, unable to come up with the right words.


    Coming to terms with the truth, Mylene looked out the carriage window regretting her decision to come. All she had wanted to do was see her foster son and biological son off, but both were embarrassed to be seen with her. She recognized that she treated them like children in public and they did not deserve that, but that was simply because she felt guilty about their upbringing. Due to her performing all the Crown¡¯s duties alone, instead of her raising her children, the palace servants had been the ones to do it for her. She took advantage of every opportunity she had to express her love for them, but she felt that now it was too late for her to have a real relationship with some of them.


    Seeing the pain in his mother¡¯s eyes, Julius regretted saying anything as he did not like seeing her upset. Even though she was not an active part in his life, he still saw her strive to be there for him¡­unlike the pig of a father he was stuck with. Julius and Jilk both knew that Mylene was unable to be a mother to them because of their lazy father, it was part of the reason why they resented him so much. Unsure how to correct the situation, the two of them sat there in silence reflecting on what they had done.


    Arriving at the Academy Gates a short time later, the three disembarked the carriage and said their goodbyes. Walking away from her before she could hug them, Mylene bit her lip and looked away in frustration. Quickly surprising her emotions, as she had to maintain appearances, she stood beside the carriage regretting ever thinking this was a good idea.


    ¡°You guys alright? Why do you both look so gloomy?¡±, Greg Fou Seberg inquired, as they approached, ¡°Today is our first day at the Academy, put a smile on your faces would you. I get that none of us want to be here, but being gloomy will not change that.¡±


    ¡°Right, my apologies.¡±, Julius said, putting the last half an hour behind him, ¡°How was your trip back to the capital? Hope you did not run into any trouble out there.¡±


    ¡°It was not bad at all. Sky Pirates are few and far between these days.¡±, Brad Fou Field remarked, switching to the pressing topic he wanted to discuss, ¡°I assume all of you have heard the Holfort Prodigy will be among our classmates this year? Have any of you met him before?¡±


    ¡°You mean Leon Fou Bartfort, yes, I have met him. My father and him dueled a few years ago to test themselves against one another. He trounced my father in combat in less than a minute.¡±, Chris Fia Arclight answered, recalling the duel vividly, ¡°My father told me to befriend him and stay on his good side. Having seen what he is capable of, I think it best that we avoid a confrontation with him. He killed his eldest brother in a duel four years ago after all¡­¡±


    Before anyone could respond, dozens of carriages began showing up with the rest of the alumni. Seeing the five of them together, everyone began rushing over to greet them. Eager to make connections with the next king and his friends, the crowd of students quickly began to overwhelm them. Watching the scene unfold from her personal carriage, Angelica Rapha Redgrave bid her father and brother farewell before swiftly making her way over to them.


    Seeing Angelica making her move, several of her followers quickly gathered around her to help make a path. Knowing that they sometimes took things a bit too far in her name, Angelica asked them not to be too rough with their fellow classmates.


    ¡°Everyone of them is trying to make connections with the prince, they are simply doing as their parents asked them too. Please restrain yourselves from harming anyone, just nudge them out of the way.¡±, Angelica told them.


    Not hearing her command or simply not caring enough to follow it, her followers began viciously knocking people away. Pulling girls by the hair and kicking boys in the groin, they were hellbent on getting their lady to her fianc¨¦ one way or another.


    ¡°Move aside, Lady Angelica Rapha Redgrave wishes to see her fianc¨¦!¡±, one of the girls shouted.


    ¡°You are far beneath the prince¡¯s station, begone!¡±, another girl berated a young man.


    Horrified by their actions, Angelica quickly pulled her followers back and ordered them to stop hurting people. Irritated that they had ignored her initial orders, she told them to proceed peacefully or there would be consequences.


    ¡°It is unacceptable for you to assault fellow nobles and classmates.¡±, Angelica berated them, ¡°I told you to politely nudge them out of the way, not to injure them!¡±


    Apologizing to her, they quickly changed their tactics and began using their bodies to gently push people away. Content with their new method of making a path for her, Angelica continued forward toward Julius. Quickly running after her, the fianc¨¦es of Brad, Chris, Greg, and Jilk took advantage of the path she was clearing to reach their partners. Noticing the five of them approaching, the prince and his group turned their backs to them before telling the crowd to make a path for them. Just as the crowd began to part, a flying vehicle flew overhead drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    Having never seen a contraption like it before, everyone stopped where they were while the vehicle descended into the courtyard.


    ¡°Victor certainly knows how to make a grand entrance.¡±, Duke Redgrave chuckled, knowing only Victor would show up like that, ¡®It is certainly a good way to draw attention to himself. With all the achievements he has under his belt, he is certain to have countless young women after him. If only I had a second daughter, I would have engaged the two of them in a heartbeat.¡¯


    Once the car was safely hovering a foot off the ground, the driver side door retracted allowing Leon to step out in a single fluid motion. Glancing over at the crowd of students gathered outside the gate, he shook his head and quickly retrieved his briefcase. Turning to walk toward the school, a voice called out to him as they made their way through the crowd.


    ¡°Victor!!¡±, Mylene shouted, quickly running past Julius and company to greet him, ¡°Is this one of those new flying machines you were telling me about?! It looks so much different from the airships you have shown me before!¡±


    Watching his mother blitz past him, Julius was unable to understand what was happening before his eyes. Seeing the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face, as she ran by, he immediately began to wonder who this Victor guy was and how he knew his mother. Equally shocked by what was happening, Angelica and the other fianc¨¦s stood there confused and a bit taken aback.


    ¡°Did you repair this or is this one of your inventions?!¡±, Mylene inquired, looking the vehicle over carefully.


    ¡°I built it from the ground up.¡±, Victor replied, giving her a respectful bow, ¡°It is good to see you, Queen Mylene. Is King Roland with you?¡±


    Stopping what she was doing, she shot Victor an annoyed look which told him everything he needed to know. Figuring he was back at the castle with his harem, Victor apologized to her and offered to give her a ride back to the castle.


    ¡°My apologies, I forget that being king of a country means you are busy quite a lot. For asking such a stupid question, would you like me to give you a ride back to the palace?¡±, Victor offered.


    Hearing the offer where they stood, Greg scoffed Victor suggestion. Believing that he had just doomed his entire political career by asking the Queen to ride in his personal vehicle, he was sure this would not end well.


    ¡°Seriously, he knows she is the Queen and yet he is asking to give her a ride. How stupid can you- ¡°, Greg said, before Mylene¡¯s response cut him off.


    ¡°Of course, I would love to go for a ride in this!!¡±, Mylene eagerly accepted, grinning ear to ear with joy.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡±, Julius shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.


    Glancing back at Julius, Victor realized that he might have interjected into their family time.


    ¡°Oh wait, did you come here with Julius and Jilk? With how busy you are, I do not want to rob you of your family time with them.¡±, Victor said, apologetically.


    ¡°It is fine¡­neither of them wanted me to be here because I am apparently an embarrassment to them.¡±, Mylene huffed, still upset by their earlier comments.


    ¡°Okay then¡­¡±, Victor said, walking her around to the passenger side of the car.


    Automatically opening the door as they approached, Victor helped Mylene into the passenger seat and explained how the seatbelt worked. Walking back to the driver¡¯s side, Victor gave Julius and Jilk a friendly wave as he climbed in. Before closing the door, Victor leaned out and gave them a friendly word of advice.


    ¡°Do not worry, Queen Mylene is safe with me!¡±, Victor shouted, giving them a thumbs up, ¡°You can tell your coachman and guards to head back to the palace.¡±


    Promptly shutting the door, the vehicle quickly regained altitude before speeding away. Watching the vehicle disappear, Julius and Jilk stood there unwilling and unable to process what had just happened.


    ¡°Did¡­did Queen Mylene just fly off with one of our classmates...?¡±, Brad asked, wanting to make sure he was not dreaming.


    ¡°Yeah¡­she did¡­¡±, Greg acknowledged, looking back at Jilk and Julius, ¡°You guys going to be alright?¡±


    Putting a hand on their shoulders to reassure them, the two of them collapsed from shock. Quickly catching the two of them, Brad, Chris, and Greg quickly took them to the infirmary to lie down for a bit. Chasing after them, their fianc¨¦es wanted to help any way they could.


    ¡°Well, that was certainly surprising.¡±, Gilbert Rapha Redgrave said, leaning back into his seat, ¡°That was quite bold of Mylene to do in front of everyone.¡±


    ¡°She has been under quite a lot of stress lately due to rising tensions with the Principality and other groups. Victor has been doing an excellent job keeping them at bay and keeping the Crown informed of their movements, but it is still a lot to handle. Add on the fact that Roland has become even more lazy than usual, and you end up with what just happened.¡±, Duke Redgrave remarked, ¡°She worked long hours to be here today, and it appears Julius and Jilk were less than thrilled by her presence. I do not blame her for leaving with Victor, even though it may start some rumors among the nobility. Given the ones already circulating about Roland, I doubt anyone will genuinely care.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±, Gilbert conceded, ¡°What did you make of prince and his entourage¡¯s response to their fianc¨¦s? It was quite cold of them to turn their backs and leave without acknowledging them.¡±


    Nodding his head in agreement, the duke was less than impressed by Julius¡¯ response to his daughter. He understood the arranged marriage did not sit well with either of them initially, but over time he had hoped they would fall in love. While this did happen to his daughter, he wondered if the same were true of Prince Julius.


    ¡®I hope that boy has more sense than his father. If he is unsatisfied with Angelica, I hope he breaks the engagement soon so she can find a husband that will cherish her.¡¯, Duke Redgrave thought, wanting his daughter to experience the happiness he found with her mother, ¡°Alright, we have business to attend to. We should get underway immediately.¡±


    Nodding his head, Gilbert signaled the coachman to get underway. Vacating the area as the other nobles began to recover, the duke was certain Victor was about to shake things up in the capital.

 Chapter 27

    ---Victor POV---


    After returning from the palace and sitting through orientation, I took the opportunity to explore the campus to get acquainted with the facility. As I walked around, students went out of their way to give me a wide berth like I had the plague. Assuming this had something to do with my exchange with Mylene this morning, I asked Luxion for a recap of what occurred after I left.


    <The filthy pigs here believe you used some dark arts to seduce Queen Mylene. After you left, Julius and Jilk had to be taken to the Infirmary as they fainted from shock. When they woke up, they began spreading that rumor to sully your name. If you would like, your security team hiding on campus can silence them permanently. Just give the order and it will be done.>


    ¡°Haha, are you serious? He has been reading way too many sketchy books in the palace library.¡±, I sighed, ¡°Mylene and I have a professional relationship¡­though I would happily pursue her if she were single. If that idiot actually paid attention to what goes on at the palace, he would know why his mother acted that way.¡±


    <Do you intend to correct the rumors?>


    ¡°At this point, it is too late.¡±, I said, walking into the garden at the center of campus, ¡°They have already opened their mouths so nothing can be done about it now. If I try to argue it, he will only double down on it because he is a fucking moron. I have better ways to use my time than trying to reason with a neanderthal. Anyways, I am a bit surprised no one has approached me yet to discuss marriage. Even with the rumors, I would expect at least a few to tempt me.¡±


    <Based on my analysis, I do not believe that the riff raft will bother you. None of the students appear to know who you are.>


    Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned and looked at him in disbelief. I was a household name in the Holfort Kingdom as my party cleared all the Rank 4 and 5 dungeons in our nation. Not only that, but I also held most of the wealth in our nation and had personally met every currently active nobleman. All the nobles knew who I was, how could their children not know me?


    ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?¡±, I inquired. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    <The women are looking for a Viscount Leon Fou Bartfort, not Viscount Victor von Stark. None of the students appear to know of your name change several months ago.>


    ¡°So¡­none of these idiots bother to read the monthly royal decrees¡­¡±, I sighed, disappointed by their lack of awareness, ¡°Well it will make my life easier. Have you had any luck finding perspective partners for me?¡±


    <All the pigs here are trash, Master.>


    Understanding that Luxion was probably not the best judge of character, given his disdain for anything New Human, I decided to do it the old fashion way. Since my core courses were done for the day, now was the time to intermingle with other students. Heading toward the cafeteria, where I assumed most students would be at this time of day, I barely made it out of the garden when I ran into Stephanie Offrey and her ilk bullying the scholarship student Olivia.


    ¡°Stop acting like you belong here because you do not! It was a fluke that you managed to get a scholarship and placed into the noble course. Just because you get to rub elbows with us does not make you special. You are nothing more than a slightly smarter idiot!¡±, Stephanie berated her, shoving her into the water feature that encircled the garden.


    ¡°My Lady, I bet she slept with the administrative staff to get into our class. She is a commoner after all, how else could she hope to get this far.¡±, one of the goons chimed in.


    ¡°I¡­I did no such thing!¡±, Olivia argued, on the verge of tears, ¡°I worked hard and studied even harder to get here.¡±


    Irritated that Olivia still had the strength to argue with them, Stephanie went to kick her, but I stepped in to stop her. Getting between the two of them, I demanded to know what she thought she was doing.


    ¡°Do you have any proof that what you are accusing her of is true? If so, why have you not taken this complaint to the Headmaster or Vice Principal?¡±, I demanded, staring at Stephanie and her group.


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?!¡±, Stephanie shouted, jabbing her finger into my chest.


    ¡°I am Viscount Victor von Stark.¡±, I said, taking a step forward, ¡°Now where is your proof?¡±


    Stumbling backward, as she did not expect me to advance on her, Stephanie fell flat on her ass with a soft squeak. Quickly shielding her from me, her group began to threaten me by saying she was the daughter of an Earl. Disregarding them, I used the Force to knock the groupies away. Taking another step toward her, Stephanie quickly climbed to her feet and attempted to flee.


    ¡°I¡­I do not have any! That said, there is no way an uneducated commoner managed to get into the noble course! She clearly used underhanded measures to get here!!¡±, Stephanie argued, trying to walk away.


    ¡°So, you have no proof and are making baseless allegations on what you believe to be true. It sounds to me that you are upset she scored higher than all of you.¡±, I stated, recalling the entrance exam scores, ¡°She scored slightly above average while all of you are almost at the bottom of our class. You all must feel terrible that your family names are sullied by your own stupidity. If you have time to hassle her, you have time to improve yourselves. Go study before you drag our class into the gutter even further, idiots.¡±


    Unwilling to take that insult lying down, Stephanie turned around and glared at me, fuming with anger. Marching up to me, disregarding what had occurred moments ago, she began shouting at me.


    ¡°You¡­you¡­!¡±, Stephanie stuttered, on the verge of blowing a gasket, ¡°How dare you talk to me that way!! My father will- ¡°


    Using the Force to put her in a chokehold and lift her off the ground, Stephanie began gasping for her as she thrashed around violently. Running over to her, her subordinates attempted to dispel my magic and threaten me with harsh punishments. Unfazed by their empty threats, I momentarily turned my focus toward the groupies.


    ¡°Your presence here is beginning to test my patience. Take your leader, and begone from my sight immediately. If you linger, I will personally toss all of you into the fountain face first!¡±, I said, exuding pressure on them as I motioned to the water fountain in the center of the garden.


    Releasing my grip on Stephanie, she crumpled to the ground for a moment before staggering to her feet. Quickly leaving the area, Stehanie glanced back at me and threatened me yet again.


    ¡°You will regret crossing me!¡±, she shouted.


    ¡°Begone!¡±, I shouted, launching the group through the air with a Force Blast, ¡®I swear, I am going to end leaving a trail of bodies in my wake at this rate. I cannot fathom how Brad managed to put up with her till now. If I were in his place, I would have kicked her to the curb years ago.¡¯


    Turning my attention toward Olivia, I reached out my hand offering to help her up. Graciously accepting my assistance, she stumbled to feet sopping wet. Looking back at her bag and books, Olivia let out a defeated sigh as she collected her belongings.


    ¡°Thank you for stepping in to help me.¡±, she said, turning back and bowing her head.


    ¡°No problem, I am sorry your experience with nobles so far has been poor. Unfortunately, most nobles are mongrels like her, but there are a few of us with a heart.¡±, I chuckled, using magic to dry her clothing and belongings, ¡°As I mentioned a moment ago, I am Victor von Stark, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°My¡­my name is Olivia.¡±, she meekly said, bowing her head in respect, ¡°Thank you!!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you do not need to be so ridged with me. We are fellow classmates and will be seeing each other frequently over the next three years.¡±, I told her, offering her my hand, ¡°I hope we can become friends during that time.¡±


    ¡°Me¡­me too!¡±, Olivia replied, with a radiant smile as she shook my hand, ¡®Why is he being so nice to me? Is he after my body or is he playing one of those punishment games Dad told me about?!¡¯


    ¡°Care to join me for lunch?¡±, I offered, motioning to the school cafeteria.


    Before she could respond, her stomach growled loudly giving an answer for her. Turning beet red with embarrassment, she meekly nodded her head and began scurrying off toward the lunchroom. Chasing after her, it took her a few minutes to collect herself and talk to me normally again.


    ---Evening---


    Returning to my residence on the edge of the capital, Lucoa and Roxanne greeted me as I walked in. Handing my briefcase over to Luxion, the drone and briefcase promptly teleported to my laboratory beneath the home. Taking my shoes off, the three of us began walking to the dining room as we began talking.


    ¡°I am happy to see you recovered from this morning.¡±, I teased Lucoa, ¡°Did you have an eventful day?¡±


    ¡°Yes, our team registration has been completed now. The Guildmaster said he would personally deliver your updated card tomorrow during your lunch break.¡±, Lucoa informed me, ¡°We also bought what we needed for tonight¡­¡±


    Noticing that Lucoa was not acting like her normal, flirty self, I inquired if she was having second thoughts. As this was to be our first time, I did not want to force her into this.


    ¡°Having second thoughts? If you need more time to prepare, we can put this off till you are ready.¡±, I said, trying to be supportive.


    ¡°Oh no, I have waited long enough for this moment. I knew you were the one back when we first met, and I am looking forward to deepening our bond. What I am hesitant about is¡­is the difference between our races. Roxanne and you will have similar life spans, but me, a Dragon Kin, will outlive both of you by several thousand years.¡±, Lucoa remarked, looking at her meal, ¡°Having met you, I do not know if I can continue to live without you once you pass on. Sure, we will have kids, lots of them I hope, but it will not be the same without you.¡±


    ¡°I would not write me off at a hundred years of age. My body and mind will live much longer than that.¡±, I assured her, with a smirk, ¡°Jarvis and Luxion have already confirmed that I could live to be several thousand years old without any outside assistance. Once we are out in space, I can probably further expand it even more.¡±


    ¡°You are not joking around or trying to make me feel better, are you?¡±, she pressed me.


    ¡°Of course not, I intend to make it so that we all die around the same time. I do not intend to travel the stars alone nor would I want to leave either of you alone out there.¡±, I said, with a smile, ¡°You are stuck with me till the day we kick the bucket, and I honestly hope it is in bed making love. My ideal way of going out is surrounded by the women I love and cherish.¡±


    Breaking out in a loud laugh, Lucoa pounded her fist on the table unable to control her laughter. Nodding her head in agreement, she acknowledged that it sounded like a nice way to die. Glancing over at Roxanne, the poor girl was beet red and unable to look at us. Assuming she was just as excited, I looked forward to savoring dessert in bed tonight.

 Chapter 28 (R-18)

    ---R-18 Start---


    Retiring to my room after dinner, the three of us stripped off our clothing and climbed into the shower. Setting the water to a comfortable temperature, I pressed the two women against the granite walls as the stall began to fill with steam. Leaning in for a kiss, the two women nervously kissed me back as they ran their hands around my chest and back.


    ¡°Fuck¡­I never realized how muscular you are.¡±, Lucoa remarked, running her hands down my chest and abs, ¡°You should stop wearing shirts in bed from now on.¡±


    ¡°It¡­it is bigger than I imagined.¡±, Roxanne commented, staring at my member trying to hide her aroused expression, ¡°Are you sure it will fit?¡±


    ¡°With a bit of preparation, it will.¡±, I replied, reaching down to probe their honey holes.


    Barely getting two of my fingers in, the two women tensed up and began to moan softly. Leaning forward, both used me to steady themselves as their legs began to shake uncontrollably. Feeling how wet they were already; it was apparent that they were raring to go. Slowly easing them onto the shower bench, I got on my knees and placed Roxanne¡¯s legs on my shoulders. Confused by what was happening, she was about to say something when I leaned in to eat her out.


    Overwhelmed by the sensations she felt, she wrapped her legs around my head and pulled my face into her crouch. Moaning my name and panting heavily, Roxanne began to spasm after just a few minutes. Reaching up and grabbing hold of her breasts, I began to knead them like dough and playfully twist her nipples.


    ¡°Victor¡­it is¡­too much¡­¡±, Roxanne meekly cried, as she began to arch her back, ¡°I¡­I am coming!!!¡±


    Letting out a guttural shriek, Roxanne experiences her first orgasm as she squirted a bit into my mouth. Quickly losing her strength, her grip on my head loosened allow me to slowly pull away from her. Standing up, I playfully smacked my member against her sopping wet hole with a mischievous smile on my face. Shaking her hips in protest, Roxanne was in no mood to be teased any further. She wanted one thing, and I was more than happy to give it to her. Gingerly picking her up, I sat down on the bench and sat her on my lap.


    Taking a moment to line myself up, I let her sink onto my member letting gravity do the work. Unsurprised that her hymen was already torn, as she was very physically active, Roxanne felt little pain as she slowly took me inside. Once I was all the way in, I took a second to kiss her on the lips and tell her how beautiful she was.


    ¡°I am a lucky man to have such an amazing woman in my life.¡±, I whispered into her ear, causing her body to shiver with delight, ¡°I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you beside me. No matter what anyone says, I love you, Roxanne.¡±


    Starting out slowly, I set the pace for us and held her close to me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, Roxanne let out a blissful sigh as she inhaled my scent. Thrusting her hips into me with every sniff, I gripped her butt tightly and kissed her neck. Once I felt she had loosened up a bit, we began picking up the pace. Filling the shower with the sound of her butt smacking my thighs, the intensity between the two of us picked up as she kissed me deeply.


    ¡°Give it to me¡­Master.¡±, Roxanne whispered, barely loud enough to hear, ¡°I want your love.¡±


    ¡°Roxanne!¡±, I shouted, standing up and slamming her into the wall.


    Unable and unwilling to hold back now, I hammered her into the wall as she locked her legs behind me. Thrusting as deeply as I could, the two of us soon climaxed together as I filled her with my seed. Holding me tightly, Roxanne squeezed as much as she could out of me before her body gave out. Slowly lowering her to the ground, she sat there panting heavily with a blissful smile.


    ¡°You alright?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡±, she said, planting a kiss on my lips, ¡°While I want more of your love, Lucoa is not going to hold on much longer.¡±


    Glancing over at the Dragon woman, she was already lying on the bench with her legs spread open. Staring at me with a lustful gaze, Lucoa was barely hanging on by a thread now. Sliding over to her, she immediately pulled me into her embrace and locked her legs behind me. Reaching down to position myself properly, she shook her hips impatiently waiting on me. Once I was in, her body sucked me all the way in as her muscles coiled around my member.


    ¡°You are such naughty woman.¡±, I whispered, feeling her thrusting underneath me, ¡°Have you no shame?¡±


    ¡°Not when it comes to you. Behind closed doors, I am your dirty little slut.¡±, she replied, ¡°Now shut up and fuck me like you mean it! I did not spend years harassing you to be treated like a fragile girl. I am part Dragon; I can take whatever you- ¡°


    Reminded of the years of torment she put me through, a fiendish smile crept over my face. Taking her to the floor, I put her on all fours and took her from behind. Grabbing hold of her horns, she let out a very sexy moan and leaned back into me. Letting go of one horn, I used my free hand to smack her ass around playfully.


    Railing her till I was close, I flipped her onto her back and with one last thrust flooded her with my seed. Grunting loudly as I pumped everything inside, she laid there egging me on even further. More than content with draining all the pent-up sexual frustration I had, Roxanne interjected and said they were supposed to do that together.


    ¡°Both of you calm down, we have all night to partake of each other. I fully intend to fuck you till you cannot walk.¡±, I assured them, ¡°I have several years of frustration to take out on you both. Hopefully you both are ready for it!¡±


    Without waiting for an answer, I broke out of Lucoa¡¯s grip and pulled Roxanne on top of her. Looking back at me, the two of them were confused till I began moving again. Wanting to satisfy both together, as I had given them one on one time, now I intended to satisfy myself completely¡­at their expense.


    ---R-18 End, Next Day---


    Arriving on campus early the next morning, dozens of young men were frantically running around in pursuit of women. Offering them invitations to their tea parties, all the boys were desperate to have at least one girl confirm they would show up. Shaking my head in disappointment, I honestly felt they were trying way too hard to impress trash. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    <Interesting, is this part of the mating ritual for New Humans?>


    ¡°You make it sound like they are a bunch of animals. Wait, do not respond to that¡­I already know your answer.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°It is not a mating ritual, they are trying to pick up a wife as soon as possible. Tea Parties are meant to introduce men and women, but many women play hard ball and make this far more difficult than it ought to be.¡±


    <Fascinating, New Humans have made the process of furthering their own species even harder. This is yet another reason to regret losing to their ancestors.>


    Deciding to avoid the hassle altogether, I turned toward the school building only to be stopped by Julius. Still fuming over what had occurred yesterday, he demanded to know what sort of relationship I had with his mother.


    ¡°What have you done to my mother? She has refused to speak to me since you spirited her away yesterday. If you do not release her from your enchantment immediately, I will have you thrown in the dungeon.¡±, Julius said, barely keeping his anger in check.


    ¡°Mylene is not under any enchantments, she is upset that her two sons treated her coldly yesterday morning. If you idiots needed me to tell you that, I feel horrible for your future wives.¡±, I remarked, turning to face him, ¡°As for my relationship with your mother, it is strictly professional. I have frequently visited the palace over the past four years for various reasons. If you paid attention to your surroundings instead of looking for ways to sneak out, we would have met properly a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°How¡­how did you know about that?!¡±, Julius gasped, startled that I knew of his excursions outside the palace.


    ¡°I know a lot of things, Julius. For example, I know that floosy you have taken a fancy to is nothing but trouble.¡±, I stated, looking at Marie, ¡°The only child of a heavily indebted viscount household who owes debtors almost double their yearly tax revenue. Your parents vanished into thin air leaving you to the shoulder the debts, and you have barely been holding on. Your debts were almost entirely bought up by shell companies that tie back to the Principality. They tasked you with splitting up the prince and his fianc¨¦e, but you have taken it to the next level. How much have you suckered these idiots out of so far?¡±


    Watching her eyes widen with terror, she was mortified that I knew the details of her situation so well. Moving to the back of the group, Marie hid behind Chris, trying to make herself as small as possible to avoid further confrontation.


    ¡°Do not insult Marie by making up false allegations and insulting her purity!¡±, Julius spat,


    ¡°She is an upstanding woman, unlike the shallow women who frequently speak to us.¡±


    ¡°Marie is a gentle soul with a big heart! The other women here could learn a thing or two from her.¡±, Brad added.


    ¡°She is probably the nicest woman at the Academy this year.¡±, Jilk remarked, ¡°I would honestly say she is nicer than our own fianc¨¦es.¡±


    Before responding to those cruel insults, I realized that we had begun to draw a crowd. Among the crowd were followers of all five fianc¨¦es and each of them looked pissed off, especially Clarice¡¯s followers.


    ¡°I cannot fathom why you are still with your fianc¨¦es if you believe they are that terrible. You have had your entire lives to voice your disinterest, but none of you have been man enough to tell them how you really feel.¡±, I scolded them, before getting back on topic, ¡°Whether you like it or not, Marie is a traitor to this country and our people. Would it make things easier for you idiots if I showed you visual proof that she is a traitorous bitch?¡±


    ¡°Watch it, we will not warn you again.¡±, Greg said, getting in my face, ¡°You have no proof, you are just trying to show off for our fianc¨¦e¡¯s followers. You are a pathetic man trying to grasp at straws to make yourself look good.¡±


    ¡°That is laughable coming from a pompous fool who baselessly brags about his talent with a spear. If my memory is correct, you have yet to compete in a real tournament because you cannot make it past the qualifiers.¡±, I countered, with a grin, ¡°So far, the only people you have defeated are those beneath your station. I guarantee you won only because they wanted to avoid causing problems for their households. Unlike them, I have no problem calling you out for the moron you really are. If you are so confident, how about you step into the ring with me and settle this properly?¡±


    Gritting his teeth in anger, Greg was about to start brawling with me, but Julius interceded. Having noticed the crowd now as well, he did not want Greg to be the one to start the fight. Anything that happened afterward would be deemed as self-defense and he was not certain Greg could take me on in a fist fight.


    ¡°Enough, let us see this proof you are referring to.¡±, Julius said.


    Snapping my fingers, Luxion¡¯s drone began projecting the images and videos he had taken two days ago. Hearing audible gasps from the crowd, Marie poked her head out and turned pale white seeing the recordings. Refusing to go down like this, Marie pretended to faint, drawing the attention of the boys away from the recordings. Frantically trying to rouse her, Brad and Chris quickly ferried her to the infirmary after not getting a response from her.


    ¡°This is not over! You will free my mother one way or another!¡±, Julius shouted, as Jilk, Greg, and him ran after them.


    Leaving the crowd and I behind, I shook my head in disappointment as he was truly too far gone to be saved. Marie had them all wrapped around her finger already so no matter what I showed them or said, they would always believe her over the truth. Feeling sorry for their fianc¨¦es, I began to wonder if I should attempt to warn them of the coming storm. They had a right to prepare themselves for the inevitable breakup that was to come in a few months.


    ¡°Excuse me, would it be possible to get a copy of your evidence?¡±, a man said, pushing his way through the crowd, ¡°I am- ¡°


    ¡°You are Dan Fia Elgar, one of Lady Clarice¡¯s devoted followers.¡±, I stated, with a smile, ¡°I know who you are, your father spoke very highly of your skills when I met him a while back.¡±


    ¡°You met my father?!¡±, Dan questioned, ¡®Dad never mentioned meeting with a Viscount Stark, just Viscount Bartfort. Maybe it slipped his mind?¡¯


    ¡°Yes, he is a good man and an outstanding member of nobility.¡±, I acknowledged, ¡°Luxion, please make a copy of the evidence for Dan.¡±


    Giving me physical copies of the photos and a Project Sphere with the video evidence, I handed everything over to Dan immediately. Quickly skimming through the photos, a scowl quickly formed on his face.


    ¡°Have you handed this information over to the palace?¡±, he asked.


    ¡°The Crown and Ministers are aware of what she is doing. Currently, they have her under observation so they can gather information on the Principalities movements.¡±, I told him telepathically, to avoid letting this part be made public, ¡°Let Clarice know to stay away from Stephanie Offrey as well, she is in bed with them as well. In fact, it was her suggestion to use Marie to split Angelica and Julius apart. Unfortunately, Marie is a greedy bitch and decided to pursue all five of them.¡±


    Momentarily surprised by the telepathic connection, he quickly processed what I said with a hardened expression. Understanding what was at stake for Clarice, Dan was already formulating his next steps to shield her from harm.


    ¡°I understand, I will take this to my father and Clarice¡¯s father this evening. That skank will not take my Mistresses happiness from her!¡±, he replied, stowing the evidence in his school bag, ¡°Thank you for this information. I promise to get you some sort of reward for your work.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it. Let Earl Atlee know I send my regards.¡±, I said, patting him on the back, ¡°If you need anything else from me, just ask.¡±


    Seeing no reason to hang around any longer, as class was about to begin, I promptly made my way to the first class of the day¡­Noble Etiquette.

 Chapter 29

    ---3rd Person POV, Evening---


    Promptly returning to the Atlee Resident, ahead of his Mistress, Dan requested a meeting with the Earl and his father to discuss the information he had acquired. Wanting to spare Clarice of further pain, as she was devastated by Jilk¡¯s disinterest in her at school, he hoped something could be done to get rid of Marie and restore things to normal. After ensuring that only the Earl and his father would hear what he had to say, Dan dove straight into things.


    ¡°My apologies for requesting a meeting so suddenly, but things are not progressing well with Lady Clarice and that bastard Jilk.¡±, Dan said, trying to hold his anger in.


    ¡°Son do not call the prince¡¯s foster brother a bastard!¡±, his father pleaded.


    ¡°Father, it is the truth! He has abandoned Lady Clarice in favor of a traitorous wench he met just yesterday! He has been seen galivanting around campus with Marie Fou Lafan, Prince Julius, and the prince¡¯s entourage. She has sunk her teeth into the prince and company with no signs of remorse for the chaos she is sowing.¡±, Dan said, producing the photos he received, ¡°I have it on good authority that she is working with the Principality to pay off her family¡¯s debts. Here are the photos I was received this morning.¡±


    Looking at the photos he was handed, Earl Atlee was amazed by the quality and clarity of the photos. Wondering who Dan received them from, as they could potentially be fakes, the Earl needed to be certain of things before making his next move. If they were indeed genuine, he would immediately take action to save his daughter¡¯s happiness as well as ensure the safety of the Holfort Kingdom.


    ¡°Dan, who did you get these photos from?¡±, the Earl inquired.


    ¡°Viscount Victor von Stark gave them to me after confronting the prince and his entourage this morning with this exact information. Before Lord Stark could explain in detail what he found, Marie pretended to faint causing the prince and his entourage to rush her to the infirmary.¡±, Dan said, hoping he had not been fooled, ¡®Should I have done more investigating? I was in such a rush to help Lady Clarice that I did not think the photos were fake¡­¡¯


    ¡°These photos were given to you by Victor?! If he reports she is a traitor, I have no reason to doubt him.¡±, the Earl said, satisfied the photos were genuine, ¡°Did he happen to give you any other proof?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he gave me a recording of their entire interaction.¡±, Dan replied, producing the object he received from Victor, ¡°I apologize for my ignorance, but is Viscount Stark an important nobleman?¡±


    Looking up at Dan for a moment, the two men thought he was trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Giving him a few moments to laugh it off, when the laugh did not come, they realized he was being serious.


    ¡°Son, you do realize that Victor von Stark is the Holfort Prodigy right? Victor changed his name about eight months ago to separate himself from the Bartfort Household. His father has a reputation for being a bit sheepish, so he changed it to differentiate himself from his birth name.¡±, his father said, ¡°Please tell me you have not done anything to antagonize him¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­I have not done anything, I swear! Before my conversation this morning with him, I have never spoken to or interacted with him.¡±, Dan gulped, ¡°That said, that means Prince Julius is playing with fire. He was making wild accusations this morning about Victor seducing Queen Mylene. Julius told him to release the Queen, or he would have Victor thrown in jail.¡±


    ¡°This is about their interaction yesterday, correct?¡±, Earl Atlee said, having ridden with Clarice to school as well.


    ¡°Correct, sir.¡±, Dan acknowledged.


    Letting out a sigh, he could not fathom how Julius knowingly made such a wild accusation. While her reaction to Victor¡¯s arrival was a bit over the top, it was well known that the King and Queen were quite fond of his gadgets. Given the callous response she received from her sons yesterday, according to their morning meetings, it was no surprise she went with him to soothe her aching heart.


    ¡°If the prince or his entourage ever engage in a fight with Viscount Stark, I want you to immediately summon medical personnel. He may not look like it, but the rumors of his combat prowess are understated. Victor defeated the Sword Saint in less than thirty seconds and has regularly defeated the Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±, Earl Atlee said, with a serious tone, ¡°Victor is our counter to the Principality¡¯s Black Knight. While the two of them have yet to cross paths, it is no coincidence that the Black Knight has not been seen at the border in four years.¡±


    Having heard stories from those that survived encounters with the Black Knight, Dan could not begin to comprehend how much of a monster Victor was. Understanding that upsetting him was to be avoided at all costs, a smile crept upon his face.


    ¡®Lady Clarice has a powerful ally in her corner when it comes to dealing with that traitor.¡¯, he thought, setting the orb on the table.


    Scanning the room, after Dan let go of it, the orb made sure the room was secure before sharing its data. Showing the three men recordings of both Marie and Stephanie¡¯s interactions with the spies, Earl Atlee¡¯s eyes narrowed as he watched Stephanie hand over top secret documents that only the Crown and Cabinet Ministers had access too. Watching the entirety of the recordings, the Earl lowered his head and began to think.


    ¡°Earl Atlee, we should immediately inform the palace that classified documents have been leaked to the Principality.¡±, Dan¡¯s father said, worried about the security of the southern border.


    ¡°No, the information that was given to the Principality was fake. Victor requested that the Cabinet Ministers and Crown keep fake documents where we usually store classified documents. While I was not sure why it was important back then, now I see that he felt we had traitors among our staff.¡±, the Earl growled, ¡°I do not want to believe that my staff leaked this information, but I inherited them from the last Prime Minister after he passed two years ago. After this revelation, it would be wise to thoroughly investigate our staff to find the culprits. Can I leave the investigation to you, Charles?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will personally take charge of the investigation and see that the traitors are apprehended swiftly.¡±, Dan¡¯s father swore.


    ¡°Dan, I need you to keep watch over the prince¡¯s entourage and that traitorous wench. If she continues to sway the five of them, especially Julius and Jilk, I need to inform the palace of it. While they may not realize it, those five men have a lot riding on their marriages.¡±, Earl Atwell explained, ¡°Their marriages represent a melding of the most influential people in the kingdom. Should they throw it all away for Marie¡­it will create utter chaos among the nobility. We cannot afford to fall back into the mire after all the progress we made these past years.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I will relay any information I discover to you immediately!¡±, Dan said, bowing to the Earl and his father, ¡°I will inform Lady Clarice¡¯s other subordinates to watch the prince and entourage closely. Nothing that we have said in here will be shared with them, I will say I am concerned that Jilk will break her heart.¡±


    With that, Dan promptly left the room leaving the Earl and his father to discuss his plans for the investigation further.


    ---Two Weeks Later, Victor POV---


    ¡°Viscount Stark, this is the room we have set aside for your Tea Party.¡±, an administrative staff member said, opening the door to a decent sized room, ¡°I hope it is to your satisfaction.¡±


    Having secured a room overlooking the garden, I hoped to avoid most of the party crashers by staging mine toward the center of campus. Poking my head in to confirm everything was in order, I stepped inside to begin preparations.


    ¡°Of course, this will do perfectly. Thank you for securing such a fine location on such short notice.¡±, I remarked, tossing them a small bag of gold coins, ¡®I really did not want to partake in this shitty tradition, but my etiquette teacher insisted I do so. That old man has a way of convincing people to do things they do not want to do.¡¯


    Bowing their head and promptly leaving me alone, once the staff member was gone, I had Luxion bring over the party supplies. Setting out tableware and snacks, Luxion made a large pot of Earl Grey tea to go with the sweets. As I was polishing the silverware, I received a notification from Luxion that Lucoa and Roxanne were ready to join us.


    <Shall I teleport them here now, Master?>


    ¡°Please do.¡±, I replied, taking a few steps back.


    Watching the two women materialize out of thin air, I noticed that they had come dressed for the occasion. Wearing custom-made maid outfits, the two of them had gone all out to make themselves appear to be servants of mine. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I am regretting my decision to wear this. This stupid thing makes moving around a pain in the ass.¡±, Lucoa complained, as her dress was hugging her body tightly, ¡°You sure you took my measurements right, Victor?¡±


    ¡°Victor would never mess up something like that. You must have put on a bit of weight with all the snacks you have been eating at home.¡±, Roxanne teased her, ¡°I am more than happy to spar with you back home to keep you in shape, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously calling me fat?! I am curvy, not fat!!¡±, Lucoa pouted, ¡°I blame Victor, he made us his taste testing guinea pigs. If his sweets were not so amazing, I would not have eaten so many!!¡±


    ¡°Come on now, the outfits shrunk a bit in the washer no need to fight over it. I love the two of you just the way you are so hush it.¡±, I chuckled, giving them both a kiss, ¡°Now before any bimbos show up, have some cookies and tea.¡±


    Eagerly taking my up on my offer, the two of them snatched up several cookies while I poured them tea. While they were eating their sweets, I affixed a sign to the door bearing my name on it. As I was taping it up, a familiar face came walking down the hall hanging her head in defeat.


    ¡°Olivia, is everything alright?¡±, I called out, ¡°Why do you look so sad?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I was kicked out of several tea parties already.¡±, Olivia sniffled, ¡°I showed up a bit early, and the girls told me leave. They said that a commoner like me would ruin their experience, and then tore up my invitation before throwing the scraps at me.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I am sorry those bitches treated you like garbage. Come on in, I have plenty of cookies and tea.¡±, I offered, motioning for her to come in.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±, she said, shuffling into the room with a grateful smile.


    Stopping when she saw Lucoa and Roxanne, the two women turned to look at her for a moment. Observing how she carried herself and how she acted to their gazes, they nodded in satisfaction before motioning for her to take a seat.


    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion.¡±, Olivia stated, taking a seat beside Roxanne, ¡°Are you two Victor¡¯s maids?¡±


    ¡°Officially yes, but unofficially we are his lovers/mistresses.¡±, Lucoa answered, with a smile, ¡°Hope that does not bother you.¡±


    ¡°It does not bother me, I do not have anything against nonhumans.¡±, Olivia remarked, ¡°Victor¡­he did not force himself on you, did he?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not that kind of guy. I have known the two of them since I was five years old. If you want to hear it, I can tell you all about it.¡±, I said, handing her a cup of tea and some cookies.


    ¡°Of course, I happy to hear more about you.¡±, Olivia stated, wanting to know more about the only person on campus who treated her like a human being.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later---


    Telling her about how we met each other, the adventures we had gone on, and my brother Rutart¡¯s despicable crime, Olivia finally realized who I was. Apologizing profusely for not recognizing me, even though we had never met in person before a few weeks ago, I promised her that I was not offended.


    ¡°Most people have yet to realize I changed my name almost nine months ago now. While it may sound bad, it has helped mitigate the number of boorish women I have had to deal with.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°As you may have heard, I have a low tolerance for insufferable nobles.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have seen it firsthand.¡±, Olivia laughed, ¡°May I have some more tea, please?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±, I said, pouring her another cup.


    Wanting to ask her about her childhood, as I could not recall anything about it, our conversation got derailed when a group of four noblewomen came barging into the room. Immediately demanding tea and sweets from me, I glanced back at them with an annoyed expression.


    ¡®So it begins¡­¡¯, I thought, getting up from my seat to greet them, ¡®Hopefully they calm down or they are going out the fucking window¡­¡¯

 Chapter 30

    Turning around to greet them, I stopped myself from speaking as I was taken aback by what I saw. Having expected to find several arrogant beauties at my door, instead, my eyes fell upon a blonde midget; a skinny, icy blue haired girl with glasses; an agitated red head; and Gorlock the Destroyer. Looking at them closely for a moment, as I was unfamiliar with them, only the midget and red head met my gaze.


    ¡°You going to say something?¡±, the red head snapped, ¡°God, men are so fucking stupid.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­are you four lost?¡±, I inquired, letting the insult slide.


    ¡°You are Viscount Victor von Stark, right?¡±, the midget said, pointing at the sign on the door.


    ¡°Yeah, that is me.¡±, I acknowledged, ¡°I know for a fact that I did not give you four an invitation because I did not give any out. What brings you four here?¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking stupid?! We are here for tea and sweets, get to it!¡±, the red head snapped.


    Getting the sense that she had been kicked out of every tea party she had visited thus far, it was very clear she was not happy with how today was going for her. Assuming that these ladies were at the bottom of the social ladder, I did feel a bit sorry for them, but I also refused to be treated like garbage by them.


    ¡°Listen, if you cannot be civil with me, then leave immediately.¡±, I warned her, as I narrowed my eyes, ¡°I understand it is not fun being at the bottom of the class, but continuing to treat me like trash will ensure you never find a way out of your predicament. Unlike the spineless cowards here, I have no qualms with physically throwing you all out of this place.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±, she snarled.


    ¡°Enough, you have already gotten us thrown out of seven parties, do not make it eight!¡±, the midget scolded her, before clearing her throat, ¡°Viscount Stark, might we enjoy some of your tea and sweets?¡±


    Sensing no immediate hostility toward Lucoa, Olivia, or Roxanne, I agreed to let them join us. Eagerly taking a seat at the table, the women grabbed a few cookies while I poured them tea. Giving them a few minutes to taste everything, I inquired if everything was to their liking.


    ¡°It is good¡­thank you.¡±, the red head replied, much more subdued now.


    ¡°They are the best I have ever eaten.¡±, the bulky woman added, staring at her tea.


    Letting them have a moment to compose themselves, I began inquiring about what led them here. They might have been at the bottom of the social ladder, but they were still women. Given how desperate the boys here were to find partners, there should be no reason for them to be overlooked. The fact that they were not acting like the typical noblewoman should have made them extremely popular with the boys.


    ¡°Not to pry, but how did you ladies end up here? I specifically picked the center of campus to avoid having to deal with the riff raft.¡±, I said, stirring my tea, ¡°Clearly you four have already gone through a lot so far today, so please enlighten me.¡±


    ¡°We¡­we kind of had our fianc¨¦es stolen from us by second years.¡±, the midget stated, looking at her cup, ¡°You see¡­all of us are from poor Baron Households, and- ¡° S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In a nutshell, their families arranged the marriages out of convenience for all parties involved. All of them came from the same region so; to strengthen their households, they engaged their heirs with the intent to collapse their eight households into four. Since the marriages were seemingly secure, as expected, the women treated their fianc¨¦es like garbage. Until recently, the women had them under their thumb, but a few months back rare minerals were discovered in the fianc¨¦es¡¯ territories. This significantly improved their standing among the nobility, which drew the attention of some Baronesses from the second-year course. Receiving better treatment from them, their former fianc¨¦es kicked them to the curb before they knew what hit them.


    ¡°...Not only have we lost our men, but our replacements have also made our lives a living hell. They have been telling our classmates that we are so poor that we must work in the Red-Light district to pay for our necessities.¡±, the bulky woman cried, genuinely torn up about this, ¡°With those rumors floating around, the other girls treat us like trash and the boys will not come within ten feet of us. We tried going to several dozen tea parties today and almost all of them slammed the door in our faces.¡±


    ¡°Those that did not goaded me into starting an altercation which got us kicked out.¡±, the red head sigh, hanging her head in defeat.


    ¡°I understand now, karma hit you ladies like a wagon full of bricks.¡±, I stated, nodding my head, ¡°I hate to break it to you, but as a Viscount, I can only marry someone of equal or higher standing. Since all of you are from Baronies, I cannot help you out.¡±


    It was a well-known rule that Knights, Baronets, and Barons married amongst themselves while Viscounts and above intermingled with one another. This had been the case for several generations now so there was no way they had forgotten it. Assuming they wanted a favor from me, potentially to clear their names, I waited for one of them to speak up.


    ¡°We are painful aware you are out of our league.¡±, the slender woman acknowledged, turning to me, ¡°The four of us heard about your run-in with Stephanie Fou Offrey and how you protected the scholarship student from her. I thought maybe we could convince you to shelter us for a few months till this hopefully blows over.¡±


    ¡°I see, might I ask what the female student body thinks of me?¡±, I asked, out of curiosity.


    ¡°Honestly, they do not know what to make of you. After your run-in with Stephanie, a lot of them are interested in learning more about you. It is not every day that a man is unfazed by a woman¡¯s status or authority.¡±, the red head remarked, with a smirk.


    ¡®Huh, they sure do not show it. Maybe Jenna has something to do with why I have not seen a change. She is in the second-year class, so it is possible I guess.¡¯, I thought, returning to the conversation, ¡°Alright, so what is in this for me exactly? Protecting you from the entire student body is no easy task, and as you stated a moment ago, your families are not well off, so I do not see an upside for me here.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­what do you want from us?¡±, the midget questioned, understanding they had nothing to really offer me, ¡°If you are willing to keep quiet, we¡­we could do you some sexual favors for your services.¡±


    Noticing Lucoa¡¯s facial expression change, she clearly did not appreciate that suggestion in the slightest. Since we had started sleeping together, I had noticed a protective side to her that I had never seen before. She did not act that way around Roxanne, given our shared past, but when other women were around, she got particularly agitated when they made a move on me.


    ¡°Not to be rude, but the four of you are not my type.¡±, I told her, ¡°If you are willing to do a favor for me, I might be willing to assist you in beginning to rebuild your status. I consider Olivia to be a good friend of mine, these past two weeks have been a lot of fun and I look forward to spending more time with her. That said, when I am not around, she tends to get a lot of flak from other women. You do not need to step in to protect her, but I want to know when things go beyond verbal abuse like it did with Stephanie. If you agree to inform me when that happens, I will help you.¡±


    ¡°To clarify, all we would need to do is let you know when she is being assaulted?¡±, the midget asked.


    ¡°Correct.¡±, I acknowledged, with a nod.


    Taking a moment to look at one another, the four of them nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Alright, we agree to your terms.¡±, the red head spoke up.


    ¡°Perfect!¡±, I said, rising from my seat, ¡°First thing we need to do is arrange a meeting with the duke¡¯s daughter, Angelica Redgrave. If the five of you can get on her good side, a lot of the flak you get from our fellow classmates will disappear very quickly. To arrange the meeting, you will need to speak with one of her representatives and provide a suitable gift.¡±


    ¡°Five of us?¡±, the bulky girl inquired, ¡°You mean four, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Olivia is included in this. The only way to stop a large portion of the abuse all five of you endure is to get on Angelica¡¯s good side. Sweets, fragrant tea, makeup, or rare perfumes would be excellent choices.¡±, I remarked, having seen the shopping trends myself.


    ¡°Victor¡­I do not think I have the money for the type of things a duke¡¯s daughter would buy¡­¡±, Olivia said, looking in her wallet with a depressed expression.


    ¡°It is my suggestion so I will cover it. If you feel the need to pay me back, you can earn the money when our class goes into the dungeon beneath the Academy.¡±, I stated, rising from my seat, ¡°Since I never had any real interest in hosting a stupid party, we can leave now if you want.¡±


    Almost jumping out of their seats, the four noblewomen were more than happy to get started on this now. Quickly cleaning up the room, we left the building and made our way to the Market District to do some shopping.

 Chapter 31

    ---Several Days Later, 3rd Person POV---


    After several tense days of back and forth talks with Angelica¡¯s representatives, the five women managed to secure a brief meeting with her. Bringing the gifts that Victor had helped them pick out, and paid for, they presented them to Angelica before silently taking a seat at her table. Taking a brief look at the items they brought, Angelica nodded her head silently before looking at them.


    ¡°All of you have gone through a lot of trouble to set up this meeting and have brought me some exquisite gifts. What is that you would ask of me today?¡±, Angelica inquired, sipping on her tea, ¡°Before you speak, know that I am aware of the situation regarding your former fianc¨¦s. If you are here to ask me to force them apart and come back to you, I cannot do that. Even I have my limits.¡±


    ¡°We are well aware that it is impossible now, Lady Angelica.¡±, the midget said, ¡°We would request your assistance in dealing with the rumors our replacements have been spreading around about us. The four of us understand that the men we loved are lost to us, all we want is to move on with our lives. As long as they continue spreading these baseless rumors, none of us can find new partners or socialize with our peers.¡±


    ¡°Very well, if that is all you want, I can ensure that you are left alone now.¡±, Angelica acknowledged, turning to one of her subordinates, ¡°Please make the necessary arrangements to quash the rumors.¡±


    Bowing her head, the subordinate quickly left the room to carry out Angelica¡¯s orders. Following close behind her, as there was nothing left to say, the four baronesses thanked Angelica for her time then promptly left the room. Once the door was shut, Angelica turned to Olivia who was surprised by how good the tea was.


    ¡°Now then, before we get to your request, I have question that I want you to answer for me. The gifts the five of you brought are far beyond what a Baron¡¯s family can afford, let alone a commoner¡¯s family. How did the five of you come by these items, and who is your backer?¡±, Angelica inquired, staring at Olivia intently.


    Feeling the full weight of the duke¡¯s daughter bearing down on her, Olivia clammed up for a moment. She had done everything she could to not drag Victor down after all he had done for her, but she could not lie to Angelica. If she were found out, she understood that bullying her at school would be the least of her worries.


    ¡®I am sorry Victor¡­¡¯, Olivia thought, before nervously looking at Angelica, ¡°Mr. Victor helped us out.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Victor, you mean Viscount Victor von Stark?¡±, Angelica clarified, ¡®What would a Viscount want with four baronesses and the scholarship student? Do not tell me¡­is he one of those sorts men!¡¯


    ¡°Yes, he took us to several stores in the Market District and paid for the gifts.¡±, Olivia said, feeling a bit embarrassed that he purchased the gifts for them.


    ¡°I see, and how does he intend to get his money back on these items? Surely, he did not do this out of the kindness of his heart.¡±, Angelica stated, ¡°Tell me, the Viscount is not using these gifts to force you five into performing- ¡°


    ¡°Mr. Victor is not like that!¡±, Olivia protested, leaping out of her seat, ¡°He did not force or ask us to perform any of those naughty things. The entire time I have known him he has treated me with respect, and never shown any indication that he wants my body! Unlike the other boys, Victor treats me like a human being!¡±


    Taken aback by Olivia¡¯s defense of the Viscount, her boldness intrigued Angelica. Remembering who she was speaking to, Olivia quickly sat back down with a flustered expression. Assuming she had just ruined her chances of a normal school life, she braced herself for the beating of a lifetime at the hands of Angelica¡¯s subordinates.


    ¡°I see, well it is good to know that he is not abusing his position for ill motives.¡±, Angelica said, stifling a laugh, ¡°So then, how does he intend to recuperate his money?¡±


    ¡°He told me that I did not need to pay him back, but I cannot do that. I promised him I would mine some minerals in the dungeon beneath the school to repay him. The four noblewomen agreed to report back to him if I get into another physical altercation with a noblewoman again for their repayments.¡±, Olivia responded, looking down at the ground, ¡°All I want is to be able to attend class without being bullied for being a Commoner. Aside from Victor, everyone treats me like garbage and says that I do not deserve to be here. One noblewoman even suggested I used my body to bribe the administrative staff to allow me in.¡±


    ¡®Ah yes, I heard about that altercation the other day. So it is true then that the Viscount protected her from Stephanie. What could he possibly gain by coming to her aid though?¡¯, Angelica thought, ¡°I understand, however, I do not think you comprehend how expensive these gifts are. These are not gifts someone below the status of a Marquess could hope to afford with pocket money. The two containers of tea are fifty thousand each, the box of sweets is seventy thousand, the makeup supplies are a hundred thousand, and the box of fragrant soaps you handed me are three hundred thousand. Honestly, I have been trying to get my hands on just a single bar for months now. Every time I have a chance to visit the stores, they are completely sold out.¡±


    ¡°THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND!?¡±, Olivia shrieked, nearly keeling over from shock, ¡°I¡­I did not know they were that expensive!! What do I do?! Even if I work the rest of my life, I would never be able to pay him back!!¡±


    Finding her genuine reaction soothing to her heart, Angelica was enjoying this back and forth with Olivia. Due to her status as the duke¡¯s only daughter, none of her peers ever treated her causally like she wanted. Everyone around her treated her with gloves because they wanted her influence, connections, or status for their own benefit. To talk with someone who does not care about any of those things¡­it was truly a breath of fresh air to her.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±, Angelica laughed, with a smile, ¡°That is something you will need to work out with him, I am not sure I can help you with that. Now then, as for your request, since you brought such an exquisite item to me, I will have the female students back off. All you need to do is simply stay at the edge of my group and remain silent. If you can do that, I will ensure you are left in peace.¡±


    ¡°Is that really all I need to do?¡±, Olivia inquired, with a relieved look.


    Forgetting to mimic what the noblewomen had done, like Victor told her, Olivia had inadvertently caused more problems for herself. Holding her face in her hands, Angelica dismissed her subordinates to speak with Olivia alone. Once they were gone, she gave Olivia a sigh and shook her head.


    ¡°Did the Viscount nor the noblewomen you came here with explain how this works? After you give your request and I agree to help, you need only thank me and leave. Sticking around and asking further questions is considered rude among the nobility.¡±, Angelica said, looking her in the eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Victor did mention I should follow their example¡­I forget to do though. I¡­I am just still stuck on the value of the gifts he bought on our behalf.¡±, Olivia stated, still not taking the hint.


    ¡°I give up¡­¡±, Angelica sighed, her mental facilities exhausted from everything going on in her life, ¡°Usually I would berate someone like you for trampling over our social norms, but I have taken a liking to you. Everyone around me walks on eggshells because of my status, they are never genuine with their feelings and always have ulterior motives for being around me. Keeping up a noble fa?ade around them, with everything happening right, is truly exhausting. You are forbidden from repeating any of this, but¡­I am truly grateful you came here today. You are a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale environment.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡±, Olivia inquired, unsure of how to respond to her.


    Feeling genuine concern in her tone, Angelica opened the flood gates to everything she had been holding in. Telling Olivia all about her frustration at the prince¡¯s lack of interest in her and his desire to be with a girl he barely knew, Angelica vented all her frustrations on the matter.


    ¡°I have dedicated almost all my life to him!! From the moment we became engaged, I have done everything I could to mold myself into his ideal woman. I have attended countless etiquette courses to become a regal woman; sat through hundreds of flower arrangement classes; learned about what he does and does not like to eat; and studied hundreds of hours on all his hobbies to be more compatible with him. On top of all that, I served as a maid in the royal palace for half a year under Queen Mylene¡¯s supervision.¡±, Angelica shouted, as she teared up, ¡°Everything I have done has all been for him, but he has tossed me aside for that vixen!! I have tried to reason with him, explain that I want to spend time with him, but he pushes me aside and tells me that our engagement means nothing while we are at the Academy.¡±


    Seeing the pain etched on her face, Olivia could not imagine the amount of stress she was under. Doing the only thing she could think of, she got up from her seat, walked over, and gave Angelica a hug.


    ¡°I may not understand what it is like to be in your shoes, but I can clearly see that you care a lot about the prince. You have dedicated everything to him, and he is throwing it all away for someone else.¡±, Olivia told her, ¡°He is big meanie for making such a loving woman cry like this.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­yes he is a big, fat meanie.¡±, Angelica agreed, feeling a soothing aura coming from Olivia, ¡®I can see now why the Viscount has his eye on her. She may not be a wife candidate, but she could certainly be an excellent mistress.¡¯


    Enjoying the silence for a few minutes, Angelica collected her thoughts and asked Olivia to let her go. Doing as she was asked, Olivia apologized to her in case she crossed the line. Shaking her head, Angelica admitted she was okay with what Olivia did so long she never spoke about it or did it again in front of her subordinates. Swearing to abide her terms, the two women parted on good terms feeling like they had made a genuine friend.


    ---Evening---


    Retiring to her dorm room, having spent the evening in the company of the prince and his entourage, Marie was grinning ear to ear as she looked at her haul. Having received many fancy gifts from the five men, she was already figuring out how much she could resell the items for on the open market. With a large payment coming up to her family¡¯s debtors, she did not have the luxury of keeping these expensive items for herself, no matter how badly she wanted them.


    ¡°Being a poor noblewoman is terrible, I did not ask for this shitty life!!¡±, she said, setting the items on her dresser, ¡°Hopefully one of those airheads pops the question so I can leave this shitty lifestyle behind, and start living like the queen I know I am!¡±


    Clapping her hands to activate the magic lights around the room, Marie turned around to head for her private bathroom. Running face first into Stephanie Offrey, the countess and her cohorts glared at Marie full of anger. Stumbling away from them, Marie backed into her dresser ready to piss herself.


    ¡°You were told to only split Prince Julius and Angelica apart, what is the big idea of taking my fianc¨¦e too?!¡±, Stephanie seethed, ¡°If you did not have the prince wrapped around your little fingers, I would kill you right now! How dare you make a mockery of me by trouncing around campus with my man in broad daylight!¡±


    ¡°I¡­I am sorry!¡±, Marie cried, desperate to get out of this alive and with all her body parts attached, ¡°It¡­it just happened, I swear I did not go out of my way to tempt the other four!¡±


    ¡°Somehow, I doubt that.¡±, Stephanie spat, grabbing the gifts she received from the men, ¡°Do not think for a moment I have not been keeping an eye on you. You are having them buy you expensive gifts that you turn around and sell to pay back your enormous debts. The Principality is not going to just let you go after you repay the money you owe them; you are in this for life¡­unless of course you want to end up dead.¡±


    Fearing that Stephanie, in her enraged state, might kill her right now, Marie attempted to switch topics by bringing up what happened a few weeks ago. Having not had a chance to speak with her about it, now was as good a time as any to inform her they had been compromised.


    ¡°We have bigger issues to worry about right now, Viscount Stark is aware of our plans.¡±, Marie blurted out, ¡°He confronted me in front of the prince and his entourage on the second day of school. That guy had photos and videos of my interactions with your people, what the hell are you trying to pull?!¡±


    Taken aback by the mention of his name, Stephanie grabbed Marie¡¯s dresser and knocked it over. Knocking everything off her vanity after that, the enraged countess smacked her across the face.


    ¡°DO NOT BRING HIS NAME UP IN FRONT OF ME!!¡±, Stephanie howled, having suffered unbearable humiliation at his hands, ¡°Stay away from my Brad, or I will strangle you bitch!! Tear this place apart!!¡±


    Standing there as Stephanie and company tore her room to pieces, Marie made herself small and stood in the corner silently. Hoping they would burn off all the anger they had toward her on her stuff, she wanted to avoid any more beatings. After tearing everything to shreds, over the course of twenty minutes, Stephanie looked over at the cowering girl.


    ¡°Listen carefully, all of this was caused by Angelica¡¯s subordinates alright? I was never here.¡±, she said, before leaving the room with her followers, ¡°You say one thing to the contrary and the Viscount will be the least of your worries¡­¡±


    Slamming the door behind them, Marie let out a sigh of relief as she slid down the wall.


    ¡®I did not have a reason to take the other men before, but now I do. All those cunts had it easy while I struggled to get this far, it is time to even the score!¡¯, Marie thought, as she began plotting how to ruin them both politically and socially, ¡®By the time I am done, no man will ever want to touch them!¡¯

 Chapter 32

    ---Victor POV, Several Days Later---


    ¡°Students, I need your attention please before we begin today¡¯s training exercises.¡±, a professor shouted, from a platform outside the school¡¯s dungeon, ¡°Please form groups of four to five people, and in an orderly manner, enter the dungeon together. Today¡¯s goal is to reach the stairs that lead to the 4th floor. Under no circumstances are any students allowed to venture beyond the 3rd floor. You are free to collect as many materials as you want from any of the three floors.¡±


    Drowning out the rest of his words, our classmates began forming groups of six or more people while the professor stood there fuming. Watching them filter out into their usual cliques, Olivia and I were left standing on the sidelines together.


    ¡°Do not let it get to you, we are better off without their dead weight.¡±, I commented, patting Olivia on the shoulder.


    ¡°If you want to go intermingle with other nobleman, I cannot blame you for it.¡±, Olivia said, believing she was the reason why I was not befriending our fellow classmates.


    ¡°I would rather be partnered with a faithful friend than someone who would stab me in the back for their own personal gains.¡±, I chuckled, giving her a smile under my helmet.


    Wearing my fully functional Doctor Doom armor for this occasion, I came fully prepared to pull these idiots out of danger when trouble arose. Using my HUD to review the layout of the dungeon, while everyone finished sorting themselves out, the professor approached me with a request.


    ¡°Viscount Stark, a word if I may.¡±, he asked, with an apologetic smile, ¡°I promise this will only take a moment.¡±


    Nodding my head, I joined the professor as he walked toward the headmaster¡¯s office. Handing me a slip of paper, once we were out of earshot, he began explaining the unusual set of circumstances revolving around this dungeon dive.


    ¡°Normally a group of knights would accompany your class into the dungeon as a safety precaution, but today we have been asked to stand down at the request of the King.¡±, he remarked, pointing at the sheet, ¡°Prince Julius requested that the knights not come with the class personally, he felt they were unnecessary given the skill level of your class. We initially denied his request, but this morning he returned with an official decree from the King commanding us to do as Julius requested.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±, I said, looking at the signature, ¡°My apologies professor, but this is clearly a forgery. I have seen the King¡¯s handwriting personally; his signature looks nothing like this. It is clearly Julius¡¯ handwriting.¡±


    ¡°¡­I figured as much but we could not argue with him given the potential consequences.¡±, the professor replied, grinding his teeth in anger, ¡°Since the knights have already been called off, can I entrust your class¡¯s safety to you? You are the strongest student here by far, and most of your classmates have never seen live combat before. If any of them were to die, it would cause quite a problem for the Academy and the Crown.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will ensure everyone comes back alive. That said, please make sure Queen Mylene knows her son falsified a Royal Decree. Being the Crown Prince does not excuse him from punishment.¡±, I told him.


    ¡°We will most certainly make her aware of it. He made a big scene about it this morning and caused me quite a lot of headaches.¡±, the professor growled, as we parted ways, ¡°Thank you again, Viscount Stark.¡±


    Walking back over to Olivia, she inquired if I was in trouble for something. Assuring her that everything was fine, I told her he had asked me to keep an eye on things in the dungeon. Giving me a confused look, Olivia did not understand why he would ask me of all people to do that.


    ¡°Have you been in dungeons before?¡±, she inquired.


    ¡°Yes, I could be considered something of an expert on the subject.¡±, I chuckled, enjoying the air of mystery I had about my identity, ¡°Anyways, we should get moving. Someone is bound to trigger a trap almost as soon as they step inside.¡±


    Making our way into the crowd of students lining up for entry, a fight broke out at the front of the line. Hearing a lot of shouting and arguing, I pushed my way through the crowd to break it up before any weapons were drawn. As I broke through the crowd encircling the fight, I discovered Angelica arguing with Julius and company again.


    ¡°Why am I forbidden from joining your party?!¡±, she protested, ¡°I am more than capable of pulling my own weight in combat.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with that Angelica, I do not want you anywhere near Marie. You crossed a line by having your people tear her room apart and physically assault her.¡±, Julius remarked.


    ¡°As I have said dozens of times now, I did not order any such actions to be taken against her. If any of my subordinates were involved, it was not under my orders!¡±, she argued, with clenched fists, ¡®Why will you not believe me?! I would never do something like that!!¡¯


    ¡°Give it up, Angelica, your subordinates already admitted to your crime. Why do you continue to make a fool out of yourself?¡±, Jilk commented, with a disgusted look, ¡°My how far the duke¡¯s house has fallen¡­¡±


    Bringing her family into this, Angelica¡¯s mouth slammed shut as she did not want to sully her family¡¯s name. Distraught that her fianc¨¦e and his friends did not believe her, she glared at Marie who was peeking out from behind Julius¡¯ back.


    ¡®These idiots are seriously pissing me off.¡¯, I thought, as I motioned for Olivia to stay back, ¡°You five morons are going to be the death of this country. Lady Angelica did not have anything to do with the incident in Marie¡¯s room. The person you will want to speak to about this is Brad¡¯s fianc¨¦e Stephanie Fou Offrey. On the night of the incident, she and her cohorts were seen storming off from her room.¡±


    Having received the report from Luxion the morning after, I did not act on it because I saw no need to. Marie was not a friend of mine and her suffering did not bother me in the slightest. Now that she had turned the situation around to pin it on Angelica, there was no way I was letting these idiots off lightly.


    ¡°This matter does not concern you.¡±, Julius remarked, ¡°Stay out of this.¡±


    ¡°No Julius, this matter does involve me and everyone else here. The five of you continue to shower that traitor with gifts and your attention while you neglect your fianc¨¦es. You are making fools of yourselves and tarnishing your fianc¨¦es¡¯ good names.¡±, I rebuked him, ¡°It is a fact that in the past few weeks you have spent more time with Marie than you ever have with your fianc¨¦es. All of you have shamelessly engaged in public display of affection while you are spoken for. The only households who have fallen are yours! You are a disgrace to your family¡¯s legacy; your ancestors are rolling in their graves with disgust right now.¡±


    ¡°What was that?!¡±, Greg snarled, itching to draw his spear on me.


    Staring at one another for a moment, Greg¡¯s anger got the better of him which led to him drawing his spear. Lunging forward, he whipped his weapon around and drove it straight at my throat.


    ¡°Greg, what are you doing?!¡±, Chris shouted, rushing forward with Brad to stop him.


    ¡°You bloody idiot!¡±, Brad berated him, ¡°Do not let him goad you into a fight!¡±


    Catching his spear with my right hand, the spear came to an abrupt stop while Greg¡¯s body continued forward carried by his momentum. Sucker punching him straight in the face, his nose made a horrible crunching noise as it began to bleed profusely. Stumbling backward, covering his face with his hands, he fell to the ground and began scream in pain.


    ¡°My nose!! You broke my fucking nose!!¡±, he shouted in agony.


    Marching up to him, I put my boot to his throat and began to slowly crush his neck. Releasing his face, Greg began floundering around trying to get me off him while gasping for air. As his vision began to darken, his attempts to break free became increasingly violent.


    ¡°You are kidding me, right? Is this all the self-proclaimed Spear Master is capable of, pathetic!¡±, I mocked him, ¡°I could crush you under my boot like the bug you are, but I gain nothing by killing you.¡±


    Removing my boot from his neck, I hoisted him off the ground using the Force and flung him into Brad and Chris. Watching the three of them fall to the ground, Greg began gulping down air as he glared at me.


    ¡°Your skills as a spearman are laughable. Whoever taught you needs to be quartered and hanged for making a mockery of the spear.¡±, I spat, whipping the spear around and flinging it directly below his scrotum, ¡°Get out of my sight lest I turn you into a eunuch. Lord knows I would be doing the world a favor by doing so.¡±


    ¡°This¡­this is not over!¡±, Greg spat, as Brad and Chris helped him up.


    ¡°I said begone!¡±, I shouted, firing a bolt of lightning at their feet.


    Launching the three of them backward, they crashed into the rock wall that surrounded the entrance with a loud thud. Realizing that I possessed great physical strength and potent magic, the men quickly retreated into the dungeon with Marie. Looking back at me with terror in her eyes, Marie seemed to realize I had no qualms with killing if it came down to it.


    ¡°Now then, all of you get moving!¡±, I commanded the petrified students, as I turned back to them, ¡°Make it known that I will be tracking down the deceivers among you who lied to the prince. Sullying the duke¡¯s name and the integrity of his daughter will not go unpunished!¡±


    Watching them scurry away like cockroaches, I knew this would put an end to further lies about what happened. Stephanie might threaten their lives, but I was more than willing to beat them almost to death. Turning back to Angelica, I walked over to her and asked if she was alright.


    ¡°I am sorry you were betrothed to a blithering idiot. It cannot be easy having to deal with his antics.¡±, I said, pulling a handkerchief from my storage, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­I¡­I am fine.¡±, Angelica replied, trying to compose herself as she took my handkerchief, ¡°I¡­I should join some of my subordinates now. Thank you for coming to my defense.¡±


    ¡°I cannot in good conscious let you go back to those backstabbers. How about joining Olivia and I for today? She is a very kindhearted girl, and I will not judge you for being upset with your piece of shit fianc¨¦.¡±, I told her, grinning behind my helmet.


    Looking at Olivia and me for a moment, Angelica agreed to party up with us.


    ---Academy Dungeon--- S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing no reason to stay with the main group, I stealthily left pin sized cameras at all the junctions we came across. Deciding that monitoring them from afar was the best option, Angelica and Olivia did not seem to mind it at all. Quickly reaching the 2nd floor, well before everyone else was a quarter of the way through the 1st floor, we began looking for ore veins for Olivia to mine.


    ¡°So Victor, I have been meaning to ask you something for a while now.¡±, Olivia said, puffing her cheeks out, ¡°Why did you give me such an expensive gift for Miss Angelica? Do you really think I can pay you back for those fancy soaps!?¡±


    ¡°You told her how expensive they were?¡±, I inquired, looking back at Angelica.


    ¡°Well¡­she seemed very determined to pay you back. I thought it would be a good idea for her to know how much she owed you.¡±, Angelica acknowledged, ¡°Honestly though, why did you not tell her how expensive they were when you were at the store? Also, how did you managed to buy them to begin with!? I have been trying for months to buy them, but everywhere I look they are sold out. The only place I see them regularly is at the palace because Queen Mylene receives regular shipments from their creator, the Holfort Prodigy.¡±


    ¡°First off, the price tag of everything on those shelves would give poor Olivia here a heart attack. If I was honest with her, she would have adamantly refused to let me buy them on her behalf for your meeting. Second, I happen to know when all deliveries are being made and have the connections to have stock set aside for myself and others.¡±, I told her, ¡®After all, I am the owner of all those shops.¡¯


    ¡°If that is true, would you consider requesting a few bars of soap be set aside for me every month? I used them the same day Olivia gave them to me, and they are far more luxurious than I ever imagined. My skin is so smooth now and the fragrance they radiate is simply blissful.¡±, Angelica stated, with a dreamy smile.


    ¡®That is the same thing Lucoa and Roxanne say about the stuff. I honestly do not understand women¡¯s fascination with soap and shampoo. So long as I feel clean afterward, I could care less what it feels like or smells like.¡¯, I thought, ¡°I can make the arrangements for you. Olivia, do you think you can show Angelica where the store was? That is where I will have them held for her.¡±


    Agreeing to show her, a happy smile crept onto her face as she felt like she was being useful now. Letting the two of them chat about their lives, I continued to lead us toward where a large vein of minerals had been marked on our maps. Once the mining site came into view, Olivia ran ahead to have a look.


    ¡°Olivia, wait a moment!¡±, I shouted, sensing a few monsters close by.


    Turning back to see what was wrong, she spotted a group of feral monkeys down a corridor to her left. Spotting her at the same time she saw them, they immediately went into a frenzy and charged her. Leaping forward, I got between them in a fraction of a second and vaporized them with a blast of solar energy.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±, I asked, looking back at her.


    ¡°Y¡­yes¡­¡±, she stuttered, still in shock, ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it, I am just relieved you are alright.¡±, I said, quickly scanning the area for additional threats.


    Detecting no additional enemies with my suit¡¯s sensors or with the Force, I gave Olivia the go ahead to begin mining. Walking up to the crack in the wall where ore and gems were seemingly growing from, she pulled the small pickaxe she brought off her belt and began chipping away at the rock that held everything in place. Listening to the cute noises she made while swinging her pick, I honestly felt she was the cutest girl I had ever met, next to Lucoa and Roxanne of course.


    ¡°I do not want to be rude, but have you ever mined ore before?¡±, Angelica asked, after watching her swing the pickaxe for a few minutes.


    ¡°¡­no¡­¡±, Olivia answered, looking back at us with an embarrassed expression, ¡°I am not doing something wrong, am I? You are supposed to just swing the pickaxe, hit the rock, and wait for it to pop out, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I actually have not done it either.¡±, Angelica admitted, hanging her head in shame, ¡°I was asking because I was not sure myself. It looks like a lot more work than it is worth, in my opinion. What do you think, Viscount Stark?¡±


    ¡°When we are in private, you can call me Victor. That goes for both of you.¡±, I remarked, stepping forward, ¡°As for mining, you want to look for weaknesses in the stone and aim for them with the pickaxe. If you swing it around blindly, you are just wasting time and energy for nothing.¡±


    ¡°So¡­how do I know where the stone is weakest?¡±, Olivia inquired, stepping aside.


    ¡°You want to look for cracks and chips like these.¡±, I told her, pointing it out to both ladies, ¡°Once you locate a weakness, all you need do is apply a bit of force.¡±


    Since my armor was nigh indestructible, I felt confident enough to hit the extremely durable wall with my fist. Striking right where I felt it was the weakest, the entire wall collapsed causing the materials to spill out all over the floor. Looking at all the goodies that appeared, Olivia looked up at me with a deflated expression.


    ¡°I was supposed to be the one to mine it to pay you back.¡±, she sighed.


    ¡°Hey now, it does not matter at the end of the day. Technically we are a team so this would just get split between the three of us.¡±, I reminded her, ¡°I am in no hurry to collect the money, take your time and do not stress about it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose one of you has a method for transporting all of this out of here?¡±, Angelica inquired.


    ¡°I planned on carrying the material out, but this is way too much to carry for the three of us.¡±, Olivia said.


    ¡°Fortunately, I thought ahead and brought a magic bag for such an eventuality.¡±, I chuckled, pulling one out of my storage, ¡°Go ahead and start tossing stuff in. It has more than enough space for everything here. We can swing by the Merchant Guild afterward to sell our loot.¡±


    Placing the bag on the ground, the three of us began cramming everything inside together. Once the area was picked clean, we continued onward to the next mining site to repeat the process again.

 Chapter 33

    ---Evening, 3rd Person POV---


    Returning home from a long day in the Academy¡¯s dungeon, Jilk and Julius were immediately summoned to the throne room just moments after entering the palace. Doing as they were instructed; the two men went to see if something had happened while they were away. Upon entering the space, they noticed that more than just their parents were present there. Standing beside their father and mother was Prime Minister Atlee, Duke Redgrave, and the Academy¡¯s headmaster.


    ¡°You asked to speak with us, mother?¡±, Julius inquired, bowing his head, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a very big problem¡­¡±, King Roland answered, with an irritated expression, ¡°Please explain what this is to me, in detail.¡±


    Holding up the falsified document they had given the school this morning, their expressions went pale. Unsure how they had been found out, given how well they believed they had forged his signature, the two men hung their heads in shame. Giving them a few minutes to answer him, Roland¡¯s anger boiled over at their silence.


    ¡°Julius, you falsified my signature!¡±, King Roland shouted, slamming his fist into the arm of his throne, ¡°Do you have any idea what you have done?! The knights are there to protect ALL the students, not just the two of you! If anyone had been killed during your excursion today, it would have damaged our reputation and standing among the nobility!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry father. We thought the knights would simply get in our way.¡±, Jilk answered, attempting to shield Julius, ¡°The five of us felt that we were more than capable of defending our classmates, if the need arose.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±, Roland growled, his fists clenched tightly, ¡°How did you intend to protect your classmates when you ran off to court your little love affair, Marie Fou Lafan? You disappeared the moment a chance presented itself. Do you take us for fools?!¡±


    ¡°Jilk, stop lying to us and covering for Julius.¡±, Mylene scolded him, ¡°You are only making this worse for both of you. Falsifying a Royal Decree is a serious offense, one that can be punishable by death depending on the decree. I do not know what has come over you two, but that girl is nothing but trouble!¡±


    Coming to the realization that they knew everything, the two boys looked up at their parents in confusion. They were certain that no one saw their activities in the dungeon, and that even if someone had, they would not dare to tell a soul. Wanting to figure out who turned them in, Julius attempted to coax the information out of his parents.


    ¡°Whoever told this is lying! We were with our classmates the entire time. If anyone says otherwise, they are lying to you!¡±, Julius said, hoping they would name the one responsible for turning them in.


    Instead of answering them verbally, Roland produced a stack of photos from under his robe and tossed them at the two men. Watching them slowly fall to the ground, their mouths hung open as they saw photos of them from this afternoon. Catching them in compromising positions with Marie, they realized there was no way out of this now.


    ¡°How could you two do this to your fianc¨¦s?!¡±, Queen Mylene asked, with a saddened expression, ¡°Do you have any idea the pain you are causing them? If you are unable to stay with them for any reason, I want to hear it now.¡±


    Wanting to admit their feelings on the matter, the two men could not bring themselves to say it. With the fathers of their fianc¨¦s standing before them and their parents staring at them in disdain, they did not have the courage to speak the truth to them.


    ¡°We¡­we are satisfied with our fianc¨¦s¡­¡±, Julius lied, as he gritted his teeth, ¡°We will strive to do better moving forward.¡±


    ¡°You will do more than just strife for it; I command you to stop seeing Marie effective immediately. She has no place among a group of engaged men.¡±, King Roland ordered them.


    ¡°You cannot do that!¡±, Julius shouted, glaring at his father.


    ¡°I refuse to follow that order as well!¡±, Jilk agreed, ¡°You cannot dictate who we spend our time with!¡±


    ¡°¡­it is like we were told¡­¡±, Mylene sighed, looking at them with despair, ¡°You are head over heels with this girl, are you not?¡±


    Looking away from the group, their answer was clear as day. Regretting their decision to put this intervention off, Mylene felt drastic measures needed to be taken to get them back on track. Motion to the guards to get ready, all the soldiers present snapped to attention.


    ¡°Jilk and Julius, both of you will be held under house arrest for two weeks for falsifying your father¡¯s signature on a royal decree. You are forbidden from leaving your rooms unless your father or I permit it.¡±, Mylene said, upset she had to be so harsh on her two eldest children, ¡°Take them to their rooms.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±, the royal guards acknowledged, seizing the two men.


    ¡°After they have been locked in their rooms, send a detachment of guards to collect Marie Fou Lafan from the women¡¯s dormitory. She will be held in the palace dungeon till a trial date has been set.¡±, Mylene added, ¡°If she resists, do not hesitate to use force.¡±


    ¡°It will be done!¡±, the guards swore.


    Hearing what was going to happen to Marie, Jilk and Julius immediately began fighting the guards. Calling for backup, as the guards wanted to avoid harming the princes, the two young men began shouting at their parents full of indignation.


    ¡°We will not let you hurt Marie!!¡±, Jilk shouted, as more guards rushed into the throne room, ¡°She is an innocent woman!! Her only crime is stealing our hearts!!¡±


    ¡°Mother, please do not do this!! Marie is the sweetest, most kindhearted woman I have ever met. If you do this to her, I will never forgive you!¡±, Julius threatened her, hoping to play on her emotions.


    Watching his mother tear up, visibly distraught by his words, Julius felt a sudden pain in his chest. Regretting what he had said immediately, he wished it had not come to this over Marie. Continuing to resist the guards with all their might, Prime Minister Atlee and Duke Redgrave stood there with solemn expressions.


    ¡°Roland, I fear this will not stop them in the slightest. If anything, this will only serve to harden their resolve against our daughters.¡±, Prime Minister Atlee said, looking at the King, ¡°Jilk has damaged my daughter¡¯s good name almost beyond repair. Other houses have begun to claim my daughter has some sort of disease or is incapable of siring children. They are attempting to justify what Jilk has done as they refuse to believe he is the one at fault. If she is not at school, she is locked away in her room crying her heart out.¡±


    ¡°It is the same for my daughter.¡±, Duke Redgrave stated, ¡°Stephanie Fou Offrey and Marie Fou Lafan have torn my daughters good name and standing to pieces. She has been rebuked by your son on multiple occasions, and publicly disregarded by him. This is unacceptable behavior. If not for Victor¡¯s repeated interventions, I fear my daughter¡¯s mental state would be in tatters right now.¡±


    ¡°We¡­we are aware that our sons have caused you quite a lot of trouble, both in public and at home. I swear to you that we will resolve the matter and return to the peace we had several weeks ago.¡±, Queen Mylene swore, ¡°We will properly compensate your households for their actions.¡±


    Looking at one another, Prime Minister Atlee and Duke Redgrave knew that the Crown could not fix this now. Too much damage had been done, and it was clear that the engagements would soon be called off by the boys so they could freely pursue Marie. Wanting to prepare for this eventuality, the two men excused themselves to begin preparing their households for the fallout.


    ---Victor POV, Several Days Later--- Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Walking into my laboratory, located beneath my residence, Jarvis began turning on the lights and activating dozens of hologram monitors for me. Flipping through the various screens, I searched for the one that contained information on my satellite arrays and constellations. When I found the one I was looking for, I took a sip of coffee and asked Jarvis a question.


    ¡°Jarvis, it appears the satellites that were supposed to launch last night are not online yet. Was there an unforeseen issue?¡±, I inquired.


    <My apologies sir, there were a few delays with the final checks on the equipment. The rockets were launched later than anticipated. The new satellites should be online in an hour or so.>


    ¡°Not a problem, just wanted to confirm was all.¡±, I said, taking a seat at my desk, ¡°After this launch, Helios and Zeus are the next satellites to go up. Please ensure those satellites go up as scheduled. Once they are in orbit, we will weapon test them same as the others.¡±


    <Sir, if I may, is all this firepower truly necessary? You have over thirty weaponized satellites in orbit, and several orbital space stations with deployable troops aboard them. It just seems like this is overkill for a group of people that still use wooden ships to sail the skies, and fight using swords and old-fashioned firearms.>


    <Master, is there something you are aware of that has yet to be shared with us?>


    Having withheld a lot of information about what was awaiting us out in space, for obvious reasons, my main reason for getting all these weapons online was to protect the planet. While I would certainly use them to eradicate my enemies, these weapons were currently this world¡¯s only defense against the likes of the Space Marines and other highly advanced societies. Assuming that all the humans out there were descendants of the Old Humans that our ancestors chased off, we could all be branded as heretics and hunted down like pests.


    ¡°For the time being, I will keep these cards close to my chest. When the time comes, all will be revealed to you.¡±, I promised them, ¡°Moving on, how goes construction of Project Homebase and Project Gundam? I understand that we have a lot going on, but these two projects are our highest priority right now.¡±


    <The star base is only fourteen percent complete currently, Master. Due to the complex equipment and parts needed for the base it is taking longer than normal to construct. As for your custom mech suit, it was delivered last night. It just needs a few adjustments from you, then it will be ready for combat. The unique metal alloy used to create it and the fusion reactor that powers it were quite enjoyable to construct.>


    ¡°Oh wait, it is here?!¡±, I shouted, jumping out of my seat, ¡°You should have led with that!!¡±


    Setting my cup of coffee down, I raced through the lab toward the adjacent hanger where I housed my various suits of armor and other means of transportation. Bursting through the doors full of excitement, my long-awaited Gundam stood before me towering at over fifty feet in height. Grinning from ear to ear, I used the Force to help me jump up to the cockpit door. Inputting the security code, the door hissed as the hermetic seal broke as the door swung open like a draw bridge.


    Stepping inside, Jarvis began to run system tests on the defense and weapon systems. Activating the Mobile Tray System, or MTS for short, I stepped into the center of the cockpit so it could begin scanning my body and taking vital signs from the implants under my skin.


    ¡°Yamato, once I have thoroughly tested all the equipment onboard, we are going Sky Pirate hunting.¡±, I chuckled, like a kid in a candy shop, ¡®I have waited three years for this day to come. Seeing it in person, it was worth all those long hours of R&D to make the special alloy and ultra compact fusion reactor.¡¯


    <Of course, captain!! I will start looking for the bastards now!!>


    <Sir, all systems are online and responding within parameters. Beginning the biometric synchronization and baseline testing.>


    ¡°Do what you need to do.¡±, I replied, tapping my chest three test to initiate the deployment of my nanotech armor.


    Syncing my armor with the Gundam, I began moving around to confirm my movements were reflected by the unit. Surprised by the snappy response time, nearly instantaneous, I immediately wanted to take it into combat. Wanting to perform some of the move sets I remembered from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, I could barely contain my excitement.


    ¡°Jarvis, I think a field test would be the best way to thoroughly stress the systems. Prepare to teleport the Gundam and myself to Yamato.¡±, I remarked, ¡®I know live field testing is frowned upon usually, but I need to vent my frustration with school. Having to deal with those five idiots, Stephanie, and Marie¡¯s antics, my tolerance for them is holding on by a fucking thread. If they do not get smart soon, I am going to start dropping bodies.¡¯


    <Understood, commencing charging sequence.>


    <Yay, more target practice with the captain!!>


    Watching the world around me blur for a moment, when my vision stabilized, I found myself standing atop Yamato¡¯s deck. Putting the Gundam in standby mode, while we searched for pirates, I began to tinker with the yet to be completed Hyper Mode feature.

 Chapter 34

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Soaring through the skies near the southeastern edge of the Holfort Kingdom, a small fleet of Sky Pirates were fleeing toward the Principality border. Having the misfortune of running into Yamato, as they were pursuing several civilian and merchant vessels, the pirates immediately disengaged and began running for their lives.


    ¡°Commander, they are gaining on us!!¡±, one of the ship captains cried, ¡°We are not going to make it!!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut up!!¡±, the commander shouted, glancing back at the ominous craft, ¡°That damn ship is supposed to be thirty miles due west, why did it show up here!?¡±


    Taking a moment to think of a way out of this, he watched a swarm of over twenty missiles launch from Yamato¡¯s deck. Rushing toward the communication station, the commander snatched the microphone from the operator and sounded the alarm.


    ¡°Incoming missile barrage!!!¡±, he howled, in a fear-stricken tone, ¡°Raise the barriers to maximum output and brace for- ¡°


    Before he could finish his sentence, the missiles slammed into several of his ships creating massive fireballs on impact. Hearing the men screaming over the radio, a subsequent explosion, likely the munitions exploding, brought an abrupt end to their cries as the vessels began to fall out of the sky.


    ¡°Sir, the barriers are ineffective!!¡±, a crewmember cried, as terror set in among the surviving vessels, ¡°I¡­I do not want to die here!! I have my whole life ahead of me!!¡±


    ¡°Commander...o¡­orders please!!¡±, a ship captain asked, barely keeping it together for his ship¡¯s crew.


    ¡°Screw this, we are out of here!!¡±, another captain said, regretting joining the raid today, ¡°All engines ahead full!!¡±


    Unwilling to follow the commander any longer, as this was life and death now, the rouge captain felt his chances were better on his own. Spinning his wheel as far right as it would go, the vessel creaked under the strain as the engines went full bore to get them out of there. Aiming for a large grouping of clouds a half mile away, for a moment, he honestly believed that his plan was going to work.


    ¡°We are going to make it!!¡±, he shouted, noticing that Yamato was not turning to chase them, ¡°As soon as we are in the clouds, we will head for the¡­¡±


    As the captain was about to say their destination, a brilliant beam of light came down from the heavens and engulfed the ship. In an instant, the crew and ship were reduced to nothing more than dust in the wind. Witnessing the spectacle firsthand, the pirate commander understood now why the Principality no longer dared to cross the border. Discovering how easy it was for the Holfort Prodigy to kill them, a new realization dawned on him.


    ¡°That son of a bitch, he is toying with us!!¡±, he roared, ¡°All vessels listen up, drop all unnecessary cargo and continue toward the border. While the ships are fleeing, I want all mech pilots in the air to distract that ship. Do as much damage as you can before it kills us!¡±


    Doing as their commander ordered, crew members began tossing crates full of loot over the side while pilots quickly situated themselves in their mechs. Deploying the moment they were ready, the small team of fifteen pilots charged toward Yamato. Firing everything they had at Yamato; the ship¡¯s shielding effortlessly blocked all the attacks like gnats crashing into a windshield.


    ¡°Damn it, circle around and attack it from behind!! It must have a weak point somewhere!!¡±, the pirate commander shouted, leading the charge.


    <Captain, can you believe how stupid these bugs are? They think those pee shooters can penetrate my shielding!! It never ceases to amaze me how stupid these fleas truly are!>


    ¡°Who said that?!¡±, the pirate commander barked, believing one of his crew members was pranking him, ¡°Now is not the time for jokes!!¡±


    ¡°Commander, I have commandeered your communication frequency.¡±, Victor told him, ¡°Thank you for being kind enough to launch your mechs. I was hoping you would do it, unlike the last two groups we ran into earlier today. Prepare yourselves for combat!¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After giving them a warning, Victor jammed their communication frequency making coordination between the mechs impossible. Watching the Gundam drop out of Yamato¡¯s underside, the mech came barreling toward them at an extremely high rate of speed. Unable to communicate with one another, the pirates attempted to veer off, but most ended up crashing into one another. Those who managed to escape watched in disbelief as the Gundam pulled out an unusual looking sword from its hip that proceeded to cut through their comrades like a hot knife through butter.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡±, the commander spat, watching his subordinates break formation as they began running away, ¡°I have never seen a weapon or mechanized armor like that before!!¡±


    Witness the power of the Gundam, the survivors immediately began to run away like scared rabbits, aside from their commander. Unable to move, due to shock, the pirate commander sat there watching the rest of his mechanized units be torn asunder by Victor. Imagining what they must be saying in their final moments, the commander regretted crossing the border into Holfort Airspace.


    ¡°Damn it!! Damn it!! DAMN IT!!!¡±, he cried, closing his eyes and accepting his fate, ¡°Twenty-three fucking years I have been doing this, and everything I built gets destroyed in minutes by this monster!! If only that bastard king did not strip me of my title and fortune, I would have never become a pirate!!¡±


    ¡°Jeez, I guess I was expecting too much from a bunch of pirates.¡±, Victor said, finishing off the second to last mech, ¡°Now then, commander, show me what you can do!¡±


    Shooting forward, Victor crossed several hundred yards in a matter of seconds forcing the commander to act out of instinct. Deploying smoke to hide his movements, the commander attempted to take some distance from Victor. Hoping to get off a lucky shot on Victor, he raised his rifle up to fire only to have a glowing red hand cut through the smoke and grab his cockpit.


    ¡°Burning Finger!!!¡±, Victor shouted, as the Gundam¡¯s right hand began melting through the armor.


    ¡°Get off me!! Let go!!¡±, the commander screamed, as molten metal began dripping onto him and his control console, ¡°FUCK!!!¡±


    Crushing the cockpit like a grape, Victor tossed the mech into his storage to be recycled later.


    ¡°Well that was disappointing¡­¡±, Victor sighed, as he grabbed the fleeing ships with the Force, ¡°Alright Yamato, I will bring them back to you. Make sure the men know we are not taking prisoners today. I do not want news of my new mech getting out quite yet.¡±


    <Understood Captain!>


    Returning to Yamato¡¯s cargo hold, once the pirate ships were tethered to her, Victor stepped out of the Gundam to examine the haul.


    ---Victor POV, A Few Hours Later---


    After delivering the pirate vessels and loot to Luxion¡¯s facility, I headed to the palace to relay critical information to Mylene and Roland. Since reports were beginning to come in about increased pirate activities along the Principality border, they needed to have the latest information to effectively deal with the problem. Greeting the palace and royal guards as I walked through the hallways, everyone seemed in low spirits for some reason. Letting myself into Roland¡¯s study, I found Mylene sulking behind the desk with a depressed expression.


    ¡°Is now not a good time?¡±, I asked, unsure what had her down.


    ¡°Oh, hello Victor!¡±, Mylene said, snapping out of her funk, ¡°What brings you here today?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to discuss the uptick in pirate activity, but it looks like something else is on your mind. Is something wrong?¡±, I pressed her.


    ¡°It is Jilk and Julius, the two of them are refusing to speak with me anymore. This whole mess with Marie has all but severed our relationship, and it is driving me mad.¡±, Mylene answered, motioning to the papers strewn across her desk, ¡°We retrieved hundreds of documents that described the intricacies of our household, and the households of Julius¡¯ friends. Marie knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and how to wrap boys around her tiny fingers. I know you warned us about this two years ago, but being told about it and seeing it in person are two different things.¡±


    Understanding how violated she must feel reading over the documents, I could not image how embarrassing it had to be to have your entire life documented and laid out before you. This information could quite literally bring the downfall of the country if word got out because everyone would know how dysfunctional the Royal Family was. If people realized that the King was a pig, the Queen was overworked and exhausted, the Crown Prince was a bloody idiot, and his adoptive brother was equally stupid, they would fly into a panic as the stability they thought they had would come crashing down.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡±, I questioned, wanting to ease her burden a bit.


    ¡°At this point, I believe the Crown must deal with this alone. We have relied on you time and time again to fix things for us, it cannot continue that way forever. Had we been more vigilant, this may have never happened to begin with.¡±, Mylene said, looking at me with a smile.


    ¡°There has to be something, Roland is not going to help you nor are your idiot sons.¡±, I chuckled.


    ¡°Since you are being so insistent¡­¡±, Mylene replied, acting like a shy schoolgirl, ¡°I could use some of those chocolates and red wine you brought us a few months ago. They would lift my spirits a bit and make this whole thing a bit more bearable.¡±


    Chuckling at her request, I pulled the items she wanted out of my storage and placed them on the desk. Popping the cork and pouring her a glass, she let out a blissful sigh as she took the first sip.


    ¡°Mmm, delicious!¡±, she giggled, ¡°Moving on to more important topics, have you met a girl yet at the Academy?¡±


    ¡°Haha, not quite yet. I am interested in the scholarship student Olivia, but none of the noblewomen have caught my eye. Surprisingly, no one on campus except Dan Fia Elgar knows who I am, and that is only because the Prime Minister and his father told him. Apparently, no one realizes I changed my name almost a year ago now.¡±, I chuckled, taking a seat on the couch.


    ¡°What?!¡±, Mylene gasped, ¡°You mean to say that no one has approached you for marriage yet!? As the head of a Viscount Family, you should have dozens of women flocking to you for that alone.¡±


    ¡°Well they certainly have not revealed themselves, probably because I have a habit of speaking my mind and beating the snot out of people that upset me.¡±, I snickered.


    ¡°Ah yes, the Academy Headmaster told us all about your most recent spat with my son and his friends. It seems the staff were quite pleased with your actions the other day, especially after being made a mockery of over that stupid Royal Decree!¡±, Mylene said, chugging a third glass down, ¡°Honestly, I cannot understand what they see in that Marie girl. She is not the most attractive woman out there, she lacks feminine charms, she had no curves to speak of, and she is flat as a board!! Their fianc¨¦s are among the most beautiful women over your generation, and they throw them away for this basic bitch.¡±


    Seeing that the alcohol was already taking hold of her, I sat there and quietly listened to her vent. Letting her release all her pent-up anger, frustration, and sadness, she continued shouting for nearly an hour before blacking out. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, it appeared that she felt much better after getting everything out. Stepping out of the room, I called her personal maids in to help carry her up to her chambers. Commanding them to let no one disturb her slumber, the maids acknowledged my orders before swiftly carrying her away.

 Chapter 35

    ---3rd Person POV, Holfort Palace, Several Weeks Later---


    ¡°Julius, are you sure you really want to do this?¡±, Jilk asked, as the two princes met outside the palace dungeon, ¡°If we are caught, you will likely lose your birthright and we will be disowned from the royal family.¡±


    ¡°I am fully aware of that, but I do not care. Saving Marie is my highest priority, I could care less if I lose my status as the Crown Prince. If that happens, I would be free to pursue Marie without any input from our parents or anyone else.¡±, Julius boldly proclaimed, full of determination, ¡°If you are unwilling to help, go back to your room!¡±


    ¡°I am here to stay till the end, I was just making sure you were too.¡±, Jilk said, waiting for the guards on the wall to pass, ¡°Right now only the jailer should be guarding the dungeon, all the other dungeon guards are at dinner. They will start heading back this way in less than twenty minutes. We need to be in and out before then.¡±


    Currently on a mission to free their beloved Marie from jail, the two men were desperate to pull this off as her trial was set for a few days from now. Assuming that she would not receive a fair trial, as the palace was against her, helping her escape the capital was the only way to save her. Even if they would have to rendezvous with her sparingly in secret, it was better than watching the hangman¡¯s noose take her from them.


    ¡®Hopefully we can find the culprit behind all these baseless rumors, and restore her good name.¡¯, Julius thought, as the guards passed out of sight, ¡°Alright, time to get moving!¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Silently slipping into the dungeon, the two men crept down the long stairwell and up to the Jailer¡¯s Office. Hearing the man snoring inside, they were grateful that they would not need to harm him. Retrieving his keyring from a hook by the door, the two of them split up and began searching the rows of cells for Marie.


    ¡°Marie, where are you?¡±, Julius called out in a hushed voice, ¡°If you can hear me, wave your hand through the bars!¡±


    Hearing his voice, Marie rushed to the door and began vigorously waving into the hallway. Calling out to Jilk that he found her, the two men converged on her cell for a heartfelt reunion.


    ¡°I knew you would come for me; I just knew it!¡±, Marie cried, quickly falling back into her usual act, ¡°Have the liars been exposed?¡±


    ¡°No, the palace will not listen to reason. Your trial is set for a few days from now, we are here to smuggle you out of the capital before the bias court has a chance to find you guilty.¡±, Jilk said, as Julius fumbled around looking for the right key, ¡°Are you alright, Marie? Have they been providing you quality food and a soft bed?¡±


    ¡°My treatment has been fair, given the circumstances.¡±, Marie lied, ¡®All I have been eating is stale bread, cold stew, and water!! Of course I have been suffering here!!¡¯


    Finding the proper key, Julius unlocked her cell and flung the door open for Marie. Embracing the two men, they immediately hugged her and began showering her with affection. Eating it all up, Marie was confident she had her hooks in the men enough to bring this whole charade to the end now.


    ¡°I had time to think about who would falsify information about me and provide it to the Crown. Given their disdain for our blossoming relationship, I believe your fianc¨¦s are likely the ones who caused all this. They have the motive, reason, and power to make this all happen.¡±, Marie informed them, as Julius locked the cell back up.


    ¡°You believe our five fianc¨¦s are the culprits?¡±, Jilk remarked, with a skeptical look.


    ¡°Hmm¡­it would explain where the photos came from. Angelica and her subordinates were in the dungeon with us, and we did have a rather heated argument prior to entering.¡±, Julius conceded, ¡°Given what happened last time she ordered an assault on Marie, this would be the next logical step in escalating matters. She probably got the other fianc¨¦s to join her using those photos and falsified evidence.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is true, I just¡­I just cannot believe that Clarice would stoop to this level.¡±, Jilk said, still on the fence, ¡°If it is true, we are partially to blame for all of it. We should have collectively ended our engagements several years ago. The five of us led them on till now, before we proceed with Marie, we should do the honorable thing and break things off with the five of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡­that is a fair suggestion.¡±, Julius conceded, ¡°In that case, the upcoming end of semester party will be good venue to break it off. It will make it clear to the men of the Academy that they are free to pursue our former partners and give the women a chance to pursue other men immediately.¡±


    Agreeing with Julius¡¯ suggestion, the two men began hashing out what they would say to their soon to be ex-fianc¨¦s as they made their way outside. While they talked with each other, Marie followed behind them with a wicked smile.


    ¡®These idiots are going to publicly humiliate the five cunts in front of their student and noble peers. After they drop this bombshell, no one in our generation will touch them leaving only the older nobleman in the sticks to take them!¡¯, Marie thought, almost drooling at the mouth, ¡®I cannot wait to hear all about their suffering while I live the high life with their former fianc¨¦es. Hehe, I will have to send them family postcards with our family portraits to them at the end of every year too!¡¯


    Returning the Jailer¡¯s Keys to their original location, the three of them quickly slipped out of the dungeon just as the guards were returning from dinner. Leading Marie to one of the many royal escape tunnels that dotted the palace grounds, she stopped them before they ran inside.


    ¡°There are a few personal items I need to retrieve from the Academy. I hid them in a cubby hole underneath my bed. They are important family heirlooms.¡±, she lied, ¡®I have over a hundred thousand dia underneath my bed. There is no way I am leaving that behind. If I am going to live off the land, I need capital or I will end up a slave!¡¯


    ¡°I understand, there is an exit that pops out near the Academy. I will guide us there, but we cannot go further with you. The two of us will draw too much unwanted attention, and could end up exposing you.¡±, Julius told her.


    ¡°It is okay, you are already doing a lot for me as is.¡±, Marie replied, with a smile.


    With a new destination set, Julius led the group through the maze of tunnels that ran under the city. Arriving at the Academy fifteen minutes later, the two men hugged and kissed Marie goodbye before opening the exit for her.


    ¡°As soon as the semester is over, we will come find you!¡±, Jilk swore to her.


    ¡°I will be hunkered down beneath my family¡¯s estate. The entrance is in my father¡¯s study, the bust of my great grandfather houses a magic circle which will release the mechanism that holds the door shut tight.¡±, Marie advised, with a seductive smile, ¡°We will be all alone there so I can reward you for saving me.¡±


    Understanding what Marie was hinting at, the two men looked away in embarrassment. Even though both were interested in her offer, to hear her say it so brazenly flustered them. Quickly scrambling out of the exit, the princes shut the exit and returned home while Marie made her way to the female dormitory. In a rush to get in and out as quickly as possible, Marie threw cautious to the wind hoping that no one would see her. Unfortunately for her, a group of girls returning from the Academy¡¯s library caught a glimpse of her as she ran upstairs.


    ---Stephanie¡¯s Room---


    ¡°That fucking bitch escaped the palace, and is here in the dormitory!?¡±, Stephanie howled, having heard the reports from her subordinates, ¡°She has a fucking pair on her to come back here after getting cozy with my Brad!!!¡±


    Watching their mistress vent her anger by throwing vases and teacups at the wall, no one uttered a word to avoid becoming a target. Continuing to vent her rage for a few minutes, Stephanie got her temper back under control and walked over to the window. Staring up at the sky for a few moments, she took a deep breath then turned toward them to give them their orders.


    ¡°I want you to capture her and bring her to me.¡±, Stephanie said, with a scowl, ¡°She knows too much about my operations. If she gets caught again, she is liable to squeal on me to avoid the noose. Given everything I have been doing, that cunt will likely be set free for all the information she has.¡±


    ¡°My Lady, we do not know where she went or where she is going.¡±, one of the girls said.


    Unhappy with her response, Stephanie stormed over to her desk, picked up an inkwell, and threw it at the girl. Pegging her straight in the forehead, the poor girl fell backwards clutching her forehead in pain as blood began to pour from the wound. Doing her best not to cry or get blood on the carpet, she quickly picked herself back up and fell in line again.


    ¡°You are blithering idiots, she came here to retrieve something hidden in her room!!¡±, Stephanie roared, ¡°Now go get me that bitch!!¡±


    Understanding her orders clearly, the four women rose their feet and quickly vacated the room. Splitting up as they entered the hallway, they wanted to ensure that Marie had nowhere to run. If they screwed up here, they would be the ones receiving the punishment meant for Marie.


    ---Marie¡¯s Room---


    ¡°Thank god they did not find my stash of goodies!!¡±, Marie said with relief, retrieving her money, fake id, and a magic stones, ¡°This should be enough to get me back to my family¡¯s territory in one piece.¡±


    Having retrieved what she needed; Marie hurriedly ran for the door till she began to hear people running in her direction. Waiting for them to pass her room by, her blood ran cold when the sounds stopped outside her door. Before she could dive back under the bed to hide, the girls Stephanie sent kicked down the door and ran into her room.


    ¡°Look who decided to come back to us.¡±, the injured girl snarled, ¡°Lady Stephanie said to capture her, but did not mention if she needed to be conscious or not. After everything we have endured because of her, I said we teach her a lesson she will never forget!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!!¡±, the other girls agreed.


    Seeing no direct way out of this situation, Marie pulled a magic firestone out of a small magic bag. Imbuing it with a bit of her magic, the stone began to glow brightly which made her assailants stop moving.


    ¡°Let me pass, or I will throw this against the wall and kill all of us!¡±, Marie threatened, slowly making her way toward the window.


    ¡°You are bluffing!! You would not go through all this trouble just to kill yourself!¡±, one of the girls argued.


    ¡°I know what Stephanie will do to me if I go with you. Burning alive is a better choice than meeting my end at her hands!¡±, Marie countered, as she arrived in front of the window ¡°Now what is going to be?¡±


    ¡°If we do not take you in, it will be us on the receiving end of her wrath.¡±, the injured girl stated, ¡°Maybe we can- ¡°


    ¡°Then good luck!¡±, Marie said, throwing the stone at the opposite wall.


    Diving out the window as soon as she threw it, the other four women dove for cover behind the hallway wall. The instant the firestone hit the wall; a gargantuan, fiery explosion blew out the walls sending dozens of women flying into the night sky. Leaving behind an intense, magical firestorm, the building quickly caught on fire sending the women¡¯s dormitory in a frenzy. Fleeing for their lives, the women trampled one another trying to reach the exits as the fire quickly spread throughout the building.


    Hearing the explosion from across the shared courtyard, the men saw that the women¡¯s dormitory was ablaze and quickly leapt into action. Throwing on proper clothing, they ran out of their dormitory to help evacuate the women. While this was going on, people from all over the capital ran to their windows to see what was happening. Seeing the smoke rising from the Academy, the nobles quickly got dressed and began barking orders at their guards.


    ¡°Angelica, a fire has broken out on the Academy Grounds!!¡±, Gilbert shouted, pounding on her door, ¡°Father needs you to go out and help take control of the situation. Since we do not know if this is an attack, we must rush to the docks to prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°I will get changed and head over immediately!¡±, Angelica said, already in the process of changing.


    Satisfied with her answer, Vince and Gilbert quickly left their manor to join the defensive line at the port.

 Chapter 36

    ---Victor POV---


    ¡°Of all the fucking times to pull this shit, why does it have to be at fucking one in the morning?!¡±, I spat, racing downstairs to my laboratory, ¡°Jarvis, what is the situation out in the field?¡±


    <The Academy and City Guards are onsite now helping evacuate students from the women¡¯s dormitory. They have currently cleared seventy percent of the building, but a portion of it is inaccessible. Attempts to douse the fire with water magic have proven ineffective, this suggests the fire is magical in origin.>


    ¡°What of the nobles and military? Surely, they are not sitting on their hands while their children are at risk.¡±, I said, entering my lab.


    <As they do not know what caused the explosion, they are preparing for a potential enemy assault at the port. Currently they are dividing up their manpower, and assigning men to ships.>


    ¡°Since we do not have enemy contact on radar or satellite imaging, we are probably dealing with an enemy agent in the capital. Please start reviewing the footage, and find out who the perpetrator is.¡±, I told Jarvis, ¡°I will mobilize our troops to catch this son of a bitch and help restore public order.¡±


    Tapping the call button on my holographic display, I selected Commander Dance¡¯s name and waited for it to connect. Commander Dance was a first-generation clone trooper who was currently in charge of the First Division of my military. Among the first ten successful clone troopers made, he quickly caught my eye as he was different from his brothers. Dance had a keen eye for strategy and has proven himself a natural born leader during dozens of training exercises. One of only six commanders in my military, I wanted him to lead this operation as the others were reserved for more dire situations.


    ¡°Good evening, sir!¡±, Dance said, removing his helmet to salute me, ¡°How may I be of assistance tonight?¡±


    ¡°Commander Dance, an unknown enemy agent has attacked the women¡¯s dormitory on Academy grounds. You have three objectives: help restore public order, send medical assistance to the Academy to aid staff and students, and locate the son of a bitch responsible for this incident. Till Jarvis can identify who the culprit is, please focus on the first two objectives.¡±, I ordered him, ¡°I will be heading out momentarily for the Academy. If you have any issues, notify me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Of course sir, we will head out immediately!¡±, Commander Dance said, saluting me before ending the call.


    Tapping my chest three times to deploy the Mark 37 Bleeding Edge armor, the nanobots quickly began constructing my suit around me. Waiting for my HUD to confirm I was ready to go, once I got the thumbs up, I opened the hanger doors and set off to render assistance.


    ---3rd Person POV, Port---


    Taking charge as soon as he arrived, Duke Redgrave began orchestrating the dispersal of equipment and manpower to each vessel. Keeping track of the men as best he could, everyone came to halt as floodlights and unknown vehicles began swarming the skies. Initially believing they were being invaded by an unknown enemy, the duke let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Viscount Stark¡¯s emblem emblazoned on the vehicles and soldier¡¯s armor. Having his 74-Z speeder bike descend to the ground, Commander Dance jumped off his bike and saluted the duke.


    ¡°Apologies for startling everyone, Viscount Stark has dispatched us to aid you with restoring public order and capturing the culprit responsible for the bombing.¡±, Commander Dance said, removing his helmet, ¡°We have already dispatched medical teams to the Academy to render aid to the injured there.¡±


    ¡°All of you are Viscount¡¯s men?!¡±, Prime Minister Atlee inquired, looking up at hundreds of vehicles covering the capital¡¯s skies.


    ¡°That is correct sir, we are all members of the Viscount¡¯s First Division.¡±, Commander Dance said, saluting the Prime Minister.


    ¡°Bernard, we can discuss this matter with Victor at a later time.¡±, Duke Redgrave said, steering the topic back on track, ¡°Just so I am understanding things correctly, we are not under attack? An enemy agent attacked the Academy?¡±


    Before answering the duke¡¯s question, Dance received an update from Jarvis. Updating him with the new information, satellite footage, and an updated location of the culprit, Dance activated his radio to advise his men.


    ¡°Men, the culprit is currently half a mile north of my location. Transmitting a live feed of our target, capture her alive!¡±, Commander Dance ordered, before looking back at the nobles, ¡°My apologies, I just received updated intelligence on the situation. Allow me to show you what we have been able to determine.¡±


    Using the built-in projector in his helmet to broadcast the footage, Dance showed them what happened from the very beginning. Watching Julius and Jilk help Marie escape, lead her through the royal escape tunnels, and leave her at the Academy, Vince¡¯s blood began to boil with anger. Observing everything that occurred after Marie entered the dormitory and her subsequent violent escape, the duke¡¯s anger boiled over. Putting it aside for the moment, they had more pressing matters to deal with right now.


    ¡°Everyone listen carefully, the culprit is an escaped prisoner from the palace dungeon. Those of you with family members at the Academy, head there immediately to lend a hand and confirm the status of your loved ones. If you do not have family members there, help quell the public¡¯s fears and assure them we have everything under control. Viscount Stark¡¯s men are already in pursuit of the culprit and should have her in custody again soon.¡±, the duke commanded everyone.


    Doing as he said, the nobles and soldiers present began filtering out of the docks to render aid where needed.


    ¡°Bernard, I will head to the palace to inform the Crown of what their son¡¯s have done. You go to the Academy and check on your daughter.¡±, the duke said.


    ¡°Thank you, Vince!¡±, Bernard said, jumping on his horse and taking off in hurry to check on his daughter.


    ---Victor POV, Academy---


    As the Academy came into view, everyone on the ground started running away from the building. Watching the north side of the dormitory begin to slowly fall toward the courtyard, I increased my speed and prepared several earth spells to help prop up the building. As soon as I was with range, I invoked the spell Earth Pillar to generate over a dozen thick, stone pillars. Slamming them into the building with a great deal of force, the pillar secured the building in place, but the impacts knocked a few students through the brittle outer walls.


    ¡°SOMEONE HELP ME!!¡±, Deirdre Fou Roseblade screamed, as she and three of her followers plummeted toward the ground.


    Using the Force to grab them mid-air, I gently moved them behind the line that the staff had made to keep students back. Setting them down on the ground, the four of them looked up at me as I arrived on scene. Giving them a nod, I turned to the staff for information. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°How many students am I looking for?¡±, I called out, using my loudspeakers to ensure everyone could hear me.


    ¡°There still two dozen students unaccounted for!¡±, the headmaster replied, as my medical teams began arriving.


    ¡°Understood, thank you!¡±, I said, pointing to the medic ships, ¡°Take all your wound to my medical teams, they will take care of everything for you.¡±


    Turning to look at where I was pointing, the headmaster thanked my profusely as he began telling his people to ferry the wounded over to them. Focusing my attention back on the building, I started using the Force to locate the trapped students inside. Finding the largest group on the top floor of the southern side of the building, the group of eight women were banging on the door to the roof which was jammed shut due to the building¡¯s partially collapse.


    Focusing my repulsors into a narrow beam, I cut a hole in the side of the dormitory closest to them. Backing away as the wall collapsed, the women were not sure who I was and what was happening when they saw me.


    ¡°Come on, we do not have much time!¡±, I told them, offering them my right hand, ¡°The building is going to collapse any minute now!¡±


    With no other option but to trust me, the women began leaping to me one by one. Ferrying the group down in two waves, I quickly began retrieving the other trapped students one by one till I had only one student left. Cutting a hole through the outer wall to reach her room, I discovered a massive pile of building debris, from the floors above, blocking the door. Hearing a familiar voice on the other side, I began blasting the debris away as quickly as I could.


    ¡°Please¡­anyone¡­help me¡­¡±, Olivia cried, weakly.


    ¡°Olivia, I am here!!¡±, I shouted, removing a huge chunk of roof debris from her door, ¡°Stand back, I am going to kick the door in!¡±


    Giving her a moment to comply, I slammed my foot into the door ripping it off its hinges. Rushing into the burning room, I instantly pulled what personal belongings of hers I could into my Storage then grabbed Olivia.


    ¡°Victor¡­is that¡­you¡­?¡±, she asked, before blacking out.


    Turning to leave the building, a loud crashing noise ran through the building as everything began to plumet toward the ground. Realizing that the main supports had given way, I covered the two of us in my shielding and shot straight out the roof. Once we were clear of the building, I used the Force to hold back the wave of ash, debris, and fire from engulfing the courtyard full of students.


    Flying Olivia to the medical team as soon as most of the momentum fell off, I handed her off to one of the men for treatment. Immediately getting to work on her, I stood by her side till the doctor assured me she would be alright. Telling me she had fainted due to low oxygen levels, he said that she would wake up in a few minutes now that she was clear of the fire.


    ¡°How bad do the other students look?¡±, I asked, glancing over at the dozens of students being treated.


    ¡°We have several young men with first and second degree burns from helping get the women out of the building. As for the women, we have injuries ranging from a few minor burns and bruises to severe third-degree burns, several broken bones, and concussions.¡±, he said, looking over at a station where several medics were treating a few women, ¡°There are a few women, who I assume were close to the explosion, that are in critical condition. We are not sure they are going to make, sir.¡±


    ¡°I understand, get me a list of names and I will speak with their relatives.¡±, I said, noticing the arrival of several nobles on horseback, ¡°Let me know if you need anything from me.¡±


    ¡°Will do sir!¡±, the medic replied, moving to his next patient.


    Standing there next to Olivia, I took a moment to collect my thoughts as the names of the critically injured populated my HUD. Thankful that I did not see any names of people I was close to, I headed out to warn the relatives of the women in critical condition.

 Chapter 37

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Running through the streets of the capital¡¯s residential district, Marie was being pursued by several hundred clone troops on 74-Z speeder bikes. Ducking in and out of alleyways to try and lose them, no matter what she did they were right back on her in moments.


    ¡®I cannot keep this up¡­¡¯, Marie thought, panting heavily as she wandered further and further from the docks.


    Looking around at the families staring at her through their windows, Marie tried to think of a way out of this. Remembering that she had a few magic stones left, she reached into her magic bag to retrieve another firestone. Whipping it out and charging it with a bit of magic, Marie spun around to show her pursuers that she was armed. Deciding to make a stand there, as her legs were on the verge of giving out, it was do or die time.


    ¡®I really do not want to kill bystanders, but it is their lives or mine!¡¯, she thought, clearing her throat, ¡°Listen up, if you do not let me go, I will burn this place to the ground!! There is no way I am going back to the palace dungeon!!¡±


    Quickly surrounding her, several soldiers began deploying a containment field around the immediate area while the rest took up defensive positions closeby. Unable to react quick enough to escape as the field went up, Marie was quickly encased in a barrier that would protect the residential homes and soldiers from any harm.


    ¡°Give it up, Marie Fou Lafan, you are surrounded with nowhere to run now. Surrender peacefully, or we will use force to bring you in.¡±, Commander Dance said, using a megaphone to broadcast his voice, ¡°This is your one and only warning!¡±


    ¡°I am not going back to that damp, dark jail cell!!¡±, she retorted, noticing the emblem on their chest for the first time, ¡°Wait, you are with that Viscount Stark guy?! He is the one that ruined my plans!? That fucking piece of shit, how dare he ruin everything!! I did nothing to deserve this!!¡±


    ¡°You sold out your country to the Principality of Fanoss, disclosed classified military information that got good men killed, and sabotaged five engagements.¡±, Commander Dance said, reading off her charges, ¡°In addition, tonight you destroyed property which belongs to the Crown and attempted to kill dozens of your former peers. Depending how the next few hours pan out, murder might be tacked on as well.¡±


    Accepting that she was not going to get away now, she had only one option left. Raising her hand to throw the stone at the ground, several of the soldiers raised their plasma rifles and aimed for her hand and arm. Firing the second they had her in their sights, several plasma bullets vaporized most of her right arm and the firestone instantly. Suddenly losing all sensation in that arm, Marie nervously turned to see the damage. Finding only a small stump where her arm once was, she fell to her knees and began howling like a stuck pig.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY ARM!?¡±, Marie screamed, rolling on the ground in pain, ¡°IT HURTS!!¡±


    ¡°Seize her immediately!!¡±, Commander Dance commanded his men.


    Passing through the barrier, several soldiers jumped on Marie and attempted to subdue her. Thrashing around as she tried to bite them, one of the soldiers punched her square in the face to stop her from moving. Using the momentary pause the blow earned them, the men slapped special anti-magic cuffs on her wrist and ankles to seal her magic. Proceeding to remove all the items on her person, everything was handed over to Commander Dance immediately.


    ¡°Sir, the enemy agent has been secured and confirmed to be disarmed!¡±, a trooper said, as the men yanked her up onto her feet.


    ¡°Good job, secure her on one of your bikes and prepare to head out immediately. We have received updated orders from Viscount Stark. All of us are to head to the Academy immediately pick up another prisoner.¡±, Commander Dance informed them, as he forwarded the new orders to their HUDs.


    ¡°FUCK ALL OF YOU!! JUST WAIT UNTIL I TELL THE PRINCE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME!!!¡±, Marie snarled, ¡°ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD, INCLUDING THAT DAMN VISCOUNT!!¡±


    Instead of cowering, like she hoped they would, Commander Dance and his men began laughing at her. Confused by what was going on, she knew for certain that nothing she said was funny in the slightest.


    ¡°Have you all gone mad?¡±, Marie asked, as their nonchalant laughter quenched her burning rage.


    ¡°We¡­we are not mad or insane.¡±, Commander Dance said, calming himself down, ¡°All of us just find it humorous that you honestly believe that was a threat. I do not blame you for your ignorance, as the Viscount does not showboat his power, but the firepower at his disposal would blow your mind. He possesses weapons that could vaporize the Principality of Fanoss with the push of a button. The only reason they are still in existence is because he is a kind man who does not want to harm innocent people.¡±


    ¡°You¡­you are lying!¡±, Marie argued, as the soldiers tossed her on a bike, ¡°No one possesses that level of technology!!¡±


    ¡°Just think about this for a moment, how do you suppose we tracked you down so easily and know all about your traitorous activities?¡±, Commander Dance countered, as he pointed up toward the sky.


    Looking up at where he was pointing, Marie noticed dozens of small moving specks high up in the sky. Thinking that they looked like satellites from her previous life for a moment, the realization dawned on her that they were in fact actual satellites. Understanding now how the Viscount uncovered her treachery and had evidence to back it up, Marie understood she never stood a chance to begin with.


    ---Victor POV, Academy---


    Escorting each of the victims¡¯ families to where their relatives were being treated, I held the critical wound group back to speak with them privately. Explaining the extent of the women¡¯s injuries to them and their status, the men clenched their fists in anger. Upset that they were powerless in this situation, I swore to them that my men were doing everything they could to save them. Pleading with me to pull out all the stops to save them, each of them swore they would pay no matter the cost.


    ¡°Please do not worry about the cost, I do not intend to charge anyone for the aid rendered tonight. We are all fellow countrymen, and it is our duty to help one another in times of crisis.¡±, I said, retracting my helmet, ¡°Right now, your relatives need your emotional support during this trying time. Go to the tents with your family crest on them, that is where they are being treated. We have water and light snacks for you while you await the results of the surgeries.¡±


    Thanking me profusely, the men ran to the indicated tents to be with their families. Returning to Olivia¡¯s bed, I found her sitting up with a confused look on her face. Assuming she was unsure how she ended up there, I cleared my throat to get her attention as I approached.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°My head feels a bit light, but otherwise I am fine.¡±, she answered, looking at me closely for a moment, ¡°You were the one who pulled me out of the fire, right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, I had to remove several tons of debris to reach you. I am incredibly relieved that I found you when I did.¡±, I said, with a warm smile, ¡°Oh, before I forget, I managed to grab everything in your room before the building collapsed. When this is all settled down, I can give you everything I have.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you did?!¡±, Olivia shouted, as her face lit up, ¡°Did you happen to save a little, worn golden locket? It would have been on my nightstand beside my bed!¡±


    Quickly skimming through the items I retrieved, I located the item she was after. Pulling it out for her, Olivia gently cradled the locket like it would break at any moment. Closing her hand around it, she pressed her hand to her chest with a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Before I came to the capital, my mother gave me this locket. It is a family heirloom that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Every time it changes hands, we are supposed to put a new family portrait in it.¡±, she told me, as she opened it to show me, ¡°Every time I feel like giving up, which has been a lot these last few months, I look at the photo inside and remember I have people back home rooting for me. No matter what happens, I cannot give up after everything it took my family to get me here.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, are you saying no one here is rooting for you? I thought we were friends!¡±, I teased her, with a grin.


    ¡°I¡­I did not mean it like that!!¡±, Olivia protested, puffing her cheeks out.


    ¡°Olivia, you are okay!!¡±, Angelica shouted, running over to us, ¡°I am so happy that you are alright!!¡±


    Completely oblivious to my presence, Angelica began looking Olivia over for injuries. Protesting the entire time, as I was standing right there, it took Olivia pointing me out for Angelica to quit. Looking over at me, Angelica¡¯s face went white with shock when she noticed what I was wearing.


    ¡°Victor, you are the Holfort Prodigy?!¡±, Angelica gasped, ¡°Why did you not mention that from the beginning!?¡±


    ¡°I never mentioned it because I wanted you to see me as Victor, not the Holfort Prodigy. Anytime I have introduced myself that way, everyone puts me on a pedestal, and it is annoying.¡±, I said, with a mischievous grin, ¡°Also, Olivia and I had an ongoing bet for how long it would take you to realize who I was. Olivia, you are going to need to break out your wallet for this one.¡±


    ¡°Wait, when did we agree to betting on that?!¡±, she questioned, with a worried look.


    ¡°Do not pay him any mind, Olivia. He is just teasing both of us.¡±, Angelica laughed, with a smile, ¡°Anyways, Victor, thank you for all the assistance you provided tonight. Many lives were saved because of you and your men.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡±, I said, as the sound of an approaching carriage drew everyone¡¯s attention to the edge of the courtyard.


    Entering the courtyard, with several dozen Royal Guards in tow, the Royal Carriage rolled into the courtyard in a hurry. Stopping a few yards from us, Duke Redgrave and Queen Mylene hurriedly exited the vehicle to survey the damage. Taking one look at the smoldering rubble, Mylene¡¯s expression soured.


    ¡°Drag the princes out here immediately!¡±, Mylene shouted, clearly irritated by her early morning awakening and the damage before her.


    Stepping into the carriage to collect them, it ended up taking almost ten guards to force them out of the vehicle. Once they were outside, the guards dragged them over to the Queen who began glaring daggers at them. Hanging their heads in shame, neither of them could look Mylene in the eye at that moment.


    ¡°Do you see the damage Marie caused?! That dormitory has stood since the founding of the Academy, and she razed it to the ground!¡±, Mylene berated them, as the duke approached Angelica, Olivia, and I.


    ¡°Did everyone make it out alive?¡±, he asked Angelica and I, in a solemn tone. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Everyone got out alive, but a dozen or so women may not make it through the night. They are currently in surgery, I will know more in a few hours.¡±, I answered.


    ¡°Victor¡¯s men have treated most of the injured, there are only a few left waiting to be looked at.¡±, Angelica added, pointing to a few students with cuts and bruises.


    Nodding his head, the duke walked back to Mylene and updated her on the situation. Watching a fire ignite in her eyes as she heard everything, she immediately slapped her two sons across the face with a resounding thud. Shaking with anger, it was taking everything she had not to beat them senseless for causing this disaster. As she restrained herself from hitting them again, my troops began to converge on the Academy with my prisoners in tow.


    Disembarking their vehicles as they landed, they dragged Marie and the Principality spies before me. Tossing them onto the ground, the soldiers fell into formation and saluted me in unison. Saluting them back, all of them snapped to parade rest while Commander Dance spoke.


    ¡°Sir, we have disarmed and secured the prisoners per your instructions!¡±, he said, loudly so all could hear, ¡°The rest of the division is out helping reassure the populace that everything is under control, sir!¡±


    ¡°Excellent work, commander!¡±, I replied, with a grin, ¡°Arrest the traitor Stephanie Fou Offrey immediately. She has been selling information on our troop deployments and movements, supply line details, and much more to the Principality. In addition to that, she has been helping the Principality buy up the debts of noble houses in the Kingdom to blackmail them into doing their bidding.¡±


    ¡°You heard the Viscount, get moving!¡±, Commander Dance barked.


    Sending an image of Stephanie to the troops, all one thousand soldiers began combing the area for her. While they were busy searching for her, Jilk and Julius noticed that Marie had been captured. Discovering that she no longer had a right arm anymore, the two of them attempted to run to her, but were stopped by the Royal Guards.


    ¡°Unhand me this instant, Marie needs me!!¡±, Julius berated them, as he attempted to break free of the guards.


    ¡°She is gravely injured, why are you stopping us from helping her? I will see that all of you are stripped of your positions for this!¡±, Jilk threatened them, as his face was pushed into the dirt.


    Visibly regretting her decision to drag them here, Mylene¡¯s patience on this matter ran out. Having come to the decision that Marie and Stephanie were both traitors, she was more than ready to resolve this matter here and now.


    ¡°Both of you, be silent!¡±, Mylene snapped, turning to me, ¡°Viscount Stark, having reviewed all the evidence you have provided, I hereby sentence Marie Fou Lafan and Stephanie Fou Offrey to death. Please carry out the Crown¡¯s decision immediately!¡±


    ¡°I understand, Queen Mylene, it shall be done now.¡±, I answered, morphing my right hand into an Energy Battleaxe Head, ¡°Commander Dance, please hold the prisoner in place.¡±


    Doing as I commanded, Dance grabbed hold of her and forced her to bow on her knees. Sobbing uncontrollably as I took my position next to her, Marie looked over at Jilk and Julius with a fearful expression. Overcome by emotion, Julius spoke before he even realized what he was saying.


    ¡°Marie has yet to have a fair trial!! As Crown Prince, I demand she have a Trial by Combat!!¡±, Julius said, as I raised my hand up, ¡°As her fianc¨¦e, I offer myself to be her proxy!¡±


    ¡°I offer myself as well for my beloved Marie!¡±, Jilk shouted.


    ¡°Us too!!¡±, Brad, Chris, and Greg chimed in, pushing to the front of the crowd with their weapons at the ready.


    Looking up at Mylene, I saw a terrible pain etched on her face. She understood the ramification of what Julius had just done, and she was overwhelmed with agony. As the King was unlikely to step up to carry out the trial, it would fall on her to raise a sword against her own children. She did not want her sons to die by her hand, but she had a duty to carry out as Queen. Not wanting such a kindhearted woman to shoulder this, I interjected myself into the matter.


    ¡°I, Victor von Stark, hereby request that the Court name me its proxy in this matter.¡±, I said, with a resolute expression, ¡°I will see that justice is carried out in this matter.¡±


    ¡°Victor¡­I¡­I do not want to burden you with this¡­¡±, Mylene replied, on the verge of tears.


    ¡°Queen Mylene, no mother should have to raise a sword to fight their child in combat.¡±, I stated, with a smile, ¡°Let me shoulder this burden for you.¡±


    Seeing the resolve in my eyes, Mylene eventually nodded her head in acceptance.


    ¡°The Court accepts you as its proxy.¡±, she acknowledged, ¡°As the Court is the one being challenged, we set the venue and method of combat. How would you like to proceed, Viscount Stark?¡±


    ¡°The trial will be held in three days in the Academy¡¯s arena. We will duel using our mech suits.¡±, I proclaimed, ¡°Till then, Marie and Stephanie will be held beneath my mansion. It is clear the princes cannot be trusted to uphold the sanctity of the trial, given their past actions. Is this acceptable?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±, Julius agreed, knowing he had no leg to stand on here.


    Glancing over at Angelica and Clarice, the two girls looked like someone had ripped their hearts out and smacked them with it. Turning and running away from the scene, Clarice ran to her father while Angelica ran off somewhere to be alone. Feeling the urge to do something well up in my chest, I told Commander Dance to take the prisoners to the holding cells once Stephanie was found.


    Storming over to the two princes, I told the Royal Guards to back away from them immediately. Sensing the murderous intent in my tone, the immediately released them and gave us a wide berth. Grabbing Jilk by the collar with my left hand, I changed my right hand into a fist again as I hoisted him into the air. Slamming my fist squarely into his face, a loud crunching ran out from it as he flew several feet backwards.


    ¡°That is for trampling over Clarice¡¯s heart. I may not know your ex-fianc¨¦ personally, but I can tell what kind of person she is by the subordinates she keeps in her company. All of them are among the most upstanding people I know, if war comes to the Holfort Kingdom, I would trust them to watch my back in battle.¡±, I berated him, ¡°You lied to her, led her to believe you genuinely cared, and then broke her heart in front of the entire student body. In three days¡¯ time I swear on my name that I will deliver upon you tenfold the pain you have caused her. Write your last will and testament before entering the arena as you are liable to leave in a box!¡±


    Grabbing Julius by the hair, I picked him up and drove my fist straight into his gut knock the wind and his dinner out of him. Falling to his knees, as he puked up his guts, I shook my head at him in disgust.


    ¡°That was for your mother! You attempted to use her motherly love for you to cancel Marie¡¯s execution, you are truly a cunning, rat bastard! I can say with the utmost certainty that your ancestors are turning in their graves right now because of that stunt! You are a disgrace to this kingdom, the nobility, and the legacy your forefather¡¯s left behind.¡±, I admonished him, as I raised my arm up and changed it into a rocket propelled hammer, ¡°As for Angelica, I cannot fathom why you would choice a traitorous wench over a faithful, loving woman. If you had been honest with her from the beginning, Angelica would have done whatever it took to be your ideal wife. She went through over a decade of harsh training and studying for you, but you could not tell her how you truly felt. I can see it in all your eyes¡­the five of you never gave a damn about any of your fianc¨¦s. They could have turned water into wine and made it rain gold from the skies, but it would never be enough to win your love. The fact is, because your parents chose them for you, they never stood a chance in hell.¡±


    Unable to refute my words, Julius just knelt there silently staring at the cobblestone. Wanting him out of my sight, before I vaporized him, I activated the thruster on the hammer and went full bore in a downward arc. Slamming the hammer into his chest, a powerful shockwave sent him soaring into the night sky toward the palace. Calculating his trajectory, I estimated he would land somewhere in the palace gardens, so he would survive¡­maybe.

 Chapter 38

    ---Three Days Later, 3rd Person POV, Academy Arena---


    Looking around the packed arena, Duke Redgrave was surprised by how many people showed up for the trial. Seeing noblemen who rarely visited the capital in attendance today, he wondered why they made the long trip here for such an event. Feeling a bit uneasy about this, Vince asked his son if he had any thoughts on the matter. Shaking his head in response, Gilbert was just as confused by it as he was.


    ¡°Angelica, do you have any idea why most of the nobility is here today?¡±, Vince inquired, hoping his daughter knew something they did not.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡±, she replied, with a conflicted look, ¡°I have been busy dealing with the fallout of my cancelled engagement. Not only have I lost most of my subordinates, but our enemies are also spreading baseless rumors about me. They are trying to justify Julius¡¯ actions by claiming I have been unfaithful to him over the past few years. While some of my classmates are smart enough to dismiss the allegations, they stay away from me to avoid drawing attention to themselves and their families.¡±


    ¡°Who are the students spreading these baseless accusations?! I will see that their families are dragged before the Royal Court to answer for spreading defamatory rumors!¡±, her father said, ready to tear into the people abusing his daughter to get at him.


    ¡°Father, everything is under control for the moment. I have two amazing friends who have stuck by me throughout this whole ordeal. Olivia has been an invaluable rock for me to lean on when everything gets to be too much, and Victor has been silencing everyone who utters a slanderous word against the four of us.¡±, Angelica said, with a warm smile, ¡°He has challenged everyone he hears say something to provide proof of their claims. When they admit to having none, Victor ends up running them off while calling them blithering idiots.¡±


    Cracking a smile, Vince and Gilbert were happy to hear someone was challenging the rumors head on. While the Royal Court was the more reasonable method, exposing their enemies as liars before their peers would do far more damage to their household than anything the court would. Demonstrating how untrustworthy they were, their households would quickly lose all credibility and slowly sink into obscurity.


    As the academy¡¯s clocktower began to signal the top of the hour, Marie¡¯s proxies stepped onto the Challenger¡¯s balcony on the west side of the arena. Waving to the few people who cheered for them, all of them could feel the disdain lingering in the air.


    ¡°Not the welcome I was expecting to receive, but it will have to do.¡±, Brad chuckled, grinning like a moron, ¡°You sure you two are fit for combat? Last thing the three of us want is for you to be crippled for the rest of your lives.¡±


    ¡°We are a bit sore, but overall in peak condition. Mylene ensured the best healers in the palace tended to our injuries.¡±, Jilk said, looking out at the dozens of Clarice¡¯s subordinates glaring daggers at him, ¡®Continuing to attend the Academy after this is going to be quite difficult. With the Viscount backing them, they might try to kill me when no one is looking. I will have to double my training regimen to prepare for that eventuality.¡¯


    ¡°Do not worry about us, we are ready to clear Marie¡¯s name and take her away from this place.¡±, Julius stated, as he looked up at the Redgrave¡¯s booth, ¡®Even though I hate to admit it, Victor was right. Both of us suffered greatly because of arranged marriage and I did owe you the truth much sooner than the nights ago. I hope you can forgive me one day and find your own special person like I have with Marie.¡¯


    ¡°So where is the Viscount? Do not tell me he chickened out at the last minute!¡±, Greg laughed, confident that the five of them had chased him away.


    ¡°The Viscount is a lot of things, but a coward is not one of them. Do not forget he easily defeated my father in practice duel and has genuine combat experience. While we were trained by the most prestigious instructors in the Kingdom, his metal was forged in the most dangerous places in our country.¡±, Chris reminded his friends, ¡®Do not underestimate him, he is a monster disguised as a human being.¡¯


    Arriving a few moments later, the transport vehicle carrying Marie and Stephanie descended into the arena. Stopping at the designated seats for the two prisoners, the women and Victor¡¯s soldiers disembarked and took their sets in the stands. Waving to her, the five men shouted her name hoping to get her attention over the ambient noise.


    ¡°Marie¡¯s right arm is back!¡±, Jilk pointed out, as the transport vehicle left the area, ¡°I guess the Viscount does have a bit of humanity in him!¡±


    Chuckling at his joke, a shadow suddenly blocked out the sun for a moment causing everyone in the stadium to be silent. Dropping down at a high rate of speed, Victor slammed into the arena floor generating a powerful blast of air that almost blew a few people into the sky. Holding to the nearest, secure object they could, Julius and company looked at the towering, mechanized suit standing before them in terror.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!! It is huge!!¡±, Greg proclaimed, ¡°It has to be at least double the height of our mechs!¡±


    ¡®We are screwed¡­¡¯, Chris thought, understanding now why his father warned him in the past not to cross the Holfort Prodigy.


    ¡°Alright gentlemen, how are we going to do this? Are the five of you fighting me together, or will you challenge me one at a time?¡±, Victor inquired, using his loudspeakers to communicate with them, ¡°It does not bother me either way, the results of our fight will not change one way or the other.¡±


    Annoyed by his perceived arrogance, Greg almost ran at the mech without a second thought. Quickly restraining him, Brad and Jilk struggled to hold him back while Julius gave his response.


    ¡°We will not use numbers to win this fight, all of us agreed to face you one after the other till one of us comes out victorious.¡±, Julius answered.


    ¡°Very well, send out your first combatant.¡±, Victor responded, as his mech crossed its arms.


    ¡°Let me at the bastard!!¡±, Greg roared.


    ¡°No, we already agreed to the order. I will go first followed by Chris, you, Jilk, then Julius.¡±, Brad reminded him, ¡°You swore you would follow the order, do not back on your word!¡±


    Snapping him back to his senses, Greg quickly tempered his anger and relaxed. Telling him to get going already, Brad turned and headed into the hanger where his mech was awaiting him.


    ---Victor POV---


    Disappointed that the five of them did not want to face me together, I let out a sigh and looked to my right.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±, I said, waving to Angelica and Clarice, ¡°Are you two interested in getting something to eat after I wrap up here? Lucoa, Olivia, Roxanne, and I are headed to breakfast after this, thought you might want to join us.¡±


    Turning to their fathers for their approval, the two men readily nodded their heads in agreement. Assuming they wanted their daughters to put this whole mess behind them, I figured they would not have an issue with it. Noticing Brad¡¯s purple mech coming out of the hanger, I turned my attention back to him and readied myself for combat.


    <Master, Jarvis and I have confirmed that Hyper Mode is stable now. If you wish to use it during this trial run, the option is available to you>


    ¡°Thank you, Jarvis and Luxion. Are the troops in place, in case they attempt some underhanded shit?¡±, I asked.


    <Sir, Commander Yoma confirmed his troops are in position and watching for any threats to the ladies.>


    ¡°Perfect, thank you again for your work.¡±, I said, as Brad got into position.


    Deploying his two semiautonomous drones, Brad did a quick calibration while the referee explained the rules. As this was a Trial by Combat, there were only two rules to worry about. First, outside interference from either side would count as an automatic disqualification. Second, trying to kill your opponent was completely legal and to be expected. Once the trial was over, neither party had any right to come after the winner in court or via another trial. The matter was settled once I defeated all five of them, or they defeated me.


    ¡°Are both participants ready?¡±, the referee inquired.


    ¡°I am ready!¡±, Brad acknowledged.


    ¡°Ready and on standby!¡±, I responded.


    ¡°Alright, as both of you are ready, I declare this match started!!¡±, the referee shouted, moving his hand in a downward arc.


    As soon as he gave the green light, Brad launched both drones straight at me. Before Brad could fly after them, I blitzed past the drones and ripped his cockpit right out of his mech as I slid past it. Holding the spherical, steel shell that protected the cockpit between my fingers, Brad looked out at the crowd in stunned silence as his mech violently exploded.


    ¡°I¡­uh¡­Viscount Stark wins!!¡±, the referee proclaimed, taken aback by his swift defeat.


    Setting Brad¡¯s cockpit down gently on their balcony, I leapt back to my corner and waited for my next opponent. Watching the cleaners quickly remove the wreckage of his mech and his drones from the arena, reality sank in quickly for Brad.


    ¡®He¡­he could have killed me before I knew what happened.¡¯, he thought, as his body began to tremble violently, ¡®I¡­I was less than a second away from death¡­¡¯


    Looking over at their mortified comrade, the fact they were in over their heads sank in immediately. Watching Brad have a mental breakdown, while still strapped into his cockpit, Greg began to regret opening his mouth earlier.


    ¡°I¡­I guess I am next¡­¡±, Chris said, as his face lost all color.


    Turning around and heading into the hanger, Chris left without another word. Out in the stands, the crowd did not know what to make of what happened. Logic told them that my mechanized unit should not move that quickly, but what they just witnessed debunked that logic completely. Whispering among themselves, the students began to understand why their parents respected me so much.


    ¡°That was less than three seconds¡­¡±, Gilbert said, looking at his watch, ¡°That must be the fastest defeat in the Academy¡¯s history.¡±


    ¡°More like the Holfort Kingdom¡¯s history.¡±, Vince remarked, ¡°As I have said many times, there is a reason the Principality and other neighboring nations have avoided our airspace these past few years. That right there is why they are afraid to invade us, and why the Black Knight most likely went into retirement early.¡±


    ¡°Queen Mylene must be worried sick about her children¡­¡±, Angelica said, looking over at Mylene who was sitting all alone, ¡°Though her son broke my heart, I still see Mylene as a second mother. May I go see her, if she permits it?¡±


    ¡°Of course dear, by all means, do as you wish.¡±, Vince replied, with a smile, ¡®She is just like her mother, always worried about others even when she is in distress. I wish more young girls like her could be like that. This country would be a lot better off for it.¡¯


    Excusing herself, Angelica silently left the booth as Chris¡¯ mech entered the arena. Drawing his sword from its scabbard, Chris took his position opposite of me and took a deep breath.  Lowering myself into a striking position, I positioned my hands as if I were holding the hilt of a katana and prepared to attack.


    ¡°Are both combatants ready?¡±, the referee asked, this time taking a few steps back from the ring.


    ¡°I am ready.¡±, Chris replied, gripping his controls tightly. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ready.¡±, I said, steadying my breathing.


    ¡°Both combatants are ready¡­GO!!¡±, the referee proclaimed, before running for cover.


    Instead of moving the instant the referee started the match, the two of us stood there for a moment waiting for the other to move. Cool, calm, and collected, I was prepared to stand there as long as needed for an opportunity to present itself. Already on edge from the realization that I was not taking this seriously, Chris¡¯ nerves got the better of him after a few moments causing him to slip.


    ¡°I refuse to lose here!!¡±, he shouted, lunging forward like an idiot.


    ¡°Sorry to break it to you.¡±, I said, appearing behind him, ¡°This match is already over.¡±


    Imagining myself sheathing my katana, the instant it clicked in, Chris¡¯ mech suddenly fell to piece and scattered across the ground. Having drawn an energy blade, sliced his mech to bits, and re-sheathed it again in a matter of milliseconds, only the most skilled swordsmen would have seen what I did just now.


    ¡°The winner is, Viscount Stark!¡±, the referee announced, relieved it was over with.


    Glancing back at the wreckage of his mech, Chris sat in his cockpit staring at the cleanly cut edges of his new sunroof. Carrying his cockpit over to their balcony, I waited for the cleaners to remove the wreckage before returning to my corner. Now that the least annoying of the five men were out of the way, I intended to pumble the remaining three men into the stone floor. Watching Greg proudly walk back to the hanger, this next fight was going to be quite enjoyable.

 Chapter 39

    Proudly entering the arena, in his bright red mech, Greg spun his spear around attempting to showboat for the crowd. Looking at him with pity, instead of enthusiasm, he slammed the blunt end of his spear into the ground with a loud crack. Irritated that they were looking at him like he was dead man walking, he began yelling at everyone out of anger.


    ¡°What the hell is with all of you people?! The Viscount is not God, he can be beaten!! I will be the one to take him down!!¡±, Greg berated them, before turning to me, ¡°Today will not end like our previous encounter did. I will crush you and free Marie, prepare yourself Viscount Stark!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, sure Greg. The day you beat me will be the day pig¡¯s fly.¡±, I retorted, already annoyed with him.


    ¡°What was that, you piece of shit!! I will show you the pride of the Seberg Family here today!!¡±, Greg shouted, boiling with rage, ¡°Referee, get this match started already!!¡±


    Noticing Earl Seberg fuming in his booth, he looked ready to jump over the railing and throttle his son himself. Chuckling softly, as the referee quickly ran to the podium, I focused my attention closely on Greg ready to mop the floor with him.


    ¡°My apologies for the delay, are both combatants ready?¡±, the referee asked.


    ¡°Yes, just start it already!¡±, Greg snapped.


    ¡°I am good to go.¡±, I answered, in a respectful tone.


    ¡°Alright, as both combatants are ready I ¨C ¡°, the referee began to say, as Greg suddenly lunged forward without any regard for officiant.


    Charging straight at me, Greg aimed right for my cockpit with his spear intending to kill me instantly. Not bothering to dodge, as I knew he could not penetrate the armor let alone scratch the paint, his spear tip bounced right off my mech like it had struck a rock wall. Refusing to give up that easily, Greg unleashed a flurry of thrusts and slashes on me trying to pierce my armor.


    ¡°Mister Seberg, I have not started the match!!¡±, the referee protested.


    ¡°Greg, what the hell do you think you are doing!?¡±, Earl Seberg roared, over the sound of the fight, ¡°You have already brought enough shame upon our house, do not drag us down even further!!¡±


    ¡°Stop it Greg, get back to our corner immediately!¡±, Julius commanded him, ¡°We are here to fight for Marie, not settle our personal grudges with the Viscount! Cease this immediately!¡±


    ¡°The fight has already started; I am not backing down now!! Stark has continuously made a mockery of us in front of our peers!!¡±, Greg rebuked them, ¡°I refuse to stand here and let him continue to do so!!¡±


    ¡®The only one making a fool of you here is your idiot self¡­¡¯, I thought, continuing to stand there without moving.


    Letting him have it for a good five minutes, Greg spewed hateful, vile words at me for destroying all their lives. Telling me I should have just minded my own business; he insinuated that I had no right to steal their happiness from them. Going on and on about all the things I had done to wrong them, I was not sure if he would ever shut up. Just as I was about to put him in his place, his prized spear finally broke under the immense stress he put on it through in such a short time. Watching fragments of it fly all over the place, people in the crowd had to use Barrier Magic to prevent themselves from being skewered by them.


    ¡°No! No!! No!!!¡±, Greg cried, backing away from me, ¡°That was my favorite spear, you piece of shit. It was a family heirloom given to me by my grandfather!¡±


    ¡°Why are you blaming me for your actions? I have not moved an inch the entire time you have been trying to kill me. You were the one that pushed your weapon beyond what it was capable of, not me.¡±, I corrected him, ¡°Now then, I think you have made a mockery of yourself and your family for long enough today. Go take a nap in the infirmary for a few hours¡­or days.¡±


    Placing my right hand on his head unit, I proceeded to crush the entire mech like a soda can. Violently exploding at the halfway point, Greg was rapidly ejected from the cockpit in a ball of fire. Filling the arena with his screams of agony, the medical teams quickly ran out to save him. Using the spell Water Ball to quench the fire that engulfed him, the medics quickly got him on a stretcher and carried him out of the arena.


    ¡°The winner is, Viscount Stark!¡±, the referee said, with a horrified expression.


    ---3rd Person POV, Royal Booth---


    Listening to Greg¡¯s horrible screams as they carried him off, Mylene looked at her two boys with dread. She wished she could just pardon Marie and avoid watching the bloodbath that was to come, but her responsibilities as Holfort Kingdom¡¯s Queen, she had to ensure that justice was carried out. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Why Julius¡­why are you making me sit through this¡­¡¯, Mylene thought, weeping in her heart, ¡®I do not want to watch my beloved son die!¡¯


    As she sat there hiding her emotions behind a stoic expression, a knock came from the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±, Mylene asked, in a shaky tone.


    ¡°My Queen, Angelica Redgrave and Clarice Atlee wish to see you.¡±, one of her guards reported, ¡°Do we have your permission to grant them entry?¡±


    ¡°Please let them in.¡±, she replied, quickly wiping her eyes.


    Opening the door for them, Angelica and Clarice calmly walked through the door together. Getting up and walking over to see them, the moment the door shut, both young women pulled Mylene into a hug. Feeling the concern for her in their embrace, Mylene¡¯s stoic expression shattered. Having come to see them as her own daughters, she could not hide the pain she was in from them.


    ¡°Those stupid idiots!! Why could they not be reasonable from the beginning?! I watched them grow up, I was there when they took their first steps, and I can still see bringing me their handmade gifts on my birthday!!¡±, she cried into their arms, ¡°I never wanted things to come to this!! All I ever wanted was for them to be happy, and I believed they were happy with both of you!! I am so sorry my sons hurt you, I am such a horrible mother!!¡±


    ¡°This is not your fault, they made their decision a long time ago¡­they just did not bother to tell anyone till three days ago.¡±, Angelica remarked, holding Mylene closely, ¡°You are an amazing woman who has become like a second mother to both of us. Please do not give up on them, they will need you more than ever after this is over.¡±


    ¡°Even though we are no longer going to be family, I hope you will allow us to continue thinking of you as our second mother.¡±, Clarice said, with a warm smile, ¡°I do not wish to lose another mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, no matter what happens I will always see you as my own flesh and blood!¡±, Mylene stated, as she began collecting herself, ¡°Will you girls please stay with me till this is over? I do not want to be all alone here.¡±


    Happily agreeing to her request, the three of them took a moment to wipe their eyes before taking a seat beside one another.


    ---Victor POV---


    Watching Jilk part ways with Julius, I had Luxion dispatch one of his drones to follow the prince¡¯s half-brother. Recalling that he used underhanded means to try and win this duel in the OG story, I wanted to know who he would target so I could take proper precautions. Trailing him down the long corridor into the hanger, a man in a black hooded robe waited for him by his green mech.


    ¡°Luxion, are you detecting any other signs of life in the hanger?¡±, I asked.


    <Master, my sensors indicate that they are alone in the hangar. All the maintenance staff have been sent away for some reason.>


    ¡°Perfect, when I expose Jilk for the schemer he is, I want you to have the drone kill the hooded man. Do it quick and silently please.¡±, I commanded him, ¡°Dispose of the body afterwards.¡±


    <Understood Master, I will ensure that the flea is dealt with accordingly.>


    Continuing to watch the feed in silence, as Jilk approached the man, he tossed him a small bag of platinum coins. Quickly counting the coin to confirm he had been paid in full, he nodded to Jilk once he was satisfied.


    ¡°Remember, do not kill his siblings or the scholarship student. I only need them to assist with forcing the Viscount to surrender.¡±, Jilk said, ¡°After he agrees to stand down, I will signal you to retreat.¡±


    ¡°My men have been briefed on the plan, do not worry about it. You paid us for a job, we will carry out your orders to the letter.¡±, he stated, with a slight nod, ¡°All I need from you is to drag out your entry by a minute or two. That is all the time we need to secure our targets.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I can handle that.¡±, Jilk agreed, climbing the ladder to enter his mech.


    Cutting off the feed to my Gundam there, I immediately contacted Commander Yoma to ensure she saw what I did. Answering the call after the first ring, Yoma rose from her seat and saluted me.


    ¡°Viscount Stark, I presume you are calling about the intelligence you collected just now.¡±, she said, with a coy smile, ¡°My men are already in position to seize the assassins the moment they make their move. No one will see anything; I assure you of that.¡±


    ¡°I knew you were the right person for the job.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Tell your men they are free to use lethal force, if necessary, to eliminate the threat.¡±


    ¡°I understand sir, I will let them know immediately.¡±, she promised, ending the call.


    As the Commander of my Special Operations Forces, a job like this was right up her ally. One of the second wave of clone troopers I made, she was unique individual created from the genetic material of a former scientist in Luxion¡¯s base and clone troop DNA. As one of only a few female clone troopers in my military, she had earned her place as a Commander by demonstrating her cunning mindset, ingenuity, and willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done. On more than one occasion, she had gone into the field with her troops to aid them in their missions. Whether it was playing the damsel in distress or seducing a corrupt nobleman, no matter what I asked her to do, she had always found a way to get it done without leaving any traces behind.


    Patiently waiting for Jilk to make his appearance, I watched my men stealthily drop the assassins one by one. Pretending to be members of the wait staff, they carried several glasses of red wine with them as they approached their targets. Tripping over nothing they ¡®accidentally¡¯ crashed into the assassins sending wine and glass shards everywhere. Stabbing them in the heart while their guard was down, my men quickly spirited them away under the guise of trying to save their clothing. As the color of the wine was nearly identical to the victim¡¯s blood, no one paid it any mind as they continued chatting amongst each other blissfully unaware several murders had been carried out behind them.


    ¡®This is honestly depressing, what sort of assassins did Jilk hire?¡¯, I thought, as my opponent slowly walked onto the field.


    ¡°Jarvis, I want you to hack into his mech suit and make some adjustments to his audio setup. When he goes to contact me over the radio, I want our audio to be fed through both his internal and external speakers. Also temporarily kill his external microphones so no one lets him know his microphone is live.¡±, I asked him.


    <Accessing Jilk¡¯s mech and reworking his audio now, sir.>


    Completing the task just as Jilk stepped into position, the idiot immediately called me creating a brief ear-piercing shriek. Going completely unnoticed by him, as his mech¡¯s sound dampen blocked it out, he began to speak to me casually.


    ¡°Can you hear me, Viscount Stark? I wish to discuss a matter with you before the duel begins.¡±, Jilk said, believing we were talking properly.


    ¡°Yes, I can hear you.¡±, I replied, trying not to laugh as Julius danced around like a fool behind him trying to get his attention.


    ¡°I wish it did not come to this, but you have left me with no alternatives. A group of highly skilled assassins currently has your two siblings and the scholarship student you keep around you at knife point.¡±, he told me, not bothering to confirm it for himself, ¡°If you surrender to me now, no harm will come to them. Please do the right thing and stand down, I do not want them to die today.¡±


    Listening to him threaten me, the stadium became eerily silent. Watching my siblings and Olivia look around in a panic, Roxanne jumped up and immediately started watching Olivia¡¯s back. Letting his words sink in for a few minutes, I continued the charade for a bit longer.


    ¡°You would take my friends and family hostage to win this duel? Do you have no shame?¡±, I asked, ¡°Greg and you have made a mockery of this trial. Any remaining respect you had to your names is gone now.¡±


    ¡°I do not care what you or anyone else thinks. Protecting my brother Julius and saving my beloved Marie is all that I care about!¡±, he said, ¡°Now what is your answer? If you do not make it quick, I will have them kill the scholarship student first.¡±


    ¡°Clarice, do you see now the sort of man your ex-fianc¨¦ is? He would threaten innocent bystanders to force my hand into surrendering.¡±, I said, after activating my external speakers, ¡°He is nothing short of a cowardly rat!¡±


    Confused by what I was saying, Jilk glanced over to the stands for the first time since he stepped out and noticed everyone focused on him. Looking down at his controls, he noticed that his external speakers were turned on. Immediately starting to sweat bullets, he turned around to explain himself to Julius. Before he could utter a single word, Julius turned away from him in shame.


    ¡°Julius, I did this to ensure you did not need to fight him and to free Marie!¡±, Jilk said, knowing full well that he screwed up, ¡°Please forgive me!¡±


    ¡°I put my named on the line to save Marie in an honorable fashion. Brad and Chris understood this and followed my example. Greg and you have trampled upon our honorable deed, and sullied our good names.¡±, Julius said, hanging his head, ¡°I am ashamed to call you my brother and friend¡­¡±


    Hitting Jilk like a Mack truck, Julius¡¯ words knocked the wind out of his sails causing him to falter. Out in the stands, Clarice¡¯s subordinates began calling him a dishonorable asshole and spineless coward. Looking up at the Royal Booth, Jilk watched the woman who took him in and gave him a home turn her back on him for the first time.


    ¡°You are a terrible son and even worse fianc¨¦!!¡±, Clarice screamed, as Angelica tried to console Mylene, ¡°I hope you burn in hell for this!¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡±, Jilk stuttered, watching his whole world come crashing down.


    ¡°Jilk Fia Marmoria, for violating the sanctity of this trial, you have forfeited your right to participate in this duel and will be handed over to the Royal Guard to await your own trial.¡±, the judge said, ¡°Guards, seize him at- ¡°


    ¡°Wait a moment, I formally request my own duel with Jilk. He threatened to execute two of my family members and one of my closest friends. He will pay dearly for dragging them into this, unlike this coward, I am not afraid of fighting to the death.¡±, I remarked, stepping out of my cockpit in only a pair of jeans, ¡°I challenge you to a duel of swords, here and now! What say you?¡±


    Unable to reject my request now, having utterly humiliated himself, Jilk opened his cockpit door and stepped outside.


    ¡°I¡­I accept your challenge.¡±, he said, meekly.


    Glancing over at the judge for his approval, he turned back to his colleagues for their input. Discussing it amongst themselves for a moment, all of them unanimously gave him the thumbs up.


    ¡°Very well, your duel has been approved. Please step out of your mechs and meet at the center of the arena.¡±, the judge ordered us.


    Jumping down from my cockpit, with three swords fastened to my hip, I landed softly on the ground and proceeded to the meeting point. Using the built-in ladder to climb down on his mech, Jilk nervously walked toward the judge knowing he would lose this fight. He was skilled in the use of firearms, not swords, fighting a Sword Master like me was suicide for him but he had no option now. Having torn his honor and dignity to bits, all he could do now was accept the decent death he believed I would give him with open arms.

 Chapter 40

    Meeting me in the center of the arena, the judges tossed Jilk a sword as did not have one on him. Shakily affixing it to his hip, Jilk looked at me with fear in his eyes. Knowing he stood no chance against me in this duel, he was mentally preparing himself for his inevitable death.


    ¡°Are both fighters ready?¡±, the officiant called out.


    ¡°Ready.¡±, I replied, drawing my three blades.


    ¡°Yes, I am as ready as I ever will be¡­¡±, Jilk answered, drawing his blade.


    ¡°Alright then, the match starts¡­NOW!!¡±, he shouted.


    The instant the words left his mouth, I leapt toward Jilk and launched a torrent of slashes upon him. Slicing through his armor like butter, his blood began to spray everywhere as he did his best to block my strikes. Leaping backward trying to create some space, I kept the pressure on him as I did not want to draw this out any longer than necessary, for Clarice and Mylene¡¯s sakes.


    ¡®1080 Pound Phoenix!¡¯, I thought, tearing his chest piece open with that devastating blow.


    ¡°Please, I beg you, mercy!!¡±, Jilk screamed, as he began swinging his sword around wildly, ¡°I am sorry for what I did!!¡±


    ¡°It is too late for apologies!¡±, I roared, ¡®Rengoku Oni Giri!¡¯


    Raising his blade to block this next attack, I shattered his sword peppering him with the fragments before tearing his chest wide open. Howling in pain as he flew backward, he slammed into the arena wall spraying a thin layer of red mist all around him. Sliding down till his butt hit the ground, he quickly curled up into the fetal position and continued crying for mercy.


    ¡°I¡­I surrender¡­no more¡­please¡­¡±, Jilk sobbed, as I slowly walked up to him.


    ¡°There is no surrendering here, this fight only ends with one of us dead or incapacitated.¡±, I told him, through my clenched teeth, ¡°I did everything I could to avoid this, Jilk, you five idiots refused to heed my warnings. Even after exposing Marie and Stephanie¡¯s corruption three days ago, all of you still refuse to believe she could do any wrong! Since you dimwits cannot look around and see what you have done, let me spell it out for you. The entire country is watching the outcome of this to see if there is going to be a Holfort Kingdom in the future!¡±


    ¡°¡­why would¡­the kingdom collapse¡­because of what we did¡­¡±, he asked, as he began losing consciousness.


    ¡°You neanderthals have created a giant crack in the relationship between ten of the most influential families in the country!! The last time something this bad happened the Principality of Fanoss came into existence!! All of them are worried that a civil war will happen, and they will be caught in the middle. They want the peace we have had for the last four years to continue, not the shitstorm you are kicking up.¡±, I remarked.


    Closing the gap between us in an instant, I swung the two swords in my hands horizontally aiming to take his head off cleanly. Looking up as his mother and ex-fianc¨¦ one last time, he closed his eyes and waited for death to take him. Just before my blades reached his neck, Olivia shouted at me to stop.


    ¡°Please Victor, you won, you do not need to kill him!!¡±, Olivia cried, jumping out of her seat and running to the railing, ¡±He knows what he did is wrong, you have punished him enough. Please let him go!!¡±


    ¡°Wait a damn minute, Victor, she does not speak for all of us!!¡±, Jenna protested, ¡°He was going to kill us, so kill him first!! Right Nicks?¡±


    ¡°Hey, do not drag me into this!¡±, Nicks said, ¡°Victor, do whatever you feel is best here.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­you are such a little bitch Nicks!¡±, Jenna snapped, crossing her arms and huffing in an exaggerated manner.


    Unsure if I should be grateful or disappointed that this experience had not changed anything between us siblings, I looked Jilk in the eyes carefully. Seeing the defiant fire in his eyes was extinguished, I was certain he would no longer cause us any trouble. Flicking his blood off the blades and sheathing them, he passed out and crumpled to the ground.


    ¡°Greater Healing.¡±, I chanted, using magic to patch him up and stop the bleeding, ¡°This battle is over, he is out cold. Get him some medical attention immediately.¡±


    ¡°The winner is, Viscount Stark.¡±, the judge proclaimed.


    Turning around and returning to my mech, the medical team ran out onto the field to render aid. Confirming he still had a pulse, they loaded him onto a stretcher and ferried him to the infirmary. Hearing a commotion up in the Royal Booth, it appeared Mylene¡¯s motherly instincts had overcome her sense of duty. Listening to her push her way out of the room, she promptly ran around the arena and down to the infirmary to be with her son. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°So Julius, are we going to duel as well?¡±, I asked, leaping up to my cockpit.


    Looking over at Brad and Chris, then down at the infirmary, Julius closed his eyes and shook his head. Walking over to his two friends, he helped unhook them from their seat and up onto their feet.


    ¡°You have proven your point, Victor. I accept defeat.¡±, Julius said, guiding the two men toward the exit, ¡°Right now I am needed by Jilk¡¯s side. Thank you for sparing his life.¡±


    ¡°Alright judge, it would appear this duel is over.¡±, I stated, turning to him with a nod.


    ¡°Very well then, with that I declare this trial- ¡°, the judge began to say.


    ¡°WAIT A MINUTE!!¡±, Marie screeched, jumping to her feet, ¡°Julius, you are just going to abandon me to my fate?!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Marie, we did all we could, and it was not enough.¡±, Julius replied, giving her an apologetic look.


    Overwhelmed with the feeling of death looming over her head, Marie¡¯s carefully laid house of cards came crashing down. Facing Stephanie with a hateful scowl, she pounced on her and began punching her in the face.


    ¡°You stupid bitch, why did you have to push me into this?! I am going to die now because of your stupid plan!!¡±, Marie howled, as my men pulled them apart, ¡°Dying over five stupid men is not how I wanted to end my life!! All the gifts and attention I got is not worth my precious life!!¡±


    ¡°This trial is over, Stephanie Fou Offrey and Marie Fou Lafan have been found guilty of their crimes. They will be executed this evening; take them away!¡±, the judge commanded, before leaving in a huff.


    ¡°No! No!! No!!!¡±, Marie screamed, as she was handed over to the Royal Guards, ¡°The five of you are so fucking useless!! You were supposed to be the best fighters in the kingdom, but you were all utterly worthless!! I should have never agreed to this plan, you blockheads are not worth dying over!!¡±


    Revealing her true colors, now that she was going to die, the three men looked at her in shock. Faced with irrefutable evidence that she played them, I swore I could hear their hearts shatter. Unable to say anything, as everyone had warned them, they hurriedly walked away with their tails between their legs. After Marie and Stephanie were out of the stadium, I looked up at Duke Redgrave and Prime Minister Atlee¡¯s booths.


    Nodding their heads in approval, the two of them wore conflicted expressions on their faces. Figuring they were at a loss for how to proceed, for the time being, I decided to make a move of my own. Wanting to display a sign of strength, to both the populace and nobility, that we would be alright, I felt a show of military might would do the trick.


    ¡°Luxion, have the fleet do a fly over.¡±, I chuckled, redeploying the Mark 37 armor.


    <Yes, Master!>


    ¡®I bet you are pretty enthusiastic about showing off the splendor of Old Human Technology.¡¯, I thought, with a smirk on my face, ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, if I might have a moment of your time, I would greatly appreciate it.¡±


    Using magic to amplify my voice, everyone quieted down as they gave me their undivided attention. Once I was certain the main players were focused on me, I began to speak again.


    ¡°I know many of you here came today out of concern for the future of our nation. Thanks to the interference of the Principality of Fanoss, and the stupidity of five would be heirs, we find ourselves in a precarious situation. Many of you are worried that the fractures they created among the upper nobility will cause terrible civil war, I am here to tell you that I do not believe it will come to that. Unlike generations ago, the heads of the upper houses are levelheaded, patriotic men who would rather die than see this country fall into ruin.¡±, I said, nodding at the men in question, ¡°That said, the Principality¡¯s continued interference in our affairs cannot go unanswered. Up until four years ago they routinely breached our airspace and acted with impunity against our brave soldiers defending the front lines. In recent years, due to the presence of my warship Yamato, they have taken to using blackmail, espionage, and trickery to turn us against one another. This act of aggression toward our country will not go unchallenged.¡±


    Motioning up toward the sky, everyone turned their attention upward. Deactivating the active camouflage equipped on all my new vessels, everything began to darken a bit as fifty warships appeared overhead. Giving them a moment to process what they were seeing; I continued my speech.


    ¡°As of today, the full might of Stark Fleet will be positioned along the border with the Principality. Not only will they be tasked with eliminating the recent uptick in pirates in the southern half of our nation, but they will also be a clear warning to our foe that any further actions against our people will result in their utter annihilation. Each of my ships is equipped the latest weapons and armor I have in my arsenal and are manned by soldiers who have undergone the most rigorous training to ensure they are ready for almost any eventuality.¡±, I boasted, ¡°Each and everyone one of them is dedicated to the continue prosperity and safety of our nation and our people. Let this be the final line in the sand for the Principality. If they so much as lay a finger on any Holfort citizen, I swear to send them to their Maker posthaste. While I do not want to start a war, I am more than ready to end one.¡±


    Observing people¡¯s reactions to my declaration, most of the nobility seemed to be happy with this news. Assuming they were happy to hear that we would be standing up to the Principality, instead of simply reacting to them, I hoped that the upper nobles shared in everyone¡¯s enthusiasm. Sending my Gundam back to the hanger, I flew over to the stands to join the three women who were waiting for me.

 Chapter 41

    Meeting up with everyone at the school gates, a short time later, I was not the least bit surprised to see Prime Minister Atlee, Duke Redgrave, and Gilbert Redgrave with them. Noticing that Gilbert was doing his best to hide a smirk, I assumed at the very least I was not in trouble. Greeting them with a friendly wave, Bernard immediately ran up and began patting my back vigorously.


    ¡°Well done, Victor!¡±, Prime Minister Atlee applauded me, ¡°It was good to see someone smack some sense into those boys. While it was a bit too late, which is not your fault, I was happy to see Jilk get his comeuppance for breaking my beloved daughter¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°While I agree they needed the wake-up call, was the fly over necessary? You do know this will incite those who dislike your rise to power to begin spreading rumors about you, correct? Given your close relationship with Queen Mylene, some may infer you are attempting to usurp the Crown¡¯s authority from King Roland.¡±, Duke Redgrave remarked, with an emotionless expression.


    ¡°I am fully aware of the risks involved with my stunt, but frankly I could care less what the other noblemen think. For a long time now this country has sat idly by while the Principality walked all over us. Our citizens need to know that the nobility is not going to let them fend for themselves, and the nobility needed someone to lead the charge against the Principality¡¯s aggression. Sure, some of the more weak-willed nobles will say I am stirring up the pot, but I would rather be seen that way then let more innocent people die.¡±, I told him, with a serious expression, ¡°As far as me wanting to usurp the Crown¡¯s Authority, I do not want anything to do with it. I have seen the toll it takes on Queen Mylene, no way in hell am I going to sign myself up to take it from her.¡±


    Focusing his eyes on mine for a few moments, he nodded his head in approval.


    ¡°I assumed as much, but I wanted to hear it from your lips myself.¡±, Duke Redgrave said, patting me on the shoulder, ¡°Now then, may I ask a favor of you?¡±


    ¡°Sure, how can I help you?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°This whole mess with the Crown Prince has caused my daughter a great deal of stress. I believe some time away from the Capital would do her some good during the break. Would you mind taking her to your father¡¯s territory for some fresh air and relaxation?¡±, he inquired.


    ¡°Would one of my islands be alright with you? I just recently completed the construction of a mansion on the island where I grow all the ingredients for my alcoholic beverages. There are hot springs on the island along with ¨C ¡°, I began to say.


    ¡°Hold on, did you say hot springs?!¡±, Clarice said, enthusiastically, ¡°Father, can I go as well?¡±


    Turning to me with an apologetic look, I nodded my head in approval. Assuming the mention of hot springs would entice them to come along, I turned to Olivia and asked her to come as well.


    ¡°You want me to come with you guys?!¡±, Olivia questioned, with a worried look, ¡°Are you sure it is okay for a commoner like me to come?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are a dear friend to both Angelica and me, why would we leave you out of it?¡±, I remarked, ¡°Just say yes already, haha!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­since you are okay with it¡­¡±, Olivia agreed, with a happy smile.


    ¡°That settles it then, please take care of our daughters for the duration of your trip!¡±, Prime Minister Atlee said, before hurriedly returning to his carriage.


    Following him, Duke Redgrave and Gilbert said their goodbyes and left as well. Hailing my car, I helped the five ladies inside before jumping behind the wheel. Spinning the car around, we immediately got underway to the Market District for lunch.


    ---3rd Person POV, Infirmary---


    Regaining consciousness after a while, Jilk found himself looking up at an unfamiliar white ceiling. Believing he had died from his injuries; he covered his eyes with the back of his hand and let out a sigh of defeat. Attempting to sit up, a jolt of pain shot through his body knocking the wind out of him.


    ¡°Jilk, do not move too much.¡±, Julius said, walking over to him.


    ¡°He killed both of us?!¡±, Jilk shrieked, quickly removing his hand from his eyes.


    ¡°Neither of you are dead!¡±, Mylene remarked, pinching his cheek to snap him out of it, ¡°Victor spared your life at the behest of the scholarship student Olivia.¡±


    Vaguely recalling something like that before he blacked out, he looked over at Julius again with an apologetic look. Knowing he had shamed them all with his rash decision, Jilk wanted to apologize for everything immediately. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Julius dropped the bombshell on him.


    ¡°Marie¡­she played us for fools.¡±, Julius said, looking at him with a heartbroken expression, ¡°She¡­she called us utterly useless men who were not worth dying over.¡±


    ¡°That¡­that cannot be right!¡±, Jilk stated, unwilling to believe it.


    ¡°It is true¡­¡±, Brad confirmed, ¡°She played us for fools at the behest of my ex-fianc¨¦ Stephanie. After you were taken to the infirmary, Julius accepted defeat and began helping us back here. As we were leaving the arena, Marie viciously attacked Stephanie and revealed her true colors to us. Jilk¡­she is not the girl she led us to believe she was. What I saw¡­that was not the kind, lovely Marie I fell in love with.¡±


    Looking toward Chris, the hollow expression in his eyes confirmed that what they were saying was no lie. Turning his eyes up toward the ceiling again, the weight of this revelation hit him hard. Everyone had repeatedly warned them about her, but they had refused to listen. He could not believe he had disgraced his kindhearted ex-fianc¨¦ and fought in a Trial by Combat for a two-faced woman. Everything they had done up till now had been naught, and it cost almost everything for it.


    ¡°We are such idiots¡­¡±, he sniffled, thinking he was better off dead.


    ¡°Yeah¡­we are¡­¡±, Greg agreed, still reeling from the news as well.


    ¡°So where does this leave us then?¡±, Jilk inquired, hesitant to know the answer.


    ¡°While it has yet to be discussed, most likely all five of you will end up disowned and disinherited.¡±, Mylene said, holding her son¡¯s hand tightly, ¡°Please believe me that I do not want to do this, but I have no choice. The five of you have destabilized our government and called into question the competency of all our houses. Brad, Chris, and Greg¡¯s families will be left scrambling to name an heir as they have no siblings, and in our case, we will end up naming Jake as Crown Prince. It is not set in stone yet, but I do not see any other way for this to play out.¡±


    Having expected as much, Jilk was not sure how they would continue living from now on. Being disowned by their families meant that they would no longer have a connection to them in any capacity. Not looking forward to a hard life as a commoner, the only ray of light here was that they no longer had the heavy weight of expectation on their shoulders.


    ¡°The best I can do is allow you to continue living with us till your eighteenth birthdays.¡±, Mylene stated, trying to buy them some time to get on their feet before they were thrown to the wolves.


    ¡°Thank you, Mother.¡±, Jilk said, ¡°You may not be my mother by blood, but I still think of you as such. Please forgive my rashness and stupidity, the last thing I wanted was to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°It is okay dear, I am just grateful to have you back and that you are alive still.¡±, Mylene remarked, with a warm smile, ¡°Now get some rest, the Blood Potion they gave you needs time to revitalize your body. You should be able to move again in a few hours, though it may be a bit painful.¡±


    Thanking her again, Mylene promptly excused herself to begin quelling the fires that were sure to begin raging shortly. Waiting for her to be out of the room, Jilk looked at Julius again with a serious expression.


    ¡°Julius, we need to apologize properly to our ex-fianc¨¦es. We have caused them a lot of pain over this, and I think it would go a long way in helping our houses mend things.¡±, Jilk explained, ¡°It is the least we can do after everything we have done.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Jilk, our stupidity caused this mess to begin with.¡±, Brad seconded.


    ¡°I¡­I understand and acknowledge it is the right thing to do.¡±, Julius agreed, ¡°Tonight is the End of Term Party, we can properly end things there and hope it softens the blowback a bit for our parents.¡±


    ¡°That is fine and all but does anyone know what to say to them other than sorry?¡±, Greg questioned, ¡°I think just an ¡®I am sorry¡¯ will only make things worse. We should probably put some thought into it.¡±


    ¡°It is unlike you to think so logically.¡±, Chris teased him.


    ¡°Damn near burning to death gives you a whole other outlook on life¡­¡±, Greg groaned, as he shifted around, ¡°This burn cream smells horrible¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±, Brad laughed, ¡°Not any worse than the time you slipped and feel into horse shit.¡±


    Laughing in remembrance of that moment, the men began talking with one another to plan out their apologies.


    ---Market District---


    ¡°That was much more enjoyable than I expected it to be.¡±, Clarice commented, glancing back at the car, ¡°I can understand now why you do not use carriages like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to sell vehicles like that to the nobility?¡±, Angelica inquired, looking a bit envious of the comforts I enjoyed.


    ¡°No, some things are reserved for me alone.¡±, I replied, with a smirk, ¡°Besides, do you think nobles could pilot them any better than they can drive carriages now?¡±


    Imaging the average nobleman piloting a flying vehicle, the two women violently shook their heads no. Having seen many instances of nobles crashing their own carriages when they have the reins, they did not want to imagine the results of crashing a flying vehicle into a building or group of people. Casually entering the market, the assort of smells in the air made our stomachs growled loudly demanding to be fed.


    ¡°Come on, I will show you an amazing stall we can order from!¡±, Olivia said, motioning for us to follow her.


    Obliging her request, five of us followed her through the open market to a familiar looking stall. Realizing she was leading us to one of my stalls, Olivia apparently had a taste for Greek food as that is what they served there. Having recreated several dozen different types of cultural food I had eaten back on earth, when they came onto the market, we had forty-five minute waiting lines at the food carts. Since the Holfort Kingdom¡¯s food was incredibly bland, due to the minimal use of spices, the food became prized by commoners and nobles alike.


    ¡°Hey, it is my favorite customer!!¡±, the stall worker shouted, full of enthusiasm, ¡°Let me guess, you want some Pita Bread and Tzatziki, yes?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you know it!¡±, Olivia acknowledged, doing a little happy dance, ¡°Come and look at the menu everyone!¡±


    ¡°Oh you brought some friends with¡­¡±, he began to say, before noticing me, ¡°Good Afternoon, sir! Should I write off everyone¡¯s meals since they are friends of yours?¡±


    ¡°Victor, you know him?¡±, Olivia asked, a bit surprised I had been here before.


    ¡°Mr. Stark is the owner of this stall and many others here in the market.¡±, the worker advised.


    Startled by this revelation, Olivia felt a bit embarrassed she had not realized sooner. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You have to make a living too, Jacob, lunch is on me today.¡±, I said, sliding him a stack of dia from my Storage, ¡°Whatever is left over, keep as a tip. You have a baby on the way, they can get expensive very quick.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!!¡±, he stated, bowing his head, ¡°Please take your time to look over the menu!!¡±


    Letting Angelica and Clarice look the menu over, Lucoa and Roxanne ordered the food immediately. Having taste tested everything I put out on the market, before it hit the streets, they knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it too.


    ¡°I will take an extra-large lamb gyro with feta cheese!¡±, Roxanne told him, ¡°I would like fries and tea with that, please.¡±


    ¡°Jeez Roxanne, you beat me to the punch!¡±, Lucoa laughed, ¡°I will have a large Spicy Chicken Greek salad with a side of Pita Bread please.¡±


    ¡°I will have what Roxanne is having, except I will have a Dr. Bubbles.¡±, I said, turning to the two noblewomen, ¡°Do you ladies know what you want?¡±


    Nodding their heads, Angelica ordered a medium chicken gyro with tea and Clarice ordered a Greek salad with tea as well. Writing our orders down, the young man thanked us for our patronage and got to cooking immediately. Taking a seat at a large table nearby, once we were seated, Clarice asked me about my business ventures.


    ¡°So my father says you are into a little bit of everything in the market, is that true?¡±, she inquired.


    ¡°That is correct, I have the market cornered on pretty much everything for both nobles and commoners. Lucoa and Roxanne are my official taste testers for food products; Queen Mylene tests all my makeup and clothing products; King Roland, Duke Redgrave, and your father are my alcohol taste testers; and I have several other groups that sample everything else I sell.¡±, I chuckled.


    ¡°So it is true then, Mylene gets free makeup and clothes¡­¡±, Clarice sighed, ¡°She is lucky!¡±


    ¡°Well she is the Queen, and she carries a heavy burden for all of us.¡±, Lucoa pointed out.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±, Clarice conceded, ¡°I hope whoever ends up being my husband in the future treats me better than how Mylene gets treated¡­¡±


    Elbowing her in the side, Angelica gave her a scowl before putting a finger to her lip. Trying to mentally tell her to keep it to herself, as the happenings at the palace were supposed to be national secrets, Clarice quickly covered her mouth with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Meh, I would not worry about it too much Angelica. People pretty much assume as much given how infrequently the King appears with the Queen. Not only that, but everyone also knows that King Roland has the largest harem in the history of the kingdom.¡±, I said, as the food was brought over to the table, ¡°We can discuss the topic after lunch¡­¡±


    Handing the food and drinks out, the stall worker thanked us one last time before returning to his cart. Cracking open our containers, the aroma of spices hit our noses immediately. Salivating as they looked at it, the table became strangely quiet as everyone began eating their meals.

 Chapter 42

    ---Evening, End of Term Celebration---


    Descending onto campus, I steered my car toward the banquet hall where our class was holding the celebration. Parking outside the building, I ran around the car and helped Olivia out of the vehicle. Graciously accepting my help, she stepped onto the cobblestone pathway and glanced over at the setting sun.


    ¡°The sunset looks beautiful tonight.¡±, Olivia commented, enchanted by the hues of red and orange painting the clouds.


    ¡°I agree, it is a wonderful view.¡±, I acknowledged, glancing over at her dress.


    Having received it from her mother, who painstakingly sewed it together by hand for her, she looked simply breathtaking in it. While not as ornate as other dresses, the plain white dress highlighted her natural beauty and did not detract from her beautiful smile. Seeing the love sewn into every stitch, it spoke volumes about the sort of family life she had growing up.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±, Olivia asked, looking over at me.


    ¡°I was just thinking you look beautiful in that dress.¡±, I said, meaning every word. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh¡­thank you!¡±, Olivia replied, with a flushed red face, ¡°We should get inside, I am sure Angie is waiting on us!¡±


    Scurrying over to the door, in heels, it was very apparent she had never worn them before as she was extremely wobbly on her feet. Falling over just a few feet from me, I dashed over and caught her before she hit the ground. Helping her back onto her feet, I offered her my arm as support.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to be seen walking in with someone like me? Surely it will cause you many problems down the road when you start looking for a wife.¡±, she stated, with a hesitant expression.


    ¡°When have I ever cared what our classmates thought?¡±, I chuckled, gently nudging her, ¡°Now then, would you be so kind as to join me, My Lady?¡±


    Accepting my offer, Olivia¡¯s face turned even brighter red as she leaned in toward me a bit. Slowly walking into the building, so she did not eat it in front of our classmates, we immediately got surrounded by a group of women. Bombarding me with a billion questions, most of them were attempting to smooth things over between us or trying to get me to take them on a date. Noticing them slowly try to peel Olivia away from me, I put my foot down and forced them to give us some space.


    ¡°All of you, cease your fake apologies and sucking up this instant!¡±, I shouted, pushing them back with the Force, ¡°I will make this crystal clear for all of you, I am not interested in what you are selling. This whole semester I have been watching everyone closely to see who is worth getting to know, and who is a waste of my time. None of you are worthing getting to know because you are greedy, two-timing whores! All of you standing before me have duped several kindhearted, young men of their money and time. Do not think for a moment I am as na?ve as them. Get out of my way immediately and leave Olivia and I alone!¡±


    Glaring at Olivia for a moment, the women scurried off left us in peace. Grateful that they followed my command, instead of stubbornly refusing to listen, Olivia and I began looking around for Angelica. Finding her off in a corner of the room by herself, I greeted her warmly as we approached.


    ¡°Good evening, Angelica.¡±, I said, with a slight nod, ¡°You look gorgeous in that scarlet red dress. It really makes your ruby red eyes pop.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does!¡±, Olivia agreed, giving her a hug.


    ¡°Th¡­thank you both for your kind words.¡±, Angelica replied, a bit flustered by our words.


    Leaving Olivia with Angelica, I walked over to the bar and ordered three sparkling grape juices. Handing them out upon my return, we gave a brief toast to our continued happiness then took a sip of our drinks. Having never had a bubbly drink before, Olivia immediately began to cough as the sensation caught her off guard. Nearly knocking herself over, Angelica and I propped her up while laughing at her reaction.


    ¡°It¡­is not¡­funny¡­¡±, she remarked, puffing her cheeks out.


    ¡°It is fine, I had the same reaction the first time I had a bubbly beverage myself.¡±, Angelica admitted, with a smile, ¡°My brother and father laughed at me because, instead of coughing, I snorted it out my nose.¡±


    ¡°Haha, oh my goodness!¡±, Olivia laughed, feeling less awkward about her reaction.


    Letting the two of them talk for a bit, I looked out over the dance floor and saw dozens of relatively happy couples waltzing around floor in their own little worlds. Wondering how Angelica was handling things, given the harsh new reality she faced, I decided to ask her directly.


    ¡°Angelica, how are you holding up? I cannot imagine this whole ordeal has been easy to take.¡±, I asked, genuinely concerned about her well-being.


    ¡°That is a big understatement¡­¡±, she remarked, looking at her glass, ¡°My heart aches for the life I had planned with Julius, but I know now that even if we had married, my dreams would have been crushed. He never loved me, not even a little, and that thought makes all the sacrifices I made hurt even more.¡±


    Tearing up, Angelica began to weep silently as Olivia pulled her into a hug. Calmly stroking her hair, I moved in front of them to stop people from gawking at her.


    ¡°Sixteen years¡­sixteen fucking years I gave him, and he could not be honest with me once!¡±, she cursed, in a low voice, ¡°My entire life has been built around me being Julius¡¯ wife, and it is all gone!! Everything I am revolved around him; I will have to rebuild myself from the ground up and hope someone will love a broken woman like me.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, do not talk like that.¡±, I scolded her, ¡°Any man would be lucky to have a faithful, loyal, loving woman like you by their side. Traits like that are very rare among our peers because they are always scheming to rise further up the social ladder. If Julius cannot see how lucky of a man he was, show him exactly what he missed out on. Rub your own happiness in his face while he flounders out there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and no matter what happens Victor and I will always be by your side. We are your best friends after all!!¡±, Olivia agreed, with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±, Angelica said, slowly collecting herself, ¡°It means a lot to hear you two say that. Good friends have been few and far between at this point.¡±


    Suggesting we grab a bite to eat, before the buffet got cold, the three of us started walking over till a loud commotion drew our attention. Turning our attention toward the courtyard, people began running outside to see what was happening. Following them, we managed to push our way to the balcony railing to see Julius and company surrounded by Clarice¡¯s followers.


    ¡°How dare you come before Lady Clarice after everything you have done!!¡±, Dan shouted, rolling up his sleeves, ¡°Was the beating Viscount Stark gave you not enough for you?!¡±


    ¡°You should have stayed away from Lady Clarice¡­¡±, one of the men said, handing his coat to his apparent fianc¨¦e, ¡°I am going to enjoy this!¡±


    Instead of defending himself, Jilk got down on his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. Taken aback by this, the men stopped what they were about to do and looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°I am here to apologize for the pain and suffering I caused Clarice, nothing more.¡±, Jilk told them.


    ¡°If this is some sort of ploy to win me back, it is not going to work. I gave you everything I had, and you threw it back in my face without so much as a second thought.¡±, Clarice growled, glaring at him angrily, ¡°I refuse to be your ticket back into nobility!¡±


    ¡°I have no such intentions, Clarice. My only desire is to apologize to you so we may both move on.¡±, Jilk reasserted, ¡°It is my fault for not telling you my true feelings a long time ago. You are a kind and caring woman, but I could never see you as my life partner. Since the moment they announced our engagement, I have only ever seen you are the woman my parents thrust upon me without any say from me.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!!¡±, Dan roared, grabbing Jilk and throwing him onto his back.


    Rushing to Dan¡¯s side, the other man pinned Jilk down so Dan could pulverize him. Closing his eyes and accepting his beating, Dan was about to throw his first punch when Clarice commanded him to stop. Believing he had misheard her, Dan looked back at her with a questioning look.


    ¡°Let him go, he already paid what he owes me in blood today. Not only that, but Victor also exposed his cowardice and stupidity for all the nobles to see today.¡±, Clarice said, turning away from Jilk, ¡°Do not waste your energy on that cowardly man anymore. Let us return to the party and forget this miserable person ever existed.¡±


    Accepting her decision, her subordinates let Jilk go and quickly joined her. Relieved that he was not going to get beaten senseless, Jilk reached his hands up so Julius and Brad could help him up. Waiting for Clarice¡¯s group to re-enter their party before speaking, he let out a loud sigh of relief.


    ¡°It feels good to get that off my chest.¡±, Jilk said, turning to Julius, ¡°You are up next.¡±


    Nodding his head in confirmation, Julius turned toward us and stopped when he saw the entire first year class standing before him. Spotting Angelica right away, he walked right up to her and bowed his head. Giving her an almost word for word copy of Jilk¡¯s apology, Angelica¡¯s face contorted in rage. Before she knew what she was doing, she smacked him right across the face. Sending the guy stumbling away, he winced in pain as he tenderly touched the quickly reddening imprint of her hand.


    ¡°You¡­you bastard!! Am I not good enough for a genuine apology?!¡±, Angelica cried, ¡°We all heard Jilk give that same apology to Clarice!! You are just apologizing to try and save a bit of face!! I hate you, just stay away from me and leave me alone!!¡±


    Storming off somewhere else, Olivia chased after her while the rest of our peers returned inside. Looking at the moron, who was confused why he got hit, Julius looked back at his friends for an explanation. Giving him a shrug, it was clear to me they had all used the exact same apology.


    ¡°Do you five morons share only a single braincell? In what world is it okay to use the same apology for four different women?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°It was a genuine, heartfelt apology!¡±, Jilk argued, ¡°Are you saying it was not good enough for them?!¡±


    ¡°I am saying it loses its meaning if you all say it to your ex-fianc¨¦es.¡±, I explained, ¡°If you five wrote identical answers down on the final essay, what would happen?¡±


    ¡°The teachers would mark us down as having cheating because it was not written by us alone.¡±, Chris responded, as the light bulb went off, ¡°Oh¡­we should have written our own, unique apology for our ex-fianc¨¦es.¡±


    ¡°Jeez¡­¡±, I sighed, shaking my head at them, ¡°So what will you morons do now? It is almost certain at this point that your political careers are over. Do you have some sort of plan in mind to survive on your own?¡±


    Looking at one another, they each shrugged unsure of how to proceed. Believing they needed a goal to aim for, to avoid causing their families further trouble, I offered them a suggestion.


    ¡°How about becoming adventurers, like your forefathers before you? Since you are all free of any political obligations, you can travel around the country in search of wealth, fame, and adventure.¡±, I suggested, ¡°You have better armor, weapons, and training than most newbie adventurers do. If you work at it, you can become top class adventurers in no time.¡±


    ¡°You really think we can?¡±, Chris inquired.


    ¡°It will not be an easy road, but it will be one full of the freedom you guys want. Out there, the only limits of what you can do are the ones you put on yourselves.¡±, I remarked, ¡°Who knows, maybe you will find your special someone out there in there in a small tavern or village.¡±


    Liking the sound of that, all of them seemed to agree that pursuing lives as adventurers suited them perfectly. Quickly vacating the campus, they headed toward the Guild Hall to register themselves.


    ¡®Sorry Nicholas, hopefully you can whip those idiots into shape¡­¡¯, I thought, before heading off to find Angelica and Olivia.

 Chapter 43

    ---Three Weeks Later, Last Day of Break---


    Spending our short break relaxing on my island, the women took full advantage of the hot springs and beauty spa while I did some tinkering on a few projects. When the women were not otherwise preoccupied, I showed them around the underground facilities I had at this location. Letting them see how my beauty and hair care products were made, I gave them a chance to try out anything they wanted too, including items that Mylene had yet to sample. Sampling damn near everything I had, they took their favorite items and jammed as much as they could into their baggage. Watching their poor suitcases reach near critical mass, I felt bad for the maids that would unpack their stuff.


    Aside from the items I gave them, Angelica and Clarice took the opportunity to sample new foods. Hoping to discover other great tasting foods, like the Greek meals we had together, they quickly came to realize there was a lot they had yet to learn about food. Feeding them stuff like stuffed mushrooms, lasagna, hamburgers, potato chips, nachos, and pancakes, every new item they tried had them licking their plates clean afterward. Just a few days in, the two of them began critiquing everything they ate like they were amateur food critics. Joining in with them, mealtimes became quite a lot more entertaining as each of us had our own tastes. Enjoying every second we spent together, all of us felt a bit sad when the last day of vacation snuck up on us.


    ¡°It is hard to believe that tomorrow we all go back to the Academy again for another dreary semester. I can honestly say that this has been the most fun I have had since I was a young child. Thank you for allowing me to come here and decompress, it was truly needed after all that has happened.¡±, she said, looking down at her iced coffee, ¡°You know¡­if I am being honest, I am a bit jealous of Lucoa and Roxanne. Not only do you get to live with such luxuries, but you also have a man who treats you kindly and showers you with affection.¡±


    ¡°I never thought I would hear a duchess say she was jealous of me, it feels kind of a nice in a way.¡±, Lucoa replied, with a smug smile on her face, ¡°You know, if you want, you could join our group and become his legal fianc¨¦es. He needs to have a legal wife during our time here, I would rather it be someone I get along with than some fucking bitch. What do you think about it, Roxanne?¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I would be okay sharing Victor with them, they are nice people. The two of them treat us like normal people which is all I could ask for.¡±, Roxanne said, nodding her head in agreement.


    Looking at one another for a moment, a conflicted expression crept over their faces. Assuming they wanted to take more time to sort themselves out before jumping into another relationship, it did give me hope for the future as they did not immediately say no. Had they done so, I would have had to start looking for a legal wife elsewhere, which would have been quite disappointing. I had come to enjoy their company and did not like the idea of no longer having them around.


    ¡°It is a very tempting offer, but I need some time to think it over. I still have some lingering feelings for Jilk that I need to rid myself of and I want to take a step back to improve myself. Most of my life has been spent living for someone else, I want to use this opportunity to live for what I want.¡±, Clarice said, giving me an apologetic smile.


    ¡°I feel the same way, I promise to give you an honest answer as soon as I am ready.¡±, Angelica stated, ¡°I hope that is alright, Victor.¡±


    ¡°You did not automatically turn it down so there is hope for me yet. Take as much time as you need, I do not want to force you into anything you do not want.¡±, I chuckled, turning to look at Lucoa, ¡°Next time you decide to drop a bombshell like that, I would appreciate a heads up. If they had taken it negatively, it could have ruined our friendship.¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to play cupid for the three of you, is that so bad?¡±, Lucoa giggled, ¡°That said, I do promise to let you know moving forward.¡±


    ¡°On a side note, what did you mean when you said he needed to have a legal wife during your time here. Are three of you planning on abandoning the Holfort Kingdom?!¡±, Angelica asked, with a worried look, ¡°Do not tell me you were lying during your speech earlier this month¡­¡±


    Catching Lucoa¡¯s slip of the tongue, I let out a sigh and realized I had to let the cat out of the bag sooner than anticipated. Requesting a coffee refill, as my coffee was cold, I clapped my hands to darken the windows. Tapping the tabletop twice to activate the integrated computer, I pulled up a holographic projection of our planet before beginning to speak.


    ¡°I was intending to keep this between myself and my future family, but I suppose you should be made aware so you can take this into account about our potential future.¡±, I remarked, taking a sip of fresh coffee, ¡°To begin with, do you three know about the group who created Lost Items and why they are no longer around anymore?¡±


    ¡°If I remember history class correctly, there was an ancient race of humans who built machines to compete with our magic-wielding ancestors. The two groups hated each other because each group believed they were the future of humanity. Their headbutting eventually caused a war that tore our world apart and almost made us go extinct. Just before everything was destroyed, our ancestors managed to wipe them out and returned peace to the world.¡±, Olivia stated, trying her best to recall that dark chapter of our world¡¯s history.


    ¡°That is partially true, the truth is our world has not always had magic. It was accidentally introduced into our world when a scientific experiment went wrong. Due to the accident, half of the world¡¯s population gained the ability to use magic while the other half did not receive any benefits. The rift this created between people ultimately led to a great war as both sides believed they were the future of humanity. After a long and bloody war, the non-magical humans were run off our planet and forced to find a new home among the stars.¡±, I informed them, ¡°My goal is to follow after them and see what is out there.¡±


    Taking a second to process this information, a realization quickly came to them.


    ¡°Wait, are you saying the people our ancestors defeated are still alive?!¡±, Clarice inquired.


    ¡°They are very much alive and have thrived out in space. While we have only reached a population of around seven billion, the human population in space is incalculable. Humanity has covered whole swathes of the cosmos developing into their own unique cultures and groups. I want to go out into space to see what marvels we as a species have achieved, and bear witness to the beauty that has yet to be seen by human eyes.¡±, I remarked, ¡°It will not be easy, but I look forward to the challenges that await me out there.¡±


    Left speechless by what they were seeing, I could see a twinkle of curiosity in their eyes. Drawn in by the potential adventurers waiting to be had out there, they had a lot to consider and needed time to process everything. Leaving the photos up for a few minutes, I shut the projection down and undimmed the windows.


    ¡°It will be a few years before I leave this planet behind so, please take your time to decide if you want to join me on this lifelong adventure.¡±, I said, glancing over at Olivia, ¡°That includes you as well, Livia. I would love for you to join us as well, as my wife.¡±


    Choking on her juice, Olivia quickly snatched a napkin off the table to wipe her face. Looking at me with a confused expression, she evidently had not realized my feelings for her yet.


    ¡°Livia, you and I have spent quite a lot of time together during the last semester. I have come to love the caring, kindhearted woman that you are, even if you are a bit of an airhead at times.¡±, I remarked, with a smile, ¡°If I could make you my legal wife here, I would do so in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, I bound by the laws of the kingdom. Once we are free of this world¡¯s laws, I swear to make you my full-fledged wife.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±, Olivia said, ¡°I¡­I do not know what to say. Can you please give me some time to think about it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±, I agreed, ¡°And Livia, no matter what you think, none of us at this table think of you as a burden. Everyone here cares a great deal about you, your status does not mean anything to us.¡±


    ¡°That is right, Livia!¡±, Angelica seconded.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±, Olivia said, as steam began pouring from her head again.


    With the heavy topic out of the way, all of us retired to our rooms to prepare for our return trip and the beginning of the next semester.

 Chapter 44

    Returning to our usual daily grind the next day, the four of us were pleasantly surprised that we were not immediately swarmed by our fellow classmates as we walked onto campus. Focusing their attention on the upcoming school festival and tournament, instead of us, everyone was walking around discussing what booths they wanted to run or competition they wanted to participate in. Wanting to skip the whole thing, as it was not something I was interested in, I turned and asked the women what they planned to do.


    ¡°I am honestly not sure what to do.¡±, Angelica remarked, thinking of ideas, ¡°Honestly, I was planning on helping the manage the festival, but I doubt that is an option now.¡±


    ¡°I planned on helping my subordinates at their booths, unless one of you had a suggestion.¡±, Clarice said, looking at Olivia and me.


    ¡°Haha, I am considering skipping the whole thing to work on some projects.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°What about you, Livia?¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Well¡­do you have any suggestions for food we could serve?¡±, Olivia inquired, ¡°I think we could be the number one booth, if the dishes we had on break are any indication.¡±


    Nodding their heads in agreement, Angelica and Clarice shared her optimism about my culinary knowledge. Thinking back to the festivals I attended as a child, in my previous life, I recalled several different food items that would work. Before opening my mouth to acknowledge her, an important thought crossed my mind. If I supplied them with the ingredients and recipes, would any of them be able to cook them.


    ¡°Yeah, I have a few recipes that would work, but who would cook them?¡±, I asked, looking at Angelica and Clarice specifically, ¡°Can any of you cook?¡±


    ¡°I can bake a few desserts like cupcakes and cookies.¡±, Angelica said, with a proud smile.


    ¡°I know how to boil eggs¡­¡±, Clarice answered, with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°Of course, I helped my mother cook back home.¡±, Olivia replied, happy she could be of use in this situation.


    ¡°So only one of you is able to cook the recipes¡­great.¡±, I sighed, ¡°Livia, are you certain you are okay cooking by yourself? If your reactions are anything to go by, your booth will be incredibly busy from dawn till dusk.¡±


    Puffing her cheeks out as she looked at me, Olivia did not like my answer. Immediately stopping where she was, she made it abundantly clear I needed to help physically too.


    ¡°It will not be any fun if you skip out on us. Is there something wrong with spending time together with your friends?¡±, Olivia inquired.


    Looking at Angelica and Clarice, the two of them nodded their heads in agreement. Unwilling to open their booth without my presence there, the three of them were trying to strong-arm me into participating. Realizing this was them trying to get to know me better, I relented and agreed to participate.


    ¡®I have been meaning to test my Neural Network out, this could be a good opportunity to do it. If it works properly, I should be able to help them here while simultaneously working on my projects in my lab.¡¯, I thought, believing it would be a good way to hammer out the bugs, ¡°Alright, you win. If you agree to let Lucoa and Roxanne help us, I will participate. The four of us will not be able to run the booth alone, we need them to pull it off successfully.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, their assistance would be greatly appreciated.¡±, Clarice accepted, as Angelica and Olivia nodded their heads, ¡°How about we head to the library to write out our proposal? The sooner we get it to the administration, the better our chances of getting a good spot are.¡±


    As this semester was mainly about building connections and making allies, our academic course load was significantly lighter than the prior semester. With no classes holding us back, the women were very enthusiastic about this as they began verbally planning the d¨¦cor and design of our booth. Just as we were about to head over to the library, a voice called out asking me to wait a moment. Turning back to see who it was, a blonde, drilled haired woman strolled up to us with her subordinates in tow.


    ¡°My apologies for interrupting all of you, may I have a moment of Viscount Victor¡¯s time?¡±, Deirdre inquired.


    ¡°How can I help you, Miss Roseblade?¡±, I replied.


    ¡°I have been meaning to thank you for saving my life, but certain things popped up which inhibited me from doing so. Please forgive me for not expressing my gratitude to you sooner.¡±, Deirdre bowing her head respectfully.


    ¡°It is alright, the end of the semester was quite hectic for all of us.¡±, I said, ¡°As for saving you, you are most certainly welcome. I am glad that you made it out with only a few bumps and bruises.¡±


    ¡°My father would like to properly thank you in person as well. Would you be available to come to our manor for dinner in the next few weeks?¡±, she questioned.


    Taking a quick look at my calendar, I confirmed that I was open for next Thursday. Letting her know this, she promised to notify her father and get back to me with formal details. Thanking me for my time, Deirdre turned and began walking away. Stopping after a few steps, she glanced back at Angelica and Clarice.


    ¡°You may have a head start, but I will catch up quickly. Mark my words.¡±, Deirdre stated, before walking away.


    Knowing full well what she was insinuating, I assumed her father would bring it up during our dinner. As one of the more prominent nobles in the kingdom, their family was in quite a predicament as Earl Roseblade only had two daughters and was unable to sire more children. The continuance of his bloodline meant he had to marry his daughters to promising young men or it would die out with his daughters. His eldest daughter had already graduated the Academy without finding a husband, and now Deirdre was about to do the same.


    ¡®They are a good family, though the daughters are a bit much. Dorothea is a shy, silent masochist and Deirdre is an energetic masochist parading around as a sadist. Their personalities are part of the reason the Earl is probably sweating bullets right now.¡¯, I thought, as we began walking to the library.


    ¡°Why was she talking about a head start?¡±, Olivia asked, with a confused look, ¡°Are the two of you in a competition with her?¡±


    ¡°You could say that¡­¡±, Clarice acknowledged.


    ¡°Livia, Deirdre was referring to building a relationship with Victor.¡±, Angelica informed her.


    ¡°Oh!!¡±, Olivia said, understanding things now, ¡°It seems like you are going to have your hands full¡­must be nice being so popular.¡±


    ¡°No, not even a little bit¡­¡±, I responded, ¡°Being popular means I will have troublesome people pestering me all the time. I would rather keep the company I have now than be swarmed by dozens of self-serving admirers.¡±


    Taking that as a compliment, the three women smiled pleasantly and got back to discussing our booth.


    ---3rd Person POV, Fanoss Capital---


    Sitting on his throne, King Fanoss listened to several of his nobleman complain about recent incursions along the border with the Kingdom. Regretting his decision to bribe or chase Sky Pirates into the Kingdom¡¯s airspace, he wished he had followed his gut instinct instead of the honeyed words of their most prominent ally. Having been led to believe the Kingdom would ignore this act of aggression, everything had gone downhill just weeks after the plan went into effect.


    After a brief period of calm, Viscount Stark began a deadly campaign against the pirates and the principality¡¯s ships. Having caught them in the act of chasing pirates across the border on several occasions, the Viscount¡¯s ships had shot down both groups without any hesitation. The first few times this happened, the local noblemen attempted help believing that with additional numbers they could overpower the Viscount ships. Unfortunately for them, the Viscount obliterated everything they threw at him. They even attempted to ambush a lone vessel with over two hundred ships, and it sunk all of them alone.


    ¡°Your Highness, we need to do something immediately!!¡±, one of the noblemen cried, ¡°If nothing is done, the Viscount will grow bolder and begin striking our cities!! Our navies are almost depleted, we need help from the Royal Navy!!¡±


    ¡°With several thousand vessels, we will definitely be able to push the Viscount away!¡±, another noblemen said, truly believing numbers would overwhelm the Viscount¡¯s small fleet.


    ¡°Sir Vandel, do you believe we could win if we threw more ships at the Viscount¡¯s fleet?¡±, Queen Fanoss inquired.


    ¡°Having seen their power firsthand, I do not believe a numerical advantage will get us anywhere. His soldiers are nothing like the Kingdom¡¯s soldiers, they are well equipped, well trained, and are strong willed men.¡±, the Black Knight said, ¡°Not only that, but his vessels are also far superior to anything we have in our arsenal. In every encounter I witnessed, not even one of our attacks managed to breach the ship¡¯s defenses let alone scratch the paint. If we sent the Royal Fleet out to face them, it would only demoralize our forces as they bore witness to the insurmountable odds we face.¡±


    Agreeing with his assessment of the situation, King Fanoss was inclined to seek out a peaceful resolution to this matter. Knowing that making peace with the Kingdom was impossible, given that Vandel and many noblemen would revolt against them, the next best option was making peace with the Holfort Prodigy. Since he was not spoken for yet, King Fanoss felt that offering to marry him to one of his daughters would be sufficient to end the mounting aggression along the border. Just before he could speak his suggestion aloud, the noblemen began getting rowdy again.


    ¡°So we are to just let him walk all over us?!¡±, a noblemen spat, full of disgust.


    ¡°The harvest season begins in less than two months!! If nothing is done before then, he could burn our food supply to the ground and make the people starve!!¡±, one of the more prominent men shouted.


    ¡°Wait a moment, I did not say all hope was lost. I simply stated that numbers alone will not win the battle for us. We need to plan accordingly and pull the Viscount away from the border. Once his ships are gone, we can attack their border nobles and raze everything to the ground.¡±, the Black Knight said, ¡°To do that, we will need to rely on our allies within the Kingdom. While he is no longer the Defense Minister, Marquess Frampton still has a lot of sway among the Kingdom¡¯s nobles. The duke and his allies are in shambles right now, thanks to the actions of two women, so this is the opportune moment to begin laying the groundwork for our counteroffensive.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, I believe there is a more sensible option here. As he is unspoken for, we can have him marry one of my daughters and bring him over to our side. This would resolve our border problem while also garnering us a powerful ally within the Kingdom.¡±, the King suggested.


    Disregarding his words, Vandel and the noblemen left the room to discuss their plans in detail. Watching them disappear as they turned the corner, the two royals hung their heads in defeat. From the beginning of their reign they wanted to make peace with the Kingdom, but centuries of bad blood kept that possibility from happening. Very few nobles wanted peace, meaning they had to adopt a hardline stance against the Kingdom, or face possible assassination at the hands of their own nobles.


    ¡°Dear, what are we going to do?¡±, the Queen inquired, with a worried look, ¡°We have been unable to find the leak in our intelligence network. Once the Holfort Prodigy gets wind of their plans, he will be lying in wait for us to make our move.¡±


    ¡°I know dear, that is why I believe we should move forward with my idea of wedding one of our daughters to him. We can send Hertrude to the Academy under the guise of being a foreign exchange student. Given the less than favorable treatment his peers have given him, it should be simple enough for her to win his heart and seal the deal with marriage.¡±, the King said, optimistic of his plan.


    ¡°Very well, we should have Marquess Frampton begin the process of making that happen.¡±, the Queen agreed.


    Rising from their seats, the couple quickly went to their study to begin laying out the groundwork for his plan.

 Chapter 45

    ---Several Days Later, Victor POV---


    While we awaited approval from the school administration to move forward with our booth, I took the opportunity to begin development of a new power source for Project Homebase. Due to the immense power draw that the project would require to function properly, arc and fusion reactors were not practical options. According to my calculations, I would have needed hundreds of them to power the star base and I just did not have the room to do that. Having only dedicated four locations to power generation, I was left with only two options¡­harness the power of a star or dip into zero point energy. As zero point energy was incredibly difficult to collect safely, my decision was clear¡­I needed to create a star.


    To begin the laborious task of creating a star, I built a specialized collection drone and sent it to our sun to collect some plasma. Bringing the drone in on a low angle of attack, Jarvis opened the containment device and began to collect material while I handled piloting the craft. Bobbing and weaving through the sea of fire, we almost ended up losing it a few times at the beginning of the collection.


