Chapter: 675 – Plans and Authority

Tala… had been right. As soon as she confirmed that it was her personal hold that was the source of the Talon’s power, their magical density, there were demands to access it.

This, as it turned out, was exactly in line with what Tala had expected, so she had her answer ready. “Unfortunately, my hold and the power within is a strategic war resource, and as such it must be husbanded. I am happy to give you all a tour in the next few days, but the power within will not be available without petition and appropriate recompense.”

That, of course, got pushback, even if the objections didn’t have any teeth, given no one could argue against her authority in this case.

The turtle-kin Pillar was evidently rather smug about the whole situation, but he kept his thoughts to himself nonetheless.

Even with her authority unquestionable in this situation, Tala listened to the objections and arguments, then shut them all down with simple logic. “The power within is not limitless, no matter its density, and therefore, it must be used properly. In this, I have final say.”

Head Corinis clapped once, drawing all eyes to him. “Even were she not Eskau of War, these resources are hers, brought to our House of her own volition. I would love to see what she has done with those resources so far, and I look forward to seeing how they will be wielded for the benefit of our House and cause going forward. We’ve handed over steering to this helmsman, and only a fool would start to whip her bloody moments after we leave port.”

That quieted the gathered Pillars and Eskau.

Tala gave a small nod to Head Corinis, and he returned it with equal deference.

“Now,” Tala smiled around at those assembled, “we have work to do.”

When some mouths opened to speak again, she cut across them.

“I will show you my hold, but only after we come to an understanding of how I will execute my role. Understood?”

She met every eye, getting a nod from every representative present.

“Good. Now, as I was saying, we will need to be strengthening alliances with the other Houses and powers that be, improving communication networks, and ensuring we are secure in the good graces of the various City Lords. I will not be traveling far and wide to get this done. I will travel to engage the enemy wherever they show up, but until then, I will be based out of Platoiri, as that is the best place from which to coordinate with the gated northerners. We will be shifting our processes, part of that will be the gated we will be… acquiring. The training program will be aggressive. I hope to have the first Hold Wardens ready to replace hold columns and their vestige cores within two years.”

The turtle Pillar lifted one clawed finger, speaking once Tala acknowledged him. “Eskau, I believe that you said that program would be dependent on several factors that you haven’t dug into as of yet.”

“It does. We will be devoting resources to removing the mystery from those areas. I have four artifact experts ready and able to interface with both House of Blood members and the professionals willing to be hired onto the effort.” Tala’s mind continued going down the lists fed to her by Alat which Lyn and others had helped prepare for this eventuality. “We will require binding agreements for all involved, and they will be offered limited access to the increased density while they are working with us as both incentive and insurance.”

Murmurs of understanding rippled through the gathered arcanes.

The turtle sighed. “I don’t wish to continue to poke at your idea, Eskau Tala, but doesn’t it take more than half a decade to train a gated Mage?”

“It does, yes, but we aren’t. That isn’t the plan. We are going to teach them a specific set of magic, not instruct them in general magical theory and let them pick. It’s restrictive, but infinitely less so than existence as a vestige would be.”

He tilted his head to the side before nodding in thoughtful understanding. “I see…”

Tala snapped her fingers, remembering something important. “Right! With the shift in authority, I can now allow Eskau Meallain free of my hold, if still only in my presence.”

An instant later, the elf stood beside Tala. Without hesitation, Eskau Meallain turned and knelt with one knee down, bowing her head in deference. “This Eskau greets the Eskau of War. May the blood of our enemies flow freely.”

Tala smiled, having expected the reaction, but still appreciating the authoritative feeling confirming the woman’s view. “Rise, Eskau. You will remain under restriction for the time being. No command from your Pillar nor even the Head of House will be suffered to countermand that order. This is a matter of utmost importance for the war with the Black Legion. We cannot risk the anger and retribution of those watching, and you are too valuable to the House to permit the potential of your execution.”

Eskau Meallain nodded, standing to her feet. “I understand and will obey.”

And there was simple truth to that. The elf was nothing if not utterly devoted to the House of Blood. Even her dive into near insanity had come about due to that very devotion.

There was also the fact that Tala felt no growing hostility from a Sovereign level source. This was an acceptable solution for the time being.

