The man approached them. He looked young, but Kenzo didn't want to think that way. The Baron was dangerous - Kenzo could feel it when the man was more than fifty ters away. To call him young would have reduced the man's level of danger in his mind. That would have been a big mistake. Looking at the man, his spear, the passive mist that left a path in his wake, and his fluid movents, it was evident that the Baron was very dangerous. So, despite the young age of their interlocutor, Kenzo was on the lookout for any sign of attack.
The rcenaries had gathered all available information about the Baron. Kenzo regretted the money wasted on hazardous divinations - he seed to have already developed a resistance to it. The best approaches had been more direct, and they had paid a fortune to an information salesman nad Tjay to find out the contents of their conversation. But it was worth it. According to their research, Baron Priam Azura was a human with a good head on his shoulders. Power didn't seem to have gone to his head - yet. More importantly, he was free. No faction appeared to have any connection with him.
The rcenaries had three hypotheses about this supposed freedom. First, Priam was really free. It was unlikely, given his results, titles, achievent, and the fact that he had just passed the twentieth wave of the Colosseum - which confird his place as a champion of humanity. They had no information on the Baron from before the Tutorial, but it seed unlikely that a human, no matter how well-trained and knowledgeable, could have outdone the rest of humanity so much. Despite being one of the best human rcenaries, Kenzo barely defeated the tenth wave.
Second, the Baron was linked to a powerful faction that forbade Priam from taking advantage of their notoriety. It was possible that a Tier 7 or 8 monster was interested in the Baron. Unlikely, but possible. Priam could be put to the test by his master. Without outside help, he had to prove himself worthy of that interest by performing at this Reunion.
Third, the Baron had joined a forbidden faction. That was a terrible possibility, but it should not be dismissed. If that was the case, he was probably hiding his mbership in such a cult to avoid being shot by an alliance.
So factions drew power from dark acts and rituals. Their moral compasses mattered little to the Concepts. They were very neutral entities and accepted all paths and ambitions. But so factions had been banned and banished by others after they had angered too many powerhouses.
However, the limits of acceptability were wide. Sacrificing entire planets was accepted. However, they belonged to a faction, and to target the wrong one was to insult a faction. Wars broke out, and the losers had to flee or die. Other actions were more dangerous. Depleting the aether density of a supercontinent by siphoning off its sources could greatly annoy that continent's kingdoms, guilds, and clans. Finally, certain acts were taboo. To reveal the secrets of a faction was complicated, but so tried. A few million years earlier, a Tier 9 had caught another spirit in the body of her newborn child. An entire galaxy disappeared within minutes, and this Tier 9 had since vowed to hunt down anyone stupid enough to try that kind of experint. To the rcenaries' knowledge, no one has done it since. Escaping from a determined Tier 9 was simply impossible. Since then, reincarnating mbers of one faction into the fetuses of future children of another faction was an example of a forbidden act.
"No one speaks but ." Kenzo straightened up as he heard Maya's announcent. The rcenary captain took her role seriously and was respected. Less than a week after the end of their Tutorial had passed, but the rcenary had already ford his opinion. His captain had a keen eye, and he could trust her judgnt. He was now focusing on his duty: to protect her. Even if against this monster, I would only win her a few monts.
Lvl Up : [Divination Resistance] lvl 5
TA (AFFI) 3
The Colosseum was larger on the inside than on the outside. The rcenaries had escorted Priam to an elevator. They had waited a few seconds before the door opened, opening the way to the rcenary HQ. Priam hadn't felt the elevator move and suspected the cabin hadn't moved. The door must have been a portal that automatically connected to the occupant's suite. If so, breaking into an apartnt in the Colosseum was impossible, unless you had space skills.
The rcenary HQ was a large suite decorated in the rcenary the - red and gold, for blood and riches. Their coat of arms was a sword with two cores set. Each rcenary wore this crest, and the cores' color symbolized the warrior's military rank and Tier. The suite was free, which interested Priam. Apparently, being a Lunar Baron offered the possibility to get one without paying. Bechar had forgotten to tell him about this detail. But this implied that one of the rcenaries was a Baron.
"If I understand correctly, one of your mbers killed a Baron alone?" asks Priam.
"That's right. It wasn't easy, but I did it," Maya confird. "Even though it took almost six hours longer than it took you."
"What?!" Priam quickly turned to the young woman, who began to laugh.
"Priam, we are the rcenaries. I lead because I am the strongest and the fittest. If I were just the strongest, I would be the champion. If I were just the smartest, I would be the assistant. But I am the Captain because I am both," she explained.
Priam took a second to compose himself and nodded. The rcenaries were a super faction, and their captain had to be in the top ten of humanity. With preparation, choosing the right Baron, and rigorous training, it was possible she could have defeated a Baron a few hours after him. But that ant his lead was not so comfortable...
"Congratulations then, Baron Maya," he smiled.
"Just Maya for now. I ntioned cultures that advocated arrogance, but it's the opposite for rcenaries. In our culture, asserting yourself as a Baron requires surviving against a Viscount. I saw your fight. Right now, I wouldn't survive more than thirty seconds against a Viscount," Maya explained as she headed to the kitchen. "Perhaps you are hungry? The Colosseum has a sizable amount of refreshnts included with the suite, so you might as well take advantage of it!"
Priam's eyes lit up. The proposal tempted him. For a Frenchman, talking over a al was a habit.
Walking through the suite - which, given its size, could have been considered royal - Priam t three other rcenaries who greeted them. There were undoubtedly many more on the Moon, but those who were here had crossed over with the help of the portal. Even a faction as powerful as the rcenaries could not carry so many n and won.