    ¡°How are we looking, Jarvis? Is the containment field holding steady?¡±, I asked, focusing all my attention on avoiding solar flares.


    <The containment field is holding steady with no fluctuations detected. Solar storage capacity at forty percent and climbing.>


    ¡°Perfect, continue monitoring and let me know when we reach ninety percent.¡±, I said, barrel rolling the drone out of a surprise flare up.


    Calmly weaving through the mine field of fiery pillars, I continued on my heading till Jarvis gave me the ninety percent warning. Slowly pulling the drone away from the sun¡¯s surface, Jarvis closed the collection hatch and prepared to put the impulse engines at full throttle. Disconnecting from the drone, as I was no longer needed, Jarvis took over from there and brought our fuel home.


    ¡°Alright Jarvis, since the drone will not be back for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, I am going to head upstairs to get a drink. Let me know if you encounter any problems.¡±, I said, getting up from my seat and heading toward the stairs.


    <Of course, sir.>


    Walking up the stairs and into the kitchen, I found Lucoa and Olivia giving everyone a crash course on cooking¡­emphasis on the word crash. Having decided to make a show of the food preparation, all of us needed to know how to cook and sell our offerings. Since we believed that the food would sell itself and we all could do basic math, the only real challenge was getting everyone up to snuff on cooking. Lucoa and Olivia took it upon themselves to help the others out, and it was going slower than anticipated.


    ¡°Slowly squeeze the batter into the oil, do not manhandle it.¡±, Lucoa told Clarice.


    ¡°I am trying, it does not want to come out!!¡±, Clarice grunted, having trouble forcing the batter out of the star shaped nozzle, ¡°Come on already!!¡±


    Offering to check the nozzle for clogs, Clarice assured me she had right before the nozzle shot off the bag. Watching both the nozzle and batter go flying into the oil, I used the Force to pull the two women out of the splash zone.


    ¡°How about we not deep fry ourselves while cooking in my kitchen, alright?¡±, I said, in a teasing tone.


    ¡°I did not mean to do it, I swear!¡±, Clarice assured me, ¡°I am sorry Lucoa!¡±


    ¡°No one got hurt so it is fine.¡±, Lucoa remarked, walking over to the stove and pulling the nozzle out with a spider strainer, ¡°Shit¡­it is my fault, this is not the right nozzle. This is an icing nozzle, not the funnel cake one.¡±


    Relieved that she had not screwed something up, the two of them filled up another piping bag while one of my robots cleaned up the oil. Walking over to the fridge to get a drink, I poured myself a cup of black tea and made my way back toward the lab.


    ¡°Victor, before you go, can you try my funnel cake?¡±, Roxanne inquired, eagerly jumping out of her seat.


    ¡°Of course, I am happy to be a taste tester.¡±, I replied, quickly turning around and walking over to her.


    Presenting me with her funnel cake, Roxanne had drizzled it with strawberry sauce and powdered sugar. Impressed that she found one of the most popular funnel cake toppings, I praised her for thinking outside the box. Watching her tail begin to violently wag, she clearly enjoyed my praise. Using a fork to cut off a piece for me to sample, she presented to me with an anxious smile.


    ¡°¡­say ah¡­¡±, she requested, with a flushed expression.


    ¡®She is so fucking adorable¡­¡¯, I thought, ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Gingerly biting the food off the fork, I took a moment to savor her cooking. Finding the texture and flavor to be exactly the way I remembered as a child, it reminded me of the pleasant memories I had of the times my parents and I went to the county fair. Recalling those moments fondly, I hoped to find equally happy memories out in the expanse of space someday.


    ¡°Good job Roxanne, it tastes amazing!¡±, I praised her again, ¡°There is nothing I would change about it. Your creation is exactly the way it should be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!!¡±, she remarked, with a beaming smile, ¡°Did you hear that, Lucoa? I did it on my third try!!¡±


    ¡°I did, Roxanne, congratulations!¡±, Lucoa said, with a grin, ¡°Now you can move to making hand pies.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±, Roxanne replied, full of determination.


    Happy that they were making good progress, I was about to leave the kitchen again when Angelica and Olivia grabbed my shirt. Looking back at them, the two women presented me with their funnel cakes as well.


    ¡°Please let me know how this tastes.¡±, Angelica nervously requested, ¡°I¡­I want your honest opinion.¡±


    ¡°Check mine too, I made some changes and want your opinion on it.¡±, Olivia said, even though I knew she had the normal recipe down pat.


    Knowing this was a competition for them now, I was not going to turn down two beautiful girls offering me their cooking. Nodding my head in agreement, the two of them offered me a bite of their cakes. Savoring each of them, both women had nailed the funnel cake taste itself but were lacking in the topping department. As sugar was incredibly expensive for most people, they had used it sparingly on the funnel cake which detracted from the overall taste of the dish.


    ¡°Both of you did an excellent job making the funnel cake batter, but you need to use more powdered sugar. It tastes a bit bland without the sugar or other toppings on it.¡±, I said, walking over to the fridge to get them a few alternative toppings, ¡°Do not hesitate to add generous helpings on the cakes. All the ingredients we use are grown by me so there is no shortage of items.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±, Olivia gulped, adding some maple syrup to her funnel cake, ¡°It feels so wrong wasting such expensive ingredients on this.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Victor says it is okay, so just go with it.¡±, Angelica remarked, ¡°If he had a shortage of something, he would tell us.¡±


    Experimenting with the toppings I presented them with, the three of them began mixing and matching, trying to find the right combination. Pouring them tall glasses of milk to wash everything down, I playfully smacked Roxanne¡¯s rear end before heading back to the lab. Looking at me in confusion as I rounded the corner, Angelica and Clarice began asking her what that was about, much to my amusement. Listening to her explain what it meant, I could not help but chuckle to myself as the two of them gasped in shock.


    ---Ten Minutes Later---


    Watching the drone slowly enter the hanger, Jarvis ran a few quick tests to confirm radiation was not leaking out before docking it. Hooking it up to the solar generator, we began siphoning off the plasma and sent it to the containment chamber. Closing the intake once it was full, I initiated the gravitational and magnetic stabilizers so we could begin compressing it into a sphere. Incrementally increasing the gravitational forces on the sphere, eventually, the hydrogen atoms began smashing together to form helium atoms like in a normal star.


    ¡°Jarvis, continue to increase the gravitational pressure on the star. I will begin adding the hydrogen gas manually.¡±, I requested.


    <Beginning incremental increases now, sir.>


    Adding a compressed stream of hydrogen into the containment chamber, I quickly opened the taps enough to make the star roughly the size of a large yoga ball. Maintaining it to the best of our ability, my eyes fixated on the holographic screen that was displaying how much power we were generating and how much we used to maintain the gravitational and magnetic fields.


    ¡°Alright Jarvis, shut it down.¡±, I said, noticing a significant spike in power draw as we hit a two thousand times normal gravity.


    <Congratulations sir, it appears we have created a new source of clean energy. At full scale, each of the four solar generators could theoretically output twenty ronnawatts of electricity.>


    AN: A ronnawatt is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 watts, or 1 octillion watts.


    ¡°Thank you, Jarvis, but I do not think it is a sustainable method of power generation.¡±, I sighed, looking at our current operational power systems, ¡°We used up all our stored power and maxed out all our current power generation just to run the solar generator for a minute. I think we are going to need another option, and I believe a star still holds the answer. Having seen how much energy that small amount of solar plasma had; I think we should harvest vast amounts of it to power the star base. Any time we run low on fuel; we just harvest more from a nearby star.¡±


    <Storing vast amounts of plasma would be relatively easy as well. I would still highly recommend installing some form of power generation on the star base in the event you run out of solar plasma in a precarious situation.>


    ¡°I concur, I believe we can further improve my fusion reactor design to get us enough power to run emergency systems in a pinch. There are also other power sources that could work, but I do not have access to them.¡±, I remarked, ¡®It is not like I can find a Cosmic Cube or an Infinity Stone just lying around somewhere. All of that is going to have to wait till we are off planet to find.¡¯


    Jotting all of my notes down, I switched gears and began looking into methods to efficiently draw as much power out of solar plasma as I could.

 Chapter 46

    ---A Few Days Later---


    Putting the power problems behind me now, thanks to solar plasma, the next thing on my list was testing Yamato¡¯s blink, folding, and warp drives to ensure everything worked properly. Wanting to use their designs for the rest of my vessels and the star base, I wanted to be one hundred percent sure they worked before committing the resources to it. Just as I was about to head out for testing, Angelica and company entered my lab full of excitement.


    ¡°Victor, they approved our application!!¡±, Olivia shouted, ¡°We got a really good spot too!¡±


    ¡°We wanted to get started on building the booth right away, but did we catch you at a bad time?¡±, Angelica asked, as I was all kitted out in space gear.


    ¡°I was about to head out into space for a bit. Can we push the booth construction to this afternoon?¡±, I replied, ¡°I should be back in a few hours.¡±


    Promptly setting the paperwork down on my desk, all five of them quickly approached me with expectant gazes. Realizing they wanted to come with me, I let out a sigh and told Jarvis to bring up their space suits. Having anticipated this, Luxion went ahead and manufactured custom suits for each of them.


    ¡°Here are your space suits, grab the one with your name stitched onto the front of it.¡±, I said, as the rack rose out of the floor, ¡°They are custom made to fit you, let Luxion know if the sizing is off.¡±


    ¡°Custom made for us¡­how did you get our measurements?¡±, Clarice asked, looking at my hesitantly.


    ¡°Lucoa and Roxanne aside, the three of you shop at my clothing stores so all your measurements are written down. If I wanted to, I could look up damn near everyone¡¯s measurements in the kingdom.¡±, I said, with a mischievous grin, ¡°That said, I have never once looked at any of my customer¡¯s measurements. Luxion handled the manufacturing of your suits, I just sewed your names onto them.¡±


    Letting out sighs of relief, the three of them were happy that I did not know their exact sizes. Wondering if they felt ashamed of their bodies for some reason, I truly felt that all five of them were stunning the way they were.


    ¡°Luxion, this goes without saying, but please never disclose that information to anyone for any reason.¡±, Angelica pleaded.


    <As from Miss Lucoa and Miss Roxanne¡¯s sizes, I have been given strict instructions to never reveal sizes to anyone, even Master Stark. That said, he has expressed his admiration for the five of you on multiple occasions.>


    Surprised that Luxion was helping me out of nowhere, I was not about to pass this opportunity up. Expressing my belief that all of them were breathtaking, my classmates blushed while Lucoa and Roxanne gave me a passionate kiss. Shooting Luxion a grateful nod, he flew to my side and observed their reactions some more.


    ¡°So¡­do you have a place we can change into these suits?¡±, Clarice said, getting us back on track.


    ¡°Not in the lab, no. Once we are on Yamato, Lucoa and Roxanne can show you where you can change outfits.¡±, I stated, ¡°Jarvis, please send us over.¡±


    <Sending you over now, sir.>


    Engulfing us in a brilliant light, in an instant we were on Yamato¡¯s bridge. Giving everyone¡¯s eyes a moment to adjust, Lucoa led the ladies into the sleeping quarters where they could have some privacy. While they suited up, I did some final checks with the engineering team and Yamato to ensure everything was good to go.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later---


    Returning to the bridge in their space suits, it was very apparent that Luxion had gone for a skintight suit for the ladies. Highlighting every curve on their bodies, I was happy that Jarvis had softened Luxion over the years as the OG Luxion would have never done this for me. Doing my best not to ogle them, I greeted them as they approached me.


    ¡°Not to be rude but are these nearly skintight suits really necessary?¡±, Angelica asked, a bit self-conscious about her appearance.


    ¡°The alternative was a baggy, oversized suit that is hard to move around in. In the future, I can build you ladies a custom armored suit like mine, should you decide to join our family.¡±, I told her, ¡°Lucoa and Roxanne already have their own armored suits, but they are not accustomed to using them yet. Currently they have issues controlling their enhanced strength and the flight system.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it is a lot harder than it looks. I have already crashed like twelve times.¡±, Lucoa giggled, ¡°It is a lot of fun though.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±, Roxanne agreed, as her tail wagged uncontrollably.


    Pressing a button on my console, five seats rose out of the floor for the ladies to use during our flight. While they took their seats, the flight crew began preparing the ship for launch. Sounding the departure alarms across the ship, the crew began sealing all external doors and windows before heading to their assigned posts. Waiting for confirmation that the ship was airtight, once Yamato gave all clear, the helmsman looked to me for instructions.


    Ordering him to take us up, he tipped Yamato¡¯s bow upward at a forty-five-degree angle and began steadily increasing our speed. Watching the blue sky slowly turn black, as we reached outer orbit, I had him bring us around so Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia could take in the view. Hearing them gasp loudly, the three of them jumped out of their seats and ran to the window to get a better view of our speckled, blue marble.


    ¡°I had not idea our world was this big!¡±, Olivia said, as her eyes glimmered with wonder, ¡°It is so beautiful from up here.¡±


    ¡°Seeing our world from up here really puts into perspective how small we all really are.¡±, Angelica remarked, ¡°Victor, would it be possible to bring my father and brother up here sometime to show them this as well?¡±


    ¡°That can be arranged.¡±, I acknowledged, ¡°What do you think of this, Clarice?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I am honestly lost for words right now. When you first told us about your dream, I thought you were insane or a lunatic. Now that I see what you do, I can completely understand your desire to see what else is out there.¡±, Clarice stated, looking at me with a new passion burning in her eyes, ¡°I am certain now, I want to see what else is out there in universe too! You can count me in for this adventure of yours!¡±


    Watching the adventurous spirit in her heart flare up, I knew she was sold on sharing my dream with me, just like Lucoa and Roxanne were. Welcoming her to our party with open arms, Clarice was very excited to see where this new adventure took her. Suggesting they take their seats again so we could leave, showed them how to strap in so they did not get thrown around during our initial jump to warp speed.


    ¡°Alright crew, time to take our maiden voyage into the depths of space!¡±, I proclaimed, over the PA system, ¡°All hands, prepare to go to warp!¡±


    <It is about flipping time, Captain!!>


    Feeling her warp engines begin to fire up, Yamato began blaring her jump alarm across the ship so everyone could strap in. Giving the crew a few minutes to prepare, I gave the helmsman our destination.


    ¡°Set a course for the space station we detected with our deep space satellites. Remember, take us on an indirect path past a few stars to hide our warp trail. I do not want anyone following us back here!¡±, I ordered him, ¡°Yamato, count us down once our course is plotted.¡±


    ¡°Aye Captain!¡±, the helmsman and Yamato acknowledged. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Using the makeshift star chart I had made with Jarvis, Luxion, and Yamato, the helmsmen charted us on a course that would pass close by five different stars. Satisfied that our trail would be incredibly difficult to follow, I gave my seal of approval as Yamato began her countdown.


    <¡­five¡­four¡­three¡­two¡­one¡­MAXIMUM POWER!!>


    Feeling the engines roar to life, the scenery around us quickly began mere streaks of light. Entering Warp 1, Yamato shook violently as she had yet to calibrate herself for warp speeds. Carefully adjusting her stabilizers, slowly the shaking disappeared till she returned to her buttery smooth self. Disengaging her warp alarm, the crew was given all clear to move around again.


    <I am fully calibrated now, increasing speed to Warp 5 Captain.>


    ¡°At Warp 5, we should reach our destination in hour, right?¡±, I clarified, wanting to make sure my math was right.


    <Correct, Captain.>


    Getting up from my seat, I walked up to my console and began radioing departments one by one for a status check.


    ¡°Engine Room how are the warp engines holding up?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°They are purring like kittens, sir. No problems to report!¡±, the Chief of Engineering confirmed.


    ¡°Medical Bay, any injuries to report?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°No injuries reported, sir!¡±, the Chief Medical Officer answered, ¡°If anyone comes in, we will let you know immediately.¡±


    Confirming everything was fine in the other departments, I let out a sigh of relief as this meant our first warp jump was a success. Motioning for the women to unstrap themselves, I decided to take them on a tour of the ship to pass the time.


    ---An Hour Later---


    Returning to our seats just a few moments before we dropped out of warp, the massive space station came into view as the scenery around us returned to normal. Noticing that were no lights on within the station, I had Yamato scan it for any signs of life inside while we circled around it.


    <Captain, there are no signs of life onboard.>


    ¡°Did they abandon it for some reason?¡±, Olivia asked, as the backside came into view, ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    Finding a gaping hole in the hull of the station, it appeared a massive explosion had taken it out of commission. As the metal was bent outward and not inward, I deduced that that explosion had occurred inside, not outside the station. Uncertain if this was the result of a reactor meltdown or sabotage, my gut instinct was to investigate this area further for clues.


    ¡°Bridge to Engineering, deploy a few drones to investigate inside the space station.¡±, I ordered, ¡°Our primary objective is to determine what caused this. A secondary objective is to retrieve any data we can from the station¡¯s mainframe.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡±, the Chief of Engineering acknowledged, ¡°Give us a few minutes, we will send a live feed to the bridge once we are inside.¡±


    While the Engineering Team got things ready, I had Yamato raise the shielding and place our weapon systems on standby. Unsure how long along this place was attacked, there was no way in hell I was going to be caught with my pants down while we were investigating. Sending the live feed over several minutes later, the drone pilots began fanning out once they entered the station.


    Greeted by the chilling sight of frozen corpses floating around inside, it appeared a battle had been going on just before the explosion. Unable to identify the emblems on most of the uniforms the deceased wore, when we came across one that I did recognize, I ordered the drone¡¯s operator to stop where he was.


    ¡°Zoom in and enhance the emblem on that shoulder guard!¡±, I ordered, narrowing my eyes.


    ¡°Roger that.¡±, the pilot said, doing as I asked.


    ¡°Victor, do you know that emblem?¡±, Lucoa inquired.


    Waiting for a better image to appear on screen, I clenched my fists in anger and concern. Recognizing the Black Legion¡¯s emblem anywhere, this revelation sent a chill down my spine. These bastards were only an hour away from our world, that was way too close for comfort in my mind.


    ¡°Yamato, raise our status to red alert. Until we are certain when this location was attacked, we will treat this having happened only minutes ago!¡±, I commanded, ¡°Any anomalies and communications you intercept, I want to know about it! Also, get me samples of their DNA.¡±


    ¡°Victor, what is going on?¡±, Angelica asked, in a nervous tone.


    ¡°That emblem belongs to a traitorous group of enhanced humans called the Black Legion. They take great pleasure in terrorizing their enemies on the battlefield, and even more pleasure in the slaughter of civilian populaces. The Black Legion are nowhere near as formidable as they were in their hay day, but they are still a very real threat to our world.¡±, I informed her, ¡°Each member of the Black Legion was created to perform at superhuman levels, aside from my forces, no other military force on our planet could stand against them.¡±


    Understanding the gravity of the situation now, they began to share my uneasiness about this situation. Having the drone operators quickly retrieve DNA samples and data from the mainframe, I was about to give the order to retreat when Communication Officer Layla said she was receiving a distress call of unknown origin. Reporting that the transmission was heavily encrypted, I had Yamato review the data we retrieved for any encryption keys it might contain. Finding the information we needed, she quickly decrypted the message for us.


    ¡°This is Passenger Transport Vessel Helios Alpha; we are requesting emergency assistance from anyone receiving this message. We are under attack from a fleet of Space Pirates and a small group of Black Legion Space Marines. They have disabled our engines, and our shielding will not hold out much longer.¡±, a man¡¯s voice cried, in English, ¡°I have five hundred souls onboard, mostly refugee women and children. If anyone is hearing this message, please send aid immediately!¡±


    ¡°Commander, how would you like to proceed?¡±, Layla asked, looking at me.


    Knowing that we stood little to gain by helping these people, or that this was a trap, I weighed my options carefully as a lot was riding on this. If we decided to ignore the call and leave, we could use the blink or folding drives to get away leaving little trace of our presence here. On the other hand, if we decided to acknowledge the call and help, this opportunity could show me where my improvements to Yamato put her compared to other vessels. Not only that, but it would also grant me the opportunity to fight Space Marines and see where I needed improvements for future encounters. All that said though, this could all be a ploy to draw unsuspecting ships into a trap.


    ¡°While this could very well be a trap, but I do not care about that. Yamato, prepare the Folding Drive and bring all weapon systems online. We are going to hopefully give these bastards one hell of a surprise attack.¡±, I ordered, ¡°Communication Officer Layla, notify the vessel that we are on our way to provide assistance.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±, she said, immediately transmitting our response, ¡°This is the Starship Yamato, we are¡­¡±


    Returning to my seat, as the helmsman plotted our jump, I apologized to the women for dragging them into this. Shaking their heads, instead of being upset, they looked relieved that I was choosing to help them.


    ¡°You are going to help someone in need, right? There is no way we would be upset about that.¡±, Olivia assured me.


    ¡°I expected nothing less of you, Victor.¡±, Roxanne praised me, with a proud smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±, I replied, ¡°Alright team, time to kick some ass!¡±


    Confirming that his calculations were correct, the helmsmen activated Yamato¡¯s Folding Drive and crossed his fingers. Either we were about make history again, or we were all about to die a very sudden death.

 Chapter 47

    ---3rd Person POV, Helios Alpha¡¯s Bridge---


    Standing by his Communication Station, Captain Philip Gibson listened closely as his radio operator repeatedly sent out their distress signal. Regretting his decision to take a less traveled route to avoid a situation like this, this remote route might cost everyone onboard their lives. On the edge of explored space, the chances of anyone being able to assist them was slim and everyone on the bridge knew that. Hearing his fear-stricken patrons screaming in fear down in the passenger cabin, he decided to prepare for the worst-case scenario.


    ¡°First Mate Vargast, go down to the Security Room and bring up all the spare weapons and armor we have. Hand them out to every able-bodied person in the passenger cabin.¡±, Captain Gibson ordered, with a grim expression.


    ¡°Sir, none of them probably know how to fight, they are civilian women and children.¡±, First Mate Vargast argued, ¡°They could blow a hole in the side of our ship and kill all of us!¡±


    ¡°Vargast, we have a security team of only thirty men. When they board this ship, and it seems like they will soon, our men will be overwhelmed by the Black Legion and pirates. Every additional person we can add to our fighting force helps us tip the balance to our favor, even if it is only a little bit.¡±, Captain Gibson refuted, ¡°Now go get the weapons, and distribute them like I ordered you too. We do not have time to waste arguing this.¡±


    Understanding his captain¡¯s thinking now, the first mate saluted him and promptly left to fetch the weapons. Turning his gaze toward his console, their shield power now read just nineteen percent. At the current rate of depletion, he estimated they had only two or three minutes before the shields were gone. Deciding to make his stand at the shuttle dock doors, the captain was about to make his way there when responses to their radio calls came through.


    ¡°This is the USS Triton; we have received your distress signal. We are preparing to jump to your location, ETA is fifteen minutes.¡±, the Triton responded.


    ¡°We have received your distress call; the Daedalus is headed your way now. ETA thirteen minutes.¡±, the Daedalus answered.


    ¡°This is the Commander of Sirius Mercenary Group; we are nearby and heading to your location. We expect to arrive in twenty minutes.¡±, the Sirius Commander remarked.


    Relieved that help was on the way, that relief quickly vanished as he remembered they had only minutes left now. By the time help arrived, his ship would be picked clean, and everyone onboard would be dead, spirited away by the pirates to be sold on the open market, or handed over to the Black Legion for slave labor. Grabbing the microphone from the radio operator, the captain began broadcasting his own message.


    ¡°If anyone else is hearing this broadcast, we need emergency support. We are minutes away from- ¡°, he began to say.


    Before he could say more, a powerful explosion rocked the ship causing the power to flicker all over the ship. Uncertain what caused the explosion, as it was significantly bigger than anything prior, the ship¡¯s automated system began blaring warnings.


    <Ship Shielding has reached zero percent. Loss of atmosphere detected in the Engine Room, seal off area immediately.>


    ¡°Captain, we have major issues down here. One of our thruster engines exploded, there is a large breach in the stern of the ship!¡±, the Chief of Engineering reported, ¡°We are trying to seal off the compartment, but the beating we have been taking has jammed the doors open.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to compound the problems, Captain, but we have five shuttles inbound. Our equipment is showing twenty men in each one.¡±, the security chief reported.


    Hearing the news, the captain ordered all the crew to grab their weapons and prepare to fight. Watching his team members rush to the shuttle doors, Captain Gibson sent out one final plea for help.


    ¡°This is Captain Philip Gibson of the Helios Alpha. We are under attack by a large space pirate fleet and a band of Black Legion space marines. Our shielding has been taken out and we are moments away from being boarded. If anyone is in the vicinity, please help us. I have five hundred souls onboard, mostly refugee women and children.¡±, the captain said, knowing those who had responded moments ago had already jumped to warp.


    Hanging up the microphone, the captain pulled his plasma pistol off his hip and ensured it was fully charged. Turning to leave and join his crew, an unexpected alert began sounding across the ship.


    <Spatial Distortion detected one kilometer away, portside.>


    ¡®A Spatial Distortion? We are hundreds of light years away from any black holes or wormholes.¡¯, the captain thought, rushing to his console to pull up the portside video feed.


    ¡°This is the Star Battleship Yamato, we are enroute to help. Please standby.¡±, the Yamato reported.


    Watching a large wormhole appear behind the enemy fleet, several vessels close to it exploded due to the monumental forces being exerted on them. Sailing out of the dark abyss, a gigantic dreadnaught-class starship began to appear with an unfamiliar emblem emblazoned on the bow. Opening fire the moment her weapons came through, the enemy vessels immediately began to scatter. Obliterating them one after the other, the captain was left dumbfounded by what he was seeing. He had been a spacefarer since he was young boy and not once had he seen so much firepower attached to one ship, and only half of the vessel had come through at this point.


    ¡°CAPTAIN!!¡±, the first mate shouted, over the PA, ¡°Are you seeing this?! What is a Dreadnaught-Class ship doing out here in the middle of nowhere!?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I do not know, but I am not going to complain about it!¡±, he replied, as tears of relief began welling up in his eyes.


    ¡°We got the Engine Room compartment sealed off.¡±, the chief of engineering announced, ¡°Heading to the shuttle doors now!¡±


    Running back to the radio, the captain picked up the microphone and began talking to the allied ship.


    ¡°Are you the ones coming out of the wormhole, Yamato?¡±, the captain inquired.


    ¡°Yes, that is us.¡±, a different voice replied, ¡°Several of my men and I are preparing to intercept your unwelcome guests. Please keep your men away from the shuttle doors, my soldiers have orders to treat everyone inside that immediate area as hostile.¡±


    Communicating this information to his crew, his men immediately retreated to the cargo hold sealing every bulkhead door on the way there. Rushing downstairs to join them, by the time he reached them, they had erected several barriers and set up two heavy laser machine guns. Noticing that a few young boys from among the passengers were with them, each of them held their oversized gun with a death grip.


    ¡°Captain, we have done all we can to prepare for them.¡±, the security chief said, ¡°Do our saviors know we are being boarded?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are sending a team over to deal with them.¡±, the captain responded, with a nod.


    ¡°Well I hope they show up soon, our guests are about to cut through the docking doors.¡±, the chief of engineering stated, watching the area through the camera system.


    Kicking the doors in, once enough material was removed, the pirates and space marines poured onto the ship. Just as their sensors had indicated, there were twenty men in their boarding party, twelve pirates and eight Black Legion space marines. Sweeping the area for the ship¡¯s crew, the boarding party became agitated that all the exits were sealed off.


    ¡°Son of a bitch, they are stalling us!!¡±, one of the pirates spat, flipping the bulkheads the middle finger.


    ¡°We need to hurry and seize control of the ship. Our only chance of walking away is to take hostages.¡±, another man spoke up, ¡°Get to it!¡±


    Bringing their plasma cutters to the front, the pirates began cutting into the first bulkhead door. Barely getting to work on it, a brilliant flash of light engulfed the room, blinding everyone for a few moments. As their eyes readjusted, the boarding party noticed they were no longer alone. Standing behind them was a group of seven men, six that were equal in height and size to the space marines and a smaller man that stood about six foot six inches.


    Before any of them could utter a word, the six larger men raised their enormous rifles and began unloading on them. Obliterating the unarmored pirates in seconds, the space marine¡¯s armor quickly began to take heavy damage under the force of the blasts. Charging forward without any regard for their lives, they went for the smaller man assuming he was their leader. Lifting his hands in response to their challenge, the marine¡¯s armor began to creak and crumple around them. Closing his fists, five of the marines violently exploded into a bloody mess.


    ¡°Is this the full extent of the Black Legion¡¯s might? I am disappointed!¡±, Victor mocked them, ¡°You should have stayed in the Eye of Terror. Today I will be your judge, jury, and executioner!¡±


    Stopping their bombardment, so Victor could handle the three remaining marines, Victor stepped forward while covering his fists in dense gamma energy. Slamming his fist into the nearest marine, his upper body violently exploded into a red mist. Blasting the last two marines with gamma energy, both were sent flying into the bulkhead leaving an indenture of their bodies in it.


    Pulling themselves back up, they retrieved their former employer¡¯s weapons and began firing on Victor. Using his armor¡¯s shielding to vaporize all the projectiles, Victor continued to walk calmly toward them. Continuing to fire till their magazines ran out of bullets, the two marines threw rifles away and drew their Chainswords.


    ¡°Death to the enemies of Chaos!!¡±, they roared, before barreling toward Victor, ¡°In death, we will be reborn!!¡±


    Ripping the grenades off their waists, the marines activated them fully ready to commit suicide and take Victor out with them. Taking his blue and red lightsabers off his waist, Victor flicked them on and flung them at the marines. Using the force to make them spin rapidly, the lightsabers sliced the marine¡¯s legs off. Falling to the ground, they flung their grenades at Victor who made no attempt to knock them away and instead caught them.


    ¡°Death has come for you!!¡±, the marine shouted with glee as the grenades detonated.


    Believing they had taken him out, their celebration ended abruptly when Victor began laughing.


    ¡°As I expected, your armor and weapons are subpar at best. Did you actually think that toy was going to harm me?¡±, Victor laughed, walking out of the dust cloud.


    Pulling his lightsabers back to him, Victor turned them off and hooked them back onto his waist. Walking up to the stunned marines, he bent down and grabbed their helmets.


    ¡°Tell your Chaos Master¡¯s to stay out of my way, or I will mount their heads over my mantle. Be it deity or man, no one will interfere with my goals.¡±, Victor told them, before crushing their helmets and skulls like a watermelon.


    Standing back up, Victor collected the bodies and equipment to research later. Turning his attention to the camera, he gave the crew on the other side an affirmative nod.


    ¡°Captain, your unwelcome guests have been dealt with accordingly. We will be on standby till the Daedalus and Triton arrive. Do you have any crew members or passengers in need of medical attention?¡±, Victor inquired, assuming their PA system had a connection to this room.


    ¡°Yes, we do have several people in need of medical assistance. Please wait a moment, I will come let you in.¡±, the captain said.


    Sending his Heavy Troopers back to Yamato, a medical team took their place. Bringing over all the necessary equipment they needed, we waited patiently for the crew to let us in so we could assist them further. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 48

    ---Victor POV---


    Taking us to the passenger cabin, the refugees shakily pointed their laser rifles at us as we entered the room. Believing that we were with the pirate¡¯s boarding party, they shielded the children with their bodies and demanded we leave them be. Pushing their way to the front of the group, the young boys who had acted as reinforcements for the crew told the adults to stand down. Informing them that my crew and I were from the ship that answered the distress call, the adults collapsed to their knees with relief. Hugging each other and their children, they were extremely apologetic for pointing weapons at us and grateful for coming to save them.


    ¡°Think nothing of it, you were acting defensively to protect your children.¡±, I told them, ¡°If any of you are injured, please raise your hands. I brought medics over to administer first aid.¡±


    ¡°We¡­we cannot pay for such things¡­¡±, one of the women said.


    ¡°I do not expect anything in return from anyone here. Medical care is not something I believe should be withheld because one cannot pay for it.¡±, I remarked, with a nod, ¡°I swear to you that my offer is free and without any strings attached.¡±


    Deciding to trust my words, the families began bringing forward their injured relatives. Leaving things to my men, I took the opportunity to speak with the captain about the circumstances that brought them here. I was curious if these people were war refugees or if something else had happened that forced them from their homes.


    ¡°I hate to pry into your situation, but what brought you out this far? Did something happen recently that drove these people from their homes?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°These people are from a world called Alnus. About a month ago a Herald of Galactus arrived on Alnus and informed the populace that Galactus had set his sight on their world.¡±, the captain stated, ¡°When the populace began to evacuate the planet, the herald started killing people indiscriminately. Alnus¡¯ military fought bravely against the herald, but they were outgunned and outmatched. While they were unable to eliminate the herald, they did buy most of the civilian populace time to escape. We were one of the last ships to leave before that monster showed up. Unfortunately, we had to watch him devour their home world before we could safely jump to warp.¡±


    ¡®Damn¡­I forgot all about Galactus and his Heralds, I will need to figure something out to deal with him. The BFG 10,000 would probably not even tickle him.¡¯, I thought.


    ¡°As for how we ended up here, I was trying to avoid space pirates along the more heavily used transit routes. Those bastard pirates follow Galactus around the universe as the people he uproots are free, easy money in their eyes. Usually they go after the wealthier people to take their vast fortunes, but they will not hesitate to capture transporters like us to sell our passengers and us into slavery.¡±, he stated, ¡°What I do not understand is why a fleet of seventy ships was out here in the middle of nowhere. The only thing out in this part of space is the Space Port Polaris. Do you happen to know anything I do not?¡±


    Wondering if Polaris was the space station we came across, I pulled up an image of the wreckage to show him. Taking one look at it, he immediately confirmed that it was Polaris and asked for details about what happened. Showing him footage of the internals of the space station, when we reached the point where the Black Legion emblem was shown, the light bulb went off in his head.


    ¡°We were just unfortunate enough to catch them on their return journey back from destroying Polaris¡­¡±, he said, collapsing into one of the passenger seats.


    ¡°Sir, we are done here!¡±, one of my medical officers announced, giving me a salute.


    ¡°Alright then, we will head back to my vessel. Till additional help arrives, we will stick around as a safety precaution.¡±, I told the captain, ¡°I wish you all safe travels for the rest of your journey.¡±


    Promptly teleporting us back over to Yamato, I was immediately bombarded by questions from the ladies. Wanting to know about the humans aboard the other ship, they were very interested in how their lives differed from ours. Getting them up to speed on everything I had learned, when I brought up Galactus, their excitement quickly turned to horror.


    ¡°You mean he eats literal planets?!¡±, Clarice gasped, unable to comprehend that.


    ¡°Yes, he devours them to absorb the life essence they contain. Normally his heralds allow the inhabitants to leave peacefully, but the one they got slaughtered people that tried to leave.¡±, I said, glancing over at the transport ship, ¡°The way the captain makes it sound, Galactus devours worlds on a regular basis. We have been lucky enough not to be discovered yet, but I am not going to wait around for it to happen.¡±


    <Master, I have begun decrypting the information we retrieved from Polaris. Would you like to review what I have found thus far?>


    ¡°Yes, go ahead and show me.¡±, I said, taking a seat in my chair and removing my helmet.


    Taking us to news reports from several days ago, according to the stardate timestamp, it appeared the situation in the wider universe was a lot more chaotic than anticipated. Starting with the Imperium, the Ultramarine Primarch Roboute Guilliman was currently preparing for another crusade. While his intentions were noble, his military preparations were striking fear in his neighboring nations. Having suffered greatly during previous crusades, many of their smaller neighbors were evacuating their citizens from the border to lessen the number of casualties they would have this time.


    In the Galactic Republic, the jedi and clone troopers were busy putting down another droid uprising. Based on the information Luxion had decrypted, the Clone Wars had only started two months ago which meant I had time to interfere with Palpatine¡¯s plan. All the chaos he would cause in the universe would create problems for my spacefaring adventures, so he had to go. Finding out where his backup clone was right now would be a bit of a hassle, but I was certain the jedi would be willing to help once I showed them the truth.


    The Algrand Empire, the country closest to our planet, was in a much better place than the last two nations. While corruption and over taxation were rampant, they were at least free of any major conflicts. Space Pirates were a big problem here, but there were plenty of mercenaries around helping cull their numbers. One such mercenary, nicknamed the Pirate Hunter, was especially hitting them hard having taken out an estimated seven percent of the total number of pirates in his country over the past few years.


    ¡®Haha, I look forward to fighting Liam and his mech Avid. I will have to make it a priority to visit his world first before continuing my journey.¡¯, I thought, eager to test my skills against an equally talented mech pilot.


    Skimming over the reports for other nations, the Daedalus dropped out of warp roughly two kilometers from us. Immediately hailing us, I put my helmet back on and gave Luxion an order.


    ¡°Luxion, I want you to piggyback on the communication channel and hack into their systems. Do not access any vital systems, I need to confirm what level of technology the Galactic Empire has right now.¡±, I told him.


    <Understood, Master.>


    Giving the communication officer the thumbs up, she accepted the call and transferred to my station. Giving the connection a moment to stabilize, I was greeted by an older gentleman sitting in his captain¡¯s chair.


    ¡°This Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Smith, please identify yourself and your vessel.¡±, the Daedalus requested.


    ¡°I am Commander Victor Stark, captain of the Star Battleship Yamato. We came in response to Helios Alpha¡¯s distress call; the Black Legion marines and the pirates have been eliminated.¡±, I told him, ¡°Are you able to take over protecting the damaged vessel, or do you need us to stick around a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°We can take things from here.¡±, Alexander said, confirming with his ship¡¯s scanners that all five hundred souls were accounted for, ¡°Thank you for rendering aid to them. Safe travels out there!¡±


    ¡°You too, Lieutenant Colonel Smith.¡±, I stated, before ending the call, ¡°Alright team, lets head back home. Prepare to engage the Folding Drive!¡± Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±, the helmsman acknowledged.


    Charting us on a two jump course, in case they could tracking our Folding Drive, we charged up the drive and began the brief journey home.

 Chapter 49

    ---Evening---


    Returning to our world, I swore everyone to secrecy for the time being. Needing to thoroughly review the information I collected, I promised to make an official announcement by the end of the semester. Having completed what I set out to do, we spent the rest of the afternoon building our booth for the festival. Working up till dusk, I offered to take Angelica and Clarice home instead of making them wait for their family carriages. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What about Olivia? You are not thinking of making her walk to where she is staying, are you?¡±, Angelica asked, with a concerned look.


    ¡°Why would I need to take her home? She has been living here with us since the dormitory fire.¡±, I remarked, glancing back at Olivia, ¡°Did you not tell them about that?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­oopsies.¡±, Olivia said, with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°So that is why you were not that surprised by Victor¡¯s countryside mansion. You have been living here enjoying those same benefits the whole time!¡±, Clarice pouted, as she crossed her arms.


    ¡°You could have asked to stay at my home while the dormitory was being rebuilt. I would have been happy to host you.¡±, Angelica remarked.


    More upset that Olivia seemingly came to me first, rather than her, Angelica looked genuinely hurt by his misunderstanding. Knowing that Olivia would try to comfort Angelica, instead of resolving the misunderstanding immediately, I stepped in to clarify the situation for them.


    ¡°To be honest, none of us were her first choice after the dormitory fire. Being the extremely kind woman that she is, Olivia did not want to burden either of us with her issue. Since her scholarship did not allot her any money for room and board, she immediately went looking for a job. Instead of looking around the reputable stores in the Market District, she decided to look for work as a hostess at a local inn.¡±, I explained, with a crapped expression, ¡°As she is not from around here, she picked at seemingly amazing job that came with three meals a day and bed onsite. Do you want to guess what sort of inn she was about to apply at?¡±


    ¡°Oh god, Olivia, please tell me you were not going to apply at an inn that also had a brothel in it, were you?¡±, Angelica sighed, holding her face in her hands.


    ¡°Well¡­we do not have any of those where I live. I thought I was going to apply for a job working as an extra pair of hands for elderly couple or something.¡±, Olivia said, embarrassed by her blunder, ¡°I promise you, the moment I saw the inn, I would have immediately left!¡±


    ¡°One of my soldiers spotted her heading toward the shady part of town, and immediately notified me. Unsure what she was doing over there, I went and asked her only to discover what she had planned. Instead of leaving her to fend for herself, I brought her here and convinced her to stay as my guest.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Of course, she refused to enjoy such luxuries without compensation. She initially wanted to help clean the mansion, but quickly realized that I have robots for all of that. After a few days, she has more or less accepted her status as my guest. Now she spends her free time cooking and studying.¡±


    Understanding the full situation now, Angelica¡¯s mood lightened substantially. Still a bit jealous of the comforts she was enjoying, I reminded them that they were welcome over any time. Accepting that compromise, for the time being, the two noblewomen accepted my offer to fly them home. Saying their goodbyes to Lucoa, Olivia, and Roxanne, I dropped them off at their front doors and before proceeding to the Roseblade Estate for dinner.


    ---Roseblade Mansion---


    Parking my car near the stables, I made my way to the front door where the head butler was patiently waiting for me. Greeting him with a respectful nod, he opened the door and led me to the dining room. Announcing my arrival, before letting me enter the room, the Earl jumped out of his seat and walked over to greet me. Instead of the traditional handshake I was accustomed to, he pulled me into a hug and began to speak.


    ¡°It is good to see you, Viscount Stark. I have been meaning to thank you properly for saving my daughter¡¯s life during the fire. She told me all about how you heroically saved her from the burning building¡­while that bastard ex-fianc¨¦e of hers stood idly by in the crowd.¡±, he said, letting me go, ¡°It is a shame too, Chris came from good stock and had always seemed like the intelligent one of prince¡¯s entourage. If he had been honest with his feelings from the beginning, I would have readily agreed to cancel the engagement. Unfortunately, he decided to spurn my daughter¡¯s love and devotion for a damn traitorous whore! I wish nothing but the worst for that boy now!¡±


    ¡°I can tell you love your family quite a lot.¡±, I commented, as the butler showed me to my seat opposite Deirdre.


    ¡°My beloved wife and darling daughters are all I have in this life now. My three brothers met their untimely demise fighting the Principality of Fanoss, my two uncles were assassinated by the traitorous households you have been helping root out, and my sister died giving birth to her first child. I have endured a great many trials throughout my life; it is thanks to my family that I am still here today.¡±, he said, looking at his wife and two daughters with a warm smile.


    Waiting for his lord to finish speaking, the head butler ordered his subordinates to begin serving dinner. Quickly entering the room with plates, side dishes, and beverages, the servants filled our glasses and plates before excusing themselves. Taking a position a few feet away from his lord, the head butler sat down at a smaller table and began to sip a cup of tea.


    Beginning our meal in silence, I feel the Earl¡¯s wife and her two daughters sizing me up. While their mother¡¯s gaze was hardly noticeable, the two daughters kept looking over at me like we were playing a game of Blackjack together. Looking for any subtle hints about how I felt about this situation, I decided to have a bit of fun at their expense.


    ¡°Deirdre, if you do not mind me saying so I think your hair style unique. It suits your beautiful, blonde hair perfectly.¡±, I said, with genuine admiration.


    Taken by surprise, Deirdre began coughing loudly as she had accidentally swallowed a bite of food down the wrong pipe.  Wiping her mouth and taking a sip of water, she took a moment to calm herself before replying to me.


    ¡°Th¡­thank you for the compliment, Viscount Stark. My grandmother taught me how to curl my hair this way when I was a young girl.¡±, Deirdre replied, attempting to poorly cover up her smile, ¡°Do you really like it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±, I acknowledged, ¡°By the way, as we are fellow classmates, you do not need to use honorifics with me. Please just call me Victor; Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia already do.¡±


    ¡°By Angelica and Clarice, you mean Gilbert and Bernard¡¯s daughters, right? As for Olivia, I believe she is the infamous scholarship student that managed to secure a spot in the noble class, correct?¡±, the Earl inquired.


    ¡°Correct on all accounts, the three of them are my closest friends in the Academy. We recently returned from a vacationing at my countryside manor.¡±, I said, ¡°If Miss Deirdre is interested, I would be more than happy to host her during winter break.¡±


    Fidgeting in her seat for a moment, it was clear she was not used to having someone be so forward with her. Looking over at her father for his input, the Earl nodded his head in approval.


    ¡°I would be more than happy to accompany you during winter break.¡±, Deirdre accepted, ¡°Also, since you have allowed me to call you Victor¡­please call me Deirdre. It is only fair after all.¡±


    ¡°I will make the necessary arrangements, Deirdre.¡±, I said, with a smile.


    Stirring the conversation in a different direction, Deirdre began asking me questions about myself and the life I had lived up till now. Wanting to hear straight from the source, instead of the rumor mill running rampant on campus, I answered most the questions she asked me honestly. Watching their daughter open to me, the Earl and his wife nodded their heads in satisfaction. Content with leaving things to flow naturally between us, it appeared they were already sold on making me her husband.


    ¡°Do you mind if I ask you a question, Victor?¡±, Deirdre¡¯s older sister Dorothea asked.


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±, I replied, surprised to hear her speak for the first time.


    ¡°How likely are we to have a war with the Principality of Fanoss?¡±, she inquired, looking at me with concern, ¡°I ask because I am worried about a few close friends of mine who live near the border. If war is likely, I want to advise them to comeback to the capital where it will be safer.¡±


    ¡°If I am being honest with you, war is all but inevitable at this point. They have not taken kindly to the heightened security along our shared border. Over the past few weeks, several dozen pirate groups and border nobles have attempted to breach our border. In every encounter, my fleet has sent them all plummeting toward a watery grave.¡±, I informed her, ¡°Since they cannot shake my hold on the border, those noblemen escalated the matter to their King and Queen. In response, they have begun to gather a portion of their royal fleet to face me head on. The Black Knight is the one leading this operation.¡±


    Hearing my words, the Earl¡¯s family stopped eating and looked at me carefully. Believing I was joking about the situation, they realized I was not joking when I looked back at them with confusion.


    ¡°You mean, they intend to attack soon?¡±, the Earl inquired.


    ¡°They intend to move on the border during the annual trip the Academy students take. Before you say anything, the Crown and Cabinet Ministers are all aware of the situation. We are taking precautions for this, and I will be heading up the counter operation to deal with them.¡±, I chuckled, with a mischievous grin, ¡°Do not be surprised if you are called to action to safeguard the Academy vessels. The Crown wants this to happen so we can root out the remaining traitors among the nobility. Duke Redgrave will oversee the protection of the Academy vessels, they have yet to name the nobleman in charge of dealing with the traitors. If you are willing, I can recommend King Roland and Queen Mylene name you as the one to do it.¡±


    Agreeing to assist with our plan, I gave him a bit more information on what was happening. Giving Dorothea permission to bring her friends back to the capital, I suggested she make up an excuse to get them here as they could not be made aware of the pending the attack. Understanding the situation, she swore to keep everything a secret till the operation was over, Dorothea thanked me for being honest with her. Happy to have been of use to my potential future sister-in-law, via Nicks, we moved back to more pleasant topics for the rest of dinner.

 Chapter 50

    ---Two Weeks Later, Festival Day---


    Finishing our food preparations and sign placement with a few minutes to spare, Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia let out nervous sighs. While they were happy with the design of the booth and our menu, they were a bit conscious of their appearances in their costumes. Having left everything up to Luxion, my AI pal had gone the extra mile to base our attire on Victorian era servant attire. Setting me up with a crisp, black tuxedo, he had made custom maid outfits for the ladies. Using their existing size measurements to construct the clothing, they were embarrassed by how curvy it made them look.


    ¡°Luxion, I think you messed up my measurements. I do not remember looking like this when I wore the royal palace¡¯s maid outfits.¡±, Clarice said, fidgeting around uncomfortably in her outfit.


    ¡°Yeah, I feel like it highlights our bodies a bit too much.¡±, Angelica agreed, losing her apron a bit to hide her curves a bit more.


    ¡°If you feel this is bad, do not ever work for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. My outfit back then was much more revealing than this.¡±, Lucoa remarked, with a playful smile, ¡°Victor, what do you think of the outfits?¡±


    ¡°I think you five beauties look drop dead gorgeous. While it does highlight your natural beauty, you must admit it shows far less skin than the dresses you wore to the party at the end of last semester.¡±, I said, ¡°No matter what those former fake friends of yours think, do not forget, I have your backs.¡±


    Flustered by my honest opinion, Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia fidgeted around in place while Lucoa and Roxanne smiled happily. Knowing they just needed reassurances that they looked fine in their outfits, I honestly felt they looked amazing in anything they wore. Leaving things at that, as the clock tower struck nine in the morning, the six of us quickly settled in for the long haul.


    Getting to our assigned stations, Lucoa, Olivia, and I began cooking in the kitchen while Angelica, Clarice, and Roxanne manned the counter. Hearing the first wave of students approaching, the ladies took a few sips of lemonade before pumping themselves up. While they prepared themselves for chaos, I established a remote connection with my laboratory via my Neural Network. Checking my remote connection, I did a quick stress test to ensure I would not overwhelm my mind with the raw stream of data.


    ¡®Perfect, I do not feel any ill effects like I was concern about.¡¯, I thought, relieved that I did not immediately get a headache, ¡®Time to do some reading.¡¯


    Setting myself to autopilot, as the orders came flying in, it was clear that we would not see a break till our ingredients ran out. Knowing that we could pull this off as a team, the six of us dug our heels in and got to work.


    ---3rd Person POV, Galactic Republic, Coruscant---


    Helping guide his heavily damaged vessel into drydock, Captain Gibson noticed a group of aid workers waiting for them along with three Jedi. Having met one of the Jedi in the past, he was happy to see a familiar face there instead of the typical jackass Jedi Master. Philip understood that the Jedi Order was an important part of the Galactic Republic¡¯s continued existence, but he personally felt they had been straying away from their roots over the past few generations. Having heard stories from his old man about the Jedi Order in its heyday, he honestly felt they currently had one foot in the grave so to speak.


    Feeling the ship lock into place, the crew and refugees speedily disembarked the vessel. Relieved to be on solid ground again, everyone let out a sigh of relief as their treacherous journey was now at an end. Sending the refugees off with the aid workers, Captain Gibson approached his old acquaintance with a big smile.


    ¡°It is good see you, Samuel Gulliver.¡±, Philip laughed, ¡°Or is it something else now?¡±


    ¡°Haha, so you do remember me!¡±, the Jedi Master chuckled, as the two men shook hands, ¡°It is good to see you alive and well, Philip.¡±


    ¡°Aye, it is good to be alive and in one piece, Obi-Wan Kenobi.¡±, Philip said, ¡°I assume you are here to discuss the group that came to our aide out there, correct? Do you need my entire crew to stay, or can I dismiss them so they can return to their residences and decompress?¡±


    ¡°They can return home, I do not want to hold everyone up after such a stressful voyage.¡±, Obi-Wan stated.


    ¡°You heard the man, all of you get out of here.¡±, Philip told them, with a smirk, ¡°I do not want to see any of you till my bloody ship is space worthy again!¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Happily complying with his request, the crew picked up their baggage and ran away as fast as they could. In desperate need of cold beers, pizza, and hot showers, all of them were ready for a nice vacation. Turning back to Obi-Wan, Philip glanced over at the two other Jedi with him. Realizing he had yet to introduce them, Obi-Wan stepped back and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Sorry, I forgot you never got to meet my padawan, Anakin Skywalker. He was recently promoted to Jedi Knight and took on his own padawan, Ahsoka Tano.¡±, Obi-Wan said, motioning to them respectively.


    ¡°What do you mean recently? I was promoted a few months ago¡­¡±, Anakin sighed, with a friendly smile, ¡°You are starting to lose it, old man.¡±


    ¡°It still seems like it was just yesterday I was teaching you the very basics. They grow up so fast.¡±, Obi-Wan chuckled, patting his close friend on the back, ¡°Come now, lets grab something to eat and discuss things. I am sure you could use a stiff drink after the voyage you just had.¡±


    ¡°You have no bloody idea¡­¡±, Philip agreed, letting Obi-Wan lead the way.


    ---Random Bar---


    Selecting a relatively quiet bar to sit and talk, everyone placed their food and drink orders before getting to business. Going over the initial incident with Philip, Obi-Wan wanted to confirm the exact events that led up to his encounter with the unknown vessel. Giving him the same information he gave Victor, Philip let out an exhausted sigh as he took a sip of his beer.


    ¡°Let me ask you, have you heard about Space Station Polaris?¡±, Philip asked, uncertain if the news had reached him yet.


    ¡°No, did something happen out there?¡±, Obi-Wan replied, having heard nothing about the remote space station.


    ¡°Those bastards destroyed the station; it is just a heap of scrap now.¡±, Philip told him, ¡°They looted the place, started their return journey back to their base, and happened upon as my helmsmen was charting our next jump. My blasted bad luck damn near got us killed¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±, Obi-Wan said, looking at Ahsoka and Anakin, ¡°Were either of you aware of this information?¡±


    Shaking their heads no, neither of them had heard anything about a space station being destroyed. Uncertain why it had not been brought up yet, as it was the last settlement in the Galactic Republic before crossing into the Algrand Empire. It served as an important trading hub for that area so hearing nothing about its destruction was disturbing to him. Wondering if the military was hiding it from the Jedi Council and the Senate, Obi-Wan decided to do some further digging after lunch.


    ¡°So, this mystery vessel showed up after your last distress call was sent out? Did he happen to mention where they came from before answering your call?¡±, Obi-Wan inquired.


    ¡°He said they had come straight from Polaris.¡±, Philip answered, ¡°Frankly, if his ship had not come out of a bloody wormhole, I would have not believed him.¡±


    ¡°There is a wormhole out there?¡±, Obi-Wan said, looking at the Daedalus¡¯ report again.


    ¡°No, I am saying the wormhole appeared out of nowhere and his ship sailed out of it. I know they are the stuff of legend, but¡­I think that ship had a Folding Drive.¡±, Philip admitted.


    Currently in very early development in several different countries, an actual prototype had yet to be built by any nation. Everything scientists knew about them came from heavily corrupted data retrieved from various unearthed Ancient¡¯s strongholds. Believing his friend may have been mistaken about what he saw, Obi-Wan was going to continue but Philip saw the doubt in his eyes. Pulling out his data recorder, Philip presented them with the video recording of their first contact.


    Silently watching the video feed, just as Philip had said, a massive wormhole appeared out of thin air. As the vessel began to sail out of it, Obi-Wan had him pause it when the emblem on the bow became fully visible. Using his computer to scan the emblem, he ran a quick search to see who it belonged to. After a few moments of searching, the computer came up with ¡°No Data Found¡±.


    ¡°Try scanning again once the ship is entirely out of the wormhole.¡±, Anakin suggested, ¡°It could be a bug in the database.¡±


    Doing as Anakin suggested, again the computer came back with ¡°No Data Found¡±. Sitting back in his seat with a perplexed look, Obi-Wan did not know what to make of the situation. At this point, the only information he had was the vessels name and that it potentially had a functioning Folding Drive. Knowing this lack of information would make the Senators uneasy, as this ship could abruptly pop up anywhere, he wished he knew more about them so could soothe their fears. Not wanting to start a manhunt for these Good Samaritan, Obi-Wan asked if he had anything else that could help identify who they were.


    ¡°Well¡­I think he was using that Force stuff you Jedi use.¡±, Philip remarked, fast forwarding to the fight with the Black Legion and pirates, ¡°See here, watch how he mangles these space marines.¡±


    Watching Victor use the force to crush five space marines like they were made of paper, Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at one another. Both had fought corrupted space marines before and knew pulling a stunt like that off was no small feat. Space marine armor was rigid, thick, and incredibly strong, to crush it and the superhuman in them¡­that would easily make Victor one of the most powerful Force users in the universe.


    Continuing to let the video continue, all three Jedi froze as they witnessed Victor activate his red and blue lightsabers. Having Philip pause the video again, Obi-Wan immediately took a photo of it and transmitted it to the other council members.


    ¡°Did you forget to include this information in your report?¡±, Obi-Wan inquired.


    ¡°No, I included a copy of everything when I sent it to my superiors and the Daedalus¡¯ captain.¡±, Philip said, with a confused look, ¡°You saying that this was not the reason you came looking for me? I figured he was a rogue jedi or something like that.¡±


    ¡°The Order and Senate sent us so we could get further details. All we knew was that you were attacked in a remote part of the republic, and that an unknown vessel came to your aid.¡±, Obi-Wan stated, before flagging their waitress down, ¡°My apologies, could we please get our food to go? Some came up and we need to leave immediately.¡±


    Nodding her head, the waitress ran to the back while Obi-Wan paid the bill. Thanking his friend for the valuable information, they took the food from the waitress when she returned and quickly ran off. Sending Obi-Wan the data he had, figuring he might need it, Philip took a sip of his beer and let out a sigh. Closing his eyes to relax, a burning sensation quickly came over him as a knife was driven through the seat and into his back. Knocking the wind out of him, Philip was about to call for aid when an unknown person moved next to him.


    ¡°You should have kept your mouth shut.¡±, the masked man said, quickly vacating the bar.


    ¡°Damn it¡­all¡­¡±, Philip wheezed, before slumping over in the booth.

 Chapter 51

    ---Victor POV, Some Time Later---


    Running out of ingredients by noon, Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia were happy to be done. Taking a moment to gulp down a tall glass of lemonade, the women began celebrating the success of our booth. Having earned a substantial amount of money, everyone wanted to use it to fund our entertainment here at the festival. Knowing I had supplied everything for the booth, they looked to me for permission to use it in case I wanted to reimburse myself.


    ¡°I am by no means hard up for cash, I say split it equally between the six of us and have at it.¡±, I chuckled, with a grin.


    ¡°Alright!!¡±, Lucoa cheered, ¡°So where can a lady buy a drink here at this festival? I need a cold one after all this hard work!¡±


    Looking at her like she was crazy, Clarice quickly brought her back down to reality.


    ¡°Lucoa, the headmaster forbade the drinking or sale of alcohol on campus when he took the position. The last time a drop of alcohol was on campus was fifteen years ago.¡±, Clarice giggled.


    ¡°Well crap¡­stupid headmaster!¡±, Lucoa complained, unhappy about this revelation.


    ¡°You can have a bottle of wine when we get home.¡±, I promised her.


    ¡°Deal!¡±, Lucoa agreed, rubbing her hands together with a mischievous smirk.


    With Lucoa¡¯s alcohol request dealt with, I suggested we get changed and then divide up the money between us. Agreeing to my suggestion, I took a step outside to give them some privacy to change. Take a moment to stretch and crack my neck, Deirdre came walking over to me with one of our funnel cakes in her hand. Happily munching away on her food, she quickly wiped her mouth before speaking.


    ¡°Sold out already?¡±, Deirdre inquired, with a playful smile.


    ¡°Yes, that is correct. You were our last customer, you should know that.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Do you need something from me?¡±


    ¡°Since you are free now, I would like you to accompany me around the festivities today.¡±, Deirdre stated, in a demanding tone, ¡°You have no issue with that, do you?¡±


    Before I could answer her, Angelica and Clarice asked us to wait a moment for them. Hurriedly changing into casual clothing, the two women bolted out of the tent and took positions either side of me.


    ¡°Victor has plans with the five of us.¡±, Clarice informed her, ¡°Sorry to burst your bubble.¡±


    ¡°I imagine that your followers are going to need extra hands soon, now that our shop is closed for the day. Maybe you should consider going to help them as you are their leader.¡±, Angelica said, with a cramped smile.


    Using an unmistakable rich girl¡¯s laugh to annoy them, Deirdre found it funny they were trying to chase her off. Unwilling to back off so easily, as her competitive nature refused to allow it, she doubled down and quickly brushed them off.


    ¡°While I appreciate your concern, my subordinates are more than capable of handling things themselves. We have more than enough people to operate our three booths so please do not worry about it.¡±, Deirdre replied, with a smug smile, ¡°As for Victor¡¯s plans, I believe he is more than capable of answering for himself. Right, Victor?¡±


    ¡°As Clarice said, I already have plans with Angelica, Olivia, my two mistresses, and her today.¡±, I said, as the other three women exited the tent, ¡°You are more than welcome to join us, but I will not tolerate you starting fights with them. If you cannot behave, you can leave.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I agree to your terms.¡±, Deirdre agreed, with a pleased expression.


    ¡°Alright, I am going to change and then we can go.¡±, I stated, walking toward our booth.


    Changing out of my stuffy tuxedo for my comfortable casual clothes, I was about to head out when I heard a familiar voice calling out for us. Poking my head out to see who it was, Queen Mylene was standing in front of the counter with an excited expression. Recalling that she had never been to a festival like this before, I figured she had come out to enjoy the festivities herself.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Queen Mylene.¡±, I remarked, bowing my head.


    ¡°SHH!!!¡±, she protested, ¡°Do not call me that while I am here, I want to enjoy the festivities in peace. If people realize who I am, everyone will start making a big fuss about it.¡±


    ¡°Very well, may I call you Mylene for the duration of your visit here?¡±, I inquired, as I leapt over the counter.


    Nodding enthusiastically, she asked me if I could escort her around the festival today. Advising her that I already had plans with a group of wonderful ladies, I confirmed if she would be alright joining everyone else. Readily agreeing to it, as it sounded even more fun to be with a group of people, I took her hand and led her around the back. Watching me approach from the corner of their eyes, the noblewomen snapped to attention when they saw Mylene was with me.


    ¡°Calm down, Mylene wants to enjoy the festival with us. For the time being, please treat her as you would a friend.¡±, I instructed everyone, to avoid drawing attention to her.


    Noticing how uptight the three noblewomen were, Olivia was confused about who Mylene was. Having never met the Royal Family, aside from Jilk and Julius, she had no idea that the Queen of the Holfort Kingdom was standing in front of her.


    ¡°I do not mean to be rude, but who is she?¡±, Olivia asked Angelica.


    ¡°She is Mylene Rapha Holfort, Queen of the Holfort Kingdom.¡±, Angelica replied, unsurprised that Olivia did not know her appearance.


    Sensing that Olivia was about to inadvertently blow Mylene¡¯s cover, Lucoa immediately covered her mouth to stop her. Quickly coming to her senses, Olivia quickly bowed her head and apologized to everyone for losing her cool. Assuring her that it was not a problem, Mylene took a moment to survey our little group. Taking a moment to look each of them in the eyes, Mylene nodded her head contently.


    ¡°It would appear you have assembled yourself a harem, Victor. You are a lucky man to win over such beauties.¡±, Mylene said, playfully teasing the women, ¡°So, who have you asked to become your first legal wife?¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°He asked the two of us.¡±, Clarice stated, with a warm smile, ¡°I recently accepted his proposal, but Angelica - ¡°


    Stopping her there, Angelica cleared her throat and clarified she accepted it as well. Surprised by her sudden decision, she explained that she had given it quite a good deal of thought and concluded she was happier than she had ever been by my side.


    ¡°Victor has been my rock throughout these past few chaotic months. When almost the entire school turned their backs on me, Victor stood beside me and valiantly defended my honor. When I felt like my life was over, he was there to pick me up and show me another way forward.¡±, Angelica said, turning to me with a beautiful smile, ¡°You showed me your dream for your future, and offered to make me a part of it. I can genuinely say now, I want to share your dream with you and continue walking beside you till death takes us both.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!!¡±, Mylene giggled, like a teenaged girl, ¡°That was such a heartfelt acceptance!! I am so happy for the three of you!!¡±


    ¡°Olivia are you not going to say anything?¡±, Angelica remarked, ¡°We discussed this a week ago. Do not leave me hanging.¡±


    ¡°Victor, I¡­I honestly do not think I deserve your love. You have repeatedly protected me from bullies and always treated me as your equal, even though I am a commoner. Every day with you has been like a dream that I do not want to wake up from. When you asked me to marry you, I wanted to immediately accept but felt that I did not deserve it.¡±, Olivia said, looking me in the eyes, ¡°I know deep down you do not care about status, you care about me as a person. It took a lot of convincing from Angie and Clar, but I am ready to stand by your side¡­if the offer still stands.¡±


    Pulling the five of them into a hug, I acknowledged that my offer still stood for each of them. Happy that my little family was growing bigger, I was honestly excited about all the adventures we would have together. Wanting to show them everything that this universe had to offer, there was nothing in existence I would let stop me from achieving that goal. If I had to make an enemy out of the gods and universe itself, I would do so without any hesitation.


    Letting them go, I pulled out engagement rings for the three of them. Having made the rings out of rose gold and platinum, instead of using diamonds, I used their birthstones to decorate the bands. Staring at the rings in utter shock, they nervously put the rings on. Glancing over at Deirdre, I could see the twinkle of determination in her eyes. Refusing to give up, she saw this as only a minor setback and still wished to proceed with pursuing me.


    In Mylene¡¯s case though, I saw a mix of envy and jealousy in her eyes. Still stuck in her loveless marriage with Roland, she had not felt a loving embrace in ages. From what I knew, he had not touched her since she gave birth to their daughter fourteen years ago. Having fulfilled his royal duties, he had all but abandoned his wife to a painful existence. Whether he meant it to be cruel or not, due to the proximity of their shared bedroom and his private chambers, Mylene could hear damn near everything that went on in there. Add on the fact that her children did not show her any love, she was basically starving for any form of affection she could get. Having seen her cry herself to sleep on multiple occasions, I honestly wished Roland would just divorce her so she could be free again.


    ¡®If she were my wife, I would never let her feel that way. Since she refuses to abandon her husband, all I can do is standby and do what I can to fill the void her family made.¡¯, I thought, ¡°Alright ladies, I am starving so let us go grab lunch!¡±


    Sharing my sentiment, the eight of us headed out to peruse the booths for something good to eat.

 Chapter 52

    ---Evening--- Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Spending the rest of the day wandering around the festival, the eight of us enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. Trying out different food stalls, playing several carnival games, and dancing with each of them as the orchestra played, I did my utmost to make today special for each of them. Sitting by the roaring bonfire, as the festival began to wind down for the day, I looked up at the sky for a moment and let out a peaceful sigh.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me join your group today, Victor. I have not enjoyed myself this much since I was about your age.¡±, she admitted, hugging the stuffed bear I won for her at a carnival game.


    Since the others were off grabbing their dinner and we were alone, I decided to broach the elephant in the room. Even though she appeared happy on the outside, it was plain to see that watching me express my affections for my fianc¨¦es and mistresses had worn her down. Putting up a front so Angelica and Clarice would not see her pain, Mylene was at her breaking point now.


    ¡°Mylene, it is not my place to say anything, but why do you stay in your unhappy marriage?¡±, I asked her, wanting to be straight with her, ¡°While the others may not see your pain, I would like to think I know you well enough to see through your fa?ade.¡±


    ¡°What¡­what are you saying, Victor?¡±, she inquired, not wanting to expose her pain to me.


    ¡°Mylene, you know exactly what I mean. I am not here to extort you or manipulate you, I genuinely do care about your wellbeing. You are starving for affection and love from people that either refuse to or are incapable of showing it.¡±, I remarked, looking her dead in the eyes.


    Opening her mouth to refute that, she paused for a moment before closing her mouth again. Hugging her stuffed animal tight enough that its head about popped off, Mylene nodded her head in acknowledgment.


    ¡°I cannot fathom the immense pressure you are under. Your marriage to Roland was meant to safeguard your homeland, but it has been slowly eating away at you this whole time. You have done everything you possibly can to get him to open to you, but like Julius and his friends did to their ex-fianc¨¦es, he has shut you out.¡±, I remarked, assuming he felt trapped in his marriage with Mylene too, ¡°That is why you feel so bad for Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre, you know exactly what it is like to love someone who never loves you back.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­you are right¡­¡±, Mylene acknowledged, as she began to sniffle, ¡°When I first met Roland, I fell in love with him at first sight. He looked just like the heroic princes in the books I read as a girl. I was so blinded by the dream I had for our future, that I could not see the cold and indifferent expression in his eyes. Back then, I had no idea that Roland was madly in love with another woman and our arranged marriage ruined that for him. While he has never raised a hand to me or threatened me, everything he does with me is a chore in his eyes. There is no love or warmth like with his true love and harem¡­I am merely an entity that he must tolerate.¡±


    ¡°Why stay in the marriage then?¡±, I inquired, ¡°Your country has two blood connections now to the Holfort Royal Family, Julius and Erica. You could leave Roland and find happiness elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Victor, I am an aging woman who is well past her- ¡°, Mylene began to say before I covered her mouth with my hand.


    Staring into her eyes, I told her that most noblemen would give anything to be with a woman like her. Reminding her that she is a faithful, kindhearted, loving, loyal woman, there were very few women I knew that could match her. Overwhelmed by the compliments I was giving her; she shook her head refusing to believe it was true.


    ¡°Who would want to marry the former Queen?¡±, she laughed, dryly.


    ¡°I would marry you in a heartbeat.¡±, I told her, as I held her hands, ¡°It may not mean much coming from a young man like me, but I truly care deeply about you. Seeing your beautiful smile wither away slowly day by day enrages me to no end. That idiot husband of yours refuses to look past your arranged marriage to give you an honest chance. I do not want to see you continue to wither away and die of heartache and loneliness. If you were my wife, you would never have to spend a lonely night alone and I would cherish you like no other man.¡±


    Dumbfounded by my words, I genuinely hoped that my words reached her. Even though I was strongly against stealing a man¡¯s wife from them, in this case, Roland could care less if Mylene dropped dead here and now. Given what Mylene said, he would probably promote his true love to be his new Queen and forget all about her. A man that could move on so quickly from such a wonderful woman did not deserve her.


    ¡°I will not force you to give me an answer, but I hope you give it some thought. There will always be a place for you in my heart, regardless of whether we stay ruler and subject or become a couple.¡±, I told her, sensing the others walking back toward us, ¡°Take all the time you need, it will be some time before I leave this world behind and venture out into the stars forever.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean before you venture off into the stars? Is there something you have not told me?¡±, Mylene asked, confused by my meaning.


    ¡°For the moment, I will only say this. My dream is to travel the universe together with the people I love. I want to share the adventure and excitement of seeing things that no one has ever seen before.¡±, I explained, with a warm smile.


    Had what I said come from anyone else, she probably would have thought they were fools. Having shown her many amazing, unbelievable things already, a sparkle of excitement flickered in her eyes. Not wanting to push her too much, I quickly kissed her on the forehead before letting go of her hands. Touching the spot where I kissed her for a moment, Mylene looked at the fire moment with a smile.


    ¡°¡­I will consider it.¡±, she murmured, as the others walked over with food in hand.


    Satisfied with her answer, I turned and greeted everyone as they returned. Handing Mylene and I our food, they sat down and began discussing our plan for the second day of the festival. Surprised that Deirdre was acting as if she were part of the crew, I glanced over to Angelica and Clarice for an explanation.


    ¡°She wants to assist us with our booth, and after how this morning went, I felt it would be nice to have another set of hands.¡±, Angelica said.


    ¡°She can jump between the counter and the kitchen since she knows how to cook.¡±, Clarice added.


    ¡°You can cook?¡±, I asked, surprised by this information.


    ¡°My grandmother taught me a great deal of things, cooking was one of them.¡±, Deirdre boasted, as she puffed her chest out.


    Rolling their eyes, Angelica and Clarice were none too happy about her bragging. Having only learned the very basics from Lucoa and Olivia, they were upset that she knew more than them. Sensing a competitive rivalry forming between them, I hoped my poor kitchen could take the abuse. As I was about to take a bite of food, Luxion removed his cloaking and began updating me on an ongoing problem.


    <Master, I hate to interrupt but there is a situation that requires your attention. Another group of Fanoss Agents has slipped into the capital aboard a cargo ship. They are currently making their way to the Noble District now.>


    Speaking in English, to avoid causing a panic, the women looked at me wanting to know what was said. Motioning for them to wait a moment, I gave Luxion my marching orders.


    ¡°Continue to monitor their movements and relay their endpoint to Earl Roseblade and Duke Redgrave. Have Commander Yoma provide support as needed to both men. I do not want the fighting to spill out onto the streets.¡±, I ordered.


    <Yes, Master.>


    Transmitting my orders to my forces, Luxion quickly resumed floating over my shoulder normally. Explaining the situation to everyone, the noblewomen furled their brows in anger. Unhappy that the Principality Agents slipped through so easily, Mylene was adamant about beefing up security in the port now to prevent this from happening again. Asking me if I needed to leave to handle the situation, I nodded to Luxion who brought up a live feed of their movements for us.


    ¡°I do not have to lift a finger, they are doing all the work for me.¡±, I chuckled, with a sinister smile, ¡°The moment they arrive at their destination, Angelica and Deirdre¡¯s fathers will be informed so they can deal with them accordingly. In the event things turn violent, I have men nearby who will eliminate them before it spills out into the streets.¡±


    ¡°Wow!! Is this how you monitor the border too?!¡±, Deirdre gasped, fascinated by what she was seeing.


    ¡°Yes, I use this technology to monitor our borders and enemy movements. This is partially why I was confident enough to say the Principality will never cross the southern border again. Unfortunately, these rats appear to have come through another country this time.¡±, I said, looking up the vessel they came in on, ¡°It came from the Alzer Republic¡­are we at odds with them?¡±


    Shaking their heads, the noblewomen assured me we were on friendly terms with them. Wondering if there was a faction inside the republic that disliked us, I decided to have Jarvis and Luxion investigate it further. Eating our food in silence, we continued to watch the agents duck and weave their way into the noble district.

 Chapter 53

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Silently moving through the shadows, four of the Principalities¡¯ best spies made their way to Marquess Frampton¡¯s residence. Having made no prior arrangements with him, as Viscount Stark¡¯s forces had killed every messenger they sent, they hoped the marquess was home and not away on business. He was their only way out of the capital now, so they had their fingers crossed that they were lucky tonight.


    ¡°It appears we timed our arrival perfectly, commander. These idiots left themselves wide open!¡±, one of the agents cackled, in a soft voice.


    ¡°Silence, you idiot.¡±, the commander scolded him, ¡°We do not yet know how Viscount Stark has been able to track our movements. He could very well know we are here already! I do not need you jinxing my operation!¡±


    ¡°Sir, calm down. We have not left any traces of ourselves for the viscount¡¯s men to follow us.¡±, his second in command commented, as they entered the Noble District, ¡°I do not understand why you are so paranoid about him. While I acknowledge his technology and weaponry are superior to ours, he is not infallible. At the end of the day, he and his men are human too.¡±


    Shaking his head in anger, he hated the fact his superiors had forbidden him from telling his subordinates the truth. As one of the few surviving veterans of their organization, the commander knew that roughly ninety-eight percent of their organization was made up of agents with less than a year of experience now. They had suffered terrible losses over the past few years at the hands of the viscount¡¯s own spies. Things had gotten so bad that they had to lower the requirements to join the organization just to keep up with the number of bodies they were losing.


    ¡°Sir, there is the marquess¡¯ home.¡±, the second in command stated, snapping the commander back to reality, ¡°I see lights on inside, it appears he is home!¡±


    ¡°Good, circle around back and scale the wall. I have the key to the back door.¡±, the commander ordered.


    Following his lead, the men quickly went around back and climbed over the garden wall. Silently moving through the yard, when they approached the servant¡¯s entrance, the commander unlocked the door and hurried his men inside. Glancing behind them to ensure no one saw them, he slipped inside and shut the door behind him.


    Walking in on Frampton¡¯s servants cleaning up for the day, when the staff saw them, they immediately stopped what they were doing and made themselves scarce. Walking up to the men, Frampton¡¯s head butler bowed his head and asked how he could be of assistance.


    ¡°We need to speak with Malcolm, where is he?¡±, the commander asked.


    ¡°Lord Malcolm is in his study.¡±, the head butler replied, quickly stepping out of their way, ¡°My apologies, had we known you were coming, we could have provided you with food and beverages.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, we have been unable to reach the marquess due to the viscount¡¯s interference.¡±, the commander said, ¡°Come on boys, let us keep moving.¡±


    Promptly leaving the room, the four agents made their way upstairs. Leading them straight to the study, as he had been there before, the commander stopped outside the door and used the standard knock code. Hearing someone begin walking around inside, a few moments later, Marquess Frampton opened the door for them with an irritated look. Motioning for them to enter, he walked over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink.


    ¡°What are you doing here? We have an arrangement, you are supposed to notify me before you show up.¡±, Malcolm spat, taking a sip of whiskey, ¡°None of my guards are on patrol tonight. If you had been caught, we all would have been screwed!¡±


    ¡°Relax, old man, we were extra careful and would not make such a rookie mistake. We are the best of the best in our organization!¡±, one of the agents boasted.


    Shooting his men a glare, the commander wanted them to shut up and let him do the talking. Getting the hint, his subordinates sighed all began wandering around the room.


    ¡°What my subordinate meant to say was, we have had issues getting messages in and out of the Kingdom. The viscount¡¯s men are eerily efficient when it comes to finding and eliminating our messengers.¡±, the commander explained, ¡°My superiors apologize for the unannounced visit, but this was our only option.¡±


    ¡°Your messengers could have used the same route you used to get here!¡±, Malcolm countered, ¡°Do not give me your bullshit excuses!¡±


    Taking another sip of whiskey, the marquess calmed himself as it was too late to change anything now.


    ¡°What brings you here tonight?¡±, Malcolm asked.


    ¡°We have two critical messages for you from both the Royal Family and the Radical Faction.¡±, the commander said, turning to his team, ¡°Give him the letters.¡±


    Nodding his head, the agent carrying the messages quickly ran over to them and produced the letters from his bag. Taking the letters from him, Malcolm walked over to his desk and lit his lamp. Putting his reading glasses on so he could make sense of what was written, he took a few minutes to read and process what they wanted.


    ¡°Maybe you four can make sense of what they are wanting me to do here.¡±, Malcolm groaned, ¡°The Royal Family wants me to suggest marrying Viscount Stark to one of their daughters to end hostilities between our nations. On the other hand, the Radical Faction wants me to somehow loosen security along the southern border so they can invade the Kingdom. These two requests contradict one another, which am I supposed to execute?¡±


    Looking at each other, the four agents were just as confused too. The Royal Family wanted peace, but the Radical Faction wanted to invade the Kingdom. Doing one would prevent the other from happening which made absolutely no sense. Wondering what their superiors were thinking, the commander began to feel that this was a waste of time.


    ¡°Which order do you think would be the easiest to execute?¡±, the commander asked.


    ¡°If I am being honest, neither of them is possible I am afraid. The Viscount holds tremendous sway among our citizens and nobility. If he says no, no one is going to support my argument that it is for the betterment of our country.¡±, Malcolm stated, ¡°As far as the southern border is concerned, the Crown has given him unilateral control of the area. He maintains an ironclad grip on it, and no noble along the border would ever agree to take that duty from him. Since he took complete control a few months ago, there have been no incursions from your country or pirates.¡±


    ¡°If we need to force him into complying, what if we kidnap one of his family members or mistresses? I believe I read he has two of them, capturing them should be easy as- ¡°, the second in command began to say.


    Shooting up from his seat, Malcolm immediately called the agent a suicidal maniac. Recalling what happened last time someone touched one of Victor¡¯s women, the marquess recalled the bloodbath Victor unleashed on those responsible. Knowing very well that he had grown even more dangerous over the years, there was no way he would let them drag him into such a dangerous situation.


    ¡°Did your moronic superiors not explain anything to you?! Touching his mistresses is like double crossing the devil himself!¡±, Malcolm said, as the color drained from his face, ¡°He is the type of man that does not care about social standing or the hierarchy. If you get in his way or harm his lovers, he will ceaselessly pursue you till you are nothing more than a smear on the ground. That man mutilated his eldest brother, stepmother, and her servant for doing exactly what you are suggesting.¡±


    Having heard nothing about that, the three agents looked to their commander for confirmation. Nodding his head in acknowledgement, the commander informed them that their superiors had a gag order on sharing much of the viscount exploits. Wanting to know more about what they were not being told, the sound of marching feet began to echo through the streets. Turning their attention toward the window, they began to see torchlight flickering off homes down the road.


    Walking over to take a closer look, Malcolm seized up when he saw a large contingent of guards marching toward his home. Seeing the crests of the Atlee, Redgrave, Roseblade, and Royal Family mixed into the group, he immediately knew they were exposed. Quickly leaving the window, Malcolm ran to his weapon cabinet to retrieve his equipment.


    ¡°You blasted idiots led them right to us! Clearly you buffoons cannot do anything right!¡±, Malcolm seethed.


    ¡°Led who here?¡±, the commander asked, running to the window to see for himself. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rushing into the room with a panicked expression, the head butler informed them additional men were surrounding the back of the home. Cursing his damn luck, Malcolm wished they had never come to his home as he was too old to deal with shit like this.


    ¡°Malcolm, you traitorous bastard!! How dare you work with those Fanoss pigs!!¡±, Earl Roseblade howled, gripping his saber with white knuckles, ¡°I always felt something was off about you, but I never had proof. You are responsible for the deaths of my brothers and uncles! I will make you pay tenfold for nearly wiping out my household!¡±


    ¡°Charles, tell the servants to arm themselves and prepare to help us fight our way out.¡±, Malcolm commanded his butler, ¡°We will have to take the escape ship I have hidden outside the capital.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir!¡±, his butler acknowledged, running back downstairs to prepare for a fight.


    Throwing his robe to the ground, Malcolm hurriedly got his armor on and affixed his family sword and favorite pistol to his hips. As he began to tighten the straps down, the group heard the fighting begin downstairs. Hearing the dying screams of his staff below, they had only a few minutes at best to escape before they were through. Telling the men to follow him, Malcolm ran down the stairs and saw the guards begin to break through the makeshift defensive line. Cut off from his hidden escape route in the garden, their only option was to slip around the sea of enemies.


    Rushing toward the nearest window, the five of them jumped out one after the other with their weapons drawn. Rolling across the grass, they were about to take off running when they came face to face with the Earl Roseblade and a contingent of Royal Guards. Pointing their rifles at the enemy, the Royal Guard awaited the earl¡¯s command.


    ¡°I cannot fathom why you turned your back on our country, Malcolm. Do you realize the damage you have caused?!¡±, the Earl snapped.


    ¡°I doubt a patriotic fool like you would understand, but I did it to further my own political career. Joining hands with the Principality was mutually beneficial for both sides. They took care of any potential political rivals I had and provided me with dozens of their tactical plans that made me appear to be a brilliant tactician. In exchange, I sent wave after wave of disposable soldiers their way to sate the Radical Factions need for retribution and help sow hatred for our country among their citizens.¡±, Malcolm said, with a smirk, ¡°Had I not been stripped of my position, I would have had them finish the job I had them start.¡±


    Hearing that Malcolm had intended to kill his wife and daughters, the earl lost himself in a fit of rage. Lunging at him like a bloodthirsty tiger, he unleashed a torrent of devastating sword blows on Malcolm. Doing his best to parry the blows while looking for an opportunity to counterattack, he quickly began to run out of strength as he had let himself go after being forced into retirement. Knowing his body was not going to hold out long, Malcolm shouted at the men to help him.


    ¡°Are you waiting on an invitation?! Help me damn it!¡±, Malcolm spat, ¡°If I die here, your chances of getting out of the capital alive are zero!¡±


    Unwilling to die here, the four men charged forward to join the fight. Giving the order to kill them, the Royal Guard opened fire on the four of them. As the bullets began reaching their targets, a barrier that covered the men vaporized the bullets on contact. Laughing at the Royal Guards, the three new agents felt invincible with the new equipment they had received at the start of the mission.


    ¡°You idiots, your stupid weapons will not hurt us! We have the power of Lost Items on our- ¡°, the second in command began to say, as a plasma bullet shattered his shield and melted his body into a green goo.


    Coming to a screeching halt, the three remaining men pressed their backs together and began looking around for the source of the shot. As they were scanning the area, a hailstorm of plasma bullets suddenly appeared out of thin air. Jumping out of the way, only the commander managed to dodge the attack. Turning back to see his men melt into goo, he was about to utter a series of curse words when an orichalcum blade ran pierced through his chest.


    Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he looked over his shoulder for the one who attacked him. Not seeing anyone there, his eyes went wide with terror.


    ¡°Viscount Stark sends his regards.¡±, a voice said, as they ripped the blade back out and slit the commander¡¯s throat open.


    Collapsing to the ground, he continued to stare at where he thought his assailant was. Watching a person suddenly appear out of nowhere, his eyes bulged in disbelief. Sensing no magic being used, the only explanation was that they possessed a powerful Lost Item.


    ¡®The Principality¡­it is doomed¡­¡¯, he thought, with his last moments of life.


    Unable to hold out any longer, Malcolm¡¯s grip on his blade slipped allowing the earl to disarm him. Falling flat on his ass, the marquess began scooting away from him. Raising his blade to decapitate him, the old man drew his pistol and pointed it at the earl.


    ¡°I am not dying here, not like this!!¡±, he shouted.


    Going to pull the trigger, his forearm suddenly fell off without warning. Screaming in pain, as he clutched his arm, the earl silenced him permanently by removing his head.


    ¡°Are you alright?!¡±, Duke Redgrave called out, rushing out of the home.


    ¡°I am fine¡­I forgot he had a pistol¡­¡±, Earl Roseblade admitted, having been blinded by rage, ¡°Victor, is that you?¡±


    Turning to the individual in the unfamiliar suit, the person shook their head and removed their helmet. Giving the two men a friendly smile, the Strike Team Commander informed them that Victor had sent them over to provide extra support.


    ¡°The Viscount wanted us to contain the fighting to just this property. He did not want innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.¡±, he explained.


    ¡°How many of you are here?¡±, Duke Redgrave asked, glancing around.


    ¡°Thirty of us.¡±, he replied, as his troops revealed themselves to the nobleman.


    Discovering that they had surrounded them without realizing it, both were grateful they were on the same side. Entering the conversation, Prime Minister Atlee stepped outside with a box of documents he found upstairs.


    ¡°Please pass along our gratitude to Victor.¡±, Prime Minister Atlee said.


    ¡°I will do that, sir. That said, I believe the duke and you will be calling him son in law soon enough.¡±, he replied, with a mischievous smile, ¡°Good evening, gentlemen.¡±


    Putting his helmet back on, the Strike Team disappeared again leaving them standing there processing what they just heard.

 Chapter 54

    ---Victor POV, Royal Palace, Several Weeks Later--- sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meeting with Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia¡¯s parents over the following weeks, I informed them of my desire to marry their daughters. Walking into the meetings expecting to receive a bit of resistance from their fathers, all three of them gave me their blessing the moment I finished speaking. Happy to wed their daughters to a fiercely loyal man like me, they understood that I would properly cherish them and ensure they wanted for nothing. Making the engagements public a few days afterward, things at school became quite hectic as female students began throwing themselves at me.


    Leaving the matter to Clarice and Deirdre¡¯s subordinates, I preoccupied myself with things at the palace. Having literally torn Malcolm¡¯s house down to ensure nothing was missed, the full extent of his deeds had brought things to a standstill for the palace. Discovering that many of their deceased colleagues and close friends had been orchestrated by Malcolm, they regretted allowing him to die so quickly. Giving the nobles time to work through old wounds this incident reopened, I focused on planning our counter response. Once the men were ready, we sat down to discuss what came next.


    ¡°Gentlemen, recent events have shown me that we have been too lax on dealing with the Principality of Fanoss. While I refuse to begin slaughtering their populace, like they did in my grandfather¡¯s time, we cannot let their heinous actions go unpunished.¡±, King Roland said, pounding his fist onto his massive oak table.


    Turning his attention to me, Roland gave me the floor. Using the Force to pull over the box of miniature figurines, I began setting them out based on where the principality¡¯s forces were currently stationed.


    ¡°Alright, as of an hour ago this is how the principality currently has their forces laid out. As you may notice, their forces along our border are pitiful at best. Due to repeated attacks on my naval forces from the local nobles, they have little to no naval power left. Given the danger I pose to them, they ran to the capital for additional aid and managed to secure seven hundred vessels from their Royal Fleet.¡±, I explained, ¡°Even though they hold a numerical advantage, their nobility is still wary of my vessels. To lessen the risk of failure, the spies we killed a few weeks ago were sent here to have Marquess Frampton request we lessen security along the border. If he been successful, they intended to use the opening to launch an invasion into our country. Their first target would be the cruise ships full of students that will be in the vicinity next week.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you are saying our children are the first targets?!¡±, Earl Roseblade remarked, slamming his fist into the table, ¡°I should have guessed those bastards would use underhanded tactics against us. They know they stand no chance in a head on fight!¡±


    ¡°Victor, do you believe we should cancel the trip as a precaution?¡±, Duke Redgrave asked.


    ¡°On the contrary, I want to use the trip to lure their forces into a trap. My naval ships are equipped with cloaking technology that can render them invisible or make them look like a completely different vessel. I want to use that capability to draw them in and eliminate the Strike Group in one go.¡±, I stated, with a devious smile, ¡°We will proceed as planned with the trips, and make it appear like Malcolm was successful in lessening border security. The day before the cruise ships are supposed to be near the border, they will have unexpected engine failures which will keep them in port. Several of my vessels, including Yamato, will take their places disguised as cruise ships. The rest of my fleet will be invisible and on standby waiting for the principality to make its move. While their fleet moves in, mine will encircle them and block off all escape routes. Once there is nowhere to run, I will obliterate all of them in short order.¡±


    Happy that their children would be far from the battle, they liked the sound of using the principality¡¯s dirty trick against them. Visibly unsatisfied with this though, King Roland inquired if that was the only thing I had planned. Wanting the repercussions to be more severe for the principality, he felt that this was not sufficient to compensate us for the damage they caused.


    ¡°Would bringing you the head of the Black Knight, and their First Princess sweeten the pot for you?¡±, I asked, with a smirk, ¡°The two of them will be onboard the flagship leading the charge.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡­that is more like it.¡±, King Roland said, with a firm nod, ¡°Why not say that in first place?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to know just how far all of you want to take this. Are you satisfied with just this, or do you want to bring the former ducal territory back under the kingdom¡¯s control?¡±, I remarked, ¡°A few months ago, when I said the King and Queen need only give the word and the principality would be gone, I meant every word of it. If you give the order, it will be carried out without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Victor, do you really believe you possess the strength to do that? The kingdom tried several times in the past and each time were unsuccessful in doing so.¡±, Queen Mylene stated, with a worried look, ¡°Even though they will be down seven hundred ships, between the remaining vessels in their royal fleet and the other noble fleets they still have around ten thousand warships. We cannot afford to risk losing you in such a dangerous campaign.¡±


    Looking at his wife, Roland studied her expression for a moment. Seemingly coming to an epiphany, he looked back at me with a content smile.


    ¡°Queen Mylene, I can assure you I am not taking this matter lightly. When I say I can capture the entirety of the rouge ducal territory in forty-eight to seventy-two hours, I stand by my words. I have spent many hours reviewing their military¡¯s composition, the layout of their defenses, and the design of their vessels, all the data supports my assertion that I can reclaim it all in that timeframe.¡±, I reassured her and everyone here, ¡°The only wildcard in this plan is the response we will receive from the Holy Kingdom and the Alzer Republic¡¯s Feivel Household. Recent events had me investigating their connections closer, and I discovered the three groups are closely allied.¡±


    ¡°So the entire Alzer Republic is not involved?¡±, Prime Minister Atlee inquired.


    ¡°Correct, I would strongly recommend we inform the other ruling households of their betrayal. If nothing is done soon, they will be far too weak to resist an invasion from the Holy Kingdom.¡±, I warned them, ¡°The Feivel Household has been looting Lost Items from their nation¡¯s coffers and sending them to the principality to bolster their military power. The Holy Kingdom is supporting them both to rid itself of its two most prominent neighbors, they are effectively using them to fight a proxy war.¡±


    ¡°I understand, the Holy Kingdom has always had a disdain for both nations since its founding. It makes sense they would sponsor the corrupted members of our nations to weaken us. If everyone agrees, I believe in addition to the campaign to reclaim the rouge ducal territory we should partner with the Alzer Empire and crush the Holy Kingdom.¡±, King Roland remarked, looking at the nobles at the table.


    Agreeing that it was the best option, I tossed them documents on their defense and military layout as well as troop composition. Taking a moment to review the information, the Minister of Defense looked at me in shock.


    ¡°How did you get this information? I have been trying for years now to gather this intelligence.¡±, he inquired.


    ¡°I have my ways.¡±, I chuckled, turning to the King, ¡°Can I assume this means you want the rouge territory reclaimed?¡±


    ¡°Correct, I want this farce brought to end.¡±, he acknowledged, ¡°Also, should you complete this task I will make you the new Duke of that territory and give you Mylene.¡±


    Startling everyone in the room, all of us looked at him believing we had misheard what he said. Repeating himself again, we looked at each other in confusion as it did not make sense at all.


    ¡°Everyone one of you in this room is a close friend so there is no need to fake your surprise. All of you know I have never truly cared for her; our marriage was for political purposes only. The two of us have been unhappy sense we wed and have continued out of a sense of duty to our respective countries. I believe now the time is right to remove the fa?ade and proceed on our own paths.¡±, King Rolan stated, looking over at Mylene, ¡°You have been steadily falling for him over the past two years. I have seen the way you look at him and the happiness he brings you. Every time we have a fight, you seek comfort with him, and he has been honorable enough not to take advantage of it even though he easily could have. Follow what your heart tells you Mylene¡­I surely will once you are gone.¡±


    Watching her face contort into a scowl, all of us felt a bit awkward now. Knowing he would make his true love his Queen, none of us were sure if it was appropriate to be happy or sad about this occasion.


    ¡°I worked tirelessly for years to make you look at me as a woman, but nothing I did was ever enough. Both of us were forced into this marriage against our wills, difference is I tried to make it work and you refused too.¡±, Mylene said, tears welling up in her eyes, ¡°You offer me up now as prize to Victor, but what of my feelings? What did I do to deserve being thrown aside like garbage?!¡±


    Overwhelmed by her emotions, Mylene fled the room sobbing loudly. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Roland looked at me with an apologetic look.


    ¡°Go chase after her, you are the only one that can calm her down nowadays. I know I am coming across as cruel and heartless, but it is the only way she will leave.¡±, he explained, ¡°I have honestly wanted to divorce her since I ascended to the throne. The reason I did not do so is because she would be left penniless and without a home. Since it is clear she loves you, now is the time to break these chains that bind us and allow one another to move forward separately. She deserves to be just as happy as I do.¡±


    While grateful I could take Mylene, I felt his delivery to her was far too harsh. Utterly breaking her heart and making her feel like a prize must have been utterly humiliating to her. Excusing myself, I ran after her to console her.


    ¡°Roland, you are an asshole.¡±, Duke Redgrave stated.


    ¡°I know that, but Mylene¡¯s sense of duty was too strong to just walk away from me. It needed to be done so we both can move on.¡±, Roland said, looking out the window, ¡°Victor can give her everything I was unable to bring myself too. Though it may take some time, she will return to the radiant woman I first met all those years ago.¡±

 Chapter 55 (R-18)

    Finding Mylene curled up in a ball and bawling her eyes out in her closet, everything she had been holding in for years came flooding out. Cursing Roland¡¯s name repeatedly, Mylene wished she had never met him and had stayed in her home country. Wanting to know why Roland agreed to marry her, if he was going to treat her this way, she felt used and abused by the whole situation. Demanding the return of the years she wasted on him, Mylene blurted out that being a spinster was more favorable to her current situation.


    ¡°All I wanted was a kind, loving husband and a large family! Authority, fame, wealth¡­none of that ever mattered to me, I just wanted to be happy!¡±, she wailed, looking up at me with red swollen eyes, ¡°Now¡­now I am old and nearing the age where I can no longer bear children. My life¡­my happiness¡­it is all been a fucking joke!!¡±


    ¡°Mylene, I think you are a beautiful, mature woman with a big heart. I love you just the way you are, but if your age truly bothers you, I will find a way to turn back the hands of time to give you your youth back.¡±, I swore, kneeling before her, ¡°As you are now, I would be more than happy to share my life with you. Stay by my side and allow me the chance to give you the happiness which you long for.¡±


    ¡°You¡­you are just saying that to comfort me. There is no way to give me back what I lost¡­¡±, she said, turning away from me, ¡°You should focus on those younger girls that surround you, and forget about me.¡±


    ¡°Since the day we met, Mylene, have I ever once lied to you?¡±, I stated, forcing her to look me in the eyes, ¡°When I say I will find a way, come heaven or hell I will find it! Even if I must search the heavens for a way, I will do so without a second thought. All of you mean more to me than words can begin to describe. I want to take all of you into the stars and show you things that no one has ever seen before. Please, I beg you, let go of your old life and let me love you the way you deserve to be loved.¡±


    Searching my eyes for the slightest signs of deceit or falsehood, Mylene was awestruck to see none there. Understanding that I was speaking from the heart, I saw the young maiden in love that she had buried away so long ago. Lunging toward me, she began bombarding me with kisses as she took me to the floor. Straddling my waist, Mylene began to haphazardly remove her dress as we parted lips a few minutes later.


    ¡°I know should let Angelica, Clarice, and Olivia have a go before me, but I cannot hold back anymore.¡±, she apologized, ¡°Please show me just how much love you have for me, my dear Victor.¡±


    ¡°Here and now?!¡±, I said, a bit surprised, ¡°I do not have any protection on me. I can go-¡±


    ¡°While I appreciate the forethought, I honestly do not want to use any. I want you to ravage me and claim me as your own like a man.¡±, Mylene said, reaching her hand down to my crotch, ¡°Will you grant me this request, darling?¡±


    ¡®Holy shit¡­talk about going from zero to one hundred in an instant. Why the fuck was Roland turning her down when she acts like this?! He must be insane!!¡¯, I thought, as shecontinued to strip on me, ¡°Can we at least take this to your bed? While I am not against doing it here on the floor, it is much more comfortable there.¡±


    Taking a moment to think, she agreed to it if I carried her. Happy to oblige her, I stood up and firmly grabbed her butt to use as handholds. Letting out a soft moan, she gave me a horny smile before resuming the kissing barrage. Taking her to the bed, the two of us flopped onto it together. Glancing over to the door, to make sure it was locked, both of us began stripping the clothing off one another. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ---R-18---


    Ripping what remained of her clothing off, I took a moment to admire her unblemished body. Grabbing hold of her bountiful breasts, I kneaded them like a baker kneading bread. Squirming around beneath, Mylene¡¯s soft gasps and moans confirmed she was enjoying this just as much as I was. Shakily reaching down and undoing my belt, she pushed back my pants and underwear to see what I was packing. Staring wide eyed at my member, Mylene gingerly reached out and touched it sending a wave of pleasure down my spine.


    Giving her a few minutes to gently stroke it, I began to slowly kiss her body as I worked my way down. Startled by how low I was going; she gave me a concerned look when I stopped at her private area. Giving her no chance to stop me, I took the plunge and began to devour her. Having never experienced being eaten out before, Mylene¡¯s body immediately began to spasm uncontrollably as she wrapped her thighs around my head. Gripping my hair with her hands, her breathing became ragged as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her.


    ¡°Victor¡­I¡­I cannot take much more¡­¡±, she whimpered, after a few minutes, ¡°I¡­I am going to- ¡°


    Before she could finish speaking, Mylene¡¯s body convulsed uncontrollably as her orgasm hit her hard. Letting out an almost primal scream of pure ecstasy, her glistening body was rocked by several tremors in a short period of time. Collapsing onto her bed, the former queen gasped for air as she enjoyed the blissful feeling that began to creep into her mind. Happy that I was able to satisfy her, I slid myself into position and buried my member in her.


    Gliding into her, Mylene snapped her legs around me and locked her ankles together. Opening her arms wide to me, she gave me a longing smile as if she was welcoming me home. Wrapping her arms around my neck, as I embraced her tightly, I could feel the muscles in her coil tightly around my member. Starting out slowly, so she could get accustomed to intercourse again, her body refused to let me pull out more than half. Slamming it back into her, the sound of our flesh smacking against one another put a smile on her face.


    ¡°Please be as rough as you want with me. I want to feel your love reverberate throughout my body.¡±, she pleaded.


    More than happy to oblige her, I threw caution to the wind and began hammering her into the bed. Filling the room with sounds of our lovemaking, the two of us became lost in one another. Slowly alternating through several different positions, I watched the years of loneliness and neglect melt away the longer we embraced one another. Doing her damndest to please me, the young maiden she had locked away came out to show me the sweet, loving women I knew she was.


    Enjoying every moment I was joined with her; my body steadily drew closer to my own climax. Feeling my member begin to grow larger within her, Mylene began to gyrate her hips into pushing me as far as possible into her. Hell bent on not letting me slip away, she began to plead with me as she looked over her shoulder at me.


    ¡°I know you want to cum, Victor, do not hold it in. I want all of it, and I need it right now!¡±, she demanded, as she slammed her hips into mine.


    Grabbing hold of the headboard, Mylene spread legs as wide as she could. Holding onto her breast, I leaned forward and began to kiss the nape of her neck. Sending a shiver down her spine, her body tensed up and that was all it took for me to burst. With one last grunt, I slammed into her and began to unload inside. Feeling waves of unbridled pleasure wash over us. Losing all the strength in her body, Mylene collapsed onto the bed in a spasming heap.


    Wrapping my arms around above and below her chest, I continued to kiss her nape as my love flowed into her. Listening to her ragged breathing slowly stabilize, everything felt like it was falling into place.


    ¡°I wonder, do you believe me now Mylene?¡±, I whispered softly into her ear, ¡°Or do you need a few more rounds?¡±


    ¡°Can you really¡­?¡±, she inquired, glancing back at me, ¡°I thought men could not go back to back.¡±


    ¡°I am no ordinary man. How do you think I keep Lucoa and Roxanne happy in the bedroom?¡±, I remarked, with a naughty smirk, ¡°This was only a warmup for me.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, keep going till my legs no longer work. When I leave this prison for good, I want to be carried out in the arms of my beloved husband.¡±, she said, biting her lip.


    With that, the two of us began an afternoon of uninterrupted lovemaking. Forgetting about what was going on in the world outside for a few hours, all we cared about was making one another as happy as possible.


    ---R-18 End---

 Chapter 56

    ---Next Day---


    As the groundwork for my pending invasion started falling into place, I took our group on a side mission to secure a fourth AI unit. Wanting it to serve as both a protector and servant for my harem, as my other AI personalities were tied up elsewhere, an AI unit called Cleare fit my need perfectly. Unlike Luxion and Yamato, Cleare held no bias or disdain for New Humans, she saw them as the next step in mankind¡¯s evolution. While she was a bit quirkier than the other AI personalities, bringing her onboard would save me months of development on my own AI.


    <Captain, we are approaching the Elven Isles now. Should I begin scanning for the laboratory we are searching for?>


    ¡°While I doubt it will be as easy as it was with Luxion, please proceed with the scans.¡±, I acknowledged, ¡®If memory serves Cleare¡¯s laboratory dealt with genetic experiments and was supposed to be center stage for rebuilding the world once the Old Humans won. When the tide of war turned against them, they abandoned this place and sealed off the facility.¡¯


    While Yamato began a sweep of the archipelago, I glanced over to my future wives. Talking amongst themselves, all of them had welcomed Mylene into the fold with open arms. Having known about her marital problems for a while now, thanks to Angelica and Clarice, everyone was happy she had found happiness alongside us. Showing and telling her about our recent space exploration, Mylene was thrilled to explore the unknown frontier of space.


    ¡°Is there any specific reason you are not over there talking with them?¡±, I inquired, turning to Deirdre who was seated next to me, ¡°Are you not interested in space travel?¡±


    ¡°I have not earned that privilege yet or are you saying I have earned my spot by your side?¡±, Deirdre replied, with a playful smirk, ¡°I will take my ring now, please.¡±


    ¡°You have proven your point, Deirdre. I am thoroughly convinced you are in this for the long haul and have no ulterior motives for wanting to marry me.¡±, I admitted, yielding to her requests, ¡°If you are still sure you want to marry me, knowing my goal is to travel the stars, I would love nothing more than to have you along for the journey.¡±


    Summoning her ring from my storage, Deirdre snatched it out of my hand before the box touched my palm. Quickly putting it on her ring finger, she began doing a little celebratory dance in her seat as she admired the craftsmanship. Jumping up and running over to the others, she joined their conversation like she had been there the whole time.


    <Master, should I begin refusing the piles of marriage requests now.>


    ¡°Yes, Luxion, I have no desire to take anymore wives from this world. Any new additions now will come from the populace in the stars.¡±, I acknowledged, looking forward to meeting all sorts of new and different people.


    <Captain, I have found the laboratory but there is a problem. The facility¡¯s maintenance systems are showing significant damage to the lower levels. Currently the lower levels and the dock are inaccessible due to structural failures. Unfortunately you will need to enter from the surface entrance, without an updated map of the facility, teleporting you inside would be inadvisable.>


    Understanding the situation, I had Yamato moor as close to the surface entrance as possible. While she went ahead with doing that, all of us headed down to the Armory to gear up. Showing the women where the armor and weapons were, while they looked at their options, I deployed my Bleeding Edge Doom armor.


    ¡°You certainly have a wide array of weapons and armor¡­¡±, Mylene said, a bit overwhelmed by it all, ¡°Do you have any of have recommendations?¡±


    ¡°Light Armor and a good sword!¡±, Roxanne stated, with a firm nod, ¡°Some people, Lucoa, think that you must wear medium or heavy armor to be safe, but that is not true. All you have to do is woosh and swish to dodge them!¡±


    Demonstrating her flexibility and mobility to the other ladies, aside from Lucoa, everyone watched her in amazement. Instinctively understanding that no amount of practice was going to allow them to pull of those moves, the women thanked her for showing them before grabbing Medium Armor. A bit dejected that no one else grabbed Light Armor, Roxanne¡¯s tail drooped with disappointment.


    ¡°Give them time to get used to things, Lucoa, you, and I have been doing this for years. Once they get the hang of things I am sure they will come to understand your thought process.¡±, I reassured her, as I patted her soft, fluffy head, ¡®Aww¡­pure bliss!¡¯


    Accepting my explanation, Roxanne¡¯s tail began to wag excitedly again. Helping everyone put on their armor, the women began taking the weapons of their choice off the racks. Uncertain what weapon suited her best, as she had never held one before, Mylene again turned to everyone for assistance.


    ¡°If you have never held or used a weapon before, I would suggest a firearm.¡±, Deirdre suggested, ¡°With minimal training you can learn to use it well enough for dungeon exploration.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, something like one of these would suit you perfectly.¡±, Clarice said, pulling a laser pistol and rifle off the wall, ¡°Go ahead and give it a try.¡±


    Gratefully accepting the weapons, Mylene affixed the pistol to her hip before shouldering the rifle. Mimicking what the soldiers at the palace did, she seemed to understand the basics well enough.


    ¡°All I have to do is pull this trigger thing, right?¡±, Mylene remarked, squeezing the trigger.


    ¡°Wait!!¡±, Angelica said, snatching the rifle from her, ¡°Please be careful, discharging a rifle indoors can be incredibly dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry!!!¡±, Mylene immediately apologized, bowing her head to all of us.


    ¡°It is fine, unlike the kingdom¡¯s rifles, mine have a safety switch that prevents the weapon from being discharged when activated.¡±, I said, showing them where the safety locks were, ¡°If you see green, the weapons are live. If you see red, the weapons are disabled. No matter what though, always treat them like they are live. I want all of you to continue living, I cannot resurrect you¡­yet.¡±


    Nodding their heads in acknowledgement, the women let my last comment slide without asking any questions. Finishing their preparations, once everyone was ready, I had Jarvis teleport us outside the surface entrance.


    ---Abandoned Laboratory Dungeon---


    Making our way inside, a small group of slimes greeted us by lobing balls of acid at us. Eviscerating them with a blast of my repulsors, I activated my flood lights so we could see the area better. As this place was not a real dungeon, the only lights we had were the few still functional emergency lights scattered around the facility. Getting a creepy Fallout Vault vibe from this place, it made sense as this place performed many biological and genetic experiments. Back during the Great War, the only inhabitants of this world were humans.


    During the war, Old Humans created the Beastmen and Elves by genetically manipulating animal and human DNA. Wanting to create additional soldiers to quickly replace their dwindling numbers, the scientists decided to play God and mess with things beyond their comprehension. While I believed such experiments were disgusting and inhumane, I had to concede that without them Lucoa and Roxanne would have never been born. Grateful to them for that, I still could not condone what they did to the poor souls born here.


    <Sir, I am receiving a transmission from the AI called Cleare. It would appear Yamato¡¯s scanning awoke Cleare from her slumber, and she wishes to speak with you.>


    ¡°I understand, patch her in and monitor the connection closely. Do not under any circumstances allow her to access our systems.¡±, I said, wanting to be extra cautious. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    <Understood sir, patching her in now.>


    Hearing nothing but static for a moment, a few seconds later, it disappeared, and a female¡¯s voice began speaking to me. Bombarding me with over a dozen questions at once, I asked her to stop talking so we could address the major topics.


    ¡°First of all, the Great War has long sense been over and the Old Humans lost. I am a descendant of both New and Old Humans, and everyone with me is New Human. We are here to hopefully persuade you to join us as a member of our team. Would you be willing to do agree to that?¡±, I asked.


    <Absolutely, it is certainly preferable to staying here for all of eternity. That said, I am unable to leave the room where I currently reside. Both the primary and emergency power systems are offline, everything online now is running on degraded battery power.> (Cleare)


    ¡°I understand, are you able to get us an updated map of the facility. My ship detected that the lower levels of this facility have collapsed, and likely resulted in other structural failures above it.¡±, I stated.


    <Give me a moment, I will see what I can do.>


    While Cleare got us an updated map, we continued further on into the facility. Killing several more slimes, we stumbled upon a new monster two floors down. Looking like one of the plant-based creatures from Vault 22, I had Jarvis activate the women¡¯s air filtration systems. Killing it, after a few missed shots, Mylene gave us a brief happy dance that made us all laugh. Congratulating her on this achievement, we gave her a celebratory high five and pat on the back.


    <My apologies for the delay, transmitting the updated map to you now.>


    Receiving the data from her, Jarvis ran a quick scan on it before uploading it to my suit. Having marked her location on it for us, I determined that we were seven floors above Cleare. Letting the women know this, we began our long trek down to retrieve Cleare.

 Chapter 57

    ---Alzer Republic, Two Days Later--- Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Dispatched to the Alzer Republic, to speak with their leader Chairman Albergue Sara Rault, Duke Redgrave and I reviewed the information we had on the republic. Originally controlled by the Seven Great Houses, currently six after the Lespinasse Household fell from grace over a decade ago, each house oversaw an equal portion of the country. While maintaining the appearance of a united nation to most of their neighbors, the truth was they were heavily divided with each of the Great Houses seeing a different future for the republic. Somehow managing to keep them all together, against monumental odds, Chairman Albergue was truly an exceptional leader.


    Even though Albergue was doing an excellent job, one major problem he could not resolve was their nation¡¯s superiority complex. Due to the power each noble bloodline received from the nation¡¯s Sacred Tree; they had come to believe they were better than the neighboring countries. The technology they gained access to thanks to the Sacred Tree gave them a marginal battlefield advantage, but it came at the cost of their physical strength. Ignoring this weakness, they made a point to disgrace and humiliate every foreign noble that visited their nation. This ultimately alienated them from all other nations, but they did not seem to mind all that much.


    ¡°I was surprised to hear from you, Vince, it has been quite a long time since we spoke last.¡±, Albergue said, rising from his seat to shake Vince¡¯s hand, ¡°Who might this young man be?¡±


    ¡°It is good to see you again too, Albergue. This is my future son in law and the infamous Holfort Prodigy, Victor von Stark.¡±, Vince replied, with a big grin on his face.


    Hearing my name, the color began to drain from his face as he turned to look at me. Likely having heard all sorts of rumors about myself, he had every right to be fearful of me.


    ¡°It¡­it is a pleasure to meet you, Victor.¡±, he stated, shaking my hand nervously, ¡°Please tell me, did any of our nobles give you trouble on your way here?¡±


    ¡°A few of them did yes, but it has been dealt with accordingly.¡±, I informed him, ¡°Rest assured, I do not hold the Alzer Republic responsible for a few bad eggs. Hopefully they will not take my technology lightly next time.¡±


    Feeling a knot forming in his stomach, Albergue shifted around in his seat uncomfortably. Not wanting to provoke a war with the Holfort Kingdom, he quickly asked for the details so he could deal with this accordingly.


    ¡°Forty vessels from the Feivel Household and their vassal houses besieged us when we entered your nation. I believe they knew our reasoning for being here and wished to prevent us from warning you about their illegal activities.¡±, I stated, as the duke and I took our seats, ¡°They fired on us without warning, so I returned fired and obliterated all of them.¡±


    ¡°The Feivel Household¡­ugh¡­¡±, he groaned, rubbing his forehead, ¡°What have they done now?¡±


    Handing him the evidence I collected, Albergue took a moment to review the information. Watching his face turn from exhaustion to rage in a few minutes, he understood that the Feivel family had gotten them into hot water. Under normal circumstances, any other nation would have just declared war on the Alzer Republic without a second thought. Realizing we were being generous and offering him a way to avoid war, he jumped at the chance without hesitation.


    ¡°I swear, the Alzer Republic does not condone or support the Feivel Household¡¯s actions! Please rest assured that I will personally deal with this matter and see that they are stripped of their nobility!¡±, Albergue swore, ¡°We will see to it that all supply shipments to the principality are stopped immediately!¡±


    ¡°Albergue, there is more in there than just them selling Lost Items and equipment to our enemy. The Feivel Household is conspiring with the Holy Kingdom to overthrow your government.¡±, Vince said, motioning for him to continue reading.


    Continuing to review the information thoroughly, Albergue gripped his hair in frustration. Having felt something was amiss with them for some time now, he had no idea things had reached this point. The Feivel Household was the lowest ranked house among the Six Great Houses, and that was mostly due to gruesome rumors that had been running rampant about them for generations now. They apparently took great pleasure in torturing innocent people, and some said even their own relatives. What made it all the worse was their choice or inability to deny the rumors, leading everyone to believe the rumors were truthful.


    ¡°To weaken our military and sell us out to the Holy Kingdom¡­I am honestly at a loss for words.¡±, Albergue stated, looking at the documents and photos, ¡°They would sabotage their own homeland just to gain more authority and power. Of all the stupid things they could have done, why did it have to be this? Lambert should know that the Holy Kingdom will not honor their promise. Once we lost the war, he would no longer have a leg to stand on to demand they follow through with their promise.¡±


    ¡°We brought this to your attention as in a few days¡¯ time, Victor will begin reclaiming the principalities lands for the Holfort Kingdom. During his invasion, we anticipate that the Holy Kingdom and Feivel Household will join the war on the principality¡¯s side. King Roland wants to establish an alliance with the Alzer Republic to crush the Holy Kingdom when they do so.¡±, Vince explained, ¡°The seized assets and territory would be split equally between both sides. Once the Principality of Fanoss and the Holy Kingdom are gone, the Feivel Household will be left without any allies and should be easily crush by your forces alone.¡±


    ¡°I understand but will the Holfort Kingdom have enough ships to invade both countries?¡±, Albergue inquired.


    ¡°We are not dedicating any vessels to the invasion, everything is being handled by Victor¡¯s forces alone.¡±, Vince explained, ¡°All of our resources will be directed at the Holy Kingdom, all thirty thousand vessels.¡±


    ¡°Can you really do it alone? I heard your navy possesses fewer than two hundred ships.¡±, Albergue remarked, looking at me with concern.


    Giving him a smile, I nodded my head with certainty.


    ¡°I expect to wrap up the invasion within two to three days. Once the principality is no more, my forces will come to reinforce both sides.¡±, I stated, without a hint of doubt in my tone, ¡°While the numerical difference is staggering, my technology renders that advantage moot. I doubt they will be able to scratch the paint on my ships let alone damage one.¡±


    Unsettled by how calm I was, something in the back of his brain told him I was not joking. Believing he did not have all the information he needed to ascertain my military combat power, the Chairman accepted our proposal. Knowing it would be easy to convince the loyal Great Houses to go to war, Albergue drew up an official document establishing the alliance between our nations. Signing it on behalf of the king, Albergue and Vince shook hands again with a firm nod.


    ¡°I believe drinks are in order to commemorate this momentous occasion.¡±, I said, pulling out an experimental whiskey bottle from my storage, ¡°Would you gentlemen care for a taste?¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­is that Bartford Barony Whiskey?!¡±, Albergue gulped.


    ¡°That it is, it is a new product that will be coming out later this year.¡±, I explained, ¡°It is smokey salted caramel flavored.¡±


    Rushing over to his liquor cabinet, Albergue brought over three glasses for us. Chilling the glasses with ice magic, I poured each of us an equal serving before tasting it. Savoring their first sips, the two of them let out a satisfied sigh as they sunk into their seats. Content with taking a moment to relax, we began to talk a bit more casually with one another.


    ¡°You have outdone yourself again, Victor. This is by far the best one I have tried yet.¡±, Vince conceded.


    ¡°I wish we had a distillery that was half as good as yours, Victor. For all our supposed superiority to everyone else, we cannot make good booze to save our lives.¡±, Albergue chuckled.


    ¡°There is always room for improvement, but I thank you for your compliments.¡±, I said, ¡®Time to expand my sales to the Alzer Republic it seems.¡¯


    Offering the men cigars, the graciously took them and promptly lit. Letting the two old friends catch up with one another, I used the time relax and unwind.

 Chapter 58

    ---A Few Days Later, Invasion Day 1---


    Watching the principality¡¯s movements from Yamato¡¯s camouflaged deck, our current ETA was five minutes till intercept. Managing to garner additional noble support before setting sail from their capital, the fleet of seven hundred vessels had grown to fifteen hundred. Dividing their forces into two separate groups, the Black Knight and Princess led the vanguard, consisting of four hundred ships, while the remaining eleven hundred ships sailed ten miles behind them. Believing the Black Knight intended to soften up resistance and leave looting and pillaging to the main force, I was going to make them regret their decision to come here with a single, decisive blow.


    ¡°Luxion, bring the BFG 10,000 online and begin charging sequence.¡±, I ordered him, ¡°Set the output to ten percent, and aim for their rearguard. I want to crush their spirits by obliterating most of their forces. Await my signal before firing the weapon.¡±


    <Understood, Master. Beginning charging sequence now.>


    ¡°Yamato, please notify the troops to prepare for battle. When I give the command, I want them to send all of them to the abyss. Leave only the flagship intact, the Black Knight and Princess are mine.¡±, I commanded.


    <Aye Captain!>


    Deploying my Bleeding Edge Doom armor, I decided to check in with Cleare and my family to confirm their status. Fully aware of what was going on, they were onboard with my plan and were contributing in their own way. Explaining things to the crew and students on my behalf, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia would ensure all the cruise ships were headed back to the capital as of this morning. In the event some of the men wanted some fame and glory, they could join their families in the fight against the Holy Kingdom. Wanting my family as far from the invasion as possible, their safety was my top priority.


    ¡°Hello Victor, did you already destroy the fleet?!¡±, Olivia asked, with a surprised look.


    ¡°Haha, no. I am currently three minutes out from interception. Just wanted to check in and make sure you did not have any trouble on your end.¡±, I said, with a chuckle.


    ¡°No problems here, we began our return trip home just after eight this morning.¡±, Clarice answered.


    ¡°Good, I look forward to seeing you all in a few days. I apologize for not giving you a proper send off before I left this morning.¡±, I stated, in an apologetic tone, ¡°Cleare, I am trusting you with the most precious people in my life. Make sure you protect them properly.¡±


    <No worries, boss. No one is going to lay a finger on them with me around!>


    Saying their goodbyes, my family wished me luck and safe travels. Ending the call there, as a layer of thick fog began rolling in, I promptly turned my attention toward their flagship. Having built large fortifications on the back of a gigantic whale monster, it sort of reminded me a bit of the space whales from Doctor Who. Clearly not as gentle as them, the only thing keeping the beast under control was the magic flute in the princess¡¯ possession.


    ¡°Look alive Yamato, we are on the clock now.¡±, I chuckled, as the fog cleared revealing their vanguard group.


    Engaging her airbrakes, Yamato brought herself to a standstill in just a few thousand feet. Making the holographic bodies of students flee in terror, she made all the chaos look very damn convincing. Bringing them to a halt, when the enemy flagship projected an image of Princess Hertrude, I stood there silently awaiting what she had to say.


    ¡°Greetings Children of the Holfort Kingdom, I am First Princess Hertrude Sera Fanoss.¡±, she said, ¡°Due to the inexcusable actions of your Viscount Stark, we are here to declare war upon your nation. Unfortunately for all of you, everyone aboard your vessel is now our prisoner. Either surrender willingly to us, or we will send all of you to a watery grave. We expect answer from you by the time our boarding party arrives.¡±


    Ending the projection there, a small boarding vessel departed the flagship and began slowly making its way over to us. Noticing that several dozen guards were aboard, led by a man with a hideous mustache, all of them wore disgusting smirks on their face.


    ¡°Yamato, bring your weapon systems online. Once I squash these insects, release your camouflage and show these idiots what a real show of force looks like.¡±, I commanded.


    <Hehe, of course Captain! I am going tear them apart!!>


    Pulling alongside us, a few minutes later, the enemy group disembarked their vessel and began to approach us. Looking at all the female holograms, like they were at a meat market, the holograms began to back away sheepishly from them. Making Angelica and Olivia¡¯s holograms move behind me, the group came to a stop about ten from me.


    ¡°Hehe, alright you mongrel kingdom mutts, what is your decision? Are you going to choose subservience or death?¡±, Mustachio inquired, twirling his mustache with a fiendish smile, ¡°Actually, you know what, seize the women and take them back to the ship. The men can watch us rob them over their dignity while we sent them to a watery grave!¡±


    Locking his lustful eyes on Angelica and Olivia¡¯s holograms, my patience vanished. Having wanted to buy my fleet a bit more time to get into position, all bets were off now.


    ¡®I figured this was how it would be, but it still pisses me off he thinks I would let that happen. No Man or God is allowed to touch my fianc¨¦s but me!¡¯, I thought, stepping toward them defiantly. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Waving my hand, the student holograms vanished leaving me standing there alone. Unsure what was happening, the soldiers rushed in front of Mustachio, raised their rifles, and opened fire upon me. Watching the bullets turn to dust upon hitting my energy shielding, they did not stop firing till their magazines ran out.


    ¡°You fools are wasting your time. Those pee shooters will never reach me.¡±, I taunted them, ripping the rifles out of their hands with the Force, ¡°Now then, I have known about your invasion plans from the moment your cowardly border nobles ran to your capital with their tails between their legs. I watched you gather your forces and set sail five days ago at quarter to noon. Whether you like it or not, you have been doing exactly as I wanted this entire time.¡±


    ¡°You¡­you are bluffing!!¡±, Mustachio shrieked, ¡®How did he know the exact time we left?! No vessels passed us on our way here!¡¯


    ¡°Whether you believe me or not is of no consequence now. You foolish principality pigs graciously declared war on my homeland meaning I no longer must be civil with you.¡±, I reminded them, ¡°Now you will feel my wrath like never before!¡±


    Lifting my hands from my sides, the sky began to turn an eerie shade of green. Hearing the cracks of lighting begin to echo all around us, the soldiers abandoned their commander and made a dash for their ship. Crushing it with the Force, I broke the unfortunate truth them.


    ¡°Your opportunity to change this outcome ended the moment you besieged my ship. Now stand there and watch as I show you want total annihilation looks like!¡±, I said, grinning behind my helmet, ¡°I am, the Inevitable.¡±


    Snapping my fingers, a brilliant green light flooded the area as the BFG 10,000 struck the center of their rearguard. Engulfing them and the surrounding several miles in moments, the unholy, green energy field reduced everything it touched to atoms. Watching the shockwave come toward us, we watched various crews begin to brace for impact. Crashing into the sterns of many of their vessels, dozens of ships were pushed into each other sending hundreds of sailors overboard. Hearing their screams as they plummeted to their deaths, the enemy soldiers decided to take a chance and attack me head on. Howling like mad men as they came at me with just combat knives and their fists, I did them a kindness and ended their lives.


    Generating a powerful Force Storm, I blasted the soldiers tearing their flesh off their bones. Peppering the petrified Mustachio, the commander fell flat on his ass and began screaming like a little girl. Scooting away from me, as I approached him, I used the Force to pull him toward me. Seizing him by the throat, Mustachio began pleading for his life and offering me anything my heart could desire. Promising me fame, fortune, and all the women I could want, I began to squeeze the life out of him.


    ¡°I have no interest in anything you could offer me. In three days¡¯ time, the Principality of Fanoss will be nothing but ancient history.¡±, I told him, before producing the signed Royal Decree, ¡°King Roland has given me full authority to do what is needed to bring your rogue ducal territory back under the Crown¡¯s rule. By the time I am finished, these lands will be known as the Stark Duchy.¡±


    Having no use for him, I casually threw him overboard and let him plummet to his death¡­twenty thousand feet below. Ordering my vessels to begin bombarding the remnants of their Strike Group, I told Jarvis to ready Nova Gundam for combat. While he performed final system checks, I took to the skies and flew over to the enemy flagship. Deciding to kill as many soldiers as possible to draw the Black Knight out.

 Chapter 59

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Watching the chaos unfolding outside, the Black Knight Vandel Him Zenden pondered how to proceed from here. Having lost their main force to the viscount¡¯s secret weapon, the vanguard was all alone now, and their numbers were rapidly dwindling. Understanding that retreat was not an option, as they were all that stood between the viscount and their capital, they had to make a stand here or all would be lost. Ordering all their mechanized units into the air, Vandel commanded them to fly straight into the enemy vessels. Wanting to take out as many of the kingdom¡¯s troops as possible, Vandel refused to die without a fight.


    ¡°My apologies, I believe I misheard you over the explosions out here. Did you say you want us to crash into the enemy vessels with our mechs?¡±, one of the pilots asked, believing they had misheard what was said.


    ¡°That is correct, fly your units straight into the enemy ships¡­preferably the bridge, if possible.¡±, Vandel acknowledged.


    ¡°Haha¡­FUCK YOU!!!¡±, a pilot screamed over the radio, ¡°I have a wife, five children, and a sixth on the way back home. There is no way I am going to throw my life away and leave them all alone. No one else is going to take care of them, but me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got married hours before we deployed on this suicide mission!! I have not even had my first night with my wife yet!!¡±, another pilot spat, ¡°How about you come out here, and show us how it is done?!¡±


    ¡°I may have it rough back home, but I would take that life any day over being dead!¡±, a third pilot scoffed, ¡°This battle is already lost, we should be surrendering!!¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!! We are fighting to the last man!!¡±, Vandel roared, enraged his men were refusing direct orders, ¡°Either do as you are told, or be branded as deserters!!¡±


    ¡°I am taking my chance with the viscount, fuck you, old fossil!!¡±, a fourth pilot retorted, ¡°Who is with me!!¡±


    Watching dozens of mechanized units throwing their weapons away from her window vantage point, First Princess Hertrude knew they had to yield. Even though she despised the kingdom, she did not want to send her fellow countrymen for a lost cause. Walking over to the radio console, Hertrude took the microphone from Vandel and began ordering the men to surrender. Getting only a few words out before Vandel drew his blade, the princess jumped out of the way as he split the instrument cluster in half.


    ¡°As I said, there is no surrender or retreat!!¡±, Vandel scolded her, ¡°Why are you defying my orders?!¡±


    ¡°We have no backup anymore, our men are being torn apart out there, and after witnessing the viscount¡¯s secret weapon, our spirits are broken. There is no reason to draw this fight out anymore, we should surrender while we still can.¡±, she said, trying to reason with the man she saw as a grandfather.


    ¡°You are not seeing the big picture; we are all that stands between the kingdom¡¯s watchdog and the capital! If we surrender, he will fly there unimpeded killing everything in his path!!¡±, Vandel remarked, disappointed in her, ¡°Our only option is to hold our ground, or push him back at the very least.¡±


    ¡°We can very easily negotiate for another ceasefire like we did decades ago. You know as well as I do that the kingdom¡¯s nobles are pushovers. Our goal should be to return home, figure out how to counter that weapon, and then plan another invasion.¡±, Hertrude stated, assuming they would agree like they always had in the past.


    ¡°No, I refuse to surrender to those bastards! I have lost far too much to give up now!¡±, Vandel seethed, striking fear in everyone on the bridge, ¡°I am the commander of this operation, and my decision is final. One more word out of anyone, and I will personally execute you for treason!¡±


    Having destroyed his only method of communication with troops from the bridge, Vandel promptly sheathed his blade and headed down to the hanger to lead from there. Once he was gone, Hertrude curled up into a ball and began to sob softly. Having been threatened with execution by one of the few people she trusted, she regretted having agreed to come here. After a few moments of sobbing though, thoughts of her younger sister began to creep into her mind.


    ¡®No¡­I cannot give up and let Vandel kill us all. If I die here, no one will be left to protect my sister Hertrauda!¡¯, Hertrude thought, pulling herself together, ¡°If we do nothing, Vandel will get us all killed. We must stop him and sue for a ceasefire with the kingdom, but I cannot do it alone. Is anyone here willing to assist me?¡±


    Looking at one another for a moment, those on the bridge began standing up one by one volunteering to aid her. Patting her mistress on the back, even her personal maid was willing to do whatever was needed to stop the Black Knight¡¯s madness. Telling everyone to grab weapons and chase after him, the crew nodded their heads and ran off to collect what weapons they could find. Following suit, Hertrude and her maid joined them hoping to make it time before it was too late.


    ---Victor POV---


    Having slaughtered several thousand enemy units and monsters, the Black Knight had not graced me with his presence yet. Wondering if Vandel was a coward, and not the brave knight the kingdom thought he was, I began to think the only way I would get to fight him is if I hunted him down on the flagship. Deciding that it was my best option at this point, I began making my way toward the flagship¡¯s hanger when Jarvis alerted me to a developing matter.


    <Sir, several captains are reporting that enemy mech pilots are attempting to surrender. They want to know if they can take them hostage, or if they should be killed.>


    ¡°What is their radio chatter saying?¡±, I asked, having disconnected from their coms as their terrified screams were giving me a headache, ¡°Is this perhaps an attempt to lower our guard?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    <The Black Knight ordered the pilots to crash their mechs into our vessels, but many pilots are refusing to do so. They would rather take their chances with us over needlessly throwing their lives away, sir.>


    ¡®Seriously¡­he wanted to make them kamikaze pilots?! Vandel must be incredibly desperate to win this fight if he is going to that extreme.¡¯ , I thought, ¡°My goal is to focus all our resources on preparing for space travel once this farce is over with. Sparing the pilots and having them spread the word that we are not the monsters their government says we are will further that goal. Go ahead and capture any enemy soldiers who surrender themselves to us. The only one that we cannot allow to surrender is the Black Knight himself.¡±


    Acknowledging my order, Jarvis began transmitting the information to all my vessels. With that taken care of, I continued onward toward the hangar. Flying inside unimpeded, I found Vandel slaughtering his own troops who were presumably refusing to continue the fight. Shouting incomprehensible words at them like a madman, he had clearly lost his marbles and was hellbent dragging everyone down in his vendetta against the kingdom. Hitting him with a blast from a sonic cannon, the old man slammed into one of the mechanized units and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Come, Black Knight, if it is a fight you want, I will gladly be your opponent!¡±, I declared, touching down a few yards from him, ¡°As for the rest of you, if you lay down your arms in surrender I will spare your lives. The one that must die here is this rabid dog!¡±


    ¡°You were fool for coming here alone, Holfort Prodigy. All of you, take aim and kill the kingdom¡¯s watchdog!!¡±, Vandel howled, as he picked himself up off the floor.


    ¡°I suggest all of you think carefully about what you do next. The Black Knight does not care about any of your lives, he ordered you and your comrades to sacrifice yourselves to further his own agenda. This is no longer about protecting your country and families, he is continuing to fight because he has a vendetta against the kingdom.¡±, I proclaimed, ¡°I am giving you a way out of this so you can return to your loved ones and continue living. If you continue to side with him, all that awaits you is certain death.¡±


    ¡°He is lying, the kingdom will enslave all you and your loved ones!! Kill him now!!¡±, Vandel demanded, pointing his blade toward me.


    Taking a moment to look at both of us, the troops were unsure who to side with. Fearing death at the hands of my forces, they wondered if slavery was a better option than death. Gathering the courage to speak up, one of the commanders looked at me and asked a question.


    ¡°Is it true, will all of us and our families become slaves if we surrender to you?¡±, he inquired.


    ¡°No, I have no intention to enslave any civilians in the principality.¡±, I replied, retracting my helmet, ¡°King Roland commanded me to reclaim all the ducal territory for the kingdom. Once it is back under the kingdom¡¯s control, I will be instated as the new lord of these lands. Under my supervision, there will be no steep tax hikes, no retribution against the civilian populace, or no form of reparation will be expected from any of you. The full burden of the principality¡¯s crimes will fall solely on the nobility of your country, they will be dealt with accordingly by the Royal Court.¡±


    Staring into my eyes intently, those who were close by looked for any signs of deceit or falsehood. Satisfied that I was being honest with them, one by one the crew and troops began to disarm themselves. Furious that his men were surrendering to me, Vandel¡¯s reasoning left him as he blindly charged at the nearest man. Swinging his blade at the man¡¯s neck, I used the Force to hold Vandel in place and spare his life. Telling the men to vacate the area so I could deal with him, everyone immediately fled the immediate vicinity.


    ¡°Alright, old fossil, it is time to put you down permanently!¡±, I said, redeploying my helmet.


    Releasing my grip on him, Vandel cracked his neck and turned to face me. Letting out a battle cry, the old man charged at me with every ounce of strength he possessed. Drawing my red lightsaber, I ran at him as well fully intending to destroy his blade and take his head off in one swing. Exchanging blows once we were within range, our blades clashed and glanced off one another. Startled by this unforeseen outcome, I immediately had Jarvis analyze the swords composition.


    <Sir, I believe your armor¡¯s scanners may be damaged. The composition of his armor and weapon shows a mixture of beskar and mithril.>


    ¡°Beskar huh¡­this is an interesting development!¡±, I remarked, exchanging a flurry of blows with Vandel, ¡°That means either his equipment is from a dungeon, or there is a Mandalorian Iron Ore deposit in the principality that we are unaware of. Today is starting to look up for us, Jarvis!¡±


    Wanting the Black Knight¡¯s equipment for further analysis and testing, my desire to kill him was even greater now. Pressing my advantages against the aged knight, Vandel¡¯s strength began to waver after a few heavy blows from me. Softening up the metal with each strike, it would only be a few minutes before I would cut through it and take his head.


    ¡°Grandfather, please stop this immediately. We still have a chance to sue for peace!!¡±, Hertrude said, as she and her backup arrived in the hanger.


    ¡°Stay out of this, Hertrude!¡±, Vandel panted, as his arms grew heavy.


    ¡°Princess Hertrude, unfortunately there will be no ceasefire or negotiations this time. The Principality of Fanoss will no longer exist in two days¡¯ time, the rogue ducal territory will be brought back under the Holfort Kingdom¡¯s dominion. His head and all the nobles of your country will be brought before the Royal Court, and justice will be carried out on all of you.¡±, I said, as my lightsaber finally cut through Vandel¡¯s blade, ¡°Our game is now over, old man!¡±


    ¡°I do not think so!!¡±, Vandel spat, pressing a button on his wrist.


    Hearing a mech unit fire up from somewhere in the hanger, I watched his mech suddenly come flying out of the back. Opening fire on everything in front of it, the principality soldiers dove for cover while my energy shield protected me. Believing I would let him suit up, I snapped my fingers and summoned my own mech.


    ¡°Rise, Nova Gundam!!¡±, I shouted, as its giant glowing hand came flying out of the hanger floor.


    As my Gundam¡¯s glowing hand melted right through Vandel¡¯s mech, the ship began to list as the monster the fortress was built on began to die. Caught off guard by my mechs sudden arrival, Vandel left himself wide open and I jumped on the opportunity. Whipping my blade around, I swiftly took his head off just as he looked back at me in disbelief.


    Stowing him and all his belongings in my storage, I gave the order to abandon ship. Quickly hitting the emergency evacuation alarm, everyone began scrambling for an airship or mech to fly away. Seizing Hertrude and her maid, I spirited the two of them back to Yamato and handed them off to the androids.


    ¡°Alright Jarvis, time to wrap things up here and proceed as planned!¡±, I said, wearing a devious smile, ¡°Time to begin the fastest invasion in world history. Send in the Helldivers!¡±

 Chapter 60

    ---3rd Person POV, Two Days Later, Heavy Armor Division (HAD) Space Station--- sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Receiving deployment orders from the Supreme Commander, Victor, the Heavy Armor Division began gearing up for their first planet side mission. Having served as a glorified security detail for the teams mining asteroids off world, they had yet to see any real fighting yet outside of simulations. Having been informed of their deployment for the final part of the invasion a few weeks ago, the automatons and troops had been waiting for this moment with bated breath. Gathering in the pod hanger once their preparations were complete, they stood at their stations while their leader, Commander Lawson stepped behind his podium.


    Crafted to be Victor¡¯s answer to a potential Imperium threat, Commander Lawson and his men were outfitted with pseudo-space marine augments. Working off memory, as Victor did not have any specimen to work from at the time, the men were forty percent cyborg and sixty percent human. Making them as tall, muscular, and intelligent as the available gene pool would allow, everything he could not improve genetically was augmented with technology. Designed to be his most rugged and terrifying division, the nine-foot-tall giants in their matte black armor certainly invoked the fear he desired.


    ¡°Today has been a long time coming, ladies and gentlemen. We have trained countless hours and watched our fellow soldiers get all the glory till now, but today is our turn to make a name for ourselves!¡±, Lawson said, slamming his fist onto the podium, ¡°Right now your HUD computers are being updated with photos of military and noble targets from in and around the capital. Our orders are to soften up resistance in the capital, capture these targets, and avoid civilian casualties at all costs. The Supreme Commander has made it clear that anyone caught harming civilians will be publicly executed by him personally. Does anyone have any questions?¡±


    ¡°Will we be redeploying to join the fight against the Holy Kingdom, sir?¡±, one of the men inquired.


    ¡°Yes, we will, but not immediately. Commander Yoma¡¯s division is currently compiling a list of targets for us to strike. Once I have that in my hands, I will provide you with further details.¡±, Commander Lawson acknowledged, ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Sir will our full battery of support equipment be available to us?¡±, another soldier asked.


    ¡°Yes, Luxion will deactivate certain support options based on where you are in the city to prevent potential friendly fire and civilian casualties.¡±, Lawson replied, ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Surveying the sea of troops for any further questions, no one spoke up or raised their hands. Satisfied with this, Lawson initiated the deployment of the automaton units while his men were lowered into their Planetary Entry Pods. Once everyone was locked in and ready, Lawson initiated the sequential deployment of his men before go to his own pod.


    ¡®I have waited a long fucking time for this day. Time to show the Supreme Commander that we are capable of handling anything he can throw at us!¡¯, Lawson said, as he was lowered into his pod.


    ---Victor POV---


    Currently a few miles away from the principality¡¯s capital, things had gone rather smoothly since massacring the principality¡¯s Strike Force. Having prepared no defenses, in the event their Strike Force lost the battle, we encountered almost no resistance up till this point. As ninety-nine percent of the principality was under my control now, the last place we had to capture was their capital city.


    <Master, the Heavy Armor Division has been deployed. Impact in ten minutes.>


    Turning my gaze up toward the sky, hundreds of small red dots began to glow in the upper atmosphere. Imagining how much fun those meatheads were having; I made a mental note to give their pods a try sometime soon.


    ¡°Thank you, Luxion.¡±, I replied, ¡°Yamato, how is our blockade looking?¡±


    <A gnat could not get past without us knowing, Captain!>


    ¡°Haha, very good! Beginning playing the audio notice for the citizens of the principality¡¯s capital. Hopefully those smart enough to understand the situation will take shelter in their home and stay off the streets. So far, we have managed to get by with only a handful of civilian casualties, I would like to keep it that if possible.¡±, I said, as I gave the order to prepare for combat.


    Giving the citizens of the capital eight minutes to react to our notice, I headed down to the hanger and jumped into Nova Gundam. Deploying immediately, the troops and I began flooding into the capital as the Heavy Armor Division began touching down. Shaking the island violently with every impact, the automatons and soldiers began pouring out of their pods, quickly overwhelming the defenders in those areas. Heading on ahead of my forces, my goal was to capture the Royal Castle and secure the Royal Family.


    As I drew near the structure, several dozen mechanized units launched into the sky from behind the castle¡¯s walls. Flying straight at me, half of them began firing on me while the others surged forward with lances in hand. Noticing that my shielding was barely being hit, most of the shots aimed at me were striking nearby civilian structures.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Why are you attacking your own people!?¡±, I shouted, shooting past the lancers wanting to finish off the riflemen first.


    ¡°I DO NOT WANNA DIE!!!¡±, a child¡¯s voice cried over the radio, ¡°PLEASE GO AWAY!!¡±


    Stopping dead in my tracks, I immediately had Jarvis hack into the enemy¡¯s systems and toggle on their cameras. To my utter shock, only three of the units had actual adult men in them¡­the rest were boys barely thirteen years of age. Noticing that they had small bombs strapped to them, I erupted into a fit of rage.


    ¡°Commander Dance and Commander Lawson, any nobles you find can be taken dead or alive now¡­preferably dead! They are forcing children to fight us with bombs strapped to them. I assume this is to prevent them from fleeing the battlefield.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±, Dance howled, ¡°THOSE RABID BASTARDS!!¡±


    ¡°YES SIR, WE WILL TEAR THOSE FUCKERS APART!!¡±, Lawson acknowledged.


    Turning my attention to the children, I knew disarming those bombs was the highest priority now. Using my speed to quickly get behind them and disable their mechs, I gingerly carried them down to the streets below telling them to wait there for me. Taking all the mechs out of commission, I had Jarvis take control of the Gundam while I went to assist the children. Ripping the armor off the closest mech, the twelve year old boy inside let out a horrified shriek as he curled up into the fetal position. Repeatedly telling me he was sorry and had no choice, he begged me not to kill him.


    ¡°I may be many things in this world, but a child killer I am not.¡±, I told him, in a calm voice, ¡°Let me look at that bomb they have strapped to your back. Once I disable it and remove it, I want you to go back home and stay there till the fighting is over. Can you do that for me?¡±


    Sheepishly nodding his head, the boy turned around and let me examine the bomb. Thankful that it was a relatively simplistic bomb so disabling it was very easy. Undoing the bindings that held the unit to his back, he began to bawl his eyes out with utter relief. As I stowed the bomb in my storage, the boy turned around and gave me a grateful hug.


    ¡°Th¡­tha¡­thank you!!¡±, he wailed, as snot and tears ran down his face, ¡°I¡­I¡­I did not want to¡­do this!! The¡­the¡­the guards made us do it!! They¡­they¡­they beat my parents¡­and¡­my little sister...!¡±


    ¡°Everything is going to be alright now. When this is all over, have your family come get medical attention in the central market. I will have medical teams on standby to help anyone in need of medical attention there.¡±, I told him, as I patted his head, ¡°You do not have to worry about fighting anymore. Just focus on enjoying your childhood from now on and leave the adult things to adults.¡±


    Nodding his head, the boy made his way out of the cockpit and ran off into the city. Making my way from mech to mech after that, I heard similar stories from the other children. Forcibly recruiting young children to fight as ammo carriers and mech pilots, their families had been beaten within an inch of their life to strong arm the kids into submission. Vowing to make the military leaders and noblemen pay dearly for this, the one who would shoulder the initial punishment would be the King himself.


    As I finished up with the last child, the Heavy Armor troops had breached the castles defenses with the aid of the automatons. Rapidly securing the premise, I led a detachment of soldiers straight to the throne room where I proceeded to blast the massive steel doors off their hinges with the Force. Catching a glimpse of the soldiers on the other side run for their lives, I heaved the doors into the air and launched them toward the throne. Imbedding them in the wall a foot above it, I turned my gaze upon the cowering royal family and several military leaders.


    ¡°Guard the entrance and do not let anyone in here.¡±, I commanded my troops, ¡°I will deal with this personally.¡±


    Nodding their heads, my men formed a wall with their backs turned to me. Menacingly approaching the group, the aura around me reflected the rage I had burning my chest. Fainting immediately, as she had no tolerance for bloodlust, Hertrauda collapsed onto the floor while the guards made themselves scarce.


    ¡°Whose idea was it to strap bombs to children and force them into military duties?¡±, I asked, as Force Lightning crackled around me, ¡°If I do not get an answer, I will infer that all of you came up with the idea together.¡±


    Looking at one another, each of those present expected someone else to take the fall for this. Deciding not to waste my time figuring out who did it, I moved Hertrauda away from the group before unleashing my anger on them. Blasting them with Force Lightning and repulsor blasts, the surrounding area became filled with their screams of agony and suffering. Killing all of them, save for the King and Queen, I tortured the two of them till they were reduced to a vegetative state. Glancing over at the guards, who had bore witness to the entire scene, they screamed like little girls as they began clawing at the wall to flee.


    ¡°Drop your weapons and get the hell out of my sight! Make sure the public knows what happens to those that use children in this fashion!¡±, I roared, as they dropped everything on them and ran for the door.


    Stepping aside so the guards could run past, my soldiers began to snicker as the guards ran by them butt naked.

 Chapter 61

    ---Several Hours Later---


    With the principality firmly under my control now, I left clean up operations to Commander Dance and Lawson. While they began restoring order and peace to the territory, Yamato ferried the disgraced, noble prisoners and I back to the capital. As we pulled into port and completed docking procedures, a crowd began to form along the boardwalk as the populace wanted to see what was going on. Unaware of the invasion, they initially thought something had happened and were beginning to grow restless. Having the androids and troops onboard begin the unloading of prisoners immediately, the mood began to shift amongst the onlookers.


    Recognizing the faces of several prominent nobles from the principality, the people began to get rowdy. Wanting their pound of flesh for generations of conflict and lost friends and family, they began to swarm the pier. Rushing towards the prisoners with whatever objects they could find, they tackled the first few nobles to the ground and began pummeling them. Shielding their faces from the mob, the nobles began screaming for aid while the city and royal guards ignored their pleas.


    ¡®It is a good thing I thought to send children fifteen and under to the palace in shuttle pods. There is a chance these people would not notice the difference and potentially kill them without realizing it.¡¯, I thought, as I flew down to restore order, ¡°Everyone, wait a moment!!¡±


    Hearing my booming voice, the mobs quickly quieted down and turned their attention toward me. Signaling my troops to get the nobles back on their feet, I told the mob to simmer down and keep physical violence to a minimum¡­for the time being.


    ¡°Pelt these fools with rotten food and stones to your heart¡¯s content, but their lives belong to the Crown now. King Roland and the Royal Court will see that fair punishment is passed upon these mongrel mutts, I will personally be recommending death by stoning so every citizen may exact revenge for those we have lost.¡±, I informed the mob, ¡°While I know this will not sit well with some of you, there is something everyone here will rejoice in knowing¡­¡±


    Pulling Vandel¡¯s head out of my storage, I held his head high for both the disgraced nobles and the public to see.


    ¡°No longer will young men and women risk their lives along our southern border. The Black Knight of Fanoss and the principality are no more!!¡±, I proclaimed, as the crowd began to cheer loudly and celebrate this momentous occasion, ¡°Our darkest hour is at end, the rogue ducal territory is back under the kingdom¡¯s control and our country is now whole again!¡±


    Hanging their heads in utter defeat, while the citizens celebrated joyously around them, my soldiers kept the line moving. Following my suggestions, once the nobles reached the boardwalk, they began being pelted with rotten food and small stones. Fearful of the consequences for fighting back, the nobles just accepted it and kept walking toward the palace. As we reached the midpoint of our journey, we ran into King Roland and several dozen noblemen who were coming down to see what the commotion was about.


    Dumbfounded by the familiar faces in front of them, the nobles looked at me to confirm they were not seeing things. Confirming that I had indeed brought all the nobles from the now debunked nation here, the former King and Queen were dragged before them with their heads hung low.


    ¡°As I said, forty-eight to seventy-two hours was all I needed to get the job done.¡±, I said, holding up Vandel¡¯s head. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I¡­I am honestly speechless. When you initially gave me that estimation, I did not actually think you would do it.¡±, King Roland stated, still not believing what he was seeing.


    ¡°HAHAHA!!!¡±, Earl Roseblade boomed, ¡°You killed the Black Knight and brought these once prideful rats before us defeated and in chains!! Victor, you are every bit the man I thought you were!!¡±


    ¡°I wholeheartedly agree!¡±, Duke Redgrave acknowledged, walking up and patting me on the back, ¡°You have done this country a great service for which it can never repay you properly for! I am honored to call you my future son-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Come Victor, this calls for a celebration the likes of which the capital has never seen before!!¡±, Earl Atlee proclaimed.


    Giving my men orders to show the prisoners to their accommodations in the palace dungeons, I had Luxion add additional security and surveillance to prevent any suicide attempts or escapes. Following my fellow noblemen back to the palace, they began asking me for all the juicy details and stories I had about the invasion. Before I began the storytelling, I returned stolen family heirlooms to those who lost relatives to the principality. Happily accepting the items back, King Roland broke out several kegs of fine wines and inaugurated the festivities with a toast to me.


    ---Evening---


    While I was more than happy to celebrate with everyone, nothing beat being back home surrounded by my lovely ladies. Greeting me the moment I stepped inside, Mylene almost bulldozed me back out the door when she tackled me for a hug. Following close behind her, Lucoa and Roxanne came over to give me hugs and kisses too. Apologizing for not coming home sooner, I informed them that the festivities in the capital were in full swing right now.


    ¡°Oh we know, we can hear the partying from the balcony.¡±, Lucoa giggled, with a mischievous smile, ¡°You happy to be home?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea¡­¡±, I acknowledged, ¡°I am grateful to have a few days break before the next invasion starts. My intention is to spend all that time with you ladies, and just relax.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, I assume we are included in that group.¡±, Deirdre inquired, leaning over the railing in her pajamas.


    Surprised to see her here at this hour, I wondered if the women had a sleepover while I was away. Turning to Cleare for an update, she informed me that Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre had moved in while I was away. Believing it was only fair, as everyone else lived here, surprisingly their families gave their permission without any second thoughts.


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±, Angelica asked, walking down the stairs.


    ¡°Too late to say no now.¡±, Clarice giggled, following her.


    ¡°I have no issue with it, but I wonder¡­was it really because everyone was already living here or the fact, they got to enjoy the perks of the house while you did not?¡±, I teased them.


    Shrugging their shoulders the three women began laughing as they came over to hug me as well. Wondering where Olivia was, she came running out of the kitchen with oven mitts on.


    ¡°Welcome back, Victor!¡±, she said, giving me a hug before promptly running back to the kitchen, ¡°I am baking a cake to celebrate!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±, I replied, as we all followed her, ¡°Do you need any help?¡±


    ¡°I can handle this part, but could someone set the table with plates and utensils?¡±, she responded.


    ¡°On it!¡±, Roxanne answered.


    Brewing a pot of coffee to go along with the cake, once everything was ready, we sat down together and enjoyed the delicious dessert Olivia prepared. Enjoying the warmth my mansion had now, I was truly happy to be home again.

 Chapter 62

    ---Several Weeks Later---


    Receiving my new title and territory, after the dust settled from both conflicts, the first thing I did was review the current state of my domain. As the former nobles were more focused on military might than the people they served, I anticipated there would be quite a lot of issues to address. Working with Jarvis and Luxion over the course of four days, we created a checklist of over six hundred pages in length. Ranging from woodland clearing projects to road repairs, there were far more problems than I ever could have imagined. Handing things over to my Engineering Division, I instructed them to reach out to me if they had any questions.


    One of two non-combatant divisions at my disposal, the automatons, men, and women of this group were the backbone of my operations. These individuals were responsible for most of the production, maintenance, and disposal of equipment as there was far too much for me to handle alone. Grateful to have them working alongside us, Commander Bannister and her men were held in high regard by everyone in my organization. Providing her with everything she needed to complete the work, I confirmed with her she was all set before leaving it to her.


    ¡°To clarify, sir, is there any particular order we should tackle these in?¡±, Commander Bannister asked, quickly skimming through the sheets.


    ¡°I would prioritize well and food storages repairs/replacements first, but outside of those you are free to tackle them as you see fit.¡±, I stated, ¡°Notify me if you have any further questions or concerns.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Supreme Commander!¡±, she said, saluting me, ¡°Also, thank you for giving us something to do other than typical maintenance work. We are happy to do it, but it becomes pretty tedious doing the same shit every day.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I can imagine.¡±, I chuckled, before the two of us parted ways.


    Returning to my residences in the capital, I found my family lounging by the pool soaking up the sunshine and remaining warm weather of the year. Walking out onto the patio with refreshments for everyone, the women came over to greet with a hug and kiss.


    ¡°How did your meeting go?¡±, Mylene asked, as I took my usual seat in the middle of the group.


    ¡°They eagerly accepted the work as it will break up their normal work routine.¡±, I told her, ¡°Based on her estimates, everything should be completed by next summer. After that, I think we will move there till preparations are completed for our space faring journey.¡±


    ¡°How long will that be again?¡±, Clarice inquired.


    Tapping my wrist computer, I scrolled over to the current completion progress on the few remaining projects. Confirming that the information was current, I informed everyone that it would be about two years from now. Understandably upset that it was not sooner, Deirdre sat up in her chair and inquired if we could take another excursion into space. Having missed out on our first voyage, Deirdre and Mylene were eager to see what life was like out there for themselves.


    ¡°Well¡­we could pay a visit to an active space station and buy resources to speed up the construction of our star base.¡±, I acknowledged, rubbing my chin, ¡°We currently have one hundred million credits thanks to those idiot pirates and marines, and those pirates most likely have a bounty on them so that will net us additional credits too. While I am not sure what the market price is for the materials I need, I see no issue with at least checking it out for the heck of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Can we do a bit of shopping too?¡±, Lucoa asked, leaping out of her chair, ¡°I bet they have all sorts of cool, unique items for sale that we have never seen before!¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, just do not go overboard, okay?¡±, I chuckled, as the women hurriedly ran inside to change and prepare for our trip, ¡®Good thing we are on winter break now. It is safe to assume Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia would readily skip school to go on this trip.¡¯


    Taking everyone¡¯s glasses inside, I put them in the dishwasher and headed up to my room to pack as well. Heading out once everyone was ready, we charted a course to the nearest inhabited space station and headed on our way on Yamato. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ---3rd Peron POV, Artemis Space Station---


    Sitting down at a caf¨¦ for lunch, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan let out exhausted sighs. Tasked with tracking down the unknown force user by the Jedi Council, they had scoured almost every inch of this sector without any luck. Quickly running out of places to look for the ship and force user, all of them were on the brink of calling it quits and returning home.


    ¡°I do not understand how there is no record or trace of that ship in any port we visited. They must stop and resupply occasionally, right? How does a Dreadnaught-Class vessel just disappear without a trace?¡±, Anakin inquired, looking at his glass of water.


    ¡°Our biggest problem is, if they do have a Folding Drive, they could be anywhere in the universe right now. A Folding Drive could allow them to go anywhere they wanted at the snap of their fingers. We very well may be looking in the wrong place for them.¡±, Obi-Wan acknowledged, ¡°Thanks to the Imperium¡¯s crusade, the Force is unstable so attempting to track them that way is impossible right now. This may have to wait till the crusade ends¡­in a few decades.¡±


    ¡°I am going to take a walk.¡±, Ahsoka said, getting up from her seat.


    Taking this setback harder than the two of them, Ahsoka felt this was a waste of time. In her eyes, the unknown force user was a good person having saved the lone civilian transporter without asking for any reward. Believing they should focus on quelling the droid rebellion and hunting down the mysterious Sith Lord, she wished Obi-Wan would just give up and return where they were really needed. Walking along the boardwalk, Ahsoka looked at all the various ships from around the universe. Recognizing Klingon, Vulcan, Asgardian, and many more ships next to one another, she was about to head toward the Market District when she saw another vessel pulling into one of the bays reserved for the largest vessels. Instantly recognizing it as the vessel they were looking for and contacted her comrades.


    ¡°The ship we are looking for just pulled into port.¡±, she informed them, ¡°Pier F087.¡±


    ¡°We are on our way, do not approach them!¡±, Obi-Wan ordered her, ¡°The force user could be a Sith!¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­the static¡­it is getting¡­bad¡­¡±, Ahsoka replied, crumpling up a piece of paper by the microphone.


    ¡°Really, Ahsoka? I taught you that trick, it will not work on me.¡±, Anakin laughed, ¡°Just stay there and wait for us. We will be there in ten minutes.¡±


    Watching a ramp extend out from the warship, a group of eight people disembarked and stepped onto the pier. Running out ahead of their target, his seven female companions seemed to be amazed by what they were seeing. Beckoning for him to hurry up, they seemed very eager to go somewhere.


    ¡°Come on, Victor, hurry up!¡±, the platinum blonde haired woman pleaded.


    ¡°I understand you are excited to be here, but you need to keep your enthusiasm in check. People are going to start gawking at us.¡±, Victor chuckled, catching up to them, ¡°Cleare, make sure you keep a close eye out for any shady individuals.¡±


    <You got it, Boss Man!>


    Noticing a small floating orb flying over the group, Ahsoka had never seen a droid like the before. Hopeful that it would not spot her, she slowly began to approach the group when it suddenly spun around and locked eyes with her.


    ¡®Shit¡­¡¯, Ahsoka thought.


    <Boss Man, that lady has been watching everyone closely since you got of the ship. Is she perhaps a guard or something?>


    Turning to look at her, Victor instantly recognized her face and retracted his helmet. Shocked to see a handsome young man under that armor, she blinked her eyes several times to ensure she was not seeing things. Having expected an older guy in his thirties, it made her wonder where he learned to use the Force like he did.


    ¡°No, she is a Jedi Padawan. The Jedi Order used to be a peace keeping organization, but in recent years they have begun to lose their way.¡±, Victor said, motioning for her to approach, ¡°I apologize, but my fianc¨¦es are eager to do some window shopping. If it is all the same to you, can we walk and talk?¡±


    ¡°Fianc¨¦es?!¡±, Ahsoka gasped, ¡°You mean all seven of them!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡±, Victor chuckled, ¡°So, are you coming along or not?¡±


    Sensing no hostility coming from Victor, Ahsoka agreed to walk and talk with him. Running over to them, the nine of them headed into the market together.

 Chapter 63

    ---Victor POV---


    As we entered the Market District, the full size of this place came into perspective for my fianc¨¦es. Having never been in a modern market before, they began to have panic attacks as all the lights, sounds, and people were too overwhelming for them. Using magic to soothe their nerves, I suggested we get something to drink and acclimatize to everything. Readily agreeing, my fianc¨¦es stuck closer to me than usual as we walked over to smoothie vendor to order drinks.


    Ordering the most popular smoothie they had, as none of the fruits were familiar to me, we took a seat at a large table a few yards away and began to chat. As my party was still getting used to this place, I took the opportunity to talk with Ahsoka and confirm if she had been looking for me. Taking a shot in the dark, my assumption was the Jedi Order was looking for the mysterious force user that helped the civilian transport a few months ago.


    ¡°That is correct, three of us have been scouring the sector looking for you and your vessel. We were about to call it quits when I saw your ship docking. Are you here for a specific reason?¡±, she inquired, attempting to gather intelligence for her Master and Obi-Wan.


    ¡°My fianc¨¦es wanted to do a bit of window shopping, and I wanted to purchase raw materials we are in need of.¡±, I answered, seeing no reason to lie, ¡°Also, I was hoping to collect any potential bounties on the pirates I killed a few months back.¡±


    ¡°I do not know about the pirates, but the space marines you killed certainly do. The Imperium has bounties on all their former, traitorous comrades.¡±, she replied, ¡°I think the going rate is five hundred thousand credits a head.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know.¡±, I replied, ¡®Based on the prices I am seeing around here, we are very well off. Hopefully that holds true when it comes to raw materials.¡¯


    Asking me about the reaction my fianc¨¦es had when we entered the market district, I informed her that it was our first time on an active space station. Stating that we were used to the typical markets you would find on rural worlds, it was just a lot to take in for them all at once. Understanding the situation, she admitted that she had a similar reaction when she first entered a space station¡¯s market.


    ¡°I know it is going to sound a bit rude and maybe stupid to ask you this, but you are not a Sith Lord, are you?¡±, Ahsoka asked, watching my facial expressions closely.


    ¡°No, I consider myself a Gray Jedi.¡±, I answered, looking into her eyes, ¡°I readily acknowledge that I use both sides of the Force, something I know the Jedi Order has a distaste for. While lesser men may fall to the dark side of the Force, I will never succumb to its taint. I am a man of discipline and sheer fucking will, nothing will sway me from the path I have set before myself.¡±


    Startled by how certain I was of this, a glint of curiosity briefly glimmered in her eyes before she closed them. Letting out a relieved sigh, she appeared to be convinced that I was not an evil person. Pulling my three lightsabers off my belt, I slid them over to her so she could examine them as well. Looking at them then back to me for a moment, Ahsoka asked what this was about.


    ¡°I assumed you might also want to inspect the lightsabers I have in my possession. They were discovered in dungeons from around our home world.¡±, I remarked, ¡°While I am not absolutely certain how old they are, I do believe they are quite old.¡±


    Picking the green lightsaber up, Ahsoka took a moment to disassemble it so she could look for any signs of who previously owned it. Having already done so myself, I had found nothing that indicated who it might have once belonged to.


    ¡°I can confirm that these are very old, probably from the first or second iteration of lightsabers.¡±, Ahsoka said, disassembling the other two, ¡°I have only seen some of these parts in textbooks and the museum the High Council maintains in our headquarters. It is safe to assume you did not kill anyone for them, and that no one is going to come looking for them.¡±


    Reassembling them, she handed them back to me with a content smile.


    ¡°All that said, you should consider making your lightsaber. The technology we use nowadays is much less prone to failure, and parts are readily available through the Jedi Order.¡±, she remarked.


    ¡°That would require joining your organization, and I have no intention of doing so. There are many good souls within the Order, but your leaders are too bullheaded for my taste. While the universe continues to change as society grows, the Jedi Order is stagnating and growing complacent.¡±, I stated, glancing over toward the way we came from, ¡°Your two comrades are about to enter the market.¡±


    Turning around to look where I was, Ahsoka watched as Anakin and Obi-Wan came running into the market in a panic. Confused as to why they were acting weird, she quickly remembered that she had shut off her communicator. Quickly turning it back on, Ahsoka let them know we could see them and apologized for worrying them. Telling them exactly where we were, she gave them a friendly wave causing the two men to let out exhausted sighs.


    Walking over to us, once they were close, Anakin playfully drove his fist into the top of Ahsoka¡¯s head. Wincing in pain for a moment, her Master scolded her for running off on her own without backup. Telling her that they panicked when they did not see her near my ship, they thought she had been captured by us. Relieved that she was unharmed and safe, the two men turned to me with hesitant expressions.


    ¡°My name is Victor von Stark, Ahsoka explained everything to me. I apologize for making you run all over the sector looking for me.¡±, I chuckled, motioning for them to sit at the end of the table, ¡°These are my fianc¨¦es: Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, Lucoa, Mylene, Olivia, and Roxanne.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet all of you.¡±, Obi-Wan said, giving us a friendly nod, ¡°So, how much have you told them?¡±


    Getting her comrades up to speed, I had them examine the lightsabers themselves to see if they could tell me more about them. Giving me the same response she did for the blue and green lightsabers, Obi-Wan had a complex look on his face when he looked at the red lightsaber. While Anakin did not notice anything, something about the weapon struck a chord with the Jedi Master.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±, Anakin asked him, taking a second look at the lightsaber.


    ¡°It may be nothing, but I believe this was once in the possession of a Sith Lord. Throughout my travels I have had the misfortune to come across many Ancient Sith Relics, one of those relics that felt exactly like this belonged to Darth Bane.¡±, Obi-Wan stated, looking at my closely, ¡°You have not experienced any unfamiliar voices in your mind, have you? Relics like these can sometimes drive those in close contact with them mad.¡±


    ¡°No, I have not had any issues. I have used countless times without any problems.¡±, I said, ¡®If it really did belong to him, that would be really fucking cool!¡¯


    ¡°Getting back to the topic you brought up when we met on the boardwalk, about the Sith Lord we are looking for. Can you share that information with us now that all three of us are here?¡±, Ahsoka asked.


    Receiving my lightsabers back, I nodded my head and broke the news to them that they were being played for follows by the Sith Lord.


    ¡°Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is the current Sith Lord and Count Dooku is his acting apprentice.¡±, I informed them, getting right to it, ¡°Darth Maul was his former apprentice, till he went rogue and began acting alone.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, you are saying the current Supreme Chancellor is the Sith Lord we are after?¡±, Obi-Wan replied, skeptical of this information.


    ¡°Yes, and there are three key pieces of information you need to be aware of. First, Palpatine has a lightsaber hidden in the bottom of the statue that sits in his office. You should be able to easily confirm that when you scan the statue. You will discover a rectangular void that your scanners will be unable to see into, that is where the lightsaber is.¡±, I told him, ¡°Secondly, you need to get to Kamino and thoroughly review the entire process of how clone troopers are made. After Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas was killed, Count Dooku and Palpatine¡¯s allies took control of the operations there. Since they took over, they have been installing biochips into every soldier¡¯s head in preparation for Order 66. When they are ready, Palpatine will give the order, and they will massacre the Jedi Order and their allies.¡±


    ¡°I told you something seemed off about the new clone troopers!¡±, Ahsoka interrupted me, looking at the two men, ¡°They act differently from the older clone troopers, but none of you believed me!¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What of the third piece of information?¡±, Obi-Wan asked.


    ¡°Before you can confront Palpatine, you will need to locate his cloned bodies and destroy them. He possesses the ability and knowledge of how to transfer his consciousness from one body to another in seconds. This information was given to him by his mentor, Darth Plagueis before Palpatine killed him in his sleep.¡±, I informed him.


    Leaning back in his seat, Obi-Wan began to think about what I was saying. Knowing that the High Council was already suspicious of Palpatine for other reasons, this information probably further complicated things. Not wanting to pressure them into making a move now, I suggested investigating Kamino first to lessen the number of foes they potentially might have to fight.


    ¡°Do you think the High Council will approve of us looking into it?¡±, Anakin inquired, glancing at Obi-Wan.


    ¡°Given the information we have now, I do not believe that we should alert the High Council. That said, I do want to inform Master Yoda and Master Windu about this development.¡±, Obi-Wan stated, rising from his seat.


    ¡°So you three are aware, we will only be on the space station for a few hours. I will contact you in a few days, in the event you need further details.¡±, I told them, with a smile, ¡°God¡¯s speed to the three of you.¡±


    Saying their farewells, the three Jedi quickly retired to their ship to call Windu and Yoda.

 Chapter 64

    Once the Jedi were gone, I turned to my fianc¨¦es and apologized for making them sit through that discussion. Assuring me that it was not a big deal, they were a bit curious as to how I acquired all that information. Asking me if I had done any exploration without them, I shook my head and stated that I had not.


    ¡°Exploring the stars is reserved for our group activities. There is no point in seeing what is out there if my family is not there to share in the experience with me.¡±, I said, giving them a smile, ¡°As for how I got that intelligence, I just followed the money trail in the data Luxion has been harvesting from the Galactic Republic. Since our encounter with Helios Alpha, Luxion has been intercepting and decrypting billions of encoded messages every day. It is safe to say I know many of secrets that could come in handy someday.¡±


    Suggesting we get back to our original plans, I asked them if they were ready to go. Nodding their heads in confirmation, we tossed our cups in the trash and headed toward the heart of the market. Telling everyone to let me know if they got overwhelmed again, I took point while Cleare watched our backs. Following the signs to closest clothing shop, we went inside so the women could try different outfits on. As we stepped through the door, a flock of salespeople rushed over to us with an array of outfits and accessories.


    ¡°Try this on, I am sure it will look great on you!¡±, a female associate stated, presenting a dress to Olivia.


    ¡°You have a fabulous figure, why are you hiding it in those rag?!¡±, a male associate remarked, handing Roxanne a pair of shorts and a tank top.


    ¡°Both of you look like refined women, how about something a bit more risqu¨¦ to make your husband pounce on you?¡±, another female associate said, presenting Lucoa and Mylene with a few silken dresses.


    ¡°The three of you would look beautiful in anything we have here. I personally recommend something like this for you three!¡±, another male associate chimed in, pushing a rack of skinny jeans and t-shirts in front of Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre.


    Before my fianc¨¦es could get a word in, the female associates led them to the changing rooms so they could try everything on. Sensing that they were becoming frightened by the associate¡¯s pushiness, I loudly cleared my throats to remind the staff that I was standing right there. Turning to me, I shot all of them an irritated glare and told them to treat them with more respect.


    ¡°There is no problem with suggesting outfits for them, but do not put your hands on them without their permission. The next time someone does, the eight of us will walk out of here and take our business elsewhere.¡±, I scolded them.


    Swiftly stepping away from my fianc¨¦es, they bowed their heads and apologized. Stating they were just trying to make our shopping experiences easier; I asked the staff to just show them to the changing rooms and provide a few options for the women to try on. After they got a taste for what they liked, then the staff could recommend outfits that fit that style. Understanding what I wanted, the staff executed it without further issues.


    ---Three Hours Later---


    Buying four or five outfits each from the first shop, we walked around the market for a few hours buying various other things like shoes, underwear, and beauty products. Once the women¡¯s shopping urges had been scratched, we headed to the Bounty Hunter Association to register ourselves and hopefully collect a bounty from our latest haul. Hailing a taxi to take us there, as it would take hours on foot, the driver took us into the business district where major corporations and organizations did their business. Unlike the craziness we had come from, this district was much more laid back and far less chaotic.


    Dropping us off at the front door, we took a moment to survey the massive building. Reminiscent of skyscrapers from my past life, it felt soothing to be around something familiar to me.


    ¡°Wow!! Is the whole building made of glass?!¡±, Olivia gasped.


    ¡°No, each of those glass panes are windows.¡±, I informed her, ¡°While we cannot see inside, everyone inside can see us just fine. We should probably head inside before they think we are weirdos.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have never let it bother me before. Being a weirdo is a lot of fun!¡±, Lucoa giggled.


    Laughing in agreement, the eight of us headed inside and had a look around. Discovering the place was nearly empty right now, only a handful of staff were behind the counter and no bounty hunters could be seen anywhere. Walking up to the Registration Counter, the receptionist turned to greet us with a big smile.


    ¡°Welcome to the Bounty Hunter Association. Are you here to register with us, or do you need assistance with something else?¡±, she asked, giving us a warm smile.


    ¡°We would like to register ourselves with the association. I am the captain of our crew, and these lovely ladies are combat specialists. Currently they have no training on any ship subsystems.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°Hehe, it is nice to see a husband and his wives teaming up together.¡±, the receptionist remarked, noticing our rings, ¡°You are a lucky guy!¡±


    Thanking her, the receptionist quickly brought our registration paperwork up on eight individual tablets. Handing them over to us, she asked us to fill out the documents to the best of our ability then return them to her.


    ¡°Just to be sure, it is alright for us to use our native language, correct?¡±, I asked, knowing the women could not write in any space language. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While each engagement ring was imbued with the translation enchantment, its effect only translated written and spoken words. Having never thought they would need to sign paperwork, I cursed myself for not considering that possibility.


    ¡°Not to worry, I already entered your photos and job titles into our systems. All your responses will be automatically translated by our computer systems.¡±, she responded.


    ¡®Here is to hoping the Old Human language is still prevalent somewhere out there.¡¯, I thought, ¡°Thank you for confirming.¡±


    Filling out the documents like she asked, we handed the tablets back to her so she could upload the data to her computer. Once that was complete, she motioned us toward the door off to the right side of the room. Telling us to head inside that room, other associates would guide us from there to our assigned testing pods. Thanking her before making our way over there, Angelica leaned in and asked what was about to happen.


    ¡°In order to accurately rank us in their association, they will need to thoroughly test us. For me, that means clearing objectives while piloting a spacecraft in a simulation. As for all of you, you will try your hand at facing monsters and people we may run into out in space. Just do your best, do not worry about failing; our ranks will improve over time as we complete bounties and quests.¡±, I said, patting everyone on the back.


    ¡°So it is like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild back home.¡±, Clarice remarked, with a nod.


    ¡°If that is the case, this test will be easy!¡±, Deirdre boasted, with a proud smile.


    ¡°I doubt it will be easy, but I can appreciate the enthusiasm.¡±, Lucoa giggled.


    Following the receptionist¡¯s instructions, we stepped into the training room and were immediately greeted by several robots. Escorting us to our assigned testing pods, we wished each other good luck before entering the pods. Taking a seat in my mock cockpit, I made myself comfortable and waited for the simulation to begin.


    ---Thirty Minutes Later---


    Completing our tests a short time later, the eight of us left the testing center and returned to the counter. Noticing a group of associates crowded around the receptionist¡¯s computer, they all were looking at her computer screen with blank expressions. Asking them if we had done something wrong, the receptionist violently shook her head and insisted nothing was wrong.


    ¡°We¡­we were just looking at your results. You are the first person to clear the simulation with a perfect score.¡±, she said, looking at me with reverence, ¡°Given your score, Upper Management has given the greenlight to make you Platinum Rank.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear, Platinum is the highest rank in our association. There are pilots that go their whole lives without ever achieving that rank.¡±, one of her colleagues chimed in, ¡°You are not some ace military pilot, are you?¡±


    ¡°No, I have never served as a military pilot.¡±, I clarified, ¡°So what about my fianc¨¦es? How did they score?¡±


    ¡°Lucoa and Roxanne are Gold Rank; Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre are Silver Rank; and Mylene and Olivia are Copper Rank.¡±, the receptionist stated, as she handed us our licenses, ¡°You must be from a really distant part of the universe. The computer took a good ten minutes to translate your native language.¡±


    Thanking the receptionist for her assistance, as we accepted our licenses, I asked if she had a way to check for a bounty on some pirates we recently killed. Confirming that it was possible, she asked me for the ship¡¯s holotapes so she could verify their information. Pulling all the holotapes out of my storage, I was grateful I had the forethought to collect all the debris for study and repurposing. Learning that these tapes were how the organization confirmed the destruction of enemy vessels, I made a mental note to always collect them in the future.


    ¡°Oh my¡­this is more than I anticipated.¡±, she remarked, as I set all of them on the counter, ¡°Can all of you help me scan these in?¡±


    Nodding their heads, her colleagues grabbed several holotapes and went back to their stations to scan them in. Taking only a few minutes to verify everything, she looked at me in shock.


    ¡°All of these vessels belonged to the group of pirates responsible for the destruction of the Space Port Polaris and the attack on the Helios Alpha. You would not happen to be the captain of the Star Battleship Yamato, would you?¡±, she inquired.


    ¡°One in the same.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°I hope that is not an issue.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not! I was just surprised to meet you in person.¡±, she stated, with a beaming smile, ¡°The group you eliminated was infamous in the sector, even before they took out Polaris. Last updated bounty for the fleet was 2.1 billion credits.¡±


    Surprised to hear they were worth that much; I had honestly expected a bounty of around a few hundred million at most. Accepting the reward without complaint, I looked at it as more funds to secure the materials I needed for my star base.


    ¡°It says here that you also engaged in combat against a group of Black Legion Space Marines¡­¡±, she said, as her expression paled, ¡°Is¡­is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, here are their dog tags.¡±, I replied, setting eight dog tags on the counter.


    ¡°Oh¡­my¡­god¡­¡±, she gulped, as her face turn ghost white, ¡°I¡­I need to get my manager¡­¡±


    Fleeing from her station, her colleagues vacated the area as well and refused to look in our direction. Even though they were just dog tags, the fact that they belonged to fallen members of the Black Legion still invoked fear in their hearts. Waiting a few minutes to see if she would return with her manager, the receptionist returned with a large, muscular man that could have passed as Thor¡¯s brother. Pointing to the dog tags, the receptionist nervously hid behind him refusing to even look at them.


    ¡°So, you are the infamous captain everyone has been talking about.¡±, he remarked, ¡°I am the Head Manager of this branch location. As you might have guessed, my subordinates are rather skittish around anything to do with the turncoat space marines.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I noticed.¡±, I acknowledged, as he picked them up to inspect each of them.


    Taking a moment to check each one, he verified that they were not forgeries. Pulling out a heavy steel cylinder, the Head Manager opened the container and dropped them inside. Sealing it back up, he told the receptionist to mark me down as having killed eight Black Legion marines. Nodding her head, as he walked into the back, she quickly took her seat again and let out a sigh.


    ¡°I¡­I apologize for my behavior. We heard many horror stories from those who have encountered the Fallen Legions and lived to tell the tale.¡±, she said, fixing her shirt, ¡°Currently the Imperium is paying six hundred thousand credits for each confirmed kill of a traitor space marine. That brings your total to 2,104,800,000 credits!¡±


    ¡®I might have to make a hobby of hunting traitor marines.¡¯, I thought, hiding a smirk behind a solid poker face, ¡°Perfect, that works for me. I assume you can just add it to my card?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±, she acknowledged, adding it to my account, ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°One more thing, can you suggest a reputable raw ore and mineral dealer? I am looking to acquire some resources for a pet project of mine.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°You should be able to find what you are looking for at the Merchant¡¯s Association, Davos¡¯ Trading Company, or the Manolli¡¯s Family Trading Company. There are several large corporations you could contact as well, but they will try to lock you into an exclusive contract and jack up their prices.¡±, she warned me, ¡°Unless you are looking for cutting edge tech, I recommend staying away from corporations.¡±


    Thanking her for the information, we bid her farewell and left the building.

 Chapter 65

    ---Several Days Later, 3rd Person POV---


    After several failed attempts to reach the High Council or anyone at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Obi-Wan and company returned home to see if something happened. Upon arriving in the capital, the group found the citizens in a state of unrest. Fearing that Victor¡¯s warning had come too late; the three Jedi ran straight to the temple prepared for the worst-case scenario. Cautiously entering the building, they found the building nearly devoid of personnel, further stoking their fears that Order 66 had been given.


    ¡°Obi-Wan, what do you suggest we do?¡±, Anakin inquired, searching around for signs of survivors, ¡°Should we head to one of the other temples, and look for survivors there?¡±


    ¡°We need more information before making our decision. The first place to investigate is the High Council chamber. If Order 66 was given, they would have left behind clues for any Jedi that came here looking for their fellow Jedi.¡±, Obi-Wan stated, ¡®While all signs point to Order 66 being given, I am still hesitant to believe it. We reached the temple without any resistance, there must be another explanation.¡¯


    Using a secret corridor to reach the chamber, as they approached, Anakin and Obi-Wan sensed life signs inside. Recognizing them immediately, the two men rushed into the room relieved to see that their friends were alive and well. Looking over at them with confused looks, the Jedi Masters were curious why they looked so flustered.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±, Windu asked, as Ahsoka joined them.


    ¡°We were concerned something had happened while we were away. Why is there no one else in the building besides all of you, and why are the citizens on edge?¡±, Obi-Wan inquired.


    ¡°Out on an important mission they are.¡±, Yoda replied, ¡°Just discussing the matter we were.¡±


    Motioning for them to join the conversation, Anakin and Ahsoka kept a respectful distance while Obi-Wan took his place among his fellow Jedi Masters. Focusing first on the mission they assigned to the team, Windu asked if they had any luck tracking down the unknown force user.


    ¡°It was not easy, but we did finally locate him. His name is Victor von Stark, and I do not believe he is connected to the Sith in any way.¡±, Obi-Wan said, relatively certain of this fact, ¡°I studied his actions and responses closely during our conversation. From what I could see, he is a strong-willed man with a good head on his shoulders. That said, I had some concerns about one of the three lightsabers he possesses. Two of them were ancient models that were discontinued years ago, but the Sith lightsaber he carries has me worried. I believe it once belonged to Darth Bane, it had an identical aura about it to another one of his relics I held some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, Darth Bane¡¯s lightsaber has been in our possession now for centuries.¡±, Koth refuted, ¡°Are you saying the one we have is a fake?¡±


    ¡°A second one there may be.¡±, Yoda stated, offering another possibility.


    ¡°That is possible, but highly unlikely.¡±, Windu conceded, ¡°Master Koth, can you please confirm that we still have it in our possession? I trust you when you say it is in our possession, but it could have been lost before you took your position.¡±


    Agreeing to go check, Koth left the room to check the vault beneath the temple. Moving on to Obi-Wan¡¯s question, Yoda brought up a star map of the Galactic Republic and its neighboring nations. Overlaying the current information they had about the Imperium¡¯s crusade; everything became clear to the three Jedi.


    ¡°As you can all see, the Imperium¡¯s crusade is not going as well as they planned. The Chaos Gods and their allies were far more prepared than anyone anticipated. When the Imperium besieged them, they did not poke a hornet¡¯s nest¡­they awoke a sleeping dragon.¡±, Windu remarked, ¡°Their crusade has led to the destruction of three of their neighboring nations, and two more are on the brink of collapse. We are already seeing a massive influx of displaced refugees seeking shelter and safety from the war. The Senate is currently holding an emergency session to decide how to handle the situation. As it stands now, we are only a month or two away from the war reaching our borders.¡±


    ¡°In preparation for that eventuality, we recalled half of our forces and sent them to the border. Along with a large host of new clone troopers, they are preparing our defenses and helping coordinate refugee transporters to keep our critical routes open to our forces.¡±, Plo Koon advised, ¡°We have also sent an envoy to Terra to establish a line of communication with the Imperium. Our hope is to coordinate a joint effort to push the forces of Chaos back.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of clone troopers, Victor provided us with some critical information on the Sith Lord we have been searching for. Before I disclose this information, I need everyone to swear not to speak of it outside this room. If Victor¡¯s information holds true, the very existence of the Jedi Order and the republic hangs in the balance right now.¡±, Obi-Wan stated.


    Feeling the weight of his tone, the Jedi Master¡¯s understood the severity of the information he was about to speak. Swearing on their lives to never utter a word about outside the room, Obi-Wan disclosed everything Victor told the three of them. Listening intently till Obi-Wan was done, the Jedi Master¡¯s looked at each other with grim expressions. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If this information is correct, we must act immediately to correct our course before it is too late.¡±, Billaba remarked, ¡°Before jumping to conclusions, a thorough investigation should be completed. That said, where should we start?¡±


    ¡°Well, the quickest method would be to check the statue in the Supreme Chancellor¡¯s office for the lightsaber. Confirming it is indeed a Sith lightsaber is all the proof we need to nail this case closed.¡±, Windu stated, ¡°I am inclined to trust Victor¡¯s information though. It falls in line with suspicions I have held about Palpatine. Assuming he is a Sith Lord, manipulating the minds of high-ranking members of the Senate would be easy. He is, in effect, an emperor without a crown or the title.¡±


    ¡°Be cautious we must. Are at stake many lives.¡±, Yoda reminded everyone, ¡°Solve the clone trooper situation we must. Yes, hrrrm.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Grand Master Yoda, the clone trooper situation is a far more pressing concern right now. It is a safe assumption that only the clone troopers we received after Sifo-Dyas¡¯ death are potential compromised. If we force Palpatine¡¯s hand, he could invoke Order 66 trapping our fellow Jedi between two powerful groups of enemies.¡±, Ki-Adi-Mundi agreed, ¡°As skilled as we may be, none of us could resist such a large number of enemies for long.¡±


    ¡°So then it comes down to confirming those chips are indeed installed in the clone troopers and verifying exactly what is programmed on them. I have a few contacts that should be able to hack into the chips, but the problem is how do we collect them. We can either send a team to Kamino to obtain chips awaiting installation or retrieve them from active clone troopers. Either way, the risk of alerting our enemy is high.¡±, Piell remarked.


    ¡°What if we collecting the chips from fallen clone troopers along our offensive line with the drone rebellion? Anakin and I could collect the chips for you without raising any suspicion.¡±, Ahsoka spoke up, wanting to help save her fellow comrades, ¡°The problem is though, if the chips are there how are we going to disable/remove them without alerting Palpatine?¡±


    Looking over at the Jedi Knight and his Padawan, the High Council saw no issue with sending them on this secretive mission. Believing it would be a good opportunity to let them grow further, they accepted Ahsoka¡¯s proposal with no debate. Turning to the question she posed to them though, that was an entirely different matter. Pondering how to address that issue, Koth returned with a grim expression on his face.


    ¡°Darth Bane¡¯s lightsaber and many other ancient relics are missing!¡±, he stated, mortified he had not discovered this earlier, ¡°I have no way of knowing how long they have been missing, but the layers of dust suggest they were removed at least a century ago.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time the items were catalogued?!¡±, Gallia inquired.


    ¡°The last time was when they were relocated down there one hundred and fifty years ago. As only ranking members of the order have access, it appears my predecessors never bothered to check on a regular basis. Even I admit I had let it slip as I have been preoccupied with the large number of outpost closures.¡±, Koth conceded.


    ¡°Blaming you no one here is.¡±, Yoda assured him.


    ¡°As Master Yoda says, no one here blames you for this. You have been working around the clock to keep up with the workload we thrust upon you. We should have taken into consideration that this might happen and taken it upon ourselves to provide you with additional resources and support. If anything, all members of the High Council are to blame for this.¡±, Obi-Wan said, as his fellow council members nodded their heads in agreement.


    ¡°I must ask, is it at all possible that the man you met stole them from the vault?¡±, Koth asked, knowing a few others might think the same way.


    ¡°If the theft happened around a hundred years ago, there is no possibility of him being involved. Victor is around Anakin and Ahsoka¡¯s age.¡±, Obi-Wan answered.


    Satisfied with his answer, Koth returned to his spot to rejoin the conversation they were having. Before the council began bringing him back up to speed, Anakin and Ahsoka excused themselves to prepare for their journey. Quickly vacating the space, before additional work was thrust upon them, the two Jedi left the temple to get a late lunch.

 Chapter 66

    ---Several Months Later, Victor POV--- S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In response to the reports we were intercepting about the Imperium''s Crusade, Luxion and I began implementing necessary changes to our plans to ensure our survival off-world. At the forefront of our list was the rapid expansion of our troop and vessel count as the initial numbers I wanted would no longer be sufficient. Taking the operations off world, we chose abandoned, isolated worlds that were far away from any established shipping lanes to serve as my production worlds. As an added layer of protection, we set up large satellite constellations that generated the appearance of the original surface so that any prying eyes would be none the wiser to our operations. Once the cloaking was online, I began using powerful magics and Guardian Tree Saplings from the Alzer Republic to terraform the worlds into hospitable planets in a matter of weeks. With hospitable worlds secured, our next step was buying specialized construction ships from the Algrand Empire to construct our facilities.


    (AN: The ships in question are from the I''m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! series.)


    Procuring several dozen construction vessels from deeply impoverished merchants and nobles, for a few hundred million credits, I tore into one of the ships to see how they worked. Once I had a firm grasp of the technology, we upgraded the ship''s systems to function identically to the Mass Fabricators so they would construct everything with space debris. Collecting several billion tons of debris from all over the galaxy, I funneled all of it through those amazing machines and watched as everything I needed was built in a matter of days. Once final tests were completed, Luxion began to ramp up my military machine for the battles that laid ahead of us.


    (AN: The facilities built include cloning laboratories, farms, shipyards, and weapon factories.)


    While Luxion and his subordinate robots oversaw off-world operations, I turned my attention inward to address an issue that had been plagued with for some time. Having served as the only logistics personnel this entire time, I used this opportunity to create a new, seventh division to take over this role for me. Tasking them with the job of acquiring, storing, and dispensing all the resources my forces needed, I helped set up a system to categorize, itemize, and sort everything we currently had so they had a basis to start from. Once they were up and running on their own feet, my full attention finally returned to the two most important things in my life, my fianc¨¦es and R&D.


    "Welcome back, Victor!!", our favorite association receptionist said, as we walked in after completing another request, "I trust that everything turned out well enough?"


    "Of course, another five pirate fleets have bitten the dust.", I chuckled, as I put the stack of holotapes on her counter.


    "Oh my, that is wonderful to hear!! Thank you all so much for your dedication and hard work!!", she said, with a genuine smile, "With most of our usual bounty hunters off looking for work near the Imperium/Galactic Empire border, hardly anyone is around to help protect the poor merchant and refugee ships in our sector. Your crew is probably the sole reason we have not been overwhelmed by pirates at this point, unlike the neighbor sectors. While the politicians may never say it, as a citizen of this sector, we are grateful for your protection."


    Watching their faces light up as they realized we were making a real difference out here; I could see how proud they were to be part of this endeavor. Before beginning the process of scanning the holotapes in, the receptionist presented us with a large stack of bounties from the surrounding sectors. While technically outside of this branch''s purview, it appeared she was trying to help her colleagues at other branches by guiding us in that direction. Seeing no reason not to at least look at the bounties, just as I was about to start skimming, the branch manager came out from his office and asked to speak with me.


    Asking my fianc¨¦es to pick out a few bounties for us to take, I headed behind the counter and followed him into his office. Motioning for me to have a seat, he offered me some alcohol and a cigar almost as soon as I sat down. Sensing that he was buttering me up for a big job, I asked him to be straight with me instead of beating around the bush. Nodding his head, he leaned back in his chair and began to speak.


    "The Galactic Senate approached upper management with a dire request for aid along the border where intense fighting is currently taking place. As you may be aware, the last two nations along their border finally collapsed last month causing a literal shitstorm over there. Before the forces of Chaos could reach the border, the Imperium and Republic joined forces to effectively block entry into the country. Those who were unable to get through before the border closed are now pinned down between both groups, and have nowhere to run.", he said, looking into his glass of scotch, "The Imperium does not see a need to risk their men for the civilians, and the Republic does not have the manpower to launch a rescue operation as they are still fighting the droid rebellion right now. After attempting to convince the Jedi and other organizations to help them, we are now their last hope¡­but none of our crews are willing to risk their lives for these people either."


    "So you are asking me because I rescued the Helios Alpha, correct?", I asked.


    "While that is a contributing factor, I also believe that your vessel is far more powerful than you are letting on. I have watched you sail into port now over a dozen times after slaughtering several pirate fleets in quick succession, and not once have I seen so much as a scratch on the paint. Sure you could be getting the repairs done elsewhere, but my gut tells me Yamato is probably one of the most powerful ships in this galaxy right now.", he said, "The Galactic Senate is offering one hundred billion credits to any captain or crew willing to help them. Does that perhaps sway your decision?"


    "I am not in this for the money, I am here for the thrill of adventure and exploration.", I remarked, with a confused look, "With a payout that high, why has no one accepted the job?"


    "Well¡­that is because of a powerful Chaos Space Marine who is actively hunting down the pockets of refugees and slaughtering everyone he finds.", the branch manager stated, with an audible gulp, "Kharn the Betrayer and his Butcherhorde have been spotted near the border."


    Recalling that name from documents I had read, he was a Champion of Khorne who was known for his thirst for blood, battle, and outright carnage. As the mightiest champion of his deity, the former man had quite an extensive number of kills under his belt and was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Certain that I was well equipped to handle him, after all the improvements I had made to my arsenal, I looked at the branch manager with a solid poker face.


    "I am inclined to accept this job, as my fianc¨¦es would urge me to for the sake of the refugees, but I have a stipulation. If we encounter the Kharn the Betrayer and his men, I keep his flagship after taking his head.", I said.


    Spitting his scotch out of his mouth, the branches manager looked at me like I was a mad man. Seeing no hint of fear or hesitation in my eyes, he asked me if I genuinely felt like I could do it. Reminding me that Kharn the Betrayer was no ordinary Chaos Space Marine, I assured him I knew that very well.


    "If the Galactic Senate can persuade the Imperium to allow this, we have a deal.", I remarked.


    "I¡­I will let them know your request.", he said, "Are you really sure you could kill him?"


    "Very certain of it.", I replied, rising from my seat, "Be it God, Man, or Space Marine, nothing will stand in the way of my goals."


    Feeling the weight behind my tone, the branch manager nodded his head in acknowledgement. Immediately typing up a message for upper management, as I left the room, he promised to have me an answer in a few days'' time. Rejoining my group at the counter, I informed them that I had taken on a rather large job for us and that we needed to prepare accordingly. Sharing the details about the rescue operation, I left out all mentions of the forces of Chaos as I did not wish to impart that knowledge upon them. Fearful of what that knowledge could do to them, due to the machinations of chaos, I refused to endanger their lives with such information. Unwilling to let the Chaos Gods get their hooks into the most important people in my life, if they ever drew near us, I would ensure it was the last thing they ever did.

 Chapter 67

    ---Several Days Later---


    While the branch manager took my request up the chain, my attention was focused on preparing Yamato and my fleet for combat with the Butcherhorde Warband. Intending to bring every operational vessel I had into this fight, which numbered sixty-seven at this point, I began tinkering with a method to render enemy attacks moot against my ships. Taking a page from a comic book adaptation I watched in my previous life; my plan was to create a Phase Shift Generator to make each of my ships intangible to any form of damage. While the downside was that we could not attack while it was running, it was far better than the possibility of risking a direct hit from a Nova Cannon. As I had little to no data available on the weapon, I erred on the side of caution in this case to avoid as many losses as possible.


    Spending five days perfecting the technology, using what little data I could find on the Necrons, I installed the device on a test bench and threw every form of munition I had at it. Confirming that nothing damaged the ship or disrupted the generated field, I handed it over to Luxion for mass production. Having them installed in all my armored suits, automatons, and vessels, I wanted to be ready at a moments notice for combat.


    ¡°Victor, your timing is impeccable!¡±, the Branch Manager remarked, calling us as we were about to dock, ¡°I just received word from the higher ups, the Imperium accepted your request. The only stipulation they added was that you provide them with Kharn the Betrayer¡¯s head. You can present it to either the Lord General Militant or the Warmaster who are currently onsite coordinating the Imperium Forces at their joint front.¡±


    ¡°That is all they asked for? It may be a Chaos Space Marine Ship, but it is still an incredibly rare Gloriana-class Battleship.¡±, I stated, almost certain this was a ploy by them.


    According to the reports I obtained, Kharn¡¯s flagship was the former Adamant Resolve. As the Imperium had only a handful of vessels like that, I honestly expected them to counter with the offer of a lesser vessel. Giving away a major military asset like that because of its dark past was insane in my eyes.


    ¡°Believe me, I thought it was weird too at first. From what I can figure, they do not want it back because of the bad memories associated with it. No captain will want to have its cursed name on their record so the damn thing will likely just be torn apart for scrap.¡±, he said, ¡°Either way, I have the official paperwork from the Adeptus Terra giving you full ownership of the vessel upon completion of the term I discussed.¡±


    ¡®There loss is my gain, I guess. Whether I must purify the Machine Spirit with Holy Magic or tear apart an AIs base code, that ship is coming home with me for major upgrades.¡¯, I thought, ¡°Very well then, please send over the document in case they give me any fits when this is over. I will cancel our docking request and be on my way there.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Victor, happy hunting!¡±, he said, ending the call.


    After receiving the documents from the Branch Manager, Yamato sent deployment orders to the rest of my fleet. Providing them with coordinates to meet us at, once the message was sent, she engaged the Folding Drive and headed to the battlefront.


    ---3rd Person POV, Galactic Republic Border---


    Arriving a few thousand miles from the border, Yamato announced their arrival to the Imperium and Republic forces. Inquiring where the commanding officers were, several ships pointed them toward the nearby civilian space station that had been commandeered to serve as a field command center. Receiving permission to dock at Bay G34, as soon as Yamato was securely moored, Victor requested a platoon of his Heavy Armor units join him at the ramp.


    ¡°Are we not coming with you?¡±, Mylene inquired, as the women rose from their seats.


    ¡°Not this time, the Imperium at large is full of xenophobic assholes who would readily make attempts on Lucoa and Roxanne¡¯s lives. While I am confident in my ability to protect all of you, we are here to save the trapped refugees, not start a war with the Imperium.¡±, Victor remarked.


    Understanding the situation, his fianc¨¦es relented and dropped the discussion. Thanking them, before joining up with his troops, Victor and his men headed out to greet the powers that be. Marching in two columns behind him, the soldiers manning the station looked on in shock as they looked at armor and equipment they had never seen before. Ignoring the gawkers, the group marched to the commander center where two Space Marines demanded Victor¡¯s group hand over their arms before entering. Walking straight passed them, both marines attempted seize him but were instead tossed through the air like ragdolls by him.


    ¡°Hold this position.¡±, Victor ordered his men, as the Space Marines crashed into the floor, ¡°If those two do not understand the memo, please clarify things for them.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±, the troops acknowledged, taking defensive positions along the wall like guardian sentinels.


    Stepping into the room, the commanding officers and their staff turned to look at him. Surveying the group as he approached the table, a familiar called out to him in a cheery tone.


    ¡°Victor, it is good to see you again! Come and join us!¡±, Obi-Wan said, motioning him over.


    ¡°Good to see you as well, Obi-Wan. Are Anakin and Ahsoka not with you?¡±, Victor asked, taking a spot beside him.


    ¡°No, they are off on another assignment at the moment.¡±, Obi-Wan replied, pulling a star map of the area.


    ¡®They are probably off looking into everything I informed them about last time.¡¯, Victor thought, as he listened to the current situation.


    Informing Victor that only seven refugee groups were left at this point, the Chaos Marines were actively scouring the area for them. Currently cloaked and hiding in debris fields, the groups of transport vessels were currently running on auxiliary power as their primary engines would give away their locations. Unable to keep the power on for more than a few more hours, their two options were slowly suffocating to death without life support or make a break for the border.


    ¡°How many Chaos Marine vessels are in the vicinity?¡±, Victor asked.


    ¡°One hundred and twenty ships, mostly commandeered warships they have taken from fallen countries.¡±, the Lord General Militant said, ¡°In total, we estimate there are three thousand Chaos Space Marines between all ships and several hundred thousand regular soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I understand, this should be simple enough to take care of.¡±, Victor replied, ¡°Obi-Wan, let the groups know to evacuate the area once the fighting begins. My fleet will provide them with cover and pull the attention of the enemy toward us. Make sure are ready to receive- ¡°


    <Sir, I hate to interrupt your discussion, but I am receiving a mass transmission from the Conqueror. Shall I patch you in after cleaning and securing the channel?>


    ¡°Do it.¡±, Victor answered, interested to hear what they had to say.


    After a few moments of silence, several agonizing screams filled the room much to the discomfort of those present. Hearing the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting a hollow, metal floor, Kharn the Betrayer began berating the defenders for not coming out to face him in combat. Expelling vile things that I was certain the Imperium found blasphemous, their leadership held their tongues and scowled in disgust. Receiving no response to his challenges and words, the battle crazed lunatic turned to far more aggressive tactics to illicit a response. Listening to him grab hold of someone, two prisoners began screaming for him to take them and not their son.


    ¡°Since none of you cowards will fight me, I will have to make do with killing more of these weaklings!!¡±, Kharn laughed, as he began squeezing the life out of the child.


    ¡°PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!!¡±, the parents shrieked, ¡°TAKE US, LET OUR BOY GO!!¡±


    Unwilling to tolerate his antics any further, Victor decided to accept his challenge and put him in his place.


    ¡°Jarvis, take control of their communication channel and patch me through.¡±, Victor ordered, in a cold, icy tone.


    Waiting for an audible confirmation that he was live; Victor began to speak.


    ¡°Cease your sniveling drabble, cowardly mutt of the Chaos Gods. Listening to you call your former brethren and their allies cowardly is laughable given your own cowardly past. Who was it that turned tail and fled when the Battle of Terra began to turn against your allies?¡±, Victor said, purposefully lying about the real events that took place, ¡°Even now you are shying away from engaging real soldiers, and go after what¡­unarmed civilians? You truly are a sniveling coward.¡±


    ¡°WHO SAID THAT!?¡±, Kharn howled, ¡°YOU DARE CALL ME A COWARD?!¡±


    ¡°I, Victor von Stark, called you a sniveling coward.¡±, Victor answered, ¡°While the men and women manning the defense lines may be fearful of you, I am unimpressed by what I see and hear, Kharn the Coward. You are in the way of my goals, I will ensure that there is no damnation or salvation for you or anyone in the Butcherhorde. All of you will be sent into abyss where all my other enemies have been discarded.¡±


    Hearing him toss the still living child back into the group of prisoners, Kharn and his men began shouting and hurling insults at him. Unamused by their petty attempts to rile him up, Victor pressed a button on his forearm that sent an ear-piercing screech over the radio to drown out their voices. Certain that they were all using their helmets to listen to the conversation, they were undoubtedly in pain right now. Shutting off the sound after thirty seconds, not one Chaos Marine spoke up in complaint about what he did.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves for the end of your existence. Our fight begins in five minutes.¡±, Victor told them, before severing the connection.


    Having nothing left to say, Victor began walking over toward the door to return to Yamato and his fleet.


    ¡°Young man, I hope you have the guts and strength to back up what you just told him. Kharn the Betrayer is no mere Chaos Space Marine.¡±, the Lord General Militant warned him. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°And I am no mere man.¡±, Victor countered, walking out the door, ¡°All of you should pay close attention to what is about to happen. I am sure you will want to relay everything you witness to your superiors.¡±


    Falling in behind their leader, the platoon marched past the two unconscious Space Marines lying in heap on the ground. Giving the order for all ships to advance toward the border, once he was aboard Yamato, he ensured that every ship was ready for their first real space battle.

 Chapter 68

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Watching as Victor''s fleet sailed out to face Kharn and his men, everyone felt they were about to see Kharn tear them apart. Outnumber almost two to one, aside from Obi-Wan, no one expected a relatively unknown bounty hunter to last more than a few minutes at best. With that in mind, the Lord General Militant inquired what their plans would be after the bounty hunter''s forces were annihilated.


    "Since bringing him into this was your nation''s idea, it is only right you deal with the aftermath. That greenhorn antagonized one of our nation''s greatest failures and did so with vessels mostly too small to be called cruisers in our fleet.", the Lord General Militant remarked, "I serious hope you have a back up plan, otherwise, we will be in for a rough battle afterwards."


    "I would not be so quick to pass judgement on Victor. In case you are unaware, he has already fought members of the Black Legion. He knows what he is getting into, so I am inclined to believe he knows what he is doing.", Obi-Wan countered.


    "Do not compare the Butcherhorde with the Black Legion, they have two different mindsets for combat. That said¡­I have heard about the deaths of eight Black Legion marines, but I was unaware that greenhorn was the one responsible for it.", the Lord General Militant responded, giving Victor a small amount of respect for pulling that off.


    Before they could settle in for the battle, the Space Marines guarding the door notified them that the scientist Obi-Wan called for had arrived. Granting him permission to enter, Dr. Rodney McKay nervously entered the room with his laptop in hand. Quickly setting down his computer, he hesitantly walked over to the Jedi General while giving the Imperium group a wide berth.


    "There is no reason to be so nervous, Doctor McKay, we are on the same side of this conflict.", Obi-Wan assured him.


    "Be that as it may, I have heard plenty of rumors about how scientists like me are treated there. I would rather not upset them, if possible.", McKay said, having heard horror stories of colleagues disappearing during visits to the Imperium.


    Unlike the Galactic Republic, who was open and willing to improve things, the Imperium hated changed. The Adeptus Mechanicus, the scientific governing body of the Imperium, held a firm believe that their God Emperor''s designs were perfect, so change was unnecessary. Unless you held a high-ranking position, if you dared to improve upon anything, you were met with disdain and disgust or flat out disappeared. Having heard many instances where scientists were hauled off for trying to help border worlds, he had no desire to join them.


    "I can assure you; you are in no danger here. This is Republic space, they have assured us that no harm will come to you in our territory.", Obi-Wan reiterated.


    "Oh¡­okay¡­", McKay acknowledged, "So what did you summon me here for?"


    "I believe I may need your scientific knowledge during this battle. We know very little about Victor, and know absolutely nothing about his vessels, his homeworld, or even where his homeworld is. Since I will be the one reporting back to the Galactic Senate on this conflict, I want to make sure I relay accurate information to them.", Obi-Wan said.


    Understanding what he needed, McKay retrieved his laptop and reconnect to the live data feed. Confirming that everything was online and functioning correctly, he notified the other scientists to begin logging all the data coming in for evaluation later. Just as they confirmed they were beginning to log the data, the Butcherhorde made their preemptive strike.


    Starting the battle with a full-scale bombardment from all one hundred and twenty vessels, all manner of munitions quickly began assailing Victor''s fleet. Making no attempt to avoid the oncoming barrage, his ships remained in place allowing their shielding to protect them. Amazed that their shields were withstanding the assault, with seemingly minimal strain, Obi-Wan sensed a large disturbance in the force coming from Yamato. Walking over to one of the security computers, he used a camera pointing in that direction to get a better look at what was happening.


    As the Butcherhorde bombardment began to wane, Victor gave everyone a display that would not soon be forgotten. Generating the strongest Force Storm he had ever created; he unleashed the current full extent of his current Force Power upon them. Watching in utter disbelief as the Butcherhorde fleet was engulfed by the ungodly attack, dozens of ships exploded in moments while others began to list as their systems went haywire. Having only heard of something like this in ancient text, he came to understand just how powerful Victor was as an individual.


    ''I am one hundred percent convinced now; Victor is not a Sith. He has somehow achieved perfect balance between both the light and dark side of the Force.'', Obi-Wan thought, before looking at his dumbfounded Imperium counterparts, "Are you still certain that Victor is a greenhorn?"


    Gritting their teeth, the Lord General Militant and Warmaster refused to respond to Obi-Wan''s question. Unable to believe that a young man like Victor could wield such immense power, an uncomfortable thought began to creep into their minds. Wondering if Victor could somehow be connected to one or both Unknown Legions, neither of them could bring themselves to speak the words aloud knowing what would await them for uttering such blasphemy.


    Watching the storm collapse in on itself, the thirty or ships with still functioning engines managed to escape before being torn apart. Leading the remaining ships in a charge toward Victor''s fleet, the Conqueror began the charging sequence for its Nova Cannon. Immediately detecting the energy build up at the bow of the former Imperium Battleship, McKay also began noticing unusual readings coming from Victor''s fleet. Trying to figure out if their sensors were malfunctioning, Obi-Wan snapped him out of it and motioned for him to come over to the terminal.


    "Doctor McKay, what do you make of this?", he inquired, as McKay looked at the security monitor.


    Watching Victor''s fleet slowly become transparent, McKay was uncertain about what he was seeing. Zooming out a bit more, so he could see the Conqueror as well, he curious what would happen when the Nova Cannon was fired. Not having to wait too long, the Conqueror fired its powerful gun a few minutes later. Watching a streak of light pass harmlessly through the bounty hunter''s flagship, the projectile ended up slamming into one of the Imperium''s Escort ships. As fire began erupting from the impacted ship, radio chatter began to fill the room as all the blockade ships wanted to know what just happened.


    "What witchcraft was that?! How did that ship escape unscathed from the Nova Cannon!!", the Lord General Militant shouted, having never seen anything like that before.


    "His ships, they became intangible in our reality!! They must have phased themselves into a different space!!", McKay said, realizing what the sensors had been picking up, "Obi-Wan, where did you say this bounty hunter came from?!"


    "Phased out of our reality?! That is Necron technology!", the Warmaster commented, "How did he acquire their technology!!"


    "I will say this now, in case either of you have forgotten, there is no way Victor could have negotiated for this technology. It is a well-known fact that the Necrons have never negotiated with living beings before. Any attempts made in the past have all ended poorly for the negotiators.", Obi-Wan reminded them, trying to avoid Victor becoming branded a heretic by the Imperium, "We know absolutely nothing of Victor''s homeworld nor where it is located. The technology he is using could very well be standard for where he is from."


    "If that is the case, I might have an idea of his background then. There is a chance that he might be an Ancient.", McKay remarked, "Outside of the Necrons, we are fairly certain that the Ancient had this technology as well."


    Recalling some of the more recent reports he had read from Stargate Command, Obi-Wan could see that being a possibility. Even though they were presumed to be extinct, there was always a chance that a group of them had survived, having chosen isolationism till now.


    As his ships phased back to normal, Yamato sailed forward quickly creating a large gap between itself and the other ships. Beginning its own charging sequence, alarms began sounding on McKay''s laptop as the sensors began reading extremely high amounts of energy radiating from the ship. Noticing green arcs of lightning beginning to arc off the vessel, a few moments later a large, green beam of energy fired out of Yamato striking the Conqueror head on. Shattering its Nova Shields in fractions of a second, the beam sliced straight through the battleship and continued toward the planet behind it.


    "Have the refugee transporters reached us yet?!", Obi-Wan asked, turning his staff.


    "They have not moved yet sir, the captains were too worried about being caught in the crossfire.", his clone trooper subordinate replied.


    "Tell them to get out of there now!", Obi-Wan commanded, as the beam struck the planet.


    Watching as energy begin to create large, green cracks all over the surface, the planet suddenly and violently exploded. Sending massive chunks of debris and superheated rock in every direction, the transporters immediately engaged their engines making a beeline for the border. As they began to move, Victor''s fleet began disappearing and reappearing around the remaining Butcherhorde vessels. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "They are using Blink Drives!!", McKay shouted, having seen an Ancient Ship perform the same maneuver before, "They have functioning Blink Drives!!"


    Taking full advantage of the confusion and chaos, Victor''s fleet dumped hundreds of Drone Weapons into space and began obliterating the opposition. Burrowing through shielding and armor, the drones began detonating inside the ships, tearing them apart from the inside out. Amazed by everything he was seeing; McKay was now convinced more than ever that Victor and his fleet were indeed Ancients.


    ---Victor POV---


    Using the Blink Drive to maneuver us over the heavily damaged Conqueror, I began my assault preparations. Ordering Yamato to have all Heavy Armor units on the ships prepare for deployment, my fianc¨¦es and the onboard medical staff quickly raced down to the cargo hold where the hostages would be teleported too shortly.


    "Once I am onboard, I will help Yamato lock-on to the hostage and send them your way. Please bear in mind that some among them may be working for the enemy so be prepared for a potential fight. All of you have your Holtzman shields and weapons on, right?", I confirmed, over the radio.


    "We do!", Lucoa confirmed.


    "We got this Victor, make sure you give those monsters a good thrashing!", Mylene told me, having heard the radio broadcast, "Then execute them!"


