BOOK 3: CHAPTER 91: HAG AND INTIMIDATION

A soft but tired sigh rang out in the matriarchal hall, surprising everyone.

A young girl with an aura far surpassing that of Prince Keining appeared at First Elder Lelgu's side. She was wearing a dress strikingly similar to Breena's though hers was blood-red as opposed to the fire-orange of Breena's.

'I was wrong,' Soph said. 'She's not an XX-ranker. Now that she isn't hiding, that's definitely the kind of mana belonging to an XXX-ranker like that idiot you crippled. Be careful, Lone.'

This woman with the body of a girl had only three tails and of course, she had no awakenings. She looked to be around 11 or 12 physically but she was obviously a tens of thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of years old monster. Were it not braided, her hair would have likely been long enough to stretch from one end of the hall to the other, Lone guessed.

"That is enough, Void-touched," she said coldly and without any emotion.

"What is?" Lone asked. "Because from where I'm standing, you've had more than enough time to reveal yourself and take charge earlier if that's what you wanted. We've only just begun now that this worm has revealed its involvement. I refuse to believe it starts and ends with her."

The seventh elder screamed as loudly as her tongueless throat would allow when a slight snapping sound issued out from her neck. Lone was closing his grasp and a little bit more force would no doubt kill the pathetic X-ranker who'd sold out her own family.

The girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You mentioned 'observers' before. You could detect us?"

A few fearful eyebrows rose upon hearing the word 'us', but Lone wasn't concerned.

"You and your friend on the ceiling? You barely even tried to conceal yourselves. It took me exactly zero effort to become aware of your presence. Gilbert," Lone said.

The White Dragonkin glanced up to the roof and, at the same time, hesitantly said, "He's telling the truth."

The emotionless monster with more hair than Sofia looked genuinely surprised upon hearing that admission from Gilbert.

Lone smirked internally. 'Yeah, that's how it should be. Sofia put in the effort and just told me, so of course it was effortless on my end. I wonder if shocking who I suspect is an member of the real Elders will enhance the historic moment I'm no doubt making here?'

"If you want me to be courteous with you and even consider this "being enough", shouldn't you show me some common courtesy as well?" Lone asked. "Let's start over. My name isn't 'Void-touched', it's Lone Immortus, or Immortus the Immortal. And you are...?"

"Such an inpertinous adventurer title," the girl responded. "Very well. I am Elcudia Redtail, former first elder of this clan and the current 78th seat of the Council of Elders. Now, release my kin. This matter has nothing to do with you. It never did. I will give you that it involved your charge, but beyond that, this is a matter for the clan. Now leave."

"If it concerns Breena, then it concerns me. Just because you're so afraid of awakening that you bury your emotions and are willing to overlook your clan's elder betraying its people, so afear of getting your feelings involved, that doesn't mean I can just ignore it when it's shoved in my face by this worm's confession. As you can see from my tails, I'm very emotionally inclined," Lone stated, baring his metaphorical fangs. After all, his teeth were still very human-like as a beastkin.

Within his mind, Darkness snorted. 'When did you get so good at twisting the truth? Not one of your awakenings were caused by intense emotions.'

'You always talk to him, no? It's only natural he'd take after you,' Death remarked. 'He's still quite young, after all.'

'That's true! Should I be your father figure rather than Gilbert, Loney-boy? Come on! Try it! Call me 'Daddy'!' Darkness cackled.

'Fuck off,'

Lone replied coldly.

'Ah, teenaged angst is so hard to deal with...' Darkness muttering with a fake gloomy voice. 'Ah! It looks like she'll discipline this unruly child in my place. How thoughtful.'

'What?' Lone was confused.

Elcudia Redtail raised her hand and said, "I was not asking. I was telling you to leave. Forcing my hand is just what I would expect of a Void-touched. Perhaps sanctioning your existence was a mistake... No matter. You will be kept informed of the clan's handling of the slave matter. Now, begone."

