Chương 20: Chapter 19

"Nervous?" A voice cut into his thoughts. He looked up to see Brother Vyas standing next to him, as he was sitting next to the campfire. The white streaks in his hair were a clear sign that the paladin was among the stronger members of the order. Knights of Protection judging by his silver armor and white cape.

"Not as such. Unlike some, I was fighting with the Autarch even before Zul'Aman." He replied while stirring his pot of stew with one hand, while his other hand hovered near his weapon. A habit they'd all learned during the training. Always be ready.

"I've already killed several trolls, albeit not in single combat. That said, anyone who's not at least a bit apprehensive before battle is a fool. Anything can happen. There's always danger in battle and forgetting that is going to bite you eventually."

"That's a healthy approach." The paladin nodded and sat down next to him on a jutting stone.

"We will be with you of course, but we can't heal death. Not yet." He pulled out some rations of his own, some dried meats and fruits by the looks of things.

"Not yet?" He asked, continuing his stirring.

"Well, the Saint has speculated that she's not too far from at least some sort of limited ability to bring people back. Only those recently passed, and there's a limit to the damage or something, but that's the Saint, and it's still a theory. Even if she does, that's far away from the rest of us repeating the feat." The paladin admitted freely. From what Thalorien had seen, the paladins and priests picked up the Autarch's teachings rather quickly. Still, what did he know?

"Anyway, until that happens, we need to keep ourselves safe. Besides, it wouldn't be a good look to get killed by random trolls after all this training." The two sat in companionable silence for a while, until Thalorien picked his stew off the fire, and ladled it from the pot into a large mug that he used as a plate.

"Grub time!" He called out in a voice just loud enough to get heard by those close to him, but which wouldn't carry much further. Another skill they'd learned during the training, this time from the previous Ranger-General. Didn't want to alert any nearby troll scouts after all, and the word was eventually passed to the whole group. Their fire was well covered from all sides and made from branches that created minimal smoke.

Their camp was also disguised in a way that made it as invisible to outside observers as possible. Even if trolls didn't spot the place, the Autarch was sending out rangers to try and monitor their camps, and if they were too easy to find, they'd have to deal with the consequences when they got back. Consequences that had them more scared than the trolls. Not that there was no fear for the trolls. Thalorien observed those gathered at the fire, and he was among those more experienced.

They'd all gone through the same training, but there was a difference between those that had been through several battles, and even those that had served in the infantry in the Troll War, as they'd only seriously participated in a single battle. Then there were the rare few that had not taken part in the war at all and thus had no experience. You could prepare people as much as you wanted during training, but only true combat would give you the necessary experience to thrive. That's why they were here.

The Autarch sent them all out in groups into the only troll-controlled region, the Hinterlands, to get bloodied. It was a ritual where each and every one of them would have to face a troll in single combat. Not just with a bow and arrow either. They had to face a troll in melee, pitting their own strength and skill against the ferocity of the troll. Only once that was done, could they be considered a true member of the new force they were building. The Ritual of Bloodying they called it.

Each group had a veteran or two, as well as a paladin along for support and security. Usually, the veterans and paladins would not make any decisions, only evaluating their decisions and making sure nothing went catastrophically wrong. They would overrule any decisions only when they were stupid enough to get the whole group into true danger. Usually, being that stupid was considered grounds for a failure in the ritual.

Thalorien was among the veterans of his group, although he too needed his bloodying according to the rules, so he was allowed to be part of the decision making. Some of the others at the camp were less stoic about things. Those who'd seen combat seemed a bit more confident, while the first timers were more nervous and jittery. Still, none of them were truly fraught with fear. Even getting involved in the training required a certain type of person.

You didn't volunteer for the harsh training if you didn't want to be a warrior, and certainly you wouldn't stick with it if you got easily afraid. As Thalorien had said, a certain healthy wariness was expected, but if you were shaking in your boots at this stage, you were in the wrong place. Even then, the important part was overcoming your fear, not being immune to it. The enemy being so close, they made sure to keep a heavy guard overnight.

They struck almost first thing in the morning, while the trolls were still groggy from their rest. The rangers that were a part of their group had located a suitable target for them during the evening and the night. A group of troll warriors large enough to have a target for everyone, but not so large that they'd have to fight multiple opponents. Their group of fifteen elves came upon the camp of twenty trolls.

They each picked a target, before loosing arrows from the trees to kill off five of the trolls to bring numbers even. Then they charged. Thalorien had picked the largest and meanest looking troll wielding a nasty pair of axes. The troll was wearing a wooden tiki-mask and simple leather armor, as the trolls tended to rely on their regeneration instead of metal armor. As he locked eyes with the troll, his enemy seemed to pick up the challenge and rushed to meet him.

The troll threw one of its axes, which was almost instinctively deflected by his shield, before Thalorien used his sword to guide the descending other axe away from his body. The troll overextended, and he almost reflexively executed a perfect counterstrike with his sword. His blade struck like a viper, cutting the trolls throat, leaving him feeling almost disappointed at the ease at which it had happened. This was why they practiced relentlessly.

So that they were able to execute without needing to think while under pressure. Hesitation got you killed. Having to think got you killed. He didn't have to think or plan. He just acted. And the troll was dead, before the fight could even truly begin. This was part of what made the difference between a soldier and a warrior, he realized. He'd taken a step towards becoming the latter, although the journey in front of him was still unfathomably long.