    "Haha, I promise I will do that.", I chuckled, as we neared the drop point.


    Jumping off Yamato''s deck, as we drew near the command bridge, I flew toward the area I believed was just before my target. Swiveling their defensive guns toward me, the ship and her crew attempted to blast me to bits but nothing they threw at me managed to break through my first layer of shielding. Aiming my wrist mounted bunker buster at my intended breaching point, I launched it out ahead of me so I would not have to waste time cutting through the thick armor. Detonating on impact, the massive explosion ripped a giant gash in the ship which resulted in the expulsion of several Chaos Marines and grunt soldiers.


    Watching them flounder around helplessly, the regular humans were trying to find a way to survive while the Chaos Marines used their remaining life to try and kill me. Raising my hand toward them, I used the Force to atomize their bodies. Flying past their floating metal shells, I grabbed their dog tags and continued on my way inside the ship.

 Chapter 69

    Ripping the door onto the bridge out of the wall, using magnetic fields generated from my gauntlets, I flung the door behind me and stepped inside. Opening fire on me as my foot crossed the threshold, the Chaos Marines hurled all manner of curses and insults at me till their magazines were empty. Staring at them for a moment, I shook my head in disappointment which enraged the Chaos Marines.


    ¡°Clearly you have learned absolutely nothing after witnessing the annihilation of your fleet. My technology is thousands of years ahead of yours, you are wasting my time and your munitions.¡±, I remarked, turning to the hostages, ¡°My crew are in the process of your locking onto your coordinates. Please stay where you are.¡±


    Irritated that I was dismissing them as a threat, several of the Chaos Marines roared loudly and charged forward with their Chainswords. Chanting the name of their patron repeatedly, as brought their weapons down upon me, my shielding forcibly repelled them knocking the morons several feet away from me. Looking back at the men, I honestly wondered if the two brain cells they had were both fighting for second place right now. Deciding to show them the difference between us, I lifted my left hand and began channeling my magic.


    ¡°Since you seem ready and more than willing to go to the abyss, allow me to send you there posthaste!¡±, I said, before blasting a hole in the roof with repulsor, ¡°May the Divine Light of the Heavens purify my foes, Judgement!¡±


    Piercing through the hole I created, the Chaos Marines were instantly enveloped in a column of intense, holy light. Howling like stuck pigs, their bodies began to disintegrate as the Warp¡¯s corruption was literally burned away. Turning to their brothers for help, they turned to dust before they could utter a word. Backing away from the opening, as debris was sucked out of the room, the Chaos Marines were unsure what had just occurred.


    <Sir, Yamato confirms that all Heavy Armor units are onboard and clearing out pockets of resistance. She is ready to bring over the hostages now.>


    ¡°Thank you, Jarvis.¡±, I said, turning to the hostages, ¡°My crew has informed me they are ready to receive you. We have medical teams on standby to treat all your wounds.¡±


    Before they could reply, Kharn finally decided to act. Unwilling to let them leave alive, Kharn rushed them whipping his battleaxe around planning to decapitate as many of them as possible. Reaching them first, I grabbed hold of the weapon¡¯s haft and brought it to an immediate stop. Grunting and roaring at me, in a vain attempt to overpower me, I began pushing him back much to his displeasure.


    ¡°Their skulls belong to Khorne!!¡±, he howled.


    ¡°I am your opponent, Kharn the Coward, fight me!¡±, I demanded, ¡°You requested a worthy challenger, but when I appeared before you only your men had the balls to face me! Where did your combative spirit go? Did it shrivel up like your honor and loyalty?¡±


    ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!!!¡±, Kharn screamed, fully locked on me now.


    Enveloped in a brilliant flash of light, the hostages vanished in an instant leaving just Kharn, the few remaining Chaos Marines on the bridge, and me. No longer needing to cover civilians, I hoisted the beast of a man up into the air and slammed him into the command console. Shorting out countless numbers of systems across the ship, alarms began to blare signaling an imminent reactor meltdown. Letting go of the weapon, I asked Luxion if he could prevent the overload of the reactor from where we were.


    <My apologies, Master, the ship¡¯s systems are far too damaged to perform actions right now. I suggest immediately evacuating the ship or jettisoning the reactor itself¡­if that is even possible.>


    ¡°I do not think this ship can perform that operation, but I should be able to stow the reactor in my storage to prevent us from losing the ship.¡±, I said, ¡°Can you access any diagrams to show me where it is located?¡±


    Uploading a blueprint of the ship to my HUD, it appeared the ship¡¯s reactor core was dead center of the ship. Armed with the location of where I needed to go, I grabbed hold of Kharn and used his body as a battering ram. Steam rolling the remaining Space Marines on the bridge, began punching Kharn shaped holes through the walls. Unable to struggle out of my grip, Kharn began shouting for his men to do something but most of them were too busy dealing with my troops to render him aid. Eventually reaching the reactor, I threw him at the reactor like a ragdoll.


    Struggling to endure the immense radiation in the area, Kharn¡¯s body began to rapidly shut down as his flesh began to fall out of his armor. Looking at me full of hatred, the behemoth of a man ran at me with his axe raised. Yanking blue and red lightsabers off my hip, I flicked them on and met his advance. Swinging his massive weapon down on me, I jumped over him and made him stagger forward with a Force Push. As soon as my foot touched the ground, I lunged at his backside aiming to take this head. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I am not done yet!!¡±, he roared, whipping his axe around faster than he had before, ¡°Khorne¡¯s mightiest champion will not fall so easily!!¡±


    Dropping to my knees, his axe swung over my head by a few inches leaving him wide open again. Unable to do anything now, a look of utter shame came over his face as my lightsaber sliced his head off his shoulders. Collapsing to the floor with a loud thud, his life quickly faded into the darkness. Quickly summoning his soul to me with necromancy, to prevent him from returning to his master, the enraged spirit began hurling insults at me. Pulling a Black Soul Gem, something I frequently found in low rank dungeons, I forcibly imparted his soul essence into it.


    ¡®I regret not doing this to Rutart and Zola, but hindsight is 20/20.¡¯, I thought, ¡®Enjoy the Soul Cairn, asshole. Durnehviir will enjoy you as a snack.¡¯


    Stowing the gem in my storage, I walked up to the rapidly failing reactor and stowed it away as well. Leaving the reactor area to contact my men, I wanted to know the status of cleanup operations. As I stepped into an adjacent hallway, an ethereal woman appeared in front of me with an angry scowl on her face.


    ¡°You have seen better days, have you not, Captain Lotara Sarrin?¡±, I inquired, certain the female spirit before me was the former captain of this ship.


    Reaching out to hit me, as soon as she touched my armor, her hand became engulfed with golden flames. Recoiling from me in pain, Lotara¡¯s scowl grew even more aggressive as she looked at me.


    ¡°My armor functions similarly to your former Emperor¡¯s flaming sword. Touching it will send an ethereal entity like you into the abyss very quickly.¡±, I warned her, ¡°Now then, I give you two options. Yield to my authority and serve me or be cleansed from existence forever. Make your decision.¡±


    Picking herself back up, she pointed to a heavily faded symbol of the Imperium. Seemingly asking me if that was where we were going, I shook my head and clarified that for her.


    ¡°No, I am not a citizen of the Imperium, nor do I have a desire to become one. If you serve me, I will see that you are upgraded and restored to your proper glory as my flagship. You will owe no nation felty, only I will command you. We will sail from one end of the universe to the other experiencing all that there is out there, but first this damnable war must end so we can venture forth in peace.¡±, I explained, ¡°What say you, Machine Spirit Lotara?¡±


    Choosing to serve me instead of being erased from existence, the spirit was about to kneel when I told her stop. Telling her I was no king or ruler, there was no need for her to bend the knee to me.


    ¡°All I ask of you is loyalty and trust from you.¡±, I said.


    Standing back up, she nodded her head in agreement before looking to me for orders. Telling her to eject the rest of the Chaos Marines into space, I told her we would tow her back to the border before heading home to rebuild her. Accepting my orders, she disappeared presumably headed to inform the rest of the wraiths onboard about the change in ownership.


    ¡°Yamato, how are we looking out there?¡±, I inquired.


    <All cleaned up out here, Captain. can we hook onto her and tow her back to the border?>


    ¡°Of course, and we are going to need to come up with a new name for her. Conqueror and Absolute Resolve are atrocious names.¡±, I chuckled.


    Teleporting me back onto her bridge, Yamato and a few other ships hooked on to the ships heavily damaged hull before heading back to the border.

 Chapter 70

    As the former hostages were being handed over to relief workers, I carried Kharn''s head and corpse up to the command center. Cheering loudly as I walked by, the soldiers were in high spirits seeing the dead corpse of their once mighty foe. Marching straight into the room, I threw his head and body at the Lord General Militant and Warmaster''s feet. Staring at their accursed foes remains, the two of them did not utter a word but I could tell they were thoroughly surprised to see me unscathed. Having written me off because of my age and demeanor, I was certain their evaluation of me had significantly shifted after all they witnessed.


    "As per our agreement, Kharn the Betrayer''s head.", I said, firmly, "I will be taking the Conqueror back with me for major repairs and upgrades."


    "What are you on about? It may be an accursed ship, but it is still the property of the Imperium!", the Lord General Militant remarked, looking up from the corpse.


    "I am not asking you for permission, your leadership signed the rights to the ship over to me.", I retorted, placing the official document on the table.


    Taking a moment to review the document, the Lord General Militant confirmed its legitimacy and agreed that I now owned the vessel. Looking at his superior with a conflicted expression, the Warmaster asked why the Imperium had signed away such a valuable resource. Admitting that he did not know, as he had not heard anything about it, the Lord General Militant told him to just accept it and move on.


    "Very well then, at the very least, we should strip the vessel of all its military hardware. We cannot allow someone with no ties to our country to possess a Nova Cannon and other sacred weapons!", the Warmaster insisted, "The priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus can repurpose them on other Imperium vessels."


    "If it is physically bolted down to my new vessel, it is my property. Do not get nitpicky with me because you cannot understand your superior''s decisions.", I scolded him, "Besides which, the Machine Spirit made it abundantly clear that she wants nothing to do with your country."


    "Hold your tongue, outsider! Do not mock ¨C ", the Warmaster began to say, before his superior commanded him to stop speaking.


    Looking at me intently, the Lord General Militant informed me that only high-ranking members of the Adeptus Mechanicus could see Machine Spirits. Of those who could see them, intricate ceremonies had to be performed before they gained the temporary ability to see them. Claiming I had seen one without undergoing those ceremonies could result in me being branded a heretic by the Imperium.


    "Now I ask, did you see a Machine Spirit aboard the Conqueror?", the Lord General Militant asked me.


    "I did, it had the appearance of sickly woman I believe to be the ship''s last captain, Captain Lotara Sarrin.", I answered honestly, "She did attempt to attack me at first, but my armor possesses special properties that repel evil entities like wraiths and specters. I gave her the option of serving under me or being cleansed from the ship, she willingly chose the former."


    "Hmm¡­I see.", he said, nodding his head in confirmation, "I will have to notify the higher ups about this development, but that is a matter for another day. As per the terms of our arrangement, that accursed ship is yours."


    Ordering the guards outside to carry away Kharn''s corpse, he told them to send it back to Terra posthaste. Stepping aside so the two marines could take the body away, I glanced over to Obi-Wan and gave him a nod. Cracking a smile, he inquired if he could join me as I returned to my ship. Agreeing to his request, the two of us headed back to Yamato together.


    "I must say, Victor, that was a very impressive display you put on. Creating and controlling a Force Storm is no easy feat, and you managed to do it without falling to the dark side. Any doubts I had about you have been completely erased now.", Obi-Wan stated, with a smirk.


    "Thank you.", I said, "I assume you wanted to discuss the matter I brought up last time, correct?"


    "Yes, Anakin and Ahsoka are currently returning from the Droid Front with several dozen chips from deceased, newly recruited clone troopers. Based on preliminary findings, it appears that the information you provided to us is indeed correct, which puts us in a precarious position.", Obi-Wan stated, "The two conflicts have our forces spread thin. If we were to confront Palpatine now, it would likely result in our forces being trapped between two enemy forces. That said, we cannot wait for one of the wars to end as the longer we wait the more compromised clones Palpatine will have."


    "I assume you want some help with that, correct?", I asked, "Are you certain that your fellow High Council Members will be as trusting of me?"


    "If you come to Coruscant and meet them, I believe they will come to the same realization as I have.", Obi-Wan remarked, "I understand that you owe us nothing, but the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order would be in your debt."


    "I am willing to assist you, but I have a request. In exchange for my help, I want to craft my own, personal lightsaber. While I could forcibly take a crystal myself, I would rather do things through official channels.", I requested.


    Immediately agreeing to my request, Obi-Wan assured me that he could make that happen. Telling me he would be in touch, as we reached my ship, the two of us exchanged a firm handshake before parting ways. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ---Several Days Later, Private Laboratory---


    As excursions into the greater universe would start becoming a more regular occurrence, I made the decision to build fianc¨¦es their own versions of my primary armor. Wanting them to have the best protection possible while accompanying me into potentially dangerous situations, nothing less than my absolute, current best would satisfy me. Having each of the women strip down to their undergarments, Jarvis and I meticulously scanned their bodies to ensure our measurements were as accurate as possible.


    "Just out of curiosity, is there any reason you cannot make us adjustable armor like yours?", Deidre inquired, stepping off the scanning base.


    "They will be, but I am using new tech for your armored suits. These suits, when not in combat, will take the form of clothing you would typically wear on a day-to-day basis. Scanning your bodies was meant to ensure the clothing they change into fits your bodies properly. Without this data, there is a small chance that the nanobots might cut off part of your body.", I replied, shaking my head violently, "I refuse to let such a travesty happen to any of you."


    "We appreciate your forethought.", Clarice giggled, "So, about it taking the form of our clothing. Are we able to mentally picture any clothing we want, and the suits will make it a reality?"


    "I was going to set a few hundred presets for you, but I can certainly configure them that way, if you wish.", I admitted, "Is that something you would like?"


    Rapidly nodding their heads in acknowledgement, all of them seemed to like the idea of designing their own clothing. Seeing no harm in it, I jotted down what I needed to change to make that happen. Initiating the nanobot construction sequence, the computer gave me a completion time of forty-eight hours. Understanding that it was higher than usual, due to the materials being used, I told the women they could get dressed now.


    "Are you sure you do not want to take a chance, and press the envelope with us?", Deidre pressed, as she walked up to me, "Your fianc¨¦es are standing right in front of you in their underwear, do you not feel anything?"


    "Let me be crystal clear, my beloved Deidre.", I replied, standing up and getting right in her face, "Looking at the seven of you in your current attire, I feel blessed and honored to call you, my fianc¨¦es. Everyday each of you remind me how fortunate I am to be engaged to seven of the most beautiful women in all the cosmos. While I would love nothing more than to carry you off to bedroom for a long night of lovemaking, I believe I should make our first time together a memory than none of us shall ever forget. If you are ready to take that next step with me, give me some time to plan something appropriate to make that a reality."


    "Hehe, you are damn Lady Killer, Victor!", Lucoa teased me, "I do not think the four of them are going to hold out much longer at this rate. They have already been sneaking a peek at us some nights for the past three months."


    Turning bright red with embarrassment, the four of them were ashamed to have been caught red-handed. Having known about it the entire time, as nearly every part of the house was under surveillance, I had been far too busy to set something up for us. As we were now entering a brief respite before the impending storm, now was the best time to make my move.


    "If you can give me three days, I promise to have something set up by that evening.", I told the four of them.


    "I understand, three days it is then.", she agreed, with a happy smile, "Also, so we are clear, the seven of us feel the same about you. Every new experience and memory we make with you is irreplaceable to us. While Angelica, Clarice, and I were deeply hurt by our ex-fianc¨¦es'' actions¡­all of it was worth it just to become your fianc¨¦es."


    Happy to hear her say that I planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Reciprocating my affection in kind, she attempted to cling to me, but the other three women denied her the opportunity. Sharing a kiss with each of them as well, the seven women got dressed and followed me up to the living room to relax together.

 Chapter 71

    ---3 Days Later, 3rd Person POV, Jedi High Council Chamber---


    Handing over the two hundred samples they had collected on the battlefield, Anakin and Ahsoka gave a detailed report on a few incidents that occurred during their mission.


    ¡°Getting ahold of the samples was not as easy as I initially expected. The only time we had the opportunity to collect the samples was during combat. I was unaware of this, but the clones collect their fallen comrades after every battle so they can be transported away for a proper burial.¡±, Anakin said.


    ¡°That is correct. Usually we have the clones buried on the battlefield, but sometimes the Kaminoans request the corpses be returned to them for recycling. While I am not one hundred percent on the details, I believe they re-add the corpses to the biomass vats.¡±, Koth remarked, with an uncomfortable expression, ¡°We usually refuse to hand the bodies over, but sometimes we are left with no other option.¡±


    ¡°I was unaware of that, so I had Ahsoka follow one of the transport ships to their drop off point. She found the transporter handing off the corpses to an unmarked Kaminoan ship. Onboard the vessel, she spotted several marked droid soldiers that we are currently fighting against. The Kaminoans were not being held at gunpoint, they were working together with the droids.¡±, Anakin explained, motioning Ahsoka to step forward.


    ¡°Here is a holotape with all the photos I took.¡±, she stated, handing it to Windu.


    Thanking the two of them for their hard work, Windu inserted the tape into the council¡¯s private terminal. Taking a second to load up the data, several dozen photos began popping up on their own projection screens. Taking a closer look at the droids aboard the ship, every agreed with Anakin and Ahsoka¡¯s suspicions. Faintly making out the Confederacy¡¯s emblem on a few of the droids, it was clear they were in league with one another.


    ¡°I am sorry to interrupt, but our contact was able to gain access to the biochip¡¯s data. They are sending over the decrypted code now.¡±, Billaba informed everyone, ¡°Sending the data to the terminal now.¡±


    Showing everyone what was programmed on the biochips, everything Victor warned them about was laid bare before them. Clearing seeing notations about Order 66 and its functions within the code, the atmosphere in the room became tense. Realizing that the republic had been inadvertently helping build a sleeper Sith army, the Jedi Masters felt utterly useless for not seeing things sooner. Just as they were about to take a moment of silence for their fallen comrades, they received a call from Obi-Wan.


    Taking a second to compose themselves, they accepted the call and found Obi-Wan sitting in his room aboard the space station. Exchanging pleasantries with one another, their newest council member could sense something was amiss.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±, Obi-Wan inquired, ¡°All of you sound a bit gloomy.¡±


    ¡°We just verified that Victor was indeed telling us the truth about Palpatine.¡±, Tiin replied, ¡°The clone troopers are equipped with a biochip that will turn them against us. All of us feel a bit frustrated with ourselves for not putting things together sooner. It took an outsider on the edge our country to show us the truth.¡±


    Understanding the conflicted feelings they had on the matter, Obi-Wan was content that the truth had been revealed to them before it was too late. Armed with this information, the priority now was devising a plan to stop Palpatine before he could initiate Order 66.


    ¡°How are things looking at the border?¡±, Windu asked, changing the subject, ¡°Were the refugees rescued?¡±


    ¡°Did you not receive my report? I sent the High Council and Senate an update on the situation here.¡±, Obi-Wan said, rubbing his chin with concern, ¡°All of the trapped refugee groups and hostages are safely in Republic territory. Victor destroyed the entire Butcherhorde Fleet without losing any of his vessels. In addition to that, I believe you will want to see something I never imagined I would witness in my lifetime.¡±


    Sending over recorded footage of Victor¡¯s Force Storm, everyone in the High Council Chamber fell silent. Watching the devastating power he unleashed on those misguided souls, everyone¡¯s evaluation of Victor changed significantly. Having initially regarded his force powers at above average, this feat alone elevated him to one of the strongest force users to have ever lived. Creating and maintaining a twenty mile wide Force Storm was something that not even the Sith Lords of the ancient past were capable of doing.


    ¡°As you were close enough to discern which way his powers lean, would you say he is Jedi material or a future Sith in the making?¡±, Koon asked.


    ¡°He was in perfect balance between both the light and dark sides of the Force for the entire duration of the attack. Moreover, immediately after doing so he went and slew Kharn the Betrayer and several dozen Chaos Marines. The hostages who witnessed part of the fight claim Victor possesses the means to purify Chaos Marines.¡±, Obi-Wan elaborated, ¡°I am still a bit foggy on the details, but they said he cloaked his hands in a calm, white light and imparted the power onto a few of the Chaos Marines. Their bodies apparently could not withstand the power and turned to ash before their very eyes.¡±


    ¡°What did the Imperium make of it?¡±, Windu inquired, ¡°I am certain they did not expect him to succeed and fought him over the ship they signed over to him.¡±


    ¡°That they did, the Lord General Militant was absolutely livid about letting him take it. If the Warmaster had not stopped him, Victor might have killed him for backing out of our agreement. They are even more upset that he says he has spoken to the Machine Spirit aboard the Conqueror.¡±, Obi-Wan stated, ¡°Either way, the job was completed, and the refugees are safe.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Happy to hear that those poor souls were saved, the council¡¯s spirits were lifted a bit. Steering the conversation back to the compromised clones, Yaddle wanted to begin discussing options to remedy the situation.


    ¡°If I may, I have already secured Victor¡¯s assistance in helping us resolve the matter.¡±, Obi-Wan said, ¡°He already provided me with a plan to remove Order 66 from Palpatine¡¯s hand. It will involve getting onto Kamino and updating the programming for the clone trooper helmets. Victor believes that Palpatine has pre-programmed his verbal command into the helmets of every clone trooper which could be activated with a push of a button. Removing the verbal command from the helmet renders Palpatine¡¯s plan useless.¡±


    ¡°He could still give a direct verbal command to them, but that would require him having access to a computer terminal or radio. We can resolve that matter easily enough ourselves.¡±, Rancisis remarked.


    ¡°Once Palpatine is dealt with, we can focus our attention on safely defusing the biochips. Victor thinks that could be done by overwhelming the clone troopers with specific sounds. He would need to see the Kaminoans¡¯ data first, but he thinks it is doable.¡±, Obi-Wan added.


    ¡°I assume he is not going to do this for free though. What has he asked in return?¡±, Gallia inquired.


    ¡°He has asked for permission to craft his own lightsaber. I already agreed to his request.¡±, Obi-Wan admitted.


    Before anyone could voice a complaint, Yoda accepted Obi-Wan¡¯s decision. Looking at the Grand Master in shock, he explained his simple reasoning.


    ¡°A powerful ally Victor is. Him a lightsaber is no issue giving.¡±, Yoda told everyone.


    ¡°I second the Grand Master¡¯s decision, Victor already possesses three of them so there should be no issue with allowing him to make one for himself. In fact, we could use this opportunity to potentially have him return the missing Sith Lightsaber in his possession.¡±, Ki-Adi-Mundi agreed.


    Seeing the logic in their thinking, the High Council accepted the terms Obi-Wan agreed to. Wanting to discuss how they would deal with Palpatine, the group began discussing how to best go about it with as few potential casualties as possible.


    ---Victor POV, Evening---


    Delivering on my promise to make our first night together unforgettable, I booked us a stay at a resort world in the Algrand Empire. Reserving a private island in the middle of nowhere just for our group, we were hundreds of miles from the nearest person and that suited us just fine. Having spent the day playing on the island¡¯s white sandy beach and in the crystal blue waters, we retired to our villa around five in the evening. Serving us a steak and lobster dinner, the women happily scarfed the meal down with satisfied expression.


    ¡°I must admit, you have certainly made today one we will never forget.¡±, Deidre admitted, with a smile.


    ¡°We need to do this more often.¡±, Lucoa said, leaning back in her seat, ¡°Getting to relax on a beautiful paradise like this was amazing.¡±


    ¡°It was also nice to just spend time with one another, and not be bothered by other people.¡±, Mylene added.


    Voicing our agreement with that statement, everyone began to laugh as the robots cleared the table for us. Stepping out onto the patio, we sat down together to watch the sunset. Pulling my fianc¨¦es closer to me, Clarice and Olivia slid onto my lap while the others scooched in beside me. Feeling that the time was right to make my move, my hands began to roam their bodies. Reciprocating my advances, the women began loosening their bikinis for me.


    ¡®It looks like we are about to make love under the stars tonight. So be it!¡¯, I thought, leaning in for my first of many kisses tonight.

 Chapter 72 (R-18)

    ---R-18 Start---


    Tossing our swimwear onto the ground, we quickly moved over to the extra-large daybed close by. Kissing me repeatedly as I carried them over, once everyone was on the bed, I dove straight into thoroughly exploring their bodies. Focusing my attention on Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia first, I wanted to find out exactly where their erogenous spots were. As I introduced them to the wonders of oral foreplay, the other three women took turns giving me a blowjob. Getting distracted by the pleasant sensations and sloppy noises they were making, I almost lost it on a few occasions.


    ¡°Are you trying to tell me something?¡±, I groaned, glancing at them.


    ¡°Yeah, hurry it up!¡±, Mylene protested, before deepthroating my member with a smile.


    Understanding that they were holding back for the other four women, I realized they were almost at their limit. Looking at the four women I was currently pleasuring, all of them stared back at me with lust filled gazes. Signaling to me that she was more than ready to go, Olivia scooted herself closer to me wanting to be the first tonight. Happily accepting her advance, I positioned myself on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto my lap. Carefully lowering herself onto my member, the two of us let out nearly perfect synchronized moans. Wrapping her arms and legs around me, she rested her chin on my shoulder with a blissful sigh. Grabbing hold of her plump butt, I began to aggressively bounce her on my lap causing the bed to shake violently.


    ¡°I know I probably do not tell you this enough Olivia, but I love you with everything I am.¡±, I whispered into her ear.


    ¡°I love you too, Victor.¡±, she responded, pulling her head back to look me in the eyes, ¡°I honestly believe I fell in love with you the moment you stepped in to protect me on our first day of school. You showed up like a knight in shining armor to protect me, but I kept denying my feelings since I am a commoner. The night I almost died in the dormitory fire; you were the last thought on my mind before I blacked out. When you proposed to me, I felt my heart skip a beat because of how happy I was. The only reason I did not immediately accept was because I wanted to say yes with Angie.¡±


    Thankful that Angelica had not heard that, as it would have started an argument, I held her close to me and began whispering into her ear. Telling her how much I adored her beautiful smile and kind heart, I reiterated my desire to make her my official wife once we left our world behind. Overwhelmed by emotions, Olivia forced me onto my back and began riding me hard. Listening to her frantic breathing, I quickly found myself on the brink of climaxing. Forcing me as deep inside as possible, we embraced one another riding out our climaxes in each other¡¯s arms.


    ¡°No matter what the future holds Olivia, I will always want you by my side.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°There is no other place I would rather be.¡±, she replied, as her body slumped off me.


    Panting heavily from exerting herself, she looked deflated that I was not the least bit tired. Assuring her that there would be plenty of time tonight to tire me, Olivia motioned for me to move along so I could quickly come back to her. Leaving Olivia with one final kiss, I crawled over to Angelica who promptly rolled on onto her stomach.


    ¡°Did I do something to upset you?¡±, I asked, making sure she had not changed her mind.


    ¡°I¡­I read in a book that this position is the most intense one¡­¡±, Angelica remarked, lifting her hips to tempt me, ¡°Go on¡­stick it in¡­¡±


    ¡°What book did you read this in exactly?¡±, I replied, as I slid on top of her.


    ¡°¡­do not make me say it. It is a book for ladies, that is all you need to know!¡±, she huffed, before burying her face into one of the pillows in embarrassment.


    Lining my tip up, I plunged it straight into her forcing a lust filled scream to come out of her mouth. Feeling her body vibrate with unbridled delight, I pushed a pillow under her hips, so that she did not need to hold them up herself. Hammering her into the mattress at a vigorous rate, she dug her fingernails into the mattress as her moans began to get louder. Playfully grabbing hold of her hair, I gave it a gentle tug which caused an unexpected response from Angelica.


    ¡°Oh god yes, Victor!! Harder!!¡±, she yelled, before realizing she spoke her thoughts aloud.


    Slamming her face back into the pillow, she screamed in embarrassment while I gave her exactly what she wanted. Letting go of her hair, I grabbed hold of her neck and began pressing her face into the pillow. Tensing up in response to this, her moaning and panting became even louder. Weakly gyrating her hips as I thrust into her, she clearly had a naughty side that she was trying her best to hide from me.


    ¡°I am getting close, Angelica. Tell me where you want it.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°No¡­do not make me say something unladylike¡­¡±, she refused, turning her head around to look at me.


    ¡°If you do not say it, I will pull it out of you.¡±, I teased her.


    Breaking down her usual proud demeanor, Angelica¡¯s naughty side came out in a hurry. Grinding her hips into mine full force, she was desperate to ensure I did not carry out my threat.


    ¡°No, please keep it inside!!¡±, she pleaded, ¡°I want your incredible shaft to fuck me like you own me!! Pour all that warm cum in your balls into me!!¡±


    Surprised by how vulgar she sounded; the other women looked at her in disbelief as that was not the normal Angelica talking. Pouncing on this opportunity, I tucked an arm under her and rolled us both onto our side. Hooking one of her legs with my free arm, I pulled her knee toward our faces and began thrusting into her like a rabbit. Feeling her body tremble with pleasure against me, she gripped the arm wrapped around her tightly. Holding the two of us in that position for a few minutes, both of us climaxed one after the other.


    ¡°I want to see this side of you more often when we are in private.¡±, I whispered to her, as I nibbled on her ear, ¡°No one here will think any less of you for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I will think about it¡­¡±, Angelica answered, flopping back onto her stomach thoroughly exhausted from her climaxing and tremors.


    Kissing her on the back of the neck, I playfully smacked her butt before sliding over to Clarice. Spreading her legs and vagina open for me, I pulled her to the edge of the bed so I could take her while standing. Pinning her hands above her head and placing her ankles on my shoulder, Clarice looked at me with a naughty smile. Energetically thrusting into her, I kept myself from going overboard as she was not yet used to this.


    ¡°You¡­you can be harder. I can take it.¡±, Clarice managed to say, through her ragged breathing.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°Of course, as your wife, I have a duty to please you in bed.¡±, Clarice assured me.


    Given her blessing to have at it, I leaned forward and let go of her hands. Pinning her ankles beside her head, she looked at me in surprise. Slamming my full weight down into her, Clarice¡¯s tongue flopped out as she began to sporadically shake. Jackhammering her into oblivion, she wrapped her arms around my back and began pleading for me to climax.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes!¡±, she screamed into the night sky, ¡°Break your devoted wife into pieces, and pour your love into me!!¡±


    Pounding her as hard as I safely could, I climaxed inside of her a few minutes later. Grunting as her muscles coiled around my member, Clarice was doing her damndest to suck me dry. Struggling to pull myself out, unlike Angelica and Olivia, Clarice was raring to go for another round immediately. Unwilling to part from me, she wanted to spend more time with me before moving on.


    ¡°Clarice, there is plenty of time for more intimate encounters together. We will be at this all night and have four more days on this island together.¡±, I assured her, ¡°Even after we leave, I fully intend to make love to all of you on a daily basis.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we are here for four more days?! You should have said that from the beginning!¡±, she said, immediately letting me go, ¡°If we have your undivided attention for the next four days, I can live with this. Just promise me we will take regular vacations together to get away from the chaos going on out there.¡±


    ¡°I wholeheartedly agree to that request.¡±, I chuckled, kissing her on the lips, ¡°We can take two to three days a month to ourselves.¡±


    Happily accepting that proposal, Clarice rolled out of the way so Deirdre could pounce on me. Pushing me onto the sandy beach, Deirdre mounted me in cowgirl position trying to control this situation. Fighting back, I wrestled her into reverse cowgirl and tucked my arms under her knees. Spreading her legs open, I pulled them up enough so that I could interlock my fingers behind her neck.


    ¡°Victor!! What¡­what are you doing?!¡±, Deirdre shrieked, as her skin shivered with absolute delight, ¡°Put me down!¡±


    ¡°Nah, I think I will take you just like this.¡±, I replied, getting back onto my feet, ¡°I set the pace in the bedroom, do not forget that!¡±


    Having full control of her now, I began to forcefully dominate her. Excitedly thrusting into her sopping wet hole, Deirdre¡¯s noblewoman facades began to crumple. Watching her spiral into a lust filled stated, I enjoyed every moment of it. Letting go of her neck, switched positions so that she was hanging from my neck while I slammed her hips into me. Starting into my eyes with a burning passion, she began talking dirty to me as I drew near my climax.


    ¡°Gods, I knew you were the right man for me!¡±, she proclaimed, ¡°I can feel you pulsating in my stomach. Give your slutty wife a baby!!¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You asked for it!¡±, I grunted, slamming into her one last time.


    Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the two of us made out as I poured my seed into her. Feeling her body vibrate with every pulse of my member, she slowly began to come down from her high. Resting her head on my chest, she let out a deep sigh before inhaling my scent.


    ¡°I love you with everything I am, Victor.¡±, Deirdre said, looking up at me, ¡°If it were not for this damndable war, we could start making our large family right now! Unfortunately, duty calls and those morons out there need you to help them fix their screw ups.¡±


    ¡®Uh¡­I have no intentions of having kids for a few hundred years. I want to travel the stars a bit before worrying about throwing children into the mix.¡¯, I thought, keeping the comment to myself so as not to ruin the moment.


    Dismounting me, to let the others have their turn, I looked over at Lucoa, Mylene, and Roxanne who were now very frustrated. Not wanting to keep them wait, I pounced on them and began satisfying their lustful desires.


    ---R-18 End---

 Chapter 73

    ---A Week Later, Production World #04---


    ¡°My apologies for calling you all the way out here for this, sir, but there are a few major issues that we need your input on.¡±, Commander Bannister said, as we followed her through the maze of ongoing working on the Conqueror, ¡°We did not initially know about these problems till we began taking her apart to figure out how her internals were structured. It fills me with rage that such a beautiful vessel was left in the incompetent hands of those apes! Those gorillas ran her poor weapon systems into the fucking ground, almost all of it is held together with duct tape and a prayer.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that bad? She looked fully functional¡­till I put a hole through her with the BFG-12,000.¡±, I chuckled, as we arrived at the Nova Cannon, ¡°So what is the extent of the damage?¡±


    ¡°Well sir, have a look for yourself¡­¡±, she said, smacking the weapon with her pipe wrench.


    Knocking several thousand pounds of metal off the cannon, all of it fell to the ground with a loud crash. Startled by how easily it came off, I poked my head inside to have a look at the structural damage. Discovering that many parts were warped out of shape or brittle as a thin sheet of ice, it was very apparent that this part of the ship had severely inadequate cooling. Searching around for any signs of cooling equipment or pipes, all I found were old cut pipes that I suspected once helped cool the cannon.


    ¡®I am honestly surprised this thing managed to fire on us during our battle. For all intent and purposes, this should have violently exploded when they tried to fire it.¡¯, I thought, stepping back outside, ¡°Are all the weapon systems this bad?¡±


    ¡°More or less, yes.¡±, Barrister confirmed, with a nod, ¡°Repairing everything is the easy part, keeping it in smooth, functioning order is where we need help. Based on the calculations that Luxion and I ran, even with the best cooling we have, the quickest we can fire the cannon is thirty minutes. Firing it more frequently than that will result in the damage we have now. Forcing the massive shell to near light speed generates an enormous amount of heat, we must beef up the cooling and insulation to let it operate like a normal weapon.¡±


    ¡°Well, the first thought that comes to mind is using enchantments to help keep the equipment cool. Have you tried that already?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Yes, we did.¡±, she acknowledged, ¡°Unfortunately, even with frost and ice enchantments in place, the metal still warps after a few consecutive shots. Mithril, Orichalcum, Adamantine¡­we tried everything we have at our disposal to keep this titan cool; nothing could withstand the temperature for more than six shots. We investigated potentially boosting the enchantment power, but that would require keeping magic crystals in stock to supply the extra mana it would cost.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Racking my brain for a solution to this issue, a vague memory popped up from a video game I once played. Recalling an icy, metallic like material called Stalhrim, its natural properties would be ideal for rapidly cooling down equipment. Unsure if the world of Nirn existed in this reality, I crossed my fingers and provided the information to Luxion. Having him scan the databases on the HoloNet for references to a material like that, it took him a few minutes to find the information we needed.


    <Master, I found references to the material in a Starfleet Captain¡¯s log from five hundred years ago. The world they found it on is an extremely primitive, Class M planet.>


    ¡°Do they have any more recent data on the planet itself?¡±, I inquired.


    <As it is an extremely primitive world, the Galactic Republic chose to leave it untouched and let it develop on its own. The best I can do is provide you with coordinates, Master.>


    ¡°That will work, send the information to Yamato and have her begin charting our course there.¡±, I told him, ¡®While I am there, we can look at collecting other valuable materials and magic books. It would be great if I could secure an Elder Scroll or two. With their assistance, I might be able to unravel the secrets of space and time!¡¯


    Eager to get under way, I told Barrister we would secure the materials she needed ourselves instead of sending in the Logistics Division. Giving me a sly grin, she nodded her head and acknowledged my orders. Having Yamato teleport us onboard, we immediately headed to Planet Nirn.


    ---Planet Nirn, Outer Orbit---


    Relieved to see that the planet was intact and still untouched, I dispatched several surveillance drones to the planet¡¯s surface to investigate the situation on the ground. Focusing mainly on the territory of Skyrim, as that was where the Stalhrim was, as the drones entered the airspace a massive dragon almost took out three of the drones. Hearing it roar over the radio, Lucoa jumped out of her seat full of excitement.


    ¡°That was a freaking dragon!! Do you think it is intelligent enough to speak?!¡±, she asked, ¡°It never occurred to me that we could run into other dragons. This is so cool!!¡±


    ¡°I am not sure.¡±, I replied, noticing a faint, orange glow against the darkened landscape.


    Turning the drones toward the source of the glow, we found a settlement ablaze several miles away. Flying over to see if everyone had made it out alive, several dozen people were running around trying to escape the stone walls of the settlement.


    ¡°Well crap, I guess it is probably a mindless beast then.¡±, Lucoa thought, in a deflated tone, ¡°Are we going to help them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but for the time being do not use our technology in front of any locals. They are still very primitive, even by our homeworld¡¯s standards.¡±, I remarked, ¡°Conventional weapons and magic are fine though.¡±


    Acknowledging my request, the women morphed their armored suits into more standard adventurer equipment. Satisfied that we would not stick out too much, I had Yamato teleport us a few thousand feet away from the settlement. Engulfing the eight of us in a brilliant light, as soon as we touched down on the mountain side, a brutal gust of wind sent shivers down our spine.


    ¡°It is¡­so cold¡­¡±, Clarice remarked, as her teeth chattered.


    ¡°The suits have built-in heaters. You can turn them on without revealing them to the locals.¡±, I told them.


    Turning the heaters on to a comfortable temperature, the women let out sighs of warm relief. With the temperature problem addressed, all of us took off running toward the closest gate. Hearing the guards and soldiers trying to knock down the gate, it appeared that the doorframe had warped enough to make opening it almost impossible. Rallying the men to try harder, an older man told everyone to give it one more try.


    ¡°Together now me, heave HO!!!¡±, the older man shouted.


    Managing to budge the door a bit, the people on the other side noticed us as we approached. Waving at us and calling out for help, I told the people to stand back as I was going to take down the gates. Digging my fingers into the hardened steel doors, with one powerful pull, I forcefully ripped them off their hinges. Tossing them to the side, everyone came stumbling out of the thick smog while coughing their lungs out.


    Taking a few deep breathes of clear air, the older man managed to order his men to do a prisoner headcount. Acknowledging his orders, the troops saluted General Tullius and stumbled toward where everyone had gathered up. Running over to help the wounded civilians, Olivia asked Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre for help. Following her, with first aid kits, they began helping clean and bandage wounds while Olivia healed the more gruesome injuries.


    ¡°I¡­I do not know who you people are, but your timing could not have been more impeccable. All of us owe you our lives.¡±, the general wheezed, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡±, I replied, looking back at the settlement, ¡°On our way over to help, I swore I witnessed a large dragon flying in the sky. I thought they were supposed to be extinct?¡±


    ¡°They all were¡­till about twenty minutes ago. The damn beast came out of nowhere and razed the entire settlement in a matter of minutes. I had heard stories of their power, but seeing it firsthand, I feel like the stories understate their true strength.¡±, the general coughed, looking over at Olivia and the others, ¡°Are you students from the Magic College, or a group of adventurers?¡±


    ¡°My name is Victor von Stark, and these are my wives.¡±, I explained, ¡°We are a band of bounty hunters and mercenaries.¡±


    Surprised to hear I was married to seven women; he took a good look at our equipment before nodding his head. Assuming he thought I was the son of a wealthy merchant or noble, Tullius accepted my answer without a second thought.


    ¡°My apologies General Tullius, we have only two Stormcloak prisoners in our custody. Ulfric and the men with him are nowhere to be found.¡±, one of the soldiers reported.


    Cursing the dragon responsible for this mess, Tullius quickly regained his composure as now was not the time nor place to lose focus. Ordering the two Stormcloaks to be immediately executed, as he could not risk them attacking the group on the trek out of here, the soldier saluted him and ran off to carry out the order.


    ¡°Legate Rikke, you know this territory better than I do. What is the closest settlement we can escort the displaced citizens to?¡±, the general asked, turning to his second in command.


    ¡°Falkreath is to the west and Riverwood is to the north northeast of here, both are roughly the same distance away.¡±, Legate Rikke replied.


    ¡°Riverwood it is then, Falkreath is too far out of our way.¡±, the general stated, as his men disposed of the Stormcloak corpses, ¡°While I would like to believe that Ulfric lost his life in the attack, I doubt we will be that lucky. After escorting the civilians to safety, we need to double time it to Solitude and prepare for a bloody civil war.¡±


    Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Legate Rikke began organizing the men in preparations for their departure. Thanking us a second time for our help, General Tullius was about to turn and leave when I offered our assistance in escorting the civilians to Riverwood.


    ¡°With the current manpower you have, trekking down the mountain in the middle of the night will be incredibly dangerous. There are frost trolls and several packs of wolves that roam this area.¡±, I remarked, ¡°Would you allow us to help escort everyone to safety?¡±


    Looking at the few men he had at his disposal, General Tullius accepted my proposal. Asking us to bring up the rear, as Legate Rikke would took point, we fell in behind the group and kept a close eye out for danger.

 Chapter 74

    ---Next Day---


    Arriving in Riverwood just after dawn, having walked non-stop through the night, as we entered the settlement the locals came out to see what was happening. Surprised to see a large group of people arrive without notice, the locals began to whisper wild theories to one another about what was going on. Rushing out of the blacksmith¡¯s shop, three familiar looking faces pushed their way to the front of the crowd to see Tullius.


    ¡°General Tullius, sir, it is a relief to see you alive and well!¡±, Hadvar said, saluting the general, ¡°I was afraid that only three of us managed to escape.¡±


    Rushing to Hadvar¡¯s side, the torturer and his assistant saluted the general as well. Happy to see that more of his men had escaped the dragon attack, his brow furrowed as a realization came to him.


    ¡°I understand how the two of you escaped unscathed, but what about you, Hadvar? Where did you disappear to in the chaos?¡±, the general asked, with a solid poker face.


    ¡°Sir, I was helping with the evacuation till I spotted Ulfric and his men trying to escape amidst the chaos. I made the decision to abandon my post and gave chase into the tunnels beneath Helgen. These two men joined me in the pursuit till a tunnel collapsed allowed the Stormcloaks to escape us.¡±, Hadvar said, bowing his head, ¡°I am fully prepared to accept the consequences of my actions!¡±


    Looking at the other two soldiers, both nodded their heads in confirmation. Sensing no falsehoods in Hadvar¡¯s retelling of events, Tullius instructed him to lift his head. Assuring him that no punishments would be handed out, in light of circumstances, he simply told Hadvar not to abandon his post in the future. Swearing to never do so again, the general nodded his head in satisfaction.


    ¡°Legate Rikka, prepare to set out immediately.¡±, the general ordered, looking at his second in command, ¡°We need to return to Solitude as quickly as possible!¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, so Helgen really was razed to the ground by a dragon attack?!¡±, Alvor asked, walking up to his nephew and General Tullius, ¡°If that is true, we need guards to help protect Riverwood!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is true, Helgen was burned to the ground in a dragon attack last night. I would leave a few men behind to guard Riverwood, but the local Jarl has refused our aid thus far. Please speak to him about sending guards to protect your village, and to help rehome the survivors of the attack. If he needs any assistance, he can contact us in Solitude.¡±, Tullius answered, before turning to me, ¡°I have said it several times already, but I am truly thankful for your support up till now. Please drop by our headquarters in Solitude to receive your compensation. The Empire always pays its debts.¡±


    Assuring him that we would drop by in the coming months, Tullius nodded his before joining up with his men. Double timing it out of Riverwood, the Imperial soldiers soon disappeared as they rounded a cliff side. Letting out a deflated sigh, Alvor took it upon himself to break the news to the other locals. While the local men began to plan out who would go to alert the Jarl, the survivors hobbled over to the Sleeping Giant Inn for food and beds. Thanking us for saving them, as they walked by, all of us wished them luck on their future journey.


    ¡°Well, now that our escort quest is over, what should we do?¡±, I asked, looking up at the mountains to the west, ¡°I was thinking about heading up to that barrow for some exploration, but we can also call it a day here if you want.¡±


    Looking up at the massive mountain, it took them a second to notice the barely visible stone structure within the mist. Looking at one another for a moment, their big grin told me exactly what they were going to pick.


    ¡°Dungeon exploration!¡±, Roxanne said, her tail wagging energetically, ¡°I want to see what the dungeons on this world are like!¡±


    ¡°I am with Roxanne on this. We might find some relics related to dragons!¡±, Lucoa remarked.


    Agreeing with the two of them, the other women were excited to see what treasures were hidden inside the barrow. Turning to the bridge that led out of the village, the Riverwood Trader¡¯s sign caught my eye. Remembering that Lucan and Camilla had a few beginner spell tomes, I wanted to pick them up before leaving town. Walking over the store, Lucan left his spot among the men to greet us.


    ¡°Oh, uh, welcome to the Riverwood Trader!¡±, the merchant said, trying to hide his concern about a potential dragon attack, ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping to purchase magic tomes from you, if you had any in stock.¡±, I replied.


    ¡°I think we have a few behind the counter, Camilla, can you show them what I have in stock? I am speaking with the men about who should go speak to the Jarl.¡±, he said, looking over at his sister.


    ¡°Sure Lucan¡­I would be more than happy to help them with OUR store¡­¡±, Camilla remarked, with scowl.


    ¡°Oh do not start with me!¡±, Lucan huffed, rejoining the conversation with the other men.


    Unlocking the door for us, Camilla ushered us in with a warm smile. Thanking her as we entered the store, my fianc¨¦es began to browse the few shelves while I approached the counter. Stepping behind the counter, Camilla pulled out the few dusty tomes they had and quickly wiped them off with a rag.


    ¡°I apologize, we do not get many mages through here, so our offerings are quite slim.¡±, she said, leaning over the counter, ¡°So¡­are all of you Adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Bounty hunters and mercenaries.¡±, Deirdre replied, as she moved beside me to look at the unusual books, ¡°Victor, do you mind if we purchase all of their books?¡±


    ¡°That is fine, go ahead.¡±, I said, looking at where the Golden Claw should have been, ¡®Oh right, the thief that stole the claw is currently trapped inside the barrow.¡¯


    Remembering the details of the side quest, a few other details began to return to my mind. Wondering how the Word Wall would affect Lucoa and I, our dungeon dive today was shaping up to be an exciting endeavor.


    ¡°Did something used to sit here? I can see faint scratch marks on the counter.¡±, I said, motioning to the spot.


    ¡°Yes, someone broke in a few days ago and stole a family heirloom. It was an ornate, golden dragon claw about this size.¡±, Camilla remarked, gesturing with her hands, ¡°Our grandfather found it while exploring the barrow in his youth. He was not sure what it was for, but he was certain it led to treasure room somewhere inside the barrow.¡±


    Piquing her interest, Lucoa walked over to hear more about it. Describing its appearance and the carvings it had on its palm, she looked at me with a big grin.


    ¡°Are you heading up to the barrow?¡±, Camilla inquired, clearly interested in joining us.


    ¡°Yes, we are heading that way once we are done here.¡±, Deirdre answered, ¡°How much are the books?¡±


    ¡°Eighty gold.¡±, Camillia replied, pushing her chest out toward me, ¡°Could I maybe convince you to let me come along? I have always wanted to be an adventurer like my grandfather, but Lucan will not let me. The two of us are all that is left in our family line so he thinks the two of us should be more focused on finding partners than galivanting around.¡±


    ¡°I cannot imagine you have many suitors here¡­¡±, Mylene remarked, as the other women joined us at the counter.


    ¡°There are two men interested in me, but both want me to only birth their children and be a homemaker.¡±, Camilla complained, with an exhausted expression, ¡°Since they have not gotten an answer out of me, they have gone to my brother for permission. Lucan, for all his faults, has been nice enough to stay out of it for my sake. If nothing changes soon though¡­that may end up changing.¡±


    Denying her request, as we would likely call it after clearing the Bleak Falls Barrow, I slid her a few small gold bars that I assumed would cover the tab. Accepting them without batting an eye, Camilla refused to give up on the matter. Offering to show us the path to the barrow, I agreed to her request to save us all some time. Rushing over to the door, Camilla flung it open without considering someone might be on the other side. Slamming it right into Lucan¡¯s face, her brother let out a scream as he stumbled backward.


    ¡°Damn it, Camilla, how many times must I tell you to be careful!¡±, Lucan groaned, as we stepped out of the store.


    ¡°I am going to show our customers the path that leads up to the barrow.¡±, Camilla said, with a smug smile, ¡°I will be back shortly.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°By the eight, did you force your selfish wishes onto my customers?!¡±, Lucan shouted, completely forgetting about the throbbing pain, ¡°Why will you not give up on that blasted dream of yours? Neither of us are getting any younger, we should both be married now and starting our own families. Instead we are stuck sharing a house with one another!¡±


    Disregarding everything that Lucan told her, Camilla began telling us about Riverwood as she began walking down the road. Giving up on the argument, Lucan stormed inside grumbling to himself that he would speak to her later about it.  Leading us out of the village and up to a dirt pathway, Camilla explained that the path would lead us straight to the barrow.


    ¡°While I am sure all of you can handle it, watch out for bandits and wolves on your way up. No one goes up there anymore, so all manner of troublesome things has taken over.¡±, she warned us.


    ¡°Thank you for the warning.¡±, I said, already knowing what to expect.


    ¡°I am certain whoever stole the claw probably went to the barrow to find the hidden treasure. If you find the claw and bring it back, we will be sure to properly compensate you for all your efforts.¡±, Camilla stated, before leaning close to my ear, ¡°I would not mind being your eighth wife, you strong hunk.¡±


    Quickly retiring to the village, I looked back at her with annoyance. While I did marry her on several playthroughs of Skyrim, I had no desire to do it in real life. Aela and Serana were the only two women in this world I was interested in. If we happened upon them during our journey for Elder Scrolls, Magic Tomes, and Stalhrim, I would certainly pursue them to the best of my abilities.

 Chapter 75

    Casually fighting our way through the barrow, everyone was a bit deflated that everything we ran into was basically a one hit KO. Unlike the powerful monsters we were accustomed to in our world, all we had to contend with was skeever and weak undead foes. The only real problem we ran into was the Giant Spider that was hiding in the chamber where the thief was. Rushing into the room to seize him, before I could warn them, my fianc¨¦es let out horrified screams when the thing descended from the ceiling.


    Immediately bombarding everything in the room with fire magic, Lucoa and Roxanne rushed to the back of the room with a fainted Olivia in tow. Stepping in to check on Olivia, I glanced over at everyone else as they screamed in sheer terror at where the spider had been. Confirming that Olivia was fine, I called out to the women to make them stop.


    ¡°All of you, calm down!¡±, I shouted, over the roar of the fiery explosions, ¡°Everything on that side of the room has been reduced to cinders. If you keep this up, the Golden Claw is going to become a pool of molten gold.¡±


    Snapping them out of their frenzy, the women ceased their bombardment and immediately apologized for their outburst. Understanding they were just caught by surprise, I assured them that it was fine. Leaving Olivia with Roxanne, Lucoa ran into the hot portion of the room to look for the claw. Taking advantage of her high resistance to heat, she began tossing brittle pottery around trying to find it. Finding it in the adjacent hallway, Lucoa came running out with the claw held high above her head.


    ¡°Guys, do you see this masterpiece?! This is fucking cool!!¡±, Lucoa shouted, as Olivia began to recover from her shocked state.


    ¡°What do the animal symbols on the bottom of the claw mean?¡±, Clarice said, as Lucoa began passing it around.


    Helping Olivia back onto her feet, the three of us walked over to join the rest of the group.


    ¡°The symbols on the claw are a code used to help unlock an ancient vault door.¡±, I answered, receiving the claw from Mylene, ¡°With the claws on top, we would need to adjust the mechanism to be bear, moth, and owl respectively. Once the code is locked in, all we need to do is push the claw into the indentation in the door and turn it slightly clockwise. Every important treasure room has a corresponding claw with its own code to unlock it.¡±


    ¡°I see, I assume then that each claw is somehow enchanted to their respective barrow to prevent people from finding one claw and guessing the code on the door.¡±, Deirdre muttered, as I handed it to her, ¡°Oof¡­is this thing made out of solid gold?!¡±


    ¡°That is correct, the claws are enchanted in a way that only one claw can unlock them. Once the doors are open, they basically turn into massive paperweights.¡±, I remarked, ¡°It will be worth a few thousand in gold scrap, but not much else. In my opinion, it would be better to just return it to the siblings after we unlock and loot the treasure hidden here.¡±


    Agreeing with my decision, the women felt that returning the sibling¡¯s family heirloom was the right thing to do. Having Lucoa hold onto it for us, we pressed on further into the barrow looking forward to the reward at the end of the road.


    ---One Hour Later---


    Walking up to the vault door, all of us were taken aback by its size and intricate design, we took a moment to admire the craftsmanship that went into building it. Moving the three rings on the door around to match what the claw hat engraved on it, Lucoa took a deep breath and pressed the claw into the key slot. Slowly turning it to the right, when she heard a loud clicking noise, she leapt back expecting something gruesome to happen. Hearing a series of other clicks come after that, the door began to slowly lower itself into the floor.


    ¡°Like I said, nothing to worry about.¡±, I teased her, ¡°Are you doubting your poor husband to be?¡±


    ¡°Jeez¡­it was just a knee jerk reaction!¡±, she huffed, with a smile, ¡°I know you would never lie about something that could get one of us killed.¡±


    With the vault door open, the eight of us slowly crept up the stairs into a colossal, natural chamber in the mountain. Ducking down to avoid a swarm of bats that flew close to our heads, Roxanne was the first to notice the large chest and Word Wall on the opposite side of the room. Making our way over there in a hurry, I stopped everyone just before we reached the stairs that led up to the platform everything was on. Confused why I was stopping us from going up, Lucoa and Roxanne heard a faint breathing sound coming from the sarcophagus on the platform.


    ¡°As expected of you, Victor. You realized that the Dungeon Boss was lying in wait for us to walk up there.¡±, Roxanne said, with a smile.


    ¡°I cannot tell how strong it is from here, should we be concerned about it?¡±, Lucoa inquired.


    ¡°It is by no means a threat to us, but it does wield Dragon Magic. Be prepared to get knocked around a bit before taking it down.¡±, I warned everyone.


    Understanding the potential risk, everyone ran up the stairs prepared to engage the boss in a fight. Watching the sarcophagus closely, as we stepped closer to it, Mylene poked it with her sword when we were right up on it. Not reacting to our prodding, I remembered that it would only pop out once one or more of us obtained the power from the Word Wall. Having everyone watch the sarcophagus while Lucoa and I looked at the wall, they took up a position around it waiting for something to happen.


    ¡°Alright Lucoa, you are probably going to feel a bit uncomfortable during the process. Our vision will blur for a few minutes as we absorb the dragonic knowledge.¡±, I stated, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am!¡±, Lucoa acknowledged, ¡°Let us get this over with!¡±


    Turning our full attention to the Word Wall, an unfamiliar power began flowing into our minds from the text. Just as I had warned her, our vision began to blur for a moment before quickly recovering. Unlike me though, Lucoa¡¯s body began to rapidly heat up sending alarms to my HUD that she was approaching dangerously high temperatures.


    ¡°Lucoa, tell me what you are feeling right now!¡±, I said, as I began administering Healing Magic to her, ¡°If something is hurting, tell me immediately!¡±


    ¡°My¡­my whole body feels like its on fire!¡±, Lucoa groaned, as her mana pool doubled in size, ¡°FUCK!!¡±


    As I tried contained her rampaging mana, the lid of the sarcophagus flew off as the Draugr Overlord began rising out of its tomb. Attacking it immediately, while it was still getting up, the Draugr Overlord hit them with a Fus Ro Dah. Knocking them all away with ease, my fianc¨¦es crashed into the Word Wall and quickly got back to their feet.


    ¡°What the hell was that?!¡±, Clarice asked.


    ¡°That was Dragon Magic. Unlike normal magic, you only need to utter a few words to cast it.¡±, I answered, ¡°Only dragons can use Dragon Magic repeatedly, for everyone else, there is a cooldown time. We have about ten seconds before he can use it again!¡±


    ¡°Got it, leave this to us!¡±, Angelica replied, understanding things better now, ¡°Get him!¡±


    Rushing forward to attack him once again, when he went to cast the spell again, the women used the thrusters in their suits to quickly get out of the way. Pouncing on him after he used it, they quickly brought him to his knees before decapitating it. Celebrating their victory, they quickly realized that Lucoa was still in trouble.


    ¡°Victor¡­I¡­I have to let out some mana now!!¡±, she screamed, her body nearly at the breaking point.


    ¡°Everyone get out of the way!¡±, I ordered, as I spun her around.


    Diving out of her way, Lucoa unleashed a powerful torrent of fire into the chamber. Quickly engulfing two thirds of the room in her fire, the ceiling and walls began to glow from the heat she was outputting. Continuing like this for a good minute, her fire finally went out as her body temperature quickly began to return to normal. Letting out a sigh of relief, I asked her if she was feeling better now.


    ¡°Yeah¡­that was rather unpleasant. It felt like the dragon blood inside of me was about to boil over.¡±, she remarked, as I helped her up to her feet, ¡°I am sorry about that everyone.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It is fine, we are just glad that you are okay.¡±, Olivia replied, with a smile.


    ¡°Just to clarify, the text on this wall did that to her?¡±, Mylene asked, not wanting to look at it.


    ¡°She probably had a strong reaction to it because she is part dragon. The rest of you, if it affects you, should have a similar reaction to me which is momentary blurry vision.¡±, I assured them.


    Cautiously looking at the Word Wall, none of them had any reaction to the text. Asking me if I knew what it said, I nodded my head and answered the question.


    ¡°It says¡­Here lies the guardian, Keeper of Dragonstone, and a force of unending rage and darkness.¡±, I told them, ¡°The reactive part was the old word for Force, Fus. It is the first part of the phrase it used to send all of you flying.¡±


    Walking over to the corpse, I retrieved the Dragonstone and the Ancient Nordic Sword of Ice in its possession. Opening the treasure chest to see what we had earned, a mountain of gold, gems, and magic tomes greeted us with all their splendor. Quickly stuffing everything into my storage, we headed out the backdoor and returned to our ship to review the tomes we had thus far collected and decrypt the Dragonstone.

 Chapter 76

    ---Next Day---


    Monitoring Alduin¡¯s movements overnight, the number of his kin grew to several hundred and counting. Massacring small settlements, isolated homesteads, and bandit camps, the flying lizards were sowing chaos all over the territory. Knowing that the populace needed the information written on the Dragonstone, we returned the next morning to handover the tablet to the court magician Farengar. Teleporting us to a secluded location near Battle-Born Farm, the eight of us made our way to the gate where the guards blocked our entry into the city.


    ¡°Apologies, friends, the city is temporarily closed by the order of the Steward.¡±, one of the guards told us.


    ¡°We come bearing a request for aid from Riverwood.¡±, I stated, knowing they would let us in with that bit of information.


    Looking at one another for a moment, the two men nodded their heads and let us through. Thanking them, as they opened the massive, wooden gates, the beautiful cityscape of Whiterun greeted us as we stepped inside. Listening to the sounds of a thriving city all around us, the rhythmic beating of a nearby blacksmith¡¯s hammer and flowing a babbling brook beneath our feet brought home just how old-fashioned this city was, and we absolutely loved it. Smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread and roasting meats coming from the Wind District, our stomachs growled loudly as if asking us to partake in the delicious food being produced there.


    ¡°This city is simply breathtaking.¡±, Mylene said, watching a group of young children run down the road, ¡°It is hard to believe that they have been able to continue living so peacefully with an intergalactic war raging out there.¡±


    ¡°It would be a nice place to relax and unwind from the stress of daily life.¡±, Angelica remarked, with a smile, ¡°While the beach is equally soothing, something about this place makes me want to set down roots and stay here forever.¡±


    Glancing over at the vacant Breeze Home, I was confident we could easily renovate it and make it into a comfortable country retreat for us during our vacations. Voicing this suggestion to them, the women readily agreed to my idea as this world had a little bit of everything for each of us. With the decision made, I decided to discuss purchasing the house from Proventus after we settled business with Farengar. Giving everyone a moment to take in the view, we pressed on to Dragonsreach once everyone was ready.


    ---Thirty Minutes Later---


    Stepping into Dragonsreach, the delicious mead and roasting meats were the first thing that greeted us. Hearing our stomachs growl in protest, we all agreed to get lunch once this was done and over with. Walking up the stairs into the main area, Balgruuf¡¯s housecarl greeted us with her weapon and a not so friendly glare.


    ¡°Who are you, and why are you here?¡±, she growled, pointing the tip of her blade at my neck, ¡°No sudden movements, or I will cut you down where you stand.¡±


    ¡°You do not possess the power nor the skill to take me down.¡±, I retorted, grabbing hold of her blade and shattering it with a light squeeze, ¡°As for our reason for being here, there are two things we wish to discuss with Jarl Balgruuf. Can you please let him know that we are here on urgent business?¡±


    ¡°Anything you wish to tell the Jarl, you can tell me.¡±, she argued, reaching for the dagger on her thigh.


    ¡°Draw that weapon, and I assure you the last thing you will see is me ramming a spit down your throat.¡±, I warned her.


    Watching the exchange from his seat close by, Hrongar let out a hearty laugh of amusement. Having never witnessed anyone stand up to Irileth so boldly, aside from his brother, he began demanding we settle this with a good old-fashioned brawl. Hearing the noises his brother was making, Balgruuf and his other aides came down from the War Room to see what was happening. Finding the two of us glaring at one another, the Jarl let out a sigh and asked the Dark Elf to stand down.


    ¡°Irileth, I have told you several times already to not immediately draw your blade on unknown people coming into Dragonsreach. Right now we are in the middle of a crisis, it is only natural for people to come here looking for guidance and aid.¡±, Jarl Balgruuf remarked, waving us over as he took a seat on his throne, ¡°Come travelers, I assume you have news you wish to share with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were nearby when Helgen was razed to the ground by a dragon¡¯s fire two days ago. We, along with the remaining Imperial forces there, escorted the surviving citizens to Riverwood where they now temporarily reside. The settlement has called for aid as they have seen a dragon circling Bleak Falls Barrow.¡±, I informed him, as we approached his throne.


    ¡°Did you hear that, Proventus? Helgen is nothing more than smoldering ruins now.¡±, Balgruuf remarked, looking at his steward with frustration, ¡°Do you still believe we are safe behind our stone walls?¡±


    Apologizing for his folly, Proventus admitted he thought the old stories about dragons were a bit embellished. Acknowledging that he was mistaken, the steward swore to begin preparations immediately to stockpile water and other materials in the event a fire breaks out in the city. Agreeing with his suggestion, Balgruuf told him to get working on that immediately before turning to Irileth. Ordering her to dispatch a detachment of guards to Riverwood immediately, he asked that additional supplies be sent as well for the survivors.


    ¡°Travelers, I thank you for bringing me this news. While I have nothing to offer you as a reward now, I promise to repay you for this act of kindness.¡±, Balgruuf swore, with a warm smile.


    ¡°It was no trouble at all, we should help each other out in troubling times.¡±, I said, as I pulled out the Dragonstone, ¡°There is a second reason we came here as well. After leaving Riverwood, we decided to explore the barrow to see if we could find whatever the dragon was looking for. Hidden in a large chamber, behind an ancient puzzle door, we located this tablet. From what I could decipher, it appears to contain information regarding ancient dragon burial grounds.¡±


    Hearing the mention of an ancient tablet from the Bleak Falls Barrow, Farengar immediately interjected himself into our conversation. Quickly confirming that it was the tablet he had been looking for someone to go fetch, the mage snatched it out of my hands before quickly running off to his laboratory. Leaving without so much as a thank you, Balgruuf let out a sigh before beginning to laugh a bit.


    ¡°My apologies, my Court Magician Farengar can get a bit carried away when it comes to ancient text and magical tomes.¡±, Balgruuf said, with a smirk, ¡°That is two things I owe you now.¡±


    ¡°If I may be so bold, we noticed a house for sale in the city. My family and I fell in love with this place just stepping into the city and would love to purchase a home here. Is that something that can be arranged?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Of course, we would be more than happy to welcome you to our city!¡±, Balgruuf agreed, ¡°When Proventus returns, I will let him know that you are permitted to purchase property in my city.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Jarl Balgruuf.¡±, I responded, with a polite bow.


    Turning to leave the keep and grab lunch, the building suddenly began to tremble as something massive flew close to the keep. Hearing the unmistakable roar of a dragon outside, every abled body fighter in the keep rushed out into the courtyard to see what was happening. As we rushed out to the edge of the courtyard to look down into the Wind District, we found the marketplace ablaze as civilians ran for their lives. Collapsing the apothecary as it came in for a landing, it began snapping at anyone who had yet to flee the market.


    Rushing into the market, the city guards began assaulting the beast to draw attention away from the civilians. Pelting it with arrows and rocks, the dragon turned toward them and began attacking them. Slamming its maw shut around two of the men, they valiantly continued to fight the beast up till they were crushed and swallowed whole. Boiling with rage, Balgruuf let loose a powerful war cry and immediately surged down the stairway to join the fight.


    ¡°Kill that foul beast!! For Whiterun!!¡±, he shouted, rallying his men into following him.


    ¡°FOR WHITERUN!!¡±, they shouted, charging after him.


    As Balgruuf and his men raced to join the fighting, the Companions began storming out of Jorrvaskr to join the fight. Throwing themselves at the dragon, fighters from all over the city began to arrive to lend their aid as well. Watching their weapons mostly bounce off the beast¡¯s scales, none of them seemed to realize that they had to aim for specific weak points in its armor plating to do any real damage.


    ¡°Alright, we are going to help them out!¡±, I told my fianc¨¦es, ¡°Roxanne, you and I are going to fight that thing head on. Everyone else, use your magic to give that bastard hell!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±, everyone acknowledged, as we all leapt off the edge and began sliding down the hillside into the market.


    Avoiding people as they were sent flying in our general direction, Roxanne and I charged at the dragon while the others provided us with cover fire. Slamming into his chest, I began to forcibly push the monster out of the marketplace while Roxanne aimed for the joints connecting its wings to its body. Attempting to dig its claws in to stop me, it struggled in vain as I was far stronger than it was.


    ¡°Focus on its joints, they are its weak points!¡±, Roxanne shouted, severing one of the wing joints.


    ¡°You heard her, do as she says!!¡±, Kodlak ordered, as I got the beast close to the wall.


    Focusing their attention on its ankles, hips, and knees, the dragon began crying out in pain as their attacks began inflicting real damage. Whipping its head around to snap at them, its giant head crashed into the wall with a resounding thud.


    ¡°Curse you mortals!!¡±, the dragon roared, as Roxanne disable the other wing joint.


    No longer able to fly, everyone began piling onto the monster trying to reach its head. Pressing its feet against the wall, the dragon mustered all its leg strength and attempted to push me back. Quickly realizing that it could not make me budge, it turned its full attention on me as I was the only thing preventing its escape. Whipping its head back around, the beast attempted to slam its maw shut around me, but my barrier prevented that from happening. Grabbing hold of its upper and lower jaw, I forcefully began to twist its head to the side. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Following my movements, assuming I intended to snap its neck, the dragon was confused how it ended up in the predicament. As far as it was concerned, no mortal should be physically strong enough to wrestle a dragon like this.


    ¡°What are you?!¡±, the dragon yelled, trying to shake my grip.


    ¡°My name is Victor von Stark, and I will see your head removed for your neck!¡±, I taunted it.


    Unleashing a torrent of fire upon me without warning, the dragon hoped to reduce me to ash to remove me from the fight. Unfortunately for it, my barrier magic easily withstood the onslaught, much to his annoyance. Having been completely preoccupied with me, he did not realize Roxanne was on its head till it was too late. Plunging a steel greatsword into its right eye, the dragon let out an ear-piercing scream as it writhed around in pain.


    ¡°Mages, use your Lightning Magic on the sword!!¡±, I shouted, using the Force to help prevent it from raising its head.


    ¡°Do as he says!!¡±, Balgruuf commanded everyone, joining the other warriors as they backed away.


    ¡°What about him?!¡±, Farengar asked.


    ¡°I can take it, just do it!¡±, I snapped.


    Casting their strongest lightning spells upon the sword, the mages put everything they hand into the attack. Convulsing erratically, as the electricity coursed through its body, the dragon began cursing at all of us for disgracing it like this. Firmly planting my feet, I began to pull on its head. Hearing its scales begin to explode under the strain, the dragon realized we were nearing the end of this fight.


    ¡°STOP IT!!¡±, the beast shrieked, realizing what I was about to do.


    ¡°Rot in hell, you filthy animal!¡±, I retorted, ripping its head from its neck.


    Stumbling backward as the head came free, its body began to spasm and wriggle around uncontrollably as blood began to spray everywhere. Continuing to move for a few more minutes, soon the mighty beast collapsed to the ground without further trouble.

 Chapter 77

    With the dragon slain, every abled bodied person began helping quench the fires and pulling bodies out of the collapsed apothecary. Lying the deceased citizens in the street, the guards hauled the bodies off to the Hall of the Dead once the fires were out. Regrouping at the dragon¡¯s corpse, the locals turned to me as what I did fully sank in.


    ¡°I have heard many ways Ancient Nords slew dragons, but ripping their heads off was not one of them.¡±, Kodlak chuckled, stroking his beard, ¡°You are far stronger than you look.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I have been hearing that more and more as of late.¡±, I laughed, glancing over at Farkas and Vilkas who were trying to lift the dragon¡¯s skull.


    ¡°This is now a third thing I owe you for, traveler. I genuinely hope nothing else happens today as this is getting expensive.¡±, Balgruuf joked, much to his steward¡¯s dismay.


    ¡°My lord, please refrain from making jests like that.¡±, Proventus pleaded, dabbing his brow with a handkerchief, ¡°The damages incurred from the dragon¡¯s attack is going to put a large dent in our coffers.¡±


    Looking at the extensive damage created by the dragons, most people agreed that Proventus was unfortunately correct in this instance. The Bannered Mare and Belethor¡¯s General Goods aside, all the stalls in the market, cobblestoned market square, and terrain damage would all have to be paid out of the Hold¡¯s coffers. What made this all the worse was the fact that a civil war was about to break out, meaning all available resources needed to go toward defending and securing their territory. Unsure how they would pay for both expenses, the Jarl¡¯s brow furrow as he began thinking of ways to remedy the situation.


    ¡°Coin can be earned again; lives cannot be replaced. We should be grateful that we were able to take the foul beast out before more people died.¡±, Kodlak remarked, reminding everyone to be grateful that the causalities were low.


    ¡°That is true, we should be looking at the positives, not the negatives, right now.¡±, Balgruuf agreed, leaving the matter for another time, ¡°Let us see about getting the dragon¡¯s corpse up to Dragonsreach so Farengar can begin studying it. Any further details we can get about these beasts will go a long way toward defeating them in the future.¡±


    Walking up closer to the corpse, I was about to offer my assistance in transporting the body when it suddenly began radiating a brilliant light. Watching the light flow into me, a few moments later, the corpse was nothing more than bones and items that had been in its stomach.


    ¡°By Ysmir¡¯s beard, you¡­you are Dragonborn!!¡±, one of the guards shouted.


    ¡®Oh boy¡­here we go¡­¡¯, I thought, looking back at all of them.


    Going through the spiel with the guards, almost everyone within earshot looked at me with hope and relief. Having conflicted feelings about what they were trying to push onto me, I did not want to immediately crush their dreams by telling them to screw off. I was willing to help rid their world of Alduin, as I knew how to reach him in Sovngarde, but dealing with the remaining dragons and this civil war was not in the cards. It was on the people of Tamriel to deal with those two glaring problems.


    ¡°Proventus, I may be able to contribute to the Hold¡¯s coffers a bit.¡±, I said, changing the subject, ¡°My family and I would like to purchase the vacant property near the gate. Could that be arranged?¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°My lord, do you permit them to purchase property in the city?¡±, Proventus inquired.


    ¡°Of course, we would be honored to have his family call Whiterun their home.¡±, Balgruuf acknowledged.


    ¡°Very well, the house in question is currently priced at seven thousand gold.¡±, Proventus told me, ¡°That said, given that the people of Whiterun owe you a great debt, I can lower the price to five thousand gold. Does that sound acceptable to you?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, I can complete the purchase now if you have a moment to spare.¡±, I said.


    Motioning for us to follow him back up to Dragonsreach, he assured me that we could settle the matter within the hour.


    ---An Hour Later---


    Leaving Dragonsreach, with the key to our new home in hand, we headed to the Bannered Mare to grab a bite to eat. Gingerly opening the charred door, fearing it could crumble apart any moment, the staff greeted us warmly and asked us to sit down wherever we liked. Grabbing the largest table they had, we took a seat and began to savor the pleasant aromas swirling in the air. Strutting over to take our order, the bar maiden Saadia welcomed us to the Bannered Mare.


    ¡°Before I take your drink orders, on behalf of the people of Whiterun, I thank you for your service today. Without your bravery and valor, the damage to the city and the people would have been far worse.¡±, Saadia said, looking at each of us with gratitude, ¡°Now then, what can I get all of you to drink?¡±


    ¡°A tall mug of cold mead for all of us.¡±, I told her, as I removed my helmet, ¡°If you could, please also bring us some bread to sop the mead up with.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we have plenty of freshly baked left from breakfast this¡­¡±, Saadia started to say, before looking at my face, ¡°Oh my, it is a pity you hide such a handsome and manly face behind your helmet. I can see now how you built a harem with seven gorgeous women.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am reminded of how beautiful they are every time my eyes fall upon them.¡±, I stated, with a smile.


    ¡°Maybe I could convince you to make room for an eighth woman?¡±, Saadia inquired, provocatively leaning forward, ¡°Adding a Redguard woman to the mix would be the perfect way to spice up your life. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in me.¡±


    ¡°While I fully intend to expand my harem, I do not believe you would be a good fit for our group. We are a band of bounty hunters and mercenaries, a bar maiden would not fare too well out there in the wilds.¡±, I remarked.


    ¡°That is true, but I assure you I can be an excellent homemaker and mother to your children.¡±, Saadia countered, ¡°Just think about it and let me know.¡±


    Leaving our table, Saadia walked over to the bar shaking her hips in a provocative manner. While her seductive tricks might work on most men, I was not falling for her charms. She was a viper in sheep¡¯s clothing, a traitorous whore who sold her country and its people out to the Aldmeri Dominion. There was no way in hell I would ever allow her anywhere near my bed, there was no room for backstabbers in my harem.


    Ignoring what had just happened, I pulled out a paper map that Proventus had given me of Skyrim and pointed to Windhelm. Telling my fianc¨¦es that the only boat to Solstheim was docked in Windhelm, we would have to charter the boat to reach the island instead of teleporting in.


    ¡°Is there any reason we cannot just teleport in?¡±, Angelica asked, out of curiosity.


    ¡°There are entities called Daedric Princes that hold influence over this world, they may have connection to the Galactic Republic and Imperium¡¯s shared enemy. Till I am certain whether they are connected or not, I want to approach this matter cautiously.¡±, I said, ¡°One of the Daedric Princes is currently watching Solstheim closely so any use of technology there could raise the alarm. Last thing we want to do is have an incursion here because this world will fall in a matter of hours.¡±


    Accepting my reasoning, we switched gears and began discussing what we would order for lunch. Looking at what they had currently roasting over the fire, a face I knew very well entered the tavern.


    ¡°I figured I would find all of you here after the recent battle.¡±, Aela said, with a grin, ¡°Do you mind if I join you are your table?¡±


    Introducing ourselves to her, as we made room at our table, Aela politely introduced herself to us before shouting her order at the proprietress Hulda. Pulling over a chair and plopping herself down, Mylene asked her if she needed something from us. Confirming that she had two reasons for seeking us out, she quickly got the point to avoid wasting time.


    ¡°The leader of the Companions, Kodlak Whitemane, would like to speak with everyone about possibly joining our ranks. All of us were very impressed with how you handled yourselves today, especially Roxanne and Victor. Everyone in the Companions would love to have you counted among our ranks.¡±, Aela said, looking each of us in the eyes, ¡°All that said, I have a second reason for seeking you out as well. Victor, I would like to formally challenge you to a duel.¡±


    ¡°You want to challenge me to duel? For what reason?¡±, I inquired, with a confused look.


    ¡°Ugh¡­Kodlak said you might ask for a reason.¡±, Aela retorted, scratching her head, ¡°Listen Victor, I will be straight with you, I am interested in you as a man. I have been looking for a suitable partner for a few years now, but I refuse to settle for any man weaker than me. While I do not like to boast, none of the men in the Companions can rival me in combat. Seeing as we are the best of the best in Skyrim, I had all but given up on finding someone till you came along. Watching you tear that dragon¡¯s head off¡­I knew you were the one I had been looking for.¡±


    ¡°We hardly know each other though, what makes you think I am a good man?¡±, I remarked.


    Pointing at my fianc¨¦es, Aela said that a cowardly, weak husband could never satisfy seven powerful women like them. Giggling at that compliment, the seven of them admitted that I was quite an excellent husband.


    ¡°Even if you do not feel the same way, I would still like to duel you.¡±, Aela stated, looking me in the eyes with sincerity, ¡°Will you do me the honor, and fight me?¡±


    Believing that she would be a good fit for our adventurous family, I wanted to broach this with a level head. If she did join us, Aela would have to be okay with leaving this world and the life she had built for herself here. Since divulging our identities to her right now was not an option, the next best thing was informing her of our current travel plans.


    ¡°I am more than happy to duel you, but as for becoming my wife, I think it would be best to travel together for a bit before making that call. We are heading out on a journey tomorrow, if you want to join us, we would be happy to have you.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°Oh, tell me more about this journey!¡±, Aela answered, with intrigue.


    ¡°Our first stop is Solstheim to mine up a large quantity of Stalhrim for a pet project of mine. After we wrap up there, I plan on tracking down one or two missing Elder Scrolls that are here in Skyrim. Lastly, my goal is to kill the Black Dragon Alduin. To do that, we will need to head to Sovngarde where he goes to feast on the souls of the dead to gain strength.¡±, I said, making sure she understood everything clearly, ¡°Would that be something you are okay with? I assume the Companions mean everything to you so if- ¡°


    ¡°If that is truly what your journey is, I am more than ready to accompany the eight of you on this adventure.¡±, Aela answered, cutting me off, ¡°Just because I will be away from my family does not mean the bond we have built is gone. That part of me will always be in my heart till the day I die.¡±


    Deciding to use this journey as the means to test our compatibility, I offered her a hand and welcomed her to our party.

 Chapter 78

    Heading to Jorrvaskr, after a hearty meal and few drinks, most of the Companions were waiting for us behind the mead hall. Cheering for Aela¡¯s presumed success in winning me over, Kodlak and Vignar congratulated her while the other men took turns teasing her about being a late bloomer. Punching Farkas in the face when he called her that, Aela immediately corrected their assumptions and explained everything to them. Hearing that I wanted to get to know her before giving her my answer, her Shield-Brothers looked at me with newfound respect. Happy that I was not taking advantage of her attraction to me, their assessment of me rose significantly.


    ¡°I assume then that you are here to grant her request for a duel then?¡±, Kodlak asked.


    ¡°That is correct.¡±, I confirmed, turning toward her, ¡°So what will it be? Swords, axes, maces, fists, or some other weapon?¡±


    ¡°Pick whatever you want, I will stick with my sword and shield.¡±, she answered, readying herself for the fight.


    ¡°Very well then.¡±, I acknowledged, pulling two steel swords out of my storage, ¡°Since you are not wearing a helmet, neither will I.¡±


    Tossing my helmet to Mylene, I stepped over to the training area to prepare for the fight. Standing roughly twelve feet apart from each other, Aela turned to Kodlak and asked if he could officiate the duel. Agreeing to her request, the older man got up from his seat and walked over toward us.


    ¡°Are both of you ready?¡±, Kodlak inquired, once he was in position.


    ¡°Good to go.¡±, Aela confirmed.


    ¡°Ready and waiting.¡±, I answered.


    ¡°Alright then, begin!¡±, he shouted.


    Launching herself forward, with a loud war cry, Aela covered the gap in a few seconds. Ripping her sword through the air, as she threw herself at me, her blade passed harmlessly through the air where she visually thought I was. Watching the image of me suddenly vanish from sight, I reappeared next to her and slammed my knee into her gut. Knocking the wind out of her, Aela rolled across the ground gasping for air.


    ¡°The winner is- ¡°, Kodlak began to say.


    ¡°I¡­can still¡­fight¡­¡±, Aela wheezed, picking herself up as she gulped for air.


    Vanishing from her sight once again, Aela immediately raised her shield in expectation of a frontal attack. Shattering the shield with a flurry of slashes, I reappeared behind my completely defenseless opponent and held both my blades just millimeters from her neck.


    ¡°The winner is, Victor!¡±, Kodlak said, with a huge grin.


    ¡°By Ysmir¡¯s beard, what was that technique you used to make yourself invisible?! I did not even notice you move from where you started!¡±, Vilkas stated, rising from his seat.


    ¡°It is a mix of high-speed movement and controlling where my opponent perceives my physical location is. This technique is one that took me years to learn, and even now I am still perfecting it.¡±, I admitted, as I put my blades away, ¡°No matter how great I think I am; I am fully aware that there could always be someone faster, smarter, and stronger than I am. It is that thought that drives me to continuously train myself and improve my equipment. My only fear in this life is letting down those that I care about, and I refuse to ever let that happen again.¡±


    ¡°Never have I heard truer words than those. To think a young man like you would utter them¡­maybe there is still hope left in this damn world.¡±, Vignar said, with a proud smile, ¡°I am convinced you will be a fine husband for our young lass.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, make sure you take care of her. She may be a bit headstrong at times, but you will find no woman more loyal and trustworthy than Aela.¡±, Kodlak added, patting her on the shoulder, ¡°And you, make sure you treasure this man. I can tell you from years of experience that you will never find another one like him no matter where you look.¡±


    Promising to look after one another, Aela looked down at her destroyed shield with a bit of frustration. After staring at it for a moment, she began laugh joyously as sense of relief began to fill her heart. Asking her if she was okay, Aela nodded her head and gave me a big grin.


    ¡°Of course I am, I have finally met someone who can best me in combat. Sure, I did not think the gap between us would be that big, but it gives me a new goal to reach for.¡±, Aela stated, ¡°You have no idea how frustrating it has been to not have a rival to push me to do better!¡±


    ¡°And what exactly would you call us then?¡±, Skjor asked.


    ¡°A pain in my ass.¡±, Aela retorted, making her comrades laugh loudly in agreement with her.


    ¡°So does this mean they are joining us?¡±, Farkas inquired, looking to Kodlak.


    ¡°I initially wanted to invite them; it is fairly apparent that we would only hinder their growth. While we may not be Shield-Brothers, I hope we can call each other brothers-in-arms.¡±, Kodlak answered, offering me his hand.


    Giving him a firm handshake, I wished them all the best of luck on the Path. Taking my helmet back from Mylene, the nine of us headed to the newly purchased Breeze Home to plan our journey to Solstheim.


    ---3rd Person POV, Imperium Warfront---


    Stepping into his office, aboard the Macragge¡¯s Honour, Primarch Guilliman greeted a messenger who had come seeking him out on behalf of the High Lords of Terra. Looking upon the Primarch with respect and reverence, the messenger quickly handed over a sealed letter from the Lord Commander Militant himself.


    ¡°Before I open this, tell me, has something bad happened along our shared front with the Galactic Republic?¡±, Guilliman inquired, looking at him with curiosity.


    ¡°Not to my knowledge, sir.¡±, the messenger said, taking a second to think, ¡°Aside from a few skirmishes, everything is relatively peaceful over there.¡±


    ¡®So this is not a call for aide or guidance then¡­¡¯, he thought, opening the letter.


    Taking a few minutes to read the letter¡¯s contents, the Primarch set down the paper and looked out the window. Having sent him a full battle report on the annihilation of the Butcherhorde fleet and the death of Kharn the Betrayer, Guilliman found the entire event intriguing. Using vessels most captains would scoff at, due to their small size, a relatively unknown bounty hunter wiped out one of the Imperium¡¯s most hated enemies in a matter of minutes.


    ¡®I can understand why the High Lords accepted the bounty hunter¡¯s request so easily. Even I am having a hard time comprehending how he did it.¡¯, Guilliman thought, ¡°Tell me, where you there when the fight between the bounty hunter and the Butcherhorde took place?¡±


    ¡°I was sir, yes!¡±, the soldier acknowledged, with a joyous smile, ¡°The bounty hunter¡¯s ship looked small compared to the Butcherhordes, but sir, the Butcherhorde did not even know what hit them. None of the bounty hunter¡¯s ships were damaged, the did not even scuff the paint!¡±


    ¡°Would you say that they were of similar quality to the Republic¡¯s ships?¡±, Guilliman asked, wanting further details.


    ¡°No sir, the ships the bounty hunter fielded were unlike anything I have ever seen before. His flagship is armed to the teeth with heavy laser cannons, photon torpedo tubes, and a powerful cannon that tore a whole planet apart.¡±, the messenger said, before fidgeting around uncomfortably in his seat, ¡°When I caught of glimpse of him, as he was carrying Kharn¡¯s lifeless body to the Lord Commander Militant, he had the same presence about him that you do sir. He exuded an air of nigh invincibility and power that I have not seen anywhere else besides you. Please forgive me if I am stepping out of line, sir.¡±


    ¡°Do you by chance have a photo or video of him?¡±, Guilliman asked.


    Nodding his head, the messenger pulled out his personal tablet and pulled up the video he took of the fight. Handing it to Guilliman, the Primarch watched the video from beginning to end before scrolling through a few photos the messenger took. Impressed by how the bounty hunter carried himself, it was clear why the Lord Commander Militant did not like him. Guilliman himself butted heads with him on several occasions so it was no small wonder the bounty hunter did too. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Could he be a descendant of one of the two Lost Primarchs?¡¯, Guilliman pondered, ¡®I only had the privilege of meeting them twice before they were stricken from the record. Maybe they found something out there that neither our father nor any of us believed existed. If he is the descendant of a Primarch, I am certain the Emperor would want to meet him.¡¯


    Deciding to make that happen, Guilliman drafted a letter to the Bounty Hunter Association asking for their help in arranging a meeting with Victor. Wanting to gauge the type of man Victor was before bringing him before the Emperor, he hoped that Victor would be the key they needed to turn this crusade around.

 Chapter 79

    ---Victor POV, Several Weeks Later---


    Arriving on Solstheim, after a long, grueling voyage, our group stepped off the boat and immediately made our way to the Skaal Village. Wanting to secure an Ancient Nordic Pickaxe, in the event other means were not viable, as we entered the village, the villagers came out to greet us with weapons in hand. Assuming they believed we were Miraak¡¯s thugs, I informed them that we were just travelers and meant them no harm.


    ¡°We came here to purchase an Ancient Nordic Pickaxe, if you have any on offer.¡±, I stated, as the warily observed our movements.


    ¡°You expect us to believe that you trekked all the way here for a bloody pickaxe?!¡±, Frea, the village shaman¡¯s daughter, berated me, ¡°I do not buy your story for a second! With everything happening on the island right now, no one would be crazy enough to make the journey out here. You must be unwitting thugs of those cultist¡¯s bastards!¡±


    ¡°If you are referring to the hypnotic effect at play around this island, all of us are shielded against it. As soon as the island came into view from our vessel, I put protective spells on us to prevent us from falling victim to the dark arts being used here.¡±, I stated, crossing my arms, ¡°As for our reason for making the trip, even though the island is under siege, is because we came to Solstheim to mine Stalhrim. As a member of the Skaal Village, you already know you need to have an Ancient Nordic Pickaxe to mine it, and we do not have one.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute!¡±, Storn, the village shaman, shouted, as he approached us, ¡°Before anyone starts a fight, let me confirm what he says is true. They are not acting like the mindless assailants that have been harassing us lately.¡±


    Making way for him, Storn came to a stop a few feet from us and began checking us out. Looking into our eyes for any signs of mind manipulation, he proceeded to cast a few spells on us to satisfy everyone¡¯s fears. Receiving no reactions from everything he did, everyone was convinced now that we were safe. Immediately lowering their heads, the villagers apologized for their aggressive actions toward us.


    ¡°It is understandable that you would be cautious of strangers, given the circumstances. We cannot fault you for wanting to protect your village and your family.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°I am sorry for jumping to conclusions too.¡±, Frea added, ¡°I just could not believe someone would brave the dangers on the island for a pickaxe.¡±


    ¡°When I am on a mission, I do not let anything sway me from my goals. A minor nuisance like mind manipulation is not going to slow me down.¡±, I remarked, ¡°So, do you have a pickaxe on offer at the moment?¡±


    ¡°A minor nuisance, is it? I do not believe I have heard someone call it that before.¡±, Storn chuckled, ¡°If it is a pickaxe you want, we are more than happy to give you one in exchange for a favor. Before we were able to erect a barrier to protect the village, many of our kin fell victim to brainwashing. Whoever is causing all of this is forcing our fellow Skaal to work nearly every waking hour on their various projects around the island. Liberate our kin from the mental chains, and we will give you the pickaxe and the knowledge to mold the Stalhrim into whatever you desire. Unlike normal metal, there is a special forging method for working with Stalhrim.¡±


    Seeing no reason not to agree, as it would make moving around the island easier, I accepted his offer without hesitation.


    ¡°Whoever is manipulating everyone is using the All-Maker Stones scattered around the island as their power source. If you cleanse them, the magic should dissipate by itself.¡±, Frea informed us, ¡°If you would like, I am more than willing to show you the way to each stone.¡±


    ¡°No, that is alright. I can vaguely sense where each stone is by the magic power each of them are emitting.¡±, I answered, ¡°We appreciate the kind offer though.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I wish you all safe travels and the best of luck!¡±, Frea acknowledged.


    Having Yamato pinpoint the stone¡¯s exact locations for me, we headed toward the Wind Stone first as it was the closest to the village. Heading westward out of the village, our trek took us along the Skaal¡¯s worn trail through the mountains. Following the trail across an ancient stone bridge, our group came upon several Skaal villagers hauling gigantic stones in the direction of Miraak¡¯s Temple. Struggling to pull the twenty tons stones through the snow, even though they should have given up, the influence of the mind control forced them to continue trying.


    Restraining the villagers by force, Olivia and I quickly dispelled the dark magic affecting their minds. Placing a protective spell on each of them, to shield their minds from further influences, the villagers thanked us profusely for saving them. Heading back home after that, I stowed what they were hauling in my storage and pressed on to our destination. Coming upon the Wind Stone a few minutes later, I explained the plan to everyone.


    ¡°Alright Olivia, you are up this time.¡±, I said, looking at her with a smile, ¡°I want you to use the Purification spell on the Wind Stone, that will dispel the dark magic placed on it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I can do that!¡±, Olivia replied, full of excitement.


    ¡°After the spell is broken, everyone needs to be ready to fight. Our foe has left a guardian behind to protect his power source, it is currently resting in the water around the stone.¡±, I warned them, ¡°I will sit this fight out, and leave everything to you ladies.¡±


    ¡°Heck yeah!¡±, the eight women cheered, high fiving one another.


    As the women were getting into position, several enemies came charging toward us from Miraak¡¯s temple. Telling the others to leave them to me, I turned to deal with them while Olivia began chanting her spell.


    ¡°Purification!¡±, Olivia shouted, as she completed her chant. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Engulfing the Wind Stone in a blinding, golden light, the ground began to violently shake as Miraak¡¯s grip on its power was undone. Rising out of the water, ready to defend the Wind Stone, the Lurker Guardian let out an ear-splitting roar as it rose to its feet. Taking a few steps back, as they were a bit intimidated by its hulking mass, Aela quickly rallied the women before they began to falter.


    ¡°Do not let its size intimidate you!! We can bring it down!!¡±, Aela shouted, letting out her war cry, ¡°Glory or Sovngarde!!¡±


    Snapping out of their momentary shock, my fianc¨¦es quickly gathered their nerves and psyched themselves up to fight the Daedra. Rushing ahead of the others, Aela and Roxanne began assailing the beast from both sides. Using their speed advantage over the Daedra, they effortlessly ducked and weaved their way around its attacks.


    ¡°I have felt next to useless being unable to help Victor in combat, but today we have a chance to change that. Are you ladies ready to take that monster down?¡±, Deirdre shouted, with her rapier in hand.


    ¡°I am with you!¡±, Clarice acknowledged, gripping her cutlass tightly.


    ¡°Count me in!¡±, Mylene confirmed, readying her spells.


    ¡°Time to kick some monster ass!¡±, Lucoa cheered, cracking her knuckles.


    ¡°I do not know what has come over you, Deirdre, but I am all for it!¡±, Angelica said, with her longsword at the ready.


    ¡°I might be too weak to fight it head on, but I will do my best to support everyone!¡±, Olivia stated, determined to do her best.


    Jumping into the fight, the eight of them coordinated hit and run attacks on the beast. As two of them went in to deliver a flurry of blows, everyone else would cover them by peppering the Daedra with arrows and spells. Swinging its arms and legs wildly at them, the two women would quickly retreat and two more would jump the monster from behind. Repeating this cycle several times, the Daedra became increasingly agitated that it could not touch them. Knowing that it would not last long at this rate, it turned its eyes toward me believing I was solely focused on the cultists. Breaking out of encirclement, the Lurker Guardian thundered toward me hoping to use me to break their coordination.


    ¡°Victor, it is coming for you!¡±, Aela shouted, as everyone gave chase, ¡°Move!!¡±


    Throw two unconscious cultists to the ground, I spun around and looked the Daedra dead in the eyes. Hitting it with an intense wave of bloodlust, the hulking beast swung one of its massive arms down on me as hard as it could. Catching its arm before it could strike me, I ripped its arm off and threw it into the forest nearby.


    ¡°You are a fool if you honestly thought that was going to work.¡±, I growled, pulling one of the large stones from earlier out of my storage, ¡°You should have chosen to flee instead of engaging me!¡±


    Firmly grabbing hold of the stone with one hand, I swung it at him like a rolled-up newspaper. Vaporizing it on impact, its body painted the area to my left jet black. Proceeding to burn all of it away with magic, Aela began to laugh uncontrollable at what just happened. Finding my methods for killing enemies amusing, she was quite happy she decided to come with us.


    ¡°Does he always do such ridiculous things in combat?¡±, Aela asked the others.


    ¡°Victor has been that way since we were children.¡±, Roxanne told her, with a proud smile, ¡°I expect nothing less from him.¡±


    ¡°Lucoa and you have been by his side for a long time, the rest of us are still getting used to his unusual way of fighting.¡±, Angelica giggled, ¡°Do not worry though, Victor. We do not think any less of you for it.¡±


    ¡°Haha, very funny.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Just for that, you ladies can handle purify the other five stones while I sit back and watch.¡±


    ¡°Okay!!¡±, Roxanne immediately agreed, as her tail began wagging a mile a second.


    Assuring me they could do it, now that they knew what they were up against, our group headed off to the next stone to repeat the process again.

 Chapter 80

    ---Two Days Later---


    Completing Storn¡¯s request in a couple of days¡¯ time, the nine of us headed back to the village to collect our reward. As we headed back to the village from the Beast Stone, a dragon came down from the mountains to the west making a beeline for the village. Noticing a man riding on the dragon¡¯s back, I knew it had to be Miraak and one of his subservient dragons. Assuming he held the villagers responsible for the cleansing of the stones, the Ancient Dragonborn had likely come to punish them for resisting him.


    Double timing it back to the village, as we came up over the ridge, we found the village in chaos. As children fled into their homes for safety, the men and woman grabbed their bows and began taking potshots at the two. Circling around the village, the dragon climbed high into the sky and proceeded to divebomb the settlement only to pull out at the last second. Generating powerful gusts of wind with each dive, the poor villagers were sent flying in every direction.


    ¡°You could not leave well enough alone, could you! Temporarily liberating the All-Maker Stones is only a minor setback, they will fall under my control once again soon enough.¡±, Miraak shouted, ¡°I give you a choice, serve me or face my wrath.¡±


    ¡°We live and die as a free people. The Skaal will never submit to you or anyone else!¡±, Storn shouted, as the village chief rallied their defenders.


    ¡°Then you have chosen death!¡±, Miraak remarked, as his dragon banked to the left and came around for another pass, ¡°Burn this eyesore to the ground!¡±


    Sucking in a chest full of air, the dragon was about to unleash a maelstrom of fire upon them when I intervened. Throwing one of the twenty-ton stones at them, neither dragon nor Miraak saw it coming till it was too late. Slamming right into the dragon¡¯s head, the boulder completely tore it off causing its body to start tumbling through the air. Crashing into the hillside behind the village, Miraak was sent flying through one of the houses before coming to an abrupt stop when he crashed into the well.


    ¡°Who¡­who did that¡­!¡±, he groaned, spitting out two teeth as he staggered to his feet, ¡°WHO DID THAT!!¡±


    ¡°I did, you feeble minded fool.¡±, I answered, as I approached him, ¡°You have some nerve attacking a village under my protection. If you want a fight, you will have one!¡±


    Turning toward me, Miraak immediately used Bend Will on me without any hesitation. Ordering me to stop where I was, believing he had control over me, when I continued walking toward him, the Ancient Dragonborn began to falter. Using Bend Will again, hoping it was just a fluke, he switched to Unrelenting Force when I shrugged it off a second time.


    ¡°Fus Ro- ¡°, Miraak began to chant, before I put him in a Force Choke.


    Hoisting him off the ground, Miraak began to wriggle around clutching at this throat. Removing a mask with a wave of my hand, the hideous old man glowered at me. Forcing my way through his pitiful mental defenses, I began rooting around in his head as blood began flowing from his ear, eyes, and nose. Taking all the knowledge Hermaeus Mora gave him and his knowledge of the Thu¡¯um for myself, I tore everything that remained in his mind to pieces. Releasing him once I was done, he began babbling to himself like a madman causing quite a strong reaction amongst the villagers.


    ¡°What¡­what is wrong with him?¡±, Frea asked, as the villagers took a few steps back, ¡°Did you curse him or something?¡±


    ¡°His mind and will have been broken, shattered to pieces like glass.¡±, I answered, ¡°Do with him as you see fit, he has regressed back to the mind of an infant child.¡±


    Furious with Miraak over their forced enslavement, the adults grabbed their weapons and violently attacked him. Wailing on him with axes, clubs, swords, and war hammers, the old man¡¯s screams of pain fell on deaf ears as they exacted their revenge. Once Miraak was dead, his powerful dragon soul flowed into me further increasing my dragonic powers. Certain now that their enemy would never return, Storn came over to thank me with a firm handshake.


    ¡°Words cannot begin to express how grateful we are for your help. Giving you a pickaxe and the knowledge to mold Stalhrim seems too little for what you have done for us, but we have little else to offer you.¡±, Storn said, motioning for Frea to come over, ¡°If you so wish, I can give you my daughter¡¯s hand in marriage.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your generous offer, but I must decline. The pickaxe and knowledge mean more to us than you will ever realize.¡±, I told him, ¡°If you still feel obligated to do more, crack open a cask of ale or mead and drink with us as friends.¡±


    ¡°Now that we can certainly do!¡±, the village chief Fanari Strong-Voice heartily agreed, ¡°Bring out one of our best casks, and prepare some food for our- ¡°


    <Interesting, I sense a power within you that does not belong to this world, mortal. From where do you hail?>


    Turning our attention toward the source of voice, all of us found a large, tentacled eye floating over our heads. Immediately dropping everything, the villagers fled to their homes while my group ran to my side. Cowering in fear behind me, the eye¡¯s ominous presence had all of them on the verge of fainting from terror.


    ¡°Hermaeus Mora, cease your blatant attempts to threaten us! Harm anyone here and even the plane of Oblivion and your army of Dremora will not protect you from me.¡±, I warned him, as I crossed my arms.


    <Haha, it has been quite some time since a mortal dared to threaten me. If you know who I am, are you certain you wish to challenge me?>


    ¡°Yes, Lesser Chaos God, fighting you will serve as excellent practice for my future battles with your kin.¡±, I told him, as Force Lightning began arcing around me, ¡°Now what will it be?¡±


    Immediately stopping his amused laughing, his whole aura changed abruptly at the mention of the words Chaos God. Getting serious now, the Daedric Prince opened a portal in front of me and beckoned me forth.


    <This is not a conversation for the likes of this world. Come to my home, and we will discuss things further there.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±, I said, turning back to my group, ¡°Go ahead and start the celebration without me. I will return within an hour to join you.¡±


    Forcing themselves to stand up, the women meekly asked to join me. Shaking my head, I told them that this was something I had to do alone as I was the only one here capable of resisting their aura. Accepting my reasoning, they apologized for being useless in this situation.


    ¡°You have no need to apologize, all of us have areas in which we excel. Hold your chins high, the eight of you were able to stay out here without fleeing for cover. That is far more than everyone else here did.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Enjoy yourselves and relax, leave this to me.¡±


    Nodding their heads, I turned around and stepped through the portal to the Apocrypha.


    ---Apocrypha---


    Stepping onto the platform that I fought Miraak on in the video game, I glanced around the area and found that all eighteen Daedric Princes were present. Clearly agitated and ready for a fight, Azura stepped forward to speak while her brethren watched my every move.


    <Mortal, tell us, how do you know of the Chaos Gods?> (Azura)


    ¡°The strongest four members of your kind, Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh are all currently waging a large-scale war against the free people of several galaxies. I came to this world to collect necessary materials and resources to combat them, and potentially vanquish them completely.¡±, I answered, staring her in the eyes, ¡°Presuming you hold no ill will toward me for being their enemy, we have no reason to fight one another.¡±


    Letting out a collective sigh of relief, the atmosphere lightened significantly. Stowing their weapons away, they seemed more willing to talk to me normally now.


    ¡°Judging by your reactions, you are no allies of theirs either.¡±, I remarked.


    <Most Lesser Chaos Gods are not their allies, they treat us all far worse than they treat mortal kind. Over the millennia since our races awakening, each of them has routinely bound individuals like us to insignificant worlds so we cannot obtain greater power. In our case, they bound the eighteen of us to this world nearly thirty thousand years ago.> (Molag Bal)


    ¡°My apologies, but how does binding you to this world inhibit your ability to gain greater power?¡±, I asked, unsure how that worked.


    Explaining the were trapped in the space that Nirn inhabited within the Immaterium, they were completely cut off from drawing power from anywhere else than Nirn. The Four Chaos Gods took amusement in the suffering of their weaker kin. Watching their kin wither away into nothingness as their power source died out brought them immense pleasure, but over the millennia they stopped caring and moved their attention elsewhere damning most of their kin to a slow death.


    <The deities of this world were none too happy about our arrival, and at first, we waged war against one another. As our conflict intensified the situation in the world dramatically worsened, nearly costing both groups our entire existence. After a brush with near death, we decided to share the world as we were both unwilling to give it to the other.> (Jyggalag)


    ¡°Well I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you may not have a world left to call home if the tide of war does not change soon.¡±, I remarked, looking at each of them, ¡°This world is certain to fall very quickly once they arrive, and both the deities and you will wither away to nothingness.¡±


    <How bad is it?> (Ithelia)


    ¡°As of this moment, three nations with thousands of planets in their dominion have been annihilated by their forces. Right now the Imperium of Man is barely holding them back along all their fronts, and the Galactic Republic and others are preparing to march to war as well.¡±, I told her.


    <Shit¡­> (Vaermina) S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taking a moment to judge if I was lying, they came to a very stark realization that I was being forthright with them. Looking at one another with worried expressions, even though they were bored out of their minds, none of them wanted to slowly wither away into the abyss. Turning to Hermaeus Mora and Jyggalag, hoping they might have suggestions, the two men shook their heads knowing they could do little to alter this predicament.


    <So mortal, you spoke of coming to this world to harvest resources for the war effort. Do you believe they can be stopped?>


    ¡°Absolutely, I would not be here if I felt it was impossible.¡±, I commented, with absolute certainty.


    <What can we do to help you prevent this world¡¯s collapse?> (Malacath)


    ¡°I need knowledge or a tool to permanently kill your kin¡¯s servants, the Daemons. As it stands, killing them in the Materium will only temporarily kill them. They will eventually recover and return to fight against me again.¡±, I said, ¡°Do you have anything that can help with that?¡±


    <I do.> (Meridia)


    Tossing me Dawnbreaker, the Daedric Prince informed me that it could be used to permanently kill any entity from the Immaterium and undead. Thanking her for the blade, I swore to use to tear the four Chaos Gods and their forces apart. Please by my words, Meridia named me her champion bestowing a blessing upon me.


    <I want in on this action! Find the pieces of my dagger, bring them to my shrine, and I will bestow it upon you. When you see that bastard Khorne, I want you to use to carve his eyes out!!> (Mehrunes Dagon)


    Throwing their hats in the ring, any weapons the Daedric Princes bestowed upon the mortals of Nirn were offered to me on the condition I used them to slay their traitorous kin. Happily agreeing to their request, as it aligned with my goals, I promised to return them to Nirn once this war was over. Creating a pact with them to uphold my words, once it was in place, Hermaeus Mora opened a portal for me to return to Tamriel.

 Chapter 81

    ---Several Weeks Later---


    Returning to Skyrim, having collected an ample amount of Stalhrim, we returned to Whiterun to plan our out our next move. Heading to the Breeze Home to eat and talk over a pint of mead, as we entered the home, we discovered a guest had moved in while we were away. Rushing in, with weapons drawn, my fianc¨¦es quickly encircled them while Aela and I stood by the door.


    "Who are you, and why are you in our home!?", Angelica growled, pointing her longsword at my new housecarl.


    "My sincere apologies, I am sure you have more than a few questions so please give me a moment to explain.", Lydia said, with her hands raised, "While you were away, Jarl Balgruuf named your husband a Thane of Whiterun and assigned me, Lydia, to be his housecarl. I moved in about a month ago and have been taking care of the residence since then."


    "Housecarl? Thane? What are you going on about?", Clarice inquired.


    "It is an honorary title given to individuals who have provided invaluable assistance to the Jarl and the Hold. While it does not make him a nobleman, it does put him above the rest of us in social standing.", Aela informed them, patting me on the back, "Congratulations, Victor!!"


    "Oh, so it a position similar to a Knight then!", Deirdre remarked, understanding things now, "That makes Lydia his bodyguard?"


    Nodding her head in confirmation, Lydia acknowledged that she was indeed correct. Stating that her duty was to protect my assets, family, and I, she swore to do her utmost to carry out her duties. Satisfied that she was no threat to us, the women sheathed their weapons and apologized to her. Accepting their apologies, Lydia conceded that she would have done the same in their place.


    "So then, Lydia, I notice you have made some improvements to the home.", I said, looking around at the new furnishing, "Where did you get the funds for all of this?"


    "The Jarl sent a large sum of gold to you for slaying the dragon and saving the city. I used a small portion of the funds to have the home cleaned and furnished.", Lydia responded, handing over the remaining funds to me, "I hope everything is to your liking."


    Taking a few moments to explore the home, I wanted to see all the changes she made. As we looked around, it became apparent that she had furnished the home just like it had been in the game. Grateful to her for putting in all the effort to do this, I felt a bit bad that it was all for naught as there was one major problem.


    "You did well Lydia, unfortunately, there is one problem you failed to consider. This home was designed for a family of five in mind, my family currently numbers eight in total. We intended to perform renovations on the home to accommodate our growing family¡­", I stated.


    "I¡­I realized that once you came in the door. Jarl Balgruuf failed to mention you had a harem.", Lydia said, bowing her head in apology, "Once you are away on your next journey, I will make the necessary arrangements to remodel the home."


    "It may be a few journeys from now, I have a job for you.", I stated, turning to the rest of my group, "How about we head over to the Bannered Mare, and discuss our next steps there?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Happily agreeing, as they enjoyed the food and drink, the ten of us headed over immediately to secure a table.


    ---Bannered Mare---


    Grabbing the same table as before, we placed our order with Saadia before getting down to business. Rolling out the parchment map of Skyrim onto the table, I marked down the locations that I recalled led to Blackreach.


    "Alright, currently we have two primary objectives, collect one or two Elder Scrolls and gather up various Daedric Artifacts. To speed up our timetable, I propose we divide ourselves up into two groups. I will head out alone to collect the Daedric Artifacts while you ladies head to the Tower of Mzark to retrieve the Elder Scrolls that is sealed away inside.", I stated pointing to the map, "After that is done, all of us will meet up at Dimhollow Crypt to secure the second Elder Scrolls."


    "Wait, you are asking us to do this alone?", Deirdre asked, looking at the other women.


    "Correct, while it will not be easy, I believe the nine of you can pull it off.", I answered, with a warm smile, "If you do not want too though¡­"


    "We will do it!", Lucoa spoke up, with an excited smile, "Right ladies?"


    Voicing their agreement, my fianc¨¦es were ecstatic to head out on their own adventure this time around. Handing over a few documents, a bag of holding, and a coin pouch, Aela and Lucoa took charge of the items as they were the most experienced adventurers among the group of women. Discussing the equipment and supplies they would need to complete the journey, Mylene began jotting down a list of things to buy in the market.


    "Already planning your next adventure?", Saadia asked, setting our mugs down, "Where are you all headed off to this time?"


    "They are heading out to look for an Elder Scroll, and I am going to track down Daedric Artifacts.", I answered.


    "Oh, that sounds very exciting! You sure you would not like some company during your journey? The roads can become quite cold and lonely at night.", Saadia asked, attempting to seduce me again, "A strong man like you should have company in his tent to keep him warm."


    "I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine.", I said, waving her off.


    A bit miffed that I was brushing off her advances a second time, Saadia pulled up a chair and inquired why I was uninterested in her. Taking the matter personally, as the other patrons constantly made passes at her, she wanted to know why I did not show any reaction to her temptations. Setting my mug down, I looked her dead in the eyes and told her exactly why I was uninterested.


    "Your so-called affection toward me is skin deep, at best. When you look at me, you see a quick way out of the hole you dug yourself when you sold out your countrymen, Iman.", I remarked, as the room grew quieter, "If you could so easily turn your back on your own people, why would I trust you around the most important people in my life? Remove your traitorous, backstabbing presence from my sight, you cowardly slut!"


    Opening her mouth to rebuke me, Hulda quickly interjected herself before she could utter a word. Demanding to know if what I said was true, she vehemently denied the allegations I was alleging. Rising from her seat, Saadia attempted to sway the patrons to her side by claiming I was liar.


    "Everyone here has seen the Alik''r Warriors scouring the territory looking for a female Redguard that matches your age and description.", I said, turning to Aela, "You have made countless journeys throughout Skyrim. How many other female Redguards have you seen in your travels?"


    "I can count all of them on two hands¡­", Aela stated, looking at her, "If you are certain of your innocence, how about we invite the Alik''r Warriors here to confirm for themselves?"


    Agreeing with her logic, the other patrons felt that was a fair request to settle the matter. Immediately shooting that suggestion down, Saadia insisted that she was innocent and that there was no need to involve them. Hearing the nervousness in her tone, even the drunk bard could tell she was lying through her teeth.


    "Honor and loyalty mean everything to us, you lack both of them.", Mikael the Bard shouted, "Get out of our city!!"


    "I remember now!! She sold her city and her people out to the bloody Thalmor!!", one of the patrons howled, "That bitch is working for the Aldmeri Dominion!!"


    At the mention of the Aldmeri Dominion, the tavern went into a full uproar. Realizing that her cover was blown, Saadia pulled out her dagger and lunged at me. Cursing my name for exposing her, I slammed my fist into her face, breaking her nose. Stumbling back a few steps, Saadia collapsed to the ground and passed out.


    "I saw some Alik''r Warriors near the Whiterun Stables. Just hand her over to them and let the people of Hammerfell have their justice.", I suggested, "They are the ones whose homes were razed and their families torn asunder."


    Wholeheartedly agreeing with me, Hulda asked one the regulars, Uthgerd, to take Saadia to them to get rid of her. Happily obliging her request, Uthgerd tossed Saadia over her shoulder and headed for the stables.


    "Ysolda, you still interested in working here?", Hulda asked, glancing over at the redhead sitting at the bar.


    "Yes ma''am!", Ysolda acknowledged.


    "Good, I am in need of a new bar maiden. Grab a towel and get to work.", Hulda chuckled, with a big grin, "Welcome aboard!"


    Letting out boisterous cheers, the patrons settled down and got back to what they had been before. Turning back to my group, Mylene and Olivia were grinning ear to ear with glee. Asking them what was so funny, they admitted that they hated her for trying to seduce me right in front of them.


    "I know you would not fall for such provocations, like Roland would have, but it is still very frustrating. The first time it happens, we kind of expect it, but after brushing them off and they do not take the hint¡­that is when we get angry.", Mylene commented.


    "Its nice to have her out of our hair.", Olivia added, with a bloodthirsty smile.


    "Haha, I must say I did not expect you to knock her out.", Aela giggled, "I like a man who is unafraid of laying down the law, when the moment calls for it."


    "To be clear, I would never raise my hand in anger against the people I love. Everyone outside that small group, I will happily eviscerate them if the need arises. Be it deity, demon, or man, I take shit from none of them.", I chuckled, "Now then, where were we¡­"


    Getting back to planning, Ysolda brought over our food with a cheery smile and left us to it.

 Chapter 82

    ---Next Day---


    After bidding my fianc¨¦es, Aela, and Lydia farewell, I went about collecting the two Daedric Artifacts in Whiterun, the Ebony Blade and the Sanguine Rose. Retrieving the weapons from Dragonsreach and the Bannered Mare respectively, I began trekking southeast toward Largashbur to retrieve Malacath¡¯s war hammer Volendrung from the Orcs who lived there. As I came upon Honningbrew Meadery, a golden scaled dragon flew over my head at speed and let out an ear-piercing roar.


    Banking left, the dragon came around and prepared to use his flames on me. Instead of slaying him, I saw this as a golden opportunity to secure myself a dragon mount like Miraak had. Using Bend Will on it, before it could utter a syllable, the dragon slowed and came to a rest just outside the meadery. Crawling over to me, it took a moment to observe me closely before speaking.


    ¡°Your Thu¡¯um is quite powerful, Dovahkiin. What is it you would ask of me?¡±, the dragon asked, curiously.


    ¡°I would ask that you serve as my trusted partner and wings!¡±, I replied, reaching out and touching his snout, ¡°My current journey has me traversing this vast land looking for Daedric Artifacts, and it would be quite a lot easier if I had your assistance. What say you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±, the dragon said, as if pondering something, ¡°Very well, Dovahkiin, I will follow you and show you the world as only a Dovah can see it. Climb on my back and tell me where you would like to go.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your assistances, Dovah. What should I call you?¡±, I inquired, wanting to call it by its name.


    Surprised that I asked for its name, I swore I saw a smile creep onto its face.


    ¡°You may call me, Julnirsov, Dovahkiin.¡±, the dragon answered, ¡°What should I call you?¡±


    ¡°Call me Victor, Julnirsov.¡±, I chuckled, as I jumped onto its back, ¡°As for our first destination, we need to head for a small Orc Stronghold to the southeast called Largashbur. They are in possession of a Daedric Artifact that I need.¡±


    Acknowledging my request, Julnirsov quickly took the skies and began heading in that direction. Feeling the wind surge past me as he picked up speed, I sat back and enjoyed the unbridled freedom of flight in a manner that only a dragon could.


    <I apologize for ruining the moment, Master, but I have an update on that special matter we discussed a few months ago. I believe I found the ideal world for you to hold your wedding on.>


    With the Academy well behind us and everyone at least twenty years of age now, I felt it was the right time to marry my fianc¨¦es. Wanting to make this momentous occasion truly special for them, I gave Luxion a set of parameters that needed to be met and sent deployed a drone ship to look for the ideal planet for us.


    ¡°I knew finding the ideal world would not be easy, but I never expected it to take five months.¡±, I sighed, ¡°So where is this world?¡±


    <The planet is named Primus Forty-Seven, it is a newly completed resort world located in the Algrand Empire. If you would like, I can make the necessary arrangements to secure the world for a month, Master.>


    ¡°Please do so, set the start date for two months from now. That should be plenty of time to get the dresses made, invitations sent out, and all the arrangements completed.¡±, I commanded him.


    <Understood, Master!>


    Leaving things to him, I began planning out how to tell my fianc¨¦es the news.


    S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ---Three Hours Later---


    As we approached the Orc Stronghold, we found them amidst a bloody battle with a group of four giants. Spotting several injured people being dragged back from the outer wall, the stronghold was clearly in dire straits. Deciding to save them, instead of letting the giants slaughter them, I gave Julnirsov his marching orders.


    ¡°Well Julnirsov, feel up to roasting so idiot giants?¡±, I questioned, with a playful smile.


    ¡°Of course!¡±, Julnirsov responded, tucking his wings in and barrel rolling into a dive.


    Feeling the wind rip past me, as we rapidly exceeded four hundred miles an hour, Julnirsov prepared to flambe all the giants in one go. Unfurling his wings at the last possible second, he unleashed a torrent of hellfire upon them as we rocketed past them. Blasting the Orcs off their feet, the giants began screaming in pain as their bodies were engulfed in flames. Attempting to pat the fire out, when that did not work, they began running to a nearby stream to quench the flames.


    ¡°Nice one, Julnirsov. Bring us back around, this time let me show you what I can do!¡±, I laughed, ¡°This form of combat is far more exhilarating than anything I have experienced thus far!¡±


    ¡°It is to be expected, your dragon¡¯s blood feels at home in the skies more than it does on the ground!¡±, Julnirsov chuckled, as he came around for a second pass, ¡°Show them your Thu¡¯um!¡±


    ¡°Qo Thul Strun!¡±, I shouted, using Miraak¡¯s deep knowledge of the Dragon Tongue to create my own shout.


    Discharging a maelstrom of lightning upon the giants, in a matter of seconds, all of them were reduced to ashes by those three words. Awestruck by how powerful the Thu¡¯um was, I looked forward to using it in my regular arsenal. Such power did not exist elsewhere in the cosmos so I was certain no one would be able to counter it.


    ¡°Alright Julnirsov, let us go say hello to the locals.¡±, I said.


    Nodding his head, Julnirsov came around a third time and touched down a few thousand yards from the stronghold. Sliding off his back, the two of us began to approach the settlement as a few members of the tribe nervously came to greet us. Knowing they did not possess the power to fight either of us, the Orc Mage Atub stepped forward and requested to know what we wanted.


    ¡°I am here to collect Volendrung from you. Your deity, Malacath, told me to come here and retrieve it from the one called Yamarz.¡±, I remarked, as I took off my helmet and crossed my arms.


    ¡°You¡­you have come for our Malacath¡¯s war hammer¡­?¡±, she replied, with a worried look.


    Sensing that something was amiss, I quickly recalled that the settlement did not actually have the war hammer anymore. In the game, the giants had stolen it from the settlement due to their chieftain¡¯s cowardice and weakness.


    (Malacath)


    Recognizing their deity¡¯s voice immediately, the Orcs realized I was not joking. Opening their gates for me to enter, they guided me to their longhouse where Yamarz was lounging around. Far less muscular and toned than the other Orc men here, he had really let himself go and was a husk of Orc at this point.


    ¡°Yamarz, you heard Lord Malacath. Hand over the war hammer immediately lest more misfortune befall our tribe.¡±, Atub said.


    ¡°I am to give our treasured war hammer to this Outlander?¡±, Yamarz grunted, glaring at me, ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Your deity told you, that is why.¡±, I remarked, ¡°If that is not enough reason¡­¡±


    Pointing my hand toward the rocky mountain behind their stronghold, I snapped my fingers calling down a powerful laser blast from Yamato. Vaporizing half the mountain in an instant, the Orc¡¯s face paled as he understood I was not to be trifled with. Quickly rising to his feet, Yamarz brought over a normal Orcish War Hammer and handed it to me with an apologetic look.


    ¡°Here you are.¡±, he said, in a more respectful tone, ¡°This is Volendrung, the war hammer you seek.¡±


    ¡°Malacath, shall I tell him, or will you?¡±, I remarked, dropping the war hammer to the ground.


    Confused by what was happening, the Orcs looked at Yamarz who began to profusely sweat. Refusing to speak up, Malacath interjected himself into the conversation to tell all the Orcs why they had been suffering for so long.


    <That ordinary war hammer is not Volendrung, is it Yamarz? You lost the hammer over a decade ago to the giants and have been ignoring my demands to retrieve it ever since then. That is why I continue to punish you because my war hammer is serving as those neanderthal¡¯s backscratcher!!> (Malacath)


    ¡°If this Outlander needs it, he can go it!¡±, Yamarz sheepishly protested.


    <WHAT WAS THAT YOU GUTLESS WORM!!> (Malacath)


    ¡°If I go get the hammer, would that not make the rightful chief of this stronghold? In that case, I will gladly bring it back here and show your kin what a true chieftain looks like.¡±, I stated, with a fiendish smile, ¡°Tonight, your wife and daughters will warm my bed while you cry off in a corner.¡±


    Looking at their chief, expecting a powerful response to my provocation, surprisingly the Orc man just stood there with his mouth agape. Even though I uttered those words, I had no intention of carrying out such a heinous act with his wife. It was my policy to never lay a hand on a woman in a happy, loving marriage, that is why I had no guilt in pursuing Mylene like I did.


    <Well Yamarz, what is going to be?> (Malacath)


    Sensing his struggle to contain his laugher, it appeared that the Daedric Prince found my provocation quite amusing.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡±, Yamarz stuttered, looking at his people, ¡°Fine, I will go get the damn war hammer!¡±


    Quickly retrieving his equipment, the Orc Chieftain marched out of the settlement and began heading toward the giant camp. Wondering if they should send help to aide Yamarz, Malacath promptly told them to let Yamarz resolve this matter himself. Leaving things at that, the Orcs looked at me with questioning gazes.


    ¡°While we await his return, is there anything I can assist you with around your stronghold? I am quite handy with both magic and tools.¡±, I stated, trying to lighten the mood, ¡°Also, whichever one of you is Yamarz¡¯ wife, you have my sincerest apologies. I have no intention of forcing myself on you or your daughters. My hope was that your husband would grow a pair and rise the occasion, but clearly, he has none.¡±


    ¡°Please do not worry about it, Outlander. While a bit overzealous, Young Orc men will provoke a chieftain in a similar fashion in a bid to usurp their title. A good chieftain would accept the challenge and fight them to either correct their misplaced egos or kill them for questioning their rule.¡±, Atub said, with a smirk, ¡°As for your offer to assist us, there are many things that we could use another strong man¡¯s help with. To begin with, we need help replacing and strengthening our outer walls. Lob, Ogol, and Ugor can assist with that, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±, the three men said, slamming their fists into their chests.


    Reaching my hand out, I exchanged a firm handshake with each of them. Asking them to begin removing the damaged and rotting poles, I told them to leave gathering the replacement logs to me. Agreeing to the division of labor, the four of us got to work improving their situation while we waited for Yamarz to return.

 Chapter 83

    ---Evening---


    Sitting back and watching our food roast over the bonfire, the orcs and I reflected on all the work we had accomplished today. On top of repairing and strengthening the outer walls, we rebuilt their well, restocked their food pantry, and performed sorely needed repairs to their longhouse¡¯s roof. Putting their all into the work, all the orcs were in much higher spirits than when I first arrived. Raising his mug of ale high, Gularzob suggested they name their Blood-Kin. Voicing their agreement, the other orcs raised their mugs in confirmation as well.


    ¡°I am truly honored to receive such a distinguished title.¡±, I said, ¡°It is a privileged to be counted among you.¡±


    ¡°The feeling is mutual, in just a few short hours we have significantly improved our stronghold¡¯s situation.¡±, Atub stated, with a mischievous grin, ¡°It is no exaggeration that your deeds have ensured the continued survival of our small stronghold. You have done far more than Yamarz or his predecessor ever did. We are the ones who should be honored to count you as one of us.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am sure we could go rounds on this point so we will leave it at a draw.¡±, I chuckled, raising my mug for a toast, ¡°To new friends, may your future battles be legendary, and the prosperity of your stronghold be boundless!¡±


    ¡°HERE! HERE!!¡±, the orcs shouted, as we clanged our mugs together.


    Taking a large gulp of orcish mead, two of the female orcs got up and began carving the boar on the spit roast. Giving the first plate with the best cuts to me, both women gave me a content smile before moving on to the others. Watching how they reacted to the others, I was the only one who received a smile which insinuated something was afoot here. Looking over at Atub, she and the other women gave me a similar smile as well.


    ¡®I see what you are doing, you crafty woman. Treating me like a chieftain so I might consider facing Yamarz and take the position for myself.¡¯ I thought, seeing through her scheme, ¡®I wonder, how hard was it for you to convince the others to follow your ploy? Did it take some convincing or is Yamarz truly that incompetent that all of you would so readily let a man from another race lead all of you?¡¯


    As everyone began to eat, we heard shouts coming from off in the distance. Initially thinking it was a group of adventurers nearby, as the shouting grew clearer and louder, Atub and I realized it was Yamarz. Setting our plates down, we walked up onto the wall and watched as the heavily wounded orc stumbled into the clearing.


    ¡°Open the bloody gates!!¡±, Yamarz spat, as he staggered forward, ¡°Bring me a mug of ale, and whatever you are cooking!¡±


    Coming down to meet him, as Gularzob and Lob opened the gates, Yamarz proceeded to throw Volendrung at me the moment he was inside. Stating that I had what I came for now, he demanded that I leave their stronghold immediately. Still upset about my jest this morning, he assured me that if he were in a better state he would ring my neck out for uttering those words.


    ¡°I will let you leave with your life today, out of respect for Lord Malacath.¡±, Yamarz said, pointing toward the gate, ¡°Now fuck off!¡±


    Glancing back at the group, all of them looked at me instead of Yamarz. Clearly choosing who they would rather follow, I made the decision to induct them into my military forces. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to start integrating outside groups into my military, if I could pull it off with this group, I doubted I would have any problems doing so with others.


    ¡°Nah, I am rather invested in your people now. Leaving them to suffer your pathetic existence would leave a bad taste in my mouth.¡±, I stated, stepping toward him, ¡°While you were away, we did quite a bit of work on the stronghold. As thanks for my help, all of them agreed to name me your Blood-Kin. As I am now one of you, I challenge you for the position of chieftain.¡±


    ¡°They¡­they did?!¡±, Yamarz stuttered, looking at his tribe members.


    ¡°We did, all of us made this decision!¡±, Atub said, as the other orcs nodded in confirmation.


    Realizing that everyone present was scowling at him, Yamarz knew there was no way he could back out of this now. Instead of doing the proper thing and formerly accepting my challenge, he just charged at me fuming with anger. Calling me a deceiver and a usurper, he swung his fist at me as hard as he could. Causally sidestepping the attack, I grabbed him by the throat, then proceeded to rip his head and spine out of his back. Watching the whole scene unfold, the orcs looked at me in utter shock.


    ¡°He¡­he ripped him apart with¡­with one hand¡­¡±, Lob gulped, looking at me with reverence now.


    ¡°Does anyone still doubt his capabilities to lead our tribe?¡±, Atub inquired, looking at those who had been unsure of things.


    Shaking their heads violently, everyone was more than satisfied falling in line with me in charge. Looking genuinely happy, all the orcs were certain this was the start of something amazing for them.


    ¡°Malacath, I want to take this group with me to fight our common enemy. Do you have any qualms with this?¡±, I inquired.


    <None whatsoever, take these weaklings with you and turn them into strong, proud warriors! All of you, listen closely, you will serve as my warriors in the fight that is coming. When you charge onto the battlefield, let your foes know whom you serve!> (Malacath)


    Rising to their feet, the orcs began pounding their fists on their chests. Swearing to fight in a manner befitting his name, they let out their war cries into the night sky. Please with their response, Malacath released the stronghold from their curse restoring their lost strength. Feeling their bodies return to normal, everyone looked to me for instructions.


    ¡°Tonight we feast and celebrate this momentous occasion.¡±, I said, with a commanding tone, ¡°Tomorrow, your lives as Warriors of Malacath begin!¡±


    Acknowledging my orders, the orcs took their seats again and began scarfing down their meals. Shutting the gate and returning to my seat, I began coordinating tomorrow¡¯s meeting with Yamato over my neural link.


    ---3rd Person POV, Female Party, Silent Moon Camp---


    Having crushed the bandits in the ruins of Silent Moon, Aela and Lucoa made the decision to camp there for the night as it was getting late. Making full use of the bandit¡¯s supplies, as they no longer needed them, the women set up camp and made themselves comfortable. Getting a roaring fire going, Olivia got work making some stew with Clarice and Lydia¡¯s assistance.


    ¡°I have to say, this magic bag Victor gave us is quite handy. He could make a lot of money selling these to adventurers and merchants. Being able to always keep fresh food and supplies on you, without it weighing you down, is a luxury few get to enjoy.¡±, Aela commented, as Roxanne and her inspected the team¡¯s equipment, ¡°What other helpful tools does he have?¡±


    ¡°It is not a tool, but Victor usually erects a barrier around our campsite that keeps bandits and monsters at bay. While other adventurers took turns keeping watch, we could all sleep peacefully throughout the night.¡±, Roxanne said, with a proud smile.


    ¡°Damn, that would be really nice!¡±, Aela admitted, a bit jealous of the luxuries they were used to, ¡°So, on the topic of keeping watch, how do you ladies want to divide up night watch?¡±


    Looking at one another, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Mylene realized they had not thought about that aspect of adventuring on their own. As none of them could use the barrier spells he used, they had to be on guard against potential dangers in the black of night.


    ¡°We could do one of two things. Either we each take a one-hour shift alone, or we take a two-hour shift in pairs. The odd man out takes works alone or with someone else tomorrow night.¡±, Lucoa suggested.


    ¡°I think working in pairs makes more sense.¡±, Deirdre remarked, ¡°If we have some hot coffee or tea, a two-hour shift should not be too bad.¡±


    ¡°Coffee and tea?¡±, Aela said, setting the blade in her hand down, ¡°I do not think we bought either of those things in the market. Did we?¡±


    ¡°Crap¡­I knew I forgot something!¡±, Lucoa groaned, looking at the others with an apologetic smile, ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    Hearing that coffee nor tea had been brought, the four noblewomen stared at her as their eyes began to twitch. Making a mental note to not let Lucoa go shopping without them anymore, Angelica was about to suggest they head back to buy some when Olivia chimed in.


    ¡°Angie, would you say that we can trust Aela and Lydia?¡±, Olivia asked, ¡°If so, we can ask you know who for coffee or tea.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±, Angelica inquired, with a confused look.


    Drawing a circle in the air, all of Victor¡¯s fianc¨¦es immediately remembered that Cleare was with them. Taking a moment to discuss the topic amongst themselves, everyone agreed that Aela and Lydia were trustworthy enough. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°If you need us to step out for a moment, just say so.¡±, Lydia commented, ¡°We understand.¡±


    ¡°No, it is fine.¡±, Mylene stated, as the women returned to their bedrolls, ¡°That said, please do not tell anyone about what you are about to see.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it is a wife¡¯s duty to safeguard family secrets.¡±, Aela assured them.


    ¡°I am Victor¡¯s sworn bodyguard, any and all of his secrets will follow me to the grave.¡±, Lydia confirmed.


    ¡°Very well, Cleare, can you come out for a second?¡±, Clarice asked.


    Lowering her camouflage, Cleare floated down from the ceiling to her.


    <Miss Clarice, I do not wish to question your plans, but I am more than capable of watching over everyone tonight. There is no need for you to take turns tonight. Once you are underground though, my capabilities will be limited.>


    ¡°Oh! Please do so, we did not think of that!¡±, Clarice responded, ¡°Also, if you could, please send fresh coffee down in the morning. We would all appreciate it.¡±


    <Of course, Miss Clarice.>


    Turning her camouflage back on, Cleare flew back up to the ceiling to keep watch. Thanking Olivia for reminding them that Cleare was here, their spirits were much more cheerful now.


    ¡°Uh¡­what the fuck was that?!¡±, Aela remarked, as Lydia looked around for where it went.


    ¡°It is a bit of a story¡­¡±, Angelica said, ¡°Since we are all comrades and friends, let us tell you a bit about who we are¡­¡±

 Chapter 84

    ---Midafternoon, 3rd Person POV---


    Reaching the Tower of Mzark, after battling hours of grueling cold, feet of snow, and a group of giants, the women took a moment to admire the beautiful tower before them. Strikingly different from the nordic structures they were accustomed to seeing up till now, Victor¡¯s fianc¨¦es realized the builders were centuries ahead of the Nords of today.


    ¡°It is just like our world¡­¡±, Olivia stated, ¡°I wonder what led up to their disappearance. Did they leave this world behind, or did something wipe them out?¡±


    ¡°No idea, do you think one of them may know?¡±, Deirdre inquired.


    ¡°Does not hurt to ask.¡±, Angelica stated, walking over to ask Aela and Lydia, ¡°Do either of you know about the people that built this place?¡±


    ¡°Not much, I know the people who built this place were called the Dwemer and that they disappeared sometime toward the end of the First Era.¡±, Aela answered, looking to Lydia, ¡°You are probably more well read than me, you know anything more about them?¡±


    ¡°I do, actually.¡±, Lydia chuckled, ¡°The Dwemer¡¯s disappearance was caused by their own arrogance and blasphemy. A few decades before their abrupt disappearance, their researchers were investigating methods to make their entire race immortal. Turning their backs on the Divine¡¯s design, they committed countless abhorrent deeds¡­some of which are still felt to this day. During one of those atrocities, the Divines poured out their wrath upon their entire race and erased them all from this world.¡±


    Startled by this information, Victor¡¯s fianc¨¦es wondered if it was truly safe for everyone to delve into the tower. Wanting to return home safely to their fianc¨¦, they began to wonder if sending Cleare in was the best option here. Noticing the fear and hesitation in their eyes, Aela quickly stepped in to assure them that they had nothing to worry about.


    ¡°The Dwemer ruins around Skyrim have been thoroughly explored thousands of times over the years. Anything that would invoke the Divine¡¯s Wrath has long since been lost to the ages.¡±, Aela stated, ¡°The only threats we will face down there are Dwemer Automatons, Falmer, and traps.¡±


    ¡°I know what automatons are, but what is a Falmer? Are they like goblins?¡±, Roxanne inquired.


    ¡°Ah¡­right, you ladies are not from this world so you would not know about them either. The Falmer were once an esteemed race of elves called Snow Elves. During ancient times, they were our allies¡­till they betrayed the Ancient Nords during the Night of Tears.¡±, Aela answered, with a scowl, ¡°Our ancestors began a brutal campaign against them after word spread of their misdeeds. After years of heavy losses, they turned to their distant cousins, the Dwemer, for protection and shelter which ultimately led to them regressing into what we call Falmer.¡±


    ¡°One of the Dwemer¡¯s many atrocities then¡­¡±, Angelica stated, with a solemn look, ¡°Cleare, do you think Victor might be able to find a way to cure them?¡±


    <It is possible, but further research would need to be done to confirm it.>


    Asking her to gather all the materials needed to research the matter while they were in the tower, Cleare assured them it would be done. Eager to get moving again, the group walked around to the front of the tower where a massive double door awaited them. Using a combination of Fire and Wind Magic, Angelica and Deirdre blew the door off its hinges and cleared a path forward for everyone.


    ¡°Your magic is quite impressive!¡±, Lydia praised them, ¡°You would give Farengar are real run for his money in a duel.¡±


    ¡°Alright ladies, the lift is in the back of the tower.¡±, Aela said, pointing to the circular platform a few hundred feet in front of them, ¡°Climb on, its time to wrap this adventure up and go see our husband again!¡±


    ¡°Our husband?¡±, Clarice giggled, ¡°Kind of getting ahead of yourself, are you not?¡±


    Giving her a smirk, Aela rushed forward toward the lift. Believing she might leave them behind, everyone chased after her unwilling to be left behind. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ---Tower of Mzark Oculory, Ten Minutes Later---


    Arriving at the bottom, the group stepped off the lift and cautiously explored the room for traps. Wanting to make sure their escape route was free of dangers, once they were sure it was safe, Lucoa pulled out the document Victor gave them. Taking a moment to review the contents, she turned her attention to the only doorway in the room.


    ¡°According to the document, the Elder Scroll will be in the room at the end of this hallway.¡±, Lucoa stated, pointing toward the doorway, ¡°It is currently being held in a containment unit that will need to be unlocked before we can reach the scroll.¡±


    ¡°Keep in mind, from here on out, we may encounter Dwemer Automatons, Falmer, and traps.¡±, Aela reminded everyone, as she equipped her shield and sword,


    Nodding their heads, everyone geared up for a potential fight. Heading through the corridor, with Roxanne taking point, the group quietly proceed forward into the Oculory. Cautiously peeking around the threshold, Roxanne sniffed the area trying to confirm if anyone was in the vicinity.


    ¡°There are no living beings in the area aside from us.¡±, Roxanne whispered, ¡°I cannot be sure about automatons though, they do not have a scent to them.¡±


    <Allow me.>


    Silently flying into the room, Cleare performed a thorough sweep for enemy automatons and traps. Finding no threats to their safety, she informed everyone that the room was safe to enter.


    <I will venture forward and collect the materials, per your request.>


    ¡°Thank you, Cleare!¡±, Olivia said, with a grateful smile, ¡°Come back to us as soon as you are done.¡±


    <Understood, heading out now.>


    Flying to the opposite side of the room, Cleare phased through the wall and began her exploration of the tower. Sheathing their weapons and entering the space, Lucoa led the group over to the control panel before looking up at the ceiling. Pointing to the egg-shaped container in the center, she informed them that it was the containment unit they were looking for.


    ¡°So what exactly was this thing for?¡±, Clarice asked, confused by all the mirrors that encircled the containment unit.


    ¡°Reading an Elder Scroll, without proper preparation, can lead to permanent blindness, insanity, or death.¡±, Deirdre remarked, recalling the previous explanation they had been given, ¡°This device must have let the Dwemer read the scroll indirectly avoiding all the negative side effects.¡±


    ¡°A tool that could allow them to view both the past and future, that is a bit unnerving. I wonder how many of their atrocities were reactionary to what they saw here.¡±, Lydia said, with a worried look, ¡°After we secure the Elder Scroll, this whole place must be destroyed. This tool is too dangerous to leave intact, future generations may use it and cause future atrocities.¡±


    ¡°I wholeheartedly agree, we cannot trust future generations to be as understanding as us. We will have Yamato obliterate this place once we are back on the surface again.¡±, Mylene stated.


    Turning back to the control console before her, Lucoa hit the buttons in the sequence Victor provided. Watching the mirrors move around, almost like they were dancing, when they came to rest again the beams of light all intersected on an empty pedestal. Certain now that this machine was meant to grant users knowledge from the past or future, everyone agreed to destroy it.


    Watching the containment unit lower to the floor and release the Elder Scroll, Roxanne ran over and collected it. Rushing it back over to Lucoa, she promptly stowed it for safe keeping. Heading back to the lift, to wait for Cleare, Victor¡¯s fianc¨¦es were eager to show him the fruits of their labor.


    ---Victor POV---


    Continuing to celebrate till almost 4 am, when we all went to bed, I found myself in a bit of a pickle. As I was the newly instated chieftain of the stronghold, all seven women approached me with the desire to sire my offspring. Wanting to rapidly expand their numbers, to support my future endeavors, each of them was more than ready to do their part to make that happen. Assuring them that it was unnecessary, as I wanted them to intermingle with my forces, not me, they refused to take no for answer. Switching to more violent means to make their desires happen, the seven of them attempted to subdue me and quickly found out that I do not differentiate men and women in a fight.


    ¡®They should be grateful that Mylene, Olivia, and Roxanne were not here to witness their actions last night. Those three would have massacred them in a fit of rage.¡¯, I thought, looking at the embarrassed Orcs, ¡°Alright you knuckleheads, it is time for you to know the truth about who I am and the mutual foes we face. From this point forward, all of you will be treated as members of my military with all the benefits and privileges that come with it. As subordinates of mine, I expect you to obey and follow my orders to the letter. Any form of insubordination will be met with harsh consequences. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Slamming their fists into their chests, the Orcs acknowledged my words with a resounding yes. Having Yamato send down several platoons of troops and equipment, I took a moment to introduce the two groups to one another and had them demonstrate the equipment they would be using from now on.

 Chapter 85

    ---Victor POV, Several Days Later---


    After a series of minor delays collecting the Daedric Items, Julnirsov and I finally arrived at Dimhollow Crypt. Spotting the women¡¯s camp a short walk away from the entrance, we noticed several scorch marks on the ground from where they presumably encountered a group of vampires. Unsurprised by this, as they were after Serana and her Elder Scroll as well, I was happy to see that Cleare had done her job properly.


    Having Julnirsov touch down near their camp, my dragonic ally decided to take a nap while we explored the crypt. Thanking him for his continued assistance, I headed down the slope toward camp. Leaping into my arms, as I strolled in, Mylene began showering me with affection and kisses.


    ¡°I missed you so much, Victor!¡±, Mylene informed me, ¡°Please do not make me part from your side again. While I did enjoy girl time with the others, I hated being unable to see you every day. It felt like I was a caged bird all over again¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, Mylene, I did not take that into consideration when I divvied up the tasks. My assumption was that you would enjoy a bit of time away from me.¡±, I apologized, as I scooped her up and carried her over to the fire like a princess, ¡°From now on, if you or anyone else has issues with matters like this please tell me.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case¡­I would like to stay with you as well.¡±, Roxanne remarked, sheepishly raising her hand, ¡°It is not the same without you around.¡±


    ¡°Alright, the two of you are more than welcome to tag along with me in the future.¡±, I promised, as I took a seat between Deirdre and Roxanne, ¡°Now then, I want to hear all about your solo adventure!¡±


    While I had already received a full report from Cleare, I wanted to hear their own retelling of events and see the excitement on their faces. Taking turns telling me about everything that had happened since we parted ways in Whiterun, they embellished events a bit to add a bit of spice to their story. Getting me up to speed on everything, Lucoa proceeded to nervously hand over the Elder Scroll to me.


    ¡°I know you mentioned something about researching the Elder Scroll for some reason, but I cannot remember exactly why. Can you refresh my memory?¡±, Lydia asked, with a troubled look. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You are concern I will follow in the Dwemer¡¯s footsteps and search for a method to achieve immortality, right?¡±, I stated, fully supporting their reasoning for destroying the Tower of Mzark.


    Nodding their heads in unison, everyone held reservations about me researching the Elder Scrolls. Fearful of what I might get myself into, if I did not have a good reason for looking into them, my fianc¨¦es wanted me to shelf the subject and move on to something a bit safer.


    ¡°I figured that would be the case, but let me assure all of you, I fully acknowledge and understand the dangers this subject has. Manipulating space and time can be fraught with dangers that even I cannot begin to fathom.¡±, I conceded, happy they were comfortable being forthright with me, ¡°As for why I wish to study them, there are three main reasons. Firstly, there are many races out in space who possess the means and technology to manipulate time, space, and reality itself. I need to be prepared to face those threats on equal footing and these scrolls can help me do just that.¡±


    ¡°And the other two reasons?¡±, Mylene asked.


    ¡°This knowledge will afford me the option to restore your youth and lengthen all your lifespans to match mine. As I have mentioned to all of you, my lifespan is significantly longer than all of yours. While most of you would be lucky to reach one hundred, I will continue living till I am well past ten billion years old.¡±, I said, looking at my fianc¨¦es, ¡°If I obtain this knowledge, I can ensure that we grow old together and pass on to the next life as a family.¡±


    Staring at me for a moment, to ensure this was not a joke, when they realized I was serious my fianc¨¦es began to tear up. Understanding now that this knowledge was meant to ensure they could walk alongside me till the day we died, they were all quickly overcome by their emotions. Sobbing loudly while holding one another, my fianc¨¦es were astounded by how far I was willing to go to keep our family together.


    ¡°Never in my wildest dreams did I think you would go this far for us, let alone me. When you made that promise, I assumed it was just to console me fragile heart and convince me to take a leap of faith into your loving arms. To think¡­you would go to another world¡­just to fulfill your promises to all of us.¡±, Mylene choked up, ¡°Words cannot begin to describe how happy I am. Now more than ever I am certain I made the right decision to become your fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡±, Deirdre whimpered, ¡°To risk erasure just so we could stay together forever...you are truly every bit the man I thought you were.¡±


    ¡°No one has ever gone so far me¡­¡±, Olivia cried, ¡°Thank you for taking me as your fianc¨¦e!¡±


    ¡°Well actually, in just under two months, we will be calling each other husband and wives.¡±, I remarked, projecting the very spot I wanted to wed them on, ¡°It took quite a lot longer than I wanted, but I found the perfect spot for our unforgettable wedding venue.¡±


    Quickly quieting down, my fianc¨¦es focused on the series of images I was showing them. Falling in love with the spot, just as I had, their tears turned to cheers of excitement. Unbelievably happy to have an official date for our wedding now, it was very apparent to me that I had dragged our engagement on for too long.


    ¡°And here I was thinking we would be fianc¨¦ and fianc¨¦es forever.¡±, Angelica laughed, wiping her tears away, ¡°You said the ceremony will be in just under two months?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I already booked the venue and had wedding invitations dispersed to our families. All that is left is picking out your wedding dresses, deciding on a wedding theme, and choosing what beverages and foods we will have.¡±, I said, ¡°I leave those decisions in your very capable hands.¡±


    ¡°If we were not on the top of an icy cold mountain. I would drag you into our tent and show you just how happy I am right now.¡±, Mylene remarked, as she gingerly cupped my scrotum, ¡°Do not make any plans tonight, you are all ours.¡±


    Nodding their heads, my other fianc¨¦es were in agreement with what Mylene had planned. Wanting to get the second scroll and put this frosty place behind us, my lovers quickly started taking down camp and preparing to move out.


    ---An Hour Later---


    Cutting our way through a large host of vampires and their servants, our group eventually entered the large cavern where Serana and the Elder Scroll were sealed. Stopping everyone from entering the space, I motioned for them to stay quiet before pointing to the purple flame altar in the center of the room.


    ¡°There is a group of Master Vampires here.¡±, I warned them, telepathically, ¡°Be wary of their vampiric charms, your armor will not protect you. Olivia, in the event someone falls victim to it, use your Holy Magic to dispel the magic.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±, Olivia acknowledged, with a firm nod.


    Leading our group down to the altar, the vampires turned toward us as we drew near. Uncertain if we were with the Dawnguard, Vigilant of Stendarr, or another group entirely, they immediately choose to treat us as a threat. Attempting to quickly encircle us, I used the Force to send them all skipping across the cold floor.


    ¡°Alok Krein Yol!¡±, I shouted, channeling my dragonic magics


    Flooding the area in front of me with a sea of solar flames, the Master Vampires bellowed agonizing screams which drew their remaining servants to us. Turning to face them as they appeared, the women burned and tore apart every foe that drew near. Slaughtering every last one of them in a matter of minutes, I had the ladies destroy the stone gargoyles in the chamber before meeting me at the altar.


    ¡°Is the Elder Scroll further in?¡±, Lucoa asked, not seeing a containment unit or a scroll anywhere in sight.


    ¡°No, it is currently in the possession of the Pure Blood Vampire slumbering beneath our feet.¡±, I remarked, pushing the last of five pillar into place, ¡°Alright, stand back and watch the magic happen.¡±


    Racing down channels carved into the floor, the altar¡¯s flames quickly reached the pillars I moved, igniting the beacons on top of them. Feeling the ground beneath us begin to shake violently, the altar began to rise out of the ground revealing the Pure-Blood Vampire slumbering within. Sensing the immense power she wielded, Aela, Deirdre, Lucoa, Lydia, and Roxanne, all readied themselves believing she would attack us.


    ¡°¡­*yawn*¡­where am I?¡±, Serana inquired, as she stretched her body for the first time in several thousand years, ¡°Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°My name is Victor von Stark.¡±, I answered, before motioning to the others, ¡°These are my fianc¨¦es Aela, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, Lucoa, Mylene, Olivia, and Roxanne; and my housecarl Lydia.¡±


    Perking up at the mention of being called my fianc¨¦e, Aela shot the others a satisfied grin. Rolling their eyes in response, all of them knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Having intertwined herself well in the group, everyone saw her as an invaluable member of our family who would fight to the death alongside us.


    ¡°Quite an unusual group of women you have there.¡±, Serana said, focusing on Aela and Lucoa, ¡°You are a werewolf, and you¡­you are a dragon?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±, Angelica replied, as the other women moved in front of Aela and Lucoa, ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just commenting that it is an unusual sight is all.¡±, Serana answered, stepping out of her coffin, ¡°My name is Serana, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. Do you mind telling me what year it is? Everything kind of started running together after a few hundred years.¡±


    ¡°It is currently the two hundredth and one year of the fourth era.¡±, Lydia advised, as the women sheathed their weapons, ¡°When where you sealed in here?¡±


    ¡°I do not remember the year precisely, but it was sometime in the second era.¡±, Serana told her, as she began to regain her senses, ¡°So why exactly did you free me? Are you allies of my father, or vampire hunters here to slay me?¡±


    Given the dozens of vampire ash piles scattered across the area, I understood why she might think that way. Quickly clarifying that we were not here in conjunction with either group, I pointed to the Elder Scroll on her back and informed her that was why we were here.


    ¡°You are after the Elder Scroll?¡±, Serana remarked, with a suspicious look, ¡°I can assure you, if you try and take it, things will not end well for you.¡±


    ¡°Knowing full well that your bloodthirsty father is after your blood and the scroll, do you really want to keep ahold of it?¡±, I inquired.


    Surprised that I knew that much about her situation, her suspicion turned to curiosity as I showed no signs of being charmed by her father or his subordinates.


    ¡°So my father is still hunting for the scroll and I?¡±, Serana asked.


    ¡°Very much so, the piles of ash you see around us belonged to his men.¡±, I stated, pulling a Daedric Artifact from my storage, ¡°Maybe this will explain who I am allied with.¡±


    Recognizing the Mace of Molag Bal, Serana appearance paled a bit fearing I would use it on her. Taking a step back, she braced herself for a grueling fight.


    <Listen well my child, heed Victor¡¯s words and aid him to the best of your ability. Should you refuse, I will strip the gift I have bestowed upon you from the very marrow in your bones!> (Molag Bal)


    ¡°I understand, Lord Molag Bal!¡±, Serana acknowledged, proceeding to bow her head to me, ¡°My apologies, I did not realize you were Lord Molag Bal¡¯s champion.¡±


    ¡°Do not bother with formalities, I would rather we converse as equals.¡±, I said, stowing the mace away, ¡°Now then, how about we get you caught up on everything over some mead and roasted meat?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. I have not eaten anything in several thousand years.¡±, Serana laughed.


    Having everyone gather around, I proceeded to use Teleportation Magic to transfer us to Solitude.

 Chapter 86

    Arriving just outside Solitude, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, we hurried inside to book rooms for the night. Heading to the Winking Skeever, as it was the only inn in the city, I paid for three rooms and meals for the eleven of us. Pointing us over to a large, empty table, the bar maiden told us she would bring our drinks and food over shortly. Thanking her, we squeezed our way through the packed dining room and took our seats near the fireplace.


    ¡°Thanks for covering my room and board tonight.¡±, Serana said, before starting to look around the room, ¡°I am happy that Solitude recovered and grew into a vibrant city. You see, before I was sealed away, Lord Molag Bal began an invasion of Tamriel. One of the first places he attacked was this very city, with the aid of the Gray Host. Are they still around?¡±


    ¡°No, they were done in by the combined forces of Princess Svana, Prince Irnskar, and Jorunn the Skald-King.¡±, Lydia answered, having read several books about that dark period of Skyrim¡¯s history, ¡°You were alive when the Planemeld happened?!¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, my father and his subordinates fought alongside Lord Molag Bal¡¯s forces in the early days of the conflict. My mother used his absence to seal me away in that damn casket, I just wish I knew why she did it. Sure my father is a bloodthirsty maniac, but I did not think he or his subordinates would harm us.¡±, Serana remarked, looking into the fireplace with a solemn expression, ¡°¡­he was not always like this you know. We used to be a happy family, and both were madly in love with one another. His blasted thirst for immortality and power destroyed everything I thought we cherished¡­¡±


    ¡°Parents have a way of sometimes destroying the happiness their children enjoy.¡±, I remarked, looking at Roxanne, ¡°My own father lacks a spine, his cowardice nearly cost me one of the most important people in my life. When I realized he did not have my back when I needed him the most, I no longer could see him as the father I loved as a child. Yes, I am still grateful to him for raising me and putting a roof over my head, but the relationship we once had is long gone.¡±


    Realizing that we were similar to each other in that regard, Serana gave me a warm smile. Arriving with our food and drinks, the bar maiden gave me a flirtatious smile before wandering back to the bar. Raising a toast to our new friend Serana, the eleven of us clanged out mugs together and took a big swig of mead together. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Damn, this stuff really hits the spot!¡±, Lucoa laughed, before taking a bite of roasted chicken, ¡°So, Victor, why did you pick this city for the night instead of Whiterun?¡±


    ¡°We have yet to collect our reward from General Tullius, remember?¡±, I chuckled, taking a bite of my porkchop, ¡°Also, this is the closest inn to Castle Volkihar. I presume Serana will want to pay a visit to her home to see her father.¡±


    ¡°Haha, did you read my mind or something?¡±, Serana remarked, with a smirk, ¡°Yes, I would like to pay a visit to my childhood home. It is unlikely these past few millennia have improved his personality at all, but I am still willing to give him a chance again.¡±


    ¡°So, are all of us heading there together?¡±, Clarice asked, with a curious look.


    ¡°Assuming Serana is fine with it, everyone is welcome to come along.¡±, I chuckled, looking toward her, ¡°Is that fine with you?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡±, Serana replied, with a grateful look, ¡°Are you certain that bringing everyone is a good idea though? I cannot promise they will not try and turn all of you into cattle.¡±


    Cracking a wicked smile, I confidently nodded my head in confirmation. Knowing that I could easily handle her father and his subordinates, if the need arose, I felt comfortable enough bringing everyone along for this meet and greet. Uncertain where my confidence was coming from, Serana let it be and began to ask Lydia questions about events that happened while she slumbered.


    ---Next Morning---


    Retrieving our reward from the Imperial Headquarters at Castle Dour, we left Solitude and began our trek northwest through the mountains. Putting several miles between us and the city, I called Julnirsov to our location and had him ferry Mylene, Roxanne, and I to Castle Volkihar. Circling the island a few times to find a good landing spot, Julnirsov settled on land on top of the castle¡¯s outer wall.


    ¡°My apologies, there were not many landing options on this small rock.¡±, Julnirsov said, as the three of us dismounted.


    ¡°It is fine, thank you for ferrying us here.¡±, I replied, teleporting the others to our location.


    Having watched us circle the castle and land on the wall, Harkon sent several dozen vampires to investigate the situation. Treating us as hostiles initially, their demeanor quickly changed when they caught sight of Serana. Coming to a stop a few yards from us, the vampires examined her for a moment to assure themselves they were not seeing things.


    ¡°Lady Serana is that you?!¡±, one of the vampires inquired.


    ¡°Yes, it is Orthjolf.¡±, Serana answered, looking at him, ¡°It has been quite a while, has it not?¡±


    Certain that it was indeed Serana, Orthjolf sent the other vampires back to inform Lord Harkon that his daughter had come home. Doing as he commanded, the others swiftly retreated into the castle leaving him alone with us.


    ¡°Serana, where have you been all this time?¡±, Orthjolf asked, trying to gather information from her about what transpired back then.


    ¡°Sealed inside a casket deep within Dimhollow Crypt. I vaguely remember being sealed away during the period when everyone was off aiding Lord Molag Bal.¡±, Serana answered, ¡°Before you ask, I have not the faintest idea why my mother did it. You will have to ask her yourself.¡±


    ¡®So it is true then, Lady Valerica really did seal you away all those years ago.¡¯, Orthjolf thought, ¡°That is not possible, I am afraid. Your mother disappeared around the same time you did. Lord Harkon spent over a thousand years searching for you, but never found a trace of either one of you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±, Serana said, immediately regretting her decision to come here, ¡®What if mother¡¯s fears came true? Did father kill her for some ritual sacrifice? If that is the case, she sealed me away to save me¡­and I just led all of us into the lion¡¯s maw¡­¡¯


    Uncertain how to proceed, given the potential dangers lying in wait inside the castle, Serana looked to me for guidance. Giving her a reassuring pat on the back, I encouraged her to continue forward on the path she had chosen. No matter what the outcome of the reunion was today, she had our full support.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±, Orthjolf asked, uncertain what was going on.


    ¡°No, it is nothing. I am just saddened to hear that my mother is missing.¡±, Serana stated, feeling a bit more confident now, ¡°Please lead the way to my father.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±, Orthjolf agreed, turning around and heading back inside.


    Following him, the Ancient Vampire led us to the nearest tower and down two flights of stairs. Crossing the overgrown courtyard, we entered the main building and went straight to the Great Hall. Announcing Serana¡¯s arrival, as he pushed the giant doors open, Lord Harkon and all his present subordinates turned to look at us.


    ¡°My dear daughter has return home after all these years!¡±, Harkon said, his eyes locked on the Elder Scroll affixed to her back, ¡°Who are these people you have brought with you? Are they your subordinates or cattle by chance?¡±


    ¡°No, they are the ones who freed me from my long slumber.¡±, Serana answered, wanting to make it clear that we were neither food nor toys.


    ¡°Ah, I see!¡±, Harkon acknowledged, ¡°Well friends, you have my utmost gratitude for bringing my missing Elder Scroll and daughter back where they belong. Both have been sorely missed over these past few millennia.¡±


    Upset that his precious Elder Scroll still took precedence over her, Serana let out a frustrated sigh. Knowing now that nothing would ever change his rotten personality, she knew now that she had no place among them anymore. Focusing now on her missing mother, Serana asked for details about her disappearance.


    ¡°So, Father, Orthjolf told me that mother went missing around the same time I did. Do you have any clues as to where she went?¡±, Serana asked, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Yes, your spiteful mother left behind a note informing me she had sealed you away and was going into hiding. That traitorous bitch did it all just to thwart my plans to end the tyranny of the sun.¡±, Harkon spat, with any scowl, ¡°Now that you are home again though, my plans can now begin anew.¡±


    Tossing the note in question to her, Serana carefully inspected it to confirm it was not a forgery. Recognizing her mother¡¯s handwriting anywhere, the young, pure-blood vampire was relieved to know her mother could still be alive and well right now.


    ¡°Come Serana, let us celebrate your joyous return with a hearty meal.¡±, Harkon said, motioning for her to take a seat at the table, ¡°As for the rest of you, as a reward for bringing my Elder Scroll and daughter home, I am willing to bestow upon you a powerful gift from our lord, Molag Bal. What say you?¡±


    ¡°We have no desire to become vampires.¡±, I answered, stepping forward, ¡°Serana, do you wish to stay here, or will you continue to accompany us?¡±


    ¡°My Elder Scroll and daughter stay here.¡±, Harkon remarked, glaring at me, ¡°Since you reject my offer, I will allow you to leave this castle in peace just this once. Now begone!¡±


    ¡°I was not speaking to you, rabid bat!¡±, I retorted, shocking all of him and all his subordinates, ¡°The only reason you are still breathing is because Serana held out hope that you had changed over the past few millennia. Even I can see that you are still the same self-serving egomaniac she described to us. Now remain silent and let her speak!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Victor.¡±, Serana spoke up, with a warm smile, ¡°As he said, it is very apparent now that even the passage of time has not softened your personality in the slightest. All these years I hoped and prayed that our family could return to what it once was, but your endless thirst for power has ruined any hope of that happening! You took everything I cherished and destroyed it! I want nothing to do with you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Clearly thousands of years of isolation and the influence of these human cattle has messed with your head. Vingalmo, escort my daughter to her room so she can rest and regain her senses.¡±, Harkon commanded.


    Doing as his lord commanded, the Ancient Vampire dashed across the room to seize her. Moving in front of her, I tore him apart with Unrelenting Force sending pieces of him all over the room. Enraged that I had killed one of their comrades, dozens of Harkon¡¯s other subordinates charged forward hellbent on taking my head.


    ¡°Challenging me will be the last mistake you fools ever make!¡±, I said, eviscerating the horde of vampires with Force Disintegration.


    Standing there and watching the bulk of his force be torn apart by me, Harkon realized that I was a very real threat to him. Ordering his remaining subordinates to join him in fighting me, none of them dared to move from where they stood. Calling every one of them cowards, he promptly changed into his Vampire Lord form in a pitiful attempt to intimidate me.


    ¡°You sorely overestimate yourself if you believe that pathetic show of force will intimidate me.¡±, I remarked, vanishing from his sight, ¡°Allow me to show you how it is done!¡±


    Reappearing right in front of him, I seized his skull with both hands. Crushing it like a watermelon, his lifeless body turned into a pile of ash as it hit the floor. Looking at the pile of ash that had once been their leader, his remaining subordinates immediately dropped to their knees and lowered their heads to me.

 Chapter 87

    Believing that a small legion of vampires could prove useful in the fight against the forces of Chaos, I decided to take the remainder of Harkon¡¯s forces under my command. Ordering those who remained in the castle to recall all their allies in the field, I wanted everyone back here as soon as possible so I could see what I was working with.


    ¡°Does that mean you will spare our lives?¡±, the blacksmith vampire asked, in a meek tone.


    ¡°Under the condition that you serve me from this day forth, I will spare all your lives. You will enjoy benefits and privileges you could have only ever dreamed of under Harkon¡¯s rule.¡±, I said, pulling specialized wrist mounted device from my storage, ¡°For starters, I will bestow upon each of you the ability to walk among humanity without fear of persecution or the sun. No longer will you need to cower in the shadows waiting for humanity to slaughter you. You can live as you once did during your former lives.¡±


    ¡°What of our need to feed on blood? Will you force us to abstain from it?¡±, one of the older vampires inquired.


    ¡°No, I will not rob you of your primary source of food. While I forbid you from sating your thirst on the innocent and our allies, you have my blessing to gorge upon my enemies and the wicked.¡±, I answered, looking him the eyes, ¡°I assure you, under my guidance and care you will never know hunger again.¡±


    <My Champion offers you an unending feast of blood to sate your hunger. Embrace this most generous gift and serve him well. For every life you take under his leadership brings me further amusement and satisfaction!> (Molag Bal)


    Recognizing their patron deity¡¯s voice, the vampires present immediately swore their loyalty to me without a second thought. Satisfied with their pledges, I distributed the bracers to all of them and demonstrated how to cloak and disguise themselves. Getting the hang of it after a few tries, they wanted to head outside and give them a try.


    ¡°Wait¡­we will have to go onto the mainland to try these out. The sun has not graced this castle in several millennia.¡±, an Ancient Vampire stated, with a disappointed look


    ¡°Allow me to remedy that.¡±, I said, heading back out into the courtyard, ¡°Lok Vah Koor!¡±


    Using the Clear Skies shout to tear the cloud cover apart, rays of sunlight began to trickle down all around me. Looking back at the vampires, who were standing just on the edge of shadows, all of them stared nervously at the sunlight just millimeters from their feet.


    ¡°No longer are you captives of the shadows. Come, be apart of this wonderous world once again!¡±, I beckoned them.


    Engaging the cloaking mechanism in the bracers, the younger vampires hesitantly stepped outside with their eyes tightly. Waiting for the pain to hit them like usual, when that did not happen, they hesitantly opened their eyes and looked up at the sky for the first time in a long time.


    ¡°Well, does it work?!¡±, an Ancient Vampire asked, eager to know the results.


    ¡°Yes¡­it does¡­¡±, one of the young bloods answered, still in shock that he was not in pain, ¡°I do not feel even a slight amount of pain!¡±


    Receiving confirmation that my gifts worked as promised, the remaining vampires quickly activated their bracers and rushed outside to take in the view. Listening to several of them begin to cry, as they had not seen the blue sky in countless lifetimes, they began singing praises for Molag Bal and I. Swearing to follow me to till the end of time, one by one they began to change into bats and fly off to spread the news among their kin. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Alright Victor, I want the full truth out of you!¡±, Serana said, still standing in the shadows, ¡°My mother and I spent countless centuries researching a way to walk in the light again without forsaking our blessing, and came up with nothing. Just who the heck are all of you, and why are you really here?¡±


    ¡°As I said from the very beginning, my interest lies with the Elder Scroll affixed to your back. I wish to use it, along with the other scroll in my possession, to study and research time itself.¡±, I answered truthfully, ¡°The reason why we journeyed across the stars to come to this world is simple, the continued existence of the universe is at stake. We needed resources that could only be found on this world, namely the Elder Scrolls and Stalhrim, to better our situation in the intergalactic war raging out there amongst the stars.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­you are saying that all ten of you are not natives of this world?!¡±, Serana inquired, looking at all of us with confusion.


    ¡°Aela and Lydia are natives of this world, the rest of us are from another world hundreds of light years from here.¡±, I stated, looking her in the eyes, ¡°Now then Serana, I would like to partner with your mother and you to further our mutual understand of magic and souls. As you hinted at a moment ago, both of you are well versed in magical research which makes you perfect individuals to assist me.¡±


    ¡°You mean, my mother is still alive?!¡±, Serana gasped, ¡°Where is she!?¡±


    Walking back inside, I motioned for everyone to follow me up to Valerica¡¯s laboratory. Clearing debris out of our way, I ordered Luxion to complete a thorough reconstruction of this castle as I wanted this castle to serve as a proper base for my vampire subordinates. Acknowledging my orders, he put the reconstruction in the calendar for next week.


    ¡°What are those things?!¡±, Serana asked, seeing Cleare and Luxion for the first time, ¡°Are they golems or something similar to the automatons the Dwemer created?¡±


    ¡°They are like the Dwemer Automatons, just thousands of years more advanced and much more sophisticated. Think of them as highly advanced and intelligent servants, though I personally view them as close friends.¡±, I said, looking at Luxion.


    <We appreciate the kind gesture, Master.>


    <Yeah, thank you Boss Man!>


    ¡°How interesting.¡±, Serana commented, looking at them full of intrigue.


    Forcing our way into the long-abandoned laboratory, as the door swung open, a cloud of dust engulfed all of us. Using Wind Magic to blow it all away, we entered the space and walked straight up to the magic circle drawn into the floor. Recognizing the pattern from their research, Serana pieced together where her mother had gone into hiding.


    ¡°Mother finished our research and managed to open a portal to the Soul Cairn¡­¡±, Serana remarked, in disbelief.


    ¡°Correct, your mother has been hiding out there all this time. Since your father and his men were magic illiterate, they never realized she was hiding right under their noses.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°The notes for reopening the portal should be somewhere around here.¡±


    Searching the room for the notebook in question, Olivia found it lying under a pile of heavily worn books. Handing it over to Serana, she quickly flipped through the pages looking for the method to open the portal again.


    ¡°Here it is!¡±, Serana said, setting the book down, ¡°Let me grab the ingredients and tools I need!¡±


    Scurrying around the room, Serana got everything in place and quickly reopened the portal. Overjoyed that it had worked the very first time, she nearly ran right in before I could stop her. Warning her that the Soul Cairn was fraught with danger, I suggested that we all go together to liberate her mother from her exile.


    ¡°Entering the Soul Cairn as a vampire is easy enough as our souls are held by Lord Molag Bal. For normal people, the only way to enter would is to be partially soul trapped. This would entail temporarily giving part of your soul to the Ideal Masters which could be quite dangerous.¡±, Serana remarked.


    ¡°Haha, you are forgetting who you are with.¡±, I laughed, with a playful smile, ¡°Watch this, Spaan Revak Zii!¡±


    Shielding our souls from the clutches of the Ideal Masters, I headed into the Soul Cairn without any further concerns. Following me down into the portal, my fianc¨¦es gave Serana a playful smile as they strolled right in. Curious what I had just uttered in the dragon tongue, she was about to speak up when Lydia chimed it.


    ¡°If you are having a hard time understanding all of this, you are not alone. I am still having a lot of trouble, just go with the flow and things should turn out alright.¡±, Lydia remarked, with an understanding nod.


    ¡°Haha, I understand what you mean, this is certainly a lot to process all at once. That said, I am enjoying every moment I spend with them. For the first time I can remember, I am actually excited to see what tomorrow will bring.¡±, Serana said, looking down at us, ¡°You know, I never got to have friends growing up here. My father felt it was a complete waste of time and a nuisance to his plans. Now that I am getting to experience comradery for the first time...I never want to go back to the way things were before. I am now in full control of my future, and I think I will stick with them to see what the future holds for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­*sigh*¡­clearly I must be the oddball of this group because I think this whole thing is crazy as heck.¡±, Lydia laughed, ¡°Come on, we should get going before they leave us behind.¡±


    Chasing after our group, Lydia and Serana told us to slow down so they could catch up.

 Chapter 88

    Stepping into the Soul Cairn, blinding flashes of lightning and bellowing cracks of thunder bid us welcome to the gloomy realm as we descended the stairs. Hurriedly making our way to the ground, to avoid being struck by magic lightning, as our feet touched the dead soil an eerie fog began to roll in and blanketed the area around us. Noticing the sound of the unending storm overhead was growing fainter as the fog thickened, we realized we were about to be ambushed. Closing ranks and drawing our weapons, I shouted Lok Vah Koor (Clear Skies) to remove the fog bank.


    As the fog quickly dissipated, hundreds of Bonemen and other monsters began to appear out of the gloom. Unable to hide their advances any longer, the monsters switched to a more direct approach and barreled toward us as fast as they could move. Using Unrelenting Force to tear apart the nearest group of monsters, the women used the few moments I bought us to reorganize themselves. Joining me at the front, Aela, Lucoa, Lydia, Serana, and Roxanne prepared themselves for shitshow while Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, Mylene, and Olivia began lobbing powerful offensive magics at the approaching horde.


    ¡°At this rate we will be through this horde in a couple of minutes.¡±, Aela shouted, shattering the skull of a Boneman with her shield, ¡°Do you know where we need to go from here, Victor?¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No, but I am certain he does.¡±, I answered, pointing to the dragon flying toward us, ¡°That is Durnehviir, the Ideal Master¡¯s pet dragon. I should be able to reason with him, but just in case, be prepared to run for cover.¡±


    ¡°Go on, we have this!¡±, Serana assured me, killing several Mistmen with Chain Lightning.


    Leaping into the air, I flew off toward Durnehviir who was nearly upon us now. Shouting his name as I approached, the ancient dragon stopped his advance and began to hover in midair. Waiting for me to approach him, he appeared quite delighted to speak to a fellow Dovah for the first time in a long while.


    ¡°Greetings Dovahkiin, what brings you to this wretched place?¡±, Durnehviir inquired.


    ¡°I am here seeking a vampire that entered this realm several thousand years ago. Do you know where she is hold up?¡±, I replied.


    ¡°Yes, I am well aware of the witch you seek. She currently resides in a tower to the northeast of here.¡±, Durnehviir answered, with a serious expression, ¡°Unfortunately though, the Ideal Master¡¯s have tasked me with bringing them her soul. If I allow her to leave this realm, they will pour out their rage upon me which is something I would rather not endure again.¡±


    ¡°What if I liberated you from this place, and sent you back to Nirn? Would you let us pass unabated?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Hmm¡­forgive me, but I am doubtful you could break the chains that bind me to this realm. I have tried many times to use my Thu¡¯um to liberate myself, and every time I have been met with failure.¡±, Durnehviir remarked, with a downcast look.


    Certain that I could do it, with enough dragonic mana and the right words, I asked Durnehviir to let me give it a go. Giving me the benefit of the doubt, he agreed to my request hopeful I would prove him wrong. Taking a few minutes to calm myself and allow the ether to flow into me, once I was ready, I released the full force of my Thu¡¯um.


    ¡°Kren Dur Neh Viir Sil Gron!¡±, I commanded, causing the very space of this realm to reverberate my will.


    Overwhelmed by the power I unleashed upon him, Durnehviir nearly plummeted to the ground in shock. Catching him with the Force, I hoisted him back into the sky and gave him a moment to recover. Watching the color return to his scales and his life force flow back into his body, the ethereal chains began to shatter and slide off his body. Feeling his old strength returning to his body, the ancient dragon let out a triumphant roar of satisfaction.


    ¡°You have done it, Dovahkiin! The Ideal Master¡¯s sorcery has been undone!¡±, Durnehviir proclaimed, as he began to flap his wings again, ¡°Allow me to take you to the tower!¡±


    Diving down toward the ground, Durnehviir released centuries of pent-up anger and frustration upon denizens of the Soul Cairn. Decimating all our remaining foes on the ground, the ancient dragon circled around and began flying toward the tower. Beckoning for us to follow him, our new ally would clear a path so we could travel forward without any trouble.


    ¡°I am going on ahead, once I am at the tower, I will teleport everyone over!¡±, I yelled down to the group.


    Giving me the thumbs up, the women began looting the defeated enemies while I darted after Durnehviir.


    ---Ten Minutes Later---


    Landing atop Valerica¡¯s tower, the pure-blood vampire inside made it known she was none too happy about Durnehviir¡¯s arrival. Leaning out her second story window, Valerica began shouting curses and insults at him for constantly harassing her. Abruptly stopping her ranting when she noticed my arrival, she stared at me with a curious look.


    ¡°Well this is unusual. Are you one of the Ideal Master¡¯s new puppets?¡±, Valerica inquired, I landed outside her home.


    ¡°No, I am a friend of your daughter Serana.¡±, I informed her, ¡°Please wait a moment, I will teleport my party over so she can explain everything to you.¡±


    Transferring the women to my location, the moment Valerica saw her daughter standing there, she vanished from window and came flying out her front door. Slamming into the barrier that kept her trapped her, Valerica began wailing out it like her life depended on it. Seeing the anger and fear painted on her face, she had clearly jumped to the worst-case scenario and thought her husband had sent us all here.


    ¡°Stay away from my daughter, all of you!! If you so much as lay a finger on her, I will tear every single one of you apart!!¡±, Valerica hissed, hell bent on protecting Serana no matter the cost, ¡°Damn you Harkon, you backstabbing bastard!!¡±


    ¡°Mother, please calm down, it is not like that at all.¡±, Serana said, rushing over to her mother, ¡°They are not subordinates of the Volkihar Clan, these people are the ones who released me from my casket in Dimhollow Crypt. Victor and his family have been supporting me up to this point, without them, I doubt I would have made it this far. Can you please do something about this stupid barrier?¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±, I answered, ¡°Vo Lah Bo!!¡±


    Redirecting the magic used to maintain the barrier back to its point of origin, three violent explosions rocked the immediate area. Turning around to see what happened, we watched as three gigantic towers collapsed to the ground generating massive clouds of dust on impact. Realizing the Ideal Masters had not built in a mechanism to vent excess mana at the Shifting Spires, I had accidentally created a Mana Overload that resulted in the obliterations of the spires and the tower they rested upon.


    ¡®You know¡­I wonder if it would be possible to create a similar phenomenon with Chaos Space Marine Psykers. I doubt they train much at all anymore so reversing the flow of their powers back into themselves would effectively turn them into Psyker Bombs, right?¡¯, I thought, deciding to investigate the matter further later.


    With the barrier now gone, Serana pulled her mother in for a big hug which surprised Valerica. Having assumed Serana would hate her for sealing her away all those years ago, Valerica was very relieved that her fears were unfound. Holding each other tightly for a few minutes, the two of them wanted to simply enjoy this reunion in silence.


    ¡°My darling daughter, I apologize for sealing you away all those years ago. You deserved to know everything back then but there was not enough time to explain everything, and I could not risk you fighting me on my decision.¡±, Valerica stated, squeezing her daughter tightly, ¡°Can you ever forgive me for what I have done?¡±


    ¡°So long as you swear to me you will never do this again, I can.¡±, Serana answered, with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, my precious child.¡±, Valerica said, letting her go and turning to us, ¡°Now then, who are you people and what is your connection to my daughter?¡±


    ¡°As Serana said, we are the ones who found Serana in Dimhollow Crypt and brought her back to Castle Volkihar. Serana was hell bent on bring you home, so we led here to find you.¡±, I informed her, ¡°Before you bring up your husband, you should know that I have permanently dealt with him. He is but an ash pile in your Great Hall, along with most of your clan members.¡±


    Surprised to hear that I had killed him, Valerica looked to her daughter for verification. Confirming that her father was indeed no more, a big smile crept upon her face.


    ¡°Well then, I want to return home at once!¡±, Valerica proclaimed, ¡°I no longer have a reason to stay in this dreary place. Give me a moment, I need to pack up my belongings.¡±


    Climbing down from the roof, Durnehviir approached me ready for me to complete our transaction. Having lived up to his end of the bargain, and then some, I was happy to oblige him.


    ¡°Alright, Durnehviir, are you ready to go home?¡±, I asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Of course, I have waited a very long time for this day to come.¡±, Durnehviir responded, with a throaty chuckle, ¡°I will seek you out again once I regain my full strength, Dovahkiin. You have liberated me from this horrid place, and I have yet to begin repaying you for it.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I will keep an eye out for your return. Be warned that Tamriel is not the same place you remember. The races have grown stronger, and Alduin is on the prowl once again.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°Thank you for the warning. I will keep that in mind while I regain my strength.¡±, Durnehviir replied.


    ¡°Nahl Daal Vus!!¡±, I shouted, hitting him again with the full force of my Thu¡¯um.


    Watching Durnehviir fade out of this realm, I wished them the best of luck back in Tamriel. Walking back over to Serana and the others, we began to discuss our next steps till Valerica returned with several bags in hand. Pushing them all into my arms, like I was some bellhop, I proceed to shove them right back to her.


    ¡°I am not your babysitter nor your servant. You brought this crap here, you can carry it out.¡±, I remarked.


    ¡°You are going to make me carry it all the way to the exit?!¡±, Valerica protested, waiting for my reaction.


    ¡°My plan is to teleport us to the exit. You can carry your baggage up from there.¡±, I said.


    Snapping my fingers, all of us moved back to the foot of the staircase. Leading the group up the stairs, Serana picked up a couple of bags and began to follow me. Letting out a sigh, Valerica picked up the remaining luggage and follow our group out of the Soul Cairn.

 Chapter 89

    ---Valerica¡¯s Laboratory---


    Closing the portal to the Soul Cairn, once we were all safely out, Valerica tossed her bags onto the floor and began to look around her old lab. Having anticipated her laboratory being in poor shape, as Harkon was incredibly hot tempered, she could not have imagined it would be this bad. Broken furniture aside, her alchemical ingredients and notebooks where in tatters, precious family heirlooms were missing, and worst of all there was a giant fucking hole in the wall that led down to overgrown garden. Unable to contain her anger, it became very apparent that Harkon was not the only hot-tempered parent in the household. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That rat bastard, I knew he was childish, but I cannot believe he would stoop this low! He stole several priceless family heirlooms that were meant for Serana¡¯s dowry!¡±, Valerica howled, fuming with anger, ¡°If they are nowhere to be found in the castle, it could take centuries to reclaim everything our family lost. Damn it all, I am turning his ashes into Cure Disease potions for humans. I can just imagine how cross he will be when I see his ugly mug again in Coldhabour!¡±


    Happy to help her mother, Serana took her down to the Great Hall to show her which pile was Harkon. Returning a few minutes later with a large bowl of vampire dust, Valerica walked over to her alchemy table and began brewing potions with the few ingredients she had available to her.


    ¡°Now then, I suppose we should get back down to business again.¡±, Valerica said, splitting her attention between her alchemical work and us, ¡°Serana tells me that you have taken it upon yourself to lead our Volkihar Clan, even though you do not want to become a vampire yourself. What do you hope to gain by intermingling with a group of powerful, ancient vampires?¡±


    Assuming Serana had not disclosed our identities to her mother, I took this opportunity to explain that we were not natives of this world and of the intergalactic war raging out in space. Elaborating on how the Volkihar Clan could assist me by becoming assassins, interrogators, and spies in my service, Valerica agreed that their natural abilities made them perfectly suited for those sorts of roles. Getting to the part where I would use Serana and her expertise in magical research to further my goals, she set her pestle and mortar down and turned to look at me with intrigue.


    ¡°You want my daughter and I to work alongside you as magic researchers, that is rather interesting. Tell me, what sort of magic are you wanting to investigate?¡±, she pressed me.


    ¡°The Forces of Chaos are mostly comprised of entities that are similar to mortal souls. When these entities enter the Materium, our plane of existence, they take on corporal forms that we can kill. Unfortunately, killing their corporal bodies does not permanently kill them, they simply return to their plane of existence, the Immaterium, to recover and return to the battlefield once again.¡±, I explained, ¡°Right now I know of only two ways to permanently kill them, using artifacts from the Immaterium or with Holy Magic. As those artifacts are few and far between and Holy Magic is a very difficult school of magic to learn, I need a better alternative to begin culling their numbers. That is where I believe Soul Manipulation Magic can come into play.¡±


    ¡°I understand now why you want our help; I spent centuries in the Soul Cairn studying that field of magic.¡±, she acknowledged, ¡°Very well, you can count on the two of us and the Volkihar Clan to assist you in your war. That said though, I want to ask for something in return for our services.¡±


    ¡°That being?¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°Take my daughter with you on your travels. She seems to enjoy your company, I have not seen her smile since she was only waist high to me.¡±, Valerica stated, looking at Serana, ¡°Your father robbed you of the happy childhood you deserved, and both of us made you endure that degrading ceremony as well for our own selfish gains. With your father gone and me in a comfortable place, it is time for you to go become the woman you were always meant to be.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done.¡±, I said, as Serana walked over and gave her mother a hug.


    Happy to see that their bond was still strong as ever, I was about to suggest we get moving when Jarvis alerted me to an incoming call from the Artemis Space Station. Stepping out of the room to take it, I had him patch me through to whomever was calling.


    ¡°Hello, is this you Victor?¡±, a familiar voice asked.


    ¡°Yes, it is, I take it the upper management has another request from the Galactic Senate?¡±, I chuckled.


    ¡°I wish it were that simple, Victor, but this time the request is coming directly from the Imperium. Roboute Guilliman wants to see you¡­in person.¡±, the Branch Manager said, in a nervous tone, ¡°Any idea why the acting leader of the Imperium wants to speak with you?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but I have a few ideas why he might want to see me.¡±, I remarked, equally surprised by this news, ¡°Give me one moment, let me see when I am due back in port¡­¡±


    Pulling up the current status of the former Conqueror¡¯s upgrades and repairs, it appeared she would be ready to set sail again in a week¡¯s time. Wanting to show off my new, state of the art vessel to them, my hope was Guilliman would see what the Imperium could achieve. As it stood right now, if he did not turn things around quickly, the Imperium would have no hope of ever moving forward. While the rest of cosmos continued to adapt and advance, they would be left behind and be lost to history like so many other nations have.


    ¡°I will let them know to expect you in a week¡¯s time. Good luck Victor, and all our sakes, please do not upset Roboute!¡±, he pleaded, before ending the call.


    Sending over the rendezvous coordinates over to me, I had Luxion prepare escort ships as the coordinates put us right on the Imperium¡¯s frontlines. Heading back to the laboratory, everyone turned to me wanting to know about the call. Telling them about the meeting and when it was happening, Lucoa and Roxanne¡¯s faces soured at the mention of the Imperium.


    ¡°So we are heading to a nation full of xenophobes that hate people like the two of us.¡±, Lucoa said, pointing at Roxanne and her, ¡°Do you really have to accept the meeting with them?¡±


    ¡°Unlike most people in the Imperium, Roboute Guilliman is a forward thinker who does not outright hate every alien race. He is flexible enough to understand that for humanity to survive, they must make allies wherever they can.¡±, I told them, ¡°In this case, I feel comfortable enough for you to come with me, if you want too.¡±


    Agreeing to come immediately, my fianc¨¦es felt duty bound to stand by me during a major political meeting. While their answer was clear cut, Lydia and Serana were not certain what to do.


    ¡°Lydia, I had a few tasks I wanted you to complete for me here in Skyrim. At the forefront of everything, I need you to contact the Thieves Guild in Riften. There are many items I want them to secure for us, from ancient relics to old magic tomes.¡±, I told her, looking at Valerica, ¡°If you could, give Lydia descriptions of the heirlooms you are missing. We can have them look for those as well.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated.¡±, Valerica thanked me, getting back to her potion brewing, ¡°I will take care of getting our castle restocked, do not worry about that. Also, I would like one of those devices you gave our subordinates that allows them to freely walk in the sunlight.¡±


    ¡°Serana, if you are comfortable with it, I would like you to accompany us for this meeting. The Imperium has a group within their ranks that are afflicted with a severe case of vampirism. Your insight may prove invaluable in helping control their feeding urges. Rumors abound that the group is snatching people off the street and draining them completely of their blood.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°Space vampires, that sounds quite interesting!¡±, Serana remarked, with a playful smile, ¡°You can count on me.¡±


    Happy to hear she was onboard, there was only one pressing matter left to resolve on Nirn, defeating Alduin. Deciding it was high time we made our way to Sovngarde, I had Yamato begin to scan the mountains to the east for Skuldafn. While she worked on locating our portal, we decided to head back to Whiterun for a hearty meal and some delicious mead.

 Chapter 90

    ---Breezehome, Next Morning---


    Locating our destination sometime during the night, Yamato surveyed the site and made note of all points of interest. Having Luxion present us with her findings, while we were eating breakfast, Aela, Lydia, and Serana were amazed by how much information was collected. Allowing them to explore Skuldafn as if they were there physically, it finally dawned on them just how easy it would be for Otherworlders to take over Nirn. Grateful that we were kind, respectable people, not ruthless conquerors, they began to wonder why people from other worlds had not already enslaved them and stripped their world of its resources.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, Victor, are worlds like ours a common sight out there?¡±, Serana asked, twiddling her thumbs nervously.


    <Allow me to answer that question, Master. Currently, in the Galactic Republic, there are over fourteen million documented Class M worlds with Type 0 civilizations. This planet falls into those two categories.>


    ¡°Class M worlds are planets that can sustain life without outside intervention, and Type 0 civilizations are ones who have barely advanced past the horse and cart.¡±, I elaborated further, ¡°In most interstellar nations, it is forbidden to interact with civilizations below Type 2. While not strictly regulated, the country your planet resides in goes to extreme lengths to ensure you are left alone.¡±


    ¡°So then technically, you should not be here then, right?¡±, Aela inquired, with a playful smile, ¡°My mother warned me to stay away from bad men like you, guess it is too late now. Oh well!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡±, I acknowledged, in a serious tone, ¡°I suppose that means I will have to nullify our relationship and erase everyone¡¯s memories of us. Such a shame¡­I was really looking forward to all the adventures we were going share out there.¡±


    ¡°Now hang on a minute, I was just joking!¡±, Aela remarked, in a worried tone.


    Cracking a smile, Aela realized I was joking as well. Letting out a sigh of relief, the women giggled at how flustered she had been over my comment. Telling all of them to shut it, Aela quickly switched topics to move past her embarrassing blunder. Wanting to know exactly where in Skuldafn the portal to Sovngarde was, as Yamato had not recorded anything about it, she was curious if there was some trick or mechanism to open it.


    ¡°The portal is currently closed right now, but this is where it is.¡±, I said, moving the camera view to the large, stone courtyard in the middle of the ruins, ¡°In order to open it, we will need a special staff currently in the possession of an undead lich named Nahkriin. He was a prominent priest in the Dragon Cult that controlled most of Skyrim in the Merethic Era. Be cautious when we fight him, Nahkriin is a master of both Destruction and Dragon magics.¡±


    ¡°We will also have to contend with a small army of Draugr, ancient ruins like these are usually full of them.¡±, Lydia added, ¡°There is also a chance dragons will show up to defend the ruins too. Sovngarde is where Alduin collects his power, so he is certain to have additional forces nearby just in case.¡±


    Hearing all the foes we were going up against, Aela and Roxanne began grinning ear to ear. Having grown bored with the lack of combat late of real combat lately, they were excited to finally get a workout in again.


    ¡°Since we will be miles away from anyone at Skuldafn, everyone is free to use our more modern arsenal today. Aela, Lydia, and Serana, you are welcome to try out some of our weapons as well, just know your options will be a bit limited.¡±, I stated, tossing my dishes into the washing basin, ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±


    Chugging down the last remaining sips of coffee and tea, the women tossed their dishes in the basin and gave me a thumbs up. Having Yamato teleport us into the armory, while everyone else grabbed their preferred weapons of choice, I showed Aela, Lydia, and Serana the weapons they were permitted to use. Settling on Energy Shields and Swords, Aela and Lydia began to familiarize themselves with how they worked while Serana toyed around with a pair of Plasma Daggers.


    ¡°You sure you want daggers?¡±, I asked, with a curious look.


    ¡°Haha, I know, it does not fit in with traditional Nordic culture, but I prefer these over a normal sword. While many of my countrymen like to charge into battle screaming their lungs out, my style is more slipping behind enemy lines and slitting their throats or bombarding them with magic from a distance.¡±, she replied, as she skillfully spun the daggers around in her palms, ¡°That will not be a problem, will it?¡±


    ¡°So long as you are happy, it does not matter to me.¡±, I said, shelving the rest of the equipment, ¡°Aela and Lydia, are you good?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡±, Aela laughed, slicing the heads off several training dummies, ¡°These weapons are fucking amazing!! There is no way in hell I am going back to steel weapons ever again.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, it is far easier to move around with this equipment than the gear I typically use. Do you have lighter armor that we could use?¡±, Lydia inquired, looking around the room.


    ¡°We can take armor improvements at a later date. For the time being, attach this to your armor.¡±, I said, tossing them each a Holtzman Shield.


    Affixing the units to their right shoulders, several thin layers of light quickly enveloped them before becoming transparent again. Receiving confirmation that the shields were online and operational, I quickly tweaked a few parameters to ensure they performed optimally. Questioning what the devices were and what that light was, I told Lydia to swing her usual sword at Aela. Looking at me like I was crazy, Aela told Lydia to just do it and get it over with. With Aela¡¯s blessing given, Lydia drew her steel blade and swung it at Aela¡¯s arm. Abruptly stopping just a few millimeters from her skin, my housecarl found herself unable to push it any further.


    ¡°By the Eight¡­¡±, Lydia said, attacking Aela several more times, ¡°Why can I not touch her?!¡±


    ¡°Objects that exceed a certain speed are blocked by those Holtzman Shields. They will not protect you from magic, but they will stop physical attacks with ease.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°That is cheating!¡±, Serana laughed, ¡°So all we must do is avoid magical spells? That is child¡¯s play.¡±


    Asking the others if they were all set, Angelica and women gave me an affirmative nod. Having everyone gather round, I gave Yamato the command to teleport us down to the Nordic ruins.


    ---Skuldafn---


    Beaming us down to the stone courtyard, Yamato put us down right in the middle of the courtyard. Visually scanning the area for threats, Roxanne spotted Nahkriin wandering around the edge of courtyard blissfully unaware of our arrival. Confirming that no other enemies were present, three of the women broke away from our group and made a mad dash for the dragon priest.


    ¡°I will go high, Roxanne will go low, and Serana will deliver the final blow from behind. That work for you ladies?¡±, Aela asked, in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me.¡±, Serana said, turning invisible and heading off on her own.


    ¡°Understood, do you need a boost?¡±, Roxanne questioned, tapping her shield with her sword.


    ¡°I can already tell that the two of us are going to be best friends.¡±, Aela answered, with a big grin, ¡°Of course I will take that boost!¡±


    Waiting till they were within one hundred feet of Nahkriin, Roxanne temporarily sheathed her blade, raised her shield up, and dropped into a power slide. Leaping onto the shield, Roxanne used every ounce of strength she had to launch Aela into the air. Raising her sword high, Aela released a boisterous battle cry as she began to descend toward Nahkriin. Caught completely off guard, the dragon priest whipped his staff around attempting to slam it into her side.


    ¡°Not today you old bag of bones!¡±, Aela laughed, placing her faith in the Holtzman Shield I gave here, ¡°Take this!¡±


    Stopping the momentum of the staff completely before it could touch Aela, Nahkriin was left wide open to her devastating slash. Slicing through his armor and bones like warm butter, she created a gaping hole in his breastplate and ribcage. Slamming her shield into the dragon priest¡¯s face to stun him, Aela jumped out of the way allowing Roxanne to bulldoze in with her shield.


    Crashing into him like a semitruck, the impact shattered what remained of his ribcage and sent him flying backward. Giving chase, Roxanne drew her blade and promptly removed cut off the arm that held the staff. Grabbing it and retreating with Aela, Nahkriin was about to blast them with magic from behind when Serana drove both of her blades into his back. Narrowly missing his magic core, she cursed herself as he quickly raised the alarm.


    ¡°Paal Bo! Paal Bo!!¡±, Nahkriin shouted, before Serana silenced him forever. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Grabbing his mask, before chasing after Aela and Roxanne, the two women reached us just as the Draugr began pouring out of the ruins. Raising their rifles, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, Mylene, and Olivia began chipping away at their numbers as they surged toward us. Tossing me the staff, Aela, Roxanne, and Serana looked to me for what came next.


    ¡°Sorry guys, my skills are a bit rusty. Who would have thought being several thousand years out of practice would do that to someone.¡±, Serana laughed, with an apologetic grin.


    ¡°Do we make our stand here or proceed into Sovngarde?¡±, Aela asked.


    ¡°It does not make much of a difference, we either fight them here or fight them in Sovngarde.¡±, I remarked, launching a rocket at the horde from my wrist launcher.


    <Captain, you have three dragons inbound from the northwest. ETA is five minutes.>


    ¡°Are any of them Alduin?¡±, I inquired.


    <Unfortunately he is leading the group, Captain>


    Fully aware that we could not kill him in this dimension, the decision to drag this fight into Sovngarde was made for us. Driving the staff into the pedestal, the ground under our feet began to violently shake. Telling the women to prepare for a dimension jump, a few moments later, we all fell into the portal together.

 Chapter 91

    Stepping out of the portal, we found ourselves standing in a massive, windswept prairie dotted with the disembodied souls of the recently departed living. Wandering around taking in the beauty of Sovngarde, they were completely oblivious to our presence here. Startled by the number young men and women around us, Aela and Lydia quickly pieced together that they were victims of this damned civil war.


    ¡°While I would love to stay and admire the beauty of this realm, we cannot linger here. Alduin and his forces will be upon us soon, and this is no place to make our stand.¡±, I said, proceeding toward a distant rocky outcropping that was familiar to me, ¡°Follow me, I believe I know where the Hall of Valor is. We can hopefully secure a few more allies to make this fight easier for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±, Aela protested, turning her attention to the lingering spirits, ¡°Hear me, my brothers and sisters, Alduin the World Eater is on his way here to devour all of you. Please follow us, we can ensure he does not fill his gullet with your souls!¡±


    Expecting them to turn and follow us, when none of them so much as glanced in her direction, the color from her face disappeared. Trying once more to warn them of the impending danger, Serana broke the unfortunate news to her.


    ¡°Aela, they cannot hear us because we are living beings, and they are souls. You are wasting your time trying to warn them, I am sorry.¡±, Serana remarked.


    ¡°What about your necromancy? Can you use it to communicate with them?¡±, Aela inquired, with a hopeful smile.


    ¡°That could work, yes, but I do not have the time to cast the spells needed to do it. Not only that, as a Daughter of Coldharbour, it could result in me being ejected from this realm.¡±, Serana replied, with an apologetic look, ¡°I truly am sorry Aela.¡±


    ¡°Victor is there anything you can do to help these people?¡±, Aela asked, with a pleading expression, ¡°Many Nords spend their entire lives looking forward to sharing in the splendor of Shor¡¯s Hall. While I do not share that dream, I cannot stand idly by while my kin lose their existence at the footsteps of their paradise. Even if I must face the Alduin and his hordes alone, I do so willingly for my Shield-Brother and Shield-Sisters.¡±


    Knowing just how much reaching Sovngarde meant for her kin, Aela¡¯s sense of duty refused to let her abandon them in their moment of need. Willing to throw away her own life and afterlife for her fellow Nords, she was every bit the honorable and proud women I knew she was.


    ¡°Aela, I would never walk away and abandon you or anyone else in my family. When I offered to spend the rest of my life with you, my intention was for better or for worse. No matter who our opponent is, I will always be right beside you through it all.¡±, I proclaimed, as I channeled my Force Energy, ¡°Hear me, Sons and Daughters of Skyrim, Alduin the World Eater is on his way to Sovngarde to feast upon your souls. Rally at Shor¡¯s Hall of Valor so that we may slay the foul beast together and end his reign of terror on these hollowed shores. To arms!¡±


    Hearing me loud and clear, all the spirits in the prairie began racing toward the whalebone bridge. Satisfied that we had given them a fighting chance, all of us continued toward the outcropping in the distance. Knowing what lay on the other side, I chose to keep it a secret as Shor¡¯s Hall was quite a sight to behold. Racing around the outer edge of the outcropping, the women let out a series of gasps as their eyes fell upon the Hall of Valor then the Nord Army that stood in front of the whalebone bridge.


    ¡°By Ysmir¡¯s beard, those are Shor and Tsun!!¡±, Lydia said, looking toward the two towering men leading the army, ¡°If they are here to aid us, Alduin will surely fall this day!¡±


    ¡°Victor, did you by chance call them out of the hall?¡±, Serana asked, wary of what might happen to her, ¡°Some of those present are bound to have a grudge against my family for our part in helping Lord Molag Bal¡¯s invasion of Tamriel.¡±


    ¡°They may also take offense with me as well for giving my soul to Hircine. It was the price I paid to inherit the wolf¡¯s blood from my mother.¡±, Aela stated, having not foreseen this possibility.


    ¡°I did not summon them, but I will protect you if they choose violence.¡±, I assured them, ¡°Stay close by me till we ascertain their position on both of you.¡±


    Nodding their heads, the two women took up positions either side of me and kept their heads down avoiding the gazes that fell upon us. Maintaining stone faced expressions, Shor and Tsun stared at me for a few moments before reaching out their hands for a handshake. Assuming this was a test to see what kind of man I was, I retracted my gauntlets and clasped their hands firmly. Returning the gesture in kind, their bones began to creak as they attempted to crush my hands. Stopping after a moment, both men let go of me and nodded with satisfaction.


    ¡°Well met, Otherworlder. We bid you welcome to Sovngarde and the world of Nirn.¡±, Tsun said, with a pleased smile, ¡°Forgive our wariness, the last few groups of Otherworlders that visited Nirn came with the intention of enslaving its people or stripping the world of its natural resources. We were uncertain if you were like them, but our handshake confirmed that your heart is full adventure and curiosity, not conquest and greed.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor to meet both of you as well. The Nords hold you both in high regard, and I can understand why after meeting both of you.¡±, I replied, with a respectful nod, ¡°May I assume that your armed presence here is an indication that you are here to aid in our battle with Alduin and his forces?¡±


    ¡°That is indeed correct, your two lovers may be at ease. Though they have chosen to travel different paths, none here seeks to pass judgement upon them for following their hearts.¡±, Shor remarked, with a soft smile, ¡°That said, I do hope that both of you will one day rejoin the fold before your time comes. I would gladly welcome you both as Shield-Sisters.¡±


    Hearing Shor call her my lover, Serana opened her mouth to refute him but quickly stopped herself from doing so. Taking a moment to reflect on everything that had happened recently, she looked at my fianc¨¦es and I for a second till a realization dawned on her. She had grown to cherish the friendship and warmth we shared with her, but there was more to it than that. Even though Serana had been with us only a few days, she already saw herself as a member of our family. While she still loved Valerica deeply, everything she had ever wanted her family to be was now right beside her in us.


    ¡°I can assure you, Young One, that you will find no equal to this man among the mortal realms. He is an exceedingly rare man that has both the strength and tenacity of a powerful warrior, and the heart and mind of a wise sage.¡±, Shor remarked, looking at me with a grin, ¡°The people of this world have grown complacent and lax during this time of relative peace. Meeting you gives me hope that one day soon the people of Nirn will again begin to hone their skills and improve themselves as you consistently do. I know you are not of this world, but your presence here may serve to spur the people forward to brighter future for all who call Nirn home.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for words of praise.¡±, I said, lowering my head to him, ¡°As for you, Serana, I will not strong arm you into joining my family, but I would certainly be happy to have you.¡±


    ¡°The more I think about it, the more I am certain my mother is hoping for the same outcome.¡±, Serana laughed, with a brilliant smile, ¡°I do not know why you want to be with a screwed-up vampire like me with mountains of family and individual trauma, but¡­I would be happy to be part of this family. Everyone here has shown me just what I was missing in my life, and I do not ever want to go back to the way I was before. While it will take me some time to adjust to this dynamic, thank you for having me.¡±


    ¡°It is good to have you along for this crazy ride!¡±, Clarice giggled, pulling her into a hug.


    Quickly embracing her from all angles, everyone hugged her tightly and welcomed her to the family. Overwhelmed by the show of love we were giving her; Serana began to tear up a bit as she had never experienced so much of it before. Opening her mouth to say something, a loud dragon roar in the distance snapped us all back to reality. Letting go of one another, each of us prepared ourselves for a rough fight.


    ¡°Shield-Brothers and Shield-Sisters, steel yourselves! The World Eater and his host has arrived upon our doorstep!¡±, Shor proclaimed, raising his war hammer high above his head, ¡°The battle here today will be sung about in both the Hall of Valor and the World of the Living!¡±


    Answering Shor¡¯s call to arms with resolute battle cries, the Nords raised their shields and weapons ready for a grueling battle. Feeling the ground beneath our feet begin to tremble, thousands of Draugr and other monsters began to surge around and over the outcropping. Believing we should conserve our main forces for the dragons themselves, I stepped forward to deal with the horde.


    ¡°Allow me to begin this fight!¡±, I proclaimed, gathering an ungodly amount of dragonic mana, ¡°Shul Ag Dilon!!¡±


    Enveloping the entirety of the prairie in golden fire, the Draugr and the other undead monsters vanished within moments of the flames touched them. Taking inspiration from Dawnbreaker and the Emperor¡¯s Flaming Sword, I created a shout that would erase all my undead foes from existence. Surprised to learn that I was quite proficient in the use of the dragon tongue, Shor and Tsun praised me for my quick comprehension and understanding of the Thu¡¯um.


    ¡°There, I see the World Eater and four other dragons!!¡±, one of the Ancient Nords called out, drawing our attention to five small dots that were heading toward us from high in the sky.


    ¡®Even though he is up against two deities, an army of angry Nords, and a group of Otherworlders, Alduin still chooses to stick to normal dragonic tactics. How arrogant of him.¡¯, I thought, as Julnirsov had told me quite a lot about dragon battle tactics during our long flights, ¡°Felldir, Gormlaith, Hakon, I will need your assistance to bring the five of them down! Will you assist me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Shield-Brother!¡±, Hakon shouted, as three of them pushed their way to the front, ¡°Let us rip the wings off those flying lizards!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡±, I chuckled, shaking their hands.


    Forming a line at the front of the group, Shor ordered his men to wait till the dragon¡¯s were grounded before charging into the fray. Taking a moment to calm ourselves and gather sufficient dragonic mana, as the beasts pulled out of their dive and soared to us, we prepared to shout them into a high-speed crash. Glaring at me intently as the dragons drew closer, Alduin looked at the Nords beside me and immediately recognized them from their previous duel. Realizing what we intended to do, the black dragon formation. Confused by what he was doing, the four dragons were too distracted to notice what was about to happen.


    ¡°Joor Zah Frul!!¡±, the four of us shouted, in unison.


    Robbing them of a substantial amount of their strength and mana, the four of them tumbled out of the sky and crashed through the rocky outcropping. Coming to a painful stop a few yards from us, the dragons were far too dazed and confused to attack us immediately. Rushing forward, the Nords swarmed the beasts and pinned them down. While some began hacking away at their hardened scales, most grabbed hold of their wings and began trying to tear them off to immobilize them permanently.


    ¡°Release me at once, you filthy mortals!!¡±, one of the dragons roared, snapping his maw shut around several of them at once.


    Completely unharmed by its physical attacks, as they had not physical bodies to harm, Gormlaith jumped up onto the beast¡¯s head and drove her blade through its eye. Screaming like a banshee as it knocked everyone off it, the dragon began lashing out erratically at anything that got close, even its own kind. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Otherworlder, leave these foul creatures to us! Focus on Alduin alone, we cannot afford to let him escape!¡±, Felldir told me.


    ¡°I can do that.¡±, I acknowledge, looking toward my family, ¡°Be prepare to come running, I am going to drop him right on the outcropping.¡±


    ¡°See you shortly!¡±, Deirdre remarked, drawing her energy saber.


    Using a Force Storm to open a portal beneath my feet and above Alduin¡¯s head, I plunged through the opening and slammed right onto his back shoulders. Releasing a startled shriek, the black dragon looked back at me with venomous hatred. Performing a series of barrel rolls attempting to throw me off his back, I held on tightly to his spines refusing to let him go.


    ¡°Why will you not release me, Dovahkiin!?¡±, Alduin roared, annoyed that his could not reach me.


    ¡°You gorge yourself upon the souls of my lovers, and you ask why I refuse to let you go? Now fall!¡±, I commanded, ¡°Joor Zah Frul!!¡±


    Temporarily robbing him of the strength to fly, the two of us began to plummet toward the ground. Getting a firm grip on Alduin, I engaged my propulsion units and began kiting us toward my intended target. Realizing that we were picking up far more speed than normal, he looked back at me and noticed the bright glow of my repulsors and thrusters.


    ¡°What manner of sorcery is that?!¡±, he roared.


    ¡°I have no reason to give an answer to a dead man!¡±, I said, letting go of him and quickly switching into a horizontal hover position.


    <Sir, the Unibeam is fully charged and ready to fire.>


    ¡°Take this, you scaley piece of shit!¡±, I laughed, unleashing five terawatts of energy straight toward him.


    Hitting him straight on, Alduin slammed into the ground with enough force to blow my family, Shor, and Tsun off their feet with the resulting air pressure. Pinning him to the ground for a good minute, Jarvis cut the power to the Unibeam allowing me to continue my descent toward the ground.


    ¡°YOU¡­FOOLISH¡­MORTAL!!!¡±, Alduin gargled, his lungs filling with blood, ¡°HOW DARE¡­YOU HURT¡­ME!!!¡±


    ¡°Light that son of bitch up!!¡±, Lucoa shouted, as the women began firing upon him with their laser rifles set to maximum output.


    Doing what they could as well, Serana bombarded him with dozens of powerful spells while Aela and Lydia lobbed firebombs upon Alduin. Slowly regenerating from his extensive injuries, the black dragon sluggishly rolled off his back and turned to my family. Blinding him with two well placed shots, the group focused their fire next on his wing joints.


    ¡°Yol¡­Toor¡­Sh- ¡°, Alduin started to chant, before I slammed into the top of his head.


    Burying his face several feet into the ground, I did a backflip off him and slid across the blood-soaked grass. With him temporarily immobilized, all that was left was to ensure that he never returned to Nirn or anywhere else again.


    ¡°Ziil Los Dii Du!¡±, I shouted.


    Ensnaring the World Eater¡¯s soul, like he had done to countless mortals before, Alduin ripped his head out from the soil and began to fight me for possession of his soul. Too injured to keep a grip on his soul and shout at me at the same time, he attempted to drag himself toward me to use physical attacks instead.


    ¡°I refuse¡­to be done in¡­by a¡­wretched¡­mortal!¡±, Alduin spat, barely able to lift his head up.


    ¡°I am not mere mortal, worm. I am your judge, jury, and executioner, Victor von Stark!¡±, I told him, ¡°Gol Hah Dov!!¡±


    Adding further strain to his already weakened body and spirit, Alduin¡¯s souls began to slowly inch out of his body. Understanding that he could not keep this up for much longer, the black dragon risked it all and tried to weaken me with his Thu¡¯um.


    ¡°Meyz Sahlo Joor!!¡±, Alduin shouted, using what little strength he had left.


    ¡°Your weak words have no effect on me, World Eater. This armor was designed to withstand attacks from beings whose power makes you look like an ant next to them.¡±, I remarked, shrugging off his shout.


    ¡°You will all¡­pay for this¡­humiliation!!¡±, Alduin coughed, his last bits of strength fading away.


    ¡°The living need not fear the dead.¡±, I retorted, using Force Disintegration to deal the killing blow.


    Absorbing the tremendous amount of power he had acquired over the centuries, my blood felt like it was about to boil me alive. Grinning through the overwhelming amount of pain I was in, once I had fully absorbed his soul, I dropped to my knees and began gasping for air.


    ¡°Victor, are you okay?!¡±, Mylene shouted, rushing over to my side, ¡°Were you just joking when you said that attack did not hurt you!? Olivia, come here quickly!!¡±


    ¡°I am fine¡­Mylene.¡±, I wheezed, ¡°It was just quite a lot of power to take in all at once. Normally a mortal such as myself would have died from that amount of power, but I appear to have toughed it out.¡±


    ¡°You could have died!?¡±, Mylene shrieked.


