Unsupervised

After two nights and a day of temporally dilated work, I found myself back on campus. Specifically, within the mines with my classmates for Olga's lessons on refining.

Though, to say it was a safety certification would have been more apt.

While she indeed gave us tips and guidance in refining particular materials, the true purpose of the block of instruction was to ensure each of us could safely operate the enchantments within the forges; as the heat they were capable of producing had the potential of causing quite the accident rather easily.

Having already shown her my ability to smelt without enchantments, however, that left what essentially amounted to a free period for me. Rather than waste it by lounging around, however, I decided to spend the few hours making the first item on my long list of things to make.

Ball bearings.

It took two hours to get everyone certified. And in that time I made ten cans of a thousand count bearings, 11 millimeters in diameter.

While I wanted a few thousand more, I also wanted to move forward with my other plans. And now that Olga's mandatory certification had come and gone, now was the time to do so.

I gave Toril and the others the signal before the class scattered. In the meanwhile, I took a detour to the library to learn what I could of monster parts and their uses. Specifically unicorn horns. Carbury's was just over 70 centimeters in length, albeit no more girthed than my wrist at its thickest point.

A few books later, I confirmed that it could make powerful wands and superior potions alike and learned it could give healing properties to the things created with it. Most interestingly, it could be ground into dust and made into a powerful drug quite easily. All one had to do was snort it.

Drugs aside, with such a large horn, I had more than a few more uses out of it and thus made up a few blueprints that I had in mind.

Though the work to bring them into creation would have to wait. For now, I went to the cafeteria to find Zakira and Peter finishing their lunch.

They stayed while I ate mine, though I said little. Instead, I used Pora Bora's link to check up on the project from above. And it was proceeding along wonderfully. All that was left now was the planting of crops, decor, and the finishing touches on the residential areas. Things that could easily be done through one more round in the Chrono Dial.

Taxing though it was on my Well.

***

"Didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Do-Good."

I didn't need to hear to know who it was. Her smell gave her away long before she even approached. She smelled of bark and sap mixed with salted meat and ale.

She was my antithesis like Lance was to the one we came here to meet. She was like me but starkly different all the same. With red skin instead of green. Tusks much more curved and pointed than mine. And most importantly, she embraced the wild blood that we shared while I sought to control it.

"Yes." I sighed without facing her. "Well, I fully expected to see you here, Elurial."

"Seems we're after the same thing, after all, Hogaz." She brushed past me with a chortle. Then threw her eyes towards the distance like all the others.

Like mine.

There were no words to signify his arrival. Only a surge of intense mana slapped against us all, forcing a wave in the crowd that pressed us toward the self-proclaimed Devil without relent.

I saw him before. Many times. Though, never from this close. He was… small. Thin. Short. Almost human-like. But with an almost unsettling grace, and long locks tied up messily on top of his head to reveal his pointed ears. His uniform resembled a monk or priest's robe. A tight, sleeveless garb with asymmetrical buttons paired with baggy trousers tucked into leg wraps or thin boots on the lower legs.

He had the thin, pointed, androgynous look all elves shared. Though the bulbous nose gave a strong inclination that he was mixed with human; or at least something. And while his smile was genuinely warm, his eyes held the familiar cold and calculating look I'd seen many times throughout my short life.

A devil indeed. And a drow.

It was quite the combination.

"Thank you all for coming." Amun bowed at the neck, then began pacing before us. Shifting his eyes between ours as we went. "As some of you may have heard, the Emperor of Polaris and I butted heads shortly after my encounter."

A wave of gasps erupted not from just my lips. But nearly everyone else's, save those closest to him. Though he paid it no mind. "Now." He turned about to pace in front of us once more. "we're on each other's shit lists. But I have no intention to instigate or escalate the situation further.

"However." He pointedly turned again. "I won't ignore the possibility of Dende Morningstar seeking retribution against me eventually. As such, I deemed it necessary to push the development of my guild forward.

"I want to make one thing clear!" He stopped halfway and turned to face us with a resolve harder than a wall of pure diamond. "I am Amun of the Nox. A half Drow-Devil. If you join me, you'll be making a deal. With a Devil. And there's nothing that we take more seriously."

"It's true!" Zarzok chipped in from somewhere. "The consequences for a devil breaking their own deals are… unspeakable."

