Empire Of Souls

After giving Lariel some instructions, he had her bring the avatar along to be inducted into a newly created organization known as the Guild of Legionnaires, or Legion for short. It was Aleks"s answer to the need for the many types of adventurer"s which would help his nation grow and prosper. This new guild was much more expansive and organized with a very strict command structure. There would be divisions within the organization which specialized in a variety of very skilled tasks. This included the eradication of dangerous creatures, exploration and cartography of unknown lands, surveying and procurement of a diversity of resources, and archaeological expeditions of ruins and other dangerous locations. 

Since the organization was only newly created, there was much planning and implementation which needed to take place. However, they did not lack personnel since there were many Steppe warriors who had been dismissed from the army. It wasn"t necessarily because they were weak, but that they were not suited for the military. Many of them were very well suited for the type of work which the Legionnaires would do though. There were many warriors which were skilled at hunting dangerous creatures, and also quite a few who were proficient in surveying, exploration, and procurement of wildlife and vegetation. Since they were natives of the region and had lived nomadic lifestyles, it wasn"t difficult for them to complete these tasks and their perception and ability in these areas was quite high.

What they did lack in though, was some of the complex skills and knowledge required for the more specialized tasks due to their lack of education. They could hunt and gather resources well enough, but the more complex tasks of archaeology, cartography, handling of artifacts and historical studies were lacking. Some of the Shamans were a little more educated due to having to study magic and lore. They could be of use in these areas, but it was far from sufficient. Proper education, especially higher education, was a priority but it would take time. 

For now, trying to entice skilled adventurers to their new nation would be the main way to resolve this. That would also take time and for word of mouth to spread, but it should be a way to temporarily resolve these issues. Lucrative rewards could be offered to attract these skilled adventurers. They could receive much more from Aleks than anything they would receive elsewhere. Of course, this also came with a price, they would have to offer their allegiance and ultimately their souls. By the time they realized that though, it would be too late. They weren"t necessarily losing much in the exchange. They might even gain much more.

After Lariel took Aleks"s avatar along with her, Aleks once more met with the two Daemon. They had been waiting for him patiently. Aleks had asked them to wait in one of the many rooms that were under construction within the imperial palace. There were many matters which needed to be resolved and these two would be instrumental in resolving two of the more pressing ones. Aleks may be the sovereign of the Steppes, but his ambitions were not so small. The Steppes were only the first part of his plan which had been going smoothly so far. With the addition of these two Daemon, it wouldn"t be difficult to realize the next step of his plans.

When Aleks entered the room, the two Daemon were standing and watching the doorway, as if they were aware that he was about to enter. They observed him carefully, their stares trying to bore deep into him. It was somewhat unnerving, as these were two strange and alien like beings of immense power. Anyone else would be terrified by their presence, but Aleks only took note before settling himself down in a chair. He had no servants or guards with him and it seemed as if he had come alone.

"Now that we are alone, we can have a more meaningful conversation." Aleks said calmly.

Anathema snorted and was about to speak, but Cladem motioned her to silence.

"We are here to aid you, so use us as you will. As for the other matters, it isn"t necessary to speak about them now. You are not yet at that realm, where you can affect the overall situation. There should be no conflict of interest between us and we will follow your orders."

Aleks nodded, "Good, then I already have a mission for the two of you. Currently, I control the Steppes and most of the tribes of the Steppes have already submitted. It won"t be long until my control is absolute. However, the other regions of the Savage Lands are still under the control of others. The dragons are engaged in a battle with the dark elves and it isn"t going well. They have two beings at the level of a DemiG.o.d and so I would like Anathema to a.s.sist my army in pushing back this invasion. Once the dark elves have been defeated, you can return the favor and conquer their homeland. Are you capable of accomplishing this?"

Anathema scoffed, "This is nothing. No mere mortal is my match!"

Although Anathema couldn"t see the expression on Aleks"s face because of the mask he wore, she could feel his gaze which caused her skin to crawl. 

"It won"t be a problem." She said much subdued.

"Good. I am counting on you. You will work with my commander, Lenia. She will be in command of the army and you will rendezvous with the dragonmen if possible. Your only job is to defeat the Spider Queen and her pet. For everything else, leave it to Lenia. She needs this experience."

"Hmph… Such a simple task.." Anathema mumbled under her breath, but she didn"t dare look at Aleks while she said it.

"And what of me? What would you have me do?" Cladem asked in his deep and stern voice.

"You seemed to get along well enough with my subordinate, Grobak. He has taken a liking to you and your style of doing things. He was quite impressed with your strength and demeanor. I would like you to work with him. The vampires are a tough nut to crack. They have a well trained army and powerful vampires to defend their homeland. Although, their country is not nearly as united as it seems. The vampire lords fight each other constantly for influence and power while the Blood Sovereign watches on from his lofty throne. It is beneath him to become involved, what a fool. I suppose he believes this will make his followers stronger, but it is a perfect opportunity for one such as you to exploit. You are a child of War after all, this should be your area of expertise. I am sure you will feel right at home with all the death and destruction. Make those vampires kneel before me!"

Cladem smiled knowingly and chuckled, "It shall be as you wish. The Blood Sovereign should be quite powerful. More so than that Spider Queen anyway. Even if the Spider Queen is a DemiG.o.d, her blood is still that of a mortal. The Blood Sovereign should have the blood of a Celestial being, although just a lowly one. I doubt his blood is very pure, otherwise he never would have left h.e.l.l. Most likely he was forced out because he was too weak and with very little prospects. Here, in the mortal realm, he may be a being that can make mortals kneel before him. But, before me, he shall know only misery and eventual destruction. Consider it done."

Aleks nodded and stood from his chair, "I look forward to your success. Let Lariel know if you need anything. That won"t be an issue, will it?"

"I will handle any dealings with your… angel. Anathema has difficulty controlling her emotions."

Anathema glared at Cladem, but she didn"t say anything. She wasn"t too happy to hear his words, but she knew they were the truth. If she were forced to deal with Lariel, it wouldn"t end well. Cladem just chuckled once more at Anathema"s reaction and grinned with his jagged teeth showing.

"Good. I will leave you two to it. I will be watching."

After leaving these last few words, Aleks left. Only the two Daemon still remained and they each silently considered Aleks"s words and the words of their master who ordered them to come here.

"I don"t understand why the master sent us here Cladem." Anathema finally broke the silence.

"You saw Her. I don"t need to tell you who She is, do I?"

"No, you don"t."

"Then why are you asking me this question? She was the only one that ever moved His heart. Master has been looking for Her for a very long time, you know just as well as I, what that means. We are all expendable, in the end even we who are his descendants mean nothing. Only She matters, only She is important. The master wishes all to end, but most of all, He wishes a return to the beginning. All this time, and everything, it has always been all for Her."

Anathema shivered at his cold words, but she knew that it was all the truth. How little care the Creator had for all of His creations. The uncountable lives, the infinite expanse of s.p.a.ce, the endless years. Not a single one of them had ever mattered. Everything had been done for Her, for His selfish love that had never died. 

"Why did She keep herself hidden from Him?"

Cladem shook his head, "I don"t know. Perhaps no one knows, not even master."