Book Four Prologue: Preparing for Conquest

Book Four Prologue: Preparing for Conquest

My friends and I will bombard their trenches with elemental fury, sure as the Giants fist! proclaimed Bazan dho Humal, splittle flying from the war mages mouth with the force of his enthusiasm. He watched Badud with beady eyes, trying to gauge the impact of his passion.

Badud let the moment stretch, then gave a shallow nod. Indeed. You are proof of the strength of the Ascendent Academy. Tomorrow we will conquer Halsmet, and I will look for the flare of your magic. Then he held the tent flap open, gesturing the war mage out of his tent and trying not to appear too annoyed.

Praise to the founder, Bazan replied, clasping his hands together in a Giantsrest salute before giving the tent one last glance around to see if he could find an excuse to stay longer.

Badud exhaled in frustration as soon as the fabric swung closed behind the man, and he debated magically sealing the tent to prevent interruptions. But that would send a message to the mages of Giantsrest that Badud did not wish to speak to them. Though it would protect him from distraction by fools trying to curry favor, it would also weaken his strategy.

Many of the mages in this army were here to curry favor with him - and for the promised share of slaves and riches once Gemore was conquered. He needed an army powerful enough to quickly and easily conquer Halsmet and then continue on to Gemore and beyond without a pause.

That was the secret of conquest. Give an army the taste for easy victory, and the desire for more would seize them. The factional politics of Giantsrest would vanish before the glory of a conquest and the man who led them would be worshiped far beyond the wary ambition that greeted a Founder. Badud would forge these bickering mages into an army to conquer the continent.

But that plan required that he play the role of the invincible leader who cared deeply for those under his command. He needed to cultivate a cult of personality, and that was built of both overwhelming magical puissance and a thousand smaller demonstrations - such as allowing mages to come to him with concerns on the eve of battle.

He eyed the flap, waiting for another intrusion as he took a seat behind the single desk in the room. When none was forthcoming, Badud reached into his sleeve, pulling out a map to spread over the table that occupied the small tent. He traced his fingers over it, mapping out the planned march to Gemore before tapping his fingers on the northern Mountains and the city of Litcliff on the southern coast. Then he ran his fingers to the far West, where Agmon dominated that end of the continent.

That was the true challenge. Ushuaia was a worthy foe, and Badud needed to build his forces before he set himself and his army against the Seer and her military. He had wanted to develop the [Teleport] Insight broadly among the Ascendent Academy before beginning the conquest. That Insight provided incredible logistical and strategic flexibility. Then he could have quickly pivoted after taking Gemore, moving south to take Halsmet and establish communication and support treaties with his other holdings.

But the fall of Halsmet had been the perfect rallying cry for Giantsrest. Not only had it delivered Exea into his grasp, but the other Archmages had been eager to unite for the purpose of punishing Gemore. The mages of Giantsrest had not seen Gemore as a true threat, merely as a prize to be conquered by whatever Archmage was brave enough and mustered the political capital to do so. But now that Haslmet had fallen, they had decided to squash the city of upstart slaves while they were overextended.

It was acceptable. Armies that moved from battle to battle leveled quickly, and soon every mage that followed him would be capable of casting [Teleport]. But first, they needed to take Halsmet, and then Gemore.

Badud frowned, tapping his finger atop the circular symbol that depicted the ruin of Old Gemore. Gemore had been left to develop for too long, and were on the verge of creating dangerous traditions with their adventurers and assassins. It would have happened already if any other Questor had taken the city in hand. But Brox - Brox was never one to guide his holdings. He would fight for them, but not lead them.

The thought of Brox made Badud relax slightly. He could beat Brox. The two of them had fought several times. If Brox caught him by surprise, he could land a decisive blow, but Badud often won the long game. Their battles usually ended in a draw since neither of them were eager to fight to the death, and they found each other frustrating to fight. But in this case, a draw would be equivalent to a victory for Badud because of the overwhelming strength of his army.

I do. He said simply, then held up a hand to indicate he wasnt done speaking. But not without reward. He traced a finger from Giantsrest, through Halsmet and towards Gemore. You wish to amass power and secure your legacy? March with me and you shall have Gemore and the claim to all of the treasures of those ruins.

Badud indicated the camp outside the tent. And when we march onwards, every mage that joins me will earn levels and Insights that will rival the Kalis Conclave. Follow me in this, and your ambitions to power will be fulfilled.

He paused, waiting for her response, though her general acceptance was clear. The gleam of avarice in her eyes meant he had her.

It was only a third-rate recruitment speech. But the most important part of recruiting a minion is always choosing the right person.

An enticing offer, Founder Badud, the old woman said quickly. If it were sweeter, I could not resist. Do you have any Insights I might learn, to better aid in your conquest?

Baduds smile twisted slightly. He had recruited her for her ambition, but he had not expected her to push for magical secrets so quickly. But then again, she was one of the more powerful archmages of Giantsrest. It could be that she was worthy of his lessons.

Demonstrate your magic for me. Not the most powerful magic you have, but the deepest. I would see magic that changes Davrar on a fundamental level, that reaches past the grasp of mere mana. Baduds eyes were hard as he laid this test upon Exea.

She was caught off-guard by his demand, but quickly rallied, reaching into a dimensional bag to retrieve a misshapen fragment of metal that shone with a golden inner glow. This is adamant. I will destroy it.

Badud watched with interest as she channeled the energy of a [Disintegrate] spell into the tiny piece of metal. He couldnt have come up with a better test if hed tried, and that shed had it ready indicated that shed been practicing.

Sussu probably left behind some hints along the path to wizardry. She loves burying Insights in ancient tomes for bookworms to find later. If Exea turns out to be worth anything, Ill let her know.

After a few seconds, the fragment of lustrous metal fell to dust in Exeas hands. Badud gave an approving sound. Impressive, for a beginner. I will only teach you a single Insight tonight, for we both must be rested for the battle tomorrow.

The smile looked out of place on Exeas face, but then it was replaced by her habitual pucker. Do you truly expect conquering Halsmet to be so simple? I was driven out by a man who could who was immune to my magic.

Badud put on his best comforting smile. It will be well. I know of the antimage, and if he is not slain by the legions of slave-soldier and slave-elites, then I will be able to slay him. And if you learn these lessons well, you will also gain that ability.