Mina Ast- the woman shielding her friend behind her slightly broader back- was a middle aged, just slightly past forty years of age if Jack's appraisal was to be believed, and a decently good looking lady, with dark brown hair woven into a single braid, well toned body from years of training and combat drills, and eyes that sparked with inner will and fire that many similarly built women lacked- a proof of their hard work and dedication to whatever cause pushed them forever forward. Add on to that a fierce loyalty and quite the catch could be seen, if one could steal the heart of such a staunch protector.
'if only my standards had not been elevated to unreasonable levels.' Jack sighed in his own mind, all too aware just how much he had been messed up in that regard. If one was not at the level of Anastiela- an angel with divine blood, no matter how diluted and weak, he found it hard to desire to claim them, let alone pursue. Sure, he might just mess around a bit here and there, a proof of such actions the numerous lap naps he had enjoyed on the firm yet soft thighs of Nivi, but he was seriously lacking in a proper lust for flesh, at least for now that was. The silly little game of his where he played the protector and 'dad' for a bunch of teenagers as they found their way through this new, dangerous, seriously messed up and yet no doubt exciting world, was just too much fun to be distracted from. Even this whole falling through a crack in space and finding himself on an entirely different continent could not steer him away from the aforementioned little game of his as he remained in constant contact with the group just who knows how far away. Still, a task- a secondary quest if you will- had fallen in his lap, and he would be a poor sport and a rather lacking completion whore if he did not strive to finish it all, setting a god damn rebellion in motion and ensuring that it was very likely, if not near guaranteed, to succeed in felling the current regime and establishing a new one, if only with a simple role reversal.
The woman behind Mina Ast was a bit older, in her late forties though her age had failed to show on either her face or figure. Her face was still mostly blemish and wrinkle free, with a rare one signifying more the stress of her position than her actual age. Her silver gray hair might be construed as a clear sign of her age, though upon closer inspection one would see that they were still full with luster, making one feel they might even reflect a bit of moonlight on a clear night with a full, round one gracing the world beneath it with its freely shared light. No way was such vibrant and healthy hair that of a graying old lady, getting on in her years. This right here was a natural born silver haired beauty, with the charm, mannerisms and wisdom of a seasoned woman, if her current calm, if barely contained facial expression could be trusted. Jack still noticed a flicker of fear and caution that managed to sneak on her face in the most minute ways. She was no doubt yet another clear mark for conquest if ones ego ran wild. Her body too was nicely maintained, with barely any excess fat- her figure lithe and slender, though half of that could easily be attributed to the necessity to move at a moments notice, keeping most, if not all members of this tribe, rather healthy.
How was Jack supposed to proceed here? Should he take on the guise of an amused entity, having just accidentally ran into this tribe? Or should he be an enigmatic one that clearly had an agenda to push, this little tribe before him chosen for very specific reason. In the end, having mulled it over for a short while, though his mind had played quite the elaborate for and against, he picked neither, deciding to go with something of a middle ground.
With something of a flair, his hand moved before him as a moment later a rather regal looking chair appeared. Made of wood that neither Mina Ast nor Selin Sen recognized, its color, shade and ring formation a fair bit darker than anything they had ever seen. Carved with intricate geometrical patterns, inlaid with gold and silver, it gave off a regal feeling, as though one was in the presence of some sort of a king, or emperor.
With another, similarly grand action, Jack sat down in mere moments ago revealed throne, one of his cheeks resting against his right knuckle as a small, seemingly amused smile crept on his lips.
"Good reaction. Fearful, yet smart enough not to run straight away, while still clearly searching for ways out of the predicament had I come with malicious intent. I see you seem to be failing on the latter." Jack spoke, his eyes looking for any minute reaction towards his words.
"You understand me. That's good." he continued on once it was clear both sides could communicate, a language barrier not hindering what should come next. "Let's get to the reason for my presence here, shall we?"
------------------
The Destroyer's Presence had done more than just frozen Selin Sen, her right hand woman Mina Ast, the hunter party and most likely everyone within its range. No, it had done plenty of psychological damage as well, announcing the presence of a being so far beyond Selin's understanding and ability to contend with she had half a mind to just end it all there and then, giving up her somewhat damned existence in this form entirely. She had not gone and acted upon the momentary spark of nihilism, due to the short moment said spark had flared, extinguished mere moments later, as well as the fact her body had refused to move according to her will- frozen in sheer fear and terror for said same moment. But as much a devastating mental shock the presence had brought, the man who it originated from was something else entirely.
He was larther large, close to two meters in height- not too impressive size when compared to the largest of beastmen species, though a mighty fine specimen of the human race- and his appearance was that of a young man barely touching his thirties, an appraisal that Selin had landed on quite accurately. Nor was he breathtakingly handsome, nor monstrously ugly- an average man if one had to rate him. And yet, despite his somewhat not all that impressive appearance- his height notwithstanding- he exuded a special kind of presence, even once Destroyer's Presence was drawn back into his body.
