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Enjoy the chapter, took a while but here it is.

18

In the distance the clans were battling against a gigantic monster. Clara and Teresa stood in the centre of the former battlefield completely unfazed by the sight. A moment later Argus came running from the distance and fell down in front of them.

Teresa was the first to greet him, “So you didn’t manage to finish him?”

“No,” he kept the rest unsaid.

“Oh well, at least you’re safe. Welcome back Argus.”

Argus stood, stumbled a bit and tried to catch his breath, “Milady.”

Clara frowned, “You’re injured.”

“Yes,”

“Haaa, come along then.” She waved to Teresa then started walking back to the clan headquarters.

Teresa approached Argus the lifted him from his feet and started carrying him.

“This is embarrassing.” He muttered. She was holding his back in one arm and carrying his legs in the other.

“She seems glad to see you.” Teresa remarked.

“What? Doesn’t look like it to me.”

“You’ve been gone for a long time. A lot’s happened since then.” She said and smiled at Argus.

“I’ve missed you guys.”

“Hmmm.”

“Strangely you don’t seem all that different to me Terr.”

“Yes, I’m still the same.”

They left the chaos outside behind them. The Harcourt clan headquarters was disturbingly silent compared to the noise outside. The guards and servants looked at the man in Teresa’s arms strangely, but none of them spoke, more occupied with what was going on outside than what the young master had brought with her.

They entered the command centre again. Amara, Clara’s mother was there directing their forces and coordinating with their pawns controlling the Leashed. “Good, Clara you’re here.”

“Mother,”

“Come over here.”

“Very well,” Clara stepped closer, knowing what her mother wanted to do now.

“You need to learn this, you’re my daughter after all.”

“I already understand the theory, mother.”

“Will you stop acting so cold? Never mind, let’s not talk about that for now. I want to teach you what it takes to become a commander.” She waved her arm over the display, the view changed and they were focusing on the scattered masses of the lower clans fighting against the turned Leashed.

“See this?” Amara indicated to the a small patch of resistance coming from the clans. A young boy surrounded by warriors shouting commands and looking dispassionately at the dead around him. “What do you think is going to happen next?”

“I think they will break. Their last line of defence is going to shatter.”

“Why do you say that, don’t they seem to be putting up a reasonable fight?”

“I’ve already gathered intel on this one, I know he won’t last long.”

“Yes, come to the same conclusion. Although, mine is for another reason than yours.”

A female Leashed followed by the group of guarding knights floated towards the resisting group. She raised her arms and a storm of green surrounded her. A few green swirls appeared and pulled the power inward, leaving the air around the Leashed free except for ten swirling green orbs. She pushed forward with her arms and it was as if the orbs were pulled along by a long rope. They moved, at first slowly, then more and more quickly until they were right in front of the resisting soldiers.

One of the soldiers threw out a grenade which exploded and redirected the orbs back into the sky. A moment later the orbs exploded and filled the sky with a green mist.

The boy in the centre of the group shouted something and the soldiers around him activated the impetus drives and used the energy to push another blast of force towards the mist, finally dispersing it completely.

Suddenly there was an uproar among the group as a group was rushing from their flank and started attacking them.

“Those who are blindly loyal often have a hard time spotting the sighs of betrayal.”

The attacking group wore similar armour to the resisting soldiers.

“Thus the Telmera falls. Was a bit earlier than my prediction.”

Amara nodded, “Yes, I’ve also read the intel on the Telmera boy you know, although the little upstart had a group of loyal followers he treats the rest of his clan like his plaything. Such behaviour was bound to draw enmity.”

“That’s one problem taken care of. What about the other clans?”

“Most have fled, it’s not like they put in their whole effort into this skirmish. At the first sign of the Maribara clan’s betrayal they were the first to scatter.”

Clara chuckled, “They fell for it then?”

“Certainly, who would ever believe stories of the great and powerful Maribara clan losing control of their most powerful public forces? It’s much easier to believe this was a ploy. Although the clans might believe that we Harcourt’s were also involved in it the main focus of their hatred will surely fall on the Maribara clan’s shoulders.”

“Seems too good to be true. If it was this easy why haven’t we done this before?”

“It’s not easy, it’s a fortuitous occurrence, but that’s all it is. You still need to bring those dogs to heel.”