Lone came back to his senses and saw that he, alongside Breena and Gilbert, were in front of his Spirit Pavilion dozens of miles away from the matriarchal hall.

"Why do my feet hurt...?" Breena mumbled before she realised where she was.

Gilbert scratched his goatee. "I wonder if I could file this as an attack against a guildmaster... I certainly didn't consent to being... what even happened?"

"I don't know. Soph?" Lone asked.

'Ah. Welcome back. We were starting to worry. That old hag used what Soph is almost certain was illusion magic on you three. It put you all in a trance of sorts. Were it not for the fact that she could sense the magic's intent and that it would not lingering like some sort of mind magic, we would have rushed out of The Summoning Room and slaughtered that walking bag of bones for daring to do something like that to you,' Sophie answered.

'Wow. What'd she do to piss you off? I mean, besides controlling me with illusion magic,' Lone asked, not sure where this outburst was coming from.

'You didn't hear what she said about you to the elders after you had left. The stupid fossil had no idea we and Soph were still listening with Mana Sensing. She said a lot of things we will not repeat but most contemptible of all is that she said she would propose a new motion to re-evaluate if the real Elders will continue to allow your existence,' Sophie scoffed. 'She thinks she is so important just because she is close to becoming a Divine... We will show her...'

'Woah. Yeah, what a bitch. Guess I gotta behave while we're here, huh? Not that I'm too worried about the Council of Elders. Worse comes to worst, that bastard Divine Dragonsworn will protect me with his dragon overlords since I have his weakness in the palm of my hands,' Lone assumed.

'... That is true. Hurry up and finishing making the device that will mask Soph's and our mana. We need to be free of this horrible Summoning Room. No, Kyuubi. Do not look at us like that. We know this is your home, but it is not ours,' Sophie said.

Lone smiled when Kyuubi began telepathically transmitting 'kyuu's with varying emotions infused within them as if to argue with her adoptive mother, putting the tougher side of his girlfriend's personality on the backfoot.

"Son?" Gilbert asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lone rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry, was catching up with Sophie. She told me that Soph told her that it was an illusion magic spell. We just walked here."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Gilbert glanced down at his feet. "That explains the burning calves and poor Breena's feet. Making you walk that far in dress slippers? Barbaric."

Breena smiled politely under her veil. "I-I'm fine..."

Gilbert laughed, not minding her sudden awkwardness at all. "I should exercise more often... I'm too used to using freeform gravity magic to lessen my own weight. Well, if that's all it was... no permanent harm was done and I wasn't there in an official guild capacity... There's no point in wasting time bringing this matter up only for it to be rejected."

"Wanna stay for brunch or d'ya need to get back to work?" Lone asked.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Sure, I can stay for some food. I didn't know you could cook, assuming you will be cooking?"

"Advanced-level-six Cooking Mastery," Lone grinned. "I have notifications to go over anyway, so I'll do that while I cook something. Any preferences from either of you?"

Gilbert shook his head. "I'm not picky. My work usually forces me to eat soups. Quick for the staff to make and just as quick to drink."

Breena also shook her head. "Um, everything you make is tasty..."

Lone sighed. "You know, making me pick is worse than just you guys picking something on your own. Well, you've forfeited the right to bitch if you don't like what I serve ya. Bree, go set out some plates and cutlery at the lake gazebo. Gil... you, I dunno. You can watch me and try to backseat cook if you want?"

Gilbert laughed. "No, no, I'll happily judge what you serve when it's done, not during the process. I'll help young Breena here. Tell me how you've been. You were very courageous during the meeting with your ancestors there. That was fantastic to watch, by the way."

Breena blushed under her veil and shied herself away from him slightly but she did reply to the White Dragonkin once again which Lone was quite pleased about.

Not long after, he left for the kitchen and began cooking while he went over the rest of his spoils from the meeting with the elders.

The host has created the passive skill: Disarming Smile - Overbearingly Confident Version.

