Chapter 34: Bandit Culling

The Empire’s lands are vast and bountiful with resources and dangers alike. This has led to an influx of jobs yet has also led to an influx of banditry as rogues decide to pray on their fellow man instead of monster or beast. The Empire’s lands are vast making bandit culling a difficult task at times unless a group has stationed themselves in an area for some time.

A snippet from EMPIRE WEEKLY. Written by Jorrgin Arlow.

“The Church of Arva and Rirrypha wish to have churches built in Aurora?”

I looked at the bright-eyed young girl who stood next to Ryna. My 15th birthday would be soon, and I did not need these problems cropping up.

“Precisely. My goddess wishes to confer her blessing and provide aid to any of the injured. Our healing is unmatched.”

My eyes turned to Ryna who arrived recently in at the orders of her goddess.

“What about Arva? What does she wish to do?”

“Goddess Arva only wishes to establish a church and allow her blessing of fertility to spread throughout the area. The priest would like to begin immediately with your permission.”

I knew this was a plot and didn’t need a big red flag to be waved in front of my face. I just didn’t know what the goddess wanted with me. Of course, I had an idea.

“Murnia take these two to Amaya. Have her show them the land set aside.”

My personal maid responded immediately emerging from a dark corner in the room. The ladies bowed to me and proceeded to follow my maid.

I stepped outside of my office and onto the balcony behind it. As my manor was the tallest building in the city, I had a great overview of the entire thing. Thousands of people moved about. Some my soldiers and some citizens who would work for me. Around 2500 soldiers in total and after two years passed since I emerged from the Catacombs. It wasn’t like I couldn’t have more but after the flood of applicants I became extremely selective. I would need a thousand more before I was at my max. One thing different from Earth however is that magical warfare does not require large armies. Joint spells from a bunch of tier threes can still cause massive damage and even wipe out cities. The same goes for attacks by knights.

I looked to the warehouse that held several monoliths with resolution written on my face. I was more than ready and was only waiting for my journey to begin. In the meantime, I trained my men like dogs, but I trained alongside them. Nothing I couldn’t handle with my tier six cultivation. A few of the original from the little army reach tier three and most of the new recruits broke into tier one giving them strength above a normal human. Since we were this far along, I had decided that every man and woman in the army would need to participate in bandit culling.

My reasoning behind it was simple. Resolve. Although they wouldn’t have the System to gain titles and such it was imperative that my troops would not hesitate when it is time to do the deed. I would give them the opportunity early so that any feelings they may have can be extinguished. Over the course of the next month, I expected every troop whether in mage training or knight to have a body underneath their belt. Even Amaya would be forced to participate.

Her troops made up a small bulk of my city’s population among the various servants those troops brought. Her recruiting these people threw a small wrench in my plans but it was quite simple to get my people away from hers and perform the deed. The two troops had no love for one another in the first place. The commoners felt entitled that I chose to recruit them instead of from the nobility and those nobles resented that. I already received mail from different sources inquiring my decision.

My father even spoke to me about it, but I was adamant in not letting anyone I didn’t approve in. Magical binding contracts had been signed and I already had a specific oath from the ones I chose as officers. When I finally inducted my army into the System, I would make sure no word of its abilities could leak out.

I would be allowed a maximum of five thousand people I could bring with me to the new world and after much discussion with Amaya and advice from Roan I decided three thousand five hundred of those would be actual soldiers with a minimum requirement of five hundred mages, but I would take however many I could get my hands on. One thousand five hundred would be support staff. Blacksmiths, city planners, farmers, miners, enchanters, ward masters, I was bringing as many specializations as I could get my hands on. Most where young just out of apprenticeship and that’s the way I wanted it. I was trying to keep my troops age below thirty mainly because their minds where more open to change and I could easily influence them.

I am not a nice person. The more responsibilities I have the more the person who I am changes into someone new. Someone who represents the power of this world. The values I once held from earth are fading. Growing weaker as I age and the discipline my family has instilled within me only grow stronger. I understand why the nobility hide the correct way to walk the Paths. Power.

Power in this world is law. The bigger sword directs the where the world will go. Just like how the Dwarven Federation and Gnome Conglomerate are the hegemons of the continent. They lead the Empire by the nose in terms of technology and have an advantage on us in terms of military might. While the elves stay in the Forest of Life their magic capabilities are nothing to scoff at.

I looked towards the plot of land Amaya directed the priest to step up on. Earth mages where already raising walls and connecting the buildings to the cities plumbing.

The two suns shone brightly down upon the continent of Nia. Today was a good day for killing.

‘Status.’

