Chapter 188 Escape

As the soldiers fought valiantly against the seemingly insurmountable barbarian force, the air was thick with the sounds of battle. The barbarians, their upper bodies bare, bore black war paint in unique patterns that declared their ferocity.

The leader of the group also had his face covered in the war paint. He had long black straightened out hair, a large build and the most intimidating form of them. 

No armor, no swords, only some raggedy pants and sheer guts. The symbol on his chest was similar to the previous group, linking them together. His extremely chiseled body made Carian and Thurin ashamed of themselves. It made Carian and Thurin feel inadequate despite their rigorous training making them think they lived too leisurelious in the luxury of the Empire.

This leader, a mountain of raw strength and sheer willpower, felt Lucas's approach even before he saw him. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he conjured a gust of wind that hurled Carian and Thurin back, clearing the path for an inevitable clash.

Then he immediately punched towards Lucas, who had the same idea. Covering his hand in sharp stones and mana shields, he punched his hardest. 

Their fists colliding with an explosion that rippled through the battlefield, drawing everyone's attention. The recoil hurt Lucas more than the barbarian, even if the smile on his face said something different. Being a Tier 1, he effectively canceled out an attack of a Tier 2, which was unprecedended, not that anyone paid any attention to it at this point in time.

The leader on the other hand was unfazed. 

Meanwhile, Carian swiftly took command, directing soldiers to even the odds, while Thurin, clad in his summoned wolf-themed armor, fought with a newfound ferocity. His figure was something no barbarian or citizen of the Empire had seen. They took a step back at first but then rushed towards him with rage.

His broadsword clashed against barbarian flesh, his reckless punches landing heavy blows as his armor absorbed the retaliatory strikes.

With his Mana Armor he was a lot more daring. Taking a few hits to deal ones himself turned out to be a winning strategy. During his training he had to prove his own strength, but now his survival took precedence. 

Mixing in his swings with a few reckless punches dealt a lot more damage while his armor absorbed all the attacks from the barbarians. They were ruthless and a lot faster, dodging his swings and repelling his punches, Thurin could only deal with two of them at the same time before being overwhelmed.

The soldiers under Carian's command held their ground, each battle balanced on a knife's edge. He himself took care of the rest, he did his time on the battlefield and knew not to hesitate. Still, the group of barbarians they were up against this time was on a different level from before.

The leader of the barbarians lifted his chest upwards as he lifted his open hand in the air. The moment his fist closed up in the air, he seemed to flash forward, appearing right in front of Lucas.

With reflexes honed by countless battles, Lucas deflected the blow, his strength and defense increased, added to that the strengthening of his muscles, he was able to act faster. If not for the trial, his head would be gone by now.

The force of the near-miss teared at his cheek and hair. Regenerating instantly, he smiled at the barbarian, who now stood vulnerable.

The leader was now in a position where it was practically impossible to dodge, Lucas punched forward and put his all in that single attack. His hand covered in sharp stones that would puncture any normal person's skin landed right in the stomach of the leader. He was pushed back, but didn't even falter or fall to his knee. He simply raised his head again with a steely gaze focussed on Lucas. 

The damage to his stomach was minimal, and he didn't look the slightest bit impressed. Looking at his hand all the stones broke off from coming into contact with the leader, grinning, he knew that it was time to improve his close combat abilities. 

'We need to be faster, I'll start using wind to push our limbs forward.'

'We don't need speed, we need more power!'

He raised his hands and closed his eyes for a second just so that he could focus. The stones in his hands changed to form a solid layer over them. Leaving a few holes, edged for flexibility and something else. 

Breathing out he raised his fist next to his face as Blue Flames started to shoot out of his hands. The layer of stone was meant to serve as protection, normally this wouldn't be enough, but now, his hands could handle the heat through the stones. 

Taking out a sword here without knowing any decent techniques would put him at a disadvantage against a perfectly trained barbarian. Plus, a certain side of Lucas wanted to feel the thrill of a fair fight. 

