Chapter 8: Assignments and Foundations**
The purposeful energy of the dispersing crowd still hummed in the plaza as Elias turned. His gaze towards Gareth, standing ramrod straight amidst the remaining knights, his Silver-level aura a subtle, steady pressure in the air. Sunlight glanced off the intricate scrollwork on Gareth's pauldrons, highlighting the new, barely-perceptible silver sheen that now edged the black steel.
"Gareth," Elias called, his voice cutting cleanly through the lingering murmur. It held the weight of command, yet resonated with the trust forged in battle and breakthrough. "Step forward."
Gareth moved with the lethal grace his new rank implied, covering the distance to the cracked stone steps in three long strides. He dropped to one knee, fist pressed to his chestplate. "My Lord. Your command?"
Elias looked east, towards the shimmering haze marking the distant coast and the island beyond. "Take the hundred Iron Level knights across to the eastern island," he ordered, his tone precise. "Scout the ruins of the city there. Your mission is threefold:" He raised a hand, counting off the points. "First, determine the city's scale. Map its boundaries, major districts, and note the condition of its walls and infrastructure. Second, assess its habitability. Identify intact buildings, sources of fresh water, defensible positions, and potential hazards – structural weaknesses, contamination, dangerous flora or fauna. Third," his eyes met Gareth's, sharp and intent, "evaluate its potential. Could its foundations support rebuilding? Is the land fertile? Are the harbors viable? Report back with detailed observations. Speed is valued, but thoroughness is paramount. Understood? This could be our people's future home."
Gareth absorbed the orders, his strategist's mind focusing on the task. "Understood, Lord Elias. City scale and condition. Habitability assessment. Rebuilding potential. Detailed report." He rose smoothly. "We move within the hour." He turned, a silent signal passing through the ranks. One hundred Iron Level knights detached themselves, forming up behind him with crisp efficiency. Armor clinked rhythmically as they marched from the plaza, their path taking them towards the docks. Sunlight flashed on their retreating forms, a river of disciplined steel flowing towards the silent, forgotten coast.
Elias watched them go, the potential of the empty island city settling on his shoulders like a tangible weight. *Could it truly be a refuge? A new beginning?* His gaze then swept the remaining knights, landing on Sir Edward, whose posture radiated calm competence. "Sir Edward," Elias acknowledged as the knight stepped forward and bowed. "You command the next hundred knights." He gestured towards the clustered farmers. "Your task is vital: record the full name of every farmer, every member of their household, their ages, and the location and size of their plots. Note any specialized skills – irrigation, husbandry, crop knowledge." Elias's voice took on a pragmatic edge. "This registry is our foundation for land allocation, resource distribution, and labor organization here. Accuracy is essential. Your knights are to assist, not intimidate. Treat each family with respect."
Sir Edward met Elias's gaze, understanding the task's significance. "It will be done meticulously, my Lord. Every name, every plot, every skill recorded." He gave a curt nod. "We begin by district."
Elias then addressed the crowd, his voice projecting warmth and assurance. "People anyone who is a farmers – please cooperate fully with Sir Edward and his knights. Share your names, your family details, and your knowledge freely. This registry ensures fair land distribution and targeted support for your harvests *here*." He emphasized 'here,' subtly contrasting the current home with the potential future one being scouted. He shifted his gaze to the others. "Non-farmers – return to your homes and workshops. Your skills will be summoned soon. Go in peace, and prepare."
The cavernous silence of the entrance hall swallowed their footsteps, the only sound the rhythmic echo on worn flagstones. Dust motes danced in shafts of pale light spearing through high, broken windows. Elias led the way, the weight of the elder's presence a palpable thing at his back. Suddenly, the familiar, cool blue glow of the System Interface flickered into existence before Elias's eyes, translucent and intrusive in the gloom.
> **[Quest Complete: Conquer ]**
> *Objective: conquer The Unknown Island (Completed)*
> *Rewards: Four Natural spirit
> *Accept Rewards? [Y/N]*
Elias dismissed the prompt with a thought, a flicker of impatience crossing his face. Rewards could wait . The hallway stretched, its grandeur diminished by decay – faded frescoes peeling, empty sconces, the skeletal remains of what might have been tapestries clinging to the walls.
They turned a corner, passing under a colossal, crumbling archway. The air shifted, growing colder, heavier, charged with a stillness that felt less like emptiness and more like held breath. They entered the throne room.
It was a vastness that stole words. Sunlight, strained through enormous, grime-encrusted stained-glass windows high above, painted shifting patterns of fractured color on the immense floor. The sheer scale was humbling, designed to dwarf any who entered. And guarding this vast emptiness stood twelve figures lining the approach to the dais.
Six on each side, towering statues wrought in gleaming, untarnished gold. They depicted angels, but not the benign messengers of gentle faith. These were warriors. Archangels of Judgment. Their faces were serene masks of divine authority, yet their postures were poised for wrath, wings not folded in peace but swept back as if caught in a celestial gale. Each held a different instrument: a blazing sword, scales tipped impossibly with fire and ice, a trumpet curled like a serpent, a chain whose links seemed forged from starlight. Their halos weren't gentle rings, but coronets of sharp, radiating spikes. The dim light didn't just illuminate them; it seemed *birthed* from them, catching on the impossibly intricate details of feathers, armor, and stern expressions, making the gold pulse with an inner luminescence. They were less statues, more frozen avatars of primordial power.
Beyond the final pair of angels, the floor fell away, replaced by a river of sovereign metal.**
A monumental staircase, fifty steps high and impossibly wide, ascended towards the distant rear wall. Every single step, from base to summit, was forged from seamless, burnished gold. Deep, rich, absorbing light and radiating its own somber warmth – a mountain of precious metal dedicated solely to elevation.
At the summit sat the Throne.
Carved from the same colossal vein of gold, it was monolithic. Dragons and phoenixes emerged from the molten metal, their sinuous forms and feathered wings flowing organically, shimmering with latent energy. It radiated absolute, ancient dominion – solidified divine will.
Flanking the very base of the golden staircase, standing as eternal, earthbound sentinels before the river of ascent, were two colossal statues.
Lions.Each stood twenty feet tall at the shoulder, wrought in the same deep, untarnishable gold as the stairs and throne. Mirror images: heads lowered, mouths open in silent, eternal roars that vibrated in the heavy air. Manes were intricate cascades of golden tendrils. Muscles bunched beneath golden hides; claws like curved daggers rested on massive golden plinths. Gemstones the size of Elias's fist – deep, blood-red rubies – burned within their eye sockets, glowing with unsettling inner fire. They were earthbound titans, frozen in predatory vigilance, guarding the first step to sovereignty.