Disheartened, Levana completed the contract. Eldrian might have felt that the terms were quite appealing. The punishment was but a block of magic to Levana, and to himself--well, he had no plans to break it. He had only added it since it was required to form a complete contract.
'I wonder if this is even possible,' Eldrian had pondered as he had made the term. He almost wished to experiment to find how the AI would enact it. Certainly it would only affect things inside ANW, and it might give him some inspiration. But he couldn't do that recklessly.
As for why this punishment, he could not use the normal method of adding a stain (negative title of oath breaker) to the other. He doubted it would work on someone from an opposing faction. He even decided to have the punishment last only a month, as a precaution.
Other than this, the contract stated that should he win in the duel, the vampires would hand over the fort to them. Should he lose, they would leave. Other wise the punishment would be implemented.
However, considering that neither he nor she was of complete authority in their factions, he had added a stipulation that only a week's grace needs to be given. After a week, should the other party want, they can lay claim to the fort again.
He had added this simply because he did not know how the other vampires would react and he had no wish to have her suffer unjustly. He also did not know if things calmed down, whether Taurus would lay claim to the fort. The two factions were in the end enemies.
Sadly, Eldrian had failed to realize how extreme the punishment would be to Levana. To her, it felt like she had signed the contract under duress--the firebird's glare.
Thankfully, he had added the escape clause. But a week was still a long time, if in that time her enemies acted, 'I have to keep the matter of the contract secret,' she did not wish to declare such a weakness to the world.
To a vampire, and someone in a world of chaotic politics, having her magic sealed would be as good as assuring her death. Even if only for a month.
"Eldrian... What the hell?" Sofiera held her head as he informed of what had happened in the few minutes Eldrian had talked with Levana.
"Huh? I thought it was a good idea. Plus, I need to see what my limits are." Eldrian replied, confused by the looks he was receiving from his friends. Naturally, he couldn't go all out against them. He was the only one who couldn't die. It was simply unfair.
Levana, however, was no friend and most likely an enemy. She seemed like a nice girl, but Eldrian wouldn't be too bothered if he killed her by accident. And he planned to go all out. Thus, he warned everyone to retreat should they feel it was necessary.
"And what happened to my Blazing Phoenix?" Sofiera asked, skipping over Eldrian's warning. Looking at the bird, who was glaring at the vampire. She felt certain that it had become a type of magical creature. She had read of familiars, but this was the first time she saw one.
They were something of the fairy tale variety. Magic brought to life through the heroes in those stories. According to her own information, the only people capable of this were the elites of the elves or actual heroes.
'Does his title actually hold some truth?' Sofiera pondered. This new discovery made her regard titles a bit more seriously. Instead of seeing it as titles, she wondered what magic was behind it and if it could affect reality.
"Ah, I infused some anger and will into it. Seems I made it a familiar or something." Eldrian replied, casually.
"O-Of course you did..." She held her head again. The fact that he failed to realize just what he had done--that was just like him. She sighed. "Well, since you already signed the contract, the duel has to happen. But you do know she is stronger than you?"
"Yeah, but I think I can manage." Eldrian nodded, not denying that fact. It was what made him hopeful of going all out.
Those words confused Levana yet again, but it also filled her with some hope. Was his Tier truly 5 then? That made no sense, but she held onto the hope that this was the case. The best outcome would be if they could declare the duel a draw.
She had no wish to anger someone related to the gods. Thus, she no longer aimed for his life or even to win
"Since we've come to this," Sofiera stepped forward and addressed Levana, "you should confirm your side first. We will give you half an hour."
"R-Right..." Levana nodded, trying her best to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand. Part of her wanted to run, but if she did, her magic would be sealed. Eldrian had been just a bit mean, adding a clause that said the duel had to happen. Having suspected her wishing to escape.
***
"They've been doing better than we thought." Elizabeth commented, currently at Pediades. To her pleasant surprise, not all the guilds were prideful asses. Those she had not met in the capital seemed to have a better understanding of the severity of the true world of ANW.
Most of these guilds had joined the military in action. Integrating themselves into the kingdom in what can only be described as an excellent move. The NPCs, having dealt with Phoenix, already knew how to deal with players.
They also had a general idea of the best jobs to give to the immortal players. Job, that while dangerous, would not be suicidal. Honestly, Phoenix had little o no contact with these guilds. They were focused around Livadi. The city had mostly been recaptured.
Of the other guilds, a few were marching towards Trigora. Having grumbled quite a lot about how stingy the kingdom was. Not teleporting them to the city as they were used to in the empire.
Some others had joined the raiding--sorry, the rescue mission in Pediades. It was these fools that kept Elizabeth busy and rubbing her head to soothe the headache they caused her.
"Not for much longer." Zyviss commented as one of the rangers assigned to tail a guild reported to him. "The idiots just stumbled into one of the stronghold of the orcs."
"Any citizens in the area?" Nikki asked, already sending a flurry of commands in the guild chat.
"Yes, there used to be a guildhall. The orcs made it their home. The people are forced to stay in the warehouses. They are cultivating fields in the courtyards, however..."
"Skip those details." Elizabeth didn't want to be reminded of the horror more than needed.
"Alright. Are we going to move?" Zyviss asked.
"Yes, have the priests ready for an influx. Zyviss, I leave guiding the survivors to you. Nikki, use those idiots as much as you can."
"Of course," Nikki replied, smiling. A smile Zyviss never knew she could make and one he hoped she would never direct at him.
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