“You recognize them?” Ronin asked, surprised at her tone. She’d talked with him quite a bit since they’d met, most of those talks involved her killing him in one way or another. He’d heard her angry, resentful, mournful when her husband came up… but this was the first time he’d ever heard such awed wonder in her voice. Even with the mask, he could tell she was moved.
“Yes,” she said in a reverent tone. “My race was born on the moon of a gas giant. Like the fifth planet from the sun in the system your planet is in. It was a forest moon, filled with every manner of life imaginable… until the planet became unstable. Our ancestors believed it wasn’t a natural phenomenon but caused by one of the races that lived on an adjoining moon…” she told her story in a whisper, as if speaking to herself as she watched the dance.
The green skinned women dipped and spun, shook their heads, and climbed over their partners. The tree men dipped, swayed, and spun around on their exposed roots. As they danced, a resonance began to fill the air. A vibration that spoke of latent potential and the promise of nature’s power unrestrained. Like every movement they made caused a buildup of static, and one wrong move could touch off an explosion on the dance floor. The dancing pairs rode this wave of power, feeding off each other to make the pressure ever higher.
“…the dryads were the mothers of the forest. Their husbands, the mighty oakkin. As the forests died, the last of them gathered and danced a dance of sacrifice. Giving up their lives to join into a new entity, a colossal entity that could take our people away from our dying moon and too a safer place…” Ronin listened raptly, all the while never taking his eyes off the dancing dryads or their partners the oakkin, as they moved, he felt as if he could see the story in his mind. As if the creatures before him were performing a recreation of the death of their moon.
“…as the eras passed, the ship seeded the planets we came across with its offspring as well as our own. Just like on your planet, White flame, the ship dropped its seed pods and we descended with it. Our task to stay with and nurture the seedlings for however many generations it takes, until it matures, and we can leave the now enriched planet once more.”
“Cute story,” Leo said having returned at some point, his guards flanking him. “It’s a shame that none of that actually happened. Your race, at least in your flavor, only came into existence a few days ago.” As he spoke, he took his seat again at the table.
“What the hell is your problem?” Brie snapped, causing the lionesses to bare their fangs at her. “Can’t you just let her enjoy the show?”
“I suppose that was a bit out of line,” Leo said with a dip of his head. “I just get touchy when the topic of conversation is giant seeds being rained down on a planet for its ‘enrichment’ of course.” Brie leaned forward, but Ronin waved her back. As much as he disliked Leo’s bedside manner, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t gotten an uncomfortable twist in his guts when Elyria talked about how her ship had infested his planet with giant tree seeds.
“Well,” the elf said as the dance ended and the oakkin, dryad couples bowed in unison. “I choose to go with Five’s answer from earlier in the night. Just because my background was created for me, doesn’t make me any less real.” Leo had the grace to dip his head at those words.
“You will get no arguments from me on that point,” he said. “We might have originated from different sources of code, but we all exist together in the same crystallin matrix after all.” That was more of a concession than Ronin expected him to make. For some reason, he’d pegged Leo Dawson as a human’s first purest.
“What did you think of the show folks?” The speaker was now visible, if shrouded in mist. Having appeared on a stage behind where the dancers had performed. It rose from the ground to hover several feet in the air, as seamlessly as if it had always been there. “Once we welcome my son on stage and talk about the contest, I’ve brought you all together to partake in, we’ll be auctioning them off in pairs. Along with all the escorts you and your fellows brought in tonight with that purpose in mind… and don’t worry about the laws restricting personal realm’s natives from leaving your worlds or entering the worlds of others. Just like for the pair you each brought with you tonight, I’ve personally paid the taxes and commissioned all the paperwork myself. Anything bought from this auction will be fully compatible with your personal realm, I guarantee it.” Ronin didn’t understand the gasps from the crowd at those words, but it seemed like the people were excited.
“Realm natives aren’t usually allowed to leave their worlds. To bring them out requires special permits that cost a fortune in ship credits and an extended period of time to obtain. Part of the reason the old-world president got so many of the ships most wealthy and powerful together like this is the promise of that auction.” Leo said, leaning forward to speak quietly for Ronin’s benefit.
“I… don’t understand.” He said with a shrug, not wanting to just agree in case this was important later.