Tala turned back to the circle of representatives. If her authority as Eskau of War had been unquestioned before, it was absolute now. Eskau Meallain was known as one of the most capable in the entire House. Moreover, she was known for her utter loyalty. Her instant recognition of and deference toward Tala helped those gathered take the last step in shifting their mindset toward the human Eskau.

Bless you, Lyn. Your advice was perfect.

-I’ll pass on your thanks.-

Please do. Tala would have had no hope of actually fulfilling this position if she were left on her own. She wouldn’t have even dared suggest it if she hadn’t had Lyn in her corner. This was expected, actually. Even normal Eskau usually had adjuncts to handle the minutia, but it likely hadn’t been expected that Tala would have so many plans already prepared and ready for initialization on the day of her raising.

“Now, where were we?” Tala tilted her head as if in thought, but in reality, she had her lovely checklist firmly in mind. “That’s right. White steel production.” She grinned. “The material my Talons are equipped with. There is a certain minor house we need to track down, as they built the manufactory I’ve been using. It has, as of yet, eluded our abilities to reverse engineer it. We’ll continue to try on that front, but if we can commission more from the source? That would be preferred. We will also need to begin gathering the needed resources for production. I would like every Pillar and Eskau fully outfitted as soon as we can make it happen, and having both the gear and training as bargaining pieces to cement our leadership in the coming clash will be key. We do have enough that I can give each of you some to begin practicing with, but we’ll handle that in the coming days.”

The Eskau and Pillars were all nodding along now, clearly having moved from surprise and mild resistance into excitement. It was clear that Tala wasn’t just throwing out ideas, she had solid plans to push forward the war effort.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

They were all likely congratulating themselves on their decision to raise her by this point. Tala could sense growing loyalty to the House of Blood within each, along with increased fervor for the fight to come, the direct alignment with her new authority allowing those aspects of their souls to resonate vividly to her perception.

It was going to be a busy time ahead, but in the end? They just might be able to deal with the Black Legion once and for all.

The discussion continued through much of the day, moving to a private dining room for meals, and a less formal meeting room in between. In the end, the House had forged a plan for the next few years that they all assumed would have to be adjusted quite often to account for various results and changing circumstances.

There was an interesting feel to the discussions since Tala did not actually need to talk with them about any of this. She would have been well within her rights to simply command that this or that be done.

In discussing it with Rane, Master Grediv, and a few others—and with Lyn to a lesser degree due to the woman’s advancement—it was decided that the very discussion would be a means through which she could both build and solidify her authority.

This was the ‘first impression’ these representatives would have of her in the position, and if she could show that she not only had good reasons behind what she commanded but that she was also willing to listen to counsel? That is the report they would bring back, and that was the baseline from which the whole House would come to see her.

And it worked beautifully.

She could actively feel the authority from her new title strengthening within her. It wasn’t a massive multiplier, or even a full percentage increase—even if something as conceptual as authority could be quantified to the point of giving such numerical comparisons meaning—but it was changing.

Maturing. It feels like the authority is maturing, at least a little bit.

-Yup, from a new-born Eskau of War to a baby one. Well done.-

In only a matter of hours? Yeah, I’ll accept that progress.

-…Fair enough.-

When they were finally wrapping up for the day—given there was no reason to continue on into the night—Head Corinis drew attention and raised a single issue. “We do have a couple of delegations wishing to negotiate with our House. I believe that the Eskau of War and I should hold audience with them tomorrow. Is that acceptable, Eskau Tala?”

Tala thought for a moment, then nodded. “I think that could work. I do not wish to remain in Croi for long, a week or so at most. I want to study the world-fragment before I depart though, so I will need some time for that as well as access to any research and expertise on the subject we have at our disposal.”

“Is this personal curiosity or to do with the war?” The question sounded casual, but it was clearly a bit of a test.

Tala smiled. “Honestly? A bit of both. I am definitely personally curious, but if I can learn from the state of existence in here? That could make the transporting of gated resources almost infinitely more tenable, and given our new allies? That is a potential we cannot ignore.”

Head Corinis smiled. “Very well. We will arrange for the audiences and the research time.”