When Fergie came to, the first thing the woman felt was joy. After so many years, she had finally broken through the barrier that held her from reaching the Grandmaster stage!
She was only partly through the door, her awakened skill having reached there, but it would take a while for her body to adapt and climb as well.
This was the benefit of Sparking over Awakening. Mages had to do a ceremony and use certain methods that were stringent and specific before being able to reach the next stage, but their power would increase totally afterward.
On the other hand, those who had Sparked, be it naturally or artificially, could simply upgrade whenever and wherever as long as their special ability had gathered 'enough experience'.
After that, their special ability would nourish their bodies until it was strong enough to unleash the minimum power of the new stage. To reach the maximum power would require more training, use, and experience, depending on what their ability was in the first place.
Fergie wanted to share her joy with her closest friend and good sister, Kristien, who had paid the price for this to happen.
Alas, before she could even see her, the Flame Pugilist smelt her. That smell of burning flesh would make anyone want to throw up, yet she looked at Kirstien kneeling down, her armor red-hot and molten in some places.
Fergie drew a blank as she couldn't fathom what she was seeing. One moment, she had been taking hits from Gunner while Berry had been communicating with the Queen most likely as Kirstien had been watching her supportively, then the next, her best friend seemed to be burning in her armor.
The Flame Pugilist's mind snapped as she screamed. She rushed to Kirstien and pressed her hand on the armor, drawing the heat away by using her ability, yet unable to work on the molten parts because she couldn't handle liquid heat.
The suffering woman seemed to recover greatly thanks to this, as she didn't have to grit her teeth to keep from screaming at continuously burning alive in her own armor. Now that 99% of the heat was gone, it had returned to being cool, so her health was not dropping as rapidly as before.
Alas, it was just as Gunner had stipulated, she was now inseparable from that armor. Her skin and flesh underneath was now deformed so badly that even if she could remove it, the woman most likely would not. She didn't need to see it to be able to guess that her current self would likely traumatize any onlooker.
Fergie began crying as she noticed this predicament, her heart feeling endless waves of pain as she wondered just what could have occurred. Kirstien could only muster the strength to say: "It's good that you… managed to break through safely…"
Her voice was raspy and hollow, indicating that her throat had suffered severe internal burns, not from the armor, but likely breathing in that heatwave when defending.
At this time, Gunner walked over holding a terribly injured Berry in a bed he had taken from his Inventory, carrying her with one arm. He placed the bed down and folded his arms, pointing at the woman.
"Your friend here could not get your Queen to see reason and surrender, so I removed the problem from the equation. Presumably, that should leave you three with the highest authority over this kingdom now. Decide here and now, are you going to surrender, or do you wish for me to eradicate what's left?"
Gunner was blunt and did not hide anything, making Fergie blanch as she put two and two together. She gazed at the Royal Castle which was now a crater spanning kilometers, as well as the ruined debris of the once great capital city, and understood in her heart.
She knelt before Gunner. "I speak for all of us, as well as Fraterina as a whole, when I say that we hereby fully surrender to Safemoon."
Kirstien by the side did not butt in or comment, having wanted this from the beginning, yet their idiotic Queen had stayed obstinate. Now, she could rot in hell for all the lives that had been lost due to her indignation.
"Good." Gunner answered.
He then opened his flask and pried open the mouth of Berry pouring a drop of a purplish liquid within. When it was exposed to air, even Fergie, who was still buried and battered felt her injuries healing.
The half-giant walked over and forcefully lifted Kirstien up despite her groan of pain, and did the same for her. Both women glowed with a purple light that surrounded their bodies, time seemed to reverse around them as they returned to full healthiness within seconds.
Fergie watched this with stupefaction, wondering what sort of miracle this was, before she remembered where Gunner came from and what kind of resources had been auctioned there.
When she gazed at that flask, she gulped, realizing that what was within was likely more valuable than her life… no the entire Fraterina… NO! THE ENTIRETY OF FALLON!
Then, she suddenly became dazed again as she realized something strange.
Why exactly had they fought back against this invasion?
Wouldn't it be the best possible scenario to become a vassal under Safemoon? After all, look at how powerful Andrato had grown in the span of a year after getting nurtured.
Wouldn't it be perfect if Fraterina could also receive that level of nurturing and give birth to Grandmasters?
After all, they had a much higher starting point than the shit-tier kingdom that used to be Andrato. Their kingdom also had better efficiency and talent when it came to these things.
They could have soared to heights unknown, yet by accepting this unconditional surrender they had been reduced to mere slaves rather than capable vassals...
The fact that Gunner had even healed Kirstien and Berry was most likely due to pity rather than any real need to keep them alive.
Even as they woke up, Gunner seemed less interested in them and more interested in looking for his escort. The half-giant seemed to have just remembered that his tank was still parked outside the city, and he couldn't help but worry as to whether the fellows driving it had survived.
Seeing this, Fergie understood many things, her former naivete and childishness slowly being washed away by the brutal reality of life.
However, looking at the state of her home, her city, her kingdom she was reminded of a certain saying.
'Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.'
