152 Chapter 8.7 - Crimson Heirs

To any of the hundreds of blood creatures crawling and flying around the Corvid Society, none were aware. What looked like a small copse of trees in a small courtyard was not.

There, a few of the trees seemed to shift less in the wind, the hushed tones of assassins were not meant to be heard by those not meant to.

"We have six targets before we move onto Master Cristie's plan.

Mox, you are to place warper explosives in the Logistics office. Set a manual timer for two hours past midnight. Whether you capture any people is not of as much concern as whether you capture the office they have set up.

Wrex, your job is pickpocketing. However, you are not to take something. Instead your target is the infantry commander that arrived thirty minutes ago. According to Nighmora's dossier, he is the one leading troops on the ground. You are to place this charm on him that will change his listed race on identification to 'changeling'.

Mili, you are our diversion. At 0215 I need you to set off explosives at each of the main entrances to the academy, and then activate a diversionary [gate] near the mountain pass. Fire a flare, make it obvious we are trying to escape.

Cian, our foolish enemy has had the audacity to take up residence within the headmaster's quarters. During the diversion, sneak in and pull the left candlestick next to the statue of Serin the Great. The floor will rotate and display an empty pedestal, where you can copy the likeness of the statue. Begin transmitting information via ultra high frequency vibration to your brother for us to.

Haymer, sneak into the water substation and release the slow release poison. Also release the rats into the foodstores, and set the botanical gardens ablaze. Our seed vaults will help us recover but for now our enemy cannot get access to our food and water.

Finally, Krov and Vina, I am assigning you to the grand herald. He has arrived on sight. His guards will be dispatched at range, but we will need you to lock him down, collar him, and exfil him to the watchtower."

As soon as the trees were there, they were gone. To a casual observer, it might have been a trick of the mind, but shadows don't disappear in the middle of the night.

***

Grand Herald Rees, previously General Rees, was delighted in how far they had come. This was to be the great campaign of his lifetime. It was the war he had fought to have, and he would have his enemies routed.

He did not know the status of his troops once they went through their gates, but the amount of soldiers they had thrown, well. Victory would be assured.

It was not just the devoted soldiers of their heavenly war, Mephystra in her glory graced Grand Herald Rees with the power to counter Haven's magical and technological advancement.

Their shock troops were of two half lives. Through blood magic each of his normal foot soldiers left behind a clone of itself. When the soldier died, its soul would pass to the clone. It gave everyone who completed the ritual a second chance, as the clones were safe and secure with the blood crypt. The only downside is the lifespan of each body was capped at 50 years, but that was longer than most foot soldiers lived within the GWA anyways, so it was an easy choice to make.

Then there were the humans who were given the power of divine form. Although it greatly reduced their lifespans and rendered them sterile, those whose piety was strong enough were given the power to change into the bone flyers and flesh giants that would ensure their victory over their enemies.

The blood portal was a one way trip, the crusaders knew this. They would fight to win, or die trying.

Grand Herald Rees could not be happier with the bargain his country had made with its patron divinity.

He had brought a large portion of his high inquisitors, those who excelled at search and destroy, to the Corvid Society. This is where he expected to have the least physical resistance, so he had instead decided to take the city. But the city was abandoned.

Their forward command operation was setup nicely.

Then the enemy struck.

It was easy to know what it was, a diversionary tactic. As the explosives went off at the gates, disabling several flesh giants, my high inquisitors informed me of the usage of a [gate].

"So the rats think they can run. Send our flyers to the [gate]."

Of course they would run. We did not know where they were hiding, but it seemed that they planned to escape, which would not happen on Rees' watch.

Then, reports started coming in. The Logistics Office, and all the soldiers inside, simply vanished. It was as if they were never there. They did find a severed arm, and a neatly cut partial sphere in the stone ground.

Grand Herald Rees had everyone openly display their [status]. It was a training step they were used to.

Then he found their spy. Their Infantry General, Molag, was a changeling in disguise. A few please of a traitor later and a bit of immolation and the crisis was solved.

Grand Herald Rees settled into his new office and dismissed his guards to wait outside.

"We wondered when you would take solace in your office. Our reports indicate you like to be alone to think."

Grand Herald Rees stood stunned as what was initially just shadows was not. Two 'things' stepped out from behind. Rees did not know much about these monstrosities. He knew of their sensitivity to the sun, and that they were rarely seen outside Haven. Their angular features, extended canines, and blood red eyes gave their race away. The Dhamphir. He did know one thing about them. They were radically pacifist.

Grand Herald Rees calmed his beating heart. "And what are you here to do? Wash my sheets for me and then die?"

One of them pulled out a hand crossbow and fired it. The dart stuck into Rees' neck. He felt his throat become numb. They had just shot a projectile that could have easily killed him.

"You know, there is a reason why the dhamphir are radically pacifist. Those with the capacity to do harm are culled. However, Haven does not allow this. Thanks to our wise lord, those of us born with 'the deviance' are free to blossom and become what we are meant to be."

As he felt the numb quickly passing through his body, Grand General Rees attempted to send out [bloodspikes]. He didn't need to voice his blood magic spells.

The spells stopped in midair. It was not a [counterspell]. It was as if the spell was listening to a new master.

Grand General Rees was then on the receiving end of a speech for the first time in many years. One of the Dhamphir spoke. "This is where you have made your most serious of errors, Grand Herald. You attempt to throw our own magic against us. You learned the blood magic from us. Your entire 'combat advantage' was built upon the elementary teachings of our people. You are simply a novice caster of the blood art. We deviants are the true heirs to its' power."

The other was passing a magic wand over the Grand General, who was now laying limp. "He's tagged."

"Doesn't matter, they won't be able to get him where he is going." Grand Herald Rees attempted to do something, but he lost power to move his arms. The last thing Grand Herald Rees heard as he saw a collar slap around his neck was from one of the twins. "Nightscale venom. Enjoy your hangover, Herald." Darkness enveloped him.

With that, a device was set on the ground, and the surrounding room disappeared as a sphere of reality was shifted in space to its awaiting location.

The Watchtower.