The group of tourists took the long zig zag stairs towards the bottom of the cave. They asked many questions about their lifestyle, and their unexpected cooperation with the gnolls.
"How did you convince the gnolls to join you? Don't they belong to the Fortress faction?"
Slade and Lorely were happy to satisfy their curiosity.
"The gnolls migrated south in hopes to defect to the Stronghold. On their way, they picked up their ancestor's artifacts, but a colony of beholders already made their nest here. At the time, I was in a perilous situation, stuck between beholders and gnolls. But Violet and Lorely arrived and blew up everyone," Slade said.
"Some gnolls want to resume their journey south, others want to rescue the stragglers that were caught on the way, and a few want to settle with us," Lorely added.
His adventure left the pirates with food for thoughts. The ideal for them would be to return to the ocean, but that would be terribly dangerous without pawns. As such, the possibility to stay in Slade's village was enticing, but there was little chance that the Dungeon accommodated their underwater lifestyle.
The group reached the bottom of the cave, welcomed by a crowd of gnolls and beholders. Together, they gathered around a peculiar spot, where a rope closed off a plot of land that would hold the future building. Thanks to the cargo looting, a massive pile of gold, ore, and wood sat in the middle of the area, guarded by troglodyte pawns.
Slade exhaled a sigh of relief. He was worried that the gnoll's nasty smell would bother the Cove people. He surprised his furry friends eating shit or spreading rotting guts over their fur more than once. And it was weird to say it as a toilet slime, but he found that utterly disgusting.
Now, it made him curious about the crewmates' strange hygiene. Were they used to the smell of rotten fish and wastes?
"It looks like we're early-" The pirate's words were interrupted by the ripples that shook the air.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
A rift in space opened in front of the crowd, and multiple figures emerged from it.
Ever since Slade took control over Holloweye, he had carefully looted every nook and cranny of the King's tomb. Many items were unfortunately damaged beyond repair, but he managed to fuse and salvage the ancient luxuries. Many of which were jewelry and clothing.
Violet appeared from the rift. She sparkled with gold and gems and wore an exquisite dress that flattered her alluring charm. A slime unit covered her like a transparent bodysuit, making her skin glossy as though it was covered in oil. Although the queen hadn't ruled over anything for centuries, she captivated the audience with her aura of nobility.
[https://i.imgur.com/G3tXf2x.jpg]
There were a few humans among the pirate crews, and their reactions were much more intense than the other species. It took quite a bit of time for them to realize that she was, in fact, not a goddess that suddenly descended to warm their tired hearts with a vision of ethereal beauty.
In their eyes, she was a lone flower that grew at the peak, surrounded by ugly beholders and stinky gnolls. But past the initial veil of awe for her beauty, the men were left parched with an unquenchable lust towards the queen.
Griscent, the Evil Eye, emerged last and closed the warp gate that she had summoned.
Violet smiled at the pirates and wasted no time to head over to the dedicated plot of land. She extended her hand and the sovereign book appeared from thin air to fit in her palm. The ghostly tool was the interface that allowed her to modify her blessed towns and summon pawns.
In practice, she just swiped her finger across the book like a touch-screen tablet, which contrasted comically with the magnitude of the changes that her gesture produced.
Lines and circles appeared on the ground, drawing esoteric symbols. A large building rose from the land, decorated with giant snake statues that stood like guardians. Large stained glass let the inner braziers shine through and glowed like beacons inside the dark cave.
"Holloweye takes one step forward with the chapel of stilled voices. We will overcome the dangers lurking in the marshlands with the new medusa pawns!" Violet exclaimed to the public.
As if on cue, the gate slammed open and medusa pawns armed with bows slithered out, intimidating the gnolls and especially the beholders with their fierce glare. The audience cheered after regaining their composure.
For the ones who yearned the South, the medusa meant that they would clear the road from the terrifying predators that ate every traveler.
For Slade, it meant that he had a better shot at conquering high level threats like the spiderfolks, the pack of wolves, and the cursed bears that stopped the development of his territory.