Chapter 781: Allies (2/2)

“Not quite as impressive as an entire Taleen army,” Trian said.

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Ilea crossed her arms. “Right. True. But it’s still very cool,” she said. The fact that she could activate and deactivate the barrier near instantaneously made her more than happy. There was a cooldown after using it, but the same was true for the earlier tiers of the mythical skill connected to the Azarinth Star.

“I do not plan to murder anyone,” Aki said as he lead them through the city. “And please refrain from drawing any Hunter attention. There is a reason I requested a small group of trustworthy members of the Accords.”

“Right, right. Sorry. Lots of adrenaline today, and near death experiences. Just glad I made it through,” she said.

“I take it the battle was quite extensive?” Trian asked.

Kyrian chuckled.

“Quite,” Ilea said.

“I’m not sure any measurements you utter have meaning in the normal world,” Catelyn said.

“Says the talking fox,” Ilea said.

“Humans… there’s more than your own kind out there,” the fox replied.

Violence!

“Exactly,” Catelyn confirmed.

“Stop trying to destroy my eyes,” Ilea said to the Fae, its form shrouded within space.

“No, you may not destroy mine instead,” Trian murmured.

“He likes you,” Ilea said.

“Violence is male?” Kyrian asked.

“I don’t think the Baron has a gender, or cares about it overly much,” Ilea said.

“So you’re saying men are more violent?” Kyrian asked.

“Let me see if arcane healing can cure your injured masculinity,” Ilea said, extending her healing to the mind of her friend.

“I think I’ll survive,” the curse mage said.

Aki led them down a flight of broad stairs and towards what looked like a set of steel double doors. It reminded Ilea of a bunker entrance more than anything else. A green magical light turned on above the gates before the heavy steel started moving, a seam opening at the center.

“Here we are,” Aki said, the silver form of the Executioner moving inside.

Ilea followed with the others, entering a large dusty hall with crates stacked up all over the place. She glanced back to see the gates closing again, structural and privacy enchantments flaring up as the gates closed. Green light flickered on above, the storage facility reaching several hundred meters far.

“It’s not the Guild Hall, but I suppose we have some privacy in here,” Aki said. “And we won’t have to talk using our respective limited telepathy.”

“I don’t think the Hunters are all too interested in your secrets, green eyes,” Ilea said as she tried leaning against one of the crates. Well made but the creaking sounds made her hesitate. She chose a stone pillar instead.

Catelyn jumped onto a crate and curled up slightly, resting her head on her front paws.

The others remained standing.

“You have a lot of trust in beings you do not know. Isalthar is an honorable elf, and I trust those you have known for some time. There are others looking through Taleen records as we speak, some few even looking for loot. One of them is Feyrair. He doesn’t count,” Aki said.

“No he doesn’t,” Ilea said. “But fair enough. I don’t know all of them.”

“The Accords will have to consider dealing with the Hunters while they are here. Gathered, and ready to negotiate as a faction, if they can be called that. I do not know what they plan to do, but what I’m learning about elves is that they don’t exactly like staying in groups. If the Cerithil Hunters are to become allies, it should happen quickly,” Aki spoke.

“I’m not sure most humans are ready to accept any negotiation with elves,” Trian said.

“They will if the Accords stand behind it. If Lilith and the Sentinels stand behind it. I suggest an announcement after my reveal,” Aki said.

“Reveal?” Claire asked.

“Of course. I am an ally to the Accords, and I shall guard it. And I shall guard every settlement that requires it. Mana density in the Plains will not allow for prolonged Executioner or even Praetorian presence, but Guardians are more than enough for most areas. I will require access to modern maps, monster density, known dungeons, resources, and Taleen ruin accessibility, but after that I should be able to protect most of the Plains,” Aki spoke.

“The Plains… the entirety of it…” Claire murmured.

“What about Hallowfort?” Kyrian asked.

“The Meadow is more than enough for a single settlement. I will talk to the dwarves of the Pit, but I expect their interest to be low to non existent,” Aki spoke.

“And you just plan to send out... entire swarms of Guardians into the Plains? It’s going to be chaos,” Claire murmured.

“Once everyone is informed. Yes. Guardians are highly complex machines, capable of fulfilling more tasks than just fighting. It’s just what they’ve been doing for the past few millennia. They can hunt, build, fulfill simple errands, provide combat training, and most importantly, they can transport goods. With the existing teleportation network you managed to establish, and a few additional contracts, the efficiency of logistics within human settlements should increase ten fold. At least. And I would have eyes and ears in every settlement that accepts Guardian presence. I estimate it will take three admittedly chaotic weeks for most people to not only accept but welcome these once feared Guardians,” the Executioner explained.

“You’re a few steps ahead with your planning,” Claire murmured.

“Indeed. And I have only scratched the surface. The archive stored within the Sphere is extensive. There is so much knowledge here that could prove useful. The Taleen technology and rune work is… fascinating. Far more intricate than everything else at the time… and even now. Only the Ascended were ahead. We have a second teleportation network available with the one already set up by the Taleen, and production facilities strewn throughout the lands. The One without Form was a waste of potential,” he spoke.

“Eyes and ears? Do you mean you can see through every Guardian?” Trian asked.

“No. Only some higher leveled machines can be directly controlled. But Guardians can be used to specifically look for certain things, to observe and report. They are not comparable to experienced Awakened spies, scouts, or rangers, but there are a lot of them. And when I say a lot… I don’t think you understand the extent of these resources. The previous Guardian had complete control over the Taleen resources, perhaps at the height of their power, or a few decades after. And all it did was build more machines. Build machines and send them out to destroy elven kind,” Aki said.

“Lunacy,” Kyrian said.

The Executioner glanced his way. “It was made for that purpose after all. And it tried to fulfill said purpose. It will take weeks for me to look through the ruins, cities, and facilities left behind. Much of what the Taleen have built has been lost to monsters or Hunters, but they did build things to last.”

“This is going to be a lot of work,” Claire said. “And here I thought we could sit back and relax for a little while. Now that the gates are set up and the Accords are known.”

“A time of erratic change. When else is there a better time to introduce an alliance with an ancient elven Order?” Aki said.

“You are adamant that that’s a good idea in the first place. Why?” Claire asked.

“You have not seen them fight,” Aki said.

Ilea smiled. “Yeah. Some of them might be close to as strong as me.”

“Ilea is being Ilea. The point is that I wish to protect humanity. The Cerithil Hunters have fulfilled their purpose with me replacing the One without Form. They can become a reliable ally to the Accords, or they can become an unknown of single elves, cursed and hunted by their own kind. Now that the Taleen threat is gone, it’s uncertain how the Domains will react. The knowledge, experience, and sheer power of the Cerithil Hunters will be essential in an effective response.” Aki explained.