Last Command of the Witheld Arc 1: Rebirth

Desalia Bardoul, Human Dreamspinner, ☆☆☆ Jade Lvl 19

Oroc, City of the Citadel, Province of Matraxa

Desalia Bardoul

Race

Human

Rank

☆☆☆ Jade Dreamspinner, lvl 19

House

Bardoul

Racial Gifts

Minor House Seal, Enhanced System Access, Unlimited Inventory, Dreamer, Gills

Attributes

Dominion

500 [Serpent] /500 ☆

Speed

221 [Poison] /500

Precision

500 [Discipline] /500 ☆

Growth

358 [Void] /500

Arcana

500 [Secrets] /500 ☆

Tensa Pool

386.9 gs

Gear

[hidden]

Core Grafts

Worldsnake [Serpent]

Neutralize Poison [Poison]

Scholar of the Hidden Worlds [Discipline]

Pact of Emptiness [Void]

Two Can Keep A Secret [Secrets]

Class Powers

Attack

Snakebite [Serpent]

Death Fog [Poison]

Toxic Touch [Poison]

Dreampoison [Poison]

Destroy Sleep [Void]

Defense

Shed Skin [Serpent]

Assert Reality [Discipline]

Movement

Dreamstep [Secrets]

Utility

Heat Sense [Serpent]

Dreamserpent's Eye [Serpent]

Voidspeech [Void]

Arcane Encryption [Secrets]

Dream Interpretation [Secrets]

Eidolon

Anima Construct [Discipline]

Support

Lucid Dream [Discipline]

Blessings of the Outer Things [Void]

Morpheus' Ruby [Secrets]

Icy wind tore at Desalia Bardoul’s veil as she clung to the back of Ophidia, her Worldsnake eidolon. It slithered through the frigid air at high speed, its white and blue scales glittering in the harsh light reflecting from the frozen plain. Her anima was ballooned out in a massive sphere configuration, her control enabling her to feel even non-monster animals on the ground and air around her. Just ahead of her, Oroc, the only city above ground in the entire province glittered like a jewel in the tundra.

The Bardoul Citadel rose dramatically above the tallest buildings in the city, its tallest spire reaching two and a half kilometers in the air. Although the needle-like tower looked like it would snap in the wind, the Citadel was the most stable and protected building in the entire city. Desalia steered Ophidia to the highest point of the Citadel, a landing stage just outside of the manse.

Awaiting her arrival were a handful of cold-outfitted servants. Snow and ice billowed up from the landing stage as Desalia and Ophidia made their approach. Ophidia’s six white wings tucked in against her scales in the last few meters of their dive and Deslia leaped down lightly. Ophidia bumped her with its enormous head and Desalia stroked its snout gently.

“They’ll take good care of you, darling,” she said softly. To the handlers, she said, “She needs meat. Make sure she gets plenty: we’ve been flying for a long time and she’s very hungry.”

The Worldserpent bowed its head and flicked its black forked tongue out a couple of times. Desalia smiled as she turned and walked along the narrow breezeway to the entry into the penthouse of the Citadel. She nodded at the servants awaiting her and they rushed to prepare the entry for her.

Behind her, several handlers rushed forward with scrub brushes and water, tending to the giant snake as it stretched in the thin arctic air and let the sun beat on its jewel-like scales. Its wings flapped in slow, contented little circles as the handlers ministered to it, leading it into a long, low building built just for it.

Ophidia was one of Desalia’s first grafts, a Legendary eidolon summoning graft that had grown with her throughout her whole life. It was through Ophidia’s guidance that Desalia began her journeys into the Second World and began to secure her and her House’s future. The snake loved being in the real world—the Prime—and took every opportunity to bask in the light of the sun that it could.

Desalia strode through the entry to her penthouse, pulling off her riding leathers as she did. She handed the heavy garments to her servants as she walked, not breaking stride as she crossed the large, minimalistic room. Huge windows let in the arctic sun into a large open space that was uncluttered with furniture. A few low pieces not designed for comfort were positioned in odd places while sparse, strange-looking plants and natural sculpture were the only other decorations.