His thoughts distracted him for just a second, before he checked how the rest of his group was faring. As it turned out, really well. He wasn't the best fighter, and neither was he the worst, but even the worst of them were much beyond the standard trolls, as otherwise they wouldn't have been sent here. The Autarch was not in the habit of throwing away lives pointlessly. Besides, most of the troll's best fighters had died in the war. These were either old, or just as fresh as they were.

"A caster!" Brother Vyas called out, as a hunched troll stepped out of a hide tent, hands already forming the gestures of their crude magic. Thalorien smelled ozone and knew he only had a moment to act. He stepped forward, covering as many of his companions behind him as possible, before executing another technique that had been drilled into all of them through countless repetitions. He slammed his shield into the oncoming bolt of lightning, sending it back towards the caster.

He could feel the strain on his arm, but he could also feel his willpower overcoming the magic controlling the lightning, successfully reflecting the spell. Just as a golden hammer fell on top of the caster, the two spells together executing the troll shaman.

"You alright there Thalorien?" Brother Vyas asked, while sending a healing spell his way, the pain from his shield-arm dissipating right away.

"Nice reactions, and bold of you to protect your companions. Well done." If that had been natural lightning, he would've been dead, too slow to react. Luckily, magical lightning wasn't quite the same, and didn't have the nigh-instant speed of its natural counterpart, even if it was still faster than a fireball might be. There was a reason this technique was one of the most widely used and trained.

The new breed of warriors being trained by the Autarch would be somewhat useless if they could be taken down by every spell thrown their way. It wasn't just about simple destructive spells like fireballs and lightning either. Frost magic and spells like Slow could cripple a warrior badly enough to allow any prospective caster to execute them with their magic with impunity. That's why the Autarch had developed techniques against such spells.

They weren't perfect, as the new warriors were not being trained as Spellbreakers, but they did give them a fighting chance.

"Everyone alive and accounted for? All enemies down? Good. I'm officially recognizing all of you for having completed your ritual. Now, let's get away from here. We don't want to give the trolls a chance to retaliate, and we have a long way to walk back home." Brother Vyas called out. Even if their base had moved to southern Alah'thalas, it would still take them weeks of running to get back…

Selessa watched as the trainees practiced their agility, flexibility and quick thinking by playing a complicated game of tag on an obstacle course filled with different objects that forced them to jump, dodge, roll, and weave between them for the quickest path. And the participants were deadly serious, as there were prizes and punishments involved in the otherwise silly game. These games could get outrageously competitive while also being great training.

"I have to admit. You proved me wrong. These games are much better training than I assumed." Talanas admitted.

"Only took you three years to admit that." She chuckled.

"Well, the results speak for themselves, but you have to admit playing around like this sounds odd." Talanas said shamelessly.

"We have new reports from the prospectors." He added, mostly to change the subject.

"Oh? Go ahead then." Selessa was forced to combine her duties as the governor of Alah'thalas and her new duties training the warriors. Kept her quite busy, although thankfully her duties as governor were still rather limited due to the mostly self-governing nature of frontier settling, and the limited number of people moving in. She set down some rules and plans, and it took months for new settlers to trickle in and fulfil them. In very rare cases she needed to react to something urgently.

"They've found several vast sources of thorium in addition to the earlier gold and silver veins in the southern mountains. In the northern mountains they've located mithril, iron, coal, and some new ore they've not seen before. They're still testing the qualities, but apparently it scores pretty high on most metrics. They're calling it titanium for now." Talanas reported. Mithril wasn't uncommon in Quel'thalas, but Thorium was much more scarce, making the discovery extremely valuable.

Sister Ophelia stepped closer and spoke with a quiet voice.

"On the other side of the coin, we're getting a lot of wild animals migrating down from the mountains. It's like they all went hiding from the trolls, and now they're returning. Only, it's not just prey animals. I'm receiving a lot of reports of Yeti and even chimera migrating down from the mountains. On the less surprising end, we have a lot of elementals and revenants moving down from the mountains between us and Quel'thalas."

"I suppose that was to be expected with all the ambient mana and disturbed spirits of the trolls and their victims." She knew there had to be problems with the various opportunities. Otherwise, things would be too easy. That's why she'd enforced heavy military presence in Alah'thalas and moved the training facilities of her new warriors here as well.

It did occur to her that this might partially be the effect of her perks improving the martial spirit of the land as well, which meant the perks might not always be strictly positive. Either way, she'd set down a decree that only settlements that could be defended could be created. If you wanted to create a farming village? Fine, just make sure you trained enough soldiers to keep it safe. The positive side, though, was that they were practically swimming in resources.

The land was bountiful indeed, especially now with animals returning. The lakes and rivers were already teeming with fish, while they'd found some new crops in addition to their usual ones. The herbalists and alchemists were practically salivating, although she herself had no knowledge of those fields aside from the basics she'd learned from Talanas.

They'd also found a new larva that produced a new variation of silk, now named Sunsilk, which they were quickly turning into a bountiful trade good with several farms already breeding the larvae. The only thing they were really lacking in, and the reason why the land had been low on trolls, was lumber. There were no major forests in the entirety of Alah'thalas. She was seriously considering having some planted, but they could get their lumber from Quel'thalas, and even the humans if it became necessary.

Having a good they lacked was paradoxically good for trade, as it forced the people to seek other sources of the good. For as long as it didn't turn into a problem or a serious strategic weakness.

