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Dead promises
Ch 23: The Parley

Ch 23: The Parley

Two weeks pass from the deciding date, during all of this Sunhale has continued to masquerade as Eltikra, continuing the duties he has as a guard while the other spies under Fels guidance watched the temple and sabotaged the walls as well as prepared to destroy some of the armouries in the city to make guard responses worse in the case of a siege. Today though as Sunhale once again moonlights as Eltikra again he heads to the assignment board and sees he has a post on one of the walls, he is unsurprised as Captain Wonakri has kept him on wall or inner city posts during the month after what happened the last time but this time Sunhale is happy about it given the situation today. Sunhale heads up onto the wall and as he heads along towards his post he sees the high priest of Deranel he looks a man in his 50's but Sunhale knows he is older than that, as he continues to walk past the other guards on the wall on the way to the post he has been given the high priest looks to him.

"Hello young man, I see you are on your way to your job, well today we are blessing every guard on the walls due to these trying times, stop for a moment will you?" The high priest said

"Of course High Priest Roult" Sunhale said knowing the name as it had come up during the operation

Sunhale stops in front of the High Priest and kneels before him yet before Roult can speak the guards on the section of wall Sunhale and Roult are currently on suddenly shout.

"YOU! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" The guards all shouted in unison causing Sunhale to get up and the High Priest to look out in curiosity

"What in the gods names is happening?" Roult asked

Standing in view of the wall is the undead modified form of Captain Forina standing still with Raeknars Scythe in her hand when a voice begins to speak.

"I have come to parley with one Captain Wonakri about avoiding a siege of this city" A warped version of Captain Forinas voice said, they were clearly Yoruns words however

"A siege!? Who are you!?" A guard shouted

"By the gods.... That scythe! That's Raekanrs Scythe!" High Priest Roult shouted

Those very words sent shockwaves throughout the guards on the wall and within seconds Wonakri teleported to that part of the wall, Wonakri looks intrigued as he looks over the wall before looking at Roult.

"Are you sure that scythe is Raeknars?" Wonakri asked

"I am more than sure captain I have dealt with matters of the gods for all my life and I am in my 100th year on this world I recognise divine objects like you do a weapon" Roult said

"Fine, if that's the case..." Wonakri said before looking out of the walls toward the controlled Forina

"Well then come on up stranger, seems you have your parley" Wonakri said with suspicion in his voice

"I am coming along with this too Wonakri this involves the god of death and justice who has seldom spoke in all my years" Roult said

"Fine" Wonakri said

Yorun controlling Forinas body teleports up next to Wonakri now towering over him, the teleport makes everyone move backwards instinctively.

"You look... familiar..." Wonakri said

"Wait that's- gods that's Captain Forina. Gaeronaks mortal for 20 years, what happened to you!?" Roult asked confused and somewhat horrified

"This body is indeed that of Captain Forina, she perished during the battle between Raeknar and Gaeronak in Gantoral but now her body has been raised by me and at this moment in time I control her directly" Yorun said

"What do we call you then?" Wonakri asked while Roult looked more confused and horrified behind him

"For now go with Raeknar" Yorun said

"You blasphemous little fu-" Roults angered words were cut off as Raeknars Scythe was pushed a little closer to Roult

"And don't forget where I got this were it not acceptable I wouldn't still have it" Yorun said somewhat annoyed

"Point made, everyone else continue your duties! Now let's talk" Wonakri said

Sunhale walks away but telepathically he speaks to Yorun.

"Good luck" Sunhale said before disappearing into a tower on the way to his assignment

Wonakri, Roult and Yorun teleport to Wonakris office, Yorun needs to get lower due to Forinas large frame forcing her head nearly into the ceiling.

"Sorry my office is not exactly made for people of this stature" Wonakri said as he sat behind his desk while Roult situated himself next to him

"It is fine, this undead body was chosen for a particular purpose of being recognised as was the scythe" Yorun said as he sat opposite the two of them

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"So... Raeknars scythe how did you get that?" Wonakri asked

"Give by Raeknar themself as was Raeknars cloak but that is on my living body far from here as opposed to this one, no point in losing it should this go badly" Yorun said

"And you are content with possibly losing Raeknars scythe!?" Roult shouted confused

"The scythe cannot be lost I can call it to and from my hand whenever I so wish" Yorun said

"Oh, never mind, apologies... Raeknar, it does not feel right to call you that" Roult said

"Anyway the elves are not meant to be coming here this soon so what is this about a siege?" Wonakri asked

"The siege from my army should this not go well, I am the mortal for Raeknar and I was given a mission to bring justice to this world or at least the Feirnian empire and to do that I need to get rid of the imperial family, I have an undead army and the next target is this city. I know you Wonakri are an agreeable man and don't want your people harmed, I'd rather avoid that as well myself if I can but well if not I have no problem with the alternative" Yorun said

"Well glad to know we have that opportunity and you are right I would rather avoid having my people be under threat but I do have to ask you why you think I would just betray the imperial family?" Wonakri asked as his eyes narrowed

