The Old Scholar

Back in the Tower and just enjoying themselves, Martha and Leilani were simply resting on one of the luxurious couches that was prepared for them by Prisma when they arrived a few hours ago. The two women had just finished the snacks and refreshments prepared for them by Prisma as well and Martha found herself laying down on the lap of her beloved, looking up and noticing that Leilani's bust covered her face, a fact she was kind of jealous of so she just opted to sit up and lean on her beloved's shoulder. 

"Are you sure we shouldn't go check up on your granddaughter?" Martha asked as she turned her eyes to Leilani 

"Yeah, she is fine. I taught my kids how to survive and they did the same for their descendants, plus, if she does need something I will immediately know" Leilani replied as she slightly turned her head and smiled at her 

"Hmmm...if you say so" 

"You have any other questions?" 

"I have one" Martha replied, prompting Leilani to face her completely 

"Go on?" Leilani replied with a smile 

"Well...Do you know of this Order of Sigismund? They were a group I had to fight during the war when I was once a General in Addahare" The silver-haired woman asked 

"Ah..them...I do, although I will say they used to be so much better a long time ago" Leilani answered with a wry smile as memories of her past came back 

"Oh? How so?" 

"Well...the man who created the order was a very good friend of mind. Sigismund Crete. A man who could be called the same as me, a true and proper scholar who wished to travel the world to learn and teach knowledge. If it were not for my existence, he would have been the first person to be given the blessing of Santomin. I remember we used to joust with the knowledge we acquired during our journeys and I must say, it was fun watching him be caught off guard by tidbits and trivia he failed to pick up on when he asked questions about places we had both been to" Leilani began as she leaned into the couch 

"He seems to be a very nice man" 

"He was. Hell, we even spoke to one another about the advancements of technology and the numerous beautiful cultures that dotted this world we call home. Sometimes we would get into philosophical arguments and I must admit, sometimes he raised really good points that challenged mine, with some I even took to heart. He was that good of a scholar and a man...he even met all 12 of my children during his travels, he would also challenge them to intellectual battles and he gave them all a good challenge which was nice to see..." She continued, with Martha seeing a bit of regret in her lover's eyes 

"He lived a good life, he did. He had a loving wife and a family once he settled down in the Kingdom of Caliban on the Lindhoven continent. Providing his services as a scholar and cooperating with my daughter Bas as she was the First Scholar of Lindhoven. His efforts are also why the Kingdom of Caliban has been able to keep itself as the major power on the continent, his ways of thinking in economics, warfare and cultural expansion were amazing to say the least, although he knew he dared not challenge my daughter as if he even hurt her, I would step in and erase him and his progress, something that the man prized more than his own life sometimes..." 

"When he was seventy...he created the Order of Sigismund as a place for the numerous scholars of the continent to work together and continue his mission of spreading and learning new knowledge, and they did for a time....around 800 years after his death however, they started to decline because the "scholars" they began accepting those who were not wishing to do his original wish but instead use it to flaunt their power and join a nation that could help them establish powerful connections. It is a shadow of its former self and the Kingdom of Caliban can't do anything about it as the order is heavily imbedded into the political and military affairs of the nation. It truly is a shame what it is now, I tried to help in ensuring its original purpose lives on but Sigismund made me promise before he died that I would just let it be, and I respected his wishes" Leilani finished as she looked back at her beloved, a bitter smile on her face 

"Damn...that....that is rough" Martha replied, unsure of what to make of the information given to her

"Indeed it is. Anything else?" 

"What about his family?" 

"Oh, they are all dead unfortunately, all of them were unlucky in the fact that they were all killed in a failed magical experiment" 

"Yeesh...that is...really unlucky...can you tell me more?" 