"We also have a significant infestation of Murlocks in the area known as Tyr's Hand. I know you were planning on eventually building a city in the area. For now, the plentiful fish and ambient mana have attracted what seems to be thousands upon thousands of Murlocks to the coast and along the rivers." Talanas added.

"I believe we have a first proper mission for our warriors then. Let the militias and the regulars trained by the Ranger-General focus on securing the border and the settlements. We'll start culling the more dangerous infestations and predators once we have enough bloodied." She decided, as she watched Sister Seraphina ride towards them with her hawkstrider. Knowing the mission she'd been on, Selessa wove a ward against eavesdropping as soon as Seraphina got close.

"Your Holiness!" Seraphina bowed down on one knee.

"I bring news." She glanced at the other two inside the ward, silently asking if they were ok to hear the report.

"Go ahead. They should be aware of the dangers." Selessa prompted.

"We've discovered and eliminated three cults. Two performing heretical and blasphemous research into the Void, while one group was attempting demon summoning. The demonologist cult was relatively young and had very little to show for itself. The Void cults were older, predating the Troll War. They were hidden very well, and we would not have been able to locate them without the spells you taught us to detect such energies." Seraphina reported, not lifting her head.

"I assume they're all dead and their research destroyed?" Selessa asked, just to make sure.

"A little extreme." Talanas muttered quietly.

"Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." Ophelia quoted one of the order's maxims. Even as a leader of the order in charge of protecting people, she had no mercy for cults.

"Naturally. Suffer not the heretic to live." Seraphina answered as if the two hadn't spoken.

"The Void cults had quite a bit of research done, and we made sure to interrogate them thoroughly to find all their members and supporters. The research was naturally burned." Seraphina hesitated for a moment.

"It would seem to me there's some sort of force pushing these heretics forward, especially the Void cults. The older of the two was founded before you were born. There seemed to be a driving force beyond just desire for knowledge. There were…creatures, unspeakable abominations, defending the cultists. Not very strong, but dangerous to the unwary and those not strong of mind. Normal soldiers would not have fared well against their powers."

"I'll trust your instincts on this. And it would be foolish to assume the Void didn't have their own agents on this world, just like the Naaru help us commune with the Light. I just wish I knew more about what we're dealing with." She considered the problem.

"Ultimately, all we can do for now is to keep our eyes open and stay vigilant. We have to assume the servants of the Void have an entrenched position on this world, which includes servants among the other races."

"We might need to send our agents out into the world to weed the enemies out." Seraphina suggested.

"That won't be a simple proposition for the time being." Talanas countered.

"We might get away with sending some of our people to the humans under the guise of advisors, but even that wouldn't give us the free reign to just wander through their towns and villages, looking for cultists. Especially since the humans don't have laws against the use of the Void. The main reason they don't have those laws is because most of them aren't even aware of the threat, but if we told them, we might cause more of them to get interested instead.

Even Queen Elessine's agents have had some difficulty infiltrating their cities now that we've effectively isolated ourselves from them, and those agents aren't going around killing cultists. And that's just humans, who are supposed to be our allies. We have little knowledge of other lands, even if we have heard some whispers." It was odd to Selessa. They were aware that other races existed, but for some reason, information on those races and their locations was almost non-existent.

There was talk of something called the Earthen far to the south, but that's as far as their information went.

"Hmm, we might have to let things develop a bit more and see if we can inject ourselves into some organization of theirs when they form. For example, Elessine tells me the new mages we helped train aren't having the best time in the court of Strom. I think it's only a matter of time before they break off and form a city of their own dedicated to Arcane research. We might be able to send 'advisors' to them, who can then stay around and keep an eye out. At least keep their mages out of trouble." Selessa speculated.

The mages were the likeliest threat anyway as they'd be interested in other forms of magic, whereas normal people who dabbled in something like the Void might get burnt at the stake as witches by the ignorant Mon'keigh rabble.

"Their version of Light might also be a path. I'm assuming they'll eventually get the same mission from the Light as we have, and they might ask us for help or guidance. We might be able to get them to do the work for us." Sister Ophelia added her thoughts.

"Very good. We have ways, assuming we don't rush things. And the battle against the Void is one waged over thousands of years, not over a few years or decades. Let's proceed carefully, and let's focus on keeping our own house in order for now." Another thought occurred to her. Sapphiron had mentioned that the Aspect of the Black Dragonflight had succumbed to corruption in the distant past, in the process destroying almost the entire Blue Dragonflight. Had he mentioned that this Aspect had succumbed to the Void?

If so, and if that dragon was still alive, the problem might be larger than they assumed. On the other hand, the other dragons might be interested in helping against a common enemy. Perhaps this was one of the threats House Carmine had mentioned when they approved the increased martial focus of the Quel'dorei? With the topic done, Selessa allowed the warding around them to drop and re-focused on the games in front of them.

The participants had shifted to the more experienced and stronger members of their new warrior order, and it showed. The participants often moved with supernatural speed and agility. She knew they could exhibit the same level of strength and fortitude as well. That had been one of the more interesting discoveries she'd made. Apparently, the warriors of this world were capable of going beyond their biology, and not just because the Quel'dorei were infused with magic at a cellular level.

