Chapter 518: Road Construction (1/2)

Ilea opened the heavy iron gate with her ash, prying the thing open as if it was made of cardboard.

The two pieces were pushed aside as she whistled, the first spells already hitting her without any noticeable damage to her ashen armor.

“Run or die,” she said, giving the frozen guards the same choice she had provided to those stationed in the four previous dungeons she had invaded.

The more people that joined this cause, the more information and detailed reports she got. Crimes were uncovered and their perpetrators pursued.

By now her name and actions had spread far and wide throughout Yinnahall, the nobility and army in shambles, split between those who wanted to end the conflict and those still standing with the High King.

Resolutions were being drawn up. Those previously in hiding came out with their evidence and accusations, the sudden opportunity not to be wasted.

It was utter chaos and after just about eight hours, Ilea was far gone from the center of it all.

She made it clear to everyone she got out of prison and every noble she confronted, that they were the ones to decide Yinnahall’s future. She just freed the path and demanded the abolishing of slavery.

Ilea didn’t really care if they found some way to become independent, as many hoped to do. She just felt obligated to interfere after seeing where the current road this city was on would lead.

Hector’s treasure sense was something quite valuable. Ilea found however that talking to political prisoners and amicable nobles trying to manipulate her to be just as good a way to find out where the treasuries were located.

Not their own of course. But those of their enemies.

Hector had already caused some chaos but it was nothing compared to the storm that had taken the city by now.

Ilea invaded the home of one of the last nobles on her list and found the man surrounded by guards in the large entrance hall.

“Lili-” he started, a dagger held close to a slave’s neck as he tried to negotiate.

Ilea had seen enough documents and heard plenty of personal testimonies to confirm his depravity. He was still pretty much on the bottom of the priority list which if anything, just proved that this city direly needed some kind of reform.

He wasn’t the first to try and negotiate, and surely he wouldn’t be the last.

However Ilea didn’t want what he was selling. The charges had been presented, and based on the evidence, the jury had deemed him guilty.

It was his misconception to think that he could negotiate with the executioner.

The dagger in his hand wasn’t magical, thus displaced without issue.

She slammed her ash through his barrier, armor, and finally through his skull.

“You can go or meet the same fate,” she said to the guards, healing the slave who looked at her with confusion and fear.

Many of these nobles were close to the capability of a low end Shadow. Enough perhaps to secure a portion of power in this city, enough to do what they wanted.

Ilea didn’t really see herself as anything more than the consequences of their actions.

She was ready to meet hers whenever they dared to show themselves.

She watched the guards run off before blinking down.

The vault was right where it should have been. The noble had owned several businesses and made a name for himself with soap of all things.

It really came as a surprise to find out how much blood could be connected to such a product.

Her Absolute Destruction charged and was released with a heavy punch that spread through the enchantments like a wildfire through the twigs of a dried out Christmas tree.

She entered and cleared out all the valuables as a mist of poisonous gas spread from various openings in the walls. She took a step closer to the slowly spreading poison and took a deep whiff.

“Interesting, they could work on the flavor,” she said to herself as she continued her looting.

That makes what? Eight hundred gold?

She was back at over two thousand pieces. There was the option of just dropping the money out into the streets to the slaves and citizens but she deemed Claire to be the better solution.

Hector was right when he suggested that the Empire would just take the wealth if they didn’t.

So now she just took his share too.

Ilea blinked a couple dozen times before she appeared in the temple hall. The place had come to be the base of operations for the resistance, the Order of Life, or the Independent Council of Yinnahall. Whatever they wanted to call themselves by now.

She could only compare the scene to an exaggerated depiction of a stock market company floor on a particularly bad day in the world of trading.

At this point the city was in their hands but there was still the problem of the Order’s rituals.

Benedict and a few others had been tasked with looking into it.

“No, if he refuses then he will be detained until after a decision is made. I don’t care if you have to set his temple on fire to get him out,” Ben explained to a group of soldiers before he noticed Ilea.

“So you are Li-” a man in fancy clothes said as he approached her before he was suddenly gone.

The people around her mostly kept their distance, the occasional interested party was simply displaced into the laundry room upstairs, making her stance on socializing clear.

She really liked the spell by now. None of her Classes or abilities had however leveled since the last time, likely to the lack of actual battles or challenges. The last noble she took out was the only one who actually managed to conjure a barrier. Likely because the others simply lacked a required spell to do so.

“How is it looking?” she asked.

“No rituals in the city. The opposition is getting weaker due to the provided evidence and the pressure from our coalition. Plus of course our more direct approach to clean out the city, in large thanks to your personal contributions,” he explained.

“As to information on other potential rituals… well there are reports from an uprising in Valstadt. Wynehold has declared its independence and is supposedly in talks with both Nipha and Lys. Borena was attacked by northern tribes. They seek aid from the more southern cities. Mothine to the south has reportedly been taken by the Empire. Refugees and soldiers who managed to get out before the siege have reached the slums just this morning. We deem it unlikely that the city would hold out for long.”

“Landort is under siege too, according to the troops who arrived a few days ago by both Nipha and Baralia troops. It’s unclear who they are but we assume Wynehold origins. It’s a little chaotic at the moment,” he said and continued immediately. “The High King has been suspiciously quiet. There are no news from the capital itself. We’re informing trusted associates of the Order of Truth, guards, military, nobility, and businesses alike of our discoveries and a call to seek out and destroy the rituals, should any have been set up in the various cities.”

“Harchat has reported invaders battling a group of Order members before leaving a temple entirely destroyed. That was four days ago,” Ben said.

“Hmm. So they succeeded,” Ilea said.

“Your associates then? Apparently they didn’t find the bodies. The report included a warning to other temples and help in the search of Elder Zion,” Benedict said.

“I see. You think he’s a driving force behind the rituals?” Ilea asked.

“Elder Zion, known blood mage and his associate space magic expert were in the process of setting up a ritual to make contact with the realm of life,” Ben said, holding up a letter as he read. “Yes. I think the answer to your question is yes.”

“What’s that place anyway? And where do you think the Elder is going now? Are there more Elders involved?” she asked.

“It’s a topic shrouded in a lot of secrecy. There are theories about it being the origin of healing magic, some say it’s the place where life itself came to be, while others yet claim it’s a demonic force trying to manipulate our Order into chaos. And that information is just from the records held by Barrett, a few other priests, and of course the High Priest of Yinnahall,” he said.

“Did he not have anything to share on the topic?” Ilea asked.

“We found him dead in his study,” Ben said.

“Fuck,” Ilea said.

“As to your question on the other Elders, most should be in the capital currently. I haven’t had the pleasure of ever meeting them myself but some of the other priests did. It’s unlikely that they would execute such a ritual in the capital itself,” he said.