The Ether Line Nexus is truly a magical Territory Attribute. Even though my mana pool is so large, it can still be completely refilled with just a simple nap.
As he made his way out of his house, he found the village bustling with celebration. Fire pits were lit everywhere, with everyone standing around them, either roasting food or dancing.
"What in the world," Thorian muttered in surprise before Harald jumped next to him.
"You finally woke up," the Storm direwolf grumbled, before smiling at Thorian's confused expression. "Everyone learned about our exploit and the death of Nalia. So, they started celebrating her demise."
"I see," Thorian smiled. "It is indeed a cause worthy of celebration."
He then looked at Harald and asked, "What about Tristan and the rest of the humans? I need to talk to them."
"They're feasting with the rest," Harald gestured with his snout toward a fire pit where Brix was entertaining Tristan, Robert, and the two kids with his songs and dances, as their meat roasted.
With a smile on his face, Thorian walked toward them. As they noticed his presence, they turned around.
"Lord Thorian, I must congratulate you and thank you for your victory," Tristan said, bowing lightly. "It was a truly hard battle, yet you still came out on top."
"Yeah, I heard you were so amazing!" James exclaimed with stars in his eyes. "They talked about how you created an arrow made of pure fire and unleashed hell on Nalia. I wish I was there to see it!"
"Maybe some other day," Thorian chuckled, ruffling James's hair. He then turned to Tristan with a more serious expression. "As I promised, Nalia is dead. If you wish to return to Locksley, I can escort you there."
Hearing those words, Tristan nodded. "Thank you for all your efforts. I have truly enjoyed my time here, but I must return to my responsibilities in Locksley. I'm sure Oswald is worried sick about me."
"He is," Thorian sighed, recalling the dead look in Oswald’s eyes the last time they had met. No matter how hardened one was, killing your father was bound to leave a mark.
"Wait, no! I want to stay here!" James protested, seeing Tristan preparing to leave. "Playing with Brix and Nox is fun. I don’t want to go back to the boring mansion."
"James! Don’t be so stubborn," Tristan scolded, furrowing his eyebrows, while Thorian laughed heartily.
He then addressed James, "This is not a farewell. You'll see them soon enough. In fact, you'll see them so much you'll get tired of their faces."
"I'm not going to get tired of them," James retorted, pouting.
Seeing this, Thorian sighed. "Let's do this: I still need to discuss plans with my team before we head to Locksley. Take this time to enjoy the festivities, okay?"
"Thank you, mister! I knew you were kind." James's face lit up at Thorian's words.
With that, Thorian turned to Tristan and the others. "Well then, I'll see you in a bit."
With those words, Thorian made his way out before gathering his main team at the entrance of the inner village to discuss their next steps.
"First of all, I must congratulate all of you for the work you've done," Thorian began. "Without you, Nalia wouldn't have been defeated."
"Thank you for your words, my lord," Zogarth replied with a light bow, while the rest nodded in agreement.
"My lord, regarding Nalia, we have confiscated her staff and ring," Aqua announced. "We also took all the belongings and luxury items from her stronghold. They are now stored in our warehouse."
"Good work," Thorian nodded. "We shall sift through them later."
"So, now that the threat of Nalia is no more, what is your plan for the humans, my lord?" Forlune inquired with interest.
"I will offer them the chance to become our vassals," Thorian responded simply.
Forlune frowned. "And what if they refuse?"
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"I hope they do not," Thorian sighed, his expression turning serious. "But if they do, we would have no other choice left than to use force."
Hearing that, Forlune smiled, while Vigil looked down with a sad expression. "I would certainly not wish for that to happen. I hope they will be wise enough to peacefully join our kingdom, my lord."
"I hope for that too," Thorian sighed, before shaking his head. "But let us not dwell on this matter too much. We don’t have much time left until the experience boost we gained from defeating the guardians is nullified. We must challenge the abyss while we still have that advantage."
"Now that’s something to be excited about," Forlune grinned. "I want to see just how many levels I can gain today."
Nodding at Forlune with a smile, Thorian excused himself to bring back Tristan and the rest of his party. Once the group was finally assembled, they made their way towards Locksley.
As they reached the gates of the grand city, William and Oswald were there to welcome them.
Seeing their father, Tristan and James immediately rushed towards him.
"Father, you are truly alive and well," Tristan said with a relieved expression before hugging William. "I am so glad. I am so glad you are not dead."