She had seen similar things in her old life, although that had usually been the result of either genetic engineering, psyker powers, or other Warp shenanigans such as power derived from faith. Psykers could rather commonly reinforce and empower themselves with their psychic might, which allowed them to go toe-to-toe with Warp abominations, even Greater Daemons, although reaching that level was rare.

The Astartes, or Space Marines, of the Mon'keigh were engineered super soldiers that commonly defied what should be possible, and the Mon'keigh were not the only ones to benefit from powers of faith, even if it had been more common among the fervent believers in the divinity of their corpse emperor. She'd naturally lost the ability as her own psionic talent atrophied to near non-existence, but she'd regained a little of it with the assistance of the Light.

It had come as a bit of a shock when she'd gained another way of reaching the same goal after hitting Body 6, although at that point the power had been a mere whisper. It wasn't until she'd gained Body 7 and later Body 8 over the last three years that she'd realized what she was dealing with. The warriors of this world, after reaching a certain level, could use a sort of inner power to reach supernatural levels of ability. She'd also discovered that the source of that inner power varied between individuals.

The level of increase to their abilities also depended on the nature of that power. Some gained power from anger, rage, and bloodlust. This was more common among the trolls, and explained some things, even though it seemed the trolls hadn't really refined the ability too far, which was why it hadn't heavily affected the war. This kind of power source gave a rather large boost to the user's ability, but in return it was difficult to control and unpredictable.

In many ways, it was the most similar to utilizing the Warp, as it could also be self-destructive. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Quel'dorei she trained mostly drew upon discipline, conviction, and the desire to protect. The effects were solid and reliable, and especially strong while protecting others, but in return less powerful when utilized outside those specific circumstances.

The good side was that the boost was always available, including during training. She speculated there were other ways and sources of power, as those were just the ones she'd discovered so far. The benefits were myriad, but it allowed the utilization of techniques like spell reflection and the ability to leap large distances quickly. In any case, the warriors had much greater potential than she'd originally assumed, bordering on the capabilities of lesser psykers.

And she honestly didn't know how deep that well went, so she might yet be surprised by some warriors much stronger than herself.

As the number of their bloodied was still too small for a full engagement with the Murlocks, Selessa made sure to send hunting parties similar to the ones she'd used during the war to raid them, as well as to thin the numbers of other threats, such as the Yeti. The most important thing was to gain information and experience, not the extermination of the enemy.

"Uncle." She nodded to the magical communication crystal she used to regularly report to Anasterian.

"Niece. How's the frontier treating you?" Anasterian asked playfully.

"We're making progress. The number of settlers has been slowly rising after the introduction of the Starwell, but you know our people aren't exactly ones for quick decisions and flights of fancy. They like to consider things properly and wait until others test things out before taking the leap themselves. I think the relative danger of the frontier still outweighs the opportunities." She speculated.

"I'd say you're on to something. We're seeing similar things progress with Outer Quel'thalas, though perhaps a bit more movement as the risks are smaller and the distance shorter. A lot of second and third children going out to find opportunities to make something of themselves, whereas you're mostly getting whole families. That's a larger decision, and understandably requires more consideration." The image of Anasterian nodded in agreement.

"I'd say we'll get a lot of the spares as well soon enough. We're starting to slowly chart and whittle down on the danger factor, but I believe this land will never be quite as tame as Inner Quel'thalas. I personally prefer it that way, and I know I'm not the only one. Danger also means opportunities. I'm contemplating rules on free land claims to incentivize more adventurous people. You can keep the cowards back home." She grinned.

"On that note, I've read the reports. Your new warriors have their work cut out for them once you finally let them off the leash. You'll need to name them first though. We can't keep referring to them just as 'your warriors'." He pointed out.

"I do have an idea, but I fear it might be a bit pretentious." She said carefully.

"Oh? Now I have to hear what you have in mind." Anasterian leaned forward in interest.

"Well, I've used the imagery of blood several times in speeches." She started off"Oh, I remember. This garden of peace needs to be watered with the blood of the willing." Anasterian chuckled at the memory.

"Right." Selessa cleared her throat a bit bashfully.

"I've also given speeches about spilling the blood of our enemies and our own to protect our people, and we have a Ritual of Bloodying to become a full member. I think the name kind of invents itself. Sin'dorei."

"Blood Elves." Anasterian lifted an eyebrow at the bold suggestion and chewed a bit on the idea.

"I see the parallels. We were originally named the Quel'dorei as a social class and not a separate race. We were named that because of our noble birth and our mastery of the Arcane. Having our warriors named Sin'dorei because of their role and their function is a very suitable parallel." She nodded in response. That had been part of what she was going for.

"I also want the name to become a symbol. Our name and heritage as the Quel'dorei are what caused magisters to be so revered. Now I want to elevate our martial spirit in a similar way. I want our warriors to become a source of pride. Something where carrying the title is a badge of honor, just like being a magister is now. The Quel'dorei are currently known for our Arcane might. I want us to be known for our Light and our warriors. Both emphasize dedication and sacrifice. Hence, Sin'dorei."

"I approve. I was a little concerned after Alah'thalas, but you're not too bad at naming things. It's a good idea to put a slight separation between the warriors and the church by not naming them after the Light. It will also reassure some of the nobles that think your new warriors are just an extension of the church and a private army." He chuckled. She smirked.

"I mean, they're not exactly wrong."

"Yes, but there's no need to advertise that fact." He argued.