“It takes a lot of the ship’s computing power to make the code from a personal realm compatible with the ship’s default city simulation. Even more to make them compatible with another realm. Power that is needed to run vital functions elsewhere. Remember when I told you that you could have magic in your world, but only if you set it up that way?” Ronin nodded with interest at that.
“Well, this is a work around to that rule. If your realm doesn’t have magic, you can… at great expense, import a creature that does. Given time and the right breeding, it’s possible to bring that trait out in others… call it a hobby of the obscenely wealthy.” Leo said as he sipped wine right through his mask.
Ronin frowned, trying to come to grips with what he was being told. Elyria didn’t seem to care about anything other than the words the shrouded form on the platform had said originally, however.
“White flame,” she said gripping his arm tightly. “We have to get one of those pairs.” She’d leaned over the small table and grabbed his arm in both her hands, and although he couldn’t see her face, he knew her eyes would be wild with desperation from her tone alone.
“… I, I don’t have that much money.” Ronin said after considering his options and her words. “And the money I do have, I need to spend on my friend Markus, if he’s even still alive.” The dryad’s dance had helped relieve the stress he’d been feeling, but now that it was over that stress was creeping back in again.
“You don’t understand,” she said not giving up. “They are the very pillar of our racial heritage. Bring a pair of them back to the syndicate, set them up in a forest and give the moon elves access to them in good faith and I can guarantee you the cooperation of my kind through the duration of the locust war, and against any foe who might think to invade your lands, lest they harm the dryad.” Ronin was tempted by that, he really was. Still, it didn’t change the facts.
“I wish I could Elyria, even if it didn’t benefit me at all I’d still do it for your people… but I wasn’t lying, I really don’t have that many credits.” He watched her deflate at his words, slumping back into her chair as if all the life had gone out of her in that moment.
“Well, actually kid” Leo said with a shrug, “you might have more money than you think. You took out Philip tonight. And although he wasn’t a big fish in the upper echelons of power, he did have a lot of money. Check your interface.” With a frown, Ronin checked the notification that had been beeping at him, that he’d been ignoring, since it had shown up.
“Wow,” he said with a whistled. “That’s a lot of zeros… we might be able to at least bid on one with this amount of money.” He offered up with a shrug.
“And here,” Leo said as he pulled a card from thin air and flicked it at Ronin’s face. He flinched away at its approach, but before he could try to dodge or catch the card it came to a halt in midair before him. Reaching out he took the card and could visualize a balance of one million credits. It was some kind of bank card.
“What’s this?” Ronin asked in bewilderment.
“We agreed that I’d pay you a million credit’s when we won the contest. Honestly, I hadn’t really intended on giving you anything. I only needed you long enough to get me through the door. But I’ve taken a shine to you boy. And after your story, I went out and looked into what you said. Turns out my parenting skills might have been worse than I thought… anyway, take that for now. But you might want to stick around for the contest anyway, I’ve heard a few things… this is important.” Ronin just stared at the man in the lion mask. It was like he was a whole different person.
“I, I would actually like to find out what’s going on at least… but Markus…” Ronin said, unsure as how to answer.
“Don’t worry about Markus, boy,” Leo said. “We go way back, and I wasn’t about to let him die just because you didn’t manage your credits properly.” The feeling of relief Ronin felt at those words were beyond his ability to express. Before he got the chance to say thank you, he was interrupted.
“Your glasses,” said a neutral voice from beside the table. Ronin blinked, caught completely off guard by the voice. What was going on?
“The guy on stage brought his kid out and asked that drinks be passed out so everyone could toast to his health.” Brie said helpfully from where she stood behind his chair. Even seated, he was taller than she was, but the competent power in that woman was undeniable.
“Ah, yes.” Ronin said as they each took a glass. There were only four of them on the gold platter, the server held them out to Elyria, Ronin, and Leo and the larger of the two lionids. Brie and the other lionid weren’t offered any.
“honored guests,” the server said still in that neutral tone. “This way if you will.” They said as they tipped the wine tray down to reveal the interwoven circle pattern that was the sign to follow.
“Oh, right… but Brie…” Ronin said.
“But the auction…” Elyria said at the same time in a hiss.
“What about me?” Brie added to the confusion.
They each looked at the others, confusion warring with amusement at their simultaneous outburst.