"Sure. What I told you was just the founding, the order itself has several rankings. Aspirants are the lowest as they are basically hopeful initiates who have to prove themselves, Squires are those who have been granted the lowest ranking in the order and serve all kinds of duties. Scribes are the mid-tier of the hierarchy as they are tasked with a myriad of tasks such as writing down new information or going out and exploring to learn new things, Acolytes are above them and serve as the ones designating tasks to the lower ranks, then there are the Scholars themselves who are the third to highest who are also some of the strongest in the order, they do what Scribes or Acolytes do but nowadays just laze about and act all high and mighty while also rereading already known knowledge. Then we have the High Scholars who are right below the head, there are 14 High Scholars at all times who are in command of entire regions that the order has presence in, and each High Scholar is given different tasks from the leader of the order, the Supreme Scholar, the head honcho of the entire thing. The current Supreme Scholar is a man named Joseph Gannity, although I have never met the man, I assume he too is a pain in the ass power-hungry man who wishes nothing but total world domination" The Old Scholar added with a small nod 

"Hmm...if they are such a problem, why not deal with them now?" Martha asked 

"I never said they were a problem. They are an annoyance sure, but they have been keeping themselves in check from outright doing anything stupid. I am pretty sure knowing that there is an academy in the world that has ties to almost every nation in existence is a great prize for them to win but while they have tried, they have failed. This heavy focus on Imperia is what keeps them from doing more drastic shit, and if they ever did, then I have just to ask the Gods for permission to lay down a beating that will reduce the order to zero members" Leilani answered with a small smirk

"So your entire strategy is to just keep them occupied from doing other things?" 

"Pretty much so yeah, I know I can solve the problem now, but I am still abiding by my promise to Sigismund, so unless they do something stupid that calls my attention, they get to be themselves for now. Plus I am not really that worried, my students know for a fact I fucking hate them and so they keep themselves wary whenever a representative of the order comes to ask for patronage" 

"That is tough for them" 

"Yep, now...anything else" 

"Nope, let's just wait here together until your granddaughter arrives" 

"Sure thing Martha, sure thing" Leilani ended as she closed the gap and began to kiss her lover deeply before pushing her down on the couch

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Meanwhile, the streets of Akhru ran red as Tower Master Prisma slowly made her way to the Emerald Palace. The citizens of the city all went into hiding and watched as the Tower Master they all revered, engaged in what they had put together was an attempted coup, many of them had been instructed by Prisma to not intervene and all of them had complied as no one wanted to be in her way. She had placed a massive clear barrier surrounding the city to ensure no one got in or got out and while she made her way to the palace, numerous regiments of Sultana Azanha's elite Jade Guards were slaughtered by the thousands as they tried to defend the Emerald Palace that was filled with all of the nobles who supported their Sultana who was inside the Emerald Throne Room within the palace with her mother, Concubine Myrtel and the two of them were not having a jolly good time despite their initially successful coup. 

Standing in the room were a few people, one was an impeccable beauty wearing a crimson robe that had a red transparent veil over her face, her emerald eyes complemented her brown skin and her black hair, her alluring figure was curvaceous, voluptuous and well-endowed with a bust and an ass that paired well with her hourglass figure. This woman in question was Concubine Myrtel, and she was not happy.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Myrtel shouted as she threw down a cup filled with some jasmine tea she was drinking, her eyes filled with rage but also a hint of fear as she looked at the Jade Guard that had entered the room 

"I apologize my lady, but it seems that the Tower Master herself is making her way over to us" Jade Guard Commander Bhara replied, his body slightly shaking at the thought of one of the strongest beings on the continent taking her time to come over and kill them personally, many of his soldiers were already dead and he knew more were to die soon 

Bhara was dressed in a white tunic and black trousers underneath the jade-colored pieces of chainmail and armor plates on his torso and limbs. His scarred face had a well-kept beard that covered most of the scar and his black eyes were looking down at the floor, his head was covered with a white turban with jade accents and his weapon was a jade-encrusted scimitar holstered on his right hip as he was left-handed. 

"THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE FUCKING PLAN!" The Concubine added in rage as she walked over to the nearest cabinet and shoved all of the vases, jars, and other objects off the top, splattering onto the ground and littering it with broken glass and chipped ceramic 

"Calm yourself Mother. We are not fucked just yet" The calming and resolute voice of the young lady sitting on the chair stated, with all eyes turning to her 

Said young lady in question was Sultana Azanha and she was an impeccable beauty just like her mother, except for the fact that she was much taller than her mother and somehow much more bountiful in her curves and contours. She wore an emerald-colored robe that stretched down to the floor and she wore a golden crown upon her head that was also encrusted with numerous emeralds. 