"On that note, the regular military training is going well according to Alleria. It was a good idea to send the veterans to train the next generation of soldiers. Although, from what I'm hearing, many of the trainers are just waiting until their time as glorified teachers is done and they can join your new Sin'dorei."

"Good. We can use the recruits. We have surprisingly few people quitting despite my best efforts, but our numbers could still use a bit of an improvement. The recruitment will slow down once all the old veterans that are interested have thrown their lot in. I doubt the new generations will be as excited." She speculated.

"I think you might be underestimating the popularity of an organization led and personally controlled by the Autarch and Saint." Anasterian countered.

"Well, if I am, then great. We'll need all the warriors we get, for as long as we can support them." She shrugged.

"According to the books I've read, the Kaldorei also have almost a third of their race as part of the Sentinels, while a large chunk of the rest are druids, so I wouldn't worry too much. They can support their society no problem. That said, I wouldn't recommend their model, as it has horribly stagnated." She pointed out.

"Not something to aspire to, I agree. Especially as we're finally getting over our own stagnation." Anasterian nodded.

"On a completely different note, have you already decided on the second Starwell?"

"There's no rush. We can't settle the east coast yet, before dealing with the Murlock issue. On the other hand, if we slap down another Starwell and don't immediately start heavily settling the area, the Murlocks will just return after we remove them, only stronger this time because they're drawn in by the power of the second Starwell. We'll already have to regularly remove them from our coast and rivers, and the problem would only grow worse." She shook her head. The Murlocks were little like rodents.

Not a real threat, but a constant nuisance that bred quickly. Individual Murlocks were not a great danger, but they were numerous, and they weren't entirely harmless either. Underestimating them or dismissing them as a threat would be a bad idea.

"I think we'll take the plunge once we're prepared to fortify the coast and build a proper naval presence to deal with the pests on a more permanent basis."

"Is that why you haven't dealt with them yet?" Anasterian asked.

"That and the fact that we don't have enough Sin'dorei yet. I don't want to incur avoidable losses by throwing untested and less skilled trainees into battle. We'll soon have enough to deal with the fishmen for the time being. Until then, let the pests inhabit the coast. We'll set down the second Starwell once we actually have enough people to justify settling the coast. Currently we don't even have proper villages in the western half.

We have the first settlement around the garrison near the border with humans, and one mining and quarrying settlement in the south." She scoffed.

"No need to expand further east yet."

"Sounds reasonable enough. Ron'vith has just been asking. I think he wants to test if he can improve upon the last one." Anasterian chuckled at the thought.

"Oh, right. Your father wanted me to confirm where you are currently. He was coming to visit, and had something to talk to you about."

"Good. I have something I need to talk with him about as well. We're just south of the western settlement. Gives us a quick access to most places." They hadn't yet moved the base to the island, though that too was in the works.

"Your warriors are becoming rather notable in their abilities." Sapphiron commented as he entered her tent.

"I think I saw some of them do feats of both speed and strength they really shouldn't be able to do." Just like everyone else, she was using a simple tent as her abode, as she held on to her promise to go through all the adversities that the Sin'dorei had to go through. Sleeping rough was just one of those. She was currently going through reports on a camp table.

"That's what happens when you take the warrior arts far enough. Our people haven't really focused on such things so this is all new territory, and I would assume the dragons have no need for such things due to their natural abilities." She guessed.

"It's not entirely unknown among the dragons either, especially the older ones. Speaking of which, have you noticed any draconic developments in yourself? You'll recall I was assuming you'd get a Visage Day of your own eventually." The disguised dragon asked while weaving privacy wards in the air. He didn't feel the need to spatially isolate the tent this time. She put down the pen she had been using to make notes on the report. Paperwork really was the bane of all societies.

"As a matter of fact, I have some interesting hints." She'd been granted visibility of a group of perks when her Body attribute reached level 8.

"It's just…hmm, how do I explain this. I can see some of the paths of my potential development." Sapphiron frowned.

"Elaborate. Are you saying you can see the future?" He was rather sure the Bronze had said it was impossible.

"Not exactly. I can see possibilities, and only when concerning my own abilities. I don't know what happens in the future. I only know some hints of what I might become. And awakening the draconic part of my heritage is simply one of those possibilities." She certainly wasn't going to explain the System and perks to Sapphiron and just like she'd assumed, all her connections to dragons came in the form of perks.

She could see a potential Athletics perk she could take once she reached her current racial maximum at Body 11. The perk was very slim on explanations, as it literally just said what she'd told Sapphiron, awakening her draconic heritage. She was pretty sure the perk was in the Athletics tree only because it was her highest skill under Body, as it didn't really have much to do with actual athletics. And there were other perks she would have to take before she could take that one.

"How? And by your wording, that is not a certainty." He was obviously curious.

"I can't tell you the how. I quite literally can't explain it properly. I just know. And yes, this is just a possibility. It appears I have a certain amount of choice in the matter. I need to hit certain other qualities in my abilities for that possibility to materialize." Translation, she needed to take some other perks first as a prerequisite.

"What qualities?" Sapphiron decided to ignore the how for now, realizing Selessa would not be revealing anything further. Instead, his academic interests were manifesting.

"To put it into simple terms, I need to acquire the strength, fortitude, perception, and the magic of a dragon." Translation, she needed to take the suddenly visible perks in Athletics, Durability, Nervous System, and Arcane skill trees. Although the last one was interchangeable with a perk in the Light tree instead.

