Gold?
Hora couldn't hide his feelings. Lucas must have noticed this, and suddenly seemed to be filled with pride.
"T-that's right. Our Commander is Gold, and he is only the weakest of the leaders along the Ascending Road."
"What is the ascending road?" Hora asked.
Lucas looked at Hora with a confused expression. Then he looked at Mariketh.
"He... has not had the chance to explore this world yet. He has spent his time elsewhere." The Ashfinder explained.
The tied-up human seemed to almost want to laugh. One look from Hora made him choose otherwise, and he started to explain.
"The Ascending Road is a road created by the One True Empire; the Human Empire. It stretches through the entirety of this content, right down the centre. If we travel in that direction, we will reach the first human civilisations at the start of the road. This is our weakest civilisation. The further you travel down the road, the stronger we become."
Hora took the information in. At the same time, he started to make a geographical map of Ilona inside his head.
"Every other race acknowledges this road and builds their homes furthest away from our strongest civilisations. But that isn't enough. The One True Empire will someday rule over the entirety of the world. No one will be able to hide from our—"
The man's words were cut off by Hora's fist in his face. He fell onto his back and let out a groan as blood poured from his nose.
"That's how I reward patriotism." Hora laughed. "With a pale fist."
The pride of the human nation was swiftly wiped off Lucas' face.
"So, let me get this straight." Hora continued, "This Richard Vondergast is the Commander from the weakest settlement in the human empire. Yet, he's been given the task to subjegate the Ashfallen people?"
"Y-yes," Lucas spoke through a blocked bloody nose. "Our other commanders are on other expeditions. There are hundreds of races after all, it will take a lot to enslave them all."
I see. So not only were the Ashfallen enslaved, but it was by the weakest of the human empire?
Hora felt his anger rising at the state of the Ashfallen. Where was their pride?
The Ashfinder seemed to notice this and stepped closer towards the Ashlord with hope in her eyes.
"A-Ashlord Hora, does this mean you're thinking of..."
Hora let the words hang in the air for a moment before responding.
"Yeah, I'll free them. Not because of love for the Ashfallen, but rather my hatred for the humans."
Mariketh's eyes seemed to glow as she clasped her hands together in joy. In reality, Hora had long since decided that he would help the Ashfallen. Even if he pretended not to care for them, that wasn't the truth.
He created the race after all. He needed to see them given the respect they deserved.
Respect only came from power.
Lucas watched the Ashfinder jump about, and secretly within himself, he thought she was crazy.
"I-i'm sorry, but do you really think you will be able to beat two-hundred humans?" He said cautiously, trying not to anger Hora. "Not only do we have Richard, but we also have many other soldiers who are rank bronze and silver."
"I'm aware," Hora spoke. "You have roughly two hundred human soldiers, equipped with technology and weapons that the Ashfallen don't even understand."
Lucas nodded his head shakily. "So then why do you have so much confidence?"
Hora was about to explain to the man, but instead, he decided he would show him.
Using a nail, he cut into his forearm skin. A sizzling noise hissed through the air as blue-grey blood spilt from the wound.
A chemical seemed to be released from the cut, which had no effect on the Ashfallen, but made a human, like Lucas, choke.
Afterwards, Hora reached his hand out to the ash that floated in the night air. As he grabbed hold of it and smeared the dust on his wound, the cut suddenly started to seal itself.
Lucas gawked at this. He seemed in disbelief at the man's powers.
But Hora wasn't done. He then reached out and touched Lucas's head, making the man flinch.
"W-what are you doing?" He stuttered.
Hora didn't respond. He was too busy focusing on drawing the warmth out of Lucas' body.
A sudden chill went through the human skin, as if he had caught a fever. For a moment, he wondered if he was being touched by ice.
By the time Hora removed his hand, he felt the warmth going through his body. If he wanted, he could use Overheat and have it power his body.
"These are just a few of the powers belonging to the Ashfallen." Hora then said.
He had not mentioned that Ashfallen had the potential to grow much stronger and faster than humans, and would also be enhanced when underground or fighting in the darkness.
"If my people were to know of all these skills, then they would have never lost to your weaklings. There are a thousand of us within the White Ravine, and once I teach them what needs to be taught... Let's just say you will find us travelling down the Ascending Road, making slaves of your people."
Even Mariketh was now stunned silent. The words of her Ashlord filled her with hope that she had never felt before.
Lucas remained silent too. Somehow, when looking at the man in front of him, he couldn't help but think that somehow, he alone might be able to rival Richard Vondergast.
And Hora, he revelled in the pride. At that moment, he felt that his Flames of Pride would be stronger than ever. If only he had a target to direct them towards...
That led him to his next point.
"I have heard that certain races have access to different methods of gaining strength. For example, we have the black dreams. What do you humans have?"
Lucas' face went red as a tomato.
"That is a secret. A secret that I will be killed for speaking of!"
Hora summoned his Shadowsteel sword and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess this is the end of the road for you—"
"W-WAIT! I'll talk!"
"..."
That wasn't so difficult.
The nervous Lucas suddenly closed his eyes, and eventually, an item magically appeared in front of him. It was a necklace, with the symbol of a gold sun at its end.
It seemed to be some sort of religious pendant.
"We pray to the gods, and they give us our trials." He said finally, with great sadness for spilling the humans' secrets.
A wide grin spread across Hora's face. He was right, the humans did have their equivalent to the Black Dreams. His plan could work.
"Well then, you'd better teach me these prayers. I have to get stronger, and the Black Dreams aren't going to be enough."