NOVEL WEB Chapter 341: More News
After having 'convinced' the guards to cooperate with his plans for the guard post, Lucius instructed the soldiers to conceal his identity as Titan to everyone. While in the city he was operating under the guise of 'Wulf' and had no intention of revealing the truth to Kestis and his rebels. While there was no explicit reason to distrust them, there was a clear dislike and fear that his true identity possessed that could inhibit his work within the city.
Learning that Shiyani may be in the city, or there was at least someone inside that knew of her location, changed Lucius's entire focus for this final act of the war. He had already instructed General Faylin to send word to the capital that after conquering Varris, which would secure the southern border and re-establish trade with outside nations, Lucius would return to Arcadios.
It had been nearly six months since Lucius had left the human nations and he did not have much longer to return if he were to be present for the birth of his first child. Life would likely get in the way for many important experiences, but the birth of his child was one that Lucius would never miss. He had promised Rena he would be by her side.
The recovery of the guards was quick thanks to the healer that he had brought. Sure enough, the man was not lying when he said he was good at hiding scars. Some of his victims were more stubborn than others. Because of this, he had to push a little harder on occasion which resulted in the healer having to hide the lasting injuries by focusing on healing outside indicators first.
Breaking the captain and vice-captain did a lot to help dissuade any of the others from rebelling against his command. A simple sigh from Lucius's lips was enough to send everyone in the building into a mild panic. Something that surprised him about the entire situation though, was the level of detail in the daily reports the post received.
Being a simple trade city, Lucius had thought the communications would have been simple and lackluster. Something that would reflect a longstanding practice of simple guards. However, Ayalla's forces overhauled the reporting system the city had in place and everything was much more standardized and comprehensive.
As it related to troop movements and goods transport, Lucius figured that he would have basically no need to scout things out himself. When Snow showed up with a cart full of goods along with the dragon-girl, Sheza, he set up a dead-drop zone for this information to be shared.
This was a much greater compensation than Kestis expected from him, and it made Lucius hopeful that it would chase away some of the wariness the man had against him. He respected Kestis for staying on his toes as a leader, but for personal ease of involvement, Lucius would much rather he relax his guard and not make it so difficult to interact.
Lucius sighed as he opened up a letter sitting on his desk. He had set his own desk up in a spare room on the first floor so he could keep tabs on all the voices of those working as well as keep tabs on whoever came and went. Through their dead-drop system, sometimes letters would come to him from outside the city.
Recently, Faylin had been keeping him apprised of the situation at large. Recently, Letheya's forces had fought to a standstill after spending the last two months gaining ground against Ayalla. Even now, it was clear that the isolationist princess was fighting a losing battle. Her forces had started to stretch thin when trying to support her southern forces.
Two months prior to infiltrating Varris, Ayalla had attempted to send a small army to hit Lucius's troops from the side, but it was something Faylin had prepared for. While Lucius kept the main army moving south, Faylin commanded a smaller force broken into four large units to set an ambush. For that two-month period they fought the southern armies with a much smaller force to try and coax the waiting enemies out of hiding. When they finally made their move, Faylin's group pounced, sealing their fates.
The loss of those extra troops weakened her northern forces enough to allow Letheya's troops to gain several hundred miles of ground. However, desperation is a powerful motivator and their progress has ground to a halt.
Lucius tossed the letter aside and reached for another one written in familiar handwriting. The elegant penmanship of a Keinydd noblewoman brought a smile to his face. It had been a few days since he had received a letter from Jade, so he opened it rather quickly.
Wulf:
I hope this finds you well. My charge is doing well despite their condition. Though they are still hesitant to be moved from the front line, know that both myself and my brother are doing all that we can to ensure their safety.
According to those we trust, it seems that the package being carried contains not only gift but two! It has been a surprise to us all and though we wished to have informed you of this discovery in person, such an event is not possible at this juncture.
Instead, we opted to inform you sooner. Please keep in mind that there are now three gifts awaiting your return two within this country's borders and one outside. Make sure to return safely so that neither the gifts themselves, nor those granting them to you go without.
All the best:
J.A.
Emotions were not something that Lucius did well. Feeling them was something that was hard enough, but processing them was a gargantuan task beyond that. A wave of these feelings hit him all at once causing him to simply drop the paper to the floor. It caught a small draft and floated to the ground gently several feet away before it skid to a stop at someone's feet.
A white-haired elf cocked an eyebrow at her boss before she leaned over to pick up the document that caused him to seemingly freeze in place. A quick read of the letter made a smile form on her face.
Enjoy more content from empire
"Looks like you are a father to twins, 'Wulf'." Snow giggled. Though her tone was teasing, there was a small undertone of disappointment. Lucius followed her eyes to the stack of papers on his desk and realized that she was disappointed nothing was for her.
"Sorry, nothing from Yue or Corva at this time." He answered simply. "Or Desmond, for that matter."
"Why would I care about that?"
"Mmm" Lucius closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Though he did not regret his actions, the weight of everything had begun to hit him. Things with Rena felt like a natural progression of their relationship, and in a way, so did things with Kalliope.
What weighed on him was his rash decision on their first night together. He felt like he should have asked more questions before making such a decision that sealed both his and Kalliope's fates. In a short time, he became a father to three. Thankfully, things would be calming down soon.
Once this task in Aedrider was done, Lucius would simply be able to lead a life all his own. Rena, Kalliope, and their children would be able to move to Eroa and be with him. Of course, he had every intention of bringing Desmond and Jade with him. The only thing that stood in his way was how to figure out what to do with Natali.
Rena had asked him to get closer to the girl as the condition to her allowing him to let his love with Kalliope bloom. Since making that promise, he had yet to fulfill it. All that had happened since then was giving her the right to call him by his first name. They had not really talked or interacted much since that moment.
'What should I do?' he thought to himself. Snow silently paced the room, but he pushed the sound of her impatient footsteps to the side. As it stood, he needed to figure out what to do to process and plan.
A cold chill creeped into his mind, followed by a familiar voice, 'Find the fragment.'
Lucius paused as he waited for Grimm to continue, 'Find the Fragment of the Abyss in the city. It awaits your touch, if you find it, you'll have a lot less to worry about.'
Grimm's dry cackle followed his advice before his presence slipped away once more. It had been a while since Lucius had heard from either of the entities within his mark, and though he did not truly trust either of them, he did know that their advice often led to more power. The last Fragment of the Abyss that Lucius found upgraded his connection with Grimm. Without it he would not have been able to use his [Abyssal Prison] abilities, nor would he have been able to last as long as he did against three Advance Rankers in Seteste.
"Snow." Lucius barked out suddenly, "Begin searching for any rumors relating to strange artifacts that might be in the possession of any shops or noble families in the city. Look for accessories or items that are believed to be cursed or enshrouded by darkness. They may have an onyx or obsidian set stone."
"That's not a lot to go off, Wulf."
"Just do it." Lucius sighed. He replaced his mask and stood to leave. It was night once more and he had more scouting to do. There was someone strong guarding the Varris family estate and he needed to figure out just who that person was.