It was then that Selin's mind had began to work overtime, desperately searching for a path forward. If not for her entire tribe, then at least the brightest. She would be damned if she would be the one under whose leadership everything came to an end. Thankfully, the stranger, and his quite oddly dressed entourage if the short glimpse of the girls trailing the man was an indication, did not seem to desire blood to flow freely. At least not quite yet.
Mina had moved to shield her body seemingly unconsciously at some point, somewhat positioning her own body between Selin and their guests, though it as clear that she too had been rattled by the presence. Still, the act warmed Selin's heart, her close friend doing what she had sworn no matter the situation.
The throne that the man drew from his spatial storage was quite regal looking, as well as quite vain, Selin could not help thinking. What good was a throne for people who had to be on the move near constantly? Did it help to protect one's own people? Did it promote success in hunting? 'The mighty do as they wish.' she concluded in the privacy of her own mind, even as her face slightly lost at least some of the tension as the man spoke. They shared a common language. Another potential danger averted.
"Let's get to the reason for my presence here, shall we?" he finally spoke, a slight smile on his face. It was clear he was the strongest person present, he knew it too damn well and was all too comfortable with the fact.
"First things first." the man spoke "Ignore whatever that scout of yours told you. It was my group who he saw leaving the inner region of the steppe. And no, he cannot be blamed for my presence here for the simple reason he was not even aware I knew of his presence way before he ever could detect mine, thus being incapable of knowing he should try and lose me. To be fair, I also strongly doubt my arrival will be considered anything but a boon if your people look back at this moment some time later."
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A lot of words, with little of substance left the mans mouth. he probably liked the sound of his own voice. Selin Sen and Mina Ast shared the same thought, though none dared voicing said same thought out loud. Sure, the man might say a lot of things, but words were always cheap and plenty of spies had been sent into the outer regions of the steppe to fool and trap larger tribes than theirs.
"Is that suspicion I sense?" he chuckled, clearly amused by their reaction. Not an ounce of his being gave off the slightest indication of offence taken, or anger rising at that, but one could never take such calm demeanor for granted. Quite the contrary, such extreme control warranted even more caution than ever before. If only their actions, controlled and curated as much as they could be, were of any significant matter in this particular case. Sadly, the difference in power made their conversation rather one sided, with whatever the stranger settled on ending as the final decision, unless of course a bloodbath of quite the proportions were chosen as the only alternative.
"How could our measly tribe have possibly drawn the attention of one as mighty as yourself, if I may ask?" realizing the opposing party was waiting for a response of any kind, Selin Senn spoke, her question spoken softly, though loud enough the man could easily understand it.
"I was not looking for any one tribe in particular" Jack replied in turn "Not that I knew of specific ones either, mind you. All I needed was a scout that no doubt sticked around and awaited the news of the scouting parties of the beastmen setting out. And here we all are." he then gestured.
"The important question however is a slight bit different. Tell me. Are you content with living in constant fear? To be wondering if this particular season of conflict will be the one where you fail to escape in time, with most of your people either enslaved of killed? Or would you much rather take the fate of your live in your own hands? Would you fight against the damn beastmen and make them experience the same that you have?"
His words cut deep, the truth displayed without the slightest bit of sugarcoating, revealing a pain and shame ingrained deep in the hearts of both Selin Senn and Mina Ast. Who had not dreamed of such a thing? Who had not entertained the idea of a rebellion of sorts, aimed precisely at those same would be beastmen slave masters and owners. And yet, they also were smart enough, at least at this point in time, to know just how impossible it was to achieve. Not only were they individually weaker, with second awakening fighters found only among what could be called the super tribes, and even then one or two such individuals at best. Add to that the fact that all tribes were extremely individualistic, making cooperation near impossible, and you have a sure fire guarantee that no matter how hard one tries, unity is nigh impossible.
"Perish the thought sir. " Selin finally answered, both having faced the cold facts as well as considering said powerhouse before her eyes was a part of some new sort of a plan the beastmen had cooked up, though the latter option seemed too far fetched. If beastmen could waste the time of such a powerful individual, they might as well push for the Deadlands and send him there. Humans were not in danger of the mental deterioration quite to the same level as beastmen after all.
"Sir can clearly see that we cannot even hope to offer him alone a challenge worth mentioning, let alone the cities of beastmen and their powerful clans with second awakening warriors and mages. All we can do is send our scouts out, hope they catch early movement of the scouts from the other side and return safely to warn us in turn so we can retreat in time."
