The First Harem Tournament 28 – The Formation of Imperial Houses Part 2

After some delay, Aclysia and Beatrice rose as one. “”We have decided to form one house,”” they spoke simultaneously and moved with flawless synchronicity. Buttons pressed, they displayed a black-white crest of green-eyed dragons facing one another. Colours were inverted down a vertical split. “”It will be the house Servitude. Our motto will be: ‘Loyalty is its own reward’.”

[Servitude AI https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/5d3d0bcf46ca.png ]

John appreciated the Warhammer reference, though he did have to ask: “You think it is wise to join your houses as one?”

“Response: we considered this long and carefully,” Beatrice said.

“Though we have our individuality, we are ultimately united in our purpose to serve you, Master,” Aclysia elaborated. “We have no illusion that we are different, that our children will be different, but this is our wish all the same.”

There was nothing more to be said past that. The two maids sat back down, leaving Lee to grab everyone’s attention with a heaving sigh.

“This is all subpar…” she muttered and got up. “…I’ll just have to accept that nothing will be good enough and get this over with. My house will be called ‘Magus Imperial’ and our motto will be: ‘Remember your roots’. As for the symbol…”

A deeply unhappy expression on her face, Lee activated the screen behind her. It was another variation of the Fusion base. The colours had been replaced with brown and deep blue, the six diamond shapes adjusted into something that was neither better nor worse, just different. What made Lee unhappy was the brown raptor skull in the centre. Well, it was supposed to be a raptor skull, but the AI had clearly been confused whether she meant the dinosaur or category of bird.

[Magus Imperial AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/0dcf73ea952f.png ]

“I can salvage that idea,” Eliana promised.

“Thank you…” Lee muttered and closed the image..

Layla had to ask, “Why ‘Magus Imperial’?”

“Magnus also is going to be starting a noble house, so we thought it was best to come up with distinct names to avoid future confusion,” Lee explained. “’Imperial’ was the best addition I could come up with.”

“A traditional way to do this is to call one the Greater and one the Lesser house,” Lydia weighed in. “Though I understand that implications of this would cause undue strife within the family.”

“It would cause undue strife in me,” Lee groaned. “Anyway, that’s that. Next please.”

“Guess I’mma use that cue,” Jane stated. “I thought about being brazen and claimin’ the ‘Newman’ name, but I ain’t quite entitled enough for that one.”

“Would be confusing anyhow, since all my children will have the name somewhere in there,” John opined. Whether that would be, like Lydia’s case, through a joining of the names or by having the names presented like ‘Adam Newman of House Exemplar’ was of fairly little consequence. His children would be known as HIS children.

“Ja, so – I’ll go with house Lightbearer.” The screen revealed a golden crown on a hexagonal frame. The background was pink and blue with ornamentations of gold. Sapphires were set into the gold and the crown. It certainly made the bold statement that Jane considered herself the foremost among them in terms of hierarchy… which was true.

[Lightbearer AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b3b89482dee6.png ]

“House motto?” Moira inquired.

“Do ya even need to ask?” the feline Lightbearer asked with a broad smile. “Say it with me everyone! 1 – 2 – 3…!”

“”””Live, learn and move on.””””

“Glad we all got it.”

“I do have to ask,” Fianna chimed in. “Why not just Hollmey?”

“Because screw Mom, that’s why,” Jane retorted and crossed her arms. “Not that I want it, but she hasn’t made me heir to our little clan either. Therefore, this ain’t a Hollmey thing, this is a me thing.”

That was fair enough.

“If she is done, if there are no further questions, if I may?” Claire asked in her repeating way and pressed the button to display her logo next. It basically was the Fusion logo, with the notable addition of a pair of red eyes with slit pupils at the sides. There was also a colour corruption on the lower end, but that must have been another mistake from the machine. “House Ironblood. Motto: ‘Make your choice’.”

[Ironblood AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/c37cfbbc0345.png ]

“Are you happy with that name?” John asked directly.

“Approximate as it is to the Ironborn, I have long considered whether I want to stick with it,” Claire answered. “Ultimately, I think it is the best name for me and ours.”

Lyndell hummed. “I like your motto.”

“Thank you, thank you!” Claire brimmed with glee. “I had more forceful variants in mind, such as: ‘Rebel or Obey, it is your choice’. I deemed them either too wordy or too clunky or both. This will echo nicely in the minds of the generations, I reckon.”

The ancient entity hummed again, then rose to make herself the next to speak. The logo behind her was an entirely black variant of the Fusion logo, the pitch darkness only interrupted by the mycelium of a grey fungus growing throughout. “House Umbra. The motto… ‘Secrets sleep in darkness old’.”

[Umbra AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/465c4fdeeca9.png ]

“That’s pretty… foreboding,” John put it nicely.

“I am foreboding and forlorn,” the ever-sad woman replied sincerely. “A persistent shadow clinging to history that refuses to fade now that she has known happiness.”

“The symbolism of your logo could lead to issues,” Claire weighed in.

“It could?” Lyndell asked and turned to look at it. “Why?”

“It’s literally a mushroom growing through a blackened Fusion logo. There will be those that see it to be a reference to what the Lorylim did to Fusion and those that will further consider this a sign that you plan to do the same.”

“A valid concern,” John echoed. “Simultaneously, I don’t think anything can be done about that.”

“By my nature, I will always be distrusted.” Lyndell’s shoulders were as slumped as before. “They are right to.”

“I believe in you,” John assured her without hesitation, coaxing from her black lips a slight smile. That was all the reward he needed to put up with the renewed outpour of concerns regarding Lyndell, following her display of power in the fight against Jane. “If you are willing to answer the questions from journalists, then it’ll be fine.”

Lyndell gave a plain nod and sat back down.