"Yes." Amun calmly nodded as he turned again. "However, I am not tied to the same rules as my Devilkin. Wherein their deals have to be written out, and are used solely to curse the souls of mortals; my deals are written in mana and can be used to curse or bless those as I see fit. All else, however, is the same.

"If you agree to join me." He paced to the other side. "If you make your pledge, there is no turning back until my business in Maru is settled. If you pledge, there is a large chance that the Polaris Empire will see you as an enemy by association. If you pledge, your life will remain dynamic and difficult until you retire. The next six months will be filled with gruesome training and fierce battles. Your years will show you the worst hells imaginable. Some of your accomplishments may never see the light of day.

"If you pledge, you will come to personally know the Shadow of Death. You will see the Abyss manifested before you. You will forsake your everything. Even your soul." He declared, then let the declaration hang in the air for a long minute.

Then he turned. "In exchange. I will give you my everything. If you desire knowledge, my mind is hereby open to you. If you desire wealth, you will be paid like royalty. If you desire fame, land, or strength. You shall have it. Whatever you think of or whatever dream may have, I will devote my entire being towards obtaining it, if I don't already have access to it.

"If you pledge, you will become the first Captains in my guild. " Amun softly said as he halted before us and spread his arms. "You will soon seek out members for your companies. You will soon raise the foundation of your future nations. You will train your own followers, as I will soon train you.

"More so." His smile widened. "You will become like my children. You will be spoiled with toys and tools that will give you boundless freedom across these realms. Wherever you go, you will live like emperors; both during and after your service. Most importantly." He grinned wider. "Your souls will be saved from an eternity of torture in the Underworld.

"The name of my guild is the Legio Noctis, and keep in mind, that our ranks are open to everyone." He raised a single, wagging finger. "Just as you find yourselves among human and halfling and tiefling and devil. You will later find yourselves among the living, the dead, and saint and sinner alike. Whether you chose to serve under the Moon's light or within Twilight, you have between now and our ritual to decide. But keep in mind that the longer you wait, the more strenuous your education will be.

"Should you decide to become a Legionary. Simply come to me with mana in your voice and tell me the price of your service." Came his final declaration. And at that moment, I saw a king standing before… people. Not his people. Not his subjects. Just… people.

What a sight that was. Like seeing the difference between an octopus and a giant squid for the first time. Or between a dog and a direwolf. A house cat and a Leonin.

It was… greatness. Madness inducing greatness.

And it was terrifying.

But what was truly scary was the sudden realization of how easily the two overlapped.

Those from his homeland, Toril, Roheisa, and the others. Slowly scanned the crowd for the first to move. It felt like eons that we were standing there. But eventually, the first person stepped forward.

It was the girlfriend. Followed by Opal and the other vampire pledging their undead lives away at the cost of nothing.

His Monk friend did the same, Peter. He didn't need a reason, he said. Though it was clear to everyone that he simply had nowhere else to go.

Still, even if he had, I at least felt that his decision would have been the same.

After all, that was the case for the Epethian Prince.

It was a shock to everyone, including me. When the proud Prince approached the one who'd beaten him so badly at the beginning of the year, I couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

And then again as he made his pledge.

"To atone for the sins of my ancestors and bring the Epethian Empire to an honorable future, Winston Epeth, I offer my services to the Legio Noctis."

"And in exchange, I offer my services to the prosperity of the Epethian Empire." Amun bowed in turn. And when his words were spent, the shadows creeping in from the edges of the woodline seemed to darken and recede within seconds.

"For the same goals as that of my Master. I, Isaac Galliard, offer my services to the Legio Noctis."

That one was the Shield kid. Though he was Winston's knight and thus had to follow his master, he spawned a wave of apprehension in the other Epethians. Which was curious, but overshadowed by the three Amazonians approaching in a line.

As one, they swore fealty in exchange for assistance in retaking their homeland. And Amun seemed more than happy to oblige, claiming he'd help them rebuild it to its former glory and ensure it would have the sovereignty it once had.

Only then did the rest of the Epethians follow suit. Though for a variety of different reasons.

Only the commoners, Mary Farmer and Rommy Peak, had admirable goals. A plot of land with a nice big home for their families back in Maru. All the others wished to rule over their own kingdoms or nations. Though still, Amun was more than happy to oblige their wishes.

But yet another awkward period ensued following that. Eventually, however, it was broken by the four Goliaths approaching as the Amazonians did. Albeit to declare they were only in it for the endless opportunities for challenge and growth. To which Amun declared there would be opportunities to last multiple lifetimes.