"And if you had the numbers? I mean second awakening fighters in the hundreds? What then?" Jack asked in turn, his light smile stil plastered on his face and voice calm, like he had stated a simply achievable task "Humor me." he added, clearly having noticed the incredulity and disbelief in such a possibility flashing across the faces of both Selin Senn and Mina Ast.
"Just our tribe alone? Or a coalition of tribes?" Selin asked cautiously, reasoning it was much safer to play along. It would not hurt to dream a little either as she placated the powerful man.
"Why pick one? Tell me of both cases."
Selin sunk in thought for a moment, carefully considering each of the situations, though reaching somewhat similar results, with slight caveats of course. As such, several minutes later she replied "In the case of the former, and if heading into Deadlands is not a choice we could make with clean conscience, we would have to contact several other tribes roaming the outer region, hopefully coming together through diplomacy so we could make up the numbers before reaching out to the largest of tribes living near the Deadlands, forming an alliance of sorts. Incidentally, the same would have happened in the latter case. The difference would only be in the amount of spoils our group would receive in the event of a successful campaign against the beastmen."
"And how would you treat them if case of victory? Just as they had treated you for thousands of years? Or something different?" Jack asked another question, though judging by his tone, curiosity was all he held regarding the question.
"As if anything but the same treatment our kind has experienced for millenia would teach them a thing." Selin replied with venom, masked as it was. It was clear that all of the human like tribes shared the same sentiment, and with good reason too.
"That's a fair point, but why not go further? Extermination of their kind entirely?" Jack asked another question, just as curious as before.
"That would be far too great a waste of perfectly capable workforce and resources."
"My, oh my, such a great response." Jack then grinned, signaling for Spartacus to step forward from the maid group.
"This here is Spartacus." Jack explained as he pointed towards the man "His task is to lead an army- one that will be trained relatively soon- to spearhead an attack against the beastmen. The question that follows is rather simple. Would your tribe be interested in becoming a part of said army? We can promise good odds against the beastmen, as well as proper training beforehand so most of said army reaches second awakening before the attack begins."
"I'm sorry?" Jack's words were beyond even Selin's comprehension. What did he mean with 'most of said army reaches second awakening before the attack begins'? There was no conceivable way to achieve such a thing in short term, and humans were not among the long living species who could try and manifest a similar result using dark and foul arts over centuries- not that the latter would ever come to pass either, for the second that even a whiff of such foul rituals taking place anywhere within the steppe inescapably surfaced, same said place would face an armada of joined forces from every other nearby tribe in case of the outer regions, or settlements in case of the inner one. That was the only thing that both sides would agree on, though none would ever come out and say as such.
Calming herself down, Selin tried to plaster the most polite smile on her face as she replied, now more than just heavy stressed about the incredibly powerful man but also about the logistics of how such an evil caster could be dealt with. Direct confrontation was a no go, that much was clear. Assassination then? But who could get a drop on the man if even their best scouts had no chance in hell? Poison then? Would the man ever accept any supplies from them , and even in case he did, the chances he himself would ingest them was incredibly slim- the number of people around him seemed like some sort of servants.
"I'm afraid we are too timid a people to be of much help in military offensives. We have few warriors among us, and those rare few are dearly needed to protect our tribe as we travel. As such, even if most of us here could reach second awakening, we would still be greatly lacking in military might."
"Riiight." Jack drew out the word as he looked at her with unconcealed suspicion "And your decision would have nothing to do with how you suddenly labeled me some sort of a heretic in your mind? I would love it very much to hear just what it is that you classified me as?"
Mina Ast sensed things were not going quite well, with the corner of her eye catching Selin visibly going pale at being called out. With the lack of Destroyer's Presence sprawled all around them, she shifted her body to entirely shield Selin behind her once again, her right hand gripping the sword strapped to her side, only to freeze in her tracks as Jack spoke, seemingly dismissing her as a warrior.
"Don't bother. As you are now, even Spartacus could take you one on one, so just sit tight until I figure out what to do with you all." his gaze locked onto Selin once again, seemingly staring right through Mina Ast "Well, do tell?"
Jack Raja(?)
Age- 27
Species- human(?)
Level- 31
Class- Awakened twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(Ex)
Stats unassigned: +4
Attributes:
Strength- 34 (14+7+13(gear))
Vitality- 28 (12+8+8(gear))
Dexterity- 29 (15+6+8(gear))
Intelligence-20(15+ 5(gear)
Spirit- Spirit- 30 (20+10)
Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX), Origin of matter(EX), Unbound by laws of the lessers(EX), The end made manifest(EX). Destroyers presence(unique legendary).
Spells- none.
Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme. Slavemaster.
Gear: Two handed sword(t3)+ 5 str +5 vit: Armor 3str +3 vit +3 dex; Ring 1 - spatial storage, ring 2 +5int, ring 3 +5 str; amulet +5 dex.