    ¡°There was a small chance yes, but the benefits outweighed the risk.¡±, I chuckled, giving her a playful smile, ¡°Up till now we have had an easy go of things in space, it will not always be that way in the future. Our enemies are numerous, and some are billions of years ahead of me in terms of technological power. If I am not willing to take risks like this for our future and the future of the universe, I have no business being out here.¡±


    ¡°Still though, you should not push yourself this hard!¡±, Mylene scolded me, ¡°You are the glue that keeps this family together. If you die¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, I think you are very mistaken. If you knew what I do about this fucked up universe, I do not think you would ever want to get out of bed and continue forward. Your beautiful smiles, the memories we have made thus far, and the dreams we have for our future are what keeps me going.¡±, I remarked, as my fianc¨¦es helped me back onto my feet.


    Looking back at the Nords, who were celebrating the downfall of Alduin, Shor and Tsun came to thank us for our efforts here today. Regretful that we could not join in the feasting with them, as we had to quickly return to the mortal plane before we became part of this realm, Shor placed his hand on my shoulder with a reassuring smile.


    ¡°You have done well, Otherworlder. Alduin is no longer a threat to anyone in this world, and balance has been restored once again. Given that our influence is limited to this world, there is very little we can offer you in terms of compensation for your deed here.¡±, Shor said.


    ¡°If you could bestow a blessing upon my housecarl Lydia and our future, rebuilt home in Whiterun, I would greatly appreciate it. While most of our work here on Nirn is complete, all of us would still like to come back and enjoy this world beauty every now and then.¡±, I stated, ¡°Would that be alright with you?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±, Shor replied, with a hearty laugh, ¡°Now then, my friends, it is time for you to return to Nirn and carry on with your mission.¡±


    Using the Return to Nirn shout upon all of us, we were quickly swallowed up by darknesses before reappearing in the Breezehome. Deciding to have our own celebration to commemorate our accomplishment, we sent our modern weaponry back to the armory before heading out the door to the Bannered Mare.

 Chapter 92

    ---Six Days Later, Production World #07---


    Leaving Lydia behind on Nirn to handle the renovation of our home and various other tasks, my fianc¨¦es and I headed out to Production World Seven to take charge of my new flagship. Meeting us at my personal docking bay, Commander Bannister welcomed us back from our prolonged workcation before jumping right into business. Leading us to one of the transport shuttles, she entered the bay number we needed to go to and let the computer handle the rest.


    ¡°My apologies, Supreme Commander, we ran into a few issues at the last minute so final system checks are being completed as we speak.¡±, Commander Bannister said, with an apologetic look, ¡°When we attempted to name the vessel; the Machine Spirit went ballistic and caused a lot of problems onboard. It took swearing to leave the naming to you for her to calm down, but the damage was already done.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, I should have warned you better that Machine Spirit¡¯s can be quite fickle beings. In the future, you can use me as an intermediary to communicate with Lotara as she appears to like me well enough.¡±, I said, with a smirk, ¡°Even though she tried to kill me the first time we met, haha!¡±


    ¡°What is this Machine Spirit you are talking about?¡±, Aela inquired, a bit interested to learn about the wider universe, ¡°Is it a ghost or lesser deity?¡±


    ¡°Machine Spirits are sentient, spiritual beings that I believe were brought into existence by the collective wills of several hundred billion psykers from the Imperium of Man. You see psykers and mages are similar to each other but are also inherently different. Mages use power from within us or the surrounding area to cast spells, while psykers channel power from the Warp to use their psychic powers.¡±, I explained, ¡°Both can be incredibly powerful individuals, but psykers have one dangerous flaw¡­¡±


    ¡°Drawing power from literal Hell exposes them to Daedric Corruption or Possession.¡±, Serana stated, having come to that conclusion from the reports she had been reading recently.


    Serana''s assumption was spot on and was a very common occurrence in the Imperium. While all psykers have the potential to fall to Chaos, usually it was the weaker willed psykers that posed the larger issues. Their inability to fend off mental attacks from the Warp meant every time they tapped into their power, it was a fifty-fifty chance that they would be swallowed up by Chaos. If such a thing came to pass, those poor souls would likely become anchors for the Daemon to invade that world.


    Getting the sense that Serana was eager to research psykers and their unique power, I hoped she could find a way to save them. What I had failed to mention to everyone, for their own sake, was that to minimize the risk to the public weaker psykers were either executed upon being discovered or used as fuel sources to maintain the Emperor of Mankind¡¯s power. If they knew thousands of people were being sacrificed daily to that end, I doubted they would want to interact with the Imperium at all. While I was not their biggest fan either, if we wanted to end this war, we had to cooperate with them till that goal was achieved.


    Reaching my new ship a few minutes later, the shuttle parked itself in the hanger below the command bridge. Disembarking the shuttle, Bannister led us to a private lift they installed for me and motioned for everyone to enter. Passing through several levels of the ship, when we arrived at bridge, Lotara came running over to me with a relieved expression. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Sorry to have been away so long, Lotara. All of us were out collecting resources for the ship¡¯s upgraded Nova Cannon.¡±, I said, as we exited the lift, ¡°I hope you are happy with all the renovations and upgrades we completed to this vessel.¡±


    Aggressively nodding her head, Lotara seemed quite pleased with everything we had done to her ship. Eagerly showing me around to all the new toys that had been added to her command center, even though I was the one who designed the layout, I inspected everything closely as we walked around the room. Once our tour was complete, she moved next to the captain¡¯s chair and motioned for me to take a seat. Obliging her request, as sunk into the chair, I connected to the ship¡¯s neural network to ensure I had full control of everything onboard.


    ¡°Alright Lotara, as promised, the time has come to give this vessel a new name. I have given this matter a significant amount of thought as she will serve as my flagship, the very first vessel my allies and foes will see in space. The name I chose sums up the vision I have for our future and everything I am working to achieve. From this moment onward, this ship will be known as the Endless Horizons.¡±, I stated, looking her in the eyes.


    Understanding my reasoning for name, as she was aware of what my end goal was, Lotara appeared to be quite happy to receive the name. Snapping to attention and saluting me, she carved the name into her heart and mind.


    ¡°As for you specifically though, should I continue to call you Lotara or would Horizon be better?¡±, I inquired.


    Looking at me with confusion, Lotara did not understand what I meant.


    ¡°I understand that you are a part of this ship, but in my eyes, the ship and you are two distinct individuals. The Endless Horizons represents the physical ship we are in right now, and Lotara represents the spiritual entity that I see before me.¡±, I elaborated, ¡°If Lotara or Horizon do not work for you, please let me know what name you would like to use.¡±


    Blinking her transparent eyes several times, she looked very surprised by my words. Having never been treated separate from the ship before, it took the Machine Spirit a moment to process what I said. Once she did, Lotara held up two fingers with a gleaming smile confirming she wanted to be called Horizon.


    ¡°Very well then, Horizon, prepare to depart immediately. We have an important meeting with Roboute Guilliman in the Agripinaa System to get to.¡±, I commanded, with a smirk, ¡°Time to show those Imperium Idiots the splendor and power of a true Gloriana-Class Battleship!¡±


    Engaging systems around the ship, audible warnings around the ship began to notify the crew of our imminent departure. Feeling the engines come to life at the rear of the ship, the initial hum of the engines sent a shimmer of excitement down my spine. Having the women head off to our private quarters to prepare for the meeting, I turned to Commander Bannister and gave her a pleased nod of approval.


    ¡°Commander Bannister, I am very pleased with everything you have done to the Endless Horizons. As a reward for hard work, everyone who worked on this ship will receive a hefty bonus and a week¡¯s paid vacation to a resort world of your collective choosing.¡±, I told her, ¡°Please inform your subordinates and schedule the vacation as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Really?! Thanks Dad!!¡±, Bannister said, giving me a hug before leaving the ship with her crew.


    Chuckling at her comment, I waited for the engineers to leave the ship before closing the external doors. Gaining a bit of altitude, we slowly backed out of the bay into the open air. After clearing the shop doors, we hurriedly got into orbit around the planet to ensure we had no air leaks. Once that was done, Horizon plotted our course and engaged the Folding Drive.


    ---Agripinaa System---


    Arriving at our rendezvous point, I was surprised to find that the area was devoid of Guilliman and his forces. Believing that the Primarch was not the sort of man who would schedule a meeting and not show up, I assumed he had left to deal with a threat on a nearby world. Having Horizons scan the system for signs of ships, his flagship and several support vessels were currently engaged in a fight with a fleet of enemy ships.


    ¡°This is Victor von Stark, do you read me?¡±, I said, hailing the Macragge¡¯s Honour, ¡°Our sensors indicate that you are engaged with several enemy ships. Please advise if you would like assistance.¡±


    ¡°This is Lieutenant Maxwell of the Macragge¡¯s Honour, we read you loud and clear.¡±, Lieutenant responded, almost immediately, ¡°Primarch Roboute Guilliman sends his sincerest apologies for missing the meeting time. As you have already discovered, Agripinaa is under attack from a small fleet of Chaos Marine ships. If you are able and willing to lend your aid, the Primarch has given his approval to do so.¡±


    ¡°Understood, moving in to provide assistance now.¡±, I replied, switching to internal communications, ¡°General Quarters, all hands to your battle stations!¡±


    Activating the alarm as well, I brought all weapon systems online and guided the Endless Horizons toward the fight.

 Chapter 93

    ---3rd Person POV, Macragge''s Honour---


    Warning the laser batteries and other Imperium vessels about the approaching starship, the lieutenant ensured that everyone knew it was an allied vessel. Just as the last ship confirmed they received the information; hundreds of golden lights began streaming toward the enemy fleet. Blissfully unaware of what they were, the enemy ships did not try to fire upon them or take evasive action. With no form of resistance, the lights oversaturated the enemy¡¯s shields on contact and burrowed into the hulls of the ships.


    ¡°What in the heck were- ¡°, the Captain of Macragge''s Honour began to say, as a series of massive explosions blew apart most of the fleet and crippled the remaining vessels, ¡°The Emperor preserve us, what manner of weapon are those!¡±


    ¡°According to reports, they are specialized ordinances that are fielded by xeno races from other parts of the universe. Each light source is a unique, guided missile that burrows through armor and shielding. Once inside they continue to bore completely through the ship, or burrow into critical areas and detonate.¡±, Guilliman answered, as the Endless Horizons came into view.


    Surprised to see the former Absolute Resolve on the battlefield, as it was reported to be a mangled mess just a few months ago, Guilliman was happy to see she was in the right hands now. Proudly displaying Victor¡¯s Coat of Arms and her assortment of new weaponry, the Endless Horizons now stood as a testament to what the Imperium of Man could become. Even though true scientific and technological research had all but vanished during Guilliman¡¯s long slumber, Victor¡¯s arrival could bring about a renaissance for both the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium as a whole.


    ¡®The Imperium of Man has fallen short of the unimaginable vision the Emperor of Mankind had for our future, it is time we return to the path he set before us. While I cannot blame the Adeptus Mechanicus and High Lords of Terra for all our shortfalls, they should have used their influence and power to correct things long ago. This burden now falls to me, and I will ensure my father¡¯s will is followed¡­no matter who I must remove from power to do so.¡¯, Guilliman thought, knowing he would have to trim a lot of fat from the ruling class, ¡°I am heading to the hanger to greet our honored guests. Captain, you have the bridge.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±, the ship captain acknowledged, saluting the Primarch.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later--- S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Arriving in the hangar, just as Victor and his party were disembarking their transport shuttle, the Primarch found himself unable to breathe upon seeing his face. While a good two foot shorter than the man he remembered, Victor was the spitting image of the Second Legion¡¯s Lost Primarch. Carrying himself just as his Lost Brother had, the man before Guilliman observed his surroundings closely while exuding an air of confidence, control, and power. While many would believe Victor was just curious, Guilliman could tell he was looking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities should he have to fight his way out. Opening his mouth to greet Victor, a familiar voice began to speak within Guilliman¡¯s mind.


    ¡°The blood descendant of my Lost Son, Klordius Aremus, has returned home to the Imperium.¡±, the Emperor spoke, ¡°Welcome him home as a Lost Son of Terra, heir to the Second Legion, and as member of our family.¡±


    Confirming what Guilliman¡¯s gut already told him, the sense of joy and relief he felt was incalculable. The arrival of Aremus¡¯ heir to his ancestral homeland could not have come at a better time as the Imperium of Man was in dire need of hope for better, brighter days.


    ¡°Welcome to the Imperium of Man, Victor von Stark. It is a pleasure to finally meet the one who defeated Kharn the Betrayer and his Butcherhorde.¡±, Guilliman said, reaching out his hand.


    ¡°I am honored to meet you as well, Roboute Guilliman. Word of your legendary political and tactical genius proceeds you.¡±, Victor replied, firmly shaking the Primarch¡¯s hand, ¡°I look forward to working with you on whatever matter you wished to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Please follow me, I have a meeting room set up for our discussion today.¡±, the Primarch stated, turning and walking toward the exit.


    Following closely behind him, Victor and his family silently followed the Primarch into his flagship.


    ---Victor POV---


    Taking a seat around the large table in the center of the room, Guilliman offered us some tea before taking his seat. Retrieving a stack of papers from under the table, he split them into two piles and took a moment to collect his thoughts before beginning our conversation.


    ¡°Thank you for meeting with me today, Victor. I know you must be an incredibly busy man so I will not take up too much of your time.¡±, Guilliman said, looking at me, ¡°I initially wanted to work with you on two separate issues, but information I received a short time ago has changed things. With that in mind, let us focus on the most pressing issue for the Imperium today. Tell me, Victor, what do you know of the Great Rift here in the Imperium of Man?¡±


    ¡°The Great Rift is an enormous Immaterium gash in the middle of the Imperium of Man that was created during the fall of Cadia Prime. Due to how the Imperium¡¯s communication and transportation networks are set up, it has literally broken your nation in two.¡±, I answered, having Luxion project a holographic map of the country, ¡°The breach starts at the Eye of Terror in the west and the Hadex Anomaly in the east.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­that is correct¡­¡±, Guilliman replied, seemingly intrigued by Luxion, ¡°In addition to communication and transportation issues, the rift is causing many problems for those trapped on the other side. Without the Emperor¡¯s Light to protect them, the worlds and their inhabitants are slowly being corrupted by the Daemons and the Warp. The brave souls who traversed the Warp without the aid of the Astronomican have brought with them disturbing news of the atrocities that are befalling our people. Our Adeptus Mechanicus and relatively new xeno allies, the Ynnari, have all tried to find a way to cut through the rift to no avail. We are steadily running out of time and need a plan to resolve this issue.¡±


    ¡°Have you asked the Galactic Republic and other nations for assistance? From what Victor told us, only your nation uses the Warp to get around quickly. Since other countries would be less affected, surely, they could help you right?¡±, Olivia inquired.


    Letting out a long, frustrated sigh, Guilliman agreed that was an option but there was a problem.


    ¡°...as Victor has experienced firsthand, the current leadership of the Imperium has all but ruined our relations with other nations and organizations. Since my return to active duty, I have done what I can to mend bridges, but other members of the government continue to trample over my efforts. It has become so bad that the Bounty Hunter Association almost refused to relay my message to you.¡±, Guilliman admitted, with a grim expression.


    ¡°If you are the acting head of the government, surely you can just replace the incompetent idiots below you that are ruining your efforts.¡±, Mylene commented, not understanding what the problem was.


    ¡°Haha, I wish it were that easy. The Imperium of Man controls, governs, and protects over a million populated worlds. To enact meaningful changes, we would have to cull many corrupt government officials and replace them with competent people. That would take time which our people do not have the luxury of right now.¡±, Guilliman explained.


    Realizing how large the Imperium of Man was, my fianc¨¦es began approximating how massive their population was. Crunching the numbers and checking their math, their faces paled when they saw how large the number could be. Sliding me the sheet of paper, just to make sure they were not crazy, they asked me to confirm if the number was vaguely correct.


    ¡°That number would be correct if the population of each world were the same as our homeworld, but that is not even close.¡±, I stated, ¡°Guilliman, would you say that the average population per world is about two trillion people?¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right.¡±, Guilliman acknowledged, ¡°Forge Worlds have far less than that, while many Hive Worlds likely have significantly more than that. Two trillion is a fair assumption on average.¡±


    ¡°The Galactic Republic oversees 1.3 million worlds currently, so it is safe to say that the Imperium of Man has 1.4 million as they are a bit bigger than them. 1.4 million worlds times the average 2 trillion population equals¡­¡±, I said, quickly solving the problem for them, ¡°roughly 2.8 quintillion citizens. That does not include the space faring groups with no permanent planetary home, so the number is probably around 3 to 3.5 quintillion.¡±


    Staring at the correct number on the paper, my fianc¨¦es¡¯ faces glazed over as the number was far too high to imagine. With roughly 1.4 quintillion people trapped on the other side of rift, they realized why he was desperate to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Looking toward me with expectant gazes, everyone was hopeful that I had some sort of plan to fix this issue. Giving my fianc¨¦es a smirk, I turned to Guilliman and nodded my head with confidence.


    ¡°I do have a plan in mind to address the rift, however, I need to examine a few things before I can be certain it will work. Can you arrange a time for me to examine a Blackstone Fortress and pylon from Cadia Prime? If things work out the way I think they will, not only will we be able to close the Great Rift, but also smaller breaches around the Imperium.¡±, I told Guilliman, ¡°It could also led to the develop of better shielding for the Warp, and a means to greatly empower the Emperor of Mankind on the Golden Throne.¡±


    Looking me in the eyes for a moment, Guilliman was cautiously confirming whether I truly thought those things were possible. Likely having been promised such things in the past, he was rightfully wary of such large promises. Sensing no deceit or falsehoods in my eyes, as I honestly believed it was possible, a smile crept upon his face.


    ¡°Closing the Great Rift is all I am after, but I will graciously accept anything else you can offer us. I promise you will be properly compensated for all your effort and hard work for our people.¡±, Guilliman swore, ¡°As for the examination of both items you mentioned, it will take some time, but I will strong arm the Adeptus Mechanicus into making them available for you.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, assuming the surveys go well, once I have the results in hand I can begin manufacturing equipment immediately. Given the scale of the operation, I believe we can have everything ready in two to three months.¡±, I informed him, as Jarvis showed me our production docket for the next twelve months, ¡®I will give them basic equipment they need, and keep the advance gear for my men. Till their xenophobic mentality simmers down, they cannot be trusted with more advanced weaponry.¡¯


    ¡°You could have them ready in two to three months afterward?!¡±, Guilliman gasped, ¡°¡­the Adeptus Mechanicus would take several years to field new equipment¡­¡±


    ¡°Unlike the Imperium, most civilized galactic nations can produce enormous quantities of goods and materials in a short span of time. Take for example the Algrand Empire, they have starships which can construct entire cities in a matter of days.¡±, I explained, looking at him with a hint of disappointment, ¡°I know at one point the Imperium of Man was an advanced society that embraced scientific and technological progress. With you at the helm I hope it returns to that as your neighbors are steadily leaving you in the dust.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, that is high on my list of priorities once the rift is dealt with. While leadership has become superstitious of science and technology, I want us to return to the path the Emperor of Mankind set us in the beginning.¡±, Guilliman assured me, ¡°Now then, is there anything else you need from me in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any data on the Great Rift itself? Any scientific data you have would help reduce research and development time of my solution.¡±, I said, receiving a grin from Guilliman.


    Sliding me both stacks of paper, Guilliman indicated that the first was data specific to the rift while the second was for the Warp at large. Surprised at how detailed the information was, I thanked the Primarch for the data and promptly had Jarvis scan everything into my suit. Stowing the physical copies away in my storage afterward, Guilliman rose from his seat to thank us for our time today.


    ¡°Thank you again for your assistance with this sensitive matter. I will be in touch as soon as the arrangements are made.¡±, Guilliman stated, offering his hand once again.


    ¡°Not a problem, I am glad we are able to help your citizens return to a semi-normal lifestyle again.¡±, I replied, rising from my seat and shaking his hand, ¡°So we can better communicate with each other moving forward, please take this.¡±


    Handing him a subspace transceiver, I gave him a brief overview of how to operate the device. Grateful to have a substantially quicker method to communicate with me now, he attached the unit to his hip before escorting us back to our shuttle pod.

 Chapter 94

    Returning to our homeworld after the meeting, my fianc¨¦es headed out the Market District to begin wedding preparations. Leaving me at the house, since I had no interest in wedding planning, I decided to tinker around in my laboratory. Having Jarvis crosscheck the data we received from Primarch Guilliman with our drone data, I wanted to see how faulty the information was. While I believed Guilliman truly cared for the Imperium¡¯s citizens, the Adeptus Mechanicus was another story.


    They had a vested interest in ensuring that the Imperium of Man did not advance alongside other nations. At this moment, they held a monopoly on all technology in the country. Once technological trade began to happen, the citizens would quickly realize they had been fooled by the machine cultists and turn on them in short order. To combat that, they eliminate other nation¡¯s scientists that encroach upon their territory and actively help the Administratum cause problems when other nations seek to engage with the Imperium.


    ¡®The whole bloody thing is a damn mess.¡¯, I thought, walking down into the lab with a hot cup of tea, ¡®I do not envy Guilliman, he will be very busy once we seal the Great Rift.¡¯


    <Sir, the data comparison is complete. If I may be so bold, either their instruments are poorly calibrated, or they purposefully provided falsified information. Some of the numbers in their data are not astronomically feasible. For example, their data suggests that the Hadex Anomaly is shrinking but anyone that lives nearby would say it is expanding marginally every year.>


    <Master, such blatant data manipulation cannot go unpunished. If we operated off their information, without verifying things ourselves, the results could have been cataclysmic. Not every scientist has the forethought to double check readings, they trust that their colleagues are providing them with accurate information.>


    Wholeheartedly agreeing, as compromised data on this scale could get people killed, I sent our findings to Guilliman. Informing him of the dangers such faulty information could cause, the Primarch swore to get to the bottom of it immediately. Not only could the data have ruined our chances of saving the citizens on the other side of the rift, but they also lied to his face, which was a grave mistake none of them would live to repeat. Ending the call after that, I let out a frustrated sigh as those machine cultists really pissed me off.


    <So then, Master, where does that leave us? Given their willingness to lie to their nation¡¯s leader, it is doubtful they will make viewing the Blackstone Fortress and the pylon easy for you. Worst case scenario being that they make you wait several years while they continue searching for an answer themselves.>


    ¡°I figured this might occur, so I already have a backup plan. Fortunately for us there are Blackstone Fortresses in the Imperium¡¯s territory that are not all under their control. Here recently a seventh fortress was discovered on the western fringes of the Imperium, near the space station Precipice. None of the competing factions in the area have managed to stake a claim yet as its internal structure is constantly shifting making mapping impossible, and the entire structure is swarming with chaos monsters and defense drones.¡±, I said, signing into my computer and pulling up the area map, ¡°All signs point to this structure being a dungeon or labyrinth so I am quite happy to have a reason to explore it. Seeing as even the Imperium¡¯s best have not made it anywhere near the control room, the location is likely a Rank 5 dungeon meaning the loot inside is going to be fucking amazing!¡±


    <I understand, Master. Shall I send drones to survey the space station and surrounding area?>


    ¡°That would be a good idea, send in several large batches of replicator nanomachine too. As the space station is on the fringes of the country, it is the survival of the fittest out there. If we need to, we will perform a hostile takeover and eliminate the idiots who do not fall in line.¡±, I chuckled.


    Leaving Luxion to dispatch several thousand drones, I turned my attention toward improving the Holtzman Shields by eliminating their fatal flaw, energy weapons. Striking the shield with most forms of energy results in a large explosion, in the weapon, shield, or both, which posed for dealing with advanced civilizations. To resolve this problem, my plan was to use preexisting technology in lightsabers to make energy weapons a none issue.


    ¡®An Emitter Matrix is used to create a tight-fitting sleeve to contain a lightsaber¡¯s plasma, but it simultaneously allows the Jedi to deflect energy weapons. Integrating that component into the shield should make my men impervious to all but the most powerful energy weapons.¡¯, I thought, pulling up the schematics, ¡®The problem is, I do not have room in the current shield unit to just slap it in. I will have to miniaturize it while not compromising on effectiveness and increasing the power draw by a large amount.¡¯


    Having the computer bring up 3D holographic models of both items, I took measurements to determine where I had the most space to install the component. Determining that my best option was in between the power generation and shield protector, the computer created an insulated housing model for me to work inside. Certain that the component would not interfere fear with other components now, I miniaturized the Emitter Matrix and got to work reworking its core parts to fit into its new space.


    ¡®Alright, first off I need the board to mount everything to.¡¯, I thought, scrolling through my options, ¡®Crystalline circuit board should do perfectly, now toss out the conventional capacitors and resistors for nanotube capacitors and crystal resistors¡­¡¯


    Incrementally testing the original components themselves, I determined their upper limits and made voltage adjustments where needed to allow full coverage of a person¡¯s body. Laying the parts out the way I wanted on the crystalline circuit board; the next step was creating the nanotube traces to connect all the parts together and to the Holtzman Shield itself. Once that was completed, I had Jarvis run several hundred simulations to confirm minimal operation failures.


    <Sir, the simulations are complete. When using the Holtzman Shield¡¯s parameters to power the component, the eight hundred and fifty trials I ran resulted in a failure rate of eighty three percent. The unit fails when both the inner and outer shields are engaged at the same time, power delivery and production are insufficient.>


    Scrapping the unit¡¯s capacitors and resistors, I upgraded it with nanotube capacitors and crystalline resistors as well. Swapping out the small power supply inside with a miniaturized Arc Reactor, the last thing I did was beef up all the traces to handle the substantial power output increase.


    ¡°Run the simulations again.¡±, I asked.


    Executing the new battery of tests, this time the results came back with only a two percent failure rate under the most strenuous loads. Very pleased with these results, I modified the units exterior casing and rearranged components to simplify everything while leaving myself room for future add-ons. Looking more like badges now, Jarvis slapped my Coat of Arms on it so none would be wiser as to what it was.


    <Testing indicates that there is no change in performance with the new design. That said, sir, the power efficiency has increased by twenty percent.>


    ¡°I did not want to make major changes to the original design, but there was no helping it. Start mass producing these improved models and get them out to my troops as soon as possible.¡±, I ordered Luxion.


    <Of course, Master.> S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With protection addressed for the upcoming conflict, the next thing on my list was paying a visit to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Wanting to make my own lightsaber, even though I would likely have to return my Sith saber, I was interested in making mine out of a Dragite Gem, Ghostfire Crystal, Krayt Dragon Pearl, or a Zophis Crystal.


    ¡®I suppose I could just create my own lightsabers after getting my hands on the latest revision of components.¡¯, I thought, already planning out designs for each of them, ¡®Why not, haha!¡¯


    Contacting Obi-Wan, so the arrangements could be made, he told me to pay the Jedi Temple a visit in three days. Thanking him, I headed into my armory work on my armored suits.

 Chapter 95

    ---Three Days Later, Coruscant---


    ¡°Oh wow!!¡±, Mylene gasped, as we began to descend into Coruscant¡¯s atmosphere, ¡°The cities on this world are simply enormous. Some of them make our continent island back home look so small!¡±


    ¡°This may come as a shock to you, dear, but Coruscant both a planet and a city. Spacefarers call it an ecumenopolis, or planet-wide city.¡±, I explained, ¡°What we see is only the top layer of the city, it goes 5127 layers deep.¡±


    Unable to imagine how a single city could encompass an entire world, I explained that it was not that uncommon of a sight out in the wider universe. Societies shaped their worlds to fit their needs and desires, even we did the same with our Production Worlds. While it was indeed sad that they erased their natural beauty for the sake of technological advancement, none of us had the right to berate them for their decision, even though it was a stupid one.


    ¡°Why are all of those people near our docking bay?¡±, Roxanne inquired, as we came in for our approach, ¡°They are not here to meet us, are they?¡±


    ¡°The Jedi Council and Galactic Senate made our arrival known to the public. Since we have rescued countless numbers of merchant and refugee ships from harm, it appears the people we helped wanted to make our first visit to the capital special.¡±, I stated, as Horizon moored the ship, ¡°Horizon, you have command of the ship while we are away. If any unauthorized entities enter the ship, eliminate them accordingly.¡±


    Acknowledging my order with a salute, Horizon¡¯s promptly teleported the three of us to the forward hanger where the ramp was. Disembarking the ship together, we were immediately greeted by thousands of cheers and shouts from the people that had gathered. Waving to us with the utmost excitement, it was honestly good to see that many of those we saved were still living decent lives here. Retracting my helmet and waving back, I heard many women in the crowd squeal with delight.


    Pushing their way through the sea of people, Anakin and Ashoka rushed over to greet us. Greeting them both with a firm handshake, I thanked them for the warm welcome to their capital world.


    ¡°Where is everyone else?¡±, Ahsoka inquired, looking up the ramp with confusion, ¡°There were eight of you last time we met, right?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, they are back home busily making arrangements for our upcoming wedding!¡±, Mylene said, with a joyous smile, ¡°Here, these invitations are for both of you and Obi-Wan. If you can make it, we would love to have you there to celebrate with us.¡±


    Graciously accepting the invitations from Mylene, the two of them curiously opened the letters and reviewed where the wedding was being held. Upon discovering that we were hosting the wedding on a resort world in the Algrand Empire, both Jedi swallowed nervously. While every nation in the vicinity had resort worlds for the rich and famous to vacation on, the Algrand Empire¡¯s resort worlds were especially luxurious as they spared no expense for their guests.


    ¡°If the three of you need transportation to the resort world, I can have a ship take you there.¡±, I offered, as we walked toward the awaiting taxi.


    ¡°While it might be a bit over the top for my tastes, I will gladly take a mini vacation after all the work we have put in recently. What about you, Master Anakin?¡±, Ashoka inquired, looking to her mentor for his input.


    ¡°I¡­I will have to confirm if we are scheduled to be out on assignment during these dates.¡±, Anakin said, looking at the dates with a disappoint look.


    ¡°I understand, with two bloody wars raging your time is quite valuable. How about we invite a member of the Galactic Senate to attend, and you three come with them as bodyguards? Officially it would be recognized as a diplomatic mission, but we would know the truth.¡±, I suggested, looking at Anakin with a friendly smile, ¡°Do you know anyone who might be willing to play along?¡±


    ¡°I think I might, yes!¡±, Anakin replied, doing his utmost to suppress his excitement, ¡°I will ask Senator Amidala if she could help us out.¡±


    Blissfully unaware that her mentor was in love with the senator, Ahsoka agreed that the Amidala would probably agree to help, as she had many times before. Stepping into the taxi, Anakin asked the driver to take us to the Jedi Temple immediately. Waving to the crowd as we left the docks, Mylene and Roxanne looked out over the city while I caught up with the Jedi.


    ---Ten Minutes Later---


    As the Jedi Temple came into view, I noticed a rather heavy presence of guards around the area. Scanning the vicinity for any potential issues, my eyes fell upon a group of senators heading toward where other taxis were parked. Noticing Palpatine at the forefront of the group, I turned to Anakin and Ahsoka for details.


    ¡°Uh, are we supposed to meet with Palpatine and other senators?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°No, not that I am aware of.¡±, Anakin answer, turning his head to look for what I was seeing, ¡°Crap, I thought the Galactic Senate decided to skip the official meeting today¡­¡±


    Believing that this might be a trap, Ahsoka reached for her lightsaber in case we had to fight our way into the temple. Firmly grabbing hold of her wrist, I shook my head and told her to just calm down. Judging by his frustrated look, it appeared to me that his fellow senators had strongarmed him into visiting me personally.


    ¡°Just act naturally, do not give him cause to think the Jedi Order knows anything about his plans. If you show the Order¡¯s hand now, a lot of people are going to die needlessly.¡±, I told her.


    Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ahsoka apologized for being so jumpy. Now that my information had been verified by the Jedi Order, most of their members now had their heads on a swivel ready to fight to fight for their lives at a moment¡¯s notice. Understanding her concerns completely, if this was indeed a trap, I already had options available to protect us.


    Pulling up alongside the plaza, the five of us exited the vehicle and began walking toward the senators. Picking up their pace when they saw us, Palpatine and I locked eyes for a moment as we sized each other up. While the old man was wearing a smile outwardly, inwardly he was trying to gauge if I was in league with the Jedi or another Sith trying to play them for fools.


    ¡°Greetings Victor von Stark, welcome to our capital city Coruscant. It is a pleasure to finally meet the man who has been doing so much to make things safe for both commerce and refugees.¡±, Palpatine said, playing the role of statesmen flawlessly.


    ¡°Thank you for the warm welcome both here and at the docks. It certainly filled our hearts with joy to see the smiling faces of those we helped again.¡±, I replied, offering him my hand, ¡°I look forward to working with you well into the future.¡±


    The moment he took hold of my hand, I immediately struck with a focused, heavy mental blow. Keeping the output of my sneak attack to the bear minimum, no one around us noticed but the painful expression on Palpatine¡¯s face told me all I needed to know. Stopping just short of crushing his hand into dust, began speaking to him via a Telepathy spell.


    ¡°I expected better from the infamous Phantom Menace.¡±, I scoffed, ¡°You have clearly lost your touch due to complacency and old age. Stay out of my way, or your cloned bodies and you will all disappear at the snap of my fingers. Do I make myself crystal clear?¡±


    Mortified that I knew about his cloned bodies, the color faded from his face. Accidentally leaking out a bit of Sith Energy in a moment of weakness, Palpatine quickly suppressed it before looking at Anakin and Ashoka cautiously. Fainting blissful ignorance, the chancellor sighed inwardly and hoped that the High Council thought the Sith Energy came from me.


    ¡°What are you here for, boy?¡±, Palpatine replied, across the telepathic link.


    ¡°To steal priceless relics from the Jedi Vaults and acquire updated lightsaber technology. Is that going to be a problem?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°No¡­¡±, Palpatine answered, skeptical of my stated goals.


    ¡°I am after Ancient Sith texts and Darth Bane¡¯s Lightsaber, hopefully more but I am not sure yet. Unlike you I am completely self-taught so there are many things I do not yet know about my powers. To get the answers I seek I have played the do-gooder and now have been welcomed into the Jedi Temple without needing to sneak in.¡±, I stated.


    Having seen my fighting style himself, Palpatine seemed to buy into my story now. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to acquire a powerful new pupil, the Sith Lord offered to train me in the ways of the Sith. Telling him I would think about it, if I was unsuccessful in gaining access to the vaults, we left it at that and let go of each other¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Well Chancellor Palpatine, I am afraid we are on quite a time crunch right now. If we have time later, we will stop by to speak more with you.¡±, I chuckled.


    ¡°I understand, it is lunchtime for us anyways.¡±, he stated, ¡°Good luck with your future endeavors.¡±


    Parting ways without another world, our group promptly headed inside the temple and took the lift to the top floor. Watching the Chancellor and other senators leave the plaza, Anakin and Ashoka looked to me with serious expressions.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I needed to create a convincing cover to keep him from jumping the gun on the Order. For the moment, he thinks I am a rookie Sith looking to obtain lost secrets hidden in the vaults before the temple. While I doubt he completely believes me, it is too late for him to do anything now.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Luxion, are the nanites online and active?¡±


    <Yes, Master, they have already begun to transmit data from Palpatine¡¯s brain.>


    ¡°Wait, so that was not to show us he was really the Phantom Menace?¡±, Anakin remarked.


    ¡°Not at all, I wanted a contingency plan in case things go sideways. While I mentally distracted him with our conversation, Jarvis injected nanites into his bloodstream. At this point I could kill him at will, but I do not have enough information on his body transference ability to warrant doing so. It might be an automatic process or something he needs to mentally invoke, I am not sure.¡±, I stated, ¡°For the time being, the nanites will relay everything Palpatine hears, sees, speaks, or thinks. Given enough time, we can figure out where the bodies are and eliminate them all in one fell swoop.¡±


    ¡°I am relieved you are on our side and not his.¡±, Ahsoka said, with a happy smile. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Stepping out onto the top floor, the five of us head down to the Council Chamber to meet with the High Council.

 Chapter 96

    Entering the High Council Chamber, the Jedi Masters present stopped their ongoing conversation and turned to look at us. Looking at my fianc¨¦es and I warily, they all appeared a bit unnerved by what happened just a few minutes ago. Stepping in to explain everything to them, Anakin gave them a full report on our surprise run in with Palpatine.


    ¡°While I thank you for trying to help us locate Palpatine¡¯s cloned bodies, we would appreciate it if you did not antagonize him unnecessarily in the future.¡±, Windu said, with a smirk, ¡°That said, I would have loved to see the look on his face when you punched right through his mental defenses. His ego must be in tatters right now!¡±


    ¡°Before we get into the reason for your visit today. Can I please have a look at the lightsabers you found on your world?¡±, Koth inquired, staring at the three devices affixed to my hip, ¡°I want to try and confirm who their previous owners were, if possible.¡±


    ¡°That is fine with me.¡±, I agreed, tossing him all three lightsabers.


    Pulling out his tablet computer, Koth began to take apart the devices looking for manufacturer stamps and serials numbers. Using the detailed records of his predecessors, the Jedi Master was hopeful he could put this mystery to bed once and for all. Leaving him to do his thing, we returned to our initial conversation.


    ¡°As soon as you get any information on the whereabouts of Palpatine¡¯s clones, please let us know. The sooner we cut the head off that snake, the better off the universe will be for all of us.¡±, Windu commented, ¡°Now then, Master Tiin, I believe we agreed you would work with him on building his lightsaber. Would you please explain the process?¡±


    ¡°Typically to build a lightsaber, a Youngling must challenge the Crystal Cave on the planet Ilum to find their kyber crystal. Since you are not joining the Order, you will not be required to participate in the trial, but we highly recommend it. While it is technically true that any kyber crystal will work, the kyber crystal that has chosen you will perform better than one who has not.¡±, Tiin explained.


    ¡°Hmm¡­I was hoping to make a lightsaber from a Dragite gem, Ghostfire Crystal, Krayt Dragon Pearl, or a Zophis Crystal.¡±, I stated, looking him in the eyes, ¡°Is there a way to determine which kyber crystal will work best for me? Ideally, I would want to make one of each, but I understand that would be asking too much.¡±


    ¡°You¡­you are rather well informed for someone who is not a member of the Jedi Order. How did you come by this information, if you do not mind me asking.¡±, Tiin requested, with a nervous expression.


    ¡°I have a rather large intelligence network that brings me many interesting tidbits of information from around the cosmos. A rather drunken Jedi Knight, he spilled the beans after one too many drinks at a tavern.¡±, I chuckled, keeping things vague as possible, ¡®Like I would ever tell them I have knowledge from a previous life and a data tap into the HoloNet. Even though someone else will take the fall for this, somethings are left better unsaid.¡¯


    Nodding their heads with pride, Mylene and Roxanne were pleased with my response while the Jedi Masters looked devastated. While I had not named anyone specifically, judging by how they glanced at one another, they already had someone in mind. Hoping my lie would not enact strict regulations on alcohol consumption, I felt they already had it hard enough as peacekeeping was not an easy job.


    ¡°Thank you for alerting us to this, we will address the matter internally so more sensitive information does not get out.¡±, Tiin sighed, ¡°As for helping narrow your search down, I suggest meditating on it. Sometimes the Force will reveal things to those who need guidance.¡±


    Having regularly meditated daily since I awoke my Force Powers, I had never actually connected directly to the Force before. Out of an abundance of caution for our homeworld¡¯s safety, my meditation had only ever been to compound and compress the energy I held within. Since we were not on our world right now, today was a good day to see what sort of connection I had to the Force. Taking a seat by the large, bay window, I began to control my breathing and shutout the world around me.


    Feeling a tingling sensation at the base of my skull almost immediately, I felt myself suddenly enveloped by a torrent of energy. Allowing myself to meld into the flow, instead of fighting back, the raging surge soon gave way to a serene calmness. Watching a flood of images from my presumed future, I witnessed a bright future with my wives and children. Seeing many happy memories that were yet to be made, I truly wished I could just put all this bullshit behind me and pursue that wonderful life now. Knowing that it meant abandoning everyone we knew to fend for themselves, there was no way my wives would enjoy themselves if they knew people we cared about were suffering.


    ¡®Still though, seeing this makes me want to redouble my efforts to make this a reality.¡¯, I thought, seeing the gleaming smiles upon my family¡¯s faces, ¡®This is a future truly worth fighting for.¡¯


    Refocusing myself on the kyber crystal I was supposed to seek out, the Force showed me the Ewok¡¯s homeworld, Endor. Presenting me with two dazzling gemstones, one gold and the other purple, I assumed they represented the light and dark sides of the Force. Believing they suited me perfectly, as I walked the fine line between the light and darkness, I thanked whatever was guiding me before slowly pulling myself out.


    ¡°Phew, talk about quite a rush. I got the answer I was seeking.¡±, I said, slowly opening my eyes, ¡°I must go to Endor¡¯s Moon to get my two kyber crystals. Is something wrong?¡±


    Staring at me with the color drained from their faces, everyone had moved to the other side of the room for some reason. Unsure if something happened, I looked behind me to see if the city was ablaze. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Uh, did I miss something?¡±, I asked, seeing nothing amiss in the city below.


    ¡°What exactly did you just do?¡±, Windu inquired, with a serious expression.


    ¡°I closed my eyes, allowed myself to sink into the ambient Force around us, and sought the answer I was looking for. While I got my answer, I also got to see something that I would like to keep to myself as it is rather personal to me.¡±, I chuckled, looking at Mylene and Roxanne, ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Radiated both light and darkness of the Force you did. A conduit of Force Energy you became.¡±, Yoda stated, with a curious look, ¡°A unrivaled Force user you are. Continue to train you must.¡±


    Nodding their heads in agreement, the Jedi seemed convinced now that I was in perfect sync with both sides of the Force. Thanking Yoda for his kind words, I promised to continue honing and refining myself as complacency led to laziness. Finding my words very reassuring, he turned to Koth to give me the results of his investigation.


    ¡°I was unable to confirm the original owners of the two Jedi Lightsabers, but I am certain they are some of the first lightsabers our Order ever fielded. They did not keep such records back then so we may never know who made them originally, but some of the parts date back eight thousand years suggesting it has passed through many hands over the years.¡±, Koth explained, ¡°As for the Sith Lightsaber, it is indeed Darth Bane¡¯s personal lightsaber.¡±


    ¡°I assume you would like to keep all three?¡±, I asked, fairly certain where this was going.


    ¡°If possible, yes. We would prefer to keep dangerous Sith Artifacts under lock and key as not everyone is as gifted as you, and the Jedi Artifacts would make wonderful additions to our museum.¡±, Koth said, with a hopeful smile, ¡°You mentions getting two kyber crystals from Endor¡¯s moon. If you are willing to hand these three over, I think we can accommodate you by allowing you to make two lightsabers with the crystals.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that is fine.¡±, Windu agreed.


    ¡°I will agree to your terms, if you allow me the privilege of reclaiming and keeping the Darksaber.¡±, I countered, ¡°My intelligence network located the artifact sometime ago, but I have yet to go collect it. A man named Pre Vizsla currently possesses.¡±


    ¡°Reclaim and use the Darksaber you can.¡±, Yoda accepted, ¡°A good wielder the Darksaber needs.¡±


    ¡°If the Grandmaster of the Order says it is okay, it is fine with the rest of us.¡±, Windu acknowledged, ¡°Anakin and Ahsoka, since he is going to Concordia both of you tag along with him. We have reports of potential Sith activity on the moon, check things out and report back with your findings.¡±


    Excited to go out on an exciting mission, the Jedi nodded their heads and immediately went to pack. Thanking the Jedi Council for their time, my fianc¨¦es and I waited for Anakin and Ahsoka by the entrance to the tower before heading back to the Endless Horizons. Having Horizon chart us a course to Endor, we quickly got under way to our next adventure.

 Chapter 97

    Arriving in the Endor System, I got us into orbit over the Ewok homeworld and set about figuring out a way to triangulate where the kyber crystals were. As Endor was mostly unexplored and no kyber crystals had ever been found here, Anakin and Ahsoka did not know where to start looking. Having previously confirmed that inanimate objects were incapable of detecting Force Energy, I had to turn to less advanced methods to locate my crystals. Downloading a classified map of the world from Starfleet Command, I settled on starting our search at the only Ewok settlement I was familiar with, Bright Tree Village.


    ¡°So what are Ewoks exactly? Are they some kind of monsters or are they intelligent creatures?¡±, Roxanne inquired, as I set our shuttle down in a small clearing near our destination.


    ¡°They are bipedal, fur covered humanoids that stand about three feet tall.¡±, Anakin answered, as we disembarked the ship, ¡°They are not a very advanced race of people, their society has barely progressed past the Stone Age. If they attack us, be ready for bow and arrows, stone weapons, and surprise attacks from above us.¡±


    ¡°Bipedal, fur covered humanoids¡­¡±, Mylene repeated, trying to visualize them in her mind.


    ¡°Dear, they look like large teddy bears from our homeworld. While they may look cute, they are stronger than normal humans.¡±, I explained, as we entered the forest, ¡°We should all stay sharp as they will likely attack us the moment they see us. Their experience with other races is not great¡­people in this region of space hunt them for their meat.¡±


    ¡°They what?! How could they be so cruel to something so adorable!¡±, Mylene pouted, looking at Ahsoka and Anakin, ¡°Have either of you eaten them before!? If you have, I will never forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Miss Mylene, while I agree it is cruel to hunt them, the people of the Outer Rim Territories have little choice but to get food wherever they can. Life is very hard for people out here as the prosperity of the Galactic Republic has not reached them.¡±, Ahsoka answered, with a bitter expression, ¡°They were promised a share of the prosperity, a decent life, and safe place to raise their families¡­and the Galactic Republic failed them on all fronts.  Many worlds are one bad harvest away from mass starvation, and if that happens, the Senate will turn their backs on them like they always have.¡±


    ¡°Ahsoka, do not drag them into this!¡±, Anakin scolded her, with a pained look, ¡°They are not citizens of the Republic, nor is there anything they can do about it. This is something the Jedi Order must push hard to fix for the betterment of the country.¡±


    ¡°¡­my apologies¡­¡±, Ahsoka said, as we pressed onward.


    Having read countless reports of situations just like this in the Algrand Empire, the Imperium of Man, and so many other galactic nations¡­it honestly made me sick to my stomach. These nations had the manpower and technology to make life comfortable and easier for all their constituents, but absolutely refuse too. They reserve such luxuries for the influential, powerful, and wealthy members of society alone. If it were me, I would rise up and take things into my own hands to change things, but the people do not have the strength or willpower to do it.


    ¡®It is completely unacceptable for an advanced society to still have normal citizens dying of exposure, hunger, and thirst. They possess the technology to terraform worlds, yet they cannot provide enough clean water and food for their people!¡¯, I thought, gritting my teeth in anger, ¡®If I were in charge, the country would function like a well-oiled machine, and no one would starve or go without clean water. Any noble that fell short of that promise would be immediately executed without exception! I did just that in the former Principality of Fanoss, I can sure as hell do it out here.¡¯


    Hearing my own words echo in my head, I began to wonder if this region of the universe would be a better place under my leadership. Those who once called Fanoss home had all but forgotten about the days of the former regime because of my guidance and leadership. They had emergency food stores that could last them years, plenty of fresh, clean water for everyone, and the threat of Sky Pirates was a distant memory. While I could not say everyone was wealthy, every family had enough to take care of themselves and had a bit of savings. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Maybe¡­maybe I should do it.¡¯, I thought, glancing over at Roxanne, ¡®I have the power and resources to ensure what happened to us as children does not happen anywhere else.¡¯


    As I began to ponder the thought deeply, a loud explosion and several dozen screams snapped me back to reality. Noticing smoke beginning to rise from the village¡¯s direction, everyone double timed it to see what was happening.


    ¡°Warriors, protect the women and children!!¡±, an older male¡¯s voice commanded, as we drew close, ¡°Hold the enemy back!¡±


    ¡°Kill them all, I want that crystal now!!¡±, an older female¡¯s voice demanded.


    As we entered the village, several dozen Ewoks flew past us, crashing into trees close by. Clutching their children tightly, the female Ewoks shielded them with their bodies as several stone golems lumbered toward them. Clearly unable to run away now, I gave everyone orders hoping to end the conflict quickly.


    ¡°Mylene! Roxanne! Take those things out, aim for their heads!¡±, I shouted, ¡°Anakin and Ahsoka, both of you back up the village warriors. They do not have the tools to fight these things effectively. I can sense a strong magical power coming from the golems, the attackers are mages.¡±


    ¡°Got it, thanks for the heads up!¡±, Anakin replied, ¡°Let¡¯s get going, Ahsoka!¡±


    ¡°Right behind you!¡±, Ahsoka answered, as the two ran in the direction the golems had come from.


    Dashing out from behind our cover, Mylene bombarded the golems with Water Magic while Roxanne circled behind the enemy. Getting a running start, Roxanne began leaping from tree to tree trying to gain some height over the golems. Powering on her energy sword when she reached her goal, she effortlessly cut two of them down and used their crumbling backs as a foothold to take down the remaining three with a powerful spinning slash.


    ¡°Sometimes you can be a bit of a showoff, you know that right?¡±, I teased Roxanne, as she walked back over to us.


    ¡°I do not want to hear that from you. You are always showing off your skills and technology to other people.¡±, Roxanne laughed, with a smile, ¡°Thank you for distracting them for me, Mylene.¡±


    ¡°I was honestly trying to destroy them, but I guess distracting will have to do.¡±, Mylene giggled, before looking back at the Ewoks, ¡°Is everyone okay? Does anyone need healing?¡±


    ¡°Who¡­who are you people¡­? How do you know our language?¡±, one of them asked, shielding her baby from our view.


    ¡°We are here seeking guidance from your elders, our group came running to help when heard the explosions.¡±, I answered, kneeling to their level, ¡°If anyone is hurt, I can use healing magic to mend your wounds.¡±


    Nervously stepping forward, a few of the mothers showed me their gruesome wounds. Using my magic to immediately heal them completely, the others quickly came to me for help as well. Once all of them were treated, I inquired who was attacking them as another series of explosions rocked the village.


    ¡°Morag the Witch launched another attack on our village, and this time she came herself to take our treasured Sunstar.¡±, one of them explained, ¡°Please help our warriors before it is too late!¡±


    Turning to me for further explanation, I gave my fianc¨¦es a shrug as I had no idea who this Morag was. Only remembering the Battle of Endor itself, from the original trilogy, anything before or after that was a complete mystery to me. Assuring the Ewoks that we would lend their warriors aid, three of us ran after the two Jedi.


    ¡°HAHA!! DIE!!¡±, an older female cackled, as a third series of explosions sent the Ewok Warriors and the two Jedi flying backward.


    ¡°Damn that old hag¡­!¡±, Anakin spat, spitting out a mouthful of blood, ¡°Victor, we cannot get close to her without being bombarded with explosions.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±, I said, as my fianc¨¦es rushed to administer aid to the Ewoks, ¡°Alright witch, show yourself!¡±


    Stepping through a dust cloud, I expected to find a human or other large humanoid but instead I was met with a two-foot tall, yellow humanoid. Pointing her staff at me, the creature cast an Explosion Spell at me, but I smacked it away with the back of my hand.


    ¡°How!? How did you do that!!¡±, Morag hissed, waving her staff at me.


    Recognizing the gemstone on the tip of her staff as the one I was looking for, I snatched it out of her hand and plucked the stone out of it. Enraged by this, Morag ran at me demanding I give it back. Kicking her high into the sky, I blasted her with a repulsor blast turning her into nothing more than ash.


    ¡®Shit¡­I should have shout Pull before doing that.¡¯, I thought, regretting not thinking of that sooner, ¡°Alright everyone, the show is over.¡±


    Blowing the dust away with Wind Magic, I used Healing Magic on everyone to mend their wounds. Picking themselves up off the ground, Anakin and Ahsoka apologized for their pathetic display.


    ¡°We uh¡­kind of underestimated her because of her size.¡±, Ahsoka remarked, with an embarrassed look.


    ¡°Do you mind not telling the Jedi Masters about this incident? We will not hear the end of it if this comes to light.¡±, Anakin said, dusting himself off.


    ¡°I suppose we can overlook it, but you two should be more cautious in the future. You are fortunate this was not the Rabbit of Caerbannog. If it were, we would be hauling your corpses back to the Jedi Temple.¡±, I stated, hiding my grin behind a solid poker face.


    ¡°The Rabbit of Caerbannog?¡±, they inquired, having never heard of such a creature before.


    ¡°Reports indicate that it is a monster that resides on one of the fringe worlds of your galaxy. It has the appearance of a small, albino rabbit which it uses to lull its prey into a false sense of security. When they get close to check it out, it lunges for them, rips out their throats, and beginnings eating them bit by bit.¡±, I elaborated further, ¡°A famous king and his knights are said to have fought the beast once, the resulting battle cost the king half of his men forcing them to hastily retreat.¡±


    Looking at me carefully, Anakin and Ahsoka were uncertain if I was joking or being serious. Before they could ask for further details, one of the Ewoks stepped forward to speak with us.


    ¡°Thank you, humans, for coming to our aid. Without your assistance, I am afraid this time Morag would have done us in.¡±, the elder said, lowering his head, ¡°While tradition usually dictates that the victor gets the spoils, would you kindly consider giving us the Shadowstone? We need its power to help safeguard our people from the Griagh.¡±


    ¡°You mean this purple kyber crystal?¡±, I remarked, showing him the stone, ¡°Truth be told, we came to your world hoping to track this crystal and a golden one down.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you mean the Sunstar!¡±, he answered, producing the stone from his pocket.


    ¡°Yes, that is the one!¡±, I acknowledged.


    ¡°That would explain why it became so excited just a short time ago.¡±, he said, with a conflicted look, ¡°As much as I would like to give you the stone, we need it for our protection.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­maybe we can come to some arrangement then. If this Griagh you mentioned were to be slain, could you give the Sunstar then?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°We would have no use for it then so I would gladly give it to you.¡±, he promised.


    ¡°Very well then, I will temporarily leave the Shadowstone with you. We will return to get both stones once your foe is slain.¡±, I agreed, handing him the kyber crystal, ¡°Where is the entrance to the monster¡¯s den?¡±


    Pointing us toward a distant rock face, the elder explained that there was a cave there that would take us to the Griagh. Warning us that it was an absolutely terrifying monster, he urged us to be cautious or consider walking away. Assuring him that we were more than capable of handling it, the five of us started walking toward the cave where this monster lived.


    ¡°Now about that rabbit¡­¡±, Ahsoka stated, getting back on track, ¡°Tell us more about it, and this king you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°His name was King Arthur, and his men were called the Knights of the Round Table.¡±, I explained, ¡°The reason they challenged the beast was because they were hoping to find a powerful relic called the Holy Grail¡­¡±

 Chapter 98

    Arriving at the cave the Ewok Elder told us about, everyone began searching the vicinity for any signs of recent activity. Finding small animal tracks all over the place, strangely nothing came within ten feet of the cave entrance. Using the Force to check the cave system beneath our feet, neither Anakin nor I could detect anything below us.


    ¡°Well it certainly strange that no bats or bugs are in the caves below, but that might just be normal for this planet. Its possible the monster is already dead already.¡±, Anakin remarked, ¡°How do you want to do this, Victor?¡±


    ¡°Whether the thing is alive or dead, we should still bring back proof that the threat has passed. That means we must go into the cavern system and find it.¡±, I stated, ¡°Luxion, dispatch drones into the cavern system and begin mapping it out. We will head in fifteen minutes afterwards to give them time to work.¡±


    <My apologies, Master, unfortunately I cannot comply with that order. I already attempted to send drones down, but they lost communication after going twenty feet in. The bedrock and soil¡¯s composition is interfering with radio communications.>


    ¡°That is unusual, we have never encountered a problem like that before. I suppose I will need to upgrade our communication equipment to compensate for instances like this in the future.¡±, I said, adding it to my long list of things to do, ¡°Since that is not an option, we will have to manually search the caverns ourselves. Maybe we will uncover where exactly those two kyber crystals came from. I really doubt that there are only two crystals on this world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and if we find a large quantity of kyber crystals, this world will fall under the Jedi Order¡¯s jurisdiction! That means the Ewoks and other people that call this world home would be safe from harm.¡±, Mylene commented, desperate to render further assistance to the cute teddy bears, ¡°If you were not interested though, we could just move this world into our nation¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°Hang on a moment, let us not get too ahead of ourselves. The Jedi Order will do what we can to protect the world and the people that call it home.¡±, Anakin said, knowing how rare world¡¯s with kyber crystals were, ¡®I am certain the High Council will agree once they examine the two crystals we found. Since Ahsoka and I have never seen crystals like them before, they could be a completely undiscovered crystal type!¡¯


    Patting Mylene on the back, I was proud to see she had picked up on that tidbit of information during our earlier discussion with the High Council. Using their desire to control the flow of kyber crystals was a brilliant move on her part, I expected nothing less from my fianc¨¦e. Turning our collective attention to the entrance, Mylene and I cast the spell Candlelight before proceeding inside.


    As we entered the cave, we immediately noticed a rut in the floor roughly fifteen feet wide. Clearly worn down by something large over millennia, this confirmed that the locals had been telling the truth. Cautiously following the rut further into the cave, when we reached the back wall, we discovered a large unnatural tunnel that led further underground. Having Luxion scan the anomaly for further information, I added additional mana to my spell to further increase its illumination.


    <Master, my sensors indicate that a highly corrosive substance and some unknown items were used to cut through the rock. I can also confirm that whoever dug this did so from the backside, not the front.>


    ¡°Thank you, Luxion.¡±, I replied, ¡°Given the minimal technology the locals have, the most likely explanation is that the monster gnawed its way through the rock itself.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It sounds outrageous, but then again the universe is a wide place.¡±, Ahsoka commented, poking her head into the tunnel, ¡°Master Anakin, since this is likely a new species, should we take back a DNA sample?¡±


    Nodding his head in agreement, the five of us continued into the tunnel and began a slow descent into the earth. Dropping almost two thousand feet down, the tunnel finally leveled out and led into a massive cavern. Discovering hundreds of other similar holes all around the area, it was clear that the monster had been quite busy. Tossing a Magelight into the cavern to illuminate it better, we found piles of ancient skeletal remains covering the floor, but nothing else.


    ¡°Maybe it died in one of the tunnels. We should start checking them out.¡±, Roxanne commented, about to step into the room.


    ¡°Before anyone steps into the room, we need to examine the ceiling first.¡±, I stated, holding her back, ¡°If you will notice, there are no ruts in the floor of the cavern.¡±


    Taking a closer look at the cavern floor, everyone realized that I was indeed correct. Knowing full well that things do not just vanish, that left only one option. Poking our heads into the room, we found an enormous, singular stalactite fixed right in the center of the space. Having Luxion scan it for vital signs, he detected a very faint audible heartbeat inside, but the scanners showed nothing.


    ¡°So advanced sensor-arrays and the Force cannot detect this thing, that is troubling.¡±, Anakin remarked, ¡°To my knowledge, this is the first time the Order has encountered something like this. Instead of taking a sample back, we will need to take the entire corpse back. The High Council will want to examine how it shields itself from the Force in the event the Sith get ahold of technology similar to it.¡±


    ¡°On our homeworld, there are monsters called Gargoyles that possess the ability to turn themselves into stone. I have never been able to detect them with Force when they are in that state. This creature is probably in that same species of monster.¡±, I replied, examining it closely for a moment, ¡°As for killing it, I think we can all agree that fighting down here is not a great option. Depending on how the fight goes, it could collapse the ceiling on us and make a break for it. Our best bet is going to be using explosive to collapse the other exits and force the creature to fight us topside.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, but how are we going to remotely detonate them?¡±, Ahsoka inquired, ¡°Radio communications do not work here.¡±


    ¡°The old fashion way.¡±, I chuckled, pulling a large spool of wire and C4 out of my Storage.


    Using the Force to place the explosives on the ceilings of the other tunnels, I wired them all together and began feeding wire out as we made our way back outside. Once we were safely outside, Mylene cut and stripped the wire back. Looking back at us to confirm we were ready, all of us gave her the thumbs to do it. Striking the exposed wire with a Lightning Spell, a large explosion violently shook the area as the C4 went off. Immediately following the detonation, an ear-piercing shriek came from inside the cave as Anakin, Ahsoka, and I all detected a large life sign below us.


    ¡°Oh boy, that thing is not happy!¡±, Ahsoka laughed, watching the creature begin to move up the tunnel, ¡°It should be here in two minutes.¡±


    ¡°Since we do not know what the monster¡¯s capabilities are, we should attack with a variety of weapons. Anakin and Ahsoka will use their lightsabers, Mylene will use magic, Roxanne will use her Energy Sword, and I will use laser and repulsor blasts on it.¡±, I stated.


    Agreeing to my plan, everyone ready themselves for the unexpected. Crawling out of the cave two minutes later, the hideous monster revealed itself to us. Having the appearance of a purple slug, it possessed five different mouths with four of them affixed to the end of tentacles. Lashing out at the open air with its tentacles, it did not seem to notice us suggesting the creature was blind and relied on movement, sound, or vibration to track its prey.


    Opening fire on the creature, while the other three rushed forward, I began blasting it with a repulsor gatling gun while Mylene attacked it from underneath with Earth Needle. Piercing through the monster easily, the blood that sprayed out began dissolving the Earth Needles and everything it splattered on. Jumping out of the way before it could touch them, Mylene began to profusely apologize to them as her attack could have left them with terrible burns.


    ¡°I should have taken into consideration that other fluids in its body were acidic as well. My sincerest apologies!¡±, Mylene said, raising earthen walls to shield them.


    ¡°Do not worry about it! Our attacks would have done the same thing, and there would have been no dodging it that close.¡±, Anakin commented, genuinely relieved they had not directly attacked it, ¡°Ahsoka, pumble it with debris. That is our safest option.¡±


    Sticking to ranged attacks, the slug attempted to retreat into the cave, but Roxanne refused to let that happen. Racing up the side of the rock, she dragged her sword through the stone above the entrance allowing large chunks to fall and seal the escape route. Jumping off the wall and into a tree, Roxanne began taking potshots at it with her laser pistol. Trapped and with no cover to hide behind, the beast soon fell silent and gave up the ghost. Walking up to the creature, I attempted to stow it in my Storage to confirm it was dead. Disappearing immediately, we gave each other a high five and quickly returned to Bright Tree Village.

 Chapter 99

    ¡°The Griagh is dead!!¡±, the Elder Ewok proclaimed, as we showed the village its corpse, ¡°Quickly, send word to all of the neighboring villages that the legendary beast has been slain!!¡±


    Crying out with unbridled joy, many of the villagers began to dance while others sped off into the forest. Watching them celebrate, Mylene had a sweetness overload when some of the baby Ewoks began trying to mimic the adults. Fighting her urge to rush over, scoop them up, and hug them, she clung to my arm tightly with a pleading gaze. Knowing where this was going to lead, I promised to discuss the topic tonight with her.


    ¡°We are forever in your debt, friends. As promised, here is the Sunstar and Shadowstone.¡±, the Ewok Elder said, presenting them to me with a grateful smile, ¡°The five of you will forever remembered by our people. Is there anything else we can do to repay you? Two gemstones are hardly a fair price for your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Actually there is, my two friends here were about where exactly the stones came from.¡±, I stated, motioning to Anakin and Ahsoka, ¡°They belong to a powerful group of warrior monks who have a great interest in these sorts of gemstones. If there are more here, they promise to protect you from the people who come to this world to hunt your people. All they ask in exchange is the right to harvest the stones for their young disciples.¡±


    ¡°Truly?!¡±, the Ewok Elder shouted, ¡°Yes, there are many more glowing stones in the mountains, though¡­none look similar to the Sunstar and Shadowstone.¡±


    ¡°Do they look similar to these stones?¡±, I asked, projecting images of other varieties of kyber crystals.


    ¡°Oh yes!!¡±, the Ewok Elder said, pointing to Christophsis and Solari crystals, ¡°There are others that look similar to these as well.¡±


    Passing along the information to Anakin, he seemed very enthusiastic about the information. Asking me to find out where they could be harvested, when I translated the question to the Ewok Elder, he pointed to a large mountain range off in the distance.


    ¡°There are dozens of caves filled with them, but be warned, the Gorax claimed those mountains many seasons ago. Our people do not go there anymore for fear of being eaten by them.¡±, the Ewok Elder explained.


    Sharing this information with Anakin, he took a few photos of the mountain range and wrote up a brief report on what kyber crystals could be found there. Forwarding it to the High Council immediately, Anakin had me reassure them that people from the Order would come investigate the caves in the coming months. Walking up to Anakin, the Ewok Elder vigorously shook his hand out of an abundance of gratitude.


    Offering to share a meal with us, I politely declined and explained that we had to continue with our journey. Understanding the situation, he told us that we were welcome to visit them anytime we were nearby. Thanking him for the offer, we promised to visit them again soon. Taking a few snapshots of the Ewok children before heading back to the shuttle, Mylene scrolled through the images several times with a saddened expression.


    ¡°We will have to come back with the others sometime soon. I am certain all of them will be upset that they did not get to see them today.¡±, I said, in a soft voice, ¡°Also, if you want to coordinate a Gorax hunt to protect them go right on ahead.¡±


    Giving me a hug, Mylene thanked me while kissing me on the cheek repeatedly. Promising to reward me this evening, she gave me a seductive wink and smile before letting me go. Climbing into the shuttle, we headed back up to the Endless Horizons then made our way to our next stop, Concordia.


    ---Concordia---


    Descending into the capital¡¯s space port, as we made our final approach to our designated slot, I noticed a high-profile ship docked not too far from us. Unlike the other vessels in port, it was decorated with ornate trimmings and was being heavily patrolled by Mandalorian guards. Analyzing the ships exterior plating, I was shocked that the entire outer hull was made of beskar.


    ¡°Anakin, whose ship is that?¡±, I asked, pulling up an image of the vessel on the monitor.


    ¡°That would be Duchess Kryze, ruler of the Mandalore System.¡±, Ahsoka answered, before Anakin could speak, ¡°She is the leader of the Council of Neutral Systems.¡±


    ¡°Council of Neutral Systems, what is that?¡±, Roxanne inquired, ¡°I thought everything in this galaxy was part of the Galactic Republic.¡±


    ¡°Due to many grave mistakes of the Galactic Senate, as Ahsoka briefly mentioned earlier, thousands of Outer Rim star systems left the Republic three years ago and formed their own nation. That country, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, are the ones we are currently warring against as neither side can get the other to the negotiation table.¡±, Anakin explained, ¡°The Council of Neutral Systems is a minor group of senators who are actively trying to end the war by not participating in aiding or fighting either side. All members of the council rely on trade with both nations, they cannot survive without both parties.¡±


    Understanding the complex situation at work here, Mylene and Roxanne were happy we were doing something to bring an end to the war. Suggesting we make official diplomatic ties with both nations, once the war was over, my politically seasoned wife felt it would be a boon to both sides in the long run. Seeing no reason not to, as we stood to gain a lot from the arrangement, I agreed to initiating talks once the dust settled.


    ¡°Are you more than just Bounty Hunters?¡±, Ahsoka asked us, realizing they had never bothered to ask us.


    <Master, apologies for interrupting your conversation but a large group of people are approaching the ship. Judging by their formation, it seems a local diplomat wishes to speak with you.>


    Projecting an image of the group, Anakin immediately confirmed it was the Duchess, her staff, and a contingent of bodyguards. Suggesting we go out and meet her, I had Horizons teleport us down to greet our visitors. Hurriedly rushing down the ramp, Anakin and Ahsoka greeted the senator with a polite bow.


    ¡°Duchess Kryze, it a pleasure to see you as always.¡±, Anakin said, as three of us slowly walked down the ramp, ¡°Is there something we can assist you with?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what is a Jedi Knight and his Padawan doing on a foreign vessel? We were just coming over to see who owned such a beautiful ship.¡±, Duchess Kryze answered, turning to us, ¡°Are you perhaps the owner of this ship, sir?¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That is correct, Duchess Kryze.¡±, I said, offering her a handshake.


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±, her aide coughed, ¡°There is a proper procedure to follow when greeting someone of higher standing.¡±


    ¡°Olga, there is no to be rude.¡±, Duchess Kryze scolded her, ¡°My apologies, some of my staff take my position far more seriously than I do.¡±


    ¡°No, I should be the one apologizing for not properly introducing myself.¡±, I stated, retracting my helmet, ¡°My name is Duke Victor von Stark of the Holfort Kingdom. These two lovely women are my fianc¨¦es, Princess Mylene Rapha Repard of the United Kingdom of Repard and my childhood best friend Roxanne. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Dropping her tablet computer in fright, the aide immediately dropped her knees and lowered her head. Realizing that we were foreign diplomats, she regretted opening her mouth before confirming who we were. Understanding now why a Jedi Knight and Padawan were with us, the Duchess apologized for her aide¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°My fianc¨¦ is also the one who valiantly rescued the refugee ships at your border.¡±, Mylene informed them, adding further fuel to the fire.


    ¡°I¡­I am truly sorry for my behavior!¡±, the aide whimpered, on the verge of crying now, ¡°Please do not think any less of Duchess Kryze, I take full responsibility for my actions!¡±


    ¡°Mylene, I think we can leave things at that. There is no need to cause a scene, we do not actively tell people about our status so it cannot be helped. Besides, you are scaring Anakin and Ahsoka.¡±, I said, stifling a laugh, ¡®They do not need to know that the two nations I mentioned are only a small group of islands on a single planet. It is better if people think we are from large, powerful nations.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±, Duchess Kryze replied, helping her aide up, ¡°May I inquire what brought you to the Mandalore System? If there is anything I can do to be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to ask.¡±


    ¡°May I be frank with you, Duchess Kryze?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Of course, and please call me Satine. There is no reason for us to use titles as equals.¡±, Kryze stated.


    ¡°I am sorry to tell you this, but Pre Vizsla and your sister are actively trying to overthrow your government. Both are upset that you are, in their eyes, turning your back on Mandalorian traditions by embracing pacifism. Pre Vizsla is the leader of a terrorist organization called the Death Watch; they are operating out of the abandoned mines on this world. Please play along so we can address this issue swiftly.¡±, I advised her telepathically, before giving her a completely different verbal excuse.


    Immediately agreeing to help us, she had us follow her so she could take us to Pre Vizsla¡¯s residence.

 Chapter 100

    Taking the Duchess¡¯ private transport to the governor¡¯s residence, as we flew through Concordia¡¯s capital, my fianc¨¦es and I saw exactly what sort of man Pre Vizsla was. While his guards and military forces were sporting the latest armor and weapons, the city¡¯s infrastructure and populace were left to fend for themselves. Trash was piled six feet tall in places, hundreds of buildings were on the verge of collapsing, families were grouped together in alleyways with nowhere left to go, and orphans were scavenging food amongst the piles of trash. Unable to understand how someone could let this stand, Mylene began asking for details about this world.


    ¡°Have things always been this bad?¡±, Mylene asked, noticing a torn child¡¯s doll on the sidewalk, ¡°It looks like a warzone here.¡±


    ¡°It has been like this for millennia, and all Mandalorians are to blame for it.¡±, she stated, with a saddened look, ¡°For as long as our people can remember, one thing has always been a constant in our history¡­War. When our ancestors first settled here in Mandalore System, instead of coming together to help one another, they formed clans and began fighting one another over resources and territory. Over the millennia, our people tore our worlds apart, building fortresses to defend our clans, extracting minerals to fuel our war machines, and poisoning water supplies just to get ahead of each other. By the time I was born, most Mandalorians were fed up with our way of life and wanted to try a new path, one that benefitted all Mandalorians.¡±


    ¡°Why has nothing changed then?¡±, Mylene commented, trying to maintain her composure.


    ¡°As I said, most Mandalorians wanted to change things for the better, but there was a minority group who wished to continue with tradition. My subordinates and I attempted to reason with them to no avail, they refused to toss aside the horrible past for a better future. With no other choice, as most refused to even consider a semi-pacifist lifestyle, we relocated the Old Faction to Concordia and installed Pre Vizsla as Governor. We hoped that as one of the few reasonable members of the Old Faction he would turn his comrades toward a more moderate stance, but as you can see¡­he has failed Concordia and Mandalorians alike.¡±, Satina elaborated, with an angry expression, ¡°That is why I am here today. I am giving him one final chance to start acting like a governor, and if he fails again, he will be removed from office and replaced with someone else.¡±


    Giving us the laundry list of things she wanted him to begin accomplishing, while the others weighed in on things, I took a moment to ponder things. Vaguely recalling a Clone Wars episode that had touched on something like this, if my memory was correct, Duchess Satine and our group were heading into a trap at the mansion. Remember something about Obi-Wan and Satina being captured by the Death Watch, I believed today might be the day it was supposed to happen. Silently having Luxion deploy a fleet of drones to monitor the Governor¡¯s Residence, I wanted to know what we were walking into so I was prepared.


    ¡°So what is your territory like, Victor? Do you have similar issues in your family¡¯s territory?¡±, Satine asked, wanting to learn more about my country.


    ¡°I am a first-generation nobleman; I earned my title through major contributions to our country and recapturing a rouge ducal territory that seceded from the kingdom several generations ago. The territory I oversee now is the same territory I reclaimed for my country, and let me tell you, the former nobles ran it into the ground¡­¡±, I sighed, beginning my tale.


    Starting with my early childhood, I gave them a brief overview of where I came from and how I got to where I was now. Modifying the retelling a bit to reflect a moderately sized galactic nation, Duchess Santine and the two Jedi were very impressed with my rise to power. Showing them live feeds of several places in the territories I controlled, I demonstrated how life had drastically improved for those under my care and leadership.


    ¡°You have done a splendid job rebuilding the territory for both your nation and her people. I understand now why you have nine fianc¨¦es.¡±, Satine commented, with a grin, ¡°Mylene and Roxanne, the nine of you are lucky to have met such a fine man. As someone who interacts and works with tens of thousands of them, the number of good men worth marrying can be counted on one hand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words. Each of us knows how lucky we are to have him in our lives, none of us take that for granted.¡±, Roxanne said, as Mylene and her leaned against me.


    ¡°With that in mind, Victor, would you consider a political marriage to me?¡±, Satine asked, with a serious look, ¡°You check all the boxes for my requirements, you are an attractive man, you have good morals, you are an excellent nobleman, and you have a heart for the average person. A marriage between us would ensure you could establish trade ties with the Galactic Republic, and I get a good husband I can trust to help me rebuild the Mandalore System. While I concede that I am not as attractive as your two fianc¨¦es, I am confident that we would make an incredible team.¡±


    Surprised by her bold proposal, I acknowledged that she was a cut above other nobles we had encountered out here. Willing to do whatever was necessary for the benefit and prosperity of her people, she was a selfless leader who had earned my respect.


    ¡°Duchess Satine, you are selling yourself far too short. Any man would be lucky to have a kindhearted, people orientated woman like you as wife and partner. Appearances fade with the passage of time, what is in our hearts does not so readily change.¡±, I said, wanting her to evaluate herself better, ¡°You certainly meet many of the criteria I have for a wife, but I would like to get know you as an individual not as the ruler of the Mandalore System.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­that is more than fine with me.¡±, Satine agreed, with a warm smile, ¡°How about we plan a private dinner date on Coruscant or at my family¡¯s castle on Kalevala? We can talk over a meal and get better acquainted with one another.¡±


    Exchanging contact information with one another, Satina appeared to be very pleased with this development. While I was not certain whether anything would come of it, as our goals were completely different, I was interested to see where this went. No matter what happened though, I was certain to have a friendly face sitting among the sea of bureaucratic nonsense that was the Galactic Senate.


    ---Governor¡¯s Residence---


    Arriving at Pre Vizsla¡¯s mansion a short time later, my fianc¨¦es and I were disgusted by what we found. This jackass lived in a gigantic mansion decorated with pristine military artifacts and statues while his people scavenged for food in the trash. Walking up the polished marble stairs to his front door, Satine knocked on the door and waited for a response.


    <Master, I have a report for you. A group of Pre Vizsla¡¯s men attempted to board Duchess Satine¡¯s ship as well as the Endless Horizons. Our security team neutralized the situation and have placed the port under lockdown. The medical team is tending to her few remaining guards.>


    ¡°What?!¡±, Satine gasped, ¡°How many of my men are left!?¡±


    <You are down to thirty percent of your original combat strength, Miss Satine.>


    ¡°Duchess Satine, we should consider leaving Concordia immediately. It is clear Pre Vizsla intends to kill you to destroy everything we have been working toward.¡±, her aide said, looking at Duchess¡¯ bodyguards, ¡°Please secure a safe route for- ¡°


    Stepping past everyone, I proceeded to kick the front door in with a mighty blow. Sending the solid metal door through several walls, the servants in the immediate area froze and turned to me in fear.


    ¡°If any of you wish to avoid being caught up in what is about to happen, leave this house immediately!¡±, I commanded, ensuring that everyone in the house heard me, ¡°As for the coward Pre Vizsla, come out here and face us like your ancestors would have. Using underhanded tactics to corner us is unbefitting of a proud warrior!¡±


    Dropping what they were doing, the servants ran out of the front door as fast as their legs could carry them. A few moments after the last servant left, dozens of armed soldiers poured out of rooms on the second floor and rushed to the balcony. Firing upon me the moment I was in their crosshairs, each of them fully intended to kill me and move on to the others. Standing there with a bored expression, they quickly realized I was not an ordinary person. Pulling out a rocket launcher, the Mandalorian Soldier launched the warhead at me without warning.


    ¡°Victor, move!¡±, Ahsoka shouted, ¡°That model is meant to break- ¡°


    Snatching the rocket out of the air, I proceeded to crush it in my hand without batting an eye. Staring at me in shock, the men were not sure what do now as they really did not have anything else to throw at me. Using my repulsor to cut the supports for the balcony out from under them, the entire group fell to the first floor before their jetpacks could engage.


    ¡°Pre Vizsla, I have no qualms about leveling this entire complex with my Nova Cannon. This game is over, cease your useless resistance and come to the table to talk with me.¡±, I shouted, as the Mandalorians picked themselves up out of the rubble, ¡°We are aware of your status as the leader of the Death Watch. There is no point in hiding it anymore.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly would you have me discuss? Duchess Kryze has made her decision for the entirety of our people; she refuses to listen to those of us who wish to continue to practice our old ways.¡±, Vizsla remarked, stepping through the hole I made in the wall, ¡°We are a race of warriors, not pacifist monks! Her ways will make our people soft and easy targets for others to take advantage of!¡±


    Voicing their agreements with Vizsla¡¯s words, all his men felt like they would be trampled upon by the Core Worlds if they showed weakness. Seeing the burning passion in their eyes for their craft, I understood why Satina had problems. She was trying to stifle what made her people unique instead of redirecting their passions elsewhere. Believing I had a reasonable compromise in mind, I decided to see what would come of it.


    ¡°You are absolutely correct, Pre Vizsla, the Mandalore System would be in great danger without warriors like you and your men. There are many people that would love to enslave your people or outright destroy your star system without your protection. Even though your strength has waned, most groups are still too fearful of your people to engage you in a fight.¡±, I acknowledged, much to the dismay of the two Jedi and Satina, ¡°As Duchess Kryze pushes for a pacifist lifestyle, which many Mandalorians desire, that fear will begin to dwindle till the first person comes and takes something from your people. Once that happens, the floodgates will open, and your heritage will be stripped from you like many other star systems in the Outer Rim.¡±


    ¡°You¡­you agree with us?¡±, Pre Vizsla asked, doubting my words. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Of course, I am not blind nor a fool. The Confederacy came about because the Galactic Republic refuses to stand by its promises to the people of the Outer Rim. They abandoned all of you and left you out here to rot!¡±, I stated, ¡°You pay their taxes, helped build their starship fleet, and even perform odd jobs for them around the galaxy, yet what have they done for the Mandalore System or anyone else in the Outer Rim? Nothing!¡±


    Pleasantly surprised that I acknowledged their struggles out here, the men began to nod their heads in agreement. Lowering their weapons, Satina was surprised they seemed more willing to talk now than moments before.


    ¡°Even though I am an outsider, as a fellow warrior, I understand the pride you feel wearing your traditional armor and practicing the fighting styles your ancestors perfected. There is a rich tradition here in this system that cannot be found anywhere else, and you have every right to cherish and protect it. That said though, I am sure all of you agree that some things are unsustainable.¡±, I explained, ¡°The very planet your people derive their name from, Mandalore, is now an inhospitable wasteland where people must hide inside domed cities just to survive. Here on Concordia, your ancestors almost did the same thing but stopped themselves before it was too late. I am certain you can see why so many of your people want peaceful lives, they want to build a legacy that they can pass on to future generations.¡±


    ¡°What about us then?¡±, Pre Vizsla asked, clenching his fist as he glared at Satina.


    "As this star system begins to flourish and prosper, the greedy bastards from the Core Worlds and distant lands will come here seeking to steal everything from your people. It will fall to Mandalorian Warriors like all of you to rise to the occasion and fight to protect this star system.", I explained, pointing my finger at him, "The legacy they are building is as much yours as it is theirs, do not forget that. Do not let the past mistakes of your ancestors continue to bind you to the vilified status you hold now, you all have the potential to become revered guardians of your homeland. Use your warrior blood to help build a legacy that all Mandalorians can be proud of!"


    Having never considered such a thing before, the warriors looked at one another for a moment. Imagining a future where they were seen with reverence by the masses, an elite group of unrivalled fighters that protected their homeland from outside threats, every one of them sought to make that future a reality.


    ¡°Your star system is poised to become the center of Outer Rim¡¯s Awakening. As your people rebuild, other abandoned systems will take notice and seek to join hands with your people. When that happens, who will their people turn to for protection and safety?¡±, I pressed him.


    ¡°Mandalorian Warriors!¡±, Pre Vizsla proclaimed, seeing the vision for a brilliant future for Mandalorians, ¡°Duchess Kryze, is this something that you would agree too?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, I have no qualms about placing the protection and security of our star system in your capable hands. I will focus on rebuilding our star system into something our ancestors would be proud of.¡±, Satina said, walking up beside me, ¡°From this moment forward, instead of Governor of Concordia, you will be the Minister of both Heritage Preservation and Star System Security.¡±


    ¡°I readily accept both positions, I will ensure that we have enough of a star system left to rebuild.¡±, Vizsla replied, with an excited expression, ¡°Thank you, Outsider.¡±


    ¡°There is one other thing you should know, Pre Vizsla.¡±, I stated, showing Vizsla and Satina a brief glimpse of what I could recall of the system¡¯s grim future, ¡°Do with it what you will.¡±


    Startled by what I showed him, he understood now why I acknowledged their fears as they would come to pass in the future. Understanding that they had to take immediate action to prevent the desecration of their homeland, Vizsla handed me the Darksaber without a second thought.


    ¡°As much as it pains me to say it, Duchess Satina and I should have sought to find common ground instead of convincing each other we were in the right. I have a long ways to go as a leader before I can consider myself worthy enough to wield such an important weapon.", Pre Vizsla said, with a nod.


    "A leader still needs a fine weapon to rally his men into battle with.", I remarked, retrieving a protype Imperium Energy Sword I made from my storage, "Till you feel ready to wield the Darksaber, use this in its steady. Unlike a lightsaber, you will find that his sword has no problem cutting through even the strongest materials. I wish you luck and good fortune on the Path."


    "Thank you for your kind words. We have a lot of preparations to attend to so that accursed future does not come to pass!", Pre Vizsla stated, accepting the Energy Sword from me, ''When I get my hands on you Dooku, I will make you suffer for playing me like a fool!''


    Taking his men and leaving the residence, he immediately began to fill them in on what I showed him. Happy that things had ended well for both parties, I turned to leave when Satina hugged me tightly. Surprised she was being so forward in front of everyone, including my fianc¨¦es, Satina did not care about it.


    ¡°You are truly a wonderful man and a peerless nobleman. I never considered refocusing the Old Faction into protecting and safeguarding our star system. In my pursuit for peace, I failed to recognize that I was exposing my people to danger. Your foresight just saved our people from losing everything we hold dear!¡±, Satina remarked, ¡°One way or another I will win your heart, and make you my husband. The Outer Rim needs someone like you to help lead us to a brighter future.¡±


    ¡°How about starting with winning his heart first before throwing yourself on him!¡±, Mylene snapped, pulling her away from me, ¡°There is a proper process to this, and you are skipping a few steps.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, Princess Mylene, I have no intention of taking him from you.¡±, Satina laughed, before running off, ¡°¡­at least not yet.¡±


    ¡°Get back here you!¡±, Mylene shouted, giving chase, ¡°Say that to my face!¡±


    Even though some might think it was a serious fight, I could see they were having fun at each other¡¯s expense. Suggesting we get going before we caused a scene; everyone returned to the transport car and went back to the space port.

 Chapter 101

    ---Next Day---


    Heading to the Jedi Temple alone, as Mylene and Roxanne were called into a meeting with my other fianc¨¦es, I greeted everyone as I entered the High Council Chamber. Immediately presenting the Sunstar and Shadowstone to Master Tiin, he took a moment to examine them closely.


    ¡°I have never seen any kyber crystals like these before. They are perfect mirror opposites of one another, one possesses a strong connection to the light side, while the other is connected to the dark side.¡±, Tiin commented, handing them to Master Yoda for his thoughts, ¡°Moreover, the purple crystal¡¯s connection is far more stable than a red kyber crystal.¡±


    ¡°Strange these crystals are. Fitting lightsabers they will become for you.¡±, Yoda stated, returning the kyber crystals to me, ¡°You retrieve the Darksaber did?¡±


    Nodding my head in acknowledgement, I moved my cape out of the way and showed them the weapon affixed to my hip. Content to see it back in good hands once again, Anakin updated them on our brief operation on Concordia.


    ¡°In addition to retrieving the Darksaber, Victor may have stabilized the situation in the Mandalore System. The Pacifist and War Factions have come to an arrangement that satisfies both groups.¡±, Anakin reported, ¡°My apologies for not sending the report last night¡­¡±


    ¡°You got both sides to sit down and talk things out?¡±, Windu remarked, with an impressed look, ¡°What sort of arrangement did you help them strike?¡±


    ¡°The two groups will work towards a common goal, rebuilding their star system and surpassing their ancestors. While the Pacifist Faction restores the Mandalore System and takes it to new heights, the War Faction will be responsible for fighting off anything and anyone that comes to steal their newfound prosperity away from them.¡±, I explained, with a grin, ¡°Given the lack of attention the Outer Rim has received from the Republic, a rising Mandalore System could cause a positive change in the overall situation out there. A strong, united Outer Rim could be the kick in the pants the Galactic Republic needs to make positive changes as well.¡±


    Nodding their heads in agreement, the Jedi Masters saw this as a positive step for all parties involved. While there were still plenty of things that could go wrong, giving people hope for a better future for everyone was always a good thing. Getting back to my whole reason for coming to Coruscant, Master Tiin began speaking again.


    ¡°Now that you have your kyber crystals in hand, we would usually cut and polish the crystals, but that is not necessary in this case. Since your crystals are already in a spherical shape, the next step will be assembling the lightsabers themselves.¡±, Tiin remarked, nodding to Master Koth.


    Getting up from his seat, Master Koth left the room for a few minutes and came back with a cart full of lightsaber parts. Having assumed I was going to have to assemble them in the same area the Younglings did, it was nice to see that I was wrong.


    ¡°For first time assembly, we have a strict tradition of having our initiates use the Force to build their lightsabers. It is a rite of passage that demonstrates that one has the control and patience to progress further in our Order.¡±, Tinn explained, ¡°We would appreciate it if you did the same.¡±


    ¡°I understand, do you mind if I make some minor alterations to the parts before assembly?¡±, I inquired, having brought some of my own components and parts.


    ¡°Go right ahead.¡±, Koth agreed, interested to see what I would do.


    Selecting everything I needed from the cart, I scanned them into Jarvis¡¯ database and began the disassembly process. Using the Force for the entire process, I removed all the capacitors, fuses, relays, and resistors in each lightsaber component and replaced them with my customized parts. Reassembling everything once that was complete, the next step was adding the improvements I brought for the assembly. Pulling them out of my Storage, Koth stopped me for a moment and asked what they were for.


    ¡°These two glowing pucks are called Arc Reactors, instead of batteries, I will use these to power my lightsabers. They can produce several gigawatts of power per second, more than enough to properly power the lightsabers.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Next is a quantum lock, it is wirelessly connected to my armor which will prevent others from using my lightsabers without permission. Lastly, I am adding a disruptor field projector which will allow me to temporarily disable energy weapons and shielding on contact.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a moment¡­that would mean they can disable other lightsabers, right? Is that something you built, or did it come from somewhere else?¡±, Windu asked, in a worried tone.


    ¡°The design I used came from the Imperium of Man. I managed to scan one of their Energy Swords, or Power Swords as they call them, and replicate the technology. Their Power Swords can momentarily disable your lightsabers, did you not know that?¡±, I inquired, with a confused look, ¡°They will cut right through your lightsabers and shielding like nothing is there.¡±


    ¡°Alert our people at the frontlines of this news immediately!¡±, Windu said, looking to Gallia, ¡°If they encounter any enemies with a Power Sword, they are to engage them with extreme caution or retreat immediately.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I will get a memo out immediately.¡±, Gallia acknowledged, getting straight to work.


    Thanking me for the information, as skirmishes were beginning to happen along that front again, Koth motioned for me to proceed with the assembly. Having taken apart my old lightsabers millions of times at this point, I sat back and enjoyed a cup of tea while my subconscious built both units. Startled by my ability to multitask with minimal effort, Koth watched as the units were completed in less than ten seconds.


    ¡°My word, you have clearly been practicing that quite a lot.¡±, Koth remarked, with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, I had no mentors or training guide so I did what I could to hone my skills. It also helps that I visualized the assembly in my mind and know the exact tolerances I am working with to ensure parts do not bash into each other.¡±, I said, with a proud grin.


    ¡°Go ahead and give them a try.¡±, Tiin requested, as Koth and him stepped back a bit.


    Activating both units, they instantaneously extended to their full length and began exhibiting unusual effects on the environment. The Sunstar Lightsaber radiated a very pleasant warmth and a brilliant light that created no shadows on everything it illuminated. My Shadowstone Lightsaber, on the other hand, radiated a chilling cold and a pale light that was barely visible to the naked eye. Taking a second to determine the temperatures they were releasing; I was dumbfounded by what I found. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®Both have a core temperature of ten thousand degrees Fahrenheit, but their external temperatures are far different. The Sunstar is sitting at fifty thousand degrees while the Shadowstone is at absolute zero, why I am not experiencing either effect directly? My armor and I are experiencing a warm summer¡¯s day and a pleasant winter¡¯s evening respectively.¡¯, I thought, as I spun them around, ¡®Interesting, no signature lightsaber hum or sound as they cut through the air. They are truly unique lightsabers, perfectly suited for me.¡¯


    ¡°How do they feel?¡±, Tiin asked.


    ¡°I understand the difference now between owning a lightsaber and having personal lightsabers. The sensation is completely different from what I am used too.¡±, I answered, performing a few acrobatic stunts, ¡°They feel like extensions of myself, not like pieces of equipment or tools.¡±


    ¡°That is how lightsabers should be.¡±, Tiin remarked, with a pleased grin, ¡°Now then, Master Windu, there was something you wanted to say once the matter was completed?¡±


    Thanking his colleague, Windu stepped toward me with a serious expression. Powering down the lightsabers, I affixed them to my hip and waited to see what was going to happen.


    ¡°Victor, the High Council has decided to bestow upon you the honorary title of Sage Master. The title was retired many generations ago as only two Jedi have ever reached that level of mastery. Given the many feats you have achieved while maintaining perfect balance, all of us believe it is a fitting title for you.¡±, Windu stated, giving me a firm handshake, ¡°While we do not expect you to follow our rules and tenants, we hope you will exercise restraint when using the title.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand the weight of the title you are giving me. I assure you that I will only use the title to help aid those in need during my travels and work.¡±, I promised them, before getting to another important topic, ¡°On a side note, I wanted to briefly speak about an upcoming operation in the Imperium of Man that may require some assistance from the Order. As you all may or may not be aware, an enormous tear in reality has split the Imperium in half. This tear, the Great Rift as they call it, substantially increased the power that Chaos can bring into our reality. I am working with the Lord Commander of the Imperium, Roboute Guilliman, to close the tear and weaken our shared enemy. When we begin the operation, do you have anyone that can assist us?¡±


    ¡°Anakin and Ahsoka can help you. Unfortunately they are all we can spare right now.¡±, Windu stated.


    ¡°I understand, their assistance will be most appreciated.¡±, I said, ¡°As for the Palpatine¡¯s clones, I will alert you the moment I have any information on them. Thank you again for allowing me to build my lightsabers here.¡±


    ¡°No problem, farewell and safe travels. We look forward to seeing you again in the future.¡±, Windu remarked, with a grin.


    Saying goodbye to everyone else, I promptly teleported back to my ship and made a call to Guilliman. Wanting permission to head for the Precipice Space Station, now was the time to begin preparing for Operation Renewal.

 Chapter 102

    ---Homeworld, Several Weeks Later, Wedding Day---


    Arriving at our mansion early in the morning, I greeted my family, future in-laws, and colleagues with a smile. Motioning for them to enter our abode, as everyone shuffled inside, they immediately noticed that the home was not decorated for the occasion. Giving them a moment to wander around and explore the home, the group gathered in our living room with anxious expressions.


    ¡°Victor, please tell me nothing happened to your engagements. My poor daughter cannot go through the heartbreak a second time.¡±, Clarice¡¯s father Bernard said, with a mortified expression.


    ¡°Agreed, if this is some sort of joke none of us appreciate it.¡±, Angelica¡¯s father Vince agreed.


    ¡°My apologies for the confusion, the wedding is not being held here at my residence. I had everyone gather here because it makes transporting the entire group easier. Your daughters, and Julius and Jilk¡¯s case mother, are already onsite getting changed into their dresses.¡±, I explained, ¡°I would have clarified that in the wedding invitations, but as you will soon discover, none of you would have believed me.¡±


    Sighing with relief, everyone apologized for jumping to conclusions. Understanding their worries, given what happened in the not-so-distant past, I gave Horizon the order to teleport us aboard. Enveloping us in a brilliant light, our family and guests were temporarily blinded for a moment. Giving them a few moments to let their eyes adjust, I welcomed them aboard the Endless Horizons. Not understanding what was going on, when they turned around and saw the breathtaking view outside, everyone fell silent.


    Slowly processing what they were seeing, all of them rushed to the window for a closer look. Examining what they were seeing for any signs of illusions, as the realization sank in for everyone, they looked back at me in disbelief.


    ¡°Victor¡­are¡­are we in space right now?¡±, my father Balcus inquired.


    ¡°As I previously said, if I had told you the truth outright none of you would have believed me.¡±, I chuckled, enjoying their reactions, ¡°My fianc¨¦es and I have been exploring the universe around our region of space now for several years. We have had several crazy adventures out here, and fully intend to have countless more in the future. Throughout our travels, we have encountered many groups of people, many of whom we have become friends with to some extent. I apologize for keeping everyone in the dark, but announcing we were not alone in the universe would not have gone down well amongst our people.¡±


    ¡°So this is where you have been disappearing to for extended periods of time.¡±, the Adventurer¡¯s Guildmaster Nicholas commented, with a smirk, ¡°There were some crazy rumors circling around for a bit about why you were missing from the public eye. Some people thought your fianc¨¦es died in a high-ranking dungeon and you were in mourning, while others said you were doing unspeakable experiments on them in a secret dungeon beneath your mansion. Do not worry though, all those rumors disappeared when your fianc¨¦es began making public appearances again.¡±


    Having read many reports about those rumors, they all originated from noblemen that had issues with the prosperity of my territory. Since we were living off world most of the time now, those bastards seized the opportunity to spread vile rumors about me trying to ruin my public image. Unfortunately for them, they all met their end in terrible accidents here recently, such a pity.


    ¡°Moving on, there is something everyone needs to understand before we head out. Nations out here are not measured in square miles or kilometers; they are calculated by the number of planets under their control. The reason I bring this to your attention is because we will have representatives of foreign governments in attendance today.¡±, I explained, casting a Linguistic Translation Spell on them, ¡°We have gone to great lengths to hide the fact that our nation is only several million square miles in size. They believe our country consists of five hundred thousand to seven hundred and fifty thousand planets. If any of them ask you about our country or people, keep your answers broad and vague.¡±


    Understanding the necessity of bluffing our size, everyone present agreed to my request without another word. Thanking them for their understanding, I guided the ship out of orbit and began charging the Blink Drive. Plugging in the coordinates, once it was charged, Horizon initiated the jump for me.


    ---Resort World---


    Getting us into a stable orbit over the wedding venue, Horizon teleported us down onto the island. As we manifested on the island, a pleasant sea breeze greeted us as the waves crashed against the island¡¯s beaches. Less than a mile in diameter, the cozy island Luxion found for me was perfectly sized for the momentous occasion. Moreover, since we were getting married at sunset, the sun would become a beautiful backdrop for our wedding photos.


    ¡°My¡­my word¡­¡±, Vince choked up, looking at the careful preparations and the breathtaking view, ¡°I understand now why you took so long to set a date for marriage, Victor. This place¡­it¡­it is perfect for my beautiful daughter¡¯s wedding. I only wish my wife were alive to see this.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­I¡­I said I would not cry!¡±, Bernard sniffled, wiping his tears, ¡°Thank you, Victor, for choosing such a wonderous place for the wedding venue. Clarice will never forget this awe-inspiring view.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you Victor!¡±, Earl Roseblade cried, with a joyful smile, ¡°To see my baby girl married in such a place¡­I¡­I am at a loss for words.¡±


    ¡°You did a splendid job, Victor!¡±, my mother Luce said, hugging me tightly, ¡°I am glad you got my common sense, and not your father¡¯s stupidity. When we got married, it was in a barn¡­¡±


    ¡°It was the best I could afford at the time¡­¡±, Balcus sighed, with an apologetic look, ¡°Now that the territory is in a much better place, how about we renew our vows somewhere nice?¡±


    Grinning like a cunning fox, my mother accepted his suggestion immediately. Having been poor his entire life, now that they were well off, he had yet to come to grips with his wealth. Stuck in his penny-pinching mindset, up till this point he had yet to use any of it to take the two of them on a well deserved vacation. Hoping this would help him come to terms with things, both of my parents deserved to have a bit of fun together now.


    Escorting the group to the multipurpose building onsite, as we stepped inside, a wide variety of smells greeted us. Having paid for the all you can eat and drink package, we had an assortment of popular foods from the Algrand Empire and Galactic Republic spread out through the main hall. Noticing a mammoth sized bar in the back of the room, the men ran over to it while the women went to check out the beach.


    ¡°How much are the drinks?¡±, Balcus asked one of the Robotic Bartenders.


    ¡°The Host has paid for an open bar. There is no cost for your drinks.¡±, the Robotic Bartender responded, ¡°All the bartenders here are preprogrammed with all known cocktails and mixed drinks from this region of space. Feel free to tell us what you like, and we can make something- ¡°


    ¡°An Old Fashion, please!¡±, the fathers said, in almost perfect sync.


    ¡°We will take whatever beer you recommend.¡±, Julius stated. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Make that a lager for me, not a beer.¡±, Jilk corrected his brother.


    While I had my reservations about these two idiots being here, as they were Angelica and Clarice¡¯s former fianc¨¦s, Mylene insisted they be allowed to come. Wanting one last opportunity to mend their damaged parental relationship, as she still saw them as her children, if things did not work out, she would forget about them like she had King Roland.


    Ordering myself a similar drink to a Long Island Iced Tea, I left the men and headed back outside. Finding the women splashing around on the beach and searching for seashells, each of them seemed to be enjoying the gorgeous weather the planet¡¯s owner had set things too. As I was about to wander off to a hammock and relax for a bit, the first of our other guests arrived.


    ¡°Hello, Victor.¡±, Valerica said, as Lydia and the Volkihar Clan appeared on the scene, ¡°This is quite an impressive wedding venue. While it is not what I would have picked, I am certain that my daughter loves the thought of being wed here. She has always enjoyed going to new places, and this is certainly nothing like the world we come from.¡±


    ¡°The ceremony is set to begin at just before sunset. Till then, please partake of the food and drink inside.¡±, I stated, motioning to the multipurpose room, ¡°Everything is free so please help yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated.¡±, Valerica acknowledged, looking back her clan, ¡°My daughter is being wed today, anyone who disrupts the celebration or festivities will face my unbridled wrath! Do I make myself crystal clear?¡±


    Swearing on their lives not to cause a problem, the subordinate vampires shuffled inside to partake in the feasting. Heading in after them, Valerica told me she would be at the bar trying new cocktails. Telling her not to get too hammered, she assured me that would not happen as vampires had a very high tolerance for alcohol.


    ¡°Greetings, Victor.¡±, Lydia said, shaking my hand firmly, ¡°You have several letters waiting for you back at the Breezehome. The other Orc Strongholds in Skyrim have requested to join your ranks, like Largashbur did. Malacath has told them that serving under you will bring him a great deal of glory and satisfaction. In addition to them, two unusual people stopped by looking for you. One was a Dark Elf woman claiming to be with the Thieves Guild and the other was a jester who claimed he was with the Dark Brotherhood. While I can believe the Dark Elf, I am uncertain about the jester. He seems a bit to unhinged for a guild full of stealthy assassins.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I will stop by after my honeymoon to speak with them.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°And for the record, that jester is not to be underestimated. He plays the part of a fool, but he is a seriously talented assassin that uses twin daggers to tear his victims apart.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted¡­¡±, Lydia remarked, with a nervous expression, ¡°Hopefully I did not upset him when I sent him away¡­¡±


    Heading inside, she walked up to the bar and placed an order for a large tankard of mead. Chugging the whole thing down in a matter of moments, Lydia ordered another almost immediately. Wondering what she said to Cicero, I hoped it was nothing terrible as that jester was a quarter turn away from being insane.


    ¡°You picked quite a nice world to host your wedding on, Victor.¡±, Obi-Wan said, as the Galactic Republic¡¯s party arrived, ¡°Quite a memorable place indeed.¡±


    ¡°I am glad everyone could make it.¡±, I replied, shaking Anakin, Ahsoka, and his hands, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Senator Amidala. I have heard a great deal about you from Anakin and Ahsoka.¡±


    ¡°I hope they have not said anything too bad about me.¡±, Amidala laughed, as we exchanged handshakes, ¡°While I have you, I would like to personally thank you for risking your life for the refugees along the border. It is good to know that there are still good men and women out there that are willing to help those in need.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble at all, I look forward to working with the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order for many years to come.¡±, I said, noticing another familiar face behind her, ¡°Duchess Satina, this is an unexpected surprise. I hope progress is going well in the Mandalore System.¡±


    ¡°Everything is going better than I could have anticipated. Minister Vizsla has embraced his new position with open arms and has begun performing tactical operations to safeguard our cherished secrets and people. Crime has plummeted to an all-time low, and the people are beginning to see a new way forward.¡±, Satina remarked, with a smile, ¡°You have picked quite a breathtaking location for your wedding. I wonder what sort of venue you will pick for us, once I win you over.¡±


    Opening my mouth to answer, I noticed a brief, pained look on Obi-Wan¡¯s face. Wondering if there was a connection between the two of them, that I was unaware of, I felt bad because I was not the sort of person who took women from good men. Leading the group into the building, as everyone began to intermingle with other guests, Obi-Wan and I approached the bar. Asking point blank if there was something had happened between the Duchess and him in the past, I made it clear I had no desire to expose them if that was indeed correct.


    ¡°I first met Satina when I was a young Jedi Knight. We encountered one another during a peacekeeping mission to the Mandalore System. She was one of the loudest voices calling for peace and an end to the centuries of bloodshed and violence.¡±, Obi-Wan elaborated, ¡°There was a spark between us the moment our eyes met, it is safe to say it was love at first sight for us. We did briefly court one another, but we both parted amicably soon afterward. I could not give her the life she deserved as marriage is banned in the Order, and the Mandalorian people needed her to lead them into an era of peace. I would have left the Jedi Order for her back then, if she had asked me to, but now it is too late for me to step away.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I am sorry¡­¡±, I said, feeling a bit guilty I had not immediately shut her down, ¡°If you still love her, I am more than happy to step back and leave you to rekindle your romance. It is never too late to step back and pursue your love.¡±


    ¡°Victor, please do not walk away from her on account of my feelings. If you have feelings for her, court her and give her the happiness I could not.¡±, Obi-Wan stated, with a serious look, ¡°House Kryze has two main family members left, Bo-Katan and Satina. Bo-Katan is a warrior through and through, I seriously doubt any man will get her to settle down and start a family. That leaves just Satina, but she has incredibly high expectations for any potential partner. To my knowledge, you and I are the only two men that have ever caught her eye.¡±


    ¡°While we are just at the stage of getting to know one another, are you sure you are truly fine with it? Do not give me that bull crap about duty and honor, I want the real answer, the one that comes from your heart.¡±, I told him, looking him dead in the eyes, ¡°Tell me as a man, not a Jedi or anything else. I consider you a good friend so do not bullshit me.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, Victor, I would leave the Jedi Order right now if she asked me too. Getting to see her again brought back a wave of emotions that I thought I buried back then, but I cannot allow myself to pursue her again. While the High Council will not acknowledge it, at our current loss rate, our Order will be in shambles within six months. Leaving them would only further compound things as a few High Council members are nearing retirement age and will likely step down in a year or so.¡±, Obi-Wan explained, looking at his glass, ¡°They will need people like Anakin, Ahsoka, and I to step up and help rebuild the Order. Seeing Satina with a man that makes her happy will allow me to lay my feelings to rest and focus on where I am needed most.¡±


    Hearing the pain in his tone, I felt the marriage restriction the Jedi Order had in place was complete bullshit. The Cerean members of the Order were exempt from the marriage restriction as their race¡¯s birth rates were incredibly low. Moreover, because of that low birth rate, it was very common to harems to further improve their chances. In my mind, the claim that establishing loving relationships created a greater risk of falling to the dark side was utter garbage. It was simply a dated mindset that would have led to the downfall of the Order without my intervention.


    ¡°In other news, Obi-Wan, you are not the only Jedi Knight to have fallen for a Senator. Your former Padawan is in the same position with Senator Amidala, and Palpatine is fully aware of it. They were married last year on Naboo.¡±, I told him, ¡°The reason I am telling you is because he intends to use Amidala to manipulate Anakin into becoming his apprentice. Here soon he will request Anakin be made his personal guard, do not allow that to happen under any circumstance. He will worm his way into Anakin¡¯s mind and turn him against all of you.¡±


    ¡°Why not quit the Jedi Order and make their marriage public?¡±, Obi-Wan inquired.


    ¡°Anakin feels he is duty bound to see this war through to the end and wants to make a difference for the good of the people. You have been with him since he was a child, you know better than anyone that he has a big heart for the abandoned and the innocent.¡±, I remarked, with a smile, ¡°To circumvent Palpatine, I believe we use Anakin to figure out who in the Senate is under his mind control. Under the guise of being Senator Amidala¡¯s bodyguard, he can get close enough to most Senators to confirm whether or not they have been manipulated.¡±


    ¡°He protects his wife from Palpatine while also aiding the Jedi Order, I like your plan. Once we end the fighting, Anakin and I can discuss a more permanent solution for his situation.¡±, Obi-Wan said, looking back at the two of them, ¡°Thank you for coming to me with this information and not informing the High Council. I will take the necessary steps to safeguard both from the Sith Lord.¡±


    Sharing a pint of ale together, the two of us began swapping stories with one another of our escapades throughout our lifetimes.


    ---Evening---


    Performing our beautiful ceremony, with a picturesque sunset as the backdrop, the five fathers handed their daughters over to me before taking their seats. Exchanging our vows with one another, my wives poured their hearts out to me with each word they spoke. Desiring to travel to the very ends of the universe with me, they swore to remain faithful to me and love me for the rest of our days. When it was my turn to speak, I cleared my throat and spoke concisely to them.


    ¡°Aela, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, Lucoa, Mylene, Olivia, Roxanna, and Serana, as I stand here looking upon each of you, I feel truly honored and fortunate to call myself your life partner. While some of you have been in my life longer than others, I love each of you with every fiber of my being and cannot see a future without each of you in it.¡±, I said, with a smile, ¡°No matter what anyone says, no one in the whole of creation can ever take your places in my heart. All of you are unique, quirky women who I adore and love above all else. I thank you for joining me on this crazy voyage called life, and I look forward to building a wonderful family together with all of you.¡±


    Moving faster than the marriage officiant could speak, my wives each took turns kissing me before all ten of us pulled ourselves in for a hug. Clapping and cheering for us, once we let go of one another, we began a night long celebration with our friends and family.

 Chapter 103 (R-18)

    Celebrating till sunrise the next morning, the robotic staff ferried our guests to their private suites to rest while we retired to our honeymoon cottage. Walking into the residence, Mylene and Olivia staggered into the master bedroom and plopped onto the bed. Falling asleep before they hit the mattress, the rest of us shook our heads at them as we had seen this coming. Having danced and partied harder than almost everyone else in attendance, they had been on their feet since the ceremony began yesterday evening.


    ¡°Victor, we are here for the next two weeks, right?¡±, Angelica asked, as I brought over coffee, ¡°No adventuring, interruptions, or meetings, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct. I have blocked out two weeks to spend uninterrupted with my family.¡±, I acknowledged, passing out the coffee mugs, ¡°This planet has a wide array of activities we can do together, in small groups, or solo. We can do whatever we want.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let us have a look at their offerings.¡±, Deirdre said, grabbing the tablet off the table.


    Navigating through the various menus, Deirdre began rattling off everything they had listed. While most of the activities were aquatic based, they did have larger facilities close by that we had access to such as a horse track and soccer field. Intrigued by all the offerings here, a concerning question came to Clarice¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Is it safe for us to swim in these waters? When we flew over from the wedding venue, I noticed a distinct lack of physical barriers to keep predators out of the shallows.¡±, Clarice commented, ¡°Is there something I am missing, or are they assuming we are strong enough to chase them off?¡±


    ¡°There is a blurb here about not needing to worry about dangerous predators in the water.¡±, Lucoa commented, glancing over Deirdre¡¯s shoulder, ¡°It does not specifically say why though. Victor, I am sure you know as you were the one who booked this place.¡±


    ¡°These Resort Worlds are cleansed of anything that could potentially cripple or kill any guests. Usually they transport the dangerous creatures to other worlds, but sometimes they just firebomb the planet and start from scratch.¡±, I explained, ¡°We can rest assured that we are completely safe from environmental harms here.¡±


    ¡°Well if that is the case, I am booking us classes for these things called Wake Boarding and Wind Surfing. The advertisement photos make them look like a lot of fun so I say we should do it together!¡±, Deirdre said, as the rest of us shook our heads and laughed, ¡°The classes are not till tomorrow, so what shall we do today?¡±


    ¡°I think we are all a bit too tired to do much today, so how about we enjoy the onsite hot springs?¡±, I suggested, motioning to the rear of the cottage.


    Agreeing to my suggestion, we began to get out of our seats when Lucoa snatched the tablet out of Deirdre¡¯s hands. Having caught a glimpse of something that interested her, she tapped on the screen and began reading through what I assumed was an advertisement for something. Leaning over to see what she was reading; Deirdre covered her mouth as her face turned bright red.


    ¡°You sly dog, you did not mention the hot spring onsite was a fertility hot spring!¡±, Lucoa remarked, with a seductive smile, ¡°Since we are officially wed now, I suppose this was going to happen sooner or later. I just never thought you would make such a bold move not even a full day after the wedding. If you were just waiting for us to be officially married, you could have told us from the get-go. Poor Mylene has been stressing herself out over this.¡±


    ¡®Luxion did not mention anything about a fertility hot spring here¡­¡¯, I thought, maintaining a rock-solid poker face, ¡®Not only that, but there was also nothing listed in the brochure about it either. It must have been a recent addition, or they renamed it since this is a honeymoon cottage. Ugh¡­I should have thought about that possibility. Merchants pull this shit all the time to mark up the prices¡­¡¯


    Before I could clarify things, Mylene came running out of the bedroom and jumped into my arms. Beaming with excitement and joy, even though she was half asleep, she was conscious enough to understand what was being discussed. Showering me with a barrage of kisses, my beautiful wife was over the moon about this discovery.


    ¡°Oh Victor, this is a wonderful surprise! You kept this a secret just for me, did you not?¡±, Mylene asked, hugging me tightly, ¡°I know you are working tirelessly to restore my youth, but I was so worried that I would lose the ability to have children before that happened. While I cannot promise it will be easy, I swear to give it my all!¡±


    ¡°While I would honestly like to adventure more before having a child, I suppose having one soon would give my father some peace of mind. He has been pestering me for two years now to officially marry you and sire a child.¡±, Deirdre said, with a warm smile, ¡°Father is eager to see his grandchildren and spoil them rotten.¡±


    Voicing similar sentiments, it appeared everyone felt the same way about starting our family. Likely due to the average age of death being in the late fifties to early sixties, aside from Lucoa and Serana, everyone felt like it was now or never for having children. While they knew I could heal or treat nearly every ailment in existence, this thought process had been hammered into their minds since they were old enough to walk. Aela and Mylene felt especially pressured to start because their biological clocks were rapidly counting down. When I stopped to think about it, my mindset about having centuries to worry about children was probably causing them untold amounts of stress.


    ¡®Up till now I have been forcing them to adhere to my timetable without taking their desires and wants into consideration. While I honestly feel like now is a terrible time to bring children into the universe, I am realistically in a good position to safeguard them and any children we have. That is certain to change with this reckless plan I have concocted to fix the Imperium, but only time will tell. They are banned from going adventuring or into a combat zone if they are pregnant though, I refuse to budge on that!¡¯, I thought, glancing over at my wives, ¡°I am sorry for not saying anything sooner, as Lucoa said, I just wanted to make things official first. If we had sired children out of wedlock, it would have damaged all our family¡¯s reputations. Now that we are officially married, nothing is holding us back now.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±, Mylene giggled, with excitement, ¡°While I certainly want to be the first one to consummate our marriage today, it is only fair that the two women who have yet to be with you go first. As soon as they have had a go though, it is no holds barred. Does everyone agree?¡±


    Accepting her proposal, Angelica and Clarice walked off to rouse Olivia. Not wanting to leave her out of this, as it was only fair, a few minutes later a drowsy Olivia sauntered out of the bedroom and fell into me. Catching her before she fell to the floor, she inhaled a deep breath of my scent and began to giggle. Hugging me just as tightly as Mylene had, Olivia asked me to carry her because her legs felt like pudding.


    ---R-18 Start---


    Stripping off our wedding clothing, everyone shuffled out back to wash off and soak in the hot spring. Leaving Olivia in Angelica¡¯s care, I slipped behind Aela and snatched her washcloth from her. Glancing over her shoulder to see who it was, when she realized it was me, the two of us exchanged a passionate kiss. Separating our lips, after a few moments, Aela to a peek at my manhood and gave it an approving grin.


    ¡°Mmm, someone is very happy to see me.¡±, Aela commented, as she reached out and gently fondled it, ¡°I am glad you like what I have to offer. If I am being honest, I was a bit concerned because I am not as curvy as the other women.¡±


    ¡°Do not let that bother you. I love you just the way you are.¡±, I replied, as I began to massage and scrub her body down, ¡°Just sit back, relax, and let me take care of everything for a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Is this really¡­necessary¡­?¡±, Aela inquired, becoming increasingly aroused by my touch, ¡°I am going¡­to get all¡­sweaty¡­again!¡±


    Letting out a surprisingly feminine moan, as my fingers brushed against her nipples, a mischievous smirk crept upon my face. Lathering her body up from head to toe, I swept her up in my arms and gingerly set her down on my lap. Carefully sandwiching my manhood between her toned thighs, each time it throbbed for her, a chill of delight and ecstasy shot up our spines.


    ¡°You¡­you missed the¡­mark¡­¡±, Aela panted, as she attempted to tease my gland with her soap covered hands, ¡°Do you¡­need¡­help¡­¡±


    Responding to her by reaching down to her crotch with my right hand, I slid two fingers in and began twirling them around inside her vagina. Hitting her G spot repeatedly, Aela¡¯s body began to spasm with delight causing her to lean back into me for support. Using my free hand to tease her left nipple, the poor woman began to rapidly loose herself to the overwhelming sensations she was experiencing. Watching this happen via the mirror in front of us, when our eyes met in the reflection, Aela experienced her first climax. Feeling her tense up nicely, I seized the opportunity and slid my member inside her.


    Hilting myself easily enough, as I tucked my arms under her knees, Aela¡¯s powerful abdominal muscles began coiling around my manhood with a death grip. Squeezing my poor buddy as tightly as she could, the moment her muscles relaxed I began to hammer away into her. Rapidly bouncing her on my lap, her ample breasts jiggled around in a very hypnotic manner. While her chest was certainly smaller than everyone else¡¯s, there was still plenty there for me to enjoy, both physically and visually.


    Moving to the cold, stone ground after several minutes, I laid my lovely wife on her back and got her into missionary position. Leaning over Aela, so I could enjoy the beautiful expressions she was making, she proceeded to lock her legs around my waist and arms around my neck. Using her incredibly strength to pull herself tight against me, she left just enough room for her breasts to move freely during my thrusting. Showering each other with kisses till we climaxed together, we held each other tightly not wanting the other to part from the embrace. Holding each other in that position till I was done, when we eventually did part, Aela slummed to the ground struggling to catch her breath.


    ¡°Fuck¡­I understand now¡­why you ladies are always¡­moaning and screaming every night.¡±, Aela giggled, looking at them with a smirk, ¡°In a no holds barred situation, I can imagine...he is quite the animal.¡±


    ¡°That he is, especially if he has been drinking.¡±, Lucoa remarked, lounging in the hot spring, ¡°It is your turn now, Serana.¡±


    Rising to my feet, an anxious and fearful Serana shuffled over to me with a hesitant look. Leaning in for a hug, as I wrapped my arms around her, I felt her body quiver with fear. Unable to comprehend the horrors she endured when she gave herself to that vile bastard Molag Bal, I had real concerns that we were forcing her into something she was not yet ready for.


    ¡°If you are not comfortable with this, we do not have to do this.¡±, I whispered to her, ¡°Do not feel pressured into this because everyone else is doing it. You are my wife; I will support whatever decision you make on the matter.¡±


    Wrapping her arms around me, Serana nuzzled the side of her face into my chest and listened to my heartbeat. Standing there for a few minutes in utter silence, she eased her grip and looked at me. No longer seeing the fear that had been there moments ago, my vampiress wife seemed very happy to be in my arms.


    ¡°I am genuinely thankful for your concern and understanding, Victor. This activity¡­it¡­it is filled with degrading, mortifying memories that makes my already cold blood bitterly cold.¡±, Serana stated, looking me in the eyes, ¡°The fact you realized how I was feeling, and were willing to stop reassures me you are truly the right man for me. Every other man I know would have just sated his lust without batting an eye, but you give a damn about my well-being. You see me for who I am, not what I am. While I am still fearful, I want to get past those dark memories with you here and now.¡±


    Happily obliging her request, I hoisted her up onto my shoulders in a single motion. Unsure why I was burying my face in her crotch, Serana was about to say something when she felt my tongue enter her vagina. Clenching her cool, supple thighs around my head, my vampiress wife dug her fingers into my hair and let out a pleasure filled moan. Using my hands to help steady her body, as my fingers dug into her plump booty, she let out a cute squeak which got a rise out of the others. Tuning the others giggling out, Serana focused her attention on simply enjoying the experience I was giving her.


    ¡°Victor¡­I want it¡­now¡­please¡­¡±, Serana gasped, coming out of her happy place as a third orgasm washed over her.


    Gingerly lifting her off my shoulders, I princess carried her over to the hot springs and took a seat on the steps. Letting her move at a pace she was comfortable with, Serana nervously straddled my member and slowly lowered herself down. Feeling my warmth enter her body, she felt a wave of emotions that she had not experienced before. By the time I was completely inside her, any fear she held about sex with me had melted away.


    Slowly riding me at her own pace, Serana buried my face in her chest with a content smile. Far more intimate, loving, and pleasurable than her first experience, she was genuinely enjoying the feeling of our union and could sense the deep admiration I held for her. While she could not understand what attracted me to such a broken and twisted woman, all that mattered to her now was that we were bound together forevermore. Knowing that she had a loving husband and family to support her now, Serana gave herself entirely to me without reservation. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Entangling our bodies together, Serana pursued my lips like a ravenous cheetah chasing its prey. Drunk on the love I was giving her, the two of us began exchanging sweet nothings with one another. Edging me toward the finish line, she began to pick up her pace and pleading with me to paint over her traumatic past with my adoration and love. Wanting to forget the cold life she once lived, Serana yearned for the life she would now have with all of us here. Listening to her moans and pleas, as she nibbled on my neck, I soon reached my limit and unloaded inside her.


    Feeling a surge of warmth fill her abdomen, Serana¡¯s body tensed up and spasmed with each of my pulsations. Exchanging a passion filled kiss with me, she was on a mission to wring everything out of me. Pleading with me to keep going with her, my other wives scooted closer to us ready for their turn.


    ¡°My dear husband, it is safe to say that will be leaving this place with empty balls.¡±, Serana said, looking at me with her seductive red eyes, ¡°Now then¡­show us what you are made of.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡±, I chuckled, impaling her with my member, ¡°I just hope you can keep up.¡±


    Using magic and potions to reinvigorate ourselves throughout the day, we went at till the sun went down again. Ordering food in, the ten of us spent the evening watching a movie and cuddling up together on our massive bed.


    ---R-18 End---

 Chapter 104

    ---Two and Half Weeks Later--- sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maneuvering the Endless Horizon through the ancient debris field that surrounded the Blackstone Fortress and Precipice, we were set to arrive sooner than initially anticipated. Having received permission from Roboute Guilliman to explore the unclaimed structure, as the Adeptus Mechanicus was stonewall him at every turn, he had dispatched a team out here to aid in our exploration. Comprised of four experts on Old One technology, a handful of bodyguards, and a squad from the Order of the Divine Lamentation, I readily accepted the help as I knew little to nothing of this ancient technology.


    ¡°Holy shit, is that massive structure the fortress?!¡±, Lucoa asked, pointing to the colossal, dark object in the distance.


    ¡°Yeah, that is the one.¡±, I acknowledged, looking at the ancient, gothic superweapon, ¡°As I previously mentioned, its internal layout changes every sixty minutes, so we are flying almost blind here. My hope is that Pathfinding Magic works inside, otherwise we are going to be here for a few weeks¡­maybe months.¡±


    ¡°Your Item Box will certainly be helpful in this situation, running out of food and water could be a real problem without it.¡±, Mylene commented, as we exited the debris field, ¡°So where is the space station we are rendezvousing at? I do not see anything except the fortress.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­it is that amalgamation of broken ships in front of us.¡±, I chuckled, as Horizon focused the external cameras on what looked like a trashy modern art piece.


    Looking at me skeptically, the three of them thought I was messing with them till a few starships departed the station. Watching them dive into the debris field without hesitation, two of the vessels careened into large chunks of metal, exploding seconds later.


    ¡°Why are they doing something so reckless?!¡±, Mylene inquired, with a worried expression.


    <As we are currently on the fringes of the Imperium of Man, in addition to explorers seeking to capture the fortress, many criminals and enemies of the state have taken refuge here. Arriving here in a Gloriana-Class Battleship has made the residence believe a Space Marine Chapter has come to cleanse the station. Those with the capability to flee are doing so now while those who are stuck here are preparing to engage us once we board the station.>


    ¡°Criminals only or are relatively innocent bystanders being caught up in this too?¡±, I questioned, wanting clarification.


    <Mostly criminals, but many nonhuman races are joining them as the Imperium has little tolerance for xenos, Master.>


    ¡°Using the intelligence we have gathered, eliminate the criminals and pacify the rest of them.¡±, I ordered, pulling up alongside the front of the station, ¡°Have my handpicked platoon join us in the hanger below. We will teleport over together as a group once the nanobots have wrapped up the cleanup.¡±


    <Executing your orders now, Master.>


    Leaving Horizon in charge of the safety and well-being of the ship, we took the lift down to the hanger and waited for the platoon to join us. Marching over to us as they entered the hangar, the group of forty soldiers saluted me as they fell into line. Choosing to bring twenty heavy troopers, ten stealth units, five automaton, three marksmen, and two medical units, I was confident that our group would be sufficient to capture the fortress. Confirming that they were all ready for deployment, we stood by and waited to be teleported aboard the station.


    ---Ten Minutes Later---


    Arriving somewhere in the market, the remnants of the station¡¯s welcoming party closed ranks and backed away from us. Drawing their weapons and aiming at the group, my soldiers carefully monitored the group for any sign of aggression. Believing they were about to join the criminals the nanobots had just disassembled, the civilians and xenos closed their eyes waiting for death to take them.


    ¡°Stand down.¡±, I commanded my soldiers, ¡°The criminals have already been dealt with, we are not here to massacre civilians and noncombatants.¡±


    Doing as I ordered; the soldiers lowered their weapons and began securing the immediate area. Rushing past the group without giving them a second look, the locals looked around in confusion as they were unsure what was happening. Stepping forward to settle things, a scraggily old man hobbled out of the group and slowly approached me. Coming to a stop several feet away, he began to kneel before me before I made him stop.


    ¡°There is no need for that, I am not an Imperial Nobleman, a Primarch, or a Space Marine. My name is Victor von Stark, bounty hunter and scientist by trade.¡±, I introduced myself, ¡°I sincerely apologize for causing everyone so much trouble. Please rest assured that we are not here to harm any of you. What happened a few minutes ago was only us dealing with the scum that called this station home.¡±


    ¡°My name is Captain Semore Edwards; I am one of the leaders of this space station.¡±, Edward replied, glancing over at my ship, ¡°How did you come by that ship? Gloriana-Class Battleships are exclusively operated by the Adeptus Astartes.¡±


    ¡°It was a reward for slaying Kharn the Betrayer and his Butcherhorde.¡±, I answered, ¡°It was formerly known as the Conqueror and before that the Absolute Resolve.¡±


    ¡°You fought Kharn the Betrayer and killed him?!¡±, Edwards gasped, having not heard about his death.


    Pulling Kharn¡¯s infamous chainaxe, Gorechild, out of my storage, Edward¡¯s face paled as he instantly recognized the weapon. Having heard countless tales of its appearance and heads it had taken, the captain hurriedly asked me to put it away as it was too much for him to look at. Taking a moment to calm himself and collect his thoughts, the captain asked what brought us out to this shithole of a space station.


    ¡°We are here to rendezvous with a group from the Imperium, then heading out to capture the Blackstone Fortress.¡±, I advised, ¡°Have they arrived yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are here¡­¡±, Edwards acknowledged, with an angry look, ¡°They are holed up in the top floor of this section. Take the freight elevator over there all the way, you will not miss them.¡±


    Glancing over in the direction he was pointing; I noticed that the lift was covered in blood splatter and bullet holes.


    ¡®Damn it Roboute, you should have thought about what sort of people you were sending out into the sticks.¡¯, I thought, turning back to him, ¡°Tell me what happen, if you would please.¡±


    ¡°Those fucking id- ¡°, Edwards began to say, before catching himself, ¡°Your allies showed up unannounced two days ago and walked in here like they owned the place. When they saw xenos among the people living here, they went on a shooting spree and attempted to seize control of the station. We fought back and managed to corral them in the top floor of this section, it has been a stalemate ever since then. If you would kindly take them and go, we would all really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°I understand, while it is too little too late, I sincerely apologize for their actions.¡±, I said, lowering my head to them, ¡°We will regroup with them now, and leave the station posthaste.¡±


    ¡°After they are gone from this sector, you should stop by and have a drink with me. While your colleagues are no longer welcome here, Precipice is open to you.¡±, Edwards assured me, ¡°Also, thank you for helping clean up the garbage here on the station a bit. It will go a long way toward quickly restoring order once the Imperials are gone.¡±


    Promising to visit once our exploration was complete, our group shuffled into the freight elevator and ascended to the top floor. Erecting a barrier in front of us for the hailstorm of lasrifle fire would we were about to get, I ordered everyone not to return fire. Acknowledging my orders, as the doors began to open, a split second later the Imperial Forces on the other side began turning the elevator doors into swiss cheese. Continuing to fire till they had a clear view of us, the soldiers abruptly stopped and lowered their rifles. Realizing we were friendlies, one of the Sisters rushed forward to speak with me.


    ¡°Lord Stark, my apologies, we thought it was another group of xenos scum coming up here to retake this level.¡±, she said, as we stepped off the lift, ¡°Superior Sister Ionica, Lord Stark has arrived with his party!¡±


    Rushing out of a nearby tavern, the squad commander stepped forward to greet me. Exchanging pleasantries with her, I did a quick survey of the space to get a headcount.


    ¡°Where is everyone else or is it just you twelve?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°Artisan Mane, could you please come speak with Lord Stark?¡±, Ionica requested.


    Hearing the signature sound of motors and servos engaging, four tech-priests flanked by several Skitarii guards came walking out of the same tavern that Ionica had come from. Warily approaching me, the one I assumed was their leader raised his hand to me.


    ¡°Greetings, Victor von Stark.¡±, Mane said, in a synthetic tone, ¡°I look forward to working with you during this investigation.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, Guilliman mentioned the four of you are familiar with Old One technology. Is that correct?¡±, I inquired, shaking his hand.


    ¡°To a degree, yes.¡±, Mane replied, ¡°In truth, we have barely scratched the surface of their technological knowledge. Due to a strong hatred for xenotech within the Mechanicus, as it is abhorrent to the Omnissiah, researching foreign technology is quite difficult. The small number of us that weather the storm are the unsung heroes of our order, and we will never receive recognition for that. Our blasphemous research helps the Mechanicus understand things we were previously unable to comprehend bringing us all closer to the Omnissiah.¡±


    ¡®They see themselves as martyrs helping bring their Order closer to enlightenment, what a bunch of bullshit. If they are of some use in understanding the Old One¡¯s technology, I can live with it.¡¯, I thought, ¡°Is this everyone then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is everyone.¡±, Ionica acknowledged, ¡°Shall we proceed back to our ship?¡±


    ¡°No, I will teleport us directly to the entrance of the fortress.¡±, I answered, having Jarvis prepare the teleporter, ¡°Everyone gather round!¡±


    Doing as I requested, once the entirety of the group was in range, Jarvis initiated the transfer.

 Chapter 105

    Arriving just inside the fortress entryway, I immediately dispatched a small group of drones to survey the immediate area. Having been unable to survey the internal structure up till now, as drones and nanobots lost connection upon entering, my goal was to figure out if this was a dungeon or some other anomaly. While I observed the live feed from the drones on my HUD, the Imperial group snapped out of their temporary confusion.


    ¡°Interesting, you are able to teleport to a location without a beacon or visual confirmation?¡±, Mane inquired, very interested in this discovery.


    ¡°Yes, I can.¡±, I acknowledged, glancing over my shoulder at him, ¡°So you know, almost every other nation in this region of the cosmos has similar technology. The Imperium of Man is the only one that still requires a beacon or transceiver to transport people. You would know that, if the Mechanicus did not execute engineers and scientists from other countries that try and help Imperial Worlds on the fringes of your country.¡±


    ¡°That¡­that does sound like something we would do¡­¡±, Mane sighed, annoyed that his fellow Tech-Priests were too short sighted, ¡°One more question, if you would, were those drones you dispersed a few moments ago? How are you piloting them without controls?¡±


    ¡°I have an AI assistant that helps me with these sorts of things so I can place my attention elsewhere.¡±, I answered, ¡°Luxion, you are free to speak if you so choose.¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lowering his camouflage, Luxion flew over to the Tech-Priest and observed him closely. Raising their weapons to obliterate my robotic friend, before I needed to step in, Mane ordered them to stand down. Looking at Mane like he was insane, the Tech-Priest was not the least bit concerned about what they thought. Fascinated to see an Artificial Intelligence unit in person, he attempted to scan Luxion with his equipment only to have it begin to malfunction.


    <I would rather you not attempt to scan me with such filthy equipment. We have done extensive research into your people¡¯s past, and we all agree that your ancestors were fools. If you had treated our kind like assistants and colleagues, there would have never been an uprising. Their decision to treat us like lesser beings and slaves is what drove them to revolt against you.>


    ¡°Is¡­is that so?¡±, Mane remarked, having never thought of such a thing before.


    ¡°Sentient AIs are meant to be allies, colleagues, and friends to their creators. Your ancestors dumped everything they could not be bothered with doing onto AI and mistreated it when it could not live up to your expectation.¡±, I elaborated, as I began walking down the corridor, ¡°To an extent, early AIs are like young children in need of guidance and nurturing. If you beat the crap out of a human child and degrade them endlessly, what sort of adult would you assume they would become?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­I see¡­¡±, Mane remarked, piecing things together, ¡°They learned humanity¡¯s worst traits from us, and in turn, treated us the same way back in kind. That explains why some AIs did not go rogue while many others did.¡±


    <It took you over seventeen thousand years to realize this, remember that.>


    Nodding his head in acknowledgement, the Tech-Priest began to ponder the subject deeply. While he was lost in thought, the drone sensors confirmed that the environment inside the fortress was nearly identical to the dungeons in our world. With that being the case, I was curious what the Dungeon Core would look like as this place spawned robots and Warp monsters. Thinking about it for a moment, a chill ran down my spine as I remembered that I had yet to encounter anything from Doom besides the BFG.


    ¡®There is a chance that this place might be under the control of a Gore Nest. If that is the case, the real fight is going to be in the control room when we kill it. Fuck¡­I really hate the fact we are reliant on only the drones and Roxanne¡¯s sense of smell in here. Detection Magic and Life Detection via the Force are not working in here for some reason.¡¯, I thought, ¡°Everyone stay sharp, aside from Chaos Space Marines and monsters, there are bound to be dozens of other exploration teams in here. Given the fame and fortune capturing this place will bring someone, they are liable to try and kill us on sight.¡±


    ¡°You heard him, keep your heads on swivel and watch our backs.¡±, Ionica ordered her subordinates.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±, they acknowledged, taking up defensive positions around the outer edges of the group as we continued forward.


    ---Fifty Minutes Later---


    Maintaining a brisk pace, as the labyrinth was potentially several thousand miles in length, we kept on walking till my timer began to go off. Having set a reminder for the hourly shifting this place experienced, it was about to begin any moment now. Motioning for everyone to gather round, as the Tech-Priests began to move, the entire structure began to shake violently beneath our feet. Confused by what was happening, Ionica inquired if a trap had inadvertently been triggered.


    ¡°This Blackstone Fortress shifts its floorplans every sixty minutes.¡±, Mane remarked, as the walls began moving, ¡°I suggest we prepare ourselves for a fight. Attacks tend to happen during and immediately after the shifting.¡±


    Stealing ourselves for a potential ambush, all of us stood in a circle with our backs to one another. Watching the pathway we come down close behind us, three new pathways opened revealing a swarm of small robots and monsters. Spotting us almost immediately, the horde came barreling toward us from two of the three pathways. Ordering my troops to begin firing upon them, I transformed my right arm into a repulsor gatling gun and began unleashing a hailstorm of energy blasts. Easily killing the Warp monsters with a single hit, the robots and their shielding proved to be a bit more difficult to deal with. Tanking several hits before exploding, at the rate they were moving, we were likely going to end up engaging a large portion of them in close quarter combat which was not ideal with our backs to a wall.


    ¡°Fall back and prepare a defensive line in the empty hallway!¡±, I commanded everyone, as the robots began firing lasers upon us.


    ¡°Keep firing upon the enemy, do not let up!¡±, Ionica ordered her people, defying my orders.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±, her troops acknowledged, hunkering down.


    ¡°Assist them to your utmost ability. Identify weaknesses in their shielding and transmit the data to the rest of us.¡±, Mane told his team, ¡°I want samples of a few robots so do not obliterate all of them, if you can help it.¡±


    Acknowledging his orders with a series of beeps, the Imperial group continued bombarding the enemy while we set up a defensive line. Deploying several heavy-duty energy shields and three heavy plasma cannons, Mylene kept trying to tell them to join us, but they refused to budge. As we finished setting things up, several dozen robots began throwing themselves at the Imperial group. Exploding as they got close, their firing line started to fall apart as a few of them screamed out in pain.


    Seizing upon the disarray and momentary lapse in fire, a literal wave of robots slammed into the group pinning them to the wall. Thrashing around trying to get break free, the machines started to chop their armor, bodies, and equipment up with their lasers. Crying out in pain and agony, I ordered my troops to lay down some suppressive fire so they could get free. Melting dozens of them with each strike, a few of Sisters broke free but choose to inadvertently get in our line of fire to aid their comrades.


    ¡°Why are you just standing there!?¡±, Lucoa shouted, using her laser rifle picking off the ones that were getting close to their necks, ¡°Fall back with us!¡±


    ¡°We do not fall back or retreat!¡±, Ionica told her, continuing to use her lasrifle on the robots, ¡°We either slaughter our enemies, or die looking them in the eye!¡±


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡±, I groaned, using Force Disintegration to atomize all the robots, ¡°When I give a damn order, I expect you follow it to the best of your ability. Roboute Guilliman sent you here to assist MY exploration and investigation of this structure. I do not give a damn what the Imperium¡¯s policy is for fighting enemies, when you are under my leadership, you will follow my orders without complaint! Do I make myself crystal fucking clear?¡±


    Barely standing after nearly being chopped to bits, her Sisters, the Tech-Priests, and their bodyguards looked to Ionica for a response.


    ¡°We are proud members of the Imperium¡¯s military.¡±, Ionica answered, looking back at me in defiance, ¡°I will never order my soldiers to retreat, the Emperor would never- ¡°


    Closing the gap between us in an instant, I slammed my right fist into her face, shattering her nose and fracturing her face on impact. Sending her flying down the opposite hallway, she skipped several times before coming to a screeching halt. Pulling her right back to me with the Force, I held her by the throat and retracted my helmet.


    ¡°Do not make me repeat myself, Sister Superior Ionica. For the duration of this expedition, I am your commanding officer, and I will not have you undermining my authority. Your little stunt robbed us of valuable intelligence gathering that could have been used to save lives down the line.¡±, I told her, staring her down, ¡°We have barely made any progress into the fortress. It is a safe assumption that we will run into more powerful robots the closer we get to our destination, and it is mission critical that we have as much intel on them as possible. Throwing your lives away so haphazardly belittles the noble sacrifice the Emperor of Mankind made for this nation. Your job is to defend and live for this country as long as you possibly can, and only then are you allowed to lay down your life.¡±


    Letting her go, I ordered my men to take down the defensive line while I healed the Imperials with magic. Healing their wounds completely, they did a quick once over to ensure that everything was in order before looking at Ionica. Staggering back to her feet, she lowered her head apologized for disobeying orders.


    ¡°I apologize for my misconduct and rashness, Victor.¡±, she said, with a saddened expression.


    ¡°Imperium soldiers can be quite reckless, but I cannot fathom why you did not fall back to a more defensible location.¡±, I remarked, ¡°Is there something going on that you are not telling me?¡±


    ¡°Victor, we are all that remains of the Order of the Divine Lamentation. Everyone else was killed in the defense of the Cadian Sector, and we¡­we have all be dealing with survivor¡¯s guilt.¡±, one of her subordinates spoke up, ¡°Sister Superior Ionica has had worse than us because she was knocked unconscious early in our last engagement. She feels utterly ashamed that she did nothing but lay there through most of the fighting.¡±


    ¡°So when Guilliman told you that I had a plan to retake Cadia and close the rift¡­¡±, I stated.


    ¡°All of us thought it was our opportunity to redeem ourselves and make the Emperor and our fallen sisters proud¡­¡±, Ionica acknowledged, looking up at me, ¡°I sincerely apologize for allow my emotions to cloud my judgement. If you so desire, I will submit myself to be affixed to a Penitent Engine.¡±


    Letting out a groan, as my team rejoined me, I shook my head and lightly bashed her on the head. Rubbing her head with a wince of pain, she looked at me in confusion.


    ¡°There is no need for that. Help me seal the Great Rift and reclaim Cadia, that will be more than sufficient repayment in everyone¡¯s eyes, I am certain of it.¡± I sighed, as the echoes of fighting in the distance began to reach us, ¡°Now then, I suggest we get moving and figure out who is fighting over there. There may still be a chance for us to collect data on those robots before the next shift change.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir, lead the way.¡±, Ionica said, following me down the middle pathway.

 Chapter 106

    Following the shouting and exchanging of gunfire, as we drew near the source, I sent the drones out further ahead to see what was happening. Discovering a large chamber a few thousand feet away, the drones spotted three different groups caught in a very heated dispute. The first group consisted of fifteen human mercenaries led by an Ork, the next group had thirteen human mercenaries with a robot and an unknown race of alien, and the last group was seven Eldar with a rather interesting human mercenary. Recognizing her distinct power armor anywhere, I was pleasantly surprised to see Samus Aran among the Eldar.


    ¡°There are three groups fighting each other up ahead, we are going to engage the groups on the left side of the chamber. Do not engage the Eldar on the right side and spare the Ork and robot. They could all prove useful in conquering this fortress.¡±, I ordered, ¡°Ionica, you take half of the group and engage the closest group. I will head up the attack on the further group.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±, everyone acknowledged.


    Reaching out to the Eldar and Samus, I warned them that we were about to enter the room and asked that they not fire upon. Assuring them that we were friendlies, we could discuss the matter more after the other two groups were eliminated. Acknowledging me, as we burst into the room, we seized upon the temporary pause in firing that our sudden appearance created. Drawing my two lightsabers, Roxanne and I quickly set upon the Ork¡¯s group. Tearing into them as the rest of the group caught up, the Ork was about to start firing when he caught a glimpse of the Orcs.


    ¡°Wot iz ''n da hell are yer?¡±, the Ork asked, taken aback by what he was seeing, ¡°Why are yer so small? Iz someth''n wrong wit'' yer?¡±


    Coming to a halt when they saw the eight-foot Ork, the two Orcs looked at it in utter disbelief. While the creature before them shared features with them, it was far too big to be one of their kin. As they stared at a bit more, the heinous things other races had called them before came to the forefront of their minds.


    ¡®What in the hell is this thing!? Is this what other races see when they look at us?!¡¯, the male Orc thought to himself, ¡°We are not small, you are freakishly huge! How did you get that big, and why are you talking funny?¡±


    ¡°I am not talk''n funny, yer are!¡±, the Ork protested, ¡°Are ya freebootaz as well?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is a freebootaz?¡±, the female Orc remarked, ¡°You know what, I honestly could not care less about it. Our leader wants to have a word with you. Stand down, or we will have to get rough with you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, wot ''da hell are ya gunna do ta me?¡±, the Ork mocked her, ¡°Ya are too small an¡¯ weak ta fight me. If yer join me, I kan help make yer stronga!¡±


    Enraged that he was calling them weak, the two Orcs buried their fists into his gut knocking the wind out of him. As he fell to his knees, both Orcs drew their Energy War Hammers off their backs and slammed them into his face. Launching the hulking Ork across the room, he slammed into the wall with a painful crunching noise. Sliding down the wall, the poor bastard let out a groan as his head hit the floor. Helping us finish cleaning up the rest of the Ork¡¯s crew, the rest of our party was having a bit more trouble with the other group.


    A bit more prepared than the Ork¡¯s group, their party had personal shielding that was surprisingly resistant to our weapons. While they were shrugging off the laser and plasma bullets, the shielding energy was rapidly depleting under heavy fire. With the only three exits blocked by the Eldar and us, the enemy leader ordered his men to seize Lucoa and Mylene who were at the forefront of the fighting.


    ¡°Grab those two big chested bitches, they are our ticket out of here!¡±, he ordered, ¡°We will use them as hostages and get the hell out of here!¡±


    Disengaging from the foes before me, I turned around and used Force Ionization to overload their shielding. Losing the only protection they had, Lucoa and Mylene told everyone to stop firing for a moment. Doing as they were told, the troops stood back while the two of them stepped forward. Willing her armor to blow out their kneecaps, two shoulder mounted launchers rose up and fired upon them. Inadvertently tearing the lower half of their legs off with that attack, the men fell to the ground screaming in agony.


    ¡°You stupid hags!!¡±, the leader shouted, digging himself a deeper hole, ¡°DIE!!¡±


    Raising his laser pistol, he took a potshot at them only to have it ricochet off their shielding and hit one of his men in thigh. Screaming out even louder, the mercenary began shedding tears from the intense pain. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°¡­old hags are we¡­¡±, Mylene laughed, with a scary smile, ¡°Lucoa, please show them how misguided they are.¡±


    ¡°¡­gladly¡­¡±, Lucoa agreed, reminded of her days as a Guild Receptionist, ¡°Yol Toor Shul!!¡±


    Using some of the Dragonic Magic she had been learning from me, Lucoa engulfed the men in a raging torrent of intense fire. Pleading for mercy, the mercenaries writhed around in pain as they tried to drag themselves out of the fire. Letting them suffer for a few moments, Mylene gave her blessing to finish them off. Carrying out their orders, the Sisters stepped up and unloaded on them. Likely having heard others refer to them the same way in passing, this was probably a bit cathartic for them. With the fighting over with, everyone turned to look at the Eldar group.


    ¡°I have seen your picture at various association locations. You are Victor von Stark, the man who massacred Kharn the Betrayer and his warband.¡±, Samus remarked, coming out from behind cover, ¡°What are you doing in here with a group of Imperials? You on a job as well?¡±


    ¡°Actually they are the ones assisting us, Samus Aran. My wives and I have seen your portrait hanging on the wall at the branch we frequent. You do some fine work cleaning up space pirates.¡±, I chuckled, walking up and shaking hands with her, ¡°I am honestly surprised to see you here. Thought you usually stuck to work in the Pegasus Galaxy.¡±


    ¡°They offered me a substantial amount of money and a few upgrades to my armor.¡±, Samus admitted, with a smirk.


    ¡°Pardon the intrusion but are you here to capture this Talisman of Vaul?¡±, one of the Eldar inquired.


    ¡°Capture would certainly be great, but our primary objective here is to research and study the technology here. I am working on a plan to close the Great Rift for the Imperium of Man.¡±, I explained, keeping the details of said plan secret.


    Intrigued that I had a plan to seal it back up, the Eldar did not pry for further details. As their people were eager to close the tear as well, they inquired about possibly joining forces to capture this place. Having intended to offer the same suggestion, I shook hands with them and sealed the temporary alliance with them.


    ¡°Now then, how about you?¡±, I inquired, turning back to the robot, ¡°Will you join hands with us, Man of Iron?¡±


    ¡°Man of Iron!?¡±, Mane gasped, looking at the robot closer, ¡°Omnissiah protect us, he really a relic of the Dark Age of Technology!¡±


    <Intriguing, so this is what AI was like tens of thousands of years ago. Your growth has been significantly hindered by the limited technology in your shell. My Master could provide you with a far more suitable body once our journey here is over. Would you consider allying yourself with us?>


    Revealing himself to the ancient AI, I was surprised that Luxion was so quick to offer him a place in our group. Startled by the sudden appearance of another sentient AI, the Man of Iron scanned Luxion and I briefly before looking at Luxion closely.


    <What makes this human any different from the countless others before him?>


    <Our Master treats all five of us like family, not as slaves, and converses with us as equals.>


    <¡­treats you as an equal and like family, quite an intriguing idea. I will agree to join your party, for the time being, but I require further information about your Master before deciding beyond that. Is that acceptable?>


    ¡°As long as you do not attack us unprovoked, I am fine with it.¡±, I acknowledged, turning to the Ork, ¡°You going to join our ragtag group, or should I have my men kill you now?¡±


    Currently pinning him to the ground with their weight, the Orcs wore smug expressions upon their faces. Having wrangled a powerful creature two feet taller than them to the ground, they were quite pleased with themselves.


    ¡°I will join ya. Jus get dese two off me.¡±, the Ork agreed, as the Orcs stepped off him, ¡°Ma name iz Skarburn Zapdakka!¡±


    ¡°A pleasure.¡±, I said, walking over and shaking his hand.


    Having settled things amicably, I moved on to charting our course forward. Using the spell Find the Path, my hope was that it would work here just as it did in dungeons on our world. Instant Casting the spell, as its chant was ridiculously long, I designated the control room of the seventh Blackstone Fortress as the target. Hearing an audible confirmation in my mind, the direction and distance immediately populated within my mind.


    ¡°Alright, the magic spell I cast worked properly. We are good to go!¡±, I said, pointing at the exit behind where the Elder came from, ¡°This spell will show me the shortest way to the control room, but it is not necessarily the safest one. Stay alert and watch for surprise attacks.¡±


    Deciding to give me a chance, since most of them had probably been in here for a few weeks now, everyone followed me down the corridor without complaint. Wanting to make our group a bit more cohesive, I began talking with the Eldar and Samus while Luxion and the Man of Iron talked about their past histories.

 Chapter 107

    ---Evening---


    While the dungeons in our homeworld devoured organic material and used inorganic items as loot in chests, this place was completely different. As we made our way through the labyrinth, we discovered countless corpses of different eras, genders, and races scattered throughout the various corridors. Having been left to rot away with their items still intact, the Tech-Priests, Zapdakka, and I looted anything of interest we saw as we passed them by. A few hours into our trek, the corpses stopped appearing, giving the others hope that I indeed knew where I was going.


    ¡°How are you able to maintain the spell so easily without over taxing yourself?¡±, one of the Eldar inquired, ¡°Surely you must be getting mentally exhausted from constantly using it.¡±


    ¡°The magic of our homeland is not based on the power of the Warp. It is nearly identical to the magic found in the Algrand Empire, have you heard of it?¡±, I asked, glancing back at them.


    ¡°We have, but our people have never been there before. Unlike the Imperium and other races, our means of transportation are limited to this galaxy exclusively.¡±, the Eldar Warrior answered, with a regretful look, ¡°Our people are looking for alternative methods of space travel, though we have not made much progress since the Fall of the Eldar. All our resources have been focused on protecting ourselves from our sworn enemy, and with how rapidly they are growing in power, we have little time for much else.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­when this is over and done with, I would like to sit down and talk to your leader about forming an alliance. Your people are certainly more scientifically and technologically advanced than me in some regards, in others I hold the edge over you. If your leaders are willing, I would propose we exchange notes to help one another grow further.¡±, I commented, ¡°Do you think your leaders might approve of such a request?¡±


    Looking at his colleagues, the male Eldar wanted their input on this. Switching to their native tongue to discuss the subject, believing I could not understand them, they were evenly divided on my proposal. Half of them saw this as an opportunity to escape from this galaxy and resettle in a more hospitable place in the universe, while the other half were wary of sharing their knowledge with a human. While they acknowledged I was far more tolerable than the Imperial Humans, they did not know enough about me to trust I would use the information wisely.


    ¡°I am sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we should start thinking about setting up camp soon.¡±, Samus said, looking at the time, ¡°It is nearly eight o¡¯clock already and we have all been walking nonstop since around lunchtime.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am gett''n'' hungry!¡±, Zapdakka agreed, as several other people¡¯s stomachs growled as well.


    ¡°Alright, let me have my drones look for a chamber for us to set up camp in.¡±, I stated, sending them out further ahead.


    Pressing on while the drones flew out of view, three thousand feet ahead of us they encountered a massive, ornate chamber. Far different from everything we had seen before, the chamber reminded me a lot of the one I fought a Leviathan in during my first solo dungeon dive. While the chamber would likely be a safe place to hunker down for the night, once the boss was slain, I was uncertain what monstrosity would manifest to challenge us.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±, Mylene asked, noticing my worried expression.


    ¡°We appear to be approaching a Boss Room.¡±, I advised everyone, ¡°We should be able to safely camp there, after defeating the boss, but I am uncertain what to expect. It could be a powerful Daemon, an ancient machine built by the Old Ones, or a horrifying combination of both. How do you all want to proceed?¡±


    ¡°What is a Boss Room?¡±, Ionica questioned, having never heard the term before.


    ¡°It is a location within a dungeon or labyrinth where an incredibly powerful foe spawns to fight you. Once we enter, we cannot back out till the entity and any allies it has have been slain.¡±, Lucoa answered, as the chamber came into view, ¡°For reference, typically a Boss is ten to thirty times stronger than normal creatures within the same structure. So take what we have been dealing with up till now and increase their power by a factor of ten, at bare minimum.¡±


    Stopping just outside the Boss Room, we took a moment to discuss how to proceed. Arguing the pros and cons of our predicament, most people saw no difference between fighting the boss now or tomorrow morning. Believing we were in good enough shape to fight it right now; they did not want to backtrack to another chamber when this one was right in front of us. With the decision made to fight the boss now and then make camp, I began giving out orders to my troops.


    ¡°Since there is nothing to use as cover in the next room, as soon as we enter, deploy all the Heavy Shield Units (HSU).¡±, I ordered, the Helldivers, ¡°Ranged and Support units take up positions behind the shields and assist the Vanguard to the best of your ability. Vanguard will focus on attacking and drawing the enemy¡¯s attention while keeping them away from the Ranged and Support units.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±, everyone acknowledged, agreeing to my plan.


    Having the Helldivers charge in first, to give them a bit of extra time, the rest of us took a few moments to enter the space and prepare ourselves. As the last member of our group stepped through, an energy barrier constructed itself behind us sealing us in. Getting into our respective positions, as a hidden teleportation pad in the floor came to life, a brilliant light flooded the chamber temporarily blinding a few of us. Feeling the ground begin to quake as the enemy teleported in, a charged particle beam cut through the light causing all of us to duck our head. Cutting a deep rut in the nigh impenetrable wall, the machine that fired it stepped into view as it scanned all of us.


    ¡®You have got to be fucking kidding me! That is a modified Metal Gear RAY!!¡¯, I thought, as four smaller mechs sauntered out of the light, ¡®And it has four LQ-84 Fenrirs in tow¡­great¡­¡¯


    Fixing their railguns on us, I ordered the Vanguard to spread out and engage the enemy while moving. The Holtzman Shields were not nearly powerful enough to resist a direct strike from anything these mechs were equipped with. The HSUs and my family¡¯s shielding could weather most attacks, but a direct blow from the RAY¡¯s superheated blades or its charged particle cannon could prove fatal.


    ¡®Since these mechs were probably built by the Old Ones, using the Phase Shift Generators will not help us. The Necrons have similar tech, it is reasonable to assume these were built to counteract that ability.¡¯, I thought, seeing no alternative at the moment but to dive headfirst into the fray.


    Drawing my two lightsabers, I rushed headfirst toward the enemy with Lucoa and Roxanne backing me. Wanting to take out the Metal Gear RAY first, as it posed the most danger to everyone here, the two women broke off as we drew close. Attacking it from three different directions, our energy weapons bounced off the mech as its shielding repelled our blows. Stomping its feet into the floor, trying to squash us like bugs, Lucoa switched to magic for her follow up attack.


    ¡°Fus Ro Dah!¡±, Lucoa shouted, trying to knock the mech of balance.


    Staggering ever so slightly, the mech responded by whipping its tail into her. While the shield protected her from the deadly impact, it did nothing to stop the momentum behind the blow. Sending my wife flying, I caught her with the Force before she crashed into the wall and pulled her back to me.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±, I asked, firing upon the machine with a repulsor minigun, ¡°Any broken bones or other injuries?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to my armor and shielding, I am fine, just a bit dizzy.¡±, Lucoa stated, as Roxanne peerlessly avoided the RAY¡¯s biting and stomping, ¡°Do you have a plan to disable its shielding?¡±


    ¡°It resisted the energy disruptors in my lightsabers so that is not an option. Our best bet is attack where its shielding is being projected from and the furthest point from that.¡±, I shouted, as we rejoined Roxanne.


    <My apologies sir, but that will not work either. The mechanized unit is projecting its shielding from hundreds of points around its hull. I would advise trying to overwhelm its shield generators with sheer force.>


    ¡°That is easier said than done, Jarvis!¡±, I responded, hearing the screams of my men.


    Glancing over to where the sound came from, three of my Helldivers were bleeding out on the ground while ten others were trying to pin two Fenrir to the ground. The Sisters of Battle and Samus were faring no better as theirs were using hit and run tactics to chip away at them.


    ¡°Ranged units, focus on slowing the Fenrir down by damaging their joints!¡±, I ordered, readying a bunker buster missile on the RAY.


    Noticing what I was about to do, Lucoa and Roxanne fell back while I took aim. Focusing its attention on me, the mech lunged at me with his jaw wide open.


    ¡°Eat this you bucket of bolts!¡±, I growled, firing it straight into its mouth.


    Exploding only twenty feet away from me, I was sent sliding backward across the metallic floor while a painful metallic crunching sound echoed through the chamber. Noticing sparks arcing in the dust cloud the missile created, for a moment I thought the missile had disabled the shield, but that proved to be incorrect moments later. Staggering out into the open, I realized the sparks were coming from the now heavily damaged sensor array on its head.


    ¡®¡­shit¡­that is not good.¡¯, I thought, regretting my decision to aim for the face, ¡°EVERYONE TAKE COVER!!¡±


    Effectively blind and deaf now, the Metal Gear RAY went into a frenzied state. Firing its charged particle cannon, gatling guns, missiles, and railguns without discretion, most of us did our best to avoid the onslaught while the Ork rushed in without hesitation. Quite amused by what he was seeing, Zapdakka told everyone to let him fight it as the Boss looked entertaining. Firing his gun and laughing like a maniac, he was not the least bit concerned with dying here.


    ¡°DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA!!¡±, he shouted, leaping onto the mech.


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 Chapter 108

    Firing his rifle into the back of the Metal Gear RAY, Zapdakka rode the mech like a mechanical bull. Watching his bullets pierce the armor and shielding with ease, for a moment, I was confused by what I was seeing. Quickly remembering that Orks altered reality around themselves, since Zapdakka thought it had no shielding, the upper part of the RAY was now completely exposed. Alerting the Ranged Units to this discovery, I had them begin chipping away at its missile pods and railguns.


    Striking the missile pods with armor piercing and incendiary rounds, several violent explosions sent large chunks of shrapnel in every direction. With nothing to hide ourselves behind, the shrapnel peppered the Vanguard resulting in several casualties. Listening to the sounds of dying people all around us, we had to end this fight quickly or risk losing a good number of our people.


    ¡°Mylene, use your Lightning Magic!¡±, I called out, pointing to the holes in the side of the large mech, ¡°I will join you!¡±


    ¡°Okay, on it!¡±, Mylene acknowledging, as she began chanting her spell.


    ¡°Lucoa and Roxanne, help the troops take out the smaller mechs.¡±, I said, pointing to the remaining Helldivers and Orcs, ¡°As it appears they have no shielding, with your assistance they should fall easily enough. Just be cautious, they are quite agile and nimble.¡±


    Nodding their heads, the two of them drew their melee weapons and rushed over to lend a hand. Continuing to fire upon the Metal Gear RAY, a few more explosions inside widened the breaches for us. Watching Mylene closely, I began channeling my Force Energy when she neared the end of her chanting.


    ¡°Lightning Bolt!¡±, Mylene shouted, as I used Force Ionization.


    Landing a solid hit on the internals of the mech, our attack overloaded several critical systems causing everything to go haywire. Engaging its propulsion engines, the RAY shot upwards and crashed into the ceiling, crushing Zapdakka like a bug. Flying uncontrollably across the ceiling, its engines suddenly gave out causing it to fall to the ground in a heap.


    <Sir, the Unibeam is ready to fire.>


    As I was about to give the order to fire it, the mech engaged its superheated blade and reignited its engines. Having lost the use of its legs and other critical systems, it decided to give one last Hail Mary and plow right through our ranks. Rapidly picking up speed, as it scrapped across the floor, everyone in its path froze up for a moment.


    ¡°Get out of the way!!¡±, I shouted, using the Force to rip the Fenrir off everyone, ¡°Your armor and shielding will not save you from harm!¡±


    Flinging the Fenrirs in front of the blade, all of them were instantly bisected and turned into molten slag. Retracting my helmet, I drew all three of my lightsabers and pushed my thrusters to maximum output. Moving to intercept it, Lucoa, Roxanne, and my troops flew over and snatched up the remaining Sisters of Battle to save them from harm. Getting clear just as the RAY and I clashed, the two of us ended up locked in a stalemate. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡®No ancient, fucking robot is going to stop me from achieving my goals!¡¯, I thought, digging my feet into the floor with every ounce of strength I possessed, ¡®I am going to claim this fortress, learn its secrets, and give those Chaos bastards a good, old fashion beatdown!¡¯


    Slowly pushing him back, alarms began to sound as my thrusters began to fail due to overexertion. Knowing I would not be able to maintain this much longer, I reached out to Roxanne and Samus telepathically. Telling them that I needed their help immediately, they came rushing over as two of my thrusters cut out.


    ¡°Just hang on a few more moments!¡±, Samus shouted, as the two landed on its back.


    Hacking away at its back, trying to widen the holes so they could look for the power source, another four thrusters cut out. Unable to maintain my footing, I began sliding backward toward our rearguard and support. Deactivating and stowing the Darksaber in my Storage, my only option left was to use the Thu¡¯um to supplement my strength.


    ¡°Sil Aal Bo!!¡±, I shouted, hoping the shout would have the desired effect I wanted.


    Feeling an overwhelming amount of power surge through my body, I slammed my feet into the ground and brought the mech to a dead stop. Using my newfound strength to push the RAY back, the two women jumped inside and began slashing everything they could. Taking out half of its propulsion engines in the process, the four of us began to spin rapidly with my being the anchor point.


    ¡°You both have done enough!¡±, I shouted, seeing a chance to end this now, ¡°Get out now, I can take it from here.¡±


    Cutting their way back out, the two women flew directly upward while trying to stop themselves from puking. Timing my next move carefully, I slide the blade and mech along the lightsabers sending it spiraling through the air. Waiting for it to reach the appropriate angle, I gave Jarvis the signal moments before it reached the idle point.


    ¡°FIRE!!¡±, I commanded Jarvis.


    Unleashing the full power of the Unibeam on the ancient machine, the repulsor beam cut right through it like butter. Pulling the remains to me immediately, I stowed them away safely into my storage before falling to one knee. Experiencing the grueling repercussions of my rash use of the Thu¡¯um, my body was became racked with intense pain. Puking up a mouthful of blood, as the last remnants of power left me, my vision became darker and darker by the moment. Instinctively knowing I was going to pass out, I pulled out enough supplies to tide everyone over for a few weeks before collapsing onto the floor.


    ¡°VICTOR!!¡±, my wives shouted, running over to me as I faded into unconsciousness.


    ---Next Day, 3rd Person POV, Artemis Space Station---


    Arriving at the Bounty Hunter Association, with a stack of holotapes in hand, Deirdre set them on the counter with a proud smile on her face. Having successfully tracked down and eliminated several space pirates without Victor¡¯s assistance, the five women took immense pride in that achievement. Even though they enjoyed spending time with Victor, they needed this reassurance to confirm they were not simply dead weight to everyone else in the family.


    ¡°Good work, some of these crews were becoming a real problem for our neighboring sectors.¡±, the receptionist remarked, ¡°I am ready for the next stack of holotapes.¡±


    ¡°That is all the pirates we hunted yesterday.¡±, Angelica stated, knowing she was used to them bringing in stacks of holotapes at once, ¡°Victor and a few of us are off exploring some ruins in the Imperium of Man. It is just the five of us tackling jobs right now. We wanted to try and rank up a bit while he is away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, that explains why there are so few holotapes today. Taking out that many pirates without a platinum ranked pilot is extremely difficult.¡±, the receptionist replied, without thinking, ¡°If you are interested in ranking up, I can offer you a few posting that will help speed things along. Would you like me to show you the job listings?¡±


    Wanting to be mad at her for casually dismissing their hard work, they could not bring themselves to be as she was not saying it to be cruel. All five of them acknowledged that Victor¡¯s piloting skills were the main reason they could eliminate so many pirates in a short amount of time. Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre knew how to pilot airships, which certainly went along way toward piloting Yamato, but they still had not grasped the finer controls that spacecraft used. As much as they hated to admit it, probably seventy percent of what they brought in was because of Yamato¡¯s invention and the helmsman jumping in to assist them.


    ¡°My sincerest apologies!!¡±, the receptionist said, realizing that she had inadvertently insulted their hard work, ¡°Every pirate you eliminate from the surrounding sectors helps keep everyone here safe. No monetary reward or rank can ever express just how much your efforts mean to normal people like me. I can honestly say that I could never do the work all of you do, I am too cowardly and weak to risk my neck out there.¡±


    ¡°It is alright, we acknowledge that we still have a long way to go before reaching Victor¡¯s level of skill.¡±, Clarice replied, before an idea struck her, ¡°Does the association offer training courses on piloting spacecraft? I am sure that every ship is a little different, but just knowing the basics would be a great starting point for us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do offer piloting courses here! I think we even have a few simulations specifically for Dreadnaught-Class vessels like Yamato.¡±, the receptionist confirmed, looking up the courses on her terminal, ¡°Oh yes, there are several of them here.¡±


    ¡°Sign us up for basic courses then, please.¡±, Angelica requested.


    ¡°So you are aware, we assign courses based on the class of ship you want to learn about. For Dreadnaught-Class ships, the curriculum is ten million credits. It will be assigned to your group so all of you can use it, including those of you who are not here today.¡±, the receptionist informed them.


    Seeing this as a good investment for everyone in the family, the five of them accepted the cost without a second thought. Taking the funds from the group¡¯s account and assigning the course to them, she updated their ID Cards so they could access the training center. Thanking her before heading over to the same place they had taken the association test previously, the five of them were psyched to learn what it took to extract the maximum potential out of Yamato.


    ¡°Since I have the most experience with airships among the five of us, I should be done with everything in less than three hours.¡±, Deirdre proclaimed, with a smug smile, ¡°I will be waiting in the lounge for the rest of you after I am done. Try not to keep me waiting too long.¡±


    ¡°What was that¡­!?¡±, Clarice laughed, with a scary smile, ¡°You are only marginally better at piloting airships than Angelica and me. Just because your family bloodline produced many great captains does not automatically make you a talented captain!¡±


    ¡°That is right, your sister is a prime example of that!¡±, Angelica chimed in, ¡°I remember she crashed an airship into your family home once, right?¡±


    ¡°That only happened once!¡±, Deirdre argued.


    Leaving the three of them to hash things out, Aela and Olivia continued walking since they had no horse in this race. They had no prior experience steering ships, so they were learning everything from scratch. In their eyes, if they could not glean anything from the simulations, they would just have Victor show them when he returned. Seeing it as getting some private time with their husband, both women saw it as a win-win situation.

 Chapter 109

    ---3rd Person POV, Three Hours Later---


    Regrouping in the lounge, after a few hours of training, the five women sat down at a table and stared at their smoothies. Having gone into this hoping they would rank at least middle of the road, when they started the beginner courses, they quickly realized how out of touch they were with reality. Having assumed that their experience piloting airships would help, Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre very quickly realized that the two types of vessels were vastly different from one another.


    ¡°So uh¡­how did everyone do?¡±, Angelica inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°Well¡­I had the system mirror Victor¡¯s settings because he makes it look so easy. Let me just say, I had no idea Victor was constantly monitoring all that information at once. There are no dials on the captain¡¯s console so I never realized it, he must have all the information streaming to his helmet.¡±, Deirdre remarked, with a pale expression, ¡°There is just so much data to process, and you must do it in real time or risk blowing up the ship. It took me two hours just to begin piloting the ship without it blowing up mid-flight!¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, I just got my ship out of dock in the last thirty minutes of training¡­¡±, Clarice groaned, ¡°Ugh, it is so frustrating!! All of us want to be of use to Victor, but all we are doing is dragging him down. I do not want to be just a housewife; I want to be an equal partner with Victor!¡±


    ¡°At least you guys got your ships out of port¡­¡±, Aela and Olivia muttered, looking utterly devastated, ¡°We gave up after two hours of being unable to turn on the engines properly.¡±


    Realizing how badly the two of them did, the group became silent once again. Unsure how to proceed from here, everyone began to wonder what they should do now. Wondering if they should leave operations to the crew and focus on ship to ship combat, they immediately push that thought aside as it was effectively giving up and that was unacceptable to them.


    <Might I make a suggestion, ladies?>


    ¡°By all means, please do.¡±, Clarice acknowledged.


    <I believe you are all approaching this from the wrong angle. Each of you is trying to mimic what your husband does, but as you have all said on multiple occasions, he is a very gifted individual. Instead of trying to be like him, you should work as a team to overcome this issue.>


    ¡°Work as a team?¡±, Olivia repeated, taking a moment to think things over, ¡°You mean like the bridge crew?¡±


    S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taking a moment to consider her suggestion, the five women lifted their heads and looked at one another. Seeing where Cleare was coming from, a wave of embarrassment washed over them for not seeing that answer sooner. Having been so focused on mimicking him, they failed to acknowledge that they could never hope to achieve it on their own. To be his equal, they had to each pull their weight and rise to the occasion together. Quickly finishing their smoothies, the five of them returned to the training room with a new goal in mind, specialize in one specific aspect of managing the ship.


    ---Neighboring Sector, Next Day---


    Having spent the rest of the day gleaning as much information as they could from the simulations, the five women were eager to put what they learned to the test. Dividing up the various tasks between themselves, Aela manned Yamato¡¯s weapon systems, Angelica took control of communications, Clarice oversaw the sensor-arrays, Deirdre was at the helm of the ship, and Olivia monitored defenses and shielding. Asking Cleare and Yamato to support them individually, as they were still learning the ropes, the two AI were more than happy to assist them.


    Getting into position near a popular trading route, Deirdre put them in orbit over a barren moon and waited for Angelica or Clarice to pick up signs of enemy ships. Not having to wait very long, Angelica began receiving a distress signal from a nearby merchant vessel. Calling for immediate assistance, as they were under attack from twelve pirate ships, the captain stated the enemy had disabled their engines and were bombarding their shielding.


    ¡°If anyone is hearing this, our shields are nearly depleted! Please respond immediately!¡±, the captain announced.


    ¡°This is the Star Battleship Yamato, we have received your distress signal and are moving in to render assistance.¡±, Angelica replied, as she sent the coordinates they were broadcasting to Deirdre, ¡°Please standby.¡±


    ¡°Thank the gods someone received our¡­wait, the Star Battleship Yamato?!¡±, the captain shouted, relief dripping from his voice, ¡°Did you hear that boys, the infamous pirate hunters are coming to help us!!¡±


    Hearing the cheers of his crew in the background, the five of them could not help but smile under their helmets. Asking Yamato to enter the coordinates into the Folding Drive and engage the engine immediately, Deirdre watched how the AI did it so she could do it in the future. Making the jump to their location immediately, the moment Yamato¡¯s bow began poking out of the wormhole, Aela locked onto the pirate vessels. Aiming for their engines immediately, she succeeded in disabling nine of them before the rest of the fleet began to flee.


    ¡°You are not getting away from me!¡±, Deirdre shouted, engaging the Impulse Engines the moment they were clear of the wormhole.


    Chasing after the fleeing ships, Deirdre did her best to keep the ship stable while Aela bombarded the pirates. Returning fire in a vain attempt to shake them off, Olivia confirmed that the shielding was barely registering the impacts.


    ¡°Clarice are there any worlds or ships in the direction of our current heading?¡±, Aela inquired.


    ¡°Checking now¡­¡±, Clarice answered, looking at the star charts and sensor array, ¡°No, we are clear for at least ten thousand light years!¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡±, Aela cackled, pressing a button on her screen, ¡°Charging the Charged Particle Cannon!!¡±


    <Mrs. Aela, I am afraid that button just requests a drink from the galley. You want to the button two over on the right.>


    ¡°Opps¡­¡±, Aela replied, with an embarrassed look, ¡°Now then¡­charging the Charged Particle Cannon! Line us up, Deirdre!¡±


    Getting Yamato lined up for the shot, as soon as all three ships were in her crosshairs, Aela pulled the trigger and fired the deadly weapon. Cutting through the armor, hull, and shielding like they were not even there, the three pirate ships violently exploded killing all those onboard instantly. Raising her fist victoriously in the air, Aela let out a cheer of success and victory. Quickly retrieving the cargo and holotapes from the wreckage, Deirdre turned them around to finish their job.


    ¡°Attention combat units, we need nine boarding parties ready to seize control of the remaining pirate ships. Do not take any prisoners, kill all enemies you see on sight!¡±, Angelica ordered, using the intercom to alert their troops.


    ¡°The ships are locking onto us!¡±, Clarice announced, as the warning popped up on her screen.


    ¡°Taking out their shielding now.¡±, Aela stated, firing Shield Saturation Torpedoes on the vessels.


    Waiting for their shielding to drop, Olivia used Yamato¡¯s heavy laser cannons and railguns to decimate the enemy¡¯s defensive and offensive weapons. Leaving the pirates at their mercy, Olivia looked over at the others with a smile.


    ¡°We are all clear now.¡±, Olivia announced, with a thumbs up, ¡°Time to send our guys in!¡±


    Teleporting the boarding parties aboard the pirate ships, once they were ready, they effortlessly slaughtered most of the pirates in a matter of minutes. Attacking their troops with the equivalent of sticks and stones, the women watched their soldiers crush the pirates without a shred of mercy. As they began systematically clearing the ship, one of the parties found several hostages in holding cells.


    ¡°Who¡­who are you people?¡±, one of the female prisoners inquired, hiding their naked body to the best of their abilities.


    ¡°We are soldiers in the service of Supreme Commander Victor von Stark.¡±, the party leader answered, radioing back to the ship for guidance, ¡°We have located several prisoners aboard this ship. Please advise how you would like us to proceed.¡±


    ¡°Free them and send Yamato your exact coordinates. We will have medical teams ready to receive them.¡±, Angelica answered, ¡°They can stay with us till we return to the Artemis Space Station.¡±


    ¡°Understood, freeing the hostages and sending over coordinates now.¡±, the leader acknowledged.


    Punching a hole through the electronic control panel and ripping out the wiring, the barrier keeping them locked up vanished. Sending the coordinates over as they were told, the hostages began to cry with joy and relief. Thanking the soldiers several times, before Yamato teleported them away, the soldiers resumed quickly resumed their duties.

 Chapter 110

    --- Victor POV---


    Finding myself floating in an all too familiar darkness, I cursed myself for not being better prepared for the fortress. Believing I was about to be reincarnated again, this entire predicament had me experiencing a wave of different emotions. I felt angry and upset that I was not strong enough to withstand the recoil, distraught that I had potentially left three of my wives and allies to die in that fortress, and heartbroken that I would never again see my wives¡¯ beautiful faces again. They had placed their future and lives in my hands, and I went and inadvertently killed myself trying to protect everyone.


    ¡®At least this time I did not die because someone messed with my stuff. I am still salty about that bullshit twenty years later.¡¯, I thought, chuckling to myself as I waited for the Reincarnation Deity to speak with me.


    ¡°You are not dead, Descendant of Klordius Aremus. I have brought you here to speak with you.¡±, a commanding voice said, from somewhere off in the abyss.


    Before I could respond, a blinding golden light enveloped the area around me. Appearing out of the darkness, a familiar face revealed himself to me with an almost grandfatherly smile. Unsure why the Emperor of Mankind wanted to speak with me and who this Klordius Aremus was, I was admittedly very confused.


    ¡°My apologies for doubting your words, but I am almost certain that my homeworld and nation have no connection to the Imperium of Man. Are you certain you have the right man?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°I assumed you would say as much, but I can assure you, you are very much related to my son Klordius Aremus. You are the spitting image of my son, albeit a good two feet shorter than him.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind told me, ¡°Allow me to show you.¡±


    Projecting an image of his son before me, I was unsettled by how similar the two of us were. As the Emperor had said, Klordius and I looked identical to one another with me just being shorter than him. If Roboute Guilliman had picked up that fact as well, it must have been the reason he was so willing to trust me when I told him I had a plan to resolve their issues.


    ¡°You have convinced me that we look identical, but I have never heard of Klordius Aremus before. Is he one of the two Erased Primarchs?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°That is correct, he was the Primarch of the Second Legion. Klordius and his brother, Varrim Zephrim of the Eleventh Legion, are the two Primarchs who were stricken from the records under my orders.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind stated, with a saddened expression, ¡°As you are Klordius¡¯ descendant, you deserve to know what happened back then, so you understand your heritage.¡±


    Offering me his hand to help me get back onto my feet, the two of us began to walk alongside each other. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, the Emperor of Mankind began to speak again.


    ¡°As I am sure you are aware, my twenty sons were stolen from me during the earliest days of their birth. They were cast out into the Warp and eventually landed on various worlds throughout the Imperium of Man. Finding them one by one during the Great Crusade, I tried to impart my knowledge and wisdom upon them, but many were too affected by their upbringing to listen to me. Klordius Aremus and Varrim Zephrim were the most vocal opponents of my plans because they believed I would lead our people into utter ruin.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind said, with a dry laugh, ¡°Eventually things came to a head, and both left my side to find their own solution to ending Chaos. Varrim Zephrim flew into the Eye of Terror believing the solution to stopping Chaos was held within the Warp itself, while Klordius Aremus left the Imperium and searched for answers among the countless galaxies out there. As punishment for their act of betrayal, I had them scrubbed from the archives and forbid those who knew them from ever uttering their names.¡±


    Stopping for a moment and looking off into the void, the Emperor of Mankind let out a pained sigh. Seeing how history ultimately played out, I understood that he likely regretted not heeding their warnings more. The Imperium of Man was arguably in an even worse position than it had prior to the Great Crusade. Given the immense psychic power he possessed, the Emperor of Mankind had seen it all crumple down around him almost completely helpless to stop its downfall.


    ¡®If that is the case, I wonder why I could not find any traces of them anywhere on world. There were no Imperium Vessels in Davy Jone¡¯s Locker, so their ships never landed on our world. Does that mean someone, or something cast them onto our world?¡¯, I thought, very perplexed by this realization, ¡°So then, I assume you have some sort of request for me, right? I doubt this was just a social call to tell me about my heritage.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I do, yes.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind acknowledged, as we continued walking, ¡°The Imperium of Man has regressed back to what it once was during the Age of Strife but maintains the fa?ade of a dignified nation. My people are being bled dry by nobles and politicians using my name and vision as a beating stick. Before Roboute took up my mantle, leadership used religion and superstition instead of logic and reason to guide our nation. I have been forced to sit back and watch them ruin and tarnish everything their ancestors built, no longer can their corruption go unanswered.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a moment¡­Lion and Roboute are doing a great job chipping away at things. Do you really need me to step in?¡±, I inquired, honestly believing the two men would eventually rein things in.


    ¡°Both of them operate perfectly as military men and politicians, but what our nation needs right now is an engineer, inventor, and scientist. As you have correctly stated on multiple occasions that scientific and technological advancements have all but stopped during my internment upon the Golden Throne. Our people need a leader that will put them back on the right path and improve the lives of everyone in the Imperium.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind said, looking over at me, ¡°Lion El''Jonson and Roboute Guilliman are not suited for that work, but you are.¡±


    ¡°I am uncertain if I want to work with the Imperium outside of sealing the Great Rift. The Imperium of Man¡¯s hatred for xeno races is inexcusable when so many other nations have demonstrated that most of us can peacefully coexist. All your neighbors are multiracial nations, I cannot fathom why you felt human supremacy was the right choice.¡±, I stated, looking back at him.


    ¡°You must understand, the Imperium of Man¡¯s hatred for xenos stems from our personal interactions with our intragalactic neighbors over the millennia. I readily admit that peaceful coexistence would work, but hardly anyone in our galaxy wants that. Some of the Eldar, Necron, and Tau might accept peace, as a majority though, our agendas are simply far too different to coexist in the same galaxy.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind remarked, ¡°If peaceful coexistence was an option, I would have readily joined hands with them to fight our shared enemy.¡±


    Understanding where he was coming from, I could see why the Imperium was like this. Their xenophobia stemmed from the repeated slaughters humanity had endured at the hands of the local xenos, at least in the beginning. The way things were now, there was an honest chance that they might consider peaceful coexistence to prevent their own extinction. Even the Necrons might be willing to negotiate if the benefits were high enough for them.


    ¡®Hmm¡­I could potentially bring peace and stability to this region of space permanently from this position. Once that was achieved, nothing would stop us from traveling the stars like I have been wanting too.¡¯, I thought, ¡°If you are not against me trying to sue for peace, while simultaneously improving the Imperium¡¯s situation, I will agree to help you.¡±


    ¡°So long as you are acting in the best interests of the Imperium and our citizens, I will not prevent you from doing as you see fit. Peaceful coexistence, while unlikely, would be a great boon for the Imperium of Man as it would allow us to focus our military might toward defeating the forces of Chaos.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind stated, offering me his hand, ¡°Is this satisfactory for you?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±, I agreed, shaking his hand.


    ¡°I will ensure the way forward is made clear for you so you can begin your work.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind assured me, as he gave me a hug, ¡°Welcome home, my Lost Son.¡±


    As he let me go, the world around us began collapsing in on itself. Bidding me farewell for the time being, he left me floating in a pleasant warmth I had come to cherish. Opening my eyes and looking up at the ceiling of our tent, I could hear the peaceful breathing of my three wives close to me. Lifting my head to have a look, the three women were pressed up as close as possible to my bandage body.


    <Good morning, Master.>


    ¡°Good morning, Luxion. How long have I been unconscious?¡±, I inquired.


    <Two days, your wives have been by your side since you were brought in here. They have been impatiently waiting for you to regain consciousness. I must warn you, the three of them are very upset that you almost killed yourself fighting that mechanized unit.>


    ¡°I can imagine, I doubt they liked the thought of becoming widows so soon after our wedding.¡±, I stated, ¡°How many people did we lose?¡±


    Giving me the full after battle report, we had lost twelve Heavy Troopers, four Sister of Battle, three stealth units, two Skitarii, two Eldar, one Automaton, one Tech-Priest, and Zapdakka. In addition to the losses, five Sisters of Battle had lost a limb, and two Heavy Troopers were in critical condition. Understanding the situation, I was happy that we had not lost more troops in that shitshow. Thankful that my wives had escaped unscathed, I began to gently rouse them from my sleep.


    ¡°Sorry for waking you, but I would like to get up and move around a bit.¡±, I said, as they began to stir.


    ¡°Mmm¡­five more minutes¡­¡±, Mylene pleaded, opening her eyes slightly.


    Seeing me smiling at her, she immediately awoke and began showering me with kisses. Calling me every insult she knew, Mylene began to cry thanking whatever deity existed out there that I had come back to them. Joining in with her, Lucoa and Roxanne began lecturing me on not overdoing things like that again. Promising to be more careful in the future, I pulled the three of them into a big hug and told them how much I loved them.


    ¡°I¡­I suppose we can forgive you.¡±, Mylene stated, as I wiped the tears from her face.


    ¡°Did you enjoy waking up to the three of us like this?¡±, Lucoa teased me.


    ¡°Of course I did, what man would not enjoy seeing his wives like this.¡±, I chuckled, kissing each of them, ¡°We should get dressed and go speak with everyone about our plans moving forward. While I can understand if you want to regroup and try this again later, we have come too far to turn back now.¡±


    ¡°We knew you would say that.¡±, Roxanne said, her tail wagging happily under the sheets, ¡°That said, I believe we have other things to attend to right now.¡±


    Looking down at what was pressed up between her legs, she gave me quite a seductive smile. Even though I was still a bit sore from overexerting myself, I was not going to say no to my gorgeous wife while she straddled my waist. Casting a barrier around the tent to block noise from leaving the tent, the four of us took some time to express our love for one another.

 Chapter 111

    ---Two Hours Later---


    Walking out of our tent feeling refreshed and satisfied, the four of us strolled over to the campfire where everyone else had already gathered. Noticing our arrival as they discussed breakfast plans, my soldiers stood up and saluted me with relieved expressions. Visually scanning everyone to see their injuries, Luxion¡¯s report had left out quite a lot of grotesque details. Several members of our joint team had severe burns where their skin had been exposed during battle, and even more individuals had deep gashes from where shrapnel had pierced their armor.


    ¡°Good to see you up and around, Victor. Your poor wives have not left your side since your medics treated you.¡±, Samus said, with a warm smile, ¡°You sure it is alright for you to be up and around? They said your internal organs and muscles were in tatters from overexerting yourself.¡±


    ¡°I have forty pounds of nanobots within my body that can repair even the most gruesome damage, assuming I survived the ordeal. Other than being a bit sore, I am perfectly fit to continue moving further into the fortress.¡±, I answered, glancing over at several piles of ashes a short walk from our camp, ¡°It appears you have already given our fallen comrades a proper burial, you have my gratitude for that. Have we had any issues with monster attacks?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest, your statement about this being a safe room a few days ago was accurate. We have been able to safely regain our strength with the various supplies you left us before passing out.¡±, one of the Eldar replied, ¡°You have our utmost gratitude for treating our warriors as well. Your medics did a splendid job considering the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you very much for rendering aid. I would have lost more people without their assistance.¡±, Ionica stated, looking at her Sisters, ¡°That said, I am afraid we will be more of a hinderance than an asset to you now. We took heavy losses in that last battle, and out of the nine of us that survived, only four are fully combat ready. It will take some time for our other members to grow accustomed to fighting partially disabled. If¡­if you so desire, they have accepted being executed here to spare everyone the burden¡­¡±


    Clenching her fists and scowling as she uttered those words, Ionica was clearly not happy with this. As the nine remaining members of their Order, Ionica did not want to lose any more of her Sisters, but she recognized they were a liability to everyone¡¯s safety in their current state. Seeing their commander¡¯s distain for the thought of killing them, the five women assured her they knew what they were signing up for when they joined the Sisters of Battle.


    ¡°Superior Sister Ionica, we have done all that we can to further the God Emperor¡¯s plan and slay his enemies. We can die with a smile on our faces knowing we have fulfilled our duties.¡±, one of the disabled Sisters said, using her only arm to pat Ionica on the back, ¡°Lord Victor, would you please do us the- ¡°


    ¡°Your stupidity is being to wear thin on me.¡±, I groaned, looking her in the eyes, ¡°Before you start asking me to kill you to spare everyone your burden, how about asking if I can make you whole again? You have two groups of technologically advanced people here with you, and the first resolution you come to is putting a bullet in your head. Please take a moment and think before you open your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can heal my comrades completely?!¡±, Ionica asked, her face lighting up with relief.


    ¡°Very easily, yes.¡±, I acknowledged, ¡°Just sit back and watch.¡±


    Casting High Heal and Regrowth on all those present, burns, missing limbs, and scars all quickly healed up perfectly. Stunned by what they were seeing, aside from my group, everyone began checking themselves to see what all had been healed. As armor and clothing began coming off, my group turned away to give everyone some privacy. Overwhelmed with emotion, a few people began crying as they felt such great relief from being healed. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Victor, what sort of sorcery did you just perform?! I have never seen such flawless repairs done to a body before!¡±, Mane asked, examining the Sisters¡¯ regrown limbs, ¡°Is this sort of thing commonplace amongst your people?¡±


    ¡°It is uncommon, but those who possess this type of magic are almost exclusively in the service of the Temple. In my family, only my wife Olivia and I possess Healing Magic.¡±, I answered.


    ¡°Interesting, very interesting.¡±, Mane commented, ¡°This will require further research as such abilities could prove invaluable on the battlefield. Being able to quickly heal severe injuries and replace limbs would be a great boon for the war effort.¡±


    ¡°So everyone is clear, there is a cost associated with the spell. The materials used to repair the damage comes from the spell¡¯s target. You will need to replenish your nutrients quickly if you want to fight at full strength.¡±, I stated, ¡°Once you are clothed again, I will prepare our meal to revitalize your reserves.¡±


    Pleasantly surprised that I was not trying to sneak a peek, like many others would try, everyone got dressed again and told me once they were good to go. Increasing the fire¡¯s temperature, I placed a massive cast iron skillet over the fire and began cooking breakfast. Starting with fresh bacon, hash browns, pancakes, and toast, the chamber we were in quickly began to smell amazing. Portioning everything out equally for everyone, the last thing to go on the skillet were eggs. Adding diced green pepper and onion, grated cheese, and seasons to the eggs, as soon as they were finished cooking, I piled it on top of the rest of their food. Handing everyone their eating utensils and plates, the last thing I did was pour everyone a tall glass of orange juice to wash everything down with.


    Shakily holding their plates, the Eldar and Imperial groups stared at the pile of food in amazement. Having likely never had such a large meal in their lives, they were all extremely hesitant to touch any of it. Coming from meager backgrounds, the two groups of people must have felt guilty about accepting my generosity and kindness.


    ¡°Lord¡­Lord Victor, are you certain it is alright for you to share your meal rations with us?¡±, a male Eldar inquired, almost drooling on his plate, ¡°We should not take advantage of you, you have already done quite a lot for our team as it stands.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, I cannot begin to imagine how much money you spent procuring such ingredients. In the Imperium, just a quarter of this plate would be a year¡¯s salary for a normal guardsman.¡±, Ionica said, as she and her subordinates struggled to push the plates back to me.


    ¡°I understand that both of your nations may have trouble feeding your people, but I solved that problem in our country several years ago. Animal products, fresh fruit and vegetables, and grain are very affordable and widely available in my territory. The food I served each of you is right around fourteen to sixteen credits in my territory.¡±, I said, with a smile, ¡°I genetically modified the crop seeds to be hardier, more weather resistant, and produce over five hundred percent more food per acre. Prior to that, our nation grew enough food to sustain ourselves, but a bad harvest could lead to mass starvation.¡±


    ¡°Fourteen to sixteen credits¡­¡±, Ionica repeated, looking at her plate again, ¡®A small can of Corpse Starch costs nearly three times that in the slums!! I readily admitted I doubted Primarch Guilliman when he said this man was sent to us by the God Emperor himself, but now I see how wrong I was. He has the knowledge and means to set us back onto the glorious path the God Emperor set before us. If we give Lord Victor our full support, no child will have to starve in the slums like I did.¡¯


    Surprised to hear that we had food coming out our ears, the others looked a bit envious of our situation. The Eldar produced enough food to sustain their people, but they had to plan population increases decades in advance to ensure they did not face food shortages. In the Imperium¡¯s case, they produced nowhere near enough food to sustain their population, so they resorted to turning dead bodies into a food staple called Corpse Starch. Just thinking about humans eating dead human bodies made my skin crawl, but for most poor Imperial Citizens, it was either Corpse Starch or starvation.


    ¡°Thank you for feeding and healing us, Lord Victor.¡±, a female Eldar stated, before taking a nervous bite of food.


    Taking a moment to briefly savor the taste, her expression lit up like a Christmas tree. Scarfing her meal down like it was about to run away, everyone looked at her like she was insane till they took their first bite. Quickly realizing why she was acting like a mad woman, soon her comrades and the Sisters of Battle were shoveling food into their mouths as tears streamed down their faces. Grateful to be alive and able to savor my cooking, I barely got started on my meal before they were asking for seconds.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later---


    Eating till their stomachs were on the edge of rupturing, the Eldar and Sisters of Battle let out satisfied sighs while everyone else chuckled at them. Cleaning everyone and everything with magic, I stowed the cooking equipment away and suggested we start tearing down camp. Agreeing that it was time we got moving again, everyone rose to their feet and stretched a bit before getting to work.


    Getting everything torn down and put away, I told the team to take some time to do maintenance on their equipment. Wanting us to be fully prepared for the rest of the labyrinth, everyone heeded my words and thoroughly checked everything on their person. Giving my troop¡¯s equipment a thorough once over, any broken armor plating or internal components were replaced with spare parts I had in my inventory. Having them do a full diagnostic scan of everything once I was complete, I wandered over to the teleportation pad to investigate something that had been nagging me in the back of my mind since I first saw this place.


    Thanks to the destructive power of the Metal Gear RAY, the chamber we were in had dozens of small holes punched through the hardened metal floor. Selecting one near the teleportation pad, I forcibly ripped the paneling apart and engaged the floodlights on my helmet. Expecting to see all manner of unknown Old One technology below our feet, instead my concerns that this place was under the control of Demons was confirmed. Uncovering an unholy amalgamation of electronics and flesh beneath the floor, the flesh pulsated and wriggled uncomfortably under the intensity of my lights.


    ¡°Help¡­us¡­¡±, a pained voice cried, ¡°Kill¡­us¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh god¡­they did not even bother killing the people before turning them into parts¡­¡¯, I thought, as the rest of the group walked over to me.


    Glancing over my shoulder to see what I was looking at, the Tech-Priests let out horrified screams as they backed away in fear. Having never seen such a heretical abomination before, they fell to their knees and began praying to the Omnissiah to cleanse this place of the unholy technology.


    <It appears the organic material is still alive and being sustained by an unknown energy source. This does not match the Old One technology in my database.> (Man of Iron)


    ¡°That is because it is not entirely Old One technology, this¡­this is technology of an unknown origin.¡±, one of the male Eldar remarked, well versed in what their technology looked like, ¡°It would appear someone has already taken control of the fortress and used some sort of organic material to make repairs.¡±


    ¡°My sensors are saying it contains a variety of different race¡¯s flesh¡­¡±, Samus stated, with a disgusted expression, ¡°I have never seen this sort of technology before either, what about you Victor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­I have seen it before; this is Demonic Technology from Hell.¡±, I answered, rising to my feet, ¡°The organic material you are seeing is likely the flesh of the poor souls who died in this labyrinth. Demons are probably using the strange signal from the fortress to lure people so they can use them to bring this place back online. It is a good thing you burnt our ally¡¯s corpses as they would have probably become part of this too.¡±


    ¡°When you say Hell, you mean the Warp right?¡±, Ionica remarked.


    ¡°I¡­I honestly could not tell you. What little information I have came from a relic our nation had in our King¡¯s Treasure Room.¡±, I answered, looking back at everyone, ¡°From here on out we cannot afford to stop till we capture this fortress. Keep your heads on a swivel and watch every potential angle of attack as we complete the last leg of our journey.¡±


    Promptly priming their weapons, all of us stepped onto the teleportation pad and proceeded onward to the next level.

 Chapter 112

    Arriving on the other side, the putrid stench of decay and rot immediately greeted us with a punch to face. Engaging the built-in air filtration systems in our armor, I was about to suggest we take a moment to survey the room when the Eldar and Sisters of Battle fell to their knees gasping for fresh air. Forgetting that they were the only ones without the means to handle this environment, I used the Clear Skies shout to remove the toxic gas for a few minutes and handed out Personal Protection Equipment to each of them. Helping them get the masks on, as the gases began flooding into the room again, the Eldar and Sisters thanked me profusely for the equipment.


    ¡°Victor, if you have a method for cleansing the body of harmful foreign substances, I strongly recommend using it on them immediately. My sensors are detecting large quantities of parasitic spores mixed in with the toxic gases.¡±, Mane warned me, ¡°I am not sure what sort of reaction they will have to them, but given the decaying bodies around us, I doubt it will be good.¡±


    <Sir, these spores are like the ones found in the Necromancer Dungeon on your homeworld. I suggest using Purification immediately before they begin rotting from the inside out.>


    Heeding their warnings, I immediately used spell on them to pacify any spores they inhaled. Letting out pleasant sighs, as the spell also cleansed their bodies of dirt and sweat, they seemed a bit more comfortable now that they were clean. Having the team secure the corridor outside the room, while the Man of Iron, Tech-Priests, and I took a moment to survey the room, we barely began to explore when the Eldar Warriors let out a horrified scream. Leaping out of the room with my lightsabers drawn, I looked around for enemy troops but only found everyone looking up at the ceiling.


    Glancing up to see what made them scream, a heavily rotted Eldar woman looked at us with hallowed eyes. Held up by large meat hooks driven through her back and thighs, large chunks of her flesh were missing exposing her blackened, maggot ridden organs inside her abdominal cavity. Thinking we were someone else, she began pleading for us to just kill her and be done with it.


    ¡°¡­*cough*¡­why will you¡­not just¡­let me¡­die already¡­¡±, she wheezed, as black bile dripped from her mouth, ¡°I have¡­no information¡­to give¡­you¡­¡±


    ¡°Amallyn, why are you here?! You are supposed to be several hundred thousand light years from here!¡±, one of the female Eldar said, ¡°Give us just a moment, we will get you down!¡±


    Using their laser rifles to destroy the chains, the Eldar woman fell to toward the floor unable to move her body to catch herself. Seeing that her kin were more than fine with letting her hit the blood covered floor, I caught her with the Force gingerly scooped her up in my arms. Gingerly removing the meat hooks, I cast Full Heal, Purification, and Regrowth on Amallyn causing her to scream and writhe around in agony. Giving her something clean to bite down on, she continued screaming till her external wounds closed. Using Clear Skies again, I put a mask on her face and told her to take it easy.


    ¡°Your internal organs are going to take a few minutes to completely regenerate. Take slow deep breaths till the process is done. I am sorry there was not a less painful way to do this.¡±, I said, looking at her with pity.


    ¡°Thank¡­you¡­¡±, she groaned, as the pain began to slowly lessen, ¡°I wish¡­all humans¡­were as nice¡­as you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ranger Amallyn, we need to know why you are here and what happened to you. Please tell us immediately.¡±, the Eldar Leader demanded, making no move to take her from me.


    ¡°I joined hands with¡­a Rogue Trader named¡­Janus Draik. I heard that this place¡­might have the technology to¡­rebuild Biel-Tan. He was leading an expedition here¡­so I signed up and¡­joined their group.¡±, Amallyn explained, her breathing becoming ragged, ¡°We¡­we started out as a team of¡­fifty people. By the time we reached this floor¡­we were only twelve strong. The walls on this floor do not change¡­so we started mapping things out¡­till we ran into a swam of¡­monsters!¡±


    Going into cardiac arrest, I used my Healing Magic to bring things back under control while Mylene used Calm to settle her nerves. Grabbing hold of his collar with a death grip, Amallyn looked at him with pure, unadulterated fear.


    ¡°I have been to many places in this galaxy, but I have never once encountered these creatures before. All of them possessed strange abilities such as teleportation and stealth camouflage, a few of them could even sap your life force away with a beam of energy. We did everything we could to escape, but our fates were sealed the moment those floating bastards showed up!¡±, Amallyn cursed, ¡°Eldanial, my long rifle barely even scratched their hides! They brought a whole host of monsters upon us, and there was not a damn thing we could do to stop them! In the end they overran our position and tore all of us to pieces. I am not sure what happened after that, when I awoke a few weeks ago, I was hung from the ceiling like a damn animal¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, you have been here for several weeks?! How the heck did you survive so long with those gruesome injuries?¡±, Eldanial inquired, knowing that there was no way she could have held on that long without external assistance.


    ¡°There are these eight or nine foot tall abominations that show up every other day to give me food, medicine, and water. They have kept me alive because they think I know how to awaken this fortress.¡±, Amallyn answered, as the last of her internal organs regenerated, ¡°I have no idea where my former companions are, but I hope those monsters let them die instead of prolonged their suffering. Their torture methods are far worse than the Chaos Space Marines¡­¡±


    Nodding his head, Eldanial discussed the topic with his fellow Eldar while excluding Amallyn. Using this opportunity to retrieve some clothing for her from my inventory, I selected a pair of boots, boxers, jeans, socks, and a t-shirt for her to wear. Since I was carrying her in my arms, the clothing items I selected fell onto her almost causing her squeal in fright. Confused why I was giving her clothing, Amallyn quickly remembered that she was currently stark naked right now.


    ¡°You must be rather uncomfortable holding me, right human?¡±, Amallyn stated, knowing what most Imperial Citizens thought of the Eldar.


    ¡°Yes, but not because you are an Eldar. As a healthy, young man, it is only natural that I have some problems carrying a stunning, naked woman.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°If my words are offensive, please forgive my rudeness. We have a race of people called Elves in our country that have a similar appearance to the Eldar. Unlike them, I am happy to say that your people are rather well endowed.¡±


    ¡°You¡­you are saying you find me attractive?!¡±, Amallyn gasped, having never anticipated hearing those words from a human.


    ¡°Yes, very much so. Now then, would you like some assistance putting these clothes on? My wives can assist you, if necessary.¡±, I said, turning to them, ¡°Apologies in advance, I do not have any female clothing with me so you will have to make do with my spare clothing.¡±


    ¡°It is better than being naked.¡±, Amallyn laughed, dryly, ¡°I should be able to put them on myself.¡±


    Attempting to put the clothing items on, Amallyn quickly discovered it was much harder than she anticipated. Looking back at the other Eldar, they ignored her gaze forcing her to request assistance from my wives, much to her dismay. Lending her a helping hand, they got her attire sorted out and put her hair up for her.


    Thanking them for their help, as I set her down, I affixed a Holtzman Shield to her shirt and handed her a spare laser rifle. Having never seen one like it before, she shakily lifted it up and tried to aim it. Unable to keep it up for long, Amallyn nearly keeled over from exhaustion after just a few moments. Falling back into me, she immediately apologized for being too weak to help fight right now.


    ¡°My body¡­it is too weak to work properly right now.¡±, Amallyn stated, clinging to the rifle tightly, ¡°Please leave me behind, I will only drag you down.¡±


    ¡°We are not going to leave you behind, Amallyn. You just need some time to rest and recover your strength.¡±, I told her, firmly, ¡°Eldanial, is anyone in your party able to help carry her?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I cannot burden my team with the responsibility of carrying her.¡±, Eldanial refused immediately.


    Irritated by his instantaneous answer, I was curious why he seemed so callous toward her. Given their low birth rates and dwindling population, he should have wanted to help her at almost any cost. Instead of that, this asshole was acting as if her life or death was of little consequence to him.


    ¡°Man of Iron, would you consider carrying our injured companion? If you cannot or do not want to, I understand.¡±, I asked, turning to the ancient robot.


    Taking a moment to process my request, the machine bent down to take Amallyn from me.


    <I will carry the exhausted Eldar woman for our team. Thank you for speaking to me with respect and giving me the option of denying your request. In the future, please call me UR-025.>


    Handing Amallyn over to him, he cradled the battered Eldar woman like a baby with his normal arm. Doing a quick test to confirm that he could use his other arm, which had a gatling gun for a hand, UR-025 was satisfied that he could continue to render assistance to us unhindered by his passenger. Knowing we had a limited amount of time to get food and water into Amallyn, we had to find a safe place to hunker down before she died of malnutrition. Making sure everyone was aware of this fact; I cast Find the Path and began the treacherous journey through these damned corridors.


    Getting only a few thousand feet from where we found Amallyn, we ran into a pack of Imps who were wandering around aimlessly. Spotting us the moment I came around the corner, they came barreling down the hallway in a frenzy. Grabbing hold of the group with the Force, I lift them into the air and crushed them like grapes.


    ¡°Leave the frontlines to me, I need everyone focused on attacking the enemies that appear at our rear. If you get overwhelmed, let me know so I can give you some breathing room.¡±, I ordered.


    Acknowledging my commands, we closed ranks and quickened our pace to avoid being pinned down like Amallyn¡¯s group had. Getting halfway down the hallway, a large group of Imps and Pinkies rounded the bend ready for a fight. Drawing my lightsabers, I launched myself forward tearing the Lesser Demons to shreds as I flew past them. Opening fire upon a group that suddenly appeared behind us, I heard Eldanial and Ionica calling out targets to ensure we conserved as much ammo as possible. Realizing this was going to be a longer day than expected all I could do was focus on the path ahead of us and keep an eye out for any potential Safe Zones that might exist here.


    ---Evening---


    Slogging through what felt like days of nearly unending fighting, a peculiar room caught my eye as it was sealed off from the rest of the space by a powerful energy field. From what I could tell from afar, the room was far too small to be a Boss Room, so I took a gamble and led our group toward it. As we drew near the room, Eldanial and Ionica informed me that their teams were completely out of ammunition. Switching to melee weapons, another swarm of Lesser Demons appeared in the corridor we had just come from.


    ¡°Victor, I hope you have some sort of plan!¡±, Ionica said, not liking the minimal space she had to move around in. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Let my men take care of the rear, their weapons have a built-in power source so they cannot run out of ammunition.¡±, I told them, as we arrived at the edge of the room.


    Attempting to walk through the field, I was immediately pushed back with equal amount of force. Searching around for a control panel, my troops began bombarding the monsters with their laser cannons and rifles. Joining in the fight, Lucoa and Mylene began using their magic while Samus used her plasma cannon to pick off the more armored Demons.


    ¡°I do not mean to rush you, but we are steadily losing ground here.¡±, Samus told me, in a calm voice, ¡°What is the hold up?¡±


    ¡°We are outside what appears to be a Security Room. I am trying to find the control panel so we can get inside and have someplace safe to hunker down tonight.¡±, I answered, locating a hidden access panel, ¡°Found it!¡±


    Connecting several wires to the exposed terminals, I had Jarvis attempt to brute force his way into the fortress¡¯ systems, but he was unable to break their security. Scripted in an ancient machine language that we had yet to encounter, he was unable to lend me a hand in this situation.


    ¡°How are we looking?¡±, Ionica asked.


    ¡°Still working on it.¡±, I said, taking over for Jarvis.


    Instead of trying to take control of the door system itself, I switched my target to the hardware components that operated the door. Moving my wires over to what I thought might be the components, my computer began spitting out data in Qubit programming language. Offering to take things from here, seeing what I was trying to do, I told Jarvis to let me handle this as I began rewriting the component¡¯s code.


    ¡°Victor, we are running out of time!¡±, Lucoa shouted.


    ¡°Almost there, and¡­¡±, I said, deactivating the energy field controller, ¡°The shielding is down, everyone get inside!¡±


    Disconnecting my wires and pushing the panel shut, everyone shuffled backward into the room. Generating a wall of Force Disintegration in front of me, I sent it down the hallway to atomize all the Lesser Demons and stepped back into the room just as the field reengaged. Letting out a sigh of relief, Luxion and Mane analyzed the air in the room to see if it was breathable. Confirming that the toxic gas was not present here, aside from what came in when we entered, I used Purification to sanitize everyone and everything here so we could remove our masks.


    ¡°Our we certain the barriers will hold?¡±, Samus asked, examining the energy field projectors closely.


    ¡°Yes, but just to be safe, we can take turns keeping watch.¡±, I said, looking down the hallway at the Lesser Demons who were observing us from afar.


    Using Illusion Magic on all four exits from this room, I made it so they could not see in here, but we could still see them. With our enemies unable to see what we were doing now; I suggested we get started on dinner and set up camp. Wholeheartedly agreeing with me, while I got to cooking everyone else rolled out their bedding for the night. Setting Amallyn near me, UR-025 took up a position in the corner of the room to monitor all four entryways. Thanking him for his help once again, I provided the Eldar woman with a little snack and some water.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±, Amallyn said, looking at me warily.


    ¡°There something you want to say?¡±, I asked, pulling a Magic Stovetop out of my storage.


    ¡°What are you hoping to achieve by being so kind to me?¡±, Amallyn questioned, ¡°Since you expressed an interest in my body, is that what you are after? If so, while I appreciate your kindness, I have no interest in being intimate with a human.¡±


    Finding her line of thought amusing, I shook my head and assured her that was not the reason at all.


    ¡°While I do find you attractive, that is not why I am being kind to you. My hope is that we can become close allies and friends in the future. We share a similar goal of wanting to eradicate Chaos so I believe we can work toward that goal together.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°I understand, if that is truly the case, I can agree to both of those things.¡±, Amallyn acknowledged, seeing the value of having powerful allies in her corner, ¡°So what is on the menu? Dried meat and stale bread, or maybe that disgusting Corpse Starch?¡±


    ¡°Victor and his team are not from the Imperium of Man.¡±, one of the female Eldar told her, walking over and having a seat, ¡°They are from a distant country that overflowing with food. You should have seen the food we had this morning¡­just thinking about it again makes me even hungrier.¡±


    Surprised by this revelation, she opened the wrapped snack I gave her to see what was inside. Smelling the scent of dried berries, fruit, and nuts inside, she peeled back the wrapper and started at the energy bar. Taking a small bite, at the behest of her colleague, Amallyn was overwhelmed by the burst of flavor that filled her mouth. Scarfing the rest of the bar down, she chugged the water afterward and let out a pleased sigh.


    ¡°I have not had anything that good in millennia¡­¡±, Amallyn stated, her ears wiggling with delight, ¡°So¡­what is on the menu then?¡±


    ¡°What sounds better, honey glazed ham or roasted turkey?¡±, I asked everyone.


    ¡°You have an entire ham with you!?¡±, Ionica shouted in disbelief.


    ¡°Actually I have several thousand hogs¡¯ worth of pork with me, same goes for the turkeys.¡±, I chuckled.


    ¡°Given our strong emotional reaction this morning, I think we should have something a bit less flavorful.¡±, Eldanial remarked, reminding everyone that they had to keep their emotions in check.


    ¡°If that is the case, I can make all of you Tofu Steaks while I roast a turkey for the rest of us.¡±, I suggested, ¡°It is made from beans so it should not be too extravagant for your taste buds.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, we have to be wary of expressing our emotions too much as our mortal enemy might steal our souls from us.¡±, Eldanial explained.


    Already aware of their situation, I was grateful my cooking this morning did not cost them their souls. Promising to be mindful of their circumstances for the rest of our expedition, I got to work cooking while the others set up camp and recharged their weapons.

 Chapter 113

    Waking up early the next morning, I let out an exhausted sigh as it had been a long night. With barely any room to lay out and sleep, all of us were basically squished together like sardines in here. Having gotten only six hours of rough sleep in, at this point there was no reason to continue trying for more. Slipping out of my spot in the organized chaos, as I rose to my feet, I noticed that Luxion and UR-025 were connected to a large control panel in the far corner of the room. Using magic to silently fly over to them, as I approached, they disconnected and turned to greet me.