"Because from what I know you forgo the usual hierarchy when people here are under threat even when it comes to those above you in said hierarchy and I am sure High Priest Roult over there has some thoughts on the situation as well" Yorun said

"I imagine he does but your initial assessment is correct right now I am the judge of the situation here while whatever Roult may say I will take as advice the words won't sway me much, now Roult speak" Wonakri said

"I would advice doing as this person said, I mentioned earlier Raeknar seldom speaks and by that I mean I have only ever heard them say something once and I wasn't even a full priest back then I was attending the temple as an outsider at the time when I was a child. Raeknar is the god of justice so what better thing is there for a guard captain of the people to aid?" Roult said

"A fair point so... Raeknar, you are correct that doesn't sound right to say, anyway if I were to allow you and your forces into the city what would you do?" Wonakri asked

"I would set up undead in the same kind of places as the guards allowing for more of your men to rest easy while my undead take their positions, you can still have some of the guards doing their jobs but it need not be necessary. I also want the noble of the Pertaki noble family as well as any other evil souls in the city" Yorun said

"Why?" Wonakri asked

"Rather simple actually, I'll have them killed and take their bodies for my army, if a siege is to be avoided I am getting far less soldiers here and I need them as a result plus that noble specifically has magic and as such I can do what Raeknar is now allowing me to do. Take his soul for my own use" Yorun said casually yet seriously at the same time

"By the gods that's- y-you can't be serious" Roult said horrified

"I can assure you it is true, I would also request that during our cooperation anyone that dies in the city for whatever reason will have their body turned over to my forces. The imperial family's army is far larger than the force I currently have as we both know it was merely the border force that fought the elven army" Yorun said

"A fair thing to request if somewhat immoral, better than the alternative though and well the imperial family are a bunch of assholes plus you do work for Raeknar who is basically the god every guard worships due to their nature as bringers of justice and death at times" Wonakri said

"Does that mean you will agree to this?" Yorun asked

"I haven't said that yet, I want you to be clear with me, everyone knows about Gantoral but I want to know where you went after" Wonakri said with his eyes narrowing a tinge of red in them

Yorun feels a compulsion to speak the truth but it feels more like a suggestion than outright control.

"Trying the mind control hm?" Yorun asked

"Only a little of it, testing the waters as it were" Wonakri said

"I'll say so no need to do that. I went with the elves for training purposes but I am not aligned with them currently" Yorun said

"Do you know anything about elves along the way from here to the Kolakinta Mountain Fortress?" Wonakri asked with the tinge of red getting brighter

The compulsion to speak grows louder, harder to ignore as if getting ready to force him to speak.

"Elves along that route? I know nothing but you want transparency so I'll give it to you I am currently based out of that very same fortress" Yorun said

"You are? For how long?" Wonakri asked his voice growing more stern and worried at the same time

"A month now, the defences there are particularly good for living armies but not so great for undead ones so we managed to take it" Yorun said

"One final question, did you attack my men and kill them? Is Eltikra a spy?" Wonakri asked his eyes now completely red

The control Wonakri is now extending is absolute and even if Yorun wanted to he could not resist the compulsion to speak true.

"Yes we attacked your men but they are not dead, they have been kept alive and looked after while we looked into this city, Eltikra is indeed a spy an elven one who joined my side" Yorun said

"Fuck! I'm pissed I didn't see it. They are unharmed you say?" Wonakri asked he looks angered

"Indeed, we had the drop on them no need to kill them unless we had reason too" Yorun said

The red eyes of Wonakri return to normal before looking at Yorun in a more friendly way once more.

"You were honest but even without my mind control I could tell you would have been honest" Wonakri said

"Indeed, will you cede the city?" Yorun asked

"I will, I will get my guards to do nothing about your approach and let you in, I have no doubt there will be some who will fight you though, not guards probably mercenaries from the noble families and whatnot" Wonakri said

"Thank you, you did the right thing" Yorun said

"I fucking hope so" Wonakri said

"Please when you are here in your natural flesh come to the temple I as well as the others would happily meet you" Roult said

"Come see what you would have faced had this meeting gone badly" Yorun said as he teleported with the two of them to the walls

Yorun begins to speak telepathically to Golanier.

"The deal is done, a peaceful solution prevails now bring our occupying force" Yorun said

At this moment the nearby forests almost part as the undead army creeps through it, the large force completely unsensible to the guards on the walls, at the head of the horde Golanier flying above them imposingly and laughing. The army approaches the wall bannerless but in formations clearly prepared over the month for a proper siege, the guards on the walls look horrified and are about to attack when Wonakri conjures a hand in the sky not a fist and not pointing towards the approaching army just a hand commanding the guards to stop. Wonakri walks over to the guard tower where the gates to the city can be opened and he opens them, the undead flood into the city but they do not attack anyone unless they themselves are attacked first. Wonakri telepathically speaks to everyone in the city.

"Everyone, today Deranel has ceded to the mortal chosen by Raeknar. We are now against the imperial family, stand down while everything is sorted out" Wonakri said before putting up a teleport barrier around the city stopping people such as nobles from escaping...