Her favorite part of this room was the Oneness Chamber. In the very center of the large room was a perfectly round pool of deep purple FocusGel. In the center of the pond was a levitating chunk of obsidian with a plush white cushion positioned on it. The FocusGel she had filled the reservoir with was her formulation designed to allow for maximal use and control of her grafts.

She slipped out of her boots and looked over at the bed sunk into the floor on the far side of the room. It was still early morning, and she smiled to see her husband’s slight form still huddled under the sheets. As a Jade rank Reborn, neither of them strictly needed sleep, but Marion had been working nonstop for weeks in the depths of House Bardoul’s only Dungeon.

He stirred as she brushed against him with her anima, propping himself up on his elbow as he smiled over at her. She crossed the room and kissed him before she sat primly on the bed and began picking out the braid in her hair. Marion sat up and rubbed his eyes and stretched.

“How was your ride?” He asked. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

She paused with her braid and smiled down at him again, stroking his cheek softly with one hand before she shook her head and went back to unbraiding her hair. “I don’t have time, my love. I’m sure you know the news by now, don’t you?”

He looked mildly puzzled, then got that faraway look one gets in their eyes as they reference the System. She waited for him to catch up as she produced a brush from her Inventory and began brushing out her windswept hair. She loved flying, but even in a braid the wind just had its way with her hair.

She heard a gasp and knew he must have gotten to the salient bit of news. “You picked up two moon-blooded elves?!” He said incredulously. “And one of them took V-proc willingly?”

Of course, he would concentrate on the work; for him the work is everything, Desalia thought. I wonder if he’ll even notice that Vasilias is a Great House now. Does he care? A more salient thought occurred to her, Do I? What has this feud gotten us besides dead family? Why do we strive against each other? For some two-hundred-year-old grudge?

If only House Vasilias would stop encroaching on their territory in the Cataclysm Mountains, then they could just go their separate ways. “I think I have Lord Rajani ready to put our proposal forward in the Senate to grant us the entire region. He was quite satisfied with our demonstration and has ordered a half dozen V-proc capsules for his own House’s use.” Marion didn’t say anything, still absorbed in reading.

“Mari? Are you listening?”

His eyes regained focus and he frowned, “Don’t call me that; you know how much I hate it.”

“You know I spoke to my daughter recently.”

He arched a plucked eyebrow, “The one you exiled? Oh my.”

“She was about to report us to the Imperial Ethics Board for unlawful experimentation. Did you want me to let her pauperize us? I did what had to be done at the time; we came to an understanding.” She waved away the point with an airy gesture. “You might have skipped over this bit of news while you were skimming, but did you happen to see the news about House Vasilias?”

“I heard that album; it had some great songs on it! I No…did something happen to them? One of their Dungeons collapse?” He asked hopefully. “Or maybe one of their Scions got caught with one of the Emperor’s Seedlings. That would be scandalous wouldn’t it?”

“No, they were elevated to Great House status.” She shook her head in astonishment, chuckling despite herself. “How have you managed to avoid that bit of news? It was a System-wide message that was sent to everyone in the Empire!”

Marion stretched and stood up from the bed. Desalia enjoyed the view as she absentmindedly strolled over to their refresher chamber. He disappeared through the door and Desalia turned her attention to her own System connection. Just as she was about to start yet another fruitless System search—without Enhanced Access it seemed like the System actively fought against you—when she was alerted by the most unexpected source.

The Anima Construct she had created and formed into the serpent medallion to give to Zahara had just activated. She felt the tensa drain as the construct fulfilled its mission. She waited a few seconds as she knew it was traveling from the Second World to the Citadel.

Moments later, the serpent medallion construct slithered out of a tiny rent in the air nearby that leaked a little dreamstuff before closing behind it. Desalia held out her hand to the tiny construct and it slithered over wrapping its body around her hand. It flicked its tongue out twice before dissolving back into her anima.

As it dissolved, the sights and sounds it had seen and heard since she had created it inundated her mind. Desalia absorbed it all wordlessly, her fortified mind easily able to take the strain. It would take a while to process everything the serpent had observed, but she could consider the first impressions at least.

