As I looked, I nodded appreciatively at my Status.
[Status:
Name: Ashlani
Race: Sonic Keel Zak'Tal
Titles: Voice of Nievtala
Killer of Redael
Fahvalo of the Moonchildren
Keel Progenitor
Current quests:
-Hunt 7 new species. Reward will vary depending on the evolutionary level of prey. Base reward: Constitution, Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Magic +10.
-Subjugate or otherwise conquer a community of at least 1000 individuals. Base reward: Constitution +7, Strength, Agility +8, Intelligence +10, Magic +9. Possibility of additional rewards for greater difficulty.
- Establish a temple to Nievtala. Base requirements: Sanctum, Altar, Priesthood, Divine Representation. Rewards will vary according to effort, quality of materials, and quality of final product. QUEST COMPLETE. NEW QUEST: Spread the worship of Nievtala to another nation. Base reward: Constitution, Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Magic +20.
-Colonize a city of at least 1000 inhabitants. Rewards will vary according to the difficulty of subjugation and the completion of the abnegation of the subdued.
- Lead a force of 1,000 to victory in battle. Rewards: Constitution +10, Strength, Agility, Magic +12, Intelligence +18.
Stats:
-Constitution: 323+20=343
-Strength: 364+21=385
-Agility: 327+21=348
-Intelligence: 310+20=330
-Magic: 333+25=358
Skills:
Absolute Dominance: 0/1
Combatant's Bloodlust: 3/4 (Imperial Bearing, Nemesis, Absolute Dominance)
Conqueror's Rebuke: 1/5
Evolutionary Exemplar (Cannot Evolve)
Exceptional Individual (Cannot Evolve)
Fanatic's Fortitude: Unqualified
Imperial Bearing (Cannot Evolve)
Innate Leadership (Cannot Evolve)
Nemesis: 0/5
Pack Tactics: 9/10
Pain Tolerance (Cannot Evolve)
Perpetual Sonilphon (Cannot Evolve)
-Cultivating Presence (Cannot Evolve)
-Destructive Wave (Cannot Evolve)
-Disastrous Discourse (Cannot Evolve)
-Innervating Address: 0/1
-Murderous Melody (Cannot Evolve)
-Soundless Stealth (Cannot Evolve)
Raptor's Eyes (Cannot Evolve)
Spear of the Many (Cannot Evolve)
Tremorsense (Cannot Evolve)
Victor's Spoils (Cannot Evolve)
Voice of the Divine (Cannot Evolve)
Evolutionary Possibilities
Evolutions possible, but not currently foreseen. Progress further, and such possibilities will be presented to you.]
Though I couldn't see this war making notable progress on my requirement to hunt new species, for the other Quests I had, the war seemed to fit very well into my current plans. I suppose that shouldn't have come as a surprise at all, given that the Quests were just an extension of what my species required that I do to progress. And, as Nievtala said, the Keel were warmongers and conquerors, but now that I was finally stepping into a position as more of a warlord than the founder of a country, I couldn't help but laugh at how far I'd come over the course of the last few years.
I'd hesitated at the thought of killing humans when they were actively attempting to exterminate my people when I was still young. Then, I'd reached adulthood and still I'd been so naïve. Now, as I saw how enemies were more than happy to surround us to kill us to the last, I felt no such reluctance to shed blood in protection of me and mine. Beyond that, I no longer fought back the desire to conquer that had so long burned in my gut.
This wasn't just a fight to protect ourselves. That was how it started, but once we were successful in pushing off this attack, when I was sure that my children were safe, the rest of the plan would fall in line. Our extensive plans spread to how we would visit upon the Misti Hawar's homeland death and destruction and subjugation that explained why their ancestors wanted us dead, and proved how greatly they had failed in allowing us to set roots and grow.
As I strode out of the temple, I considered which of my Skills would be evolved in the coming war. It was time for Innervating Address to evolve, even if I needed to allow deaths on my side of the battle to pile up before I evolved it. Then there was Pack Tactics, which would finally evolve soon. I'd had that ever since I evolved to an Alpha as a hatchling, and it was embarrassing that every time I instructed my people in battle, there were fewer than 50 of my followers following my commands, except for those nine times currently counted. Now, though, I would command thousands, and our enemies would bleed and die by my word.
With each step I took, I let the haft of my spear strike the ground. It rang out, echoing off of the walls, and, seemingly, the sound gathered my people from within their homes. Heads poked out of doorways, and, when they saw me, they fell in line behind me. Those who had been resting saw their Zaaktif leading ahead and left their comfortable homes to follow me.
Snow dusted the path ahead and our heads as I led our journey towards the center of the city, where the burrow into the ant colony sat beside my own home. Behind me, some of the Kha spread out from following me to instead gather the other inhabitants of the city to follow my path to the central plaza, and I deliberately slowed my pace ever so slightly in response. With a moment of thought, I drew the faintest amount on the Spear of the Many to bolster my magic attribute. With 11,000 of my people here in this city, though, there was not a single one of them who was not qualified to be the subject of my Skill and its effects quickly made themselves known.
Taking just a small fraction of a fraction of the Magic attribute from my people, my own instantly doubled before I throttled Spear of the Many's effect. With that, my sonilphon refilled in just a single minute from what I'd spent in my ceremony within the temple, and suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that I should have said something to Sybil before I came here. Surely she would be able to prepare something, but I was sure to get an unimpressed glance before the night was over.
Just a few minutes later, I arrived at the plaza in front of the palace. The wide, cobbled space was already teeming with my people, and more arrived every second. With the hundreds following me, the space went from filled to full to bursting, but I had no difficulty in walking forward. They parted before me as I strode forward. There was a raised plinth for me to stand on before my palace, and I made my way there, where Sybil and Shemira stood, waiting for me.
Hissed whispers of what I was holding and what it meant exploded through my assembled people, and I didn't do anything to slow their spread. Instead, I just continued forward until I arrived where I would make my speech. By the time I arrived at my destination, the conversations had grown to a crescendo, but they immediately died as soon as I took my place before them all. That immediate silence settled over my people, and I began to speak with my sonilphon strengthening my voice to carry across the entire city.
"I'm not going to say much," I opened. "We know why I'm here, we know what we've spent so long waiting for. For years, the Misti Hawar have thought that they can treat us as prey. I forced us all to stay here and continue to grow for a short time instead of taking the fight to our enemies. Our numbers have since more than tripled, and they continue to grow. No longer are we a mass of refugees, but we are soldiers.
"In the next days, the war truly begins." As I said, excited cheers filled the air, and I let them continue for a few short seconds before I pushed more magic from my sonilphon to make my voice shake the air.
"Finally, the time is at hand where you can fight and kill to your heart's content. The blood of our enemies will water our crops and feed our children. Fight, and find victory! Victory! Victory by fang and blood!"
Short as the speech was, it spoke of everything that it needed to, and my people immediately began chanting in units in after me, a cheer we'd kept for as long as I lived:
"Victory by fang and blood."
And the war would finally begin.
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