"And how are you supposed to achieve that?" Sapphiron questioned.

"I don't want to denigrate you, but you are not a dragon. You cannot have our strength or fortitude. Perception and magic, perhaps, but our bodies are fundamentally different. How could you have our fortitude without the scales and size?"

"Training. And you have your answer outside the tent. You said it yourself. The Sin'dorei are achieving things they shouldn't be able to. That's going to continue. And there's apparently some poetic license involved in what I told you. I don't mean I have to be able to arm wrestle a dragon. It's a figure of speech. In fact, of the requirements, that one is the one I'm closest to reaching apparently." Incidentally, it required Athletics 10 to take the perk. Durability 10 was the problematic one.

Nervous System 8 was doable, as her Reflexes had gone up alongside her Body, and it was theoretically only a single step away, but her Reflexes had recently gone up, while her Body attribute was due for an upgrade any day now. Body was simply easier to train. Arcane/Light 10 would simply take time. She'd get there eventually, as she hadn't had time to properly train either due to how busy she'd been. The question was, did she want to?

She had, perhaps somewhat unhealthily, transferred her pride at being an Aeldari to her new existence as a Quel'dorei. Mixing that with a dragon heritage felt… odd to her. Almost a betrayal of what she was. She knew it would allow her to increase her maximum attributes and that it was mostly just a System thing, but she was still a little squeamish about the idea. Likely she'd only go through with it if she didn't find another way to achieve the goal by the time she got the required perks.

Sapphiron pondered the idea with great interest.

"I think I should take you to meet someone. One of the Aspects, Nozdormu. He's the expert when it comes to vision of the future, and as he's currently in charge of the duties of the Blue Dragonflight, you'd fall under his purview anyway."

"Ah, therein lies the problem." She was not as excited by the prospect. She didn't think she would be able to hide her oddity from this Nozdormu and didn't want to be squished by an ancient dragon.

"My duty is to my people. Unlike normal dragons, even if I do embrace my heritage and become your daughter in the way you want, I cannot submit to the authority of dragon lords. Or Aspects as you call them. I serve the Quel'dorei, and if I were to meet this Aspect, he would inevitably ask for something which I cannot provide. I do not mind an alliance of sorts, but he will not have my subservience." Sapphiron gave a deep sigh, realizing what she meant.

"I suppose that is to be expected. For us, it is only obvious to serve the Aspects, but you were not born as a dragon. You have other duties, and I know you well enough that you don't bow to anyone, except as a jest." After all, she didn't even offer her obedience to Anasterian. He'd heard her threaten her uncle on more than one occasion, reminding the king that there were lines to her willingness to do her duty.

"That said, I will have to report this to Nozdormu. Eventually."

"That is fair. I only ask that you not rush with it. After all, there's not much to report just yet. It might all be a figment of my imagination." She proposed with a small smile.

"You do seem prone to those." He jested as well.

"By the way, your brother was officially accepted as an acolyte at the temple. Sister Cecilia seems to have taken him under her wing. Tells me he has great affinity with healing." His voice was a bit conflicted at the idea. He didn't pay much attention to Raiel, but he knew she did. And talent in magic was still something that made him a bit happy, even if the magic was not Arcane. She grimaced at that.

"I really wish I could spend more time with him." She teleported back to Silvermoon about twice a week, but most of her time there was spent either dealing with the Convocation and her role as the administrator of Alah'thalas, or dealing with the matters of faith as the Saint. She simply had too much on her plate. She did try to spend time with Raiel, but it was less than she wanted.

"I don't think anyone can blame you considering how busy you are." Sapphiron pointed out.

"it's not really a matter of blame. Raiel needs family members and those that can be there for him. You and Selenna certainly aren't doing it, so I should as his sister. Not blame but responsibility." She truly felt bad about it. Sapphiron shook his head.

"I know elves have a different view of hatchlings, but sometimes you can't be everything for everyone. Now, I grant you, your mother should really be the one doing it, but she's clearly not the right person for the job. I'll see what I can do, though I suspect Sister Cecilia has fulfilled that role now."

"I would be pleased if that were true." She admitted. He was right about one thing. She couldn't be everywhere and do everything.

Thalorien's squad was approaching the western edge of the Hinterlands when they started hearing the presence of a rather large number of people. The frequent sound of metal was a clear sign it wasn't the trolls, so they got curious. They silently approached the sounds, spotting a rather large number of humans making camp. Most of them wore heavy metal armor, though a few of them seemed to be imitating the Quel'dorei rangers in attire. Clumsily, but still.

"We should probably ask what they're here for." Brother Vyas speculated rubbing his chin with a gloved hand.

"I'll do it." Thalorien volunteered.

"We probably don't want to approach as a group, and if something happens, better that our healer stays safe. Before anyone could protest, Thalorien got up to approach the camp, making just enough noise to get detected by the human scouts. Despite their attempts to imitate the Quel'dorei rangers, their hearing and awareness were rather dulled in comparison, and he didn't want to accidentally scare them. A pair of the metal clad warriors grabbed their weapons, though didn't pull them out yet as they saw him approach.

"Halt! What brings you to our camp?" The guard asked.

"Funny that, we were just thinking the same. What's bring the Mon'keigh to these lands?" He'd adopted the Autarch's way of addressing humans. The two guards glanced at each other.

"We?" One of them asked.

"My squad and I." He specified without going into detail.