The Telmera and the rebelling soldiers were still fighting, paying the female leashed very little attention. She however was busy fighting against some knights from the lower clans. The guardians defending the Leashed were many times slower but they managed to overwhelm and drive back the clan knight.

The female Leashed pointed her palm to the knight then spoke a few words. As she did the world around her broke and a beam of green mist shot from her palms meeting right where the knight was standing.

He managed to raise a barrier but even his barrier was eaten through in moments. The Leashed shouted, then brought her palms together while pointing at the knight. the beam grew larger and finally overwhelmed the knights barrier. He screamed before dying as his body broke apart.

The female Leashed was joined by another. The two’s knights surrounded the pair as they spoke as one and caused the sky to fall on the blindly battling group.

“Even the guardians don’t know they are being misled.”

“That’s why I didn’t involve myself and left it to the boy, he seemed to have done a splendid job.”

“What are we going to do with the Leashed’s knights?”

“It’s up to you, but I’m not certain if we could control them, I recommend getting rid of them.”

“That’ll be, difficult.”

“No, it won’t call your pets then well attack together with them as they turn on their protectors.”

The Leashed and their guardians were battling against the clans. The Maribara clan was still in complete disorder, the lines of command had been completely disrupted thanks to Argus. Most of the Maribara didn’t even find it strange that they were turning on their supposed allies, this wasn’t the first time they’d done something like that after all.

They supposed that now that the Overseer was missing they could act just as recklessly as they do in the outside world.

Clara knew that normally her clan had no hope of defeating the combined forces of the other clans. But it wasn’t like they were without any means, the wisdom of placing a spy within each and every clan was something the past generations have done, and something she was benefiting from now. Although she had to give up one of her key advantages afforded to her the reward more than made up for the loss.

Clara nodded then started walking away, “Teresa, take care of the rest, I’ve got things to do.”

“Where are you going don’t you want to see this through.”

“…This is far from over. I’m going to go prepare for our final battle against the Maribara. You know as well as I do that they won’t take this lying down.”

Clara looked over at Argus siting at a bench against the wall, “You, come see me when after you’ve had yourself treated.”

Argus lowered his head, “Milady.”

Clara sighed at the hopelessness of her two childhood friends then left for her laboratory intent on continuing her research.

She’d finally made a breakthrough on her theory, now all that was left was the practical application of it. Something much more difficult than she’d expected.

Argus sighed, Teresa came to stand next to him. “How was your visit with the Maribara?”

“I gave my reports.”

“Yeah, and I’ve read them, but how do you feel about your time there?”

“Honestly? Not much is different, among the lower forces of the clan they basically just follow along and do what command tells them. That’s likely why you can lead those poor sods around like that.” He vaguely waved at the display showing the Leashed and their guardians massacring the clans that still dare stand their ground.

At seeing the ruined fields and small number of resistance remaining Teresa frowned then walked out. “Well, seems my break’s up; time for me to get back to work.” Teresa grabbed a jacket hanging over the main chair of the command centre and pulled it over her shoulders.

“Alpha team, Rifle team, Snipers get in position, time for a little roasting.” She looked at Argus then held out her palm, “Give me the orb.”

Reluctantly, he handed the orb over to her before leaning back and waiting for the doctor he said was coming.

A lady wearing a black jacket walked to the large group of leashed and their accompanying guards. A man with a blank stare looked at her as if she was the centre of the universe. The emotion in his eyes was a disturbing one, something no mortal would ever have.

She looked over the Leashed, then to the knights around them. “You’ve done well pawns, now.” She held the orb in the sky, then shouted, “Submission or death, your choice!”

Some almost immediately started laughing, not knowing their last moment had arrived. They majority just stared at her blankly, but a few quick thinking knights immediately bowed, even getting some of their friends to do so as well.

The leashed stared blankly, unaware of anything around them, their handler had not told them to see so they would not see Teresa standing in front of them. Teresa lowered the orb, the handler fell to his knees and bowed. Teresa spoke to the man, “Kill those knights still standing.”

The handler jumped to his feet and loudly shouted, some more fell to the floor in time but the greater majority was caught off guard at the sudden change in their situation.

