What?
Such a bold declaration.
Baddan didn't know how to respond, or how he was expected to, really. It hadn't been that long since he had been brought here, and made to form a pact with Replicus that had him join the Penetrator's cause.
Now, his loyalty was being summoned in exchange for power?
What kind of power was being offered here, exactly?
The Sky Watcher looked to Replicus while hiding his stack of questions and doubts.
"Being a Sky Watcher is so deeply rooted into who am I.... and what I am. Even though I have lost most of my powers, I still desire to hang onto my identity," he answered firmly.
ραΠdαsΝοvεl ƈοm Replicus was unfazed by this subtle rejection.
"I assume your outfit is also representative of that?" he asked.
"Yes, it is. Only the heads of clans and higher can ... could wear this attire. Discarding it... would mean discarding the responsibility that fell on me to keep those that remain of my people alive..."
Baddan's voice grew louder with each word he spoke, as if what he declared emboldened his belief and resolve. He would not budge.
"Hmm..." Replicus hummed, his head laid on his fist. "You throw this argument out with such certainty, but let me ask you. What use is your attire if it sits on a corpse?"
Baddan's eyes narrowed, and his nostrils bulked.
It was no surprise that he felt insulted.
Yet Replicus continued.
"Cast my need for you aside for a moment. You are holding on to bold resolve. Commendable. But, what do you have now that is enough to defend yourself, let alone what remains of your people? Even if you fight like the incarnation of all Form Using styles, you no longer have any innate abilities, from your race or class. After all, those are one to you, are they not?"
Baddan frowned.
It was true.
"Worse yet, with the abilities carved into your body now useless, you cannot even form a meaningful Territory. It will be a literal blank slate that only augments your physical prowess. Believe me when I tell you... That is not enough in Aigas. I speak from experience..." Replicus continued, his four sockets gleaming brighter.
He wasn't lying.
He had first hand experience with this.
Back in the Labyrinth of the Yoke, he had possessed an Incandescent Stage expert by the name Eldris Traven. At the time, he didn't quite understand the mechanics of how living things cultivated strength, but now, Replicus found that the Territory he used that time, was a blank one without an Imaginary GeoScape. It only augmented the efficiency of his abilities and boosted his stats.
While Baddan's circumstances were different from Eldris', who had skills of his own, but was just unable to create an Imaginary GeoScape yet, the result was, and would be the same.
Eldris (with Skullius inhabiting his body) had been overwhelmed still, with his foes not even resorting to their own Territories.
It was all a matter of skill.
"What of it then? I am still powerful enough with that same Territory. Is that not what you need? I will not discard who I am." Baddan barked.
"And like I said, commendable..." Replicus said before he rose from his chair. "But... how would you feel if your kin grew stronger than you instead?"
...!
Baddan's face turned fierce.
"What?! What have you don—"
"Watch your tone."
Baddan instantly shrivelled. He felt no malice or power rush from Replicus, but those words certainly made him relax, somehow.
"I'm not the type to scrounge for loopholes in our agreement just to benefit myself. I guaranteed you that your kin would be put to work in a way that didn't compromise their lives. I have kept my word. However, they are far too weak to be of any use. Thus, I gave them an offer. Individually."
Baddan wore a complex expression.
"They wouldn't accept anything without my approval..." he said defiantly.
"Wouldn't they? Let me make something clear here, Baddan. As long as you exist in my service..." Replicus said while drawing closer to Baddan, who took a step back, "...you will not be a lord, or a leader, or even a head. Your kin are individual units now, not part of a racial collective. I have made them aware of this, and they have accepted it. To benefit from our arrangement, they will be tried and bettered for the good of OUR collective."
"No exists outside my rules. What you seek to protect is already protecting itself UNDER me and BECAUSE of me. They have no need to discard who they are, but are prospering, while you... Well..."
Baddan, at some point along Replicus' speech, had started to sweat, which really didn't show that well because of his fur.
Still, it didn't take x-ray vision to find that the conflict in his heart had turned into a war.
If his kin had truly been made to accept that the clan they had existed in the form of until now was irrelevant, and were already on the way to getting stronger while working under Replicus...
What did it mean?
Baddan was quite enraged.
Perhaps it was because he didn't get the chance to speak to them after he agreed to Replicus' deal that they shifted their beliefs.
But did they really?
Perhaps, unlike him, his heavily furred kin had lost hope.
Who could blame them?
Their home was destroyed.
Their god was put on a leash before their eyes.
Perhaps it was only Baddan who still clung to an inferior concept. One of the millions that spawned all over Aigas within enclosures created by the Deities' excessive powers.
Should he let it all go and accept a path forward, as a new being?
Wouldn't that be the same as claiming that the last 200 years Baddan had lived, represented nothing at all? What kind of clan leader discarded their culture and tradition instead of reinforcing it?
"You are thinking too hard, Baddan."
By this point, Replicus had arrived just in front of Baddan, towering over him but without the authoritative pressure of a ruler.
The Sky Watcher looked up at the Penetrator.
"I'll say it again. Your resolve is commendable. That is why, I have not asked you to part ways with your attire, tradition and racial branding, even if most of it is lost."
"What do you mean?" Baddan asked with suspicion.
What sounded like a laugh sped out of Replicus.
"You see, there's an experiment I want to conduct. If it goes well, and I'm 90% sure it will, you will not only gain innate abilities without any permanent form of consequence, you will also not have to discard the main themes of your previous powers," he said.
Baddan frowned.
"You can grant abilities... that aren't different from what I had before...?"
"Well, I have been making attempts at such for the past month and now... I have full confidence in being able to. But I need someone physically strong enough to withstand the process. A sound mental fortitude is also required, to imbed the powers I give their bodies without doubt."
"You are my best bet."
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