So Zahara and her lover have found the Scion, she thought. Or rather, they have narrowed their search to a single mountain on the outskirts of their province. Brutus and his minders are the ones best positioned to address this. They can portal into Heldon from Argent City and then make their way up the mountain and gather intelligence or take any necessary action. That reminded her of something she had intended to check.

She pulled her Systablo from her Inventory and used it to access the House finances through a secure connection to the System. Another ninety-eight thousand credits in a single day, she observed. Her anima remained resolutely as smooth and still as a mountain pond, betraying none of the fury that she felt. Brutus is burning through credits like his hunts actually contribute anything to the House coffers. It was truly impressive what powerful monsters fell to him, but even the rarest bits harvested from these monsters were nowhere near enough to offset the costs he incurred. Something had to be done soon.

Now it appeared she had a good excuse to get Brutus away from the casinos, bars, and whores and doing something constructive. That officer…what was her name? Ah yes, Virgon. Petra Virgon. She captured those two moon-blooded elves for me. Remarkably competent and such marvelous ambition.

She immediately felt better. It was important to her to have the best people available on the missions she set and Brutus, though talented in his way, was too chaotic and unpredictable. Lieutenant Virgon and her team will be the organizing force in this mission and will have to learn to handle Brutus. If anyone can handle him they can; still, I can’t help but wish he was less of a walking bomb and more of a human being.

She reflected bitterly that her son was likely one of the biggest reasons the damn Vasilias feud kept going as strong as it was: he never missed an opportunity to attack a Vasilias Reborn or vassal—and that was almost always fatal for them since Brutus never attacked anyone stronger than him. Even their commoners weren’t safe from Brutus.

Still, if she could get Brutus to do something constructive with a competent field commander then there was a chance—a slim one, she readily acknowledged—that she could stop any escalating action before it started. Above all, she had her work. Even if their Imperial Senate requests got nowhere, none could deny her and her husband’s brilliance or their contributions to the Akashic Library in the fields of tensa interactions and Class mechanics. With Marion by her side, they could pull their House to whatever heights they desired.

With that decision made, Desalia Bardoul stood up from the bed and went to the edge of her Oneness Chamber. A pathway of rainbow panels made of solid light appeared at her approach, arching over the deep purple pool of FocusGel and terminating at the small onyx platform with her cushion. She walked lightly along the pathway settled onto the cushion into a comfortable kneeling position and closed her eyes, reconfiguring her anima into her custom gathering technique: the Dreamer’s Feast.

As her anima crossed into the Second World and started pulling in vast amounts of tensa, she immediately put it to use in a great whirling construct around her. Desalia’s Jade rank Attributes made the complex manipulation of tensa without allocating it possible, allowing her to concentrate on the entire construction while resisting the destructive forces of so much tensa in one place. She shaped the tensa into a dome around her, using her anima as a temporary tensa battery.

Once she had stored just over 5 gigasparks in her anima, she began employing her Class powers and grafts. As a Dreamspinner, the Second World was the medium with which she painted masterpieces. Her purpose now though wasn’t art or entertainment. The potent combination she created employed her Lucid Dream power as its base, constructing a quick message in the Second World, then it was compressed and re-interpreted through the Dreamserpent’s Eye. Without that compression, the dream she created would only be transmissible to someone very close to her. Finally, she combined the package with a charge of Assert Reality to choose the targets and Two Can Keep a Secret to ensure the message would remain private.

Once that was complete, the dome of tensa had been transfigured into a bright spellform, only semi-real as she held it in her anima. With a final effort, she reconfigured her anima into the Launch configuration and sent the spellform spinning and speeding along her anima, faster and faster, until the spellform broke free and shot off into the distance.

With that done, she rose from her meditative pose and skipped lightly back to her bed, shedding the rest of her clothes as she went. She had missed Marion, flying all over the Empire on Ophidia. She’d been gone for days and even though she had a mountain of tasks to see to, it was time to show him just how much she had missed him. With a wicked grin, she snuck into the refresher chamber that he had gone into a few minutes ago, eager to give Marion a proper greeting after so long.