“Those who remain standing are considered traitors, and are to be executed immediately!” The Leashed’s eyes gained clarity, their faces contorted in pain and they started crying as they gathered their mana and directed their power at the guards.

Teresa waved and the snipers started targeting the leaders among the guards.

“Good…Fire at will!” The leaders of the squads repeated her orders and a moment later the riflemen hidden in the surroundings opened fire on the gathered crowd.

By now the mages were already starting to attack. The guards were slaughtered, and even those who managed to cut down a few Leashed were soon brought to death due to the hopeless situation. Even if they killed one enemy they were still surrounded in the end, attacked from the front and the back, with their equipment mainly focused on attacking as a means of defence, they had no choice but to meet their fate.

Teresa put away the orb, all the time looking on dispassionately as the guards were killed. After the last resister was executed she spoke again, “To those who were wise enough to side with us, congratulations, you have been given another opportunity at life. Use it well, and serve your new master with the utmost diligence. If you don’t, you will have to answer to me!” She said then clenched her fist, the sheer pressure she gave off from the simple action cracked the ground beneath her.

“Vaune.”

“Yes?” A man spoke through Teresa’s ear piece.

“You take care of these, I’m sure you know what to do.”

“Yes,”

“Now time to see what Yuller’s been up to.”

Yuller was running through the forest, his team was nowhere to be found. But luckily T5 was there to cover his back.

He’d been running for a very long time now, and it was such an intense race that even his elf body had begun to sweat.

It was the most alive Yuller had felt in a long time, this rush of fighting at the edge of survival was what he longed for. But it was also something he feared.

“T5, the next right, there are three over there.”

“Yes,” the robot confirmed then shot forward at a ridiculous speed. He slammed through the trees in between and started swinging his blade through the air, sending out hordes of slicing energy at the surroundings.

From the ground beneath the robot came two monsters which were as large as cars. They growled as they were cut up. But strangely the injuries healed within the next moment. But although the injuries were useless they served the purpose of enraging the beasts.

“Graaaaaugh!” Came a bellow from the ground and a beast three times as large as the others broke through the ground and snapped at T5.

Yuller gestured at the air and a thin spear of energy appeared next to him. His face and body started bleeding but he endured it. He swung his arm forward and sent the spear shooting straight at the roaring monster’s gaping maw.

“Now!”

T5 stopped his ineffectual attacks and activated his drive causing the air around him twisted into itself.

He stabbed at the creature’s heart with his blades and the energy followed along, slamming into the creature until its flesh gave way.

T5 then swung the blades apart, and the monster roared as it was torn in two.

T5 stumbled. Yuller passed him and attacked the last two monsters.

Yuller sighed as he looked further ahead, “This is it.”

“Did we get all of them?”

“No, but it’s the most we can do. No one enters the cursed land and lives. Not even ones such as you.

T5’s three eyes and markings returned from red to the tranquil blue. He looked over at the strange land in front of him. Nothing seemed different from the rest of the world, except for the rows of white stones running in a row in front of them.

But the sight tugged at T5’s heart, something was there, and he yearned to return to it.

“They say this is where the clans were first founded. There are even stories, legends really, of how a fearsome beast once lived here, and the founding lords vanquished it and scattered its ashes to surround the southern isles. Those who believe, say that the soul of the founding lords watches over their children from this place…”

Yuller spat. “But that’s just talk, the only thing you need to know of this place is that no one who enters has ever returned, I can speak more of it but even what we know is only the surface truth.”

“I like it.” T5 responded. “It’s peaceful.”

“Yeah, seems so right? That’s only until you come across the cursed, trust me, you do not want to meet them…In fact, we’ve spent enough time here, let’s leave.”

Yuller walked over when he saw T5’s reluctance and started pulling the robot along.

The cursed lands has always had a strange effect on animus constructs, so T5’s behaviour was nothing strange. Yuller noted that he would need to report on this behaviour, since it might be of some use to the clan if they could figure out how the cursed lands worked through T5 it would be an enormous boon.

“Let’s go T5. Don’t look at it.”

The room was lit, the wires sending currents of energy where now at their full capacity. The orb hovering over the table flickered as it felt a kindred spirit. But the next moment it returned to its calm.

Only two days remained before a new god would awake.

And the orb hovering over the table couldn’t help but wonder, who would be there to claim him?