“Wow, you kids are something else.” Leo said with a shake of his head. “Transfer however much of Philip’s capital onto the card I gave you as you think is prudent and give it to the little girl. She can stay here with my remaining escort and vote for you in the auction. And you, girl, don’t worry about Alex. I’ll keep an eye on him myself.” That seemed to tie up all three of their worries, though Brie’s body language said she wasn’t completely on board still.
“Gentlemen, lady… this way please.” The neutral tone was beginning to have an edge, but Ronin ignored it for just another second.
“Alright then,” Ronin said moving all the money over that he’d gotten from the foul Philip. “I put it all on here, try for a dryad, oakkin pair. If there is anything else up for auction that we can afford and you think we could really use… just do what you think is in my best interests, ok?” He said as he turned away from her.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Just don’t get into any fights Five,” Elyria said as she moved to take Ronin’s arm. She gave the smaller woman’s shoulder a squeeze as she passed. “You get the dryad for me, and I’ll keep an eye on your lord for you, deal?” She asked.
“Deal,” brie said as she brushed the hand off her shoulder, though Ronin noticed she did it gently.
“You kids really are something else,” Leo said with a chuckle as he took the lead in following their server, his guard a half step behind. “Just remember that you’re still my son. So, try not to embarrass me, and again. Don’t provoke any duels in here ok, we’re heading to the big leagues.” He reiterated the point a final time, as the server pointed them into a misty nook. Walking inside, found them teleported away.
* * *
Lily
“You sure about this?” Hunter asked from across the desk. “You already delayed the march by a month. I understand the reasons you gave for that, and at the time agreed with them. But then you sent the K brothers back to the honeycomb along with all the remaining kaldarr. Not to mention Vasylia and Harken with their best people. If you send the scouts out too, then who’s going to be here to watch your back? You have to have realized that Eric and his bugbear woman are stirring up trouble in the camps.”
Lily sighed a little at the mention of the honeycombs. It wasn’t what her people referred to the well defended and fortified city states that connected and climbed the mountain. Yet, it was the name the White flame’s people had chosen to give it. She couldn’t even disagree, since from the air it really did look like a giant honeycomb carved into the mountain side. It was amusing in a strange fashion. If only her current duties were half so funny.
They were in the tent that had been earmarked for Lily to share with Vasylia. Now it served as her office, complete with a big desk made of welded scraps from kaldarr dropships, but that was fine. It did the job, and she’d found that she needed a quiet place to keep her records. Perhaps her husband could just fly by the seat of his pants when it came to running the settlement, but it wasn’t the most efficient method.
“I am Hunter,” she answered in a patient tone. “Eric and Andona might be a little overzealous, but they’ve pulled together a large number of the people we’d written off as noncombatants and have them fired up to train and run drills. That’s why they have gotten so much of the training course’s time lately. Conversely, your scouts and the kaldarr and bugbear are already quite well versed in battle. That’s why I’ve asked you to undertake these missions while we train up the rest of the army.” She repeated the words again, as if she hadn’t recounted those same lines a half dozen times during the conversation.
“It’s not that I didn’t hear you Lily,” Hunter said voice still even, but tone rising an octave. “I just don’t agree. If you want to blood those people the best way to do it would be on the walls of the honeycomb, but battling simulated foes in mock combat with no stakes… and this mission, with the rats and the transportation you want us to use, why…”
“Listen Hunter.” Lily said, cutting the shorter woman off before she could go over the entire mission brief, again. “I know it seems strange, but I just need you to trust me on this one, ok? I promise this is going to strengthen the White flame’s position in the syndicate. Even if you can’t see all the pieces in play, they add up. I just need you to follow these orders and soon you’ll see why it was necessary.” That was a gamble, since she knew how loyal the goblins were to her husband. If it worked then this conversation would end and she’d get to move on to the next part of the plan, if it didn’t then she’d have to deal with Hunter in a less pleasant way.
“Alright Lily,” Hunter said at last after several long moments of staring her down. “I’m going to trust you, so please, don’t make me regret that choice.” Having spoken her piece, Hunter got up and left the dino hide office behind.
