At the end of the passage, Ryan's advance was halted by a sight that froze his blood: a hundred-meter-long undead bone dragon. Its slumbering breath alone hurled him backward like a leaf in a gale.
Plan B.
He had planned to use the two alchemical hounds under his control via the tinderbox to distract the silver vault's undead knight while he claimed the floating armor.
However, the creatures refused to enter the passages, their programming overriding his orders.
"Disobedience?" Ryan's grip tightened on the tinderbox. True alchemical loyalty meant absolute submission—even to death. This resistance implied that their original creator might still exert influence.
*A flaw I can't ignore.*
For now, he noted their defiance. Sacrificing them to harvest their soul fragments for new, unquestioningly loyal constructs would come later.
Beyond summoning guardians, the artifact:
- Teleported users directly to the vaults when channeled with magic
- Contained alchemical engravings hinting at deeper functions
Ryan stored the Tinderbox in his dimensional pocket and climbed out of the hollow tree. A silver whistle summoned Duskstrider. Its crimson eyes pierced the mist as it knelt for Ryan.
Mounting his steed, Ryan gazed toward the horizon—a baron's frontier, where the true power struggles began.
Nobility hierarchy:
- Barons: Castle lords ruling over 10,000 subjects
- Earls: "Kings" of territories spanning dozens of kilometers with populations of over 100,000 people.
- Marquises: Lands 2-3 times the size of an earl's; often 200,000+ subjects
- Dukes: The pinnacle of noble authority
- Princes: Usually royal kin or princesses' consorts; rarely wield real power unless they marry into influence and contend for the imperial throne.
Once, a single emperor ruled the continent. Then came the Tyrant—a ruler whose cruelty united nobles and commoners alike against him. His downfall shattered the empire.
1. Northern Holy Roman Empire
2. Southern Holy Roman Empire.
Both claimed legitimacy, but the true victor was the Church, which now:
- crowns emperors via "divine oracle"
- holds veto power over royal succession
- stands as the ultimate moral authority
And somewhere in their vaults, Ryan mused, lie relics that could topple them all.
Duskstrider surged forward, carrying him toward the border and the games of thrones beyond.
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