Chapter 21: State of the Dukedom

“I hereby pronounce these lands to be claimed and control by our newly appointed duke. Duke Apollo do you swear to uphold the honor of this land and protect its inhabitants?”

“For now, and forevermore Queen Chiara.” Apollo said while forming his hands into a claw shape and clutching over his heart.

That lad is how the dukedom formed its standard greeting. Only meant to show the highest of honors to one you truly respect.

Excerpt from The Heroes Champion spoken by Duke Apollo Kan.

Keala sighed as she read the report from Shadow. She took a long deep breath holding her sadness, happiness, and pure unrefined rage in. She would not make the mistake of losing control of her powers again. Not as a rank two being once was enough. Inquiries had been made coming from as far as the Gnome Conglomerate. No, this time Keala would keep this rage, refine it, and unleash it upon her husband who had been avoiding her as if not seeing her would make the problem go away.

Keala loved Vasu, but she loved her children even more. She summoned a maid and called for her children before sending a message out into the city to the hidden protectors her elder sister had assigned to her. Keala would be traveling home and taking the twins along with her. A powerful divination would need to be cast to find out the direct whereabouts of her eldest son and it would do good for the twins to see their extended family. Time away from each other would also cool the nerves of both parties.

*

Vasu dismissed the maid and contemplated on his wife’s leaving. A sigh escaped his lips and resigned he stood up to go to her newly constructed quarters. There was nothing to be afraid of. At least, that’s what Vasu told himself. With a flash he appeared in front of his wife’s door before lightly knocking.

“Enter.” The voice was cold, and Vasu sighed once again. What happen to the shy girl when they first met. That shy girl had turned into something so beautiful Vasu would get starstruck every now and then when he saw her. Today was one of those days. Keala was wearing a violet veil in a form fitting dress that was the same color while accentuating her curves. Her star lit eyes pierced straight through the veil however into Vasu’s own. He entered the room as the various maids filed out.

Vasu took slow measured steps and with each step he would say a line.

“It was your beauty that first drew me in.”

Step.

“Originally, we were both against this marriage. The Hukku and Kan never had a friendly relationship.”

Step.

“Our grandfathers wanted to change that to bring our mighty families closer.”

Step.

“So, honoring their wishes we gave it a try.”

Step

“I won’t hesitate to say I love you with all my heart.”

Step.

“I also won’t hesitate to say that I will not apologize.”

Step by step Vasu drew closer to his wife.

“If I could go back in time I would do it again, and again, and again.”

Step.

“I love you, but I also have responsibilities and obligations to fulfil.”

Step.

“For generations my family has prevailed any and all attempts by the orcs and their allies to reinvade our land.”

Step.

“Their numbers have swelled to the point that the next head of this, of my, of our dukedom will need all the training, all the resources, and all the help he can get.”

Step.

“If not for the agreement by our ancestors I would find another way.”

Step.

“But it is not so,” Vasu said as he arrived in front of his wife and slowly lifted her veil.

He watched as Keala closed her eyes and they stood there for a long moment before she opened them.

“But it is not so,” Keala responded.

“The children are coming with me. It is time they meet the rest of their family.”

Vasu saw the light in her eyes and gave no arguments only giving a slight nod in understanding. He turned to leave only for his wife to put a hand on his shoulder and spin him around. Taken by surprise Vasu opened his mouth to question her when his lips were suddenly sealed.

*

Vasu looked at the members of the Left Hand assembled in front of him in his new office. Lou with the Mask of Despair. Brog who held the Mask of Pleasure. Finally, there was Agni who held the Mask of Illusion. They gave him a slight bow before standing at attention.

“Sister, cousins no need for that it is good to see you!”

At once they removed their mask and equipped them to their belts. Vasu went forward and gave them each a hug.

“How have you been little brother,” Agni said eyes turned up like crescents as she smiled at him.

A small sigh escaped Vasu lips and a full-blown laugh escaped from Agni’s.

“The Princess has been treating you well I see.”

Lou came forward a clapped a hand on Vasu shoulder smiling at his cousin. Vasu just shook his head in response and the laugh grew even larger as Brog joined. The family settle into comfortable chairs and Vasu clapped his hands. Several servants came out with an assortment of snacks and drinks. Once settle the group began to chat.

“Before we begin anything, tell me did you feel it too?”

“Did we feel it?” Agni looked at her brother with a mixture of confusion before a savage grin took form on her face.

