Chapter 37: The Proposal
With their supply line severed by the surprise capture of the frontier town, Cany, the alliance army sat stalled as they could not advance with the limited supply before the Ashen Pass, devolving into a bitter camp of fear and recrimination. Their only remaining hope was not in their numbers or their now-useless Sword Masters, but in the terrifying, volcanic power of Archmage Ignis.
Ignis, for his part, had dismissed the crusade's logistical woes as the tedious problems of lesser beings. He had spent days on a scorched hilltop, his glowing eyes fixed on the Leonese fortress, a silent, menacing predator studying its prey. Although Leo is the enemy to annihilate, he was a scholar at heart, a curious and fascinating, infuriating anomaly that had defied the known laws of his world, happening here.
....
Months earlier, in the quiet days following the final judgment of the civil war's traitors, Alexius had undertaken a personal task from the system. He had sought to understand the man whose life he now lived, exploring the private, sealed chambers of the late Grand Prince Alaric. The rooms were a dusty, melancholy archive of a long, tired reign. It was a mysterious item in a small, private study, behind a tapestry depicting the first king of Leo, that he found it. A section of the wall felt hollow. Guided by a faint magical signature detected by the system, he saw a loose stone. Behind it was a small, iron-banded locker, sealed with a complex magical mana that pulsed with a weak, fading light.
The system analyzed the seal.
[Ancient Royal Seal (Fading). Magical Complexity: Low. Forcing the lock is possible.]
With a bit of effort, Alexius broke the ancient ward. It crumbled to dust with a soft sigh. Inside, resting on a bed of faded velvet, were two items.
The first was a stone fragment, no larger than his fist. It felt warm to the touch and pulsed with a soft, internal, golden-red light, a light that seemed to hum with the very essence of life and creation. The second was a rolled-up map, its parchment ancient and brittle.
[Legendary Item Discovered: Phoenix Stone Fragment (1/5)]
[Artifact Effect: Greatly enhances vitality and the flow of aura and mana of the user. A source of immense, pure energy.
[Unique Item Discovered: The Phoenix Map]
[Description: A map created by the First King of Leo, detailing the hidden locations of the five fragments of the Phoenix Stone. Deciphering...]
[Location 1: Royal Palace, Aethelburg (Fragment in possession).]
[Location 2: Royal Treasury Vaults, Aethelburg]
[Location 3: The Heart of the Sea of Forests in possession of the Fire Dragon Lord.]
[Location 4: Barlius Kingdom, in possession of Archmage Ignis]
[Location 5: Top of the Western Treacherous Hill in possession of Lava Drake Lord]
This was the legendary source of his dynasty's power, the 'divine right' the histories spoke of. It was not just a myth but was real. And it, along with the map to its missing pieces, was now his. He knew in that instant that the map was the single greatest secret of his kingdom, a trump card of unimaginable power to be kept hidden until the moment of ultimate desperation. Though some pieces are in possession of the unwanted man and creatures.
...
The moment of using his only trump card had now arrived.
In the war room in Aethelburg, Alexius reviewed the latest intelligence from Cilia. It confirmed that the enemy army was in chaos but that the archmage was now the sole, absolute commander of the front. The time for a conventional military solution was over. The Archmage was a problem that could not be solved with a legion of rifles.
As he contemplated his next move, a golden window bloomed in his vision.
[World Quest Triggered: The Archmage's Ambition]
[Target: Archmage Ignis, Master of Fire. The target has been baited into this war by the traitor Valerius's promise of the Phoenix Stones. Now that you have proven your power, his ambition has shifted from the crusade to you. You must resolve the Ignis problem.
[Choose your path.]
[Option A: Subjugate]
Objective: Eliminate Archmage Ignis.
Method: Engage him with the combined might of your elite Aura users (Gregor, Bestiaus, etc.) and your new gunpowder weapons.
Risk: Extremely High. Failure will result in the annihilation of your high command and the Principality.
Reward: Personal evolution to [Sword Master] class.
[Option B: Recruit]
Objective: Bind Archmage Ignis into service to the Crown.
Method: Reveal your possession of the Phoenix Stone and the map to the other locations as the ultimate bait for his loyal service.
Risk: High. The Archmage is an ancient and treacherous being. Revealing your greatest secret makes you his primary focus, for good or ill.
Reward: Gain [Archmage Ignis] as a strategic subject. Unlock the [Arcane Research & Development] tree.
It is obvious what option he should choose.
"System," he thought, his decision made. "I choose Option…"
…..
Three days later, Alexius stood on the battlements of the Ashen Pass fortress, flanked by the presence of Captain Gregor and Commander Bestiaus; he stared across the scarred battlefield at the lone figure of the Archmage.
At his signal, a single Griffin cannon fired one of Albert's experimental Frostbite shells, its silent explosion flash-freezing a small pond a hundred yards from Ignis, a display of power.
Moments later, a company of riflemen fired a single, deafening rifle volley into a rockslide to Ignis's left, the thunder of their weapons and the shattering of granite a display of unnatural force.
Across the field, the Archmage watched these displays of "mechanical sorcery," his glowing eyes narrowed with a mixture of contempt and deep, undeniable curiosity.
Finally, Alexius made his move. He sent a single Royal Guard, a brave volunteer, riding out under a white flag of parley. The rider carried a small, ornate scroll.
Archmage Ignis floated forward to meet the messenger, his form shimmering with heat. He took the scroll and read the words written in Alexius's hand.
Dear honourable Archmage Ignis,
Bishop Valerius promised you a key, but the fool only ever possessed one piece, stolen by luck. He baited you with a legend he did not understand. It is just a single piece. What can you do with a single fragment?
I hold the key myself. I have two others. And I have the map that leads to other fragments.
If you want to know more, come meet me. I will be waiting for you at the top of the Ashen Right Hill.
Sincerely,
Grand Prince of Leo
Ignis finished the scroll, a smile appearing on his lips. 'Interesting,' he thought.
He looks at the Royal Guard and replies, "Tell your sovereign I will meet at the location at dawn tomorrow." The royal guard nod and ride back without haste.
Ignis: "Hahaha! Interesting, very interesting indeed!! Haha...ha!! Haha....haha!!" He laughed for 1 hour in the century of his three hundred years of life.
(Continue….)