"I am glad that no harm had befell you," William smiled as he hugged Tristan. "I am sorry for having made you worry so much."
"No," Tristan shook his head. "As long as you are alive, that is all that matters."
William smiled and patted Tristan on the back before the latter turned to Oswald. Without saying a word, the two hugged each other.
"You made me worry so much, you idiotic bastard," Oswald said, gripping Tristan’s back as he hugged him.
Hearing this, Tristan smiled. "I know… I apologize for that."
While Tristan and Oswald were catching up, William walked towards Thorian and said, "I am truly grateful for what you have done," he lightly bowed, before gesturing for them to enter the city. "Now please come with us. We must celebrate this victory."
Hearing this invitation, Thorian chuckled. "I will let you all have your time to celebrate. My presence will only make it awkward."
Seeing Thorian refuse his invitation, William changed the subject. "Well then, would you like to discuss the terms we have postponed? If it’s within my power, I will do anything."
Hearing this, Thorian sighed. "That can wait until tomorrow. Let’s leave tonight for festivities. I have only come because I want to challenge the abyss within your city with my team."
"The abyss?" William raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "It seems there are many matters I am not aware of, even within my own city. Well then, we shall do as you propose. But let me at least escort you until you reach this abyss that you are looking for."
Chuckling at William’s quick-wittedness, Thorian nodded. "That is reasonable."
With that, Thorian made his way alongside his party to the tunnels that spread across Locksley.
As William looked around, he scrunched his eyebrows. "To think that Nalia had expanded the sewers into such a network. It must have taken her years to do so without anyone noticing."
"You tell me about it," Thorian shrugged. "This is your city we’re talking about. You must keep your affairs in order."
Hearing this, William sighed. "I can't refute your words, Lord Thorian. The only excuse I have is that I've been occupied with battles and wars against the barbarians for a long time. She must have used the absence of my attention to expand her organization."
"Right now, it no longer matters," Thorian responded. "Nalia and her organization are no more. The only issue left is the corrupted nobles who allowed her to thrive. Surely, Johannes wasn’t the only one involved in her schemes."
"I am fully aware of that," William responded with a cold voice. "And I intend to root out that corruption completely."
"As long as you keep that in mind," Thorian nodded. Then, he turned around as he heard the sound of footsteps.
"Oh, it's you, Thorian," Nox, who had transformed into a new kobold evolution, led his group of newly evolved assassins.
Nox had grown larger, and so had the rest of his squad. Their fur had also become longer and silkier. While Nox's midnight black fur had gained some shimmering purple streaks, the rest of them had developed azure streaks that matched their silver fur.
"Seems like you’ve all grown stronger," Thorian smiled as he looked at Nox and his squad.
"Congratulations on your evolution," Forlune chimed in. “Looks like you’re now finally able to pull your own weight."
"Add in your weight too," Nox joked with a grin. "But thank you, I have never felt this strong. It's like I can do anything."
"Don’t get too ahead of yourself," Thorian chuckled before asking, "But how far did you reach in the abyss? I hope you didn’t push your teammates too far and made them fight something they can’t beat."
"He almost did," Alacritas rolled his eyes. "But we made him stop on the fourteenth floor. I heard about the boss of the fifteenth floor and was not sure we could beat it without getting used to our abilities first."
"I’m sure we would have," Nox shrugged before looking back at Thorian. "But yeah, we stopped at the fourteenth. Once we get some training done, we will go back and challenge the abyss again."
"Well then, good luck with your training," Thorian concluded the conversation.
With those words, the two groups crossed paths, and Thorian continued on his way to the abyss's entrance. As they entered the room where the portal was located, William exclaimed, "To think that such a thing existed below the city? I had no idea."
Hearing this, Thorian looked down with a slightly melancholic expression. William, I truly do not want to cross blades with you in this life. I hope that tomorrow, we can exit the meeting room as new friends. Please do not make a foolish choice.
Shaking these thoughts away, Thorian looked back at William and smiled. "The abyss is a great way to gain experience points and levels. You should have your men come down here once in a while."
"I will definitely do so," William nodded before lightly bowing. "And again, I must thank you for the insight. You have been nothing but a blessing for me and my people."
Hearing these words, Thorian's expression froze for a second before he nodded with a smile. "Well then, I shall see you later. Enjoy the festivities."