When Priam entered the kitchen, he found a long table covered with food. ats in sauce, fruit salads, pastries, and a selection of cheese were there to delight his taste buds.
"There's also a full fridge. Handy for absorbing calories, but its impossible to order a dish made of rare resources," Maya clarified. "I've heard of dishes that allow you to gain characteristic points, can you believe it?!"
The captain had eyes full of stars, and Priam understood why. If it were possible to beco strong just by eating, humans would have a chance to dethrone the Concepts.
"Even without that, the unlimited choice is still amazing," she resud. "Please, make yourself at ho."
Priam thanked her before taking a plate and sitting down. He hadn't eaten in a long ti, and this activity reminded him he was human. The pleasure of eating was one of the only things he still had from his old life, and he intended to keep it.
A few minutes later, Priam and the four rcenaries had finished devouring several dishes each. Their new tabolism required large amounts of energy. If Priam could cheat by resurrecting with full batteries, not everyone could. Eventually, he put down his cutlery.
"Thank you so much for the al. It was delicious. Well, lets get to the heart of the matter. As you probably know, I recently arrived in the Do and was told you were looking for . How can I help you?" asked Priam.
He had many questions and certainly needed them more than the other way around. But he preferred to offer his help first, to appear friendly. It was harder to refuse to assist an altruist. Then it would be rude of them to refuse to answer his questions. Priam was sure that Maya would see through his ploy, but she could do nothing about it.
The captain smiled. "Not really. I was mostly curious about what the champion of humanity looked like," she said, downplaying Priam's proposal.
"You must have been very curious to spend a veritable fortune transporting so many rcenary mbers into this Do," Priam smiled. Maya seed unwilling to give him too much bargaining power.
"Let's just say it wouldn't be the first ti a bad champion ruined his civilization," Maya grimaced.
The information alerted Priam.
"Really? I suppose my role is major if my decisions can impact all of humanity," Priam pretended to be concerned. If his role was necessary, he may have had more negotiating power than he thought. Priam was happy because Maya had just given him essential information. She couldn't know what he knew or didn't know, and it was complicated for her not to reveal information unknown to Priam.
"Not for the mont. However, if you survive long enough while keeping your lead" Maya smiled.
aning, if I survive my Tribulations. It's a low blow, but she's right. I'm not in a position of strength here. I have to persuade her to help .
"I'm pretty hard to kill. We'll have a chance to discuss these decisions again but know that I do not intend to sacrifice humanity for my personal power. I'm not a monster," Priam promised. But I won't sacrifice myself for humanity either. Any rcenary could potentially detect the truth, so Priam avoided lying. He wanted to convince Maya of the need to help him. But there was nothing to stop him from leaving out so facts.
The rcenary nodded her head. "I'm glad to hear that. If humanitys best warriors think as you do, we might have a chance," she added darkly.
"What do you an?" asks Priam.
Maya sighed and waved to her assistant. The latter put down a thigh - the only surviving piece of a chicken he had swallowed in a few bites - and spoke.
"The Reunion is a joint event of the Concepts. A sort of continuation of the Tutorial, which will allow civilizations to find each other and co out on top. Or fall apart. To test our civilization, the System introduces a threat. Different for each civilization, it aims to destroy humanity. Not necessarily to kill humans, but rather to divide us enough that the remnants of our society are absorbed by other kingdoms, guilds, and factions of all kinds," he explained.
Priam gritted his teeth. The assistant was talking about the Revenants, and the thought of Claire, Anne, and Albin wandering around turned his stomach. If only he could run into them again...
"Do you have any information about this threat?" he asked. That would be perfect if they could trade his information for knowledge about the Tribulations.
"Not enough. By divination, we know that the current threat is human and that you have made contact with it."
Priam turned back to Maya. "And you wanted to make sure the first Baron wouldn't betray humanity by allying himself with the threat," he said.
"Indeed. Otherwise, I would have done everything possible to kill you," Maya confird.
He looked at her for a few monts before nodding.
"I understand. I would have done the sa. But I can only give you my word that I'm not part of the threat," he said, looking Maya in the eye. The captain stared at him, and Priam returned her gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the slight nod of one of the guards. His peripheral vision was sensitive to movent, and he smiled as he confird that one of the guards had the power to detect lies. Of course, Maya might have telepathically communicated the gesture to her guard, knowing Priam would see it. Planting the idea that lying was impossible was still smart, and Priam had no way of knowing if it was true. But that didn't matter because the young man planned to use the truth as a weapon. Getting out of a lie was complicated, and he still had nothing to hide.
"It is true, however, that I have had dealings with them. I suppose they avoid you like the plague, but they were not wary of until I killed a Baron. After that, it was too late, but I did question them before entering the do." Priam dangled that tidbit in front of Maya and hoped she would bite.
"Yeah. In exchange, I assu you want information about the Tribulations?" Maya replied with a smile.
Priam carefully kept himself from gritting his teeth this ti. He was trapped. By answering yes, he would confirm he had no faction behind him. Maya would know that he would be forced to do anything to get it. She could then ask for a substantial service, and Priam would be forced to accept or ask rcury. But a rchant might ask him for much more. Unfortunately, Priam could not answer no. He needed to know what the Tribulations had in store for him and how to defeat them. Checkmate.Now its ti to find out if the rcenaries are as honest as rumored.
"I'll be honest, my Tribulation is coming up. We all need to destroy this threat to save our loved ones. I know the location of their headquarters. I know so officers, one of whom is in this Do right now. I can help you defeat them. I offer my help in good faith because I have sworn to destroy them. I want this day to be the beginning of a collaboration between us. Help today, and I will help you tomorrow," Priam offered.
Faced with Maya's pointed question, he was forced to reveal his cards.
"Do we have a deal?"
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