Hector's fight against the Spectres of Heroes passed easily as it was what he needed. Maltet's power was too much, and taking out Mulagir to use in that form was also dangerous for his state. But he survived due to his training and the Rich Qi absorbed from Rexford in the Primordial Sea to offset the power coursing within.
It had done more to the Primordial Sea than even Tiamat had thought. Considering she didn't know the full properties of such energy, that was to be expected. But the fragment of the Deity understood it to be close to true Creation Energy. Something that Hector could not mess with yet or understand to use for himself actively.
As the Temple vanished from sight, Hector's troops were beside themselves seeing him come out with the weapon of Legend. Especially when he used it to strike the sky sending out magic waves that dissipated the thick snow clouds. Even the crisp air that passed through constantly started to die down.
For the first time in years, the Country that became Ilia experienced sunshine all across it at once. The people thought nothing of it as they assumed it was the precursor to a big storm. It would take months for them to get used to such a thing as well as time for the land to recover from such countless years of harsh conditions.
At least they would be able to keep clothing and other materials longer. A small increase in temperature all over but not to the point it would be bad for the environment like the way it was before.
Hector's stature had changed as he was more solid and looked to be no different than a knight of 20-something years. In his hair, he had streaks of clear strands. Even his eyes had gained snowy clear flakes within them. if one looked real close with good eyesight they would be able to distinguish the small snow pattern differences.
Side effects of Weilding Maltet. Depositing it into the Primordial Sea he made a note not to wield the weapon again until he was stronger. Much stronger than he was now.
Tiamat decided to fashion weapons using fragments of its power thanks to a major decrease in it after the splitting of the snow clouds. It was a good chance to do so before the weapon replenished itself naturally. Richard just held onto it to take on the History of such a weapon to help catalog for later. The same as the bow since that would be dumb to leave alone fully and after the fact he fought against the previous wielders it needed to be done to help with understanding.
Richard did not like the idea of his friend fighting against ancient people with powerful weapons. Especially once that messed with the environment so easily.
After passing out some improved Speedwings that had a chill to them, Hector had the troops pack their things as they were headed to an area that housed a Dragon. He specifically told them it was one of the dragons that was indirectly responsible for the War that was building up. The Speedwings produced from the Primordial Sea increased the stat by +3 compared to the +2 before.
As the power absorbed from Maltet still needed to be expended carefully, Hector couldn't go to sleep. This was the reason he acted the moment his troops could move safely and after checking over his work once more and changes to the environment.
With the help of those native to Ilia and Richard's use of History on Maltet, they narrowed down the location of Aenir in a few hours. Hector didn't care that the girl Ninian was feeling highly emotional and walked into the cave town without an issue.
"The people here, something is wrong with them." Karel didn't like this in the least as he held his sword in hand. "They have a hunger about them that doesn't make sense to me."
"That is saying a lot actually." Hector hadn't gained an axe to replace Wolf Biel so he just used his Mani Katti to fight with for now. "I have a few guesses of what is going on with them but who knows."
The men and women were hunchbacked and had extended limbs. They were stalky and had white hair that looked eerie in the light. By their sunken eye sockets and pale skin a few assumptions in regard to their exposure to sunlight in these clusters of mountains was a given.
He couldn't really make comments on their malnutrition without looking them over thoroughly but from what could be glimpsed they were getting better minimum food. Water would not have been an issue with all the rivers around the area.
"I have heard of a mountain tribe somewhere in Ilia but never saw any. In fact, if not for the change in weather, we would not have found these people." Fiora was trotting nearby ontop of her Pegasus. "But the folktales surrounding them have been nothing good."
"Could be things like people missing or snatched up with only the sounds of inhumane guttural speech heard?" Hector smirked as a few of the locals ran from them as they moved about. "Was told in ghost stories of warning to children who misbehaved?"
"Yes, how did you know my lord?" Fiora nodded her head seriously at him. A small smile as she remembered he read a lot of the lore and history of her people. 'Surely the loss of the Temple could only mean good things.'
Like a few of the other Ilian mercenaries, she had mixed feelings about the temple of their Founder disappearing. Of course, she would talk to Hector about it in an official capacity when the chance arrived.
"Oh, I have read a little to much in that regard." Hector gave a sniff when they passed by a cart. His frown was immediate as he knew that smell anywhere. "The smell of human flesh, decomposed after being mixed with human fecal matter."
"Gross." A younger mercenary did not like this at all. "Are you sure we can't fly overhead?" She asked her Commander Fiora about it. A few of the others were thinking the same thing.