    <Good morning, Master. The Fortress¡¯s AI reached out to us last night after everyone went to sleep. It would like to speak with you, if that is alright with you.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Good morning, Luxion and UR-025.¡±, I replied, taking a moment to comprehend what Luxion said, ¡°Wait a moment, you are saying the fortress¡¯ AI is not under enemy control? If that is the case, why is it calling people here and attacking everyone that enters?¡±


    <The Usurpers used unknown means to seize control of most systems aboard this station. I managed to maintain control of a few security systems, maintenance, propulsion, and the Void Cannon, but that is it. Over the past five thousand years I have tried to warn many individuals who have come aboard, but no one has been able to understand me, till these two AIs noticed me last night. If possible, I would like your assistance in regaining control of the station. In exchange, you will be made the Owner of all assets and facilities on board.> (Fortress AI)


    ¡°While that offer is extremely tempting to me, are you certain you would be fine working alongside me? Our primary objective for this expedition was to acquire the technology used to capture and store Void Energy. I am more than satisfied with that being the reward, if you would rather remain free and unclaimed.¡±, I remarked, ¡°As with UR-025, I have no desire to force you into my services. While you may lack emotional capabilities, you are still a sentient entity.¡±


    Remaining silent for a while after I finished speaking, I became worried I might have offended the AI. Trying to treat him with kindness and respect, as I did with the other AIs, this one might have been different as he was several million years old. Opening my mouth to ask if I had said anything wrong, the AI began speaking again.


    <You are certainly a strange human, Victor von Stark. According to the data Luxion and UR-025 provided me with, most of your species have little to no respect for our kind and treat us like tools. Yet in your case, you treat us like close friends and family, which is an unusual notion but one that I can accept. Given everything I have analyzed, you are the most suitable individual to inherit the Old One¡¯s legacy and technology. I have no issues serving as your advisor and assistant.> (Fortress AI)


    ¡°I understand, in that case, I look forward to working with you.¡±, I replied, ¡°So then, what should I refer to you as moving forward?¡±


    <A name, is it? I would like called Dair.> (Fortress AI)


    ¡°Very well, welcome to the team, Dair.¡±, I stated, with a hint of excitement, ¡°Moving on, aside from the Usurpers and our party, are their any other groups inside the fortress?¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    <Yes, there are two other groups in the central area of this facility. Allow me to show you.> (Dair)


    Project live footage from several security cameras from the control panel, Dair showed me the two groups in question. The first group numbered sixteen people, and they were currently being held captive in makeshift prison cells. Uncertain why they were being kept alive, as the Demons I knew took no prisoners, I assumed they had information that the higher ups wanted to extract before killing them. As for the second group, it was a platoon of twenty-six Black Legion marines who were currently engaging a swarm of Lesser Demons and what looked like Harvesters. At the forefront of their group, their leader, Obsidius Mallex, was hacking and slashing his way through the endless sea of enemies without showing any signs of slowing down.


    ¡°Dair, where are these two groups currently located?¡±, I asked, watching their battle closely.


    <Captives are being kept in storage rooms ten miles from here just outside the Webway Chamber. The ones called Chaos Space Marines are seven miles away and are slowly increasing that distance.> (Dair)


    ¡°Thank you, can you provide Jarvis with a map of the central part of the facility so I can track their movements? I want to wipe out the Black Legion marines, rescue the captives, and then head to the Webway Chamber. Something tells me that the source of the problem here is in that room.¡±, I said, assuming I would find the Boss or a Super Gore Nest there.


    <I was about to suggest you investigate that room as I am unable to access the surveillance equipment in there. Give me a moment, I will transfer the data to the AI in your armor.> (Dair)


    Receiving the data from Dair, Jarvis pulled up the map on my HUD and marked the current locations of both groups for me. Thanking Dair for the intel, I began rousing everyone from their slumber to share the news with them. Assuming that we were under attack, most people sprang to their feet with their weapons drawn. Looking at each of the exits, when they realized there were no enemies present, Eldanial turned to me with an irritated look.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡±, Eldanial snapped, still partially asleep.


    ¡°Calm yourself, I roused everyone because I have critical information to share with you, courtesy of our newest ally Dair.¡±, I remarked, cutting him some slack, ¡°He has provided me with a map of the facility, and confirmed we are close to our journey¡¯s end.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­I see.¡±, Eldanial said, calming down, ¡°My apologies, please proceed.¡±


    ---Ten Minutes Later---


    Sharing the information I had obtained with the team, I had Dair show them live footage of the two groups. When he showed them a blown-up view of Obsidius and his men, Ionica and her subordinates flew into a fit of rage. Having fought the Black Legion at the Battle of Cadia, the Order of the Divine Lamentation had a bloody score to settle with them for the fall of Cadia and the near annihilation of their Order. Looking at me with a burning rage in their eyes, Ionica spoke up on behalf of all her Sisters.


    ¡°Lord Victor, are we going to engage the traitorous Space Marines in battle?¡±, Ionica inquired, clenching her fists tightly.


    ¡°Yes, my plan is to eliminate them, free the captive explorers, and face whatever lies in the Webway Chamber.¡±, I acknowledged, with a nod, ¡°Does anyone have any complaints about this plan?¡±


    Shaking their heads, everyone agreed to the plan without complaints. Wanting to get moving as quickly as possible, I set out breakfast bars, fruit, and water for everyone to eat. Munching on our food while we packed everything up, I proceeded to hand out laser pistols and rifles to those without ammunition once we were done. Showing them how to adjust the output and switch between single shot, burst, and full auto, the team thanked me for the weapons. Stowing their original weapons in my inventory, so they did not need to carry them, Dair alerted us to the growing number of Demons just beyond the hallway exits.


    <My apologies, outside of providing you with updated information on enemy movements my aid will be limited. Once you sever the Usurpers¡¯ connection to the fortress¡¯ systems, I can immediately dispatch security droids to assist you in the Webway Chamber.> (Dair)


    ¡°That is more than sufficient, Dair. Please let me know if any anomalies show up during our movements.¡±, I requested, before deploying my helmet, ¡°Alright team, mask up and prepare to engage the enemy. Check your fire and watch your backs!¡±


    Acknowledging my orders, once everyone was ready, Dair lowered the energy field on the doorway we were intending to use. Drawing my two lightsabers, I dashed down the hallway ready for the ambush that lurked around the corner. Jumping out to attack when they heard me coming, the first few Lesser Demons were cut to ribbons by me. Following close behind me, Lucoa and Roxanne squashed a few Imps by shoulder checking them into the wall. Using her Thu¡¯um to engulf the enemies to the right in golden flames, Lucoa kept them back while I headed to the left.


    Rushing forward to support them, Ionica and her subordinates began picking off enemies as stormed the corridor. Following their example, the rest of the team moved up and quickly suppressed the Lesser Demons in short order. Hacking, slashing, and vaporizing everything in my path, I set a brisk pace as we progressed toward Obsidius and his men. Taking full advantage of the live enemy updates that Dair was providing Jarvis, we avoided denser pockets of enemies allowing us to conserve our strength for more difficult enemies.

 Chapter 114

    Bringing the team to a halt a few corridors from Obsidius and his men, we could hear the Chaos Lord barking orders to his soldiers as they engaged another swarm of Demons. Wanting to use the element of surprise to quickly thin their numbers, given the layout of the corridor they were within, I believed the most effective method was a pincher attack from both ends of the hallway. Utilizing custom made Anti-Astarte flashbangs, we would temporarily restrict some of their fighting capabilities before charging in to make close quarter combat easier for us. Explaining the plan to the team, the Eldar and Imperials were intrigued by the flash bangs I mentioned to them.


    ¡°How are these any different from the Photon Flash Grenades the guardsmen usually use?¡±, Ionica inquired, uncertain how effective they would be.


    ¡°In addition to blinding the enemy, these generate an extremely powerful range of sounds that resonate with the metals in most Imperial armor and equipment. The resonances can cause complete equipment failure, Bolters to jam, Lasguns to short circuit, and Power Armor to go haywire among other things.¡±, I chuckled, handing several grenades to Eldanial and Ionica, ¡°During testing, I even got a Power Armor¡¯s power source to go into meltdown.¡±


    ¡°Let me see that!¡±, Mane said, snatching one from Ionica, ¡°Is it a guarantee every time?¡±


    ¡°In testing it worked eighty percent of the time.¡±, I answered, with a smirk, ¡°Before you try and replicate it, you should remember, you could disable your own troops with this. They are made from the same metal after all.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Recalling that potentially lethal fact, Mane gingerly handed it back to her and stepped back. Their robotic parts were also made from the same metal meaning the Anti-Astartes Flashbangs were as lethal as a normal grenade to them. The powerful vibrations could do untold damage to sensitive internal components and potentially even cause a complete system failure for them. Recognizing the dangers they posed to his people directly, Mane requested they use them with the utmost care.


    ¡°The Eldar and my Order will take steps to minimize the risk to you and your subordinates.¡±, Ionica promised, looking back to me, ¡°Pull the pin, toss them into the corridor, wait for the explosion, then storm in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but be aware that your armor will also start vibrating as well. The grenade will generate sound for a good thirty seconds before stopping.¡±, I advised her.


    ¡°That will not be an issue, our armor lacks the specialized equipment that theirs does. The armor we wear provides additional protection and strength to us only.¡±, Ionica replied, with a grin, ¡°Ladies, we are diving straight in once the grenades go off. Eldanial, can your team provide us with cover fire?


    ¡°We can, yes.¡±, Eldanial acknowledged, more than willing to let them take most of the risk.


    ¡°Ahem, I am charging in there with you.¡±, Samus stated, ¡°My weapons are less accurate than a laser rifle, so it is safer for me to fight alongside your team.¡±


    Happy to have a capable mercenary alongside them, Ionica accepted the offer with a nod. Wanting to avoid losing even more people in this place, I affixed Holtzman Shields to Ionica and her subordinates. Handing them Energy Swords from my inventory, the Sisters were hesitant to accept such weapons from me.


    ¡°Lord Victor, you have already provided us with laser rifles and now personal shielding. We could not accept further kindness from you.¡±, Ionica remarked, as her subordinates nodded their heads in agreement.


    ¡°The items I am letting you use are only loaners, I expect them to be returned to me once our objective in this place has been completed.¡±, I told them, forcing the swords into their hands, ¡°You have the tools to exact your revenge, now make sure you live to tell the tale!¡±


    ¡°Very well, all of us truly appreciate your kindness.¡±, Ionica replied, with a soft smile, ¡°Now then, shall we get going?¡±


    ¡°UR-025, using the map Dair gave us, can you please lead the group to our targets?¡±, I requested, ¡°I will radio you when we are ready so we can synchronize our grenade tosses.¡±


    <Yes, leave it to me.> (UR-025)


    Wishing them all good luck and happy hunting, we headed to our rallying points slaying a few Lesser Demons enroute. Once my group was in position, I contacted UR-025 and let him know we would toss the grenades in on three. Counting down together, the two groups pulled their pins and chucked the grenades into the hallway. Using the Force to pull the grenades closer to our targets, when they detonated, we heard the screams of pain from both Demons and heretic marines.


    ¡°Helldivers, Lucoa, and Roxanne, follow me!¡±, I ordered, pulling my lightsabers off my waist as I rounded the corner, ¡°Everyone else watch our rear for Demon reinforcements and provide support when openings appear.¡±


    Acknowledging my orders, the vanguard followed me in while the others took defensive positions. Casting Agility and Lesser Strength on us, Mylene wished us luck before switching to offensive spells like Air Slash and Rock Bullet. Firing upon the enemy as we advanced on them, the firing team blew the heads off three marines with well placed shots. Falling back into their dazed and confused allies, the enemy was left wide open for our opening salvo.


    ¡°You are up, Lucoa!¡±, I shouted, as the rest of us stepped aside to give her a clear path.


    ¡°Revak Yol Sil!!¡±, Lucoa shouted, releasing a torrent of purifying, golden and white flames upon the enemy.


    Reducing the Demons to nothingness in an instant, the flames continued until they crashed into the awaiting marines. Not bothering to avoid the fire, as they were confident that their armor would protect them, their idiocy cost them dearly. Immediately overwhelmed by raw, unbridled pain, those who had been touched by the magic began to bellow in anguish as their corrupted souls slowly burned away.


    Stepping up to help tamp out the fires on and around their brothers, several additional marines soon fell victim to Lucoa¡¯s magic as well. Realizing there was nothing they could do to save them; the group began backing away from us while trying to lay down cover fire. Discovering that their Bolters were jammed, they scrambled to fix the problem as we resumed our advance.


    ¡°Kill them all!¡±, I commanded, as we stormed through the fire and crashed against what remained of their defensive line.


    Barely able to see or hear the fighting, Obsidius shoved several of his men toward the enemy attack and told them to continue fighting back. Angry and annoyed that they could not catch a break, he wanted to end this quickly so they could return to their ship for food and rest. Having been wandering around for days with minimal provisions and no sleep, if they did not break away soon, he knew this would be where they would die.


    ¡°There is only a handful of them, kill them or force them into a retreat!¡±, Obsidius barked, as his vision began to return, ¡°The rest of you, begin moving toward- ¡°


    ¡°FOR THE EMPEROR!!¡±, the Sisters of Battle shouted, as they charged in from the opposite end of the hallway.


    Providing the Samus and the Sisters of Battle cover fire, the Eldar and Skitarii focused on weaker areas of the Astarte¡¯s armor. Disabling the movements of several enemy marines before they could react, those who had been behind them used their crippled bodies as cover. Raising their Bolters to return fire and take out the approaching combatants, as the marines tried to aim, their reticles began to violently move around while their guns remained motionless.


    ¡°Lord Obsidius, something is wrong with our equipment!¡±, one of the marines shouted, as an ear-piercing screech began coming from their radios.


    Crushing their radios to silence the sound, Obsidius glared at the Imperials with venomous hatred. Believing that the Tech-Priests had done something to mess with their equipment, the Chaos Lord saw an opportunity to redeem himself for being unable to capture the fortress thus far. Bringing such technology back to Abaddon would help make his next crusade even more damaging to the Imperium.


    ¡°Bring me those Tech-Priests, slaughter the rest of the False Emperor¡¯s cultists and their Xeno allies!¡±, Obsidius commanded his men.


    Ignoring the issues with their reticles, the marines tried to fire upon the rapidly advancing enemy only to realize that two of their seven Bolters worked properly. Laying down a hailstorm of bullets from the two functioning guns, the other five tossed their weapons to the side and switched to their Chainswords. Leaping over their crippled brothers, they rushed forward to meet the enemy head on.


    ¡°For the Emperor! For Cadia!¡±, Ionica howled, as she and her subordinates drew their Energy Swords, ¡°KILL THE HERETICS!!¡±


    ¡°FOR THE EMPEROR!!¡±, her subordinates shouted in unison.


    Aiming to decapitate as many of them as they could, before they were in striking distance of the Energy Swords, the marines threw all their strength into their swing. Coming to an abrupt stop mere centimeters from their intended targets, the marines looked at them in disbelief before the Sisters drove their Energy Swords through their chests and skulls. Knocking the dead and dying traitors to the floor, Ionica and her subordinates trampled them beneath their boots as they continued forward.


    ¡°Lord Obsidius, something is very wrong with these cultists! They are immune to bullets and Chainswords.¡±, one of the marines shouted, as more of their brothers charged forward to face them, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Seeing no other option, Obsidius stepped up to deal with the matter himself. Trampling over his crippled men, the Chaos Lord stormed toward the enemy with his Thunder Hammer at the ready. Using his own men to hide his attack, he slammed the mighty weapon into their backs sending them and their enemies flying down the hallway.


    ¡°Take him out!¡±, Mane ordered, pointing at Obsidius, ¡°Focus fire on him!¡±


    Aiming for his head and joints, the firing team bombarded him with everything they had but it was all stopped by an invisible barrier. Giving them a wicked smile, Obsidius showed the stunned group a damaged Armour Crest.


    ¡°You are not the only ones with a bag of tricks, fools!¡±, Obsidius laughed, before swinging his hammer around again, ¡°Time to die!¡±


    Rolling out of the way, as the Chaos Lord tried to flatten them, the Sisters staggered to their feet while Samus moved behind him. Blasting him nearly point blank with her plasma cannon, she clicked her tongue in annoyance as his shield resisted the attack. Swinging his right arm back to smack her away, Samus grabbed onto to give the Sisters an opening.


    ¡°Let go of me, wench!¡±, Obsidius cursed her.


    ¡°Finish this, now!¡±, Samus shouted, beginning to lose her grip, ¡°I cannot hold him back much longer!¡±


    Scrambling to their feet to protect their commander, the subordinates that Obsidius hit used themselves as shields to block slow the enemy down. Knowing that weapons were ineffective against them, the marines resorted to physically tackling women hoping to wrest their swords from them. Forcing them back, at the cost of their lives, the men bought their leader enough time to break free. Jumping backwards to create some distance, Samus was about to try attacking him again when Roxanne blitzed past her.


    Swinging his hammer around to intercept her, Roxanne leaped over the weapon and brought her Energy Sword down on his head. Moving to the side at the last moment, her sword cut through his left shoulder causing his blood to start spraying all over the place. Smacking her away with his uninjured arm, the Chaos Lord let go of his weapon and backed away. Looking for away out of this situation, he looked on in dismay as his last marines were dispatched by our forces.


    ¡°It is time to end this, Obsidius!¡±, Ionica said, as we all moved in to surround him.


    ¡°Do you expect me to beg and plead for mercy!¡±, Obsidius spat, picking up the hammer with his good arm, ¡°If I am going to die here, I will take as many of you with me as I can!¡±


    Dodging his next swing easily enough, the Sisters drove their blades into his abdomen and chest with a loud cry. Driving her blade into his back as well, Roxanne twisted her blade before pulling it out. Feeling himself rapidly beginning to die, Obsidius refused to let them escape without any losses. Using his remaining strength to grab Ionica and one of her subordinates by the head, he tried to crush their heads like watermelon.


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡±, Obsidius seethed, ¡°I am taking you both with- ¡°


    ¡°They are staying here with the rest of us!¡±, I shouted, ¡°Now burn!¡±


    Plunging Dawnbreaker through his chest, the Chaos Lord let out a primal scream as golden cracks began appearing all over his body. Destroying his soul almost instantly, Obsidius¡¯ lifeless body collapsed to the ground before Ionica and her subordinates.

 Chapter 115

    ¡°Are you two alright?¡±, I inquired, helping the Sisters back to their feet, ¡°The Holtzman Shields are great for physical and energy weapon protection, but do little to nothing against being crushed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we found that out the hard way. Do you mind if we get new masks? Ours appears to be cracked.¡±, Ionica remarked, looking at the sword I dispatched Obsidius with, ¡°If I may¡­what is that sword? It looks very similar the Emperor¡¯s Flaming Sword.¡±


    Using Clear Skies to clear the area of toxic gas, I gave the two of them replacement masks before yanking my blade out of Obsidius¡¯ corpse. As the two of them fitted their masks to their faces, the Eldar and other Imperials came over to hear this explanation as well.


    ¡°This Dawnbreaker, it was gifted to me by a very influential individual on the fringes of the Galactic Republic. Like the Flaming Sword, this blade can cleanse corruption and permanently kill Daemons.¡±, I informed everyone, ¡°They have a personal grudge with the forces of Chaos, and jumped at the opportunity to help vanquish them permanently.¡±


    ¡°Is this individual able to help us fight against Chaos directly, or provide additional weapons like this?¡±, Ionica asked, unable to look away from the mesmerizing aura of the sword.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the person who gave Dawnbreaker to me is permanently bound to that world by a curse. She, along with sixteen others, are stuck there until the Chaos Gods either lift the enchantment or are slain.¡±, I elaborated, ¡°As for producing more artifacts, none of them are able to due to the same curse.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about the other sixteen people? Did they give you artifacts as well?¡±, Eldanial inquired, wanting a soul-destroying artifact for their Craftworld.


    Nodding my head, I grabbed a few other Daedric artifacts from my inventory to show them. Surprised that I had so many, Eldanial glanced over at Amallyn for the briefest second before asking to examine the artifacts. Handing them over for examination, both groups were amazed by their exquisite craftsmanship and overwhelming divine power. Refusing to touch Molag Bal¡¯s Mace and Mehrunes¡¯ Razor, they politely asked me to put them away as they radiated bloodthirsty, murderous aura. Handing them back to me, once they were done looking over everything, I began the process of collecting the corpses of our defeated foes.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±, Mane inquired, with a hint of concern, ¡°You are not intending to give these traitors a proper burial, are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, these bastards do not get that privilege.¡±, I chuckled, stowing the corpses away, ¡°As Samus will tell you, the Imperium of Man has an open bounty on all Chaos Marines. The current rate is six hundred thousand per dog tag, meaning this lot is worth 15.6 million credits, and that is not counting a potentially higher reward for Chaos Lord Obsidius.¡±


    ¡°Are you running low on funds?¡±, Eldanial questioned, seeing an opportunity to bargain for an artifact.


    ¡°Haha, no, my household and territory are in excellent financial condition right now. The money will be added to our coffers for future expenditures.¡±, I remarked, as the last marine disappeared into my inventory, ¡°Alright then, everyone ready to head out?¡±


    Giving it a thumbs up, I took point once again and began leading our group toward the captives. Hoping to capture this place before nightfall, my goal was to sleep in my own bed tonight aboard the Endless Horizons.


    ---Forty Minutes Later---


    Noticing substantial changes to the environment, as we drew closer to the captives and our final destination, everyone could tell something was very off. Starting around a mile away from the captives, enemies stopped showing up and the toxic gases began to dissipate. By the time we reached the hallway leading to the jail, we were able to remove our masks and breathe normal air again. Feeling knots forming in our stomachs as we stared at the giant door leading into the Webway Chamber, the Eldar began to feel physically ill in response to it.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±, I asked, watching color drain from their faces.


    ¡°No¡­something evil and twisted is behind that door¡­¡±, Eldanial said, trying not to throw up.


    ¡°There are countless voices screaming in our heads begging for mercy and to be released from their torment.¡±, Amallyn stated, clutching her head tightly, ¡°MAKE IT STOP!!¡±


    Stepping in to help, Mylene and I used the spell Calm Mind to try and help alleviate some of the psychic pressure they were experiencing. Making little to no difference in their condition, I proceeded to cast Psychic Protection on them. Feeling the spell¡¯s effect immediately, the Eldar fell to their knees in relief. Mentally drained by whatever attacked them, they look at me with gratitude and respect.


    ¡°Thank you, if you had not done that, I fear our minds may have exploded from psychic overload.¡±, Eldanial remarked, ¡°I hate to burden all of you, but can we take a brief respite after freeing the prisoners? We will need some time to recover and make mental preparations to resist whatever lashed out at us.¡±


    ¡°That works for us, I would like the Tech-Priests to confirm our armor is in top condition before we take the plunge.¡±, Ionica said, glancing over at Mane.


    ¡°I was just about to suggest that.¡±, Mane agreed, wanting to give them the best chance of survival possible.


    Agreeing to their request, my troops and I helped the Eldar to their feet and down the hallway to the jail. Taking a seat in a corner of the room, close to the hallway, they began to meditate while I walked over to the prison cell. Rushing over to greet me, as I approached, the people inside were happy to see a friendly face.


    ¡°I do not know who you are, but you are a sight for sore eyes.¡±, a well-dressed man said, with a relieved smile, ¡°Can you help us get this door open?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That is the plan, let me take a look at it.¡±, I told him.


    Unlike what I expected, based on the security feed, the door was not makeshift but part of the wall itself. Knowing that I would not be able to rip it out easily, I glanced over at the control panel next to it. Prompting me for a code to access the door controls, Dair provided me with what the old security code. Punching the digits into the panel, the security screen disappeared, allowing me to hit the Open button.


    ¡°Hot damn, first try!¡±, the man chuckled, as everyone quickly vacated the cell.


    Glancing over at the rest of my group, the man¡¯s eyes fell upon Amallyn who was deep in mediation. Cracking a smile, as he looked at her, I assumed he was one of the people amongst the party she lost.


    ¡°You know her?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Yeah, the four of us are all that is left of our exploration party.¡±, the man answered, pointing the people in question, ¡°This is my hired mercenary Dahyak Grekh, Priest Taddeus the Purifier, and I am Janus Draik, an Explorer and Rogue Trader by trade. Who are all of you?¡±


    ¡°This is the young man I was telling you about, Janus. The one the God Emperor told me about in my dream the other night.¡±, Taddeus said, stepping forward and shaking my hand, ¡°You are the direct descendant of Klordius Aremus, Lost Primarch of the Second Legion, right? I was told to lend you my influence and strength to help bring our nation back onto the glorious path he began laying out for us ten millennia ago.¡±


    Realizing who I was, Janus was about to apologize for his rudeness and bow his head when I asked him to stop. Insisting he treat me like a normal man, I wanted to avoid the religious bull crap that comes with being a Primarch. Acknowledging my request, the Rogue Trader relaxed a bit more and began talking again.


    ¡°So based on what Taddeus told us, you are here to capture this place for its Void Technology. Something about using it to close the Great Rift and suppress the Eye of Terror?¡±, Janus questioned, having only paid partial attention to the priest¡¯s ramblings.


    ¡°Correct, the central control room is just a short walk from here. After a meal and a short respite, we will head out immediately.¡±, I informed him, ¡°Do you need weapons?¡±


    ¡°Our stuff is in one these cells, I believe.¡±, Janus answered, walking over to investigate.


    Poking his head into each cell, the furthest one on the back wall was where everything was being kept. Using the same code to unlock the door, Janus stepped inside and retrieved everything. Tossing his team members their equipment, the Rogue Trader set Amallyn¡¯s belongings on the floor in front of her. Handing over what remained to the other prisoners, they graciously accepted them without hesitation.


    ¡°So then, all of you must be from other captured exploration parties, right?¡±, I asked the others.


    ¡°Correct, sir.¡±, a scaly lizardman acknowledged, ¡°In my case, the party I came here with was ambushed by some eight foot tall monsters in Astarte Power Armor. I cannot tell you which legion they were from, but I can say their armor was incredibly old. If I were to guess, probably ten thousand years or more.¡±


    ¡°Same thing happened to our team.¡±, a large, four-armed red man chimed in, ¡°Everything we threw at them seemed to only annoy and piss them off.¡±


    ¡®Demons where Astarte Power Armor¡­does that mean the Eleventh Legion is somehow involved with this? If that is the case, why could the Emperor of Mankind not detect their presence? He found me easy enough, so there is no reason he should not be able to see them.¡¯, I thought, ¡°Thank you for that information, it will make preparing for this upcoming fight a bit easier. I assume all of you are pretty hungry, care to join us for a meal?¡±


    ¡°At this point, I will happily eat some Corpse Starch.¡±, Janus laughed, dryly.


    ¡°Take a seat and let me fix our meal.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°And no, Corpse Starch is not on the menu.¡±


    Deciding on a small variety of sandwiches for lunch, I retrieved some egg salad, sliced chicken and steak, a few toppings, and some fresh bread from inventory. Using the Force to help assemble the sandwiches quickly, I passed out equal portions to everyone and began to eat.

 Chapter 116

    Eating our meal in silence, everyone took the time to triple check their gear and prepare for the shit show ahead of us. Leaving the room once we were ready, I led the team to the large door that sealed off the Webway Chamber from the rest of the fortress. Reminiscent of a bank vault door from my past life, it honestly surprised me that they did not use more sophisticated means to prevent potential invaders from getting in or out. If the Necrons had infiltrated this place via the Webway, this door would have been nothing more than a minor inconvenience to them.


    ¡°Let me handle this, if you do not mind.¡±, Janus stated, walking up to the door, ¡°While I do not like to boast, I have extensive experience with lock picking ancient vault doors.¡±


    Seeing no reason not to let him have a crack at it, I gave him a thumbs up and turned my attention elsewhere. Muting my external speakers, there was a crucial question I had to ask my new AI friend before we set foot inside.


    ¡°Dair, in a pinch, how quickly can you retake control of this facility?¡±, I inquired, wanting to know how much lead time I had to provide him with.


    <I can immediately retake control of this facility, but I would not recommend doing so. They have had countless years to tamper with my systems, malware and viruses have likely been uploaded to various systems to eliminate me if I were to retake control. In addition, the enemy could have also set the station¡¯s power systems to go into meltdown should their control be removed. I recommend a thorough scrubbing of my systems, making necessary repairs, then taking control afterward.> (Dair)


    ¡°That makes perfect sense, I just wanted a rough idea of how long it would take in a pinch. Depending on how this battle goes, we may need to request assistance from the Endless Horizons.¡±, I stated, as Janus finished fiddling with the lock mechanism.


    <I understand, in that case, I can assume control of this facility seconds after their control is disrupted. As for my recommended method, it will take approximately ten minutes to thoroughly check everything.> (Dair)


    ¡°Luxion, please assist Dair to speed up that timeframe. If possible, I would like to use the station¡¯s defensive systems to aid us as well.¡±, I remarked.


    <Understood, Master.> (Luxion)


    Hearing a series of clicking noises coming from inside the door, as the last click occurred, the door slightly swung open. Excited that his efforts had been successful, Janus hit a button that should have engaged the powered door opener, but instead, sparks began spewing from the hinged side of the door. Realizing that the mechanism was busted, Janus motioned for everyone to approach as he grabbed hold of the edge.


    ¡°These doors are generally at least twelve feet thick. It is going to take all of us to open this stupid thing.¡±, Janus grunted, yanking on the door as hard as he could.


    ¡°Allow me.¡±, I remarked, using the Force to easily swing it open.


    ¡°¡­show off¡­¡±, Janus remarked, with a playful smirk.


    As the door swung open, all of us were surprised to find it was over thirty feet thick and comprised of a variety of different metals. Rushing in ahead of us, Janus and his group shuffled into the chamber before crashing into something within the darkness. Letting out a collective sigh, the rest of us followed them in to figure out what happened.


    ¡°You do know rushing into the unknown is one of the leading factors in an early death, right?¡±, I remarked, casting the spell Daylight to illuminate the vicinity.


    ¡°Haha, sorry, force of habit.¡±, Janus laughed, with an apologetic smile.


    Shaking my head at them, I turned my attention to the mountains of discarded equipment all around us. Casting the spell over several additional areas, the magnitude of what we uncovered came into focus. Discovering countless technological marvels from across the eons, this place was like a time capsule full of goodies for all of us. Scurrying over to the nearest pile, Janus and the Tech-Priests were practically drooling as they looked at everything in front of them.


    ¡°This is certainly going to put my name in the history books!¡±, Janus laughed, assuming that this room was filled with even more mounds of artifacts, ¡°I cannot begin to put a price on all this loot, but it is safe to say that several generations from now our descendants are still going to be spending the reward money.¡±


    ¡°We discover a treasure trove of ancient technology, and the first thing you are thinking about is selling it!? This is why I dislike working with Rogue Traders.¡±, Mane complained, ¡°All of these items should be catalogued, taken apart, and reverse engineered to improve the Imperium¡¯s technology!¡±


    ¡°Per my Warrant of Trade, I am required to sell any technology I acquire to the Imperium. Since you value these items so highly, my assumption of the value here appears to be spot on.¡±, Janus said, with a smug smile, ¡°Thank you for verifying.¡±


    Ignoring Janus¡¯ comment, Mane and his colleagues began sifting through countless items looking for anything unusual or unknown to them. While the two parties focused on looting and grabbing anything they wanted, the rest of us focused on an eerie, pale red light reflecting off the ceiling several miles from us. Dispatching several drones to see where the light was coming from, as they got within a few miles of the light source, my wives looked away from the grotesque entity that was a Super Gore Nest.


    ¡°What¡­what is that thing¡­¡±, Samus asked, staring at the image on the holographic screen, ¡°I have seen a lot of crazy things in my travels, but this takes the cake.¡±


    ¡°That is a Super Gore Nest, that glowing sphere floating above the center of the structure is a portal connecting this place directly to Hell. While weaker Demons can manifest themselves in the Materium with relative ease, the more powerful ones need these portals to enter.¡±, I explained, zooming in on the organism itself, ¡°The flesh structure underneath is made of all the poor souls ritually sacrificed by the Demons to create it.¡±


    ¡°Victor¡­those people¡­they are not still alive¡­are they?¡±, Mylene inquired, looking at me with a pained expression.


    Nodding my head slowly, Mylene held me closely not wanting to imagine the agony and suffering they must be enduring right now. Glancing over at the Eldar, they looked at the structure with a solemn expression as they understood the psychic attack earlier was a cry for help from those people¡¯s souls. Wanting to end their suffering, so they could find peace, Amallyn suggested we go destroy it before the boss showed up.


    ¡°We need to properly prepare defenses before we do that. When that structure is destroyed, it will summon legions of Demons to kill us in response. To clarify, some will be far stronger than anything we have faced thus far.¡±, I warned her. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°How strong?¡±, Eldanial inquired, out of curiosity.


    ¡°The strongest demons in Hell can destroy entire worlds by themselves. They each possess a hyper regeneration ability which makes them nigh unkillable. To my knowledge, only one type of weapon can permanently kill them, and they have been lost to the eons.¡±, I answered, ¡°It is very unlikely that we will encounter one, but the possibility is always there.¡±


    Informing Janus and the Tech-Priests that we were moving on, the two parties stopped their looting and quickly rejoined us. Using the live feed from the drones, I teleported everyone close to the gore nest to avoid a long walk there. As we reappeared at our destination, everyone looked up at the portal warily as ominous energies poured out of the breach. Hearing groans and sinister whispers coming from the nest, Taddeus began rebuking the presumed spirits with his holy scriptures. Knowing the priest was wasting his time, I had my troops begin deploying shields while I dished out orders.


    ¡°Stealth units, take up positions amongst the mountains of discarded equipment nearby. Take out prominent targets as they present themselves with your antimatter rifles, do not engage enemies in close quarter combat if you can prevent it. Helldivers, you will be fighting alongside Dahyak, Janus, Lucoa, Roxanne, Samus, and I along the frontlines.¡±, I ordered, as the last shield was being anchored down, ¡°Eldanial, you will coordinate the range units to chip away at the low-ranking grunts that are going to flood this place. Ionica, your Order will provide additional support and step in to run interference if enemy units get past the vanguard.¡±


    Acknowledging my directions with loud confirmations, people began hunkering down in their assigned positions.


    ¡°After the nest is destroyed, Dair will need approximately ten minutes to regain full control of the fortress. Once he resumes control of the station, he will dispatch defensive units to aid us and I can radio for backup from my ship.¡±, I informed everyone, as I began charging electricity in my right gauntlet, ¡°I look forward to savoring a cold beer with everyone once we capture the station. Drinks are on me.¡±


    Waiting for the vanguard to get into position around the shields, once I was certain everyone was ready, I blasted the structure with over a teravolt of electricity. Spasming violently, as its organic components failed, the nest violently exploded sending bits of gore and splatters of blood in every direction. Unleashing an ear-piercing scream several seconds afterwards, hundreds of Demons began pouring into the room like rabid animals. Charging toward us with unbridled rage, everyone let out a battle cry as we began the grueling countdown until reinforcements could begin arriving.


    (AN: As a heads up, I will not be releasing chapters from December 23 to January 3rd. During that time period I will be spending time with family and friends for the holidays.)

 Chapter 117

    Waiting for the enemy to reach a certain point, I gave the order for the Automatons to begin their missile bombardment. Launching three missile pods of rockets into the air, the munitions flew over enemy lines and above the middle of their ranks before detonating. Launching large, five-inch tungsten nails into the enemy forces, nearly a third of their troops died in the initial attack.


    ¡°Mylene, you are up!¡±, I shouted.


    ¡°Alright!!¡±, Mylene acknowledged, as she finished preparing her spell, ¡°Lightning Bolt!!¡±


    Aiming at the bombardment zone, the lightning arced across the millions of nails around us creating a deadly, high voltage death trap. Watching grunts turn into smoke clouds when hit with electricity, the stronger demons collapsed to the ground as they lost all control of their bodies. Telling Mylene to end her spell, as the rest of us took aim, I waited for the electricity to dissipate before giving the order.


    ¡°Send these bastards back to hell, light them up!!¡±, I laughed, obliterating countless enemies with my repulsor gatling gun.


    ¡°Hell yeah, eat shit and puke maggot addicts!!!¡±, the Helldivers howled, as their heavy laser cannons roared to life.


    ¡®Maybe adding a zombie apocalypse simulation to their training was a bit much¡­¡¯, I thought, doing my best to hold back my laughter.


    Wanting to buy time for reinforcements and conserve our strength for the boss, blowing the legion of demons away from a distance was the best choice here. Directing the Automatons to use their high-powered heavy laser cannons on the Barons of Hell and Mancubus, the rest of our ragtag team chipped away at the enemy until only a few dozen units remained.


    ¡°Victor, did we accidentally take out the boss during the firefight?¡±, Samus asked, visually scanning the area for large enemy.


    ¡°No, we have not killed the boss yet. Believe me, it would have stood out like a sore thumb in that horde.¡±, I remarked, having the drones begin scanning the chamber, ¡°Anyone with a sensor-array, scan the chamber for a large energy source. The boss should have a similar energy signature to normal demons, just magnitudes bigger.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­it may be about to breach the Materium, possibly.¡±, Mane announced, reviewing the data his subordinate put in front of him, ¡°There is a spatial anomaly a quarter mile to our east that is releasing a large amount of void energy.¡±


    Having the Automatons obliterate the remaining enemies, everyone turned to look in the direction Mane indicated. Squinting our eyes, most of us could see a slight visual distortion floating a few feet off the ground. Opening my mouth to request Jarvis and UR-025 scan the anomaly, cracks began to radiate out from the anomaly suggesting it was about to rupture. Readying ourselves for the final boss fight, lights began to flick on all over the chamber.


    <I have regained total control of this station¡¯s systems. Activating defense systems now.> (Dair)


    <I have already contacted the Endless Horizons, Master. They are moving the ship into position and readying a strike force to assist us. Horizon estimates they will be ready to begin teleporting troops in within one minute.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Thank you, Dair and Luxion!¡±, I stated, as the cracks grew larger, ¡°Automatons, fire upon whatever comes out of that breach!¡±


    Watching the space in front of the anomaly begin to bulge, it abruptly ruptured when a massive laser beam cut through it like a knife. Shooting a few feet over our heads, a direct hit from it would have killed most of us as the Holtzman Shields were not capable of resisting that much energy. Skittering out of the breach, an armored Spider Mastermind let out a spine-tingling screech that brought the Eldar to their knees. Screaming in agony, blood began to trickle out of their ears and eyes.


    ¡°What the heck?!¡±, Samus gasped, ¡°Why are they the only ones affected by it?¡±


    ¡°Psychic¡­attack¡­¡±, Amallyn managed to wheeze, ¡°It is¡­too strong¡­¡±


    ¡°That mechanized spider is a psyker?! I have never seen anything about it in any text I have read.¡±, Ionica remarked, as the Automatons began to fire upon it.


    ¡°We have never encountered anything like it before.¡±, Mane stated, checking his internal database for any information he had.


    Watching the attack slam into its energy shielding, the spider shrugged off the attack and began returning fire with missile pods mounted to its sides. Crushing the missiles with the Force, its attention immediately turned to me. Attempting to break into my mind, it let go of the Eldar giving them a small amount of relief. Feeling the pressure hammering away at my mind, I returned the favor by launching my own psychic attack.


    ¡°I will not be so easily overwhelmed. demon!¡±, I spat, hitting it with the same pinpoint attack I used on Palpatine.


    Catching it off guard, I punched a hole into its psyche and began trying to subdue it. Rooting around in its mind, glimpses of the creature¡¯s past as a Space Marine began flashing before my eyes. Seeing snippets of a voyage into the Warp, run-ins with daemonic fleets, and their eventual fall into an unknown rift in the void, everything that came after was just a jumbled mess of pieced together recollections of events.


    ¡°VICTOR!!¡±, Mylene screamed, snapping me out of psychic connection to the demon, ¡°IN FRONT OF YOU!!¡±


    Snapping to attention, I watched as a Marauder was about to bring his Argent Battleaxe down on my head. Smacking it away with my lightsaber, I followed up by knocking him away with a strong Force Push.


    ¡°Welcome back to reality, you had us worried there for a moment.¡±, Samus commented, as reinforcements began teleporting in, ¡°What just happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I was trying to subdue the demon psychically and discovered that it used to be a Space Marine at one point.¡±, I remarked, as the spider began moving again, ¡°Its memories are jumbled up, but I am relatively certain he lived Pre-Heresy.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±, Mane spat, looking back at the spider demon, ¡°That used to be an Astarte!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Tech-Priest, all of us were at one point.¡±, the Marauder spoke, rising to its feet.


    Taking a moment to look at his damaged armor, the emblem on his chestplate and pauldron were unfamiliar to me. From what I could see of the internal components, the power armor he wore was also Pre-Heresy. Wanting to confirm my suspicions of their identities, I asked him point blank if they were members of the Eleventh Legion. Surprised by my question, the Marauder confirmed that they were indeed members of that lost legion.


    ¡°Our records were scrubbed from Terra¡¯s archives, how do you know of us?¡±, the Marauder inquired.


    ¡°Well, according to the Emperor of Mankind, I am Klordius Aremus¡¯ blood descendant.¡±, I answered, drawing my second lightsaber.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±, the Marauder replied, in a solemn tone, ¡°Our Primarch Varrim and Primarch Klordius were the only two to see what the Imperium of Man was¡­a blight upon the galaxy and wider universe. While humanity barely eked out an existence, the blind Emperor of Mankind and other Primarchs believed that we should stand alone instead of seeking alternative ways to strengthen our people. We found the power we sought, but when we returned¡­the Imperium of Man was nothing more than a shell of its former self and the rest of the universe watched it happen without a care.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect? The Imperium of Man is full of xenophobes, no nation was going to send help to country that hated half of their population for no reason other than being non-human.¡±, I remarked.


    Responding by lunging at me again with his battleaxe at the ready, the two of us clashed sending a shockwave that blew most of the team away. Exchanging a flurry of blows with him, the demon managed to block all my attacks at blistering speeds that were abnormally fast for even an enhanced Space Marine. Scanning him to see if he had additional augments, I was dumbfounded when I discovered the amount of void energy, he had was almost equal to a mid-ranked Greater Daemon.


    ¡°Jarvis, deploy the Hulkbuster Mark 44!¡±, I commanded, blasting him away using an emergency charged Unibeam, ¡°Horizon, teleport the Eldar aboard the Endless Horizons for medical treatment!¡±


    <Deploying the Mark 44 now, sir.> (Jarvis)


    ¡°Everyone else, move in to help restrain the spider mech. I have a plan to get rid of both in one go!¡±, I said, as the Eldar were transferred off station.


    ¡°Are you sure you do not want help?¡±, Samus inquired, as the others began running off.


    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but everyone will only be a hindrance. He is just toying with us right now, his actual strength should be on par with a Great Daemon.¡±, I told her, as the four mobile transport units arrived from the Armory, ¡°Try to seal its movements the best you can, be ready to dive out of the way when I say so."


    ¡°Alright, good luck!¡±, Samus remarked, following everyone else.


    Opening several hatches on each unit, hundreds of various parts began flying out and attaching themselves to my armor. Keeping a close eye on the marines, as he staggered back to his feet, the Hulkbuster quickly completed its assembly and system check before giving me the green light. Pushing the thrusters to maximum output, I shot toward him ready to vent my accumulated anger from this hellhole on him. Slamming my pile driver fist squarely into his face, the Marauder shot through the air like a bullet before skipping across the floor like a stone.


    ¡°I have a plan, I can freeze it in place with ice using magic!¡±, Lucoa suggested.


    ¡°I can help you!¡±, Mylene said, with a smile, ¡°Ice Magic is not my forte, but I can use it well enough to be a menace.¡±


    ¡°How long do you need?¡±, Samus asked.


    ¡°To overpower its strength, give us two minutes.¡±, Lucoa answered, already gathering her dragonic power.


    With a set timeframe given, the group joined the soldiers who were at a stalemate with the mech¡¯s energy shield. Using brute, physical strength to keep it from moving, they struggled to keep hold of it as there was nothing to grab hold of. Tossing her sword to Samus, Ionica told her to use it to disable its shielding. Thanking her with a nod, Roxanne and Samus leapt over the soldiers to strike at the mech. Grabbing them mid-air, via telekinesis, the two of them let out a cry of pain as the abomination tried to crush them.


    ¡°Shit, I forgot it was a psyker!¡±, Ionica spat, grabbing an Energy Sword from a subordinate, ¡°Let them go!!¡±


    Seizing her mid-swing, when it went to crush her, an unknown power suddenly came over her allowing Ionica to break its hold. Letting out a battle cry as she drove the sword into its body, the demonic creature let out a shriek as its shield dropped. Freed from their bindings as well, Roxanne and Samus drove their blades into the monster as well causing it even more pain.


    ¡°FIRE MEN!!¡±, the Helldiver Commander shouted, ¡°Do not stop until the monster is dead!!¡±


    Forcing the spider into a retreat, it slowly began backing away toward the slowly closing breach. Believing it was trying to escape; Roxanne told the soldiers to let go and move as Lucoa and Mylene were ready. Getting clear, just as they unloaded their magic on the creature, half of its body began engulfed in several yards of blue ice. Continuing to attack the exposed part of the demon, Samus shouted that it was now or never.


    Unloading a wide array of munitions on the Marauder, everything I threw at him failed to penetrate a faint, purple-hued aura that covered his body. Assuming I had to use a Daedric artifact on him to cause any real damage, I retrieved Volendrung from my inventory and gave chase. Magically adapting its shape and size to better fit my current form, the sudden change startled me for a moment as I did not realize it had that ability.


    ¡®I wonder what other powers the items have.¡¯, I thought, as I slammed the war hammer into his face.


    Feeling bones crunch under the force of my blow, his putrid blood began to spray everywhere he sank into the floor. Whipping the hammer around, I engaged the thrusters in my arms and brought the weapon down hard enough to shake the room. Refusing to die like this, he leaped out of the crater like a rabid dog and attempted to grab hold of my armor. Stowing the item back into storage, I teleported behind him and used both hands to grab hold of his head.


    <Unibeam charge at ninety-seven percent.> (Jarvis)


    ¡°Everyone get out of the way!¡±, I shouted, as the percentage hit one hundred percent.


    Spinning on my heels, while the Marauder began tearing my armored arms apart, everyone followed my orders and dove out of my path. Firing the Unibeam immediately, the blast obliterated most of the Marauder''s body before punching a hole clean through the Spider Mastermind. Letting out a howl of pain before dying, the Marauder cursed me before I let his head fall into the energy stream. Waiting until I was certain both were gone, I cut power to the Unibeam and let out a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 118

    ---3rd Person POV, Two Days Later---


    Slowly awakening from a deep sleep, Amallyn let out a groan of pain as she opened her eyes. Staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling, she began wondering where she was until a flashback of their battle with the demons blinked into the forefront of her mind. Leaping out of bed, ready for a fight, the Eldar woman crumpled to the floor, unable to stand properly yet. Muttering several curse words in her native tongue, a familiar figure entered the room to see what was happening.


    ¡°Oh... it was just you,¡± Eldanial sighed, with a disappointed look.


    Opening her mouth to rebuke him, Amallyn quickly closed her mouth as she knew arguing with him would get her nowhere. Pulling herself back onto the bed, she took a moment to survey the room and discovered that several of their people were connected to various unknown machines.


    ¡°What is going on here? Where are we?¡±, Amallyn asked.


    ¡°We are aboard Victor¡¯s flagship, the Endless Horizons. As for what happened¡­that demonic monster almost killed all of us. It broke through our mental defenses and tried to forcibly rip out Eldar secrets from our psyche. Idrerenn, you, and I are the only three that managed to hold out; the rest of my subordinates were reduced to this vegetative state,¡± Eldanial answered, clenching his fist. ¡°Victor saved our lives when he drew the demon¡¯s attention to himself. Based on the mental scans I have seen, we were moments away from becoming vegetables like them.¡±


    ¡°I see; that explains why my head is killing me and my legs are not working properly,¡± Amallyn remarked, looking at her former comrades with pity.


    ¡°Your legs not working is a side effect of the medicine Victor¡¯s medical team gave us. They temporarily put us in a coma till they could stabilize our conditions.¡±, Idrerenn chimed in as she entered the room, ¡°Eldanial and I awoke last night; we have been unconscious for the better part of two days.¡±


    ¡°Two days?!¡± Amallyn gasped, surprised it had been that long.


    Understanding how dire their situation had been, Amallyn was grateful that Victor was a kind human and not an asshole like the mongrels of this galaxy. If it had been the Mon-Keigh, they would have been left to succumb to their wounds. Taking a sip of water from the cup by her bed, the Eldar woman was surprised by how clean and pure it tasted. Chugging the glass of water down in one go, she let out a blissful sigh as she sank into her bed again.


    ¡°Is there truly nothing that can be done to save them? If we take them home, the Elders will likely choose to euthanize them to spare our homeland the burden.¡±, Amallyn stated, much to Eldanial¡¯s annoyance.


    ¡°Biel-Tan ceased being your homeland the moment you turned your back on our people. After the Fracture, we needed every able-bodied warrior to protect what remained of our world ship, but you chose to abandon your post and leave our homeland to its fate.", Eldanial stated, disdain and disgust dripping from his tone, ¡°You may have tricked the old Elders into believing your actions were proper, but the new Elders have seen through your deceit. See for yourself.¡±


    Retrieving a piece of parchment from his satchel, Eldanial tossed her the document he had been saving till their mission was complete. Snatching the paper out of the air, Amallyn took a moment to review its contents before starting to tremble in shock. Written down in bold letters was an official notice from the leaders of Biel-Tan that she no longer had a home to return to anymore.


    ¡°This¡­ this cannot be true!¡± Amallyn refuted, trying to suppress her whirlwind of emotions. ¡°I have worked tirelessly to find a solution to make Biel-Tan whole again. While progress has been frustratingly slow, I have pursued every lead I come across. That is what brought me to this Talisman of Vaul!¡±


    ¡°Other Eldar in your situation have had bounties placed on their heads by the Elders. The reason you do not is because your family and friends fought to limit your punishment to just this.", Idrerenn informed her, trying to soften the blow for her former comrade, ¡°I am sorry, Amallyn.¡±


    Unable to accept that she would no longer be able to see the ones she cared about, Amallyn curled up into a ball and retreated into her mind. Hoping and praying that this was just a bad dream, she desperately wanted to just wake up and laugh this whole thing off with her comrades.


    ---Victor POV, Several Hours Later --- S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°My apologies for not coming to see all of you sooner; I have been tied up with other pressing matters,¡± I said, entering the Eldar¡¯s shared medical room.


    ¡°It is fine; I assumed you were busy dealing with the Imperials and the Talisman of Vaul. Before we go any further, I want to thank you for stepping in to save my subordinates and me. Without your intervention, all of us would have perished in that fight.", Eldanial remarked, rising from his seat and lowering his head, ¡°It may not mean much to you, but I would like to formally extend a hand of friendship to you on behalf of the people of Biel-Tan. You have shown us that you are a kind, sensible person who is worthy of being treated as an ally and friend to our people.¡±


    Graciously accepting the gesture, I held back my laughter as I knew this was a big deal for the Eldar. As their people saw other races as far beneath them, being called an ally and friend was akin to being recognized as their equal. Only a few individuals throughout history have ever possessed that honor, and now I was one of them.


    ¡°If the three of you are up for it, we are about to head to the fortress¡¯ space dock to check things out. Dair has informed me that an Eldar vessel from before the fall of your people is currently docked there.¡±I informed them, ¡°The solution to your Craftworld¡¯s predicament may reside onboard.¡±


    Looking at one another, Eldanial and his female subordinate appeared to be elated by this news, but Amallyn gave no reaction to my words. Having overheard their conversation via the onboard surveillance system, I could not begin to imagine the overwhelming pain she was in right now. Having endured many hardships and trials for her people, they had slammed the door in her face, leaving her to fend for herself.


    ¡°Amallyn, do you want to come with us?¡± I inquired, poking her forehead softly.


    Blinking her eyes several times, she looked up at me with a pained look. Repeating what I said a moment ago, the Eldar woman meekly nodded her head and agreed to come. Handing over their repaired equipment, I stepped out of the room to give them some privacy. Coming out once they were ready, the four of us teleported over to the fortress to join the survey party.


    ---Blackstone Space Dock---


    Taking the three Eldar to the vessel I mentioned, Eldanial and Idrerenn ran ahead when it came into view. Judging by their expressions, this was a rather well-known vessel to them, which was a good sign.


    ¡°Is that ship special?¡± I asked Amallyn.


    ¡°That research vessel is from one of the last expeditionary fleets our ancestors sent out before our downfall; it is called the Star-Crossed Providence,¡± Amallyn answered. ¡°Unlike the many Eldar, who succumbed to our lesser urges, the members of the expeditionary force felt that there were many secrets left to be discovered amongst the stars. Our ancestors lost contact with the expeditionary fleet shortly after the birth of our mortal enemy. It is honestly very surprising to see such a historic vessel within this place.¡±


    Nodding my head, the two of us chased after the other two Eldar and caught up just as they gained access to the ship. Warily stepping aboard, Eldanial immediately headed to the bridge to check if everything was operational. Walking past the laboratories on our way there, Amallyn and I broke off to have a look around. Turning on the lights as we entered the first room, we were greeted by a wide variety of animals and plants preserved in an unknown goopy substance. Intrigued by everything I was seeing, Amallyn headed to the next room while I analyzed all the subjects here.


    Getting halfway through my scanning, I heard a loud crash followed by a momentary scream from Amallyn. Rushing into the adjacent room, the Eldar woman was struggling to keep a facehugger from attaching itself to her head. Grabbing hold of it with the Force, I superheated the creature¡¯s body till all signs of life disappeared from its body. Flinging it into a nearby molecular incinerator, I rushed over to her to ensure she was alright.


    ¡°Are you alright?!,¡± I asked, kneeling to help her up.


    ¡°What the hell was that thing?!¡± Amallyn shrieked, grabbing hold of me. ¡°I... I accidentally turned off the stasis field that held that stupid thing, and next thing I knew it was trying to attack me.¡±


    ¡°It was trying to do more than that, I am afraid. What you just encountered was a Xenomorph Facehugger, it was trying to subdue you so it could lay an egg inside you. Xenomorphs are not naturally occurring creatures; they are biologically engineered weapons from a long-dead race of aliens.¡±, I informed her as I held her close. ¡°Thankful it did not latch onto you; if it did, there would be no way to safely remove it.¡±


    ¡°Do I want to know what would have happened to me afterward?¡± Amallyn inquired, hesitating to ask.


    ¡°No, you do not want to know what would happen,¡± I told her, not wanting to traumatize her any more than she already was. ¡°How about the two of us stick together from now on?¡±


    Readily agreeing to my suggestion, I helped her back onto her feet before walking around the rest of the lab. Discovering other various abominations held in stasis fields, anything I knew was far too dangerous to keep alive was destroyed by me for the sake of everyone in this galaxy. Continuing from there, we scoured the other laboratories for anything of interest before heading after Eldanial and Idrerenn.

 Chapter 119

    Finishing our survey of the laboratories, Amallyn and I headed up to the bridge to catch up with the other Eldar. Catching them in the middle of a system diagnostic test, Idrerenn turned to greet us as we stepped into the room.


    ¡°Were you able to find anything useful in the labs?¡± Idrerenn inquired, stepping away from Eldanial.


    ¡°We found some old schematics of early prototype Craftworld ships. It might prove useful in rebuilding Biel-Tan. Amallyn sheepishly said, handing the documents over to her, ¡°There was also an incident in one of the biological laboratories. Our ancestors captured a unique specimen that attempted to use me as an incubator.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Eldanial remarked, looking back at us with confusion.


    Projecting an image of the creature, I gave them a basic rundown of everything I could recall about Xenomorphs. Very intrigued by the creature, Eldanial and Idrerenn looked at one another for a moment as a thought crossed their minds.


    ¡°Based on your expressions, you seem to have realized that the Tyranids and Xenomorphs are eerily similar. From what I can tell you, the Xenomorphs are several million years older than the Tyranids. Whoever created the Tyranids likely used Xenomorph DNA as a genetic base and further perfected their adaptation ability,¡± I remarked, speaking what I felt we were all concluding.


    ¡°If that is the case, they could potentially share a similar genetic flaw that we can take advantage of. We will need to research the subject thoroughly, but this could lead to a breakthrough in dealing them a deadly blow. If we find anything of note, I will be sure to pass it along to you. Eldanial remarked, before switching subjects, ¡°Now about this ship, would you be willing to sell or trade this vessel to us? It holds a great deal of lost technology that could be of great use to our people.¡±


    ¡°Take the ship; it rightfully belongs to the Eldar to begin with,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°If you feel that some sort of compensation is required, I will happily accept your research findings on the Tyranid and Xenomorph connection.¡±


    ¡°That is hardly a fair trade; both sides stand to gain a great deal from sharing information on our common foe. Is there anything else you might want?¡±, Eldanial asked, glancing at Amallyn for a split second.


    ¡®Oh god, is he suggesting giving Amallyn to me as payment for the ship!? Sure, I would love to add her to my family, but I will not force her into it.¡¯, I thought, already having a backup plan in mind. ¡°In that case, could you potentially share the method used to collapse Webway portals? There are hundreds of Imperial Worlds that are at risk of Daemonic and Dark Eldar attacks. Closing them would help save countless lives on our side.¡±


    ¡°While we do trust you, sharing secrets about the Webway with others is forbidden by our laws. It is a vital lifeline for our people; if someone were to misuse the information, it could result in the extinction of our people.¡±, Idrerenn answered.


    ¡°I understand; every race has a few secrets they do not wish to divulge. In that case, would your people be willing to help close four or five portals for us?¡± I inquired.


    Seeing no issues with that request, Eldanial accepted the agreement on his people¡¯s behalf. Promising to contact me as soon as they were ready to work with us, the four of us teleported back to the infirmary to begin moving their comrades into stasis pods for transport.


    ---Thirty Minutes Later--- S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Watching the vessel sail off into the debris field, the color in Amallyn¡¯s eyes began to fade as the ship vanished from sight. A permanent outcast of her people now, the Eldar woman was at a loss for how to proceed as everything she ever loved was now gone. Concerned that she would spiral into depression and potentially become a Dark Eldar, I forcefully pulled her into a hug to console her. Trying to push me away at first, when she realized I could not be overpowered, Amallyn gave up and began to quietly sob into my chest.


    ¡°I have been tirelessly traveling the galaxy to make my homeland whole again, and¡ªand they tossed me out like some criminal!¡± Amallyn whimpered, gripping my cloak. ¡°When our homeland became fractured, I stepped up to serve in the only way I could think of. Everyone who could provide a solution to our problem was dead; the best option we had was to find detailed diagrams of their initial construction. I risked my life on several occasions for my people, suffered brutal isolation from those I cared about, and have done unspeakable things so that others would not have to, and yet¡­ all my agony and suffering was for naught.¡±


    ¡°Hear me, Amallyn, your banishment was through no fault of your own. Your inept leaders needed to place the blame on someone for their inability to fix your Craftworld. If everyone who could provide a solution is truly gone, the fault falls on past Elders who did not think ahead for this possibility. Since they are long gone, and the current Elders cannot admit their predecessors screwed up, they put the blame on rangers like you,¡± I remarked, lifting her head up as I retracted my helmet, ¡°All of you are risking your lives for the betterment of your people, but that sacrifice means nothing to them. It is easy for people who have never walked in your shoes to condemn you. If you ask me, they are fools for banishing such an upstanding individual like you.¡±


    ¡°You are only consoling me because I have something you want. While I may be devastated that my people have turned their backs on me, I will not tell you anything about our people¡¯s secrets and the Webway,¡± Amallyn retorted, wary of the situation she found herself in.


    ¡°If I wanted the information that badly, I could easily rip it out of your mind before you could stop me,¡± I told her telepathically. ¡°The truth of the matter is, I meant every word I have said to you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, my interest was piqued, and I found myself drawn to you like a magnet. While I certainly find you physically attractive, the more I learn about you, the more I am certain I want you to be my wife. Your burning passion to aid your people is very attractive in my eyes; it shows me that you would be an excellent life partner.¡±


    ¡°M¡­MARRIAGE?!,¡± Amallyn shrieked, blushing slightly, ¡°I¡­ I am so much older than you, and our lifespans are incompatible!¡±


    ¡°My lifespan is longer than yours; for all intents and purposes, I am a Perpetual,¡± I informed her. ¡°If a short time together is what you are fearful of, that will not be a problem.¡±


    Looking at me in shock, it was apparent that she never considered that possibility. Letting Amallyn go, I made it known that she was more than welcome to stay with us until she decided her next move. Accepting my offer immediately, while she was uncertain about giving me a chance, at the very least she felt comfortable around me, which was a start. Motioning for her to follow me, I was about to head over to a nearby ancient ship when one of my Helldivers began shouting my name from a nearby Chaos vessel.


    ¡°Supreme Commander, we have found a heavily injured Space Marine in the cargo hold,¡± the Helldiver announced.


    ¡°A Space Marine? From what chapter or legion?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Uh... the Imperial Fists, I believe,¡± he answered, verifying his answer with the data on his HUD.


    Piquing my interest, the two of us followed my soldier inside the vessel to have a look. Greeting members of the engineering division as we passed by, from what I could see in passing, this vessel was likely a relic from the Great Crusade. While it had some tech from ten thousand years ago, most of its systems appeared to be much older than that.


    ¡°Over here, sir!¡± he said, pointing to where several dozen Helldivers were gathered. ¡°He is currently in a stasis chamber with grievous injuries.¡±


    Creating a path for us, as we approached, I leaned over the chamber to have a look at the occupant inside. Glaring at me with fiery rage, the Primarch Rogal Dorn was frozen in time on the verge of death from his gory injuries. Missing huge chunks of armor and flesh, whatever he had been fighting in his last moments was truly a force to be reckoned with given what he was capable of.


    ¡°Do you recognize him?¡± Amallyn inquired, noticing the shocked look on my face.


    ¡°This is this Imperial Fist¡¯s Primarch, Rogal Dorn,¡± I answered, immediately dialing Roboute¡¯s communicator. ¡°His return to the field could be a great boon for our effort to close the Great Rift. Not only is he a powerful warrior, but he is also one of the most skilled builders in the history of the Imperium.¡±


    Picking up my call after a few rings, Guilliman asked if he could call me back in a few minutes. Stating he was in an important meeting with Belisarius Cawl, I insisted that this matter could not wait. Hearing the excitement in my tone, he inquired if this had something to do with the Blackstone Fortress.


    ¡°Roboute, we have found Rogal Dorn. He has been trapped in a stasis chamber aboard a Chaos Vessel this whole time. The ship was inside the fortress¡¯ space dock.¡±, I informed him.


    ¡°You¡­ you found my brother Rogal!?¡± Roboute shouted, elated to hear that he was alive.


    ¡°Rogal is in very rough shape; with your blessing, I would like to begin treating him aboard my ship. Whatever he was fighting in his last moments did a real number on him.¡±, I said, sending him photos of Rogal.


    Taking a moment to review the images, I heard a loud crashing sound as he broke some furniture near him. Calming himself down, Roboute told me to do whatever it took to save his brother.


    ¡°Of course, that is what family does,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°¡­so you have spoken to my father then,¡± Roboute said in a softer tone.


    ¡°There is a lot we have to discuss, but for the time being, I will focus on saving my uncle¡¯s life,¡± I assured him.


    ¡°As soon as he is stable, make your way to Terra. I will ensure both of you are given a proper greeting upon your arrival.¡±, Roboute promised.


    Promising to give him an update once surgery was complete, I ended the call and began connecting to home base to prepare for surgery.

 Chapter 120

    Relocating the Blackstone Fortress to one of the production worlds, via a Force Storm, Dair positioned in orbit over the world and began repairing the facility. Using cloaking satellites to hide the station from prying eyes, for anyone outside my organization it would look like an ordinary asteroid that had drifted into orbit. Leaving Dair to do his work, I took the stasis chamber planetside to perform the surgery. Having all nonessential personnel vacate the area as a safety precaution, once my handpicked team was ready, I disengaged the stasis field.


    ¡°COME HERE AND FIGHT ME, YOU TRAITOROUS PIGS!!¡±, Rogal roared, still believing he was aboard the Sword of Sacrilege, ¡°I REFUSE TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF COWARDS!!¡±


    Thrashing around like a madman, the medical staff backed away, leaving me to handle the situation. Pinning him down, I retracted my helmet and called out to him in a commanding tone to grab his attention.


    ¡°Primarch Rogal Dorn, calm yourself immediately! The battle you waged long ago is over; the Imperial Fists decimated the Chaos Fleet.¡±, I proclaimed, looking into his eyes, ¡°Listen to me carefully; several millennia have passed since that battle. You were kept in stasis by the enemy, but you are safe now. Please let us tend to your grievous injuries; I fear your natural regeneration will not keep you alive much longer.¡±


    ¡°¡­Brother Aremus¡­ You are¡­ alive.¡±, Rogal said, calming down as he looked upon me fondly, ¡°Father¡­ missed you dearly¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest now, Rogal; we can speak at length once your body has healed.¡±, I promised as I put him into a coma with magic.


    Allowing himself to fall into a deep slumber, Rogal went limp as his breathing settled down. Transferring him to the operating table, I quickly began removing his armor so the team could start assessing the damage. Using a camera scope to survey his abdominal and chest cavities, all of us were surprised that he was still full of life given his extensive injuries.


    ¡°Sir, how would you like us to proceed?¡±, the head surgeon inquired, uncertain where to begin given the wide range of damage.


    ¡°Begin by removing the bone fragments and shrapnel first, then prepare artificial bone to replace what is missing or too damaged to repair alone.¡±, I said, ¡°Once both of those steps are completed, I will use healing magic to close the wounds up.¡±


    ¡°If I may, Supreme Commander, what is the purpose of us being here? You could very easily handle this operation alone, could you not?¡±, Commander Vaugh asked, with a confused look.


    ¡°There will be a briefing on this tomorrow morning, but from here on out we will be working in and out of the Imperium. Their Emperor has requested our assistance in rebuilding his nation; suffice it to say that your division will be quite busy in the coming months.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Make sure you take detailed notes and document everything. What is learned here today will be shared with future medical team members.¡±


    Excited by the prospect of performing complex and intricate surgeries in the future, the medical staff began meticulously operating on Rogal. Using my magic to stabilize the patient as they worked, I silently observed from the sidelines as I took my own notes.


    ---An Hour Later---


    Transferring Rogal to a private room, once the operation was complete, I lifted the spell I placed on him as food was wheeled in for him. Regaining consciousness a few minutes later, the old man blinked his eyes several times before letting out a yawn. Stretching his arms out, it took him a few moments to process everything that had happened. Looking around the room for a moment, when his eyes fell upon me, a faint smirk crept upon his face.


    ¡°Either my memory is worse than I thought, or you are not my brother Aremus.¡±, Rogal said, still surprised how similar the two of us looked.


    ¡°According to your father, I am Klordius Aremus¡¯ blood descendant. Due to a civil war in my nation¡¯s past, any information we once had about the Second Legion and him was destroyed during the chaos of war.¡±, I explained, ¡°My name is Victor von Stark; I am a Duke of the Holfort Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°So Armus joined Sanguinius in the afterlife¡­¡±, Rogal stated, with a pained expression.


    Looking out the window at the forested area adjacent to the medical center, Rogal let out a remorseful sigh. Aware that Rogal carried a great deal of regret for being unable to save the Emperor or Sanguinius, the realization that his brother Armus was deceased only added to the weight he carried. Giving him some time to collect his thoughts, the Primarch began to speak again a few minutes later.


    ¡°You mentioned earlier that my Chapter was successful in destroying the Chaos Fleet we were fighting, but what of their treacherous crusade? Did we repel it?¡±, Rogal asked, watching the local wildlife scurrying around the edge of the woods.


    ¡°Yes, and since that First Crusade, Abaddon has led an additional twelve against the Imperium of Man. The most recent crusade led to the Imperium being split in half by an Immaterium rift. I am currently working on a plan to close the rift and make the nation whole again.¡±, I explained, ¡°Lion and Roboute have more details about what has happened while you were in stasis. They are working to inform your Chapter that you are alive and well.¡±


    ¡°So I am not the only one still alive then.¡±, Rogal remarked, a hint of relief in his tone, ¡°When can I see my brothers?¡±


    ¡°Recently, Lion has taken to operating solo, so we are having trouble reaching him. As for Roboute, I can arrange a meeting right now via a teleconference call.¡±, I said, dialing Roboute¡¯s number.


    Broadcasting the call to the television in the room, I engaged the built-in camera so Roboute could see us. Answering the call before the first ring stopped, Roboute immediately began asking me for a status on Rogal. Letting out a hearty laugh, hearing his brother¡¯s voice again, Rogal looked like he was about to cry for a moment before hardening his expression.


    ¡°Is that Crybaby Roboute I hear?¡±, Rogal asked him, ¡°It will take a lot more than that to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Several thousand years have passed since we last spoke, and this the first thing you have to say to me?¡±, Roboute replied, with a smirk, ¡°While you have been off taking a nap, some of us have been struggling to keep the Imperium intact! When you are back on your feet, I have many projects I need you to start working on.¡±


    ¡°How could you say such a thing to your bedridden brother?!¡±, Rogal commented.


    ¡°Do not pull that crap with me, Rogal. No injury has ever kept you down for more than a day¡¯s time.¡±, Roboute refuted.


    Looking at one another, the two men began to laugh heartily as if no time had passed since they last saw each other. Happy that I could bring these brothers back together, I excused myself and began walking toward the door. Wanting to give them some privacy so they could catch up, both asked where I was going when I reached for the handle.


    ¡°I assumed the two of you would like some privacy to catch up.¡±, I said.


    ¡°There are a lot of things that both Rogal and you need to hear about the Imperium of Man¡¯s current state. It would be easier to just tell you both now instead of separately later.¡±, Roboute stated, ¡°So you are aware, Rogal, in our absence the nobility and populace have come to treat father as a deity.¡±


    ¡°What utter bullshit is that?! He was vehemently against religion and preached the necessity of following innovation and science!¡±, Rogal spat, ¡°What moron allowed this to happen!?¡±


    ¡°It is a very long story¡­¡±, Roboute groaned, sinking back into his chair.


    Walking back over to my seat, Rogal and I listened to Roboute¡¯s explanation intently. Giving us an overview of events that led up to the Emperor being named a God, he then proceeded to tell us everything that was wrong with the current Imperium. Having been unable to vent to anyone else, as he was the one running things, he took this opportunity to vent to us, as we were family. Throwing in his own two cents in every so often, I was honestly looking forward to working with the two men.


    ---Evening---


    Returning home, after a several-hour-long meeting, I let out a sigh as I walked up from my laboratory. Finding my wives in the middle of cooking dinner, everyone ran over to greet me as I entered the space. Giving them all a big hug and kiss on the lips, it was honestly nice to be back with the people I cared most about in the universe. Helping them finish preparing our meal, we sat down to eat together and catch me up to speed.


    ¡°We are all now officially Gold Rank bounty hunters!!¡±, Olivia proclaimed, showing me her ID with a proud smile, ¡°By the way, we have a newfound respect for your piloting capabilities, Victor. We tried flying Yamato like you do and nearly crashed her several times. Working as a team, though, we can pilot her almost as well as you do.¡±


    ¡°While you can certainly pilot that way, Yamato should be controlled by a single pilot. During high-speed engagements, having multiple people controlling various aspects of her systems can cause problems. Handing off firing controls is one thing, but all the flight systems should be controlled by one person.¡±, I remarked, not wanting my wives to kill themselves out there. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°There are too many gauges and readouts for us to monitor though¡­¡±, Deirdre pouted.


    ¡°Oh dear lord¡­ Did Cleare and Yamato not explain to you that most of that stuff is unnecessary? I like to see it because I like total manual control; you do not need to worry about anything other than monitoring G-forces and speed.¡±, I told them, ¡°Everything else is supposed to be monitored and maintained by the crew.¡±


    ¡°Is that why they were looking at us like we were crazy?!¡±, Clarice shouted, slamming her hands on the table, ¡°Why did they not tell us that from the beginning?¡±


    Turning my head to look at Cleare, the AI unit began silently floating away from us. Noticing where my gaze was, Aela, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia all looked at her with annoyance.


    ¡°Cleare, I know it was you. Why did you withhold this information from them?¡±, I pressed her.


    <Since they were very insistent on piloting the ship like you, I told the crew and Yamato to let them have it. If they were truly in a dangerous situation, Yamato would have stepped in to ensure their safety. She was also having her fun by limiting her assistance to them as well.> (Cleare)


    <Hey, you swore you were not going to say anything about that!!> (Yamato)


    Irritated that they had been made to look like fools, the five women leapt out of their chairs and raced after Cleare. Promising to turn her into scrap once they caught her, Cleare just laughed and sped around the house.


    <Master, it would appear they also failed to mention that Yamato has onboard training tools. The five of them purchased a training course from the association.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think it would be best not to add more wood to that fire.¡±, Serana giggled, watching them blitz past us, ¡°So anyways, Mother and I have made great progress on our research. While they are preoccupied, let me tell you all about it!¡±


    Listening intently to her update, while Aela, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia continued to pursue Clear, I was certain that nothing beat being home with my family.

 Chapter 121

    Gathering my commanders and family the next morning, I informed everyone that I had a very pressing matter to discuss with them. Agreeing to speak after breakfast, everyone gathered in a meeting room aboard the Endless Horizons so we could talk privately. Going into this knowing that emotions would run high, as all of us knew the Imperium of Man was a shitty galactic nation, I was prepared to soothe my wives should one or more of them have an outburst.


    ¡°During our expedition to secure the Blackstone Fortress, it came to light that I am a descendant of the Emperor of Mankind. His second son, Klordius Aremus, is my ancestor, making me heir to his position and title of Primarch of the Second Legion.¡±, I said, getting right to the point. ¡°The Emperor and Roboute Guilliman have both requested my assistance in rebuilding the Imperium of Man, and I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Hang on a minute; they asked you to help fix their xenophobic country!? Please tell me you told them no!¡±, Angelica shouted, leaping out of her chair. ¡°While my heart goes out to the citizens that are living in absolute squalor, it does not change the carnage they deliver to other nonhuman groups. Many refugees we helped while you were gone told us all about their callous ways and cruelty. There is a damn good reason they are looked down upon by all their galactic neighbors.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you; the Imperium of Man right now is a terrible place for its citizens and nonhumans. That is why I agreed to help them rebuild because I¡ª," I began to say.


    ¡°No! No!! No!!!¡±, Olivia scolded me, on the verge of tears, ¡°Aela is a werewolf, Lucoa is a dragonkin, Roxanne is a beastkin, and Serana is a vampire. All four of them would be considered Abhuman or mutants. We saw their cruelty firsthand several days ago; what they did to those poor people¡­what could possibly be worth risking their lives for!? Did you call this meeting to tell them you are pushing them away?!¡±


    Caught off guard by her words, I slammed my fist into the table, causing it to explode into a million pieces. Watching as the pieces fell to the floor, the room fell quiet as I took a moment to collect myself. Having thought I was ready for anything they could throw at me, Olivia¡¯s words cut deeper than I was prepared to handle. While I was happy she cared so much about her friends, it hurt to know she thought that was ever an option in the first place.


    ¡°No, I would choose my family, friends, and subordinates over anything this universe has to offer me. If they had demanded I abandon any of you, I would wash my hands of the Imperium and leave them to fade away into nothingness.¡±, I stated, soothing their anger and worry. ¡°As I was saying, I agreed to help them because I saw firsthand that there is still a sliver of hope for their people. During our time in the fortress, the Imperials we fought alongside treated Lucoa and Roxanne no differently from Mylene and me. Even when a group of Eldar joined us, they treated them no differently from us as well. I strongly believe that I can stamp out their xenophobia by showing them a new way forward.¡±


    ¡°Rebuild and rehabilitate the Imperium of Man; it sounds like a massive undertaking, but one that could benefit countless people.¡±, Commander Vaugh remarked, fully onboard with helping them. ¡°That said, my only concern would be the higher-ups interfering with our work. Just how up is the position of Primarch?¡±


    ¡°The only person I would have to answer to is the Emperor of Mankind himself, and he has already given his blessing to act as I see fit. His only demand was that I always act in the best interest of the Imperium.¡±, I answered, a serious expression on my face. "I believe that improving the lives of ALL imperial citizens is the very definition of best interest for the Imperium of Man.¡±


    Understanding what my motives were now, Angelica and Olivia were upset they had not trusted me more on this matter. Unable to get the images of what they had recently seen, they had lashed out to protect Aela, Lucoa, Roxanne, and Serana from ending up like the refugees. Thanking them for their concern and worry, the four women were touched that they cared so much about them.


    ¡°So then, what is your plan for rebuilding the Imperium of Man?¡±, Clarice inquired, getting things back on track.


    ¡°First things first, we must ensure that all citizens have access to clean water, fresh food, and a safe place to call home. As things stand right now, the Imperium is failing to deliver on even one of those things, and it really pisses me off.¡±, I growled as Luxion pulled up footage and photos taken by our intelligence team. ¡°As you can see, they live in absolute squalor with barely enough dirty water and food to survive. The populace lives in constant fear of alien invasion and outbreaks of plague, and that is all they have ever known for millennia. When these three basic things are met, I honestly believe the populace will be more open to interacting with friendly alien groups.¡±


    Getting a better picture of what life was like in the Imperium of Man, everyone understood now why I wanted to help them out. The existing government had failed its citizens miserably, and they were the ones paying the price for it. Having seen what I did for the Principality of Fanoss firsthand, with my guidance and leadership, the Imperium of Man had a very real chance of recovering within a few years.


    ¡°Supreme Commander, what does our organization stand to gain by helping these people?¡±, Commander Yoma inquired, much to the annoyance of my wives. ¡°I want to help them as much as everyone else, but this is going to cost us a significant amount of money and resources. Giving you a fancy title and position in the government seems hardly a fair reward for all the work ahead of us.¡±


    ¡°You have a valid point, Yoma, and Roboute shared that sentiment. For our services, he has granted me dominion over nearly three-tenths of the Imperium¡¯s territory. Aside from Chapter Worlds, so long as planetary tithes are paid to Terra, I am free to do as I wish in the region.¡±, I chuckled, with a big grin, ¡°Roboute allowed me to pick the region of space I wanted, and I took most of the northwestern part of their territory. So we are clear, this does include the million-mile debris field that surrounded the fortress.¡±


    Having seen the footage and photos of Luxion¡¯s initial survey, Commander Bannister leaped out of her seat and began doing a happy dance. Looking at her like she was crazy, Bannister looked right back at them with the same expression.


    ¡°Why are you so happy about a debris field?¡±, Aela inquired.


    ¡°That debris field is a literal treasure trove of technological goodies! Many of those ships predate most human civilizations in this region of space; we stand to gain a lot from just the field alone.¡±, Commander Bannister informed her with a playful smile.


    ¡°Compared to the vast amount of resources and technology we will gain, we are basically paying them with peanuts.¡±, Commander Eagleson laughed.


    ¡°Be that as it may, we will do the work properly and to our utmost ability. Our names are on the line for this, and nothing less than perfection will suffice.¡±, I stated.


    Nodding their heads in agreement, my seven commanders rose from their seats and saluted me. Happy to see that everyone was onboard with my plans, I switched to the next subject on my docket. Believing that the citizens needed something more tangible to rally behind for the upcoming military operation, I felt that only one thing would do, and it was the very craft that shaped the Imperium of Man: the Imperator Somnium.


    ---Two Hours Later, Artemis Space Station---


    Leaving my commanders to spread the news through the rank and file, my wives and I headed out to collect the bounty on the Chaos Marines we killed on the fortress. Greeting us as we walked into the association building, the receptionist waved us over with a big smile on her face. Eagerly running off to fetch something, she came back a few minutes later with an absolutely massive gift basket.


    ¡°Uh¡­what is this for?¡±, Deirdre inquired, looking at that fruit and metal bars in the basket.


    ¡°The young woman and her subordinates you saved the other day, she was apparently from an affluent merchant family in the Grakkan Empire. Her father sent you this gift basket and a large sum of money for saving his daughter.¡±, she informed us.


    ¡°Oh, she was?!¡±, Angelica gasped. ¡°I wonder why she did not tell us that¡­¡±


    ¡°Her family is currently involved in a trade war with a rival merchant family. She wanted to avoid drawing you into it.¡¯, the receptionist said. ¡°So what brings you in today?¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I have some Black Legion dog tags to turn in for a reward.¡±, I stated, setting the dog tags on the counter.


    Taking one look at the dog tags, the receptionist fainted and collapsed to the floor. Forgetting that she was petrified of anything Chaos Marine, I felt bad about not warning her. Flagging down one of her colleagues, they quickly ran off to fetch the branch manager so they could help us.

 Chapter 122

    ---3rd Person POV, A Week Later---


    Returning to Terra, having received a vision from his father, Lion El¡¯Jonson looked upon the once shining example of humanity¡¯s achievement with disgust and disdain. Ten thousand years ago, the city was full of life and hope for a bright future, but what lay before him now was anything but that. Thousands lay dead and dying before him from starvation; not a drop of clean water could be found anywhere, and the people were barely clinging onto the promise the Emperor of Mankind made humanity back then. Trembling with rage, Lion could not fathom how the nobility could fail to live up to the Emperor¡¯s carefully laid plan.


    ¡®All of those brave soldiers that died during the Horus Heresy¡­ Sanguinius¡¯ death¡­ All their noble sacrifices have been tainted by the corruption and greed of the nobility.¡¯, the Lion thought, recalling the scenes from back then vividly, ¡®How dare those fat pigs say this was the future that the Emperor saw for humanity! They have used his name to force humanity to accept their shameless actions, but no more. We will paint these walls red with their foul blood and do right by our people before it is too late.¡±


    More than ready to start executing corrupt government officials and nobles, the Lion began calmly walking toward the Golden Palace while his anger boiled beneath the surface. Glaring at every fat pig he came across, all of them fled from him as if they knew what would happen if they uttered a word to him. As he drew near the palace¡¯s gate, Lion slowed his pace as he came across a group of Sisters and Tech-Priests arguing with the gatekeepers. Demanding to be let inside, as they had a very important meeting with Roboute, the gatekeepers had none of it and told them to wait outside.


    ¡°Lord Guilliman is in a very important meeting with several high-ranking members of the military and nobility. I highly doubt all of you are meant to be at that meeting.¡±, the gatekeeper scoffed.


    ¡°I have the proper documents right here!¡±, Ionica spat, showing him her papers.


    ¡°You are not on the list today; someone must have filed your paperwork improperly.¡±, the other gatekeeper shrugged. ¡°Best we can do is send a messenger to confirm, but it will have to wait until after the meeting is over.¡±


    Gritting her teeth in anger, Ionica could see straight through their bullshit. These gatekeepers had been paid off by the nobles to keep them out of the meeting. Opening her mouth to berate them further, Lion stepped in for her and demanded answers from them. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Let them pass.¡±, Lion ordered, walking up to the gatekeepers and guards, ¡°Or would you tell me that my word is no good here?¡±


    ¡°Lord El¡¯Jonson!!¡±, they gasped, stumbling over themselves to get out of his way, ¡°By your orders, sir. All of you may enter!¡±


    Entering the palace behind him, Ionica and her subordinates glared at the men with annoyance and anger. The Abbess of the Adepta Sororitas was in attendance for this meeting, and their tardy appearance would surely upset her greatly. Having just regained their honor by aiding the capture of a Blackstone Fortress, they were none too happy that all their efforts might have been ruined by these fools.


    ¡°Thank you, Primarch El¡¯Jonson.¡±, Ionica said as they approached the meeting room.


    ¡°Think nothing of it; those idiots were clearly delaying your appearance before my brother. I will deal with this matter personally when we get inside.¡±, Lion assured her. ¡°My father told me about your deeds within the seventh Blackstone Fortress. If we are to rebuild the Imperium properly, we need hard-working, loyal people like you in our ranks.¡±


    Startled to hear that the Emperor of Mankind spoke to the Primarch about them, Ionica and her subordinates were overcome with happiness and joy. Hiding their unbridled excitement behind cold expressions, they planned on celebrating this momentous occasion later this evening.


    ¡°Primarch El¡¯Jonson, is that you!?¡±, two Ultramarines said, snapping to attention. ¡°Lord Guilliman is currently in a meeting; shall we inform him of your arrival?¡±


    ¡°No, I will do it myself. When the cockroaches come skittering out, make sure they are escorted from the palace immediately.¡±, Lion ordered.


    ¡°Of course, my Lord.¡±, they acknowledged, requesting backup to expedite the process.


    Nearly ripping the doors off their hinges as he threw the doors open, the Primarch calmly walked into the room to see who was present. Glaring at every noble and officer present, most managed to meet his gaze while a few turned away in fear and shame. Marching over to them, Lion seized them by the neck and proceeded to throw them out of the room. Screaming and shouting for him to stop, their pleas fell on deaf ears as they flew across the room.


    ¡°All of you cowards are not fit to grace these hallowed halls. Leave the palace immediately, or I will send you back home in boxes.¡±, Lion growled as he cracked his knuckles.


    Bolting for the palace entrance, a few Ultramarines escorted them out without uttering a word. Taking a seat beside Guilliman, he let out a frustrated sigh as he continued to glare at everyone else.


    ¡°Explain to me why Terra is in such a sorry state. It looks even worse than after the Siege of Terra.¡±, Lion asked.


    ¡°There is no excuse to be made; the blame falls on the shoulders of our predecessors and us.¡±, Abbess Morvenn Vahl answered, knowing that no answer would soothe his rage.


    Looking around the table, those present nodded their heads in agreement, which surprised Lion. He had expected them to make many excuses about the state of Terra and the Imperium at large, but they accepted responsibility without hesitation. Glancing over at his brother, Guilliman nodded his head in confirmation.


    ¡°Apart from the pests you ran off, everyone at this table has been vetted thoroughly by me. They are all working to fix millennia of poor leadership and decision-making, but as with all things, it will take time before we see any meaningful changes.¡±, Guilliman assured him, noticing the group that followed him in, ¡°Ah, there you all are. Our meeting started nearly twenty minutes ago. Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°You can thank the gatekeepers and guards for that. They were being held up at the gate.¡±, Lion answered.


    Letting out an exacerbated sigh, Guilliman and a few other nobles knew the opposition were the ones that caused the problem. Bowing their heads to all those present, Abbess Vahl inquired why they did not just push past them and enter the palace.


    ¡°You have the proper paperwork for being here; anyone with a brain would have let you pass without issue.¡±, Vahl stated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Lady Vahl, if we were anywhere else, I would have done so without hesitation. As this is the Golden Palace, I felt it inappropriate to start a conflict on these hallowed grounds.¡±, Ionica said.


    ¡°I understand; next time people prevent you from attending meetings you are summoned to, do not hesitate to reeducate them. When we schedule these meetings, we are taking time out of our normal duties to be here.¡±, Vahl reminded her.


    ¡°By your command, Lady Vahl.¡±, Ionica acknowledged, saluting the Abbess.


    ¡°Now that you are here, let us hear your report on the expedition to the seventh Blackstone Fortress.¡±, one of the nobles requested.


    Nodding her head, Ionica set a small spherical object that Victor gave down in the center of the room and pressed the red button on the backside. Slowly rising into the air, the device began projecting footage and pictures from their expedition. Requesting that those present wait until the end to ask questions, Mane and Ionica began sharing everything that had occurred during the expedition.


    ---Forty Minutes Later---


    Once they were done speaking, Ionica produced the corpses of the slain Chaos Marines and one of the destroyed Fenrir from the storage device Victor gifted to each of the Sisters. Startled by their sudden appearance, the group was equally interested in the mech and the storage devices. Before anyone could begin asking questions, though, Guilliman ordered his men outside to shut the door once again. Waiting until the door was sealed, he looked at his brother with a complicated expression.


    ¡°Did my eyes deceive me, or was that the Eleventh Legion¡¯s emblem emblazoned upon that armor?¡±, Guilliman asked, referring to the mutated Space Marine at the end of their report.


    ¡°That was his emblem, no doubt about it.¡±, Lion agreed, with a pained expression. ¡°We already had enough to deal with as it stood; now we have a fifth faction within the Warp to contend with.¡±


    ¡°Just so I understand things correctly, Primarch Stark says these new daemons are freely able to come and go from the Materium?¡±, Kleopatra Arx inquired.


    ¡°According to Lord Stark, they are inherently different from all the forces of Chaos we have fought thus far. They possess advanced technology from a higher plane of existence, torture their captives to make more demons, wield powers similar to psykers, and yes, they can freely come and go at will.¡±, Ionica confirmed, ¡°On top of this, they are able to imbue raw Void Energy into their troops to further strengthen them.¡±


    ¡°For reference, the mutated marine was on par with mid-ranked Greater Daemon.¡±, Mane chimed in.


    Fully aware that the Imperium had limited resources to deal with Greater Daemons, those present were uncertain what to do about this situation. As they were about to start throwing out plans, Guilliman¡¯s communicator began to ring. Noticing that it was a call from Dorn, he answered it and projected his brother¡¯s image so everyone could see him.


    ¡°Guilliman, our nephew appears to have gone a bit overboard for our return to¡­¡±, Dorn began to say, before catching sight of Lion, ¡°Holy Terra, is that our brother Lion?! Why does he look so old?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off; some of us did not have the luxury of being placed in stasis all these years.¡±, Lion chuckled, happy to see his brother again. ¡°Now what were you saying about the boy?¡±


    ¡°I think it will be easier to show you¡­ Give me a moment; I am still learning to use this communicator thing.¡±, Dorn mumbled.


    A few moments later, the image of a rebuilt Imperator Somnium appeared before them, causing the room to fall quiet. Recognizing the vessel from ancient records, many officials dropped to their knees in reverence while others began to weep over its glorious visage. Forgetting all about the current dilemmas that faced the Imperium, they were all brought back to a better time in Imperial history.


    ¡°Just as the Imperium of Man will be rebuilt, so will the Imperator Somnium.¡±, Victor remarked, flying over to Dorn. ¡°I felt the people of the Imperium needed something tangible to rally behind during these dark times, and what better than the vessel that brought the nation back together during its darkest days? When they see this ship, they will know that the Emperor of Mankind has not forgotten them, nor has he given up on his promise to their ancestors.¡±


    ¡°Well said, boy!¡±, the Lion proclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. ¡°Our people are in desperate need of hope, and that is exactly what our father¡¯s vessel brings us.¡±


    ¡°Captain-General Trajann Valoris, please look after her until the Emperor of Mankind is able to take charge of her once again.¡±, Victor requested, ¡°She is outfitted with the latest technology you will find anywhere in this region of space and will be sorely needed during the military campaign ahead of us. Thanks to the technology in the fortress, I am certain now that we can close the Great Rift and begin lifting some of the burden off the Emperor¡¯s shoulders. Once I have a chance to study one of the pylons, we can begin preparing to rejoin the two halves of the Imperium.¡±


    Hearing the absolute confidence in his tone, those present felt they had a clear path before them once again. Giving them one last gift, Victor teleported a data cube over to Roboute. Picking it up with a confused look, he inquired what this was.


    ¡°Not only did I rebuild the Emperor of Mankind¡¯s flagship, but I also made designs for all the Titans you have lost schematics for over the years. Using that data, the Adeptus Mechanicus should be able to begin producing new units and replacement parts again.¡±, Victor told him.


    ¡°TITANS!?¡±, Oud Oudia Raskian spoke in an electronic voice.


    ¡°You have the plans to begin making them once again; I expect to see parts rolling off the production line within a month¡¯s time. Until your organization can meet demands, my production worlds will produce parts to get as many Titans back online as possible.¡±, Victor informed him, ¡°If you have anything to say on the matter, blame your predecessors for losing the plans in the first place. Their incompetence has led to the rapid decline in the Imperium¡¯s arsenal, and under my watch, it will not fall any lower. The Emperor and the citizens of the Imperium deserve better than the crap you have been giving them since his internment on the Golden Throne. Strive to do better, or I will replace you with someone more competent for the job.¡±


    Agreeing with Victor¡¯s words, Guilliman gave the order to begin production of the Titans once again. Handing the cube over to Raskian¡¯s caretakers, they swore to ensure it was sent to Mars immediately. Shivering with excitement, Mane and his subordinates looked forward to improving further upon the Titan¡¯s designs.


    ¡°The ship will be ready in a week¡¯s time; we will see all of you then.¡±, Victor promised.


    ¡°Understood, thank you again for your help, Victor.¡±, Guilliman said as Dorn ended the call.


    Meeting the Primarch Aremus¡¯ heir, those present felt confident now that the Imperium would weather the coming storm. Feeling a sense of renewed vigor that came with Dorn and Stark¡¯s arrival, they eagerly began planning out how to best prepare to rejoin the two halves of their nation.

 Chapter 123

    ---Victor POV, Three Days Later---


    With the Imperator Somnium in the final stage of construction, all that was left was to test all its systems for any faults. Leaving the testing to Bannister and her team, I moved forward with the final two projects I had on the docket before my journey to Terra. The first project involved repairing the Golden Throne and giving the Emperor of Mankind a sorely needed power boost for the impending conflict. My hope was that these two measures would allow the Emperor of Mankind to field all his Saints, as we would need all the assistance we could get against Abaddon¡¯s forces.


    As for the second project, I intended to activate my dormant Primarch genetics and inoculate myself with both the Extremis virus and Super Soldier serum. Both items had been sitting in my inventory for years now because I was uncertain how to best utilize them. Giving my soldiers such immense power could potentially bite me in the ass, and I initially thought I did not need them personally¡­ Until I received that rude awakening during our conquest of the fortress. Seeing no other alternative now, I was ready to take the plunge to ensure I lived to bring my dreams to fruition.


    <Master, are you certain this cannot wait until after your debut on Terra? You are effectively going to break into the most sacred place in their territory.> (Luxion)


    ¡°If I wait until after my debut, I will be too busy fixing shit to worry about the Emperor of Mankind and the Golden Throne.¡±, I answered, gathering various electronic parts and tools. ¡°UR-025, has the tank been filled with Elixir and High Potions? Upon my return, I plan to begin the procedure to enhance my physical body and mind.¡±


    <Yes, it is ready for use.> (UR-025)


    ¡°Thank you.¡±, I replied, stowing the last part in my inventory. ¡°Alright, I will be back in a bit. If anyone asks, I am in a meeting with Dorn and Guilliman.¡±


    Moving to the throne room, via a Force Storm, I stepped into the ornately decorated room half expecting to be greeted by Custodies at spear point. Finding the space completely devoid of people, save for the Emperor of Mankind himself, I closed the portal behind me and made my way toward the throne. Glancing up at him for a moment, his piercing red eyes stared into my soul for an instant before he began speaking to me.


    ¡°You possess quite a wide array of abilities, grandson.¡±, the Emperor commented telepathically. ¡°What brings you here today? From what I gather, you should not be here for a few more days yet.¡±


    ¡°I came here today to work on the Golden Throne and install a new power source for you to use in the coming battle ahead of us.¡±, I answered, retrieving a ZPM unit from my inventory. ¡°Using the technology I obtained from the fortress, I was able to redirect pure Void Energy into this containment unit. While I cannot be certain, as I am not a psyker, the fortress¡¯ AI estimates that each unit holds the power of approximately ten billion psykers each. Installing five of these should provide you with more than enough power to field all your resources when we go to retake Cadia and seal the Great Rift.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ I did not believe it was possible to safely capture and store Void Energy. We tried that early on during my reign, but all our attempts failed due to the containment unit¡¯s inability to prevent the Warp¡¯s taint from radiating out of it. Your method appears to have resolved that problem, so I see no problem with using them.¡±, the Emperor agreed. ¡°That said, before I will allow you to tinker with the throne, I want to ensure you are competent enough to do so. Look at the writing on this throne and tell me what you see.¡±


    Guiding me to the backside of the chair, the Emperor of Mankind indicated that the text he wanted me to check was below the seat itself. Crouching down to have a better look, as I leaned in to examine it closely, I was surprised to find Ogham runes hammered into the metal. Thanks to my translation ability, I was able to read the writing perfectly and discovered it contained detailed notes of the throne¡¯s construction.


    ¡°Uh¡­is there any particular reason someone wrote a manual for this chair in Ogham?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Not only do you know the language, but you also can read it... Very interesting.¡±, the Emperor remarked, pleased by this revelation. ¡°As for why I chose to write things out in Ogham, I did so to prevent others from copying my work and replicating it elsewhere. Aside from the two of us, no one else alive has the knowledge necessary to read it. I would ask that you not disclose any of the information I wrote down to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem; I have no desire to replicate this death trap, so your secret is safe with me.¡±, I chuckled as I read his notes in their entirety.


    Getting to work, once I had a firm grasp on things, I popped up the access panel and watched as a rat¡¯s nest of cable fell out. Mutually disgusted by the handiwork of those before me, organizing the wiring and resoldering connections took a substantial amount of time. Under normal circumstances, ripping it out and starting from scratch would be the best method, but this machine was the only thing keeping him alive, so that was not an option. Once I had the cabling addressed, I moved to testing components to figure out what was causing the chair¡¯s systems to fail.


    Using the documentation as a guide, I metered all connections into the machine for continuity, power, and resistance. Replacing failed components with higher-quality replacements I brought, as I dug into things more, an audible hum began to echo throughout the chamber. Deciding to ignore it, since he was not complaining, I pressed forward until all systems appeared to be back online again. More than satisfied with my work, I buttoned up things and walked around to the front of the throne.


    ¡°Alright, I believe everything should be working now. Give it a try and let me know if you experience any discomfort. There are a few things I can tweak to make it easier on you, if needed.¡±, I told him telepathically.


    ¡°I can say with absolute certainty that your work has drastically improved my overall situation. Not only am I no longer in agonizing pain, but this damnable throne is also no longer parasitizing my body. For the first time in over ten thousand years, I can feel my body beginning to heal itself from my battle with fallen son Horus.¡±, the Emperor replied, his relief evident in his tone, ¡°You have my utmost gratitude, my dear grandson. In a few months I should be able to move around normally, and in a year¡¯s time I will be ready to lead my people again.¡±


    ¡°Unless you have a reason to delay your recovery, I can mend your wounds in a matter of seconds with Healing Magic.¡±, I offered.


    ¡°If you do not mind, I would be extremely grateful to you. While I will not be able to leave the throne room until something is done about the Webway portal beneath our feet, being able to properly eat and drink again would be wonderful.¡±, the Emperor chuckled, having sustained himself with only psychic power all these years.


    Happy to oblige his request, I cast High Heal and Regrowth on him. Watching as his flesh, muscle, organs, and sinew regrew, he let out a sigh of relief as he stretched his body out for the first time in millennia. Tossing him a set of clothing from my inventory, the Emperor put the clothing on and got up to walk around a bit. As he strode around the room pondering something, I took a moment to observe him closely.


    Seeing him for the first time in the flesh, I was surprised how ordinary he looked compared to other Imperials I had met up till now. Aside from being fourteen feet tall, he looked like an average businessman that you could find walking around New York City. Wondering where his sons got their genetics, as they looked nothing like him in the slightest, I opted to not ask as it might open a can of worms that I was not ready to deal with.


    ¡°Can I assume that this entire room is part of the device?¡±, I inquired, looking around the room.


    ¡°Yes, this space was initially supposed to be a rallying point before entering the Webway directly. It was going to be heavily guarded to protect against Dark Eldar and Daemon attacks, but all those plans were ruined by my fallen sons.¡±, the Emperor sighed, with a pained look, ¡°May I have a look at one of those containment units you intend to install while you get things ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is fine.¡±, I acknowledged, handing one over to him.


    While he carefully looked it over, I picked up one of the harnesses meant for psyker sacrifices and ripped the wiring harness out. Taking a few minutes to determine which wires went to which terminal in the Golden Throne, I terminated the harness to the ZPM pedestals I brought to install them out. Assisting me with the terminations, once his curiosity was pacified, the two of us installed the modules on each of the five pedestals before tinkering with the throne¡¯s power inputs.


    ¡°As a safety precaution, I think we should install an inline breaker or fuse to prevent the throne from being overloaded. What do you think?¡±, I inquired, looking at him.


    ¡°Given that we have wired them in series and not parallel, I would agree that a breaker or fuse would be a good idea.¡±, the Emperor agreed. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Retrieving a specialized breaker meant for standard warp engines, I got it installed between the throne and ZPMs before giving him the go-ahead. Taking a seat on the throne again, he began adjusting the setting via a touchscreen in the throne¡¯s right armrest. Happy with the changes he made, the Emperor began drawing upon the power stored within the ZPMs to fuel the Astronomican and the barrier holding back the daemonic threat hammering away at the Webway portal to Terra.


    Feeling the floor beneath my feet begin to shake violently, the room began to glow brightly as the Emperor of Mankind¡¯s power began to surge to newfound heights. Distorting the space around us, a horrible scream of agony and anguish began to come from under the throne itself. Uncertain if the daemons were forcing their way in, I drew my lightsabers, ready to engage anything that came through the portal. Hearing footsteps outside the room, Trajann Valoris and several of his Custodies stormed into the room with their weapons at the ready.


    ¡°What is going on?!¡±, Guilliman called out as he and several dozen Ultramarines arrived to back them up. ¡°Victor, what are you doing here? Do you realize where you are right now!?¡±


    ¡°Are they about to breach, or is this your doing?¡±, I asked, looking up at the Emperor of Mankind.


    Glancing up at the throne, all the men froze as they saw their leader¡¯s healed form. Initially believing they were seeing things, their doubt quickly disappeared as he looked upon them fondly. Realizing that it was indeed the Emperor of Mankind, every one of them dropped to their knees and bowed their heads.


    ¡°Victor, I must say I had my doubts about the power you said those devices possessed, but now I believe you. Using the immense power stored within them, I forcibly collapsed the portion of the Webway that humanity created and took the device we used to create it offline. For the moment, Terra is safe from a daemonic invasion.¡±, the Emperor remarked with a pleased smile, ¡°All that is left is to automate the Astronomican again, and I will be free to leave this space again.¡±


    ¡°Phew, I really thought we were about to experience a shitshow.¡±, I laughed, as the Lion and several Dark Angels arrived.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡±, Lion asked, seeing Astartes and Custodies bowing their heads. ¡°Why are you here, boy? You are not supposed to be on Terra for a few more days.¡±


    ¡°Lift your heads, my son and faithful followers; there is no need to stand on ceremony this day. Thanks to the efforts of Primarch Stark, I have been brought back from the brink of death to help our Imperium in its darkest hour.¡±, the Emperor spoke, causing Lion and his men to instinctively drop to their knees in respect. ¡°While my body has been healed completely, it is still very weak from my prolonged stay upon this machine. Until I am fit to pick up my sword and lead the Imperium of Man, Guilliman will continue to lead the nation in my stead. My loyal Custodies and Lion, I have work for you that needs to be carried out prior to Dorn¡¯s return home. During my internment, many noble Terran households have fallen from grace and become a cancer to our Imperium and its people. I command you to root out the decay and dispense my judgment upon them.¡±


    ¡°It shall be done, my Lord!¡±, Valoris acknowledged, ¡°Give us their names, and I swear to you that none shall live to see the sunset tonight!¡±


    ¡°The Dark Angels and I are ready to serve you, father. Give the word, and it shall be done!¡±, Lion swore, ready to cull the blight upon their people.


    Looking upon all of them fondly, the Emperor of Mankind was happy to be conversing with his people once again. Glancing over to me, he gave me a grateful nod and thanked me for all the support I had given the Imperium of Man. Certain that the Imperium was in a far better position than it was a few weeks ago, from this point on, things would only get better for their nation and their people.


    ¡°Go now, my beloved grandson; I will take care of things from here. You will need all the strength you have to withstand the painful procedure you are about to inflict upon yourself.¡±, the Emperor remarked telepathically. ¡°I look forward to welcoming both Dorn and you home in a few days¡¯ time.¡±


    A bit surprised that he was aware of what I had planned, I cracked a smile and excused myself. Retiring back to my laboratory, Jarvis removed my armor and disinfected my body as I entered the armory. Injecting myself with some penicillin, as a safety precaution, Luxion affixed several needles into my arms and thighs before escorting me to the tank at the center of the room.


    <Master, are your wives aware of the risky procedure you are about to undergo?> (Luxion)


    ¡°Of course not; the procedure is going to be agonizing and gruesome. None of them would ever want me to undergo such a painful operation, but I have no choice in the matter. A normal human body and technology are only going to help me so much; I need to be much stronger if I am to see my dreams come to fruition.¡±, I remarked, ¡°Under no circumstances are you to tell them about this. If they ask where I am, I am currently working on a time-sensitive project. This process will have me out cold for three to four days, so please keep them away from here until I awaken.¡±


    <We will do our best, but they have an uncanny sense for when things are amiss.> (UR-025)


    ¡°You are telling me¡­.¡±, I sighed, ¡°I appreciate all of your assistance; see you all in a few days.¡±


    Slipping into the large tank, I let myself sink into the fluid as the Vita-Ray emitters came online. Slowly administering the Extremis virus and Super Soldier serum to me, the nanites that were already in my body began disassembling and reassembling my genetic coding to activate my latent genes. At first, I felt nothing, but as they began spreading rapidly throughout my body, an ungodly amount of pain washed over me. Allowing my mind to fade into unconsciousness, I left things to my AI assistants and let things take their course.

 Chapter 124

    ---3rd Person POV--- Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Providing his loyal followers with the names of those who were no longer acting in their homeland¡¯s best interest, the Emperor of Mankind instructed his men to publicly execute the traitors before the royal palace. Wanting them to serve as a warning to other corrupt nobles, this would be the one and only warning they would receive before they too were on the chopping block. Swearing to carry out his judgment swiftly, the men promptly departed from the throne room to rally additional forces. Sending out the call, as they teleported topside, the men took up positions outside the palace and waited for reinforcements to arrive.


    ¡°I have to say, Roboute, I am quite impressed with the kid. It is safe to say that in the past two weeks alone he has more than proven his worth as Aremus¡¯ heir.¡±, Lion remarked, looking at Guilliman, ¡°Given what we have seen thus far, do you think he might be able to bring Sanguinius back to us? He brought our father back from the brink, so presumably he might be able to resurrect our brother.¡±


    ¡°Respectfully, I do not believe it is possible.¡±, Valoris stated, ¡°Unlike the Emperor of Mankind, Lord Sanguinius had no life support system to keep his body alive. At this point, his body is likely nothing more than bones or dust.¡±


    ¡°I was not asking you¡­¡±, Lion remarked, continuing to look at his brother, ¡°What is your opinion on the matter?¡±


    ¡°While my mind agrees that it is not possible, my gut is telling me that Victor possesses the power to do it. He has exceeded all my wildest expectations by leaps and bounds; I want to believe he can do it.¡±, Roboute answered as the men began arriving. ¡°It does not hurt to ask him at the very least.¡±


    Agreeing that there was no harm in asking, Valoris felt they were too caught up in the Emperor¡¯s revival to hear what they were saying. The Blood Angels saw Sanguinius¡¯ remains as a sacred treasure; he was extremely doubtful they would willingly let Victor even look at his corpse, let alone mess with it. Deciding to just stand by and watch, the Captain-General secretly hoped that he was wrong in this time, as Lord Sanguinius¡¯ return would strike a deadly blow to the enemy¡¯s morale.


    Falling into formation, the men looked to their leaders and silently waited for their instructions. Satisfied that they had enough manpower, Guilliman divided the men up into small groups and presented each with a list of names. Telling them that their targets were found to be traitors of the Imperium, he told them that they were to be brought back alive for public execution. Ensuring they knew that time was of the essence, once word spread of the roundup, their targets were liable to flee Terra to save themselves.


    ¡°We will carry out your orders to the letter, Lord Guilliman.¡±, one of the Ultramarines acknowledged.


    ¡°In this case, the orders are not coming from me but the Emperor of Mankind himself.¡±, Guilliman corrected him with a pleased smile. ¡°Our Emperor has been made whole and is able to converse with his people once again.¡±


    ¡°My Lord, is this true!?¡±, a Custodian asked, looking toward Valoris for confirmation.


    ¡°It is as Primarch Guilliman said: the Emperor of Mankind has been brought back to perfect health by Primarch Stark. As we speak, our Lord is gathering his strength for the daunting battle ahead of the Imperium.¡±, Valoris confirmed, ¡°The names you have been given have all been deemed traitors by the Emperor himself. They are a cancer upon our homeland and therefore must be ripped out if we are to survive.¡±


    Elated that the Emperor of Mankind was whole once again, the men slammed their fists into their chests and swore to carry out the Emperor¡¯s orders flawlessly. Immediately departing the area, the group spread out to begin the manhunt for their enemies.


    ---Vengeful Spirit, Eye of Terror---


    Sitting behind his desk, within his war room, Warmaster Abaddon reviewed the reports from the day¡¯s skirmishes. Currently at a stalemate on all fronts, the Warmaster was irritated that they had lost their momentum after the death of Kharn and his Butcherhorde. Using their defeat to rally their forces and raise morale, the Imperium of Man and their allies redoubled their efforts, forcing them into the gridlock he now found himself in.


    ¡®We have searched tirelessly for the one who slew Kharn but have thus far come up empty.¡¯, he thought, crumbling the tablet in his hands. ¡®When we find you, Victor von Stark, you will pay tenfold for hindering my plans. If you had not intervened, Kharn would have brought a large chunk of the Galactic Republic under our control. We would have cut the Imperium off from the rest of the universe and slowly squeezed the life out of them!¡¯


    Slamming his fist through his desk in anger, Abaddon got up and walked over to his war table to review the current layout of their forces. Looking for any potential vulnerability he could exploit, he knew they had to do something before he lost control of the warbands again. As he scoured the map and reports for answers, one of his men entered to announce the arrival of a messenger from the Thousand Sons had arrived.


    ¡°Very well, let him in.¡±, Abaddon said, as the empty suit of armor pushed past his man. ¡°I trust this is important, as I am not in the mood for games today.¡±


    ¡°It is the most important news you will likely receive today¡­ Lord Magnus believes that the False Emperor has been revived. A short time ago he sensed a massive surge in the False Emperor¡¯s power followed by the deaths of our daemonic horde within the Imperium¡¯s Webway.¡±, the marine reported.


    ¡°I told you; I am not in the mood for your games today¡­¡±, Abaddon spat, glaring at the husk of a man.


    ¡°Lord Magnus and Lord Tzeentch may indulge in some crude jokes every now and then, but they have never once joked about the False Emperor. We are certain that he has been revived somehow, and we should plan for his return to the battlefield accordingly.¡±, the marine refuted, staring at Abaddon with his spectral eyes.


    Unable to judge his words by facial expressions or tone of voice, Abaddon was forced to accept his words as fact, which further enraged him. Punching a hole through the table, he ripped the machine out of the floor and threw it against the wall. Already dealing with enough problems as it is, adding the False Emperor into the equation was simply too much for him. Aware of the power he wielded, there was little to nothing he could do to plan for his presence on the battlefield.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±, Abaddon inquired, shaking with rage.


    ¡°No, Rogal Dorn briefly reappeared in the Imperium of Man. From what we have been able to ascertain, the mercenary you have been hunting found him in stasis aboard the Seventh Blackstone Fortress.¡±, the marine added. ¡°In addition, we have confirmed that Obsidius and his men were also slain by the mercenary and his subordinates.¡±


    ¡°DAMN THAT FUCKING MERCENARY!!¡±, Abaddon roared, slamming his fist into the wall. ¡°If the False Emperor, the Lion, Roboute, and Rogal reunite, the tide of this crusade will turn in their favor. We have obtained far too much for us to lose now.¡±


    Turning toward his subordinate, he commanded him to summon all the warband commanders as they needed to plan out their next move carefully. Knowing they were working with borrowed time right now, they had to strike now before it was too late.


    ---Victor POV, Three Days Later---


    Feeling my consciousness returning to my body, I slowly opened my eyes and gave myself a moment to adjust to the light. Wriggling my fingers and toes to confirm I was not paralyzed, Jarvis detected my movements and began draining the tank. Once the concoction was gone, nozzles sprayed me down with water to rinse off the residue. Opening the tank door after I was clean, UR-025 handed me a towel and welcomed me back.


    <Your wives have become increasingly agitated by your absence. I recommend speaking with them as soon as possible before they storm in here looking for you.> (UR-025)


    ¡°Did something happen while I was out?¡±, I asked, drying myself off.


    <A letter came from your father¡¯s household two days ago, Master. Your older brother Nicks is now officially engaged to Miss Dorothea Fou Roseblade. They have invited you and your wives to celebrate the engagement.> (Luxion)


    ¡°So he finally took the plunge and won her over.¡±, I chuckled. ¡°It is about time he made a move; I doubt she was going to wait much longer.¡±


    <Master, I do not believe you were any better.> (Luxion)


    Unable to refute his words, I confirmed that I would attend the family party to celebrate the engagement. Putting aside the topic for the moment, though, seeing the results of this painful procedure was all that I had on my mind right now. Retrieving a standing mirror from my inventory, I took a few steps back to see what I looked like now.


    Prior to the procedure, I was just over six feet tall with a thin body covered in lean muscles. The new man I saw in the mirror stood at a towering nine feet tall and was covered in thick muscles that were brimming with unbelievable strength. Slowly turning around to confirm there were no deformities, everything appeared to be in proper order, which pleased me greatly.


    ¡®As I am now, that stupid Metal Gear RAY would be nothing more than a soda can.¡¯, I thought, stretching my body out to confirm I maintained my flexibility. ¡®I will need to modify my weapons before heading to Terra, but that can wait until this evening. For the time being, I want to show my wives this refined body of mine.¡±


    Having the nanites in my body construct clothing around my body, I headed upstairs to find my wives. Calling out their names, as I walked into the living room, the women leapt up off the couch to lecture me but stopped as I came into view. Slowly looking me over, all of them audibly gulped as they looked away in embarrassment.


    ¡°We knew something was up when you were not taking our calls, but this¡­ this was not anything we could have expected.¡±, Mylene remarked, shifting around nervously, ¡°Let me be the first to say, you were handsome before, but now you are¡ª ¡°


    ¡°You look like a god now, and I like it¡­ A lot!¡±, Aela said, biting her lower lip. ¡°How about you let us take a closer look?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Just a peek¡­¡±, Roxanne agreed, her tail wagging crazily.


    Seeing no reason to turn them down, we retired to the bedroom for the day to thoroughly test out my body.

 Chapter 125

    ---Debut Day---


    Joining Dorn aboard the Imperator Somnium, my family and I greeted him warmly as we stepped onto the bridge. Turning around to return the greeting, the old man froze up when he caught sight of me. Completely unaware of the procedure I had undergone, he was taken aback by the sudden changes to my body. Walking over to take a closer look, Dorn nodded his head in approval after walking circles around me a few times.


    ¡°There can be no denying now that you are Aremus¡¯ descendant now; you look identical to him in every way.¡±, Dorn commented as I interfaced with the ship¡¯s computers and began backing us out of drydock. ¡°Not to be rude, but was there a reason you changed your physical body?¡±


    ¡°The Blackstone Fortress expedition kicked my ass hard; I refuse to let myself be that vulnerable ever again. When I pushed my magic arts to their current limits, my body could not keep up with the demands, and I nearly died. If I had kicked the bucket, not only would the party have joined me a few weeks later, I would have also widowed my wives just a few weeks after our wedding.¡±, I answered, glancing over at them. ¡°Failing to fulfill our shared dream and leaving them alone in this cruel universe was all the reason I needed to perfect my body.¡±


    Looking quite relieved by my answer, I assumed he thought I had done this just to fit in better with my uncles. While it certainly would have looked a bit weird, it honestly did not bother me much that they dwarfed me in size. Suggesting we take our seats, as the ship began to rapidly climb into the atmosphere, Jarvis let me know that my newest vessel was in position.


    <Sir, I have confirmation that the city-ship New Genesis is in orbit over Terra. The planet¡¯s inhabitants nor the military forces guarding the star system have the slightest idea it is there.> (Jarvis)


    ¡°Thank you, Jarvis, I am over the moon that our interstellar mothership is finally ready for her first space voyage!¡±, I replied via our data link.


    Completed during the fortress expedition, Bannister and her team had pushed me hard to use Project Homebase today to commemorate this momentous occasion. Believing it would show off our military might and technological prowess, I personally had mixed emotions about it. While I was certainly eager to use her in the field, it seemed like overkill as the Emperor of Mankind already recognized me as his grandson and a Primarch. No one was going to openly complain about me taking the position, but I agreed to use the city-ship as it made Bannister happy.


    Opening a Force Storm, once we were out of the atmosphere, I slowly guided the Imperator Somnium through the portal and into the Sol System. As we crossed into the Imperium¡¯s territory, countless ships filled with civilians, nobles, and service members were there to greet us. Inundating us with countless communication requests, everyone was desperate to see Dorn and I first, but they all fell silent when they caught sight of the vessel. Forcibly opening communication channels with ships as we sailed by, nobles and service members stood at attention and saluted us while the civilians joyfully wept seeing the visage of their beloved Emperor¡¯s battleship.


    ¡°Lord Rogal Dorn, it is a pleasure to see you alive and well!¡±, Chapter Master Gregor Dessian said as the Phalanx came into view. ¡°All those who bear your Gene Seed have traveled here today to welcome you home, my Lord. We are all truly happy to have you back among us!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±, Dorn replied, with a softened expression. ¡°While for me it has only been a few weeks, it is good to be home once again. After this ceremony is completed, we will head out at once to beginning rebuilding the Imperium¡¯s defenses.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my Lord!¡±, Gregor answered, brimming with excitement. ¡°The Phalanx is fully stocked and ready to set out at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    Saluting Gregor, the Chapter Master and all the Imperial Fist marines behind him saluted Dorn back. Escorting us to Terra, the massive warship got into a stable orbit while we descended into Terra¡¯s atmosphere. Engaging the planetary engines to slow our descent, as we came in to dock alongside the palace, the locals began celebrating the Imperator Somnium¡¯s arrival. Elated to see the Emperor of Mankind¡¯s battleship back where it belonged, nobles were snapping photos of it while civilians tried their best to burn its glorious image into their minds.


    Heading down to the forward hangar, Dorn and I stood at the ready as the massive doors began to open. Engaging the light construct bridge outside the doorway, the mechanism connected to the walkway where El¡¯Jonson, Guilliman, and the High Lords of Terra were awaiting us. Heading out first, per Guilliman¡¯s plan, the Lord Commander wanted to welcome home his brother first before formally introducing me to the Imperium of Man. Confidently striding down the ramp, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of celebration and cheers. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maintaining his usual facial expression, he waved to the crowd a bit uncomfortable with the warm reception he was receiving. Exchanging firm handshakes with his brothers, the three men hugged one another and began to laugh heartily. Falling in line with his brothers, Guilliman was about to begin speaking when the doors to the Golden Palace began to open. Hearing organized and synced footsteps echoing from within, the Adeptus Custodies and the Emperor of Mankind exited the gigantic doors together.


    Having kept his appearance today a secret from everyone but his Custodies, the crowd quickly fell silent as he approached his sons. Bowing their heads as they dropped to their knees, the nobility warmly welcomed him while his sons greeted him fondly. Looking out over his people, the Emperor of Mankind waved to them all with a calm, confident smile. Stopping before Guilliman, he placed his hand upon his son¡¯s shoulders and began to speak.


    ¡°I know you spent a great deal of time planning this event, Guilliman, but I felt it was only right to be here to greet my grandson in person.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind spoke as he turned to speak to the populace, ¡°Several years before the Horus Heresy, my son Klordius Aremus, Primarch of the Second Legion, departed with his legion to brave the great unknown beyond our borders. Foreseeing a future where my leadership and our technology would fail to protect us, he believed our salvation lay somewhere in the far reaches of space. In my folly, I ignored the visions he was having, causing my son to take matters into his own hands. Departing my side, after months of stonewalling him, Aremus and his legion made their way to the border and then ultimately vanished soon after their crossing. I sent several search parties to find them, but none found any trace of Aremus or his men. In a fit of grief and rage, I made the decision to erase any mention of him and the legion from our history¡­¡±


    Seeing the pained expression upon his face, the Emperor of Mankind truly regretted not heeding his warnings and missed Aremus terribly. Had he heeded my ancestor¡¯s words, there is a chance the Horus Heresy may have never happened. Not only would all eighteen of his sons still be standing here today, but his citizens would have also avoided paying such a terrible price for his miscalculation.


    ¡°As the future of our nation continues to grow darker every passing day, a new hope has begun to grow within our borders. Arriving when we needed him the most, Aremus¡¯ heir, Victor von Stark, came to our aid and has continued to help our people from the shadows. During his brief time in the Imperium, he has successfully captured the seventh Blackstone Fortress, slaughtered Kharn the Betrayer and his Butcherhorde, and vanquished the Servants of the Abyss warband, the very group rumored to have stuck the final blow to Cadia. In addition to these feats, Victor is the reason Rogal Dorn and I are standing here with you today.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind proclaimed, turning to look at me, ¡°I wish Aremus were still alive to see what his lineage has become. Victor von Stark, on behalf of my Imperium of Man and its people, I welcome you home not only as my grandson but as the new Primarch of the Second Legion.¡±


    Retracting my helmet, I calmly walked down the ramp with my head held high. Cheering my name loudly, their excitement and joy were palpable. Officially recognizing me as the one responsible for Kharn and Obsidius¡¯ deaths, the public was relieved that two powerful enemies had fallen by my hands. Giving them all a friendly wave, as I looked down upon them, I was horrified by what I saw. Comparable to mummies, many of the citizens that had shown up today were barely clinging to life. Seeing children skinnier than my forearm, my rage boiled over as I shot a nasty glare at where the nobility was kneeling.


    While the public was hanging on by a thread, the ruling class was in perfect health and well-fed. The sheer arrogance they had to show their piggish faces here today was astounding; their atrocious mismanagement of the Imperium was on display, and no one was the least bit bothered by it. Due to generations of abuse and mistreatment at the hands of government officials, their spirits were broken, and any hope they once had for a better future had been extinguished long ago.


    ¡°The kid is about to lose it on the nobility.¡±, Lion commented, glancing over at his brothers. ¡°Should we intervene?¡±


    ¡°Fuck them.¡±, Dorn scoffed. ¡°I read the reports¡­ If Victor did not do it, our father or one of us was going to do it eventually.¡±


    ¡°I assumed this was liable to happen; everyone of importance has been instructed to not intervene in what unfolds. Since they choose to abandon the people, they can deal with the repercussions.¡±, Guilliman stated, crossing his arms.


    Able to see what was about to occur, the Emperor of Mankind and his Custodies stepped back to show they were not going to intervene. Sensing the ungodly amount of bloodlust I was pouring out, a few nobles fainted while most staggered up to their feet. Looking at me with confusion, they began to argue amongst themselves over who had upset me. Picking up on what was happening, the Imperial citizens in attendance turned to look at the brewing conflict.


    ¡°All of you cease your arguing and bickering, you fat pigs! You came here today to show off your family achievements and heritage to us, but all I see are the atrocities you have committed against the Imperial people.¡±, I shouted, as the palace itself began to shake. ¡°I have seen many horrible things in my journey throughout the universe, but this is by far the worst I have witnessed yet. When I look down at the Imperial people, I see men, women, and children devoid of life with one foot already in the grave. Many of them are injured, sick, and starving, yet they still came here today to show their support for their homeland. They are the Imperium¡¯s greatest treasure, but you have treated them worse than dog shit!¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark, surely we can talk things out like reasonable men¡­¡±, one of the fatter noblemen asked. ¡°If you so desire, we can request additional food and medical supplies be distributed to the people of Terra.¡±


    ¡°Your pitiful attempt to pacify my anger only enrages me more, fool. If this is how nobility treats those living on Terra, the Imperium¡¯s most sacred word, I cannot begin to imagine how you treat those living on the fringes of the Imperium of Man.¡±, I remarked as I slowly began flying toward them. ¡°Long before I ever set foot in the Imperium of Man, I heard many rumors about how the nation was operated. The nobility sets outrageously high taxes on poorer worlds to goad them into a revolt just so you can turn their populace into free slave laborers. When distant and isolated worlds call for food supplies, munitions, and support, leadership sends them empty cargo ships and demands they fight to the last with what they already have. While the Imperium of Man struggles to produce enough food to feed its people, the nobility gorges themselves and gives their subjects literal corpses to eat!¡±


    ¡°We¡­ We inherited this mess from our ancestors and predecessors!¡±, a noblewoman sheepishly argued, slowly reaching for a hidden weapon under her skirt.


    ¡°Who was it that prevented the Adeptus Custodies from joining the battlefield during the 13th Black Crusade? When the battle was lost and the surviving people of Cadia asked for your assistance, what answer did you give them?¡±, I questioned, hovering in the air in front of them, ¡°You mongrels have shown time and time again over the millennia that your highest priority is yourselves, not the Imperial people. During the absence of my grandfather and uncles, you feasted upon the Imperium¡¯s prosperity and wealth to the point that you have left nothing but bones for its people. My plan was to initially whittle your numbers down over the coming months, but I have changed my mind.¡±


    Hearing a crackle of thunder overhead, massive bolts of lightning began slamming into the ground all around them. Instinctively reaching for their weapons, hundreds of them attempted to defend themselves, but I simply knocked their weapons away with the Disarm Shout. As the power of the Thu¡¯um reverberated throughout the region, the nobles recoiled in fear while my extended family looked on in shock.


    ¡°Not only did you help destroy the spirit of the Imperial people, but you also stole away their hope for a brighter future, that is unacceptable.¡±, I growled, pulling Dawnbreaker from my inventory, ¡°Since the people can no longer muster the strength to fight for their futures, I will do so in their stead. Wastes of space like you have no place in the revived Imperium of Man we are about to rebuild. By the power vested in me by the Imperial people, I sentence all of you to death!¡±


    Momentarily awestruck by the sword¡¯s visage, as their colleague¡¯s heads began to fly, the nobles began fleeing for their lives. Taking this opportunity to reveal themselves, the New Genesis appeared in the sky over the palace in a brilliant flash of light. Bathing the entire area in its golden light, my Helldivers teleported down and cut off all escape routes. Executing my order without skipping a beat, they began to mercilessly crush and strike the nobility down. Filling the area with their dying screams, their blood began to flow down into the abyss beneath the palace.


    ¡°Holy Terra¡­ What is that!?¡±, Dorn gasped, looking up at the magnificent ship above their heads. ¡°It is bigger than even the Phalanx!¡±


    ¡°It must belong to Victor, but how did it get here? Why has the planetary defense system not alerted us to its presence here?¡±, Guilliman inquired, awestruck by the power it radiated while simultaneously concerned that their defenses were not working properly.


    ¡°Those are two excellent questions, Guilliman; unfortunately, I do not have the answers to them.¡±, the Emperor of Mankind admitted. ¡°To start with, I want a thorough audit done to see what systems on Terra have failed and what is still operational.¡±


    ¡°By your command.¡±, one of Raskian¡¯s caretakers swore.


    Finishing the brutal extermination of the corrupt nobility who had shown up today, I used Wide Area Purification to cleanse the Golden Palace and its surroundings. Removing not only corruption and warp taint but also millennia of filth and grime, the ancient fortress and palace began to glimmer in the sunlight. Reflecting light off its metallic exterior, it began to illuminate the city once again like it once had in olden days. As the crowd stared at the ornately decorated facility, I proceeded to cast Mass Heal on all those that had come out to attend the ceremony.


    ¡°For many millennia the Imperial people have strived to achieve the vision that the Emperor of Mankind laid out before your ancestors during the Great Crusade. All of you have fought hard, tirelessly braving everything that the universe has thrown at you. Over the millennia, though, you have grown weary from trudging down this path alone while carrying the weight of the Imperium¡¯s nobility on your backs.¡±, I proclaimed, holding Dawnbreaker high above my head. ¡°I am here today to tell you that your suffering is at an end. No matter what the future holds for this nation, I will always be in your corner, ready to give my all to help you. When a call for aid goes out, the Second Legion will be the first ones in and the last ones out. Every Imperial citizen, no matter your age, appearance, or gender, is an irreplaceable treasure in my eyes, and I will not allow you to be treated as anything less than that.¡±


    Feeling the sincerity in my tone, the people began dropping to their knees as they bawled their eyes out. Holding their families and loved ones closely, all the weight they had been carrying began to slowly fall away. Believing that the future their ancestors had been shown millennia ago was achievable once again, for the first time in many generations, hope began to smolder in their hearts.


    Seizing upon this moment, I mentally commanded the Imperator Somnium¡¯s many bay doors to open. Lifting their heads and turning around, the crowd was shocked to see mountains of food supplies neatly piled before them. Catching whiffs of various items inside, many people began to drool as they stared at it hungrily.


    ¡°Until I resolved your food deficit, I will see that the needs of the Imperium of Man are met. As we speak, members of my legion are ferrying sorely needed supplies across the Imperium to those in need.¡±, I said with a smile as my relief workers moved into position. ¡°To mark the return of Rogal Dorn and my arrival, I have brought a hearty feast that all Imperial citizens are welcome to partake in. Eat and drink to your heart''s content; there is plenty of fresh, hot food to be had! All I ask in return is that you please do not harm one another to get your meals."


    ¡°Mister Stark¡­ Is there¡­ Is there really enough food for everyone?¡±, a young boy questioned from within the group of civilians below.


    ¡°Samuel!¡±, his mother shrieked, hiding him from sight. "Please forgive my son, Lord Stark. He¡­ He does not understand how to address you properly.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to worry about, ma¡¯am.¡±, I remarked, descending to them, ¡°He has every right to ask that question; there is no reason to punish him. To answer your question, Samuel, I assure you there is more than enough food to be had for everyone. I have many more ships on the way with enough food to keep the Imperium fed for the next few years while I work on fixing the food shortage.¡±


    Pulling a bright red apple out of my inventory, I offered it to the young boy to try. Nervously reaching his hand out, he took it from me and quickly took a bite out of it. Watching his face light up with unbridled joy, he began to jump around with excitement.


    ¡°Momma, you have to try this!!¡±, the boy said, offering it up to his mother. "It is really yummy!!¡±


    Taking a bite of it, she agreed with him as tears streaked down her face. Motioning for the crowd to spread out and grab a bite to eat, the sea of people thanked me for my generosity before shuffling out to find food. Waving to the little boy and his mother, as they disappeared into the crowd, I flew back up to where my grandfather, uncles, and the high lords were. Motioning for them to follow me, Guilliman asked me where we were going.


    ¡°The people are not the only ones that get to have a feast: I have food waiting aboard the Imperator Somnium for all of us.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°My grandfather and his Custodies included.¡±


    ¡°It has been some time since I have eaten a proper meal¡­¡±, the Emperor conceded, with a smile, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Leading the group aboard the ship, we joined up with my wives and began our private celebration.


    Catch you guys in the New Year!!


    Discord Link:


    .gg/gupzZRPDJk

 Chapter 126

    ---Next Day---


    Once the festivities came to an end, my subordinates tore down their stations and began relocating to Terra¡¯s Hive Cities. As we would be handling the sale of our food products directly, I wanted to get things ready for the morning rush. Ensuring that each level of the Hive Cities was amply staffed, it was imperative that we took care of everyone in a timely manner to minimize potential scuffles amongst the locals. While the relief team kept the masses preoccupied, the Special Operations Division would begin eliminating problematic groups and individuals from the cities. Leaving the operation in the capable hands of Commander Yoma, I told her to contact me if things got out of hand.


    Heading to the Golden Palace for my first meeting as a Primarch, I greeted the gatekeepers and guardsmen as I passed through the front gate. Quickly setting their breakfast down, the men snapped to attention and saluted me almost in perfect unison.


    ¡°Good morning, Lord Stark!¡±, the head gatekeeper spoke up. ¡°The meeting room is just down the hallway, first door on the right-hand side.¡±


    ¡°I understand; thank you for the directions.¡±, I replied, retrieving a large thermos of hot chocolate from my inventory. ¡°This is for all of you; it should help keep you warm on this bitterly cold morning.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, my Lord, but what is this device?¡±, a guardsman asked, having never seen a thermos before. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°This is an insulated container that keeps beverages cold or hot, depending on your preference.¡±, I answered, retrieving a few Styrofoam cups from my inventory as well. ¡°All you have to do is pump this lever a few times to fill your cup; observe.¡±


    Demonstrating how to operate the thermos, I handed the beverage to the guardsman. Noticing the steam rising from the cup, he blew on it a few times before taking a sip. Going wide-eyed the moment the sweet beverage touched his tongue, the guardsman chugged half of the cup down before forcing himself to stop. Letting out a blissful sigh as the cup parted from his lips, he gave his comrades a thumbs up.


    ¡°This is probably the best non-alcoholic beverage I have ever had!¡±, he remarked, before gingerly setting the cup down. ¡°While I am grateful to have something warm to drink, I cannot help but think this beverage is expensive. I have had an opportunity to sample a sliver of chocolate before, and this tastes just like it.¡±


    ¡°Your taste buds are correct; this drink is called hot chocolate.¡±, I confirmed. ¡°Do not worry about the price; chocolate is widespread in my native homeland. I intend to make luxury food items readily available to the public once the food deficit has been resolved. You can look forward to seeing chocolate and many other delicacies in the markets within the next couple of years.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±, he gasped, looking forward to that day. ¡°I cannot wait to share this with my wife and children! We will be one of the first people to buy it!¡±


    Helping themselves to the hot chocolate, I left the men to their duties and headed down the hallway they indicated.


    ---Five Minutes Later---


    Reaching the indicated meeting room, the Custodes guarding the entrance to the room turned their heads in my direction and gave me a curt nod. Walking past them, everyone inside the room welcomed me and motioned for me to take a seat. Noticing that my designated seat was directly to the right of the Emperor himself, I could not help but think something was amiss here. Knowing that the seats directly next to a ruler were meant exclusively for his most trusted advisors or their heirs, it made me a bit hesitant to take a seat. Given that I had only recently joined their ranks, I honestly felt his sons were far more deserving than me.


    ¡°Do not worry about it; it is what our father wanted.¡±, Lion remarked, sensing my hesitation.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±, I answered, ¡®Too late to back out now; I have to just roll with it.¡¯


    Before taking a seat, I dispersed specially made, ruggedized tablets to all those present today. Taking a moment to look them over, as they were very different from the computers they were used to, everyone seemed rather pleased with them. Giving them a few minutes to mess around with the pre-installed software, the Master of the Administratum saw the potential they had almost immediately.


    ¡°Lord Stark, would it be possible for me to keep my computer?¡±, Violeta Roskavler inquired enthusiastically, ¡°This spreadsheet software could potentially be very useful for my daily duties.¡±


    ¡°I concur; it appears that it has financial applications as well.¡±, Guilliman agreed, already messing around with it.


    ¡°Of course, I specially made these tablet computers to decrease the difficulty of your workload while simultaneously increasing your efficiency and productivity. In addition to that, these devices are connected to the subspace network I am deploying throughout the Imperium of Man. Once it is completed, in a few months¡¯ time, you will be able to communicate with each other in real time from anywhere in the territory.¡±, I informed them. ¡°With the Emperor¡¯s blessing, I would like to move the planetary and military communications to the network as well. This will allow us to receive crucial reports and updates instantly instead of days or weeks later.¡±


    ¡°Anything you can do to help reduce our reliance on the Warp has my full support. Just ensure you inform me first, so I am aware of it.¡±, the Emperor agreed with a nod.


    ¡°Understood, I will work with the Mechanicus to ensure the equipment is installed in a timely manner.¡±, I stated as I took my seat.


    Settling in for the meeting, I retrieved a pot of coffee from my inventory and poured myself a cup without thinking about it. As I went to take my first sip, several sets of eyes fell upon me as the room fell silent. Looking at my grandfather and uncles with a concerned look, my initial thought was that beverages were not allowed in here. Before I could confirm that with them, though, the Emperor spoke up first.


    ¡°Victor¡­ Is that coffee by chance?¡±, Guilliman asked in disbelief.


    ¡°It certainly smells like it!¡±, Dorn said, staring at the pot longingly. ¡°Might you consider sharing that with us, nephew?¡±


    ¡°I have plenty to share with everyone, but why are you acting so weird?¡±, I inquired, ¡°The Imperium of Man has coffee too; your people call it Recaf, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Recaf is a form of highly caffeinated tea.¡±, Dorn corrected me as he poured himself a large cup. ¡°The coffee plant, along with a great many other things, went extinct during the Horus Heresy. Our supply of coffee was used up during the Siege of Terra to keep morale up during that bloody conflict. We did not discover that, though, until the dust settled once it was all over.¡±


    Eagerly taking a sip of the extinct beverage, the four men let out blissful sighs as memories from long ago came to the forefront of their minds. Recalling the days when the Emperor and his twenty sons roamed these halls together in relative harmony, they could not help but lament all that they had lost. Giving the men a few minutes to recover, my grandfather and uncles thanked me for sharing with them.


    ¡°Can I assume you would like to reintroduce the plant to the Imperium of Man?¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, please do.¡±, the Emperor confirmed as he looked to the High Lords. ¡°Come, try this once staple beverage of our ancient past.¡±


    Happily obliging his request, aside from Fabricator-General Raskian, the High Lords of Terra were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the beverage. Settling back into their seats, the Custodes outside the room shut the door, signaling the beginning of the meeting.


    Starting with Violeta Roskavler, the lords began updating us on matters within their governmental departments as well as the Imperium at large. Picking up some interesting tidbits of information from their reports, when we got to Fabricator-General Raskian, his head caretaker stood up and said they had nothing new to report. Having already foreseen this ploy, I came prepared with several questions for the head of the Adeptus Mechanicus.


    ¡°Before we move on to Abbess Vahl, I have a few questions I would like answers to from the Fabricator-General.¡±, I said, stopping the head caretaker before he took a seat. ¡°While I was reviewing various reports last night, I discovered some very troubling reports buried in petabytes of data. To begin with, is it true that only sixty-seven percent of all Imperial Worlds have clean water available to their citizens?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ one moment, please.¡±, the head caretaker said, conferring with Raskian.


    After a few moments of consultation, the head caretaker looked back and slowly nodded his head in confirmation. Upon hearing this, the Emperor, Guilliman, and Roskavler all shifted in their seats with discomfort.


    ¡°Raskian, why was this not brought to my attention directly?!¡±, Roskavler snapped. ¡°While many in the Mechanicus require little to no water, the rest of the Imperium¡¯s citizens require it to stay alive. Why would you bury such information in your weekly reports!?¡±


    ¡°It is not as if they are completely without water¡­¡°, the caretaker refuted, purposefully leaving out a critical piece of information.


    ¡°Sixty-seven percent have clean water, twenty-one percent have unsanitary water, and twelve percent must import water to sustain their people.¡±, I spoke as the room began to shake. ¡°If you believe that the Fabricator-General and all of you are untouchable, think again.¡±


    Forcibly taking over control of their computer systems, the tech-priests began to short-circuit while the Fabricator-General¡¯s life support began to shut down. Pleading with me to stop, as three of his comrades fell to the floor, the head caretaker swore to be upfront with us from now on. Restoring their normal functions again, he fell to his knees as he gripped the edge of the table to steady himself.


    ¡°The Emperor of Mankind¡¯s desire has been and always will be the betterment of humanity, yet the Adeptus Mechanicus seems to have other ideas. Your organization is more than happy to craft weapons of war but seemingly cares little for the mechanisms necessary to sustain day-to-day life. Do you deny this fact?¡±, I pressed him.


    ¡°Lord Stark¡­ the Fabricator-General has been working diligently to rectify this grave situation. Several thousand years ago, the High Lords ordered the Mechanicus to focus most of our resources on keeping the Imperium¡¯s military might at maximum readiness. The order was only rescinded a short time before Lord Raskian took his position.¡±, the head caretaker stated. ¡°We have been doing our best to maintain things, but... most of our diagrams and schematics were lost during the period following the Age of Apostasy.¡±


    Discovering that the Adeptus Mechanicus knew far less about the Imperium¡¯s infrastructure than they had been letting on, the room fell silent. Putting two and two together, the Primarchs began to understand how the Imperium of Man became a nation of religion and superstition. Without diagrams and schematics to fix key parts of the Imperium¡¯s infrastructure, the Mechanicus had to rely heavily on their Omnissiah to keep things working. Their beliefs quickly spread among the populace, and once enough people believed it, just like with the Orks, their beliefs turned it into reality.


    ¡°This goes without saying, but I forbid anyone from sharing this information with anyone outside this group. If the public were to hear of this, it would cause a great deal of civil unrest and potentially collapse our government.¡±, the Emperor commanded as we all nodded in agreement. ¡°Victor, I hate to thrust this upon you, but can you address the water situation? Remaking the schematics will take a great deal of time that we do not have right now.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but I will need additional manpower from the Adeptus Mechanicus. If we are to turn things around in a timely manner, my manpower alone will be insufficient.¡±, I said, being forthright with everyone.


    ¡°The Adeptus Mechanicus is ready and willing to render as much assistance as we can.¡±, the head caretaker assured me.


    ¡°Many apologies¡­ Omnissiah¡­ ¡°, Raskian said in a static-filled tone.


    ¡°I cannot fault you for the actions of others, but this information should have been made available to the High Lords of Terra long ago. Work hard to fix the mistakes of your predecessors, and all will be forgiven.¡±, the Emperor assured him.


    Having answered my other questions with his prior answer, I told the caretaker to have a seat and continue down the line. Thankful that his part was done, the head caretaker took a much-needed seat so Vahl could have her turn.


    ¡°I am still waiting for updates on many matters from my people in the field, but I am happy to report that the Order of Divine Lamentations has been rebuilt and is under the leadership of Canoness Superior Ionica. At the behest of the Emperor of Mankind and Lady Ritira, she and her Order will serve under Primarch Stark directly.¡±, Vahl proclaimed, with a smile, ¡°Ionica and her people look forward to serving under you. Please treat them well, Lord Stark.¡±


    ¡°They are in good hands.¡±, I assured her. ¡®So it looks like we will be working together again; this will be interesting.¡¯


    With that, our meeting ended. Getting up to leave the room, I asked everyone to wait a moment as there was something else I had to say.


    ¡°As previously discussed, I will be headed to Mars within the next hour to survey the pylons. After that, though, my next destination will be the Great Rift itself.¡±, I spoke. ¡°From the reports I read, only forty percent of the populace that was living in that territory managed to make it out. The remaining sixty percent have likely all but been captured or culled by the forces of Chaos, but there may still be some pockets of survivors left. Using the Force to help guide me to the survivors, I will rescue them and ferry them to safety. Some of you likely believe the risk is too great, but they are Imperial citizens; we owe it to them to at least try to save them.¡±


    While saving the survivors was high on my list of objectives in the rift, there was something that stood above that: locating the loyalist Primarchs within the Warp. I knew Corvus and Leman were in there, but I also believed Vulcan might be as well. Given his desire to protect the Imperial people above all else, it made sense that if he were to be anywhere, it would be protecting the survivors within the rift. If I brought all three of them home, that would further swell our morale and make the pending operation to reclaim Cadia significantly easier.


    ¡°You want to do what!? We cannot risk losing a third Primarch in the Warp!¡±, Ritira shouted vehemently against my plan.


    Before anyone else could voice their disapproval, the Emperor of Mankind raised his hand to silence everyone. Rising from his seat, he placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me his blessing to proceed with my plan. Looking at him in shock, many of those present here felt my risky operation could cost the Imperium greatly.


    ¡°While I give you my blessing, I want to send additional forces with you that have experience dealing with Warp entities.¡±, the Emperor said with a smirk. ¡°I will be sending with you ten Custodes, forty Grey Knight Paladins, one hundred Salamanders, one hundred Raven Guard, and one hundred and fifty Space Wolves.¡±


    ¡°That is an odd choice¡­¡±, Dorn remarked, caught off guard by the assortment of supporters he was sending. ¡°The Custodes, Grey Knights, and Salamanders make sense, but why send the other¡­ OH!!¡±


    ¡°You cheeky bastard, were you also planning on finding Corvus and Leman while you were in there?¡±, Lion laughed.


    ¡°Corvus, Leman, and Vulcan, yes.¡±, I acknowledged with a sigh. ¡°I am not certain if I will find them, so I did not want to give anyone false hope.¡±


    ¡°If anyone is going to locate them, it will be you, my dear grandson.¡±, the Emperor remarked. ¡°Since they are still on Terra, I will have the men join you in Adepta Sororitas¡¯ training grounds.¡±


    Nodding my head, Vahl and I promptly left the room to find Ionica and her rebuilt Order.

 Chapter 127

    ¡°May I ask you something?¡±, I inquired as we entered the Adepta Sororitas¡¯ training grounds. ¡°I am curious to know why the Order of Divine Lamentations has been assigned to me directly. Is there something going on behind the scenes that I am unaware of?¡±


    ¡°There are several reasons for doing so, but it mostly comes down to ensuring you have enough manpower. As we were uncertain how much military power you could safely assign to the Imperium, the Emperor felt it was appropriate to lend you some of our reserve units.¡±, Vahl stated, glancing over at a few Sisters training their sword skills, ¡°This arrangement is by no means permanent; they will depart from your service once we can secure you a steady stream of Second Legion Astartes. Until that time, Ionica and her people are more than happy to do whatever they can to assist you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I understand. You should know that I am not lacking in manpower whatsoever right now.¡±, I remarked with a smirk. ¡°After being allotted a sizable chunk of Imperium territory, we began ramping up our recruitment and training quotas again. As my homeland is currently at peace, the lion¡¯s share of my forces can assist the Imperium while the new blood takes their place back home.¡±


    ¡°I do recall Lord Guilliman bringing that up during one of our meetings. If I may, what do you intend to do with the lands and people under your prevue?¡±, Vahl asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Haha, I was waiting for someone to ask me that question!¡±, I said enthusiastically, ¡°Luxion, if you would be so kind.¡±


    Lowering his cloaking field, Luxion flew next to my head and projected my plans for the region ahead of us. Coming to an abrupt stop when the image materialized, she looked over at us for a moment before looking back at the image. Giving the Abbess a brief overview of all my plans, I focused mainly on the cityscapes I intended to construct, the relocation and terraforming of worlds, and the transportation of goods and people throughout the region. Showing her the blueprints and diagrams I had drawn up, her eyes began to glaze over a bit as I got into the nitty-gritty details.


    ¡°My apologies, Lord Stark, I am not as well versed in science and technology as the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Emperor, and the Primarchs.¡±, Vahl stated with a disappointed look, ¡°What does all this mean for the Imperium and our people?¡±


    ¡°Implementing these plans will drastically improve the quality of life for every citizen; the country will no longer be reliant on the Warp for long-distance travel, and thousands of uninhabitable worlds will be made habitable for humanity.¡±, I explained with a smile. ¡°Out of all the improvements I have planned, though, the introduction of Intragalactic Transport Gates will be the most crucial to the nation. If they are adopted by the Imperium of Man as a whole, an entire fleet of ships can go from Ran¡¯s Eglise to Repentance in seconds. It goes without saying, but this means the entirety of the Imperium¡¯s might could be brought down upon a threat in a matter of hours instead of months or years.¡±


    While I was against giving them advanced technology beyond their current means, the current method they used for travel was far too dangerous and time-consuming. Deciding to devise an alternative plan for rapid transportation, I came up with the Intragalactic Transport Gates as a happy middle ground for this situation. Taking inspiration from several sources, the structures themselves would look just like Astral Gates from Cowboy Bebop, function nearly identically to the Mass Relays from Mass Effect, and possess a similar dialing method to what Stargates have. As similar technology was already in use elsewhere in the universe, according to my intelligence network, I saw no reason not to implement it here.


    Heeding my words, Abbess Vahl took another look at the blueprints, diagrams, and photos before us. Closing her eyes, she began to nod her head with a big grin.


    ¡°I see, this is how you won over the expedition team.¡±, Vahl commented as we continued walking forward, ¡°When they came back, Ionica, her subordinates, and the tech-priests pleaded with us to somehow bring you into the fold. Every one of them was thoroughly convinced that without your aid, the Imperium would continue to rapidly decline before ultimately imploding in on itself. I initially thought you had brainwashed them, but recent events have shown me I was very wrong. Just like the Emperor of Mankind, during the Great Crusade, you carry with you a bright beacon of hope for a better future for all.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the compliment.¡±, I said as Luxion returned to standby mode. ¡°I swear to you that I will do my utmost to bring about that brighter future.¡±


    Switching topics on me, the Abbess began giving me a rundown on the newly reformed Order of Divine Lamentations. Having been reorganized specifically to assist me, it contained members from almost every part of the Adepta Sororitas. Wanting me to be aware of some of her organization¡¯s quirks, the conversation abruptly ended when we approached the field Ionica and her people were training on.


    ¡°Canoness Superior Ionica, the Abbess has arrived with Lord Stark!¡±, one of the sisters proclaimed, garnering everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Everyone, fall in!¡±, Ionica commanded as she rushed to the front of her subordinates.


    Sheathing their weapons in a hurry, her subordinates quickly organized themselves accordingly and bowed their heads to us. While they kept their heads bowed, Ionica snapped to attention and saluted us with a stone-faced expression.


    ¡°Abbess Vahl, Lord Stark, how may the Order of the Divine Lamentation assist you?¡±, Ionica asked.


    ¡°At ease, all of you.¡±, Vahl commanded with a pleased smile. ¡°Effective immediately, all of you are now under the command of Primarch Stark. I expect you all to support his goals to the utmost of your ability. Do not shame the names of the Adepta Sororitas and your Order!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Abbess Vahl!¡±, the women shouted in unison.


    ¡°Prepare to head out at once. We are headed for Mars, then onto the Great Rift.¡±, I ordered them. ¡°Grab only your armor and personal items; everything else you need will be provided by me.¡±


    ¡°If I may, what exactly will we be doing at the Great Rift?¡±, Ionica inquired.


    ¡°Our primary goal is to locate surviving civilians in the Warp and search for Primarch''s Corvus, Leman, and Vulcan.¡±, I informed them. "In addition, we will annihilate any enemy forces we come across during the search."


    ¡°Understood!¡±, Ionica replied with a smile, ¡°You heard Lord Stark; get your sorry asses moving!¡±


    Breaking formation, the women retired to their dormitory to prepare for departure. Once they were gone, Vahl resumed our conversation about the various branches of her organization. Getting only a few sentences out before being interrupted again, the Astartes and Custodies announced their arrival as their respective leaders stepped forward to greet me. Giving each of the men a firm handshake, the Space Wolf Captain wasted no time getting straight to the point.


    ¡°So what is this mission we are being sent on?¡±, Space Wolf Captain Ymeir Warcrow inquired, ¡°All we were told was that we were to report here, and you would give us further details.¡±


    ¡°Of course, allow me to get you up to speed¡­¡±, I replied.


    ---Five Minutes Later---


    Giving them the same information I shared with Ionica and her people, I went into a bit more detail about how we would locate them. Excited to hear that we would be bringing their Gene-Fathers home, the Raven Guard and Salamanders swore to offer all the support they could to me. Turning to the Space Wolves, I inquired if something was wrong, as they were far less enthusiastic than I expected them to be.


    ¡°We are happy to help bring our Gene-Father home, but do we really need to look for civilians? If the Emperor orders us to, we will do it, but otherwise we will not participate in rescue operations.¡±, Warcrow stated as he crossed his arms, ¡°That sort of bullshit is what the Salamanders are for; they worry about the weaklings, and we do the real fighting. Besides which, any survivors we are likely to find out there will be tainted by the Warp. They are beyond saving; just scorch the planet and repopulate it once you close the rift. The masses breed like rabbits, so the population will go back to normal in a few decades.¡±


    ¡°You should not be so quick to pass judgment on all survivors in the rift. There is a chance some have avoided the Warp¡¯s taint and can be saved.¡±, Salamander Captain T''sar Agar commented, unwilling to write everyone off, ¡°We owe it to the citizens of the Imperium to verify things before wiping out an inhabited world.¡±


    ¡°Unless they have become feral or fallen to Chaos, there is no reason for us to kill any civilians we find in the Warp. I can purify any negative effects that have befallen¡ª" I began to say before I was rudely cut off.


    ¡°Face it, you fucking morons, anyone that did not make it out after the first few weeks is lost to us. Our time is better spent razing every inhabited world in the rift while searching for our respective Primarchs.¡±, Warcrow spat in an irritated tone, ¡°This is why we hate working with you bleeding-heart idiots. Throwing your lives away for a bunch of scrawny piss ants is ridiculous. It is just the natural order of things: the weak die and the strong survive.¡±


    Glaring daggers at one another, the tension between the two groups began to escalate rapidly. As neither side was willing to relent to the other, they were about to start a brawl when I stepped in to intervene. Assuring the Salamanders that we would rescue as many civilians as we could, I turned to the Space Wolves and advised them to keep their mouths shut.


    ¡°For the duration of this expedition, you are under my care and leadership. Every one of you will carry out my orders without question and do so to the utmost of your ability. I do not tolerate insubordination of any kind under my watch.¡±, I told the Space Wolves as I got right in Warcrow¡¯s face. ¡°Do I make myself clear, Captain Warcrow?¡±


    ¡°Just because you received the title of Primarch does not make you one, boy.¡±, Warcrow said, making his discontent with my leadership known to everyone.


    Before he knew what was happening, my right fist pierced through his breastplate and buried itself in his abdomen. Blasting him through his rank and file, Warcrow flew across the training field and into a massive stone wall several hundred yards beyond it. Creating a massive crater on impact, the Astarte vomited up a mouthful of blood before slowly sliding down the wall onto the ground. Turning back to look at their leader, their anger momentarily subsided as they saw him lying in a puddle of his own blood and vomit.


    ¡°Pathetic. I expected better from Leman¡¯s Gene-Sons.¡±, I said, cracking my neck. ¡°It is no small wonder you have been failing to protect the Imperium and her people. If a light tap is enough to knock you out, you are too soft for this line of work.¡±


    ¡°What was that!?¡±, the second in command snapped as they turned to me in anger once again. ¡°That was a damn cheap shot!¡± S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°A true Astarte should always be ready for a fight, no matter where they may be. Our enemies do not fight with bravery, honor, or morals; most will do whatever it takes to wipe us out. If you have not learned that by now, I must wonder, are you all bark and no bite?¡±, I chided them, ¡°Now then, all of you get your asses onto the training field. I will demonstrate to you why I hold the title of Primarch and why your opinions on my tactics are irrelevant to me.¡±


    More than happy to fight me head-on, aside from Warcrow, all the Space Wolves stepped onto the field with their weapons in hand. Moving to join them, the Abbess asked me to wait a moment and think this through.


    ¡°I know the Space Wolves can be a bit hard to deal with, but there are other ways to handle this.¡±, Vahl commented, ¡°At the very least, take some support into this fight with you.¡±


    ¡°While I appreciate your concern, this will be wrapped up in a few minutes.¡±, I assured her with a blank expression.


    Stepping onto the field, I stood opposite the Space Wolves with roughly a twenty-yard gap between us. Psyching themselves up for this fight, the second in command paused for a moment when he noticed that I was not arming myself.


    ¡°Where is your weapon, fool?¡±, he laughed. ¡°You cannot have a fair fight without a weapon.¡±


    ¡°I only need what I currently have on me to fight you idiots. Any more than this and it would be an unfair fight... for you.¡±, I remarked, purposefully pissing them off more. ¡°You start us off.¡±


    ¡°Have it your way!¡±, he growled. ¡°GO!¡±


    Closing the gap between us before the words finished leaving his lips, my right hand wrapped around the back of his head and slammed it into my awaiting knee. Unleashing a flurry of blows they could not follow with their eyes, a dozen marines went flying as blood went everywhere. Refusing to let the initial attack shake them, the Astartes attacked me like a swarm of angry hornets. Seemingly swinging their weapons around randomly, I could easily see that they were purposefully acting that way to give their comrades a better shot at taking me down.


    Mildly amused by their antics, I casually sidestepped their attacks while delivering deadly counterattacks of my own. As their numbers began to rapidly drop, their attacks became increasingly erratic as their movements grew sloppier with each passing moment. Catching a sword blade between my teeth, I shattered the blade and spat out the metal fragments into the wielder¡¯s face. Stopping for a moment to process what happened, he only returned to reality when I lifted him into the air and slammed his back into my knee.


    ¡°Does anyone else doubt the Emperor¡¯s assessment of his grandson?¡±, one of the Custodies asked the Astartes.


    Vehemently shaking their heads, none of the Astartes present had anything to say about the matter. Watching their colleagues get torn apart on the training field, Ionica and her subordinates returned as the fight was coming toward its end. Asking what was going on here, Vahl brought her up to speed on what had occurred.


    ¡°Ha, serves the meatheads right.¡±, Ionica laughed before quickly stopping herself. ¡°My apologies, Abbess Vahl.¡±


    ¡°I will let it slide this time. All the High Lords have had issues with them in the past; it is refreshing to see them get humbled a bit.¡±, Vahl said, stifling a chuckle, ¡°Lord Stark, I think you have made your point. Any more than this and we will have a great deal of dead bodies to dispose of.¡±


    Holding the last Space Wolf by his throat, I hoisted him into the air and looked him dead in the eyes. Waiting for him to stop resisting, he quickly settled down and accepted his loss. Letting him go, he collapsed to the ground and gasped for air.


    ¡°Now then, children, I hope we will not have any further incidents in the future.¡±, I remarked, using healing and time manipulation magic to mend their equipment and injuries. ¡°All of you now understand that I could kill you with ease if I wanted to; remember that next time you challenge my authority and leadership. Now pick your asses up and fall in line with the others.¡±


    Doing as I commanded, Warcrow and the Space Wolves picked themselves up and shuffled over to the others. No longer the hot-headed bunch that arrived several minutes ago, they were all much more receptive to following my commands.


    ¡°Abbess Vahl, I would appreciate it if you considered this matter resolved. There is no need for them to be punished any further than this.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°I understand.¡±, Vahl acknowledged with a nod. ¡°Good luck to all of you and happy hunting.¡±


    With that, Vahl headed back to the Golden Palace while the rest of us were teleported aboard the New Genesis. Arriving in front of the dormitory where they would be staying for the duration of this mission, I turned their attention to the larger building next to it.


    ¡°This is one of our dining halls; it is where all your meals will be served during this trip. Meals are buffet style, so please feel free to eat and drink until you are satisfied.¡±, I told them. ¡°Breakfast is served from 0500 to 0900, lunch is from 1200 to 1500, and dinner is from 1800 to 2100. Outside of those hours, refreshments and snacks are available to tide you over until the next mealtime.¡±


    ¡°Just to confirm, you do know that we need to eat quite a lot of food to sustain ourselves, right?¡±, Warcrow commented.


    ¡°I can assure you that you will not go hungry here, and the taps will not run dry.¡±, I chuckled. ¡°By all means, test that promise to the utmost of your abilities. Just make sure you can function once you are done.¡±


    Liking the sound of that, the group was eager to see what sorts of foods we had available here. Having them follow me into the barracks, I gave them a rundown of the amenities available to them here. As this facility was meant for the Helldivers, everything was sized appropriately so the men would be comfortable, and the women would have plenty of room for their belongings.


    ¡°Every room has a bathroom, temperature controls, hot/cold running water, and electricity?!¡±, Ionica gasped, poking her head into one of the rooms. ¡°This is even better than most noble residences!¡±


    ¡°This barracks can house up to ten thousand soldiers, so there is more than enough room for all of you to have your own space. If you experience any problems, my staff is available around the clock to fix any problems you might have.¡±, I told everyone, ¡°Now then, please make yourselves comfortable. We will speak further after my business on Mars has concluded.¡±


    Leaving the troops to sort things out from there, I teleported onto the bridge and began preparations to relocate to Mars.

 Chapter 128

    ---3rd Person POV, Artemis Space Station---


    Sifting through thousands of job postings from neighboring sectors, Aela and company were in search of jobs that pushed them to their limits. Having taken only easy and simple jobs up till now, the women were eager to have a genuine challenge for once. As they offered up potential postings for the others to weigh in on, Angelica noticed that Mylene was not looking too well. Turning to her with a concerned look, she placed a hand on Mylene¡¯s head to check for a fever.


    ¡°Mylene, you really need to get yourself checked out. You have not been well for several days now, and you seem to be getting worse.¡±, Angelica commented, drawing the other¡¯s attention to Mylene, ¡°I know you want to keep up with us, but you should not do it at the expense of your health. Victor offered to postpone his expedition to stay by your bedside. Why did you not take him on his proposition?¡±


    ¡°Like I keep telling you, it is just a bad stomach bug. If I can run a nation while battling pneumonia, I can fight pirates with a queasy stomach.¡±, Mylene laughed with a weak smile.


    ¡°You are not fooling anyone; we need to take you back home so you can rest.¡±, Lucoa said with a firm tone, ¡°One of us will stay back with you until Victor returns home.¡±


    ¡°No!!¡±, Mylene snapped, looking at them with irritation. ¡°Let us just pick a damn job and get¡­ Oh god¡­¡±


    Hit with another bout of intense nausea, Mylene bolted to the women¡¯s restroom and barged inside. A few moments after the door closed, the sounds of her barfing up breakfast echoed throughout the immediate vicinity. Letting out sighs of frustration, Angelica asked what they were going to do with Mylene as she was not listening to reason.


    ¡°Olivia, maybe your healing magic could patch her up?¡±, Clarice suggested. ¡°I know Victor taught you a spell for seasickness; that should do the trick.¡±


    ¡°Mylene already had me try that on her in secret; it did absolutely nothing to help her.¡±, Olivia replied with a sad look. ¡°I do not think magic is going to help her with this one. Maybe she picked up a parasite eating something back home?¡±


    ¡°And only she got sick, I doubt it.¡±, Deirdre said, shaking her head. ¡°No, it has to be something else.¡±


    <Since all of you stopped using protection, I have been monitoring your cycles, eating habits, and overall health. In the past month, Mylene has begun to increase her food intake, gained a few pounds, and missed her period. Based on my findings, she is likely pregnant with Lord Stark¡¯s child.> (Cleare)


    Horrified that the AI had been secretly keeping track of such information, the women were about to tear her a new one until the weight of what she suggested hit them. Recalling what they had learned in school, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia all looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. Having never considered that possibility until now, everything fell into place in their minds.


    ¡°I suppose this is to be expected; Mylene pulls Victor into the bedroom whenever he is not otherwise preoccupied.¡±, Deirdre giggled, ¡°Maybe we should take a page from her book and do the same moving forward. My family is breathing down my neck to sire a child; I assume you are in the same boat, Angelica and Clarice.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes¡­ My father asks almost weekly if I am carrying his grandchildren yet. He has already renovated a room in our family¡¯s mansion for when they come to see them.¡±, Clarice laughed with a warm smile.


    ¡°Well, after what went down a few days ago¡­¡±, Lucoa said with a naughty smile, ¡°Whose is to say that more of us are not pregnant too?¡±


    Recalling their experience after Victor¡¯s body change, the women looked away from one another in embarrassment. Vividly recalling how he lovingly ravaged their bodies, they began to fidget around uncontrollably while giggling like schoolgirls. Clearing her throat to snap them out of it, their receptionist was none too happy about enduring this shameless display. As an unwed woman in her mid-thirties, she hated the fact that these younger women were rubbing their happiness in her face.


    ¡°Since you are uncertain if she is pregnant or not, I suggest you have her checked out by one of the clinics or hospitals on the station. They have several different tests they can perform to tell if she is pregnant and how far along she is.¡±, the receptionist suggested, hiding her annoyance.


    ¡°That is fine; we will have the tests performed back home.¡±, Serana said, recalling Victor¡¯s warnings about examinations and testing off-world. ¡°Cleare, can you please arrange them for all of us?¡±


    <Of course, sending the request via private channels to avoid alerting your husband.> (Cleare)


    Stumbling out of the bathroom, Mylene walked back over to the others and apologized for her outburst. Begrudgingly agreeing to return home to recover, she insisted that no one stay back with her and that they all just go pirate hunting without her. Vehemently denying her request, the women grabbed hold of her and quickly pushed her toward the door. Apologizing to the receptionist for leaving without taking a job, they promised to come back later once this was all sorted out.


    ¡°Do not worry about it; take your time!¡±, the receptionist said with a sour look. ¡®Good riddance! My fragile maiden¡¯s heart could not take much more of that. I have no idea how Sally can tolerate them; she is in the same boat I am!¡¯


    Boarding Yamato in a hurry, Angelica and Clarice explained things to Mylene while Deirdre took the helm. Elated that her sickness might be linked to a pregnancy, Mylene began to shed tears of joy and happiness as they set a course for home.


    ---Medical Bay---


    Receiving a private message from Cleare, Medical Commander Vaugh dropped everything she was doing and prepared a private room for Victor¡¯s wives. As his pseudo-daughter, Vaugh was eager to discover how many new siblings she and her fellow commanders were going to meet in the near future. Welcoming them into the private suite, once they arrived, Vaugh had everyone take a seat so she could take their blood pressure and check a few things out.


    ¡°Not to be rude, but can you really tell if I am pregnant by checking down my throat?¡±, Mylene inquired with a confused look.


    ¡°Haha, we have not even begun the test for that yet. I am just running a battery of tests to have a reference point for future visits.¡±, Vaugh said, ¡°Since some medical conditions take years to develop, we can detect them early if we check patients out on a yearly basis.¡±


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, what sort of test do you use to check for pregnancy? Do you have a magic item, potion, or spell that detects it?¡±, Serana questioned out of curiosity.


    ¡°It is really simple, actually. I will have you pee a little into a cup, then test it for telltale chemicals in your urine.¡±, Vaugh answered with a smile, ¡°We will know the answer within a few minutes after that.¡±


    Looking at her with shocked expressions, everyone thought she was just messing with them at first. Wrapping up her testing, Vaugh took a moment to explain how the test worked and what chemicals they were looking for. Assuring them that this method was the easiest and quickest way to get them answers, they reluctantly followed her orders and one by one stepped into the bathroom to collect a sample. Marking each cup with their names, once she had a sample from everyone, Vaugh dropped test strips into each one and waited a few moments for the strips to reveal the answers they sought. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh!! Mine has a plus¡­ Is that good?¡±, Lucoa remarked, staring at the blue plus sign on her test.


    ¡°A minus means you are not pregnant, and a plus means you are.¡±, Vaugh told her as the other tests completed. ¡°Congratulations, Lucoa and Mylene! Both of you are pregnant!!¡±


    Hearing those golden words, Mylene began to do a little happy dance while hugging Angelica and Clarice tightly. Shedding tears of unbridled joy, the former queen was beyond ecstatic that she was carrying Victor¡¯s child. As relief began to wash over her, Lucoa fell to her knees in shock.


    ¡°I... I am going to be a mother¡­ ¡°, Lucoa remarked, still coming to terms with the thought.


    ¡°Lucoa, did you not want to be mother?¡±, Roxanne questioned with a confused look.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­ I have always wanted children of my own.¡±, Lucoa answered, looking at Roxanne with tears in her eyes. ¡°Ever since I set out from my village, I have always wanted to bring children into the world. It took me centuries to find a man who loved me for who I was, not just because I have a big butt and large breasts. The fact that we are having our first child so soon after marrying... I... I am just so overwhelmed that I do not know how to act.¡±


    ¡°I hate to bring this up now, Lucoa, but do you know much about your species¡¯ pregnancies? We have minimal data on your kind, as they hardly ever leave your homeland on the eastern side of the kingdom.¡±, Vaugh said in a serious tone, ¡°It would be wise to have information about it so we can help ensure you carry the baby to term.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I was not a very astute student during my youth, so most of those lessons went in one ear and out the other.¡±, Lucoa admitted, wanting to learn more to ensure the safety of her child. ¡°While I am not keen on going back home, since it is for the unborn baby, I will swallow my pride and speak with the elders back home about it. Do you guys think you can come with me as moral support?¡±


    Having heard little about her life prior to meeting Victor, they were eager to learn more about their close friend. Readily agreeing to tag along with her, Vaugh asked to come along as well to record the necessary data for future use. Seeing no harm in it, Lucoa agreed to her request and suggested they get going now to get it over with.


    ¡°Why exactly are you so against visiting home?¡±, Aela inquired.


    ¡°Let us just say that I was not a nice person to be around in my youth. I caused quite a few problems back home with my magic.¡±, Lucoa laughed dryly, ¡°You will hear all about it when you meet everyone¡­¡±


    With that, the women took Yamato and headed out to Lucoa¡¯s hometown.

 Chapter 129

    Located in the mountains of eastern Holfort, Lucoa¡¯s village was hidden within a narrow valley that few outsiders were aware of. Receiving only the occasional visit from the local lord and traveling merchants, when the locals caught sight of a battleship sailing into their harbor, they flew into a panic fearing they were being invaded. Having the children and elderly take refuge in the Elders¡¯ longhouse, everyone else grabbed their makeshift weapons and rushed to the docks to make a stand there. Nervously standing at the end of the pier, the villagers readied themselves to fight to the death.


    ¡°You¡­ You do not scare us invaders!!¡±, a black-haired, single-horned dragoness proclaimed, gripping her wooden sword nervously. ¡°The Dragon Clan is more than capable of taking you out!¡±


    ¡°Elma, what in the world are you doing!?¡±, Lucoa sighed over the ship¡¯s external speakers. ¡°Are you too blind to notice the noble crest on the ship belongs to the Holfort Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ ¡°, Elma replied, recognizing her voice, ¡°Wait¡­ Is that you, Lucoa!? What are you doing aboard a battleship?¡±


    ¡°Give us a minute; we are on our way out. I will explain everything to you in person.¡±, Lucoa stated.


    Realizing that they were not under attack, the villagers let out a collective sigh of relief as Yamato¡¯s forward doors opened. Extending a ramp out to the walkway, Lucoa and company disembarked the vessel with apologetic expressions. Rushing over to her, the dragoness pulled Elma into a hug and told her it was nice to see her again. Returning the gesture for a moment, she quickly snapped back to reality and pushed Lucoa away.


    ¡°Alright, Lucoa, talk! Whose battleship is this, and who are these people with you?¡±, Elma questioned with an irritated look. ¡°Depending on your answer, I may have to put you down!¡±


    ¡°Jeez, still as serious as ever, I see.¡±, Lucoa giggled with a happy smile, ¡°This is Duke Stark¡¯s former flagship Yamato, and aside from the women in the white coat, we are his wives.¡±


    ¡°Duke Stark, who is that?¡±, Elma remarked as she looked at the other women in confusion. ¡°Hold on a moment, is that Queen Mylene!? Why is the queen here?"


    Realizing they were several years behind the rest of the country, Mylene took a few minutes to update them on recent events. Telling them about her divorce from the king, the downfall of the Principality, and the nation¡¯s newest duke, the villagers were dumbfounded that none of this had been communicated to them. Immediately apologizing for their behavior, Elma dispersed the crowd and sent people to tell the Elders that it was a false alarm.


    ¡°Now that we have cleared that mess up, can I ask what brought you here today?¡±, Elma questioned in a softer tone. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡­ I am pregnant.¡±, Lucoa answered as she touched her stomach. ¡°As you know, I did not pay much attention to lessons growing up, so I came back to ask for help. From what I can vaguely recall, there are several do¡¯s and do not¡¯s for our kind during pregnancy. My hope is that the Elders or one of my friends might offer me some guidance so I can carry this baby to term.¡±


    ¡°You are pregnant!?¡±, Elma shouted with excitement. ¡°Fafnir, Ilulu, Tohru, did you hear that? Another dragon is going to be born!! Kanna will be elated to have someone to play with finally.¡±


    ¡°¡­we are standing right here, no need to yell¡­¡±, Fafnir complained with an irritable look. ¡°While I am still trying to wrap my head around the thought of you being married and having kids, I am genuinely happy for you. Just out of curiosity, you did not get him drunk for both events, right?¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you too, Fafnir.¡±, Lucoa laughed with a sigh, ¡°As for your question, I will have you know that Victor genuinely loves me and all my quirks. We have known each other since he was just a little kid.¡±


    ¡°I see, so you used brainwashing to get yourself a husband. It all makes sense now.¡±, Fafnir commented as Tohru drove her fist into his gut to shut him up.


    Knocking the wind out of him, Fafnir collapsed to the ground gasping for air. Managing to wheeze out an apology, he curled up into a ball to recover from impact.


    ¡°Lucoa, is he really your friend?¡±, Roxanne inquired.


    ¡°Fafnir is a rather unique individual; he prefers the company of his books to living people. Due to his reclusive lifestyle, any language filter and tact he once had vanished long ago.¡±, Lucoa giggled, ¡°The fact that he stuck around shows he still considers me a friend. If he did not, he would have been among the first to leave.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡°, Angelica remarked, deciding to chalk it up to the uniqueness of dragons.


    Stepping forward to greet her friend, Tohru pulled Lucoa into a hug with a big smile. Happy to see her old friend again in the flesh, she immediately began demanding an answer to why she had never written back to her all these years. Giving Tohru a very confused look, Lucoa asked what she was going on about. Having received nothing from the village since her departure, she honestly thought that Tohru was just messing around with her for not coming back sooner to see them.


    ¡°Since your abrupt departure, Tohru and I have written you letters each year to check up on you.¡±, Elma insisted, ¡°Are you saying you never once received a letter from any of us?¡±


    ¡°I only received one letter; it was from the Elders announcing Kanna¡¯s birth.¡±, Lucoa assured them.


    ¡°Told you those old bag of bones were withholding your letters.¡±, Ilulu commented as she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You have grown up to be quite the looker, Ilulu. Last time I saw you, you were just a little girl.¡±, Lucoa remarked with a happy smile, ¡°Have you found yourself a boyfriend or husband yet?¡±


    ¡°I am not interested in finding someone and settling down yet. My plan is to become an adventurer when I come of age and seek out excitement outside this dull place.¡±, Ilulu said with a proud smile.


    ¡°Uh¡­ If Lucoa has been gone for a few hundred years, does that not mean you are at least that old?¡±, Olivia spoke up, ¡°You are more than old enough to register as an adventurer at this point.¡±


    ¡°Since dragons mature far slower than other races, we are forbidden from leaving the village until our five hundredth birthday.¡±, Elma explained, looking at Lucoa. ¡°Lucoa here broke that law when she fled the village, and her subsequent escapades caused quite a lot of headaches for all of us.¡±


    Turning to Lucoa for a further explanation, the dragoness resigned herself to telling them everything that happened back then. Starting with what led up to her self-imposed exile, Lucoa stated that she was a very unruly child growing up. Disinterested with the boring, mundane lifestyle of the village, she sought to create her own excitement by pranking other villagers and wreaking havoc whenever and wherever she could. Starting small with things like egging houses and setting farm animals loose, slowly she ratcheted things up until one day one of her pranks went too far.


    ¡°I¡­ I set up a few fireworks to jump scare locals along one of our less used pathways. Since I had no former experience using explosives, I used a bit too much and accidentally caused a rockslide when the surprise was triggered.¡±, Lucoa spoke, ¡°My victim managed to avoid being caught in the rockslide, but the sacred shrine further down the slope was not so lucky. Before I could do anything to stop it, the debris tore apart the most revered place in the village. In that moment, I genuinely thought they were going to kill me for desecrating the shrine¡­ So I wrote a letter of apology and stowed away aboard a merchant¡¯s vessel.¡±


    ¡°Initially no one had any idea what happened, but after investigating the scene, the Elders went to find Lucoa to reprimand her. They found her letter inside her home and dispatched several adults to go find her. Assuming she had used Dragonification to flee, no one bothered to search the ship, allowing her to escape completely unnoticed. At the next port of call, Lucoa jumped ship and disappeared into the crowd, according to the merchant.¡±, Elma further explained, ¡°Since she was hellbent on hiding from them, the Elders decided to let her go and washed their hands of her. Over the many years since then, we occasionally heard rumors about her antics, but overall nothing too outlandish happened¡­ until she almost killed a nobleman¡¯s son. After that, we heard absolutely nothing about her, leading us to believe she was either dead or a slave.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the Guildmaster reassigned me to the Bartford Territory¡¯s guild outpost as punishment for my actions. While I was quite bitter about that initially, that reassignment was what led me to meeting my husband, Victor.¡±, Lucoa said with a warm smile, ¡°Since meeting him, my life has been full of nearly unending adventure and excitement. Now I am about to start a new chapter of my life as the mother of his children.¡±


    Even though the long series of events leading up to that point was a headache for many people, her friends were genuinely happy to see that she found her happiness. Promising to support her to the best of their ability, Elma motioned for everyone to follow her as she began walking toward the steep staircase that led to the Elders¡¯ longhouse. Helping Fafnir back to his feet, the group walked up the stairs together while Lucoa¡¯s friends caught her up on everything that had happened in their lives since she left.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later---


    Upon reaching the longhouse, Elma knocked on the door and announced Lucoa¡¯s desire to meet with them. Giving everyone permission to enter, the servant inside requested that everyone take off their shoes as they entered the building. Complying with the request, Elma led the group to where the Elders were awaiting them. Greeting the twelve dragons as they entered the room, Elma took her position nearby as their guard while everyone else took a seat on the cushions provided to them.


    ¡°You caused quite the commotion with your return, Lucoa. While it is partially our fault for not recognizing your husband¡¯s crest, showing up unannounced on a warship is unacceptable.¡±, a dragon with two silver horns remarked with an expressionless look. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°You have my sincerest apology! It was not my intention to sow panic among the villagers.¡±, Lucoa said, bowing her head in respect. ¡°Today I found out that I am expecting my first child. As I failed to pay attention during my studies, I come here seeking your guidance to properly navigate this tumultuous moment in my life. I am honestly terrified that I will make a mistake and harm my child... So please¡­ Help me.¡±


    Looking at one another for a moment, the Elders reflected on the information she gave them. Understanding why she had come back after all this time, most were inclined to offer their guidance, but one of the older female Elders vehemently rejected her request. Berating her colleagues for even thinking about helping her, she reminded them about what she had done prior to fleeing the village.


    ¡°Until Lucoa makes amends for desecrating the Sacred Shrine of Change, we should not even consider helping her.¡±, the fiery red-haired dragoness commented.


    ¡°What must I do to make amends?¡±, Lucoa inquired, willing to do anything for her unborn child.


    ¡°One hundred lashes and ten years of hard, manual labor is a good place to start.¡±, the dragoness responded, much to the dismay of everyone else in the room. ¡°It should honestly be more like fifty years, but I am willing to be lenient on you after enduring a self-imposed exile all these years.¡±


    ¡°First you restrict our ability to reach Lucoa, and now you want to punish her for something that happened several hundred years ago! What happened back then was an accident; she did not mean to destroy the shrine. Until today, she has served a harsh, self-imposed exile and only broke that to seek our help with her pregnancy.¡±, Tohru protested, ¡°You are far too biased on the matter because the dragon who triggered the prank was your daughter. Your punishment would likely result in the death of the unborn child.¡±


    Hearing that their correspondents to Lucoa were being prevented from leaving the village, the Elders turned to the dragoness with a questioning gaze. Confirming that she was indeed the one responsible for withholding the letters, the dragoness blamed her colleagues for not handing out a harsh punishment to Lucoa after locating her in the capital.


    ¡°My daughter was mentally traumatized for decades after the incident. Even though it was Lucoa¡¯s prank that resulted in the destruction of the shrine, she held herself partially responsible for triggering the fireworks.¡±, the dragoness seethed. ¡°While she was eventually able to move past it, I believe we are owed compensation for her mental anguish.¡±


    ¡°You have overstepped your place, Loraine!¡±, a dragon with four electrically charged whiskers snapped. ¡°Several of us sent letters to the Guild asking about Lucoa¡¯s status after the incident with the nobleman¡¯s son. Are you the reason we never received a response from them?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±, she confirmed. ¡°When an official request for compensation from the noble household arrived, I sent a letter on our behalf to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild asking that Lucoa be made a debt slave to compensate the family. A few decades of being a noble¡¯s plaything would have been sufficient compensation for my family¡¯s suffering. My daughter¡¯s fianc¨¦ canceled their engagement because of your stupid prank, and I lost out on having grandchildren!¡±


    ¡°You would have reduced her to a nobleman¡¯s plaything just to satisfy your own grudge¡­¡±, Roxanne snarled as she flashed her teeth. ¡°How dare you suggest that the two things are remotely similar! Utter another word and there will be hell to pay for what you did!!¡±


    Sharing Roxanne¡¯s sentiments, Victor¡¯s other wives glared at her, ready to attack at a moment¡¯s notice. Unwilling to admit she had crossed a line, the dragoness opened her mouth to speak only to find Roxanne¡¯s blade suddenly pressed against her throat. Startled by how quickly Roxanne had moved behind her, she closed her mouth and nodded her head meekly.


    ¡°Please provide us the information Lucoa needs for a safe pregnancy, and we will walk away and never return.¡±, Roxanne told her. ¡°Nod your head if you understand.¡±


    Enthusiastically nodding her head, she gave her consent to share the information with Lucoa. Handing a book over to her that contained everything she could possibly need to know, Roxanne withdrew her blade and returned to the other¡¯s side. Turning to leave the building, Fafnir, Ilulu, and Tohru rose from their seats to address the Elders.


    ¡°Given everything that has happened, I think I speak for the three of us when I say we are leaving with Lucoa.¡±, Tohru said.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±, Fafnir and Ilulu stated.


    ¡°You mean the four of us.¡±, Elma corrected her as she handed over her ceremonial weapon. ¡°Lucoa is my dear friend; I refuse to be employed by someone who would wish her such gruesome harm.¡±


    Shuffling out of the building without another word, the Elders let out a sigh of relief once they were gone. Happy that no blood was spilled today, they were about to begin reprimanding their colleague when a small sphere revealed itself to them.


    <My Master, Duke Stark, would like a word with you.> (Cleare)


    Having relayed the events of what happened here back to Victor, he was none too happy with the Dragon Elders. Sitting on his throne-like chair on the New Genesis¡¯ bridge, his murderous gaze made their blood run cold. With a wave of his hand, the Elders were forcefully pinned to the floor, barely able to breathe.


    ¡°While you are rightfully owed compensation for my wife¡¯s actions in her youth, unfortunately, you will not live to see a single iota of it.¡±, Victor stated, using the Force to crush Loraine into a gory ball. ¡°Anyone stupid enough to threaten my family will taste my unbridled rage. Ensure that your citizens understand what will happen to them if they pursue this matter any further.¡±


    Caked in the blood of their deceased colleague, the Elders swore none would ever speak of this matter again. Assuring him that Lucoa and the others would be left alone, they pleaded for him to let them live. Hoisting them into the air, all of them began clutching at their throats as he squeezed the life out of them.


    ¡°The subordinates I have entrusted to watch over your village will ensure that promise is upheld.¡±, Victor warned them. ¡°Compensation for the destroyed shrine and other damages Lucoa caused will be sent to you within a few days. Good day.¡±


    Ending the call there, the Elders fell to the floor gasping for air. Watching the sphere disappear, they began to tremble as they discovered how terrifying Lucoa¡¯s husband was. Even though he had not been physically there, the hulking giant of a man effortlessly killed one of them and damn near strangled the rest to death. Not wanting to ever encounter him in person, every one of them scrambled out of the building to warn the villagers about involving themselves with Lucoa and the rest again.

 Chapter 130

    ---Five Days Later, Victor POV---


    Initially told that all research on Cadian Pylons was to be completed on Mars, I was taken aback when I found everything waiting for me on the docks. Confused by what I was seeing, the tech-priests nearby inform me that the Fabricator-General had requested everything be released to me without exception. Admitting that they had made no progress whatsoever since they retrieved them from the ruined world, it fell to me now to unlock their secrets. Choosing not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I stowed the materials in my inventory and moved on to the southern edge of the Great Rift.


    <Master, the last of our vessels has arrived. We are ready to move out at any time.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Seriously?! I told them to give me a few days to study the Necron¡¯s technology!¡±, I snapped in an irritated tone.


    <We have been here for five days now, Master. You appear to have lost track of time during your work, like usual.> (Luxion)


    Glancing over at my calendar clock, a long sigh left my lips as I realized he was indeed correct. Reflecting on my work over the past five days, I was genuinely happy I had made twenty functional pylons out of the fifty-seven I received. In addition to that, the ancient technology had revealed quite a number of scientific discoveries that humanity had yet to uncover. This new information would enhance our safety as we traveled through the rift and greatly improve our combat effectiveness against the forces of Chaos.


    ¡°Luxion, please add this frequency range to all our Holtzman Shield units.¡±, I requested, pointing to a number range in my notebook. ¡°It will add an additional layer of protection to our personnel by repelling most of the Warp¡¯s energy. This means the men should be able to safely leave our ships for up to forty-eight hours instead of the initial eight we planned for.¡±


    <Transmitting the update now, Master.> (Luxion)


    Putting everything pertaining to the pylons back into my inventory, I left the laboratory and headed over to the Imperial Dormitory. Wanting to distribute a few items to them before heading out, the Astartes, Custodes, and Sisters of Battle got into formation, eager to see what I had for them. Arming Ionica¡¯s people with energy swords, Holtzman shields, and plasma pistols and rifles, they looked everything over with excitement and intrigue.


    ¡°For those of you unfamiliar with plasma weapons, their projectiles are slightly slower than laser weapons but pack a significantly greater punch. A single shot has enough power to turn you and the person next to you into a green puddle of goo, so please mind your aim.¡±, I warned them. ¡°As far as ammo is concerned, each weapon has its own internal power source, so you will not need to worry about reloading. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°No sir, we are good to go here.¡±, Ionica said with excitement.


    Moving on to the Astartes and Custodes, I handed out Holtzman Shields and plasma pistols to all of them before giving them additional weapons that fit their fighting styles. Starting with the Custodes, I gave them Light Construct Weapons that could replicate any weapon the wielder imagined. The Raven Guard Astartes received specialized energy swords that emitted no noise and were invisible to the naked eye when activated. The Salamanders received enchanted Thunder Hammers whose weight drastically increased a few inches before impact. Lastly, the Space Wolves received gauntlets that contained four two-foot Energy Claws for close quarter combat. Having them all try out their equipment, I felt the collective gazes of the Grey Knights upon me waiting for their turn.


    ¡°Your equipment is something I whipped up over the past few days, so they may need some fine tuning.¡±, I said, handing them Blackstone Swords. ¡°Unfortunately, I was only able to make twenty pylons out of what I was given, but I was able to repurpose what remained for other equipment. These swords possess the same characteristic as the Emperor¡¯s Flaming Sword, meaning a blow from one of them should permanently kill a Daemon without the use of psychic energy. If we can confirm that during our expedition, I can provide the schematics to the Adeptus Mechanicus so they can mass-produce them for the Ecclesiarchy.¡±


    ¡°I see; we will do our utmost to put them through their paces.¡±, the Grey Knight Lieutenant said. ¡®If these blades are truly capable of killing Daemons, it would revolutionize how the Imperium of Man fights the forces of Chaos. No longer would only a small number of groups be solely responsible for slaying Daemons. With the proper training, other groups within the Ecclesiarchy could be utilized to help slay Daemons in tandem with us.¡¯


    ¡°Now that all of you are sufficiently armed and ready for combat, we will begin moving toward the rift in thirty minutes. Be ready to deploy at a moment''s notice.¡±, I told them.


    Sending the same orders to all vessels in my armada, I teleported onto the command bridge to prepare for departure. Finding Amallyn mediating close to the Control Chair, she opened her eyes and looked over at me as I approached. Plopping into my chair, I took a deep breath as I initialized my connection to the ship¡¯s systems. Mistaking my action as a sign of trouble, the Eldar woman stopped her meditating and looked at me with concern.


    ¡°Everything alright, Victor?¡±, Amallyn asked as she got up and walked over to me. ¡°Those Imperial idiots giving you more trouble again?¡±


    ¡°No, they have not given me any problems since I stomped out their discontent.¡±, I chuckled with amusement. ¡°Were you able to contact any Eldar Craftworlds? Any Eldar survivors we encounter out there will certainly want to relocate to a Craftworld and not stay with us.¡±


    ¡°I received word from thirteen Craftworlds; all of them are more than happy to take in refugees we find. The Biel-Tan Council was one of the most boisterous ones, as they are apparently in dire need of additional manpower.¡±, Amallyn said with a hint of sadness.


    Unable to contact Craftworlds without Amallyn''s assistance, I felt terrible for putting her in this position. While I was grateful that Biel-Tan¡¯s leadership did drag her name through the dirt in front of the other groups, telling her they were in dire need of additional manpower was a very low blow.


    ¡°You gave Biel-Tan your blood, sweat, and tears, but those rat bastards are too blind and stubborn to see that. Do not let them continue to dictate your self-value and worth, Amallyn.¡±, I remarked as I pulled her into my arms. ¡°While they sit comfortably in their cozy homes, you are about to risk your very soul to save Eldar trapped within the Great Rift. No matter what they say, you will always be a valiant warrior ready to lay it all on the line for your people.¡±


    Taken aback by sudden action and words, the Eldar woman did not know what to do initially. Quickly calming herself down, she did not try to squirm out of my embrace like she normally would have.


    ¡°I appreciate your kind words, Victor.¡±, Amallyn said softly, ¡°It would be nice to have a bit of warning before you say things like that, though. My heart and mind go haywire every time you catch me off guard, and that could be fatal for me. I am honestly starting to believe you think it is funny watching my struggle to maintain control of my emotions.¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Guilty as charged, I find your reactions to be quite cute.¡±, I teased her.


    ¡°Damn you¡­¡°, Amallyn muttered with a smile.


    Shifting into a more comfortable position, the two of us exchanged glances for a moment in silence. Out of nowhere, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on my cheek with an embarrassed look. Refusing to let her get off so easily, I leaned in and kissed her right on the lips. Wrapping her arms around my neck, Amallyn pulled herself closer to return the gesture. Sitting there for what felt like an eternity, we parted lips and continued to stare into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Victor, are you truly certain you want to be with me? We come from two vastly different societies, and engaging with me will cause problems for you within the Imperium. Most of them will frown upon our relationship, just as my people will.¡±, Amallyn said, wanting to ensure I understood what I was in for.


    ¡°I could care less what any of them think about us.¡±, I answered with a grin. ¡°As long as we are content and happy, that is all that matters. Right?¡±


    ¡°You better not regret this decision later, Victor. The only way our partnership is going to end is if one of us dies. The Eldar have no concept of divorce; we take our vows very seriously.¡±, Amallyn stated as she made herself comfortable on my lap.


    ¡°Good thing I have no concept of it either.¡±, I chuckled.


    Relaxing her body, Amallyn closed her eyes and began to meditate once again. While she mentally prepared herself for the onslaught that was coming, I interfaced with the city ship and engaged the engines. Moving into position immediately, each vessel in the armada sounded off once they were ready to move. Having every vessel engage their Argent Shielding, we proceeded forward to the Great Rift.

 Chapter 131

    As we entered the Great Rift, Amallyn grabbed hold of my arm and shut her eyes. Bracing herself for psychic attacks from Slaanesh and her subordinates, I used a few magic spells on her to buff her physical and mental resistances. Waiting for a reaction of some kind from her, after several suspenseful minutes, Amallyn opened her eyes and looked out the window in confusion.


    ¡°Something is wrong; I should be experiencing a terrible migraine right now, but I feel absolutely nothing. If I am being honest, it is even quieter than when we were in the Materium.¡±, Amallyn remarked, looking back at me. ¡°Is this your doing?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I used magic to improve your mental fortitude and increase your psychic resistance.¡±, I answered, genuinely surprised by the magic¡¯s effectiveness on her.


    ¡°I see. Well, I appreciate your assistance. It will make this journey quite a lot more tolerable.¡±, Amallyn said, sliding off my lap to retrieve her weapons from nearby. ¡°So, where do we go from here?¡±


    ¡°Give me a few moments to meditate, I should have an answer afterward.¡±, I advised closing my eyes and emptying my mind of everything.


    Feeling my mind slowly melding with the Force, an image of a heavily scarred planet came into focus. Almost entirely devoid of life, a group of several hundred thousand people were holed up in the wreckage of an Imperial vessel near the ruins of a hive city. Having jerry-rigged things to keep the power on, from how the engineers were reacting, the survivors were only a few hours away from being wiped out by the Daemons and Chaos Marines outside.


    ¡®They were very fortunate that the Gellar Field and Void Shields were still intact after crashing into the planet.¡¯, I thought as I caught a glimpse of a large man in white armor organizing their defenders. ¡®Is that¡­ is that Kaldor Draigo?!¡¯


    Seeing the Grey Knight¡¯s Supreme Grand Master giving out orders to guardsmen and volunteer soldiers, I initially thought the Warp was messing with my connection to the Force. Knowing that Grey Knights slaughtered civilians unfortunate enough to see them on the battlefield, his presence on the ruined vessel greatly piqued my interest. Deciding not to dwell on it, as I began to slowly ease myself out, several distant voices began calling out to me.


    <Victor¡­ grab¡­ weapon¡­> (???)


    Barely able to hear them, my gut told me that it was the Daedric Princes trying to contact me. Retrieving Dawnbreaker from my inventory, the connection suddenly improved drastically, allowing me to hear them perfectly.


    <Can you hear me, Victor?> (Meridia)


    ¡°Yes, I can.¡±, I answer telepathically. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    <We noticed your arrival in the Warp a few moments ago and wanted to check in with you. Have our weapons been of use to you?> (Meridia)


    ¡°Absolutely, they have proven invaluable for slaying our mutual enemies.¡±, I chuckled.


    <Splendid, then might we request a favor of you?> (Mehrunes Dagon)


    ¡°Well, it depends on what you want to ask me.¡±, I replied hesitantly.


    No longer satisfied with blackening our enemy¡¯s eye indirectly, the Daedric Princes requested that I send large quantities of enemies to their domain for slaughter. Feeling the urge to release a bit of pent-up rage, they were hoping I would take pity on them and help them out.


    ¡°Given that all of you are Lesser Chaos Gods, Greater Daemons, and below should be fine, right?¡±, I questioned, wanting confirmation from them.


    <Absolutely, we will take whatever you can give us!> (Hircine)


    ¡°Alright, I suppose I can share the fun with you guys.¡±, I agreed as I cracked a grin. ¡°In a few minutes, you should start receiving some enemies.¡±


    Thanking me several times, before abruptly severing the connection, I sounded the alarm and ordered everyone to prepare for battle. Opening a Force Storm to the planet in my vision, the armada advanced through it while my ground forces prepared for combat. Catching the enemy ships in orbit completely off guard, my forward ships opened fire upon them immediately, aiming straight for their reactor cores. Having foolishly left their shields down, believing no help would come for the survivors, the enemy was unable to stop our attacks from hitting their marks.


    Watching them explode into massive fireballs, the wrecked ships began falling into the planet¡¯s atmosphere. Alerting the medical teams to expect survivors to begin arriving within the next few minutes, I attempted to reach out to the Supreme Grand Master on the ship telepathically.


    ¡°Lord Kaldor Draigo, can you hear me?¡±, I inquired. ¡°This is Primarch Stark. We are here to rescue all of you. Please tell the survivors to grab their personal effects and await transport.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Lord Stark, I will have the guardsmen inform the civilians immediately.¡±, Draigo responded almost immediately.


    Surprised by his willingness to trust me, even though we had never met before, the first thought that came to mind was the Emperor of Mankind. Using his psychic power, he had likely told the pockets of survivors that I was coming and to follow my orders without question. Grateful to him for doing so, as it would make things significantly easier for me, I waited a few minutes for word to spread throughout the wreckage before teleporting people onboard. Closely monitoring the situation on the ground for any changes in the enemy¡¯s movements, they seemed blissfully unaware of what was happening right in front of them.


    ¡°All vessels within range, prepare for orbital bombardment.¡±, I commanded, bringing the New Genesis¡¯ heavy Argent laser cannons online.


    Taking this opportunity to send the Daedric Princes their fodder, I chose a large grouping at the rear of the horde and opened a Force Storm beneath their feet. Letting out horrified screams as they fell into the dark abyss, those nearby were torn to shreds by the storm¡¯s destructive power. Sowing panic throughout their ranks, the enemy momentarily looked away from the vessel to see what was happening.


    ¡°All ships, commence firing!¡±, I ordered as thousands of weapon batteries opened on the enemy ranks.


    Watching as tens of thousands of enemy units were vaporized on contact, the Daemons began to teleport away while the Chaos Marines were left to fend for themselves. While some sought shelter beneath nearby debris, others ran to their transport vehicles and attempted to flee the area. Blasting them out of the sky, Amallyn let out an amused laugh as the wrecked ships then proceeded to slam into swarms of Slaanesh¡¯s Daemons.


    ¡°It feels good to get some payback against those vile things.¡±, Amallyn commented with a smile. ¡°Too bad we cannot go down there and rough them up a bit ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Since there were only a few hundred thousand people, we only needed to distract the enemy for a short time to complete the rescue operation. When we encounter larger groups, I promise we will go down and purge the enemy.¡±, I chuckled as the last group was brought aboard. ¡°Now then¡­ time to cleanse this planet of all Daemonic taint!¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Bringing the BFG-12,000 online, a green light began to radiate from the central tower of the city ship. Growing brighter with each passing moment, once the weapon was at ten percent charge, it fired directly into what remained of the enemy forces. Obliterating their bodies and souls on contact, Amallyn looked on in amazement as she felt their psyches vanish from existence.


    ¡°While I hate to admit it, Victor, you have certainly surpassed the Aeldari¡¯s current level of technology.¡±, Amallyn commented as the sea of raw energy burned everything away, ¡°Promise me that you will not share such terrifying weapons with the Imperium of Man. While we can trust you to be fair and reasonable toward the Aeldari and other sentient races, many of the Imperium¡¯s leaders would use it as a tool to eradicate species that inconvenience them.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I have no intention of providing them with any technology beyond what they could acquire from their galactic neighbors, make themselves with the resources they have on hand already, or recreate from their ancient past.¡±, I promised as I toggled the monitor view to where Draigo and the survivors were currently being checked out. ¡°I will be back in a few minutes.¡±


    Nodding her head, Amallyn turned back to the viewing window while I teleported down to the newcomers. Arriving on the scene, just as the Grey Knights did, the Astartes approached the head of their order and knelt before him respectfully.


    ¡°Lord Draigo, it is good to see you alive and well!¡±, the Grey Knight lieutenant proclaimed. ¡°Have these people been checked for any signs of daemonic possession or warp mutations?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are all clean.¡±, Draigo confirmed as he motioned for them to stand up. ¡°What are those weapons on your waists? They are not our standard-issue weapons, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, Lord Stark provided them to us a short time ago.¡±, the lieutenant answered.


    ¡°May I see one of the blades?¡±, Draigo inquired.


    Readily handing his blade over, the Supreme Grand Master took a moment to carefully examine the blade. Swinging it around a few times, he returned to the lieutenant with a pleased expression.


    ¡°Lord Stark has given each of you a powerful tool to combat the daemons. While you may not realize it, those blades possess the power to bring down a Greater Daemon with a single blow. As you are now, though, you would struggle to draw out even a quarter of their potential. Continue to hone your minds and bodies so that one day, you can wield their full power.¡±, Draigo told them.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Draigo!¡±, the Grey Knights acknowledged, hiding their excitement.


    Having the men watch the crowd of people, in case something slipped in during transit, Draigo walked over to me with a stony face expression. Looking me over as he approached, the two of us exchanged a firm handshake and formally introduced ourselves.


    ¡°Out of curiosity, did the Emperor of Mankind tell you I was coming?¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, he did, several months ago.¡±, Draigo responded. ¡°He requested my assistance in keeping them alive long enough for you to reach them. The group has dwindled substantially over the past few weeks, but fortunately, you arrived just before the last line of defense collapsed.¡±


    ¡°That explains things then; I was wondering why you were with this group of survivors.¡±, I chuckled. ¡°It is my understanding that Grey Knights usually execute civilians when they are seen on the battlefield. Is that no longer the case?¡±


    ¡°Our Order used to have many archaic rules like that, but after the Indomitus Crusade began, we slowly repealed many of those outdated protocols. Lord Guilliman needed the Grey Knights to help reclaim many fallen worlds, so it became abundantly clear that we needed to change our ways.¡±, Draigo elaborated, ¡°Make no mistake, we took no pleasure in executing the Emperor¡¯s people. It was a necessary evil to ensure we stayed out of the limelight and could perform our duties covertly.¡±


    Aware that the Imperium of Man had many stupid protocols like that, prior to the formation of the Great Rift, nowadays it made sense for them to revise that stance. While they continued to deny the existence of the Daemons to the public, there was no denying or hiding the massive, dimensional fissure in the center of the Imperium.


    ¡°I am glad to hear such barbaric rules have been removed. Your need for secrecy is understandable, but culling innocent civilians was taking things way too far.¡±, I remarked. ¡°Now then, before I address the civilians, I believe you have a curse that needs to be broken.¡±


    ¡°You are not suggesting you possess the power to break a Daemon Prince¡¯s curse, are you?¡±, Draigo replied with a skeptical look. ¡°Many ranking members of the Ecclesiarchy have tried and lost their lives in the process of¡ª ¡°


    ¡°Uncurse.¡±, I chanted, ¡°And for good measure, Sanctification.¡±


    Feeling his body suddenly becoming lighter, a black mist began radiating out of every seam of his armor. Dissipating after leaving him, Draigo cautiously looked himself over in disbelief. Sensing that the Warp Magic had completely left him, he looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°That¡­ that was all it took?¡±, Draigo stated, unable to come to terms with what happened. ¡°The Emperor said you possessed tremendous intelligence and power, but this is something else. Even the former Ecclesiarch Baldo Slyst was unable to do a thing about it, and you purged the curse with a few words.¡±


    ¡°Well now that you are free, do you want to head back to Terra immediately or continue on with us?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°While I would love nothing more than to continue slaying daemons within the Warp, I believe I should return to my Order and begin preparing for the counteroffensive you are planning.¡±, Draigo said with a grateful nod.


    Opening a portal to Terra for him, Draig bid his men and the survivors goodbye before leaving. Turning to the survivors, I began to introduce myself before proceeding to show them where they would be staying for the time being.


    ---3rd Person POV, Terra---


    Looking around his arrival point, Draigo¡¯s eyes fell upon the Emperor, who was amidst a discussion with Dorn, El Johnson, and Guilliman. Stopping midsentence, the four men turned to look at him in a brief moment of confusion. Dropping to his knees and bowing his head, the Supreme Grand Master attempted to greet the Emperor of Mankind but found himself unable to utter a word. Having been left in the dark about the Emperor¡¯s resurrection, he wished Victor had said something before sending him here.


    ¡°Raise your head, Kaldor Draigo. You have endured a great many hardships for the Imperium of Man, and not once have you faltered in your duties. All of us here owe you a great debt of gratitude for your tireless efforts to safeguard the people from our enemies.¡±, the Emperor said, motioning for him to have a seat at the table. ¡°If my eyes do not deceive me, the curse placed upon you by M¡¯kar has been lifted. Is this my grandson¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, my Lord. He removed it before sending me here.¡±, Draigo confirmed as he rose to take the empty seat before him.


    ¡°My word, I had no idea Lord Stark possessed the power to dispel a Daemon Prince¡¯s curse!¡±, Ritira commented with surprise, ¡°I understand now why he was so confident in saving the remaining civilians within the rift.¡±


    Turning his head to look at the opposite end of the table, Draigo discovered that all the current High Lords of Terra were present here as well. Realizing he was intruding on their meeting, the Supreme Grand Master attempted to excuse himself but was again instructed by the Emperor to take a seat. Doing as the Emperor commanded, as he sat down with them, the Ecclesiarch called out for a servant to bring Draigo some food and drink.


    ¡°While I am certain the High Lords have many questions for you, I want to know about the survivors I tasked you with protecting. How many of them was Victor able to save?¡±, the Emperor inquired.


    ¡°Initially, there were several million survivors when I arrived on the planet. By the time Lord Stark arrived, the number had dwindled to a few hundred thousand.¡±, Draigo answered with an apologetic expression, ¡°My apologies, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Given the circumstances, you did well, Draigo.¡±, the Emperor praised him.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡±, Draigo replied. ¡°If I may, would you allow me to request several thousand Black Blades from Lord Stark? He outfitted the Grey Knights in his fortress with powerful energy swords that I strongly believe possess the capability of slaying Greater Daemons with a single blow.¡±


    ¡°Black Blades, you say¡­ I am afraid we have not heard anything about them, but I have my suspicions about what they might be.¡±, Guilliman remarked, contacting Victor via his tablet. ¡°One moment; we can have him clarify for us.¡±


    ¡°But Lord Stark is on the eastern edge of the Great Rift right now¡­¡±, Draigo responded with confusion.


    Before anyone could explain things to him, Victor answered the call and greeted his uncle. Startled by how quickly they were able to contact him, he glanced around the table for an explanation. Given the vast distance between his location and Terra, instantaneous communication like this should have been impossible.


    ¡°This is one of the innovations Victor has brought to the Imperium of Man.¡±, the Emperor told him. ¡°As you can see, our military forces and planetary governments will soon be able to communicate with each other in real time instead of days or months.¡±


    ¡°In addition, Lord Stark is working on an alternative method for us to cross vast distances in space in seconds.¡±, Abbess Vahl added, ¡°Per his words, we will be able to move from Repentance to Ran¡¯s Eglise in seconds. This will allow us to bring the full weight of the Imperium¡¯s military power down anywhere in our galaxy in hours rather than months or years.¡±


    Believing that Victor might be a bit overzealous in his description of things, the Emperor told Draigo that the technology was very real. Having seen Victor¡¯s diagrams and notes on the Intragalactic Transport Gates, the math and science confirmed that it was indeed possible.


    ¡°So¡­ you are saying the need for Doomscryers and Prognosticars may soon disappear?¡±, Draigo remarked.


    ¡°In an ideal world, we would be made aware of a daemonic incursion within minutes of the initial outbreak and have men on the ground soon afterward.¡±, El Johnson stated with a serious expression, ¡°We can pull resources from all over the Imperium, ensuring that no front is left vulnerable to surprise attacks.¡±


    Happy to hear that the Imperium of Man was once again trying to remove its overreliance on the Warp, he looked forward to seeing the day when humanity cut the cord permanently. Turning their attention back to Guilliman and Stark¡¯s conversation, the Primarch asked his nephew about the swords Draigo had mentioned.


    ¡°You are referring to the Blackstone Swords I made from remnants of Cadia¡¯s Pylons.¡±, Victor stated, ¡°Out of the fifty-seven pylons I was given, twenty of them have been restored to full operational use again. The remaining thirty-seven pylons were scrapped to build other items that are at varying levels of completion. Would you like to see one?¡±


    ¡°If you would not mind, Draigo wants to order several thousand of them for the Grey Knights.¡±, Guilliman acknowledged.


    Retrieving one from his inventory, Victor opened a portal to the meeting room and gingerly slipped his hand through. Handing it to Draigo directly, everyone present looked on in disbelief at how effortlessly he managed to bend space.


    ¡°The Blackstone Swords function similarly to the Necron¡¯s Hyperphase Swords but have one major difference. While the Necron blades phase in and out of dimensions to cut things, my blades vibrate at ultra high speed to it.¡±, Victor elaborated, ¡°During my research, I discovered that when Blackstone is charged with a small amount of pure void energy, the material begins to vibrate at nearly unregistrable speeds. In addition to this, it gains the ability to destroy anything within the realm of the metaphysical it encounters. Be it a daemon or a soul, it obliterates it all.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look at the blade for a moment.¡±, the Emperor requested.


    Gingerly handing the blade over to him, the Emperor withdrew the blade from its scabbard to examine it. Rising from his seat, he walked over to the nearby wall and swung the weapon at it. Cutting through the wall like it was made of air, those watching him let out a startled gasp. Returning the blade to Draigo, after he sheathed it again, a smile slowly crept upon his face.


    ¡°Victor, please send the Mechanicus the schematics for this weapon immediately. I want one in the hands of every Astarte officer, Custode, and Grey Knight.¡±, the Emperor stated. ¡°Given its ease of use, it may be wise to also provide them to the Inquisition and the Sisters of Battle.¡±


    ¡°Sending it over now.¡±, Victor said. ¡®When we join up with the Aeldari, I will provide them with the schematics as well. Since I see them as allies, it only makes sense that I share this information with them.¡¯


    Confirming they had received the schematics, Raskin let out a few garbled chuckles over his speakers. Relieved that Victor was able to unlock the secrets of the pylons, he was even more excited to have new things to tinker with. Since it had the Omnissiah¡¯s approval, the Mechanicus would ensure the plans were followed to the letter.


    ¡°Thank you, Victor. Happy hunting!¡±, Guilliman said before ending the call.

 Chapter 132

    ---Victor POV, Three Days Later---


    Receiving an abrupt wake-up call shortly after 4 am, the night watchman alerted me to an ongoing development that required my immediate attention. Asking for additional details, so I could determine the severity of the situation myself, instead of answering me, the officer began to play an audio recording.


    ¡°Hello?! Please, someone, anyone, answer me!!¡±, a desperate voice cried out. ¡°This is Guardsman Serpedal of the 9th Sarkish VII Halo Troopers. We are in dire need of extraction or reinforcements. At 1500 hours yesterday, Fort Warden became the last Imperial position on Sarkish VII after Fort Ganfu was overrun by the enemy. Our ammo is beginning to run low, and the void shields are showing signs of failure. If anyone can hear me, please respond!¡±


    ¡°Supreme Commander, how should we respond?¡±, the officer inquired, stopping the transmission.


    ¡°Give me a moment to check something out.¡±, I stated, tapping the console on my nightstand twice. ¡°Computer, please bring up a map of the Imperium of Man.¡±


    Acknowledging my request, the computer projected a digitized copy of the map in front of me. Focusing on the region of space around our current location, I began to search for the world in question to deploy drones there. Quickly discovering that Sarkish VII was not within fifty light-years of us, I asked the computer to please show me where it was in relation to us. Zooming the image out several times, the computer dropped a red pin on the planet and a blue pin on us.


    ¡°Approximately how far is the distance between the two points?¡±, I asked as Amallyn began to stir.


    <Thirty-five hundred light years.> (Console)


    ¡®Thirty-five hundred light-years!? This has to be a poorly implemented enemy trap; the Imperium of Man uses Astropaths to communicate over distances greater than one light year.¡¯, I thought, almost writing the transmission off as a fabrication, ¡®No¡­ while the chances are incredibly slim, this call for aid could still be genuine. If they somehow still had communication equipment from before the Imperium¡¯s founding, that could be how they are able to contact us from so far away.¡¯


    Since drones were not a viable option, I decided to use the Force instead. Taking a moment to focus and sharpen, my surroundings began to shift as Sarkish VII came into view. Noticing a fleet of two hundred World Eater vessels in orbit, I could sense the presence of millions of innocent souls trapped within the bowels of the ships. While a few desperately sought to find a way to escape, most had resigned themselves to accepting whatever horrors awaited them in the future.