“We practically bathe within it. Your son, Aegis, wow,” Agni said leaving the rest conveyed through feeling alone.

“His bloodline may even be a match for the ancestor,” Brog’s deep voice said as he took a swig of ale.

“Fortune has blessed the Kan. The next generation will all stronger than what we’ve seen in a while.” Lou spoke up, munching on some sweeten tarts as he did so.

“…resonance at such an age.” Vasu’s face grew dark suddenly and he held his face in his hands.

Agni came over to sit next to him and gave him a hug while patting his back.

“I don’t like it either but with the next major war coming to the Empire’s boarders by the orcs we will need to make sure the next generation is a prepared as possible. Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if we should release the true way of cultivation to the masses.”

Vasu’s face soured at Agni’s words. “You know we cannot. Although most adventurers at the higher tiers figure out something but Knowledge is dangerous and should not be given to all. Even we did not know of the true path early on and I have put my children and most of the western nobility upon this path. No more… no more.”

“Knowledge is Power and if we give the people a chance not only can we wipe out the orcs in the entirety we can unite all the human lands to the Empire. The Law of Magic binds us yes, but I know you have ways around this. You could not have your child take the oath just yet. Why not use this opportunity,” Agni argued.

“Do you know why after nobles who have completed both Path of the Body and Path of the Mind go to the boundary afterwards. We’ll live for centuries yet all leave. Did father ever tell you why?”

Brog and Lou had stopped drinking and eating even leaning in at this point of the conversation anticipation hot on their faces.

“No,” Agni sighed looking a bit strained.

“Because of the third path. Path of the Soul. Do you truly understand the essence of our cultivation. There is a reason there’s a boundary keeping us trap in the continent. Even you know this much. There is a reason why as we grow more powerful, we become sensitive to some things. Whispers when someone mentions your name. You three are close to become Sky God’s. Do you know the true reasons why we call someone who’s completed both paths a Sky God? Once Aegis takes over, we will all be moving to the Empire’s area of the boundary. Once there you will truly learn what it means to be a Sky God.”

*

Ahana looked over the luscious forest on the other side of the wall and a sigh escaped from her lips. Her thoughts drifted to her only child and eventually made their way to her father before returning to Amaya. Did the make the right choice pushing their children onto such a path? To push their cultivation along so far. Aegis and Amaya the next Duke and Protectorate.

Ahana wasn’t even sure the children really knew what those titles entailed. What the weight of those positions would hold on them. Her heart went out to her daughter and a tear fell down her cheek. The tress rustled a contingent of Ironback Ogres with goblins on their back came out howling with madden rage.

“Deal with them.” Ahana said while turning to return to her chambers. The attacks on the wall were becoming more and more frequent yet Ahana and the rest of the family knew the orcs were bidding their time. Only sending out small forces to keep the Empire on their toes. The soldiers and mages on deck immediately saluted and turn to deal with the threat with extreme prejudice.

A War Golem stepped out and towards the ogres as various mages controlled the giant magical weapon. The elves were famed for their strong magic. Magic strong enough to wipe out vast stretches of land from a single ranked being at the Sky God level. Even more so than the powerful Sky Gods of the Empire of other sapient races.

The gnomes were known for their magical technology that was strong enough to repel the endless monster horde. While still maintaining the integrity of the land. Their inner cities were said to be tall enough to touch the sky’s. While their inhabited machines used by their powerhouses put them on even ground if not beyond against the other races.

The dwarves where equally dangerous as the gnomes. Both races weren’t known as the hegemons of the continent for no reason. The dwarven craftsmanship of runic weapons was said to be so far advance they could create weapons that would do the fighting without a need for a master.

While the humans… the humans were known for their walls and war golems. Giant constructs shaped like previous generations of protectors. The knowledge of building such massive golems and keeping control of them was a mystery to all other races and these golems had maintained the integrity of the wall since its inception. Not once in their thousand-year history had they failed.

The orcs, goblins, and ogres where the fiercest of the races. Always warring, always fighting, if not amongst one another then they would target the human lands as they did effectively cut those races off from the rest of the continent. Although they constantly fought amongst one another by no means were they stupid. The Ancestral Heritage of the goblins was dangerous as they were the fast breeders on the continent. Anything one learned would be passed off to the next generation without prior schooling. While the orcs had the toughest physical bodies on the continent. There was a reason they had humans enslaved for so long. With the size of most ogres growing to 7 meters or bigger the races that occupied the Endless Green were a force to be reckoned with.