SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant

The carriage rolled beneath the wall.

For several seconds, black stone surrounded them on both sides as they crossed through a passage thick enough to contain guardrooms and defensive positions inside the wall itself. Another gate waited at the far end, creating a space where anyone attempting to force their way through could easily be trapped.

Then they emerged into the fortress.

The scale became much clearer from inside.

Barracks lined wide stone roads, training fields stretched between heavy buildings, and storage halls large enough to supply thousands stood beneath reinforced roofs. Trafalgar spotted armouries, healer stations, enclosed arenas, and structures covered in mana arrays whose purpose he couldn't immediately identify.

There were soldiers everywhere.

Lycans made up a large part of them, though Trafalgar saw plenty of other Beastkin bloodlines among the formations. Men and women trained in groups while instructors moved between them, correcting stances, barking instructions, or forcing exhausted recruits back into motion.

This was nothing like the military presence Trafalgar remembered from his previous visit.

"This wasn't here last time," he said.

"Most of it wasn't," the guide replied. "There were smaller facilities scattered around the territory, but Lord Darian expanded this place heavily after becoming head of the family. He wanted one location capable of supporting a large force without depending on the castle."

Rhosyn looked beyond him toward one of the fortified towers. "And he chose to meet us here instead of the main castle?"

Trafalgar had been wondering the same thing.

"Why here?" he asked. "If Darian wanted privacy, I would've expected the castle."

The guide shook his head. "The castle has too many people going through it. Servants, nobles, officials, members of the family. Even if nobody hears the conversation, they notice who enters and leaves."

He gestured toward the fortress around them.

"Security is tighter here. Access to the deeper sections is restricted, records are controlled, and Lord Darian can clear an entire area without anyone finding it strange. If he wants a meeting to stay private, this is safer than his own home."

That answered it well enough.

The carriage passed another training ground.

Many of the soldiers there carried swords.

Trafalgar watched one group sparring as they went by, their movements direct and aggressive. Most were Lycans or other Beastkin built for close combat, their bloodlines already giving them bodies that humans would need years of training to approach.

'Like Garrika...'

He hadn't seen her in years.

Not since she'd left with the First Concord.

Trafalgar still remembered what she'd told him before leaving, and he'd respected her decision even if a part of him would've preferred knowing exactly where she was and what dangers she was throwing herself into.

Hopefully she was doing well.

Hopefully she wasn't taking unnecessary risks.

Knowing Garrika, the second hope was probably asking too much.

His attention returned to the soldiers.

Sword Insight didn't react once.

There were competent swordsmen among them, perhaps even very good ones by ordinary standards, but nothing in their movements demanded the skill's attention. After spending so much time watching Dravok and Caelvyrn move, Trafalgar's standards had become slightly unfair.

Still, swordsmen were a minority.

Most of the Beastkin trained without conventional weapons. Trafalgar saw martial artists drilling close-range combinations, others reinforcing claws and limbs with mana, and several groups practicing techniques built entirely around their bloodlines.

That made sense.

When your body already came with claws, fangs, enhanced muscle, and instincts designed for close combat, carrying steel wasn't always necessary.

One enormous bear Beastkin caught Trafalgar's attention when he drove both fists into a reinforced training pillar. Mana flashed through his arms at the moment of impact, and a crack spread through the stone.

Cynthia followed Trafalgar's gaze. "That looked painful."

"For the pillar."

"I meant his hands."

"He looks fine."

The Beastkin shook the dust from his knuckles and immediately prepared to strike again.

Cynthia nodded. "Fair enough."

Darian hadn't limited himself to that strength, though.

There were mages training farther away, launching controlled spells into reinforced targets. Trafalgar spotted Summoners working with several different creatures, ranged fighters testing weapons against moving targets, and support-type classes moving between formations.

A little of everything.

'Darian isn't relying on one strength.'

That was probably wise.

If recent history had taught the Great Families anything, it should have been that preparing for a single kind of war was a good way to lose when something completely different appeared.

Trafalgar looked toward the guide. "He really rebuilt all of this in only a few years?"

"Rebuilt, expanded, reorganized. Lord Darian doesn't particularly enjoy doing things halfway."

"That sounds familiar."

The guide gave him a curious glance, but Trafalgar didn't explain.

The carriage began moving toward a massive descending road carved directly into the earth.

Trafalgar leaned slightly toward the window.

There it was.

The real Thal'zar preference.

Tunnels.

For all the construction aboveground, a large part of the fortress still extended beneath the surface. Wide passages vanished into the ground beyond fortified entrances, large enough to move soldiers, supplies, and even carriages through them.

The carriage descended.

Mana lamps set into black stone walls lit the way as they passed checkpoint after checkpoint. The deeper they went, the fewer people Trafalgar saw, until eventually the busy military fortress above became little more than a distant vibration through the stone.

Cynthia looked out through the opposite window. "I was wondering when we'd end up underground."

The guide smiled. "You can't visit Thal'zar territory and expect us to stay aboveground forever."

"I'd started thinking Darian had changed everything."

"Some habits are worth keeping."

After another stretch of travel, the carriage turned into a broad enclosed building carved into the underground complex itself.

The doors closed behind them.

Heavy locks settled into place with a deep metallic sound.

The room was simple compared to everything outside. Stone walls, several mana lamps, another sealed door at the far end, and enough empty space for the carriage to turn around comfortably.

Private.

Very private.

Trafalgar opened the door and stepped down first.

Cynthia followed him, then Rhosyn. Their guide climbed down last, though his role apparently ended there.

There was only one other person waiting inside the room.

Trafalgar recognized him.

It took a moment because years had passed since their last meeting, but the memory settled into place quickly.

Varek.

Darian's right hand.

The wolf Beastkin looked to be in his thirties, broad through the shoulders without being bulky. Short dark hair framed grey wolf ears, and a matching tail rested behind him. His clothes were practical and dark, made for someone who expected to fight if necessary rather than someone interested in displaying status.

There was nothing flashy about him.

That itself suited what Trafalgar remembered.

Varek had been one of Darian's strongest remaining soldiers back then, someone trusted with information very few people were allowed to know. He had known the truth surrounding Lucien and had remained at Darian's side through everything that followed.

If Darian still kept him this close after all these years, that trust clearly hadn't changed.

Their guide gave Varek a brief nod.

"My part is done. They're all yours."

"Thank you."

The man turned toward Trafalgar one last time. "It was good meeting you properly this time, Lord Morgain. Better circumstances than the first, at least."

Trafalgar smiled faintly. "Considerably."

"Enjoy the meeting."

"That's probably up to Darian."

The guide laughed once before leaving through a side door.

Varek waited until it closed before stepping forward.

He placed one fist over his chest in a formal Thal'zar greeting, though his eyes remained fixed directly on Trafalgar. There was recognition there immediately; unlike the guide, Varek had no difficulty remembering who stood in front of him.

"It's been a long time."

"It has." Trafalgar looked him over. "You don't seem to have changed much."

"Neither do you."

Trafalgar almost laughed at that.

If only Varek knew how much time his mind thought had actually passed.

Varek lowered his hand and glanced briefly toward Cynthia and Rhosyn before returning his attention to Trafalgar.

"Thank you for coming, Trafalgar du Morgain. Lord Darian has been expecting you."

He turned toward the sealed door behind him and placed one hand on the handle.

"He's waiting on the other side."

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