"Not panic? Are you insane?! Our coup is going to go to shit if we cannot deal with the Tower Master! You told me your friends in that damn Order of Sigismund would deal with her and he failed!" Myrtel spat back at her calm and collected daughter, her eyes shifting towards the towering man standing next to the throne 

The man she was looking at was clad in silver and bulky plate armor that held the sigil of the Order of Sigismund at the center of the breastplate. His rough face had a missing eye covered by an eyepatch and his bushy mustache paired well with his fair skin, he looked down at Concubine Myrtel when she looked up at him and his unreadable expression gave off a slightly annoyed aura as he stayed silent. 

"High Scholar Falkone has assured me that the Tower Master will not be a problem, right High Scholar?" Azanha asked as she glanced up at him

"Indeed. While it is unfortunate that Scribe Heron failed to complete his task. I have full faith that he was able to do damage to the woman beset on killing us. Although we may not see it, I fully believe that this so-called Tower Master poses no harm to us" Falkone answered, his deep voice booming across the room 

"Damage? Damage to whom? MY MEN ARE OUT THERE DYING TO HER IN DROVES AND WE HAVE SEEN NO SUCH DAMAGE INFLICTED UPON HER!" Bhara screamed in disbelief as he looked at the towering man before him 

"Hmph. Of course you would not notice, you are of lower....ability to see the true strength of the Order of Sigismund. And even if he actually failed to do any damage to her, we still have something that can ensure her demise" The High Scholar fired back as he summoned forth a black box with intricate markings all over, causing all in the room to gaze upon it

"What is that?" Myrtel asked 

"It is a new invention developed by the Order, we call it the Nullifier Cube, it's main purpose is to strip the target of their connection to their mana pool and suck their strength, leaving them exposed to our attacks. Once I aim this at the Tower Master and fire its directed air blast, she will be powerless against us and will die as we slash, stab and impale her. Once she is dealt with, everything else will proceed as planned, and then we can kill your renegade Sultan afterwards" Falkone added with a smug expression 

"I see....I see, great thinking both of you...great thinking indeed "Concubine Myrtel replied as she began to cackle, with her daughter and High Scholar Falkone joining in, all the while Commander Bhara stayed silent and looked at the trio with unreadable expression, his internal one however was that of a scared man begging the Gods for mercy as he could feel he was to die soon 

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As Prisma slowly approached the Emerald Palace, the remaining regiments of the Jade Guards were repeatedly repulsed as they launched suicidal charges at her. Each time they did so, she simply waved her hand in a swift motion that decapitated them all in one instance, or she would charge forward and meet their blades with her iron fists and feet, sending Jade Guards flying in all directions, their bones and internals shattered, killing them before they even reached the ground. Or she would simply use one of the myriad of spells at her disposal, breathing fire from her mouth and incinerating them, firing off thunderbolts that would ricochet and hit other targets, or just use the crimson lightning stream to turn them into ash. With each dead guard, she would reanimate their corpse, bringing their skeletons back to life still wearing their armor and wielding their weapons. She even made several gigantic sand golems that would lumber a good pace behind her that would dispatch of any surprise attackers, they even had the ability to reanimate the Jade Guards they killed, the magical sand moving into the corpse and controlling it from the inside like a flesh puppet. 

After twenty minutes of dispatching wave after wave of fodder, she finally arrived at the blood-stained steps up to the Emerald Palace, her army of the undead and sand golems behind her, waiting for her command to rush forward. On the steps and the side pathways leading up to the palace were the final remnants of the Jade Guards, with Commander Bhara standing at the base in front of her, she looked up and saw Sultana Azanha standing at the top, alongside her mother and a man she did not recognize, his head was obscured by a hood but Prisma used her enhanced eyes to see who was underneath despite the darkness covering his face, although she now knew what he looked like, she still had no idea who the fuck he was. 

