Chapter 344: Duskblade Sect
Dominic went downstairs to gather the necessary staff, only to find that they had already been arranged before he was notified.
It was good to have staff that knew you well, but this seemed a bit excessive, as if there wasn’t really an option.
Or perhaps the option was whether he was going with them or not.
"Now, to see how well I do on the back of a mechanical horse." Dominic joked.
Prince Russel gave Dominic a curious look. "With all your skills, how did you never make a comfortable life for yourself before reaching Cygnia? Seriously, I would have expected you to arrive as a wealthy merchant."
Prince Fahad laughed at the confused Cygnia Prince. "You forget that while nobody was actively pursuing him, he was originally considered to be a war criminal on the run."
Dominic nodded. "If I stayed more than a week or two in one spot, someone would either send in a Dagos Hunter, or the horns would get me in trouble.
I had expected it to be the same in Cygnia, but as it turns out, a lot of things can be overlooked when you can prove yourself useful."
Alexis waved him toward the door. "Go, find your people and bring them back here. Just make sure that they’re not going to cause trouble or freak out when they see an entire Axbridge field army sitting outside the city."
Dominic gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and then joined the group headed for the stables to get mounts.
He got two of the Royal Guards, five officers from Prince Russel’s reservists, and one veiled maid, who reluctantly hopped up behind Dominic, as she didn’t have any idea how to ride a horse.
Not that she had a great deal of confidence that Dominic had any more riding skills than she did.
"If you tell me that you used to be a horse thief, it might actually make me feel better about this outing." She whispered while wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Unfortunately, no. But this is a mechanical horse. It doesn’t buck or balk at commands. Just sit steady, and you’ll be fine." Dominic replied.
"Easy for you to say. I’m sitting side-saddle." She muttered.
Right. The maid was wearing a dress. It would be somewhere between awkward and scandalous if she straddled the horse, depending on how warmly she was dressed.
The saddle was designed for one person and a cargo pack, so she was sitting where the bedroll and supplies would normally ride. A secure spot, though not the most comfortable option.
The Royal Guards led the way out of town, setting a steady pace, a bit faster than a trot for the mechanical horses, but not so fast that it would look like they were rushing to get somewhere.
As they reached the edge of town, more soldiers joined them. A squad of cavalry from each army came to join their outing, which turned their small force into a rather formidable one, flying the colours of three different nations.
Dominic thought that it made them look as much like Nomads as the actual Nomads, but it would eliminate any chance of surprises when they met with the wandering mages.
The group had gotten far closer than Dominic had expected, given that they had been detected by magic.
They were already almost within the scouting range of the patrols when they emerged from the woods and spotted Dominic’s patrol, led by the Royal Guards.
They waved Dominic forward, and visible relief washed over the expressions of the elderly mages at the front of the group when they saw his horns.
"Greetings. I am Duke Dominic Wavemates, Lord of Wistover. Our ladies of the Purity Sect tell me that you are headed our way." He greeted them, not in the mood to play word games.
The elderly mage folded his hands in front of him and bowed politely.
"I am Elder Manif of the Duskblade Sect. We have come to request the right to settle permanently in your city." He replied formally.
Dominic turned to the Royal Guard, and then to the Cavalry Officers who had joined them.
All of them simply shrugged. The Duskblade Sect wasn’t wanted by any of their nations, or known to be bandits. Of course, the old man could have simply made the name up on the spot to hide their identity.
But the veiled maid hadn’t alerted Dominic to danger.
With one smooth movement, he swung his leg up to dismount, and scooped up the maid to set her on the ground behind him. Then, Dominic walked over to the Elders of the Mage Sect.
"Please, rise. Do you have anything with your Sect name on it?" He asked.
The Elder smiled and pulled a well-worn amulet from around his neck. The jade wasn’t high quality, but the age of the relic was easy to see, and it showed signs of having been attuned to someone in the distant past, hundreds of years prior.
So, it would be a Sect Relic, passed down between leaders. No longer usable, but a sign of leadership.
Dominic smiled. "Well met, Elder Manif. If they come for peaceful settlement, Wistover welcomes the entire Duskblade Sect. We have newly built housing and high-paying jobs available for your juniors."
Elder Manif looked confused. "Just for the juniors?"
Dominic shrugged. "It’s assembling magitech orbs and devices in a factory. Hardly the sort of dignified work that an Elder would want. But it will pay more than enough to support the Sect while the Elders build their own sources of income and train the juniors."
The other Elders all turned to face Manif with excited expressions. Magitech on an industrial scale sounded like a much better paying lifestyle than reclusive mages in a tower, as they had expected.
But Manif had plans for the Sect.
"Duke Wistover, we had hoped to open a training facility for mages within Wistover. Tell me, is there one already established?"
Dominic shook his head. "We have no Elders to run a school at this time. We have Elder Techno Wizards teaching Magical Engineering to employees, but only juniors from the Purity Sect."
Manif nodded. "Because there are no Elders of the Purity Sect left. I was surprised when they granted a stay of execution to the juniors. We had thought of taking them in, but we didn’t get the news until after the auction was long past.
And, honestly, we didn’t have the money to purchase them from the Merchants’ Guild."
Dominic would let them think that he had paid full price for the Acolytes. It helped his reputation as a wealthy young Noble.
"Would you care to accompany us directly to Wistover now? I will arrange for a proper meal and short-term lodging when we arrive, and then we can discuss the construction of a mage tower."