Rushing towards the leader, Lucas knew that if he gave the man any time he would be at a disadvantage. His fist, now containing a powerful flame, would surely deal damage to the barbarian, yet his opponent's face wasn't impressed. 

Raising his open hand above his head again, Lucas knew what was coming. Clapping his hands together in front of him, the flames exploded outwards. Through the flames the man appeared in a blink, the fist so close to his face if he didn't react immediately he would be done for. 

Ducking, he uppercutted the man straight on his chin, blowing him in the air. Firing of Blue Fireballs from his hands he shot them at a faster pace than normally, the fire was already there it was easier to bundle it and fire it off. Since the leader couldn't dodge in the air, it was the perfect attack.

The leader calmly breathed in and dismissively waved his hand midair and extinguished most of the fireballs, but due to that action, he didn't see Lucas jump after him. Crashing down onto the leader, he shot him towards the ground, creating a crater upon impact. As Lucas landed, he prepared for the next attack, blue flames dancing around him.

Lucas awaited the leader, he was far from dead. Blue Flames were everywhere at this point, some of the flames interrupted the battles of the others, but they couldn't possibly do anything about them. 

From the crater, the barbarian leader emerged, seemingly unscathed but now intrigued by Lucas. His demeanor shifted from dismissive to respectful. He took a stance, his fist tightening so hard that it cracked, echoeing through the battlefield.

'Prepare all defenses!'

Lucas summoned shield after shield, light magic was overabundant in his body, Lucas placed his hands together to summon a Dark Beam. It wasn't as powerful as when he used it in the trial, but it would still obliterate any Tier 1 soldier or barbarian.

The barbarian's punch shattered the air, dispelling the blue flames and obliterating Lucas's Dark Beam. The force hurled Lucas backwards, his shields shattered, skin lacerated by the mere pressure of the strike. Despite his healing abilities, he felt the raw power and mana in that attack, realizing it was beyond anything he had faced.

He was amazed by the amount of power and mana contained in that attack, the Dark Beam consumed a ton and yet there was still enough to push him back. Whoever this was, had the capacity to combine his mana with his punches in a way he hadn't seen with the Empire's soldiers.

If that attack landed on his body, he would be dead. Standing back up, Lucas realized that this wasn't a fair fight, and that meant using anything at his disposal to win, anything else didn't matter anymore. 

Lucas stared at his dome and was prepared to boost his attack further at the cost of his sanity. It would be dangerous, but it would definitely put him on even ground with the man. The leader of the barbarians looked at Lucas with a tiny bit of respect. 

"You're not weak.", his first words, deep and powerful, spoken without any hint of an accent. He spoke a command in his native tongue, prompting the barbarians to retreat into the woods. The leader stood there, his long black hair swaying in the wind. He was the only one that didn't run, but walked slowly towards the woods. 

He was certain that nobody could kill him here, a taunt extremely effective. Lucas felt the anger boiling, but he didn't give in. Rushing after him without knowing whether he would really win or not wasn't something he would risk. 

'Why run now?', nobody had died yet, only a few barbarians were injured, but brought back into the woods. 

"Lucas!", Carian called out to him, he pointed down the road, in the distance a group of the Royal Faction was coming to get them.

Lucas knew they were powerful, but still, he stared at the place where the leader was last with a strange look in his eyes. 

'I'll give you control, I won't be researching anything we discusses. I'll be working on a battle plan.'

'Go ahead, this takes precedence, I'll see if I can get some training done with the army. Carian was also willing to serve as a test subject, I'll experiment with what I can.'

Suddenly, both sides were in full agreement. While they first thought that they were practically a ruling power in this land, there were still people above him. If it was only the beasts and monsters that were more powerful, so be it, he would live in society, not nature. Yet now, there were people in that society that could kill him if they tried. 

He gained a ton of power, but was still nothing compared to the people above him. Most people would already be in awe since he fought on even ground with someone that was a higher Tier, but that didn't impress Lucas in the slightest. It only showed his weakness, and without looking towards the gains, he focussed on his lacking point. He needed more power. Tier 2 would be a good start, but he simply needed a ton of time for training.

And he knew exactly where to get it.

