Chapter 785: Individuals (1/2)

Ilea turned her attention to the Paladin, the look on his face suggesting he very much wanted to accept her challenge. The dwarves around them made space, moving away the food and drinks.

“We’re not going to fight on the table,” Ilea said.

“There is little space anywhere else,” Joori answered as he stood up, his sword lighting up with a slight blue hue. “Now face me, human. A Paladin of Henel, guardian goddess of the Taleen. May she stand by my side.”

Ilea remained seated. She glanced to her right and teleported a group of dwarves out of the way. Raising her left hand, she gripped onto the large table with her space manipulation before slowly raising it up. The dwarves watched as the heavy stone frame hovered to the side of the room before being set down with a light tap.

“Have you faced a three mark before?” Ilea asked as she stood up, looking at the dwarf a few meters away, his sword raised and pointed towards her.

“There is a first for everything,” the dwarf said as a helmet appeared on his head, the visor covering his whole face.

Violence! the Fae sent out, signaling the start of the bout.

Lights flickered as the Paladin charged, the short distance covered in the blink of an eye, his sword coming down in the next instant, power flowing through the length of the blade.

Ilea slapped the metal aside with a loud clang. She could feel some of the strange magic flowing into her. Mostly arcane, with a dash of light magic. She ignored the loud cheers and pushed the dwarf back with a very light wave of space magic. Creating a smear of paladin on the opposite wall wasn’t conductive to a diplomatic outreach after all. Nor did she feel he deserved that. Joori simply had no idea what exactly he was facing.

She let him land on his feet, watching him charge again, the dwarf more cautious than before. He came into range and feinted, going for her legs instead of her head. Ilea teleported beside his blade, moving along the length of it before she reached his form. She raised her arm in front of his face and used fabric tear to move his helmet away. Her space manipulation gripped the thing, her hand making a fist as the metal groaned and was crushed below her magic. She let go of the small crumpled up sphere, looking into his wide eyes.

He brought his sword back in a horizontal slash, Ilea stopping the blade with her outstretched hand. Ash swirled out from her arm and around the metal, gripping around the steel before she forced it to bend.

Joori let go of the groaning weapon before he staggered back. To his credit, he unsheathed a knife from his belt and crouched slightly. Ready to answer her.

Maybe I should give him Silent Memory to wield, she thought with a smile, her wings spreading behind her, followed by nearly thirty ashen limbs, all flowing out in slow patterns. Ilea held up her arm and formed an ashen copy of herself, infusing it with the command of knocking out her opponent.

She gripped the stone chair behind with her magic and moved it closer, sitting down as she teleported her mug back into her hand. Legs crossed, she took a sip and watched as her copy deflected the Paladin’s knife and punched his chest. The metal dented inward, the dwarf raised up as he exhaled whatever air he had left in his lungs. He landed with staggering steps, coughing up blood, the knife clattering to the ground. He looked up, the ashen figure upon him with its fist going for his head.

Ilea dissolved the creation, looking at the bent greatsword she had teleported into her free hand. She took a sip of her ale and watched Joori heal himself with a hand to his chest.

The Paladin looked at her with a combination of anger and apprehension. “You win,” he said in a raspy voice.

Ilea raised her mug, the onlookers breaking out in loud cheers.

A group of dwarves moved the heavy table back, loud scraping resounding as barrels of ale and more food were brought into the hall. A few of them had gotten out instruments, deciding on a merry tune after a few minutes.

Ormont walked over to her and leaned against the table. He moved in a deliberate manner, though his age didn’t exactly show. “I was not worried about you.”

A group of dwarves was helping Joori get out of the dented chest plate, enchantments flaring up a few times as they tried to pry it open. To his vocal discomfort.

Ilea nodded in response, drinking from her mug. Did he expect me to kill him?

She wondered how the Taleen handled their diplomacy. Did they walk into cities with the arrogance of a powerful empire? Or did they offer trade deals that others couldn’t refuse? The few sources she had heard from in the past years didn’t exactly praise them, but then she supposed others would’ve been envious of their technology and power. Doesn’t matter too much anymore. Not to me at least. What’s important is how they act from now on.

The positions at least seemed clear for now. The Guilds didn’t openly ask for their machines back. The leaders seemed more worried about their people. Something Ilea could very much respect. Joori would come to understand that the One without Form was gone. What he and dwarves like him would do with that understanding was something yet to be seen. Suppose I’m done here for the time being.

“I’ll return to Iz. There will be Executioners at the teleportation gate in the uppermost layer. Talk to them to meet the new Guardian,” Ilea sent to Ormont and a few others she deemed sober enough not to freak out at a voice in their head.