Passive Skill: Disarming Smile - Overbearingly Confident Version

An unorthodox variant of the [Disarming Smile] skill only possessed by one being thus far, the foxkin man who created it, Lone Immortus.

When smiling, any who view the host's smile will be disarmed emotionally and will be significantly more likely to trust, follow, or do, what the host says if the host speaks with overbearing confidence.

There must be at least a hint of truth in the host's words for the effect to take place.

Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

Lone froze in delighted shock. 'Wow. This is way more powerful than the two versions described in the book from the conclave. They were the Trusting Version and the Deceitful Version, but this does what both of them did on their own and then-some. The trusting one needed you to be 100% accurate with your words for it to force the truth, but this allows half-truths and hidden truths too. While the deceitful one need you to talk to emotionally disarm people but this one does it with just a smile. Go me for inventing another new skill. I should make a new category on my skill list for those since it's more than one now...'

It was a shame he hadn't earned Magnetic Appearance, but he was still satisfied with this result.

"What else did I ge- Ah! Finally! I thought I just wasn't very scary up until now. Did I have to really mean it or something? I swear, Persuasion was a million times easier to earn," Lone muttered as he looked at the next set of notifications with a mixture of relief and frustration.

Congratulations! The host has successfully gained enlightenment and ranked up. The host is now an A-ranker.

The host has developed the passive skill: Intimidation.

Passive Skill: Intimidation Naturally makes every threat that the host makes 5% more intimidating. Naturally makes those working beneath the host 5% less likely to betray you. Naturally makes your presence 5% more intimidating. Cost:N/A

Mastery:Beginner Level 1

Lone whistled. "No wonder. It does a lot more than persuasion did at beginner rank. Three effects? And it helps maintain loyalty, not reduce it? What a skill. You'll be surprisingly helpful for my merchant empire I'm buildin', huh?"

He didn't gain any new skills from his little scuffle with the seventh elder but his mastery over applying his agility did improve, which was nice.

Congratulations! Due to the host's efforts, applying the stat Agility is now slightly more intuitive. It now costs 7.35% [-0.05%] of the host's total SP per second.

A small improvement but an improvement nonetheless. The lower the burden put on his Fortress Shield Mastery's SP generation when fighting, the better.

Last but certainly not least, were the gains from the affectionately titled 'hag', Elcudia Redtail.

The host has developed the active illusion magic skill: Illusory Walking.

Active Illusion Magic Skill: Illusory Walking

A rare application of the Illusion magic school where the caster forces a target into a trance.

A target must be designated as must a destination (limit of 1 each). The target's rank must be lower than the host's and the destination must be somewhere they have been before.

If the target is disturbed even remotely, the skill will stop working.

The chance for the target to escape the skill is non-existent but after 5-minutes or 500-metres the chance become 5% and doubles every further 5-minutes or 500-metres.

Cost:50,000 MP Mastery:Beginner Level 1

Lone stopped chopping vegetables and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "She sent three people away, we walked for, what, two or so hours and many more miles, but I didn't snap out of it like I would have expected to, even though Soph and Sophie probably tried to talk to me. Certainly a rare application, huh? I bet she has this skill at master rank or maybe even has several earned additional effects. It isn't even resistible. I bet some good mind magic spells in combination with my puzzle locks could make me immune to illusions entirely though... Food for thought."

And next came the levelling of Illusion Magic Resistance. And wouldn't you know it, being under the influence of an extremely powerful illusion spell for hours worked wonders for that skill.

It went all the way from beginner-level-seven to advanced-level-ten, just one step shy of expert-rank.

Passive Skill: Illusion Magic Resistance

A skill that allows the host to resist all forms of Illusion Magic.

Illusion Magic used on the host will be weakened by 30% [+25%].

Cost:N/A Mastery:Advanced Level 10

"Not very useful against a spell that literally can't be resisted until certain conditions are met, but hey, you tried buddy and you levelled, so I'm happy," Lone said with a smile before he got really excited.

The final notifications, after all, related to one of his favourite skills, Historical and Cultural Appreciation.