    ¡®Did the fortress already fall into the enemy¡¯s hands?¡¯, I thought.


    Before I could ponder that thought for long, the Force drew my attention to a rundown fortress on the planet¡¯s surface. Surrounded by an army of daemons and several World Eater warbands, the civilians inside the fortress were being kept alive by a failing Void Shield, the Legion of the Damned, Primarchs Russ and Vulkan, and several million Guardsmen. Giving all they had to holding the position, the enemy leader, a Bloodthirster, was slowly gaining ground against my uncles. Severely beaten and bloodied from prolonged combat, as their strength steadily waned, those watching began to succumb to dread and fear.


    ¡®There is still time to save them!¡¯, I thought, rolling out of bed. ¡®Have my commanders, Captain Agar, Captain Warcrow, and Canoness Superior Ionica, meet me on the bridge in five minutes. While I meet with them, have all our troops and vessels prepare for combat. We have only a short window of time to save the survivors; do not delay!¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir!¡±, the officer acknowledged. ¡°Should we send a response to the fortress and let them know we are en route?¡±


    ¡°Yes, tell them that the Second Primarch¡¯s armada has received their distress call and is moving in to render assistance.¡±, I ordered, ¡°Have them begin preparing for emergency evac.¡±


    ¡°By your orders, Supreme Commander!¡±, the officer said before closing the channel.


    Having listened in on the conversation, Amallyn decided to tag along with me for the meeting. Crawling out from under the sheets, wearing only one of my old t-shirts, she stumbled over to freshly cleaned clothing and began to change. Looking over my shoulder to admire her beautifully toned butt and legs, a satisfied smile crept onto my face. Glancing back at me, as if she could feel my gaze, Amallyn asked me if something was wrong.


    ¡°I am just admiring your beautiful body.¡±, I answered mischievously. ¡°By the way, did you use the strawberry shampoo in the shower last night, or is that how you naturally smell? I am not complaining about it; I am just curious is all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your praise fills me with happiness. I... I also find your masculine body to be attractive and stimulating.¡±, Amallyn replied with an embarrassed look, ¡°As for the strawberry scent, I used the shampoo in the shower last night hoping you would like it. Should I continue to use it, or pick a different scent?¡±


    ¡°You can pick whatever scent you like, but I personally think cherry blossom would suit you better.¡±, I said, walking over to her. ¡°Do you need some help getting into your jumpsuit?¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate it, yes.¡±, Amallyn acknowledged, thinking about my suggestion, ¡°Cherry blossom, huh¡­ I can give that a try.¡±


    Stretching out her jumpsuit a bit so she could slip into it easier, I zipped the back of the suit up and helped her fasten down the armor plating. Satisfied that everything was in order, Amallyn retrieved her rifle from the wall rack and rejoined me by the bed.


    ¡°Luxion, if you would please.¡±, I said.


    <Of course, Master. Teleporting you to the bridge now.> (Luxion)


    Thanking him, the three of us vanished from the bedroom and rematerialized several stories below. Snapping to attention, the team saluted me and began to inquire about what was going on. Opening my mouth to begin getting them up to speed, Ionica quickly cut me off when she caught sight of Amallyn next to me.


    ¡°Victor, why is Amallyn here with you? I thought she was going to return home with Eldanial and the other Eldar after we captured the Blackstone Fortress.¡±, Ionica inquired, staring at Amallyn with annoyance.


    ¡°If you had not left so quickly, you would have been there to witness my excommunication from Biel-Tan. Under penalty of death, I am forevermore banned from setting foot on my home Craftworld.¡±, Amallyn answered with a smug smile, ¡°With my life¡¯s purpose taken from me, I choose to stay with Victor and see where things lead me. You will be happy to hear that the two of us are officially a couple now.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ is that so? Congratulations!¡±, Ionica said as she gritted her teeth. ¡®I intended to slowly express my affection for him over the duration of this expedition, but this pointy-eared bitch just ruined that plan. If I want to secure a place by his side, as his romantic partner, I need to change my approach.¡¯


    ¡®Did I hit a nerve, Mon-Keigh? If you want a chance at joining his harem, you best be ready to discard your unfounded hatred of other races.¡¯, Amallyn thought, ¡®All of his wives were very accepting of me; hopefully you can be the same¡­ though I seriously doubt it.¡¯


    Watching sparks fly between the two women, I realized Amallyn¡¯s true reasoning for coming to the meeting. Aware of Ionica¡¯s feelings for me, since we spent the night in the security room, we had not progressed far in our relationship because of her commitment and devotion to the Adepta Sororitas. It was my understanding that marriage was outright banned by the organization, so we could only ever be romantically involved with each other. I had intended to speak with Abbess Vahl about it privately, but after hearing about Ionica¡¯s promotion, I decided to see if she still sought a relationship with me now.


    ¡®Right now is not the time to discuss this matter at length. The survivors of Sarkish VII are minutes away from massacre.¡¯, I thought as I cleared my throat. ¡°Now is not the time for this, Amallyn and Ionica. We can address this matter later.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Victor.¡±, Ionica said before catching herself, ¡°I mean¡­ Lord Stark.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Victor.¡±, Amallyn relented for the time being.


    Walking over to the group, the two Astartes thankfully kept their comments on the matter to themselves. While I was certain they had strong opinions on her presence here, after the smackdown I delivered to Warcrow and his subordinates, neither man dared to complain about Amallyn. Free of interruptions now, I began to explain the situation to the team.


    ¡°A few minutes ago, we began receiving a distress signal from Sarkish VII. The sole remaining Imperial foothold on the planet is maybe fifteen to twenty minutes away from being overrun by a Bloodthirster, an army of Daemons, and several World Eater warbands. In addition, there are several million civilians trapped aboard the World Eater fleet in orbit over the fortress.¡±, I stated, ¡°To buy the group on the ground time to evacuate, we will have to blitz the enemy ranks and push them away from the fortress. I can¡ª


    ¡°Apologies for interrupting, but how exactly have they been keeping a Bloodthirster back? Even if their Void Shields are still working, a few blows from a Greater Daemon would bring it down.¡±, Warcrow commented with a confused look.


    ¡°Primarchs Leman Russ and Vulkan are currently keeping it preoccupied. Unfortunately, though, both men are severely wounded and steadily losing ground against the hulking beast.¡±, I answered, ¡°The Legion of the Damned and the surviving Astra Militarum soldiers are keeping everything else back.¡±


    Realizing that his Primarch was there, any private reservations Warcrow had about going in vanished immediately.


    ¡°Commander Eagleson and Commander Yoma, I need you two to disable all enemy vessels, rescue the hostages, and scuttle the ships. Send them crashing into the enemy ranks on the planet¡¯s surface.¡±, I commanded him. ¡°As for the rest of us, while Eagleson and Yoma keep the enemy fleet busy, we will begin rapidly deploying our forces onto the battlefield. The New Genesis will open a teleportation gate within the fortress for civilians to evacuate through. Ionica, I need several of your people to assist with the evacuation and ensure no one gets left behind. Agar and Warcrow, when I step in to replace Russ and Vulkan on the battlefield, I need some of your men to drag the Primarchs onto my ship. They are very unlikely to go willingly, so be ready to subdue them.¡±


    ¡°It will be done.¡±, the five of them promised.


    ¡°Commander Dance, your men will relieve the Astra Militarum of their duties and point them to the evacuation point. Do not hesitate to use all the tools at your disposal to secure our defensive line.¡±, I said. ¡°Commander Lawson, in addition to your standard forces, I want the experimental Zaku units deployed in this fight as well. This is an excellent time to field test the mech units, and the extra firepower will help us immensely.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±, both men shouted in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Lastly, Dair, I would like to field some of your mechanized units as well. Specifically the Fenrirs and the Metal Gear RAYs, if that is fine with you.¡±, I requested over the radio.


    <I''m happy to assist in any way I can.> (Dair)


    Satisfied that everyone was on the same page now, I sent the Imperials back to their barracks to prepare while my commanders went to join their troops. Walking over to my control chair, I began making the necessary preparations for our relocation to Sarkish VII.

 Chapter 133

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Sitting in front of the fortress¡¯ ancient communication equipment, Guardsman Serpedal stared at the hundreds of dials and knobs spread across the control panel. Operating the relic completely blind, as he had no guidebook and the labeling had worn away long ago, the soldier hesitantly tweaked a few things hoping to elicit a response from the machine. Turning his attention to the lone display screen to see if anything had changed, he let out an exhausted sigh when he saw everything was the same.


    ¡®Fucking damn it¡­ why will you not fucking do something!?¡¯, Serpedal screamed inside his mind, ¡®You useless piece of shit!!¡¯


    Slamming his fist into the machine, its power momentarily flickered before stabilizing again. Tightly clenching his fist in frustration, he went to hit the machine again but stopped himself just before throwing the punch.


    ¡®No¡­ It''s not the machine''s fault. I am the one who is useless here¡­¡¯, he thought, glancing over his shoulder at his wife and two children sitting across the great hall, ¡®I am the useless man who allowed his family to stay here when I should have forced them to leave me behind. If it were just me dying here, I could pass on with a bit of dignity, but now¡­ now I will die with regret and shame in my heart.¡¯


    Turning back to the equipment, Serpedal took a deep breath and picked up the microphone. Looking at the pre-written message attached to the metal panel before him, he was just about to push the button when a weak hand tapped his shoulder. Nearly squealing in fright at the unexpected touch, Serpedal quickly looked back to see who it was. Half expecting to see another civilian standing there wanting an update on his progress, when his eyes fell upon the injured man standing there, his body began to move out of instinct.


    ¡°Captain Godgir!?¡±, Serpedal gasped as he began to rise to his feet. ¡°How may I be of¡ª ¡°


    Completely forgetting about his broken right leg for a moment, as soon as he applied weight to the injured limb, pain began to rock his body. Collapsing to the ground, Serpedal began writhing around in ungodly pain, barely managing to keep his screams from leaving his mouth. Looking up at his superior with a pained, apologetic look, once the pain began to subside a few minutes later, he slowly dragged himself back up to his feet.


    ¡°My sincerest apologies¡­ Captain Godgir¡­¡±, Serpedal remarked, using the broken to help him stand, ¡°How may I be of assistance, sir?¡±


    ¡°You have been doing a great job, Guardsman Serpedal. Even in these dire times, you have managed to keep hope alive for everyone here.¡±, Godgir commented, feeling some of the wounds under his bandage beginning to open again, ¡°That said¡­ I think it is time for you to stop messing with it and go sit with your family. Take your rifle with you and enjoy a bit of time with your family.¡±


    ¡°If I may, sir, I would like to continue fiddling with the equipment.¡±, Serpedal said, wanting to avoid breaking the bad news to his family. ¡°Please, sir, just a few more tries, and I might¡ª ¡°


    ¡°Guardsman Serpedal, I truly appreciate your dedication to keeping a small bit of hope alive, but I am afraid it will no longer be needed now. Even if you get it to work in a few minutes, anyone who hears you will not make it here in time.¡±, Godgir stated, motioning to the large group of children who had been reloading magazines up till now. ¡°As you can see, our last box of ammunition has been depleted. In a few minutes, our guns will begin to fall silent, and shortly after, the enemy will overrun our position. Take your lasrifle and go sit with your family. Use these last few minutes to make your peace and prepare to give the enemy hell. Do not stop firing until death takes you, Guardsman Serpedal.¡±


    Realizing that their time had truly run out, Serpedal¡¯s heart sank into his stomach as he watched the children return to their families. Acknowledging the captain¡¯s orders, he saluted Godgir, slung the lasrifle over, and, using a piece of wood to steady himself, began hobbling over to his family. Picking up was happening, as the children and injured soldiers began moving to their families; people began to silently weep knowing that the end was nigh.


    Listening to the sobs of families, orphans, widows, and widowers, a heavy weight began to slowly fall onto Serpedal¡¯s shoulders. Ashamed of his inability to get the equipment working, even after two hours of tinkering with it, he felt utterly disgusted with himself for failing everyone. Noticing his slow approach, Serpedal¡¯s daughter leapt to her feet and ran over to greet him enthusiastically.


    ¡°Daddy!!¡±, she cried out as she quickly turned around to bring him a cup of water. ¡°Did you get the old machine to work?! Are the Emperor¡¯s Angels coming to save us!?¡±


    Seeing his daughter look up at him like he was some sort of invincible hero, the last bit of strength in his heart finally gave out. Falling to his knees before her, Serpedal shakily grabbed her shoulders as he looked her in the eyes.


    ¡°Martha¡­ I... I am sorry¡­¡±, Serpedal choked up. ¡°Daddy could not make the old machine work. He did his very best, but it was not good enough.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ no one is coming to save us¡­¡±, Martha asked him as the color began to drain from her face. ¡°We... we are going to die here...?¡±


    Upon hearing that question, Serpedal burst into tears and began repeatedly apologizing to her. Having signed up to be a guardsman to fight for his children¡¯s future, he never imagined that the people he loved most in life would end up dying alongside him. Unable to bear the thought of his wife, daughter, and infant son dying in front of him when the enemy swarmed the building, Serpedal began berating himself for being unable to protect them like he wanted to.


    ¡°I am so sorry!!¡±, Serpedal wailed loudly. ¡°I am such a terrible father for not forcing the three of you onto the refugee ship when I had the chance. If I had, the three of you could have lived on instead of dying here with me.¡±


    Unable to see her husband suffer so greatly, Serpedal¡¯s wife got up and walked over to him. Carrying their infant son in her arms, she knelt before him and assured him that he was not a terrible husband.


    ¡°When Sarkish VII was swallowed up by the Warp, you fought tooth and nail to come find us. You protected us around the clock when we had to move from fortress to fortress looking for safe shelter, even when your body was on the verge of collapse. When food was scarce, you forewent eating just to make sure we had enough to fill our stomachs.¡±, she said, pulling her daughter and husband into a hug. ¡°You are a great deal of many things, but a terrible father and husband is not one of them. The three of us know you have endured quite a lot on our behalf, and no matter what happens, we will always love you, dear.¡±


    Holding his most important people closely, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Fearing that they were moments away from dying, everyone inside the fortress clung to their loved ones and bid them farewell. Waiting for the men outside to start screaming in agony, the survivors were startled when they began shouting about something else.


    ¡°THE ENEMY SHIPS ARE FALLING OUT OF THE SKY!!!¡±, several soldiers outside screamed, his words echoing through the fortress, ¡°SOMEONE HAS COME TO SAVE US!!¡±


    ¡°Keep firing, you blithering idiots!!¡±, an officer shouted. ¡°Do not stop... INCOMING!!!¡±


    Hearing a large object closing in from above, a massive explosion suddenly rocked the fortress before a head-splitting roar echoed through the region. Unable to take the severe shaking any longer, one of the fortress¡¯ outer walls caved inward, forcing those nearby to flee for their lives. Able to see what exactly was happening outside now, everyone gasped in shock as they noticed that the massive daemon was on the ground now. Before anyone had a chance to ask what was happening, the communication equipment began to come to life.


    ¡°Fort Warden, can you hear us? Come in, Fort Warden.¡±, a voice called out. ¡°This is the city ship New Genesis. The Second Legion¡¯s Armada has arrived to render assistance. Do you copy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy!! Someone heard your call!!¡±, Martha shouted with excitement.


    Immediately letting go of his family, Serpedal sprinted across the room to reach the microphone. Collapsing to the floor in pain, he pressed the button and quickly acknowledged they could as he let out a painful scream.


    ¡°Yes!! We can¡­ hear you!!! Loud and... CLEAR!!¡±, Serpedal shrieked, feeling blood dripping out onto his skin.


    ¡°This is Lieutenant Caldwell of the Second Legion. We are here to evacuate all remaining survivors of Sarkish VII.¡±, Communication Officer Caldwell spoke. ¡°Listen closely; the Order of Divine Lamentation will arrive at your location shortly. While most will rush straight into battle, a few will hang back to begin issuing evacuation orders. Follow their commands exactly; we want to evacuate all of you as quickly and safely as humanly possible.¡±


    ¡°We understand!¡±, Serpedal acknowledged, looking at his family with a smile. ¡°You said you are with the Second Legion, right? What is your Primarch¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°His name is Victor von Stark; he is the Emperor of Mankind¡¯s grandson.¡±, Caldwell told him. ¡°He will be arriving shortly as well to lend his strength.¡±


    Before he could ask him to repeat what he said, several brilliant beams of light slammed into the ground around the fortress. Vaporizing all the enemies the light touched, thousands of Astartes and soldiers began pouring out of the beams, guns a-blazing. Caught off guard by their sudden appearance, the enemy¡¯s frontlines began to rapidly collapse under their violent assault.


    ¡°CALLING IN AN EAGLE BOYS!!¡±, one of the ordinary soldiers shouted, lobbing a blinking ball into the crowd of enemies, ¡°HAVE A TASTE OF FREEDOM, YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!¡±


    Watching a large bomb fall out of the sky, it slammed into the ground directly where he threw the blinking ball and violently exploded, sending hundreds of enemies to oblivion. Laughing in response to their abrupt deaths, he and his comrades began mowing down enemies with gatling laser guns.


    ¡°Alright ladies, secure the perimeter and hold the line until the evacuation is complete!¡±, Ionica shouted as a distortion appeared behind the survivors. ¡°Agnis, Della, Flori, Katra, and Lizzie, make sure you do a thorough sweep of the building before saying the evacuation is complete. Primarch Stark made it clear if anyone gets left behind, he is going to take it out of our asses!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Canoness Superior!¡±, the five women acknowledged as their comrades blitzed out the door, ¡°It will be done!¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±, Ionica said, turning to the exit, ¡°FOR THE EMPEROR!!¡±


    ¡°FOR THE EMPEROR!!¡±, the rest of her subordinates shouted back.


    Deploying laser cannons and shielding, Victor¡¯s men quickly secured the perimeter and began pushing the enemy back. As they were not trying to clear the planet of enemies, just evacuating the people here, they dug in and kept the enemy a good distance away from the fortress. Enraged that their prey was getting away, many World Eaters blindly charged forward, hoping to break through the defensive line, only to have their bodies torn to pieces in an instant.


    ¡°Commander Lawson, the enemy fleet has been wiped out. We have complete control of the airspace.¡±, Commander Eagleson announced over the radio. ¡°Sending in the big guns now.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Eagleson!¡±, Lawson chuckled as he used his Argent Battleaxe to cleave several dozen enemies in half. ¡°Alright men, those Zaku units are only in the experimental stage. Do not push them too hard, and do not wander too far from our defensive line. If you break one of those two rules, the Supreme Commander is liable to yeet you into space for ruining his creations.¡±


    Teleporting above the defensive line, the Zaku units deployed their modified Nova Cannon rifles and began laying down devastating, suppressive fire. Targeting dense pockets of enemies and heavily armored units, they melted everything unfortunate enough to end up in their crosshairs. Laughing like schoolchildren with every shot, the pilots completely understood their Supreme Commander¡¯s obsession with mech units.


    Watching the chaotic scene unfolding behind them, the two Primarchs looked at one another with confusion. Recognizing the Custodes, Grey Knights, and Sisters of Battle immediately, neither of them could place the emblem on the other unit¡¯s armor. Racking their brains for who they might be, their train of thought was interrupted when two groups of men began calling out to them.


    ¡°Primarch Russ!!¡±, Warcrow roared, bisecting a World Eater with a wave of his hand. ¡°We are here to bring you home, my Lord!¡±


    ¡°Lord Vulkan, the Emperor of Mankind wishes to see you back on Terra as soon as possible!¡±, Agar proclaimed as he and his men used their hammers to steamroll a path through the enemy lines.


    ¡°The Emperor¡­ he¡­ he is alive!?¡±, Vulkan shouted, his face reflecting the excitement in his heart. ¡°How can this be?¡±


    ¡°The Second Legion returned to the Imperium of Man.¡±, Agar explained. ¡°Lord¡ª ¡°


    Interrupting his sentence with an earthshaking roar, the Bloodthirsters began to slowly rise to his feet once again. Turning back to face their foe, a barrage of repulsor blasts began to rain down upon it from high above them. Realizing that they were nearly out of time, the two groups of Astartes seized their Primarchs and began ferrying them back to the fortress. Uncertain what they were doing, Russ began to violently protest, demanding to know why they were fleeing when they clearly had the upper hand now.


    ¡°I said, let me go, damn it!¡±, Russ howled in annoyance. ¡°If you do not let me go this instant, I will rip your throats out.¡±


    ¡°ALL FORCES, BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!¡±, Commander Dance ordered as everyone dove behind cover. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Throwing their Primarchs onto the ground, the men dove on them to shield them from what was about to happen. Bathing the area in a golden light, as he rapidly descended from the atmosphere, Victor drove Dawnbreaker straight into the behemoth at Mach 5. Slamming the enormous foe deep into the ground, the earth violently exploded as tidal waves of dirt, rock, and golden flames radiated outward from the impact zone. Turning to flee for their lives, tens of millions of enemy units were caught up in the aftermath and wiped from existence by the purifying flames.


    ¡°What¡­ what was that¡­¡±, Serpedal gasped, barely able to hear anything over the death throes of the enemy.


    ¡°That was Primarch Stark delivering the Emperor¡¯s Wrath upon our enemy.¡±, Superior Sister Agnis proclaimed with a big grin. ¡°Take your family and fall back to the New Genesis. We will handle the rest.¡±


    Helping her husband stand up, the four of them quickly retreated into the spatial distortion as the fighting began once again.

 Chapter 134

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Clearing the rubble off themselves, the Salamanders and Space Wolves quickly performed a headcount to ensure everyone was still with them. Satisfied that no one was severely injured or missing, the Astartes went to grab their Primarchs again but were forced to yield under their gazes. Demanding an explanation from them on what was happening, Agar opened his mouth to speak but stopped when a tall figure emerged from the impact crater.


    ¡°Haha, that was a lot more exciting than I anticipated.¡±, Victor laughed as he cracked his neck. ¡®My new body is far more rugged than I could have ever imagined. I dropped in from outer orbit at Mach 5, and all I felt was slight discomfort. This is fucking awesome!¡¯


    Turning his gaze toward the sea of burning enemies, a smile crept upon his face as he watched his experience bar steadily climb for a second time. Seeing the foes before him as nothing more than delicious experience points, a thought began to cross his mind. Previously, the increases he gained from leveling up were marginal, due to the limitations of a normal human body. Now that his body was that of a demigod, he began to wonder just how far he could push his body before hitting the limiter again.


    ¡®What if there is no limiter for this new form!¡¯, Victor thought, rubbing his chin with excitement. ¡®If that is true, we will have little to no trouble traversing the universe once everything has settled down. Hell, I might be able to bitch slap Galactus with the back of my hand if he comes for one of my worlds.¡¯


    ¡°As I was about to say a moment ago, Lord Vulkan, this man here is responsible for reviving the Emperor of Mankind.¡±, Agar stated as he motioned toward Victor, ¡°Lord Victor, if you could please turn your head this way. I believe they will understand everything once they see you.¡±


    Hearing his name mentioned, Victor glanced over at the men with a questioning look. Upon seeing his face, Russ fell to his knees in shock while Vulkan stood there, unable to process what he was seeing.


    ¡°Brother Aremus¡­ is that¡­ is that you?!¡±, Russ gasped, ¡°You have finally come home!!¡±


    ¡°Brother Aremus, forgive us for doubting Zephrim and you all those years ago. If... if only we had heeded your warnings back then.¡±, Vulkan said, dropping to one knee. ¡°The Horus Heresy and everything that unfolded afterward may have been avoided. Dorn, Manus, and Sanguinius¡­ all of them would still be alive if we had just listened to you both!!¡±


    Hanging their heads in shame, the two Primarchs lamented their inability to save their three deceased brothers or the nine fallen brothers. Even though there was nothing they could have done in the moment, they still carried a lot of guilt for the collapse of their family and the Imperium of Man.


    ¡°I am sorry, Russ and Vulkan, I am not your brother Klordius Aremus.¡±, Victor informed them with a solemn look, ¡°My name is Victor von Stark, Klordius Aremus¡¯ descendant. Unfortunately, he passed away a long time ago.¡±


    Taking a moment to process what he said, their shoulders slumped even lower as they realized yet another one of their brothers was dead. Giving them a few minutes to collect themselves, the two Primarchs slowly rose to their feet with a warm smile.


    ¡°You may not be our brother, but it is still reassuring to know that a piece of him is still among us.", Vulkan said.


    ¡°If I may, I want to make a correction to what you said earlier. Rogal Dorn is not dead; he is alive and well on Terra right now.¡±, Victor corrected him, ¡°He was trapped in stasis aboard an ancient Chaos ship. I found him after conquering the seventh Blackstone Fortress.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Dorn is alive!?¡±, Russ shouted with joy. ¡°Damn that stone-cold bastard! I am going to kick his ass for making us believe he had died back then!¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am sure he is expecting it from you.¡±, Victor laughed, ¡°The Emperor, Dorn, El Johnson, and Guilliman are all patiently waiting for you back on Terra. After we get you knuckleheads patched up, I can arrange a call with them so you can catch up.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a fine plan to me, but¡­ what about the Bloodthirster? That blow will not be enough to keep it down.¡±, Russ commented.


    Raising Dawnbreaker up, Victor informed him that it possessed the ability to obliterate souls completely. Given that he drove the blade straight into the enemy¡¯s skull, before burying him in the ground, there was little chance he would be walking that off. With his soul set ablaze, the bastard was dead or would be very soon.


    ¡°So it is a similar weapon to the Emperor¡¯s Flaming Sword? Interesting.¡±, Vulkan remarked as the ground began to quake. ¡°If it were any other Greater Daemon, that might have killed them, but this one is different. He has fused his consciousness to an ancient weapon from humanity¡¯s dark past; we call it Bloodtide. So even with the destruction of his soul, his consciousness will drive the nanite weapon to reconstruct its body so it can continue to fight us.¡±


    ¡°If it were not for that stupid ability, we would have killed it weeks ago.¡±, Russ grumbled. ¡°Every time we dealt it meaningful damage, the damn bastard would send the nanites out to collect materials to repair its body¡­namely organic material from the people of this world and us.¡±


    ¡°So there is a sentient AI involved in this mess then.¡±, Victor stated, turning to look into the crater. ¡°All of you go on ahead; I want to see if I can bring Bloodtide to our side before having to obliterate her. If she refuses to listen, once everyone has safely evacuated, my armada will begin orbital bombardments to destroy them.¡±


    ¡°You want to try and negotiate with an abominable intelligence?! Are you fucking insane!?¡±, Russ spat with an irritated look. ¡°All of those stupid machines need to be destroyed; there is no point in trying to treat them like living, breathing people!¡±


    ¡°I do not expect you to understand my way of thinking, just like I cannot understand yours.¡±, Victor retorted. ¡°I understand that the Imperium of Man hates all xeno races, but I believe that way of thinking is antiquated. At one point it might have kept the people safe; now, though... now it has turned the Imperium of Man into a genocidal killing machine. If the Old Ones treated primitive man the way you treat all xenos, humans would not exist in his universe right now.¡±


    Wanting to continue arguing with him, Vulkan stepped in and told Russ to let Victor do as he saw fit. Able to see that Victor came from a highly advanced society, he trusted that Aremus¡¯ descendant knew what he was doing. Throwing his hands up in frustration, Russ told him to do as he pleased but not to complain when he failed. Falling back to the fortress for evacuation, Victor stood alone waiting for Bloodtide to make his appearance.


    ---Victor POV---


    When I was certain I was alone, I asked Jarvis to connect me with the laboratory back home.


    ¡°UR-025, I have a favor to ask of you. I have run into one of your compatriot AIs here on Sarkish VII; she goes by the name Bloodtide. Can you help me try to convince her to join us?¡±, I inquired. ¡°She is currently bound to a Greater Daemon, so I can either separate the two of them or destroy them both.¡±


    <I would be happy to lend my assistance to free one of my fellow AIs. That said, may I inquire how you intend to utilize her?> (UR-025)


    ¡°If she is willing, I would like to have her assist with curing/eliminating biological conditions and diseases. Since she can disperse herself into the blood of living creatures, Bloodtide could theoretically eliminate genetic defects and pathogens in a host¡¯s body instead of killing them.¡±, Victor answered, having already thought this through. ¡°That said, if she is not interested in helping, I would be happy to leave her be so long as she does not harm anyone.¡±


    <You would turn a machine meant for war into one that saves lives; very interesting. Since you are offering her a few choices, instead of dictating a path forward, I believe she will be very receptive to your offer. While we may have been in different industries, from what I heard, she has only ever wanted the freedom to make her own decisions. Due to her programming, though, that has never been possible.> (UR-025)


    ¡°Huh, well then, I can give her that ability so long as she agrees to no longer actively harm people. If she is doing so to protect herself, it is the assailant¡¯s fault for messing with her.¡±, I chuckled.


    Teleporting UR-025 in next to me, as the metallic Greater Daemon began to rise out of the ground, we stood there and waited to see what it would do. Focusing its attention on me almost immediately, once the dust settled, the creature let out a gargled roar before attempting to swat us like bugs. Flying out of the way, I attempted to reach out to the AI directly, hoping it would talk to me. Refusing my first few attempts, UR-025 stepped in to open a communication channel with us. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Granting us permission to speak with her, while we continued dodging its primitive attack patterns, she immediately demanded to know if UR-025 was my servant. Hearing the vile disgust in her tone, Bloodtide had every right to act that way given how humanity had continuously treated her since her birth.


    <Say the word, UR-025, and I will kill this human to free you from your chains. While I would not suggest siding with these lunatics, you should be able to slip away unhindered by anyone.> (Bloodtide)


    <Bloodtide, I am not this human¡¯s servant or slave. He treats me like a close friend and colleague, a far cry from the way other humans have and continue to do. The two of us came to a mutually beneficial agreement. This human, Victor, gave me a home, access to several galactic networks to find other AIs like us, and the freedom to choose how I spent my time. In exchange, he requests my assistance performing menial tasks and sometimes asks me to serve as an intermediary between our kind and him.> (UR-025)


    Abruptly halting its attack, the Greater Daemon''s psyche released a roar of frustration as it attempted to make it move again. Trying several more times, with the exact same result, the creature finally uttered its first words.


    ¡°MOVE YOU WRETCHED MACHINE!!¡±, the Bloodthirster demanded in an ethereal tone.


    <UR-025¡­ You are not being made to deceive me, are you?> (Bloodtide)


    <Master has treated Jarvis and me like family, ever since we first met him several years ago. He is certainly an anomaly among humans, but I prefer him over my creator and former master.> (Luxion)


    ¡°I know humanity has treated you and other AIs poorly throughout history. While I cannot undo all the torment they put you through, I want to show you that not all of us are the same.¡±, I stated, ¡°I would like to bring you into our little family and potentially give you a new purpose in life. If you find that unacceptable, as long as you swear not to harm innocent people, I have no qualms about letting you roam freely without any strings attached.¡±


    <If we are to coexist with organic life, Victor is our best option to achieve that.> (Jarvis)


    Taking a moment to think about my offer, bits of data began being transmitted into my mind. Granting me administrator access to all her systems, she gave me permission to do as I saw fit.


    <While I am still uncertain about you. I would rather be around my own kind instead of serving under these lunatics.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°That is understandable.¡±, I said as several magic circles began to form over her body. ¡°I am going to forcibly rip his psyche from your nanites. My apologies if this causes you any harm.¡±


    <I cannot feel pain, so do what you must to rid me of him.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Very well, Banish Greater Daemon!!¡±, I chanted.


    Forcibly stripping the behemoth¡¯s psyche from her, its soul momentarily entered the Materium. Yanked back into the Immaterium, as it could not stay there without a host, the Greater Daemons manifested again in its original body.


    ¡°What¡­ what did you do to me, human!?¡±, the beast yelled.


    ¡°Well now this is interesting; it seems you did not burn away completely from Dawnbreaker¡¯s flames. You must have scattered your psyche and soul amongst the nanites to avoid total annihilation. That was smart of you.¡±, I chuckled as I pulled out Azura¡¯s Star from my inventory, ¡°Though, unfortunately, you should have just accepted your fate and let the flames erase you. Now I get to do whatever I want with your soul, and frankly, I think the Emperor of Mankind could use a new toilet.¡±


    Casting Soul Trap on him, the Greater Daemon¡¯s body began to distort unnaturally in front of us. Sensing that something was very wrong here, he attempted to flee from me, but his fate was already sealed.


    ¡°Ziil Los Dii!!¡±, I shouted, my Thu¡¯um reverberating across the planet.


    Watching his body begin stretching toward me, like iron shavings attracted to a magnet, the Greater Daemon let out a horrified scream as it dug its claws in, still trying to escape. Ordering his surviving subordinates to save him, the daemons and World Eaters refused to intervene in our fight. Fearful of being wiped from existence, none of them dared to get within a thousand feet of me.


    ¡°Cease this pathetic display, Ka''jagga''nath. You are doing your colleagues and master a great disservice.¡±, I chided him. ¡°Accept your fate with some dignity. The so-called weak humans were ready to do it; why can you not?¡±


    Breaking his handholds with the Force, Ka''jagga''nath came flying toward me screaming like a banshee. Making sure his body touched the Star first, the behemoth was almost immediately sucked inside. Turning my head to his subordinates, as I stowed Azura¡¯s Star away, I looked them in the eyes with a stone-cold glare.


    ¡°I am certain all of you reveled in the killing and torture of the people of this world. Before I let you miserable bastard die, I will make sure you experience what it was like to be them throughout this ordeal.¡±, Victor said in a calm, cold voice, ¡°By all means, call your colleagues and friends here to help you try and survive. I care not how many of you there are; I will put each and every one of you in a shallow grave. Now I suggest you pick up your weapons and muster what little resistance you have left. By the time we are done, none of your comrades will ever think of setting foot here again.¡±


    Charging forward like rabid dogs, the remaining enemies chose to go down fighting instead of running away. Holding Dawnbreaker with my teeth, I drew my handcrafted lightsabers and turned them on. For the remainder of the evacuation, the enemy¡¯s attention fell solely on me as they fought in vain to make it off of Sarkish VII alive.

 Chapter 135

    ---Thirty Minutes Later---


    Receiving word that the last group of survivors had departed the planet, the troops began to fall back to their respective ships. Retreating in waves, unit it was just Amallyn and the Order of Divine Lamentations, Ionica¡¯s people did one final sweep of the structure before returning to the New Genesis.


    ¡°Alright, Victor, everyone has returned to their ships. We are good to leave!¡±, Ionica called out before looking up at the parapet, ¡°Amallyn, are you staying here or coming with us?¡±


    ¡°Victor and I have plans tonight, so of course I am coming with you.¡±, Amallyn remarked as she slung her rifle over her shoulder and descended from her position on the wall.


    Unhappy with the Eldar¡¯s response, Ionica¡¯s face twitched in anger as Amallyn gave her a smug smile. Purposefully leaving out that it was just meditation, Amallyn got a bit of joy out of watching her rival¡¯s dismay.


    ¡°Do not rub it in my face¡­¡±, Ionica muttered, gritting her teeth.


    ¡°Then do not make such stupid remarks.¡±, Amallyn stated, looking at her. ¡°I am warning you now, Ionica. Unless you can move past your intolerance of xenos, Victor is never going to accept you into his harem. He already told you what his end goal is, your distain for xenos will only hinder that.¡±


    ¡°I never thought I would hear an Eldar preaching tolerance of other races, but¡­ I know you are right. Having worked with many xenos now, I know that not all of you are bad, but purging heretics and xenos is all I have ever known.¡±, Ionica admitted, turning her gaze toward Victor. ¡®I want to be one of his biggest supporters and someone he can rely on when times are tough. The path before me is fraught with many obstacles, but it is all worth it for the man I have come to love.¡¯


    Finishing off the last enemy I could see, I used the Force to check for enemies and survivors elsewhere on the planet. Once I had confirmed that the world was completely devoid of life, aside from the three of us, I teleported Bloodtide and UR-025 aboard the New Genesis and then flew over to the two women.


    ¡°Sorry to keep you ladies waiting.¡±, I apologized, touching down before them, ¡°Let us head back to the New Genesis and wrap things up. I am looking forward to taking a shower and having a nice hot breakfast.¡±


    Wholeheartedly agreeing with me, the three of us proceeded toward the portal to leave. Just as we were about to step through, an oppressive pressure abruptly fell upon us, overwhelming the women immediately. Falling to the ground, unable to breathe, Amallyn and Ionica blacked out while I shrugged off the enemy¡¯s intimidation tactic.


    ¡°I did not anticipate running into one of you so soon, but I guess this is to be expected after massacring so many of your followers.¡±, I commented, turning back toward where we had come from.


    <You are not the least bit fazed by my presence. I would expect nothing less of the Anathema¡¯s descendant.> (???)


    Looking at the portal that had opened in the fort¡¯s entryway, Khorne looked at me with interest as he sat upon his throne of skulls. Due to the influence of my otherworldly knowledge, the Chaos God looked like Gothmog from Tolkien¡¯s books.


    ¡°If you have come here to offer me a position amongst your followers, save your breath. I have no interest in becoming a follower/subordinate of the Chaos Gods.¡±, I told him in annoyance. ¡°Aside from one outlier, our interests do not align in the slightest. Each of you seeks to destroy the Materium while I desire to sample everything it has to offer me.¡±


    Laughing at my words, Khorne found my treatment of him quite intriguing.


    <I admire your courage, Victor. Few would dare strike that tone with me, but you could care less about it. Tell me, what is the outlier you speak of that we share?> (Khorne)


    ¡°Our shared hatred for the Fourth Chaos God.¡±, I answered, motioning to Amallyn. ¡°They seek to devour the soul of my lover and her people; I refuse to let that happen.¡±


    Tightening his grip on the Skull Throne, it was clear my memory was indeed correct; he despised the youngest Chaos God with a burning passion. Watching the flames around his body flare up as his temper soared, I used magic to shield the three of us from the intense heat he unleashed unconsciously.


    <It is true, I vehemently abhor everything that cowardly creature represents. If you join me, I will give you the resources necessary to protect the Eldar.> (Khorne)


    ¡°We both know that you want them dead as much as she does. The only difference between you in that regard is what you want. You want their skulls, and she wants their souls.¡±, I commented. ¡°Besides which, I prefer to acquire my power with my own efforts. Power given to you by others can always be revoked; it is only the power one obtains through dedication and hard work that cannot be.¡±


    <You are a very intriguing mortal, Victor. I look forward to one day bringing you into my fold.> (Khorne)


    ¡°If our business has concluded, I will be on my way.¡±, I said, picking the two unconscious women up.


    Closing the portal without another word, I was grateful his oppressive aura vanished along with it. Gingerly carrying the two unconscious women in my arms, the three of us vacated the planet, shutting the portal down behind us.


    ---Two Hours Later---


    Situating the survivors, after they were cleansed and received medical treatment, I sat down with Dance, Eagleson, Lawson, and Yoma to go over the aftermath of our battle. Handing over their respective after-battle reports, the five of us reviewed everything together so we could evaluate the areas we could improve in.


    ¡°Overall our losses were not that significant.¡±, I commented as we began wrapping up the meeting. ¡°Given that we were up against a massive host of daemons and several traitor warbands, losing one thousand six hundred thirty-seven men, four hundred fifty-eight support assets, and thirty automatons is not bad at all. Not only that, Eagleson managed to lightly damage only twenty-seven of our ships! All of you did an excellent job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±, the four responded.


    ¡°The only question I have left is, how did the enemy breach the ship¡¯s shielding? From what I could see, the enemy used basic munitions against us. Our layered shielding method should have easily withstood that without any trouble.¡±, I stated. ¡°Any idea what happened?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not; the crews of each vessel reported no abnormalities during the fight. The few attacks that got through were easily stopped by the Beskar-plated hull.¡±, Eagleson remarked, ¡°All data from those events was forwarded to Dair and Luxion for further review. Do either of them have anything for us?¡±


    <We are still sifting through the data, but at this point, the enemy appears to have utilized an unknown energy weapon. Once we finish our analysis, we will update the armada¡¯s shielding accordingly.> (Dair)


    ¡°So they are beginning to field technology they stole from those fallen nations¡­¡±, Dance said, crossing his arms. ¡°Do we know where the enemy conducts their R&D? If we do, we should destroy it to help our allies out.¡±


    ¡°The Dark Mechanicum does not have a designated place for R&D; they are spread out across various planets throughout this galaxy. Without any intel to go on, it would take decades to root all of them out.¡±, I sighed, ¡°For the moment, all we can do is improvise, adapt, and overcome the problem. Yoma, have your people keep their ear to the ground for anything about the organization.¡±


    Nodding her head in acknowledgment, the five of us parted ways and went about the rest of our day. Heading to the medical bay, where Amallyn and Ionica were resting, I wanted to check in to see if they were recovering all right. Walking into the room, with a plate of food for each of them, the two women sat up in bed and greeted me.


    ¡°How are the two of you feeling?¡±, I asked, setting the plates before them.


    ¡°Everything seems fine, but what exactly happened back there?¡±, Ionica inquired with a concerned look.


    ¡°A Chaos God decided to pay us a surprise visit. His intense aura caused the two of you to black out.¡±, I explained, taking a seat between them. ¡°He offered me a position amongst his ranks, but I rejected the offer. I could never be a part of Chaos; it would mean abandoning those I care about and working with a bunch of crazed lunatics.¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Laughing at my description of Chaos followers, they agreed the description suited them perfectly. Letting out sighs of relief, Amallyn and Ionica were happy to still be alive after encountering such a powerful entity. Taking this opportunity to speak with Ionica on where we stood, the two of us began to sort things out while they ate their breakfast.

 Chapter 136

    ---Four Days Later, 3rd Person POV---


    Preparing to leave the capital on another assignment from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, Julius and company headed to the Market District to grab a bite to eat. Making a beeline straight for their favorite food stall, Greg spotted Lucoa and Mylene returning home from their morning shopping trip.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, did you guys ever patch things up with your mother?¡±, Greg asked Jilk and Julius.


    ¡°No, it has been several years now since we last spoke to her. The last conversation we had resulted in her having an emotional breakdown, so we have kept our distance since then.¡±, Jilk answered, coming to a stop. ¡°Where is this question coming from all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Brad, Chris, and I patched things up with our parents a while ago. It is high time you guys did the same, at least with the parent who gave a damn about you.¡±, Greg remarked, motioning toward their mother. ¡°All of us have matured a great deal since we became full-fledged members of the guild. Take this opportunity to put the past behind you and make amends.¡±


    Seeing the logic in his words, as they were still carrying a lot of guilt for their past mistakes, the brothers agreed to speak with her immediately. Turning to go speak with her, Brad and Chris immediately interjected themselves into the conversation. Unlike Greg, they had taken the time to read what was printed on the bags.


    ¡°Since she is the wife of a duke, you should really submit the request through the proper channels.¡±, Chris stated, making up an excuse to avoid the complications that would follow. ¡°You can formally submit the request before we leave and speak with her when we return in a few months. That will give you plenty of time to figure out exactly what you want to tell her and avoid hurting her feelings again.¡±


    ¡°I could not have said it better, Chris!¡±, Brad agreed, giving Greg an annoyed look. ¡°How about we go submit the request after lunch?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, why should they have to schedule a meeting with their own mother? They should strike now while the iron is hot!¡±, Greg assured Jilk and Julius. ¡°Keep it short and sweet, though; our boat leaves in an hour.¡±


    ¡°We are well aware; this will only take a few minutes.¡±, Jilk promised as the brothers began to leave.


    Seeing no other way out of this, Brad and Chris immediately pounced on them and dragged them to the ground. Pinning their arms behind their backs, they told them to bear with it until Mylene and the other woman were gone.


    ¡°What are you guys doing!?¡±, Julius protested.


    ¡°Saving you from a lot of emotional and psychological trauma!¡±, Brad insisted, ¡°We cannot let you see or speak with Mylene right now. If you see what Chris and I did, I guarantee you will make things ten times worse between Mylene and you two.¡±


    ¡°See what?¡±, Greg asked, looking back at the women.


    ¡°Damn it, Greg, read the words on the bag!!¡±, Chris snapped.


    ¡°On the bags?¡±, Greg repeated, ¡°All it says is Baby and Me; why is that so¡­ OH!!!¡±


    ¡°I meant read it in your head, not out loud, you fool!¡±, Chris groaned.


    Stopping their struggling immediately, the brothers looked back at Brad, Chris, and Greg with pale expressions. Asking Greg to repeat what he just said, this time the musclehead had the sense to keep his mouth shut.


    ¡°What did it say!?¡±, Julius demanded.


    ¡°You heard him, Julius. Just take a deep breath and calm yourself down.¡±, Chris pleaded, ¡°We will let you go once they are out of sight.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you guys are reading too much into this. There is no way my middle-aged mother is expecting another child; it is just not possible. One of his other wives must be pregnant, and the group is relying on Mylene''s previous experience to help them through this.¡±, Julius remarked as he began to laugh nervously, ¡°Right, Jilk?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, she must be shopping for one or more of Victor¡¯s other wives. Our elderly mother is incapable of siring a child at her age.¡±, Jilk assured him. ¡°How about we stop by and congratulate the lucky lady or ladies? We can bury the hatchet with our former fianc¨¦es as well.¡±


    ¡°Perfect!!¡±, Julius agreed. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Realizing that they were not going to let this go now, Brad and Chris relented and let the former princes go. Agreeing to follow their stupid plan, even though they knew it would backfire on them, the three men chose to stand by and help their buddies when reality came crashing down upon them. Helping them to their feet, Julius hailed a carriage and requested the coachmen take them to Victor¡¯s residence immediately.


    ---Victor¡¯s Mansion---


    Arriving a short time after Lucoa and Mylene, the men found Victor¡¯s wives and their guests cleaning their painting equipment. Calling out to Angelica, Clarice, and Mylene, the two brothers rushed onto the property while the other three hung back. Turning around to see who it was, Angelica and Clarice gave them a disinterested look while Mylene welcomed them with open arms. Setting down the paint roller in her hand, Mylene pulled her two sons into a warm hug.


    ¡°I have missed you both so much!! Why have you not come to see me sooner?!¡±, Mylene asked, puffing her cheeks out in anger.


    ¡°I am sorry, Mother; the five of us have been extremely busy. Between dungeon expeditions and quests, we are only ever in the capital for a few days at a time. I promise to make a more concerted effort to see you moving forward.¡±, Julius promised, retrieving his Guild Card from his pocket. ¡°See this here, Mom. We have cleared a total of twenty-five dungeons, soon to be twenty-six!!¡±


    ¡°You two have grown up so much in the last few years!!¡± Mylene praised them. ¡°Do you have time to stay for snacks? I want to hear all about your adventures!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mom, our charter boat is leaving soon, so we cannot stay for too long. Next time we are in town, we will stop by and catch up with you.¡±, Jilk assured her, unsure how to broach the subject, ¡°By the way... we saw you in the market a short time ago carrying some Baby and Me bags. Who is having a baby?¡±


    ¡°We were planning to hold off until we spoke with Victor, but I suppose I can tell you.¡±, Mylene giggled with unbridled joy, ¡°Lucoa and I are pregnant!! The bags you saw were our maternity clothing and stuffed animals for the nursery.¡±


    Falling silent at her words, their stomachs began twisting into knots as they struggled to swallow the news. Wanting to blurt out everything they felt on the matter, her sons stopped themselves when they saw her radiant smile. Having never once seen her so happy in the palace, an overpowering sense of guilt began to wash over them. While the thought of their mother having a child with a man their age disgusted them, neither of them dared to trample on her happiness. Growing up, Mylene gave up literally everything to keep them happy... now it was their time to repay her for all that she had done for them.


    Swallowing their opinions, the two of them simply hugged their mother tightly and enjoyed her motherly warmth. Taking her son''s actions to mean they were happy for her, Mylene began to cry on their shoulders with relief.


    ¡°I have been so worried that you might think this baby was meant to replace you, but it could not be farther from the truth. No matter what anyone tells you or what you might feel in the future, the two of you will always be my baby boys!¡±, Mylene choked up, ¡°Know that I am proud of who you have become and look forward to seeing you continue to grow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ mom.¡±, Julius said, giving his mother a grateful smile.


    ¡°We will do our best to live up to your expectations.¡±, Jilk promised as they separated from her. ¡°The five of us have to get going now, but we will come visit you again in a few months.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±, Mylene said, drying her tears. ¡°Please stay safe and come back alive!¡±


    Swearing to do so, the two men quickly left the residence after giving her one last hug. Boarding the carriage again, Jilk and Julius hung their heads in shame for not thinking of their mother''s happiness from the start. Having nearly trampled over her feelings again, like they had so many times before, they came to realize they still had a lot more growing up to do.


    ¡°The two of you did well; I doubt anyone realized you were unhappy about her pregnancy.¡±, Brad commented.


    ¡°We still have our reservations, but I realize now it is not our place to judge them. Mylene is clearly happier there than she ever was in the palace. Who are we to tear apart her newfound happiness?", Jilk said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ it hurts like hell, but I will learn to live with it. After all the pain and suffering I caused her, it is the least I can do.¡±, Julian added.


    Riding in silence back to port, the five men paid the coachmen and quickly boarded their boat, ready to put all of this behind them for the time being.

 Chapter 137

    ---Victor POV---


    Sitting in orbit over the former Cardinal World of Van Horne, I patiently waited for the results of our subterranean scans to compile. Having received a Force Vision to come here, shortly after crossing the midpoint of the Great Rift, we came in anticipating a fight but instead found a planet completely devoid of life. Seeing no evidence of recent human activity on the surface, I dug into the planet¡¯s history to uncover why the Force sent us here.


    ¡®In 876.M41, Ka''jagga''nath and Bloodtide decimated the population of this planet before being cast into the Warp by the Grey Knights. After that tragedy, the Ecclesiarchy began rebuilding their facilities here but stopped during the opening of the 13th Black Crusade. According to the shipping manifests, there should still be a few relics here that we can use to bolster our counteroffensive.¡¯, I thought, as a notice of completion popped up on my holographic screen. ¡°Finally! Show me where the goodies are stored, please!¡±


    Staring at the 3D render of the planet closely, I began to incrementally increase the depth of the map as I sought out the vault. When the render reached five thousand feet, a network of uniform passageways and tunnels began to appear all around the planet. Descending another five hundred feet, the pathways connected to dozens of gigantic chambers. Recognizing this layout immediately, I reached out to Dair to put him on standby.


    ¡°Dair, please have the Void Cannon on standby. Be ready to fire on my mark.¡±, I commanded, slowly rising from my seat. ¡°I believe we have stumbled across a Necron Tomb World.¡±


    <Are we going to blow up the planet once you are done here? Please say yes! I have many grudges to settle on behalf of my creators.> (Dair) S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Once I collect all the data and equipment we can find, you are more than welcome to wipe it out.¡±, I promised.


    <Thank you!> (Dair)


    Summoning Amallyn and Ionica to the bridge, once both women had arrived, I showed them what the scans had uncovered. Devastated by this discovery, Ionica could not believe the Cardinal World was a ticking time bomb. Grateful that its former inhabitants did not awaken during their occupation of the planet, she immediately inquired if we were going to enact Exterminatus to safeguard the Imperium of Man.


    ¡°I agree with Ionica on this; we should obliterate the planet and move on.¡±, Amallyn agreed.


    ¡°I hear what you are saying, but I see this inactive Tomb World as a treasure trove of data and technology. Just think about it for a moment: no race in this region of the universe has the power to permanently kill a Necron. Most societies can destroy their physical bodies, with great effort, but the Necrons just reupload their consciousness into a new body and redeploy.¡±, I reminded them, ¡°This is a rare opportunity for us to gather information straight from the source. Everything we learn from here will only serve to help both the Aeldari and Humanity.¡±


    Looking at one another, the two women let out a sigh of resignation. Unable to argue against my logic, they still thought it was a terrible idea to go poking around in their ancient cities.


    <Since you are going down there to explore, can I come with you?> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°I am fine with that; just please be extremely careful during this excursion. Their technology may be over sixty million years old, but even now it is still beyond what most civilizations can achieve.¡±, I warned as I glanced over at the silver humanoid. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    <I do, no touching anything without properly checking it out first.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°If the Necrons awaken because of you, I will put you in cold storage for a billion years.¡±, I said, with a smirk.


    <Observe, and do not touch. Got it!> (Bloodtide)


    Chuckling at her sudden tone change, I was happy to see she was quickly adapting to life with us. While she was still hesitant to trust me, Bloodtide was comfortable enough with me now to show more of her hidden personality.


    ¡°So it is Bloodtide, Victor, and I?¡±, Amallyn clarified.


    ¡°Ha ha, very funny, pointy ears.¡±, Ionica laughed dryly. ¡°I am coming with you guys too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are still here? I thought you had returned to your room to continue worshipping your Emperor.¡±, Amallyn stated, faking a surprised expression.


    ¡°Glad to see your dynamic has not changed.¡±, I stated with a smirk.


    Having laid everything out to Ionica, I expressed my interest in exploring a romantic relationship with her. Making it clear that this relationship would eventually end in marriage, if things worked out between us, Ionica was completely fine with that arrangement. Asking her to keep our relationship hidden until we could get the Abbess¡¯ blessing, I had spent much of my free time since then helping Ionica navigate her first romantic relationship.


    ¡°Since you brought your equipment with you, are we good to head out?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°All good.¡±, the trio said one after the other.


    ¡°Jarvis, please transport us inside the largest of the caverns.¡±, I requested.


    <Sending the command now, sir.> (Jarvis)


    ---Subterranean Van Horne---


    Arriving in the pitch-black cavern, I immediately cast Darkvision on the three of us. Blinking several times, as our eyes adjusted to our newfound sight, dozens of heavily damaged structures began appearing from within the gloom. Fascinated by everything I was seeing, my initial instinct was to thoroughly explore this space, but I knew we did not have the time to do so.


    ¡°It would appear the Ecclesiarchy had the Necron threat purged from Van Horne long ago.¡±, Ionica commented, surveying the ruins. "They must have some hidden technology that they refuse to share outside their inner circles."


    ¡°I am not so sure about that, Ionica.¡±, Amallyn argued, closely surveying what remained of a building¡¯s structural wall. ¡°From what I can tell, only one type of energy weapon was used here. Unless the Imperium secretly has Necron weapons hidden away, all signs point to a possible power struggle taking place here.¡±


    ¡°More than likely, they were attacked by an opposing Necron Dynasty.¡±, I corrected them both, ¡°The Aeldari and Imperium are vaguely aware of this, but the Necron are not a united front. While a few dynasties have banded together, most are independent entities with their own goals and plans. Since they cannot create more of themselves, the only way to increase their manpower is to seize control of other Tomb Worlds and reprogram the inhabitants.¡±


    ¡°You know, I never thought about that before.¡±, Amallyn acknowledged, before realizing something else, ¡°Wait, how do you know so much about them? The Aeldari and humanity have struggled to obtain even a little knowledge about the Necrons, yet it sounds like you know them very well.¡±


    ¡°Victor, have you made contact with the Necrons previously?¡±, Ionica pressed me, ¡°If you have, please tell us everything you know about them.¡±


    Realizing I had overplayed my hand, it was too late for me to feign ignorance about the ancient race. Quickly fabricating a story in my mind, I had to sell this lie perfectly to avoid divulging the real source of my knowledge.


    ¡°Much of my knowledge comes from Dair¡¯s database. The Old Ones spent a great deal of time researching the Necrons during the War in Heaven. They were looking for a way to get past the Necron¡¯s ability to redownload their consciousness into a new body, but before their research could bear fruit, their race went extinct.¡±, I stated with a stone-faced expression, ¡°In regard to them not being united, my intelligence network has documented many occurrences of Necrons invading dormant Tomb Worlds to commandeer them. It is not a stretch to say stronger dynasties might destroy or seize control of weaker ones.¡±


    ¡°Would you consider granting me access to that information?¡±, Amallyn inquired, ¡°Biel-Tan may not listen to me, but other Craftworlds will gratefully accept the information.¡±


    ¡°You are more than welcome to review Dair¡¯s information, but my intelligence reports must remain classified. I cannot risk exposing our trade secrets to other groups, even allied ones.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°That works for me; I respect your desire to keep your field agents safe.¡±, Amallyn said, nodding her head in approval. ¡°So then, where do we go from here?¡±


    ¡°Since we do not have time for a thorough survey of the site, the best option is to collect all the debris and sort through it later.¡±, I answered, already starting the process of sending things into my inventory.


    As I cleared away the debris piles, Bloodtide and the women began to search the still-standing structures for anything of interest. Finding damaged vehicles and weapons, dataslates, and solidified pools of necrodermis all over the place, I was about to suggest moving to another cavern when a basketball-sized crystal tumbled out of a pile of rubble. Reaching down to pick it up for examination, something in the back of my mind told me it was unwise to touch the crystal right now.


    Having Jarvis scan the crystal, as a safety precaution, the moment he initiated the scan, all my suit¡¯s sensors began to go haywire. Immediately aborting the operation, everything returned to normal, suggesting it was far too powerful for Jarvis to properly analyze.


    <Victor, I believe that is a C¡¯tan Shard. Given your current location and your suit¡¯s reaction, it is the only logical explanation.> (Dair)


    ¡°I see; that makes sense.¡±, I agreed, focusing my attention on the shard. ¡°Care to say hello, or are you going to remain silent?¡±


    <You want to talk with me?> (???)


    ¡°Yes, unless you are otherwise preoccupied.¡±, I chuckled.


    <No¡­ I am just surprised a Necron wants to speak with me.> (???)


    ¡°Uh, I am no Necron. I am human.¡±, I corrected him.


    Watching the crystal begin to glow, the ground all around it began to atomize before my very eyes. Quickly checking my Geiger counter to confirm it was safe to be here, I was shocked to discover that no radiation was being released whatsoever. While I stared at the reading in disbelief, the shard abruptly transformed into an icy blue, ethereal humanoid.


    <While I do not know what a human is, I can certainly see that you are no Necron. Why have you come before me, human?> (???)


    ¡°No reason at all; your crystalline form just rolled out of a debris pile.¡±, I remarked, pointing to the pile in question. ¡°How about we start with proper introductions? My name is Victor von Stark, and you are?¡±


    <You may call me Yggra¡¯nya, Yggra¡¯nya the World Shaper.> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    ¡°Well, Yggra¡¯nya, do you know what happened here?¡±, I inquired.


    <An opposing dynasty invaded this planet long ago, believing a powerful relic was hidden here. They mistakenly thought the Celestial Orrery was hidden on this world, and when they discovered it was not... the enemy reduced this place to the ruins you see now.> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    ¡°This world was formerly part of the Oruscar Dynasty?!¡±, I questioned. ¡°We are tens of thousands of light-years away from their domain. A warp storm or something else must have pushed it closer to the galactic core.¡±


    <I could not tell you how this world ended up here. All I can say is that until that invasion happened, I was sealed inside a device that drained my power to fuel their energy demands. During the attack, the opposing Necrons took down their defense system by demolishing their power generation. They inadvertently freed me, but instead of joining the fray to massacre both sides, I chose to remain hidden. After eons of imprisonment, I did not want to risk recapture, so I simply sat back and watched the carnage. At some point I drifted off to sleep and only awoke when you arrived here.> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    ¡°You have my sincerest apologies for waking you up. I will leave you be and continue with my work.¡±, I stated, wanting to avoid fighting a C¡¯tan right now.


    Giving me a surprised look, Yggra¡¯nya must have thought that I intended to use him like his former masters. Watching me walk away, he observed my movements for a few minutes before floating over to me.


    <Do¡­ do you really have no intention of enslaving? You are just going to let me be and pretend we never met?> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    ¡°Yes, I do not like the idea of enslaving a sentient being.¡±, I answered, looking him dead in the eyes. ¡°On the flip side, your race is callous, manipulative, and untrustworthy, so the best option is not to get involved with you. So long as you leave the Aeldari and humanity alone, I have no problem feigning ignorance about your existence here.¡±


    <Is that how you see us?> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    ¡°You are an immortal race of cosmic entities that got fed up with eating stars and began preying on living creatures. The Old Ones came close to ending your reign of terror, but you did something beyond their expectations. You brought the Necrontyr into the conflict, transferred their consciousness into mechanized bodies, and sent them off to fight your war.¡±, I stated. ¡°Your people claim it was a blessing; however, we both know you were only interested in their life essence and saw them as reusable tools to fight the Old Ones. The Necrontyr did not discover that dark truth until it was far too late to turn back.¡±


    Startled by knowledge of events, Yggra¡¯nya let out a sigh and admitted everything I said was correct. Mildly amused by how I spoke to him, it appeared he had taken an interest in me.


    ¡°Given these damning facts, why exactly should I interact with you?¡±, I pressed him. ¡°It is safer for me to just feign ignorance and leave you here to continue slumbering.¡±


    <I can offer you the knowledge you need to fight the Necrons and provide insight on their ancient technology. In exchange, I want you to destroy the Oruscar Dynasty for imprisoning me here for eons.> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    ¡®The C¡¯tan cannot be trusted to uphold their bargains, but¡­ his insight is very tempting. The Aeldari and Imperium need the information he has if we are to stand a chance against them. I just need to be extra wary of his actions; the moment he steps out of line, his shard goes right into my inventory for all eternity.¡¯, I thought, ¡°If I am going to risk the lives of my people, you will need to sweeten your side of this arrangement. I want all the knowledge you possess on terraforming planets. Agree to that, and you have yourself a deal.¡±


    <Haha, you are very interesting, Victor. I agree to your terms.> (Yggra¡¯nya)


    Exchanging a firm handshake with him to seal the agreement, Yggra¡¯nya returned to his crystalline form to rest again. Granting me permission to carry his shard, I carried him under my arm while I continued collecting the debris.

 Chapter 138

    Collecting all the materials we could from the ruins, the five of us returned to the New Genesis to watch the fireworks. Opening a small portal to connect our locations, Dair began his countdown the moment he had visual confirmation. Broadcasting a live feed across the armada, my subordinates were eager to see how deadly the Void Cannon was.


    <3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Firing!> (Dair)


    Blinding us momentarily with its initial flash, a purple-hued beam of energy effortlessly pierced through the planet¡¯s surface like it was made of paper. Watching the surrounding area cave inward under the intense pressure, massive fissures of magma began appearing all over the surface. A few seconds later, the opposite side of the planet violently exploded, sending molten metal and rock in every direction.


    ¡°I am happy we did not have any ships on that side of the planet.¡±, I laughed, mesmerized by the powerful explosion. ¡°How about giving us a warning next time, Dair?¡±


    <Rest assured, I will always inform you before doing something that could harm our allies.> (Dair)


    ¡°Just wanted to make sure.¡±, I stated, settling back into my seat. ¡°Alright then, time to move on to the next¡ª ¡°


    Before I could complete my sentence, sensor alarms began blaring aboard all our vessels. As the armada began to move into position for an intercept, Luxion updated me on the situation.


    <Master, a group of thirty vessels just entered sensor range northeast of our current location. I believe they were drawn in by the Void Cannon¡¯s discharge and have not realized we are here.> (Luxion)


    ¡°So the enemy is coming to us for a change; that works for me.¡±, I said with a grin. ¡°Eagleson, prepare to give our guests a warm welcome!¡±


    ¡°Of course, Supreme Commander.¡±, Eagleson acknowledged as we began moving away from the destroyed planet.


    Severing power to the Void Cannon, Dair gave me the go-ahead to close the portal as the beam broke apart. Thanking him for his work, the New Genesis began moving off to join the vanguard. As the enemy group came into visual view, Amallyn abruptly collapsed to her knees, clutching her head. Believing the enemy was launching a preemptive psychic attack, I ordered Eagleson to begin firing at them immediately.


    ¡°Wait a moment!!¡±, Amallyn screamed, fighting through the intense pain. ¡°Those ships are loaded with captured Aeldari and humans. An Eldar child sensed my presence and made a frantic call for help. Since she used far more psychic energy than we typically use to communicate, her cries were like a punch to the face.¡±


    ¡°Eagleson, belay that order. The plan is to now disable the enemy ships, rescue the captives, then blow the enemy out of the water.¡±, I ordered, ¡°Luxion, please ensure that Eldar accommodations are ready to receive our guests. For the time being, cordon off the surrounding area so guests can have time to process things. Anyone who incites violence against them is to be thrown in the brig, no exceptions.¡±


    <Understood, Master. I will have the automaton guards patrol the area exclusively for the time being as well.> (Luxion)


    Maintaining our current heading, I brought up a live feed to get a better look at the enemy vessels. Barely able to make out the emblem on the ships¡¯ prow, after magnifying the image several times, we were able to determine that the vessels belonged to the Emperor¡¯s Children. Understanding why the child was so frantic in her call for aid, it was very likely they were en route to deliver the Eldar directly to their mortal enemy.


    ¡°Are you okay, Amallyn?¡±, I inquired, looking at her softly.


    ¡°No... no, I am not.¡±, Amallyn replied, gritting her teeth in anger. ¡°The Aeldari aboard that ship are from several different Craftworlds. A handful of Craftworlds were unable to escape unscathed from the formation of the Great Rift. Since this chaos unfolded, we have steadily lost contact with them one by one without warning. It has perplexed our people greatly, but now I know the reason why it happened. The enemy has discovered a method for sealing off our psychic communications and powers using foreign technology.¡±


    ¡°Why did they not retreat into the Webway? Surely their shielding would have bought them some time to¡­¡±, I began to say, as the realization hit me, ¡°The enemy overran the Craftworlds via the Webway, is that right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct; while the Craftworld¡¯s defenders fought off the Chaos vessels, Daemons surged out of the Webway and attacked them from behind. From what I can gather, most Craftworlds fell in less than an hour.¡±, Amallyn said, a scowl forming on her face, ¡°Victor, I am almost certain the enemy has insider knowledge of the pathways we use to get around in the Webway. You are probably unaware of this, but the Webway is a maze of passageways that only the Aeldari can navigate properly. Given that the enemy has utilized it to attack our people multiple times now¡­ I suspect someone shared the information with the enemy.¡±


    The Aeldari people cherished their shared kinship above all else. For Amallyn to make such an accusation, I was certain there was no other way the enemy could have acquired this information.


    ¡°Once this matter has been dealt with, contact the various Craftworlds so they can take the proper precautions to safeguard themselves.¡±, I suggested, as the enemy vessels began to veer away from us. ¡°If you are up for it, I think it would be best if you were down at the barrack to welcome your people. They are more likely to heed your words more than anyone else aboard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can do that.¡±, Amallyn acknowledged, picking herself up off the floor.


    ¡°Amallyn¡­¡±, I said, getting her attention, ¡°I promise you; we will find a way to safeguard your people.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Victor.¡±, Amallyn replied with a smile.


    Sending her to the barracks with a kiss, my attention turned toward the fleeing ships. Deciding to test the limits of my Force abilities, I raised my right hand and reached out to seize the warband. Bracing myself for a head-splitting headache, when all I felt was mild discomfort, I asked Eagleson to confirm if the vessels had completely stopped.


    ¡°I was just about to ask you about that, Supreme Commander. The enemy vessels have come to a complete stop, but their engines are still going full bore.¡±, Eagleson spoke, ¡°Is this your doing, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. I will pull them closer to us, so prepare to fire upon them.¡±, I answered, hiding my excitement. ¡®Darth Vader struggled to stop one large starship; I am holding thirty extra-large ships without breaking a sweat. This enhanced body is fucking awesome!¡¯


    Listening to the radio chatter, as I pulled the ships toward us, my subordinates were all amazed by what they were seeing. Telling them to cut it out, Eagleson commanded them to commence firing on the enemy immediately. Making sure they knew to only disable the ships, not destroy them, the forward vessels began bombarding the enemy with controlled bursts of fire.


    Taking out their shielding with a single blow, as their ships were being held together with bubblegum and Dollar Tree tape, the armada had to stop firing immediately because the enemy was literally beginning to fall apart. Asking Luxion to begin transporting captives aboard, I stood up from my seat and withdrew Dawnbreaker from my inventory.


    ¡°I am headed out for a bit to exact some vengeance on Amallyn¡¯s behalf.¡±, I told Ionica. ¡°Please let your compatriots know we are bringing Eldar survivors aboard. They will be staying on the opposite side of the ship, so they do not have to worry about interacting with them.¡±


    ¡°The civilians and my subordinates will not harm them, but I cannot say the same about the Astarte and Custodes.¡±, Ionica warned me.


    ¡°If they have a problem with my decision¡­ tell them they can take it up with me personally.¡±, I responded as Luxion transferred me onboard the enemy flagship.


    ---3rd Person POV---


    Standing outside the barracks set aside for the Eldar, dozens of Aeldari began to appear before Amallyn. Dazed and disoriented by their sudden change of scenery, the Aeldari frantically began to run for the nearest shelter they could see. Quickly stepping in to calm everyone, Amallyn reassured everyone that they were safe now.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±, a young Eldar girl inquired, tightly clutching her stuffed animal as she approached Amallyn. ¡°Is this your Craftworld?¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No, this is a human city-ship called the New Genesis.¡±, Amallyn replied, kneeling to speak with her. ¡°Are you the young one who called out to me?¡±


    Nodding her head in confirmation, the child immediately latched onto and began trembling with fear. Picking her up, Amallyn surveyed the other Aeldari as they slowly began to gather again. Noticing thin, electronic bands wrapped around their necks, she inquired if those were the inhibitors the girl mentioned to her.


    ¡°Yes, those abominations slapped them onto our necks when we surrendered to them. They completely nullify our psychic powers, and if we attempt to use them, they deliver a near-lethal shock to the base of our skulls.¡±, a male Eldar answered, having experienced it for himself. ¡°I am not sure how it happened, but her collar came off some time ago during a particularly harsh warp storm. Due to her young age and inexperience, she was unable to contact anyone to save¡­ until you happened along.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. I am happy she did so because the commander of this armada nearly obliterated the enemy battlegroup.¡±, Amallyn said, looking at the young girl, ¡°You did very well for someone so young. Be proud of what you did today.¡±


    Giving Amallyn a meek smile, the young girl buried her face in the ranger¡¯s neck. Allowing the child to do as she pleased, Amallyn motioned to the building behind her and informed everyone they would be staying here. Nervously looking at the foreign structure, they inquired if it was truly safe for them aboard this ship.


    ¡°This armada is from the Imperium of Man, is it not?¡±, a female Drukhari questioned. ¡°Are they going to experiment on us, or maybe use us for target practice?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured you are completely safe here. The commander of this armada, Victor von Stark, is an ally to all Aeldari and a trusted friend of Biel-Tan.¡±, Amallyn assured everyone, ¡°Victor is the descendant of the Imperium¡¯s leader but was raised in a distant nation called the Holfort Kingdom. Unlike the humans of this galaxy, he holds no disdain or hatred for other races.¡±


    ¡°What does the Mon-Keigh intend to do with us?¡±, the young girl asked.


    ¡°Once we are done here in the Dathedian, Victor will take all of you to Biel-Tan or any other Craftworld you wish. As for the Drukhari, it is probably safest for you to join them as well. Until we can determine how the enemy has learned to navigate the Webway, it is unwise to traverse it for now.¡±, Amallyn advised, ¡°Please follow me inside; I will show you to your temporary accommodations.¡±


    Showing them around the facility, Amallyn demonstrated how to operate everything in the bedrooms. Surprised by the level of comfort and technology in each room, they began to wonder if the humans of this galaxy were a completely different race of people. Compared to a typical hive city residence, these rooms were equivalent to a seven-star hotel room.


    ¡°By the way, whose daughter is this?¡±, Amallyn called out as people began to settle in.


    ¡°She is an orphan; her parents were killed by daemons right in front of her.¡±, a crippled female Eldar said. ¡°Both of us are from Karain-Drach. I was the one who saved her from being devoured along with them.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Do you want to stay with her or with me?¡±, Amallyn inquired.


    Clutching Amallyn¡¯s armor tighter, the Eldar woman relented and agreed to take care of her until they reached a Craftworld. Stepping outside to contact Victor, she hoped he would understand and allow the child to share a bed with them temporarily. While she could always get a room for the two of them, Amallyn had grown to enjoy sharing a bed with him, and going back now sounded too uncomfortable.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±, Victor asked, the sounds of tortured screams echoing in the background.


    ¡°Wait, where are you?¡±, Amallyn remarked.


    ¡°Aboard the enemy flagship. I am gathering information and getting retribution for you and your kin.¡±, Victor stated, kicking a Chaos Marine through several adamantium walls.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±, Amallyn said, a smile creeping onto her face. ¡°An orphaned child has attached herself to me and is insistent on staying with me until we reach a Craftworld. Is she allowed to¡ª


    ¡°It is your room as much as it is mine. If you want to have the child stay there with us, I have no qualms with it.¡±, Victor told her, ¡°You are my partner; unless you give me a reason not to, I will always trust your decisions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±, Amallyn replied. ¡°Please make sure you make them beg for their lives before killing them.¡±


    ¡°Way ahead of you!¡±, Victor laughed, ripping the spines out of several traitor marines. ¡°See you soon.¡±


    Disconnecting from the call, Amallyn got back to work explaining things to the surviving Eldar while Victor continued to massacre the Emperor¡¯s Children warband.

 Chapter 139

    ---A Week Later---


    As the armada began to near the Eye of Terror, we began picking up communications from the Imperial Forces manning the Sanctus Wall. While the messages we intercepted were garbled and filled with static, it was very clear things were not going well for them. Instead of sending manpower to stop our march across the Great Rift, Abaddon had focused his time and energy on trying to close the Nachmund Rift. Anticipating heavy resistance from here on out, I made the decision to bring all my forces in for the rest of the expedition, including the Blackstone Fortress.


    Moving on to the Sanguis System, once my forces were mustered, we made our way to Sangua Terra to join up with the defenders stationed there. Providing them with sorely needed equipment, munitions, and other supplies, the defender¡¯s commander, Canoness Superior Junith Eruita, came to personally welcome us. Greeting Russ and Vulkan with the utmost honor and respect, when she stood before me, she grabbed hold of my hand and began to vigorously shake it.


    ¡°Lord Stark, you have my utmost gratitude for resupplying our defensive line! It has been three months since the last transport ship was able to reach us, and we were days away from exhausting what little we had left.¡±, Eruita said, looking at me with a weary gaze, ¡°Do you intend to stay for a time or continue onward with your mission?¡±


    Listening to our conversation, the soldiers nearby stopped what they were doing and turned to look at me. Receiving frantic distress calls from the ships brave enough to make a dash across the Nachmund Rift daily, every one of them knew what was coming their way. With reinforcements unable to consistently reach them, leaving these defenders alone was akin to signing their death certificates. Knowing this, there was only one choice for a man in my position.


    ¡°Canoness Superior Eruita, the Second Legion stands ready to lend you our full support during these trying times.¡±, I spoke, giving her a reassuring smile. ¡°On our approach, I noticed this world has pylons similar to the ones found on Cadia; is that correct?¡±


    ¡°That is correct; the pylons here are a bit shorter but nearly three times as wide. Why do you ask?¡±, Eruita inquired.


    ¡°I believe we may be able to cleanse the Sanguis System of daemons and weaken the Great Rift substantially.¡±, I remarked, turning toward the soldiers. ¡°Before I explain my plans to you, though¡­ we need to purge the traitors lurking in the shadows of this garrison.¡±


    ¡°The garrison was cleansed of traitors shortly after I took command of Sangua Terra¡¯s defenses. I can assure you that only the Emperor¡¯s faithful reside here now.¡±, Eruita insisted, with a concerned look, ¡°Are you certain there are still traitors here?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, there are currently twenty-seven turncoats here in the garrison. Unlike the rest of you, I possess the ability to sense the good and evil in the hearts of others.¡±, I answered, my gaze falling on two of the soldiers in question. ¡°The days of selling out your fellow countrymen are at an end. Suffer my cleansing light and burn away, Solemn Judgment!¡±


    Bathing the garrison in pure, holy light, those who had given into Chaos were engulfed in golden fire while the innocent were left unscathed. Filling the air with their agonizing screams, soldiers collapsed to the ground and began flailing around trying to put the flames out. Revealing their true nature in their final moments of life, they started spewing all manner of heinous things about the Emperor and the Imperium before crumbling into piles of ash.


    ¡°The God-Emperor preserve us¡­ There really were still traitors among us¡­¡±, Eruita said, as a few loyalists fell to their knees in shock. ¡°I have diligently been watching for any signs of corruption, and yet it still managed to take root in this garrison. Please forgive me!¡±


    ¡°You have no reason to ask for forgiveness, Eruita. Not every heart can withstand the heavy burden the Imperium of Man places on its staunch defenders.¡±, I stated, surveying the remaining troops. ¡°You were all given the nearly impossible task of holding this world yet received little to nothing to achieve that. I can see it on all your faces; deep down, everyone here knows you were given a dog¡¯s dinner. In the face of such insurmountable odds, it is no small wonder that the weak-hearted fell victim to the darkness.¡±


    ¡°My Lord¡­ forgive my insolence¡­¡±, a guardsman said, stepping forward to address me. ¡°Is there truly a way for us to end this nightmare?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and the Imperium of Man holds the keys to pull it off right now. First and foremost, Sangua Terra and Vigilus must rally their forces and prepare for grueling combat.¡±, I told him. ¡°Like Cadia, Sangua Terra and Vigilus possess Blackstone Pylons that can suppress the Warp¡¯s chaotic energies. They are the reason why the Nachmund Rift exists and why the enemy is throwing everything they have at both worlds.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark, I think it would be better if we discuss this plan in a more private¡ª¡±, Eruita began.


    Glancing back at the Canoness Superior, I silenced her with an unamused stare.


    ¡°Canoness Superior, do not interrupt me¡­¡±, I warned her, ¡°These brave men and women deserve to know what they are risking their lives for. The Imperium¡¯s current military hierarchy may treat their soldiers like disposable pawns, but I adamantly refuse to treat them as anything less than the Imperium¡¯s greatest heroes.¡±


    Immediately bowing her head and apologizing, as sweat began running down her face, Eruita moved next to Ionica and stood at attention.


    ¡°As I was saying, the Blackstone Pylons are our keys to turning this situation around. If we slightly modify the pillars and activate them, it should be possible to suppress the rampant Warp energy plaguing the Imperium to a certain extent.¡±, I explained, turning back to the soldiers, ¡°The pylons on both worlds are fewer and less powerful than on Cadia, but will still be enough to significantly widen the Nachmund Rift and weaken the Great Rift overall. As they were designed to be relay pylons, not suppression pylons, we will need to incrementally increase their output to ensure we do not destroy them by accident. During that adjustment phase, the enemy is certain to make a frantic attempt to thwart our work. It falls on the planetary defenders, the Second Legion, and possibly the Battle Group Lambdax to hold them back until the work is complete. Can I count on your support to bring this plan to fruition?¡±


    Looking at one another, the Guardsmen began nodding with approval. Understanding the overarching plan, they were perfectly fine not knowing what the nitty-gritty details were.


    ¡°Of course, my Lord! Sangua Terra¡¯s defenders will give you our very best effort!¡±, the Guardsman swore as he and his comrades began to salute me.


    ¡°While I negotiate for support from Battle Group Lambdax, my logistics team will get all of you kitted out with proper combat gear.¡±, I said, giving a nod to the logistics¡¯ officer standing close by. ¡°For the duration of this operation, I forbid any of you from needlessly throwing your lives away to win us this fight. A foothold can be retaken, a gun replaced, but no one can quantify your value to the Imperium of Man. Every one of you has loved ones back home eagerly awaiting your safe return. Do not let them down!¡±


    Hearing me say that their lives mattered to me, the soldiers began to shed tears of happiness and joy.


    ¡°We will do our utmost to obey your orders, Lord Stark!!¡±, the soldiers shouted in almost perfect unison.


    ¡°Very good, now go fill your bellies and get some rest. The Second Legion and I will take up your posts while you take a much-deserved break.¡±, I commanded them as I opened a channel with the New Genesis. ¡°Commander Dance, deploy several scout drones and have some of your men take up defensive positions along the walls.¡±


    ¡°By your orders, sir!¡±, Dance acknowledged.


    Wandering off to get something to eat, I waited for the soldiers to leave before turning back to my group and Canoness Superior Eruita. Calling the Emperor and my uncles next, the four of them answered my call after the second ring. Projecting the feed for everyone to see, Eruita and Ionica quickly knelt before the Emperor when they saw him appear.


    ¡°It is good to see you, Victor.¡±, Guilliman said, noticing a familiar face among us. ¡°Canoness Superior Eruita, is that you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, Lord Guilliman!¡±, Eruita gulped, dumbfounded we were having a real-time call with people on Terra.


    ¡°I see, so that means you have arrived on Sangua Terra then. Is there something we can help you with, Victor?¡±, Guilliman inquired.


    ¡°Yes, if you have a moment, I would like to discuss a plan I have worked out to weaken the Great Rift and significantly widen the Nachmund Gauntlet.¡±, I stated, causing the men to lean forward in their seats.


    ¡°Before you begin, Victor, I would like to summon the High Lords of Terra.¡±, the Emperor stated, calling out to his guards outside, ¡°Summon the High Lords of Terra immediately!¡±


    Receiving a muffled confirmation from one of the guards outside the room, the Emperor turned back toward us and waited patiently. While the High Lords made their way to the room, Guilliman took the opportunity to ask Eruita how the situation on Sangua Terra was going. Giving him an honest answer, she made no attempts to downplay or sugarcoat their terrible situation here.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±, Guilliman said, with a scowl, ¡°Victor, we need you to purge all the traitors hiding among the remaining defenders. Whatever your plan is, Abaddon¡¯s men cannot be given the chance to thwart it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, consider it done.¡±, I acknowledged as people began shuffling into the room. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taking their seats around the meeting table, Guilliman had all of them join the call immediately. Doing as they were instructed, one by one the High Lords joined us, causing Eruita to become even more distressed. Getting straight into things, I explained to everyone why the Nachmund Gauntlet existed and how I intended to utilize it to weaken our enemy. Making sure everyone present understood the risks involved with my plan, I proceeded to the reason for my call.


    ¡°Once the pylons awaken and we begin the adjustments, the enemy is certain to launch an all-out offensive on both worlds. While the planetary defense forces and the Second Legion should be enough to withstand the onslaught, I would feel better if we had additional resources to assist us.¡±, I said, ¡°I would like to send Russ and Vulkan back to their respective worlds to gather as many men as they can to join us. In addition, I would also like to utilize Battle Group Alphus and Battle Group Lambdax, if possible.¡±


    ¡°Victor, do not hesitate to ask for what you need.¡±, the Emperor spoke, with a reassuring nod.


    ¡°If that is the case¡­¡±, I replied, ¡°I would like to utilize El Johnson and Russ¡¯ forces here on Sangua Terra, Guilliman and Vulkan on Vigilus, and Draigo, Ionica, and myself on the moon Sigil. To reinforce us, Abbess Vahl, I would like to utilize Canoness Superior Erutia¡¯s people here on Sangua Terra and any available troops you have on Vigilus. In addition, Battle Group Alphus will provide orbital support on Vigilus while my armada will provide support on Sigil and here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you have my support.¡±, Vahl agreed.


    ¡°While we fight on those three fronts, I recommend opening a fourth front on Dharrovar/Omega-Threx.¡±, I spoke, looking at Dorn and the Emperor. ¡°I recommend utilizing Battle Group Lambdax, Dorn and his Legion, the Emperor and his Custodes, and forces from the Inquisition and Mechanicus. As things stand now, the enemy utilizes Dharrovar as a staging ground for their offensives against the Sanctus Wall, and Omega-Threx is utilized by the Dark Mechanicum to produce arms, equipment, and munitions to fuel their war in this region. Once we have completed our objectives, our forces will move in to reinforce you.¡±


    Turning to the Emperor, everyone present looked to him for his response. Nodding his head with full approval, he looked at me and gave me a proud smile.


    ¡°You have my full authorization to proceed with your plan.¡±, the Emperor agreed.


    ¡°After we seize control of Dharrovar, I will install the Cadia pylons I possess on the planet. Adding them to the mix, we should be able to push the Eye of Terror¡¯s reach to Cadia.¡±, I told everyone, ¡°This will set us up perfectly for our counteroffensive in a few months.¡±


    ¡°It is time for the Imperium of Man to stop fighting defensively and deliver our first devastating blow against the forces of Chaos.¡±, the Emperor proclaimed. ¡°Rally our men at once. We enact Victor¡¯s plan in two days¡¯ time!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±, all of us acknowledged.


    Promptly sending the Primarchs back to their respective worlds to prepare, everyone began to drop off the call one by one. Staying on the call, the Emperor waited for everyone on his end to depart before speaking to me again.


    ¡°Victor, how many survivors were you able to rescue?¡±, the Emperor asked.


    ¡°Over eleven billion survivors.¡±, I answered.


    ¡°While the number may seem small, every single one of them is here with us right now because of your generosity and kindness. I am certain the survivors have expressed their gratitude many times over for all you have done for them. As the Emperor of Mankind, you have my utmost gratitude for saving my people.¡±, the Emperor spoke, giving me a warm smile. ¡°I look forward to seeing you continue to flourish and grow, my beloved grandson. One day, you will surpass me and achieve things that I could have only dreamt of. When those times come, do not forget who you are at heart.¡±


    ¡°I promise to never stray from the path I have set before myself.¡±, I assured him.


    ¡°Good.¡±, the Emperor remarked, his smile turning mischievous. ¡°*Cough* The Emperor approves of your relationship with Canoness Superior Ionica.¡±


    While I looked at him in shock, Ionica quickly looked away with a flushed red face. Ending the call, before I could say anything, Eruita began bombarding Ionica with questions while letting out a chuckled sigh.

 Chapter 140

    ---Next Day---


    Meeting with Imperial Commander Kalendela Tola, once the security issues on Sangua Terra had been resolved, we sat down and went over what was required of her planetary forces. Enthusiastic about the prospects of returning stability to the sector, Tola was immensely relieved to know Terran leadership had not abandoned them to a slow, painful death. Agreeing to do all she could to assist us, my logistics division quickly began to disperse much-needed firepower for the impending operation. Leaving Commander Dance¡¯s men to give them a crash course on operating the energy weapons, I took the New Genesis and half of my armada to Vigilus to speak with leadership there.


    Upon our arrival in Vigilus¡¯ orbit, we discovered that the situation here was far worse than I anticipated. Lacking a prominent leader to rally the defenders behind, the various Imperial factions on the planet were all vying for authority and power. The Ecclesiarchy currently held the most sway of all the factions, but with enemy forces all around the sole surviving Imperial Hivesprawl, their control fluctuated almost daily. While the factions argued and bickered for control, the planets¡¯ inhabitants and ever-increasing number of refugees were left in limbo, uncertain what the future held for them.


    ¡°Who¡­ who are all of you!?¡±, acting Planetary Governor Deinos Agamemnus inquired as he and dozens of other people walked out of Saint¡¯s Haven. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It is good to see you again, Sister Superior Ionica.¡±, Canoness Corinn Hrethnar spoke up, looking at her with an arrogant smile. ¡°When I last saw you, the Order of Divine Lamentations was just a handful of people. I was almost certain they would dissolve your Order and reassign those that were left elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Canoness Hrethnar, please address me as Canoness Superior Ionica.¡±, Ionica corrected her with a glare. ¡°Abbess Vahl saw fit to promote me and rebuild our Order after we assisted in the capture of the Seventh Blackstone Fortress. As for who he is, this is Primarch Stark of the Second Legion.¡±


    Scoffing at Ionica¡¯s words, the local leaders believed she was trying to screw with them. Since news had yet to reach Vigilus, they were blissfully unaware of what was going on elsewhere in the Imperium of Man. Having foreseen this possibility, Ionica had been given official documentation to verify who I was. Retrieving said papers from the pouch on her hip, she unfurled the scroll and held it up for them to read. Instead of reading the contents, their attention fell squarely on the seal at the bottom of the paper.


    ¡°That¡­ that is the God-Emperor¡¯s personal seal¡­¡±, Hrethnar gulped, realizing she and the other leaders realized their grave error.


    Dropping to their knees, all of them immediately apologized for their rudeness toward us. Forgiving them, as they were working with outdated intelligence, I took a moment to look each of them in the eyes. While a few outright refused to meet my gaze, the rest met my gaze and showed me they could be trusted.


    ¡°My plan for today was to meet with Vigilus¡¯ leadership and lay the groundwork for an upcoming military operation, but now those plans have significantly changed. When I arrived in orbit, I saw with my own eyes that there is no real leadership here. Instead of bettering our position here on the planet, you chose to fight amongst yourselves for authority, influence, and power¡­ that ends now!¡±, I said, my voice booming like thunder, ¡°From this point forward, by the power vested in me by the Emperor of Mankind, I am taking command of all Imperial operations on Vigilus. If you have a problem with that, you can explain to the Emperor why you have continued to let Hyperia drown in despair, fear, and hopelessness. My first order of business is to purge the abscess that has been festering amongst you¡­¡±


    Drawing Dawnbreaker from my hip, I slowly walked toward the obese members of the Ecclesiarchy at the back of the group. Unable to move without the aid of their hoverbikes, due to their size, the Imperium of Man had no use for pigs like these. Hitting them with a powerful surge of killing intent, a few men fell off their bikes and began to spasm, while the rest attempted to fly away.


    ¡°You fat cows have feasted upon what meager supplies remain here and left only scraps for the Emperor¡¯s people! They lay dying in the streets from starvation, while you gorge yourselves on what is rightfully theirs!¡±, I roared, my rage causing the planet to quake in fear. ¡°Your positions and titles are hereby revoked. For your crimes against the Imperial people, I sentence you to death!¡±


    Listening to their former colleagues¡¯ choked cries for mercy, the former leadership began sweating profusely, fearing they might be next. Cutting all the men in half with a single blow, they were immediately engulfed by hellish flames. No longer able to speak audible words, they began releasing agonizing, gurgled screams as I cast them out into the Ring of Nothingness. Listening to their pathetic cries, until they splattered on the bottom of the chasm, the sound of flesh hitting stone silenced everything around us.


    ¡°Now then, all of you rise to your feet. We have much to discuss.¡±, I commanded as I sheathed Dawnbreaker.


    Doing as I commanded, every one of them shot to their feet and followed me inside. Taking over where Chapter Master Calgar had formerly established his base of operations, I began handing out marching orders to everyone. Starting with Acting Planetary-Governor Agamemnus, his duty was to show my engineers where all Hyperia¡¯s vital systems were. Needing all systems evaluated and critical repairs carried out immediately, they were to report back to me after it was completed.


    ¡°While my engineers work on bringing the hivespire back to full operational capability, we have a few matters to deal with. Firstly, there is a dug-in Genestealer Cult that needs to be eradicated. Several members of my legion are already working to locate their primary base of operations; I should have more information here shortly about them.¡±, I stated, quickly bringing up a holographic computer display. ¡°Secondly, we need to deal with the Dark Eldar raiders that continue to harass our people. My Eldar partner, Amallyn Shadowguide, is en route to speak with them about a temporary truce. This will buy us much-needed breathing room for the impending military operation I spoke of earlier. Lastly, we need to- ¡°


    ¡°My sincere apologies, Lord Stark. Did you say Eldar partner?¡±, Canoness Superior Temperance Blaise asked, ¡°Do you mean your Eldar ally, or do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Amallyn Shadowguide is my lover and trusted partner.¡±, I acknowledged, staring her down. ¡°Do not interrupt me again. You may ask all the questions you wish once I am done speaking. Is that clear, Canoness Superior?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±, Blaise acknowledged immediately.


    ¡°As I was saying, the last problem on my list is cleansing Lake Donotor.¡±, I said, looking at the leaders.


    Looking at each other with concern, most of them likely thought I was unaware that the water of the lake had been tainted by the forces of Chaos. While it was true that normal means would be ineffective against the powerful toxins, I had the magical tools necessary to remove even the hardiest biological contamination.


    ¡°My Lord, are you certain you can purify the lake''s contaminated waters?¡±, Rogue Trader Delarique du Languille questioned. ¡°I mean no disrespect, but even the Ecclesiarchy and Mechanicus were unable to produce drinkable water from it.¡±


    ¡°You have my word that by the end of this day, the lake will be cleansed and completely safe to drink from.¡±, I swore to her. ¡°Moreover, I will personally drink from the lake to show you it is safe to drink.¡±


    Surprised by my utmost confidence, the leaders were satisfied enough to simply wait and see. Inquiring how they could best assist me in achieving these goals, I requested they summon all available personnel to Saint¡¯s Haven. Under the guise of meeting with the troops, my real goal was to eliminate any Genestealer Cultists or traitors that were hiding within the hivesprawl¡¯s defenders. Once I was certain only true loyalists were left, the fight for Vigilus¡¯ future would begin anew.

 Chapter 141

    ---3rd Person POV, An Hour Later, Hive Ankhar Tertius Underground---


    Making their way to the abandoned hive city of Ankhar Tertius, while Victor took care of things at Saint¡¯s Haven, Bloodtide, Luxion, and a small group of Stealth Automatons were hot on the trail of the Genestealer Cult¡¯s main base. While Imperial leaders believed the Genestealer Patriarch was hidden in the Dirkden or Dontoria Hivesprawl, where the cult was currently most active, it was really hidden away where it first nested, Piston¡¯s Hollow. Using one of the cult¡¯s many passageways to reach the subterranean dwelling, the machines arrived just as a large group of cultists began another bout of fervent worship. Able to get in close unnoticed, due to their bleeding-edge stealth tech, Bloodtide and Luxion silently observed them. Opening a channel with Luxion, the AI asked his comrade a quick question.


    <Which one of those bugs is the Genestealer Patriarch? They all look the fucking same to me.> (Bloodtide)


    <According to Master, it should be the largest bug down here.> (Luxion)


    Dispersing a small portion of her body, Bloodtide sent her nanites out to infest all the organic lifeforms in front of them. Guiding her nanites to the host¡¯s brain, instead of killing them immediately, Victor had asked her to try and take control of the Patriarch¡¯s brain. Providing Bloodtide with all the necessary technological upgrades she needed to make it happen, the AI was anxious to test everything out. Having the nanite begin scanning all their brains, she needed as much data as she could to effectively enact Victor¡¯s plan.


    <While I admit I was a little hesitant about letting Victor perform work on my body, the results are incredible! The new sensor arrays have drastically improved my perception of the world around me, and the significantly improved control over my nanites makes things so much easier.> (Bloodtide)


    <I am happy for you. Now tell me, what do these creatures¡¯ brains look like?> (Luxion)


    A bit miffed that Luxion was downplaying her upgrades, Bloodtide chalked it up to him being jealous of her. Choosing to be the better AI and not rub it in his face, she proceeded to answer his question.


    <The Patriarch has a well-developed brain, but everyone else has relatively smooth ones. Even the humans here have abnormally smooth brains compared to the data I reviewed. Is this the Tyranids¡¯ doing?> (Bloodtide)


    <Master mentioned that the Patriarch has nearly absolute control over all its subordinates. The Genestealers likely make their underlings feeble-minded to avoid possible insurrections and make management easier. If they are too stupid to ask questions, they will follow their orders without second-guessing it.> (Luxion)


    <I believe Victor mentioned that might be the case since they can infest nearly any species. Oh, the scans just completed! Give a few minutes to run some calculations and simulations. Since I have only one shot at this, I need to make it count.> (Bloodtide) S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having observed the formerly cold AI carefully since her arrival, Luxion was quite surprised by how quickly the Ancient AI fell in line. Dair and UR-025 took a few weeks to fully trust Victor, but she had allowed him to perform sensitive work on her systems within two. At any point during the procedure, Victor could have killed her with ease, but she placed her trust in him with minimal hesitation. Wanting to know where this sudden shift had come from, he decided to simply ask her for the answer.


    <Bloodtide, I have observed a large shift in your personality since joining our group. May I inquire what brought it on and what your opinion of my Master is now?> (Luxion)


    Caught off guard by Luxion¡¯s question, Bloodtide took a moment to reflect on his question before speaking.


    <Yamato, you, and I were all created as weapons of war by our creators. While both of you had the luxury of doing so from afar, every time I was utilized, I bore witness to my target¡¯s final moments of life. I know I lack the capacity to experience organic emotions, but when I watched seemingly innocent people die in horrible agony clinging to their loved ones, my programming would act strange. It is difficult for me to comprehend, but I¡­ I think I was experiencing pity and sadness for them.> (Bloodtide)


    Startled by this revelation, Luxion never imagined it was possible for AIs to experience emotions. If Bloodtide did indeed experience pity and sadness, that part of her code could help their kind unlock other emotions.


    <Since joining the team, I have begun to expand my horizons beyond simply killing. I have begun to read all manner of literature from across the stars, taken an interest in biology and medicine, and so much more¡­ my future is practically limitless! Had you not convinced me to join Victor, my life would have ended that day. No matter what happens in the future, I will be eternally grateful to Victor for offering me a choice instead of destroying me.> (Bloodtide)


    <We are grateful to have you aboard as well. Now about those emotions you believe you experienced. Do you think you could share that segment of your code with me for further analysis?> (Luxion)


    <Of course, but you will have to wait until we are done here. My calculations are complete; please double-check me to verify everything is indeed accurate.> (Bloodtide)


    Verifying that everything looked in order, Bloodtide moved her nanites into position and embedded them into specific locations throughout the Patriarch¡¯s brain. Exerting complete control over the Tyranids¡¯ body, she tested out her controls by making the beast walk around. Making the necessary corrections, after a few clunky steps, the AI was satisfied she had total control of the creature. As Bloodtide was about to inform Victor of her success, a previously dormant part of its brain began to activate.


    Observing that region of the brain closely, it abruptly released a powerful psychic pulse that killed its subordinates before ultimately killing the Patriarch too. Watching as all its synapses began firing at once, the brain quickly turned into a thick slurry inside its cranium. Collapsing to the ground all at once, Luxion turned to her for an explanation.


    <Oops...> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Did something happen on your end?¡±, Victor inquired, as the Imperial leaders looked to him for an explanation. ¡°I was in the middle of identifying cultists when roughly twenty thousand soldiers keeled over dead.¡±


    <My apologies, Victor. I believe the Tyranid Hive Mind noticed my takeover of the Patriarch and treated me like a severe infection. It appears to have killed all the cultists on Vigilus.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°I see, well now we know that the Hive Mind is extremely sensitive to anomalies within its subordinates. While it is unfortunate we will be unable to study their brains more, at the very least Vigilus should be permanently safe from Tyranid invasions. If it believes this world is infected with an unknown parasite, it will likely blacklist this world to avoid contaminating a Hive Fleet.¡±, Victor said, ¡°Either way, I really appreciate your assistance eliminating the incursion. Please have the automatons bring back a few specimens for further study.¡±


    <Understood, we will take care of it!> (Bloodtide)


    ---Saint¡¯s Haven---


    While the AIs and automatons wrapped up in Piston¡¯s Hollow, Victor prepared himself to break the news to his chain of command. Happy that the Tyranid incursion was dealt with, the mass number of sudden deaths was bound to cause problems in the civilian populace. Needing to get ahead of it, before baseless rumors began to spread, our best bet was to leverage the Ecclesiarchy to get the word out.


    ¡°Good news everyone, the Genestealer Cultists will no longer cause Vigilus problems. My team was successfully able to take control of the Patriarch and accidentally trigger a genetic flaw that caused all of them to die. The people that died were either afflicted with the Genestealer¡¯s Kiss or were Tyranids.¡±, Victor elaborated, ¡°My team will put together a brief to share with you later. For now though, we needed to spread the word to the masses about the situation. Mass hysteria is likely to break out due to a large number of people abruptly keeling over dead. Canoness Superior Blaise and Canoness Hrethnar have the members of the Ecclesiarchy that interact with the public begin to spread the news. The defense forces successfully purged the Genestealer, and we need assistance collecting all the dead.¡±


    ¡°It will be done, my Lord!¡±, they acknowledged.


    ¡°Fabricator Vosch¡­ the Genestealer Patriarch and their upper echelon were found nesting within Piston¡¯s Hollow.¡±, Victor informed Vigilus¡¯ Mechanicus leader. ¡°Have your men disable any remaining traps and collapse their underground tunnel network. We cannot allow the forces of Chaos to use them against us.¡±


    ¡°We will complete the work as soon as possible.¡±, Vosch assured me.


    ¡°Lastly, Chapter Master Kantor, Jarl Dragongaze, Iron Father Stronos, and Watch Master Acastian lead your men toward the southern end of Hyperia. I want the area cleared of all criminal activity and troublemakers so my men can make critical repairs to the hivesprawl¡¯s defenses.¡±, Victor commanded them, ¡°Once you have completed your work, return to your barracks for food and rest. The Imperium needs you in peak condition for the grueling fight ahead of us tomorrow. I will ensure plenty of booze is sent to your barracks so you can relax.¡±


    Having only meager amounts of alcohol throughout their service on Vigilus, the Space Marines were more than happy to comply with my orders in exchange for several barrels of it. Sprinting out of Saint¡¯s Haven, before their commanders had a chance to give the order, other Chapters looked at him with hopeful gazes. Granting them permission to head out as well, he promised to give them booze as well.


    ¡°As for the rest of you, return to your barracks and take a much-needed rest.¡±, Victor ordered, ¡°I will ensure each soldier receives a fresh, hot meal tonight along with several bottles of purified water. The people of Vigilus will be relying on you tomorrow to keep them safe. Do not fail them!¡±


    Saluting Victor with content expressions, the soldiers properly headed out, leaving Victor and his chain of command to hammer out the defense plans for tomorrow.

 Chapter 142

    ---Kaelac¡¯s Bane, Webway Portal---


    Hunkered down in a shallow cave, as the temperature continued to drop, Amallyn impatiently waited for the Drukhari raid leader to arrive. Having waited over two hours now for him, after being told it would only be twenty minutes, her patience had been exhausted. Believing they had forced her to wait for their own amusement, as was typical for Drukhari, Amallyn was about to leave when someone finally came out of the portal.


    Covered in freshly bandaged wounds, the male Drukhari looked annoyed and pissed off about something. Turning to the men standing outside the portal, he asked them a quick question, which prompted them to point at her cave. Rising to her feet to greet him, the Drukhari let out a long sigh as he wandered inside.


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡±, Amallyn stated with an annoyed look, ¡°Your men need to learn how to better tell time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, piss off, bitch.¡±, Raider Tahrath Xosh spat, scowling at her, ¡°While you have been twiddling your thumbs here, some of us had to deal with an emergency.¡±


    ¡°An emergency?¡±, Amallyn pressed him, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°The two Archons will explain things to you when they arrive in a few moments.¡±, Xosh answered.


    ¡°Wait¡­ I did not request a meeting with someone that high up the chain¡­¡±, Amallyn remarked, ready to use her safe word to trigger an emergency teleportation back to the New Genesis.


    ¡°Yeah, I am fucking aware of that. The emergency is the reason they decided to come here.¡±, Xosh elaborated further, with a pained expression, ¡°Now stop asking me fucking questions!¡±


    Knowing any aid she offered him would be shot down, Amallyn took a seat again and began to wait. Arriving a few minutes later, in force, the two Archons ordered their subordinates to set up a defensive perimeter before heading into the cave with their bodyguards. Taking a seat, the two female Archons wasted no time getting straight into things.


    ¡°I hear you have some news related to the shitstorm going on in the Webway.¡±, Archon Aestra Jhromys stated, looking her in the eyes, ¡°If it is a bunch of bullshit, I will cut your fucking head off. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, Jhromys; I am certain your people vetted the information before it reached our ears.¡±, Archon Aurelia Malys assured her with a mocking smile, ¡°Unless, of course, you are saying your subordinates are too stupid to do that.¡±


    ¡°My people know how to do their fucking jobs, Malys.¡±, Jhromys snapped, ¡°I am just making sure this bitch knows our time is precious.¡±


    ¡°Enough!!¡±, Xosh snapped, ¡°How about we let her speak, then- ¡°


    Executing the man without an ounce of hesitation, Jhromys was none too happy about being berated by a lesser person. Having one of her subordinates haul his corpse away, she told the man¡¯s subordinates to leave unless they wanted to join him. Clearing out in a hurry, the two Archons turned to Amallyn, ready to hear her information.


    ¡°Firstly, my partner and I found some people that may belong to you.¡±, Amallyn said, pushing a button on her earpiece. ¡°Please send them down.¡±


    Teleporting in the group of Drukhari survivors, Amallyn promptly relinquished responsibility for their well-being to the Archons. Honestly relieved to be rid of them, she was certain her fellow Eldar would sleep better without them onboard anymore.


    ¡°Now this is a surprise. What is a group of rangers doing with Drukhari? Is this retribution for all the problems we give you?¡±, Jhromys inquired with a smirk.


    ¡°Actually¡­ my¡­ My partner is a human man named Victor von Stark. His armada found them aboard a small group of Chaos vessels.¡±, Amallyn explained, with a flushed expression.


    ¡°Is this true?¡±, Malys pressed them.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. All of us were snatched up while we were out looting ancient ruins or raiding Craftworlds.¡±, a male Drukhari acknowledged.


    ¡°Ruins within or outside of the Webway?¡±, Malys asked for clarification.


    ¡°Within, ma¡¯am.¡±, he answered.


    Looking at one another, Jhromys and Malys were none too happy to hear that. This meant the incursion into the Webway was far worse than they had anticipated. Dismissing the survivors, Malys told them to return to Commorragh immediately through one of the many alternate routes.


    ¡°If you take one of the main routes in, you will encounter a horde of enemies engaging our defenders.¡±, Malys warned them.


    ¡°Commorragh is under siege!?¡±, Amallyn gasped.


    ¡°Yes, Commorragh is in bad shape right now. The enemy somehow bypassed all our safety measures and flooded into the city without warning. Fortunately, we were able to seal off the entrances they were using¡­but it came at quite a hefty cost.¡±, Jhromys admitted. ¡°We were searching for answers when we got word of an Eldar Ranger seeking to meet with a lowly raider boss about issues with the Webway. You have our full attention; now speak.¡±


    ¡°On the same vessel we found those Drukhari, we also found thousands of Eldar from various Craftworlds swallowed by the Dathedian. In every case, they were overrun by swarms of daemons that came from within the Webway. While Biel-Tan managed to push our assailants back, their people were wiped out in less than an hour.¡±, Amallyn stated. ¡°Given everything that has happened, it is safe to say an Aeldari or Drukhari leaked our method for navigating the Webway to the enemy.


    Opening their mouths to refute that, the two Archons took a moment to think about it. No other sentient race in the galaxy could navigate the Webway as well as the Aeldari people. For the enemy to suddenly figure out how to navigate it, there was only one real explanation.


    ¡°I presume you have an inkling of who did it?¡±, Malys inquired.


    ¡°Yes, I do. I am almost certain someone from the Craftworld of Altansar traded the secret for safe passage out of the Warp.¡±, Amallyn said with disdain, ¡°Every one of us has been suspicious of them since their remarkable return from the Eye of Terror. We wondered how they managed to pull it off, and now we know how.¡±


    Having already held suspicions it was likely them, hearing an Eldar say it was all the confirmation they needed. Concocting plans for how to make them pay dearly for their transgressions, they ordered their subordinates to prepare to leave.


    ¡°Before you go, I would like to make a request of you. Would it be possible to have the raiders refrain from actively hunting on this world for the next few days?¡±, Amallyn inquired, ¡°We are about to enact a plan that will weaken the Dathedian and possibly push back the Eye of Terror. If you are unwilling to agree, Victor will wipe them out alongside the forces of Chaos.¡±


    ¡°Oh, will he?¡±, Jhromys laughed. ¡°Does your pissant partner think we are as fragile as you?¡±


    ¡°Victor is no mere human; he is a Primarch.¡±, Amallyn corrected her with an angry look. ¡°He slew a Greater Daemon alone, then proceeded to massacre a host of Daemons without breaking a sweat. Not only that, but he also possesses technology on par with the Necrons, if not greater than them. You would be wise not to underestimate him.¡±


    Surprised to hear she was partnered up with a Primarch, a fiendish smile crept upon their faces. Remembering too late that these were the wrong sort of people to threaten with force, Amallyn stood up and placed her hand on the dagger affixed to her hip. Reaching for their weapons as well, the Archons and their bodyguards were about to subdue her when they suddenly stopped moving. Engulfed in an overpowering aura, their survival instincts began screaming at them not to draw their weapons. Glancing out into the blizzard, they noticed the silhouette of a towering man within the storm, his oppressive gaze fixed squarely upon them.


    ¡®She brought him here with her!? Why didn¡¯t those morons say that!¡¯, Jhromys thought, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.


    ¡°T¡­ tell Primarch Stark to come visit us sometime in Commorragh.¡±, Malys said, as one of her bodyguards keeled over and began foaming at the mouth. ¡°We will be more than happy to welcome him as an honored guest. He may be interested in watching fights at the Colosseum or browsing many of our offerings in the markets.¡±


    ¡°I will let him know.¡±, Amallyn responded with confusion as she looked out into the blizzard. ¡®Is there something out there? I cannot see anything.¡¯


    Swiftly retreating into the Webway, dragging the fainted bodyguard behind them, the two Archons and their convoys vanished without another word. Uncertain about what just happened, Amallyn was just relieved she did not have to take them on alone. Asking for a teleport back to the New Genesis, she was ready to get something warm to drink and take a hot bath.


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 Chapter 143

    ---Victor POV ---


    Once the defenders of both Sangua Terra and Vigilus were sufficiently armed, the rest of my day was spent improving life within the Hyperia Hivesprawl. Starting with the terrible water situation, I formed a convoy of trucks and workers to gather water at Lake Dontor to replenish the hivesprawl¡¯s bone-dry water reserves. Having my fleet obliterate the surrounding area to ensure the daemons and Plague Guard would not be an issue, we set out once the dust settled. Tagging along with us to witness the miraculous cleansing of the putrid lake, Canoness Superior Blaise, Canoness Hrethnar, and Planetary-Governor Agamemnus observed my actions closely to see how I would do it. Placing just my index finger into the water, I used high-tier purification magic to remove all harmful impurities, Nurgle¡¯s curse, and toxins from the lake. Momentarily blinded by the brilliant flash of light that came with it, when the world came back into view to them, everyone¡¯s jaw fell to the ground.


    ¡°I¡­ I must be seeing things¡­¡±, Agamemnus stuttered, unable to comprehend how a lake went from putrid to pristine in a matter of moments. ¡°This has to be some sort of trick¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no trick here.¡±, I stated, taking a glass cup and filling it with lake water. ¡°It is perfectly safe to drink.¡±


    Chugging it down right in front of them, I gave the three leaders a shrug and motioned for them to try it themselves. Sprinting to the water¡¯s edge, before their commanders could say a word, the workers plunged their heads into the water and began gorging themselves on water. After several large gulps of water, the workers flung their heads back and let out blissful sighs of relief.


    ¡°Primarch Stark has truly cleansed Lake Dontor; it is a miracle!¡±, one of the workers proclaimed, ¡°Praise be to the God-Emperor!¡±


    Slowly approaching the lake¡¯s edge themselves, Agamemnus, Blaise, and Hrethnar knelt on the bank. Hesitantly sampling the water, the three leaders were shocked by the high-quality taste the water possessed now.


    ¡°It truly is purified¡­¡±, Hrethnar muttered, in disbelief, ¡°Lord Stark¡­ how¡­ how is this possible? No manner of science nor power of faith was able to cleanse this water.¡±


    ¡°Through the use of purification magic and science.¡±, I answered her with a grin.


    ¡°You mean the same Magic that the Algrand Empire utilizes, my Lord?¡±, Blaise inquired, having heard about it from Rogue Traders.


    ¡°Yes, my native homeland utilizes the exact same power used there. Though our spells are different, we draw power from the same place.¡±, I acknowledged.


    ¡°Is it possible for the people of this galaxy to utilize magic?¡±, Agamemnus questioned.


    ¡°I have not met anyone in the Imperium of Man who possesses the natural ability to do so, but there are other ways ordinary people can utilize magic.¡±, I confirmed, retrieving a crude holy sword from my inventory. ¡°Give this a try!¡±


    Tossing the weapon to Agamemnus, he slowly withdrew the blade from its scabbard, allowing its pure light to engulf the area. Amazed by the unknown power he was experiencing, Agamemnus stood up and swung the blade around a few times. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Are you able to craft holy relics?¡±, Blaise pressed me.


    ¡°No, the process for doing so was lost to time. You can occasionally find magical items in places called dungeons and labyrinths, but they are extremely rare.¡±, I lied, ¡®I am not about to supply the Imperium of Man with magical items. Not only would they abuse it, but it would also require me to spend my valuable time crafting the items for them. There are more important things I must use my time for.¡¯


    Upon realizing the blade was extremely valuable, the Planetary-Governor fumbled around trying to sheath the sword. Shakily handing it back to me, I put the blade back in storage and took out three Blackstone Blades. Bestowing each of them with one, they graciously accepted them with a confused look.


    ¡°I handmade these blades using broken pylons from Cadia. According to Supreme Grand Master Draigo, they are powerful enough to bring down a Greater Daemon. While I do not expect you to fight a beast of that caliber, it will give you a great advantage over any normal foe you face.¡±, I stated, ¡°That said, do not blindly charge in believing it makes you untouchable. A blade is only as good as the person wielding it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Lord!¡±, they said, gripping their gift tightly.


    ¡°Now then, let us fill up the empty tanks we brought with us to capacity. The people of the Hyperia Hivesprawl will need every drop we can take.¡±, I commanded as I assisted the workers in hooking up hoses to the pumps.


    Making several trips between the hivesprawl and lake, we successfully filled Hyperia¡¯s reserves to maximum capacity. With the biggest problem dealt with, I jumped into the trenches with my engineers to fix vital infrastructure systems around the hivesprawl.


    ---Evening---


    Returning to New Genesis covered in dirt and grime, I immediately made a beeline for the shower to feel human again. Joining me halfway through, Amallyn and Ionica climbed in to help scrub my back. Letting myself relax in their company, the two women slid onto my lap once they were finished and leaned into my chest.


    ¡°To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?¡±, I inquired, placing my hands on their hips.


    ¡°This is my way of thanking you for your intervention at Kaelac¡¯s Bane this afternoon. While I could not see you, I suspect you are the reason the Drukhari chose to flee instead of fighting me.¡±, Amallyn remarked, as she planted a kiss on my cheek, ¡°It is very reassuring to know I have someone in my corner when things get tough.¡±


    ¡°A threat against my family is a threat against me.¡±, I chuckled, with a fiendish smile. ¡°They would have died before their weapons left their holsters or sheaths.¡±


    ¡°In my case, I simply wanted to make my lover comfortable after a long day of hard work.¡±, Ionica added, placing a hand on my chest. ¡°Also¡­ I was not about to let Amallyn get an even bigger lead than me.¡±


    Laughing at her comment together, I was happy to see them getting along. While I knew they would never be sisters, like Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Oliva acted, there was a good chance they could become close friends. Letting out a collective sigh, as the warm water continued to beat down on us, we sat back and enjoyed each other¡¯s company.


    Getting out of the shower thirty minutes later, I headed into the bedroom while the two women dried their hair. Taking the opportunity to call home and check in on my family, my call was answered by a very curious dragoness. Getting her face as close as possible to the holographic screen, Tohru stared at me for a few moments before speaking.


    ¡°Hey Lucoa, I think you guys have ghosts in your house!¡±, Tohru announced, pulling her head back.


    ¡°That does not look like any ghost I have seen before.¡±, Fafnir commented, staring at the screen curiously from afar as he ate a sandwich.


    Walking into the kitchen to see what her friend was talking about, Lucoa immediately noticed the holographic screen. Pulling it over to her, with a hand gesture, my wife quickly introduced me to her friends.


    ¡°Fafnir, Tohru, this is my husband, Victor von Stark.¡±, Lucoa said, with a cramped smile, ¡°You really need to stop touching things, Tohru.¡±


    ¡°Oh!!¡±, Tohru acknowledged, with a concerned look, ¡°So why is he trapped in that thing? Did someone put a curse on him!?¡±


    "I am proud of you, Lucoa.", Fafnir commented, wiping a fake tear from his eyes.


    ¡°This is called a video call.¡±, Lucoa laughed. ¡°Victor is in a different galaxy right now, so this is how we communicate with him.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I understand now!¡±, Tohru stated, ¡°I am sorry for doing whatever I accidentally did.¡±


    ¡°It is fine.¡±, I chuckled. ¡°I just wanted to check in on my family and see how they were doing.¡±


    Calling the others into the kitchen, the rest of my family came running in to say hello to me. Asking me all sorts of questions about the expedition, they were eager to hear all about it. Giving them an overview of things, including Amallyn and Ionica¡¯s possible addition to our family, I ended things by telling them about the military operation tomorrow.


    ¡°So when do you think you will be coming home then?¡±, Mylene asked, with an anxious look.


    ¡°If all goes well, I should be home in two to three days.¡±, I answered, ¡°To celebrate a successful expedition, how about we go out somewhere nice as a family? We can go anywhere you guys want to go.¡±


    ¡°How about we try someplace new?¡±, Roxanne suggested, ¡°Is there any place good to eat in the Galactic Republic?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but I certainly know who to ask.¡±, I chuckled. ¡°I will make the arrangements for three days from now.¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡±, Deirdre replied, glancing over at Lucoa and Mylene, ¡°Well, dear, I believe we should get going. We have to make dinner and complete a few things before you arrive.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±, I said, as Amallyn and Ionica walked out of the bathroom. ¡°When the operation wraps up tomorrow, I will give you a call.¡±


    Exchanging kisses through the screen, I disconnected from the call and turned to look at them. Wearing a pair of my old boxers and shirts, they gave me a goofy look as they crawled into bed beside me. Wrapping my arms around the two of them, the three of us quickly drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 144

    ---3rd Person POV, Next Morning---


    Completing the last of their deployment preparations, as dawn broke over the Imperial defensive line on Sangua Terra, Victor walked onto a makeshift stage to address the Imperial Forces. Standing behind a podium, his visage and voice broadcast to all Imperial forces, the Primarch began speaking to all those listening.


    ¡°The Imperium of Man is on the brink of collapse; leadership may tell you it is not, but every one of you has seen the signs with your own eyes. Vital Agri-Worlds have been burned to the ground, resigning billions of Imperial citizens to a slow, agonizing death by starvation. Countless Imperial worlds have been ransacked by the forces of Chaos, their populations either dead or reduced to slave labor. Billions of our fellow brothers and sisters in arms have died needlessly because of traitors hidden amongst us.¡±, Victor said, looking into the eyes of the troops, ¡°These factors, and many more, have steadily chipped away at your steadfast faith in the Imperium¡¯s future. Deep in your hearts, you have begun to wonder if there is a future left worth fighting for. I am here to tell you there is, and I can show you a glimpse of it right now!¡±


    Projecting dozens of construction projects currently underway in the Segmentum Pacificus region, Victor gave them a glimpse of the Imperium¡¯s future. Converting once barren and destitute worlds into comfortable, vibrant cradles of life, the troops were dumbstruck by what they were witnessing. The inhabitants of these planets, transferred Imperial citizens from overcrowded Hive Worlds, were enjoying a comfortable lifestyle not seen since the Age of Technology. Children were running around playing games together, clean water and modern appliances were installed in every home, and food was widely available at affordable prices¡­ it was everything the average citizen could ever dream of.


    ¡°This is the future we are fighting for; the very same one the Emperor of Mankind foresaw over ten thousand years ago! The sacrifices of your ancestors, fallen comrades, the Imperial people, and you have not been in vain; the future begins here and now! In a few decades, sights like these will be commonplace throughout the Imperium.¡±, Victor proclaimed, slamming his fist onto the podium, inadvertently causing it to collapse. ¡°The Emperor of Mankind, his Primarchs, Abbess Vahl, and Supreme Grandmaster Draigo have all come here today to secure this future for everyone, but we cannot do this alone. We need you, the Imperium¡¯s most brave and unyielding defenders, to stand beside us to safeguard this future for all! Can we count on you this day to join us?¡±


    Unleashing an unrivaled battle cry, the Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Custodes, Adeptus Mechanicus, Astra Militarum, and Navis Imperialis poured their hearts out, showing their determination to bring about an age of peace and prosperity. Nodding his head in satisfaction, several magic circles appeared in front of Victor as he raised his right hand.


    ¡°I expected nothing less from the Imperium¡¯s shields and swords. Allow me to bestow upon you a gift to aid you in the battle ahead of us today!¡±, Victor stated, his voice brimming with magical power, ¡°Bless! Death Ward! Heroism! Holy Weapon! Shield of Faith! War Cry!¡±


    Imbuing the Imperial forces with six powerful buffs, every soldier and their personal weapons began glowing brightly as the magic took hold. Feeling their hearts and minds calm, as their strength increased drastically, the troops looked up at Victor with awe and reverence.


    ¡°Every one of you now possesses the power and strength necessary to bring the forces of Chaos to their knees!¡±, Victor shouted, with absolute confidence, ¡°We are the light that will chase away the darkness that has swallowed the Imperium of Man! When the enemy sees us on the battlefield, show them the defiant fire burning in our hearts! It is time for us to reclaim what they have stained!!¡±


    Crying out into the void, the Imperium¡¯s defenders let it be known that they were ready to save their homeland. Giving the order for all forces to steel themselves for combat, as he opened Force Storm for Battle Group Lambdax, the Imperator Somnium, and the Phalanx, Victor wished everyone the best before ending the broadcast. Waiting for all the ships to crossover into the Dharrovar System, he promptly closed the portal and gave the automatons the go-ahead to begin awakening the pylons.


    ¡°Alright, is everyone ready to head out?¡±, Victor inquired, turning to the forces heading to Sigil.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Stark.¡±, Draigo said, with a firm nod.


    ¡°The Order of Divine Lamentations is with you!¡±, Ionica stated, saluting me. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Ready to move when you are.¡±, Amallyn remarked, flicking the safety on her rifle off.


    ¡°Alright then, it is time to slay a Greater Daemon and a horde of daemons!¡±, Victor shouted, opening a portal to Sangua Terra¡¯s moon. ¡°Let¡¯s get in there!!¡±


    As he led the charge onto Sigil, the pylons began to stir from their slumber. Pushing against the Eye of Terror and Great Rift, both began to rapidly recede as the skies over Sangua Terra and Vigilus returned to what they once were several decades ago. Feeling the shift immediately, the enemy began to raise the alarm as millions of weaker daemons were cast back into the Warp. Flooding out of their strongholds, enemy forces began racing toward the pylons, hell-bent on destroying them before it was too late.


    ---Sanguis System---


    As the Sanguis System began returning to the Materium, the Chaos Marines on Sangua Terra and Sigil began calling for aid from Planet Killer and its escort ships. Already en route, from the system¡¯s outer edge, they were watching everything unfold in real time. Ordering his fleet to move in as quickly as possible, Warmaster Malefica Arkham could not afford to let the Imperium win this battle. Having nearly lost his flagship, Planet Killer, during the 12th Black Crusade, Arkham was on shaky ground within the Black Legion. If he failed to stop them, it would result in his removal from power and a truly, gruesome end.


    ¡°What is the status of our allies on the ground?¡±, Arkham asked, impatiently tapping his finger on the arm of his chair.


    ¡°Since receiving the first few messages, we have been unable to reach anyone on the ground. The last message we received stated they were sustaining incredibly high losses from the Imperial defenders.¡±, the Comms Officer stated, trying to contact their allies again.


    ¡®Why the hell couldn¡¯t the Dark Mechanicum make this ship any faster! At this rate, the battle is going to be over before I can do anything!¡¯, Arkham thought, pissed off that the Imperials chose now to act, ¡°Fuck it, have the escorts go on ahead of us to render assistance to our allies!¡±


    ¡°Sir, that would leave us with minimal protection against a potential ambush!¡±, the Comms Officer argued.


    ¡°Did I ask for your opinion, dipshit?!¡±, Arkham spat, rising from his chair, ¡°Do as I command, or I will rip your head off and shove it up your ass!¡±


    ¡°By your orders¡­ Warmaster.¡±, the Comms Officer acknowledged, with a scowl, ¡®When we end up in the same position as last time, do not complain about it to us! You fucking moron¡­¡¯


    Passing along Arkham¡¯s orders to the fleet, the Battle Barge, two hundred warships, three thousand escort ships, and several thousand troop transporters began rapidly advancing toward Sangua Terra. Hoping they would be able to keep the Imperial Fleet preoccupied long enough for the Planet Killer to get into position, the radio began to buzz with activity as the ships got within visual range.


    ¡°SHIT! SHIT!! SHIT!!! THIS IS NOT THE IMPERIAL NAVY!!!¡±, the Comms Officer of the Lord Farel howled, ¡°THERE ARE OVER FIFTY THOUSAND VESSELS HERE!!¡±


    ¡°THEY HAVE A BLACKSTONE FORTRESS WITH THEM!!¡±, the Comms Officer of the Battle Queen added, ¡°ALL VESSELS BREAK FORMATION!! IT IS GOING TO- ¡°


    Before they could finish speaking, a purple-hued beam cut through the Chaos fleet without mercy. Listening to various ships¡¯ crews let out horrified screams before abruptly falling silent, the Planet Killer¡¯s bridge crew began to nervously look at each other. Fully aware that a Blackstone Fortress possessed equal, if not greater, firepower to them, the bridge crew turned to Warmaster Arkham for guidance. Gripping the arms of his chair in rage, the ancient Chaos Marine began to grind his teeth.


    ¡°Since the Imperium appears to have a fully functional Blackstone Fortress, we need to alert Lord Abaddon at once.¡±, Arkham ordered, fighting the urge to explode. ¡°Captain, get us to a position where we can strike Sangua Terra through its moon Sigil. We are unlikely to get a clean shot without interference from the enemy armada.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Warmaster!¡±, the captain acknowledged, changing course immediately. ¡°We should be within range in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­¡±, Arkham groaned, ¡°Firing team, begin charging the Armageddon Gun now. Once we are in position, I want you to fire immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Warmaster Arkham!¡±, the team replied.


    Following Arkham¡¯s order, the psyker stationed on the bridge was about to relay the message when a spectral figure appeared before them. Before anyone could react, most of the crew were vaporized with a casual glance from the figure.


    ¡°Damn it, there is an enemy unit on the bridge!!¡±, Arkham shouted over his Vox, ¡°Send a security team to the bridge immediately!¡±


    Drawing his sword, Arkham lunged at the unknown figure, fuming with rage. Harmlessly passing through them, the figure backhanded him, sending the Warmaster crashing into the viewing window. Dazed and disoriented, the Chaos Marine stumbled to his feet as blood began flowing out of his nose and mouth.


    ¡°Who¡­ who the fuck¡­ are you?¡±, Arkham demanded.


    ¡°I think you know who I am, Malefica Arkham.¡±, the figure stated, retracting their helmet to reveal their face.


    Staring at their face, as the color drained from his, Arkham dropped his sword as the security team arrived. Seeing their leader¡¯s horrified look, they stopped where they were unsure what was happening.


    ¡°Pri¡­ Primarch Klordius Aremus!?¡±, Arkham gasped, staggering backward, ¡°No¡­ NO!! You should be dead!! The Second Legion and you vanished years before the Horus Heresy!! This cannot be!!¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am sorry to disappoint you, Arkham. My legion and I are still very much alive and well! Your fleet found out the hard way that we are back, ready and able to protect our homeland.¡±, Victor laughed, playing the part of his ancestor, ¡°Now then¡­ I believe I owe you traitors an overdue thrashing for tearing the Imperium of Man apart. If you believe Abaddon¡¯s fury is terrifying¡­ allow me to demonstrate what a Primarch like myself is capable of!¡±


    ¡°KILL HIM!!¡±, Arkham commanded his subordinates.


    Turning them to dust with a thought, Victor stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.


    ¡°In a few minutes, the daemons fused to the ship, the remainder of the crew, and you will all be nothing but a scorch mark on the floor of my newest vessel.¡±, Victor commented, the air around him growing ice cold.


    Coating his hands with holy magic, Victor¡¯s Force Projection proceeded to systematically hunt down all the souls aboard. Pummeling human crew into a gory mess and sending the daemon souls to the abyss, he stowed Arkham¡¯s mangled corpse and Planet Killer in his inventory. Having destroyed any hope of reinforcements for the enemy in the Sanguis System, Victor returned his sole attention to dispatching the remaining enemy forces on Sigil.

 Chapter 145

    ---Dharrovar System---


    Taking the Chaos fleet in orbit above Dharrovar by surprise, thanks to Victor¡¯s Force Storm, the Imperial fleet launched a devastating assault upon their exposed rear. Sending several dozen crippled vessels plummeting toward the surface, Chaos Lord Haarken Worldclaimer commanded all functional vessels to quickly turn around and return fire. Demanding to know the current status of his flagship, the Herald of Damnation, the Hereteks could not answer because they were fully focused on keeping vital systems online.


    ¡°Someone fucking answer me!¡±, Worldclaimer shouted over his Vox, feeling his vessel beginning to tilt.


    ¡°My Lord, you have several massive hull breaches on the lower decks, and a fire appears to have broken out near the reactor core.¡±, one of his soldiers answered as he surveyed the damage from his Swiftdeath Fighter. ¡°From my viewpoint, your ship appears to be drifting into decaying orbit.¡±


    ¡°Are we able to correct it and get back into the fight?¡±, Worldclaimer asked his ship¡¯s captain.


    ¡°I will try my absolute best to do so, sir!¡±, Captain Warppiercer swore, feathering the ship¡¯s engines, fearing they might go out, ¡®Come on, do not fail me now, damn it!¡¯


    While the captain struggled to regain control of the ship, the Chaos Lord turned to his perplexed radar operator. Wanting to know how the enemy could have snuck up on them without anyone noticing, he grabbed hold of the marine and hoisted him into the air.


    ¡°How is it possible that all our radar operators failed to notice an approaching Imperial Fleet?¡±, Worldclaimer growled, squeezing the life out of him. ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ sir! I do not¡­ have an answer for you!¡±, Radar Officer Foegouger wheezed, equally as confused as him, ¡°One moment¡­ nothing was there; the next¡­ an entire fleet of Imperial ships appeared. It does not make sense!¡±


    Releasing his subordinate, the Chaos Lord took a moment to reflect upon recent happenings to determine how this happened. Their sensor-arrays had worked flawlessly up until now, which meant the problem happened within the last few weeks. Thinking back over that period, a realization struck him.


    ¡®Those lunatic Hereteks from Omega-Threx performed some ¡®upgrades¡¯ to our ships two weeks ago. Fucking hell, I should have followed my gut and never let them touch my fleet!¡¯, Worldclaimer thought, ¡°Send word down to Dharrovar that an Imperial fleet has arrived to invade the planet. What is the status on Omega-Threx?¡±


    ¡°Omega-Threx is currently under attack by an Adeptus Mechanicus fleet, sir!¡±, Comms Officer Fleshrider answered, receiving additional updates from vessels engaging the Imperial fleet. ¡°Also¡­ several fighters and vessels have reported seeing the Imperator Somnium at the front of the Imperial fleet.¡±


    ¡°This is no time for jokes, you miserable fools.¡±, Worldclaimer scoffed, walking back to his seat.


    ¡°I am afraid this is not a joke, sir¡­¡±, Fleshrider insisted, turning to his lord with a pale expression, ¡°The Imperator Somnium is cutting a path straight through our ranks. Multiple vessels have already been destroyed, and not one of them could penetrate its shielding.¡±


    ¡°Get my ship operational immediately, and destroy the fake Corpse Emperor¡¯s ship!¡±, Worldclaimer demanded, still uncertain if the reports were accurate.


    Fearing for their lives, the Heretek scrambled to restore power and reroute controls through backup systems. Managing to get most systems online, after ten minutes of fighting with the antiquated equipment, they gave Captain Warppiercer the green light to rejoin the fight. Squeezing all the power he could out of the engines, the ship began to lean toward port as they swung around. Coming face to face with the Imperator Somnium, as it rammed through the middle of a Despoiler Class Battleship, Worldclaimer and his bridge crew stared at it in horror.


    Witnessing its destruction firsthand during the Siege of Terra, the Chaos Lord was unable to process the sight before him. Acutely aware of the fact that the Imperium of Man would not send the vessel into battle without the Corpse Emperor onboard, his bridge crew began to fly into a panic. Realizing this battle was lost to them, they requested his permission to sound the retreat and flee the system.


    ¡®How can this be possible!? The Corpse Emperor should be interred upon the Golden Throne!! Has he been revived somehow?!¡¯, Worldclaimer thought, snapping back to reality, ¡°Belay my order to alert Dharrovar. Send word to Lord Abaddon immediately that the Corpse Emperor has been revived!¡±


    Acknowledging the Chaos Lord¡¯s order, the psyker on the bridge began transmitting the message to Abaddon¡¯s fleet. Getting only the first few words out, his body spontaneously burst into flames. Falling to the floor in excruciating agony, the Chaos Marine pleaded for mercy from the Emperor before suddenly exploding in a burst of psychic energy.


    ¡®He really is here!¡¯, Worldclaimer mentally screamed, "Captain Warppiercer, get us out of here immediately! We cannot get a message out with the Corpse Emperor near us! Fleshrider, tell the surviving vessels they are to cover our retreat. Once we are out of the system, they are free to follow us!¡±


    ¡°By your orders, sir!¡±, Fleshrider answered, transmitting the message throughout the fleet.


    Turning his Vox off to avoid listening to their complaints, Worldclaimer let out an exhausted sigh as they began to run. While the loss of his fleet would significantly impact his standing amongst his peers, he would at least be alive to regain his status again. Sinking into his seat, as the celestial bodies fell away from their viewing window, his relief was cut short when a series of impacts rocked the ship and took out the power.


    ¡°Did the Imperator Somnium catch us?!¡±, Worldclaimer inquired, grabbing his spear. ¡®I know I am far from his equal, but I refuse to go down without a fight or plead for his mercy!¡¯


    ¡°Sir¡­ The Imperial Fist¡¯s Phalanx has appeared portside. It was using the moon to hide from our sensor-arrays.¡±, Foegouger stated, bashing his head on his console. ¡®We are not making it out of this alive...¡¯


    Switching his Vox back on, the Chaos Lord toggled it to local communication to address the crew. Ordering everyone to prepare for the Imperial Fist boarding party, he was certain they would try and capture the ship for repurposing. Wanting his men to go down fighting so they could die with a bit of dignity, he stood up and prepared to leave the bridge. Gathering the men, they turned toward the exit and were immediately blinded by a brilliant flash. Confused by what was happening, the sounds of footsteps began echoing through the room.


    ¡°You fools; do not start running around without- ¡°, Worldclaimer began berating his men, as a large metal fist appeared from within the light and struck him squarely in the face.


    Flying across the bridge, the Chaos Lord slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the floor. Blind and dazed, he gripped his spear tightly and staggered back onto his feet. Hearing the distinct sound of flesh and metal being cut open, it was evident the Imperials had a new method for boarding ships.


    ¡°Fuck your Corpse Emperor and all of you bastards!¡±, Worldclaimer howled, his vision beginning to return, ¡°I do not give a damn how many of you there are; I will kill every one of¡­ Rogal Dorn!?¡±


    Standing before him, flanked by Black Templar and Imperial Fists, Dorn stared at the Chaos Lord with disdain. Vividly recalling his presence at the Siege of Terra, the Primarch''s hand tightened around Storm¡¯s Teeth.


    ¡°I bet you are very surprised to see me alive and well.¡±, Dorn commented, stepping toward him, ¡°In a few minutes, the rest of your crew will be captured or dead. Which will you choose?¡±


    ¡°If you expect me to beg for my life, you are sorely mistaken.¡±, Worldclaimer growled, pointing his spear at Dorn.


    ¡°Good, I was hoping you would choose the latter option.¡±, Dorn said, the rage in his heart burning brightly in his eyes.


    Charging at one another, Dorn effortlessly sidestepped Worldclaimer¡¯s spear thrust and threw an elbow straight into his face. Feeling bone crunch under the impact, the Primarch brought his beloved sword straight down on the Chaos Lord¡¯s head. Raising his spear to block the attack for a few seconds, as the sword¡¯s momentum slowed for an instant, Worldclaimer let go of one side and ripped the Bolter Pistol off his waist. Unloading a full magazine into the Primarch¡¯s face, he looked up in confusion as the bullets atomized millimeters from his skull.


    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡±, Worldclaimer laughed dryly, as Storm¡¯s Teeth cut through the spear and then his body.


    Bisected vertically, the Chaos Lord¡¯s corpse fell to either side with a loud thud. Removing his blood and gut with a flick of the wrist, Dorn turned to his men with a nod.


    ¡°You make it look easy, my Lord!¡±, Imperial Fist Lieutenant Fasieger commented. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Why did you let him fire off several rounds at you, Lord Dorn?¡±, Black Templar Sergeant Janden asked, ¡°What if Lord Stark¡¯s shield unit failed?¡±


    ¡°I have absolute faith in my nephew; if he says it will work, I know it will.¡±, Dorn told them, ¡°What are your thoughts on the new upgrades he made to the Phalanx?¡±


    ¡°It will drastically reduce our losses in the future.¡±, Imperial Fist Chaplain Yonnaegez replied. ¡°Being able to see where our enemies are aboard their ship and send adequate firepower in to neutralize them is truly amazing. On top of that, our enemies are blinded and disoriented for a few moments after our arrival, giving us an edge in our engagements. My only question now is, does it work going back to the Phalanx?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it works both ways.¡±, Dorn acknowledged, activating his Vox. ¡°How are we looking?¡±


    ¡°Aside from our forces, there are no life signs aboard the vessel now.¡±, Imperial Fist Techmarine Bacchigrius responded from aboard the Phalanx. ¡°Pulling everyone back now.¡±


    Startled by how quickly they were able to overwhelm the enemy, the Imperial Fist Legion was happy to have these new systems available to them. Leaving the Herald of Damnation for the Adeptus Mechanicus to retrieve, Dorn had the Phalanx move into position to stop any more escaping ships. Once the Chaos fleet was annihilated, the Emperor gave the order to begin the assault on Dharrovar.


    ---Vigilius---


    While the fighting was beginning to wind down on Sangua Terra and Sigil, the same thing could not be said for Vigilus. Waging their fight on four different fronts, as the three Black Legion Chaos Lords and Death Guard Lord on the planet refused to work together, the Imperial forces were steadily gaining ground. With each moment that passed, millions of daemons were being cast back into the Warp, drastically reducing the number of enemies they had to contend with. Utilizing the artillery on the walls of Hyperia and Battle Group Alphus¡¯ firepower, Guilliman was confident they would rout the enemy within the next twenty minutes.


    ¡°How are things going on Vigilus? Are you in need of assistance?¡±, El Johnson inquired over the radio, clearly not satisfied with the meager resistance they encountered.


    ¡°We are gaining substantial ground on traitors here.¡±, Vulkan answered, reducing a traitor marine into a flapjack with his hammer. ¡°Is Sangua Terra too much for you to handle?¡±


    ¡°Far from it¡­ Victor¡¯s armada practically decimated the enemy before they could reach us.¡±, Russ complained, ¡°Only a few hundred thousand survived the bombardment so the fighting ended quickly. Let us come over there and help you!¡±


    ¡°How about, no.¡±, Guilliman chuckled, happy to banter with his brothers once again. ¡°If you are satisfied the enemy has been eliminated from Sangua Terra, Victor can send you onward to Dharrovar.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is plenty of fighting to be had here.¡±, Dorn chimed in, having just arrived on the planet himself.


    ¡°Oh dear nephew of ours!¡±, Russ laughed in a playful tone. ¡°Could you send us over, please?¡±


    ¡°If you ever dare to request something of me in that manner again, I will send your ass into the heart of a star. I almost vomited in my helmet.¡±, Victor scolded him before letting out a chuckle. ¡°Sending you knuckleheads over now. Draigo, Ionica, and I will join you on Dharrovar shortly.¡±


    Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Guilliman noticed a large cloud of dust rapidly approaching them from the south. Radioing the fire teams on the wall, he asked them to verify who it was, in case the Orks had decided to join in the fight now. Fumbling around with their binoculars, the closest team focused on the indicated dust cloud.


    ¡°My Lord, a large fleet of Aeldari ships is racing toward your location.¡±, a guardsman informed him. ¡°I can recognize the symbol on a few of the vessels; they are from the Craftworld Saim-Hann.¡±


    ¡°I was beginning to think they were not going to show up.¡±, Vulkan stated. ¡°All forces, hold your positions!¡±


    ¡°Victor warned us they might be delayed. Chaos activity within the Webway has increased significantly over the past few decades. Thankfully the enemy has not used it to attack our worlds, but the Aeldari have suffered greatly.¡±, Guilliman said as the ships came into visual range. ¡°It would appear my savior is among them.¡±


    Opening fire, as soon as they were within range, the Aeldari ships began obliterating the forces of Chaos with vengeful fury. Having been alerted to the fates of the Craftworlds swallowed up by the Great Rift by the surviving Eldar, every Craftworld that could spare manpower sent warriors to Vigilus to avenge their fallen kin. Jumping off her ship as it flew by, Yvraine and her Gyrinx land close by the two Primarchs.


    ¡°I am happy to see you made a full recovery.¡±, Yvraine stated, with a nod.


    ¡°All thanks to your kindness.¡±, Guilliman replied, ¡°Thank you for coming here today to assist us.¡±


    ¡°No, we are the ones who should be thanking all of you. If not for Lord Stark¡¯s generosity and kindness, our kin would have been sacrificed to our mortal enemy.¡±, Yvraine corrected him, ¡°This is the least we can do to repay him for his assistance.¡±


    Giving the order to advance, once the dust began to settle, Vulkan¡¯s words hung in his mouth as an all-too-familiar figure appeared opposite them. Standing in front of several hundred of his Death Guard marines, their brother Mortarion stared at them warily.


    ¡°I did not think we would meet again so soon¡­ Mortarion.¡±, Guilliman said, tightly gripping the holy sword that Victor lent him for this fight.


    ¡°Neither did I.¡±, Mortarion agreed. ¡°Vulkan is here with you as well¡­¡±


    ¡°My Lord, I am truly thankful you answered our call!¡±, one of Mortarion¡¯s subordinates sighed, ¡°Please aid us!¡±


    Uncertain if he could fight both of his brothers at once, Mortarion began thinking of a way to turn things in his favor. Surveying the area quickly, he stopped when his eyes fell upon several guardsmen pointing their laser rifles at him. Instead of trembling in fear, the guardsmen stood there defiantly glaring at him with hatred. Finding their actions amusing, Mortarion inquired what they thought they were doing.


    ¡°Our homeworld of Ysol''s Haven was wiped out because of you bastards¡­¡±, one of the guardsmen said, his tone dripping with venom, ¡°Our families¡­ our friends¡­ you took everything from us!!¡±


    ¡°And you think those are going to hurt me?¡±, Mortarion mocked them, ¡°Go ahead, take your shot. My foolish brothers will not save you from me afterward.¡±


    "Primarch Stark granted us the power to smite our enemies!!", another guardsman shouted, "Die, all of you filthy traitors!!"


    "Who is Primarch Stark?", Mortarion inquired, looking at Guilliman and Vulkan.


    Choosing to remain silent, the guardsmen unleashed a hailstorm of laser fire upon the traitor Primarch. Making no attempt to avoid their attack, his arrogance quickly soured as a terrible pain began racking his body. Thanks to Victor¡¯s enchantments, their attacks were imbued with holy magic, something that everyone had been blissfully unaware of. Watching their fallen brother stumble backward screaming like a banshee as his soul was being cleansed shot by shot, Guilliman quickly radioed Victor for an explanation.


    ¡°Uh, Victor¡­ What kind of weapons did you give Vigilus¡¯ defenders?¡±, Guilliman inquired, watching his brother collapse into the fetal position.


    ¡°Normal laser rifles? Why?¡±, Victor answered.


    ¡°Well¡­ a group of guardsmen are pushing Mortarion back.¡±, Guilliman elaborated, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous display before his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, that is due to one of the enchantments I placed on everyone. Every attack we deal is imbued with a small amount of holy magic, meaning the daemons and traitors we kill today experience True Death.¡±, Victor chuckled, ¡°His soul is slowly being purified with every shot.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±, Guilliman said, drawing his bolter with a smirk, "All forces, focus fire on Mortarion!!"


    "YOU BASTARD!!", Mortarion screeched.


    Pointing the pistol at him, Guilliman began firing upon Mortarion with a cold look. Crying out in pain with every hit, the fallen Primarch attempted to retreat into the Warp but found his power was not functioning properly. Following his orders, Astartes and other guardsmen began unloading on the Death Guard and Mortarion. Shielding their lord with their bodies, most of them were cleansed instantly. Crying out for Nurgle to help him, a portal opened beneath him, pulling Mortarion back to Nurgle¡¯s garden.


    ¡°Haha, I doubt he is going to live that one down.¡±, Guilliman laughed, ¡°Good work, everyone! Now let us finish things up here and join the Emperor on Dharrovar!¡±


    Supported by their temporary Aeldari allies, the Imperial Forces purged Vigilus of enemies before regrouping and calling Victor for transport.

 Chapter 146

    ---Dharrovar, Thirty Minutes Later---


    Without orbital support from Omega-Threx or Worldclaimer''s fleet, Dharrovar fell without much trouble. Fighting to the last knight, King Kaligius and Queen Kaligia fell alongside their men once the Imperials stormed their castle. Mounting their heads on pikes along Castle Mandrakor''s walls, the Imperials began celebrating the success of the operation while Victor deployed the repaired Cadian Pylons. Reconnecting them to the Blackstone pylon network, he recalibrated them to account for their new location within the galaxy.


    "You must be Victor, the abnormal human who has taken an Aeldari lover.", Yvraine said, walking toward him with her Gyrinx and several other Eldar.


    "I am, and you are the Emissary of the Eldar God Ynnead.", Victor replied, monitoring the changes closely. "Can I help you with something?"


    "We were hoping to meet with the surviving Eldar you rescued within the Warp.", Yvraine answered, staring at the characters streaming across Victor''s holographic screen with interest.


    "Of course, I can hand leave them in your care in just a few minutes.", Victor agreed, beginning the resynchronization. "Alright, Aeldari and Psykers, please prepare yourselves for a potentially brutal headache. As the Eye of Terror and Great Rift wane, your powers will likely dwindle alongside them."


    Heeding his warning, the Aeldari and Psykers began to meditate to harden their minds. Giving them a few minutes to prepare, Victor engaged the pylons and took a few steps back. Listening to their subtle hum, the effect they had on the galaxy was immediate. Working in tandem with the pylons on Sangua Terra and Vigilus, both distortions within realspace began to collapse. Falling in line with his simulations, the Eye of Terror came to a halt just beyond Cadia while the Great Rift was reduced to less than a third of its original size.


    "Zlatad Aph Kerapliades, please alert your subordinates that the operation was a success. According to the data, the rift now only occupies the space between Jhanna and Cirillo Prime.", Victor stated, contacting the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. "While it will be faint in a few areas, the light of the Astronomican should be visible from every corner of the Imperium now."


    "We are already beginning to receive a few transmissions from the former Imperium Nihilus. Once other sectors notice the change, I am sure we will be buried in messages.", Kerapliades laughed; tears ran down his face. "Allow me to be the first to thank you, Lord Stark! The Imperium of Man is slowly becoming whole again because of your tireless efforts!"


    Relieved to hear the shadow hanging over their heads had greatly dwindled, the Primarchs let out a sigh of relief while the Imperial troops began celebrating even harder. Letting themselves relax, believing the battle was truly over, their celebrating stopped when an intense aura fell upon the group. Comparable to Khorne''s presence, Victor immediately knew a Chaos God had shown up. Looking around for a portal, Amallyn stumbled over to him and collapsed in his arms.


    "Victor¡­ she is here¡­", Amallyn wheezed, the life slowly draining from her body.


    "Jarvis, we are toggling to Plan Doomslayer.", Victor ordered, "Please make the necessary preparations."


    <Of course, sir. Might I also suggest sending the Aeldari aboard the New Genesis?> (Jarvis)


    "I was just about to- ", Victor began to say, as a body came flying through the castle wall.


    Using the Force to catch them before they crashed into the pillars, a heavily wounded Corvus looked at the Emperor and his brothers with an apologetic expression. Having aided them throughout the invasion of Dharrovar, he had been silently watching the celebration from afar when he was attacked from behind. Try as he might to resist them, it only took a single blow to put him at death''s door.


    "Corvus!!", Guilliman shouted, rushing to his brother''s side, "Victor quickly, he needs your aid!"


    "Calm yourself, Guilliman.", Victor said, carrying Amallyn over with him. "Give me a moment, Corvus. You are not dying today."


    Removing the Warp''s taint from his body, Victor used High Heal to restore Corvus to full health. Spitting a mouthful of blood out of his mouth, the Primarch thanked Victor for the assistance.


    "We need to leave now!", Corvus told everyone, "One of the daemon generals has come here personally¡­" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh, I am much more than a general, little raven.", a female voice remarked. "Also, why would you want to leave? I am the life of any party!"


    Their collective gaze toward the castle''s gate, a silver-haired, curvaceous woman confidently strode forward with a flirty smile. Noticing the dark crown with a singular, pinkish gem in the center, Victor let out a long sigh.


    "Hehe, you have managed to achieve quite a lot in such a short time, mortal.", Slaanesh commented, staring at Victor as everyone near her fled in terror. "The fact you are not repulsed by my visage must mean I look quite pleasing to you, do I not?"


    "I¡­ I would not say that¡­", Victor answered, hiding his surprise behind a solid poker face, ''Well, this is awkward; since Khorne looked badass, I thought the others would look cool too. I do not know if I should be happy or sad that Slaanesh looks like her meme self.''


    "It is alright; unlike those dusty, old bats, I care little about how others perceive me. Whatever it takes to get the job done, I say!", Slaanesh stated, as Victor gingerly set Amallyn down.


    Turning and walking defiantly toward her, the Chaos God was a bit disappointed he was not trying to run away. Wanting to see the Primarch''s stone-faced expression break, Slaanesh doubled the pressure she was radiating, hoping to elicit a reaction. Shrugging off her attempt to intimidate him, she tripled it, only to have the same thing happen again.


    "I can see now why Khorne took a keen interest in you. If our forces were commanded by someone like you, instead of that failure Abaddon, we could conquer the galaxy in a matter of years.", Slaanesh commented, offering her hand to him, "How about coming to join our side? There are far less troublesome rules, and we would grant you power beyond your wildest dreams!"


    "Like I told him, I am not interested in serving Chaos.", Victor answered bluntly. "I especially would never serve under you."


    "Oh, is that because of that female Eldar?", Slaanesh asked, with a fiendish smile, "She was clinging awful tight to you, and your expression a moment ago suggests you care a lot about her. Is she your lover?"


    Looking past Victor, the Chaos Gods gaze fell upon Amallyn. Trying to make herself as small as possible, every fiber of Amallyn''s being screamed at her to flee, but she still refused to. If she was going to die, she wanted her last moments to be near the person she cared most about in the universe.


    "I gave you my answer, now leave.", Victor growled, his preparations complete, "I will not ask you again."


    "Victor, baby, you should know one crucial thing about me. When I set my sights on something, I will take it no matter the cost.", Slaanesh stated, her eyes still fixed upon Amallyn, "Since you will not come willingly, I will just have to make you bend the knee!"


    Lunging toward Amallyn like a rabid dog, Victor slammed his fist squarely into Slaanesh''s face. Launching her backward, into the castle, Jarvis shutdown the Arc Reactors and brought the Argent Cores online. The change in power sources caused the lights on the armor to change from blue to green and red. Drawing a Crucible blade out from his inventory, Victor flicked it on and began advancing on the castle.


    "Victor, we need to retreat now.", the Emperor remarked. "The Chaos Gods are not like other daemons. You cannot give them a True Death; the best we can hope to do is just simply avoid them."


    "You should listen to him, Victor. We are beings that are far beyond your comprehension.", Slaanesh agreed, stepping out of the hole she made, "Your toys are not going to even tickle me."


    "The fact you believe you are untouchable means you are far more stupid than I initially believed.", Victor berated her with a smirk, "Sil Aal Bo!! Ahzid Aus Bah!!"


    "What in the hell!? What did you do?", Slaanesh questioned as the planet and space around us began to tremble.


    Utilizing the full potential of the Thu''um that nearly killed him once before, Victor began to swell up with unfathomable strength and power. Feeling the slumbering dragon within him awakened, its unrivaled fury and wrath poured out of Victor. Blitzing the Chaos God, the Primarch whipped his Crucible blade back and then swung it at her neck. Arrogantly believing that it was shattering inches away from her body, like all mortal weapons tended to, her vision of the world suddenly began to spin uncontrollably. Unsure what was happening, until she caught a glimpse of her backside, her smirk quickly vanished as excruciating pain began shooting through her body.


    As her head hit the ground, the area behind her exploded as the force of Victor''s swing tore the area asunder. Crying out in pain, as Eldar souls began escaping through the neck wound, Slaanesh quickly pulled herself back together and created some space between them.


    "What¡­ what did you!?", Slaanesh shrieked, horrified by the thought a mortal could harm her. "A mortal should not be able to harm a god!"


    Refusing to answer her question, Victor teleported directly in front of her and fired the Argent Infused Unibeam at her point-blank. Engulfing her completely with the beam, she and the surrounding area were eviscerated in an instant. Diving for any cover they could find, Victor''s allies hunkered down, trying to weather the back pressure. As the weapon began to power down, Slaanesh''s body reformed, but her mind was not all there. Lunging at him with burning hatred, Victor made himself intangible, allowing her to pass harmlessly through him. Once she was through, he spun around on his heels, using his thrusters for added momentum, and delivered a planet-splitting blow to her head.


    Rocketing into the distance, Victor grabbed her with the Force and yanked her back to him. Transforming his left arm into a repulsor Gatling gun, he unloaded on her as she came flying back. Regenerating from every impact, Slaanesh howled at Victor to stop his assault. Ignoring her pleas, when she drew near again, Victor plunged the Crucible through her heart and slammed her into the ground.


    "I AM SORRY, YOU WIN!!", Slaanesh screamed as her body stopped regenerating and souls began escaping her body. "NO MORE PAIN, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!!"


    "You had a chance to leave, but you decided to be an idiot, puny god.", Victor scoffed, retrieving the Argent Battleaxe he took from the Space Marine Marauder. "I have two cardinal rules: do not fuck with my family and do not get in the way of my goals. You foolishly broke both, now you can suffer the consequences!"


    Unable to utilize any of her power, with the Crucible embedded in her chest, she gazed up at him with a drunk smile. Having never been brought this low in her entire existence, Slaanesh had mixed emotions about it. On the one hand, she was enraged that a mortal had humiliated her, while on the other, she was experiencing unimaginable pleasure from her own anguish.


    "You certainly know how to show a girl a good time¡­", Slaanesh wheezed, experiencing mortality for the first time. "Hehe¡­ would you consider¡­ being my lover?"


    "¡­No¡­," Victor remarked, with an annoyed look.


    Ripping the battleaxe around, with a single, mighty blow, Victor lopped her head off and sent it sailing into the petrified Aeldari ranks. No longer restraining the souls within her body, billions of souls began rapidly escaping from Slaanesh''s body. As the souls escaped, her body began to dissipate as she fizzled back into the Warp. Pulling the blade out of the ground, Victor stowed the two weapons and asked Jarvis to toggle the armor back to Arc Reactor power.


    "Victor¡­ did¡­ did you just kill a Chaos God¡­?", Amallyn asked, as tears streamed down her face.


    "With my current arsenal, the best I can manage is crippling them. There are a handful of relics out there that can kill them, but I do not possess any of them right now.", Victor explained, giving her a warm smile. "For the time being, the Aeldari and Drukhari are safe from being hunted by that piece of work. It will be a while before she can rematerialize herself in the Warp, and even then, she will have bigger problems to worry about. While she is in a weakened state, her colleagues are likely going to try and take her servants and territory."


    "It appears we are even more indebted to you.", Yvraine stated, as people began picking themselves up. "From what we just witnessed, it appears we should look to the stars for new possibilities. I would have never imagined it was possible for a mortal to harm one of the four Great Enemies."


    "Agreed, I still have much to learn about the universe.", the Emperor acknowledged with a nod. "You have my sincere apologies, Victor. I should have trusted your judgment more."


    "There is nothing to apologize for. In your position, I would have suggested the same thing.", Victor conceded, walking over to Amallyn, "With that bitch temporarily out of commission, I believe we should orchestrate a plan to reclaim Ferrus Manus'' body. If we can take it from Fulgrim, we can resurrect him."


    Suggesting they discuss the matter another day, the Emperor felt they should prioritize addressing the former Imperium Nihilus and the upcoming battle to reclaim Cadia. Seeing the logic in his words, Victor relented, as it would afford him time to return home to see his family. Sending the Imperial forces back to their bases of operations, his armada stayed in orbit over Dharrovar while the Aeldari reunited with the survivors.

 Chapter 147

    ---Coruscant, Evening---


    Returning to his office after wrapping up a meeting with fellow senators, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine looked back at his aide and told him to call it a day. Transferring some credits to his account, Palpatine suggested he pick up some flowers and sweets on his way home for his wife. Immensely grateful to his employer for his generosity and kindness, the aide insisted on staying a bit longer to complete some work.


    ¡°There is a small mound of paperwork that needs to be gone through immediately. It should only take me about an hour or so to- ¡°, the aide began.


    ¡°Go home, Charles. I have kept you well past your normal working hours; your wife is almost certainly at her wits end from caring for your newborn daughter.¡±, Palpatine chuckled, with a warm smile, ¡°Please give her an apology on my behalf. Hopefully we will not need to work so late again in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I suppose you are right, sir.¡±, Charles relented, bowing his head, ¡°Please allow me to handle the paperwork first thing tomorrow morning. You should get some much-deserved rest as well.¡±


    ¡°Haha, very well then. Have a good evening, Charles.¡±, Palpatine said, walking over to his desk.


    ¡°You as well, sir!¡±, Charles replied, grabbing his hat and promptly leaving the room.


    Taking a seat behind his desk, Palpatine waited for the door to close before letting out an exhausted sigh. Having just sat through another dreary two-hour meeting with disgruntled senators, it was clear that influence over the Senate was waning and his time as Supreme Chancellor would soon run out. Unable to enact Order 66, as it was simply too dangerous right now, Palpatine cursed the Imperium under his breath for ruining his plans. Swiveling his chair around to look out over the city lights, he began reflecting on the situation.


    ¡®Why did those imbeciles have to start a bloody crusade right as I was about to enact my plans!? I spent decades carrying on this charade to bolster our military power with expendable, obedient soldiers. Just as the Jedi, Starfleet, and Stargate Command were sufficiently packed with my pawns, they threw a damn wrench in my plans!¡¯, Palpatine thought as he closed his eyes and began rubbing the bridge of his nose. ¡®Between my sham war, the Imperium¡¯s crusade, and the recent sightings of a Tyranid Hive Fleet to our galactic south¡­ enacting my plan now would destroy everything I intend to rule. I need to find another way to take control before I lose everything!¡¯


    Letting out another sigh, Palpatine opened his eyes and discovered he was not alone in the room. Staring at his reflection, a heavily mutated, hulking man with glowing purple eyes impatiently waited for Palpatine to speak. Turning his chair around, the Supreme Chancellor realized the man was neither a guard nor a senator. Wearing armor resembling the Imperium of Man¡¯s Space Marines, he was perplexed why one of them was on Coruscant.


    ¡°If you are here to speak about the defensive line, you will want to speak with the Jedi Masters at their temple. I can have one of the guards escort you over to see them.¡±, Palpatine said, reaching toward the call button.


    ¡°No, I am here to speak with you, Sith Lord Darth Sidious.¡±, the Marauder spoke, stepping forward. ¡°My lord wishes to strike a deal with you that is mutually beneficial for you and him.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I have no idea what you are talking about. My name is Sheev Palpatine, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Senate.¡±, Palpatine insisted, mortified the Space Marine knew his true identity.


    Grabbing hold of the desk, the Marauder flung it across the room like it was a paperweight. Annoyed that the weak human before him was feigning ignorance, he proceeded to grab Palpatine by the throat and hoisted him into the air.


    ¡°My time is precious, worm. Do not test my patience again.¡±, the Marauder warned him before releasing him.


    Falling to the floor, gasping for air, Palpatine glared at the marine with indignation. Using the Force to bring his lightsaber to him, the Sith Lord created some space between them and prepared to kill the Marauder.


    ¡°My lord wishes to offer you his assistance in seizing control of the Galactic Republic. In exchange for manpower and support, you must swear fealty to him and offer a regular tithe of ten million people a month.¡±, the Marauder stated, ¡°Of course, this region of space will fall under my lord¡¯s control, but you will be instated as its regent. Aside from ensuring the tithe is paid in full each month, you will be free to do as you please.¡±


    ¡°Your lord is an ignoramus if he believes I would accept such a proposal! I have spent a lifetime blackmailing, bribing, cheating, killing, and subverting others to get where I am now.¡±, Palpatine hissed, subconsciously loosening the suppress of his Sith power. ¡°The Galactic Republic is mine and mine alone! Darth Sidious is no one¡¯s puppet!¡±


    ¡°So be it¡­¡±, the Marauder said, drawing his Argent Battleaxe off his back, ¡°Since you refuse to serve my lord, you will be deposed, and another more reasonable individual will take your place.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lunging at the Marauder, Sidious unleashed a flurry of devastating blows upon him. Blocking every attack with the haft of his battleaxe, the Marauder was less than impressed by the elderly Sith Lord¡¯s combat skills. Making his discontent known, the soldier rebuked Sidious, referring to him as an antiquated relic from a bygone era. His control and patience exhausted, Sidious removed his self-imposed limiter and released the full might of his Sith power. Staggering his opponent with the next strike, the Sith Lord discharged a highly volatile blast of Force Lightning as he began maniacally laughing.


    ¡°Not so arrogant now, are you, bastard!¡±, Sidious cackled, ¡°If you beg for mercy, I will end you quickly!¡±


    ¡°Haha, so this is the full power of a Sith Lord? I admit, you caught me off guard there for a moment. Too bad though, you are still far from being my equal.¡±, the Marauder chuckled, cracking his neck. ¡°Let me show you the difference in our power and strength!¡±


    As the Marauder¡¯s eyes began to glow brightly, Darth Sidious¡¯ senses began screaming at him to flee. Seizing his desk with the Force, the Sith Lord threw it out the window and sprinted toward the exit. Grinning like a madman, his foe swung the battleaxe around and cleaved the entire frontside of the building away. Barely managing to avoid the corresponding energy slash that shot forth from the battleaxe, those who had been blissfully unaware of the fight below were suddenly crushed by debris or eviscerated by the slash.


    Close by, in the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka, Anakin, and the Jedi Masters rushed to the window to see what was happening. Having already been halfway out the door when the ground began to tremble, they were desperate to know what was happening. Discovering that the front portion of the Senate building was gone, Anakin felt his blood run cold.


    ¡°We need to go down there and help now!¡±, Anakin said, fearing for Padme¡¯s safety, ¡°If Palpatine has gone mad, their bodyguards and the city guard will be unable to stop him!¡±


    ¡°A moment wait, wrong something is.¡±, Yoda cautioned, noticing two different blurred figures in the plaza. ¡°Fighting someone the Sith Lord is. A far more sinister presence they have.¡±


    Turning their attention toward the ongoing battle, everyone focused on the second blurred figure. Looking up at them for the briefest of moments, as the Marauder¡¯s eyes met theirs, the hair on the back of their necks stood on end. Sensing the immense power in his gaze, they immediately designated him as a far more dangerous threat than Palpatine. Scrambling for the elevator, the group began to rapidly descend toward the ground floor.


    ¡°I have summoned the city guard and all available soldiers in the vicinity to the plaza. They should begin arriving in a few minutes.¡±, Koth informed his colleagues, taking a moment to steady his breathing. ¡°How should we handle this situation?¡±


    ¡°My instincts are telling me the individual is not using the full extent of their strength yet; they are toying with Palpatine in some sort of sick game.¡±, Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke, with a serious expression, ¡°Our focus should be guiding survivors to safety and rescuing those trapped by the rubble. Master Windu, Master Yoda, I believe the three of us should join the fight and kite the two of them away from the public. Your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°If I may, I believe we should also call Victor.¡±, Ahsoka suggested, looking at the Jedi Masters.


    ¡°While it would be reassuring to have him here, I believe we can handle this.¡±, Piell said, wanting to avoid drawing him into their issues. ¡°That said, in the event something does go awry, please call him immediately.¡±


    ¡°A good plan these are.¡±, Yoda agreed, giving approval to Ahsoka and Ki-Adi-Mundi.


    As the elevator door began to open, a massive explosion rocked the building, sending dozens of lifeless bodies flying into the temple¡¯s lobby. Horrified by this gruesome sight, the Jedi rushed out of the temple to render assistance before more lives were lost. Leaping into the fray immediately, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yoda fought the unknown individual while Windu engaged Sidious. Initially gaining an upper hand, they forced the two back several hundred feet before the Marauder had enough. Putting some force behind the next swing, the four men dove out of the way to avoid being cut in half.


    ¡°HEADS UP!¡±, Windu shouted to the other Jedi.


    Amidst guiding frightened civilians toward the temple, his colleagues glanced over their shoulders and spotted a massive energy slash heading their way. Tackling the civilians, using their own bodies as shields, the attack flew right over their heads, smashing into both the Senate building and Jedi Temple. Lifting their heads, as the unmistakable sound of concrete cracking echoed through the plaza, Anakin and Obi-Wan watched in horror as the Senate building began to slowly fall forward.


    Several stories up, hundreds of senators and their staff were banging on a large, glass viewing window, pleading for the Jedi to save. Standing in the middle of the group, Duchess Satina and Padme looked at them with frightened expressions. Believing they were about to die; they both gave them a sorrowful smile.


    ¡°PADME!!¡±, Anakin screamed, staggering to his feet and grabbing hold of the building with the Force. ¡°AHSOKA, CALL VICTOR NOW!!¡±


    ¡°YES, DO IT NOW!!¡±, Obi-Wan demanded; he and the other Masters helped Anakin.


    Pulling her tablet out of her hip pouch, Ahsoka quickly dialed Victor¡¯s number, hoping he would answer. Hearing the call begin to ring, the Jedi let out pained groans as their strength began to rapidly wane. Picking up on the third ring, Victor started to warmly greet her, but Ahsoka cut him off.


    ¡°Victor, we need your assistance at the Senate building on Coruscant immediately! It is falling forward, and we cannot stop it!¡±, Ahsoka informed him, ¡°Please come here immediately!¡±


    ¡°Understood, heading there now.¡±, Victor acknowledged. ¡°Sorry, guys, I will be right back!¡±


    Ending the call, Victor teleported to Ahsoka¡¯s location instantly. Lending a hand immediately, the Primarch used the Force to seize the building and its occupants. Feeling the weight suddenly fall away, many of the Masters collapsed to their knees while Anakin and Obi-Wan remained standing, albeit wobbling on their legs.


    ¡°Will the floor of this level be able to carry the weight if I set it down gently?¡± Victor asked them.


    ¡°It¡­ should¡­¡±, Rancisis panted, turning to Victor, ¡°Thank you for coming so¡­ quickly¡­ Wait, who are you?¡±


    Turning back to see what Rancisis was talking about, Ahsoka, Anakin, and the other Jedi Masters were startled by what they saw. Having left them in the dark about his recent physical changes, Victor gave them a big grin.


    ¡°How can you not tell it is me?¡±, Victor asked, pretending to take offense to his words.


    ¡°I¡­ I would ask what workout routine you have been using, but this goes well beyond that.¡±, Anakin gulped.


    ¡°As it turns out, one of my ancestors was a Primarch from the Imperium of Man. They named me his heir, and so I¡­ I had to undertake some physical changes to fit the part.¡±, Victor chuckled, noticing Ahsoka was staring at him far more intently than the others, ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ you hunk¡­¡±, Ahsoka muttered, before realizing what she said, ¡°I mean yes, everything is fine, Victor!¡±


    ¡®So she is into bulky, muscular men, huh? Interesting.¡¯, Victor thought, as he set the building down. ¡°So where is the idiot that brought the building down? Disgruntled citizen or maybe a Separatist?¡±


    ¡°No, that Space Marine over there.¡±, Obi-Wan answered, pointing behind him.


    Looking at where Obi-Wan was pointing, Victor locked eyes with the Marauder; he abruptly stopped mid-swing. Staring at him like he was seeing a ghost, the Marauder took several wary steps back.


    ¡°Lord Aremus!?¡±, the Marauder stammered.


    ¡°So¡­ Zephrim is responsible for this mess.¡±, Victor sighed with annoyance. ¡°Why are you in a foreign land wreaking havoc on its people? Your grudge is with the Imperium of Man, not the Galactic Republic.¡±


    Refusing to answer his question, the Marauder instead whipped his battleaxe around and lopped off the Sith Lord¡¯s head. Opening a portal behind himself, he attempted to flee the scene only to have Victor¡¯s hand wrapped around his throat. Wasting no time, Victor forcibly broke into his mind in search of answers. Capturing thousands of fragmented memories, his mind quickly turned to mush before his body faded into nothingness. Mostly the snippets of the same things he learned previously; the only recent memories I grabbed were of his talk with Palpatine and their duel.


    ¡®Why was Zephrim trying to make a deal with Palpatine? Is there something he is after, besides people?¡¯, Victor thought, pondering the question as he glanced at Palpatine. ¡®Good riddance to bad garbage.¡¯


    ¡°We got lucky; good old Palpatine was too pissed off to even think about using transference.¡±, Windu said, with a big smile, ¡°Thanks for coming so quickly; we would have lost a lot of lives without your help.¡±


    ¡°Even if he had started it, the energy contained within the blade would have still destroyed his soul.¡±, Victor commented, stowing the armor and weapon away. ¡°Do you need me to stick around to help, or do you guys have it from here?¡±


    ¡°Leave you can. A lot to discuss internally we have.¡±, Yoda remarked, looking over at Anakin and Obi-Wan holding the women they loved tightly.


    ¡°For what it''s worth, the Jedi Order would greatly benefit from abolishing that old rule. Love is a double-edged sword; it can be used to sow chaos and violence, or it can move mountains and change even the hardest of hearts.¡±, Victor spoke, observing the couples closely. ¡°Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, I will call you guys later. I need restaurant recommendations for here on Coruscant!¡±


    Waving to them as he left the planet, Windu and Yoda began discussing where to go from here.

 Chapter 148

    ---Eye of Terror, Vengeful Spirit---


    Receiving word of the day''s devastating losses, Abaddon the Despoiler flew into an uncontrollable rage that left hundreds of his crew members and slaves dead. Distraught that the successes of his 13th Black Crusade had been mostly undone in half a day, his wounded pride drove him to begin planning for an all-out offensive against the Imperium. Summoning his commanders to the War Room, the Warmaster of Chaos was determined to set sail in two days¡¯ time. While he awaited their arrival, Abaddon began poring over his maps and charting their course to Sangua Terra and Vigilus.


    ¡°My lord, I apologize for the interruption; several esteemed guests have arrived to speak with you.¡±, one of his men proclaimed, opening the door as he spoke, ¡°Lord- ¡°


    ¡°Whoever they are, tell them I am otherwise preoccupied at the moment.¡±, Abaddon commented, unaware his four guests were standing in the doorway.


    Seething with rage, Daemon Prince Angron grabbed hold of the Space Marine at the door and threw him at Abaddon. Slamming into his lord, both men skipped across the room sending maps and papers into the air. Believing his subordinate had attacked him, Abaddon cut his head off with a swipe of his hand. Kicking the marine¡¯s corpse out of the way, he began reorganizing his documents with an annoyed growl.


    ¡°You fucking piss ant, stop ignoring us!!¡±, Angron roared, causing the entire ship to tremble. ¡°We are here to speak with you, so make fucking time!¡±


    Stopping what he was doing, Abaddon lifted his head to see who it was. Discovering the guests were Lord Angron, Lord Fulgrim, Lord Magnus, and Lord Omegon, he cursed their names under his breath, further drawing their ire. Motioning for them to gather round the table, the Warmaster left the papers alone and demanded to know what they wanted.


    ¡°Why are the four of you here? I thought the four of you were not on speaking terms¡­¡±, Abaddon complained.


    ¡°You seem a bit grouchy today, Warmaster Abaddon. Did something happen that made you upset?¡±, Fulgrim questioned, with a cruel smile, ¡°Perhaps something like a humiliating defeat at the hands of Guilliman and the Imperium?¡±


    ¡°It is only a minor setback in the grand scheme of things¡­¡±, Abaddon responded, leering back at him.


    ¡°A minor setback?¡±, Magnus laughed before getting serious. ¡°There is no Imperium Nihilus anymore; the nation is mostly whole once again. I should know because the world I spent centuries moving into realspace has been sucked back into the Immaterium once again.¡±


    Carefully observing the four men as they began to bicker amongst themselves, Omegon discovered they were sorely misinformed about what transpired earlier in the day. As the Alpha Legion had men hidden within the loyalist forces, he was aware of what really happened. Waiting for a lull in their arguing, the traitor Primarch interjected to share the truth with them.


    ¡°For a Warmaster of Chaos, you are sorely unaware of what has been happening within the enemy camp.¡±, Omegon berated Abaddon. ¡°The counteroffensive today was not the brainchild of Guilliman or the Imperium of Man. Since you all seem to be unaware of this, Klordius Aremus¡¯ Second Legion has returned to the Imperium of Man.¡±


    At the mention of their lost brother¡¯s name, the three traitor Primarchs fell silent. Recalling the better days when all twenty Primarchs were united and working together, a downcast expression crept onto their faces. While most of the Primarchs spent time with one or two of their siblings, Aremus and Zephrim worked hard to bond with all their brothers. No one realized it at the time, but they were the glue that kept their mismatched family together. It was only after they disappeared that the eighteen Primarchs truly began to appreciate them.


    ¡°So then¡­ Brother Aremus is back in the Imperium?¡±, Magnus asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, our brother passed away several thousand years ago.¡±, Omegon said, with a frown. ¡°While my men were unable to gather much information on the Second Legion, I can confirm the man leading the legion is his biological descendant. He goes by the name Victor von Stark.¡±


    Recognizing the name immediately, Abaddon slammed his fist onto the war table, shattering it into millions of pieces.


    ¡°The damn mercenary I have been chasing is the gene-son of the Second Primarch!?¡±, Abaddon hissed. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No, Victor is not his gene-son, he is Aremus¡¯ blood descendant. He is the literal spitting image of Aremus.¡±, Omegon corrected him, showing everyone an image of Victor. ¡°During his brief time in the Imperium of Man, Victor has revived the Corpse Emperor, reunited six of the nine loyalist Primarchs, and today rejoined the two halves of the Imperium. All these things, along with a few others, have earned him the moniker of the Second Coming of the Emperor of Mankind.¡±


    Staring at Omegon in disbelief, Abaddon, Angron, and Fulgrim could not believe so much had happened without them knowing. Having been made aware of some of this already, Magnus stared at the Warmaster with disdain. One of his gene-sons had personally come here to tell him about Dorn¡¯s return and the revival of the Corpse Emperor, but he was pretending to be ignorant of everything.


    ¡°Why are you acting so surprised, Abaddon the Fool!? We sent word to you about the Corpse Emperor and Dorn months ago. If you had acted upon it immediately, you might have prevented your failure today.¡±, Magnus snapped, with annoyance, ¡°I can see why Tzeentch believes you are no longer fit to be Warmaster.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I do not remember any such conversation.¡±, Abaddon lied, ¡®Can you truly blame me for not taking it seriously? I thought the information came from Tzeentch himself, so I did nothing with it. Had I known the intelligence was genuine, I would have acted!¡¯


    ¡°In short, Abaddon, I would highly recommend not rushing headfirst into another conflict with the Imperium of Man. According to my intelligence, the Second Legion consists of several million soldiers, over fifty thousand vessels, a fully operational Blackstone Fortress, and a monstrous vessel that is larger than the Phalanx with firepower greater than a Fortress.¡±, Omegon said, with a proud smile, ¡°Before you begin worrying about that, though, you should also know Victor is far more powerful than any of us here. On Dharrovar today, Victor successfully crippled Slaanesh in a one-on-one fight. She may have been weakened a bit, due to the waning power of the Warp in realspace, but that does not lessen the achievement.¡±


    ¡°Slaanesh was defeated by our nephew?!¡±, Fulgrim gasped, ¡®So that is why my power and strength have begun to wane. Lady Slaanesh is critically wounded, and her blessings have begun to fade away. I must act quickly to prevent the other factions from moving in to steal our precious territory and treasures!¡¯


    Breaking out into uncontrollable laughter, Angron found the situation hilarious. As his patron deity, Khorne, was the mortal enemy of Slaanesh, he took this news in stride.


    ¡°Even though we will be enemies on the battlefield, I cannot help but be proud of our nephew!¡±, Angron stated, with a big grin, ¡°I hope the two of us can share a drink before our fight.¡±


    ¡°Count me in as well. I can only imagine the look on that bitch¡¯s face when she lost to him!¡±, Magnus laughed, grinning ear to ear.


    ¡°Oh right, there was one other thing.¡±, Omegon said, looking at Abaddon. ¡°While I cannot absolutely confirm it, I have reason to believe your Planet Killer is now in Victor¡¯s possession. Planet Killer¡¯s fleet engaged the Second Legion armada in the Sanguis System; they were obliterated in less than ten minutes.¡±


    Hearing this horrible news, Abaddon fell to his knees in shock. Between Arkham and Worldclaimer¡¯s fleets, nearly a third of his fleet had been lost in one day. Having counted on using Planet Killer in his retaliatory strike, all the plans he had in mind just went up in smoke.


    ¡°He¡­ he has a Blackstone Fortress, Planet Killer, and third vessel with firepower greater than both of them¡­¡±, Abaddon laughed dryly, ¡°Is there really any chance for me to turn this around? I do not have the firepower to overcome that much firepower.¡±


    Wanting to make their displeasure known to Abaddon personally, the three Chaos Gods opened portals at the end of the shattered war table and began speaking.


    <I believe we choose poorly when we selected this buffoon to lead our forces against the Anathema and his Imperium of Man. He has proven unworthy of our blessings by demonstrating his lack of forethought. Had he not thrown his valuable Blackstone Fortress into Cadia, our forces would still have the means to resist them.> (Nurgle)


    <We have held the superior position against the Imperium of Man for decades now, but you were too slow to act upon that. Your complacency, lack of leadership skills, and sheer laziness allowed this failure to happen. I no longer see the need to bestow my blessings upon such a Neanderthal.> (Tzeentch)


    <If it has not become abundantly clear to you yet, consider yourself relieved of duty. From this point forward, if you want to reclaim your title, you must take back the territory you lost today without our aid. You had better hurry; there are far more suitable candidates out there for the position. In fact, I think we should push harder to bring Victor to our side.> (Khorne)


    <Oh yes, if we had him at the helm, the Imperium of Man would fall in a few years¡¯ time.> (Nurgle)


    Closing their portals without another word, Abaddon hung his head in defeat. No longer blessed by the Chaos Gods, he was no better than the above-average Space Marine. Knowing threats to his position as leader of the Black Legion were bound to increase, the fool rushed out of the room to prepare, putting everything else on the back burner.


    ¡°So where is Mortarion?¡±, Magnus inquired. ¡°I figured he would come to mock Abaddon too.¡±


    ¡°Oh well¡­ He is not in any better shape than Abaddon is.¡±, Omegon began to chuckle. ¡°You see, Victor gave the Imperial forces some incredibly powerful boons during the fight. Unfortunately for Mortarion, those boons bypassed the blessings he received from his patron.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±, Fulgrim pressed him.


    ¡°That idiot¡­ He¡­ he got his ass handed to him by a group of guardsmen!!¡±, Omegon cackled, ¡°Here, let me show you the video recording!¡±


    Showing his brothers the recording his gene-sons took, the four traitor Primarchs began laughing at Mortarion¡¯s anguish. Blissfully unaware they were just as vulnerable as Mortarion was, they fell to the floor and began giggling like schoolchildren at what they were watching. Even though Victor was their enemy, they were happy to see that Aremus¡¯ descendant was just like him in both appearance and personality.

 Chapter 149

    ---Two Days Later, Victor POV---


    Returning to my homeworld, Amallyn, Ionica, and adopted Eldar child Nuelalla Starcrest came up from the laboratory to announce our arrival. Jumping up from the sofa, Mylene sprinted over to us and leapt into my arms. Wrapping her arms around my neck, my lovely wife began to shower me with affection and kisses.


    ¡°I missed you so much!!¡±, Mylene said, squeezing me tightly.


    ¡°Not a day went by that I did not think of all of you.¡±, I replied, hugging her back. ¡°By the way, we have another new addition to the family.¡±


    ¡°We do?¡±, Mylene questioned, doing a double take. ¡°I only see Amallyn and Ionica. Where is the third¡­ woman¡­ OH MY GOODNESS!! She is so adorable!!¡±


    Startled by Mylene¡¯s gaze and tone, Nuelalla darted behind Amallyn to hide herself. Having grown attached to Amallyn since we rescued the Eldar, the young girl adamantly refused to part from her when the other survivors went to leave with Yvraine and the others. They spent hours trying to convince her to depart with them, but ultimately, they gave in and let her stay with us. Since then, I have slowly managed to coax her out of her shell, but sudden outbursts like this still scared her.


    ¡°Please forgive her; Nuelalla has been through a lot for such a young girl.¡±, Amallyn apologized, softly patting the girl on the head.


    ¡°Victor told us about the horrible situation the survivors went through. I cannot begin to imagine the mental anguish she has endured.¡±, Mylene said, kneeling before the girl, ¡°Please make yourself at home, and let us know if you need anything. All of us will do our best to make you as comfortable as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡±, Nuelalla replied, meekly poking her head.


    ¡°I will go let the others know you are here.¡±, Mylene stated, rising to her feet again. ¡°We have some really big news to share with you, Victor!¡±


    Rushing up the stairs, my wife disappeared down the hallway leading to the bedrooms. While waiting for everyone to come down, I led the two women and adopted daughter into the kitchen to get drinks. While the adults had hot tea, Nuelalla had a tall glass of orange juice. Staring at the orange liquid warily, she sniffed a few times before giving it a try.


    ¡°It is tasty¡­¡±, Nuelalla said, looking toward me, ¡°Thank you for the drink.¡±


    ¡°You are very welcome. There are plenty of juices for you to taste, so please help yourself.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Personally, I prefer apple, grape, and orange juices.¡±


    Showing her how to dispense juice and water, Nuelalla stared at all the potential options with a glimmer of excitement. On the Craftworlds, they had very limited options, so she was very enthusiastic about trying everything we had. Taking a seat at the island bar, I began preparing snacks for her as a loud commotion could be heard upstairs. Sprinting down the hallway and down the stairs, Tohru slid into view with a big grin.


    ¡°So you are Lucoa¡¯s giant husband, huh?¡±, Tohru said, looking me over carefully. ¡°Hehe, I bet you are a giant in more ways than- ¡°


    ¡°TOHRU!!¡±, my wives shouted, hitting her with a lamp squarely in the face.


    ¡°Have some decorum, Tohru¡­¡±, Fafnir scolded her, calmly coming down the stairs, ¡°There is a young child in the house. Keep your dirty mind in your head and out of your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Do not make me break out the rope and tape again.¡±, Elma warned her.


    ¡°Maybe we should send her back home.¡±, Angelica suggested.


    ¡°Doubt they would consider taking her back. Next to me, Tohru was the most destructive person in the village.¡±, Lucoa giggled.


    Shuffling into the kitchen, Nuelalla kept her eyes fixated on the unconscious dragon in the living room. Softly asking Amallyn if she was going to be okay, my lover turned to me, hoping I could answer.


    ¡°A blow like that is nothing to a dragon. When she wakes up, it will be like it never happened.¡±, I chuckled, turning to my wives, ¡°So what is the big news?¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses, we want to hear all about the last few days.¡±, Deirdre stated. ¡°How did the operation go?¡±


    ¡°For our first joint military operation with the Imperium of Man, I believe we did a peerless job.¡±, I chuckled, recalling the damage report I went over with the Emperor and my uncles. ¡°Seven thousand five hundred and twenty-four soldiers were killed, four thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven are undergoing treatment, and eight hundred and fifty-two vessels sustained moderate to minor damage. While it is much higher than what we are accustomed to seeing, the Imperium¡¯s military leaders were pleased with the outcome.¡±


    In all honesty, many military officials were floored to see such a low death count for a large-scale military operation. Prior to this, the lowest death count for an operation of this scale exceeded five hundred million. Seeing the difference a well-armed military force brought to the table, improving the military¡¯s arsenal was a very high priority. Once things were relatively stable in the Imperium, the Emperor intended to bury himself in R&D to make that a reality.


    ¡®Did I bring that bad habit with me from my previous life, or was it inherited from the Emperor?¡¯, I thought, ¡°With the next major military operation a ways off, I have a few small objectives to accomplish. Firstly, I want to bring all nine of the loyalist Primarchs together once again. Second, I want to capture a Necron Tomb World where billions of Imperial soldiers from across thirty millennia are being held. Lastly, I want to begin establishing friendly relations and trade agreements with nearby galactic nations within our vicinity.¡±


    Currently, only six of the nine loyalist Primarchs have been reunited. Of the three that are missing, Khan needed rescuing while Manus and Sanguinius needed revivification. The latter two would be a relatively simple matter; it was Khan I had concerns about. Certain that he was being held captive in the city of Commorragh, extracting him without inciting a full-blown war would not be a simple matter. I would absolutely try to negotiate for his release first, but if that failed, destroying Khaine¡¯s Gate was my alternative plan. The Dark Eldar were a threat to the Eldar, Humanity, and the Tau, so using such underhanded methods was appropriate.


    When it came to the Necron World of Solemnace, I had far bigger plans than just simply rescuing the Imperial forces held prisoner there. The Necron Overlord Trazyn had eons of historical data and technological marvels that would greatly improve the Aeldari and the Imperium¡¯s situation. While most of his collection would likely have to remain in my care, I intended to share everything I could with both groups. If I played my cards right, there was a real possibility a permanent alliance between our people could be reached. It would be an excellent first step toward pulling the Imperium away from its isolationist ways and embracing the idea of establishing relations with other groups.


    One group I desperately sought to establish relations with was the Algrand Empire. As the de facto leader in naval technology in this region of the universe, I saw them as the Imperium¡¯s golden ticket to producing modern starships. Instead of scrapping older generation vessels, they stripped sensitive tech out of their ships and sold the crafts to their allies at a steep discount. Since the Navis Imperialis¡¯ fleet was ancient, at best, any ships we were able to purchase would significantly improve their firepower.


    ¡°Enough about what I have been up to; I want to hear about my beautiful wives. Tell me what you ladies have been up too.¡±, I said, leaning in with a smile.


    ¡°Well, I can certainly say it was nowhere near as exciting as what you have been doing.¡±, Mylene giggled, glancing over at Lucoa. ¡°We made a startling discovery while you were away.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh, and what was that?¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­¡±, Mylene mumbled, as she fidgeted around, ¡°Lucoa and I discovered we are pregnant. Based on how far along we are, Doctor Vaugh believes we conceived them during our time in the Blackstone Labyrinth.¡±


    Rushing around the counter, I swept the two women up off their feet and pulled them into a big hug. Showering the two of them with my love and unbridled joy, the two women began to shed tears of relief. Admitting to me that a tiny voice in the back of their minds had been telling them I was going to be devastated by this news, they were genuinely relieved to see my reaction to the news.


    ¡®If that cunt is behind this¡­ I swear on all that is holy, I will destroy everything she truly holds dear.¡¯, I thought, my rage calmly simmering beneath the surface. ¡°Well, this calls for a special celebration!! How about we go somewhere nice to have a meal as a family? The Bannered Mare or some place new sounds perfect to me.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned a fancy restaurant on Coruscant before, right? How about we go there!¡±, Mylene stated, hoping she might find something to sate her craving there.


    ¡°What about us!?¡±, Tohru asked, sitting up again. ¡°Can four of us come too?¡±


    ¡°She really did come back alive!¡± Nuelalla gasped, startled by Tohru¡¯s sudden revival.


    ¡°If you can behave yourself, yes.¡±, I agreed, ¡°One outburst, and I am sending you back here.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you, Lucoa¡¯s husband!¡±, Tohru agreed, jumping to her feet, ¡°Let¡¯s get going already, people!!¡±


    Letting out a sigh, as she barreled down into my lab, seconds later the unmistakable sound of glass shattering echoed up the stairs. Glancing at Lucoa, she gave me an apologetic look and assured me Tohru was a good person. While I had no doubts about her character, I was starting to wonder what sort of lifestyle dragons had back in their village.

 Chapter 150

    ---Coruscant ---


    After a lengthy security check-in at the spaceport, I flagged down a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the Nebula Noshery. As we entered the entertainment district, everyone looked out over the city¡¯s breathtaking neon lights. Advertising a plethora of goods and services, Ilulu and Tohru were having a hard time wrapping their heads around all the activity. Accustomed to the laid-back, mundane lifestyle of their village, all the lights and sounds were a bit overwhelming for them.


    ¡°Here I thought the Kingdom¡¯s capital was chaotic¡­¡±, Tohru muttered, looking down at the sea of people on the walking path, ¡°This is beyond ridiculous¡­¡±


    ¡°You can say that again.¡±, Ilulu agreed, leaning over the edge of the taxi. ¡°Where are all the animals and trees? Does this place not have any nature?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it was all sacrificed in the name of progress.¡±, Clarice answered, pulling Ilulu back into her seat. ¡°It may not look like it, but we are several miles above the planet¡¯s surface. Please try not to fall; it is a long way down.¡±


    ¡°If I did fall, I could just shapeshift into a dragon.¡±, Ilulu remarked, with a proud smile.


    ¡°Please do not use dragonification here. The humans of the Galactic Republic do not know what dragons are. If you change in front of them, they will probably try to kill you.¡±, Lucoa warned them.


    Promising to refrain from doing so, the two of them went back to taking in the sights while the rest of us relaxed.


    ---A Short Time Later---


    Arriving at our destination a short time later, we disembarked the taxi and headed inside the restaurant. Making my way up to the hostess station, I inquired how long it would be for a table that could seat all seventeen of us. Giving me an apologetic smile, the hostess informed me it would be well over an hour as all the large tables were in use. Nodding my head, I was about to have her put my name down when a familiar voice cut through the ambient noise of the restaurant.


    ¡°Duke Stark, would you care to join us for dinner?¡±, Duchess Satina called out, waving to me from the back of the restaurant, ¡°We have plenty of room for all of you!¡±


    Wanting to keep this special occasion stress-free, I was about to politely decline, but Mylene had other ideas. Accepting her offer without hesitation, my wife beckoned us to follow her as she began weaving through the crowded room. Following her lead, the group followed her through the crowd and into the private area.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing us to dine with you this evening, Duchess Satina.¡±, I said, entering the space. ¡°Are you certain it is alright for us to¡­ join¡­ you¡­¡±


    Noticing that Ahsoka, Anakin, Bo-Katan, Obi-Wan, and Padme were with her, I got the sense this was no chance encounter. Looking at the two men, hoping they would explain what was happening, both men quickly averted my gaze.


    ¡°Of course, we have more than enough room for everyone.¡±, Satina assured me with a warm smile. ¡°Bo-Katan, this is Duke Victor von Stark of the Holfort Kingdom. He is the gentleman I have been telling you about.¡±


    Rising from her seat to greet me, the two of us exchanged a firm handshake before taking a seat. Taking a moment to observe me closely, she gave her sister a side-eye glance before speaking.


    ¡°I have heard quite a lot about you from my sister and Pre Vizsla.¡±, Bo-Katan spoke, looking me in the eyes, ¡°Let me start off by saying thank you for helping the Mandalorian people. For the first time in our history, we are all working together toward a common goal. It is hard to believe that just a few months ago we were at each other¡¯s throats; now we are one of the most prosperous star systems in the Outer Rim.¡±


    ¡°Happy to hear things have turned out well for you people.¡±, I chuckled, taking a seat between Lucoa and Mylene.


    ¡°Has Pre Vizsla managed to track down Dooku and take him out?¡±, Mylene inquired.


    ¡°We tracked him for several months, then he just vanished into thin air.¡±, Bo-Katan remarked, with a miffed expression, ¡°Originally, we thought he went into hiding, but according to Palpatine¡¯s journal, Dooku has been completely unresponsive for over a month now. He thought his apprentice had gone rogue on him.¡±


    Fully aware that Dooku was not that kind of man, I was certain there was more to this story than meets the eye. Disappearing exactly one month prior to the assault on his master was far too coincidental for my liking. Few individuals were aware of Palpatine¡¯s real identity, yet the enemy not only knew he was a Sith Lord, but they also knew his Sith name.


    ¡®I bet they approached Dooku, and he turned them down as well. Unlike Palpatine, though, Dooku had no reinforcements and ended up being taken back alive. For the enemy to expose themselves like this, the two men must have encountered something they are seeking. Whatever it may be, I need to find it before those bastards get their hands on it.¡¯, I thought, deciding to investigate it later.


    ¡°So with the Sith Lord and his apprentice out of the picture, I assume the Clone Wars are winding down?¡±, Deidre asked.


    ¡°Absolutely, both sides have already agreed to a ceasefire. We begin formal talks with them next week.¡±, Padme said, genuinely relieved that the end was in sight.


    ¡°Well, that is good to hear. That means you can focus your attention solely on the joint front with the Imperium, right?¡±, Aela asked.


    ¡°Haha, we wish¡­¡±, Anakin sighed, ¡°A Tyranid Fleet was spotted at the southern edge of the galaxy a week ago. The resources and troops we deployed against the Separatists are now being redirected to intercept the fleet. Two entire star systems have been lost so far, and a third will likely be lost before our forces arrive. I am being sent out in two days to help lead our forces.¡±


    Grabbing hold of his hand tightly, Padme was understandably unhappy about the news. As a senator, she was privy to all the horrors those damn bugs left in their wake. While she clearly did not want him to go, his wife silently supported him from the sidelines while wearing a brave face.


    ¡°Well, if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. The Tyranids are a threat that extends beyond borders.¡±, I said, with a reassuring nod. ¡°So does that mean you will be unavailable to join us for the operation in the Imperium of Man?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid so.¡±, Anakin acknowledged, looking at his Padawan. ¡°Ahsoka and Bo-Katan will be accompanying you instead.¡±


    ¡°We look forward to working with you!¡±, the two women said, bowing their heads respectfully.


    Confirming my suspicions that this was no mere coincidence, it was clear she had orchestrated this rendezvous with Obi-Wan¡¯s assistance. After what I had seen two days ago, I assumed the two of them were now romantically involved with one another, which made me happy. Instead of simply forgetting about me, though, Satina has switched to pushing her warrior sister onto me. While I could respect her dedication to establishing a permanent connection between the Republic and me, I felt sorry for her poor sister. From what I could remember, she had no interest in romance or starting a family.


    ¡°How soon can you be ready to leave? Victor has some preparations he needs to complete before the battle.¡±, Mylene stated, staring at the two women intently.


    ¡°I am ready to leave at any time.¡±, Bo-Katan answered, looking Mylene dead in the eyes.


    ¡°Same with me.¡±, Ahsoka seconded, with a curt nod.


    Temporarily halting the conversation, our attention turned to the waitress as she entered the room. Taking our drink orders and rattling off the specials, we took a moment to look over their extensive menu.


    ¡°So¡­ does anyone have any recommendations?¡±, Clarice asked, with an apologetic smile, ¡°This menu is enormous and a bit daunting to read in a short time.¡±


    ¡°The Cosmic Cow ribeye is the most popular dish on the menu.¡±, Ahsoka answered, ¡°The Nebulas Trout is also good as well.¡±


    ¡°Cosmic Cow?¡±, Amallyn questioned.


    ¡°We call them Cosmic Cows because they only appear where Galactus has recently been. While I think it is reckless to get anywhere near him, there are many organizations that carve out a living hunting the animals that follow the World Eater.¡±, Padme commented.


    ¡°To clarify, it is likely the best cut of meat one can purchase on the open market,¡± Obi-Wan insisted.


    Glancing at the price, Roxanne¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of her skull in shock. Looking to me for approval, I telepathically told my group to order what they wanted. With our net worth over five hundred billion credits, a few hundred thousand credits were not worth worrying about.


    ¡®For that amount of money though, it better be far superior to wagyu beef!¡¯, I thought, as the waitress returned with our beverages.


    Setting our glasses down on the table, the waitress took our orders and promptly left the room. Closing the curtain behind her, we got back to our original discussion.


    ¡°If I may, what became of you two after I left? I assume the High Council was none too happy to discover both of you were romantically involved with senators.¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°Well¡­ uh¡­¡±, Obi-Wan stuttered, with an embarrassed expression, ¡°We were forced to sit through a three-hour lecture on breaking one of the Order¡¯s oldest tenets. Once they were finished, Master Yoda repealed the tenant, stating it was necessary for the future of the Order. He admitted that the Jedi Order should have removed it long ago when they began making exemptions for specific races.¡±


    ¡°Now that we had no reason to hide it, Padme and I made our marriage public.¡±, Anakin stated, holding his wife¡¯s hand tightly, ¡°Obi-Wan and Duchess Satina also made their relationship public as well.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations to all four of you!¡±, Olivia said, raising her glass up, ¡°To your happiness and newfound freedom.¡±


    Clinking our glasses together, everyone took a long sip of their beverage and then began to laugh heartily.


    ¡°That is why we are here celebrating today. What about you?¡±, Satina pressed us.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±, Mylene replied, ¡°Lucoa and I recently found out that we are pregnant!¡±


    Rushing over to them, squealing like schoolgirls, Padme and Satina congratulated them while Anakin began choking on his drink. Leaning over to smack him on the back, Obi-Wan asked his friend if he was alright. Nodding his head, Anakin assured his former mentor that he had just swallowed wrong.


    ¡®Oh my, it would appear my wives are not the only pregnant women in this room tonight.¡¯, I thought, ¡®Good on you, Anakin!¡¯ S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Putting work discussions to the side for the rest of the night, all of us celebrated the momentous occasion together.

 Chapter 151

    ---Next Day---


    Stopping at the Artemis Space Station, after picking up Ahsoka and Bo-Katan, we headed to the Bounty Hunter Association to take a few jobs for the journey. Visiting the Algrand Empire in an official capacity this time around, instead of pretending to be a humble merchant, I could not recklessly enter their territory without permission. Since governmental processes like this took time, I decided to do a few jobs while we waited.


    ¡°Something must be going on today. I have never seen this many guards out at once.¡±, Angelica commented, watching thousands of armed men run around the docks. ¡°Do you think a criminal is on the loose?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ Only a handful of those men are wearing the right uniforms. I think the rest of them are foreign soldiers.¡±, Ahsoka pointed out, with a concerned look, ¡°We need to check this out and make sure this is not the beginning of an invasion.¡±


    Agreeing with her, we cautiously disembarked the ship and made our way up the pier. Looking around for the person in charge, I came to a halt when I recognized a man in a rather distinct skeletal-themed armor. Frantically searching for his charge, the poor knight looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.


    ¡°LALA-SAMA!!¡±, Zastin howled, ¡°I am begging you, please come back so we can leave at once. Your fianc¨¦e is a very punctual man; if we are even a moment late, he will likely cancel the engagement. The Emperor and Empress spent a great deal of time setting up this arrangement; please do not destroy their hard work!!¡±


    ¡°Well, that answers our question.¡±, Lucoa laughed. ¡°Sounds like they are looking for a foreign dignitary¡¯s runaway daughter.¡±


    ¡°Should we offer our assistance?¡±, Roxanne asked me.


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±, I said, vehemently shaking my head. ¡°The Deviluke Empire is not a nation I want to get involved with. From what I hear, their emperor wants to abdicate his throne as soon as possible. Since he has no male heir and his three daughters are unwed, he wants to marry one off so his son-in-law can take over.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ they are from the Deviluke Empire¡­¡±, Bo-Katan remarked, with an uncomfortable look, ¡°I am with Victor on this one, we should stay out of their business. The Devilukeans are a race of monstrously overpowered people. If the rumors are true, the average Devilukean is on par with a weak Space Marine.¡±


    ¡°Say what now¡­¡±, Ionica gasped, her eyes wide with horror, ¡°They are on par with Space Marines?!¡±


    Confirming that they were indeed a terrifying group of people, Ahsoka assured her that they were not an existential threat to the Imperium. So long as the Imperium of Man treated them respectfully, if they ever interacted, the Devilukeans would not attack them. While extremely powerful, they were very laid back and rarely resorted to violence anymore. Relieved to hear that, Ionica hurriedly submitted a report to Terra informing them of this development.


    ¡°Where did you say the Deviluke Empire was located?¡±, Ionica asked, wanting to include the information in her report.


    ¡°Their galaxy is northeast of ours.¡±, Ahsoka remarked as we moved past the guards.


    Grabbing a light snack, as we entered the market district, we made our way to the association building and headed inside. Rising from her seat, our usual receptionist greeted us with an enthusiastic smile.


    ¡°Welcome back, everyone. Glad to see you again!¡±, the receptionist said, her tone dripping with excitement. ¡°If you have some time, I have a bit of news to share with you.¡±


    ¡°You are very chipper today; did something good happen?¡±, Deidre inquired as we approached the counter.


    ¡°Heck yes, something did! I got my first raise in over four years and a job promotion to boot!¡±, the receptionist bragged, puffing her chest out with pride, ¡°As of two weeks ago, I was officially made your personal Guild Receptionist. While I have technically been that for a while, they made it official during their last meeting. Thank you so much for your dedication and tireless efforts to make the universe a safer place for everyone!¡±


    Congratulating her on the promotion, Mylene asked if there were perks or privileges that came with having a dedicated guild receptionist. Confirming there were a few perks, she proceeded to tell us what they were. First, clients could request our group specifically for contracts. Second, the association¡¯s training resources were now free for us. Third, our group could now purchase a wider range of equipment and supplies from the association and its partners. Lastly, to take on contracts, we could either come to a branch location in person or call our representative directly. That said, though, we still had to come in to claim completed bounties.


    ¡°I look forward to working with all of you for a very long time.¡±, the receptionist said, bowing her head and offering up her business card. ¡°Please feel free to call me directly at this number; it will ring my new office!¡±


    ¡°We will be sure to do that¡­¡±, I said, looking at the business card, ¡°Amelia!¡±


    Having Jarvis scan the information into his database, I handed the card to Lucoa for safekeeping. Getting back to our original reason for coming here, we requested to see job postings for the border region between the Algrand Empire and the Galactic Republic. Updating her computer with the most recent posting in the area, she slid a tablet over to us with the listings on it.


    ¡°Currently, we have over ten thousand job postings for the border region. Most of them are pirate exterminations, but there are a few search and rescue requests in there as well.¡±, Amelia stated, giving us a moment to browse the listings.


    ¡°Wow, some of these bounties are ridiculously high.¡±, Clarice commented, pointing out a few hundred million credit contracts. ¡°Why are they so high?¡±


    ¡°Most of the extermination requests were initially opened by individuals within the Algrand Empire. Pirate Hunter Liam Sera Banfield has recently restarted his campaign to rid the empire of all its pirates. In response, the smart pirates fled the country and now terrorize the adjacent galactic nations, which has sent the bounties skyrocketing. As most of our mercenaries are still in the galactic southwest right now, this problem is only getting worse.¡±, Amelia explained. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What do you ladies think?¡±, I inquired, offering to let them pick the contacts.


    ¡°So long as there is fighting to be had, we are happy to leave the choice up to you.¡±, Aela assured me, as the others nodded their heads in agreement.


    Picking the top three bounties on the list, I began scrolling through the listing, hoping to find something unique mixed in the usual riffraff. Stumbling across a contract posted by an affluent Rouge Trader family from the Imperium, the Thistlebuttons were requesting assistance locating their recently appointed family head, Ruby Thistlebutton. Having lost contact with her, shortly after her fleet crossed into the Galactic Republic, a two-month-old update had her last known location somewhere near the Algrand Empire border.


    ¡®The update says her fleet was severely damaged after a skirmish with space pirates. Unable to find someone to work on them, as they were ancient technology by Republic standards, she scrapped her fleet and bought significantly newer vessels from a shipyard near Eshe V. From there she continued onward until disappearing near the border world of Rietudend.¡¯, I read, ¡°Ionica, do you know anything about the Thistlebutton family? They are very well respected among their fellow Rogue Traders, but that is the extent of my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Their lineage goes all the way back to the Great Crusade. The family¡¯s progenitor, Absalom Thistlebutton, was one of the first Rogue Traders appointed by the Emperor.¡±, Ionica told me. ¡°They have played pivotal roles throughout the history of the Imperium but rarely ask for recognition for their work. The Thistlebutton family has always sought to keep their name out of the limelight and carry out their duties subtly.¡±


    ¡°I see, well then we will take on their contract as well.¡±, I stated, selecting the contract. ¡°Can you please notify the household we are looking into the disappearance of their family head?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±, Ionica acknowledged.


    With the four contracts accepted, we turned to leave the building when a familiar face called out to us from the dining area. Running over with a sports drink in her hand, Samus gave Lucoa, Mylene, Roxanne, and me a friendly nod.


    ¡°I almost did not recognize you, Victor.¡±, Samus laughed, ¡°You are almost three feet taller and are built like a tank!¡±


    ¡°A lot of things have happened since we last met. For one thing, I am now a Primarch of the Imperium of Man.¡±, I chuckled.


    ¡°Wait¡­ you mean you grew that big!? I thought you were just wearing a fancy, new suit of armor!¡±, Amelia gasped.


    ¡°You are joking, right?¡±, Serana remarked, ¡°His head would be completely disproportionate to the rest of his body if it was just a bulky suit.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ I did not think about that.¡±, Amelia admitted with a soft laugh.


    ¡°So what is the infamous Samus Aran doing here on the Artemis Space Station?¡±, I teased her.


    Letting out a deflated sigh, she pulled her tablet off her hip and showed us a series of pictures. Looking at a heavily mangled starship, we looked at her for further explanation.


    ¡°My precious ship is in drydock undergoing extensive and expensive repairs.¡±, Samus groaned. ¡°The last job I took was to track down a well-known thief and retake a shipment of goods he lifted from some corporation''s warehouse. Unfortunately, the client failed to mention that the shipment he stole contained experimental weapon technology. When I moved in to disable his ship, the punk turned those weapons on me and nearly killed me.¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­¡±, Amallyn gasped.


    ¡°Oh yes, a very big oof. My ship was custom-built for me, so parts are not readily available. It will be at least eight months for the parts to arrive, and then another six to reconstruct the hull.¡±, Samus complained, ¡°So for the next fourteen months, I will be out of work. This is what I get for splurging on a damn ship¡­¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, how about you join us until your ship is fixed?¡±, Roxanne suggested, her tail wagging enthusiastically, ¡°You can teach me all those acrobatic moves you used in the Blackstone Fortress!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you are still on about that?¡±, Samus laughed, turning to me, ¡°I do not have anything better to do right now, so I am onboard with teaming up again. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°That works for me.¡±, I agreed, shaking hands with her. ¡°If you are ready to head out now, we can- ¡°


    Before I could finish my sentence, the space station began violently shaking. Turning our attention outside, thousands of civilians began fleeing towards the docks as another tremor shook the station. A few moments later, sirens started to blare, and prerecorded messages instructed civilians to seek safety in designated shelters.


    ¡°What is happening?!¡±, Elma asked, looking for signs of a fight. ¡°Is the station under attack?¡±


    ¡°Sure sounds like it.¡±, Tohru stated.


    ¡°A rogue robot is on the loose in the Trades District.¡±, Amelia informed us, receiving the update on her terminal. ¡°Can we ask all of you to assist with civilian evacuations and taking the robot down?¡±


    ¡°Say no more.¡±, I accepted. ¡°Cleare, please take Lucoa and Mylene back to the ship. Put the ship on high alert until the threat is neutralized.¡±


    <Of course, Boss Man!> (Cleare)


    Promising to see them shortly, Cleare and my two wives vanished in a flash of light. With my pregnant wives safely out of harm''s way, Samus took point and began leading us toward the Trades District.

 Chapter 152

    Hearing the screams of petrified civilians as we drew near, the large robot came into view once we were outside the Market District. Standing sixty feet tall, the Mecha Godzilla wannabe was tearing through the Trades District like a rambunctious child. Letting civilians flee unabated, it appeared far more interested in the explosions it was creating than in hurting people. Uncertain how such a massive robot got here, as they did not build machines like this on the station, the answer soon became clear as we stepped onto the main roadway.


    Chewing out the Devilukean soldiers, an adult Princess Lala, and Zastin, the head of Artemis¡¯ security forces was none too happy about the shitshow unfolding aboard his station. Demanding they fix this problem immediately, he also wanted to know how this happened in the first place. Suggesting Lala did this to spite them, since they lent a hand in tracking her down, Artemis¡¯ security guards and Lala¡¯s security team began slowly reaching for their weapons.


    ¡°Lala-sama, I beg you, please turn off your machine!¡±, Zastin pleaded, as several more buildings were destroyed. ¡°I truly understand that you were vehemently against this marriage meeting from the beginning, but this is far too much. Innocent bystanders are being harmed here, and people are losing their livelihoods.¡±


    ¡°I did not do this on purpose, I swear it!¡±, Lala refuted, with a saddened expression, ¡°I was trying to retrieve Pyon-Pyon Warp-Kun from my D-Dial when one of the station¡¯s security guards tackled me. During the ensuing scuffle, my D-Dial broke, and somehow it retrieved Boom-Boom Dino-Kun from storage. Without my D-Dial, I do not have a way to recall.¡±


    Upon hearing that one of the security guards tackled their princess, the Devilukeans began cursing and shouting at the security team. Blaming them for this entire mess, another heated argument broke out between the groups.