The Royal Guards approached them, all on grey horses, they quickly surrounded them all. The General of the group send two groups into the forest to search for the barbarians. But right as they left, Lucas warned him.

"If you like your men, don't send them to their deaths."

The general, an older man with a small gray beard, blending into his skin. He wore armor painted as white as the Stars above. 

"A Starborn, presumably under the guidance of Scholar Carian. Why do you say that?", his tone wasn't one of arrogance or pride. He held a serious face and tone, but he knew to listen to a Starborn.

"Their leader can punch through a weak Tier 2 if he put in some effort, Tier 1's are but finger flick away from death.", Lucas said seriously, first thing he needed right now was to create a balance and safe space. With the death of the Emperor on the horizon, it was necessary to get as many people to follow Thurin as possible. If it was possible to save two groups that would already be a good first impression.

The Royal Guard that came to get them had to be on Thurin's side. If he wasn't he had to be taken care off. Through asking this, Lucas was testing the waters. If all generals were headstrong and narcisistic or cooperative, his next steps would be a lot different. 

"Sound the horn.", the general ordered a nearby soldier who blew on his horn, calling them back. Why the general was so trusting was because of multiple reasons. 

First, Carian nodded as Lucas was talking, and a scholar with his renoun was trustworthy. Besides that, a Starborn was a man from the Stars, someone to follow in the first place. He knew about the stories, angering such a man would only lead to mutual destruction. 

Carian explained the situation and the issue relating to Galen to which the general responded positively. He send a few men towards the town to gather information and start a slow and careful search for Galen. 

With the help of the Royal Guards, they would be able to reach the capital with ease. There was still quite some distance that they needed to traverse, but with the guards, there were no notable events. 

 On the way there Carian explained what they had to be dealing with. 

"In order to get Thurin on the throne we'll need to convince two of three factions."

Lucas could figure out what two of them where, but not the third. 

"We have the group of Scholars, and while most have their own profession groups, there are two big groups in total. The Stars Chasers and The Star Reformers, basically conservitaves and progressives. The first group is in love with the idea of Starborn while the second reject them."

"Then I guess they'll be the hardest to convince?"

"Somewhat, luckily, you're not that bloodthirsty, so it shouldn't be that bad. Either way, you'll have to prove that you're a necessary evil, so to speak, in order to fill the void of the Emperor."

The Emperor was a bastion in the storm, someone who cracked down on internal disputes and used the same iron fist to push the barbarians back, a hero and an idol. Losing that stone in the rough meant that the Empire would be lost to chaos again. Someone was needed to keep everything stable. 

To Carian it was Thurin, to some of the scholars, it was up to their oldest member to rule, to the army, it was their strongest generals that had the responsibility. Everyone had their own ideas, only the Emperor was cabable of balancing it all. 

Thurin was next to them. He didn't say anything, but was carefully listening in on it all. During the announcement of his father's passing he was told it was up to him to carry the mantle, even if there was nothing official. Carian promised him that it would be his duty.

He knew from Carian that his future was to rule, which meant it was better to start paying some attention to political affairs. Not that he knew anything about it, he was relieved he had Carian and Lucas to help him out. 

"I'll figure something out. Let's say that we have the scholars behind us, who's next?"

"That would be the army. They are ruled by a bunch of veterans in a Senate. We need the Senate behind us if we want to continue our conquest of the south. Plus, almost all guards and soldiers follow the Senate, so we need their power."

Carian was certain that this would be the biggest hurdle for them. They were all hardened men that rivaled the scholars in stuberness. As Lucas was thinking about the situation, something stuck out. 

"I guess this is for Thurin to solve?"

Thurin, who had been silent on the side, suddenly spoke up. "What do you mean? I'm not ready for such a thing!"

Carian and Lucas let some silence enter their conversation, Carian was certain that Thurin would be the next ruler, Lucas thought differently, but their end goal was the same. 

"You might not feel ready, but the Empire won't wait for you to be so.", Carian said with a bit of a harsher tone than he meant. 