“We will,” Ormont spoke. “When will you return?”

“I don’t know. Few days maybe?” Ilea said. “I’m sure you’ve got enough on your plate with informing everyone.”

“Indeed. It’s going to be quite a change,” the dwarf said, smiling to himself. “Safe travels to you, Lilith.”

“See you,” Ilea said with a wave, standing up as she downed the rest of her ale. She teleported randomly through the structure a few times and summoned a gate to Iz. The magic vanished behind her after she appeared, her wings spreading as she took in the city. It seemed cold compared to Io.

Wouldn’t be the worst if a few hundred thousand dwarves came back to bring a bit of life into these ruins. She wondered if the city was still classified as a dungeon now that Aki had taken over the machines. Perhaps more awakened inhabitants needed to return before that happened.

Ilea flew over the city and towards the main guild hall, seeing the small forest that Naradan had added to the town.

“Back earlier than I assumed. Good news?” Aki sent.

“Probably. Met the dwarves. Plenty of different reactions but I think they mainly care about protecting their people. Ormont, Joori, and Hatta of the Maker Guild will probably contact you through the Executioners in the coming hours or days. They’re open for negotiations, worried about the Cerithil Hunters, and I think the ones who actually knew what the One without Form was are glad something else replaced it,” she said.

“That is a relief. Thank you for laying the groundwork. I’m sure you left an impression,” Aki sent.

Violence!

“It’s quite clear their magical power isn’t near where it was. And you basically took over their entire military,” Ilea said. “I just hope we can actually integrate them into the Accords without them trying to get everything back.”

“They are resilient and resourceful. These machines and teleportation gates may be impressive, but the Taleen are the people who built it all. They not only can but they will do similar things again, I’m sure of it,” Aki sent. “The competition will push others to rise to the challenge. Or so I hope.”

“Right. I guess it’s good that they weren’t wiped out or outright vanished. The elves will be a somewhat touchy subject for quite a few of them, but that’s to be expected,” she said, landing in front of the Guild hall, a few Praetorians turning her way. They bowed.

“Appreciate it,” she sent with a smile.

“I will make sure to try and keep the dwarves hidden for the time being. Until I have learned enough of each Hunter to make sure they wouldn’t cause issues,” Aki said.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Ilea sent as she entered the hall. Some of the elves were still enjoying their feast. She grinned at an ice mage cocooned to the ceiling. I guess old habits die hard. She wondered if the Ash Waste elves liked lava baths as much as she did, or if they preferred some other form of relaxation.

Claire and the others had joined Isalthar and a few of the older and higher leveled elves at the long central table.

“How’s it going?” she sent to Trian, the man not currently talking.

“It’s… difficult. They’re old, proud, and set in their ways. I think the only thing that keeps them here is the fact that they don’t know what they want to do themselves. Did you meet the dwarves?” he sent back.

“I did. A little more promising than what you’re saying,” Ilea said and sat down.

“Why should we form a Domain of our own? There is no Oracle with us, nor is there a need for us to stay in one place,” one of the elves spoke.

“Not a Domain. Just… a place, to stay. To find each other. To organize,” Jomraa said.

A few of them hissed.

“With no Oracle, I see no reason to have one. Isalthar has gathered us, has he not?” the same elf said.

“It took months,” Feyrair said. “Now that we can use the teleportation network of the Taleen, it would be simple to claim one of their old ruins as our…” He glanced at the ceiling. “Town? Hometown?”

More hisses.

“You would stay in these ruins, even now that there is no reason for us to do so?” another elf spoke.

“I would stay where the Monarchs do not dare enter,” Feyrair said. “The network will allow us to move quickly. The One without Form has set up hundreds of nodes near the Domains. Gates we used to destroy, but are now left intact. We can use them for our own purposes.”

“I would rather travel through the lands myself than continue to use this cursed magic,” the other elf spoke.

Fey hissed, as did a few others.

Ilea smiled, looking at a few of them.

Fey showed his teeth.

Her smile broadened.

“Have you a suggestion then, Lilith of ash?” he asked.

Plenty of them glanced her way.

“It’s just amusing,” she said. “You’re not exactly the organizing kind.” She thought for a moment, ignoring the annoyed hisses. “Why not something like the Descent. The lower layers have some powerful magic no normal elf could shrug off. Aki could add a few teleportation gates there, right?”

“The plans are available to me, as are the materials,” the Executioner at the table confirmed.

“The Descent?” one of them asked.