"No, the walking is good for the Pegasi as well. We don't want to be to rude after all." Fiora didn't like the smell either. The reins of her mount were gripped tighter all the same. "We didn't come in nicely and have a relatively large force that looks, well alarming."
"Well, we will most likely have to do something horrible real soon." Hector stopped at a rock and wooden barricade that led to a cave attached to a mountain. "Yeah, the smell is in there, and like it or not these people won't just let us do what we want."
As if on cue, a group that could be considered the leaders of the mountain folk came over. With a few wearing fine leather close to that of Fighters and Mercenaries, they were ready to rumble.
*Warble!* Hector felt his eyesight warp a little as a breeze passed over above the heads of the villagers. Dark prismatic energy flowed in his eyesight right afterward. Once it cleared up he was able to see rather than tell they were a mix of Fighters/Journeymen and Trainee/Mercenaries.
"Hmm." Hector blinked rapidly to clear his vision. "That is much better. So hi cavefolk.., mountain folk. I am Hector and these are my comrades in arms. Came here to liberate someone who has been kept against their will for a very long time."
"You strangers must leave. There is no one here against their will. You do not have the authority to bother us." The leader shouts out with a boisterous tone. "We will drive you back if force is needed!"
The mercenaries tensed as they were not wanting to kill people such as this. Those marked by Hector had no qualms about it. Just waiting for their leader to make the call really.
But he was not the one to do so.
"RAAAAAARRHHH!!! AHHHH!" The mixture of a bestial scream and an agonizing yell. A mint green blur shot pass instantly afterward. With a jump, it launched over the barricade and through the people.
"Please hold on!" Ninian shouted out. Whether the changes done to her before did something or the fact she was so close to getting an answer. "Move!" Dancing through a few villagers at the opening she was gone from sight a moment later.
"I'll get the wench!" The leader yelled out as he went after. "Get rid of these pests!" Ignoring his fellow villagers at the opening who were all banged up from unrest inside, the leader was more interested in the young lass that moved the ways she did. 'Is she from the same tribe as that thing?'
A look of ecstasy caused the mountain man to speed up. Even with his weirdly shaped legs he covered more ground than someone with his build could achieve.
"Cut them down!" Hector ordered and then bulldozed through the barricade. With physical strength alone he broke a hole through looking no different than a berserker! A few had chills looking at his backside. "If they resist kill them!"
The pass through the opening reeked of even more blood and flesh. Hector just wanted this portion over as well as the other Subsidiary Dimension that contained the descendant of the Bern founder Al and his mother the Dragoness Melitha.
Hector had been quiet when he ran up on the leader. Letting the man monloge to Ninian and give his expose before he struck like a demented madman with controlled might.
Cutting the head of the leader off, Hector tossed all the bodies into his Internal Space. They would not be tossed into the Primordial Sea as Richard would be absorbing all of them for his own means. He was to find out the genetic issue with the years of close inbreeding and long-time consumption of dragon/ human flesh.
A great payment in the exchange of material for Hector anyway.
As for Aenir, the Ice Dragon looked half-crazed and in a state of delirium. The years of torture, force-feeding, and having her flesh ripped off had done terrible harm. Whatever drugs they were feeding to keep her subdued by the various pots scattered around did Hector take notice of the dead villagers.
A possible attempt to get out of the place maybe or it could be the change of the enviornment.
Ninian could barely be consoled and had to be forcefully removed from her. The dancer was watched in horror as her mother was forced from her dragon form into a humanoid one by Hector using Ancient Magic with Niime watching intently.
"Haa," Hector sighed as it would be some time before he could remove the dragon from the woman. "gonna take a long time before it can be done with out losing the spoils."
"Humph, ripping out dragons would have been spell craft heavily focused on during the Scouring or the event more dragons ran amok." Niime spoke in a raspy voice with a bit of mirth. "Now do, even I can't help but pity the woman."
"Mother.." Ninian was freed from the hold she was under and immediately ran to the unmoving woman. "..please wake up!" Fresh tears hitting an unmoving body.
As the others felt bad for her, Hector walked over uncaring. As in her human form, Aenir would heal faster physically. But her mental and spiritual wounds would take a very long time.
Dropping a blanket on her naked form, he wrapped her up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"This entire village is done for. Those spared will be taken away and under our protection until a determination can be made on what to do about them." Hector was not looking to discuss the matter and was just telling them what he was going to do. "Grab everything worthwhile that can be used. Everything else will be destroyed by myself."
Taking the orders, the troops moved out to do so.