Overview

Name: Aegis Kan

Age: 14

Race: Magi Human

Racial Abilities: Lesser Adaptation

Physical Cultivation: 6

Magic Cultivation: 4

Aspects: Starlit Harbinger, Adventurer.

Titles: Resolved

I activated my bloodline resonating and calling Amaya to me. I felt several pings as it seemed some of my relatives were around. Cousins and such that I made little time for. I had too much to do and prepare for to get close to them, yet they wanted to get close to me. I was the Young Lord. A title only given to those acknowledged.

***

Murnia returned to her young lord’s side and watched him with mix emotions on her face. Aegis had changed. He was no longer the inquisitive boy who got lost in his own thoughts. Now he was growing into someone different and Murnia didn’t know if it was a positive or negative change. One thing the young woman could say for certain was that her Young Lord was powerful and had a new confidence in himself that he seemed to try and instill into his troops.

Murnia watch Aegis not only train with the troops but eat, shit, and sleep with his very men and women. At least thrice a week he would accompany them and work with a different squad. The people loved him for it and even Murnia herself thought it strange but wonderful that Aegis would do such a thing.

His commands where absolute now and the troops did not hesitate to fulfill his orders. They would probably even fight a god if he said so. That was the type of loyalty Murnia saw instilled into the men and women of the army.

The sons and daughters of the noble household underneath Lady Amaya spoke bad of the army and thought Aegis was an idiot for ignoring them yet Murnia as one who interacted with both armies could say with surety that if a battle was to seem lost the first to break would be those very nobles.

***

Mel looked in horror at the carnage her squad caused to the bandit hideout they uncovered. The site was gruesome with body parts spread in all manners. She watched as one of the troops, Kyle, stepped on an eyeball without batting an eye and she threw up.

A hand patted her shoulder and she turned to look at Aiden who led a squad training to be knights. They barely lifted a finger as the group spell cast and led by Mel cause rampant destruction.

“This… this is crazy. I don’t know if I can do this.”

A hand slapped her face not hard but strong enough to cause Mel to focus.

Aiden face hardened as he looked at her.

“We knew this would happen eventually. Maybe not so soon but we knew joining an army would have consequences. Hell, you were the one who told us the most. This is no time or place for you to break down. Your squad and mine are watching.”

Mel looked around and sure enough both squads although pretending to be busy where glancing in their direction multiple times.

Mel took a deep breath and drank some water from the flask Aiden handed to her.

“You’re right,” Mel said a new look of determination written all over her face.

“You’re right.”

***

Imperial Princess Moriah paced around nervously. She was excited and scared and so much more. She was training her own force of around one hundred troops and soon they would be announcing themselves and their intentions of joining Aegis on his expedition to conquer a new world. Her heart was beating wildly, and her thoughts wouldn’t stay focus as she thought of the boy now man as his Magi Human body had accelerated his growth much like hers.

She stopped and looked in the mirror at herself. Giving herself a small pep talk of encouragement and glancing at the imperial decree her mother already drafted. The blood racing through her body grew hot at the thought of the coming battles and Moriah began to emit a soft white gold glow.

“Summon Jason Diablo and Mariam Alvarez.”

The two had grown much closer to Moriah in the last five years and she felt confident in consulting with them. She left her room and quickly moved to the tearoom they like to frequent.

***

Makanui gazed at the small force following him. The would be traveling to his cousin’s city and announcing their intentions to join his expedition in around a year’s time.

“Mother do I really have to go?”

Mahina glared at her son and Makanui cringed backwards.

“It’s about time you met your cousin. You’ve met the twins already and this expedition is the perfect opportunity for you to meet Aegis as well. 16 years old and still a tier four in cultivation. You should be more like Aegis with his Path of the Body being tier six and Path of the Mind being tier four.

With this trip maybe you and the rest of the younger generation can learn something. Now back to your training!”

***

Alexa gazed at her fellow Junior Watchers. The Watchers or Watch Dogs to those who did not welcome them where the Empress personal spy network. Allowing her to be informed of all major events going on within the Empire no matter if it was the West, North, South, or East dukedoms. Even the Middle Kingdoms where not safe from their reach.

She took a deep breath in around a year’s time they would be assigned to a very important mission. Protect the princess by joining Aegis Kan on his expedition to conquer a new world. Alexa knew the mission should be relatively easy as the Kan dukedom was sending their heir to a Minor World, yet she couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. She was human and without a bloodline, but Alexa’s gut feeling told her that this mission would be extremely dangerous.

Alexa would rise to the challenge, nonetheless. If Alexander Fross could do the impossible then so could she or what was the point in wanting to be a hero like her namesake.