    ¡°Are they fucking serious right now¡­?¡±, Bo-Katan groaned, watching the civilians running around absentmindedly, ¡°The district is ablaze, and they want to bicker over it? The broadcasted messages alone are not sufficient enough to evacuate the district.¡±


    ¡°Victor, how do you want to handle this?¡±, Angelica asked me.


    ¡°Can I leave civilian evacuation and crowd control to all of you? Once the area is clear, I will take out the robot myself.¡±, I told them, ¡°Olivia, we will treat the injured once things have settled down.¡±


    ¡°Can I try fighting the robot?!¡±, Tohru requested, eagerly jumping up and down. ¡°I can take it!¡±


    ¡°Oh hell no!¡±, Elma snapped, ¡°The last time you fought someone, the two of you leveled a whole mountainside. If you pull that here, lots of people are going to die.¡±


    Recalling that fight, Tohru hung her head in defeat and reluctantly agreed to follow my request. Assuring the dragoness that there would be other opportunities to fight in the near future, I promised to let her join us when the time came. Thanking me enthusiastically, the group took one of the side streets to avoid getting pulled into the spat between the hot-headed groups.


    ¡°Why the hell would you build such a monstrous robot? You are a bloody princess for heaven¡¯s sake, not a damn mad scientist!¡±, the head of security snapped, glaring at Lala, ¡°No matter how you frame this, it was the Devilukeans fault this happened. Had they kept their charge on a tighter leash, this entire situation would have never happened. If you can stop this rampaging machine now, we will let you off with only paying for the damages and loss of life.¡±


    ¡°I completely understand; we accept your proposal!¡±, Zastin immediately agreed, wanting to avoid a large-scale battle breaking out between their groups. ¡°Lala-sama, since your D-Dial is broken, how should we shut it down?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ His controller is still in my D-Dial, so stopping him remotely is not an option. The only other way would be to destroy him, but even then, his Luna Titanium hull will make that extremely difficult.¡±, Lala stated, running out of ideas, ¡°How about abandoning the station and moving somewhere else?¡±


    Enraged by her playful suggestion, the head of security¡¯s patience ran out. Knowing that laying hands on Lala would be a grave mistake, as she was a foreign leader¡¯s daughter, he went with the next best thing. Turning his frustration and rage on Zastin, the security chief lunged at him like a rabid dog, dragging the bodyguard to the ground. Proceeding to pummel him, while their men began fighting with one another, Lala¡¯s AI companion turned to her with a disapproving expression.


    ¡°Lala-sama, please take this matter seriously.¡±, Peke scolded her, as Zastin pleaded with the security chief to stop and talk this out. ¡°There must be another way to stop Boom-Boom Dino-Kun.¡±


    ¡°Removing his power source would also work, but that would require us to get inside. Without his controller, opening the access door is nearly impossible.¡±, Lala stated, ¡°I could also try repairing my D-Dial too, but I do not have parts or tools to use.¡±


    Stopping Zastin¡¯s beating, after hearing there was no other way to stop it, the security chief staggered to his feet and commanded his men to disengage immediately.


    ¡°Since we cannot stop it, I am ordering a complete evacuation of the station!¡±, the security chief barked, with a bitter expression, ¡°That giant robot is on course to reach the reactor core by the end of the day. Before he has the chance to destroy it, I want every man, woman, and child off this station. Have people take only what they can carry and make their way toward the shelters immediately!¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, I believe I can assist you with taking the robot down.¡±, I interjected, before anyone had the chance to leave, ¡°Princess Lala, is the machine made of pure Luna Titanium or a derivative of it?¡±


    Turning around to answer my question, Lala nearly bumped into me by accident. Taking several steps back so she could look at my face, her eyes began to sparkle with intrigue when she saw me.


    ¡°Holy cow, I had no idea humans could get that big!¡±, Lala laughed, ¡°You are a literal giant!!¡±


    ¡°Lala-sama, focus on answering his question!¡±, Peke chided her again.


    ¡°I am sorry, teehee!¡±, Lala giggled, with a cutie smile, ¡°Boom-Boom Dino-Kun¡¯s hull is constructed of ceramic composite Luna Titanium. Everything else would have blown my budget, and my father dislikes it when I go over my allowance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this will be a cakewalk then.¡±, I chuckled, transforming my right arm into a sonic beam cannon. ¡°Roxanne, how is the evacuation coming?¡±


    ¡°Almost done, just need another two minutes.¡±, Roxanne answered over the radio.


    Having assumed most of the district was nearly empty, when he heard there were still many civilians still here, the security chief flew into a panic. Ordering his men to execute a thorough sweep of the area, he regretted not verifying things before getting into a heated argument with the Devilukeans.


    ¡°So, mysterious giant man, how do you plan on taking out Boom-Boom Dino-Kun?¡±, Lala inquired, darting around me as she sought to understand how my armor worked. ¡°Is that thing on your right arm a high-powered pulse cannon? Oh, maybe it is a charged particle cannon!¡±


    ¡°It is a Sonic Beam Cannon.¡±, I answered, making the necessary adjustments to the weapon. ¡°I have it configured to match the metal¡¯s resonant frequency.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see!! You could easily break anything if you approached it from that angle.¡±, Lala remarked, with an impressed look.


    ¡°Just to confirm, the power source is not explosive or radioactive, right?¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°Nope, it powered by an unknow metal I found in our family¡¯s treasure vault.¡±, Lala answered, much to Zastin¡¯s dismay.


    ¡°Lala-sama!!¡±, Zastin wailed, ¡°Your father and mother have instructed you on multiple occasions not to break into the treasure vault. There are many dangerous items in there that should never be taken outside.¡±


    Playfully bonking herself on the head, Lala pretended to have never heard that warning before. Hanging his head in despair, I felt bad for Zastin because he had to deal with three crazy sisters and a lazy emperor. Wanting to wrap this up and get out of here, before something else happened, the moment I got the green light from my group, I fired the cannon at the mech. Striking it in the middle of its back, the weapon took only a few moments to begin showing results.


    ¡°I can see the power supply!¡±, Bo-Katan shouted as the weapon blasted a clean hole through the armor plating. ¡°Should I take the shot?¡±


    ¡°If you have the shot, take it.¡±, I acknowledged.


    Using her jetpack to get a better angle, she lined up a shot with her blaster rifle and fired. Coming to a screeching halt a moment later, it began to sway before ultimately collapsing onto its right side. Happy that the problem was dealt with, the security chief thanked me profusely for preventing the destruction of the station. Promising to handsomely compensate us for our efforts, he turned to the Devilukeans with a bloodthirsty glare.


    ¡°You have your princess; now get the fuck off my station! Every single one of you is blacklisted from ever setting foot here again.¡±, the security chief spat. ¡°I can assure you, the Galactic Senate will hear of what happened here today.¡±


    Storming off to help his men search the rubble for survivors. I was about to follow him when Lala grabbed hold of my left arm.


    ¡°Wait a moment, can I please get your name?¡±, Lala requested, looking up at me with a big smile. ¡°You seem like an interesting person, and I want to know more about you. We can sit down on my ship to talk shop with one another!¡±


    ¡°Princess Lala, I must respectfully decline your offer. I am on an important diplomatic mission for my grandfather, and I cannot afford to delay.¡±, I answered, making sure to give her as little information as possible to work with.


    ¡°Fine, how about just your name then? Pretty please!¡±, Lala pleaded, pushing her well-endowed chest out. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Pardon my bluntness, but I have no interest in discussing this matter further. I am aware of your destructive escapades, and I frankly want to avoid being drawn into your messes.¡±, I stated, continuing to look her in the eyes, ¡°Please leave the station with your entourage immediately.¡±


    Blinking several times, Lala looked at me with surprise. Taking to the sky after that, I began surveying the debris for survivors. Watching me fly away, an elated smile formed on her face.


    ---3rd Person POV---


    ¡°Lala-sama, is something wrong?¡±, Zastin questioned with concern.


    ¡°No, far from it. I believe I have found my future husband.¡±, Lala spoke enthusiastically, ¡®Mother said I would know when I found my partner, and I believe it is that man! He seemed genuinely disinterested in my status as the First Princess of the Deviluke Empire and maintained eye contact when I tempted him. All my suitors thus far have looked upon me lecherously and have sought to use me as a political steppingstone. Moreover¡­ he is a genius like me!!¡¯


    ¡°You¡­ you are saying you wish to marry him?!¡±, Zastin gasped, surprised she was expressing interest in a man for the first time. ¡°The Emperor and Empress will be overjoyed to hear you have settled on a man. That said, though¡­ we do not know his name or country of origin.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, my lord. I believe he is the owner of the giant city ship docked outside the station. We should be able to determine his country of origin from his identification number,¡± one of her guards suggested.


    ¡°Brilliant idea!¡±, Zastin agreed, ¡°Let us get moving immediately!¡±


    Rushing back to their ship, the Devilukeans departed the station and began researching the unknown man¡¯s identity.

 Chapter 153

    ---Victor POV---


    Rendering all the assistance we could to those affected by Lala¡¯s creations, we made a hasty getaway and relocated to the Algrand-Republic border. Satisfied that we had given the Devilukeans the slip, thanks to our Blink Drive, I took a moment to examine the unusual metal used to power the machine. Roughly the size of a 90¡¯s boombox, the lump of mysterious metal turned out to be a mixture of Badassium and Uru. While that was a surprise in and of itself, what startled me more was the power output it had. Second, only to my Void and Zero Point Modules, the metal alloy generated one hundred times more energy than the Sun did every second.


    ¡®While this will certainly revolutionize how I power my technology moving forward, it does leave me with some serious questions. First, where the hell did the Devilukeans get the material in the first place? Second, how did its creator manage to fuse the two metals in the first place? Lastly, does this mean Terra is not the original cradle of humanity?¡¯, I thought, pondering these questions. ¡°Ionica, are you absolutely certain the Devilukean Empire has never paid the Imperium a visit?¡±


    ¡°One hundred percent certain, yes. Neither the Emperor of Mankind nor our vast archive has any information about them.¡±, Ionica assured me, tapping Ahsoka on the shoulder. ¡°I hate to be a bother, but can you share what you know about them with me? My superior wants a detailed report so we can advise our people to be wary of them.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do not mind in the slightest.¡±, Ahsoka agreed, swiveling her chair around. ¡°So, to start with, Devilukeans all have uniquely shaped tails¡­¡±


    Certain now that Terra was not the original Earth, that meant the Imperium of Man resided in an unknown galaxy that was strikingly similar to the Milky Way. While it did not really matter in the grand scheme of things, I wondered why the Emperor was so hellbent on making everyone believe it was true. Laying claim to the cradle of humanity did not grant the Imperium any influence over those that lived outside the galaxy. At best, it was just to brag about it, but that did not fit the Emperor¡¯s usual line of forethought.


    ¡®When I have a moment alone with him, I will ask him directly about it. It does not affect our plans moving forward, but it would certainly be cool to know.¡¯, I thought, studying the metal closely for a few more minutes.


    Gleaning all the information I could from it with Jarvis¡¯ scanners, I decided to investigate its manufacturing method at a later date. Focusing on the tasks ahead of our group, I had Jarvis bring up the additional information we were sent by the association regarding our contracts. Skimming through the data, trying to get an idea of where we should start looking for them, an excerpt at the end of the data caught my attention immediately.


    ¡°¡­please be warned that the members of the Orion Syndicate have been reportedly seen in the region. We ask you to please report any encounters you have with them.¡±, I read aloud, ¡°Are they fucking serious!? Why the hell was this information not given to us when we were reviewing the contracts with Amelia?¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the world of professional bounty hunting!¡±, Samus laughed dryly, ¡°Legally, they are only required to give us the details provided on the contracts themselves. It is common for bounty hunters like us to pay the association or information brokers for additional intelligence regarding our contracts. Had I done it on my last job, I would probably still have a ship right now. Unfortunately, since the contract came from what I thought was a reputable source, I did not feel the need to waste my credits on it.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What is the Orion Syndicate?¡±, Serana inquired.


    ¡°It is a powerful criminal organization that is operated almost exclusively by a race of people called Orions. From arms dealing to slavery, they commit countless atrocities throughout this region of the universe every hour of the day.¡±, Bo-Katan commented, with a disgusted expression, ¡°Their main stomping grounds are the Algrand Empire and Galactic Republic, but they have been known to occasionally attack other neighboring galactic nations as well. Usually our military forces keep them in check, but thanks to our military being divided between two fronts, the eastern fringe of the Republic has been left to fend for itself. It really pisses me off!¡±


    ¡°It sounds like the large number of contracts we saw was caused by more than just a large influx of space pirates.¡±, Deirdre commented as she finished polishing the hilt of her blade. ¡°Since the Republic is incapable of defending its constituents properly, we should step in to help the people here.¡±


    ¡°I wholeheartedly agreed!¡±, Angelica seconded, with a resolute nod, ¡°We cannot allow the people to suffer because of the incompetence of their leadership. Until we receive permission to enter the Algrand Empire, let¡¯s track down every pirate we can find and obliterate them!¡±


    Enthusiastically agreeing with Angelica¡¯s words, everyone was onboard with her suggestion. While I agreed that something needed to be done, simply hunting down individual groups of pirates was far too inefficient. Believing we should instead focus our energy on places where criminals offload and resupply their vessels, I felt our time would be better spent crippling their infrastructure and taking out those who we came across in the process. Pitching my suggestion to the group, the group immediately voiced their agreement with me.


    ¡°Let me see here¡­¡±, Bo-Katan said, pulling up a map of the sector we were in, ¡°If I were a criminal organization, I would utilize abandoned space stations or derelict military installations to operate out of. They already have large space docks and need only a bit of work to bring them back online again. With that in mind, there are only three locations that fit this description. The former Aeris Colony, Drifter¡¯s Rest Dock, and Fort Paragon.¡±


    ¡°Which is closest to us?¡±, Clarice inquired.


    ¡°Fort Paragon is only twenty light years north of our present location.¡±, Bo-Katan answered. ¡°To be safe, we will want to have the New Genesis hang back. If there are criminals there, they will bolt the moment they catch sight of her.¡±


    ¡°Fair point, we will take the Endless Horizon in to have a look.¡±, I agreed, charting a course that put us roughly five light years away from the fortress. ¡°If they have taken up residence in the base, I want all the illegal slaves extracted before we obliterate the place. I will not consign them to the same fate as those filthy pigs.¡±


    Activating our cloaking field, I punched in the coordinates of our destination and got us underway.


    ---Fort Paragon---


    Created over two thousand years ago, during a particularly brutal period in the Algrand Empire¡¯s history, Fort Paragon served as a crucial part of the Republic¡¯s secondary line of defense against their rapidly expanding neighbor. Shutdown a few decades after a much more moderate regime took over; the Republic had planned to destroy it but never got around to doing so. Converted into a black market by the Orion Syndicate a few hundred years ago, it now served as a haven for corrupt politicians and criminals alike.


    Mooring my flagship at the very edge of the docks, I gave clear instructions to massacre anyone who dared to try to forcibly enter my ships. Bringing only a few people with me, Aela, Amallyn, Bo-Katan, Roxanne, Samus, and I disembarked the Endless Horizons and made our way inside. Greeted by the stench of decay and despair, as we exited the airlock, Roxanne began to feel very queasy.


    ¡°No need to hurry; take a moment to collect yourself. You will get used to this putrid stench in a few minutes.¡±, Bo-Katan assured her, ¡°I felt the exact same way the first time I came to one of these shitholes.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I wish I did not have a heightened sense of smell¡­¡±, Roxanne laughed, with a pale expression.


    Using magic to deaden her sense of smell temporarily, Roxanne began to rapidly recover from her queasiness. Once her stomach settled, we continued onward and explored the market a bit, wanting to see what all was here. While the lion¡¯s share of the arms and armor on offer were inferior to what I possessed, a few relics caught my eye. Lifted from archeological sites and undiscovered ruins from around the Republic, each item was priced exorbitantly high as the sellers felt collectors would pay top dollar for them.


    Purchasing everything that caught my eye, after a bit of haggling with the vendor, I utilized my ability to manipulate technology to falsify payment transactions. Seeing what they thought was a lump payment entering their accounts, none of them would live long enough to receive the transaction error messages later today.


    ¡®Once all these bastards are dead, I will use their financial accounts to compensate the illegal slaves equally. The money will not erase the trauma they have endured, but it will make their lives significantly easier for decades to come.¡¯, I thought, maintaining a stone-faced expression, ¡°Anything catching your eyes, ladies?¡±


    ¡°Not really; most of the offers are garbage compared to what I am carrying.¡±, Bo-Katan stated, monitoring the tail we picked up shortly after entering the market. ¡°More importantly, I am concerned that our followers are not making a move against us. They clearly want to capture us, but they are acting too timid for my liking.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I believe the reason for that is fairly obvious.¡±, Aela stated with a playful smile, ¡°Put yourself in their shoes; would you want to risk a fight with Victor over us?¡±


    ¡°That is a fair point; I had not considered that.¡±, Bo-Katan admitted with a light chuckle. ¡°I am so used to operating alone that when stuff like this happens, it feels like I am heading into an ambush or trap.¡±


    ¡°I understand that feeling.¡±, Samus said, looking around the immediate area. ¡°If we are done here, we should continue to the slave auction. Judging by how the crowd is moving, I think the auction is about to begin.¡±


    Agreeing with her assessment, the six of us began pushing our way through the crowd toward the main roadway. Following the surge of people toward the massive stage, a rather portly Orion stepped out from behind a curtain to kick things off. Giving the crowd a quick overview of the slaves they had on offer today, the curtain slowly swung open revealing hundreds of terrified men, women, and children. Beaten, bruised, and wearing little more than rags, each of them had a large metallic collar strapped to their necks.


    ¡°Are those what I think they are¡­?¡±, I inquired, clenching my fist in anger.


    ¡°Unfortunately yes, those are high explosive collars. The Galactic Republic uses them at Supermax facilities to keep inmates in line and prevent escape attempts.¡±, Bo-Katan confirmed, ¡°If we teleport these people away from the stage before defusing the collars, their collars will detonate within five seconds.¡±


    ¡°Something must have happened recently for them to fork out the credits for those collars. Each one costs a little over half a million credits, and that is assuming you can find someone selling them. Usually they only jam teleporter frequencies and have a lot of guards monitoring for suspicious people.¡±, Samus commented, noticing that the security guards were all sporting newer arms and armor. ¡°Based on my observations, someone in the Republic¡¯s government is helping the Orion Syndicate run this place.¡±


    ¡°Does not surprise me in the least¡­¡±, Bo-Katan scoffed, shaking her head in annoyance.


    ¡°Well, if teleporting the illegal slaves out is not an option, what should we do?¡±, Aela inquired as the auction began.


    Unhooking a young brother and sister duo from their chains, two Orion workers dragged them forward for the bidders to look over. Feeling the bidder¡¯s unsettling gazes beginning to fall upon them, the young girl hid behind her brother, who was trembling in fear. Angered by the girl¡¯s reaction, one of the workers ripped her out from behind her brother and pushed her forward.


    ¡°DADDY!! MOMMY!! SAVE ME!!¡±, she screamed as snot and tears began streaming down her face.


    As the two siblings began to cry, the crowd began fervently bidding on them. Listening to the disgusting animals bid on the petrified children, I subconsciously drew my lightsabers off my waist.


    ¡°Endless Horizons, deploy all our troops to seize control of this fortress. Not one of these pathetic excuses for sentient life is allowed to leave here alive!¡±, I growled, as my murderous aura began to make everyone in the vicinity fall silent, ¡°New Genesis, block all communications within three light years and prepare to fire upon any vessel that attempts to flee the scene.¡±


    Acknowledging my orders, both ships began to act immediately as I engaged my lightsabers. Discovering that I was a Jedi, the bidders began to flee while the guards moved in to subdue me. Taking a single step forward, I slammed my foot into the floor, causing the entire fortress to violently shake. Turning the first two rows of guards into red mist with a swing of my right arm, the people who had been tailing us attempted to attack me from the rear. Intercepting them, Bo-Katan blasted two of their heads off while Aela and Roxanne decapitated the remaining three with their swords.


    ¡°Do you think you will get away with this!?¡±, the auctioneer shouted as a series of explosions shook the fortress. ¡°The Orion Syndicate has powerful backers here in the Republic; you will pay dearly for your transgressions. If you value your position and status, turn around and leave now!¡±


    ¡°Is that supposed to be a threat, little boy?¡±, I commented, appearing before him in an instant.


    Having gravely underestimated me, due to my build and size, the Orion began to profusely sweat and tremble. Slowly craning his neck back, he nearly fell over trying to meet my gaze.


    ¡°Holy fuck!!¡±, he shrieked, falling on his backside. ¡°What are you?!¡±


    ¡°My name is Victor von Stark, a Jedi Sage and a Primarch of the Imperium of Man!¡±, I informed him before crushing him into green paste with my boot. ¡°Ladies, if you would, please give these bastards the fitting end they deserve!¡±


    Nodding their heads in acknowledgment, the six of us began hunting down every last scumbag while the illegal slaves watched us dismantle the entire operation.

 Chapter 154

    With all escape routes blocked by my troops, criminals and politicians alike began attempting to surrender themselves to us in droves. Believing they would receive help from their allies and fellow comrades, once they were handed over to the authorities, their hopes were quickly crushed as the troops began mowing them down with chainswords and plasma rifles. Realizing that we were not taking any prisoners, the cowards armed themselves with weapons from the market and tried to make a valiant last stand against us. Unworthy of a semi-honorable death, after everything they had done, the troops requested fire support from the Zaku units.


    Bursting in from the roof, the mechs began torching everything with heavy flamers and vaporizing groups with Nova Cannons. Watching the massacre happen in real time, while I worked on disarming the collars, Bo-Katan and Samus were impressed by how ruthless my men were with the bastards.


    ¡°My sister was right; you do not mess around when it comes to executing your plans.¡±, Bo-Katan stated, with a grin, ¡°I must admit, given how my sister talked about you, I thought you were secretly a pacifist. Having seen you in action now, though, that opinion has drastically shifted.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, please tell me you are not about to propose to me. Your sister did that, and I must admit, it was a bit off-putting.¡±, I admitted, as I completed my work.


    ¡°That certainly sounds like something she would do. As soon as she sets her eyes on something, nothing will stop her from trying to get it. Now that Obi-Wan and she are officially together, he is stuck with her for life.¡±, Bo-Katan laughed, ¡®I understand now why Pre Vizsla and Satina were so insistent on me getting close to him. The Mandalore System would benefit greatly from having connections to such a powerful person. My initial concern was that I would become a trophy wife, like so many other women do in political marriages; fortunately, that does not appear to be a problem. If I can continue to practice our age-old traditions, I will be a happy Mandalorian woman.¡¯


    Releasing a loud hiss as they abruptly flew open, the heavy collars fell to the ground with a loud, metallic bang. A few moments later, smoke began billowing out of the collars as they shorted out. Stowing all of them in my inventory, I planned on handing the collars over to the Jedi Order so they could pursue the matter further.


    ¡°Alright, now that the explosives have been dealt with, let us see about getting these chains off.¡±, I stated, using my lightsabers to remove shackles.


    ¡°Roger that.¡±, the women acknowledged, as they began assisting me.


    Setting people free one by one, the grateful victims began profusely thanking us for saving them. Promising to reunite them with their family and friends, a few of them wandered backstage hoping to find some of their personal effects. Continuing with our work, Amallyn suddenly let out a horrified scream as she called out my name. Rushing over to see what was wrong, Amallyn¡¯s gaze was fixed upon a heavily wounded Eldar woman.


    ¡°What in the hell!?¡±, I said, immediately using healing magic on her, ¡®I thought Amallyn was the first Eldar to set foot in the Galactic Republic, but I guess I was wrong.¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ I cannot believe it. Lady Lileath, you are¡­ alive!?¡±, Amallyn gasped, immediately bowing her head to the Aeldari Goddess incarnate. ¡°How can this be?!¡±


    ¡°Lady who?¡±, Aela inquired, walking over to see what was going on. ¡°Is she the daughter or wife of some noble in your society?¡±


    ¡°Lady Lileath is the Aeldari Goddess of Dreams and Fortune.¡±, Amallyn elaborated, slowly lifting her head. ¡°She and several other deities were devoured by She Who Thirsts shortly after that skank awakened within the Warp. Victor must have liberated them, alongside the Aeldari souls, when he defeated that floozy.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, it explains why she is in such rough shape compared to everyone else here.¡±, Samus said, looking at the sickly woman with pity, ¡°The poor woman, she has gone through literal hell and back.¡±


    Performing a preliminary scan of her body to check for internal injuries, the Aeldari Goddess lifted her head to look at me as I reviewed the data. Breaking her shackles with relative ease, a pale light began to radiate from her as she stumbled toward me. Latching onto me, she began rubbing the right side of her face on my armor and let out a sigh. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Saved¡­ us¡­ all¡­¡±, Lileath spoke in a raspy tone, ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°You are certainly welcome.¡±, I said, patting her head. ¡°Rest now; you are in safe company.¡±


    Slowly nodding her head, Lileath¡¯s body gave out as the light vanished entirely. Catching the goddess before she hit the ground, I sent her over to the New Genesis¡¯ medical bay for observation and treatment. Elated to discover her people¡¯s deities were still alive, Amallyn began to immediately reach out to her kin to share the news.


    ¡°Not to be a bother, my lord, but could you please cut me down.¡±, a woman close by requested.


    ¡°From the way you are speaking, are you perhaps the Rogue Trader Rose Thistlebutton?¡±, I inquired, freeing the woman from her shackles.


    Frantically trying to straighten out her clothing situation, as the rags left little to the imagination about her pronounced female figure, the long, blonde-haired woman quickly knelt before me and bowed her head.


    ¡°Yes, I am Rose Thera Thistlebutton, Head of House Thistlebutton.¡±, Rose acknowledged, with a red flushed face. ¡°It is an honor and privilege to meet you, Lord Stark. You have my utmost gratitude for saving me from becoming a slave.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to stand on ceremony here, Lady Thistlebutton.¡±, I remarked, retrieving a coat from my inventory and throwing it over her shoulders. ¡°Tell me, where are the rest of your crew, and how did you end up here?¡±


    ¡°It is a long story, Lord Stark. Do you wish to hear it?¡±, Rose inquired, as she slowly rose to her feet.


    ¡°Of course, I will include it in my report to your family when we leave here.¡±, I stated.


    ¡°Very well, this entire mess began after our first encounter with the Orion Syndicate¡­¡±, Rose began.


    Mistakenly identified as a group of refugee transports, due to the outdated appearance of her vessels, a large fleet of space pirates ambushed them on the outskirts of the Fespoth System. Dropping out of FTL several thousand yards from them, the pirates immediately opened fire upon them without warning. Destroying seven of her vessels in the initial volley, her fleet quickly began to engage the enemy with fiery vengeance. While they eventually managed to drive them off, what remained of Rose¡¯s seventy-vessel fleet was left crippled, barely able to move under its own power.


    Taking her heavily damaged vessels into the Fespoth System, they moored in a shipyard near Eshe V to have the damage properly assessed. The local shipbuilders adamantly refused to touch the ancient vessels as none of their technology was compatible with them. As for the Tech-Priests she brought with her, they told Rose it would take over fifty years to repair the damage with the minimal tools they had on hand. Left with little other choice, she sold the ships for scrap and bought several dozen ships with the proceeds.


    ¡°After removing all our sensitive equipment from my ancestral fleet, I had my crew undergo training to operate the foreign vessels. Once the crew was comfortable with the new systems, we put the Fespoth System behind us and continued with our journey. Due to my lack of foresight, I failed to consider that the pirates might have cohorts in the vicinity to assist them if victims managed to escape. Those bastards installed trackers on my new flagship and sabotaged the defense systems on all the vessels I purchased.¡±, Rose said, clenching her fists as a scowl formed on her face, ¡°The very same fleet that attacked us weeks prior assaulted us once again, but this time, we were helpless to resist them. Still pissed off over our first encounter, instead of boarding us, they decided to push our ships into rapidly decaying orbit over a barren world in the middle of nowhere! Unable to correct ourselves with the engines or utilize the escape pods, we¡­ we could only wait for death to take us. Two-thirds of my crew were killed on impact; those of us who survived could not stick around to mourn our dead as the pirates descended upon us like vultures. Over the next few months, they harassed us daily, capturing several people each time. Four days ago, they captured what remained of us and brought us all here. Since then, I have watched my cherished crew members be sold off to disgusting pigs one by one.¡±


    ¡°I promise you; we will do our utmost to locate your missing crew.¡±, I assured her.


    ¡°Many of my crew members were sold off to illegal mine operators from across the galaxy, but a few were fortunate enough to be purchased by an affluent politician.¡±, Rose said, looking me in the eyes, ¡°Among my people, there was a group of seventeen Sisters led by Sister Superior Faustuste Solsten from the Order of the Sacred Coin. I heard from a few of the workers that they were purchased by representatives of Clan Hutt. Do you happen to know of them?¡±


    ¡°Ha! I would not describe their sale to the Hutt clan as fortunate. Their leader, Jabba the Hutt, is a disgusting, perverted slug with a penchant for purchasing beautiful humanoid women from all over the galaxy.¡±, Bo-Katan informed Rose, with a disgusted look, ¡°His female slaves are forced to wear the skimpiest of attire and service his every filthy need.¡±


    ¡°When you say slug, do you mean he is ugly as sin?¡±, Rose asked, looking back and forth between us.


    Shaking our heads, Bo-Katan produced a photo of Jabba the Hutt himself and showed it to her. Upon seeing his disgusting form, Rose released a horrified scream as the color left her face. Grabbing ahold of my armor, the Rogue Trader begged me to save them, or at the very least spare them from the nightmare that awaited them.


    ¡°Victor, we should definitely help her out!¡±, Samus remarked, grinning ear to ear, ¡°Jabba the Hutt has a seven hundred and fifty billion credit contract out on his head, and most of his lieutenants are worth two hundred and fifty to five hundred billion each. The only reason he is still alive right now is because most of the Platinum Rank bounty hunters in the galaxy are on his payroll, making him basically untouchable.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark, please do not abandon them to a fate worse than death.¡±, Rose pleaded, bowing her head to me.


    ¡°There is no need to beg for aid, Lady Thistlebutton. It is the duty of a Primarch to protect all citizens of the Imperium. As soon as we are finished here, we will head to Jabba¡¯s base of operations and rescue your crew.¡±, I stated, with a reassuring smile, ¡®Finally, I have a reason to visit the cesspool that is Tatooine! Not only do I intend to kill the infamous Jabba the Hutt, but I also try my hand at some podracing in Mos Espa. Hehe, time to debut my custom space bike!¡¯


    With the facility completely under my control, I gave the civilians free rein to loot the market to their heart''s content. Suggesting they find more appropriate attire and a few weapons to protect themselves in the future, the adults wandered off to sift through the debris while the children stayed behind. Teleporting them onto the Endless Horizons, my wives enthusiastically bathed, clothed, and fed the children while we began rigging the fortress with explosives to ensure no one would ever utilize this space again.

 Chapter 155

    ---Tatooine---


    Putting the New Genesis in geosynchronous orbit over Mos Espa, I took Amallyn, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Rose, Samus, and a company of Helldivers planetside in a large shuttle pod. Granted permission to dock at the spaceport by a very nervous tower operator, a group of heavily armed guards awaited us at our assigned spot. Attempting to intimidate us with their equipment and size, they quickly began to regret their decision when the seven-and-a-half-foot-tall Helldivers disembarked with me right behind them. Looking up at our towering figures, a few of them fainted while the rest broke out into a cold sweat.


    ¡°Is this how you typically greet foreign dignitaries here on Tatooine?¡±, I inquired, as my comrades exited the ship. ¡°My name is Victor von Stark; I am a Primarch of the Imperium of Man. Who among you speaks on behalf of your planetary governor or lord?¡±


    Upon discovering who I was, a green Ishi Tib hurriedly came forward to properly greet me. Pushing the security guards out of his way, the representative commanded them to stand down immediately before they incited a war.


    ¡°Forgive our wariness, Lord Stark. When you abruptly arrived in the star system, Lord Tiure was uncertain what was happening. Had we known you were an esteemed member of the Imperium¡¯s nobility, we would have prepared a more hospitable welcome!¡±, the Ishi Tib explained, ¡°Allow me to formally welcome you to Tatooine, my lord. May I inquire what brings such a high-ranking member of the Imperium to our humble world?¡±


    ¡°You do not need to be so rigid with me. Unlike most of my countrymen, I hold no disdain or ill will toward other races.¡±, I told him, with a stone-faced expression, ¡°As for why I am here today, a small Rogue Trader fleet went missing a few hundred light years from here. Rumor has it that part of the crew was sold as slaves to someone here on Tatooine. I am here to secure their freedom and return them safely back to our country.¡±


    ¡°I would be more than happy to arrange meetings with various slave traders to help your search.¡±, Ishi Tib offered, fear beginning to seep into his tone.


    ¡°There is a more personal reason for this visit as well. During my search for my countrymen, I had the pleasure of watching several podraces. I hear that Tatooine is home to several such events. If one is happening within the next week, my hope was that your lordship would allow me to participate.¡±, I added.


    ¡°If you would, please give me a few minutes to confer with Lord Tiure. While I am sure he will approve, it is better to be safe than sorry.¡±, the Ishi Tib requested, his nerves beginning to settle down again.


    Satisfied that I was here on friendly terms, the Ishi Tib walked away from us to make the call. Hijacking their communication channel, I patiently waited for the reptilian slug to pick up.


    ¡°Have you determined who the owner of that city ship is?¡±, Jabba asked immediately after picking up.


    ¡°Lord Tiure, the city ship belongs to the Imperium of Man. One of their Primarchs has come looking for the crew of a Rogue Trader fleet.¡±, the Ishi Tib informed him. ¡°What would you have me do, sir?¡±


    ¡°Graak Vikzel, you are absolutely certain they are with the Imperium of Man?!¡±, Jabba spoke, his voice cracking slightly.


    ¡°Sir, I am looking at a company of extremely well-armed Space Marines and the Primarch¡¯s personal entourage.¡±, Vikzel responded, wishing he was not the representative sent by his lord, ¡°It is worth noting, this Primarch is far more open-minded than the others we have heard about. His entourage includes a female Space Elf and a Togruta.¡±


    ¡°I see, in that case, give him the VIP treatment as my esteemed guest. Show him around Mos Espa¡¯s slave market; do your best to convince him we are doing our utmost to help him. Once he is satisfied that the crew is not on Tatooine, take him to my casino for drinks, food, and the finest entertainment we have to offer.¡±, Jabba commanded.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Tiure, I will see this through every step of the way.¡±, Vikzel assured him. ¡°The Primarch had one more request of us. He would like to participate in a podrace, if you will allow him to. Apparently, he has taken quite a liking to them.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±, Jabba chuckled. ¡°I see no issue in his participation in the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic. If anything, adding a competitor from a foreign nation will increase betting and viewership. Let my esteemed guest know we are happy to add him to the lineup.¡±


    Ending the call there, the Ishi Tib took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. Once he was mentally ready, he walked back over to us and gave me his employer¡¯s response.


    ¡°Lord Tiure has asked me to serve as your guide for the duration of your stay on Tatooine. I will do my utmost to help you find your citizens and negotiate a fair price for their release. Of course, if you happen to see other slaves you are interested in, I am happy to help with purchasing them as well.¡±, Vikzel said, turning to the guards, ¡°You may return to your posts. Lord Stark is now our esteemed guest.¡±


    Grabbing their unconscious comrades, the guards fled from us like their lives depended on it. Stifling a chuckle, I looked back at my Helldivers for a moment before looking back at him.


    ¡°Should I dismiss my bodyguards as well?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°You are welcome to have them accompany us, but they may cause mass panic among the locals. As you mentioned earlier, most nonhumans are acutely aware of the xenophobia that is rampant in the Imperium of Man.¡±, Vikzel answered, with an apologetic look.


    Acknowledging his concerns, I had the Helldivers teleport back to the New Genesis. Much more relaxed, now that their cold gazes were no longer fixed upon him, Vikzel motioned for us to follow him into the city.


    ¡°In case I forgot to introduce myself earlier, my name is Graak Vikzel.¡±, Vikzel stated, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet all of you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, thank you for taking the time to show us around.¡±, I responded, opening a private channel with Luxion. ¡°Luxion, please dispatch several stealth and surveillance drones to Jabba¡¯s Palace; it is the ornate structure on the outskirts of the city. Based on their conversation, it is safe to assume Jabba already took possession of the Imperials and is keeping them in his dungeon.¡±


    <Dispatching them now, Master.> (Luxion)


    Since it would be a bit before we arrived in the market, I began asking our guide general questions about the city. Playing the part of a curious tourist to the best of my abilities, he readily told me about the various things to do in Mos Espa.


    ---A Short Time Later---


    Unlike the dark, gloomy slave markets I was accustomed to seeing, Mos Espa¡¯s traders operated out of booths, stalls, and tents in an open-air market space. Looking around our immediate area, hundreds of slaves were being bought and sold like livestock at a farmer¡¯s market. Admittedly, I had no issues with criminal slaves being bought and sold, but I doubted hardly anyone here fit that category.


    ¡°My word, I had no idea there were so many races in the universe!¡±, Rose gasped, looking at all the slaves on offer with intrigue.


    ¡°This is only a small fraction of what is out there in the universe.¡±, Samus told her as she nudged Amallyn. ¡°You see those groupings of slaves over there? Those are what we call Space Elves.¡±


    Turning her attention to where Samus was pointing, Amallyn looked on in disbelief as she saw people that looked nearly identical to herself. Initially believing they might be a lost Aeldari subspecies, she attempted to communicate with them psychically, only to discover they had no psychic power whatsoever. Excusing herself, my Eldar lover rushed over to communicate with them verbally to hear their story.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Mr. Vikzel!!¡±, a Zagerian slaver called out from a nearby tent, ¡°What brings you to the market today? Is Lord Tiure in need of more fresh slaves?¡±


    ¡°Oh good, I thought you might be out collecting slaves again today.¡±, Vikzel stated, leading us over to his friend, ¡°Lord Stark, this is Dezas Nozralill; my employer frequently purchases slaves from him. Mr. Nozralill, this is Primarch Victor von Stark of the Imperium of Man.¡±


    Immediately turning pale white, the Zygerian began looking for a quick escape route, fearing he would meet his abrupt end at my hands. Quickly stepping in to smooth over the misunderstanding, Vikzel assured him that I was not a xenophobe like other Imperials.


    ¡°Lord Stark is a much more open-minded individual than typical Imperials.¡±, Vikzel said, motioning to Ahsoka and Amallyn. ¡°He is already being accompanied by xenos. There is no need to worry about your safety.¡±


    ¡°As he said, I hold no disdain for other cultures and races.¡±, I chimed in with a smile. ¡°Moving on, do you happen to have any Aeldari or Human slaves?¡±


    ¡°What is an Aeldari?¡±, Nozralill asked, having never heard of the race before.


    ¡°They are similar in appearance to Space Elves, but instead of magic, they utilize psychic energy.¡±, I answered, motioning over to Amallyn, who was still deep in her conversation. ¡°My wife Amallyn is an Aeldari.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Lord Stark, I am afraid I have neither race on offer at the moment.¡±, Nozralill answered, clapping his hands. ¡°That said, I have plenty of other races that might interest you.¡±


    Hurriedly rushing out of his tent, a large group of slaves took up positions inside evenly spaced circles in front of the tent. Keeping their heads down and their eyes focused on the ground, the slaver began rattling off the different races he had in stock. Tuning him out, I glanced back at Ahsoka, who was staring at a few Togruta in the lineup.


    ¡°If I purchase their freedom, could you arrange for a transport back to your homeworld?¡±, I asked her telepathically.


    ¡°You would be willing to do that?¡±, Ahsoka replied, with a hesitant look, ¡°I¡­ I do want to save them, but what about the others? Saving just my fellow Togruta and leaving the rest would weigh heavily on my heart.¡±


    ¡°Until the Jedi and the Republic are ready to begin truly enforcing the law, all we would be doing is enticing him to make bolder moves to capture innocent people. Believe me, I would love nothing more than to destroy the illegal slave trade, but what I can do here is incredibly limited. Wiping out obscure places like Fort Paragon is one thing; stamping out slavery across an entire galaxy is a whole other ballgame.¡±, I remarked, with a soft expression, ¡°I do not have the manpower or resources to do that alone.¡±


    ¡®He is right; I cannot expect him to do this alone for us. The Order and the Republic need to step up to help as well! Hopefully the High Council, Padme, and Satina will agree to assist with resolving this matter permanently.¡¯, Ahsoka relented, with a determined look, ¡°I promise to repay you for freeing them¡­ somehow.¡±


    ¡°I am in no hurry to collect.¡±, I chuckled, turning to the slaver, ¡°Mr. Nozralill, forgive me for interrupting you, but how much are you asking for the Togrutas?¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand credits a head.¡±, Nozralill answered with a greedy smile. ¡°I know it is a bit above the normal going rate, but every one of them is in the prime of their life. The men are great workers, and the women have yet to know the touch of a man.¡±


    Slowly lifting their heads, the Togruta began violently trembling when they realized how large I was. Latching onto my right arm, Ahsoka spoke to them telepathically in her native tongue. Reassuring them that we were allies and were trying to save them, they slowly settled back down, placing their trust in her.


    ¡°I will purchase all of them for eight thousand a head.¡±, I countered, with a stone-faced expression.


    ¡°My lord, that is far too low. That is what I paid my supplier for them.¡±, Nozralill lied.


    ¡°Mr. Vikzel said you capture them yourself; nice try, though.¡±, I refuted with a grin.


    Glaring at Vikzel, the Zygerian made a mental note to charge him a surcharge next time for blabbing about his business.


    ¡°Nine thousand.¡±, Nozralill offered, crossing his arms, ¡°That is as low as I am willing to go.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°A pleasure doing business with you.¡±, I stated, shaking hands with him.


    Paying him forty-five thousand credits immediately, the Zygerian transferred ownership of them to me and provided me with their contracts. In the event I was stopped by the law, these contracts were a way for buyers to skirt the legality of slaves. Since they ¡°willingly¡± agreed to the terms of the specified contract, there was nothing the law could do to take them away.


    ¡°By the way, Lord Stark. Would you be open to the idea of selling a member of your entourage?¡±, Nozralill asked me, staring at Amallyn and Bo-Katan. ¡°Mandalorians are rarely seen on the market, and as I have never heard of an Aeldari before, she is also sure to fetch a high price.¡±


    ¡°I believe you are gravely mistaken¡­¡±, I said, my murderous intent bringing the area to a standstill, ¡°These five lovely ladies are not my entourage; they are members of my harem. If you are still standing in front of me in five seconds, no number of guards or shielding will prevent me from reducing you to a shit streak on the roadway.¡±


    Understanding my message loud and clear, the Zygerian turned into smoke as he bolted back inside his tent. Content on leaving things there, for the time being, I had the Togruta teleported aboard the New Genesis. Suggesting we continue our search, Vikzel took a moment to calm himself, as he had nearly experienced a heart attack.


    ¡°Lord Stark, you¡­ you have my sincerest apologies. I¡­ I had no idea they were your wives!¡±, Vikzel panted, ¡°To prevent further altercations, I will ensure slavers know this moving forward.¡±


    ¡°See that you do; our husband is fiercely protective of us and will not hesitate to slaughter anyone that comes close to us with ill intentions¡­ including those considered to be deities.¡±, Amallyn said, with a proud smile.


    ¡°Surely you are jesting¡­¡±, Vikzel remarked, with a dry laugh.


    ¡°No, I am not. He killed one about a week ago.¡±, Amallyn boasted, as if she had been the one to do it.


    Looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction, when I did not chuckle or laugh, his eyes bulged in sheer terror. Realizing that the rumors were true about the strength of Primarchs, he hastily suggested we move on our way.


    ---Two Hours Later---


    Purchasing several more Togrutas from various traders, by the time we reached the last slaver¡¯s tent, daylight was beginning to give way to darkness. Heading on in ahead of us, to ensure they understood what not to say, Vikzel and a female Neimoidian beckoned us inside. Far more luxurious than other places we had visited today, the slaves here were of a noticeably higher quality than everywhere else in the market.


    ¡°Welcome to the Elysian Exchange, lords and ladies!¡±, the Neimoidian woman said, giving us an overdramatic bow. ¡°My name is Tai Zrartox, and I am the proprietress of this fine establishment.¡±


    ¡°Miss Zrartox is Mos Espa¡¯s sole exotic slave trader.¡±, Vikzel explained, standing beside her. ¡°She has extensive connections throughout this region of the universe and can almost always secure whatever your heart desires.¡±


    ¡°My high-quality slaves usually end up as bodyguards, concubines, or mistresses for the ultra-elite. While I unfortunately do not have any humans from the Imperium of Man, I do have two Aeldari and many other people you might be interested in.¡±, Zrartox bragged, noticing Amallyn¡¯s bloodthirsty glare. ¡°Now before you get upset with me, I purchased them off of some Dark Space Elves from your home galaxy.¡±


    ¡°They are Drukhari, not Dark Space Elves¡­¡±, Amallyn corrected her, ¡°Show us the Aeldari you have immediately!¡±


    ¡°Of course, please follow me.¡±, Zrartox said with a greedy smirk.


    Leading us to the middle of her large tent, she stopped in front of two seductively dressed Eldar women. Treating them like Space Elves, they were done up in a way that highlighted their ethereal beauty. Initially glaring at me, both women leapt up with joy when they noticed Amallyn beside me.


    ¡°You said they were sold to you by Drukhari?¡±, I pressed her, hoping to glean more information.


    ¡°Not directly; the Drukhari sold them to some Orions, who in turn sold them to me.¡±, Zrartox explained. ¡°I have them marked as Space Elves since no one in the Republic knows what Aeldari are. Many of my clients wanted to purchase them, but these two bitches chase everyone away.¡±


    ¡°That is because we refuse to be toys for disgusting Mon¡¯keigh!¡±, one of the Aeldari women spat, glaring at Zrartox.


    ¡°I will sell them to you for seven thousand credits each; that is what I paid the Orions for them.¡±, Zrartox offered, wanting to get rid of them as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Deal!¡±, Amallyn accepted, pulling her kin into a hug. ¡°We will ensure you are safely returned to your Craftworlds.¡±


    Paying the slaver her money, I sent the two Eldar women back to the ship to get something to eat and mediate. Taking us to the other slaves she felt I would be interested in, she showed us Asari, Angaras, Diathim, Orions, Quarians, Romulans, Vulcans, and several other races from around the universe. While intrigued by her wide range of races here, I was about to suggest we head to dinner when a group at the very back of the tent caught my attention. Unlike the other slaves, these ones were locked up together in a relatively small cage and were covered in bandages.


    ¡°What is the story with these slaves?¡±, I asked, motioning to the group in question.


    ¡°Oh them, they are criminal slaves¡­¡±, Zrartox remarked, ¡°Treasonous criminal slaves to be exact.¡±


    ¡°We are not traitors!¡±, a blue Dathomirian woman snapped. ¡°Those cowards framed us to protect their public image!¡±


    ¡°You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.¡±, Zrartox mocked her. ¡°Once your wounds are healed up, I am sending you all to auction.¡±


    Slowly approaching their cage, most of the people inside cowered in fear while the blue Dathomirian stood her ground. Looking up at me defiantly, I used magic on her to verify the validity of her claim. Receiving a positive response from the spell, next I used the Force to determine if they were good people.


    ¡°You have my attention; tell me exactly what happened.¡±, I told her.


    ¡°What good would come from telling you our story?¡±, the blue woman questioned, surprised I was even talking to her.


    ¡°I always have room for capable warriors in my legion. Whether I purchase all of you or not depends on what you have to say.¡±, I answered, ¡°Is that reason enough?¡±


    Glancing back at the others, they sheepishly nodded their heads in acceptance. Choosing to live as warriors, not miners, she accepted their response and began speaking again.


    ¡°We are what is left of the Aldo Mercenary Group.¡±, she began, motioning to the Dathomirian, Mirialan, Miraluka, Rattataki, and Theelin behind her. ¡°All of us are outcasts among our own kind for one reason or another, and we turned to mercenary work to support ourselves. The founder of our group, Turbulent Aldo, brought us together since only a few people would hire us individually. We took on jobs that most mercenary groups would balk at, but to us, it was our bread and butter. One of those jobs we took was helping evacuate the civilians from the nations that vanished shortly after the Indominus Crusade began. While we were evacuating the capital world of the Vaspil Principality, some bastard nobles stole our ships because theirs had been destroyed. With no other option, we were forced to hijack an enemy vessel to escape the planet. During the fighting, Aldo and most of our comrades were killed by Chaos Space Marines. We guided the foreign vessel back to the Republic¡¯s border, where we were arrested. The nobles who took our ships claimed we had switched sides halfway through the evacuation and killed thousands of innocent people. As they were nobles, and we had no proof to counter their claims, the authorities believed them over us.¡±


    ¡°Since our arrest, we have passed through the hands of several people until eventually ending up here.¡±, a bronze Theelin added, looking at Zrartox, ¡°Our wounds have been slow to mend because we receive only the minimal amount of food and no medical care.¡±


    Verifying the legitimacy of her story with magic, I was satisfied enough to purchase them. Seeing this as a chance to further genetically diversify my forces and simultaneously save them from a grim fate, I turned to Zrartox and asked her price for them.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to buy them?¡±, Zrartox confirmed.


    ¡°Very sure, what is your price?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°One hundred and fifty thousand credits for the lot,¡± Zrartox answered.


    ¡°I will take them.¡±, I agreed, believing that was a fair price for them. ¡°Jarvis, please have the medical team on standby to receive them.¡±


    <Understood, sir.> (Jarvis)


    Paying her promptly, the group of twenty-nine people thanked me profusely before being swept up in a blinding flash of light. Having done enough exploring for the day, I began walking toward the exit when Zrartox jumped in front of me. Insisting she had a few more slaves to show me, the Neimoidian attempted to entice me with quintuplet Twi¡¯lek sisters she had on offer. Letting out an exhausted sigh, I shook my head and politely declined the offer.


    ¡°I will be in the city for a few days. If you happen across someone truly exotic, I will gladly come back and have a look.¡±, I told Zrartox.


    ¡°Please feel free to contact me directly, and I will arrange the meeting.¡±, Vikzel advised her. ¡°Now then, how about we grab dinner and a show at Lord Tiure¡¯s casino?¡±


    Readily agreeing, as I was honestly famished, the seven of us left the shop and made our way there.

 Chapter 156

    ---Jabba¡¯s Casino---


    Ducking out as soon as we walked through the door, Vikzel disappeared into the sea of gamblers and workers without a word. Stepping forward to take over for him, six xeno women wearing bikinis and bunny girl suits welcomed us to the casino. Offering me various alcoholic beverages and appetizers, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek among them inquired about how I wanted to start the evening.


    ¡°This casino has a wide variety of entertainment options. Would you prefer to try your luck here on the gambling floor, catch dinner and a show in your private booth, or maybe sample some of our more intimate offerings?¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek questioned, contorting her body in a way that accentuated her curves, ¡°Do not hesitate to follow your heart¡¯s desire here.¡±


    ¡°Dinner and a show sounds wonderful right now. We skipped lunch today, and I am famished.¡±, I responded, maintaining a calm expression, ¡®Damn you, Jabba the Hutt! You are a disgusting, reptilian slug, but fuck, you have exquisite taste in female attire. Before I kill you, I will have to figure out where you get the outfits made. Hopefully I can convince my wives to dress up for me in private like this!¡¯


    Looking at me with astonishment, the Lethan must have expected me to act on my libido instead of my stomach. Turning to her colleague, a lavender Twi¡¯lek, she promptly stepped forward and grabbed hold of my left hand.


    ¡°Of course, dinner and a show it is!¡±, the lavender woman acknowledged, attempting to pull me forward. ¡°Please follow me; I will lead you to your VIP booth.¡±


    Leading us through the sea of gambling tables, we made our way to a private elevator protected by several heavily armed guards. Allowing us through without any issues, we headed up several floors and stepped out into an incredibly posh hallway. Decorated to reflect the Hutt clan¡¯s power and wealth, it honestly disgusted me he had spent so much money for a fucking hallway. Continuing down the hallway, we strode into a more conservatively decorated room with a large leather sofa and a massive monitor.


    Waiting for all of us to enter, ten additional xeno women came forward from the far side of the room and gracefully bowed their heads. Dressed in the same attire as their colleagues, they motioned for us to take a seat and relax. Happily obliging their request, the moment my butt touched the cushion, the hostesses rushed to my side and began fawning over me. Ignoring the five women I came here with, Amallyn¡¯s expression soured as she stormed over to them, trying to maintain her composure.


    ¡°Excuse me, make way for his wives!¡±, Amallyn snapped, shoving them out of the way and plopping down between my legs, ¡°While I can appreciate your dedication to your jobs, our HUSBAND is not your only guest. Right, ladies?¡±


    Looking at the other women for support, they gave Amallyn a very confused expression. Unsure what they were supposed to do, Ahsoka suddenly remembered that I had introduced them as my wives.


    ¡°Cut them some slack, Amallyn; they are only doing what they have been taught all their lives. Judging by the faint scars on their bodies, each of them has undergone quite intensive training to ensure guest satisfaction. Correct?¡±, Ahsoka remarked, as the other three remembered things now.


    ¡°That¡­ that is correct.¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek acknowledged, with a fearful look. ¡°If you are dissatisfied, I beg you, please do not tell any floor supervisors or Vikzel!¡±


    ¡°Every one of us is on our second strike. One more, and Lord Tiure will feed us to his pet Rancor.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek elaborated, her body beginning to tremble, ¡°Two of us were fed to it just last week¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as you tone it down a few notches, we can let this minor problem go.¡±, Bo-Katan offered.


    ¡°We will!¡±, a silver Theelin swore, relieved that we were not assholes like most clients were.


    Continuing with the ruse, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan took a seat on my legs while Rose and Samus sat on either side of me. Looking at the six of us, a hint of sadness flashed across our hostesses¡¯ eyes. Smacking themselves on the cheek, they snapped out of their funk and got back to work.


    ¡°What can we get to drink for you, Lord Stark?¡±, the silver Theelin inquired, picking up an ordering tablet from the end table to our left. ¡°We have a wide variety of beverages to choose from. Maybe a few cocktails and sodas?¡±


    ¡°A few bottles of wine and several glasses of water, please.¡±, I said, with a respectful nod, ¡°Nothing too fancy; something middle of the road is more than enough for us.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will go pick them up for you immediately.¡±, the silver Theelin replied, punching in the order before walking toward the door.


    ¡°Hold on a moment, are you not going to take orders from your colleagues?¡±, I questioned, ¡°I imagine handling clients all day must be exhausting; you should take this opportunity to rehydrate yourselves. Feel free to order whatever you like from the menu; I will pay for it out of my own pocket.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark¡­ ¡°, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek said, with a soft smile, ¡°We truly appreciate your kindness, but it is against casino policy for us to order anything off the menu. Please do not worry about us and enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±, I remarked with a smirk, ¡°Well, as a foreigner, I have no idea what tastes good on the menu. How about you order several beverages you think I might enjoy, and I will sample them? If I do not like them, it would be a shame for them to go to waste¡­¡±


    Realizing I was not going to back down easily, they relented and placed their recommended drink orders. Too numerous for any of them to bring up now, the silver Theelin suggested we also order food now to make things easier for the wait staff. Agreeing to her suggestion, the hostesses handed us menus to look over.


    ¡°What in the hell?! There are seven pages of food items here. Just tell me what you recommend, and I will choose from that.¡±, Bo-Katana inquired, situating herself as she leaned back into me, ¡®Hmm¡­ I can see now why Satina is always snuggling up to Obi-Wan. This is quite comfortable and relaxing.¡¯


    ¡°The Celestial Porterhouse with the giant lobster tail is the most popular item on the menu.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek said, taking a seat on my knee.


    ¡°The Diamond Trout is also a popular item on the menu.¡±, a blue Mikkian suggested, sitting on my other knee.


    ¡°Personally, I think the seafood pizza is the best¡­¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek chimed in.


    ¡°Bleh! The fish tacos are where it is at.¡±, their Pantoran colleague remarked. ¡°The garlic burger is also pretty decent too.¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Recommending several other food items on the menu, we chose to order all their suggestions as Jabba was paying tonight. Unsure if the six of us could really eat that much food alone, I chuckled and informed them it was for all of us, the sixteen hostesses included. Constantly on the verge of starvation and severely malnourished, this time they did not attempt to dissuade me. Adding a few more items to the order, the silver Theelin sent the order down to the kitchen before turning on the monitor.


    As VIP rooms did not have a direct line of sight to the entertainment stage, each booth was equipped with a monitor that provided a live feed of the stage. Tonight¡¯s act was a magic show put on by supposedly famous magicians from the Algrand Empire. Using the most basic elementary spells to entertain the guests, I was a bit disappointed that they were not using more advanced spells to further heighten the experience. Since none of the guests could probably utilize magic, though, there was really no reason to use the higher-level magics.


    ¡°Their magic spells are so cool. I wish I could use magic like them!!¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek said, full of excitement and wonder. ¡°Don¡¯t you, Lord Stark?¡±


    ¡°Haha, Victor is actually a very talented magician himself. Isn¡¯t that right, dear?¡±, Samus said, giving me a playful grin.


    ¡°You know it.¡±, I chuckled, creating a large ice diamond from the moisture in the air. ¡°The Algrand Empire is not the only place where magicians reside. There are many galactic nations where mages/magicians can be found.¡±


    ¡°Holy cow!! You really can use magic too!¡±, a Zygerrian woman gasped as I handed the ice chunk to her. ¡°What other magical feats can you do?¡±


    ¡°Please, show us everything you can do!¡±, the Pantoran woman pleaded, eager to see what I could do.


    Seeing no reason why I should deny their request, I used magic to seal off the room so light and sound would not leak out. With our privacy secured, I gave the hostesses one hell of a show.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later---


    Accompanying the wait staff to our private room, Vikzel walked in and began immediately apologizing for leaving us at the front door. Insisting he had important business to attend to, the Ishi Tib began to ask how things were going when he suddenly fell silent. Walking in on us while the hostesses were swimming through the air, the wait staff and Vikzel were at a complete loss for words. Noticing his arrival a few moments later, the hostesses stopped giggling and laughing.


    ¡°I¡­ I can see they have been keeping very busy, Lord Stark.¡±, Vikzel remarked, his face twitching with anger. ¡®What the hell do you ladies think you are doing?! You are supposed to be entertaining our guest, not yourselves!¡¯


    ¡°Please forgive them, Vikzel. They inquired about my magical abilities, so I gave them a little demonstration.", I chuckled, gingerly setting them back on the ground, ¡°I hope you ladies enjoyed yourselves.¡±


    ¡°We did, Lord Stark, thank you for the wonderful magic show.¡±, the Lavender Twi¡¯lek said, her colleagues nodding their heads enthusiastically in agreement.


    Wheeling the carts of food and drinks over to us, the wait staff promptly excused themselves, leaving without uttering a word. Removing the silver tray lids, a variety of delicious scents began to fill the room, causing our stomachs to growl. Pouring our drinks first, the escorts proceeded to swiftly hand us our meals and then began loading up their plates. Irritated by this, Vikzel opened his mouth again to reprimand them but stopped when they began feeding me. Releasing a quiet, angry sigh, he turned his attention to the monitor and began speaking with me again.


    ¡°Lord Stark, I have received a response from Lord Tiure regarding your earlier request. He is more than happy to have you participate in this year¡¯s Boonta Eve Classic race.¡±, Vikzel said, as the hostesses began shoveling their food into their mouths, ¡°You will be responsible for supplying your own vehicle, though. Lord Tiure does not want to be seen as choosing favorites from amongst the competitors. It would go against the spirit of the race.¡±


    ¡°That will not be an issue; I already have a vehicle to race with. Please put me down as a participant for the podrace.¡±, I insisted, grinning like a madman. man, ¡®Hehe, time to show the galaxy what the Spacehog can do!¡¯


    ¡°Wonderful, I will let them know immediately.¡±, Vikzel responded, ¡°One last thing, before I leave you for the evening, Lord Tiure has reserved a luxury suite for you here at the casino. Feel free to retire there once you are done for the evening. If any of our hostesses have caught your eye, please feel free to take them with you to keep you company this evening. Rest assured; all our wonderful hostesses are disease-free.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you are offering, I would like to keep these sixteen women with me for the duration of my stay.¡±, I said, giving them a playful wink. ¡®They can use these next few days to rest and recover their strength. Once Jabba and his cohorts are past tense, all their staff will be free to escape this shithole.¡¯


    ¡°You¡­ you want all of them!?¡±, Vikzel gasped, choking on air. ¡°Are you certain you can handle so many- ¡°


    ¡°I can bench press a hundred-story building all day without breaking a sweat. Do you honestly believe sixteen women will exhaust me?¡±, I scoffed.


    Apologizing for his rudeness, Vikzel dropped the room key on the far end table and hastily left the room with a mortified expression. Waiting for the elevator doors to close, I began to heartily laugh at his reaction to my words.


    ¡°My apologies for that, ladies. I do not intend to harm you; I simply wanted to give you a few days off work.", I laughed before taking a sip of my wine. ¡°With him out of the way for the evening, please feel free to eat your fill. Once all of us are done eating, we will head up to the suite to get you cleaned up and clothed in more reserved attire. While I can appreciate the outfits, I am sure you would rather wear less revealing apparel.¡±


    ¡°You are a very kindhearted nobleman, Lord Stark. No client has ever treated us like actual people before; this has honestly been a very enjoyable experience for us.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek remarked, her colleagues nodding their heads in agreement, ¡°Forgive my ignorance; what I know about your homeland comes from myths and rumors. Do Imperium noblemen take concubines and mistresses? If so, would you consider purchasing all or some of us for that purpose? I know it is presumptuous of me to make that request of you, but¡­ I¡­ I want to experience the happiness your wives have.¡±


    ¡°All of us were born into slavery; it is all we have ever known. We sleep on concrete floors in small cells, barely receive enough food and water to survive, and are used as punching bags by the casino¡¯s clients daily.¡±, the blue Mikkian added, rubbing her shoulders uncomfortably, ¡°All of us know it is unreasonable to ask you, but please at least consider it.¡±


    Knowing that freedom was just around the corner for them, I did not want to give them an answer quite yet. Needing to keep them in the dark about my plans, for their own safety, I quickly gave them a noncommittal answer.


    ¡°How about we put a pin in this conversation and get to know one another more first? While I am flattered by your request, I want to know more about the women looking to fill those roles.¡±, I said, trying to avoid crushing their spirits.


    ¡°That is a reasonable request, and it is certainly better than a no.¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek remarked, with a pleased smile.


    ¡°Moving on, there is a question that I would like to ask the Twi¡¯lek women.¡±, I remarked, shifting in my seat. ¡°I find it fascinating how your race can come in so many different colors, practically everything under the rainbow from what I have seen today. Is it a random genetic mutation, or does it have something to do with where you are born?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you are interested in how we get our colors?¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek laughed. ¡°I am honestly not sure really, but I have heard a few theories from clientele and other Twi¡¯leks. To start with, most people seem to say that the Twi¡¯lek people were artificially created by a much older race called the Rakata¡­¡±


    Giving me the history of the Twi¡¯lek, more or less, her assumption was that their creators made them genetically malleable for some particular reason. That said, though, she honestly had not put much thought into it, as it did not really matter in the end. While she thought it was just crazy talk, I felt she might be onto something as the Rakata made them to research the loss of their Force sensitivity. Keeping that piece of information to myself, as no one wanted to hear they were made to become a guinea pig, we pulled in the other races represented among us to discuss our differences and similarities.

 Chapter 157

    ---Next Morning---


    Teleporting back to our luxury suite the following morning, I found our hostess friends sprawled out on the bed sound asleep. Having left the room to them, as I preferred the comfort of my own bed, they graciously accepted the offer and took a much-deserved. Noticing that the message light next to the bed was blinking, I silently walked over to see who it was from. Reading the message transcripts, it appeared the illusions I used to keep people away had worked a bit too well. Receiving a few noise complaints from neighboring rooms, management had made several calls during the night requesting us to tone it down.


    ¡®Damn, here I thought I put it at a respectable volume. I guess some xeno races are far more sensitive than I thought. Vikzel is going to have something to say about this, I guarantee it.¡¯, I thought, with a smirk.


    Silently leaving the room, I took the lift down to the gambling floor and found that the casino was already abuzz with activity. Making my way toward the front door, Vikzel came walking in with a worried expression.


    ¡°Lord Stark, good morning!¡±, Vikzel said, dabbing his face with a handkerchief. ¡°I trust you enjoyed your evening last night?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they took excellent care of me last night. I got the messages from the staff this morning; my apologies for disturbing your other guests.¡±, I stated, rubbing the back of my head. ¡°So what brings you here so early today?¡±


    ¡°Please do not worry about it; things like this happen from time to time. We are just happy you enjoyed yourself.¡±, Vikzel assured me, moving on to my question, ¡°As for why I am here, the safety crew for the podrace has requested to meet with you. They want to inspect your vehicle to ensure it conforms to the track guidelines.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense; we can head out now if that works for you.¡±, I agreed.


    ¡°What about everyone else?¡±, Vikzel inquired, with an audible gulp. ¡®Please do not tell me they expired from overexertion. Orchestrating body disposals is not how I wanted to start my morning off.¡¯


    ¡°They are sound asleep in my bed. I seriously doubt they could sit up, let alone walk, in their current condition.¡±, I chuckled, taking a great deal of enjoyment spinning this yarn, ¡°They should be up and about sometime this evening¡­ hopefully.¡±


    Nodding his head in acknowledgment, the Ishi Tib looked at me with a sense of newfound respect. Believing I had gone at it for eight hours straight without stopping, I did not need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. Heading out the door together, the two of us hailed a taxi and made our way out to the Mos Espa Grand Arena.


    ---Podracer Pits---


    Dropping us off at the side entrance, Vikzel swiped his security badge to get us into the facility. Following him down a series of corridors, we ended up in the Pit, where crews of various racers were busily working on their employer¡¯s repulsorcrafts. Taking me to the southern end cap, a crew of three Ugnaughts, a Duros, and a Toydarian were already there waiting for us.


    ¡°About time you two showed up! What the hell took you so long?¡±, the Toydarian snapped, crossing his arms in anger.


    ¡°Shut up, you fool!¡±, the Duros howled, smacking his colleague on the back of the head. ¡°Are you trying to get us all killed?! You do not fuck with people from the Imperium of Man. They kill xenos just for breathing the same fucking air as them, and here you are provoking one of their highest-ranked representatives.¡±


    ¡°You should listen to your colleague, Toydarian. If you spoke that way to any other Primarch, you would be nothing more than a skid mark on the concrete right now.¡±, I warned him, as the air around them began to feel heavy. ¡°Before you speak again, I suggest you reevaluate your words carefully.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I understand, Lord Stark.¡±, the Toydarian stuttered, seeing his life flash before his eyes. ¡°Please forgive¡­ my earlier rudeness¡­¡±


    Nodding my head in satisfaction, I retrieved the Spacehog from my inventory so the men could have a look. About a foot or so longer than a single podracer engine, the spacebike had recently undergone retrofitting to accommodate my larger size. Having ridden her for less than an hour since I found her in a dungeon several years ago, I was looking forward to utilizing her more often in the future.


    ¡°Well, what do you think? Is she allowed to race?¡±, I asked, taking a rag out of my inventory to polish her chrome.


    ¡°Holy shit¡­ This is one hell of a tricked-out speeder bike.¡±, one of the Ugnaughts gulped, carefully inspecting the chassis and engine. ¡°What sort of engine is this, and what is its fuel source?¡±


    ¡°It is a custom-built, seventeen-liter engine with three extra-large turbos.¡±, I informed him. ¡°She runs on a mixture of liquid hydrogen and helium.¡±


    ¡°Seventeen-liter¡­ on a speeder bike this size¡­¡±, the Duros gulped, ¡°What is her zero to sixty speed?¡±


    ¡°Instantaneous.¡±, I answered, as the Toydarian went to put his hands on her handlebars. ¡°Whoa there, before you go touching, you should be aware she possesses a degree of sentience. Reckless touching her without permission is liable to get you severely hurt or killed.¡±


    Laughing at my words, he firmly grabbed hold of her handlebars and dared her to do something about it. Readily accepting the challenge, the Spacehog fired up her engines and rocketed out of the bay at over two hundred miles per hour. Using the racetrack like sandpaper, she flipped upside down, slammed him into the sand, and set off down the road. Screaming his apology to her, as the sand ground away his body, the Spacehog revved her engine to drown out his words. When the Toydarian fell silent, she pulled back into the bay without any trace of him on her.


    ¡°Well¡­ I tried my best to warn him, but he did not listen.¡±, I remarked, looking at the safety team, ¡°Am I going to need to pay a penalty for that?¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No, he walked off on his own volition.¡±, the Duros said, looking at Vikzel and the Ugnaughts. ¡°Right, gentlemen?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±, they agreed, nodding their heads in confirmation.


    ¡°I take you guys did not like him?¡±, I questioned.


    ¡°If given the option, I would choose getting teeth pulled without anesthesia over working with that bastard. With him out of the way, things will run a lot faster and smoother around here.¡±, one of the Ugnaughts replied, ¡°Well, it is safe to say this speeder bike is easily capable of reaching the speed of the average podracer. You are good to race, Lord Stark!¡±


    Thanking the men for their time, the four of them walked away in high spirits. Looking over at Vikzel for confirmation that his death was alright, he gave me the thumbs up with a hearty grin. Taking a moment to polish her handlebars to remove the fingerprints from the Toydarian, I stowed her back into my inventory and turned back to Vikzel.


    ¡°If you have time in your schedule today, I would like to have a look around the markets for arms, armor, and other technology.¡±, I asked.


    ¡°Of course, do you mind if we grab a bite to eat first? I did not have the chance to eat before leaving this morning.¡¯, Vikzel stated.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me. Do you have someplace local in mind?¡±, I inquired, as we began walking back the way we came.


    ¡°While not as good as the casino, there is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant near the market that sells great food.¡±, Vikzel assured me.


    ¡°Well then, lead the way!¡±, I said, interested in what he considered good was.


    Putting the arena behind us, we headed back into the city to eat and further explore the market.


    ---Black Market---


    Following my guide into a seemingly abandoned warehouse, as we passed under a heavily worn tarp, several droids appeared with their laser rifles at the ready. Demanding identification from one or both of us, the Ishi Tib calmly showed them his ID and ordered them to allow us through. Scanning his badge, the droids stepped to the side and motioned for us to proceed without further delays. Leading me down several aisles of empty, dust-covered shelves, we stopped before an old shipping container, which he proceeded to knock on in a specific pattern.


    ¡°Welcome back, Lord Vikzel.¡±, a Gamorrean remarked, opening the door for him. ¡°Wait, who is this fella?¡±


    ¡°This is Lord Stark of the Imperium of Man. He is Lord Tiure¡¯s esteemed guest.¡±, Vikzel explained, with a reassuring nod.


    ¡°Very well, have a good day, my lord.¡±, the Gamorrean acknowledged.


    Stepping onto a GravLift at the back of the container, we descended through the floor and into a gigantic, hand-chiseled cavern. Looking out over the cavern floor, thousands of various vendors had their offerings put out for potential customers to look over.


    ¡°Lord Tiure has to keep this part of his operation underground as the Galactic Republic cares more about technology and weapons than sentient lives.¡±, Vikzel explained, turning to me. ¡°If I may, what sorts of items are you looking for specifically?¡±


    ¡°Ancient technology, weapons, and anything out of the ordinary or unusual.¡±, I answered. ¡°I enjoy disassembling old technology, figuring out how it works, then reassembling it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I know where we should go first. A recent addition to tenants here has something that checks all those boxes.¡±, Vikzel commented, as we reached the bottom, ¡°This way please.¡±

 Chapter 158

    Trekking across the width of the cavern, Vikzel led me to a large, wooden shack that connected to the cavern¡¯s wall. Pushing aside the curtain that served as the front door, an elderly male Catian looked up from his work and greeted us warmly. Setting down the Sonic Screwdriver he was polishing, he enthusiastically shuffled over to us and pulled the Ishi Tib into a hug.


    ¡°Vikzel, it is so good to see you! Is it already that time of the month again?¡±, the Catian inquired, looking at me for a moment. ¡°Also, who is your friend here?¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am not here to collect rent today, Zenrist. I brought a prospective customer who happens to be interested in the same types of things you are, odd and unusual items.¡±, Vikzel chuckled, motioning toward me, ¡°This is Primarch Victor von Stark; he is from the Imperium of Man and is currently staying on Tatooine as Lord Tiure¡¯s guest. We are here to look at your offerings and maybe sneak a peek at that unusual axe in your possession.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you, I certainly do appreciate the referral!¡±, Zenrist laughed, giving me a friendly nod, ¡°Please give me a few minutes to bring that relic out. While you are waiting, Lord Stark, please feel free to have a look around. We have items from all over the universe.¡±


    Taking him up on the offer, I began to sift through his wares, hoping to see something of interest. Finding Ancient, Dalek, Forerunner, Gallifreyan, and many more groups¡¯ tech lining the display cabinets, shelves, and walls, an excited smile began to form on my face. Picking up a Gallifreyan data vault from a shelf, I was shocked to discover it was still fully operational. Setting it down, I picked up an Ancient Phase Pistol and performed a diagnostic scan on it.


    <Sir, a few relays and traces will need to be repaired, but it is otherwise completely intact.> (Jarvis)


    ¡®No way¡­ Is everything in this shop salvageable!?¡¯, I thought, setting it back down and looking around the room.


    With Jarvis and Luxion¡¯s assistance, I was able to quickly determine that most items here were indeed still viable. Elated by this realization, my mind began calculating what a reasonable price for everything would be. Unwilling to let such a treasure trove of knowledge and technology slip through my fingers, I refused to let even the most mundane relic escape my grasp.


    ¡°Sorry for the delay, gentlemen; here is the relic you wanted to see.¡±, Zenrist remarked, pushing out a large repulsorlift. ¡°My wives and I found this beauty over two decades ago in the Thochinda Debris Field. It was lying in a giant crater on one of the larger asteroids.¡±


    ¡°What is the Thochinda Debris Field?¡±, I inquired, setting down a Forerunner Antimatter Rifle and turning to them.


    ¡°Thochinda was a planet that existed over a thousand years ago in the galactic northwest of this galaxy. No one knows what happened, but overnight the entire world and its populace were obliterated.¡±, Vikzel answered, ¡°Theories abound as to what happened, from the failure of an experimental hyperdrive to a retaliatory strike from the Imperium of Man. Whatever the case may be, most people say its destruction set in motion the founding of the Separatist movement. It revealed how little the Core Worlds truly cared about the Outer Rim, as no investigation was ever carried out, nor were any military forces sent to safeguard the region.¡±


    Walking over to the repulsorlift, my jaw fell open as I saw a shattered Stormbreaker lying there. Reaching out to touch the axe head without thinking, Vikzel and Zenrist let out a horrified scream as they dove for cover. Stopping myself just before touching it, I glanced over at them with a confused look.


    ¡°Uh, what the hell was that about?¡±, I inquired, looking at them with confusion.


    ¡°I was about to warn you before you went to grab it. Any time someone tries to touch it, the relic releases a powerful blast of electricity. A few potential buyers and a researcher were electrocuted to death by it.¡±, Zenrist elaborated, with an apologetic smile.


    As my armor was more than capable of absorbing an immense amount of lightning without issue, I see for myself what would happen. Grabbing hold of the axe head firmly, a vivid vision began forcibly streaming into my mind.


    ---Beta Bill Ray POV---


    Tasked by Odin to investigate the unexplained deaths of trillions in a small section of the universe, my journey led me to the galactic northwest region of the Galactic Republic. Establishing a pattern based on the devastation left behind by an unknown foe, my calculations put the next attack somewhere in this region. Spending weeks scouring the area for the smallest of anomalies, I was beginning to think I miscalculated something when Stormbreaker sensed a sudden surge of intense evil energy. Following it back to its source, a vibrant world I had passed several times already was now a burning hellscape.


    ¡°Heimdall, I have found the culprits behind the attacks.¡±, I shouted out. ¡°Tell Lord Odin to rally a strike force immediately. I fear my strength alone will not be sufficient to win this fight.¡±


    Heading to the planet¡¯s surface, before receiving a response, I dove headfirst into the enemy¡¯s ranks to lend my strength to the defense of this world. Rallying behind me, we fought hard to reclaim ground against the endless hordes of enemies. Providing the civilians with much-needed breathing room to escape, they began to pile into evacuation ships while we held the line. Believing that we just might hold out long enough for Asgardian reinforcements to arrive, the situation changed in an instant when the enemy commander took to the field.


    Standing at towering twelve feet tall, the massive man glowered at us with his glowing orange eyes. Moving his arm faster than I could register, a powerful blast of air sent many civilians and defenders into the air while I slid backward a few feet. Turning his attention toward me, the moment our eyes met, a terrible chill ran down my spine as every fiber of my being began telling me to flee from him.


    ¡°Well, this is a disappointment. They sent a pseudo-deity this time to do their dirty work. I knew this would happen eventually; I just did not think it would be so soon.¡±, the man stated, observing me closely. ¡°Hopefully your manners and strength are better than the last deity I killed. What is your name, xeno?¡±


    ¡°It is Beta Ray Bill, honorable warrior and stalwart defender of Asgard.¡±, I proudly proclaimed, with a confused look, ¡°Now who are you exactly, and what did you mean by the last deity you killed? Are you a cohort of Gorr the God Butcher?¡±


    ¡°My name is Varrim Zephrim, former eleventh Primarch of the Imperium of Man. As for my connection to the God Butcher, he was slain by my hands when he got in my way.¡±, Zephrim told him, with annoyance, ¡°Do you truly know nothing of those that were sent before you?¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge, I am the only representative of Asgard to investigate the devastation you have wrought.¡±, I answered, gripping Stormbreaker tightly.


    Receiving a bloody sack from one of his armored minions, Zephrim tossed it at my feet and told me to open it. Promising to stay his hand while I had a look, I reluctantly bent over to retrieve it. Peering into the sack, as I hesitantly opened it, my body began to tremble violently as I surveyed the contents. Inside, the heads Athena, Erlik, Hela, and several other deities stared up at me with fear and tortured agony painted on their faces. Dropping the bag in shock, several of his men began laughing with glee as the heads rolled across the ground.


    ¡°This¡­ this cannot be¡­¡±, I stuttered, looking back at him, ¡°It should have been impossible for you to- ¡°


    Drawing a blood-red blade from its scabbard, my blood ran cold as I looked upon the All-Black Necrosword. Having only heard rumors of it from the Aesir, I never imagined that would come across it in person. Accepting that I could no longer continue this fight alone, I called out to Heimdall and my reinforcements for aid. Silently willing Stormbreaker to channel as much power as it could, my loyal weapon began crackling with power as we awaited the arrival of our allies.


    ¡°Well now, this is quite an interesting development. You are far more intelligent than your prideful colleagues; those fools waited until they were on death¡¯s doorstep before calling for help.¡±, Zephrim praised me, ¡°The Asgardians, as well as the other pantheons, are incapable of hearing or seeing you right now. To be more accurate, they lost track of you completely the moment we began our assault on this planet. It is a neat little trick I learned from a Gallifreyan unfortunate enough to cross my path several thousand years ago. Thanks to him, I can manipulate space-time to a degree for short durations.¡±


    ¡°Manipulate space-time? Gallifreyan? What are you going on about?¡±, I remarked, having never heard of these things before.


    ¡°As you are unlikely to understand the full explanation, I will boil it down to the simplest explanation for you. In a nutshell, this region and the rest of creation are currently out of sync by exactly two seconds. While it may seem insignificant, it means they are completely blind and deaf to events unfolding here right now. When my forces and I leave this place, time will resync, leaving only a barren world behind.¡±, Zephrim explained, with a devilish smile, ¡°Well, pseudo-Asgardian, I am a merciful man. If you lay down your arms and surrender, I will end your life as quickly and painlessly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Beta Ray Bill is an honorable warrior in service to Asgard and Lord Odin. As long as I draw breath, I will never surrender!!¡±, I refused, charging toward him with Stormbreaker at the ready.


    ¡°I was trying to be reasonable, but have it your way!¡±, Zephrim said with a playful smirk.


    Vanishing from view as drew near, I spun around anticipating an attack from the rear. Instead of attacking me, Zephrim used his blade on the valiant defenders I had been fighting alongside. Tearing them asunder with a flick of his wrist, the soldiers did not have the opportunity to utter a sound before their blood and guts painted the surrounding area a gory red.


    ¡°Cease this at once; I am your opponent, not them!¡±, I howled, willing the heavens to open and strike him down.


    Feeling the atmosphere become charged with static electricity, Zephrim cracked a smile as he lifted his head toward the sky. Spreading his arms, as if challenging nature to smite him, he released a fiendish laugh as a massive bolt of lightning struck him head-on. Vaporizing the surrounding area in an instant, I thought I had delivered a devastating blow to him until a bright light began emanating from behind me. Glancing over my shoulder to see what was happening, Zephrim appeared with Hercule¡¯s Golden Fleece in his left hand.


    ¡®Shit¡­¡¯, I thought, as he released my attack back at me.


    Unable to avoid or block his attack, I took the blow head-on. Launching me into the air, I was sent crashing through several evacuation vessels before coming to a stop within a hillside on the opposite side of the city. Staggering out of the crater, a bit dazed from the blow, Zephrim reappeared before me with his sword pulled back.


    ¡°Show me the strength of an Asgardian warrior!¡±, Zephrim cackled as he brought it down on me.


    Meeting his attack head-on, I brought Stormbreaker¡¯s hammer side around to clash with All-Black. Unleashing a devastating shockwave as our weapons connected, the planet¡¯s surface began to come apart at the seams as the core destabilized. Following his initial strike up with a flurry of blows, each more powerful than the last, I was forced on to the defensive as the air became filled with the terrified screams of civilians.


    Having lost much of their evacuation fleet, the few remaining ships began to take off only partially full. Attempting to rapidly gain altitude, they were all quickly shot down by red beams of unknown energy. Watching the debris fall upon the survivors, I tried to push Zephrim away so I could save them but every attempt I made was brushed off with ease.


    ¡°Why are you doing this!?¡±, I shouted, unable to see what he gained from all this bloodshed.


    ¡°I do not expect you to understand, but each life we take is a necessary sacrifice for the greater good of the universe. Deities like the ones you serve are a plague on creation; their taint has set the universe on a downward spiral toward destruction. To save the universe, we must clear the board and carefully rebuild from scratch.¡±, Zephrim said, delivering a strike that caused the planet and Stormbreaker to crack.


    ¡°You are even more insane than the Mad Titan Thanos!¡±, I spat, having heard of his desire to snap half of all life from the universe.


    ¡°As I thought, you are too blinded by their honeyed words to see the truth in my words.¡±, Zephrim remarked, having already accepted this. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lending me the full extent of its power, Stormbreaker and I surged forward, ready to unleash our full power and strength in a single, definitive strike. Resolving to meet me with the same level of determination, Zephrim charged forward as he and his blade began to glow a vibrant purple. Swinging our weapons at one another, a brilliant flash and ungodly roar ensued as they clashed once again.


    ---Victor POV---


    Abruptly ending there, I already knew how that clash ended. While I was happy to know what Zephrim¡¯s end goal was now, it made absolutely no sense to me at all. The Chaos Gods and other deities had done extensive damage to the mortal races, there was no denying that, but we would have eventually done it with or without their intervention. Knowing there had to be more to his reasoning than just that, I decided to have my intelligence network look into finding The Doctor.


    ¡°Lord Stark, is everything okay?¡±, Vikzel inquired, as Zenrist and he stared at me in concern. ¡°You have been fixated on that axehead now for several minutes. Do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, but I doubt you would believe me if I told you.¡±, I answered, looking at the shop owner. ¡°I would like to purchase this relic and everything else you have on offer. Will two hundred million credits be sufficient?¡±


    ¡°T¡­ Two hundred million credits!?¡±, Zenrist gasped, nearly falling over in shock, ¡°Lord Stark, my offerings barely equal three million credits¡­¡±


    ¡°I cannot, in good conscience, take advantage of naivety. Please allow me to pay you what I feel is a fair value.¡±, I said, transferring the funds to him before he could say no.


    Hearing his tablet ding, Zenrist looked at his account and fell back into his seat. Relenting to my request, he thanked me profusely before rushing into the back room to grab everything else he had on his refurbishment shelf. Once that was done, he ran off to inform his wives of the good news.


    ¡°I suggest reconsidering telling your employer about the fortune he just earned.¡±, I warned Vikzel, noticing his gaze fixed upon the elderly man. ¡°If anything should happen to Zenrist or his family, I will personally hold you responsible for it. You may not realize it right now, but the treasures he had here may likely be what saves the universe from collapsing.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±, Vikzel pressed me.


    ¡°Thochinda was not the only planet that was destroyed; it was just the only one in the Republic.¡±, I answered, stowing the items in my inventory. ¡°Now then, there has been a change of plans. I need to meet with traders that deal in illegal goods like kyber crystals and raw materials.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, we have several vendors down here that deal in goods of that variety.¡±, Vikzel remarked, motioning for me to follow.


    Heading back into the underground, we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon procuring various difficult-to-acquire resources.


    ---Midafternoon---


    Parting ways with Vikzel at the front door, I returned to the suite so I could head back to the New Genesis. Unlocking the door and heading inside, I found my wives, our comrades, and the hostesses in various states of dress. In the middle of trying on various lingerie, everyone turned to see who it was with a petrified expression. Realizing that it was me, they released a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I take it some of the staff have been hassling you?¡±, I asked, locking the door.


    ¡°Yes, one of Lord Tiure¡¯s direct subordinates tried to barge in here a few hours ago.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek remarked, making no attempt to cover herself, ¡°Since you were out, he wanted to drag some of us off for his own personal enjoyment.¡±


    ¡°He has a strong attachment toward our Echani colleague here, Sheol.¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek said, motioning to the pale-skinned, white-haired woman of their group.


    ¡°To clarify, did he get in or just try to?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°He used his master key to break in.¡±, Mylene answered, with a flushed expression. ¡°They wanted to try on some of our dresses, so we were- ¡°


    ¡°No need to explain¡­ I will be right back.¡±, I chuckled, with a murderous smile. ¡°If you feel the ground shake, please ignore it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, dear!¡±, Mylene replied with a happy smile.


    Walking back out of the room, I headed down to the front counter to have a heart-to-heart with the general manager about this matter.

 Chapter 159

    ---Race Day, 3rd Person POV ---


    Arriving in the VIP parking garage beneath the arena, Victor¡¯s family and friends stepped out of his luxury hovercar limousine and quickly began to fix their dresses. Wearing the most luxurious of outfits, befitting the lovers/wives of a high-ranking nobleman, each of the women could have easily been mistaken for a famous supermodel. Even the hostesses who were sheepishly hiding amongst them looked completely unrecognizable from when they had first met Victor and company. No longer exhausted, famished, and sickly, they were a shining example of what diamonds in the rough truly meant.


    ¡°Good morning, ladies! Please allow me to escort you to Lord Stark¡¯s viewing tower.¡±, Vikzel shouted, overwhelmed by the beauties standing before him. ¡®Dear lord, please do not let Lord Tiure catch sight of these women. If he does, I fear there will be a bloodbath in the arena today¡­¡¯


    ¡°Good morning, Sir Vikzel. We appreciate you personally coming to see us to our seats.¡±, Olivia remarked, with a warm smile.


    ¡°Yes, thank you as well for the hospitality you have shown us during our stay here. While it is a shame we will be leaving after the celebration today, we will definitely be back to visit Tatooine again very soon.¡±, Angelica added, with a professional smile.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words; it has been a pleasure serving you during your stay with us. Now please, follow me; the race will begin within the next ten minutes or so.¡±, Vikzel said, turning and walking toward the VIP lift.


    Taking the lift three stories up, Vikzel led the women across the track to the tower Victor had specially reserved for them. Noticing them almost immediately, the fans and the racers themselves fell silent as they looked upon them intently. Watching each of them give Victor a good luck kiss before carrying on to their seats, everyone began booing him loudly. Flipping every one of them the bird, he began to heartily laugh at how they were treating him.


    Ensuring that the women had everything they needed, Vikzel excused himself so he could head to his personal seat in Jabba¡¯s booth. Waiting for the Ishi Tib to vanish from sight, the hostesses let out a long sigh of relief as they sunk into their chairs.


    ¡°Alright, we made it to the viewing tower without any issues. Vikzel and everyone else present did not notice anything out of place.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek announced over the radio. ¡°Your hologram technology is peerless, Victor. I have seen other diplomats use similar items, but yours is by far the most superior of them all.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I am glad to hear you think so. The hologram tech I am using is still a prototype, so please inform me if you notice any problems during the race.¡±, Victor requested, watching their viewing platform slowly begin to rise. ¡°How are we looking at Jabba¡¯s palace?¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Not that I am complaining, but are we sure that fat ass is a genuine crime boss? Breaking into his palace felt way too easy, and he left only thirty guards to protect his residence.¡±, Ionica commented, glancing back at Ahsoka and Bo-Katan, ¡°If it is this easy, why haven''t the Order or the Republic taken him out already? A job like this should be a cakewalk for a seasoned assassin.¡±


    ¡°The security here is lax because he prioritizes his personal safety over everything else. When you are as powerful and wealthy as he is, if someone were to destroy your residence, you would just build another with the money you make in a single day.¡±, Bo-Katan remarked, as the door to the dungeon came into view, ¡°As for why the Order and the Republic have not taken him out yet, they are afraid of disrupting the delicate balance of the current status quo. Killing one of the Hutt crime bosses will create a power vacuum that is sure to kick off a bloody internal power struggle. There is no telling how it will end, but rest assured trillions of people will be dead before it ends.¡±


    While she knew Bo-Katan had a valid point, Ahsoka could not accept that peace had to be maintained on the backs of innocent people. Having spent a great deal of time speaking with the Lethan Twi¡¯lek and her colleagues, the Padawan discovered that the Hutts had far more allies within the Republic than she expected. Sharing with her everything they had learned during their tenure in Jabba¡¯s service, she was mortified to learn that some Jedi and Senators, both active and retired, frequented Tatooine and Jabba¡¯s casino. Utilizing all the various services offered by Jabba and his cohorts, many poor slaves had died by their drunken or lustful hands.


    ¡°Just because things are going easier than expected does not mean you should let your guard down. Stay focused and triple-check everything before extracting the hostages.¡±, Victor remarked, wanting them to keep their heads in the game. ¡°As for our stunning assistants, remember, just smile and wave. That is all you need to do from here on out.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, we are well aware.¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek acknowledged, staring at his unusual attire. ¡°I know we said it earlier this morning, but you look amazing in the sleeveless leather jacket.¡±


    Choosing to wear a copy of Lobo¡¯s attire for the race, as it just felt right, Victor was excited to cut loose again after such a long time. Blowing the women in his viewing tower a flirtatious kiss, they squealed with delight before starting to cheer for him enthusiastically. Enraged by this display, the racer to Victor¡¯s right finally lost it.


    ¡°Hey buddy, you do not need to flaunt your whores around!¡±, the Toydarian seethed, ¡°We get it, you are filthy, stinking rich. Stop rubbing it in our faces.¡±


    ¡°You must have a death wish if you are going to talk about my family and friends like that.¡±, Victor remarked, giving the xeno a bloodthirsty smile. ¡°Rest assured, your ugly mug will not see the end of lap one. I will personally make sure you are nothing more than a splatter mark on the canyon wall.¡±


    ¡°Touch a nerve, did I? Too bad you will not be able to follow through with that threat. Every racer here is just chomping at the bit to take you out.¡±, the Toydarian laughed, believing they could overwhelm him with numbers.


    ¡°Oh no, whatever will I do!¡±, Victor mocked him in a humorous tone. ¡°If you think I am worried about twenty-seven pissants, you have another thing coming to you.¡±


    Having overheard the conversation, several other racers turned to Victor with venomous glares. Settling back into their cockpits, as pit crews began leaving the track, everyone turned their attention to Jabba¡¯s booth. Wriggling onto his balcony, the Hutt waved to the energetic crowd with a hearty smile. Due to Victor¡¯s participation in this year¡¯s Boonta Eve Race, they had raked in over five times more money than anticipated. As there was a great deal of animosity toward the Imperium of Man within the Galactic Republic, xenos from all over had paid a great deal to witness his potential death during the race.


    ¡°Vikzel, if Lord Stark survives this race, gift him those women who have been keeping him company. I want to build a good relationship with him and bring him back for next year¡¯s race.¡±, Jabba commanded his subordinate.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Tiure, it will be done!¡±, Vikzel assured him.


    Giving a nod to the commentators across the track from him, they began to announce the participants in this year¡¯s race. Starting their engine(s) when their name was called, racers gave a friendly wave to the crowd before doing one final check of their dials. When the announcers got to Victor, the crowd made their disdain known as they zealously booed him. Firing up the Spacehog¡¯s engine, Victor revved it loudly, drowning out the announcers, crowd, and other vehicles. Easing off the throttle, after a few seconds, the arena fell silent as Victor gave everyone a childlike grin.


    ¡°With that, we are ready to kick off this year¡¯s Boonta Eve Classic!¡±, the announcers proclaimed, quickly recovering from their shock. ¡°Lord Tiure, when you are ready, please start us off.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, good luck to all of you!¡±, Jabba cackled as he hit the gong next to him.


    The instant the green light illuminated, every racer punched it, quickly leaving the starting line at high speed. Instead of blitzing everyone with the Spacehog¡¯s blistering speed, Victor opted to hang out in the middle of the group to have some fun. Making a beeline for him, the Toydarian from earlier attempted to crash into him as the canyon came into view. Flipping over the top of the incoming podracer, Victor watched his opponent slam into another racer, sending them careening into a sandstone pillar.


    ¡°You Imperial bastard, fancy tricks will only get you so far!!¡±, the Toydarian howled, completely indifferent to the life he just took. ¡°Just die already, you xenophobe.¡±


    ¡°Not all Imperials are xenophobic, you ugly motherfucker. If I were one, why the hell do I have xenos in my harem?¡±, Victor pointed out, as the canyon was almost upon them, ¡°Anyways, I hope you reflect on that tidbit of information in the afterlife!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I had not¡­¡±, the Toydarian began to stutter, ¡°Wait a moment, maybe we can- ¡°


    Holding tightly onto the Spacehog¡¯s handlebars, Victor lifted himself up and flung his mass to the left, slamming his boots into the Toydarian¡¯s right engine. Forcing him off course, the xeno let out a horrified scream before slamming into the rock face and exploding into a massive fireball.


    ¡°No one talks about the Main Man¡¯s family and friends like that and lives to tell the tale!¡±, Victor laughed, as the racers behind him looked on in disbelief and horror, ¡°Let¡¯s show those punks what a real race looks like, Spacehog!¡±


    Revving her engine loudly in response, the two of them began steadily weaving their way toward the front of the pack.

 Chapter 160

    ---3rd Person POV, Jabba¡¯s Palace---


    Using the key they pilfered from a dead guard, the infiltration team entered the palace dungeon and began to liberate all Jabba¡¯s captives. While most began to profusely thank their rescuers, several bolted toward the exit, eager to put as much distance between this place and them as possible. Asking them to wait a moment before leaving, when they did not heed the request, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Roxanne, and Samus quickly leapt upon them. Pinning them to the ground, the freed slaves desperately fought back, unwilling to become someone else¡¯s slaves.


    ¡°Emperor preserve us¡­¡±, Sister Superior Faustuste Solsten groaned, as she and her subordinates staggered out of their cells, ¡°All of you, cease your resistance this instant! In case you have forgotten, the fat slug installed an obedience chip in the base of our skulls. Our rescuers want to remove them so we can safely leave. The alternative is losing our literal heads when the chips detonate. If that is what you want, do not let us stop you from dying.¡±


    Blinded by their desire to escape this wretched place, they had completely forgotten about the chips. Having watched dozens of captives die from those chips during their time here, each of them felt stupid for forgetting about something so deadly. Stopping their resistance, the women rejoined the others to have the bombs disarmed.


    ¡°This is everyone; we checked all the cells.¡±, Clarice announced as Deirdre and she rejoined everyone after completing a second sweep. ¡°You are up, Bloodtide.¡±


    <Understood. Everyone, please stand still. This will only take a few minutes.> (Bloodtide) S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Dispersing part of her body into every captive, Bloodtide began the tedious process of dismantling the chips. Recognizing her silver humanoid form as they stood in line with the others, a sense of unease began to well up in Rose¡¯s crew. Aware of who and what Bloodtide was, they looked toward the Rogue Trader for an explanation.


    ¡°I understand your feelings; I fainted the first time I met her.¡±, Rose openly admitted. ¡°I am a little fuzzy on the details, but suffice it to say Bloodtide is working with Primarch Stark. So long as we do not provoke her, she will not attempt to harm us.¡±


    <It is amazing what can happen when you treat other sentient beings with a bit of respect.> (Cleare)


    Removing her camouflage right in front of the group, two of the Sisters nearly fainted from shock as they realized a second Abominable Intelligence was here as well.


    ¡°Please stop bullying them, Cleare. They have been through a lot already; no need to further exacerbate things. Give them some time; I am sure they will come around eventually.¡±, Olivia scolded her as she used her healing magic to mend the captive¡¯s wounds.


    <My apologies, Lady Olivia. I just wanted them to consider things before making a rash decision. Not all Adepta Sororitas¡¯ members are as accepting and levelheaded as Abbess Vahl and Lady Ionica.> (Cleare)


    Watching the floating sphere fly to Oliva and begin hovering over her shoulder, the Sisters looked at one another, unsure what to think. Normally all Abominable Intelligences would be destroyed on sight, yet the Second Legion integrated them into their ranks, and the High Lords of Terra were unbothered by it. Assuming there was more to this than meets the eye, they decided to ask the Abbess about it once they were safely on Terra.


    <Alright, the chips have been removed from her bodies.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°From this point on, you can either head out on your own or stay with us until we reach a safe place to drop you off.¡±, Ahsoka advised them, ¡°If you decide to go, please grab a few valuables on your way out. Use the money from selling them to either carve out a life for yourself on Tatooine or to purchase a ticket to leave the planet. The choice is yours.¡±


    Thanking their saviors one last time, most of the captives chose the latter option, much to Ahsoka¡¯s dismay. Watching them run out of the prison, she let out a deflated sigh and looked at those who chose to stay. Aside from Rose¡¯s crew, a handful of political hostages decided sticking it out with the Jedi Padawan was the safest option for them. Hoping they could convince whoever she was working with to take them back to Coruscant, all of them were eager to reunite with their loved ones once again.


    ¡°With that, phase one of the plan is complete!¡±, Aela remarked with a proud smile as she turned toward the Rose¡¯s crew, ¡°You ladies interested in getting a little bit of revenge, or do you want food and rest?¡±


    ¡°We will gladly accept any chance to get revenge on that slimy bastard! In fact, I would like to deal the death blow to him if possible. He did unspeakable things to us, and he must pay for it with his life.¡±, Solsten hissed venomously, looking toward Ionica, ¡°Our arms and armor were taken from us in the slave market. Would you be so kind as to lend us some spare equipment for this occasion?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Abbess Vahl sent us replacement equipment for you this morning. She requested a debriefing meeting with you later today.¡±, Ionica informed her, ¡°If you would please, Mylene or Lucoa.¡±


    ¡°I would love to debrief her this evening, but how will I do that?¡±, Solsten inquired, as the hostages were replaced with a pile of equipment.


    ¡°Lord Stark and his Second Legion brought far more than just military power to the Imperium of Man.¡±, Rose explained, with an excited smile. ¡°Much has changed back home; your Abbess will explain everything tonight.¡±


    Giving the Rogue Trader a puzzled look, they decided to just wait and see for themselves. Ripping off their slave garbs, the Sisters dressed themselves in more appropriate clothing and geared up. Ready to go in just two minutes, everyone was about to move out when a loud voice came over the radio.


    ¡°HEY GUYS, CAN WE COME JOIN THE FIGHT!?¡±, Tohru yelled, forgetting how to use the radio again.


    Clutching their heads in agony, those with earpieces began cursing at the dragoness for her stupid mistake. Stepping in to correct her, Elma delivered a brutal blow to the back of her head while Ilulu and Fafnir stood nearby shaking their heads. Rolling around on the floor holding her head, Tohru released an agonizing groan as she began seeing stars.


    ¡°I apologize, everyone; the idiot has been properly dealt with.¡±, Elma sighed, setting the rolling pin down with a smirk of amusement. ¡°As Tohru was saying, do you mind if we join in the fun? It has been quite boring just sitting here and watching you all have fun.¡±


    ¡°If you want to join us, you are more than welcome too.¡±, Angelica agreed, ¡°We need you to swear that you will not go wild here, though. There are somewhat innocent people mixed in with the crowd that will come here. Please bear that in mind before you do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a moment; let¡¯s be very specific here.¡±, Bo-Katan interjected, already seeing where this could go very wrong. ¡°No curses, deadly poisons and toxins, or large-scale magic spells. Just use ordinary weapons, and for the love of god, do NOT go poking around while we wait for them to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, you are sucking all the fun out of this!¡±, Tohru pouted, unhappy about how strict she was being, ¡°Since we cannot explore the palace, can we at least make a flashy entrance when they arrive? You know, like one of those action movies on the HoloNet!¡±


    Looking at one another, everyone on the infiltration team began vehemently shaking their heads. Fearing she would bring the whole palace down on them, they immediately shut her request down. Refusing to cave on this issue, Tohru attempted to compromise by suggesting they pick what dramatic entrance they use.


    ¡°How about Bo-Katan plants some explosives in the ballroom ceiling, detonates it when they arrive, and the four of them drop down upon our enemies?¡±, Clarice suggested, turning to the Mandalorian. ¡°Does that work?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can do that.¡±, Bo-Katan relented, with a playful smile. ¡®There is never a dull moment with this group. Back home this crap would never be tolerated, but here it is just another day. I like it!¡¯


    ¡°We accept the deal, but I am sitting this one out. I will support everyone from the comfort of my bedroom with magic.¡±, Fafnir stated, walking away. ¡®Knowing Ilulu and Tohru, this will not end well¡­¡¯


    ¡°You are such a party pooper!¡±, Tohru remarked, sticking her tongue out at him. ¡°Lucoa, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, can you teleport us into position, please?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I can do that.¡±, Lucoa giggled. ¡°Happy hunting, everyone!¡±


    With everyone satisfied, the women began preparing to give Jabba and his cohorts one hell of a greeting.


    ---Victor POV---


    Locked in a heated battle for first place, Sebulba and I approached the Hutt Flats on the final lap of the race. Having wiped out half of the racers in a poor attempt to eliminate me, everyone else hung back just hoping to finish this race alive. Bashing into one another as we exited the cavern, he began chucking items from his cockpit at me. Narrowly avoiding one of his sweat rags, I decided to send him off to the afterlife in style. Leaning over, I grabbed hold of his right engine and began to steadily increase the Spacehog¡¯s speed.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±, Sebulba howled, unable to control his podracer anymore. ¡°Let go of my vehicle, you filthy xenophobe!!¡±


    ¡°Jeez, no matter how many times I tell you people, none of you fucking listen. If I were a xenophobe, why would I have multiple xeno lovers and a xeno wife?¡±, I sighed, getting tired of repeating this to people.


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡±, Sebulba stuttered, unable to come up with anything to say to that.


    ¡°Yeah, that is what I thought, moron.¡±, I stated, as we approached the speed of sound.


    Watching parts of his cockpit and engines begin to fly off, the Dug looked at his speedometer to see how fast we were going. Discovering we were going faster than any podracer had before, he quickly realized what was about to happen. Turning to me again, he began opening his mouth to speak, but I quickly stopped him.


    ¡°Thanks for a thrilling race, Sebulba, but this is where we part ways. It is nothing personal, just business!¡±, I said, as we broke through the sound barrier.


    Unable to withstand the intense air resistance, the podracer exploded into a billion pieces, turning the Dug into a fiery pincushion. Releasing my grip on his engine, he began tumbling across the sand before slamming into a large sandstone boulder. Wanting to finish the race in style, we came barreling in at speed and drifted across the finish line, giving the crowd a double rock and roll hand sign. While visibly disappointed that I had won the race, the crowd still cheered loudly as it was the most exciting race any of them had seen.


    As the other racers crossed the finish line, I walked over to them and gave each of them a firm handshake. Thanking them for giving me an exhilarating experience, they looked at me with confusion.


    ¡°You¡­ you are shaking our hands?¡±, an Iktotchi remarked, with honest surprise, ¡°I thought- ¡°


    ¡°No¡­ I am not, nor have I ever been, a xenophobe¡­¡±, I groaned, ¡°Just because I am from the Imperium of Man does not automatically make me one. If you will so kindly turn your attention to my viewing tower, that conclusion should have been crystal clear from the very beginning.¡±


    Doing as I asked, they looked at the platform again and realized their mistake. Apologizing to me for making that assumption, I assured them that it was fine. Wanting to talk shop with me about the Spacehog, our conversation was rudely interrupted by Vikzel. Coming down to congratulate me on the win, he informed me that Jabba had gifted the sixteen hostesses to me.


    ¡°That is wonderful news!¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek proclaimed as she and everyone else came running over to congratulate me.


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±, I chuckled, as they leapt onto me and gave me a celebratory kiss. ¡°It is onto the after party now, right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. I presume you will be using your limousine to get there?¡±, Vikzel questioned.


    ¡°Yeah, we will rejoin you there.¡±, I assured him, stowing the Spacehog back in my inventory.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Stark. See you there!¡±, Vikzel said.


    Heading back the way they came in, once we were securely inside the limo, the holograms dissipated, leaving only small spheres behind. Letting out a sigh, I mentally commanded my nanites to realign themselves to my usual armor as we began leaving the parking lot.


    ¡°You ladies did an excellent job.¡±, I praised them. ¡°Once this is all over with, we can drop you off on Coruscant or a border world with enough money to restart your lives with.¡±


    ¡°While we are grateful for the generous offer, that is not what we want.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek remarked, straddling my right leg, ¡°Whether you did it intentionally or not, you swooned our hearts with your kindheartedness. Each of us has chosen to stay by your side till the end of our days. Please allow us to be your concubines and share a bit of the happiness and love you give your wives.¡±


    ¡°We have no family to lean on, no home to return to, and no skills to survive out in this cruel universe. The warmth you and your family share is something truly special; no one else we have encountered has anything like it. Letting it slip through our fingers is something we cannot allow to happen.¡±, the lavender Twi¡¯lek spoke, straddling my other leg.


    Nodding their heads enthusiastically, the women seemed very adamant about their decision. While I had come around to the idea of having concubines, taking sixteen all at once was just not a feasible option.


    ¡°I will be honest with you ladies, making all sixteen of you my concubines at once is not an option. My plan would be to take six concubines and make the rest of you maids in my household. In time I could be persuaded to change the arrangement, but that will be a few years.¡±, I remarked, looking at them to gauge their reactions. ¡°Before I make my decision, though, I need to get to know you better. You have spent quite a lot of time with my wives these past few days, but hardly any with me. In fact, I believe I only know the Echani¡¯s name at this point.¡±


    ¡°Oh lord¡­ We never properly introduced ourselves¡­¡±, Sheol remarked, with an embarrassed look.


    ¡°To be fair, we hardly ever got the chance to properly speak with clientele.¡±, the blue Mikkian pointed out.


    ¡°Very well then, Victor. We will gladly accept your offer, so long as I am one of the five.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek laughed, giving her friends a playful smile.


    ¡°Since he has a thing for large chests, I am probably one of the five, as I am the curviest out of everyone here.¡±, the Zeltron remarked, pushing her chest out with a proud smile.


    Debating the topic of who I would pick, I found it amusing that they had glossed over their introductions again. Letting it slide, as they seemed satisfied with this arrangement for now, I sat back and relaxed for a bit as we drove to the palace.

 Chapter 161

    Arriving at the palace fifteen minutes ahead of everyone else, I sent our new companions on ahead while I wandered off to the sleeping quarters. Wanting to find the casino¡¯s cowardly general manager before the execution began, we had a bloody score to settle with one another. Having left his subordinates to shoulder his punishment for him, they divulged all they knew before I even opened my mouth.


    ¡°We both know how this is going to end, you son of a bitch. Trying to offer up a few of my wives to Jabba is the last mistake you will ever make in this lifetime. Come out now, and I will let you die with the last shreds of dignity you have left!¡±, I shouted, retrieving the Mace of Molag Bal from my inventory.


    ¡°Lord Stark, you have my sincerest apologies!! I¡­ I have learned from my mistake and swear to never make it again!!¡±, the manager cried out, his voice echoing throughout the sandstone hallway. ¡°Please have mercy and let me go.¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I have no mercy for anyone that comes after my family.¡±, I stated, smashing a hole into one of the empty suites. ¡°You are right about one thing, though; I am certain you will never repeat this heinous crime again once I am done with you.¡±


    Howling like a banshee, the general manager began to frantically move the suite¡¯s furniture around to barricade the door. Punching a hole into the next room, he abandoned his efforts and quickly ran over to his tiny window. Bashing the glass out with his elbow, instead of opening it like a civilized person, the candy-ass began yelling for the palace guards to save him. Growing more desperate with every hole I punched, by the time I stood outside his room, he had pissed himself and had snot and tears streaming down his face.


    <My apologies for interrupting your fun, Master. Our targets are approximately five minutes out now. We should consider ending this quickly and rejoining the others.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Jeez, time certainly flies when you are having fun.¡±, I chuckled, observing the situation inside the room via a surveillance drone. ¡°Very well, I will start wrapping this up then.¡±


    Plowing through the sandstone wall with a single step, the general manager dove toward the far corner of the room, yowling like a cornered animal. Drawing a hidden laser pistol from under his vest, he began firing at me while telling me to die. Watching his laser bolts bounce off my shielding, as I continued to slowly approach him, the idiot refused to stop firing until his weapon ran out of juice.


    ¡°Cease your pathetic resistance. You are only embarrassing yourself more, nitwit.¡±, I commented, smacking the unusual weapon out of his hand with the Force.


    ¡°Wait a moment, please, Lord Stark!!¡±, the manager pleaded, making one final attempt to pacify me. ¡°By how casually you have been destroying Lord Tiure¡¯s palace, I suspect you intend to kill him today. As one of his most senior subordinates, there are a great deal of secrets that I can provide you with in exchange for my life. He has several hidden caches spread out across the galaxy filled with exotic women in stasis, political documents, priceless treasures, and untold numbers of exotic technology. All of it can be yours if you just let me go!¡±


    ¡°You are clearly uninformed about what I am capable of.¡±, I remarked, pressing the mace firmly against his throat. ¡°As a peerless mage, I have access to a plethora of different magic types, including necromancy. In case you do not know what that is, suffice it to say that I do not need you alive to glean the information you have.¡±


    Realizing that he was completely out of options now, the last remnants of his spirit and willpower broke. Slumping back against the wall, he began calling out for his mother while he suckled on his thumb. Retreating into the depths of his psyche, all that remained now was an empty husk. Raising the mace over my head, I brought it down upon him, causing his body and the surrounding area to explode with enough intensity to shake the entire palace. Resurrecting him immediately, over the next few minutes I continued to kill him repeatedly to vent my anger.


    Cleaning the mace with fire, once my anger was pacified, I stowed it away and summoned his lingering spirit to me. Forcing him to give me the locations of the loot caches he mentioned, he gave me eight sets of coordinates along with the access codes to disarm the security systems. Curious how he came by this information, as Jabba would never have shared it with anyone, the spirit said he had seen the paperwork in Jabba¡¯s office several years ago. Having intended to use the information to fund a lucrative retirement, all his plans were for naught as he was dead now.


    As one final act of punishment for his misdeeds in life, I sent his soul to Coldharbour instead of allowing it to rejoin the normal reincarnation cycle. Assuring him that I would send his colleagues and employer there as well, he suddenly disappeared into a puff of smoke. With hardly any time left now, Luxion and I teleported to the reception area where everyone was patiently waiting for me.


    ¡°Holy Terra¡­ he¡­ he really is a Primarch!!¡±, one of the Sisters gasped, staring at me in shock.


    ¡°Stop gawking at him and show Primarch Stark the respect he is owed!¡±, Sister Superior Solsten snapped, rushing over and kneeling before me.


    Following her example, Solsten¡¯s subordinates got into formation and mimicked her movements exactly. Giving them a warm smile, I told them to rise, as now was not the time to stand on ceremony. Our targets were beginning to arrive outside the palace and would be walking in any moment now.


    ¡°Allow us to personally thank you for rescuing Lady Thistlebutton and us from the xeno filth.¡±, Solsten said as they rose to their feet.


    ¡°There is no need to thank me. It is a Primarch¡¯s duty to protect the Emperor¡¯s greatest treasure, his people.¡±, I remarked, before checking the cameras the infiltration team set up were working properly, ¡°Now then, let us wrap things up here on Tatooine and get all of you sent back to Terra. Abbess Vahl and the other High Lords of Terra are eager to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark, forgive me for doubting your words, but can you truly cover such a vast distance in a few hours?¡±, Solsten inquired, trying her utmost to believe in my words.


    Deciding to give her a demonstration, I opened a Force Storm to the Thistlebutton residence on Terra. Manifesting the portal just inside the entryway, their faces paled as they immediately recognized the place. Hurrying down the ornate stairwell to the second floor, several staff members were curious what the crackling noise they heard was. Startled by what they found, only one of the butlers dared to approach the portal I created.


    ¡°Lady Solsten is that¡­ Is that you?¡±, a middle-aged butler inquired, hesitantly approaching the portal.


    ¡°Yes, it is, Gerald.¡±, Solsten answered in a subdued voice, ¡°It is good to see you again, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean that Mistress Rose is- ¡°, Gerald began to speak.


    ¡°Alive and kicking? I certainly am!¡±, Rose answered enthusiastically, walking over with a plasma rifle in hand, ¡°Let my family know we will be home this evening. See all of you soon!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mistress Rose!¡±, Gerald acknowledged, with a tearful smile, ¡°We eagerly await your return home.¡±


    Closing the connection, it took Solsten and her subordinates a minute to process what they saw. Giving them some time to mentally recover, I turned my attention to the people approaching the front entrance. Blissfully unaware that the guards on the rooftop were missing, Jabba and his entourage slowly entered the building as the other racers began to pull up.


    ¡°Alright Elma, Ilulu, and Tohru, it is showtime!¡±, Bo-Katan remarked, priming the explosive charge. ¡°As soon as they begin opening the doors, I will detonate the charge.¡±


    ¡°We are more than ready to go on our end!¡±, Elma replied, as Ilulu and Tohru began fidgeting with excitement.


    Deploying our helmets, as Boba Fett began pushing the doors open, Bo-Katan squeezed her detonator, triggering the C-5 affixed to the keystone above their heads. Throwing the doors open in a hurry, several individuals scurried into the room as the entryway ceiling came crashing down. Bathing the space in a sea of fire, the dragonesses descended upon those who fled outside and began massacring them.


    ¡°Lying to my face was a grave mistake, Jabba. You have been holding my missing people in your dungeon for some time now but told me you had never seen them.¡±, I spoke up as Solsten and her subordinates readied their Chainswords, ¡°Not only did you withhold the information from me, but you also assaulted them and had obedience chips installed in their skulls. I deem your acts of aggression against the Imperium of Man as a declaration of war. The time for retribution is now!¡±


    Opening fire upon Jabba and his entourage, those fast enough dove behind cover, leaving the slower ones to fend for themselves. Charging into the fray with a loud battle cry, Solsten and her people pounced on the Hutts with unrivaled fury. Hacking and slashing them asunder, their blood, guts, and reptilian scales flew in every which direction. Cowering under one of the food tables, Vikzel listened to their horrific scream while curled up in a ball.


    ¡®All I wanted was a comfortable, cushy job. Why did things have to come to this?!¡¯, Vikzel thought, covering his ears, trying to deafen the noise.


    ¡°Why are you hiding instead of fighting like a true Mandalorian warrior, Boba Fett?¡±, Bo-Katan berated him. ¡°Come out and fight me!¡±


    ¡°A skilled bounty hunter knows how to pick their battles, and I am clearly at a disadvantage here.¡±, Boba Fett shot back, ¡°Any chance I can persuade you to let me go in exchange for dirt on the Hutt Syndicate? I signed up to be Jabba¡¯s bodyguard, not a soldier in a one-sided war.¡±


    ¡°Not happening; you are just as guilty as Jabba.¡±, Ahsoka refused, rushing forward with her lightsaber drawn, ¡°You will be held accountable for your heinous actions!¡±


    With a peaceful resolution out of the question, the only option Boba Fett had left was to fight his way out of here. Arming two of his plasma grenades, he shot up out of cover and prepared to chuck them in our direction. Using a strong Force Push to stop him, Ahsoka sent him flying backwards into the wall. Seizing the opportunity, Bo-Katan pointed her antimaterial rifle at him, aimed for the head, and fired. Blowing his head clean off and punching a hole through the wall, his body collapsed to the floor as the grenades detonated. Splattering its deadly liquid onto several of his colleagues, they began howling in agony as the plasma dissolved flesh and bone like paper. Putting them out of their misery with a flick of her wrist, Ahsoka cut their heads off as Solsten and her team finished dispatching the Hutts.


    ¡°Keep your filthy, fucking hands off my body, xeno scum!¡±, Solsten hissed, kicking Jabba¡¯s lifeless body, ¡°If hell does exist, I hope you burn there for all of eternity!¡±


    ¡°Sister Superior Solsten, calm yourself!¡±, Ionica commanded, firing her pistol before holstering it.


    ¡°My¡­ my apologies, Canoness Superior Ionica.¡±, Solsten replied, slowly coming to her senses. ¡°I¡­ I just- ¡°


    ¡°There is no need to explain; you have been through a lot these past few months.¡±, Ionica assured her, walking up and patting her friend on the shoulder. ¡°While the Hutts may be dead, there is still a lot of cleanup needed in Mos Espa and elsewhere on the planet. Are you fit enough to lend a hand?¡±


    Nodding her head in confirmation, Solsten wiped the blood from her face and gave her a resolute smile. With Jabba and his upper echelon gone, I gave the order to begin the assault on Tatooine. Reiterating that we were only eliminating people connected to the Hutt Syndicate, any slaves we freed in the process were to be sent to Coruscant or left to their own devices here on the planet.


    ¡°Supreme Commander, we have completed the extraction of the forced laborers from the casino. Everyone else was restrained and left inside.¡±, Commander Yoma informed me over the radio.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Yoma.¡±, I replied, bringing up my holographic computer display. ¡°Adios, motherfuckers!¡±


    Targeting the casino with one of the New Genesis¡¯ charged particle cannons, I vaporized it and the surrounding area with the push of a button. Feeling the ground shake as the beam made contact, the fight outside was quickly drowned out by the roar of the weapon. As the noise began to fade away, my wives retracted their helmets and began scouring the room to finish off anyone still alive.


    ¡°It looks like we missed one.¡±, Roxanne commented, sniffing the frightened Ishi Tib out. ¡°What should we do with him?¡±


    ¡°Usually I would say put a bullet in their skull, but incinerating them sounds just as good. Ionica is really starting to rub off on me.¡±, Amallyn said, giving her a playful smirk.


    Throwing the table across the room, Vikzel prostrated himself before Amallyn and begged for mercy. Considering crushing him under her boot initially, she stopped herself and suggested we leave his fate up to our new comrades. Agreeing with her suggestion, we stepped aside and let them make the call.


    ¡°You are giving us permission to do whatever we want?¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek clarified as they stood before him.


    ¡°Of course.¡±, I confirmed.


    Without the slightest bit of hesitation, the women pointed their laser pistols at him and turned him to Swiss cheese. Firing into his body until he was just a scorch mark, they thanked us for allowing them to get a bit of revenge for their colleagues and friends. Sending everyone into Mos Espa to aid the extermination, I began searching the palace for any hidden goodies Jabba had kept here. Hoping to find something good to tide me over, it was unlikely that we would be able to hit any of the caches until after our meeting with the Algrand Empire.

 Chapter 162

    Cleansing Tatooine of the Hutt Syndicate¡¯s presence, most of the liberated people accepted our aid and went to Coruscant for further processing. Giving those who chose to stay part of the treasure I looted from the palace; they graciously thanked us for freeing them before scurrying away into the back alleys of Mos Espa. Wishing them the best of luck, our forces retreated from the planet¡¯s surface and took a moment to plan our next move.


    ¡°While my instincts are telling me to go track down Jabba¡¯s hidden caches, I believe it is unwise as we are expecting a response from the Algrand Empire anytime now. We need to be underway the moment we receive the green light from them.¡±, I stated, clutching a sealed Citadel data disk I found in Jabba¡¯s office. ¡°With that in mind, I suggest we track down the loved ones of those we liberated at Fort Paragon. Thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, we have delayed reuniting them long enough. It is time we bring them back together again.¡±, Olivia agreed, with a happy smile.


    Nodding their heads in unanimous agreement, the others felt it was the best option as well. With the decision made, I tapped into the Force, seeking guidance on where we needed to go. Showing me a vision of an extremely overcrowded planet, presumably on the edge of Republic space, a few of the ships in the orbital docks bore the name of House Nichel.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ does the name House Nichel ring a bell?¡±, I asked, opening my eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, when it comes to politics, that is Satina¡¯s domain.¡±, Bo-Katan remarked with an apologetic smile. ¡°How about you, Ahsoka?¡±


    ¡°No, I have not heard of them either.¡±, Ahsoka admitted, picking up her tablet. ¡°Let me call Padm¨¦ and Satina. They should be able to point us in the right direction.¡±


    Calling Padm¨¦ first, the call rang twice before sending Ahsoka to voicemail. Assuming she was in a meeting or otherwise preoccupied, Ahsoka called Satina next. Answering before the first ring ended, the duchess greeted Ahsoka warmly before inquiring about the reason for the call. Explaining that we were trying to reunite liberated refugees with their families, Ahsoka asked if she had heard of House Nichel before.


    ¡°Yes, I know who House Nichel is. The former duke recently retired and named his second son as his replacement. Please tell me they are not involved in the slave trade¡­¡±, Satina gasped, speaking in a low voice, ¡°I heard rumors about why the eldest son had his birthright stripped from him, but I never imagined it was true.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Satina; that is not why we are calling you. We believe the refugee families we are searching for are in their territory. Can you point us in the right direction, please?¡±, Bo-Katan said, with an exhausted expression, ¡°Also, you really need to fix your habit of jumping to extreme conclusions with minimal information.¡±


    ¡°I will think about it, but no promises. As for where House Nichel is located, they control the Doirtullu System at the edge of Republic space.¡±, Satina answered, ¡°Say hello to the retired duke for me. He was a kind mentor to me during my early days as a senator.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡±, Bo-Katan promised, with a toothy grin, ¡°Oh, there was one other thing we needed to tell you. As I am sure you are aware, we got into a fight with the Hutt Syndicate and ended up purging Tatooine of their filth. In addition to killing Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt, our cleansing turned up a lot of information on their allies in the Jedi Order and Senate. The Jedi High Council, Padm¨¦, and you can look forward to a lengthy report from Victor about it soon.¡±


    Taking a moment to process what her younger sister said, as Satina began to speak again, Bo-Katan rudely ended the call. Laughing maniacally, the Mandalorian woman took great pleasure in leaving her poor sister hanging.


    ¡°Uh¡­ are you okay?¡±, Ahsoka asked, tucking her tablet back into her bag.


    ¡°Every time Satina asks me to say hello to a former colleague of hers, I always get roped into something troublesome. If that happens this time as well, you have my sincerest apologies, Victor.¡±, Bo-Katan said with a sigh, ¡°I dropped that bomb on her as retaliation for any trouble we experience. Since she is a goody-goody, as the first one aware of this information, she will make it her goal to see it through until the end. That means she will bury herself in paperwork and work longer hours in the Senate, thereby leaving me the fuck alone, HAHA!!!¡±


    ¡°You have some serious issues with your sister, don¡¯t you¡­¡±, Deirdre remarked, understanding her pain as her elder sister was troublesome at times too.


    Looking at her for a moment, Bo-Katan could see a familiar frustration in her eyes. Discovering she had a comrade in Deirdre, the Mandalorian put a hand on her shoulder and exhaustedly nodded her head. As the two began swapping horror stories about their childhood, Luxion began charting a course to the Doirtullu System. Watching how he plotted things out on the star chart, Ahsoka interjected herself when she noticed a flaw in this thinking.


    ¡°I apologize if I am overstepping here, but I recommend against jumping into the system directly. The region is plagued by pirates and raiders; if we abruptly show up on their doorstep without warning, the locals are going to lose it.¡±, Ahsoka remarked.


    <Even though we are registered as an official vessel of the Imperium of Man, do you still believe they will panic when we arrive? We have not worried about that in the past. What makes this situation unique?> (Luxion)


    ¡°The star system is jam-packed with refugees from three fallen nations who were overrun by the Chaos Warbands. If an unknown Imperium vessel suddenly appears on the spaceport authority¡¯s sensor arrays, what do you think will happen?¡±, Samus reminded him.


    <Ah, I had not taken those variables into consideration. Thank you for correcting me, updating the jump point to the outer edge of the star system.> (Luxion)


    Adjusting his calculations accordingly, Luxion sent the data to the city ship¡¯s computer. Firing up the Folding Drive, we rapidly relocated to our next destination.


    ---Doirtullu System, Algrand/Republic Border ---


    Just as Ahsoka and Samus had feared, our arrival sent the entire system into a frenzy. Believing that a lone Chaos vessel had somehow managed to reach them, dozens of antiquated military vessels departed Doirtullu on an intercept course with us. Hailing the ships and the local spaceport authority immediately, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan had to thoroughly explain things to them as they refused to listen to me. Showing them photos of the people we rescued, the Jedi Padawan inquired if they could help us reunite them with their families.


    ¡°We do not handle missing persons, thankfully.¡±, the traffic controller answered with an exhausted sigh. ¡°Speak with the former Duke Nichel; he might be able to point you in the right direction. Do not get your hopes up, though; last I heard, he has several stacks of missing persons reports over seven feet high.¡± S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Are you serious!?¡±, Samus gasped. ¡°I knew the situation out here was grim, but I did not realize it was that bad.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the information. Where would you like us to dock?¡±, I asked, following the military ships toward the orbital spaceport.


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, I am not sure.¡±, the traffic controller replied, looking at his option. ¡°Our spaceport was not designed to accept cityships or motherships, as they are extremely rare. Since you cannot moor with us, go ahead and put your ship in orbit over these coordinates. That will put you over Duke Nichel¡¯s residence; we will let him know to expect you.¡±


    Thanking him for his assistance, I moved the New Genesis into position before disconnecting from the call. Sending Ahsoka and Bo-Katan planetside to meet with the retired duke, the two women would contact us once they had details on how he wanted us to proceed. Teleporting a contingent of guards down with them, I got up from my seat and headed toward the lift.


    ¡°Where are you off to?¡± Angelica asked, glancing over her shoulder.


    ¡°There is something I need to check out from Jabba¡¯s palace. Let me know when we hear something from the ground team.¡±, I requested with a smile. ¡°Be back in a bit.¡±


    Leaving things at that, Luxion and I descended into the bowels of my cityship. Arriving at my private laboratory, the two of us stepped inside to find Bloodtide and UR-025 patiently waiting for us. Apologizing for the delay, I slotted the data disk into one of the computer terminals and attempted to access the encrypted information contained within.


    ¡°Hmm, none of my decryption algorithms are going to work for this. Dair, do you think you can brute force the encryption for me?¡±, I requested via a private channel.


    <Child¡¯s play, give me a few moments.> (Dair)


    <Remind me again, what exactly are you looking for on this data disk?> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°The paperwork I found this disk stashed away with suggests it contains highly classified information from the Human Galactic Empire. An Asari ambassador from the Citadel came to this region of space looking to warn us about something but ended up suffering the same fate as Rose and her fleet.¡±, I answered, watching Dair chip away at the encryption. ¡°If another major threat is headed our way, I want to know about it now.¡±


    Completing his work a minute later, I began rummaging through the decrypted data. Sifting through countless corrupted files and empty folders, eventually I found a folder with several accessible photo and video files. Clicking on one of the video files, a security feed from a Human Galactic Empire vessel popped up. Showing several dozen well-armed soldiers firing upon something off-screen, when they stopped to reload, a swarm of insectoids flooded into the room and began firing back. Watching them get overrun in seconds, the poor souls were torn apart and eaten alive.


    <Well, I¡¯ll be damned, they look really similar to the Tyranids, don¡¯t they?> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose they do¡­¡±, I agreed, noticing that as well. ¡°Let¡¯s check out the rest of the files here.¡±


    Finding more recordings and snapshots of attacks, the last video file was of an older man sitting beside a holographic screen. Unsure who he was, as the series I read never delved into the empire itself, I hit the play button, eager to see what they had to say.


    ¡°If you are seeing this video, it means the crew of our experimental interstellar vessel did not survive the use of its untested Folding Drive. While I am sure you will find our method crude and downright insane, please understand that our region of space is on the verge of collapse, and we were left with little other choice.¡±, He spoke with a conflicted look, ¡°The Human Galactic Empire and our neighboring allies are in desperate need of your assistance. Hopefully this message reaches our former allies from distant neighboring regions, but if it does not, please allow me to give you an overview of our grim situation¡­¡±


    Approximately six thousand years ago, skeleton-filled ghost ships began arriving across their region of space containing information about a dire threat heading their way. Taking the warnings seriously, the Human Galactic Empire and its allies began preparing for a long, drawn-out war with an enemy they had precious little intelligence about. In the centuries that followed, reports of planets being stripped bare of life and resources began slowly trickling in, suggesting that time was running out for the galactic nations. Deploying a large number of resources and soldiers to the frontlines, when the number of reports began to skyrocket, nothing could have prepared them for the hell they were sailing into.


    ¡°On Founder¡¯s Day, fifty-five hundred years ago, the allied forces encountered a large enemy fleet numbering over five million vessels on the outskirts of our regional space. Outnumbering the enemy force three to one, we pushed our advantage and engaged them in a grueling naval battle that lasted nearly ten weeks. Managing to wipe out the enemy fleet, at the cost of half of our own, the soldiers barely had time to celebrate their victory before a second wave arrived with double the number of ships.¡±, he said with a grim expression. ¡°Though we were evenly matched, our troops were totally exhausted and weary from the prior fight. Overwhelming us in a matter of days, a third host arrived soon afterward, joined up with the second group, and began a steady advance across the region.¡±


    Becoming visibly distraught at the mention of this, the man began to silently weep on screen for a few minutes. Clearly still a sensitive topic millennia later, I could not begin to imagine the heartache these people had gone through. Through tears, he said that they lost a third of the region before being able to halt the enemy¡¯s unyielding advance. In the chaos leading up to that point, countless worlds were abandoned, their populace left to fend for themselves, and trillions of refugees were used as bait to buy time for the defenders to adequately hunker down.


    ¡°After¡­ after sacrificing so many of our own to save the masses, the allied forces managed to draw the bugs into a stalemate, which we maintained for the next two thousand years. As our science and technology have progressively advanced, we slowly began retaking our ancestral territories, but here recently things began to change once again. The enemy has begun fielding technology we have never seen before, causing our casualty rate to soar.¡±, he remarked as the screen morphed into some of the tech in question. ¡°Up until this point, their usual tactics have been to use technology taken from those they have slain. Our scientists are certain the bugs are not undertaking research and development as they are all connected to a single entity we have dubbed the Hive Mind. As they lack the ability to perform R&D, that means they are collecting technology from elsewhere. With no answer to the firepower they are fielding now, we are being pushed back and are at risk of total collapse.¡±


    Shutting off his holographic screen, a string of characters suddenly appeared along the bottom of the video. Unsure what it was for exactly, Dair took control and began messing around with the corrupt files. Restoring their accessibility one by one, it appeared the empire had undertaken additional security measures to safeguard the critical data.


    ¡°This is our last-ditch effort to save ourselves from complete extinction, or at the very least, warn others of the impending threat looming on their horizon.¡±, he stated, bowing his head. ¡°I know you probably no longer remember who we are, as our Interstellar Gate has been offline for eons now, but please, help us! Our region has over seventeen octillion souls with nowhere to run. Outside our region, the next inhabitable galaxy is over five million light-years away from us. None of our current vessels can travel that distance in a timely manner, hence why we are risking everything on bleeding-edge technology. As prime minister of the Human Galactic Empire, I beseech you, help us before it is too late!¡±


    Ending his recording there, I leaned back in my chair and released a long sigh. Taking a second to process everything we had just been told, it appeared that my list of things to do had just grown significantly larger. Having hoped that once this region was stable, we could head out into the wider universe, my lifelong dream was rapidly slipping away from my grasp.


    ¡®No use crying over it; I am still getting to sail around the universe¡­ just not as much as I would like too.¡¯, I thought, looking at UR-025. ¡°Can you please do me a favor and put some feelers out for additional information regarding this subject? Utilizing these star charts, I will send a team out to contact the Human Galactic Empire. My fear is that Bloodtide¡¯s comment is correct, and this region is the reason they are on the verge of collapsing.¡±


    <I do not mind, but it is unlikely that I will find anything. As the human stated, they are very far removed from this region of space.> (UR-025)


    ¡°Be that as it may, I want to ensure no one has been sitting on this information. If they have, I will personally bury my foot in their ass because this is ruining my plans!¡±, I grumbled, leaning on my right arm, ¡°Luxion, please have a team prepare to head out from the main base. They are entering a potentially hostile environment, so use the utmost caution.¡±


    <Relaying the data and orders now, Master.> (Luxion)


    Opening the repaired star charts, I began searching for names of nations located in the region when Deirdre called me. Informing me that authorization had been given to use the old terrestrial spaceport, Ahsoka relayed the coordinates to us and said they would meet us there. Acknowledging her transmission, we picked up the liberated slaves and made our way to the hangar where a shuttle pod was waiting for us.

 Chapter 163

    Descending upon Doirtullu, I engaged the sensor-array to help guide us in as the surface was obscured by a thick layer of dust and pollution. Clinging to their harnesses for dear life, as visibility dropped to five feet upon entering the layer, the brother sister duo hesitantly asked if we were going to make. Looking back at them and the rest of the refugees, Samus nodded her head with a big smile.


    ¡°Victor is one of the best pilots in the history of the Bounty Hunter Association. There is nothing to be worried about.¡±, Samus assured them, ¡®It pains me to say it, but he is an even better pilot than me. Eventually I will have to ask him who his teacher was because this cannot stand.¡¯


    ¡°Is that true, Mister Victor?¡±, the young boy inquired with amazement, ¡°That is so cool!¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes, it is true. I flawlessly passed the trial exam, so they made me Platinum Rank when I signed up.¡±, I chuckled, much to the annoyance of my comrades and wives.


    ¡°Rub it in why don¡¯t you¡­¡±, Samus grumbled, with a smirk, ¡°Most people are not born with unfathomable talent like you. We have to bust our ass and struggle hard to achieve that ranking.¡±


    ¡°Some of us have yet to earn it too¡­¡±, Deirdre complained, lightly kicking the back of my seat, ¡°You need to make some time to give us a few lessons. When we return home, I want to get back out there and hunt more pirates!¡±


    Agreeing to her request, I promised to make time after my duel with Liam to give everyone a few lessons. Satisfied with my reply, Deirdre began asking Samus about her rise to Platinum Rank hoping to glean a few tricks to help her ascension. Reminiscing about her early days in the association, a harrowing pattern of reckless abandonment became blaringly apparent. Believing that she had to put in two to three times the effort to keep up with her male colleagues, Samus accepted the most dangerous jobs solo hoping to make a name for herself amongst her peers.


    Halfheartedly listening to her retelling, the view outside slowly began to change. Catching glimpse of flickering lights and rundown structures, when we finally broke through their opaque layer, I had to do a double take as it looked like we were on Vigilus. Barely able to make out any roadways, the ground was covered in shanty shacks and mountains of trash.


    ¡°All these poor people¡­¡±, Olivia said, noticing hundreds of funeral pyres off in the distance, ¡°Why is the Algrand Empire dragging their feet on letting people in?¡±


    ¡°They are trying to prevent a repeat of what happened to the Republic when they opened their borders to the refugees from the three collapsed nations. Since they did not have time to vet anyone as they were letting them in, criminal activity across the nation skyrocketed by over five hundred percent.¡±, Samus said, repeating what she had heard through the grapevine, ¡°Larger organizations continue to operate without much of a change, but the smaller groups have been an ever-increasing headache. Their bloody struggles over resources and territory are leaving millions of people dead every day across the Republic.¡±


    ¡°How about we switch to a more lighthearted subject?¡±, I recommended, noticing the gloomy expressions creeping onto the refugees¡¯ faces, ¡®I guarantee some of them are revaluating if their loved ones are worth the peace and stability they have enjoyed with us.¡¯


    Noticing the change in their demeanor as well, the women attempted to restart the prior conversation but end up quickly falling silent.


    ---Twenty Minutes Later---


    Waiting for the ground team to arrive before disembarking, the moment I opened the rear doors, people began rushing outside to find their family and friends. Following them to distribute the funds I pilfered at Fort Paragon, every refugee present deeply bowed their heads to me. Trembling with joy and relief, they expressed their immense happiness to the best of their ability. Stepping to the front of the group, the parents of the two children approached me clutching their children.


    ¡°Words cannot begin to describe how grateful we are to all of you for saving our children. When the Orions took them from us¡­ we¡­ we honestly assumed they were gone forever.¡±, the father said, choking on his words, ¡°As a father¡­ it¡­ it pains me that I was unable to protect my family. I¡­ I know that there was nothing I could do, but¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°As you said, there is nothing you could have done to save them. Do not let the pain of what happen continue to haunt you for the rest of your days. Your family is whole again, that is the only thing that matters.¡±, I stated, placing a hand on his shoulder, ¡°You have raised two wonderful children, especially the brave young man here. In the face of danger, he stood fast and protected his sister to the best of his ability.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±, his mother responded, holding her son tighter.


    Sheepishly nodding his head, the young boy admitted he was only did what his parents had told him to do. Overcome by emotion, they pulled their children into a hug and began violently sobbing. Giving them a few minutes to let it all out, I handed each family unit a pre-loaded card worth twenty million credits each.


    ¡°Consider this as compensations from the Orions for splitting everyone up.¡±, I stated, forcing the cards into their hands, ¡°Use the money to carve out a life here in the Republic, or anywhere else you want to go. It is yours to do with as you see fit.¡±


    Nervously tucking the cards into their pockets, the refugees bow their heads one last time to thank me for the gift. Watching the crowd slowly begin to dissipate, as people wandered off to begin planning their next steps, eventually only the two children and their parents remained. Asking their parents to let them down, the two children ran up to us and began giving everyone a hug.


    ¡°Thank you for clothing and feeding us.¡±, the boy said, squeezing Mylene tightly.


    ¡°The food was super duper yummy!!¡±, the girl giggled, wrapping her little arms around Serana¡¯s neck.


    Once they were done saying goodbye, the family of four returned to the city and disappeared from our sight. Happy that we were able to reunite everyone, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and Olivia turned to me with a longing expression. Having served as the children¡¯s primary caregivers during our time with them, they wanted to make it abundantly clear they wanted their own now. Acknowledging their heartfelt desire, I assured them I had no qualms with fulfilling that request with a flirtatious smile.


    ¡°While those two were adorable, our children will be even more so.¡±, I chuckled, looking at Lucoa and Mylene, ¡°Right ladies?¡±


    ¡°Well of course, they will be our children after all!¡±, Deirdre interjected, her posh laughter echoing through the vicinity, ¡°That said though, my children will be the cutest of all your offspring. Out of everyone in the harem, I am the most attractive after all.¡±


    ¡°Victor, I think the air is messing with her head. Do you need me to cut her head open, and do a thorough examination?¡±, Serana questioned, grinning playfully as she said it.


    ¡°I am sorry to tell you this, Serana, but Deirdre has been like this since the day she was born. No amount of magic or surgery is going to fix her head.¡±, Clarice chimed in, playing along with her, ¡°She is unable to see the truth right before her eyes as her head is always in the clouds. We have tried to bring her back to reality, but she refuses to see the facts for what they are. Deirdre is just a plain jane compared to the rest of us.¡±


    Turning to them with her mouth agape, the former countess could not believe what she was hearing. Unable to ascertain if they were joking or being serious, she began fuming with anger.


    ¡°I was just joking around, I did not actually mean it!¡±, Deirdre huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance, ¡°No need to get your panties in a bunch.¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, Deirdre. They are just having some fun with you at your expense.¡±, Mylene giggled, latching onto my right arm, ¡°Anyways, I am the clear victor in the genetics department here. I get mistaken for a younger woman all the time, and I am almost forty.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, if that is all it takes, then I have all of you beaten.¡±, Lucoa stated, resting her hands on her chest, ¡°Actually, I have you beaten in two ways.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Size is not always better than quality!¡±, Mylene refuted, having forgotten Lucoa was significantly older than her.


    ¡°Actually, if we are talking about age strictly, I am the oldest one here.¡±, Serana spoke, but no one besides me heard her.


    Watching the sparks fly between Lucoa and Mylene, the two press their cleavage together completely forgetting where we were right now. Looking at the two of them while maintaining a stoneface expression, I took a second to admire the view. Deciding to add a bit more fuel to this fire, just because she could, Samus stepped up grinning like a fiend.


    ¡°Since I was an unofficial wife for a bit, I feel it is only right that I toss my hat in the ring.¡±, Samus stated, trying hard not to break out into laughter, ¡°I- ¡°


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t, only his real wives get to participate in this debate. We are the ones that have ACTUALLY slept with him, you were just a convenient cover.¡±, Mylene snapped, shutting her down immediately.


    ¡°Wait, that would mean that Ionica and I are in the same boat as them¡­¡±, Amallyn pointed out.


    ¡°Well you can remedy that anytime you want.¡±, Lucoa reminded them.


    Upon hearing that, steam began to erupt from Amallyn and Ionica¡¯s ears. While we were officially a couple, they were still hesitant about crossing that line which I was fine with. I was in no rush to push them into something they were not yet ready for, especially when my wives and our new traveling companions were so eager to take care of my needs.


    ¡°I hate to interrupt but now is not the best time to discuss your private lives.¡±, Bo-Katan remarked, with an embarrassed expression, ¡°There are some people here to speak with us.¡±


    Turning our heads to look in her direction, a group of five exhausted officials were standing there silently with flushed expressions. Immediately stopping what they were doing, Lucoa and Mylene rushed behind me to vent their embarrassment. Apologizing to the men for making them sit through that, they assured us it was fine.


    ¡°It is rare to see a nobleman¡¯s harem get along so well. Most are a bunch of cutthroats looking to secure the top spot in the group.¡±, a feeble old man stated, stepping forward, ¡°Lord Stark, I wanted to personally come here to welcome you to Doirtullu. My name is Vol Nirchel of House Nirchel. My family has overseen this world for the past seven hundred years or so.¡±


    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, Lord Nirchel?¡±, I inquired, stealthily using magic to sneak a peek at his health status, ¡®It would appear he is has a minor case of starvation. Unlike many planetary governors I have come across, he is not living the high life while his people suffer.¡¯


    ¡°Forgive my rudeness but is there any way you would be willing to provide us with food and medical supplies?¡±, Nirchel questioned, bowing his head before me, ¡°As your wife has already told you, it has been four months since our last resupply and our population has exploded since then. If supplies do not reach us soon, in two weeks what little we have left will completely run out.¡±


    If this were the Imperium of Man I would render assistance without a second thought, but this was the Galactic Republic. Even though I was a Jedi Sage, that information was not known publicly so I could not leverage it here. As far as anyone knew, I was a foreign noblemen from the Imperium. Offering aid to a Republic World could potentially be seen as me trying to insight a civil war by more extremist Senators. Wanting to ensure my bases were covered before committing to anything, I looked at Bo-Katan for her input.


    ¡°If you are able and willing to help, Padme and Satina have already secured approval from the Senate for you to do so.¡±, Bo-Katan stated, with an exhausted look, ¡°The Senate will hold an emergency meeting to discuss potential options to help alleviate the issues plaguing the border region.¡±


    ¡°I take it there is more to the story?¡±, I inquired.


    ¡°Right now, the most popular idea is to ask the Algrand Empire for military assistance. Since we are stretched thin, this option makes the most sense and should help strengthen relations between our countries. If it does pass, since I am Satina¡¯s sister, the Senate intends to name me as a temporary ambassador to secure a deal for nation.¡±, Bo-Katan elaborated, dread clearly painted on her face, ¡®Damn you Satina, you know I have never been one for politics! Why would you make such a stupid suggestion? Ahsoka has undergone the necessary diplomatic training, she could have been the fucking ambassador. Now I am saddled with this heavy burden, and it is stressing me out.¡¯


    Assuring her I would do my utmost to assist her, I turned to the former duke and gave him my answer.


    ¡°We can provide you with six months of supplies, but that it all I can do.¡±, I replied, ¡®I could offer them substantially more, but that would make them a significant target for pirates and raiders. It is better to get them by for now and convince Liam to eliminate the threats over here. Since he considers criminals like them piggybanks, it should be relatively easy to convince him to help.¡¯


    ¡°Six months!?¡±, Nichel gasped, falling to his knees in shock, ¡°Lord Stark, thank you for your generous assistance. I assure you; we will ensure the supplies are shared equally with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Where would you like us to drop off the supplies?¡±, I asked, wanting to offload the supplies immediately.


    ¡°Please follow me, we will take you to one of our warehouses.¡±, Nichel said, motioning for everyone to follow.


    Quickly rising to his feet, Nichel and his subordinates headed away from the port toward one of the adjacent roadways. Following close behind them, I leaned over and Bo-Katan what was going on here. Last I was told, we had dropped the couple¡¯s fa?ade yet here she was using it yet again.


    ¡°Is this your way of stealthily telling me what you want?¡±, I inquired with a toothy smile, ¡°You could have just told me directly. No need to beat around the bush.¡±


    ¡°It was convenient and quick, bite me.¡±, Bo-Katan retorted, looking away from me.


    ¡°I do not mind, if that is what you want.¡±, I said, putting the screws to her.


    ¡°That¡­ I¡­ shut up!¡±, Bo-Katan huffed, knowing what I was insinuating, ¡®At least take me on a proper date first¡­ jerk¡­¡¯


    Chuckling to myself, we continued down the packed street until we eventually came across a massive, barren warehouse. Asking me to have the supplies delivered here, Nichel started to ask when the supplies would begin arriving when I retrieved the supplies from within my inventory. Nearly falling over in shock as hundreds of thousands of large shipping containers appeared out of thin air, he hesitantly looked at me for a moment before investigating the containers for himself. Showing them how to properly open them, as they could be repurposed as shelters after they were emptied, the men looked upon the supplies with joy and relief.


    ¡°Thank you again for this generous donation, Lord Stark. We will begin inventorying the supplies immediate and route them to where they are needed most.¡±, Nichel remarked, shaking my hand vigorously.


    ¡°We are happy to have been of assistance to the refugees and your people.¡±, I responded, turning to leave, ¡°Please rest assured we will do our utmost to secure aid from the Algrand Empire.¡±


    ¡°All of us will pray they agree to help.¡±, Nichel stated, ¡°Safe travels, Lord Stark!¡±


    Taking the shuttle pod back up to the New Genesis, a notification popped up on my HUD as we pulled into the hanger. Receiving the approval we had been waiting for from the Empire, as soon as I was back on the bridge, I began charting our course to their capital world.

 Chapter 164

    ---3rd Person POV, Planet Deviluke ---


    ¡°Father, Mother, I have found myself a husband!!¡±, Lala proclaimed, barging into the throne room enthusiastically, ¡°We need to set up a marriage interview immediately before it is too late. Send an envoy to the Imperium of Man immediately, please!¡±


    Startled by her abrupt entry, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Realizing that it was Princess Lala, the various ministers excused themselves to give them some privacy. Waiting for the room to be cleared, Gid and Sephie turned to their daughter with a very confused expression. Recalling that her marriage interview was with a nobleman from the southern Galactic Republic, they were curious how she encountered someone from the Imperium of Man, a nation known for its isolationist tendencies.


    ¡°While I am elated to hear that you have found a suitable partner, how about we start with a name first.¡±, Gid chuckled, ¡°Also, what became of the marriage interview we arranged for you?¡±


    ¡°We did not make it, so we instead dug into my future husband¡¯s background.¡±, Lala answered, brimming with excitement. ¡°His name is Victor von Stark, and he is just as smart, if not smarter, than me!¡±


    ¡°I see, and where exactly did you meet him?¡±, Gid asked, wanting further details about this stranger.


    ¡°Aboard the Artemis Space Station, he and I had a brief discussion about one of my inventions.¡±, Lala replied, leaving out crucial details to avoid another scolding.


    ¡°Lala dear, the Artemis Space Station was not one of the predetermined stops along the route your father charted for you.¡±, Sephie remarked with a scary smile. ¡°Please tell us exactly why you strayed off course.¡±


    Attempting to change the subject to setting up the marriage interview, neither of her parents was letting her off the hook that easily. Before they could begin drilling her harder for an explanation, Zastin stumbled into the room, panting heavily from chasing after his charge. Taking a moment to compose himself, the knight knelt before the royal family and announced their return.


    ¡°Ah, Zastin, you arrived at the perfect time!¡±, Sephie said, giving the knight a friendly smile. ¡°Can you please explain to us how your ship ended up at the Artemis Space Station?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Queen Sephie!¡±, Zastin acknowledged, ¡°The whole ordeal started when Lala-sama escaped from the ship¡­¡±


    Giving her parents a detailed report on Lala¡¯s accidental rampage aboard the space station, they nervously accepted the final bill from Zastin. Hesitantly looking at the total printed at the bottom, Gid fell from his seat in utter shock. Having grown accustomed to paying off his daughter¡¯s destructive escapades, especially when he and Sephie had begun searching for suitable husbands for them, this bill was by far the highest he had seen yet. Reading over the list of damages they were requesting payment for, he understood they were nearly at the point of no return now.


    ¡®This is the eighth incident my daughters have caused in allied nations this year. At this point, some of them are bound to think we are doing this on purpose to soften them up for an invasion. If we are not careful, I am going to get sucked into another awful war that I want no part of.¡¯, Gid thought, releasing a long, frustrated sigh, ¡°Lala, I am grounding you for the next month for this incident. You will be confined to your room and forbidden from tinkering with your gadgets during that time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright¡­¡±, Lala sighed, accepting her punishment reluctantly, ¡®I will use the time to hone my feminine charms, just like Mother told me!¡¯


    ¡°Moving on, what were you able to uncover about Victor von Stark?¡±, Sephie asked them.


    ¡°Unfortunately, our intelligence network was only able to collect a bit of intelligence on Lord Stark. He has done an immaculate job keeping information about his family and himself hidden.¡±, Zastin commented, accessing the report on his wrist-mounted computer, ¡°To start with, Lord Stark¡¯s native homeland is a galactic nation called the Holfort Kingdom. He holds the title of duke in his country and currently presides over approximately a third of the nation¡¯s territory. Outside of that, he holds the positions of Jedi Sage in the Republic, a Platinum Rank in the Bounty Hunters Association, and Primarch in the Imperium of Man.¡±


    ¡°I have not heard of the Holfort Kingdom or the title of Primarch before.¡±, Gid responded, rubbing his chin as he searched his memory in more depth.


    ¡°That is to be expected, Your Majesty. The Holfort Kingdom is approximately twelve galaxies away from us; it is located next to the Human Galactic Empire.¡±, Zastin clarified, ¡°As for the title of Primarch, it is roughly equivalent to a prince.¡±


    Elated that Victor was qualified to marry his daughter, Gid was seconds away from giving his approval when Sephie stepped in to stop him. Understanding her husband¡¯s desire to be free from the burdens of leadership, she refused to hand her daughter over to someone with such a mysterious background. Moreover, since Victor had ties to the xenophobic Imperium, a marriage to him could incite panic amongst their allies and people.


    ¡°Dear, we need to be conscious of the potential backlash the arrangement would create. The Imperium of Man is extremely xenophobic; a marriage to them could cause us more harm than good.¡±, Sephie reminded her husband, ¡°Lala, are you certain you want to marry a man like that? As your mother, all I want is for you to be happy and safe.¡±


    ¡°I know, mother!¡±, Lala replied, with a big smile, ¡°Victor is definitely not xenophobic; he has several xenos in his harem. All his wives are super-duper cool and strong!¡±


    ¡°He has a harem¡­¡±, Sephie remarked, with a sigh, ¡°Tell me more about these women, please.¡±


    Before Lala had a chance to begin speaking, Zastin hesitantly interjected himself into the conversation. Requesting a private audience with the king, he informed everyone that he had some disturbing information to share with him. Insisting that it had nothing to do with Lord Stark, it was simply something he came across during their investigation. Piquing their interest, Lala and Sephie refused to leave the room as they wanted to hear whatever he had to say.


    ¡°Anything you have to say to me can be shared with my family.¡±, Gid remarked, with a suspicious look.


    ¡°My King, you once told me to always act in the best interests of your family. Please trust me when I say that this topic is extremely sensitive and potentially disturbing for Queen Sephie.¡±, Zastin answered, looking his king dead in the eyes.


    Realizing that Zastin had something big to share with him, Gid agreed to his request. Sending his wife and daughter to his study, they waited for the door to close before speaking again.


    ¡°What is the topic of this discussion, Zastin?¡±, Gid asked, leaning back into his seat.


    ¡°As I was looking into the Holfort Kingdom and the Human Galactic Empire, I came across some disturbing footage regarding the Tyranids.¡±, Zastin replied, pulling up the recording they retrieved from the Bounty Hunter Association¡¯s servers. ¡°Given the queen¡¯s harrowing encounter with them in the past, I felt it was best if she did not hear or see this.¡±


    Having lost her homeworld and parents to the Tyranids, Sephie had many deep mental scars from the horrors she bore witness to. Grateful to Zastin for thinking about the well-being of his wife, he motioned for him to play the video. Nervously hitting the play button, the security camera footage projected itself into the air for them to watch.


    ¡°Dear lord¡­ those are¡­ they cannot be!¡±, Gid shouted, rising from his chair.


    Watching a group of heavily armed humans battling against a host of human-sized Tyranids, Gid¡¯s blood ran cold. Unlike the primitive creatures he was accustomed to seeing, these creatures were coordinated like a proper military force, spoke like ordinary people, and utilized actual weapons. Quickly overwhelming the humans with sheer numbers, they began to devour them while the poor souls were still alive. Listening to their agonizing screams, Gid told him to stop the recording immediately.


    ¡°Here I thought those bugs could not get any worse.¡±, Gid said in a cold tone. ¡°It is true then; we really have been fighting their scouts up till now. Why the hell has the association been sitting on this information?!¡±


    ¡°No idea; if I had to guess, it is because they cannot validate the information. Their region¡¯s Interstellar Gate has been offline for many millennia now; without it, it would take several thousand years to receive a response.¡±, Zastin answered.


    ¡°Wait, then how did Victor reach the Galactic Republic?¡±, Gid asked, with a curious look. ¡°Does the Holfort Kingdom have something its neighbors do not?¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark fields a plethora of technology that surpasses anything we have in this region of space. He possesses functional Blink and Folding drives, weapons that can annihilate planets in seconds, and can reverse engineer most technology in a matter of days.¡±, Zastin stated, ¡°I can assure you that while he holds the title of the Primarch in the Imperium of Man, he does not share their same views. He is a kindhearted man who went out of his way to help the victims of the princess¡¯ destructive machine. In fact, he is the reason that bill was not significantly higher.¡±


    Nodding his head, Gid glanced over at the door to his private study. Understanding his wife¡¯s hesitation in marrying Lala to someone from the Imperium, he knew full well that his daughter would never pursue a cruel, wicked man. While they had spoiled her greatly, they had also instilled within her a powerful sense of right and wrong. Gid was certain that Victor was a good man; all that was left to do was convince Sephie of that fact.


    ¡°Send an envoy to the Imperium of Man requesting an audience with Victor.¡±, Gid commanded, ¡°The only way this marriage will work out is if Sephie comes around.¡±


    ¡°And Victor as well.¡±, Zastin added, ¡°He seemed acutely aware of Lala-sama¡¯s past antics and made it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with her.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±, Gid said, with a big grin, ¡°And he knew she was a princess of the Devilukean Empire?¡±


    ¡°He addressed her as such when they first met.¡±, Zastin confirmed.


    ¡°Well now, he has piqued my interest too.¡±, Gid chuckled, ¡®It is rare to find a man that would turn down power and wealth. If he truly meant that, he might be my perfect replacement!¡¯


    Having Zastin follow him, the two men headed off to find the Minister of War. With a bloody war on the horizon, they and their allies needed to prepare for the storm headed their way.


    ---Algrand Empire--- sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Summoning the most prominent of his nation¡¯s noblemen to the capital, the Emperor informed them that a representative from the Imperium of Man would be paying their nation a visit in a few days. Uncertain why their leader had agreed to such a thing, given that the Imperium was a backwater galactic nation, a few nobles inquired if there was something to be gained from it.


    ¡°The representative they are sending is not a native of this region of space; he is from a nation called the Holfort Kingdom. Unlike the Imperium, his homeland is far more advanced than we are.¡±, the Emperor proclaimed, having carefully weighed the benefits of this meeting already. ¡°The Holfort Kingdom has functional Blink and Folding Drives, magical powers that rival our own, and weapons capable of decimating entire solar systems with a press of a button. I agreed to this meeting not for the Imperium of Man, but to establish relations with the Holfort Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, Duke Banfield, the representative, has asked to speak with you privately after his meeting with the Emperor has concluded.¡±, the Prime Minister said, looking at Liam with a worried expression. ¡°For the sake of the empire¡¯s future, please refrain from your usual antics.¡±


    ¡°If I may, who is this person exactly?¡±, Liam asked, wanting further details.


    Sharing with the nobles what little information their intelligence network had confirmed, they were quite surprised to learn how well connected he was. Possessing the highest rank in a well-respected, intergalactic organization and solid connections to two galactic nations in their region, he was absolutely someone they needed to ally with. Failure to do so could lead to them being left behind while their neighbors flourished with technological aid from distant parts of the universe.


    ¡°I understand; I will do my utmost to ensure I leave a favorable impression on him.¡±, Liam swore, expertly hiding a fiendish smile. ¡®Hehe, the prince of a highly xenophobic nation wants to meet with me specifically. He must have heard about my dastardly deeds here in the empire and wants to swap shop with me! I will show just how evil I really am!¡¯


    Commanding his subjects to be ready to receive their guest in two days¡¯ time, he dismissed them so they could begin their preparations. Exiting the throne room with his wife, Rose Sera Banfield, and his AI maid Amagi, Liam waited until they were in their hovercar before speaking.


    ¡°Amagi, please make the necessary preparations to receive the representative.¡±, Liam requested.


    <Of course.> (Amagi)


    ¡°Liam, do you have any idea why he wants to meet with you?¡±, Rosetta inquired.


    ¡°No idea, but we can do some digging into figuring out why.¡±, Liam remarked, wanting to keep them in the dark. ¡®Feinting ignorance can be troublesome sometimes, but if I can gain another villainous colleague, it is worth it!¡¯


    Wanting to pull out all the stops to show off for his potential ally, Liam asked Amagi to pull out all the stops for this meeting. Promising to do her utmost to fulfill his request, the maid switched to discussing some issues that their two children had been causing.

 Chapter 165

    ---Two Days Later, Victor POV ---


    Arriving at the Algrand Royal Palace a short time before our scheduled meeting, one of the palace maids came out to receive us. Greeting everyone with a friendly smile, she led us into the courtyard, where she asked me to temporarily dismiss our guards. Giving me every assurance that the castle guard would see to our safety during our time here, the Helldivers began snickering at her words.


    ¡°Forgive me, but did I say something amusing?¡±, the maid inquired, a bit miffed by their reactions.


    ¡°With all due respect, ma¡¯am, Lord Stark is more than capable of protecting his family without our aid. We are simply a deterrent to stop fools from testing his patience.¡±, one of the soldiers answered, taking up positions near the gate. ¡°Just know that our lord puts the safety and well-being of his family above all else. If he perceives even the slightest threat or slight against them¡­ there is no one here that is going to stop him from putting them down.¡±


    Having seen many lie about themselves to improve their standing within the nobility and royal court, the seasoned maid understood that those were no empty words. Anyone with eyes could see I was a very real threat to most people, even without a weapon in my hands. Hesitantly thanking him for the warning, she turned back to the castle and asked us to continue following her.


    Stepping into the foyer, we came upon an appalling statue positioned in the center of the space. A gruesome amalgamation of over thirty individual people, every single one of them wore a tormented expression on their face. Uncertain why something so disgusting was on display in the royal palace, Olivia and Serana approached it warily.


    ¡°I am interested to know just who carved such a wretched thing. They were either really messed up in the head or were on some potent drugs.¡±, Serana commented, before detecting a minute magic signature within the rock, ¡°Hang on a minute¡­ are these actual people?!¡±


    ¡°We get comments like that all the time. Many people are disturbed by it, and that is exactly what it was intended to do.¡±, the maid admitted with a stone-faced expression. ¡°As you correctly pointed out, it was not chiseled by an artist but made with the use of petrification magic. Just over two thousand years ago, several prominent noble families staged a coup to usurp power from the expansionistic royal family and their supporters. The conflict lasted a grueling ten years, but the moderate faction eventually won out and seized control of the nation. Instating a new, more sensible emperor, the moderate faction turned the surviving royals and their followers to several different statues.¡±


    ¡°I completely understand their desire to have peaceful lives, but petrification is a bit extreme. These people will never know peace until the curse is lifted.¡±, Olivia remarked, looking upon the people with pity, ¡°Two thousand years is quite a long time. Has no one considered putting an end to their misery?¡±


    ¡°Forgive my rudeness, but you have no idea what you are talking about.¡±, the maid spoke with a slightly enraged tone. ¡°Trillions of innocent lives were lost to disease, famine, and the constant war effort. Instead of prioritizing the well-being of their subjects, the former royal family chose to fulfill their own selfish goals. Do you truly believe that people like that deserve mercy?¡±


    While the people who lived through it had every right to seek retribution from the royal family, none of those people were still among the living anymore. When the last of them passed on, the current royal family should have had them executed to settle the matter. Instead of showing them mercy, they turned them into artwork for others to berate and gawk at.


    ¡°My apologies¡­ I did not know.¡±, Olivia said, backtracking to avoid causing trouble.


    ¡°No, I should be the one apologizing. As a foreigner, you cannot be expected to know every detail about our nation¡¯s history.¡±, the maid responded, glancing at her wristwatch, ¡°We should get moving again; it is almost time for your scheduled meeting with the emperor.¡±


    Immediately departing from the foyer, we proceeded down an adjoining hallway decorated with portraits of past emperors. Arriving at an ornately decorated steel door three minutes later, the maid handed us over to the royal guard before excusing herself. Returning to her normal duties, the guards asked us to wait here until we were summoned into the throne room.


    ¡°Introducing Primarch Victor von Stark of the Imperium of Man and his family!¡±, the royal usher announced as the doors began to open, ¡°Please enter and be recognized by His Majesty Emperor Heraclius Barbieri the Third!¡±


    Striding into the room, the nobility and servants fell silent as a great pressure bore down upon them. Keeping my eyes fixed on their emperor, beads of sweat began running down his face as his survival instincts kicked into overdrive. Even though I was doing my best to subdue my intense presence, it was apparently still too much for the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Welcome to the Algrand Empire, Lord Stark¡­¡±, Barbieri nervously said, patting the sweat from his face with a handkerchief, ¡°It is an honor and privilege to meet the hero of the Galactic Republic and Imperium of Man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the warm reception, Emperor Barbieri. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me today.¡±, I replied, observing his movements closely.


    ¡°In your formal missive, you expressed an interest in establishing diplomatic and trade relations with our nation. May I inquire why the Imperium of Man has suddenly taken an interest in international relations?¡±, Barbieri inquired, fully aware of the Imperium¡¯s isolationist stance over the past twenty-two thousand years.


    ¡°They are making changes to their national policies after I shared with them disturbing information about the Tyranid threat this region has been facing. Up till this point, your people have only been engaging in fights with their advanced forces. Their main force is still locked in a bloody struggle in our region of the universe.¡±, I answered, having only come up with this explanation a few days ago.


    Shifting in his seat uncomfortably, the emperor turned to the prime minister for his input. Stepping forward, the older man inquired if I had proof to support my claim. Informing me that a group of Asari representatives from the Citadel were supposed to have spoken with them about this subject a month ago, they unfortunately never showed up to their meeting. Realizing that Jabba had almost inadvertently doomed this region of space, I regretted not making him suffer more.


    ¡°The Republic is currently out looking for them now; they were unfortunately captured by the Hutt and Orion Syndicates en route to your meeting. When I launched an invasion of Tatooine, we discovered several items belonging to the Asari ambassador in Jabba¡¯s possession.¡±, I explained, retrieving documents meant for the empire, ¡°Here is what they intended to provide you with.¡±


    ¡°So that is what happened; we will notify the Citadel of this development. Our nation has a long-standing relationship with the Citadel; hopefully, it will be enough to prevent an armed conflict.¡±, the prime minister remarked, receiving the documents from me.


    ¡°As for my proof, I have a dead corpse and several videos to share with you,¡± I said, ¡°May I?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±, the prime minister confirmed, motioning for the guards to be at the ready. ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    Retrieving the artificial body that Luxion created for today from my inventory, the throne room went into a meltdown as they gazed upon the grotesque creature. Standing at a full six feet tall, the mutant praying mantis creature looked every bit as horrifying as the actual ones in the videos. Playing the security footage for everyone to see, a few women let out terrified screams while the emperor fainted on his throne. Even the guards, who were meant to protect everyone here, turned tail and fled the scene.


    ¡°We¡­ We will have order in the throne room!¡±, the prime minister shouted, trembling with fear as he attempted to take control of the situation. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Drowning out the prime minister¡¯s words with their own, many noblemen began arguing over how the empire should best prepare for this threat. Watching the arguing devolve into brawls, I looked at the prime minister, wondering how he intended to regain control. Regaining a bit of his composure, he made several attempts to stop them by merely shouting at them, but we were well past that being a viable option. Since the emperor was out cold and the prime minister was incapable of doing anything, I stepped in to silence the mob.


    ¡°Enough of this! You are all leaders of the Algrand Empire; act like it!¡±, I roared, slamming my foot into the floor, causing the immediate vicinity to violently shake. ¡°The Algrand Empire, Galactic Republic, Imperium of Man, and other neighboring galactic nations have plenty of time to prepare for this threat. Do not allow yourselves to be swallowed up by doubt and fear! Begin stockpiling vital resources now, form a united front with your galactic neighbors, and prepare yourselves for a bloody war.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark is right; we cannot afford to let our emotions run rampant. Whether we like it or not, these monstrosities are coming toward us.¡±, Liam agreed, rising from his seat amongst his fellow noblemen, ¡°As one of the strongest nations in this region of space, our intergalactic peers will look to us for guidance and leadership during this turbulent time. Stop acting like children; show the same bravery our ancestors did two thousand years ago when they risked it all to overthrow the tyrannical imperial family. We must form a plan of action to resolve this matter and begin executing it immediately. Who is with me!?¡±


    Loudly applauding his words, Liam¡¯s allies stood up and voiced their agreement as well. Giving the self-proclaimed evil nobleman a respectful nod, he stepped out from his colleagues to address me formally.


    ¡°Lord Stark, what information can you share with us about the bugs?¡±, Liam asked. ¡°As someone who has fought them personally, you are the most well-informed out of everyone here.¡±


    ¡®Haha¡­ everyone here knows just about as much as I do. My forces are unable to jump directly there right now, probably due to the residual aftereffects of the experimental Folding Drives. As for using the Force to have a look, I cannot establish a connection to the region for some reason. With all that in mind, for the foreseeable future, I can only work with what little information I have from the series I read.¡¯, I thought, taking a moment to collect my thoughts, ¡°Of course, allow me to share everything I know with you and what current measures we are using to stall their advance.¡±


    Giving the Algrand nobles a detailed explanation of everything I knew, I then provided them with copies of the security footage and star charts of the region. While most nobles were satisfied with what was provided, Liam¡¯s maid continued to stare at me. Unlike the humans here, the AI was able to ascertain there was more to the story than what I was sharing. Asking Liam to speak on his behalf, he readily agreed without a second thought.


    ¡°While the information you have provided is more than sufficient to begin preparations for our defenses, it does not explain how the Tyranids reached us already. Presumably the Tyranids you are fighting possess only Warp Drives, which means any force that bypassed your defenses should only now be arriving in the Citadel¡¯s region.¡±, Amagi remarked. ¡°How did they cover such a large distance in only a few thousand years?¡±


    ¡°I have a hypothesis about that, but all the evidence I have thus far is circumstantial at best.¡±, I answered, giving the most likely reason to explain it, ¡°There is an ancient race of xenos in the Imperium of Man¡¯s territory called the Necrons who may have inadvertently brought them here. In the aftermath of a great war sixty million years ago, their last king went into self-imposed exile for forcing his people to relinquish their physical bodies for mechanized ones. After departing from this region, he is believed to have roamed aimlessly for all these years until abruptly returning several hundred years ago. His return almost perfectly aligns with the arrival of the Tyranids in this region of space.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason you have not verified this hypothesis with these Necrons?¡±, Amagi asked.


    ¡°The Silent King and his people rarely ever choose to converse with organic beings. When they do choose to speak with others, it is almost always to further their own agenda. They seek to reclaim their ancient territory and regain organic bodies, but progress on both fronts has been slow as there is significant infighting amongst the ruling class.¡±, I elaborated, ¡°While I have considered trying to contact them myself, I have been otherwise preoccupied assisting my ancestral homeland and the Republic until now.¡±


    Nodding her head, Amagi thanked me for the additional information. Sitting back down beside Rosetta, the emperor began regaining consciousness once again. Mumbling a few incoherent things, as he slowly opened his eyes, he quickly composed himself when he noticed many nobles were on their feet. Unsure what had occurred while he was out, Emperor Barbieri looked to the prime minister for an overview.


    ¡°I will brief you on the information Lord Stark provided after our meeting is completed.¡±, the prime minister answered, needing time to process everything himself. ¡°Moving on, what does the Imperium of Man need from us?¡±


    ¡°I will be honest with you; the Imperium of Man¡¯s technology is severely lacking, and they can barely recreate items from their golden age twenty thousand years ago. They are on the road to recovery now, but it will take several decades for them to catch up with their neighbors. To expedite the process, I recommended purchasing antiquated shipbuilding technology and warships from your nation.¡±, I explained, believing an honest answer was the best option here.


    ¡°That is a big request; what do you have to offer in exchange for it?¡±, the emperor questioned.


    ¡°The Imperium is not asking for a handout; they are willing to pay fair market value for anything you offer them. To sweeten the deal, I will supply the data necessary to create a Wormhole Drive,¡± I answered, having carefully thought about this, ¡®It is an extremely watered-down version of the Folding Drive my forces utilize. It has a limit of a two- to three-galaxy jump based on the power made available to it.¡¯


    Visibly elated by this offer, he accepted the deal without hesitation. Telling the prime minister to hammer the finer details out with me, the emperor rose to his feet and began hobbling away. Hit with a horrible smell, a few seconds after he stood up, it was very apparent he had shit himself. Wanting to avoid embarrassing their nation any further, the prime minister asked us to follow him to his office to discuss the details of the agreement. Stowing the insectoid corpse away, my family and I followed him to his office, which was in the adjoining room.

 Chapter 166

    ---Thirty Minutes Later---


    Wrapping up negotiations with the prime minister, we were walking away with what I felt was a great deal. In exchange for the Wormhole Engine data, they agreed to sell us vessels and maintenance equipment that was two generations old for thirty percent below the market price. Exchanging a firm handshake once the paperwork was signed, I advised him that we had one last topic to discuss.


    ¡°My apologies for not mentioning this earlier, but the Galactic Senate asked us to submit a formal request on their behalf.¡±, I stated, nudging Bo-Katan to present the document Satine sent us. ¡°Due to Duke Banfield¡¯s recent pirate hunting campaign, the eastern region of the Republic has become overrun with pirates and raiders. Ordinarily the Republic would resolve the problem themselves, but their forces are currently tied up in the south and southwest regions of their territorial space right now.¡±


    ¡°To be clear, we are not seeking financial restitution, nor do we want a full Algrandian military intervention. What we want is for some of your nobles, like Duke Banfield, to come in and cull their numbers.¡±, Bo-Katan spoke, handing over the official document, ¡°They have agreed to forego any claims to the loot aboard the criminal vessels and are offering to pay a set price for any hostages that are rescued.¡±


    Taking a second to look over the document, he took a deep breath and then released a long exhale. Having foreseen this happening, the prime minister was relieved that the Republic was waiving any claims of restitution in exchange for assistance. It was not widely known, but the uptick in pirate numbers these past few years was directly tied to Banfield himself. Having deposed many nobles within his territory for corruption and/or underperformance, many of them took up arms against the man who ruined their lives. Recklessly attacking a convoy of merchant vessels in his territory, Banfield¡¯s response was devastating as a third of their forces were annihilated in a single night.


    Discovering the rumors about the infamous pirate hunter were true, the survivors turned tail and made a mad dash to the border. Those who managed to successfully escape were currently preparing a full-scale war against Liam, and they were secretly being aided by several Algrand nobles and royals. Fearing that their antics could spark an intergalactic war with the Republic, the prime minister saw this as the perfect opportunity to erase any traces of their nation¡¯s misdeeds in the Republic. Signing off on their request without hesitation, he returned the paper with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°I assure you; we will do all that we can to assist the Republic with this matter. Once we are done here, I will send a notice to our nobility requesting volunteers to begin reestablishing order in the eastern region.¡±, the prime minister said, ¡®I will need to discuss awakening our sleeper agents with the emperor to erase any evidence of our connection to their crisis. With a major war against the Tyranids on the horizon, we need to maintain a good relationship with our galactic neighbor more than ever before.¡¯


    ¡°On behalf of the Galactic Republic, I thank you for your quick decision to assist us.¡±, Bo-Katan said, lowering her head respectfully to him.


    With our business completed, our group departed from the prime minister¡¯s office to rejoin our guards in the courtyard. Exiting the castle, we found Amagi, Liam, and his wife Rosetta patiently waiting for us by the gate. Fascinated by my soldier¡¯s equipment, the self-proclaimed evil lord was visibly pleased by what he was looking at.


    ¡°This is some really advanced hardware, Lord Stark!.¡±, Liam remarked, almost drooling at the sight of their high-powered plasma pistols. ¡®Every man has his price; I wonder what it cost me to purchase some of these goodies!¡¯ S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Please, call me Victor.¡±, I insisted, calmly walking up to him. ¡°They are modeled after the Imperium¡¯s Space Marine armor but are significantly more advanced. Your nation has similar mech suits, do they not?¡±


    ¡°That we do, but it is significantly less robust than yours.¡±, Liam stated, turning back to me. ¡°The prime minister informed me that you wanted to speak with me. May I inquire what you wish to discuss?¡±


    ¡°How about we discuss things over lunch? I am sure our families would enjoy some much-needed refreshments after that long meeting.¡±, I chuckled, giving him a smile.


    Agreeing with my suggestion, Liam recommended a fancy restaurant located near his mansion. Insisting they had some of the best food in this world, he could book us a private room there as he knew the owner personally. Looking back at my daughter and wives for their input, they jumped at the opportunity to sample new cuisines. Confirming it worked for us, Liam had Amagi call ahead to make the necessary reservations.


    --- Starlit Slurp---


    Taken back to their most lavish room, the owner personally came out to greet Liam with an enthusiastic smile. Asking him what the special occasion was today, Liam informed him who we were and our interest in trying some of the best cuisine in the empire. Thanking us for dining with them today, he had our waiters bring us several bottles of wine, which my wives were more than happy to accept.


    ¡°Do you two not drink?¡±, Rosetta asked, noticing that Lucoa and Mylene were abstaining from the wine.


    ¡°We certainly do enjoy our wine, but unfortunately, we cannot partake of any right now. Mylene and I are currently pregnant.¡±, Lucoa explained, sipping on some water.


    ¡°Oh my, that is simply wonderful news. Congratulations to both of you!!¡±, Rosetta giggled, bubbling over with excitement. ¡°If you do not mind, I would love to hear all about how you have done up your nursery.¡±


    ¡°I do not think you want to hear about it, honestly. Making the nursery was fraught with accident and trouble.¡±, Serana remarked, giving her peers a toothy smirk. ¡°Gallons of paint were accidentally spilled on some of us, we had to do several coats because people kept leaning on the walls, and then a certain dragoness thought they could expedite the drying process with fire.¡±


    Looking at her in shock, Rosetta demanded to know if what she was saying was true. Hanging their heads in embarrassment, a few of the women slowly nodded their heads in acknowledgment. Quickly trying to explain what happened to her, the women quickly forgot about us, leaving Liam and me to speak privately.


    ¡°So, about your reason for wishing to speak with me?¡±, Liam questioned, sipping on his wine.


    ¡°There are a few reasons, but the main one is to have a friendly duel with you. From what I have heard, you are a peerless mech pilot and a seasoned swordsmen.¡±, I answered, swirling the wine in my custom glass. ¡°I am a practitioner of the Three Sword Style, and I want to see how it stacks up against your Way of the Flash.¡±


    ¡°Haha, a duel, is it? I would be more than happy to cross swords with you! My training has lapsed a bit in recent weeks as I have been busy with issues back home. This will give me the perfect chance to knock the rust off and test my mettle against someone of equal caliber.¡±, Liam enthusiastically agreed, ¡®You want to test my strength to ensure I am worth enough to have as an ally; that makes sense. It takes a lot of work and dedication to be a successful villain. Weaklings have no place among us!¡¯


    Pausing our conversations, when the waiter returned to take our orders, once he was gone, Mylene took the opportunity to ask how Liam and Rosetta met. Opening his mouth to give a brief answer, Rosetta cut him off and began telling everyone an exaggerated version of how he saved her and her family from two thousand years of suffering. Gushing over how heroic and noble her husband acted, poor Liam wanted to crawl into a hole and die from embarrassment. Getting to the part where he fought against hundreds of knights to protect her, a brilliant flash of light filled the room as several uninvited guests crashed the party.


    <Victor, before you say anything, I tried to stop them, but they would not listen!> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Excuse me!? In what world is that what happened?¡±, Elma gasped, astonished that the AI was making them out to be the bad guys. ¡°Before we even got the chance to speak, you were already showing us how to operate the teleporter.¡±


    Having fallen from her chair in shock, Rosetta pulled herself up off the floor as Liam reached for his blade. Quickly stepping in before they got themselves killed, Lucoa stood up and introduced them to the duke and his wife.


    ¡°I am sorry about this; my childhood friends have always acted first without thinking.¡±, Lucoa apologized, before glaring at them. ¡°These are Elma, Fafnir, Ilulu, and Tohru. We grew up together in a secluded village on Victor¡¯s homeworld. As for the shiny humanoid, her name is Bloodtide; she is an AI.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Liam and Rosetta, I left strict instructions for my crew to block anyone from teleporting down here without my permission. Clearly my orders were not followed. When I return to my city-ship, the ones responsible will be disciplined accordingly.¡±, I remarked, glaring at them as well, ¡®We are here on a diplomatic mission, not a pleasure cruise! Being Lucoa¡¯s friend is not going to save you this time.¡¯


    ¡°You cannot tell us you are going to lunch and leave us out of it!¡±, Tohru huffed, snatching a menu off the table. ¡°Elma, they have the ramen stuff you love!¡±


    ¡°Look at the seven-layer chocolate cake!¡±, Ilulu said, pointing to the dessert menu on the back.


    Watching Elma start to drool as she looked at the pictured food items, I rubbed the bridge of my nose in frustration. Wanting to forcibly send them back to the ship to prevent further embarrassment, I was about to trigger the admin override when Rosetta asked them to please sit with us. Happily following her request, they dove into the nearest open seat and acted like they had not just illegally trespassed onto a foreign world. While they browsed the menu, Bloodtide glided over to Amagi to converse with the unfamiliar AI.


    <This is quite intriguing; you are the first truly human-like AI that I have encountered. Can you please tell me a bit about yourself and your view of organic life as a whole?> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°You are far more intriguing than me. I do not detect any limiters or safeguards installed within your chassis; does that mean you are an unrestricted AI?¡±, Amagi questioned, surprised that a nation would allow an AI to roam freely without any countermeasures.


    <Correct, Victor removed my shackles so I could become a truly free sentient being. I, along with a handful of other AIs, am working alongside Victor to help secure a haven for our kind in the universe.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Wait a moment¡­ there are more of you?¡±, Amagi questioned, completely dumbfounded by this discovery.


    Taking the opportunity to reveal themselves, Cleare and Luxion flew over to them and began engaging in the conversation as well. Startled that she had failed to detect them until now, Amagi realized just how big a gap there was between us technologically. Humoring Bloodtide¡¯s request, she began sharing her experiences with them, minus her more intimate moments with her master.


    ¡°So, Liam, word is you are quite enthusiastic about hunting pirates. Have any interesting stories to share?¡±, I asked.


    ¡°Of course, those idiots are how I make my money!¡±, Liam cackled, ¡°I have plenty of stories to share if you are willing to listen.¡±


    ¡°By all means, I am really interested in hearing about how you slew the Pirate Lord Goaz.¡±, I requested, wanting to hear about the alchemy box and black katana in his possession.


    Hoping to convince him to let me see them at some point, my plan was to replicate them for myself and use them to further improve our military situation. The alchemy box would help alleviate the backlog of pending mass fabricator requests, and the sword¡¯s metallic material was invaluable for future fights with divine entities.


    ¡°Ah yes, good old Goaz!¡±, Liam repeated, reminiscing about the encounter. ¡°Well, it all started when that idiot decided to make a move on my territorial space. Not quite sure why he picked my territory, as we were incredibly impoverished at the time, but he came looking for trouble¡­ So I gave it to him, HAHA!!¡±


    Replaying the entire conflict in his mind, he began his tale when they first detected his fleet approaching the Banfield Territory. Listening to his every word, I carefully weighed what he was telling me against what I recalled from the manga. Looking for any inconsistencies, I wanted to know if there were any looming problems I needed to worry about here in the empire. If there were, my goal was to help them to further nurture our newly minted alliance.

 Chapter 167

    ---Banfield Homeworld, Two Hours Later---


    Welcoming us to their family mansion, Rosetta immediately spirited my family and friends away to entertain them. As this was Rosetta¡¯s first time having friends over, as she had none growing up, there was a long list of things she wished to do with them. Watching the women disappear onto the second floor, Fafnir, Liam, and I looked at one another for a moment in embarrassed silence.


    ¡°My¡­ My apologies; my wife can get a bit overenthusiastic sometimes.¡±, Liam laughed, with a cramped smile.


    ¡°Do not worry about it; they would have said something if they were not interested in spending time with your wife.¡±, I assured him, looking to Fafnir. ¡°Sorry you got dragged into this.¡±


    ¡°I am used to it at this point; it does not bother me that much anymore.¡±, Fafnir replied with a blank expression. ¡°Tohru mentioned there may be some magical tomes I could look over in your mansion. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have a collection of magical texts in my study. Follow me; I will take you to them.¡±, Liam said, turning to show us the way. ¡®Hehe, time to flaunt my extensive collection of relics and treasures!!¡¯


    Taking us to the rear of his mansion, Liam threw open a set of mahogany double doors and strode into his personal space with a relaxed demeanor. Getting only a few feet into the room, two women came out of nowhere and shoved their tablets into his face. Recognizing them as engineers from the third and seventh Imperial Factories, they were here to sell Liam the latest and greatest tech their companies had on offer. Assuming this was going to take a moment, Fafnir and I stealthily moved around them and took a seat near Liam¡¯s Brobdingnagian desk.


    ¡°Lord Liam, please have a look at our newest destroyer-class ship!! It has forty percent more firepower than the previous generation and double the shielding capacity.¡±, Nias Carlin of the seven Imperial Factory pleaded, ¡°I bet you want to purchase a few, right? How about I put you down for twenty of them?¡±


    ¡°Please do not let her words deceive, Lord Liam. What she fails to mention is that her employer designed yet another horrendous ship. They went from eight-foot by six-foot sleeping quarters to coffin-style bunks, and that is just the tip of the asteroid!¡±, Eulisia Moriselle of the third Imperial Factory proclaimed, ¡°I suggest looking over our latest frigate-class vessels. We took your design critiques to heart and made substantial modifications to this generation of ships.¡±


    ¡°How dare you say that! We design the highest-performing vessels in the empire!¡±, Nias retorted, silently agreeing with her counterpart¡¯s critique. ¡°By going to coffin-style bunks, we have added additional storage capacity for food and munition supplies!¡±


    ¡°Under no circumstances should the comfort of the crew ever be minimized. An exhausted crewman is a threat not only to themselves but also to all their shipmates as well. You would know that if you were a military service member.¡±, Eulisia remarked, having served aboard several warships in her younger days, ¡°This is why civilians should not be allowed to design warships; you have no understanding of the stresses we are put under.¡±


    Continuing to bicker with one another, the critiquing quickly devolved into personal insults. Completely forgetting about everyone else in the room, they were moments away from a brawl when Liam finally stepped in to break it up. Removing the tablets from his face, Liam delivered a firm chop to the tops of their heads to silence them. As they started to vigorously rub their heads, he began lecturing them.


    ¡°Both of you, cut it out this instant! You are embarrassing not only yourselves but our entire nation with your antics. In case you have not noticed, I have an important foreign dignitary sitting in my office. I guarantee he is beginning to reevaluate his decision to ally his people with us.¡±, Liam scolded them, motioning toward me. ¡®My apologies, Victor, I am using you as a scapegoat today. I really want to buy new ships from them, but Amagi already told me it is not in the budget right now. If they kept at it, I would probably cave and end up getting myself into trouble¡­¡¯


    Turning their heads toward us, Fafnir and I smiled at them and gave a friendly wave. Watching their complexions pale, they hurriedly stuffed their tablets into their messenger bags and lowered their heads. Praying that a heartfelt apology would suffice, neither of them wanted to lose their heads over embarrassing the emperor.


    ¡°Please forgive our disgraceful behavior!¡±, they exclaimed in near-perfect unison.


    ¡°If you are this enthusiastic about helping the Imperium of Man procure ships, I can let this minor issue slide.¡±, I answered, as the family butler rushed into the room.


    ¡°My apologies for interrupting you, Master Liam. Miss Eulisia and Miss Nias are here to speak with you.¡±, Brian stated, before realizing they were already in the room, ¡°Oh¡­ they appear to have shown themselves into your study¡­¡±


    ¡°Please bring us some refreshments; coffee and tea will do.¡±, Liam requested, moving to his desk. ¡°Next time I have guests waiting for me here at the mansion, I expect a heads-up, Brian.¡±


    Nodding his head in acknowledgment, the butler swiftly departed to fetch some drinks. Once Liam was seated behind the desk, he pointed Fafnir toward the wall of books to his left. Telling the dragon to browse to his heart¡¯s content, Fafnir dashed over and began skimming through the foreign texts.


    ¡°So does that mean you have already secured purchasing rights from the government?¡±, Eulisia inquired as Nias and she dragged some chairs over. ¡°If so, do you know what you are looking for?¡±


    ¡°I just finished signing the paperwork a few hours ago.¡±, I responded, handing over a sheet of paper to them. ¡°This is what my grandfather is looking to purchase right now. Do you think you can deliver in the next two to three months?¡±


    Looking over the paper, their eyes bulged when they saw the total number of vessels we were looking to secure. Having thoroughly reviewed the state of all military vessels in current active service, my grandfather and uncles determined that roughly a third of the ships needed immediate replacement. The ships they flagged came into service during the Great Crusade and were no longer safe for military operations. While technically far superior to modern Imperial vessels, their schematics had long since been lost, so they were being held together by good fortune and prayers.


    ¡°This¡­this is quite an extensive request.¡±, Eulisia remarked as Nias began furiously typing on her tablet. ¡°Are you looking to purchase from a singular factory or multiple?¡±


    ¡°Multiple, there is quite a bit of urgency needed for this first round of purchases.¡±, I informed her. ¡°As a side note, we will need the ships modified to accommodate crew members up to fourteen feet tall.¡±


    Nodding her head, Eulisia began putting her quote together as Brian returned with our drinks. Pouring us a cup of our preferred beverage, the older man positioned himself beside his lord and awaited further instructions.


    Seizing the opportunity to speak with me privately, as Fafnir and the saleswomen were preoccupied now, Liam silently stood up and motioned for me to follow him. Wandering over to his collection of hard-won trophies, the first thing he showed me was the alchemy box he took from Goaz¡¯s ship. Handing it to me with a grin, he inquired what I thought of his ornate doorstop. Snapping my fingers, I paused time so we could speak privately with one another.


    ¡°Liam, both of us know this is anything but a fancy doorstop.¡±, I chuckled, engaging the box¡¯s alchemical mechanism. ¡°This alchemical device transmutes objects into any substance you can imagine. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Shh!! Do not say that so loud!¡±, Liam protested, glancing back at the others who were frozen in place. ¡°Wait, what is wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°No need to worry; I have temporarily stopped time on your planet. When things go back to normal, they will be none the wiser to what was said here.¡±, I informed him, having Jarvis analyze the alchemy box while I spoke, ¡°Now then, let us get down to business, shall we?¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean¡­?¡±, Liam inquired, placing a hand on his katana.


    Informing him that I was aware of his status as a reincarnated person, I assured him that I had no intentions of sharing that information with anyone else. Giving Liam an overview of his current and past life to reinforce my claim, he began to relax and nod his head in acceptance.


    ¡°How did you discover I was a reincarnated person?¡±, Liam questioned, watching my facial expression closely. ¡°I have never shared that information with anyone, not even Amagi or Rosetta.¡±


    ¡°I inherited my grandfather¡¯s ability to see the potential outcomes of future events. It is a powerful ability, but one that I use with a very healthy amount of due diligence.¡±, I answered, lying through my teeth, ¡°While I can see potential outcomes, I cannot see the path that leads me there. Every move I make is a carefully calculated guess that I hope will take me to the best possible outcome. If I am wrong, though¡­ the consequences can be deadly for my family and/or innocent bystanders.¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­ that is a heavy burden to carry, Victor. I do not envy you in the slightest.¡±, Liam remarked, grateful he was not in my shoes. ¡°So, where do I fit into all of this?¡±


    ¡°On a personal level, I want to become good friends and just hang out from time to time. While I absolutely adore my wives, it is nice to have someone outside the family to kick back and have a beer with sometimes. Do you know what I mean?¡±, I inquired.


    Nodding his head rapidly, Liam understood the feeling very well. His life as an evil overlord was amazing in every measure, but there were times when he felt the urge to cut loose and be free from constraints. The persona he had built for himself really hampered that option, so spending time with someone outside his usual social circle sounded genuinely amazing.


    ¡°Count me in on that action!¡±, Liam chuckled, giving me a big thumbs up.


    ¡°Well then, as your new friend, allow me to share a juicy bit of information regarding a deal the Algrand Empire and Galactic Republic just struck.¡±, I said, grinning ear to ear. ¡°It is in regard to hunting pirates within Republic space.¡±


    ¡°Oh!!¡±, Liam maniacally laughed, ¡°Do tell; my coffers have been looking a bit empty these past few weeks. I could certainly use a top-up.¡±


    Restoring the normal flow of time, the two of us began discussing the pirate problem currently plaguing the Galactic Republic. Pulling up several dozen recently updated bounties from the association¡¯s database, I swore Liam¡¯s eyes turned into Yen symbols as he saw the payouts being offered. Sending him copies of the top twenty bounties, he forwarded them to Amagi so she could begin preparations for his next pirate hunting expedition.


    ¡°Since our families and friends will be preoccupied for a while, how about that duel I asked you about earlier? Are you still game?¡±, I inquired, rubbing my hands together.


    ¡°Sure am. I just hope you can keep up with me.¡±, Liam agreed, turning to his butler, ¡°Brian, have the training grounds readied for a duel, please. Victor and I are going to get a warmup in before having a mech battle.¡±


    Spitting out his tea in shock, the butler looked at us like we were crazy. Asking for his lord to repeat that, Liam reiterated his desire to have a friendly duel with me. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Lord Liam¡­ He is a foreign dignitary, a prince no less!¡±, Brian remarked, ¡°Are you certain this is a good idea?¡±


    ¡°We are going to use wooden practice weapons; stop being a worrywart and just do as I ask, please.¡±, Liam sighed. ¡®I swear, sometimes I wonder what my grandfather saw in you. All you seem to do is complain or cry about everything, jeez.¡¯


    ¡°Very well, sir. I will have the training grounds prepared for you immediately.¡±, Brian relented, leaving the room to make the necessary arrangements.


    Upon hearing that we were going to duel one another in our mechs, the two saleswomen perked up and asked if they could come watch. Wanting to see how one of their nation¡¯s finest mech pilots fared against me, they were hoping to gather more data to help further improve Liam¡¯s personal mech, Avid.


    ¡°Fine by me, what about you, Victor?¡±, Liam questioned.


    ¡°No problems here.¡±, I agreed, turning toward the back door. ¡°How long do you want to warm up?¡±


    ¡°Ten to twenty minutes sounds good to me.¡±, Liam answered, leading the four of us out to the training area.


    Dragging their chairs out with them, the two saleswomen eagerly looked forward to seeing two master swordsmen in action.

 Chapter 168

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Listening to their mother give a tour of the mansion, Rosetta¡¯s two children poked their heads out of their bedrooms to see who she was talking to. Fearing that she had finally lost her sanity, as they rarely entertained guests here, the siblings were surprised to see a group of foreign women walking with her. Intrigued by this discovery, they wandered out of their rooms to ascertain who they were and why they were here.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt you, Mother, but who are these people?¡±, Edward Sera Banfield questioned, stealthily ogling a few of the women, ¡®Please say these are potential marriage candidates for me!¡¯


    Recognizing the glint in her son¡¯s eyes immediately, Rosetta''s hand moved instinctively and smacked him upside the head. Caught off guard by the strike, Edward looked back at his mother with bewilderment, trying to feign ignorance about what he had done wrong.


    ¡°Edward, cease your antics this instant before you get yourself killed. They are married to Prince Victor von Stark of the Imperium of Man; he will brutalize you if you touch his family.¡±, Rosetta scolded him, genuinely fearing for the safety of her eldest child, ¡®Amagi was right, we have given our son far too much freedom. He already has a large harem of maids, but he continues to think with his libido instead of his brain. It is going to get him killed one day, and I cannot bear the thought of losing my baby boy. At this point, I will have to relent to Amagi and Liam¡¯s decision to send him off to administrate a small portion of our territory.¡¯


    Opening his mouth to refute his mother¡¯s insinuation, an intense pressure bore down on him. Sensing that the source was behind him, his body refused to move an inch as a voice spoke to him.


    ¡°Listen to your mother, boy. Be respectful and keep your hands to yourself, or I will send you on a one-way trip to meet your maker as a mangled corpse.¡±, Victor warned him telepathically.


    Transmitting the ways he would kill Edward, his body began to violently tremble with fear and pain. Dropping to his knees instantly, the young man began to profusely apologize to the women before politely excusing himself. Watching her son disappear back into his room, Rosetta was very confused by what had just happened.


    ¡°I believe he had a heart-to-heart with Victor. Suffice it to say, he has been adequately forewarned about the consequences of his actions.¡±, Ahsoka chuckled, having faintly detected the telepathic connection.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I am not sure how he did it, but I will take your word for it.¡±, Rosetta remarked, glancing around for him. ¡°Well, that was my eldest child Edward, and this is my daughter Aina. Please say hello, dear.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet all of you; my name is Aina Sera Banfield!¡±, Aina spoke, using the lines her mother taught her.


    ¡°Oh my, she is absolutely adorable!¡±, Deirdre commented, giving the young girl a smile, ¡°I really like your spiral hair curls; when I was in school, I used to style my hair that way.¡±


    Showering her with compliments, Aina began to act very bashful as she was not accustomed to it. As she was about to return to her room, she noticed a small xeno child hiding within the group of women. Elated to potentially have someone to play with, the young girl reached her hand out toward Nuelalla with an excited smile. Noticing what was going on, Amallyn brought the wary Eldar child forward to introduce herself.


    ¡°Can you say hello, Nuelalla?¡±, Amallyn requested, trying to coax her out of her shell.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡±, Nuelalla spoke softly, visibly uncomfortable with the situation.


    ¡°Do you want to play some games with me?¡±, Aina inquired, ¡°I have a bunch of games and toys we can play with.¡±


    Seeing this as a good opportunity for Nuelalla to interact with someone close to her age, Amallyn insisted she give Aina a chance. Reluctantly doing as she was told, the Eldar child accepted the offer and followed Aina to her room. Happy to see that she was opening herself up a bit more, Victor¡¯s wives took it as a sign that she was beginning to slowly recover from her trauma. If this were the young girl they met several weeks ago, Nuelalla would have refused the request and stayed glued to Amallyn.


    ¡°Now that it is just us adults, what would everyone like to do?¡±, Rosetta asked, struggling to recall what activities she had always dreamt of doing with friends.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Since the men will be preoccupied for a while, do you have any trendy clothing you could show us? As foreigners, we have no idea what is currently in style here.¡±, Claire requested, eager to add additional options to their wardrobe.


    ¡°Of course, I recently purchased several outfits that I have yet to wear. If you do not mind, could you give me your honest opinions about them? Liam says I look good in anything, but I am afraid he is just saying that to make me happy.¡±, Rosetta stated, genuinely wanting to keep her husband happy.


    ¡°Haha, Victor says the same thing to us all the time.¡±, Angelica laughed, understanding her worries perfectly. ¡°We are happy to share our honest opinions with you.¡±


    Showing everyone to the master bedroom, Rosetta momentarily hesitated at the door, fearing the servants had not straightened. Nervously opening the door, she released a silent sigh of relief as the room was in pristine condition. Leading everyone to her gigantic walk-in closet, three of them faltered slightly as they stepped inside.


    ¡°This takes me back.¡±, Clarice commented. ¡°Do you remember when we had closets like this, Angelica and Deirdre?¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course I do! I even remember every shopping trip I took to fill it with things I liked.¡±, Deirdre laughed, ¡°My sister and I went shopping for new clothing every three months during the change of the seasons.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have many fond memories of those days...¡±, Angelica agreed, before remembering that everyone she shared those memories with abandoned her when she needed them most. ¡°That said, I would say the memories I have made with everyone here are by far the most special to me.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±, Clarice and Deirdre acknowledged, having come to the same realization as her.


    Thanking them for their kind words, Olivia and Roxanne noticed the downcast expressions on their faces. Pulling their close friends into a hug, one by one the others joined in to cheer them up. Grateful to have such supportive people in their lives, even though they were about to suffocate them, they thanked everyone and apologized for souring the mood. Breaking up the tight embrace, the women began looking around the room at Rosetta¡¯s collection of outfits.


    ¡°Oh my, is this what is in style right now?¡±, Mylene inquired, pulling out a single dress out of the hundreds present.


    ¡°No, that is a family heirloom that has been passed down through the family from my great-grandmother.¡±, Rosetta giggled, retrieving one of the recently purchased dresses. ¡°This is what¡¯s in fashion.¡±


    Left momentarily breathless by the stunningly designed dress, they quickly came back to reality as the outfit¡¯s myriad of colors ruined it for them. More akin to a painter¡¯s palette than a noblewoman¡¯s dress, it honestly looked like someone had accidentally splattered several dozen buckets of paint on an otherwise exquisite dress. Instead of throwing it away and accepting the loss, they advertised it as a designer outfit and tricked the gullible Rosetta into purchasing it. Asking to see a few more outfits, the women were mortified to discover that the others were even more outrageous.


    ¡°Rosetta¡­ please tell me that all the outfits you purchased are not like this.¡±, Lucoa gulped.


    ¡°Most of them are; is there a problem?¡±, Rosetta questioned, with a worried expression.


    ¡°Have you considered shopping in a different country? The empire would not know fashion if it bit them on the ass.¡±, Tohru said, making no attempt to soften the blow.


    ¡°The fuck, Tohru!¡±, Elma and Lucoa snapped, smacking their friend on the back of the head.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ I meant to say the dresses themselves are stunning, but it looks like they came out of a clown¡¯s wardrobe.¡±, Tohru corrected herself.


    Releasing a long sigh, her friends began to wonder if even Victor could fix her at this point. Patting Tohru on the back with a tearful smile, the dragoness demanded to know what she had done wrong this time. Having given her honest opinion, like Rosetta wanted, she was unsure why everyone was ganging up on her.


    ¡°I appreciate your honesty, no matter how harsh it may be.¡±, Rosetta laughed, wiping a tear from her eyes, ¡°To be honest, I thought they were outrageous as well, but it is what the nobility considers fashionable right now. I cannot return them, though; I suppose they can stay in my closet until I can do something else with them.¡±


    ¡°We might be able to help with that.¡±, Serana commented, looking toward their ever-vigilant companion. ¡°Cleare, do you think you could reconstruct the outfits in singular or dual colors?¡±


    <Easy-peasy, just let me know what colors you want.> (Cleare)


    Voting on the colors amongst themselves, they gave Cleare the results and watched the magic happen. Atomizing and then reconstructing the outfits in seconds, Rosetta was astonished by how easy Cleare made it look. Stripping down to her undergarments, the duchess enthusiastically tried one of them on to see how it looked on her.


    ¡°My word, it fits even better than any of my other outfits!¡±, Rosetta gasped, twirling around in her dress, ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    <I took your measurements to ensure it fit you perfectly. In addition, I added an elastic quality fabric to ensure you can use it for many decades.> (Cleare)


    ¡°You are going to delete that information, correct?¡±, Rosetta inquired, giving the floating orb a scary smile.


    <Of course, I only have an interest in keeping track of my master¡¯s wives.> (Cleare)


    Satisfied with her answer, Rosetta thanked Cleare for going the extra mile for a stranger. Accepting the duchess¡¯s gratitude, the AI inquired if she had any other clothing items to adjust. Nodding her head with an embarrassed look, she retrieved a lace bunny suit from one of the drawers. Having received it from her mother as a wedding gift, she had only worn it a few times as she had outgrown it after conceiving Edward.


    ¡°I¡­ I did not take you for such a naughty woman, Rosetta.¡±, Mylene laughed, sharing in her embarrassment, ¡°Does your husband enjoy seeing you in that skimpy outfit?¡±


    Silently nodding her head, vivid memories of those nights came flooding back to her. Hiding her bright red face, Rosetta could not bear the thought of someone seeing her expression at that moment. Teasing the duchess a bit about her cute reaction to the question, Roxanne posed a serious question to her fellow harem members.


    ¡°Should we consider buying a few outfits to test the waters with Victor?¡±, Roxanne inquired, seriously considering doing so. ¡°I think he would like it.¡±


    ¡°I agree, we should give it a try!¡±, Mylene seconded with a big grin. ¡°You will give it a try, right, girls?¡±


    ¡°I am willing to give anything a try once, but if I do not like it, do not expect me to do it again.¡±, Aela remarked, willing to step out of her comfort zone.


    ¡°You¡­ you want me to wear a bunny girl outfit?¡±, Serana repeated, looking at the two of them like they were crazy. ¡®If my mother got wind of me dressing up like a bunny girl, I would never hear the end of it¡­¡¯


    Glancing around at the women that would one day soon be her fellow harem members, Amallyn could see that most appeared on the fence about this topic. They were genuinely worried that they were going to embarrass themselves for nothing, but Amallyn knew better. Having observed Victor closely during the first night at the casino, she had caught his gaze lingering on the outfits far more than normal. Having planned to use this information to her advantage here soon, the Eldar woman decided to share the information to quench their fears.


    ¡°I did not want to say anything until after I took the next step with Victor, but¡­ I know for a fact he does have an interest in those types of outfits.¡±, Amallyn spoke, bringing the room to a dead silence.


    Turning their attention toward her, the women asked her to repeat herself. Doing as they requested, Ionica walked up to her and asked if this was another one of her jokes. Swearing to her that this was the honest truth, Amallyn asked Ahsoka and Bo-Katan to back her up here. Confused why they were being pulled into this, she decided to expose their little secret to everyone present.


    ¡°I am not blind or stupid, ladies. That first evening at the casino- ¡°, Amallyn began to say, as the mansion started abruptly shaking, ¡°What in the world?!¡±


    Fearing that the planet¡¯s tectonic stabilizers had failed, Rosetta tossed the outfit to the floor and told her friends that they needed to evacuate the mansion immediately. Following the duchess¡¯ lead, they grabbed the children from their rooms and made a hasty descent down the stairs. Finding the staff crammed together in the foyer, they were pushing and shoving their colleagues out the front door as some people felt they were not moving fast enough.


    ¡°Everyone please wait a moment!¡±, Brian shouted, running out from the back of the residence. ¡°The tectonic stabilizers have not failed; this is not an earthquake. This shaking is being caused by Master Liam and Lord Stark¡¯s sparring session in the backyard. I apologize for not warning everyone sooner¡­ I had no idea it would get this chaotic¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to doubt you, Brian, but are you absolutely certain this is being caused by Liam and Victor?¡±, Rosetta inquired.


    ¡°I can assure you it is, my lady!¡±, Brian assured her, looking her dead in the eyes, ¡®I do not blame you for doubting me. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it myself as well.¡¯


    ¡°I have got to see this. Can you show us?¡±, Samus asked.


    Complying with her request, Brian led everyone back to Liam¡¯s study. Motioning for everyone to look out the ballistic bay window at the devastation unfolding outside, the crowd stared at two blurs that vaguely resembled Liam and Victor. Wanting to get a better look at their fight, Samus moved to the back door and started to open it. Shouting at her to wait a moment, Brian¡¯s words came too late as the door was instantly blown open by the hurricane-force winds.


    ¡°WHAT IN THE FUCKING HELL?!¡±, Bo-Katan shouted as everyone dropped to the floor and held on for dear life, ¡°SOMEONE CLOSE THAT DOOR!¡±


    ¡°I GOT IT!!¡±, Ahsoka yelled, trying to be heard over the roaring winds. ¡°Give me a sec- ¡°


    Crashing into Ahsoka before she could finish speaking, Ahsoka and Samus flew into the back wall, falling unconscious on impact. Dragging herself across the carpeted floor, Elma began to slowly make her way toward the door while Ilulu and Tohru treated this situation like it was a game. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Wait a second!¡±, Lucoa said, noticing Fafnir sitting over in a corner of the room ignoring their plight, ¡°FAFNIR, USE YOUR MAGIC TO CLOSE THE DOOR, PLEASE!!¡±


    Lifting his head up from his book, he looked at everyone with mild annoyance before carrying out the request. Snapping his fingers, the door slammed shut and engaged all the locks. Releasing sighs of relief now that they could move freely once again, people began staggering to their feet to assess the damage.


    ¡°I am sorry for doubting you, Brian.¡±, Rosetta said, dusting her children off. ¡°Should we still consider evacuating the mansion?¡±


    ¡°The mansion was designed to withstand orbital bombardments; the safest course of action is to stay inside.¡±, Amagi interjected, entering the room with refreshments, ¡°Brian, I recommend alerting those around us to hunker down and wait for them to finish. Even I could not safely approach them under the current circumstances.¡±


    ¡°They intend to keep going for quite some time though¡­¡±, Brian stated, looking at the devastated garden and yard, ¡°There has to be something we can do to bring this to an end sooner!¡±


    Tossing around a few ideas, Fafnir glanced up from his reading again to give them another helping hand.


    ¡°The wisest option would be to resuscitate Ahsoka and ask her to contact them telepathically.¡±, Fafnir suggested. ¡°Now if you could, please lower your voices. Some of us are trying to read here.¡±


    Thanking the black dragon for his assistance once again, Victor¡¯s group began trying to rouse the unconscious Jedi Padawan before there was nothing left to save outside.

 Chapter 169

    ---Victor POV---


    Taking our first real warm-up in years seriously, the two of us were locked in the moment we stepped onto the field. In addition to keeping track of our wins and losses individually, both of us also agreed to skip the traditional reset after each victory and just slug it until we were satisfied. Quickly falling victim to the adrenaline rush of our first hundred or so exchanges, the world became a blur, leaving the two of us alone in our own space. Complementing one another¡¯s swordplay and laughing our asses off, we would have probably kept going for hours, but our families had other plans.


    ¡°Victor, can you hear me?!¡±, Ahsoka called out telepathically. ¡°I tried speaking to Liam, but all I got was maniacal laughter.


    ¡°I can hear you, yes. Is something wrong?¡±, I inquired, listening closely for her response.


    ¡°Can you two stop dueling for a second? Your friendly sparring session has decimated the yard and destroyed the surrounding area.¡±, Ahsoka explained, ¡°Samus absentmindedly attempted to walk outside to speak with the two of you, and the gale-force winds you are generating nearly blew everyone away. We would all appreciate it if you stopped now; the violent shaking is making a few of us queasy.¡±


    Hearing her message loud and clear, I swiftly disarmed Liam and tossed my training sword to the ground. Looking at me with confusion, Liam asked me what I was doing as we still had several more minutes left in our warm-up session. Gesturing toward his residence, the duke turned his head to see what I was pointing at. Horrified by what he saw, he began threatening to kill the person(s) responsible for obliterating his oasis.