"And remember, you're not alone, if it comes down to show of strength, I'll show them.", Lucas said. He wasn't certain if he was strong enough to handle a barbarian leader, but a bunch of old fogies who stopped fighting and focussed on writing weren't an issue. He could probably subdue them with his aura alone.

Thurin felt a bit better knowing that he had two people backing him, not that it extinguished the fear that was starting to blaze in his heart. 

"If the Senate and the Scholars are behind us then we'll be set, it won't be a full grasp of the Empire, but it should be enough to not make it collapse."

"You said there was a third group?", limiting his choices felt sufficating, Lucas needed to know every possible path.

"Yes, the final group are the High Aristocracy. There we have the Royalists and the Nobilists, a group that believes the Emperor should rule and the other thinks that the country should be split into multiple pieces with the Aristocracy ruling them without a higher power besides the Stars. Of course, they only say that to get the Scholars on their side, not that they actually care."

It was very refreshing to hear Carian be so bold, even in the close proximity of the Royal Guards, it was clear his opinion was set in stone and much like the other Scholars, he was stubborn to change his thoughts. Lucas wanted to smile, but was too busy thinking about how he should handle them while Thurin grinned hearing that honesty. 

Lucas placed a hand on his chin as he planned out a possible route, whispering "We might need to get rid of them." It was a simple sentence, yet the implications were immeasurable.

Thurin didn't hear it, but Carian who was riding next to him caught the words. He didn't react, even if he knew that Lucas was being honest. Getting rid of half the aristocracy wouldn't pop up in anyone's head as an actual plan. Perhaps out of frustration or a wish for the Stars, but not as an actual strategy.

'I guess he's a still Starborn at heart.'

Carian was relieved to know he signed that contract, even if it did put a lot of pressure on him. He took Lucas's weakness of this unknown world to his advantage, but if Lucas ever got the hang of the underground and started to create his own path, he might get in trouble. 

Luckily those were troubles for the future.

As the three of them were discussing the general interrupted their conversation. "Gentlemen, we'll be reaching the capital shortly, the Empress has asked me to escort you to the throne room. I hope you will abide her command."

"If her esteemed Empress requests an audience with us, we shan't complain and follower her command." Carian responded in a scholarly way. After the general left them Carian got a deep stare from Lucas.

"The Empress isn't a part of the three powers?"

"Well, she's an Empress only in title. She doesn't hold any of the power nor can she command any forces under her. She's a puppet of the Emperor really, not that he seemed to care for her all that much.", Carian added at the end in a softer tone, making sure that Thurin wouldn't hear that.

To Thurin this meant that he would have to see her again. He knew the Empress, since the Emperor acted like somewhat like a father, she served as the mother, and while she was nice and kind, it just didn't feel right. He knew his real mother better than his actual father since he had to go and fight in the war as soon as he was born. 

Replacing his mother with her hurt his heart, so he tried to avoid her most of the time. To Lucas on the other hand, it meant another player had entered the game.

'According to Carian she can't command any forces under her, yet the Royal Guard are acting like her lapdogs.'

'...'

'Hey, not feeling good? Why are you not answering?'

'...Hmm? I told you, I'm working, our next steps are just talking anyway, I don't wanna bother, just do what you think is best.'

'Huh. Okay... well, if you want anything, just ask. I'll uh... get to work..'

'Yeah..'

'...'

Lucas felt a little awkward, but looking at the massive castle in the distance, he knew that things were about to get serious.

It didn't take long before they were escorted into the castle. The halls were large, the ceiling way too high, most likely to show of their wealth. The architecture was immaculate, each pillar was carefully crafted. The floor was covered in patterns that repeated themselves. 

Reaching the throne room, they were confronted with a large door. Opening it led to a large hall with two thrones at the end. One of the thrones was a bit larger than the other, a woman, presumably the queen was sitting on the smaller throne.

She looked like a goddess in disguise, she reached a level of beauty Lucas hadn't seen before. That, coupled with her more than appealing figure, only made her more desirable than before. There was a tiny mole under her right eye, when she noticed their arrival, she straightened her back a bit. 

A silky voice echoed in the hall. "Welcome back home, Thurin."