“I’ll go next!” Layla shouted enthusiastically, almost hopping on the table in excitement. “House Deliverance! Motto: ‘No rest for our enemies’!” The screen came to live behind her. “I tried to keep the hexagon because that’s Fusion’s form and therefore they are bestagons. Blue flames for mana and then the dagger in an attempt to recreate my own dagger as best the program could!”

[Deliverance AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/212cc22b9098.png ]

“Gotta say, Layla, hon,” Hailey drawled. “Lyn’s may’ve been forebodin’, but your house is straight villainous.”

“Thank you!” The reformed stalker bounced on her heels in excitement. “We have to put the fear of John into everyone who opposes him!”

‘Why do I even feel the slightest bit of surprise?’ John asked himself. ‘I knew what I signed myself up for when I decided to add the craziest of the crazies I met to my harem.’

“You’re certainly accomplishing your goal in showing everyone your priorities,” Delicia remarked as Layla sat back down. “Eh, I might as well be the one to keep going. Behold, House Poor!”

The six segments of the Fusion logo had been recoloured blue, white and black, with some extra ornamentations having been added and a chemical flask put in the middle of it all.

[Poor AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ed5c0d526e03.png ]

Momo posed the question: “You’re sticking with your last name?”

“Ye!” Delicia squeaked in response. “I like the irony behind it. Pft, can you imagine the generations of puns that will come of this? Bwahahaha!” Delicia smacked the table a couple of times before regaining control of herself. “But seriously, I’ve come from a peasant background and now I’m here. If I’m partaking in this whole ‘empire’ thing, then I am telling everyone that they can go for the top regardless of birth.”

John nodded approvingly. While he intended to occupy the very top of the hierarchy for as long as he felt like it, everything below that he still deemed subject to meritocratic competition. “It’s a bit weird, but weird isn’t bad,” he said. “What’s the motto of your house?”

“’Brilliance can come from anywhere’,” Delicia revealed. “It’s pretty good… right?” The little hesitance was swiftly followed by approval-seeking eyes. Nods around made the shortstack puff up as she sat back down. “I knew it was!”

“Alright, y’all, I’ll continue this lil’ chain of names that are just regular English words,” Hailey announced and got on her feet. “I’ll call my house ‘Creation’, ‘cause that’s what I do. Motto will be: ‘Change through steady work.’

“You sure you’re from the fudging south and not Germany?” Eliana joked.

“Other countries have work ethics too, ya know?” Hailey retorted and pressed the button to reveal her house crest. It was a gold-trimmed cog, lying on many cables. The blue metal was covered in runes, as was the wing-like formation in the middle. “Ain’t got a clue what that is,” the enigma engineer confessed. “It’s good enough for what the machine made though.”

[Creation AI https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/24df422822c1.png ]

‘As a name, Creation is a bit uninspired…’ John kept that thought to himself, trying to find an alternative first. When nothing better came to mind, he just dismissed his misgivings. The only competitor he had found was ‘Enigma’ and that had its own set of problems.

“Why blue?” Momo investigated. “Blue isn’t usually your colour. Is it because of your overalls?”

“No, it’s ‘cause it’s the colour of the Oklahoma flag and I ain’t doin’ this without honouring my beautiful home.”

Momo nodded a couple of times. “Oh yeah, that makes sense.”

“I am surprised there is no golden rose,” Nightingale added. “I expected you to add one to your heraldry.”

“I tried, but the program was too overt with it. Maybe once the proper thing gets made it can be added in a small manner.”

Nightingale bowed her head in understanding, then looked around the table. “I will be next, then,” she said. “It is rare for a harpy to get to found her own house. It fills me with… giddiness.”

“That’s the best word you could come up with?” Delicia mocked.

“Shut up!” Nightingale snapped at Delicia like she snapped at no one else. “Ehem… the house of Lavender Skies shall have the motto: ‘Songs to break the silent night’.”

The logo shown was a set of purple wings spread in front of a night sky with many stars and a sickled moon. Simple and yet entirely appropriate for the lady of the night.

[Lavender Skies AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/422731e2417f.png ]

“Ya know,” Jane weighed in. “This is where I’d try to tease ya with something, but this is exactly what I expected.”

“So let’s tease her with that!” Delicia declared.

“Or,” John weighed in, “we could keep going so we get done with this tonight?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“In eating our delicious dinner and cuddling on the couch.”

“Hmph!” Delicia harumphed, but stayed quiet.

Undine silently flowed to a standing position. “House Abysstide.” The name followed the convention set by Siena earlier. The logo behind her was yet another variation of the Fusion logo, made out of intertwining swirls of deep blue and black slime. “Motto: ‘Stormy seas calm one day’.”

[Abysstide AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/e3032ea69168.png ]

“Come oooooooon,” Jane whined. “Gimme something to teeeeeeeease….”

“No,” Undine retorted plainly. “Next.”

“Sure.” Scarlett activated the screen behind her as she rose from her throne. The familiar wreath of thorned cables that had served as her company logo served as the backdrop for a red and brass version of the Fusion logo, covered in circuitry. “House Thorne. Motto: ‘I will know’.”

[Thorne AI: https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/63db4ea7a33f.png ]

“Finally, someone else just using their last name!” Delicia declared.

“No need to fix what isn’t broken,” Scarlett stated plainly and plopped back down. A strand of her straight, red hair made it too far for her liking and was swiftly brushed back behind her ear. “A logo update is all that is needed. The corporation will keep the current one though. I want them to be distinct legal entities.”

“Probably easier for everyone involved,” John agreed.

“Isn’t that motto a bit…” Lee looked for the right word, “…selfish?”

“My children better inherit my thirst to explore the unknown.” The technomancer crossed her arms. “They will know everything that they can know. Why settle for less?”

That was just Scarlett doing Scarlett things.