"I think you should talk to the lieutenant." The other guard stated finally and gestured for the other guard to stay put.

"I'll bring you to him." The guard guided Thalorien through the camp that was still in the middle of being constructed. Thalorien noted that it was a rather large camp, much too large for the number of men he could spot. It was like they were building a base of operations for thousands of people that had yet to arrive. The camp was also near the pass to the human lands. The guard led him to an ornate central tent, which caused Thalorien to frown.

Anyone planning to attack the camp would know which tent to hit if they wanted to kill the leader. That was something the Autarch had taught them, as she stayed in a tent identical to theirs. At least the human tent was also guarded by a pair of soldiers wearing chain shirts and large metal shields. The humans hadn't quite figured out plate or scale armor yet.

"One of them elves to see the lieutenant." The guard reported loudly, and a voice from inside the tent called them in.

"I'll return to my post." The guard nodded, while gesturing Thalorien to go inside. This was ridiculous. Assassinating the enemy leader should not be this easy. Though this was all stuff he'd learned after being taught by the Autarch. A large human man with blond hair clad in light clothing looked up from a map with a confused look.

"Welcome. I have to admit I have no idea why you're here though, or who you are."

"Well, my squad was here for our bloodying, and we ran into your camp on our way back, which made us equally confused about your presence. We thought it might be a good idea to come to clear things up, so we don't end up stepping on each other's toes."

"Bloodying?" The man asked, even more confused.

"Ah. Right. You wouldn't know. The Autarch is forming a new warrior order, and one of the steps in the training is to kill an intelligent opponent in single combat. We tend to use the trolls of this land for that purpose. Our squad just finished." Thalorien explained. The human made a considering face.

"Huh. Not a bad idea. Well, I'm not sure if I should go into operational details, but King Thoradin wanted to see how viable it is to remove the remaining trolls from these lands. We're here to chart that out. Getting the lay of the land, checking troll numbers. That sort of thing."

"I believe we can help with some of that. Our rangers have already done most of that work for our purposes, though have you already dealt with the trolls in the north?" Thalorien asked, pulling out a map of his own.

"As much as we can currently. I believe the king is worried that the trolls of this area are more likely to gather in force as opposed to the few scattered villages remaining in the north. They are supposed to have cities here instead of just scattered villages and can recover their numbers and fighting spirit faster. We don't want them to attack us in revenge for the war." The lieutenant made room for Thalorien, as the latter spread his map out on the table.

He outlined several locations on the map with his fingers.

"In the east is their main city, Jintha'alor. It's their main temple city. A bit north from there is Shaol'watha, and on the coast they have several small settlements visible from the sea. Access to the coast is extremely difficult as the cliffs are steep, and we haven't found a viable path down yet, though we know one exists as the trolls are getting back and forth somehow. Closer to us you'll find Shadra'alor, and north of them the Hiri'watha.

Shadra'alor is their second largest city, and between it and Jintha'alor you'll find a large pyramid altar that we haven't been able to identify yet. There are also various villages scattered throughout the area." He explained. The lieutenant gave a small whistle.

"That's a lot of trolls. A lot more than we expected."

"There is a reason the Vilebranch became the dominant tribe when the Amani were on the downswing. My information also says that most of the civilians from the Amani fled to this area before the war. They likely have a larger than expected number of casters as most of the Amani witch doctors had evacuated as well. We suspect they somehow predicted the fall of Zul'Aman before it happened. If you try a large attack, they might be able to foresee it as well." Thalorien advised. The lieutenant made a face.

"I don't think we have the military force or the willpower for a protracted war. We might have to satisfy ourselves with fortifying the pass."

"That seems wise. And we aren't interested either, because we have other uses for the trolls for now." Thalorien admitted.

"Not that the trolls are really getting anywhere if we close the passes. Our navy is making sure they don't build any ships either."

"I suppose our king will be satisfied with that for now. Thanks for the information. Saves us a lot of time and effort." The human stood back up and extended a hand in both thanks and goodbyes.

"That's fine. We should share information with our allies. Good luck." Thalorien took the offered hand.

Thoradin was thoroughly bored. And a single glance over the throne room at his friend Ignaeus' grinning face told him the other man was well-aware of his boredom. The rather recently elevated nobility of Arathor were all gathered around a long table running the length of the throne room, debating the minutiae of policy. Good thing his concubine, Catherine, had the wherewithal to follow along with the whole discussion. She was much better at this political stuff than he was.

Truth be told, Thoradin wasn't bad at ruling. There was a reason he'd managed to unite all the disparate human tribes, and it wasn't just his military strength and charisma. However, while he wasn't bad at politics, he definitely didn't enjoy it either. And what he hated most was the petty squabbling over minor details. He knew he had the authority to overrule them all, but that would breed resentment, so the squabbling continued.

Ignaeus rose from his seated position and gave a small nod towards the balcony, which Thoradin noted and followed the man outside. He was amused to note that the arguing nobles didn't even notice him leaving, so enamored by their petty fighting.

"You looked like you needed a break." Ignaeus said right as Thoradin came next to him, leaning on the grey stone railing looking over the city. Thoradin couldn't stop himself from admiring the newly built city of Strom. Calling it beautiful was a bit facetious after what he'd seen of the elven construction, but it was very functional and practical. It didn't have the frills and flare of elven architecture, but it was sturdy, and it did the job well.