“Well, that could have gone better.” Lily muttered to herself as she let out a relieved breath. Hunter was one of the wild cards she’d worried most about. She was completely ruthless and loyal to a fault. Lily suspected if it wasn’t for the physical augmentations Owl five had been given, Hunter would be the more deadly of the pair. Still, it had worked out in the end. She rubbed her stomach, perhaps the stress was getting to her, since she felt a little queasy.
She looked over her notes as she planned her next steps. Eric hated the kaldarr more than anything, so the first thing she’d had to do was get them out of the valley. She’d wanted to send them to the wall, but the moon elves didn’t like them either. So, she’d been forced to find another war front. Since the entirety of the middle continent had been eaten right down to the bedrock the only front there was left were the honeycombs.
Next, was Andona’s hatred of the old White mane leadership. That amounted to Harken and Vasylia’s families. Since she already had a ship heading to the honeycomb, she added them to the roster. After all, it only made sense to send the respected bugbear’s along to bridge the gap between the kaldarr and the higher clans.
Next on the list of problematic individuals was Unyielding oak. The poor elf had been damaged by the loss of her forest, clan, and their animal companions. What was left of her race wasn’t a unified whole, they’d come from different sections of the vast forest. All funneled together as they were forced into the bugbear city to escape the locusts. Unyielding oak’s faction wasn’t the only one in the valley, just the strongest.
Another had been made up of the abandoned kids that had been clinging to the fringes of the race, trying to make it as best they could in a group who had given up on them. In a stroke of brilliance that Lily didn’t think was actually done on purpose, the White flame had taken in all the orphans… from every faction. Though he’d started with the wood elves. That act of kindness, on top of his pure physical might. Showcased as he slaughtered 10,000 locusts and a queen in mortal combat, cemented her loyalty to him forever. She was as unyielding as her name implied.
Having claimed the strongest warriors, and the youngest unwanted children. All that had been left behind were the elves who either couldn’t fight or wouldn’t for whatever reason. It was still a sizable number, well over a hundred. They’d fallen easily into Eric’s growing camp of followers, and his charismatic nature and desire for equal treatment for all, had them shaping into a fighting unit worth paying attention to. So good in fact that it was almost funny, considering they were on the outs with their kind to begin with because they didn’t want to fight.
So, in order to give them the opportunity to grow, Unyielding oak had to be removed from the picture. It had been easy enough to accomplish, once Owl two found a nearby valley that had a small population of the giant goats they’d adopted as their companion animal. All she’d had to do was make a dropship available and subtly push for Unyielding oak to lead the expedition herself to empty the valley of the loyal wood elves.
She’d sent a team of food corps along with each expedition, leaving only ten of them behind in camp. Ten who, including their leader Guts, would be leaving soon with Hunter and her remaining scouts. The only intact forces left in the valley belonged to Benjamin and Eric. Once Hunter left, the real work could begin. She only hoped she was doing the right thing. Her husband was a savage man with a good heart. Still, his leadership ability wasn’t adequate to the task that she’d found herself facing. She had to act, and, if her position ended up becoming stronger in the process… so be it.
She worked for several more hours then as night fell, she stopped for the day. Rolling the notes into a tight tube she slid them into a thumb print activated scroll case Owl two had given her for sensitive information. Once that had been tucked safely away into a drawer, she made her way outside the tent and the cave.
The camp was as empty as it had been since she’d arrived. Since Eric had wanted the normal goblins removed as well. That hadn’t been a real problem to accomplish. Since they’d already been living at the farm, she’d just made it official. Owl two was having a field day on the poor goblin women. He must have had a stash of genetic material ready and waiting because the day after the White flame had left, he’d artificially inseminated every goblin female in the entire camp.
They had begun giving birth to the new generation only the day before, so the odd, helmeted man had been fully preoccupied with his crossbreed experiments since then. Lily still had a tough time with his methods, but the goblins were more than happy to do their part for the syndicate. She’d even sat down with several of them and had more than one hours long talk with them. To them, being pregnant and giving birth to new children was what they were responsible for. They saw it as their job, she didn’t think she agreed, but they had all given consent, and that was what the White flame had stipulated.
As she walked through the camp town with Jewel and Vara at her back, Lily took in the people living in their syndicate. It was easy to forget sometimes that despite the infighting between the lord’s advisors, most of the people here just wanted to live in peace. The forges were pumping out smoke and the clanging of hammers. The leather workers were turning the hides from hunted prey into usable pieces of either armor, equipment, or clothing. All the hides except the goat hides. Those had been outlawed to kill, and all the hides they’d gathered up to that point had been collected with generous compensation to their owners. Unyielding oak had plans for them, but she’d left before Lily could ask.
