Ripples of fate (2)

Not long after Lewis, Jorg and Orianna returned to the Crimson Manor, the news broke out.

What news, may you ask?

A talkative body refinement acolyte, Jack Blast, was telling the story, romancizing it with a cold drop of sweat on his face, remembering the crushing defeat he received merely three months ago from Lewis' hands.

"Yeah, we have all began moving our things to the dwarven mountains. Five acolytes from the arcane faction have already started to make the foundations of the crimson castle! Is it not formidable? With a castle, I bet the blue wolf mercenaries will no longer try to steal the dragon beer from us!", Jack said proudly, a glass filled with dragon beer in his hands, one that Lewis offered him in exchange for information about the changes in the Magical Court while they were away from the Island of Bones.

In merely three months since he reincarnated, many things happened. Some acolytes died, including Elder Anthony Crow, one of the five intermediate acolyte from the Serpent Order. He did not die from old age. After all, imperial mages rarely died from lifespan issues, but rather, died in combat. Elder Crow was no exception, sacrificing himself to save his niece, Lady Iria Crow as well as the rest of her party. 

It was a noble sacrifice in name only, but the Serpent Order was probably losing its mind over this loss. The balance of power between the seven major factions was anything but stable in the Magical Court. The single loss of a beginner rank acolyte could cause a faction war to start, and eventually, cause resource sites to fall into another major faction's hands. 

Beneath his young and innocent face, Jack shuddered upon crossing Lewis' gaze. His whitish eyes seemed to peer into his soul, and they betrayed a semblance of deep-rooted malice. Jack had already experienced Lewis' apathy and cruelty once in a mere welcoming spar. He knew the boy's strength, and he knew that he held no grudge against him. He had crushed him because he had no reason to do otherwise. In fact, Jack was happy that they were in the same faction. At least, the boy would not be his enemy.

"So even someone like you can be surprised and angry, huh?", Orianna said in a teasing voice, but gasped and grew silent upon being stared at Lewis. Their relationship no longer was that of companions. Lewis used the previous mission to challenge Orianna, and prove his strength as a leader. 

Though he was still weaker than Jorg, the lizardman had unknowingly been subdued too, because it just made things more convenient for a cunning human like Lewis to lead the party, instead of a mute, unrefined lizardman like him.

Lewis was furious indeed. Furious because he had not even had the time to breath, and in the span of a single one-star mission, the future had changed dramatically. Elder Crow was an intermediate rank acolyte who gave Lewis a lot of trouble in his past life. Back when they fought over the Corrupted Swamps, a ressource site that was filled with countless venomous species and represented a blessed hunting land for experienced acolytes, Elder Crow and his ability to fly were very tough to deal with.

Yet, he was now dead. But in the past, his niece Iria Crow died. In this lifetime, though, she was living, breathing, and brimming with potential. This singularity had been caused by him. This might have been something completely unremarkable. Perhaps the fact that he beat Jack Blast caused Lady Iria to overestimate herself and take a dangerous mission above her party's ability, causing Elder Crow to worry and step in to save her life. Perhaps it was the purchase of a potion, that caused a ripple of fate.

There was no explanation, besides the fact that the future had changed. And it had changed big time.

The relocation of the Crimson Clan from the Crimson Manor to the Dwarven Mountains was unexpected. From the day he joined the crimson clan to the day he died as its leader, he had always considered the crimson manor to be his home. Yet...Janna seemed to have discarded this idea and decided to relocate on the Dwarven Mountains to protect the dwarves and deter anyone from stealing their resource site.

Knowing the secret of the dwarves who lived deep in the mountains, it made sense for Janna to protect them at all costs. The Dragon Beer was not the actual treasure that was being produced by the dwarves. Their blacksmiths were. For body refinement acolyte, they needed weapons resistant enough to endure their strength. Few blacksmiths could achieve that, and relying too much on the Arcane Faction, which possessed a monopoly over weapons and armours, was doomed to hinder their growth at some point.

But dwarves could help them achieve their goals, not to mention that the dwarf lord Ignis from the Dwarven Mountain was an intermediate acolyte and an expert blacksmith himself. 

The Blue Wolf Mercenary had yet to declare war too, mainly because of the Arcane Faction's interference. Janna seemed to have sold the Crimson Manor to the Arcane Faction already, in exchange for materials and the golem master. Yet, many parties from the Crimson Clan had already been assigned generous missions, meaning that she had somehow managed to sign a contract with the Arcane Faction, one that was highly in their favour, judging from how generous the internal missions were.

It did not mean that it had given up on the ressource site though. In fact, skirmishes happened on a daily basis in the dwarven mountains, to the point that the acolytes from the Blue Wolf Mercenary Group had already created some sort of basic settlement there. To the Crimson Clan's surprise, they were already very much present in the region, and spent the past few months learning more about the intricacy of the labyrinth-like tunnels. 

Without the map provided by dwarves themselves, however, they were lacking a lot compared to the Crimson Clan.

Looking at the scroll in his hands, delivered by Jack Blast, Lewis grinned.

'So what if fate has been altered? As long as I grow stronger, faster, sturdier...Then I don't mind moving in the unknown. It was bound to happen anyway...'

The scroll read:

[Two-star mission - Dwarven Mountain Raw Material Route 3 Protection

There has been several sightings of steel scorpions in the Dwarven Mountains, some of them susceptible to attack the construction site upon smelling flesh. Your role is to assist the protection of the raw materials shipment route from the depth of the dwarven mountains to the surface, and more importantly, assure the survival of Acolyte Raon from the Arcane Order. Jack Blast will assist you in this endeavour.

Rewards : 1 Magic Crystal per day

Additional Rewards: Raw materials from the steel scorpions' corpses bought above market's value. To be negotiated at the end of the mission]

"Janna did not even give us our rewards, yet she already gave us an assignment. When are we to depart?", Lewis asked, knowing that Jack Blast, even if defeated at his hands, was held in high regards by Janna Heartsteel due to his imperial knighthood and noble character, a rare sight in the Magical Court.

Jack Blast could not hide the surprise and envy upon lifting the bag filled with magic crystals, but reassured him at the same time that a party as strong as theirs was assigned to him for this two-star mission.

"The Crimson Clan is a bit lacking in terms of numbers. Although the mission state steel scorpions, we are likely to encounter Blue Wolf Mercenaries out there. They might be exploring the tunnels, or trying to find ways to slow down the construction of the Crimson Castle...After all, once the castle is built, they will not be able to contest our resource site anymore. No one will be able to. We are to leave tomorrow at first notice. This is my third time in the mines, so I know my way there."

Lewis nodded while counting the magic crystals and smiled: "As expected, there are 30 magic crystals"

Dividing the reward in three equal shares, Lewis stood up: "Sleep well. I am sure you have noticed there is no time limit in this mission. Golems are useful, but they can only do so much. Castles are not built overnight, and this might take a couple of months, hence its rating. Make sure to visit the arcane faction market before departing though. If you die in the next couple months, saving magic crystals will not do anything good"