"You are pretty bold killing my elite soldiers Tower Master...It seems you are not too pleased with the Imperial Order I take it?" Azanha asked with a cocky tone 

"The Tower bows to no one. Not even to the Sultan or Sultana" Prisma fired back with a venomous tone filled with rage

"Tsk. Why don't you come up here and say it to my face you ungrateful rat" Azanha stated as she looked down at her 

{!}

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the 7-foot-tall Tower Master was before her on the steps right before the top, their eyes meeting. Azanha and the rest were all caught off guard, the usually calm and collected Azanha had a fearful expression as she unconsciously took a step back, Concubine Myrtel did the same, even the stoic-looking Falkone was surprised at the speed shown by the Tower Master, with him too taking a step back in shock. 

"The Tower. Bows. To. No. One" Prisma repeated, this time her voice and expression hiding utter rage as she stared down the young Sultana

"It seems you have been outplayed Tower Master" The Sultana stated as she flashed a smirk 

"Hmm?" 

"NOW!" Azanha shouted at Falkone

Turning her head, Prisma saw a weird black box in the hands of the man next to her, her eyes wondering what the fuck it was before Falkone pressed a button on the back of the thing and it fired off an air blast that struck her whole and caused her to take a step back but not losing her balance. 

{!} 

Seeing her chance, Azanha charged forward and thrust forth her dagger with her right hand, the stab sailed through the air but before it could even reach its target, Azanha gasped as her wrist was caught by Prisma who quickly crushed it, the sounds of bones breaking and blood splurting out filling the air followed by her cries of pain. Prisma then released the wrist she caught and then backhanded the screaming Sultana, sending her flying and crashing into a nearby pillar before she slid down and hit the floor, with Concubine Myrtel running over as she screamed for her daughter. All the while her gaze never left Falkone who was now taking a few steps back to try and fire off another blast from his Nullification Cube, his stoic expression now gone and replaced with fear and dread as he charged the damn thing, cursing under his breath and asking why it was not working. 

Before he had the chance to fire another shot, Prisma grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air, dropping the cube in the process as he began to choke under the immense pressure on his throat. He tried moving his limbs to try and break free but soon found them bound to his sides with magic, his eyes looking now filled with fear as he looked at the golden eyes staring back at him 

"Perish" Prisma muttered before she discharged a stream of crimson lightning as she tightened her grip on his throat 

Falkone began to violently shake as the lightning coursed through his body, his eyes never leaving the unmoving and uncaring golden eyes of the Tower Master who was killing him, unable to even speak, his last thoughts as he perished were 'Monster' before he turned into ash. 

[Charge] Prisma commanded as she turned to face the Jade Guards looking at her in fear 

{!} 

The roars of the undead soldiers and sand golems reminded the Jade Guard defenders that they had bigger problems, but before many of them could react, including Bhara, they died as they were unable to defend themselves from the charging horde. The horde quickly slaughtered the remainder of the guards on the steps before charging into the palace and beginning to slaughter the nobles and their own security forces who were now trapped inside the majestic place that was now turning into their tomb. 

As the horde passed them, the now whimpering Sultana and her mother looked up and saw the imposing figure of Tower Master Prisma now looking down at them. Her golden eyes staring down on them were filled with rage and the mother and daughter could tell, both of them tried to speak but found themselves unable to, as if suppressed by a spell. 

"If you think I will kill you with my own hands, don't worry. I won't, I would rather do something else than waste time killing you two. But if you think I will let both of you live to be judged by your father and the people of the Sultanate, think again. I hope you both have your final prayers with you, although they will not be heard, it will be the last thing you think about as I send you both into the Tower. Goodbye" Prisma stated as the two women tried to plead for their lives, trying to reach out to her 

Prisma simply stared at them as she snapped her fingers and sent the two into the Tower, specifically Floor 137, where Prisma's personal Hydra was awaiting, and once the two appeared before the terrifying monster. The last thoughts were indeed their prayers as the Hydra devoured them. 

A/N: Here is another chapter woooo! I hope you all enjoyed this one and if you got questions or reactions, let me know in the comments for me to read and as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day