At that point, what seemed like the entirety of Cooke Party approached. Only to be cut off by Zarzok prancing forward like a gazelle.

"All I want is to rule one of the Hells." He said in that overly pompous manner of his. "Everything else is an added bonus. For that, the services of Zarzok, the Executioner, is at the beck and call of the Legio Noctis."

"One of the Hells you shall have." Amun grinned, and the darkness seemed to grin alongside him. Growing around us as if to consume everything before it faded like each time before. Opening the floor for his party to approach.

The human called Samson was first. "I want to become a legendary fighter," he declared.

"I want to live freely," Rebecca Plassein said next.

Then Curious Twig. "I want to do many things."

"I would like a home away from home." Duccec folded his wings and bowed.

And then Rhody stepped forward. "I want an easy retirement and a lot of gold along the way."

"I want to explore Maru," Toni sheepishly declared. Then stepped forward with a bit more confidence in her eyes. "And the other realms too!"

Perhaps it was because I hailed from Sirius, but the most shocking declaration of all came from the Bombyx daughter, Scarlett. She approached with pure conviction in her eyes and shouted. "I want to found my own grove!"

It was then that Amun's smile widened the brightest. And then I realized. He was adopting these dreams for himself. Making them his, just as much as the others. Yet, I was given no answers from my epiphany.

Why he adopted these dreams was something that eluded me. But entranced me all the same.

He was deadly serious about this. And truthful to the core.

"Will you give me the endless opportunity to create?"

I and Amun looked to one of the last members of his party at the same time. The dwarf named Elsgril stared up at Amun with beady eyes. And Amun just smiled widely. "Of course!"

"Then I give my services to the Legio Noctis." He bowed, then waddled off behind him. Muttering. "Better you than anyone else."

"Well, that's true." I sighed in resignation. Though, for whatever reason, I still didn't move.

Nor did a few others. Ash, the Fire Genasi. Bazzric Baal. The two other dwarves. Phelaia. Urshure. Ritrix. And surprisingly, Elurial.

If they were anything like me, they were unsure if joining Amun was the right thing to do. Of course, he seemed genuine in his words and was undoubtedly powerful enough to make them come true. But… I knew nothing about him. I had yet to even speak to him.

That made the notion of signing my soul away to him seem… insane. More so than such a thing already seemed.

And it appeared the others agreed. All but Ritrix, who raised her little hand to capture Amun's attention.

"Yes?" He smiled warmly at the halfling girl.

"If it's okay. Could I, like, you know." She chuckled awkwardly. "Hang around and get to know you a little before I make my decision?"

"Of course!" he nodded at once. "If that's the case for the rest of you, I'll go ahead and make you all rooms. Just give me a minute."

"Did he say… rooms?"

Grunting softly, Bazzric turned to size me up and down and let out a small snort before he turned away. "Guess those ears are just for show."

Sneering, I turned back to where Amun was. Only to see him gone. Around that spot were those who'd already been sworn in, all gazing up to where Amun was floating.

The moment I did, an absurd wave of pressure slapped me right in the face. It was the same sense I felt whenever he or Lance or Ash or Silva cast any spell within a few hundred meters. But I felt nothing. Not until I gazed further beyond the gentle dunes to where our battle took place just days ago, did I feel my heart batter against my ribs.

It was imperceptible at first. But with mana bolstered eyes I saw the shadow humans and skeletons moving around at a blur. Carrying strange constructs around a vast platform without end, leaving rows and rows of trees and crops in the wake of wherever they went. Blooming the tower to life with greenery in mere minutes.

Myself and many others couldn't help but relocate ourselves for a better view at that moment. It took quite longer than I hoped, given the crowd. By the time I climbed a tree for a vantage point, Amun's spell had faded and he was seen descending back to the crowd with a thin film of sweat smeared across his brow that matched the one on mine.

Though, where his was from exhausted effort. Mine was from utter shock.

The massive butte that had been just a pillar of barren stone was now much shorter, thicker, and carved with terraces, archways, and buttresses from the summit to a flat base of stone that stretched across the surface of a vast blue lake teeming with life.

It was like a squat bridge support that withstood the test of time and became the only source of refuge in a vast oceanic lake.

"Come on!" Amun waved. And another surge of intense pressure washed over us all before our feet removed themselves from the ground. "We'll start the tour."