Chapter 224: Pieces

After barely surviving my soul being pulled on both its ends I decided rather quickly not to play with my food. Swiftly dispatching the Gamma Warrior Anselm was fighting I'm left with a sore body, an odd feeling and a splitting headache where Lotar scorched that mark into my head.

Looking through my spell list I find that killing these guys didn't add much to me, their deaths didn't even unlock a new spell or anything. Although I did get a large boost in Soul Manipulation proficiency.

Which is strange given I didn't extract that Gamma Warriors Soul, if anything it was the other way around, it nearly swallowed mine. But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I gladly accept the boost in proficiency.

I dust the snow off myself and try and save face as Anselm flies all around me asking what the hell caused me to scream out in agony like that,

I don't bother giving him an answer, mostly because I'm not even sure what caused me to go through such agony either. As we walk back I ignore his pestering and reflect on what I saw as I was being pulled.

One thing I have noticed about the experience is that despite the fact that my soul was nearly all pulled out of my body, I didn't have even a single glimpse of the world around me, of Anselm or of Shaco, or even of the Gamma Warrior itself. 

All I saw was scorching, blinding white. The shine of a thousand suns burning my eyelids. 

What could that have been? What was I staring into?

I have a feeling I was staring at Phien. It's the only thing that makes sense to me as it is. What else would glow that bright in a Gamma warrior if not the coalescence of Souls and power that is a God?

Even if it's a Fallen One.

I let out a tired sigh as we finally come up on Matthias and his lackeys. He stares at us in worry and before he has a chance to question what that loud screaming was and embarrass me the way Anselm seems to be trying to do, I cut h8im off.

"Gather your men, your guard, everyone one working as muscle on your payroll." He nods immediately but still deigns to speak. I raise an eyebrow at this and ask, "What is it?"

"Ah, well, we already followed that order yesterday, Lord Ash, the men have been gathered in their barracks since dawn, awaiting your personal evaluation."

Leon interjects here, "Although, your companion, the Squire of Riveden and the Knight of the Goddess Frozia herself has already elected to evaluate the men, and he did not find them lacking."

Hearing this I turn to Anselm and he nods, floating in the air, "Yes, soon after you retreated to your quarters Matthias, Leon and I gathered the men and I evaluated them."

"What do you mean evaluated?" I shiver, the cold somehow getting to me despite all my fur coverings.

He looks confused, h9is eyes fleeting to Matthias and Leon as if asking for what I mean by that, still, he manages to answer, "The men, I fought them with different weapons and with Matthias help we got a few obstacles and trained the men on what to do when they're faced by a man with evocation magic."

I frown at this, "You...you all did this while I was asleep?"

They all share a look, even the garbed men at the back. And then Anselm answers, "Well, you said it yourself, we're at war."

Right. 

I let out a sigh and keep moving, my skin is freezing off, "Alright then, how many have we got to work with? I'm assuming you five are the best of the best of the guard or something?" I ask, second question directed to the heavily armored and polished men that have quietly trailed about with us until now.

One steps forward, walking beside me as Matthias does, "Yes, we represent Frozia's elite force and as the Mayor has mentioned to us, this is a war for expansion?"

Ahh, seeking confirmation. I take a quick look at the man. He's heads taller than I am and if I were to don his armour it would no doubt be far too heavy for me to be mobile in. And yet he trudges through snow in it, barely even breathing hard.

I can immediately tell he's the strongman type. Useful I suppose....as long as someone doesn't light him on fire that is.

I wear a sly smile as I answer, "Yes, it is a war for expansion, if Matthias has truly discussed this with you you must know that I intend on craving out a Kingdom of my own, from this land or another, it matters little to me, what I know however, is that I am currently on the war path with the Kingdom of Ire, and as it seems that they will not surrender willingly, I'll need men like you and your friends to be my strongarm."

Leaning in close to him I whisper, "A strongarm to suppress and stifle any rebellious thought, a strongarm to wield the full martial authority of a King...of a Mage as powerful as I am."

He smiles, "And the rewards..."

Without him even finishing his sentence I nod, "What do you want? Women? Men? Silver? Land? It will be yours of course, without even thinking it will line up before you, after all, they have to go to someone."

He laughs heartily and looks back to his people, nodding excitedly, they too soon join in the laughter.

Anselm seems lost but Matthias and Leon know very well what has transpired. 

I allow myself a small smile as we stroll back into the city and I hop into the carriage that brought me to the gate. The best part of it all is, I'm not lying.

All of that land and power and riches has to go to someone, and since it has to go to someone why not someone that has been with me since the start. 

Just in the March itself there is much land to be craved up and shared amongst my inner circle, how much more the entire Kingdom then?

I chuckle and get a strange suspicious look from Anselm, "What was that all about?" He asks, riding in the carriage with Matthias and I.

"Necessary Bureaucracy." is Matthias' answer.

Anselm looks between us a little appalled I'm sure. Hen lets out a sigh and then returns his questioning gaze to my side, "What happened out there?"

Matthias, unfortunately hears this, I see is eyebrow twitch with interest as Anselm foolishly utters small word of a weakness. I sigh and turn to him, choosing my words ever so carefully, "Nothing happened out there except the deaths of a two Gamma Warriors. You're not even asking where Shaco and Panda are."

He frowns but doesn't give in, "They'll find their way to you. But tell me, you looked in so much pa-"

"Alright!" I yell, cutting him off from saying another damaging word to my repute as undefeatable...at least to persons like Matthias. "I'll let you know once we get back, in private."

At the word 'private' Matthias immediately feigns disinterest, playing with his clothes and looking out the curtains.

I shake my head, but the pestering isn't about to stop anytime soon it seems.

A pulse rocks through me from my fingers, I look down at it and sure enough, the communication ring I got for Kaylin and myself is blinking.

What trouble could it be now? I let out yet another sigh and empowering the ring with a bit of my mana, answering her call, "Hello Kaylin, you called?"

On the other side I can hear some scuffling before she answers, "Nothing major, just testing to see if you've gone out of range."

At this my shoulders relax.

"But I guess I should tell you that I've split out the force of three hundred, Aren has gone to one of the last remaining villages with an entourage of a hundred and fifty soldiers guarding him and awaiting his orders, he's also gotten some enchantment on his person, I'm not sure what it is but...things are moving."

"Alright, but who is leading the other hundred and fifty?" 

"That would be Yelenia."

"What? Why would you give her any power or control after what she did? I still haven't gotten an explanation for what exactly was going through her head when she abandoned the elves, her elves to face off against Maylin."

"I'm not sure either, but I'm not bothered."

"And why is that?"

There's a pause and some more scuffling before she answers with a huff, "Because I have Daria and Gerin here with me, the last pieces of the Five that led the Elven North...not that there's anything left of them anymore, but she seems to think there is so I let her."

I'm not sure what to say to that so I remain quiet.

She speaks again, "They'll arrive at their destinations in two or three days, I should be hearing from them soon, and so will you."

I breathe out a sigh at this, utterly stressed, "Just make sure to clean up whatever mess Yelenia makes."

She doesn't answer, the call goes dead. But I'm praying to Lotar that that elf doesn't screw things up.