My Servant System

"I... suppose that might become an issue, yes. That just means that we need to do some more vetting before allowing anyone access to the Labyrinthian. Perhaps some kind of threat to keep them in line..."

I couldn't help but sigh as I heard that, but it was also far too in line with what this Demon Wolf represented to be that surprising; she was just that sort of person who believed that her strength allowed her to do anything and everything, which included strong arming everyone to do what she wanted no matter what.

"You want to threaten your own Knights while also taking them to the place where they could get stronger? That wouldn't backfire at all, I promise..."

As the gigantic pack of wolves began to subside a little, the Demon Wolf was able to focus more on me without needing to worry about something gnawing on her booted foot, so she sneered over at me and said "You being sarcastic?"

"Never. When would a Demoness ever have the penchant of wielding a barbed tongue? That's never once happened in all of history; we're but honest warriors~!"

Her growl was worth it, and hearing Lilith attempting to hold in a snicker was even better, though I knew I was toeing a fine line between poking fun at Lady Fenyras and signing myself up for some 'much needed sparring'.

"Seriously though, I don't know if you'll be able to take many of the Knights back here. Definitely not without very intense vetting, and definitely not if they show any signs - past or present - of either wanting to step away from the service or of not being the most loyal and trustworthy to the Empire."

"I know that, you dolt. Merely thinking out loud about how I can help rationalize another expedition back into this hell hole without needing to argue day and night with the Empress, that's all."

I nodded my head and left it at that, letting her concede here with grace instead of pressing the issue further and poking fun at her for not thinking whatsoever; saving myself that future torment and just focusing on finishing this Trial was really what I needed to be doing, after all.

"You shouldn't need to convince her too hard because I plan on returning as well. Taking a break, catching up with everyone and then coming back here to see if there are any other fascinating rewards to be uncovered. The ones that I was most curious about have started to get completed one by one anyways."

"All of the race specific and magic oriented ones, you mean? There are probably still a plethora of them available even now."

"So I have even more reason to return. Perhaps - in that time of scouring this unique city - I might make the decision on whether I would ascend or not, and if I am given the chance... maybe I shall."

This chapter was first seen on MV^LEM^PYR.

I kept my mouth shut as the immediate concern well up in my mind, specifically about not only her age but her experience and time spent as being one of, if not the strongest mage roaming the world at this point in time.

At the very least she was one of the strongest beings alive, so how would she adapt to becoming one of the weakest in a world that was completely unknown to her?

That was part of what was keeping me from wanting to ascend - obviously I wouldn't if Kat didn't want to - since even in my short life I had already become so accustomed to just being... practically at the top.

If I were to start at the bottom with no experience in it and unaware of how everything worked, I don't think I would do well... least of all because I was far too arrogant and accustomed to making use of my status as a way to brush conversation aside.

It just wouldn't go over well if I wasn't actually this strong or had a status that meant I couldn't really be touched...

~~~

Kat PoV

"Who knows how long it's been? Like an hour? Or has it been merely ten minutes and I've already lost my mind? Why is this getting to me as much as it has? It's just a forest covered in snow; pretty evergreens and fluffy powder all around me sounds amazing, but damn if it is anything but right now..."

I was still lost, still alone, and the realization that talking to myself helped mitigate some of my fear was rather... scary on its own, but what else could I do besides push forwards and keep on speaking out loud to no one else?

"Definitely a first for me, and most certainly the first time I've been in a unique forest. Yep. Never happened before and certainly shouldn't happen again, right? 'Cause that'd be weird. Two special forests in the span of like... a year..."

It already felt 'better' than that other hellish forest that I had once roamed, so I had to give it props for that even if I still disliked this place immensely, though whether or not that would remain true was up for debate.

As for the observation I made who knows how long ago, I was definitely beginning to notice a pattern there that gave me something to think about; the way the trees were being 'faked' was definitely illusory in nature, which barely helped narrow down what was happening here.

Considering I couldn't see any sort of Ritual Circle around I had to assume that I was either inside of one that was absolutely gigantic or these were made utilizing magic that didn't require logical structure, which meant something like Moon Magic... or maybe Fae Magic..?

That immediately got me stumbling down another web of thinking that may or may not be of use to the current me that was stuck in a forest, but it was a start that I was grateful to have for myself since it took some pressure off of my mind.

It also was beginning to bear a little fruit of its own since I was able to start comparing it to what was adorning the back of my neck, the structure and feel of that sigil and the fake trees around me getting pieced together slowly in my mind as I kept walking completely straight, listening and searching for anything at all to break the silence.

Whether or not I wanted the silence to be broken was a whole other debate that I didn't want to have right now, so I just focused on the magic and lost myself to the wonders that I had been neglecting for a little while now, using parts of my brain that definitely needed to be dusted off before use.