The city was functionally a fortress and built to withstand a protracted siege, even considering the fancy siege weapons he'd seen the elves use.

"They're so petty." Thoradin complained.

"Most of them were already in high position before I united the tribes, and they weren't this petty and whiny when the threat of trolls hung over our heads. Now they argue over minor gains instead of just doing their jobs."

"I think you just hit the nail. Previously they had the trolls hanging over their heads. They didn't have the opportunity to indulge their pettiness. Now the trolls are mostly gone, and they have the peace to be petty."

"Well, we'll see how gone the trolls are once the scouts return from Hinterlands." Thoradin shot back.

"Can you believe I miss the battles? The simplicity of matching your might against a ferocious foe. Uniting the tribes was much more fun than ruling over them."

"I can. I feel it myself. Although, that was the other thing I brought you here for. The scouts already sent back maps and numbers. Apparently they ran into their elven counterparts, who'd already done the job for them. Long story short, invading the Hinterlands without their help would be a really bad idea. Too many trolls. Too few trained soldiers on our side."

"And the elves don't seem eager to help. They're satisfied with just confining the trolls into the Hinterlands." Thoradin finished the thought with a nod. He'd asked that much from the ambassador.

"Yep. Apparently they are training new military forces. Might be more eager once that's done, but you know how they do things. It's going to take decades. At least in the meantime they'll be thinning the troll numbers." Ignaeus seemed somewhat amused by the whole thing.

"It grates on me that we can't do it without their help." Thoradin admitted. They hadn't fully recovered from the war even now. They also didn't have the economy to support another war. The last one had been a matter of survival, and many potential farmers and artisans had perished as soldiers, now unavailable to till the fields and make the goods to keep the wheels of the economy turning.

"But we eventually will. In the meantime, we have other problems."

"The Factionalists?" Ignaeus asked in confirmation.

"Them indeed. I can understand the mages. The normal people think they're witches and a danger, so I get why they want to strike out and create their own city where magic is not only tolerated. It's the others I have more difficult time with." Thoradin gazed at the highlands beyond the walls. In fact, there were not enough humans to fully inhabit the highlands, even if Strom wasn't enough to house all of them.

Some people would never leave their homelands, which is why the other human areas had their own inhabitants even now. There were no exact numbers, but there were roughly three million humans on the continent in total. Half of them lived in Arathi, most in Strom. Rest were scattered around the different lands their ancestors inhabited.

"Yeah, we really aren't doing right by the mages. They saved our asses during the war, and we know how much of an asset they are to the elves. It's not right that the normal people look down on them. But what can you do? Still, why not just let the Factionalists go out on their own?" Ignaeus asked.

"Because we'll be a lot weaker scattered across the land. United we have strength. Not enough strength, but a lot more than on our own. If we allow the Factionalists to strike out on their own, we'll overextend and be splintered. All the work I did to unite us will be for naught." Thoradin explained.

"And while I sympathize with the mages, letting them go out on their own would set a precedent." That was the rub, wasn't it? He had to spend most of his time holding the different groups together, trying to unite them into a single people, while those same people just wanted to go their own disparate ways.

"I'm going to have to accept some of those political marriages they're proposing, aren't I?" He muttered, less than pleased. That meant marrying Catherine as well. He didn't so much mind that, the issue is, his heart was already somewhere else. And giving up was not easy, even after several years.

STATUS: Level: 10 5000/10000 EXP 9 Base Points/2 Advanced Points/1 Mastery Points Body: 8/11 (4 Unspent Perk Points) (+) Athletics 8 (3 Unspent Perk Point) (+) Iron Lungs Heavy Weapons 7 (2 Unspent Perk Points) (+) Cleaving Strikes Durability 6 (2 Unspent Perk Points) (+) Immovable object Reflexes: 7/12 (1 Unspent Perk Point) (+) Light Weapons 7 (2 Unspent Perk Points) (+) Swift Strikes Nervous System 7 (2 Unspent Perk Points) (+) Keen Eye for Hidden Subtlety 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) (+) Arcane Shots Charisma: 17/17 (+2 Max due to Eyes) Politics 17 Competent Underlings Superior Subordinates Shared Vision Intelligent Improvisation Unleased Potential Unlimited Potential Above and Beyond Inspiring Loyalty Improved Resources Rare Resources Treasure Trove Fertile Land Esprit de Corps Conflux Endless Plenty Hardy Stock Social 5 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Pleasure 1 Crafting: 8/12 (+) (1 Unspent Perk Point) Magical Crafting 8 Master of Disassembly Superior Runework Talented Enchanter Master of Efficiency Creation 1 Nature 2 Eye for Errors Eye for Improvement Bonesinging 8 Difference of Kind Amalgamation Amplification Grand Amplification Great Works Regeneration Stronger Than You Think Discipline: 6/12 (+2 Max due to Past Experiences) (1 Unspent Perk Point) Commander 6 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Battlefield Awareness Ambush Expert Cavalry Tactics Squad Leader 4 (1 Unspent Perk Point) (+) Sensei Soldier 6 (2 Unspent Perk Points) (+) One With Your Steed One With Your Steed II Magic: 6/13 (2 Unspent Perk Point) Light 6 Severe healing Baptism of Light I Baptism of Light II Arcane 6 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Massive Spells Master Conjurer Spellbreaker 5 Magic Sight Anti-Magic Zone Projected AMZ