On the night of the raid in Odensby, a raven landed on its designated perch in the tallest tower of the citadel in Valdis.
Its caw echoed through the ravenry as the Masked One approached it to remove the contents from its pouch. He looked into its dark eyes briefly, subduing its natural tendency to bite anything that came too close. It clacked its beak a few times before turning toward him, enabling him to remove the contents from the pouch.
After removing the contents from the pouch, he gently ran his fingers over the top of the raven's head, making it tilt back as he scratched just behind its hidden ear.
Everything is going to plan, my lord. We will commence our attack tonight and prepare for your arrival, he read, immediately disintegrating it with mana.
"You have traveled far and brought me good news, dark one. Here's a gift for your troubles," he said, producing a small treat from his pocket, which it graciously took. He gave it a few more pats before turning to leave the ravenry.
"Karak," he called out once he reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the vast array of creature nests. "Yes, my lord?" Karak asked after dropping from the platform behind him, leaving a small trail of drool drops in his wake as he landed. "Have you received word from the outcasts?" the mage asked, walking between the main row of the breeding ground.
"I have, my lord. According to our informant, they're launching their assault on Odensby tonight," Karak replied with an unseen bow. "Good. What of our Harutian allies? Have they sent anything since their last communication?" the mage asked, idly feeding one of the younger creatures. "They have not, my lord. The Harutians have been quiet for some time, though I suspect they're still in the final stages of preparation," Karak said.
"Are you sure about that?" the Masked One turned toward the daemon. "Not entirely, my lord. After the incident with Bashaa, our informant suggested that they may be preparing to retaliate," Karak replied with a bow, causing the mage to sigh in frustration. "Those damned fools. I can't believe I once considered them to be a valuable asset," he shook his head and turned back to what he was doing.
"Even if they retaliate in full and manage to reach the castle, it will be quite a challenge to fully break Coltend's defenses, my lord. Their walls are thick, their steel strong, and their guards are well-trained. Can they really accomplish what you've asked of them?" Karak asked, genuinely concerned, but his master did not turn to face him.
"I don't believe that Coltend will give itself up so easily, no. They will likely lose many people during their portion of the fight, but I will break any and all who remain," the Masked One replied. "With the horde we have created, it should not be too difficult to accomplish our portion of the task," he continued, turning to inspect one of the infant ice trolls briefly.
"I do, however, share your concerns for that woman. After all, she has only aligned herself with us out of fear, as one should in the face of overwhelming power, just like that old man," he sneered at the thought as Karak chuckled maliciously.
"Did you not give him a small portion of your power, my lord?" the daemon asked. "I did, though how well he uses it is entirely up to him. In any case, it is often good to make even the crudest tools feel useful. Even if he does fail, it will not hinder us too greatly," the Masked One said confidently.
"The crystals to control the horde are also complete, and the strength we hold in numbers alone will be able to overwhelm the capital entirely," the Masked one said proudly as they began to walk toward the summoning circle. As they passed the cages, a handful of creatures grew restless with their presence, forcing him to send out a burst of mana to establish his dominance over them.
"Your horde has grown strong, my lord; they will serve their purpose well, it seems," Karak noted, nearly choking from the weight of the mana in the air. "We can only hope so, Karak. At this point, there are still too many outside factors to consider that we cannot afford to fully ignore," the mage replied, pushing open the large door to the summoning room, revealing a vast quantity of different-sized crystals that hummed with violet mana.
"Speaking of outside factors, there are a few things I've been forced to take into consideration, which is why I'll need your help to subdue the creatures while I implant the crystals into them," the Masked One said, drawing a handful to him with tendrils of mana and holding them aloft before the daemon.
"Y-You would have me assist you with this, my lord? It is an honor," Karak said with audible surprise before putting a claw across his chest and bowing. "While I could do it on my own, it would be much more efficient to have a second set of hands that can control the creatures while Athar is busy training," the mage began, closely analyzing one of the crystals.
"Besides, we have over ten thousand to work on, and I fear the toll it would take on him would be too great for him to handle," he continued, satisfied with the crystal's quality and gathering even more before returning to the cages just outside.
Karak followed closely behind, and with a massive pulse of his master's mana that reached every creature's core, they began to implant the smaller crystals into the foreheads of those still within the cages. They worked through the night until just before dawn at a speed that would have made Athar dizzy had he been there to see it.
"What of the Ochelons, my lord? What are we going to do with them?" Karak gestured to the massive creatures in their cage a few meters from their position. "Those will serve as the crystal bearers. They'll be the ones to pull the massive crystals imbued with my mana that will control the others. This way, I won't have to exhaust myself by trying to control each one individually," the Masked One replied with a satisfied grin beneath his mask.
"An excellent plan, my lord," Karak nodded understandingly. "Indeed. Come, I will require your assistance for these as well, since these ones tend to dislike being subjugated," the mage said as he walked over to the front of the first large cage.