Set up beside the metal and leather works was a new craft that utilized both the others. Several crafters who had been put out of work thanks to the locust threat got back into work by crafting the locust’s carapace. The locust’s green exoskeletons were thick and resistant to damage. Most of the troops couldn’t damage them with an arrow or sword unless they hit a join or had the lord or his follower’s absurd strength. So, naturally it made good armor.
Owl two had taken much of the guess work out of it when he ran experiments on the carapace brought back by lord Ronin the first time, they’d encountered the creatures. He determined that a fine tooth saw and a hole making tool called a drill bit would be the ideal tools to fashion the armor with. Because trying to cut it or break it gave suboptimal results. He’d used his magic fabricator to make one hundred drills and saws and anyone who checked out space in the carapace works could use them freely.
The plates were sawed into half palm sized rectangles and small holes were drilled around the edge. Thin cord from the leather works was used to connect them. Lastly, buckles made at the metal works were used to tie it all together, into an overlapping plate armor called lamellar. It covered the chest, back, shoulders, and thighs of the wearer. It was remarkably effective in battle and the materials were readily available, coupled with the short creation time, the camp had been turning the plates, buckles, and cord out by the crate load.
Passing the industrial district, Lily did a stop in at the games tent. It was filled with young adults and older citizens who couldn’t work due to age or injury. There were several tournaments running at all times of the day as people got further carried away with the game, they’d started calling POWFS or POWF. Which stood for ‘people of White flame syndicate.’ Nodding at a few people, and stopping to watch a few hands be played, Lily exited out the other side of the tent and continued on her rounds.
The next area she entered wasn’t nearly as cheery as the last. There were no children playing games, or industrious men and women working to better the community anyway they could. This section of the camp was where Eric and Andona had set up their tents. It was right beside the training fields, and as Lily approached, she could see a team running through the mock streets. They weren’t facing any opponent other than the diving batlin projections, and they were losing, badly.
“Come on you bunch,” shouted a clearly drunk bugbear. A bugbear who, if her memory served, had been the head guard of Andona’s family estate back in the honeycomb… dang, now she was thinking of her former home that way. She shook her head to clear it of the random thoughts and observed the other soldiers closely as she came to Eric’s command tent.
Everyone was drunk. Thanks to a beer and spirits run Andona had insisted they take back to her home city, to raise morale. Lily hadn’t disagreed. She’d been after the crafting tools left behind more than the booze, but still it was a worthwhile trip. Although it looked like Andona’s people were going to raise their spirits, right up until they ran out of them.
The men and women sat around, laughing and celebrating because the goblins and kaldarr were finally gone. Bugbears, wood elves, and humans… far more of the latter group, though nearly half the numbers present were a mix of bugbears and wood elves. They wore a mixed match of armor. From the ankylosaur leather with bone plates, the full plate steel the wealthy of the honeycomb had favored, if missing a few pieces, to several sets of the newest lamellar armor.
Their weapons were an eclectic mix, like their armor. Many had weapons brought with them when they escaped to the valley, but the majority were armed with locust talons. Having either been made into short swords or spear tips.
“Well, if it isn’t the lady of the hour.” Called out a visibly drunk Thomas, where he leaned against Eric’s tent post. “Got all those green buggers out of here finally, have you?” He said, words slurred around the mouth of a bottle. “Bout time, you promised us you’d do it a month…”
“Thank you, Thomas.” Eric said, exiting his tent at the rantings of his guard. “Lady Lily, please come in.” He gestured for her to enter and held the flap aside for her as she ducked inside.
“Is it done?” He asked once they were alone.
“I noticed your people have all been drinking,” she said by way of answering. “Will you be able to carry out your end like this?”
“How long do we have before they start coming back?” Eric shot back, not giving into her pointed look.
“Samantha will return with the dropship in two weeks. If you can take her when she gets back, then you have all the time you need. Without the pilots, the ships don’t fly, right? … That leaves only one scout team keeping an eye on undercity. Nothing your people can’t handle I assume?”
Eric’s only answer was an ear-to-ear smile.