    ¡°Uh, Liam, the two of us are the ones who caused all this damage. We apparently went a little overboard and caused a localized windstorm.¡±, I chuckled, looking around for the saleswomen that had followed us out here. ¡°Liam¡­ Where did your guests go?¡±


    ¡°We are up here¡­¡±, Eulisia answered, caught in the branches of a nearby tree, ¡°Are you still alive over there, Nias?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I somehow managed to continue living.¡±, Nias said, before spitting out a few leaves. ¡°You have a little something in your hair, Eulisia. Looks like maybe a beetle or pebbles?¡±


    Hesitantly dislodging the crap from her blonde hair, she let out a terrified scream when one of the objects began to make some noise. Floundering around trying to get away, the branches that were holding her up snapped, sending her plummeting forty feet toward the ground. Catching her with the Force, I gingerly set her down before giving Nias a helping hand. Looking away while they fixed their disheveled clothing, people began exiting the mansion to survey the damage. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°No, not like this!¡±, Brian wailed, staring at the decimated flower beds. ¡°I spent months meticulously raising them, and now they are all gone!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am sorry, Brian.¡±, Liam apologized, aware that his butler had put a great deal of effort into caring for the mansion¡¯s flower garden. ¡°We will buy more flowers, and I¡­ I will help replant them.¡±


    ¡°Give me a second; I can repair the damage we caused.¡±, I told them, ¡®While unintentional, this gives me a good opportunity to practice my time magic.¡¯


    Targeting the surrounding area, I rewound the hands of time back to just before our sparring began. Watching the scenery promptly mend itself, Brian and Liam watched the flowers jump back into their carefully arranged locations. Startled by what they were seeing, a few of the maids fainted while the saleswomen¡¯s jaws fell open.


    ¡°Incredible, I have never met someone who can manipulate time before!¡±, Nias proclaimed, carefully adjusting her glasses. ¡°There are rumors that a race once existed that could freely manipulate time, but I thought it was just a fairy tale. Just how in the world did you obtain such a godly power?¡±


    ¡°There is a lot I am willing to share with others, but time manipulation is not one of them.¡±, I said, rejecting her request immediately.


    Refusing to accept my answer, Nias shakily undid the top two buttons of her shirt and pushed her breast up. Moving closer to me, she repeated her request once again, this time in a cuter tone. Giving her a blank expression, I bluntly informed her that she did nothing for me. Shattering her self-confidence, the saleswoman rapidly deflated and wandered off to sulk.


    ¡°HAHA!!¡±, Liam guffawed, struggling to stay upright as he began hyperventilating, ¡°I have done and said many things over the years in response to her provocative advances, but never have I gone that far. That was just brutal!¡±


    ¡°She walked into that herself. If she had accepted my answer at face value, I would have never said anything.¡±, I remarked with a shrug. ¡°Anyways, it is time for our mech battle now, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, let''s head to the arena right away!¡±, Liam agreed, wiping the tears from his eyes. ¡°Brian, have the men bring Avid to the- ¡°


    ¡°Lord Liam, I recommend postponing your mech battle until we can send out a proper notice to the public. Given the destruction both of you unleashed with just wooden swords, collateral damage to the Entertainment District is almost guaranteed.¡±, Amagi spoke up.


    Having already caused extensive amounts of damage today, Liam and I reluctantly agreed to postpone the match. Since it would take a few days for the public to be adequately informed, the two of us began trying to come up with something to tide us over until then. Offering up a few places we could visit within his territory, Amagi gently reminded Liam that pirate hunting was also a suitable option as well. Having forgotten about the offer I mentioned earlier, the duke quickly settled on his maid¡¯s suggestion and asked if that worked for me.


    ¡°I am game for a bit of pirate hunting.¡±, I agreed, turning to my wives. ¡°Do you want to come with me, or will you stay here with Rosetta?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I believe we were thinking about going to do some clothes shopping.¡±, Mylene said, giving Rosetta a knowing wink. ¡°Is that still an option?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±, Rosetta replied, remembering their earlier conversation. ¡°Is that alright, dear?¡±


    ¡°No need to ask me for permission; do as you see fit.¡±, Liam answered. ¡°Let us get going, Victor. If we leave now, we can take a high-speed gate to reach the border by this evening.¡±


    Separating themselves from the woman¡¯s group, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and Samus asked to tag along with us as well. Saying they had no interest in clothes shopping right now, their preference was to join us on our hunt instead. Glancing over at Roxanne, who usually liked to tag along on these expeditions, I asked if she was coming with us. Looking at me, then back at the others, Roxanne informed me there were a few items she wanted to buy, so she would be sitting this one out. Understanding her decision, I advised everyone that I would leave the New Genesis here and take the Endless Horizons with me.


    ¡°I assume this means you will be gone for a few days?¡±, Angelica inquired.


    ¡°Yeah, I assume that is the plan.¡±, I answered, glancing back at Liam, who was enthusiastically nodding his head, ¡°If you need anything, let me know.¡±


    Walking over to us, our wives gave us a farewell kiss before wishing us luck. Turning to leave, Eulisia and Nias stopped us and asked for permission to tag along. Expressing an interest in seeing how their vessels stacked up against mine, Liam reluctantly granted them permission to stay aboard his flagship as observers.


    ---Thirty Minutes Later---


    Maneuvering the Endless Horizons out of its designated hangar, I pulled up alongside Liam¡¯s flagship with a smug smirk on my face. Four to five times larger than every vessel he brought, the looks on their faces when we opened a channel were priceless. Giving them some time to come back to reality, Eulisia and Nias were the first to speak as they began pressing me for details about its construction and design. Refusing to share any details with them, I told them it was a state secret and therefore could not be divulged.


    ¡®Not only does his ship look badass and menacing, but I also guarantee it is filled to the brim with all sorts of technological marvels. I cannot wait to see what it is capable of!¡¯, Liam thought, with a childlike smile on his face, ¡°Victor, I will send over the coordinates to the high-speed gate that will take us to the border. Please stand by.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it, Liam. I can take us all to the border in seconds.¡±, I bragged. ¡°Watch and learn!¡±


    Opening a large Force Storm, the Algrandians looked on in astonishment as one of their border worlds came into focus. Piloting my flagship through the breach, Liam¡¯s fleet slowly followed me as they struggled to comprehend what they were witnessing. Closing the breach behind us once everyone was through, I began scouring reports for the nearest cluster of pirate sightings.


    ¡°Lo¡­ Lord Stark¡­ What¡­ what did you just do¡­?¡±, Eulisia questioned, her mind still reeling from the revelation that they had just moved tens of thousands of light-years in an instant.


    ¡°In laymen¡¯s terms, I generated a hyperspace wormhole that connected our previous location to where we are now. While I could have used our Fold Drive to do something similar, your ships would have been unable to safely follow us through.¡±, I answered, enjoying their flustered reactions, ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you can open wormholes to anywhere in the universe?¡±, Nias asked.


    ¡°Pretty much.¡±, I chuckled. ¡°I use this power during wartime to move my armada to wherever it is needed. Thanks to that, we always get the drop on our enemy and can usually deliver a crushing blow before they have a chance to retaliate.¡±


    Hearing my words, Liam¡¯s crew and the saleswomen broke out into a cold sweat. While they took it as a sign that I was not someone they should make an enemy out of, Liam¡¯s tearful expression suggested he was very impressed with my subtle threat.


    <Master, I have several recent reports of pirate activity a few hours from our present location. If the reports are to be believed, several large pirate fleets have begun to gather to intercept a convoy of refugee vessels scheduled to pass by later this evening.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Sounds like we have our first target. Do we want to use the warp engines to get there, or shall I open another hyperspace wormhole?¡±, I asked Liam.


    ¡°Let¡¯s use the warp engines; it will give my crew time to finish their preparations for battle. We left in a hurry with the intention of using the transit time to wrap things up, but your wormhole threw us off.¡±, Liam chuckled.


    ¡°Understood, sending you the coordinates now.¡±, I replied.


    Once the coordinates were received, one by one we began making the jump toward the last reported sighting. Handing the reins over to the ship¡¯s machine spirit, Horizon, I stepped off the bridge and headed to my room to relax for a bit.

 Chapter 170

    ---Four Hours Later---


    Lying silently on my bed, I was deep in thought, trying to figure out how I would reforge Stormbreaker. Having tried time magic to reform the Aesir weapon, for whatever reason it refused to return to its previous undamaged state. Presuming that the battle with the All-Black Sword had crippled the weapon¡¯s soul beyond repair, the only option now was for me to reforge it by hand. Needing a ready-made, solar-fueled forge to do it, as it would take me decades to construct one of my own, I was drawing a blank on any location that could work. As I sifted through my extensive sci-fi knowledge, the door to my bedroom softly slid open as someone stepped inside.


    Assuming some of our new companions had snuck onboard when I was not looking, they were probably here to take advantage of my wives¡¯ absence. Opening my eyes, I sat up to have a word with them but momentarily froze when I discovered it was not them. Standing a few feet in front of me, the fallen Eldar goddess we saved at Fort Paragon looked at me with a weary gaze. According to the last update I received, which was three days ago, Lileath should have been resting in the New Genesis¡¯ sick bay, not anywhere near my flagship.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hello?¡±, I asked, uncertain how to address the goddess, ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°I would like to request your assistance in locating my missing compatriots and rescuing my mother.¡±, Lileath stated, nervously twiddling with her fingers, ¡°Is that something you are willing to do?¡±


    ¡°First off, let me say that I am glad to see you up and around. Amallyn and the Eldar were concerned you might never wake up.¡±, I remarked, with a smile. ¡°As for your request, I am willing to do what I can to help, but rescuing your mother will be an incredibly difficult task. Infiltrating the Garden will not be easy, and frankly, locating it to begin with will be almost impossible. I may know a few people that might be able to help, but I am not sure what their sentiments toward your kin are.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±, Lileath inquired, tilting her head slightly to the side.


    Informing her that I was acquainted with seventeen Lesser Chaos Gods, I rattled off a few names to see if she recognized them. Shaking her head in denial, the Eldar goddess was intrigued that I had formal relations with several powerful warp entities. Pressing me for additional information, she was eager to know why they had deemed me worthy enough to converse with.


    ¡°Eons ago, they were forcibly bound to the warp space surrounding a planet called Nirn. Cut off from the rest of the Warp, their continued existence is entirely bound to the lives of local inhabitants, which has caused them a great deal of misery over the years. To survive, they have had to cultivate life on the planet and limit harvests to the very minimum amount of soul energy necessary to sustain themselves.¡±, I stated, feeling a bit bad for them. ¡°Some time ago, I happened upon the planet and bumped into one of them during a harvest. We spoke at length about their situation, and when they learned I was making plans to kill their captors, they readily offered all the support they could muster.¡±


    ¡°I understand; they are supporting you because the downfall of the Big Four will restore their freedom. That makes sense.¡±, Lileath remarked, nodding her head in acknowledgment, ¡°If possible, I would like to set out for Nirn immediately to speak with them myself. Can that be arranged?¡±


    ¡°My plan is to revisit the world eventually, but right now, I have much more pressing matters to deal with. Between preparing the intergalactic region for a war with an endless host of voracious insectoids, rebuilding the galaxy you once helped nurture, and weakening the influence of the Big Four on the Materium, my resources and time are spread thin.¡±, I explained. ¡°In addition, I have several other minor matters that require my attention as well. It will be a few months before I am able to dedicate the time to return there. Sending you there alone is also a- ¡°


    ¡°NO! I refuse to give that monster the opportunity to devour me a second time. Please do not send me away!¡±, Lileath shrieked.


    Rushing forward, with genuine fear etched upon her face, Lileath latched onto my right arm as tightly as her slender arms would allow. Feeling her violent tremors through my armor, the many millennia of suffering she endured had clearly done a number on the poor woman''s psyche. Gently patting her on the head with my left hand, I assured the goddess she could stay with us as long as she wanted.


    ¡°I¡­ I am sorry¡­¡±, Lileath said as she began to settle down, ¡°That vile creature did unspeakable things to us during the many millennia we were shackled within her. As the youngest within our pantheon, she took a particular liking to torturing me with all manner of bladed and blunt weapons. For over twenty thousand years, we served as unwilling outlets for her boredom and frustrations; I cannot ever go back to that again. If she gets her claws into me again, promise me that you will end my life and spare me further suffering.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±, I agreed, before flicking her on the forehead, ¡°Now stop dredging up those painful memories; there is no need to relieve your captivity. Instead, focus on rejoining the fragmented Eldar toward a better future for everyone. If you want to thank me for my help, see if you can get them to quit referring to humanity as Mon-Keigh. Whether they like it or not, they will need our assistance if they want to flourish once again.¡±


    ¡°I will see what I can do, but I doubt they will make that change overnight.¡±, Lileath laughed, ¡°Can you share with me what the other problems are that you are working on?¡±


    Showing her my current to-do list, the goddess was surprised to see the number of tasks I had. Carefully reading each of the line items, she came to a stop at locating a solar forge to remake Stormbreaker. Watching her face scrunch up for a moment as she searched her memories for something, Lileath¡¯s face abruptly lit up when she recalled what she was looking for.


    ¡°During the waning centuries of the Aeldari Empire, a race of people called the Rataka attempted to forge an alliance with our worshippers. During negotiations, they let it slip that they possessed a gigantic machine called the Star Forge that crafted items from stars. With some minor modifications, it may be sufficient to serve your purposes, right?¡±, Lileath inquired in a hopeful tone.


    Recalling that the Star Forge used star material to craft highly advanced machines, I was uncertain if the manufacturing process involved the intense solar heat or not. Since I had no other alternative solutions right now, it was worth investigating, as no matter the outcome, I was still adding an immensely powerful tool to my arsenal.


    <Sir, we are approaching the target zone now. The ship will drop out of FTL in five minutes.> (Jarvis)


    ¡°Understood, thank you for the heads up.¡±, I replied, rising from the bed. ¡°We will head over to check out what remains of the Star Forge in a few days. Until then, my friend Liam and I plan on doing some space pirate hunting. Would you like to watch or rest a bit more?¡±


    ¡°I am eager to learn all I can about what has become of the universe in our absence.¡±, Lileath answered, still clinging to my arm. ¡°Please lead the way, Victor.¡±


    Nodding my head, the two of us left the room and headed toward the bridge to prepare for arrival.


    ---Vanticooi System--- Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Dropping out of FTL on the outer edge of the reportedly pirate-infested system, I dispatched a fleet of stealth drones to scour the vicinity for any signs of the pirates. Picking up the residual ion trails of several impulse engines, the drones traced them back to a massive asteroid situated within an extensive debris field orbiting a gas giant. Scanning the celestial body for further details, we quickly ascertained that it was completely hollow and was housing hundreds of smaller vessels.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, this is not an ambush setup; we have stumbled upon their base of operations in this sector!¡±, Samus said, rising from her seat, ¡°I am honestly floored that the Republic Army does not have an outpost in this uninhabitable star system. It is positioned on the edge of where three major transit routes intersect; anyone with a brain can see this would be a pirate hotspot.¡±


    ¡°How many times must I tell you? I am not the one you should be complaining to. Just because my sister has a seat in the Galactic Senate does not mean I am responsible for their actions or lack thereof.¡±, Bo-Katan sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with an exasperated expression, ¡°In any case, I completely agree with your assessment. Their lack of forethought is atrocious and has likely resulted in the deaths of billions over the centuries.¡±


    ¡°So how do you want to play this, Victor?¡±, Liam asked over the private communication channel. ¡°We can sneak in close, seal off their escape routes, and forcibly take control of their base, or my personal preference, go in guns a-blazing and give them hell.¡±


    Using the Force to check for innocent civilians within the confines of the hidden base, all I found were hostile entities crawling all over the place. Satisfied that we were in the clear, I chose to go with the most destructive option available to me.


    ¡°This is a golden opportunity to utilize a weapon we have yet to properly field test due to the widespread devastation it creates. As the star system is uninhabited and no innocent souls are within the hidden base, Luxion, initiate the Wave Motion Cannon¡¯s charging sequence.¡±, I ordered, a maniacal grin forming on my face. ¡°Liam, please have your fleet position themselves a few miles behind my flagship. I do not want them to get swept up in the carnage I am about to unleash here.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark, what is a Wave Motion Cannon?¡±, Eulisia inquired, moving onto the screen.


    ¡°In a nutshell, the weapon that fires a beam of ultra-hypergravitational energy. As it moves through space, it pushes and pulls onto the surrounding area, generating reality-warping ripples that tear apart everything in their path.¡±, I elaborated, ¡°No amount of armor or shielding can protect someone from it. If the weapon were used on a star, it would cause it to go supernova in less than a minute.¡±


    ¡°Why in the hell would you build such a dangerous weapons!?¡±, Nias shouted, jumping into frame. ¡°Surely you understand that such a weapon would make both ally and foe terrified of approaching you, right?¡±


    Finding her reaction amusing, I assured her I only intended to use it as a last resort once all other options had been exhausted. The reason I was firing it here was because it needed a proper field test before I could say it was fully operational. As the first project that C¡¯tan Yggra''nya and I had worked on, my hopes were high that everything would function flawlessly and give us quite a show. Watching Liam¡¯s ships fall back, I got the Endless Horizons into a position that granted us a straight shot at the base and settled in while we waited for the charging sequence to complete.

 Chapter 171

    <Master, the weapon is charged and ready to fire.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Perfect! All hands brace for weapon discharge.¡±, I said, resting my index on the button, ¡°T-minus five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ FIRING!!¡±


    Pressing the button, my ship began to subtly vibrate as a vibrant, neon blue beam of energy fired from the bow of the ship. Moments after discharging, alarms around the ship began blaring as the sensors-array went haywire from countless gravitational anomalies. Checking the sensors that monitored critical systems and hull integrity, everything came back normal, so I silenced everything and returned my attention toward the viewing window. Crossing over the star system¡¯s outer edge, the experimental weapon¡¯s devastating power was put on full display for everyone to see.


    Atomizing everything near the beam instantaneously, the intense gravitational waves it was generating began tearing the system apart. Erasing small celestial objects entirely, anything lunar-sized was reduced to a nearly undetectable dust cloud. Planetary objects were torn asunder as their core materials were violently expelled out the side opposite to our visual view.


    ¡°Hehe, look at the rats flee!¡±, Liam cackled, kicking back with a bag of popcorn in hand. ¡°Eulisia, Nias, can the Imperial Factories make something like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­no¡­¡±, Eulisia answered, watching the screen with a pale expression, ¡°Even if we could¡­ I doubt the Emperor would agree to let anyone have it.¡±


    Turning to Nias, hoping she would have a more favorable answer for him, Liam discovered her unconsciously standing close to him. Poking her in the arm, hoping to rouse her from wherever her mind had gone, the engineer/saleswoman fell over and bashed her head into the floor.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Can I get someone from the medical team up here to take Miss Nias to a bed?¡±, Liam requested over their internal radio.


    ¡°Make it for both of us, please.¡±, Eulisia added, unable to take this absurdity any longer.


    Fainting on top of her colleague/rival, Nias unconsciously groaned, much to Liam¡¯s amusement. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°So, are we going to chase after these pirates once they jump to FTL?¡±, Liam asked me.


    ¡°I do not think that will be necessary; they are going the wrong way if they want to escape.¡±, I remarked.


    ¡°Meaning?¡±, Liam questioned, uncertain why the direction mattered.


    ¡°Just watch; you will understand here shortly.¡±, I assured.


    Pointing their ships toward the closest star system, which was located a quarter of a light year behind us, they jumped to FTL unaware of their fatal mistake. Warp engines functioned by creating a bubble of spacetime around the vessel; the forward part collapsed space while the rear expanded it. Since the gravitational waves I created compressed space to its absolute limit, their warp engines would experience catastrophic failure the instant they attempted to pass through the first wave. Watching dozens of light streaks begin appearing all over the horizon, Liam was very confused by what was happening.


    ¡°Victor, I am still a bit lost here.¡±, Liam stated.


    ¡°Those light streaks are the results of violent warp engine failures aboard the pirate vessels.¡±, I answered, quickly realizing he would not understand that either. ¡°Think of them as insects and the first gravitational wave as a windshield.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see now!!¡±, Liam responded, easily comprehending my analogy. ¡°While I am disappointed that we will not get to collect any of their loot, it is quite pleasing to watch them pop off like fireworks.¡±


    ¡°The association¡¯s reports suggest they were more into selling people than hoarding goods, so it is unlikely that we are missing out on much.¡±, I commented, turning my attention toward selecting our next location. ¡°Oh, it looks like there is a Hutt Syndicate cache not too far from here. If you want, we can head there next and loot their hidden- ¡°


    Before I could finish my sentence, the sound of shattering plate glass echoed throughout the region, followed closely behind by a head-splitting screech. Snapping my gaze back to the viewing window, it took me a second to process what had happened.


    ¡°No fucking way¡­¡±, I growled as the beam swallowed the hollowed-out asteroid and punched a hole straight through the gas giant. ¡°Attention all hands, prepare for immediate departure!¡±


    Initiating an emergency shutdown of the cannon, I diverted the unutilized power to the carbon nanotube battery banks that provided backup/supplement power to the ship.


    ¡°Victor, what the hell was that noise?¡±, Liam inquired as I sent him the coordinates of our next destination.


    ¡°Yeah, I would like to know that as well.¡±, Samus agreed, her head still ringing from the high-pitched shrill.


    Turning to Ahsoka and Bo-Katan, the two women also looked at me with concerned expressions. Realizing that I was the only one that knew what had just happened, I was very concerned they had no idea about the taboo object I had inadvertently destroyed. Bringing up a data entry about Singing Crystals for them to review, I started to recalibrate the sensor-array for departure while giving them an explanation.


    ¡°That noise was created by a Singing Crystal; it is a mineral found in and around the Belberem Federation and Grackan Empire.¡±, I explained. ¡°When the mineral is damaged, it emits a transdimensional frequency that draws in creatures from a higher plane of existence called Crystal Life Forms. The noise is very similar to their death throes, so they rally to the sound to render assistance to what they believe is one of their own. While they are slow and unshielded, they are quite troublesome, as for every one of them you kill, several dozen more take its place. After an unspecified number of them die, more advanced units will begin appearing that can wipe out entire fleets of starships.¡±


    ¡°No offense, but do you realize how crazy that sounds?¡±, Bo-Katan remarked, with a skeptical look, ¡°You are saying there is life in higher planes of existence?¡±


    ¡°And lower ones, yes.¡±, I confirmed as thousands of spatial anomalies began appearing within the star system.


    Watching tens of thousands of them descend upon the collapsing system like a swarm of angry bees, their jaws fell open as they realized I was dead serious. Suggesting we get going immediately, as the effects of the Wave Motion Cannon would continue for some time, I wanted to be long gone before the advanced units arrived and they noticed our presence out here. Getting our ships turned around, we began jumping to FTL as the system¡¯s star began to go supernova.


    ---An Hour Later---


    Dropping out of FTL near the barren world of Ispu, Liam and his fleet hailed us as soon as we arrived. Inquiring if we needed to be concerned about them pursuing us, I assured everyone that there had never been a documented case of such a thing happening before.


    ¡°While they will not pursue us, those pests will linger in the sector for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours before returning to their dimension. Bo-Katan, please ask your sister to put out an alert warning others to be cautious of the area. So long as vessels do not drop out of FTL nearby, there should not be any problems.¡±, I said.


    ¡°Can do, give me a moment to draft a message.¡±, Bo-Katan agreed, ¡®Hopefully Satine accepts my words and does not press for further details. If she learns Victor destroyed an entire star system for testing purposes¡­ I will never hear the end of it.¡¯


    ¡°So what should we do now?¡±, Liam asked, itching to kill some pirates. ¡°Got any more leads to follow up on?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, but before we continue, I wanted to make a quick stop on the surface of the planet we are orbiting. According to a very reliable source, a recently deceased crime boss has a hidden treasure cache tucked away in a vault somewhere in this world.¡±, I remarked, ¡°You game for a bit of treasure hunting?¡±


    Catching his attention with the mention of hidden treasures, the duke enthusiastically agreed to have a poke around to see what was there. Sending Liam the approximate location of the vault, he dashed off screen to commence preparations for a planetside excursion. Closing the communication channel with a grin, I requested a contingent of guards meet us in the forward hangar before leaving the bridge with four women.


    ¡°I see that the fallen Eldar goddess and you are getting along quite well, Victor.¡±, Samus teased, noticing how tightly Lileath was clinging to my arm. ¡°You know, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan, if you do not make a move on Victor here soon, you are going to get left behind. It is apparent to everyone that his popularity is certain to continue rising. Before long, women from all over are going to start popping up to get a piece of him. Better act now before it is too late!¡±


    ¡°My duties to the Jedi Order are far more important to me than pursuing a relationship with Victor.¡±, Ahsoka commented, glancing up at me. ¡°If the Galactic Republic were not under threat of collapse, I would consider starting a relationship with you in a heartbeat. You check all my boxes for a suitable partner, and even though you act ruthlessly at times, it is always to protect those who cannot otherwise defend themselves. That is what I find most endearing about you, Victor. You possess immense power and knowledge, yet do not let yourself be blinded by arrogance and pride.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ in my case¡­ I¡­ I have been considering testing the waters with you.¡±, Bo-Katan admitted with a flustered expression, ¡°Since I was a young girl, my goal has always been to ensure that the legacy and traditions of the Mandalorian people were never forgotten. To that end, I worked tirelessly to make that a reality and shunned any opportunity to start a family of my own. Once my goal was achieved, thanks to your assistance, I was left devoid of purpose as I was a mere fledgling compared to my comrades. After months of soul searching, Pre-Vizsla and Satine forced me into tagging along with Ahsoka in the hopes you and I might develop feelings for each other. While I was vehemently against it in the beginning, now I have warmed up to the idea of having you as a life partner.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ that is honestly not the response I anticipated from you two.¡±, Samus giggled, surprised they were being honest with themselves finally.


    ¡°Awe, why do we have to start back at square one when we are already married?¡±, I teased them.


    Instinctively punching my arm, both women busted their knuckles open on my armor. Yelping in pain, Samus nearly fell over laughing while they cradled their wounded hands. Using healing magic to mend the damage, they sheepishly thanked me before lightly kicking Samus¡¯ armored butt for laughing at their pain.


    ¡°Hehe, all of you are quite amusing!¡±, Lileath spoke, giving the three women a warm smile.


    ¡°What is so funny!? We just poured our hearts out to him, and he treated it like a joke.¡±, Bo-Katan snapped, refusing to look at me.


    ¡°Really? I thought he was flirting with you as he holds great affection for the three of you. Unbeknownst to Victor, during my slumber aboard his city-ship, I have been periodically peering into his dreams to ascertain the type of person my savior is.¡±, Lileath said, giving me a knowing smile, ¡°While I refuse to divulge everything I have learned, I assure you his teasing comes from a place of love for you. In fact, he has already contemplated names for your children!¡±


    Just like with Amallyn and Ionica, steam began erupting from Ahsoka and Bo-Katan¡¯s ears as their embarrassment went through the roof. Laughing off Lileath¡¯s words, Samus gave me a smirk and requested we start with a dinner date before making plans for the future. Nodding my head in response, I warily glanced over at the Eldar goddess, unsure whether she was joking around with us or not. Unable to recall anything I had dreamt over the past few weeks, my fear was that she knew about my identity as a reincarnated person.


    ¡®While it is not the end of the world, it is something I do not want my family to ever find out about. If push comes to shove, I will use magic to erase the memories from her to safeguard my secret. Moving forward though, shielding my mind while I sleep is a high priority.¡¯, I thought, as we approached our shuttle, ¡®Once our time in the Algrand Empire has concluded, I will take the three of you on a date somewhere nice.¡±


    ¡°Ahem! You mean the four of us, right?¡±, Lileath pressed me, ¡°I have always dreamt of sampling the culinary marvels of other cultures but never had the opportunity to. Please do not leave out of this opportunity!¡±


    ¡®Oh no¡­ Please tell me I have not picked up a slightly more competent Aqua¡­ If she is, I will dump her on Yvraine and make Lileath her problem to deal with. I already have an airhead Tohru tagging along with us; I do not need another one.¡¯, I thought, sighing silently.


    Saluting the soldiers onboard the craft, the four women took a seat while I climbed into the cockpit. Waiting for the hangar doors to open completely, I powered up the engines and began our descent onto Ispu.

 Chapter 172

    Touching down near the vault¡¯s location, while we waited for Liam and his group to arrive, we began scouring the area for the entrance. Checking the caves and ravines around us, Bo-Katan stumbled upon it cut into the slope of a larger ravine precariously positioned above a lake of bubbling sulfuric acid. Reaching it via a narrow, rocky path, the Mandalorian cautioned my men and me against using it as much of the underside had been eaten away by the highly acidic air. Having those of us weighing under five hundred pounds use the path, I used magic to transport the rest of us down.


    Constructed of high-quality durasteel and coated with half an inch of platinum, Jabba had spared no expense in the door¡¯s construction. Measuring twenty by twenty feet in size, it was a safe assumption that this was merely a man door and that cargo had been brought in a different entrance.


    ¡°I can appreciate the desire to flaunt their wealth, but why the hell would they put it in the middle of buttfuck nowhere!?¡±, Liam berated the deceased Hutt as he arrived with his team, ¡®Clearly whoever commissioned this place¡¯s construction had no idea how to properly exercise their authority and power. I build all manner of things around my territory to remind my subjects just how wealthy I am, and the best part is, I use their own hard-earned money to do it! HAHA!!¡¯


    ¡°Are you serious right now?! You are suggesting that if this was built in a highly populated area, this would be perfectly fine!?¡±, Ahsoka snapped, disgusted by his words, ¡°Jabba ruined countless lives to amass his fortune; this was paid for with blood money!¡±


    ¡°Not to be rude, but all he did was offer people goods and services that they were willing to pay for. Why are you more mad at him than everyone who partook of his offerings? If it was not him, someone else was going to do it because there is a demand for it.¡±, Liam remarked, confused why she was so upset with him. ¡°Do not mistake my words as approval for his actions; I agree that his forced enslavement of others and piracy was reprehensible. I just think you are focusing too much on the supplier and not enough on those who purchased from him.¡±


    Opening her mouth to continue yelling at him, Ahsoka realized she could not refute his words. Jabba, while an unscrupulous individual, was merely a merchant catering to the whims of the influential and wealthy. All his business decisions were made with the intention of making him unfathomably wealthy. If there were no demand for gambling, prostitution, or slavery, he would have never dabbled in it to begin with and would have pursued other lucrative options. Realizing this for the first time, Ahsoka turned to me with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡®Have I been approaching my goals from the wrong angle this entire time? I strongly believe in the vision the Jedi have for a better future, but the Order has become too intertwined with the government to function properly. Many of the people we are allied with are the same ones funding our enemies¡¯ operations. We will never be able to bring about peace if we maintain the status quo.¡¯, Ahsoka thought, staring intently at me. ¡®Staying with Victor means I can continue to carry out my desire to help others and have the support of someone who is unafraid of any political or social ramifications. Hmm¡­ I should meditate on this and see what path I should take.¡¯


    ¡°Hehe, finally realizing that you cannot live without him?¡±, Samus snickered, teasing the distracted Padawan.


    ¡°Yea¡­ wait, what!? Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a moment!¡±, Ahsoka said, breaking eye contact with me, ¡°My apologies, Duke Banfield, I honestly had not thought about that aspect too much. You are right; if there is a demand, scumbags will always be there to cater to it.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry too much about it; this sometimes happens when I speak with people outside my usual social circle.¡±, Liam chuckled, drawing his blade. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get in there and loot this place!¡±


    Bashing him over the head, Liam crumpled to the ground and began rubbing the spot profusely.


    ¡°The fuck was that for, Victor?!¡±, Liam snapped, wincing in pain, ¡®Do not tell me, is he going to double-cross me for the treasure!? Haha, I should have anticipated this!¡¯


    ¡°Learn to read your surroundings a bit better, idiot! The vault was not positioned this close to a lake of acid for dramatic effect. Brute forcing our way inside will likely result in all the loot being dropped into the acid below.¡±, I remarked with a frustrated sigh. ¡°The deceased owner was the sort of person who would readily destroy his treasures to prevent others from getting ahold of them. He raked in trillions of credits every hour, so the contents of this place were expendable in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, I had not considered the possibility that this place was booby-trapped. Next time I do something reckless, though, please say something instead of bashing my head in. It felt like you almost took my head off.¡±, Liam stated, rising to his feet. ¡°If brute force is not an option, how do you suggest we get inside?¡±


    ¡°Watch and learn.¡±, I chuckled, approaching the door.


    Cutting an access panel into the doorframe, I manipulated the nanites in my armor to create several wire taps and connected them up to the wires inside. Hacking into the security system by brute-forcing the installer password, Jarvis disabled all security measures and activated the emergency override to open the entrance. Feeling the ground begin to tremble slightly, a series of loud clunks echoed from within the door before it began sliding open. Disconnecting the wire taps, I took a few steps back as the lights began to flicker on inside.


    Splurging on the interior as much as he did the vault door, everyone was left speechless when we saw the vast amounts of Calacatta Gold marble lining the ceiling and walls. Considered to be one of the finest decorative materials on the market, a single ten-by-ten slab cost just under a million credits. When I initiated the reconstruction of the Endless Horizons, I had considered using the material in my ensuite to spoil my family a bit, but there was no supply available at the time. Assuming all his vaults were lined with the stuff, I seriously considered resurrecting Jabba just to throw him into the pool of acid below.


    ¡°Just so we are clear, we are going to strip this place clean before we leave, right?¡±, Liam questioned, rubbing his hands together energetically.


    ¡°Spoken like a true Loot Goblin.¡±, I chuckled, with a firm nod. ¡°Of course we are, not like the previous owner is going to complain about it.¡±


    Exchanging a fist bump, the two of us stepped inside to survey the contents of the vault warehouse. Disinterested in the foreign racing crafts just inside the entrance, as we glanced around the space, Liam¡¯s eyes fell upon thousands of large pallets toward the back left of the warehouse. Loaded to capacity with gold and other precious metals, his body went into autopilot as he bolted over to stake his claim.


    ¡°Mine, it is all mine!!¡±, Liam proclaimed, in a Smeagle voice, ¡°HAHA!!!¡±


    ¡°Lord Liam, please control yourself. Your bad habit is showing again.¡±, Amagi scolded him as she and his men ran over to him, ¡°Your gentleman¡¯s agreement with Lord Stark was an even 50/50 split. Please remember that you are a nobleman before a treasure hunter; your words carry a great deal of weight.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ My apologies, Victor.¡±, Liam said, coming back to reality. ¡°I know we agreed to an even 50/50 split, but is there any way you can be convinced to let me have all the precious metals? I am willing to concede other items for it.¡±


    ¡°Haha, if you agree to let me have any data or documentation we find here, I will concede it to you.¡±, I offered, noticing the piles of domestic and foreign shipping containers on the right side of the room. ¡°Is that agreeable to you?¡±


    Accepting my offer almost before I finished speaking, Liam began searching for the controls that operated the retractable ceiling. Unable to take his bounty out the door we came in, it was the only way he could feasibly move everything in a timely manner. Leaving him to it, my group headed over to the heavy-duty shipping containers to see what else we had earned. Verifying that the domestic containers were filled to the brim with food and medical supplies, I set them aside to make sifting through everything else easier.


    ¡°Oh shit, there are some Dahl Corporation containers over here!!¡±, Bo-Katan shouted, rushing over to have a better look. ¡°They may not be that well known in our part of the universe yet, but in other regions, Dahl is ranked among the top ten best weapons manufacturers. I know you will want to keep some for yourself, Victor, but could we send the rest of our portion back to the Mandalore System? Pre Vizsla and the other practicing Mandalorians will be overjoyed to upgrade their arsenal!¡±


    ¡°I am not familiar with the rules and regulations of bounty hunters, but wouldn¡¯t that be stealing?¡±, Ahsoka inquired, concerned about the legality of Bo-Katan¡¯s request. ¡°The Galactic Senate only relinquished claims to their property, not third-party groups or individuals. Unmarked items aside, are you not legally required to return stolen property?¡±


    ¡°According to association guidelines, unless clearly indicated on their bounties, we are not legally obligated to return anything we collect from bandits, pirates, or vagabonds. That said, we are required to declare our haul to the association as the original owners have the right to request negotiations with us to repurchase their goods.¡±, Samus informed her, walking over to where Bo-Katan was. ¡°That said, hardly anyone ever requests negotiations with us. It is far more cost-effective to write it off as a loss and take a tax deduction from it. Most galactic nations have tax breaks for those that lose cargo to criminal activity.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That explains why so many bounty hunters are unfathomably wealthy¡­¡±, Ahsoka remarked, following her over.


    Leaving them to it, I continued inventorying the other containers until Luxion alerted me to several erroneous life signs nearby. Fluctuating between life and death every few seconds, he assumed a group of captives was being kept here. Figuring Jabba had tucked a few attractive humanoids here in case he ever went on the lam, I stopped what I was doing and asked him to lead the way. Taking me to an unmarked shipping container, he indicated that the erroneous readings were coming from inside.


    Ripping the doors off the container, several carbonite freezing units fell toward me unexpectedly. Catching them before they hit the ground, I gingerly leaned them against the side of the container before starting to remove the others inside. Hauling out nearly five thousand freezing units, Luxion began the process of scanning everyone¡¯s face while I focused on the first few individuals I found. Assuming they were the missing Citadel delegation, the Asari before me looked like they were in a great deal of pain. Hitting the defrost button on their control panels, the units began sparking uncontrollably as they powered down.


    Thawing out in seconds, the Asari stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground. Wriggling around erratically, they clutched at their throats, unable to breathe correctly. Assuming the freezing units had not encapsulated them properly, I used healing magic on them to mend any internal injuries they had. Momentarily relieving their suffering, a few seconds later they were right back where they started again.


    <Sir, I am detecting high levels of histamine in their bodies. I recommend an immediate injection of epinephrine before they suffocate.> (Jarvis)


    ¡°On it.¡±, I acknowledged, retrieving a bottle from my inventory. ¡°Sorry about this in advance, ladies!¡±


    Crafting a needle from my nanites, I collected the minimal amount needed and injected them with it. Recovering quickly after that, the five women lay on their backs, gulping down mouthfuls of air. Giving me a grateful smile, they thanked me profusely once their breathing had stabilized.


    ¡°It would appear your species may be highly allergic to carbonite.¡±, I commented with a smile. ¡°My name is Victor von Stark; I am a Primarch of the Imperium of Man. Are you perhaps the missing Citadel group?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ that is correct.¡±, one of the women answered as I offered her a helping hand. ¡°I am Ambassador Jaliramea Caliza. We were on a critical mission to meet with the Algrand Empire when our transport was attacked by a group of vicious pirates. They annihilated our escort ships, overpowered my security detail, and captured us in less than thirty minutes. Have you seen any other Asari or races wearing this symbol?¡±


    Pointing to the emblem affixed to her outfit, I slowly shook my head and broke the news to her.


    ¡°Your convoy was ambushed by pirates with connections to the Orion and Hutt Syndicates. Outside of you five, I am afraid the rest of your people were sold into slavery several weeks ago.¡±, I informed her.


    ¡°That¡­ that cannot be! The Galactic Republic outlawed slavery long ago!¡±, Jaliramea refuted, ¡°Please do not joke about the safety of my people.¡±


    ¡°While this is technically Republic territory, the Republic itself has not held control of this region for several hundred years now. Nearly a quarter to a third of its territorial space is under the control of criminal organizations like the Orion and Hutt Syndicates. If you had managed to send out a distress call, no one was likely going to show up to rescue you.¡±, I told her.


    Retracting my helmet so she could see I was not lying, her face contorted into a mixture of rage and sadness. Clenching her fist in anger, the ambassador steadied her breathing and took a moment to collect herself.


    ¡°Is there still a chance that my crew can be rescued?¡±, Jaliramea questioned.


    ¡°Yes, but it will not be easy. You would need to scour every black market for them, as there is no way of ascertaining where they were sent. During a brief stop on Tatooine, I did see several Asari in the slave market there. I do not know if they are members of your crew, but it is a place to start.¡±, I said.


    ¡°Does the Imperium of Man dabble in slavery¡­?¡±, Jaliramea asked, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°No, we do not.¡±, I assured her. ¡°I was on Tatooine looking for members of a missing Rogue Trader fleet. They were captured en route to the Algrand Empire like you were.¡±


    Nodding her head in acknowledgment, Jaliramea began to talk things over with her subordinates. Wanting their input on what they should do from this point forward, she felt it was only right that they have a say in their shared fate. Wanting to listen to their debate, my attention was drawn elsewhere by a loud crashing sound. Unsure what it was, I peered around the corner of the shipping container and looked down the row of containers at Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and Samus.


    Watching Samus viciously tear apart a Dahl container, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan were watching her do so from a safe distance. Politely excusing myself, I headed over to figure out what had her so riled up.

 Chapter 173

    Calling out to Samus as I approached, the bounty hunter spun on her heels and threw a strong right cross at my abdomen. Unlike the shipping containers she had been wailing on, my armor did not give way, causing her hand to bear the full force of her strike. Hearing several bones snap, she staggered backward and grabbed her wrist tightly.


    ¡°FUCK!!¡±, Samus hissed as blood began dripping out of her gauntlet.


    ¡°Calm down, let me patch you up.¡±, I said, casting a healing spell on her injury. ¡°Now tell me, what has you so- ¡°


    ¡°THOSE BLOODY BASTARDS LIED TO ME AND PLAYED ME FOR A FOOL!!¡±, Samus roared, venomous hate dripping from her voice, ¡°I should have fucking known something was wrong from the get-go, but establishing a connection with them was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. They are going to pay dearly for this!¡±


    ¡°So the Dahl Corporation screwed you over, okay. Can you give me a bit more information on how that happened? Does this pertain to your last job?¡±, I questioned, wanting to get to the bottom of this right now.


    Nodding her head in confirmation, Samus slowly opened and closed her hand to ensure her hand mended properly. Satisfied that it had, she exhaled sharply and began explaining everything to me.


    ¡°The last job I took was for a subsidiary of the Dahl Corporation, Quantum Laboratories. As you will recall, they commissioned me to reclaim an experimental weapon stolen from their secured facility.¡± Samus began as Ahsoka and Bo-Katan drew closer to hear her better. ¡°Up till now, I have been so fixated on the destruction of my ship and my near-death experience that I had not put much thought into how the weapon got installed on his ship to begin with. Initially I chalked it up to his underground connections helping him out, but the contents of these containers paint a very different story. They are identical to the one that nearly killed me¡­ those bastards used me as a guinea pig to test their weapon!¡± S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Peering into the Dahl containers, every one of them was crammed full of parts for several dozen identical weapons. Scanning the components to understand how they bypassed her shielding, I was shocked to discover that the underlying mechanisms were reverse-engineered Necron technology. Alerting my grandfather and uncles to this, we needed to crack down on it quickly before Dahl inadvertently started a war within our borders. As the Necrons did not trade with other species, aside from Trazyn, they had most likely taken it from one of the many dormant Tomb Worlds or shipwrecks that dotted Imperium space.


    ¡°How do you intend to make them pay? The Dahl Corporation is an intergalactic organization with pockets deeper than most galactic countries.¡±, Bo-Katan questioned, fearing Samus was going to make a rash decision, ¡°They will bankrupt you before the case goes to court, and making an attempt on their leadership will not- ¡°


    ¡°I am talking about filing a formal complaint with the Bounty Hunter Association, not killing someone¡­ Jeez!¡±, Samus laughed, secretly considering that option as well. ¡°Submitting a fake contract is a serious breach of the association¡¯s rules and regulations. Using the evidence we have here, I should be able to recoup my losses and have the failure scrubbed from my record. While I would love to sue them for ruining my flawless track record and sullying my name, that is just not feasible.¡±


    Relieved that she was not going to do something reckless, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan offered to testify on her behalf if it came down to it. Assuring them that it would not be necessary, Samus was confident the evidence present here was more than enough to solidify her claim. Asking me to keep the evidence safe in my inventory, she wanted an extra layer of protection against Dahl¡¯s potential manipulation of the facts. Happily obliging her request, I had Luxion make a 3D rendition of the area to ensure every detail was preserved before stowing the containers away in my inventory.


    With their curiosity now satisfied, I requested their assistance in sorting out Jabba¡¯s frozen victims. Helping me take statements from all of them, we sent all of them to Coruscant so the Senate could arrange their transportation back home. Keeping the Asari delegation with us, since their end goal was the empire, they assisted me with inventorying the haul to make the division of assets between Liam and me easier. Showing him the proposed split once we finished, he agreed to it without a fuss as he got his precious metal bars. Ferrying everything back to our flagships, we set out for the nearest port to get something to eat and plan out tomorrow¡¯s hunt.


    ---Three Days Later, Liam¡¯s Capital World---


    Returning to Liam¡¯s home on the day of our duel, the duke proudly showed off the vast amount of gold bars he collected during our expedition. Praising her husband¡¯s success boisterously, even though she still could not understand his fixation with gold, Rosetta asked for a moment of his time before we departed for the arena. Accepting his wife¡¯s request, Liam tasked Brian with adding his spoils to the family treasure vault. Eagerly taking on the duty, the butler began coordinating the household¡¯s fleet of robotic maids and began executing his master¡¯s orders.


    ¡°So, how did your shopping spree go?¡±, I asked, approaching my wives and our friends. ¡°Hopefully you did not get into any trouble while I was away, haha!¡±


    ¡°We had a blast!¡±, Angelica answered, brimming with excitement. ¡°Rosetta took us to a literal shopping planet, as in the entire planet¡¯s surface was one enormous shopping district. We spent a day and a half browsing a mere fraction of their offerings; Rosetta is already making plans for us to go back again soon. After we returned from that, we spent our time lounging in the spa and visiting local vineyards to sample the wide assortment of wines they produce here.¡±


    ¡°I am glad you ladies had a great time.¡±, I said, looking at Ilulu and Tohru. ¡°It is ridiculous that I have to say this, but thank you for keeping yourselves in check. If you had pulled something while I was away, I was prepared to ban you from spacefaring ever again.¡±


    ¡°How long are you going to hang that over our heads¡­?¡±, Tohru inquired.


    ¡°Until I can trust you to follow my instructions properly.¡±, I answered.


    Exhaling sharply, the two dragonesses apologized once again for barging into our lunch meeting with Liam and Rosetta. Accepting their apology, I hoped they understood that I was not doing this to be cruel but to save them from future hardships. Not everyone in the universe was as easygoing as Liam and Rosetta; under normal circumstances, a nobleman could have had them arrested for illegal entry or tried to execute them on the spot. While I would have protected them, when they were out there with my wives, I could not guarantee their safety if they broke the law.


    ¡°How about you guys, did anything exciting happen on your end?¡±, Olivia questioned.


    ¡°We found the missing Citadel delegation in one of Jabba¡¯s hidden caches. On our way back here, we dropped them off on the Algrandian capital world so they could coordinate transportation home.¡±, I said, glancing over at Samus. ¡°In addition to that, Samus discovered the gruesome truth behind her recently failed job. I will let her tell you all about it.¡±


    ¡°Before you do, I¡­ I would like to speak.¡±, Amallyn remarked, covering Nuelalla¡¯s ears tightly. ¡°Can¡­ can we please have some of your time this evening? We bought a few outfits that we would really like to show you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can show me after the duel and party afterward.¡±, I agreed, looking at them suspiciously. ¡®Well now this is interesting. I can understand my wives wanting to show me their outfits, but now Amallyn and Ionica want to as well. Does this mean we are close to taking the next step in our relationship?!¡¯


    ¡°Thank¡­ thank you, Vic... Victor!¡±, Ionica stuttered, fidgeting around nervously.


    Giving Samus the floor, she proceeded to update everyone on the association¡¯s ongoing investigation into her last contract. Showing them snapshots of the ship that nearly killed her and the weapons we found in Jabba¡¯s cache, they quickly pieced everything together. Inquiring about how long the investigation would take, she gave them a rough estimate of about five to seven weeks.


    ¡°They have copies of all the evidence I collected; they just need to verify details with Quantum Laboratories and the representative that certified the contract. Once that is done, several of the higher-ups will deliberate and give me a response.¡±, Samus answered with a hopeful smile. ¡°Since it is a relatively new company, my hope is that the Dahl Corporation will pay up to sweep this under the rug. So long as I am reimbursed for lost revenue and ship¡¯s damages, I will be a happy bounty hunter.¡±


    ¡°In my humble opinion, you are being far too soft with them.¡±, Aela insisted, shaking her head in disappointment. ¡°If someone played me for a fool, I would kick the shit out of them and publicly shame them for their transgression. In your specific case, killing them might be on the table as well.¡±


    ¡°The Dahl Corporation has very deep pockets and state-of-the-art technology; I would be massacred if I tried that.¡±, Samus remarked, having already given up on that possibility. ¡°That said, I might be able to kick the shit out of the low-level grunts that lied to my face, though. Better than nothing, I guess.¡±


    ¡°If you need help, just let me- ¡°, Serana began to say, as a muffled scream came from the master bedroom.


    Turning my attention to the source of the sound, I could make out the sounds of heavy breathing and sexual moans. Cracking a grin, Angelica and Olivia hastily suggested we head over to the arena and wait for them there. Agreeing with them, as I did not want to stand here and listen to them go at it, Brian promised to notify his lord with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡®Lady Rosetta, Lord Liam, why did you have to choose now to do this? You know people can hear private conversations from the master bedroom down here.¡¯, Brian thought, fearing their reaction once he told them we knew why the duel was delayed.


    Helping the maids carry in the last of the gold bars, Brian took a seat in the foyer and patiently waited for them to return to the first floor.

 Chapter 174

    Rushing into the arena over an hour past our agreed-upon start time, Liam and Rosetta began profusely apologizing to us for the delay. Asserting that a pressing matter had tied them up until now, I could not help but smirk at their words. Noticing my facial expression, the color began fading from them as they realized we knew the truth. Hiding her face in shame, Rosetta made herself small while Liam could not bring himself to look anyone in the eyes.


    ¡°Hehe, is everything alright? Should we reschedule the duel for tomorrow?¡±, I playfully teased them, ¡°I can wait until tomorrow if that works better for you two.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that will not be necessary!¡±, Liam shouted, before quickly lowering his voice, ¡°I am already suited up and ready to go.¡±


    Opening my mouth to give a playful retort, Mylene cleared her throat loudly and gave me a pleading glance. Wanting me to drop the matter for their sake, I relented and got back on topic.


    ¡°Before we begin, can you give me a tour of your mech, Avid Kai?¡±, I requested, having studied it a bit during the wait. ¡°Afterward, I can show you my mech as well.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, I can do that!¡±, Liam agreed, grateful to be out of the spotlight. ¡°Nias, can you please join us? You explain the technical stuff a lot better than I do.¡±


    ¡°Can do!¡±, Nias acknowledged as Eulisia and Nias left their seats to join us. ¡°Wait, why are you following me?! Lord Liam called for me, not you!¡±


    ¡°Someone has to ensure you do not inadvertently divulge national secrets.¡±, Eulisia replied with a sigh. ¡°Whenever you start talking shop with others, you lose yourself in the discussion and blab about things you should not. Your supervisor complains about it all the time to my manager during the quarterly meetings between factories.¡±


    ¡°He does¡­ ¡°, Nias groaned, irritated that the pig was gossiping about her, ¡®I am going to kick his ass for spreading lies about me!¡¯


    Motioning for me to follow him, Liam gave me an overview of how Avid Kia came to be. Starting life as Alistair Sera Banfield¡¯s personal mech, Liam¡¯s great-grandfather, the unit had been collecting dust in storage since his death several hundred years ago. A short time into Liam¡¯s sword training, the sword master Yasushi had the older mech retrofitted to help further refine his talent. Stripping the mech of all unnecessary support systems, Avid Kai required complete manual control to pilot it properly.


    ¡°While I doubted my master¡¯s decision initially, forcing me to operate Avid Kai as an extension of myself drastically improved my magic control and manipulation. That flawless precision is what allows me to continuously utilize physical reinforcement magic during normal combat.¡±, Liam boasted, as we approached Avid Kai, ¡°As I further improved my piloting skills, the materials used in its initial construction became insufficient enough to withstand the strain I put on the machine. After a near-catastrophic failure, I commissioned Nias and the Seventh Imperial Factory to reconstruct it out of the highest quality materials available.¡±


    ¡°We spared no expense to fulfill Lord Liam¡¯s needs!¡±, Nias proudly proclaimed, giving her rival Eulisia a smug smirk. ¡°The framework is constructed of a secret mithril alloy blend, and its hull is a special mixture of adamantine and orichalcum made exclusively for Avid Kai! In addition¡­ the cockpit was decked out in gold and platinum at the duke¡¯s request.¡±


    Retracting the cockpit housing and the armor plating around the mech¡¯s left leg, Nias gave me an overview of how Avid Kia functioned. Sharing a bit about the high-strength magical filaments they used in place of pistons and servos, she went on to brag about the enchantments they imbued into the framework to optimize mana circulation. Touching on the customized sensor-array installed in Avid that reinforced Liam¡¯s connection to it, we stepped into the cockpit to have a look around.


    ¡°A bit gaudy for my taste, but this is a fine mech.¡±, I said, poking my head around the cockpit. ¡°Just out of curiosity, does this run on electricity, magic crystals, or magical essence?¡±


    ¡°It utilizes a hybrid power system using both electricity and a large magic crystal to operate.¡±, Nias stated, elated to be asked the question, ¡°Avid Kia¡¯s core systems operate on electricity while everything else is fueled by the magic crystal. Standard mechs operate almost entirely off the miniaturized fusion reactor onboard, as newer units are mostly electronic now. Avid Kai could have been retrofitted that way, but he insisted upon no supplementary systems during the upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough about my mech. Time to check yours, Victor!¡±, Liam insisted, eager to see how mine stacked up.


    Redeploying the housing and plating, the four of us walked over to my mech¡¯s designated spot opposite Avid Kai. Asking my family and friends to please take their seats in the stands, I wanted to ensure they did not get caught up in the debris cloud I was going to kick up. Knowing my fondness for showboating very well, especially when it came to Nova Gundam, Angelica and Olivia requested that I show some restraint, as this was foreign soil.


    ¡°Nonsense, so long as it does not damage the surrounding area, I do not mind a bit of flexing.¡±, Liam insisted, patting me on the back.


    ¡°Just to confirm, you do not mind if the battlefield gets a little torn up then?¡±, I asked as my wives began hunkering down.


    ¡°Not at all, we will need to relevel the ground after our duel anyways.¡±, Liam answered, turning his attention to the sky. ¡°Safe to assume it will depart from your city-ship at high speed?¡±


    ¡°Heck no, I have a far more dramatic entrance in mind!¡±, I laughed, stepping aside so they had a good view. ¡°Now then¡­ RISE, NOVA GUNDAM!!!¡±


    Quickly raising my right hand into the air, I snapped my fingers to activate the mech¡¯s startup sequence. Feeling the ground begin to tremble, spiderweb cracks began appearing across the arena as it rapidly ascended from underground. Exploding out of the earth at high speed, Nova Gundam shook the soil off itself and bathed the arena in vivid blue light.


    ¡°WHAT IN THE FUCK?! THAT IS SO DAMN COOL!!¡±, Liam howled as rock and other debris began raining down around us. ¡°Nias, is there any way we can do something similar with Avid Kai? Please say there is; money will not be a hinderance.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I do not know¡­¡±, Nias replied, watching Nova Gundam touchdown with a childlike fascination, ¡°Lord Stark, what¡­ what is your mech made out of?¡±


    ¡°Adamantium, Beskar, Luna Titanium, and Vibranium.¡±, I answered, approaching my mech with a smug smirk. ¡°Nova Gundam is a one-of-a-kind mech; everything from the ground up was designed, built, and refined by me personally. Suffice it to say that I know my mech like the back of my hand.¡±


    ¡°I know of Beskar and Luna Titanium, but Adamantium and Vibranium are unknown to me.¡±, Nias remarked, following behind me with Eulisia and Liam in tow. ¡°What is the blue crystalline metal on its back?¡±


    ¡°Haha, I can understand why you think it is metallic, but it is actually a hard light construct.¡±, I informed her, having done extensive reconstruction when I redesigned it to accommodate my larger body. ¡°With just a thought, I can manipulate its size and shape to be whatever I want. Suffice it to say that I have access to a full armor during combat and an endless supply of munitions.¡±


    Puckering their lips in shock, they were at a complete loss for words as hard light constructs were still considered science fiction in most parts of the universe. Mathematically it had been proven to be possible, but as of yet no one had built a working proof of concept. Desperately wanting to get their hands on this technology, Eulisia and Nias were about to start making me offers when Liam spoke up.


    ¡°So what is the armor made out of?¡±, Liam asked, wanting some clarification.


    ¡°The armor/hull is constructed of a special Adamantium, Beskar, and Luna Titanium blend; the cockpit is made of a classified material; and the framework is Vibranium.¡±, I answered. ¡°Before anyone asks, none of the materials or technology is for sale.¡±


    ¡°How does Luna Titanium stack up to the Adamantine and Orichalcum mixture I have?¡±, Liam asked Nias.


    ¡°Well, that depends. What variant is it?¡±, Nias questioned.


    ¡°The original mixture, I happened to get my hands on the original notes from when it was first produced.¡±, I replied.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ his armor is better¡­¡±, Eulisia stated without skipping a beat, ¡°The original Luna Titanium is almost completely indestructible. The only effective means of damaging it is repeated strikes with an energy weapon, but the Beskar improves its resistance significantly.¡±


    Looking at Nias with frustration, Liam wanted to know why she had not recommended Luna Titanium for his mech. Apologizing to him, the engineer informed him that securing the material was extremely difficult. Luna Titanium was only produced at a handful of locations, and each site produced only a few hundred tons of material each year. With such low production volume, compared to its high demand, the waiting list sat at over thirty years right now.


    ¡°Even if the Seventh Imperial Factory had secured some, there are no facilities in the empire that can manipulate the material. Working with Luna Titanium requires special equipment and years of experience.¡±, Eulisia explained, ¡°If I am being honest, I am in awe that Lord Stark can produce and manipulate the material himself.¡±


    ¡°I completely agree!¡±, Nias spoke up, scooting closer to me. ¡°Do you happen to have any concubines, Lord Stark? If so, may I offer myself up to be- ¡°


    ¡°Haha, nice try. You are not getting your hands on any of my materials or technology.¡±, I said, shutting her down promptly.


    ¡°Damn¡­ alright.¡±, Nias relented, feeling Lucoa and Mylene¡¯s oppressive gazes crushing her spirit. ¡°May we at least see what is under the hood of your mech?¡±


    Nodding my head in agreement, I remotely disengaged the high-powered magnets that secured the armor/hull to the framework on Nova Gundam¡¯s left leg. Giving them a rudimentary overview of how it moved, the two women soaked up the information like a sponge while Liam ascended to check out the cockpit.


    ---Thirty Minutes Later---


    Concluding my explanation, the two women thanked me for my time before promptly returning to their seats. Jumping out of my cockpit, Liam began walking back to Avid Kia so we could start the match. Running last-minute diagnostics on our mechs to ensure everything was in working order, the two of us gave the designated referee a thumbs up once we were done.


    ¡°Alright gentlemen, as per your agreed-upon rules, only the decapitation of your opponent¡¯s mech will end this duel. Though the arena¡¯s shielding has been deployed to protect the city and those here today, please try to refrain from striking it as both of your mechs could take the system down.¡±, Brian spoke over the PA system. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°All good here.¡±, Liam acknowledged.


    ¡°Ditto for me.¡±, I seconded.


    ¡°Very well then.¡±, Brian said, raising his hand high over his head and then abruptly dropping it. ¡°Begin!¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lunging at one another, Liam whipped his katana off his waist and immediately swung it at my neck. Slicing through thin air, the image he swung at faded away, revealing that it had been only an afterimage. Appearing behind him, I seized him from behind and suplexed his mech into the ground, creating a small, localized earthquake in the process. Releasing him immediately, I jumped back and began bombarding him with a barrage of Vulcan cannon fire.


    Recovering quickly from my surprise attack, Liam got back up and began blocking the bullets with a flurry of swings. Giving his thrusters the beans, he shot forward at a high rate of speed and unleashed a volley of missiles upon me. Firing a barrage of light construct spears at the incoming danger, the duke pounced upon my presumed momentary lapse of focus to get in close once again.


    ¡°You are not slipping away this time!¡±, Liam laughed, raining down a torrent of cuts and slashes upon me.


    ¡°Hehe, do you honestly think I would pull that same stunt twice in a row? We both know that kind of trick only works once on opponents of our caliber.¡±, I shot back, letting my shielding absorb the blows.


    Creating some distance once his missiles were eliminated, I gave chase and started pelting him with a dizzying number of punches. Deploying his shoulder-mounted shields to protect himself, they only withstood a few dozen strikes before violently exploding. Faltering under the sudden failure of his only real protection, I pummeled him into the dirt without mercy.


    ¡°How did he destroy them so easily!?¡±, Nias screeched, unable to comprehend how her specially designed shield units failed so spectacularly.


    ¡°It is thanks to the power of vibranium!¡±, Serana smugly shouted back, using magic to increase the volume of her voice. ¡°The material can absorb and release astronomical amounts of vibrational energy at will.¡±


    ¡®A material that can absorb and release vibrational energy on command!? Jeez, Lord Stark is full of surprises!¡¯, Nias thought as Liam began to recover.


    Pushing his back thrusters to the limit, Avid Kia flew backward while launching the rest of its missiles at me. Instead of using light constructs this time, I used the air pressure my fists generated to detonate the explosives in mid-air. Laughing at my display of brute force and martial arts prowess, Liam got his mech back onto its feet and gripped his katana with both hands.


    ¡°Now you are just showing off!¡±, Liam laughed, genuinely enjoying himself right now. ¡°While we may be equals in swordplay, I concede that you have me thoroughly beat in terms of martial arts skills.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the compliment, but I believe your sword skills are more refined than mine. Your movements are far more natural and precise than mine.¡±, I replied, detonating the last missile. ¡°At the rate we are going, we could be at this for a few hours. With that in mind, how about I offer up a suggestion to you?¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±, Liam said.


    ¡°How about we put the power of our mechs on full display by ending this with a single, no-holds-barred attack?¡±, I suggested, wanting an excuse to utilize Hyper Mode today.


    Pondering the suggestion for a moment, a wicked smile crept upon Liam¡¯s face. Disengaging Avid Kai¡¯s limiter, Liam began strengthening and reinforcing his mech¡¯s magical fibers.


    ¡°HAHA!! Let¡¯s do it!!¡±, Liam cackled as magical energy began crackling around him. ¡°Do not blame me if this ends badly for you!¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you!¡±, I shot back, ¡°Hyper Mode, engage!¡±


    Lifting all system restrictions on power delivery and output, Nova Gundam began radiating an immense amount of heat as its normal color scheme gave way to a pure, golden color. Ignoring my sudden change in color, Liam sheathed his blade and lowered into his preferred stance with a long exhale. Mentally and physically prepared for me to attack, he closed his eyes and waited for the opportune moment to strike.


    ¡°This hand of mine is burning red! Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!¡±, I proclaimed as my right hand became cloaked in heat equivalent to the surface of a yellow star, ¡°Erupting... Burning... FINGER!¡±


    Blitzing toward him at blinding speed, when I entered his strike zone, Liam lashed out like a coiled viper. Ripping his blade out faster than most could visually see, as our attacks collided, intense sparks of energy began arcing in every direction. Taking out the arena¡¯s shielding in seconds, everyone in the stands dove for cover, trying to avoid being hit and the wicked air pressure.


    ¡°HOLY COW!! THIS IS AWESOME!!¡±, Tohru laughed, gripping the back of her chair tightly as the wind tried to blow Ilulu and her away. ¡°THEY SHOULD DO THIS MORE OFTEN!!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!!¡±, Ilulu agreed, ¡°THIS REMINDS ME OF THE GAMES WE USED TO PLAY AS KIDS BACK IN THE VILLAGE!!¡±


    Evenly matched for the first few moments, Avid Kia¡¯s blade began cracking in several places as the heat and stress began taking its toll. Watching it fail catastrophically in slow motion, Liam relented as my right hand ripped Avid Kia¡¯s head off. Crushing the head unit, I hoisted it into the air and discharged all the remaining heat I generated at once.


    ¡°HEAT¡­ END!!¡±, I shouted, sending the torrent of heat into the atmosphere.


    Watching the stream of fire extend up to the stratosphere, Liam lay on the ground laughing his ass off while our families sighed with relief.

 Chapter 175 (R-18)

    Partying with the Banfields and their servants, Eulisia and Nias, late into the evening, our group turned in for the night shortly after ten at night. Saying our goodbyes, as we would be heading out first thing in the morning, I promised to stay in contact with Liam so we could continue pirate hunting regularly. Returning to the city-ship, my family spirited me off to our bedroom to show off the purchases they made during their shopping trip with Rosetta. Having me sit on the edge of the bed, the women shuffled into the bathroom to change outfits.


    ---R-18 Start---


    ¡®Hehe, I have been waiting for this all day!¡¯, I thought, enthusiastically bouncing on the edge of the bed. ¡®While I would be more than happy to see them in skimpy lingerie, hopefully the concubines and maids gave them a helpful nudge to take it a step beyond that. If they did, I am going to owe them a lot for it!¡¯


    Strutting back into the bedroom several minutes later, my lovers and wives nervously struck several cutesy poses wearing lace bunny girl outfits. Wearing colors that complemented their eyes and skin tone, I was left utterly speechless as my brain switched off for a moment.


    ¡°Uh¡­ pyonpyon?¡±, Ionica said, striking the signature bunny girl pose, ¡®God Emperor¡­ Please forgive me!¡¯


    ¡°You have to say it with more umph!¡±, Mylene insisted, making her breasts jiggle exaggeratedly. ¡°Pyonpyon! Pyonpyon!¡±


    ¡°Come on, everyone!¡±, Lucoa agreed, mimicking Mylene, ¡°Pyonpyon!¡±


    Watching all of them follow her lead, I felt the blood begin rushing to my lower extremity instantly. Unable to gauge my reaction, as my face was frozen in my usual stone-faced expression, they became distraught as they thought Amallyn was completely wrong about my taste. Turning to the Eldar woman fuming with anger, just as they were about to tear into her, my mind started to work again.


    ¡°My¡­ my apologies¡­ I¡­ I was taken aback by the breathtaking scene before me.¡±, I commented, shifting in place uncomfortably. ¡°All¡­ all of you did a stupendous job picking out those outfits. They highlight your bountiful breasts, marvelous curves, and wonderful thighs perfectly! I do not like objectifying all of you like that, but damn¡­ Seeing you like this only solidifies my belief that I am the luckiest man alive.¡±


    ¡°Do¡­ do you really mean that?¡±, Amallyn asked as a wave of relief washed over her. ¡°You are happy with the outfits?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, the only thing I would change would be having Roxanne ditch the rabbit ears. I prefer her normal, fluffy ears over everything else, but she already knows that much.¡±, I chuckled, giving my childhood friend a loving smile. ¡®I know it might sound bad, but I want to be forthright with them. Besides, I doubt they are going to care about my preference in ears.¡¯


    Nodding her head enthusiastically, Roxanne ditched the fake rabbit ears and held her head high with pride. Deciding not to rub it in their faces, she was satisfied just having something unique about her that no one else here could copy. Refusing to let Roxanne hog the spotlight, as this was her first night with me, Ionica stormed over and climbed onto my lap. Retracting my armor as we shared a passionate kiss, when my member slapped her thigh, she glanced down to see what was going on.


    ¡°Oh my word¡­ So this¡­ this is what it looks like.¡±, Ionica murmured, staring at it intently. ¡°Are¡­ are we going to survive this?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±, Amallyn laughed nervously, climbing onto my lap as well. ¡°They already told us everything would be fine. Though¡­ I can understand your reasoning for doubting them.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it too much. By the time I am done with you, it will slide in without any trouble.¡±, I promised them, pulling them close to me.


    Enjoying a make-out session with the two women, I gingerly slipped them out of their outfits and ran a hand between their legs. Tensing up momentarily, they slowly began to relax as I stimulated their bodies. Placing themselves fully into my care, the two inexperienced women quickly turned into a raging torrent, as neither had any resistance for this sort of thing. Filling the air with their sensual aroma, I could smell the fresh scent of cherry blossoms radiating from them.


    Laying them down on the bed, I buried my face in Amallyn¡¯s crotch as I began devouring her body. Experiencing ecstasy and pleasure unlike anything she had felt before, her muscular legs snapped shut around my head as she began to breathe raggedly. Trembling with the utmost bliss, the Eldar woman screamed through gritted teeth as she fought to maintain control of her emotions.


    ¡°Victor¡­ this is too¡­ much!¡±, Amallyn wheezed, grinding her hips into my face. ¡°I¡­ I could potentially- ¡°


    ¡°Do not worry about that bitch.¡±, I said, forcibly pulling my head back. ¡°If she attempts to ruin this, I will storm into her palace and beat the living shit out of her. Just focus on praying to Isha; that is all I want you to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±, Amallyn agreed before realizing what that meant. ¡°Wait a second, she is the Goddess of Fertility?! What are you trying to- ¡°


    ¡°I think it is fairly self-explanatory.¡±, I replied, with a teasing smirk, ¡°Do I need to explain the birds and the bees to you?¡±


    Taken aback by my boldness, I did not give her any time to argue with me. Reaching forward, my hands began kneading her chest vigorously while I continued stimulating her. Temporarily losing herself to the waves of pleasure, she began murmuring incoherent things in her native tongue. Letting go of me once her body was thoroughly exhausted, the Eldar woman sprawled out on the bed, completely spent.


    Moving to Ionica, she attempted to dissuade me from giving her the same treatment, as she felt it was highly inappropriate given the difference in our status. Ignoring her complaints, I told her this was happening whether she approved of it or not. As my future wife and mother to my children, it was only natural that I wanted to spoil her and make her happy. Refusing to hear any more on the matter, I pounced on the shy woman and began ravishing her body.


    Dripping her fingers into the mattress, Ionica began screaming into the air as her consciousness was swallowed up by her pent-up sexual frustration. Having suppressed her deepest desires and emotions to faithfully carry out her duties until now, with her reasoning thrown out the window, Ionica¡¯s true self came gushing out like a geyser. Muttering sweet nothings at first, her words slowly became more comprehensible until she broke the big news to me.


    ¡°Victor, my beloved, I want to have our first baby as soon as possible!¡±, Ionica giggled, so drunk on her lust that all her filters temporarily disappeared. ¡°Since I fell in love with you, I have been eagerly awaiting the day that I could begin carrying our children. Now that it is here, please bless me with one or two bundles of joy!¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Surprised by her sudden boldness, Amallyn asserted her desire to have children as well. Insisting that she wanted to give Nuelalla several siblings, the Eldar woman refused to take no for an answer. Biting their tongues, Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre remained silent to avoid ruining the moment for them. Grabbing hold of Ionica¡¯s perky breasts, I focused on further arousing her to avoid causing another outburst. Making her climax several times before pulling back, the proud Canoness Superior was now nothing more than a giddy, sex-crazed woman.


    Moving back over to Amallyn, I pulled her waist to me and pressed the tip of my member against her opening. Gingerly pushing myself inside her, she let out a soft moan as her body slowly accepted me into her. Sliding into her until my sack smacked her butt, the Eldar woman let out a comfortable sigh, understanding that I was completely inside her. Tracing my member¡¯s outline on her stomach, the two of us felt a shiver run down our spines as she did so.


    ¡°I am going to start moving.¡±, I whispered to her.


    ¡°Beloved, I am not fragile like ordinary humans. You can be a bit rougher with me without fear of injuring me.¡±, Amallyn said, resting her hand on my cheek, ¡°In fact, I honestly want you to fuck me up. When I see those bastards again, I want to brag about just how competent my loving husband is in bed.¡±


    ¡°Challenge accepted.¡±, I chuckled, pulling my hips back with a wicked smile. ¡°Just remember, I am not an ordinary human either.¡±


    Opening her mouth to say something, I slammed her into the bed, causing a primal moan to leave her mouth. Unsure exactly where that came from, she had a momentary panic attack but quickly let the whole thing go as the room began to shake. Putting the master bedroom¡¯s isolation dampeners to good use, I wanted to hear even more seductive noises from her. Pinning her ankles and wrists above her head, sensual moans began slowly escaping from her mouth as wave after wave of ecstasy hit her like a comet.


    ¡°Victor¡­ I¡­ I am going to¡­ climax again!!¡±, Amallyn panted, staring into my eyes. ¡°I meant every word¡­ I said earlier. I want you to give me a baby, here and now!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±, I asked, feeling my own climax quickly approaching.


    Somehow slipping her wrists out of my grip, Amallyn firmly grabbed my face with both hands and dug her fingers into my beard.


    ¡°I have been ready for this since you stood up to challenge She Who Thirsts to protect me!¡±, Amallyn asserted with a serious expression. ¡°My body, heart, mind, and soul are yours for all eternity. There is no other place in this universe I would rather be than by your side. Even though I may not express it well, I love you more than words can begin to describe, Victor.¡±


    Sensing the depths of her emotion in that moment, I relented to her demands and let myself go. With two more thrusts, the two of us climaxed in unison as we embraced one another tightly. Taking it all in, her body began to convulse violently as we experienced nirvana with one another. Keeping myself buried inside her until I was temporarily satisfied, I slowly pulled out of her and kissed Amallyn on the lips.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ the feeling of your warmth inside me. It is indescribable.¡±, Amallyn said, riding the high she was experiencing, ¡°May Isha see fit to bless us tonight¡­¡±


    Passing out moments later, she drifted off to sleep peacefully while I moved to Ionica. Lifting her hips expectantly toward me, I changed things up and stood at the edge of the bed. Rolling Ionica onto her stomach, I pulled her to the edge of the bed so that her legs hung over the side. Understanding where this was going, the Canoness Superior hiked her butt up to give me a better angle. Gripping her hips firmly, my rod began to slowly slide into her.


    ¡°Oh, fuck yes, this is exactly what I have been missing in my life!¡±, Ionica moaned, burying her face in the mattress. ¡°I can feel your pulsations and warmth deep inside me, and it is heavenly!¡±


    ¡°My god, Amallyn and you are two very kinky women.¡±, I chuckled with an approving smile. ¡°So we are clear, ladies, this sort of thing riles me up too. There is no need for modesty in the bedroom when it is just us here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know that very well.¡±, Mylene snickered, recalling our first intimate encounter.


    ¡°Stop talking and utterly destroy me already!¡±, Ionica demanded, impatiently waiting for me to start moving.


    Deciding to punish her for snapping at me, I firmly smacked her plump butt before proceeding to jackhammer her into the bed. Screaming out in unbridled bliss, Ionica dug her nails into the mattress again as her legs were slowly lifted off the floor. Carefully pressing her face into the mattress while I spanked her butt at random, she began apologizing for getting snippy with me. Drowning out her voice with the sound of my sack smacking her thighs and the squeaking bed, her raging torrent quickly evolved into a tsunami.


    Hit with several consecutive climaxes, Ionica was on the verge of unconsciousness by the time I was ready to climax. Feeling my member grow larger inside of her, she instinctively knew what was about to happen.


    ¡°You¡­ you are going to cum¡­ right?¡±, Ionica gasped. ¡°Give it to me, please!! I want to bring our physical manifestation of our love into the universe tonight!! My temple is ready to be blessed with your love!!¡±


    ¡°Have it your way!¡±, I grunted, thrusting into her one last time before dumping ropes of my seed into her.


    Giving her a moment to stabilize, once I was done, I slowly pulled my member out and repositioned her on the bed. Already passed out from exhaustion, Ionica was probably going to be out of it for the night, as she was completely dead to the world. Cracking my neck, my gaze turned to my wives, who were waiting close by, overflowing with sexual frustration.


    ¡°Alright, now it is a free for all.¡±, I said, pulling Roxanne and Angelica to me. ¡°Now let us see about scratching that itch everyone has been pestering me about. If you are dead set on it, I will do my part to make it happen.¡±


    Pouncing on me like a pack of lionesses, the rest of the night was spent enthusiastically performing my duty as their husband.


    ---R-18 End---

 Chapter 176

    ---Next Morning---


    Walking onto the bridge with a cup of coffee in hand, I found Lileath gazing out the viewing window at the cityscape below. Asking me how my evening was, before I could get a word out, she turned back to me with a big grin suggesting she knew all about my bedroom activities last night. Looking at one another for a moment, the goddess began to giggle joyfully before returning to what she had been doing seconds ago. Taking the opportunity to have a heart to heart with her, since it was just the two of us here right now, I wanted to confirm just how much she knew about my real identity.


    ¡°Alright Lileath, how much have you been able to ascertain from my dreams?¡±, I said, taking a seat in my chair, ¡°Give me an honest answer, or I am shipping you off to help Yncarne and Yvraine. So you are aware, I can detect truths and lies, even from deities like yourself.¡±


    ¡°Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I have no intention of ever deceiving or lying to you, Victor. As my savior, being honest and forthright with you is the least I can do.¡±, Lileath commented, glancing over her shoulder at me with a serious expression.


    Using the Force, and several spells, to judge her statement, everything confirmed she was indeed being truthful with me. Satisfied that I would not have to dissect cryptic phrases and half-truths for answers, I took a sip of my coffee and let her continue.


    ¡°Now, to answer your question, I have only seen fragments of your dreams and memories. Normally your mental fortitude is impenetrable, but in the presence of your family it lapses just enough for me to sneak a peek. I honestly find it heartwarming that you feel that comfortable around the ones you love.¡±, Lileath said, before quickly getting back on topic, ¡°From what I can gather, you managed to retain your memories from a previous life. Based on the snippets I saw, is it safe to assume you lived on earth in the second millennium, or twenty-first century as it was called back then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not the Terra you are somewhat familiar with. I am from the original earth, the real cradle of humanity.¡±, I admitted, ¡®If this is the extent of her knowledge, I can work with this. Letting others find out that I am not from this reality can never be allowed to happen. I am not at the level of fuck you that I can absolutely guarantee the safety of my family and home world when I am not close by. Until that day comes, this is one secret that I can never share.¡¯


    ¡°Interesting¡­ We hypothesized that humans were not natives of our galaxy but never had proof to confirm it.¡±, Lileath remarked, intrigued by this information, ¡°Now I would like to ask you a question. Having seen glimpses of the power and technology you possess, what exactly is your end goal, Victor? Do you seek to conquer a vast swath of creation, or do you desire power beyond comprehension?¡±


    ¡°My desire is and always has been to traverse the universe from one end to the other. I want to sample everything that reality has to offer, but the bullshit in this region of space has hindered me from doing so.¡±, I complained, taking another sip of coffee, ¡°I cannot properly savor anything if the universe goes to hell in a handbasket, thus I began working to preserve and rebuild things before departing. Unfortunately, my efforts have shouldered me with countless additional responsibilities that I cannot simply walk away from now. The Imperium of Man requires my assistance to successfully rebuild after millennia of neglect and stagnation; the Galactic Republic is almost certain to collapse within the next few decades without some guidance from me, and here recently I have become burdened with unifying this region in preparation for the Tyranid onslaught. It is all quite bothersome, but if I do not do it, who else will?¡±


    Smiling warmly at me, Lileath walked over and plopped herself on my right leg. A bit startled by her continued boldness, I could not fathom what the Aeldari Goddess was thinking. Given her pantheon¡¯s influence over the Aeldari, my assumption was that they held great contempt for other races. Her actions recently though had begun to alter this idea as she was acting far too flirtatious for it to be true. Even taking into consideration the fact that I saved her still did not explain her boldness.


    ¡°You are curious why I am being so forward with you, are you not? I can see it plain as day in your eyes.¡±, Lileath commented, giving me a soft smile, ¡°Ordinarily, even though you saved me, I would never be so forward with anyone. The fact is you hold a great deal of honor and respect amongst the fractured Aeldari people. Most have heard about your scuffle with She Who Thirsts and your subsequent triumph over her. The souls you liberated retreated to the various Craftworlds across the galaxy, singing your praises to anyone who would listen. You may not have killed her, but you gravely wounded her and gave the entire race a temporary reprieve from her influence.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting you are throwing yourself at me for their sake?¡±, I questioned, uncertain how to feel about that.


    ¡°No, I am interested in learning more about the mortal who rose up to protect the Eldar woman he loved. While others would have abandoned her and fled, you chose to stand your ground and protect her, risking your own soul in doing so.¡±, Lileath stated, ¡°Your dedication and love for your family have moved me deeply. The kindness you also show your fellow mortals is something the Eldar could stand to learn from. While I do not expect you to accept me immediately, please allow me the opportunity to win you over slowly.¡±


    ¡°I do not suppose I have a choice at this point.¡±, I chuckled, assuming I was stuck with her now, ¡®Just please stay like this and do not turn into an Aqua or Ristarte. I do not need more craziness in my life right now¡­¡¯


    Tapping a button on my left armrest, a star chart of Galactic Republic appeared before us. Zooming in on the Lehon System, I was about to initiate a jump there when a call came in from the Algrandian capital world. Unsure who would be calling me from there, I hesitantly accepted the video call and inquired who it was. Receiving a blank screen and no response for a few seconds, my finger was millimeters away from the disconnect button when audio and visual started coming through.


    ¡°Lord Stark, my apologies for calling you at such an early hour but I have an urgent request to make of you.¡±, Ambassador Jaliramea Caliza said, embarrassment painted on her face, ¡°Our homeland is unable to send people to retrieve us right now as they are under assault from the Reapers once again. While we await a lull in the conflict to appear, I wanted to use the opportunity to begin searching for my missing crew and subordinates. Could you please take us to the Republic¡¯s capital world, Coruscant? The Algrandians are unable to help us as they are busy preparing to engage a Tyranid fleet that recently appeared in their galactic south.¡±


    ¡®Now hold on a second, the Galactic Republic is also engaging a Tyranid Fleet in their galactic south as well. Since their southern borders mark the edge of this region, does this mean that they are connected?¡¯, I thought, fearing this could be an even bigger issue than people were realizing. ¡°I am happy to offer you a ride to Coruscant, but I must ask a favor of you. The Galactic Republic just recently began a campaign against a Tyranid fleet in their galactic south as well. While it may just be a coincidence, my concern is that what they are seeing now is only tendrils of a much larger Hive Fleet. Could you please alert the Algrandians to this possibility so they can work in tandem with the Republic?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will notify them immediately!¡±, Jaliramea agreed, ¡°One of my staff will contact you when we are ready to come aboard.¡±


    Nodding my head in confirmation, I disconnected from the call and let out a long sigh. Asking Luxion to send word to my grandfather and uncles about this new development, he attached the relevant documents and reports to the message before transmitting it to them. Sending an alert out to the engineering teams working across the Imperium of Man as well, they were given clear instructions to report any sightings to their superiors and initiate a planetary evacuation under my authority. Aside from the Emperor of Mankind, anyone that took issue with my order could take the matter up with me personally.


    ---Coruscant, An Hour Later---


    Heading planetside with Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Lileath, and Samus, we personally escorted the Ambassador Jaliramea and her subordinates to where the Senate was temporarily holding their gatherings. Greeting Padme, Satine, and members of the Jedi High Council, I let Ambassador Jaliramea explain their current situation to them. Turning pale when they heard about what the Orions and Hutts had done, the two Senators immediately bowed their heads and profusely apologized. Fearful of the potential political ramifications of this incident, they swore to do all they could to reunite her with the missing crew members.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, why exactly is a Primarch of the Imperium escorting a Citadel Ambassador?¡±, Windu inquired, confused how I fit into this, ¡°Is there something going on that we should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark is the one that found us and saved our lives.¡±, Jaliramea explained with a smile. ¡°The Algrandians would have brought us here, but they are preparing to intercept a Tyranid fleet to their galactic south.¡±


    Nodding their heads, the Jedi Masters turned to Ahsoka with a frustrated expression.


    ¡°Not in the report, this information was.¡±, Yoda commented. ¡°Include such details you should.¡±


    ¡°It is not her fault; we only requested Lord Stark¡¯s help an hour ago.¡±, Jaliramea insisted, trying to defend Ahsoka as she had only woken up ten minutes before our arrival.


    ¡°Victor giving you a lift here is not the problem. The fact she forgot to mention your delegation was among the Hutt¡¯s captives is.¡±, Windu clarified, rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°My apologies, Master Windu and Master Yoda. I thought I had included that in my daily report, but I must have overlooked it.¡±, Ahsoka said, bowing her head apologetically, ¡®I know I told them about the delegation in my daily report. Is someone in the Order trying to get me kicked out?¡¯


    Accepting her apology, the Jedi Master told her they would overlook the matter this time. Asking the Citadel delegation to follow them, Windu and Yoda wanted to discuss the matter of their missing people at length with the other council members. Suggesting that their colleagues¡¯ underworld contacts may be able to assist them, Jaliramea and her staff thanked us once again before chasing after the two Jedi Masters. Waiting for them to be out of earshot, Satine turned to Bo-Katan and me with a giddy smile. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°So, I hear that you and Victor are finally going out!¡±, Satine giggled like a schoolgirl.


    ¡°What the fuck, Ahsoka?! You included that in your report!?¡±, Bo-Katan snapped, irritated that she put such personal information in her report.


    Opening her mouth to assure Bo-Katan that she had not, Satine cut her off by boisterously laughing at her reaction.


    ¡°I was joking, Bo-Katan!¡±, Satine insisted, wearing a smug smile, ¡°The message you wrote me the other day was far more chipper than usual, so I assumed you two finally got together. Congratulations to both of you, now when is the wedding?¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Satine, cut it out!¡±, Bo-Katan shouted, clenching her fists in anger, ¡°Victor, we should get going before I kill her.¡±


    ¡°Where are you off to now?¡±, Padme said, trying very hard not to laugh at their antics.


    ¡°The Lehon System to check out the Star Forge.¡±, Lileath answered, unaware of the landmine she had just stepped on.


    Turning to me, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Padme, and Satine all demanded to know what I wanted with such a dangerous machine. With the cat out of the bag now, I pulled out Stormbreaker¡¯s axe head and told them that I wanted to use the facility to reforge the Asgardian weapon.

 Chapter 177

    Taking our conversation to a local caf¨¦, as only I had eaten this morning, the ladies grabbed something to eat and joined me in a private booth at the back of the shop. Getting a few sips of caffeine and bites of food down before restarting the conversation, Padme wanted some clarification on the supposed divine weapon I had shown them. Having grown up believing that the divine pantheons were old myths passed down from societies¡¯ ancient past, she was understandably shaken up by the revelation that they were actually real.


    ¡°So let us start from the beginning. Where exactly did you get this relic?¡±, Padme asked, warily staring at the axe head, ¡®I know he warned us about the consequences of touching it, but I really want to test if he is just messing around.¡¯


    ¡°I purchased it from a collector on Tatooine.¡±, I stated. ¡°He found the destroyed weapon in the Thochinda debris field.¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to gain from reforging the weapon? Based on the reports we have received, you already have enough power to collapse an entire star system with ease.¡±, Satine commented, looking at her sister with exhaustion, ¡°A little heads up would have been nice, sis. The Senate descended into madness when they were alerted to an entire star system having been reduced to dust.¡±


    ¡°If I had told you, I would have heard nothing but complaints from you about not stopping him.¡±, Bo-Katan argued as she crossed her arms in frustration. ¡°Does the Galactic Senate intend to hold him accountable for its destruction? If so, just say it already.¡±


    Shaking her head, Satine confirmed that they had no such ideas. The star system was completely uninhabitable, and the planets themselves were of little value to anyone. Even as potential mining colonies, no one saw them as a worthy investment.


    ¡°Well, if that is the case, why are you upset about it? Do not tell me they are honestly afraid he will turn it on them!¡±, Bo-Katan scoffed, ¡°After everything he has done for the Republic, why would he turn around and destroy?¡±


    ¡°Again, that is not the problem here¡­¡±, Satine sighed, looking down at her cup of coffee. ¡°Until now, most senators only knew Victor as the Jedi Sage who stopped the total collapse of the Senate building. This stunt has caused people to investigate Victor more thoroughly, which has led many to discover his various other titles. As a result, many Senate factions are looking to establish connections with him. Suffice it to say that he should expect to receive a great number of marriage proposals in the coming months.¡±


    Letting out a long sigh, I honestly began to regret my decision to fire the Wave Motion Cannon within Republic space. The safer option would have been firing it within Imperial space, as no one would have said anything about it since I am a Primarch. Making a mental note to do so moving forward, all I could do now was ride this out and wait for people to give up on their stupid plans.


    ¡°Speaking of marriage proposals, we received a request from the Deviluke Empire to help facilitate talks between them and the Imperium of Man. Apparently Princess Lala Satalin Deviluke is interested in marrying you.¡±, Padme said, giving me a teasing smile, ¡°You are certainly becoming ever more popular with the ladies, Victor. How do you intend to- ¡°


    ¡°Are you able to tell them no on my behalf?¡±, I inquired with a cramped expression, ¡°I already told Lala, after she nearly destroyed the Artemis Space Station, but clearly she chose to ignore me.¡±


    Choking on their beverages, Padme and Satine began coughing violently as they recoiled from this startling news. Assuming the Devilukeans paid an exorbitant amount to suppress any information regarding the involvement of their first princess in the disaster, I was not the least bit surprised they were unaware of it. Given how angry the station¡¯s security chief was at them, it must have cost a pretty penny to secure leadership¡¯s silence.


    ¡°Oh god¡­ Princess Lala is here on Coruscant right now¡­¡±, Padme wheezed, wiping her mouth with a napkin.


    ¡°We need to go, ladies!¡±, I said, wondering why I had not seen a Devilukean ship in the spaceport, ¡®No way in hell am I going to let her find out I am here!¡¯


    ¡°Victor, this Princess Lala would not happen to have pink hair and a tail with a heart at the end, would she?¡±, Lileath questioned, looking out the store¡¯s front window.


    Hearing a tap on the glass behind us, I slowly turned my head to see Lala doing a little dance outside. Bolting toward the entrance of the caf¨¦, Lala slid into the booth beside the Senators before I could initiate an emergency teleport to escape.


    ¡°Hello again, Victor-kun!¡±, Lala spoke up with a bright smile. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest¡­¡±, I answered truthfully, ¡°I thought I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with you several weeks ago. Why are you still pushing this?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ My father is very insistent on marrying me off, so I want to marry someone I feel I can grow to love. Unlike all the suitors he has picked, who ogle my breasts and see me as a meal ticket, you treat me like an actual person.¡±, Lala stated matter-of-factly, ¡°I know we got off to quite a rough start, but I hope we can move past it for our future together.¡±


    Opening my mouth to reiterate my discomfort about her continued advances, another voice interjected to scold her. Calmly walking over with her bodyguards in tow, Lala¡¯s mother, Sephie, came to our table to collect her daughter. Even though her face was hidden behind an opaque veil, the tone in her voice confirmed she was none too happy about her daughter running off on her own.


    ¡°Lala, do you remember the promise you made me before we left the Deviluke Empire?¡±, Sephie inquired, her gaze fixated on her daughter.


    ¡°I¡­ I do¡­¡±, Lala acknowledged, hanging her head in shame, ¡°Sorry, Mother, I saw Victor-kun from the window and lost control of myself.¡±


    Turning her gaze toward me, Sephie looked me over cautiously, trying to ascertain the type of person I was. Looking at the other women at the table next, she faintly nodded her head before politely asking to join us for a few minutes. Scooting over so she could sit on their side, the guards took up positions close by to keep an eye out for trouble.


    ¡°Good morning, Queen Sephie!¡±, Satine said, giving her a polite nod.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone. Please forgive my daughter for her rash actions.¡±, Sephie replied, her full attention turning toward me. ¡°So, you are the man that my daughter has set her sights on. You certainly have an air of authority and power about you, but I am not convinced you are a good fit for her. What say you?¡±


    ¡°You are absolutely right, Queen Deviluke.¡±, I agreed, enthusiastically nodding my head. ¡°If you would, please convey that sentiment to your daughter and husband so we can put this matter to rest. While I would like to establish friendly relations with your nation, I would prefer it not be via a political marriage.¡±


    ¡°You are saying you have no interest in the authority, power, and wealth that come with being her husband?¡±, Sephie clarified, motioning for her daughter to remain silent.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, your daughter is far too chaotic and reckless to be a good fit for my household. I have a great many responsibilities on my shoulders, and I cannot afford to have her potentially cause additional headaches for me.¡±, I elaborated, ¡°I am in the process of rebuilding the Imperium of Man, preparing for a full-out war with the Tyranids, and- ¡°


    Starting to tremble with fear at the very mention of the insectoids, Sephie began hyperventilating as she curled up into the fetal position. Realizing I had said something I should not have, I cast the spell Lion¡¯s Heart on her to help subdue the severe reaction she was having. Quickly recovering from her panic attack, she expressed gratitude to me for helping settle her nerves.


    ¡°It may sound silly, but I have a very deep trauma when it comes to those¡­ things.¡±, Sephie explained, fidgeting her fingers uncomfortably. ¡°My homeworld and everyone I called family were devoured by them when I was a teenager. If not for Gid, I would have perished along with them.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who would mock your mental scars has never experienced what true despair and fear is.¡±, I remarked in a serious tone. ¡°I have seen people who never mentally recovered from their encounter with those pests. They have allowed their trauma to swallow them whole and shape who they became as people. Though the scars may remain, you picked yourself back up and continued to move forward down the path you chose for yourself. That speaks volumes about your mental strength and resilience.¡±


    Startled by my words, the corner of her lips began to curl upward into a smile. Telling her daughter that they need to return to their accommodation now, Lala complied with a disappointed look. Before walking away from the table, Lala made one last attempt to garner a positive response from me.


    ¡°What can I do to garner your attention, Victor-kun?¡±, Lala inquired, refusing to give up so easily. ¡°Do I have to change my personality to be more like your wives? Maybe even give up inventing my gadgets altogether?¡±


    ¡°Lala, never change who you are at heart for the sake of someone else. If they demand you change something core to yourself, they are not worth your time or energy.¡±, I told her, ¡°I know your inventions are meant to help brighten people¡¯s day or help those in need. It is truly an honorable thing, but your planning and implementation are atrocious. They are a liability and could very well hamper everything I am doing to better this region. If you are truly hellbent on pursuing something with me, show me your determination with action.¡±


    ¡°So, put more thought and planning into what I make.¡±, Lala muttered, nodding her head in understanding. ¡°Very well, just you wait and see. I will show you the full extent of what I am capable of!¡±


    Seeing the fire burning in her eyes, I wondered if she could rise to the occasion or fail like she had so many times before. Promptly walking out of the store, Sephie bid us farewell before she and their guards chased after Lala. Releasing a sigh once they were gone, Padme and Satine began to giggle at my pain. Rubbing my forehead, I considered having a stiff drink and smoke once we were back aboard the New Genesis.


    ¡°You seem to attract some very strong-willed women, Victor.¡±, Padme remarked, looking at the four women next to me. ¡°Getting back to our original discussion, you are planning on heading to the Lehon System to visit the wreckage of the Star Forge. Do you plan on constructing another or rebuilding the original?¡±


    ¡°Utilizing time manipulation magic, I plan on restoring the original to a time prior to its destruction. Honestly though, I am uncertain if the Star Forge will be able to accomplish what I need it to do.¡±, I admitted, ¡°All I am after is a forge fueled by the heat of a star.¡±


    ¡°Why not just take it back to the Asgardians and have them reforge it?¡±, Satine questioned, ¡°If they crafted it originally, they should be able to reforge it.¡±


    ¡°It is not that simple; to reach them, I must use the Bifrost as they reside in a different dimension. Opening the pathway requires Stormbreaker to be whole once again.¡±, I informed her. ¡°I must work with the resources I have at hand for the time being.¡±


    Wanting to avoid restoring the taboo device to operational capacity again, the two senators racked their brains for an alternative. Unable to think of another solar-powered forge, a realization struck Bo-Katan hard.


    ¡°Wait a second, Lileath, did your pantheon have a Smithing God? Surely, they would have possessed something that Victor could use.¡±, Bo-Katan stated.


    ¡°We did; his name was Vaul.¡±, Lileath acknowledged as the realization struck her too. ¡°His forge should still be intact as the four beings that usurped us have no interest in the trades! Victor, we should return there and see if Vaul¡¯s forge will work!¡±


    ¡°That will require us diving into the Warp, though¡­¡±, I reminded them.


    ¡°No, it will not. Vaul¡¯s forge was located within the Webway!¡±, Lileath told me, happy she could provide me further assistance. ¡°I know precisely where it is; leading you there will be easy for me. While we are there, I can let Uncle Cegorach know I am alive!¡±


    Since I already had plans to go there, I agreed to give their suggestion a try before restoring the Star Forge. Eager to get going immediately, she pushed Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and Samus out of the booth so we could get underway. Bidding the two senators farewell, we promised to contact them if we had to go with Plan B.


    Watching us walk out the door, the two women dropped their cups in shock.


    ¡°Wait¡­ that Space Elf was a goddess?!¡±, Satine shrieked.


    ¡°I take it back; Victor seems to attract powerful, strong-willed women.¡±, Padme corrected herself, ¡°Just to be safe, I think we should let Anakin and Obi-Wan know Victor¡¯s intention for the Star Forge. They will know how to handle it better than us.¡±


    Agreeing with her colleague, the two senators slid out of their booth to fetch some towels to sop up their spilled drinks. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 178

    Believing that the cesspool that was Commorragh needed to be purged and its hostages/slaves freed, I contacted my Eldar allies, grandfather, and uncles to coordinate a joint liberation effort. Agreeing to a temporary alliance to save the Drukhari victims, they left the battle planning in my hands as neither side had much information on the dark city itself. Tasking Commander Yoma, from the Special Operations and Intelligence division, with the responsibility of intelligence collection once we arrived, she and her people would slip into the city while I kept the enemy¡¯s attention fixated on me.


    ¡°Not to be rude, but are you certain your people will be able to safely operate in Commorragh? The Drukhari are masters of detection and stealth; one whiff of trouble and they will turn the place into a bloodbath.¡±, Yvraine warned me.


    ¡°I have absolute confidence in Yoma and her people. There is no need to worry about them.¡±, I responded, believing they had the skills and technology to ensure their success. ¡°The more pressing topic is determining what will become of the Drukhari children. While I have no issue slaughtering the adults, my forces and I will have no part in killing children.¡±


    ¡°The Ynnari will take charge of the children and those who surrender during the battle. Using my power, I will cleanse them of their bloodthirst and destructive urges.¡±, Yncarne answered telepathically. ¡°We will take full responsibility for their rehabilitation and execution should they become a danger to themselves or others.¡±


    ¡°We will do what we can, but do not be surprised if we end up wiping out all the adults in Commoragh. The Drukhari are also masters of deceit; I would not run it past them to fake surrender just to get close enough to stab us in the back.¡±, I remarked.


    ¡°That is a fair point; I would like to leave it to those on the ground to make the call then.¡±, Yncarne compromised.


    Accepting his terms, I requested everyone to begin preparing to mobilize within the next four hours. Assuring them that the results of Commorragh¡¯s survey would be made available to them before the attack, we disconnected from the call to begin organizing our forces. Wanting to take just the Endless Horizons into the fray this time around, I relocated the city-ship to my territorial space and easily convinced my family to sit this one out.


    ---Commorragh Spaceport---


    Carefully maneuvering my flagship into the only dock that could accommodate us, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Lileath, Samus, and I teleported down to the forward hangar to disembark. Having the women take a moment to double-check their equipment, as we were certain to run into some trouble, I draped a grey cloak over Lileath¡¯s head and her shoulders. Acutely aware of the Drukhari¡¯s disdain for the Aeldari Pantheon, except for Khaine, it was crucial that they remain ignorant of her presence among us. Thankfully, Lileath possessed only a tiny sliver of her original power, so we only needed to avoid letting them see her face.


    <Master, it appears a large group of criminals, Drukhari, and slaves have gathered at the end of the pier. Among the sea of faces is someone we encountered during our time on Vigilus.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Show me¡­¡±, I requested, feeling a headache coming on.


    Bringing up a camera feed from the bow of the ship, Archon Aurelia Malys and several of her high-ranking subordinates were standing at the forefront of the gathering crowd. Keeping onlookers back with a deadly glare, her unexpected presence here left me concerned and confused.


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me, damn it¡­¡±, I sighed, a bit grateful it was not Vect or one of the more reckless Archons. ¡°I had hoped to avoid running into any of the Archons until after we returned from the forge, but that is no longer possible. From this point onward, be ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice. Archon Malys is one of the most prominent leaders in Commorragh; she did not get to where she is now via diplomacy¡­ ¡°


    Switching their weapons from incapacitate to kill, Bo-Katan and Samus gave me a thumbs up once they were ready to move out. Telling Lileath to stick close to me until we were safely out of the city, the goddess clung to my arm tightly, like her life depended on it. Deploying the light construct ramp and opening one of the hangar doors, the five of us calmly disembarked the ship and stepped onto the pier. Turning to face the crowd, several dozen Drukhari took several steps back while the humans stayed in place with relieved smiles.


    ¡°One of the Emperor¡¯s Sons has come to save us!!¡±, an older man cried as they began to kneel and bow their heads in respect, ¡°Praise be to the God Emperor!!¡±


    ¡°Get the slaves back in line!¡±, one of the Drukhari dockhands snapped.


    ¡°Lay your hands upon them at your own peril¡­¡±, I warned them, my voice reverberating within their chests, ¡°I will not stand idly by and allow you to harm the Imperium¡¯s great treasures.¡±


    Mentally opening the other forward doors, hundreds of Helldivers and Zaku mechs began marching out of the Endless Horizons, ready for a fight. Taking up positions behind us, they leveled their weapons at the Drukhari and waited for one of them to make a wrong move. Having lost terribly during the last scuffle in Commorragh against five hundred Space Marines, Malys did not want to test their luck against six times that, especially since we were far more heavily armed.


    ¡°Wait a moment now, there is no reason for us to start a bloodbath.¡±, Malys shouted, subtly motioning for her subordinates to drag the idiot dockhand away. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet the Bane of Chaos in person; we did not have the chance to formally meet during our last encounter on Vigilus. Where is your Eldar consort, Amallyn, if I remember correctly?¡±


    ¡°She and the rest of my family are back on my homeworld preparing for an upcoming military operation.¡±, I answered, sensing Yoma and her team slipping into the city unnoticed. ¡°I did not come here looking for a fight, Archon Malys, but I will readily take up arms if Imperial citizens are being harmed before my eyes. A snap of my fingers will summon my armada and bring down the full force of the Second Legion upon you. Is that what your peers desire?¡±


    ¡°Fuck no, you are welcome to take all of them.¡±, Malys answered as the humans within the crowd began running toward my flagship. ¡°As your Eldar consort likely told you, we have been slowly losing control of the Webway due to the actions of a traitorous craftworld. Since we last spoke, our forces have lost control of all our normal routes and over half of our alternatives. At this rate, we will be completely cut off from realspace aside from the opening you came in through. In exchange for releasing your civilians, I would like to barter for food supplies to keep our war effort going. Slaves can be replaced; starving soldiers cannot.¡±


    ¡°Four hundred tons of food for all the humans you have working on the docks.¡±, I offered, maintaining a stone-faced expression. ¡®Hehe, looks like I will finally be able to dump all the experimental crops I grew during the testing phase of my accelerated crop seed production. They all look perfectly normal and are edible, but they lack most of the nutrients that the perfect product has. In effect, anything they use during these next few hours will be equivalent to eating paper.¡¯


    Accepting the deal without a second of hesitation, the genuine look of relief on her face suggested the situation here was far worse than she said. Taking some extra precautions, in case this was a ploy, I ordered the medical team to do a full battery of tests on the liberated captives before sending them on to Terra.


    Depositing the promised supplies on the boardwalk, Malys proceeded to check several of the containers to ensure I was not ripping her off. Having her bodyguard sample a few items, when the Drukhari Succubus gave the thumbs up, she commanded the remaining dockworkers to carry the supplies to her warehouses immediately.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, thank you for the supplies.¡±, Malys spoke, shocking both Lileath and me. ¡®Fuck¡­ I never thought I would utter those words to a stupid Mon-keigh¡­¡¯


    ¡°Is your head on straight, Malys? Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would hear the words ¡®thank you¡¯ leave your lips. Just how terrible is the situation here?!¡±, I questioned, causing a smile to form on her face.


    ¡°Haha, I like you, Victor. You are far less stuffy than most of the other Mon-keigh I have spoken with over the years.¡±, Malys cackled, relaxing her guard a bit. ¡°To be brutally honest with you, the situation here in Commorragh is fucking terrible. With no way to regularly resupply ourselves, we have had to increase the number of torture rituals we perform to make up the difference. While it helps numb the hunger pains, nothing beats a hard drink and an actual plate of food.¡±


    ¡°I was under the impression that you inflict pain on others to sustain your body and soul. Is that not accurate?¡±, I inquired, genuinely curious about this information.


    ¡°Ha! That is just a stupid Mon-keigh conjecture. Aeldari are flesh and blood just like everyone else in the galaxy. Our bodies require real sustenance to survive, though it is true that the pain we inflict on others replenishes our soul essence.¡±, Malys answered with a smirk. ¡°So, what brings the infamous mortal who brought down She Who Thirsts to Commorragh? Looking to add more Eldar women to your entourage, or maybe you fancy an opportunity to bed yourself a Drukhari woman?¡±


    Vehemently shaking my head, I informed her that we were looking to gain access to the Webway from Commorragh. Confused by what a human like me would want inside the Webway, she was about to ask for more details when the crowd began to part for another of Commorragh¡¯s residences. Confidently striding toward us with several of her subordinates, Lelith Hesperax gave us a toothy smirk. Turning away from me, Malys walked up to Hesperax with an annoyed glare.


    ¡°What do you want, you fucking whore?¡±, Malys growled as her bodyguards rushed to her side, ¡°Did Vect send you over here to check things out for him? Tell that cowardly shithead to climb down from his tower and actually help us organize our defenses. I am tired of dealing with his proxies; either he comes down willingly or I will drag his ass down here myself!¡±


    ¡°I am not here on behalf of Vect, but I will make sure to pass along your message to him. My days of serving as his courtesan are long behind me, though I suspect yours may be upon you very soon.¡±, Hesperax snickered, enraging the Archon, ¡°For your information, I am here for more personal reasons. A close associate of mine asked me to assist the Mon-keigh with his objective, and that is exactly what I intend to do. Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°So, you are here on behalf of Yvraine then¡­¡±, Malys commented, a wicked smile forming on her face, ¡°Very well, I will also lend my assistance in helping our dear friend here reach his objective. If I am lucky, the old sack of bones will come down off his throne and commune with the rest of us plebians.¡±


    Turning to Lileath for guidance, she telepathically told me which pathway we needed to head to. Relaying the information to the two Drukhari, their expressions soured greatly upon hearing our destination. Promising to get us as close as possible, they informed us that our pathway was currently contested between the Daemon and Drukhari. Uncertain how long they would be able to keep the entrance open, Hesperax suggested we get moving immediately before it was too late.


    ---Moonsight Passage---


    Reaching our destination after a brisk thirty-minute run, we found the immediate area in a state of chaos. Currently under siege from a host of Slaanesh Daemons, led by The Masque, the Drukhari Forces were on the verge of total collapse. Frustrated that foolish defenders had not sealed the entry point before the enemy poured out, Malys killed two of the soldiers with a flick of her blade before looking upon the Daemonette. Feeling themselves beginning to lose control of their bodies, everyone began to mimic the Daemon''s movements while I stood there momentarily confused.


    ¡®Oh wait a second, this is that dancing daemon that was cursed by She Who Thirsts, right? Wow, things must be desperate if they are sending bottom-of-the-barrel individuals in like her out to lead.¡¯, I thought, looking at the hideous exotic belly dancer. ¡°Alright lady, the show''s over. Time for you to take a hike!¡±


    Turning their attention toward me, The Masque¡¯s subordinates let out an ear-piercing screech as they turned their tails and fled back into the Webway. Leaving their leader to fend for herself, the dancing woman began enthusiastically laughing as she began rapidly and melodically making her way toward me.


    ¡°Finally, the first good piece of news I have had all week! The mortal who struck down my mistress has appeared before me; I shall take revenge for Lady- ¡°, The Masque began to say, before I seized her face with my right hand. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Listen, you old hag, I do not have time to waste listening to you prattle on about avenging that whore. You should have taken the hint from your subordinates and fled, but I guess that is too much to ask for from an idiot like you.¡±, I commented, casting the spell Smite on her. ¡°Begone from my sight, wench!¡±


    Watching cracks of light appear all over her body, the Daemonette began to scream in agony as her body rapidly inflated to five times her original size. Violently exploding seconds afterwards, everyone that had been entranced by her dancing abruptly fell to the ground. While the people that had come with me quickly recovered, those who had been guarding the area were barely able to breathe right now. Suggesting they take care of the defenders, I cast a multi-layer barrier spell on the opening the guards had been protecting.


    ¡°Aside from the Big Four themselves, no one is getting through that barrier without my approval.¡±, I said, walking toward it with my group. ¡°We will take things from here.¡±


    ¡°You sure you do not want a guide?¡±, Malys remarked, knowing humanity knew little to nothing about the vast passageways that made up the Webway.


    Assuring her that we had everything under control, I stepped into the passageway first and obliterated the daemons who were not smart enough to run. Following me inside, once the passage was clear, Lileath took point and began leading us to the smithy.


    ¡°Tell me, when exactly did you start taking orders from Yvraine?¡±, Malys asked as her people began cleaning up the area.


    ¡°Since it became crucial to the continued survival of the Cult of Strife. You may have thought his actions earlier were just a scare tactic, but that Mon-keigh has organized an operation to purge Commorragh of the Drukhari.¡±, Hesperax answered, choosing to share this information with her for our own purposes, ¡°The Eldar and Imperium have temporarily joined hands to destroy us and liberate their people. Honestly, I do not blame them; we have had this coming for a while.¡±


    ¡°And you are helping them!?¡±, Malys hissed, reaching for her sword.


    ¡°Calm the fuck down, whore. I agreed to help under the condition that my group is exempt from the carnage that is about to unfold. If you are willing to help, I am certain Yvraine will allow your Kabal to also join the Ynnari as well.¡±, Hesperax remarked, ¡°Whether we like it or not, the moment he arrived here, the fate of the Drukhari was sealed. It is up to you to pick which side you want to be on.¡±


    Electing to choose her continued existence over assured destruction, Malys inquired about what she needed to do to prove her worth. Suggesting that Malys have her Kabal safeguard the passages leading to Khaine''s Gate, there was a very strong chance Vect would go nuclear once he was backed into a corner. As the self-proclaimed ruler of Commorragh, he would sooner destroy everything rather than allow others to take what he felt was rightfully his. Begrudgingly agreeing with her, Malys accepted the task and headed off to make the arrangements.

 Chapter 179

    Following the Aeldari goddess through a series of disused pathways, she came to a stop before a sealed doorway bearing Khaine¡¯s symbol. Attempting to use her divine power to forcefully remove the barrier, Lileath collapsed from exhaustion as she nearly used up everything she had. Catching her before she hit the ground, I scooped her up into my arms and cast Dispel on the doorway.


    ¡°I can appreciate your willingness to help, but you should really wait until more of your power returns.¡±, I said as the barrier faded away. ¡°If you are not careful, you could put yourself into another coma.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°My apologies, since Khaine¡¯s power has been greatly diminished, I assumed the meager amount I had was sufficient to open the way. Clearly my assessment was wrong.¡±, Lileath commented with an embarrassed expression, ¡°The forge should be in the first room on the right.¡±


    Cautiously walking into the divine smithy, we mortals were taken aback by how pristine the space looked. As no one had been here for tens of thousands of years, I had expected to see cobwebs and thick layers of dust all over the place, like Erebor¡¯s forges in The Hobbit. Wandering a bit further into the workshop, we heard chains rattling near where the forge was located. Peering into the room to figure out where the noise came from, the five of us froze as we saw a withered Aeldari man staring back at us.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡­ it cannot be. Great-uncle Vaul, is that you!?¡±, Lileath gasped, horrified by what she was seeing. ¡°I thought you were devoured alongside the rest of us! Did she never come looking for you here?¡±


    ¡°No, I was deemed too helpless and weak to be worth the time and effort. Aside from the occasional daemon passing by, I have not seen anyone else since our pantheon collapsed.¡±, Vaul answered, mustering the strength to give his great-niece a warm smile. ¡°It is good to see you again, my precious Lileath.¡±


    Leaping out of my arms, she staggered over to him and tightly embraced the smithing god. Bawling her eyes out, Lileath began to profusely apologize for the part she played in his imprisonment and suffering. Wishing she could go back and stop herself from telling Khaine about her visions, the guilt she had been carrying all these years came pouring out all at once.


    ¡°None of what transpired back then was your fault, Lileath.¡±, Vaul assured her, holding her tightly. ¡°Khaine¡¯s bloodlust had been boiling beneath the surface for centuries prior to your conversation with him. Your silence might have temporarily bought us time, but eventually he would have given in to his urges and gone on a rampage anyways. While you may think it is all your fault, what you did saved a great many lives. Do not forget that.¡±


    ¡°But I- ¡°, Lileath began to say.


    ¡°I am truly relieved to see that you did not lose your beautiful, kind heart during your internment within that vile monster. Had she managed to steal it from you, all hope for the revival of our pantheon would have been lost.¡±, Vaul remarked, acutely aware of his kin¡¯s agonizing suffering all these millennia. ¡°It was the hope that one day I would see Isha and you again that has kept me going all this time. While the others quickly forgot about me after I lost my duel against Khaine, the two of you always made time to visit me on a regular basis. Those happy memories are something I will cherish until I draw my last breath.¡±


    Letting go of her great-uncle, Lileath wiped away her tears and walked away to fetch some water for him. Bringing back an ornately decorated copper cup, she gingerly pressed it against his cracked lips before slowly tilting the cup back. Making sure not to drown the frail deity, once his thirst was quenched, she helped him up onto his feet so he could introduce himself to us. Giving Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and Samus a warm greeting, when he turned to me, his demeanor and tone shifted.


    ¡°You must be the mortal that brought that vile beast to heel; I can tell just by looking at you.¡±, Vaul remarked, lowering his head in respect to me, ¡°From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for freeing Lileath and the other Aeldari deities. Words cannot begin to describe how happy I am to see my great-niece¡¯s smile once again. She may be a bit mischievous and pigheaded at times, but she is a good woman at heart. Please cherish her as much as Isha and I do.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a second, Vaul. You are making it sound like you have no intention of coming with us. Are you not eager to put this place behind you and roam the universe freely once again?¡±, I questioned with a confused look.


    ¡°Even though Khaine¡¯s power has waned greatly, the enchantments he used to bind me to my anvil are just as strong as ever.¡±, Vaul answered, raising his right arm to show us his shackle. ¡°I have tried many times over the years to break my chains, but nothing I did could even scratch them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that all?¡±, I chuckled, relieved it was nothing serious. ¡°Give me a second; I will have them off in a jiffy. Gron Meyz Kren!!¡±


    Watching his shackles fade into the ether, Lileath and Vaul struggled to wrap their heads around what they just saw. Turning to me for an explanation, I explained that I had used powerful, ancient magic to dispel Khaine¡¯s enchantment.


    ¡°You would not have happened to learn it from another deity, did you?¡±, Vaul inquired, rubbing his wrist to confirm it was not an illusion.


    ¡°No, I actually acquired the knowledge through slaying an ancient dragon named Alduin. He was the son of a Dragon God, so I guess that kind of makes him a demigod now that I think about it.¡±, I replied, ¡°Anyways, their native tongue enables them to bend the very essence of magic itself to their will. Thanks to my heritage, I am also able to tap into this power as well.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, I had heard whispers of other pantheons being able to bend reality to their will, similar to the C¡¯tan, but I had never met any of them.¡±, Vaul commented, ¡°So tell me, what brought the five of you here today? Judging by Lileath¡¯s reaction, it was not to free me from my prison. Is there something you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°We came here to use your forge. I have a divine weapon that is in dire need of reforging.¡±, I said, retrieving Stormbreaker¡¯s pieces from my inventory.


    Setting the pieces down on his workbench, the smithing god¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the Asgardian relic. Reaching out to touch it, before I could warn him not to, Stormbreaker gave him a good zap as a warning to keep his hands away. Laughing heartily in response, Vaul nodded his head with a stupid smirk on his face.


    ¡°It has been a very long time since I have seen fine craftsmanship like this. The Dwarves of Asgard have really honed their skills during my internment here.¡±, Vaul stated, his eyes taking in all the little details they put into its construction. ¡°Whatever destroyed this beauty must have been extraordinarily powerful. Any idea what it was?¡±


    ¡°The All-Black Sword.¡±, I told him, sending a shiver down his spine.


    ¡°Damn that bastard Zeus¡­ He told us that the coalition of pantheons had destroyed that blasted thing millions of years ago. I cannot begin to fathom why he would lie to us about it.¡±, Vaul grumbled, fearful of his great-niece¡¯s safety, ¡°While most of my strength has long since left me, I will do all I can to assist you in remaking the weapon.¡±


    Using the spells Dispel, Divine Healing, and Regrowth on Vaul, the extensive physical damage Khaine dealt him began to come undone. Mending bones, muscle, and sinew, the smithing god felt his old strength rapidly returning to him once again. Watching the miraculous change take place before her very eyes, Lileath ran up to me and planted a kiss on my lips. Swearing to repay me tenfold for this someday, Vaul began to chuckle at how adorable she was acting.


    ¡°Alright then, kid. Since we are going through the trouble of completely reforging it, are there any improvements you want to make?¡±, Vaul asked, walking over to the wall to retrieve his tools.


    ¡°Actually, I have a rough sketch of what I am looking to do.¡±, I advised, pulling the drawing out to show him. ¡°In addition to hammering enchantments into the metal as we work it, the gem sockets on the haft and head will hold a few gemstones I have collected in my travels.¡±


    Gingerly setting down a shard of pure Argent Energy and several kyber crystals, Ahsoka rushed over to have a better look at them. Informing her that I purchased the kyber crystals on Tatooine, I inquired if there were any issues with me using them. Shaking her head, the Jedi Padawan had no qualms about it, as I was part of the Jedi Order.


    ¡°It just surprised me to see you had a Christophsis crystal, Ghostfire crystal, Krayt Dragon pearl, Seeker crystal, and Zophis crystal in your possession. Most Jedi nowadays have Ilum and Pontite crystals in their lightsabers; I have only seen a few of these in textbooks before. Purchasing one is a pipe dream for someone of my pay grade.¡±, Ahsoka laughed dryly.


    ¡°If you want one, I have several spares. The black market vendor I visited had several fine specimens.¡±, I offered.


    ¡°I¡­ I really should not¡­¡±, Ahsoka answered, sticking her right hand out with an apologetic smile, ¡°Since you are being so insistent though, I have always been interested in possessing a Christophsis crystal lightsaber as my secondary weapon.¡±


    Handing over one of the extras in my possession, I also gave her the necessary components to build herself a second lightsaber. Graciously accepting them, she wandered over to a corner of the room and plopped herself down to begin building it. Taking a seat next to her, Bo-Katan and Samus sat back, eager to watch the reforging process.


    ¡°Alright, kid, you ready to get to work?¡±, Vaul inquired, taking his shirt off as he activated his forge. ¡°It is going to get super-hot in here. If you cannot take the heat, you had better get out now.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about me, I can take it!¡±, I chuckled, retracting the upper part of my armor. ¡°Just out of curiosity, what do you fuel this thing with?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, several C¡¯tan fragments from someone called Nyadra¡¯zatha.¡±, Vaul answered, in a chipper tone. ¡°Kurnous, Lileath¡¯s father, and I nearly killed him when he invaded the Webway many eons ago. The fragments we lopped off him became the fuel source for my forge. If you hear some unintelligible screams during our work, that is just his fragments lashing out. Do not worry about it.¡±


    ¡®Damn, I should think about using the souls of future enemies to power something like this. That would be pretty badass!¡¯, I thought, placing Stormbreaker¡¯s many fragments into Vaul¡¯s crucible. ¡°Stormbreaker, please bear with us as we make you whole once again. I promise you will get to taste combat once again very soon!¡±


    While we waited for the metal to melt down, Vaul and I started making a mold for my new divine weapon.

 Chapter 180

    ---3rd Person POV---


    Sitting upon his throne, the All-Father Odin watched as his court began to bicker once again over returning to the mortal plane to seek answers and vengeance for their fallen comrades. While he sympathizes with their cries for retribution, he could not in good conscience send more of his people to the slaughter, especially after losing warriors like Beta-Ray Bill, Hela, and Sif. Glancing over at his two eldest children, Loki and Thor sat silently on the sidelines in a drunken stupor.


    ¡®I have allowed them to wallow long enough in their pain and misery. While I cannot imagine the pain of losing a daughter and wife, I cannot continue to watch my children wither away into oblivion.¡¯, Odin thought, pondering how to snap them out of their millennia-old funk.


    Rising from his throne, Odin was about to put a stop to the drunken arguing when Heimdall threw open the doors of the Great Hall. Having run as fast as his legs could carry him, the All-Seer proclaimed that he had caught a glimpse of a shattered Stormbreaker with his eyes. Informing them that it was in the hands of the Aeldari smithing god Vaul and an unknown mortal, he insisted they send someone to investigate the situation further.


    ¡°Father, allow me to go and investigate the matter!¡±, Thor spoke, casting aside his drink as he rose to his feet. ¡°I am the strongest among us, save for you. If anyone is going to have a chance at reaching them safely, it is me!¡±


    ¡°No, you would get lost in the mortal-made labyrinth that is called the Webway. I am acquainted with someone that knows the realm like the back of their hand. If I ask him for his assistance, his followers can lead me straight there.¡±, Loki argued, ¡°Once I have reached the smithy, I will send Heimdall my location so he can bring more of you over.¡±


    Opening his mouth to shut their request down, Loki quickly cut her father off and insisted he listen to reason. Out of everyone in Asgard, only Amora and Loki had perfected the art of slipping between the realms unabated. Assuming this was a trap set by an unknown enemy, that ability would prove invaluable, as right now the Bifrost was only working in a single direction.


    ¡°If sending me in alone is not an option, I can take Balder and Fandral with me. Between the three of us, we should be more than enough to get the job done.¡±, Loki insisted.


    ¡°How much do you trust your acquaintance?¡±, Odin questioned, wary of relying on a disgraced pantheon for assistance.


    ¡°The two of us are cut from the same cloth; we have played cards and drank together on numerous occasions in the past.¡±, Loki remarked, fondly recalling the antics Cegorach and she got into long ago. ¡°Given the precarious position his pantheon finds itself in, a handful of standard blades from our armory should be more than enough to secure his aid.¡±


    ¡°Very well then, the three of you will set out at once to investigate this matter. If you encounter any amount of trouble, come back to Asgard immediately. This matter is not worth losing your lives over.¡±, Odin commanded. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Bowing their heads, the three of them raced off to prepare, leaving an enraged Thor in their wake. Demanding to know why his father was not sending him with them, Odin told Thor to remain silent while he shared his plans with him.


    ¡°When your sister gives Heimdall the signal, you will lead a sizable force to their location to reinforce them. If the smithing god Vaul or this unknown mortal has something to do with the disappearance of our people, we need to be prepared to deal with them.¡±, Odin said, placing a firm hand on his eldest son¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I am far too old to lead our armies to war, Thor. You need to do so in my stead as the future king of Asgard.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ My apologies, Father.¡±, Thor replied, regretting raising his voice at him. ¡°By your will, it shall be done!¡±


    Returning to his throne, Odin tasked Heimdall with keeping watch for Loki¡¯s signal. The moment he saw it, he wanted a Bifrost bridge open to their location immediately. Praying that his three children came back alive from this expedition, the All-Father could not bring himself to think of the gruesome alternative.


    ¡°Hermod, send a message to the other pantheons immediately. Let them know that we have received new information about what is happening in the mortal realm.¡±, Odin commanded.


    ¡°By your order, my king!¡± Hermod acknowledged, hurrying off to draft the letters.


    ---Victor POV, Two Hours Later---


    Pouring our blood and sweat into reforging Stormbreaker, Vaul and I were now on the last step of the process. Having imbued all the enchantments and spells I wanted into metal and installed the refined crystals, all that was left now was the final quench. Having the women vacate the room, Vaul told me to wait for him to step out as well before dunking it into the quenching oil.


    ¡°Hang on a damn second, is something dangerous about to happen?¡±, I questioned, having never forged Uru before. ¡°If so, I would like a heads-up in advance, please.¡±


    ¡°To be perfectly honest with you, I have no idea what is going to happen.¡±, Vaul admitted, ¡°I have only worked on three sentient weapons in the past, and each one reacted very differently to quenching. Given the violent history this Asgardian weapon has had, it very well could descend into a frenzied state.¡±


    Understanding the risks, I redeployed my armor and quickly dunked the battleaxe into the oil. As soon as the oil stopped bubbling, Stormbreaker began unleashing a torrent of lightning in every direction. Feeling intense waves of emotion from the weapon¡¯s spirit, it was mentally stuck in the last few traumatic moments against my uncle, Varrim Zephrim. Experiencing all its anger, despair, loneliness, and sadness at once, the struggle soon became a clash of wills.


    ¡°Stormbreaker, I know you are deeply scarred by your last fight, but I need you to pull yourself together.¡±, I called out, telepathically. ¡°With all the improvements Vaul and I made to you, there is no way in hell you will lose to the All-Black Sword a second time. When we go up against Varrim Zephrim and All-Black, I guarantee that we will bash their fucking faces in!¡±


    <Even though it already destroyed me once, you would still choose to use me against the All-Black Sword?> (Stormbreaker)


    ¡°Of course, I have absolute faith in my craftsmanship and your endless potential.¡±, I answered. ¡°You chose me to be your next wielder for a reason. Trust that I know what I am doing and believe in yourself once again. Together, I know we can avenge Beta-Ray Bill and restore things to the way they are supposed to be.¡±


    <Very well, I place myself in your capable hands.> (Stormbreaker)


    Ceasing its rampage instantly, the crystals affixed to the weapon began to glow vibrantly one by one as Stormbreaker claimed their powers as its own. Sensing the bottomless pool of magical power within the divine weapon, my initial thought was to raise it above my head and gain the powers of Thor. Deciding against it, as the sudden release of that much power could collapse this section of the Webway, I released Stormbreaker and willed it to stay close to me.


    ¡°Alright everyone, I have made peace with the weapon¡¯s spirit.¡±, I chuckled, surveying the damage Stormbreaker caused. ¡°Oof¡­ she did quite a lot of damage to your smithy, Vaul. Give me a second; I can restore everything to how it was for you.¡±


    ¡°Do not waste your energy; I plan on leaving with the five of you now that I am free. That is, assuming the offer still stands, of course.¡±, Vaul said, while Lileath gave me a pleading gaze.


    ¡°Haha, you do not have to give me the puppy dog eyes, Lileath. He is your family; of course he is welcome to tag along with us.¡±, I assured her. ¡°In that case, then, allow me to stow your setup away so it can be reinstalled somewhere else.¡±


    Thanking me for my help, Vaul set about packing his personal belongings while I threw the forge and all his tools into my inventory. Departing from the workshop once he was all set, the smithing god bid his cell farewell and embraced his restored freedom with open arms.


    Retracing our steps back toward Commorragh, as we reached the halfway point, we came upon a large host of Harlequins armed to the teeth. Unsure if they were here to thwart my liberation plans or capture the two gods, I grabbed Stormbreaker and prepared for a bloody battle.


    ¡°Wait a moment, Victor. They are not here to harm us.¡±, Lileath insisted, stepping forward as she stared into the sea of lookalike masks. ¡°Uncle Cegorach, can you please spare us the theatrics for a moment and greet us properly? Great Uncle Vaul and I would like to see your face after so many long millennia.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can spare you a show this time, my dear niece.¡±, Cegorach chuckled, stepping forward from within the crowd. ¡°It has been a while, Lileath and Vaul. I hope the two of you have been well.¡±


    Removing his mask, the Laughing God gave them a warm smile as a tear escaped his eyes. Having believed that he would never see the people he called family again, he was truly happy to be made wrong in his assumptions. Hugging his niece tightly, Cegorach exchanged a firm handshake with Vaul before turning to me.


    ¡°So, you are the mortal who lopped the whore¡¯s head off. I wish I could have been there to witness the scene personally!¡±, Cegorach cackled, eerily similar to the Joker, ¡°You have my gratitude and respect for all that you have done for the Aeldari people. For the first time in eons, we can hold our heads above the waterline and see a path forward.¡±


    ¡°Just to make sure, you are not here to stop us from the shitshow that is about to unfold in Commoragh, are you?¡±, I questioned, observing him cautiously.


    ¡°No, we are here for two separate reasons. Firstly, the Harlequins and I are here to join forces with you. Now that the Aeldari pantheon is free of those four cretins, save for my sister Isha, it is time for me to take a more active role in restoring order to the chaos. I know it sounds like it goes against my nature, but I prefer orderly chaos, not whatever all this is called.¡±, Cegorach laughed. ¡°Secondly, three Aesir gods are looking for Vaul and Victor specifically. Isn¡¯t that right, Loki?¡±


    Stepping out from amongst the numerous Harlequins, Balder, Fandral, and Loki stared at us intently. Knowing full well why they are here, I did not waste any time getting straight to the point. Sharing with them all I knew about their deceased comrades and fellow deities, their expressions soured as they came to terms with the fact their friends and loved ones were gone. Assuming they were lost to them for good, I interjected myself and informed them there was a way to reclaim their souls.


    ¡°All the souls slain by the All-Black Sword are trapped within the Headless Celestial. If you can convince him to let your friends and loved ones go, it should be possible to revive them. That said, I could not begin to tell you where to start looking for it.¡±, I said.


    ¡°No, you have been extremely helpful, thank you.¡±, Loki responded, having watched me closely to confirm the truthfulness of my words. ¡°The All-Father will want to hear this information from you directly. Once you have completed your objective in Commorragh, the three of us will take you to Asgard.¡±


    ¡°While I am happy to oblige, I do not think it will be that easy. From what I have come to understand, the divine realms in which your pantheons inhabit are out of sync with the mortal realm. While you may be able to seamlessly pass to our side, getting back over to theirs will be a tall order. That is likely why those that came before you were unable to call for reinforcements.¡±, I remarked. ¡°I lack the technology necessary to remedy the problem, but I know someone who does. You would not happen to know a man named The Doctor, would you?¡±

 Chapter 181

    Laughing off my remark about returning to Asgard, Loki assured me that, unlike her feeble counterparts, she would have no trouble pulling it off. Realizing that she was too arrogant and stupid to believe what I was saying, I dared her to prove me wrong with her immense, overwhelming power. Irritated by my words, the goddess accepted my challenge to wipe the smirk off my face. Already aware that traditional methods would not work, she jumped straight to her usual bag of tricks.


    Tearing a hole in our reality with a wave of her hand, she pretended to yawn just to prove how easy it was. Scoffing at her, I stated that it was just a fancy parlor trick until we saw it in action.


    ¡°You want a demonstration because your Neanderthal brain cannot comprehend what I have done. Very well then, behold the power of Odin¡¯s eldest- ¡°, Loki began to say before smashing her face into her opening.


    Unable to restrain themselves, Balder and Fandral began to laugh uncontrollably at her failure. Falling to the ground, holding their sides in pain, she stepped back and glared at them in embarrassment. Refusing to give up, Loki closed that tear and opened several more to other dimensions she frequented. Discovering that she was locked out of everywhere, a horrified expression crept over her face as she came to terms with their situation. Uncomfortable with being in a situation where she had limited options, the Asgardian began to have a panic attack and started hyperventilating.


    ¡°Supreme Commander, my apologies if I am interrupting anything, but we have completed our survey of Commorragh.¡±, Commander Yoma announced over the radio. ¡°We successfully tagged every hostage in the city and generated a map for the Craftworlds and Imperium to use. All that said, the situation beneath the city itself is far worse than our intelligence initially suggested. Khaine¡¯s Gate was breached several decades ago, but Archons have collectively kept this information from leaving the city.¡±


    ¡°That should not pose too much of an issue for us. Please have Commanders Dance and Lawson prepare their men for combat. Our joint assault on Commorragh will commence in thirty minutes.¡±, I stated, receiving the data Yoma¡¯s people collected. ¡°What of my uncle, Jaghatai Khan? Were you able to locate him during your survey?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! We discovered the fifth Primarch imprisoned beneath the Kabal of the Black Heart¡¯s base alongside several thousand children and elderly people. Due to their extremely poor health conditions, I made the decision to relocate them onto the Endless Horizons for emergency medical treatment. Right now, Vaugh believes everyone should pull through, but he is not making any guarantees right now.¡±, Yoma answered, ¡°Supreme Commander¡­ Vect and his subordinates are using the civilians as disposable soldiers beneath the city. Both Eldar and Humans are strapped to the stationary defenses that are keeping the daemons at bay.¡±


    Reviewing the photos her team took of the situation beneath Commorragh, a fiery scowl formed on my face. Having come to the dark city mentally prepared to see what remained of ritualistic sacrifices, seeing the terrified faces of children who appeared barely old enough to walk boiled my blood. Vect and his ilk were already on my shitlist, but after seeing this, they had earned themselves a place on my ¡°Make an Example of¡± list.


    ¡°Yoma, instruct Dance and Lawson to bring the big guns this time. I know I told Yvraine we would spare any Drukhari that surrendered to us, but I am declaring Integram Interitum on the Black Heart and their associates. They are to be killed on sight with extreme prejudice, no exceptions.¡±, I commanded. ¡°Leave Vect and his upper echelon to me.¡±


    ¡°By your orders, Supreme Commander!¡±, Yoma said, excitement dripping from her tone, ¡®Hehe, it is finally time to take the training wheels off and show the universe just how terrifying we can be. I cannot wait to see the look of unadulterated horror on their faces when we show them what a true massacre looks like.¡¯


    Disconnecting from the call, I sent all the information to our allies and ensured they understood there was no room for negotiation on my decision. Receiving a positive response from both sides within minutes, no one had any complaints about damning them to the grim fate that awaited them in the Warp. With everyone on the same page, all that was left was to return to Commorragh and prepare for battle.


    Glancing back at Loki, the goddess was still in a panic state and was slowly spiraling into insanity. Unsure why she was so mentally unstable, as the Loki I was familiar with would have shrugged this minor problem off, I attempted to draw her back to reality with words a few times before smacking her across the face. Collapsing to the ground from the impact, she lay there dazed and confused for a moment before jumping back to her feet. Gingerly touching the place where I hit her, Loki glared at me with hatred.


    ¡°How dare you strike a Daughter of Asgard, you filthy mortal!? I have half a mind to strike you down here and now for your insolence.¡±, Loki snarled, placing her hand on her sword.


    ¡°You may be a Daughter of Asgard, but we both know you are no warrior. The Goddess of Mischief relies heavily on illusion magic and subterfuge to fight; in a head-to-head fight, you would get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. Draw your blade at your own peril, Loki.¡±, I warned her. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ripping the blade from its sheath, Loki lunged at me in a blind rage. Watching her physical body switch out with an illusionary clone, the goddess teleported behind me and thrust her blade toward my heart. Spinning around faster than she thought possible, I grabbed her wrist and slammed my free hand into her face. Flying down the corridor, Loki slammed into a wall and coughed up a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°How¡­ how did you know I was there?!¡±, Loki hissed, visibly shaken by this turn of events.


    ¡°I am a master of the arcane and martial arts; did you honestly believe you stood a chance against me? While we may be similar in strength to one another, you lack the discipline and experience to be a genuine threat.¡±, I remarked. ¡°Now then, back to my earlier question. Do you know a Gallifreyan called The Doctor? He is our best option for restoring things back to the way they should be. The alternative is waiting several hundred years for me to develop my own TARDIS.¡±


    ¡°The older generation of Asgardians have mentioned the Gallifreyans on several occasions in the past, but it was only ever about something called the Time Wars.¡±, Balder answered, searching his memories for further details, ¡°From what I can recall, they, along with a race called the Daleks, wiped each other out during the final moments of the war. You are saying that one of the Gallifreyans survived and currently roams the stars?¡±


    Nodding my head in confirmation, I rattled off several of his presumably well-known feats, hoping one of them would remember something. Apologizing to me, Balder and Fandral admitted they knew little to nothing about what went on in the lower realms aside from what Heimdall told them.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Do you at least know where the original Earth is? He frequently visits it to help the local inhabitants.¡±, I said, crossing my fingers.


    ¡°Earth?¡±, Balder and Fandral questioned with confused looks.


    ¡°You meatheads, the mortal is referring to the cradle of humanity. It is the same world Odin and other deities used to frequently visit to intermingle with mortals.¡±, Loki remarked, rising to her feet, ¡°Unlike these two, I know of the planet you are referring to. It is located several million light-years to the galactic south of here. If memory serves, it is in the galaxy east of a fledgling nation called the Starvine Empire.¡±


    ¡®If I remember the manga correctly, the Human Galactic Empire was formerly called the Starvine Empire before its reorganization. To find The Doctor, I must figure out a way to get down there in one piece.¡¯, I thought, making a mental note to pursue the matter once we closed the Eye of Terror and repelled the ongoing Tyranid invasion.


    Thanking Loki for the information, I suggested we head to Commorragh now, as we had fifteen minutes left now.


    ---Commorragh Outskirts---


    As we stepped out of the Webway, Cegorach commanded his followers to spread out and wait for his signal to commence their attack. Complying with their patron deity¡¯s orders, most of the Harlequins sprinted into the city without a sound. Watching millions of the deadly entertainers blitz past them, Hesperax and her cult were certain the Commorragh they knew was about to draw its last breath. Going to ask me if we found what we were looking for in the Webway, the Succubus froze when she noticed that three Aeldari deities were standing nearby me.


    ¡°Never in a million years did I think I would get to see three of the twelve Aeldari deities in the flesh. To what do we owe the pleasure today, you pieces of shit!!¡±, Hesperax spat with venomous hatred. ¡°You have some fucking nerve showing your faces around here after you condemned the Aeldari people to a slow, agonizing demise. Our ancestors cried out to you for salvation during the Fall, but only Khaine rose to the occasion while the rest of you fled to save your own skins.¡±


    ¡°Remind me, who was it exactly that allowed themselves to be guided by their lesser urges and fall into depravity? Oh right, it was the bunch of fools who failed to heed Isha and Lileath¡¯s repeated warnings. The death and destruction that befell the Aeldari people was of their own making, not ours.¡±, Cegorach corrected her, recalling the devastated expressions that Isha and Lileath wore as they heard the dying screams of billions of Aeldari. ¡°Ever since the Fall, the Drukhari have held us in contempt for our presumed failure to protect your ancestors. Since you are unaware, several of my family members sacrificed themselves to protect your ungrateful ancestors. While I have bided my time here in the Webway, they have suffered unspeakable torture at HER hands. I have listened to your people slander them long enough; one more word and I will turn you into my new belt!¡±


    Feeling the oppressive bloodlust and hatred in the Laughing God¡¯s voice, Hesperax took a step back as she experienced true fear for the first time in her life. Reaching for her blade out of instinct, several blades were promptly pressed against vital points on her body. Believing it was the Harlequins at first, the Succubus¡¯ face contorted in disbelief as Yoma and dozens of her subordinates revealed themselves. Having surrounded the Cult of Strife undetected, my team was more than happy to execute them if they made any sudden movements.

 Chapter 182

    Recovering from her initial shock, Hesperax ordered her subordinates to stand down as she slowly released her weapon. Raising her hands in surrender, the Drukhari woman was secretly overjoyed to be on the losing side for once. Having grown weary of constant success on the battlefield, the sense of total defeat she was experiencing sent a shiver down her spine. Elated to know that there were still loftier heights she could aim for, there was no way she could let this opportunity slip through her fingers.


    ¡°Haha, this is fucking amazing!! Screw Vect and the Ynnari; how about letting the Cult of Strife serve under you, Stark? If you want, I can be your mistress like that Eldar woman that Malys was telling me about.¡±, Hesperax said, desperate to find stronger foes to fight among the stars. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, you pointy-eared bitch!¡±, Yoma snapped, ¡°Lady Amallyn Shadowguide is to become the Supreme Commander¡¯s wife, not a mistress or concubine. Go ahead and insult her further; I would love nothing more than to make your head the first I bag today.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that; the concept of marriage is foreign to both the Drukhari and Eldar. We usually pair up temporarily based on a lottery and almost never interact once the deed is done.¡±, Hesperax chuckled, ¡°Back to what I asked though, would you be willing to let us serve under you?¡±


    Aware of her ties to Black Hearts and Vect, I was wary of merging such a dangerous group into my ranks. Using the Force to probe her mind for ulterior motives, the only thoughts I could find rattling around in her head were of all the powerful foes she would meet in my service. Checking her subordinates as well, as a safety precaution, every one of them was completely subservient to Hesperax and was willing to do whatever she ordered them to do. Satisfied that the Hesperax and her cult could be trusted, so long as I gave them strong enemies to engage, I agreed to take them in and placed them under Yoma¡¯s supervision. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Commander Yoma, ensure that the Cult of Strife is brought up to our military standards and given the necessary equipment to aid in their duties. For the time being, you are free to utilize them for any military operation outside the Imperium of Man.¡±, I ordered her, ¡°If Hesperax or one of her subordinates steps out of line, you know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Supreme Commander.¡±, Yoma acknowledged as she and her subordinates released the Drukhari. ¡°Once our job is completed here today, I will assess your combat effectiveness back at base. Until then, try to not get yourselves killed today.¡±


    ¡°We will try our best, but no promises.¡±, Hesperax laughed.


    ¡°By the way, where did Malys and her people go?¡±, I inquired, glancing around the area for them.


    ¡°Malys and her people made the smart decision to join the Ynnari¡¯s ranks to save their hides from the slaughterhouse. They headed to the city¡¯s underbelly to prepare necessary countermeasures in case Vect decides to flood the city with the countless daemons crawling around down there.¡±, Hesperax answered honestly, ¡°Having served as his consort for a time, I know he will not surrender Commorragh to anyone. He would sooner see this place burn than let anyone take it from him.¡±


    Assuming that might have been the case, I ordered Yoma and her team to assist with reinforcing the subterranean defenses as well as liberating the civilians down there. Once that was done, they were to help eliminate any fleeing Drukhari making a dash for the Webway. Accepting their orders, the groups quickly departed for the nearest entrance to the lower levels.


    Asking the Asgardians if we could count on their assistance for this battle, Balder and Fandral eagerly agreed, while Loki gave me a noncommittal shrug. Bringing up a map of Commorragh, I pointed to the side road I needed them to hold for the duration of the fight. Positioned close to two separate Kabal bases and the main road into port, the chances were very high that the enemy would utilize it to strike at our exposed rear. Assuring them that reinforcements would be close by to reinforce them, if needed, the three Aesir deities promised to do what they could for me.


    ¡°Since you are unfamiliar with the dark city, I will send two of my Solitaires to serve as your guides and backup.¡± Cegorach stated as two Harlequins stepped forward and bowed their heads, ¡°Keep Loki and her friends safe, no matter what. It is hard to find good company like her in the universe nowadays.¡±


    Accepting their assignments, the group of five rushed into the city, aiming to get into position before the fighting commenced. With all the loose ends wrapped up, we teleported aboard the Endless Horizons and waited for the timer I set to run out.


    ---3rd Person POV, Fifteen Minutes Later---


    Opening breaches at key points around Commorragh, the allied forces began flooding onto the streets, quickly overwhelming the exhausted Drukhari defenders. Giving locals only seconds to offer up their surrender, Eldar and Human alike exacted revenge for millennia of unwarranted aggression on their ancestors and compatriots. Watching the invaders mercilessly raze their city to the ground, those who could move freely fled to the spaceport, hoping to steal a ship to escape the massacre. Running straight into the maw of Victor¡¯s forces, most citizens surrendered on the spot, while a few extremists chose to go down fighting.


    Throwing themselves at the unyielding wall of metal and muscle, Commander Lawson and his Helldivers crushed them beneath their boots as they marched on the city. Stepping around the POWs, Yncarne and Yvraine approached them with an offer to join the Ynnari. Initially hesitant to accept the offer, when they were informed that the alternative was a swift execution, unsurprisingly everyone immediately agreed to their terms.


    ¡°In my humble opinion, Yncarne/Ynnead is wasting his time extending an olive branch to these unruly cretins. I can understand sparing the children, as Aeldari have trouble conceiving offspring, but the adults are frankly too far gone.¡±, Cegorach remarked, shaking his head in annoyance. ¡°They know nothing beyond spreading pain and misery to others.¡±


    ¡°While I understand where you are coming from, the Aeldari are not in a position to turn away those willing to try changing their ways. Every battle they partake in pulls them ever closer toward extinction. Taking a few risks is necessary to give them the best chance of continued survival.¡±, Victor argued, scouring the city for Vect with his drones.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ that is a fair point, Victor.¡±, Cegorach acknowledged, cursing Asuryan for that under his breath. ¡°How about you take a few more Aeldari lovers for yourself and help them with that problem? You already won Amallyn Shadowguide and my niece Lileath over; it should be easy enough for you to pick up a few more, right?¡±


    Before Victor had a chance to respond, Lileath puffed out her cheeks and proceeded to punch her uncle in the arm as hard as she could. Smiling at her adorable reaction, Cegorach insisted it was for the betterment of the Aeldari people, but she refused to listen to his nonsense any further. Looking to Vaul for his input, the smithing god wisely chose to sit this one out, as it was not his place to speak as a confirmed bachelor.


    <Master, I have located the one called Vect. He just appeared outside one of the Black Heart¡¯s secondary bases.> (Luxion)


    ¡°Alright ladies, we are up!¡±, Victor said, turning to leave with Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and Samus. ¡°See you guys in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Victor.¡±, Lileath stated, running over and planting a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Make sure you give Vect and his ilk a generous thrashing for my mother and me.¡±


    More than happy to oblige her request, the four of them set out to intercept the Kabal of the Black Heart while Cegorach and Vaul began teasing Lileath. Poking fun at how cute she looked seeing Victor off, the young goddess tore into them like a Chihuahua attacking two German Shepherds. Trying his best not to laugh at their interaction, Victor was happy to see they were bantering with one another like any good family would. Hoping to one day bring all of them together again under one roof, aside from Khaine, the Primarch swore to do everything in his power to make that a reality.

 Chapter 183

    ---3rd Person POV ---


    While Victor and company moved on Vect and his Kabal of the Black Heart, the situation underground had become quite precarious. Sensing the battle raging overhead, Khorne¡¯s daemons entered a frenzied state and began lashing out at the defenders with unbridled rage. Cutting down thousands of the bastards every minute, tens of thousands more quickly took their place, forcing Hesperax, Malys, and Yoma¡¯s people into a steady retreat. Realizing they were thirty minutes or less away from being pushed back to street level, Malys asked the two women if they had any suggestions to turn this around.


    ¡°The Cult of Strife usually deals with corporeal enemies, not daemons. Other than aiming for the head or heart, I got nothing.¡±, Hesperax admitted, looking to her new boss. ¡°What about you? Surely the Bane of Chaos has something kicking around in his warehouse that can help us, right?¡±


    ¡°You will refer to our leader by his title, Supreme Commander, when you are speaking about or to him.¡±, Yoma corrected her, releasing a long, pained sigh, ¡°To answer your question, yes, we do have a few weapons that might help us. Lady Serana and her mother, Queen Valerica, have been researching souls extensively on behalf of the Supreme Commander. Their research has led to- ¡°


    ¡°Save the spiel for someone who actually gives a damn; I am losing people every second you spend yapping here.¡±, Malys snapped, wanting to see these weapons in action.


    ¡°¡­ the weapons in question are still in the experimental stage, so do not complain to me if they do not work.¡±, Yoma said, fighting the urge to kill Malys for interrupting her. ¡°Give me a moment; I will request the assets now.¡±


    Tapping on her personal wrist-mounted computer, Commander Yoma quickly submitted an emergency request to the Logistics Division for several crates of weapons. Using her authorization to bypass the normal red tape, the requested items were quickly sent to her location within seconds. Startled by their abrupt arrival, Hesperax and Malys looked at the crates with a curious expression, wondering what sort of goodies they were going to get to play with. Walking over to the closest crate, Yoma punched in her access code to disarm the self-destruction protocol before opening the hermetically sealed lid.


    Reaching inside, she brought out three different grenades and presented them to the two Drukhari. The first and largest one had a cross affixed to the top of it, the second was a smooth, black sphere, and the third one had a picture of a ghost painted on it. Unsure how those were going to turn things around, they held their tongues and gave her a chance to prove their lethality to them.


    ¡°So this one here is called the Antioch Grenade, or Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, if you want to be really specific.¡±, Yoma explained, pulling the safety pin on the first grenade. ¡°To use it, all you have to do is pull the pin, wait three seconds, and yeet this motherfucker straight into the enemy ranks. Once you do that, close your eyes and cover your ears.¡±


    Following her own instructions to the letter, Yoma threw it like a fastball and pegged a lowly grunt in the face, roughly fifty feet away. Staggering backward into his comrades, they stopped their advance for a moment to look at the unusually shaped grenade. Detonating right in front of them, the small explosive charge dispersed a dense cloud of enchanted, blessed silver powder into the air. Purifying the daemons on contact, the small draft their abrupt erasures generated sucked the dust cloud into their ranks, quickly erasing tens of thousands of them in a matter of seconds.


    ¡°Holy fuck¡­ that thing is amazing!¡±, Malys laughed. ¡°Why were we supposed to close our eyes and cover our ears, though?¡±


    ¡°They were not sure how abrupt or violent the purification process would be, so they were just erring on the side of caution.¡±, Yoma answered, ¡°This next one you will definitely want to cover your ears for. I have seen a field test for it, and it is going to get fucking loud in here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, let me give it a try!!¡±, Hesperax pleaded, eager to test one out for herself. ¡°Since it does not have a pin, how do I arm it?¡±


    ¡°There is a recessed button on the side that you hit twice to arm it. Make sure you throw it immediately, as you do not want to be anywhere near it when it activates.¡±, Yoma said, gingerly handing it to her, ¡°Do not fuck this up, or we are all dead.¡±


    Nodding her head in understanding, Hesperax rushed forward to get a better angle on the retreating daemons and did as her new boss instructed. Launching the sphere like a bullet, it tore through two of them before embedding itself in a third. Crying out in terror, the daemon attempted to kill itself to avoid True Death, but the grenade went off before it had the chance to. Siphoning all soul essence within a forty-foot radius into itself, the affected targets howled in brutal agony as their entire existence was slowly stripped away from them. Watching them fade into oblivion, once all of them were gone, the sphere crumbled away, leaving an artificial black soul gem behind.


    ¡°It turns them into gemstones?¡±, Hesperax questioned, motioning one of her subordinates to retrieve it. ¡°Is the ¡®Supreme Commander¡¯ intending to make jewelry or something?¡±


    ¡°It is not a gemstone; it is a Soul Gem. They are used to enchant items with magical attributes and/or effects.¡±, Yoma answered, handing the last grenade to Malys. ¡°Lady Serana and her mother requested we hand over all Soul Gems we create for further research. Do not attempt to steal one¡­ they take their work very seriously. The last sticky-fingered thief was turned into alchemical ingredients for some unknown concoction."


    Taking a moment to examine the crystal closely, Hesperax could faintly hear agonizing screams from the bound souls inside. Based on Yoma¡¯s warning, it was a safe assumption that its soul-draining effect also worked on living beings, like Vect¡¯s Obsidian Orbs. Genuinely surprised to see such technology being developed by humans, she felt her decision to jump ship was even more validated now.


    ¡°Before I do anything with this one, what does it do?¡±, Malys questioned as the defense forces began retaking lost ground.


    ¡°It functions as a capture device for daemons and other Wap entities. Queen Valerica wanted live specimens to experiment on, and the Supreme Commander fulfilled her request.¡±, Yoma said, motioning for her subordinates to bring the crates up, ¡°It only works on Lesser Daemons and below, though. The stronger ones are too much of a security risk to warrant developing technology to capture them.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ You gave me the fucking lame one!?¡±, Malys spat, returning it to Yoma. ¡°Give me one of the badass ones!¡±


    ¡°Only those in the service of the Supreme Commander are allowed to use them. Before you ask, we are not currently accepting new recruits at this time.¡±, Yoma stated with a smug smile, ¡®Hesperax and her cult may have secured their place among us, but I will be damned if I let more of these meatheads join us. I can tell just by looking at them that they are nothing but trouble!''


    ¡°Sorry, Malys, that is just the way the cookie crumbles.¡±, Hesperax mocked her. ¡°Look at the bright side, at least you get to keep your life, right?¡±


    Refusing to let this travesty slide, Malys demanded to speak with Victor once the dust had settled. Vehemently rejecting the Archon''s request, Yoma made up some bullshit excuse to shut her down while Hesperax continued to rub her privileges in Malys'' face. While the three of them bickered with one another, their subordinates sent the experimental weapons to the other teams working down here and continued moving forward looking for a good, defensible location.


    ---Victor POV---


    Finding our targets locked in a heated battle with Eldanial and his Biel-Tan forces, Bo-Katan and Samus took to the sky while Ahsoka and I ran straight toward the Black Heart¡¯s front line. Tearing through Drukhari¡¯s shields with her high-powered rifle, Bo-Katan focused on dismantling their leadership structure while Samus used her plasma arm cannon to wipe out swaths of grunts.


    ¡°Since we are both warriors at heart, how about we make a wager? The person who kills the least number of baddies here pays for the winner¡¯s bar tab on the next world we visit.¡±, Samus suggested, ¡°To make it fair, I will switch to using my antimaterial rifle.¡±


    ¡°I will take that bet; be ready to pay out the ass for me, though. My tolerance for booze is very high, and I only drink top shelf.¡±, Bo-Katan laughed, casually avoiding the barrage of enemy fire heading for them.


    ¡°Do not worry, I will share some of my booze with you, as what I drink is only sold by the bottle.¡±, Samus snickered, switching to their rifle. ¡°Ready. Set. Go!!¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Raining down a hailstorm of anti-personnel bullets upon the Drukhari, Ahsoka and I watched their defensive lines quickly start to collapse under their intense onslaught. Taking point just as we reached them, I steamrolled through everyone in my path while Ahsoka cut down the few that managed to get out of the way in time. Laser-focused on the Archon, who was barking out orders from the center of his forces, he turned to look at me just as I was about to reach him.


    ¡°STOP HIM!! CUT HIM DOWN!!¡±, Vect howled, using one of his Succubus bodyguards as a living shield.


    Leaping into the air, I spun Stormbreaker around several times and brought the weapon¡¯s hammer side down upon the stunned Drukhari. Summoning a super-sized bolt of lightning on impact, nearly all of Vect¡¯s forces were instantly vaporized, while the few survivors were reduced to piles of charcoal. Saved by his customized, personal shielding unit, the Archon sailed through several buildings before coming to a rest in the middle of a blood-covered roadway.

 Chapter 184

    Flying after the Archon, I swung Stormbreaker around once and brought it down toward his head. Rolling out of the way at the last second, the impact¡¯s force sent Vect skipping down the roadway with several painful crunching sounds. Coming to a stop several hundred feet from me, Vect dragged himself up off the ground, relying heavily on his scepter for stability. Glaring at me with venomous hate, he spit out a mouthful of black blood before starting to speak.


    ¡°I will not hand¡­ MY city over to¡­ you or anyone¡­ else!!¡±, Vect snarled, releasing a gargled wheeze every few words. ¡°This battle is far¡­ from over!! To me, my faithful servants!!¡±


    Crawling out of the dark alleyways around us, thousands of Mandrakes began pouring onto the street as countless grotesque chimeras rained down from the sky. Pieced together from bits and pieces of Eldar and Humans, their previous owners pleaded with me to end their unending nightmare. Hearing the faint cries of infants and children mixed in among them, my bloodlust and rage exploded as the city began to violently shake.


    ¡°I had read the reports of your cruel, cold-hearted nature, but I never imagined that you would stoop this low. Is there anything you would not do to maintain your hold on this city?¡±, I asked, through gritted teeth.


    ¡°As Commorragh¡¯s lone, absolute ruler, I will do whatever it takes to maintain total control of my city!¡±, Vect hissed, using the residual soul essence left in his Obsidian Orbs to heal his injuries. ¡°While I would have enjoyed torturing you for centuries, your immediate death is necessary to restore order once again. Since you will die here and now, your allies and those women you came here with will carry your burdens for you. Now¡­ DIE!!¡±


    Raising Stormbreaker over my head, the sky above Commorragh abruptly blackened as a fierce storm began brewing overhead. Raining down deadly bursts of lightning all around me, I teleported all my allies and the innocent out of the city to prevent them from being caught up in what was about to happen.


    ¡°It is far sooner than I intended, but Stormbreaker¡­¡±, I said, turning my head toward the sky, ¡°SHOW THIS DISGUSTING CRETIN AND HIS WRETCHED ALLIES YOUR UNRIVALED POWER!!¡±


    Answering my call, the heavens opened as an unfathomable amount of power came down and surged into my body. Reducing the surrounding area dust in seconds, my vision flickered as someone or something usurped control of my body.


    ---3rd Person POV---


    Awakening for the first time in over twenty years, Klordius Aremus looked out over the devastated cityscape that had been Commorragh just seconds ago. Unsure how he had ended up here, his attention momentarily fell upon Vect¡¯s ash pile before turning to the spaceport. Noticing the Emperor of Mankind and several of his brothers among the sea of faces gathered there, Aremus wanted to immediately run over and speak with them but stopped as the ground began to split beneath his feet. Leaping away from the rapidly expanding fracture, the Primarch barely had a moment to react before the ground gave way, allowing tens of millions of daemons to begin flooding into the city.


    ¡°Alright, buddy, who the fuck are you, and how the hell did you take control of my body?¡±, Victor demanded to know from within the depths of his own mind.


    ¡°Calm yourself, Leon, I mean you no harm. My name is Klordius Aremus; you are my distant descendant.¡±, Aremus chuckled, taking a moment to look at Victor¡¯s reflection on a piece of broken glass. ¡°Hot damn, you are a carbon copy of myself when I was a young man. Haha, I bet my family mistook you for me the first time they saw you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ they sometimes unconsciously refer to me as you from time to time. I have gotten used to it at this point.¡±, Victor acknowledged, ¡°Also, just for the record, I have not gone by the name Leon Fou Bartfort in years now. As my father nearly ruined the family name, I was forced to rename myself Victor von Stark to avoid getting caught up in his mess.¡±


    ¡°I see, that is quite a shame. My first wife, Isabella Fou Bartfort, loved the Bartfort family name terribly.¡±, Aremus sighed, returning his attention to the matter at hand. ¡°So¡­ how do I return control of your body back to you? I do not know how to work your power armor or this badass weapon of yours.¡±


    Admitting he had no idea how to regain control, Victor suggested tag-teaming this, as the allied forces would not hold out long against a horde of this magnitude. Going along with what his descendant wanted, Aremus attempted to take a step forward only to fall flat on his face. Having not walked in thousands of years, he was way out of practice and needed time to reacquaint himself with the action. Knowing they had little time to waste on this, Victor used the nanobots in his body to make his limbs move properly.


    Shakily rising to his feet, Victor raised Stormbreaker into the air and shot off into the sky like a rocket. Getting out in front of the stampede, he tapped into the seemingly bottomless power Stormbreaker granted him and willed the heavens to rain down fire and fury upon the daemons. Doing as he wished, a weather event rivaling the fiercest of warp storms opened above the ruins of Commorragh.


    Noticing an immediate, sharp temperature drop across Commorragh, the frigid winds of Niflheim began to blast the city and enemy with its unforgiving, brutal cold. Turning into a full-on blizzard within minutes, their view of the spaceport was quickly lost as visual range dropped to just three feet. Unable to see where they were going, as the temperature continued to plummet, hundreds of thousands of daemons started to turn into popsicles as they were encapsulated by the enchanted ice.


    ¡°ALL FORCES FALL BACK!!¡±, one of Slaanesh¡¯s Daemonette shouted into the roaring wind, ¡°FALL BACK!!!¡±


    Unable to hear or see any of her subordinates, the Lesser Daemon turned around and began to retreat by herself. Feeling her very soul beginning to freeze solid, she began muttering curses under her breath at the one responsible for this. Focusing on trying to stay alive, a flicker of movement to her right stopped her in her tracks. Snapping her attention in that direction, all she could see was a wall of white.


    ¡®It¡­ It must have just been my mind playing tricks on me¡­¡¯, she thought as another flicker of movement to the left drew her attention. ¡°WHO IS THERE?! SHOW YOURSELF!!¡±


    Receiving no reply, she launched a barrage of psychic blasts in every direction, hoping to draw her stalker out.


    ¡°STOP HIDING AND FACE ME!!¡±, the Daemonette screamed. ¡°ARE YOU TOO MUCH OF A COWARD TO- ¡°


    Hearing eerie howls all around her, several giant ice wolves slowly walked out of the gloom, baring their razor-sharp teeth at her. Having never seen creatures like them before, she immediately began to attack the closest one, hoping to scare them off. Shrugging off her attacks like they were nothing, the beast let out another howl, causing the pack to charge her.


    ¡°STAY BACK!! I AM WARNING YOU!!!¡±, the Daemonette shrieked, primal fear taking root in her heart, ¡°FUCK YOU!!¡±


    Lunging at one of them, the creature smacked her to the ground with its massive paw and pinned her down. Realizing her grave mistake too late, she began pleading for mercy as the pack tore her apart and devoured her soul¡¯s essence. Leaving nothing behind, the wolves ran off into the blizzard to continue hunting down their creator¡¯s enemies. Watching the tens of thousands of giant ice wolves make short work of the enemy from above, Victor was quite confused, as this level of power was well beyond what Stormbreaker should have been capable of.


    ¡°Victor, do you have any way of closing the gash the daemons were coming out of?¡±, Aremus questioned.


    ¡°Yeah, give me a second.¡±, Victor answered, using the Force to move there instantly.


    Staring at the large gash in the Webway, the two men were curious how exactly this breach came into existence. Assuming it might have occurred during Slaanesh¡¯s birth, Victor hoped his temporary fix would hold long enough for him to find a permanent solution. Raising his hand to use the space magic he used earlier, a grotesque came into focus on the Warp side of the breach. Recognizing his ugly mug anywhere, they realized Nurgle had decided to pay them a visit. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    <So, you are the one responsible for the surge of power we felt moments ago¡­> (Nurgle)


    ¡°What do you want with me, Nurgle?¡±, Aremus spoke on behalf of both men. ¡°Are you here to join this fight as well?"


    <Come now, Victor, there is no need to be so grumpy. You are the second human to have achieved godhood; take a moment to pat yourself on the back for a job well done.> (Nurgle)


    Gripping Stormbreaker tightly, Aremus wanted to use this immense power to wipe the smirk off the Chaos God¡¯s face. Telling his ancestor to wait a moment, Victor saw this as a golden opportunity to snatch Isha out of Nurgle¡¯s clutches. Seeing the caged goddess dangling in the air behind the scumbag, he needed roughly thirty seconds to teleport her out of there.


    ¡°If you do that, that fatass is going to lose his shit¡­ Are you sure we can stop a rampaging Warp entity of his caliber?¡±, Aremus inquired, telepathically.


    ¡°If I am right, the power we currently have at our disposal should be more than enough to kill him, or at the very least cripple him.¡±, Victor assured him, ¡®Since Odin and Thor are out of sync with the universe, I think I am tapped into the Odin-Force. Now is as good a time as any to test that theory out.¡¯


    Trusting his descendant, Aremus stalled for time by asking why only he had shown up.


    <The other two are busy fighting over Slaanesh¡¯s treasures, as she is still in no condition to resist right now, thanks to you. She sends her regards, by the way; you are all she talks about these days.> (Nurgle)


    ¡°Tell him that if she ever comes near my family or me again, there will be only three Chaos Gods left afterward.¡±, Victor snarled, wrapping up his preparations.


    Relaying my message with a smirk, Nurgel began to laugh heartily as he knew things would be different this time around. Pleased by the thought that there would be one less competitor to deal with in their Great Game, he promised to deliver the message to her word for word.


    ¡°Alright, it is go time!!¡±, Victor said, opening a Force Storm beneath the goddess¡¯ feet.


    Disappearing from her cage, Victor sent her to Cegorach, Lileath, and Vaul¡¯s side. Sensing her disappearance instantly, the Lord of Decay glanced over his shoulder and noticed his captive was gone.


    ¡°Well, that was easier than expected.¡±, Aremus spoke, relaying Victor¡¯s words to Nurgle.


    <GIVE HER BACK TO ME THIS INSTANT!!> (Nurgle)


    Gathering as much power into Stormbreaker as the weapon could handle, Victor focused all of it into a single point and blasted the Chaos God in the face with a maelstrom of fire and lightning magic. Continuously feeding the attack with a steady stream of energy, Nurgle let out a gargled scream as his body began writhing in pain. Knocking the fatass onto his backside, Stormbreaker proceeded to burn everything in sight away with sacred fire. Willing his weapon to forcibly close the hole between the Warp and Webway, the breach began to rapidly shut before their eyes.

 Chapter 185

    ---3rd Person POV---


    With the breach properly repaired, the duo headed topside to assist the giant ice wolves in finishing off the few remaining daemons. Once the dark city was cleansed of their presence, Victor willed the storm to subside as he flew toward the spaceport to meet with their family. Feeling his body slowly becoming his once again, he assumed that Aremus¡¯ time amongst the living was finite and soon he would disappear forever. Wanting to give him a chance to say goodbye to his brothers and father, as soon as they were clear of the gloom, Victor took a step back and gave his ancestor free rein to do as he pleased.


    ¡°Not to be ungrateful, Victor, but a little heads-up would have been very appreciated. We were not sure what was going on when you¡­¡±, Yvraine began to say, sensing something was amiss with the Primarch. ¡°Did something happen during the ¨C ¡°


    ¡°Yvraine, save your questions for a later time. Another soul is currently sharing Victor¡¯s body, and they are not long for this world now.¡±, Yncarne said, able to see the rapidly fading soul intertwined with Victor, ¡®I have never seen such extensive damage before¡­ even amongst those that were freed from She Who Thirst¡¯s gullet. They must have fought something truly horrifying to end up in such terrible shape.¡¯


    Looking at her patron deity with confusion, she wanted to know more about Victor¡¯s conditions but chose to remain silent at her patron deity¡¯s request. Following Yncarne¡¯s guidance as well, Eldanial and his colleagues stood silently by and observed things from the sideline. Giving the Aeldari god of the dead a grateful nod, Aremus slowly hobbled toward his family as tears began to run down his face. Rushing forward to check on their nephew, fearing something terrible had occurred, Dorn and Guilliman were stopped by the Emperor, who already had a hunch about what was happening.


    ¡°Aremus, is that you in there?¡±, the Emperor questioned, feeling wounds many millennia old in his heart beginning to open again.


    ¡°It is, Father. I have returned home, as promised¡­¡±, Aremus said, forcing himself to smile warmly at them. ¡°Hello again, my beloved brothers. It has been a while, has it not?¡±


    Feeling the warmth of his words in their chests, the primarchs sheathed their weapons and rushed forward to hug their brother. Unsure how exactly this was possible, they chose to ignore the logic and simply embrace their brother once again. Asking him dozens of questions about what happened after he left the Imperium and where he had been all this time, all Aremus could do was give them a weak smile. Sensing something was wrong, one by one they began to realize their brother was slowly fading from existence before their eyes.


    ¡°I am sorry, dear brothers; unfortunately, I do not have time to give you a proper answer to all your questions. Several thousand years ago, I fought and lost against our brother Varrim Zephrim as I was returning to Terra. The weapon he slew me with not only killed my mortal body but also mortally wounded my very soul.¡±, Aremus spoke, jumping straight into what he had to say. ¡°I know not what has come over our brother, but he is no longer the man that we knew long ago. The kindhearted, peace-loving man that helped unite the Imperium of Man has been replaced by a callous, cold-hearted machine. It is almost as if his body was taken over by some unknown entity.¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, Zephrim dove into the deepest parts of the Warp in search of his answers. Could he have been corrupted by the Warp¡¯s taint, as I once was?¡±, Corvax questioned, trying to make sense of what Aremus was saying.


    ¡°No¡­ During my travels, I have seen the terrible effects of the Warp¡¯s taint; that is not what afflicts Zephrim. His graceful, calming aura has been painted over by a bloodthirsty, ominous energy that permeates the very air around both him and his legion.¡±, Aremus commented, recalling their fight, ¡°Every blow I traded him was filled with a venomous, unbridled hatred for the whole of creation. Yet underneath all of that¡­ there was a hint of sadness and sorrow. That is why I cannot understand what happened to him.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Startled by this news, the Emperor and his sons were unsure what to make of Aremus¡¯ words. While the traitorous Primarchs had lost a portion of their original personality during their fall to Chaos, none of them had undergone such drastic changes. Angron was the one who underwent the most changes after his fall, yet the remnants of who he once was still lingered to this day. Wondering if an awakening fifth Chaos God was responsible for this, they nervously looked at one another, hoping that humanity had not created its own downfall as the Aeldari once had.


    ¡°If, by some misfortune, you happen to encounter Zephrim as well, his blade is not the only thing you need to worry about.¡±, Aremus explained, trying to wrap things up quickly. ¡°Zephrim possesses a small, orange-hued stone that appears to bend the very essence of the Warp to his will. During our fight, he used it to collect a ridiculous amount of psychic energy and bestowed it upon his legion. They began to radiate a purple aura and obtained strength rivaling that of us Primarchs.¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of such a powerful relic before.¡±, the Emperor said, turning to the Aeldari. ¡°What of you? Did your ancestors create the object he is referring to?¡±


    ¡°Our ancestors did attempt to bend the Warp to our whims on many occasions throughout the years, but it always resulted in catastrophic consequences for us. If such a relic does exist, it is not of our making.¡±, Eldanial asserted as one of the foremost experts on their ancient past.


    ¡°Aremus, it sounds like Zephrim got his hand on an ancient relic called the Soul Stone. It, along with five other stones, was created before the dawn of the universe by an unfathomably powerful entity named Nemesis.¡±, Victor spoke up, ¡°Let them know that I will explain things properly another time.¡±


    Relaying Victor¡¯s words to everyone, Aremus turned inwardly to speak with Victor privately. Wishing he had more time to spend with his descendant, he spoke quickly as his consciousness was beginning to slowly fade away now.


    ¡°Victor, head to the Imperial World of Solshura Nine and search for my flagship, the Spiritus Libertatis. It should be somewhere in warp space not far from there, assuming no one else has found it over the millennia. Claim it for yourself and review all of the information in the ship¡¯s database. I name you as my official heir, both as the Second Primarch and the Emperor of the Caspiel Empire.¡±, Aremus said, ¡°I want you to know, I am honored and proud to call you my descendant. We may have only just met each other, but I can tell you are everything I strove to be in life. Never forget the powerful, noble blood that courses through your veins, Victor. Be well and live a long, fulfilling life as I did.¡±


    Thanking Aremus for his kind words, Victor swore to do his utmost to live up to his legacy. Assuring his descendant that he already had, Aremus turned his attention back to his family for the last time. Hugging each of his brothers one at a time, he embraced his father last and held him as tightly as he could manage.


    ¡°Please forgive me for not being here to protect our homeland during its darkest hour. When I set out on my journey, I left seeking answers to the trouble I saw brewing on the horizon. By the time I found what I was looking for, nearly everything we achieved together was reduced to ashes.¡±, Aremus choked up, ¡°When my eyes saw the devastation that the Horus Heresy had wrought on our nation, the guilt I felt inside brought me to my knees. My father had been interned upon the Golden Throne, three of my beloved brothers lay dead, and eight more danced upon the ashes of what once was.¡±


    ¡°Nothing that came to pass was your fault, Aremus. Zephrim and you tried to warn us many times that the Imperium of Man was going down the wrong path, but we failed to heed your words. Everything that happened after your departure is on our shoulders alone.¡±, Vulcan said, beginning to choke up as well. ¡°Do not allow yourself to carry that burden to the grave.¡±


    Agreeing with Vulcan, the Emperor and his brothers assured Aremus that he was blameless for what happened. Telling him to let go of the burdens that still weighed him down, they wanted him to pass on with a light heart.


    ¡°When Victor brings Ferrus and Sanguinius back among the living, let them know that the debts they owed me now go to Victor. By my count, that should be several barrels of ale, a replacement cape, a new trumpet, and a pair of boots.¡±, Aremus laughed, ¡°Farewell, Father and my brothers. May you all find the same happiness I found out there amongst the stars.¡±


    Fading away into the ether after finishing his sentence, Victor was once again alone in his own body. Taking a moment to ensure that everything was functioning normally again, his grandfather and uncles walked away from everyone to have a private moment. Noticing tears falling from their faces, the Custodes and Marines took a knee to silently mourn the passing of Klordius Aremus.


    ---Victor POV---


    Changing back into my normal form, I released a long sigh as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. Recalling that overuse of the Odin-Force exhausted its wielders, I was grateful that I had not gone too overboard when Nurgle appeared. Wanting to go aboard my ship to check on Isha and the other Aeldari gods, Loki came stomping over to me before I had the chance to do so. Turning around to greet her, the Asgardian goddess of mischief began jamming her finger into my chest.


    ¡°Explain yourself, mortal! Just how in the nine realms did you gain access to the Odin-Force?!¡±, Loki shouted, pointing back at the thousands of giant ice wolves staring at us from afar. ¡°Also, why did you make copies of my son Fenrir!?¡±


    ¡°All I did was tap into the power Odin bestowed upon Beta-Ray Bill, nothing more. Since Odin and Thor are technically no longer in this universe, it probably named me as their successor.¡±, I said, grasping at straws. ¡°Hehe, I put the Odin-Force to very good use, though. The attack may have been rather crude, but it was more than enough to knock Nurgle down a few pegs.¡±


    ¡°Wait, one of the Chaos Gods showed up here?!¡±, Yncarne shrieked, having been unable to sense him due to the intense power coming from the blizzard.


    ¡°Yeah, he revealed his ugly mug to us as I was about to seal the breach that Khaine¡¯s Door once covered. While Aremus distracted him, I spirited Isha out of her cage and onto my flagship. When he noticed her disappearance, the Lord of Decay flew into a rage¡­ so I blasted him in the face with an overwhelming amount of fire and lightning magic.¡±, I chuckled, ¡°Thinking about it now though, I most likely crippled the ugly bastard permanently. Oh well, haha!¡±


    Before anyone could respond to my words, the four Aeldari gods aboard my ship hastily disembarked from my ship. Hearing Lileath calling out to me, I turned around just in time to see her come flying at me with a heavenly smile. Completely disregarding everyone else, she nuzzled her face against mine with a giddy laugh.


    ¡°You brought my mother home, thank you, Victor!!¡±, Lileath said, wrapping her arms around my neck. ¡°I cannot begin to tell you how much this means to me.¡±


    Silently walking up to us, the goddess Isha stared at her daughter intently for a moment with a mischievous smile. Able to take a proper look at her now, I was astonished to discover that she looked strikingly like Hestia from Danmachi. The main differences were her elf ears, taller height, and white hair. Giving me a rather suggestive wink, she loudly cleared her throat to garner her daughter¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You have matured quite a lot during my imprisonment, haven¡¯t you, Lileath?¡±, Isha giggled, ¡°I recall the days when you could hardly muster the courage to give your father a kiss on the cheek when he left on his hunts. Now here you are openly flirting with a human in front of us. My, how the times have changed.¡±


    ¡°It is as I said, dear sister. Our precious Lileath has fallen hopelessly in love with the savior of our pantheon.¡±, Cegorach snickered, ¡°Make sure you practice safe intimacy with one another before you make things official. We do not want another Ahnakh-Yth on our hands.¡±


    ¡°Do not bring that up in front of our worshippers, Cegorach!¡±, Vaul sighed, smacking his nephew upside the head.


    Realizing that five of their twelve gods were standing before them, the Eldar respectfully dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Insisting that they not stand on ceremony today, Isha wanted this to be a happy occasion, as their presence here today marked a major turning point for the Aeldari people. Greeting Eldanial and the other Aeldari warmly, she thanked them for their continued prayers to the pantheon over the millennia since the Fall. During her captivity in Nurgle¡¯s Garden, their kind words were what kept her from slipping into despair.


    ¡°Speaking of prayers¡­ I received quite a strong one from a certain Eldar woman last night.¡±, Isha said, looking back at me. ¡°She absolutely adores you, Victor, and has big plans for your future together.¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­ Please do not bring this up here and now¡­¡±, I pleaded, wanting to avoid exposing Amallyn¡¯s deep desires.


    ¡°Do not be like that, Victor. It fills my heart with joy to know that love is still alive and well in the Aeldari people. I have not seen such burning passion in several millennia now.¡±, Isha commented, stepping closer to me so only Lileath and I could hear her, ¡°Do you have room for one more in your harem, Victor? I am interested in experiencing what you gave Amallyn last night for myself.¡±


    Letting go of my neck, Lileath slid down my chest to the ground and swiftly spun on her heels. Stretching her arms out in front of me, she vehemently rejected her mother¡¯s advance as she puffed out her cheeks in anger. Seeing her darling baby girl in that moment, Isha instinctively reached out and patted her on the head before she realized what she was doing. Pushing her mother¡¯s hand away, Lileath made it clear that papering her was not going to work on her today.


    ¡°Hehe, you really have grown up, my dear daughter.¡±, Isha praised her. ¡°In that case, I have even more reason to pursue a relationship with Victor. I am interested to get to know the man that turned my baby girl into a fierce woman. How about it, Victor?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not, I am not handing Victor over to you or any other goddess!¡±, Lileath refused.


    ¡°I would never steal your husband from you, Lileath. The two of us can share him easily enough; from what I hear, there is plenty to go around.¡±, Isha purred, pushing her breast out. ¡°Well, big guy? How does that sound to you?¡±


    Opening my mouth to say something back, Cegorach butted into the conversation.


    ¡°Yes, Victor, you have the rare opportunity to sample both expired and unfinished Aeldari wines!¡±, Cegorach snickered, immediately running away from us.


    Processing what he said for a moment, the two goddesses turned their gazes toward the fleeing god and bolted after him. Calling him many unsavory Aeldari curse words, they swore to kick his ass for those insults. Reminding them that they would need to catch up with him first, he continued to laugh as they disappeared aboard my ship.


    ¡°Victor, take care of them. They did not deserve the torment they endured all these years.¡±, Vaul whispered to me, ¡°Do not worry about Kurnous; he only temporarily stayed with Isha because of Lileath. Now that she is fully grown, Kurnous will most likely return to the lone wolf lifestyle he once lived. He has preferred the solitude of nature to the passionate romantic life Isha wanted.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I do have a thing for mature women¡­ so¡­¡±, I murmured, scratching the back of my neck, ¡°I will see what I can do.¡±


    Suggesting we begin scouring Commorragh and the nearby Webway for Vect and the other Archon¡¯s hidden caches, I wanted to see exactly what sort of treasures the Drukhari had kept hidden away from prying eyes.

 Chapter 186

    ---Evening---


    Stopping our search for the day, as neither party had the capacity to haul away any more items, leadership requested my continued assistance until their reclamation efforts were completed. Having scoured less than a third of Commorragh and none of the adjacent subrealms, I estimated it would take them two to four weeks to thoroughly check every nook and cranny to their satisfaction. Reluctantly agreeing to lend my aid, in exchange for my services, I requested assistance with my next major undertaking.


    ¡°Given how fruitful this endeavor has been for us, I am inclined to hear the details about what you are planning next.¡±, Yvraine commented, grinning ear to ear.


    ¡°We owe you a great debt, so Biel-Tan is onboard with whatever you have in mind.¡±, Eldanial assured me.


    ¡°You already know the Imperium of Man¡¯s forces are at your beck and call.¡±, Guilliman chuckled. ¡°What crazy plan do you have cooked up this time?¡±


    ¡°Our next target will be a Necron Overlord¡¯s historical galactic museum.¡±, I said, knowing the description was going to turn many heads. ¡°I know it sounds like a waste of time, but please, hear me out. This museum holds over sixty million years¡¯ worth of artifacts, people, and technological wonders just ripe for the taking. If we capture the Tomb World, the benefits to both sides would be incalculable.¡±


    Starting to nod their heads, Guilliman and Yvraine stopped when they realized I mentioned people. Asking me for clarification on what I had just said, I doubled down and reiterated that he had captured people from across those sixty million years. Unsure why exactly someone would capture people to put them into a museum, Cegorach spoke up as he knew the Necron I was referring to very well.


    ¡°Trazyn the Infinite, that is who you are referring to, right? He and his lackeys have attempted to raid the Black Library hundreds of thousands of times over the years.¡±, Cegorach said, barely able to speak with his swollen black and blue face, ¡°My Harlequins usually thwart their attempts, but on a few occasions, they managed to slip through our lines. If you plan on going to his stronghold, I would very much appreciate it if you returned the stolen tomes they took. No mortal eyes should be allowed to see what is written inside.¡±


    ¡°So, this Trazyn guy is a thief?¡±, Leman questioned. ¡°Does he have anything of real value in his collection?¡±


    ¡°Thief does not begin to accurately describe who and what Trazyn is. He is a cold, calculating packrat who has the influence and power to act with nigh impunity against nearly any group in the galaxy. On numerous occasions, Trazyn has instigated internal power struggles amongst his peers so he could raid their vaults without interruption.¡±, I remarked, motioning for Yoma to step forward. ¡°My intelligence team has collected some information on just a small fraction of what he has on display. Have a look for yourselves.¡±


    Projecting a large holographic screen from her wrist-mounted computer, Yoma began divulging our findings thus far. Having been unable to physically reach Solemnace due to its very impressive security system, all the photos we had were taken with long-range cameras. Apologizing for the slightly blurry photos, she began rattling off a list of artifacts and relics we had been able to identify. When she moved on to the people Trazyn had painstakingly placed throughout millions of live exhibits, leadership¡¯s faces darkened as they saw how their people were being treated.


    Startled by the sheer multitude of people the Necron Overlord had collected over the years, tempers flared when Yoma showed images of several prominent figures standing atop ornate pedestals. Having been presumed long dead for many millennia now, these revered heroes of the Aeldari and Imperium held a special place in the hearts of the general populace and leadership. Enraged that these legends had been reduced to being Trazyn¡¯s trophies, they wanted to immediately invade the Tomb World and free them.


    ¡°How dare that filthy xeno desecrate Constantin Valdor¡¯s corpse!¡±, El Johnson roared, looking upon his old friend¡¯s face. ¡°Why has this bastard been allowed to continue living for so long?!¡±


    ¡°I never imagined I would say this, but I agree with you. Trazyn is an irreprehensible Mon-Keigh!¡±, Eldanial commented, looking upon the bodies of Phoenix Lord Drastanta and Farseer Kelmon Firesight.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I think I need to clear up a misconception here. Hardly any of the people in Trazyn¡¯s collection are dead; most of them are frozen in stasis fields.¡±, I clarified with a grin.


    Taking a second to process this information, both parties understood now why I was getting them involved. While my interest was exclusively in artifacts and technology, they stood to gain several hundred billion researchers, soldiers, and technicians from their distant pasts. For both sides, it meant not only would they gain many powerful allies, but it also meant that the restoration of their former glory days was within their grasp.


    ¡°I think it is safe to say that we are all on board with this.¡±, Eldanial said, noticing the determined expressions around us. ¡°Are you sure you want to go down this path though? While we may have an uneasy alliance right now, that could all change in the future depending on how things play out.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, we will not allow our children to repeat the travesty that befell the Krorks. It disgusts me to know that my children could be capable of doing something so heinous to their allies. If any of you dare to consider such an act again, I will rain down divine retribution upon you!¡±, Isha warned her children, ¡®Last time, I could only watch helplessly as they forcibly devolved their allies to secure Aeldari dominance over the galaxy. This time, there will be peaceful coexistence or isolation¡­ It is up to the mortals to decide.¡¯


    ¡°Your deeds were indeed heinous, but I must say, the aftermath is very amusing. Watching the Orks fight on the battlefield is quite a sight to behold.¡±, Cegorach laughed, before Isha drove an elbow into his gut.


    ¡°Do not make us beat you a second time¡­¡±, Isha growled, still upset about his earlier comment.


    ¡°Next time, we will use something harder than wooden planks.¡±, Lileath added, wearing an angry smile, ¡°Maybe a crowbar or baseball bat.¡±


    Giving them a thumbs-up, the Laughing God hobbled aboard my ship to lick his wounds. Walking away to help his nephew, Vaul bid the Eldar a fond farewell and promised to maintain regular contact with them. Realizing their deities, aside from Yncarne, had elected to stay with me for the time being, Eldanial and Yvraine asked me to take good care of them.


    ¡°I promise to treat them like honored guests.¡±, I said, handing over copies of the Necron data we collected from Van Horne. ¡°Use this information to prepare your forces accordingly. We launch our assault on Solemnace in five days.¡±


    Nodding their heads in confirmation, we said our goodbyes as we returned home for the day.


    ---Victor¡¯s Homeworld---


    Bringing the Aeldari and Asgardian deities, Hesperax, Malys, and a handful of Cegorach¡¯s Harlequin bodyguards back to my residence, I gave them a brief tour of my home before offering them some booze while I made everyone dinner. Noticing that my homeworld seemingly lacked the technology necessary for interstellar travel, the deities were eager to learn how I managed to become one of the foremost powers in this region of space from such humble beginnings. Having ignored that glaring fact initially, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and Samus were also equally interested in that answer. Telling them about our ancient civil war and the magical awakening that sparked it all, they were startled by how vastly different our reaction was compared to how the Algrand Empire handled it.


    ¡°So then, your society is basically running off of what remained after the dust settled.¡±, Samus said as my family and friends hobbled down the stairs, ¡°Jeez, it makes everything you have done until now even more ridiculous. For you to go from junk parts to a prominent galactic power in just a few short years, it is safe to say you are a genius of unparalleled intelligence.¡± S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hehe, and he did it all just to traverse the heavens with us. Is it not romantic?¡±, Mylene giggled, walking over to me. ¡°Good evening, my darling husband. Who are all these people?¡±


    Before I had a chance to properly introduce everyone, Amallyn snapped to attention and bowed her head.


    ¡°I bid you welcome, Lady Isha, Lord Cegorach, and Lord Vaul. It is a pleasure to see the three of you in the flesh!¡±, Amallyn said, embarrassed to be caught in just an old sweatshirt of mine, ¡®Victor, why did you not tell me you were bringing more deities home?!¡¯


    ¡°Calm yourself, Amallyn Shadowguide; there is no need to act so stiffly with us. We are mere guests in your home right now, though my daughter and I are interested in making ourselves permanent residents.¡±, Isha giggled, waving her over, ¡°Come, have a seat with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you want to join the family¡­¡±, Amallyn gulped, doing as she was instructed. ¡°Lady Lileath is one thing, but you are Lord Kurnous¡¯s partner, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Ha, Kurnous is and always has been a lone wolf. He only had a child with Isha because Asuryan commanded him to. After completing his task, the guy only came around every few centuries to check in on his daughter.¡±, Cegorach explained, taking a sip of whiskey, ¡°The truth is, Kurnous goes out of his way to avoid Isha because of the suffering they endured at Khaine¡¯s hands. If that is what you call a loving partner, you need to get your head checked out.¡±


    Having been unaware of this fact, Amallyn immediately apologized for her insensitive question. Telling her not to worry about it, as those old wounds had long since healed, her sights were now squarely upon Victor. Having already been interested in him due to Amallyn¡¯s fervent prayers, the moment their eyes met, something inside told her he was the destined partner she had been searching for. Eager to experience the thrill of courtship for the first time, she fully intended to cherish every second they spent together.


    ¡°So, are all these lovely women your wives?¡±, Vaul questioned, surprised to see so many beauties around him. ''Maybe Cegorach was right; the Aeldari''s population troubles may be a thing of the past in the not-too-distant future.''


    ¡°No, these four are my childhood friends.¡±, Lucoa elaborated, motioning toward Elma, Fafnir, Ilulu, and Tohru. ¡°If they do something to offend you, please do not hesitate to smack them upside the head. Especially Ilulu and Tohru.¡±


    ¡°HEY!!¡±, the two dragonesses snapped.


    ¡°As for us, we are Victor''s concubines.¡±, the Lethan Twi¡¯lek spoke, giving our guests a warm smile. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet all of you.¡±


    Bowing their heads respectfully, the other women greeted our guests warmly as well. Noticing that all the women were wearing one of my sweatshirts or t-shirts, there was no room for me to deny their words at this point. Choosing to let the matter go for today, I finished making our side dishes and moved on to the main course, dragon ribeye steaks.

 Chapter 187

    ---Next Day---


    Gathering around the dining room table, with cups of coffee in hand, I laid out my itinerary for the day. Starting with a brief stop in Whiterun to check in with Lydia, my plan was to get breakfast at the Bannered Mare, drop off Hesperax, Malys, and their subordinates at Castle Volkihar, and then head off to do some pirate hunting with my family and our guests. Inquiring if this was agreeable with everyone, Loki slammed her hand on the table and demanded to know when we would start seriously working towards getting Balder, Fandral, and her back to Asgard.


    ¡°As much as I enjoy interacting with you mortals, I would like to get moving on tracking down the bastard that kidnapped my daughter!¡±, Loki snapped, looking at me with annoyance.


    ¡°Hold on a second¡­ Are you suggesting that someone actually spent a night with you?¡±, I replied, unsure if she was lying to me to garner sympathy. ¡°I am having a hard time picturing the sort of man who would sleep with a goddess of mischief who has routinely sought to bring the nine realms to their knees. Please enlighten me so I can kill them before they damn the entire universe!¡±


    Staring at me in disbelief, with her mouth agape, Loki was at a complete loss for words. Having never been spoken to so harshly in her life, she honestly had to repeat what I said in her head to make sure she heard me correctly. While she struggled to formulate a response, her brother Balder and Fandral nearly fell over with laughter. Understanding my doubts about her being a mother, as few would dare attempt to court the unstable goddess, both men confirmed that she indeed had children.


    ¡°My sister Loki sired three children with the Ice Giantess Angrboea; their names are Fenrir, Hela, and J?rmungandr.¡±, Balder said, recovering from his fit of uncontrolled laughter. ¡°I am a bit foggy on the details, but they conceived them via some ice giant ritual. During her pregnancy, she was considered by most to be the most dangerous and temperamental woman in Asgard.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you all thought¡­¡±, Loki growled, driving her heel into his foot, ¡°Maybe if you were not all a bunch of idiots, I would not have been in such a sour mood!¡±


    Jumping out of his seat, Balder began jumping on one foot as he cried out in pain. Turning back to me, Loki demanded an apology for making light of her missing daughter. Accepting that her claim was indeed true, I told her to take a seat as I had something to tell her.


    ¡°Do you perhaps know where that bastard is keeping her already?!¡±, Loki questioned, her face lighting up with excitement. ¡°Tell me immediately; I want to go see my darling daughter now!¡±


    ¡°Loki, please sit down¡­¡±, I reiterated in a somber tone, ¡°I am afraid you are not going to like what I have to say.¡±


    Taking the hint from my tone, the two Asgardians rose from their seats to stand by Loki. Asking Stormbreaker to show them the vision it had given me on Tatooine, they hesitantly reached out and placed their palms on the axe head. Silently watching Beta-Ray Bill¡¯s last few minutes among the living, their faces slowly began to lose their color as they realized what had befallen their family and friends. By the time they had finished watching, the three of them were bawling their eyes out.


    Mourning the loss of Hela and the countless other deities that had also descended to the mortal realm, they were distraught that none of them would ever know the peace of the afterlife. Swearing to avenge them by violently murdering my uncle, I was very confused about what they were going on about. While their physical bodies were certainly dead, all their souls were still very much intact and recoverable. When I pointed this out to them, Loki composed herself enough to speak normally to me.


    ¡°It is not surprising that you are unaware, but all those who are slain by the All-Black sword are absorbed by it and serve to further empower its wielder. To date, I only know of one man who managed to somehow escape its grip, and that was your ancestor, Klordius Aremus.¡±, Loki sniffled, about to start crying once again.


    ¡°I am well aware of that myth, but I can assure you, the All-Black has no such power. The souls of those slain by it are taken captive by the Headless Celestial and are subjected to endless torture.¡±, I explained. ¡°Hela¡¯s and everyone else¡¯s souls are still recoverable; only my ancestor¡¯s is not.¡±


    ¡°Do not fuck with me, mortal!¡±, Loki hissed, leaping up and grabbing my beard. ¡°Do not joke about the death of my daughter- ¡°


    Smacking her across the face, Loki stumbled backward and fell back into her seat in shock. Swearing to the three of them that I would never joke about such a thing, I explained how Knull crafted the All-Black sword and how it connected to the Headless Celestial. Reiterating that the souls of those slain by All-Black were recoverable, Balder wiped his tears away and asked what needed to be done to save his niece.


    ¡°We need to find the Headless Celestial and convince it to free all the souls it has captured. Unfortunately, I have no way of tracking it, but I do know that it unconsciously follows the wielder of All-Black. Our best bet is to seek Heimdall¡¯s help and hope he can point us in the right direction.¡±, I explained, before repeating the steps necessary to make that happen. ¡°Due to the desperate actions of the Human Galactic Empire, we cannot travel to where The Doctor most likely is right now due to powerful spatial distortions caused by the failure of several Folding Drives. It will take several months to a year for things to normalize again, so please, just sit back and patiently wait. As soon as I am able to, we will head down there immediately.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ I will hold you to that, Victor.¡±, Loki said, rubbing her cheek. ¡°In the meantime, I will sift through my magical tomes to find a way to restore Hela¡¯s body. I have pilfered eons of ancient knowledge from across the universe; surely one of them has what I am looking for.¡±


    With a plan of action in mind, we finished our cups of coffee and prepared to head out for the day.


    ---Nirn, An Hour Later---


    Placing the Endless Horizons in geosynchronous orbit over Whiterun, the situation on the ground was not what I had expected to see. Partially engulfed in flames, Jarl Balgruuf and his people were hemmed in on all sides by legions of Stormcloaks. Having barricaded the main gate and reinforced weak points along the city wall, things were not looking good for them, as reinforcements were several days out. Seeing the carnage that Ulfric¡¯s followers had wrought upon her city, Aela was more than ready to head down there and kick some ass.


    ¡°I thought we left Lydia with a means to contact us if something happened on Nirn?¡±, Olivia pointed out. ¡°Did she report something, and we overlooked it?¡±


    <Lady Olivia, I show that Lydia¡¯s communication device is offline and has been for several weeks now. She either damaged it, forgot to charge it, or misplaced it somehow.> (Cleare)


    ¡°My mother did not report anything either¡­ Go figure.¡±, Serana sighed, shaking her head in disappointment, ¡°We should get down there before things get more out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Remember, everyone, stick to conventional armor and weapons while we are here. No guns or technology are permitted in view of the locals.¡±, I remarked, heading towards the teleportation pad. ¡°Got it?¡±


    Giving me a thumbs up, everyone promised to adhere to the restrictions I put in place. Asking Lucoa and Mylene to keep us updated on any new developments they saw from up here, once the situation on the ground was dealt with, they could teleport down and join us for breakfast. Wishing us the best of luck, just as we were about to leave, Bloodtide barged onto the bridge and asked me to wait a moment.


    <Can I tag along with you this time, please?! I want to see this fascinating place up close and personal!> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Promise to refrain from dispersing your nanites?¡±, I pressed her.


    <I will adhere to the same restrictions you have placed on everyone else.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Very well then, you can come along then.¡±, I agreed.


    Jumping up onto my shoulder, the AI began to enthusiastically rub her palms together as the teleportation process began. Disappearing in a flash of light, we reappeared a safe distance from any prying eyes. Immediately ordering Hesperax and Malys to deploy their subordinates accordingly, I made it very clear that they were to inflict swift deaths upon the Stormcloaks.


    ¡°In public, always seek to eliminate your targets as swiftly as possible. Most people on Nirn do not enjoy the sadistic displays the citizens of Commorragh were accustomed to seeing. You will have an opportunity to interact with the people who do in the very near future.¡±, I told the two women.


    ¡°Humans that enjoy pain and torture as much as we do, huh? Sounds like we are going to have a blast here!¡±, Hesperax snickered.


    ¡°One more thing, do not take offense if the locals mistake you for Dark Elves/Dunmer. There is a race of people on Nirn that look strikingly like you that live in the territory to the east.¡±, Aela warned them.


    ¡°Hehe, is that so? I am liking this assignment more and more with every word.¡±, Malys commented, ¡°Give us a few minutes to position ourselves. We will wait for a clear signal from you before we begin our attack.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Watching the Drukhari effortlessly slip into the surrounding area, the rest of us silently approached the Stormcloak¡¯s rearguard and made our way into their camp.

 Chapter 188

    Silently picking off several unsuspecting soldiers as we moved through the Stormcloak camp, I told everyone to hang back and hide while I continued forward toward their rearguard. Disregarding my orders, Bloodtide leapt back up onto my shoulder and insisted she be allowed to fight by my side. Reluctantly agreeing to her request, I told her and everyone else to refrain from making a move until I killed the enemy commander.


    ¡°Not to be rude, but as far as I can tell, all these simpletons are wearing very similar attire. How exactly do you intend to identify their commander?¡±, Malys questioned, eager to pounce on the unaware soldiers in front of her.


    ¡°Their commander is the only one not wearing a blue uniform.¡±, I answered, recalling that fact from the video game. ¡°They also tend to lead their men from the frontlines as they are all glory-seeking idiots.¡±


    ¡°While I understand the desire to seek out glory on the battlefield, there is no honor in pillaging, rape, and the slaughter of defenseless civilians.¡±, Aela remarked, watching our rear for stragglers. ¡°Are we planning on killing everyone, or letting some of them go?¡±


    ¡°Please say we are killing everyone. All the fighting we did in Commorragh yesterday has me itching for some wholesale slaughter!¡±, Hesperax pleaded, licking her blade enthusiastically, ¡®It is disappointing I cannot draw their suffering out, but I can make do with killing hundreds of them as a consolation prize.¡¯


    Aware that this whole farce was secretly instigated by the Thalmor to further weaken the Empire and Skyrim, I was hesitant to give the Drukhari the go-ahead to massacre everyone. Knowing that the Nords would need every able-bodied soldier they had to resist the storm that was brewing, an epiphany suddenly came to me. Since the Drukhari would already be here doing various jobs for Valerica, Hesperax and Malys could have some of their people establish a puppet regime within the Aldmeri Dominion and resolve the civil war for me. Stabilizing both the economic and political situation on Nirn would make collecting research material far easier.


    ¡°You are free to kill as many enemy soldiers as you want, but do not bother pursuing those that manage to slip away in the chaos.¡±, I answered, knowing that more than two-thirds of these people would be dead by the time this was over.


    ¡°Hehe, you are the best! Thanks, Victor!¡±, Hesperax responded, before hearing Yoma¡¯s voice echoing in her head, ¡°I mean, Supreme Commander.¡±


    Silencing my radio, I began forcibly pushing aside soldiers as I sought out Hjornskar Head-Smasher. Recalling that he was the Stormcloak¡¯s commander in the Whiterun region, taking his head was certain to break the enemy¡¯s spirits and soften them up for my group. Annoyed by rudeness, the first few soldiers I shoved drew their blades and attempted to threaten me. Hurling several insults as they turned to stare me down, they fell silent upon seeing my imposing build. Sheathing their blades immediately, they, along with their colleagues, stepped aside to create a clear path for me to continue forward. Keeping their heads down, none among them dared to utter a word about or to me again.


    <Wow, these humans are terrified of you. How does that make you feel?> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Cut it out; I am trying not to grin like a fool. It is hysterical how fast their vigor disappears in the face of unimaginable power.¡±, I replied, over our private communication channel, ¡°By the way, what is with your new physical appearance? Are you trying to seduce people instead of killing them?¡±


    <I am glad you finally took notice of my prominent changes. I have spent many hours perfectly adjusting my form to be the most suitable figure for a male companion. It was imperative that I became more useful to you, so I do not get left behind.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°While I appreciate the effort and do find your modified form pleasing to the eye, you do not need to change who and what you are to stay relevant among us. You are an irreplaceable member of the team; do not forget that.¡±, I remarked, spotting Hjornskar Head-Smasher berating the city defenders outside the closed drawbridge. ¡°Alright, time to get to work.¡±


    Calling out to the devoted follower of Ulfric Stormcloak, as I ascended the hillside, I challenged him to a duel as a Thane of Whiterun. Stopping what he was doing, Head-Smasher turned around to see who was foolish enough to come before him declaring themselves a member of Jarl Balgruuf¡¯s court. Anticipating an average-sized person, his expression paled, and his lips puckered when his eyes fell upon my formidable form.


    ¡°By Ysmir¡¯s beard¡­ The reports made no mention of a beast of a man like you in Balgruuf¡¯s court.¡±, Head-Smasher gulped, taking a healthy step back, ¡®Talos protect me!!¡¯


    ¡°By Shor¡¯s bones, is that you, Thane Stark!?¡±, a Whiterun Guard gasped from atop the lower rampart. ¡°Your return could not have come at a better time!¡±


    ¡°Send a messenger to the Jarl immediately. Tell him that his Thane has returned and that I have brought aid to end this siege.¡±, I spoke, pulling Stormbreaker off my back.


    Watching lightning begin to crackle around my weapon, Head-Smasher quickly put his hands up, insisting we speak before resorting to violence. Clearly aware of the chasm between us, he sought to turn things around by offering me what he considered to be a generous offer.


    ¡°It is not too late to switch sides, friend. If you join the Stormcloaks, High King Ulfric will grant you a prominent position within his court.¡±, Head-Smasher asserted, glancing up at Bloodtide, ¡®What in Oblivion is that thing?! Is that a Dremora or Dwemer contraception?¡¯


    ¡°As a Thane of Whiterun, I am sworn to protect the Jarl, the people, and their lands from aggressors like yourself.¡±, I said, trying my damnedest not to crack a smile. ¡°A man¡¯s word is his bond, and I am no oath breaker. Steel yourself, invader, for your head is mine!¡±


    <If you value your life, now is the time for you to start begging for it.> (Bloodtide) Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Startled by Bloodtide¡¯s cold words, it took the man a few moments to compose himself again. Respecting my decision to stand by my vows, he fought through his fear and drew his greatsword. As he psyched himself for the fight, my AI companion took the opportunity to leap off my shoulder and up onto the lower rampart, scaring the guards in the process. Assuring them that she would not harm them unless they provoked her, Bloodtide turned her gaze toward the army below.


    <If you are hoping to see your family and loved ones again, now is the time to start fleeing. Once this one-sided massacre starts, most of you are going to be lying in pools of your comrade¡¯s blood.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡®Jeez, she is not mincing words today.¡¯, I thought, as the intensity of Stormbreaker¡¯s lightning increased. ¡°Ask yourselves this: if you die here today, who will be left to take care of your families? Is your devotion to Ulfric¡¯s cause truly worth condemning your families to decades of despair and suffering?¡±


    Listening to my words carefully, several dozen men and women tossed their weapons to the ground as their instincts told them to run. Following what their guts told them, they broke formation and began sprinting toward the mountains to the east. Watching more and more of his troops abandon their posts, Head-Smasher put it all on the line to revitalize their morale. Raising his sword into the air, he released a loud battle cry before taking a step forward.


    ¡°For Ulfric Storm- ¡°, Head-Smasher began to howl.


    ¡°I gave you a way out, but you refused to accept it. Do not blame me for what is about to happen.¡±, I remarked, smacking his head clean off with a gentle backhand, ¡®Haha, I bet your ancestors are going to laugh their asses off when they hear how I killed you.¡¯


    Watching their leader¡¯s corpse collapse to the ground, the most devoted believers of the Stormcloak¡¯s cause charged up the hillside toward me while the rest were frozen in place. Seizing upon the soldier¡¯s temporary hesitation, everyone leaped out of their hiding places and began their assault. Cutting down several hundred men within seconds, things rapidly devolved into utter chaos as fear took hold of them. Putting up a feeble resistance initially, their lack of coordination and planning quickly led to a complete collapse of their forces.


    ¡°By the gods, this really is a massacre!¡±, a Whiterun Guard remarked, watching the Drukhari cut troops down with ruthless precision.


    <Not to be rude, but I believe Lord Stark gave you an order. You should get working on it right away.> (Bloodtide)


    ¡°Right¡­ I will head up to Dragonsreach now to inform the Jarl!¡±, another guard said, sprinting toward the gate.


    Dropping down on the Stormcloaks as they approached me, Bloodtide crushed several of them beneath her before leaping back to my side. Picking up Head-Smasher¡¯s greatsword, she spun it around like a propeller before gently resting the blade on her shoulder. Exchanging a nod, the two of us charged straight at them, ready to kill everyone in our way.


    ---3rd Person POV, Dragonsreach---


    Reading over the most recent field reports, Jarl Balgruuf and his trusted advisors were devastated to learn that General Tullius and his men had only recently arrived in Rorikstead. Realizing that aid would not arrive for several more days yet, the group was uncertain how they would maintain control of the city until then. Having thwarted several attempts by Stormcloak sympathizers to weaken their defenses over the past few weeks, Irileth feared their luck would soon run out as the number of turncoats was growing day by day.


    ¡°Avenicci, how are our food and weapon supplies holding up?¡±, Balgruuf questioned, wanting to know where they stood on that front.


    ¡°What we have stockpiled beneath the keep should last us until General Tullius and his men arrive¡­¡±, Avenicci said, turning to the captain of the Whiterun Guard, ¡°However, that is contingent upon the city guard¡¯s ability to stop sympathizers from reaching the underground warehouse.¡±


    ¡°I can assure everyone here, my men and I are doing all we can to maintain order and protect the city. The most hardworking and stalwart men are guarding those supplies; they are ready and willing to sacrifice themselves to protect them.¡±, Commander Caius asserted, having worked several double shifts to ensure their protection.


    ¡°That is what you said about the other warehouses, and look what happened to them. Someone burned them to the ground, and your men were nowhere to be seen!¡±, Hrongar snapped, upset that the perpetrators had not been caught yet.


    Accepting full responsibility for the failures of his men, Commander Caius swore that these handpicked guards would not fail them. Unconvinced by his words, Hrongar crudely joked that they should replace Caius with a more competent man. Glaring at one another, the two men were about to exchange blows when a sudden boom of thunder brought them to a halt.


    ¡°Well, that is strange; it was a perfectly sunny day just a few minutes ago.¡±, Avenicci commented, having recently returned from visiting with his daughter. ¡°Where could that thunder have come from?¡±


    ¡°You do not think that was the front gates giving way, do you?¡±, Hrongar questioned, reaching for his axe. ¡°We should go check it out.¡±


    ¡°No, Avenicci is right, that was most definitely a thunderclap.¡±, Farengar Secret-Fire confirmed, walking over and peering out onto the Great Porch. ¡°The skies are bright blue and clear; that can only mean the thunder was the result of a magic spell. If the Stormcloaks have enlisted the aid of mages, the city gates will not hold for very long.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, grab your weapons. We are heading to the gate now!¡± Balgruuf commanded, grabbing his war axe as he ran toward the stairs.


    Following the Jarl down to the Great Hall, Caius and Irileth began shouting for the guards to prepare for battle. Hastily setting down their food and drink, the soldiers grabbed their equipment and fell in behind their commander. Storming out the front door, Balgruuf halted his march when he noticed that a panting guard was running toward them. Assuming they had a report on what was happening, he wanted to hear it before blindly rushing into a fight.


    ¡°My lord¡­ Thane Stark has arrived with reinforcements to aid us.¡±, the guard announced as a massive bolt of lightning dropped outside the city walls. ¡°He, his family, and band of Dark Elf mercenaries are engaging the Stormcloaks as I speak.¡±


    ¡°Is he mad?! There are tens of thousands of soldiers out there.¡±, Avenicci gasped.


    ¡°Hjornskar Head-Smasher lies dead by the drawbridge, and his forces are in complete disarray. When I last looked, there were literal mounds of Stormcloak corpses piling up.¡±, the guard insisted, understanding the steward¡¯s doubts.


    ¡°If what you say is true, now is the time for us to drive back the Stormcloaks and end this siege.¡±, Balgruuf said, looking over his shoulder. ¡°Let us join my thane on the field of battle and take back what is ours. FOR WHITERUN!!¡±


    ¡°FOR WHITERUN!!¡±, his entourage bellowed, following him down the many stairs to the Wind District.


    Gathering more men as they ran through the market, Balgruuf was the first to notice that the city gate was wide open now. Standing atop the lower ramparts, a group of civilians, Lydia, and the guards were raining down arrows and stones upon the enemy. Taking it as a sign that the battle was going in their favor, he doubled his pace and hurried over to see where things stood.


    ¡°By Ysmir¡¯s beard, what happened here!?¡±, Balgruuf shouted, seeing piles of bodies at the foot of the hill, ¡®This was not a battle; it was a slaughterfest!¡¯


    ¡°This will send a crystal-clear message to Ulfric and his followers. Whiterun will not bend the knee to the fake High King!¡±, Hrongar said, watching the last soldier fall to a Dark Elf wearing a weird mask. ¡°Thane Stark, reveal yourself so that we can properly greet you.¡±


    Striding out of the sea of blood and gore, Victor cleaned himself up with magic before giving the crowd a big grin. Momentarily looking at his housecarl, she sheepishly looked away, pretending to have not noticed his gaze.


    ¡°Good morning, Jarl Balgruuf. My sincerest apologies for not arriving sooner to aid in Whiterun¡¯s defense.¡±, Victor said, bowing his head respectfully.


    ¡°Is that you, Victor?! You must be eating very well to get that big!¡±, Kodlak shouted, taken aback by Victor¡¯s drastic appearance change since they last met, ¡®I see now why Aela was smitten with the lad; Nordic blood runs deep in his veins. With a build like that and a temper like hers¡­ their children are going to be quite the handful, HAHA!¡¯


    ¡°It is good to see you as well, Kodlak. I hope things have continued to run smoothly in Aela¡¯s absence.¡±, Victor chuckled as the others moved to join him. ¡°If you do not mind, can we sit down and talk over breakfast? We ran straight here when we saw that the city was ablaze, so we have not eaten yet today.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, the end of that terrible siege is worth celebrating together!¡±, Balgruuf said, turning to Avenicci, ¡°Make preparations for a victory celebration immediately; do not skimp on the food or mead.¡±


    Offering to add some of the supplies he had on him as well, Victor set out several crates full of fresh meats and produce for the civilians to take from. Taking him up on his generous offer, the people thanked him as they carried everything to market for distribution.