Chapter 14

“It’ll be okay sweetie, just take deep breaths. Think calm, relaxing thoughts. Drew will be back soon, and then no one will bother you anymore.” Miranda said, rubbing her husband’s shoulders and neck.

Mark had another meeting with the diplomatic envoys in thirty minutes and he was not looking forward to it. Deep down, Mark was a hermit. A cave dweller. An introvert. In his old career he was a System Admin Manager at an IT firm in Dallas, a position he enjoyed due to the lower threshold of bullshit per day that he needed to deal with. Comparatively speaking of course. Anyone in IT would tell you how straight up stupid the average human being was, but Mark had been lucky enough to deal mostly with higher ups within his company, and the IT professionals below him.

He loved the magic, he loved being faster than some super heroes from the comics he grew up with. Mark did not love being in charge of almost one hundred and fifty people’s lives. His choices affected more than just a company’s servers now, they affected whether people lived and died. Flourished or starved. Made peace, or war. Exhaustion and anxiety as words didn’t begin to describe his emotional and mental health at the current moment.

“Can’t I just tell them to wait until Drew gets back? It would make things so much easier.” Mark groaned, dreading the upcoming meeting. He tried to relax as his wife rubbed his tense muscles, but his mind kept racing through worst case scenarios.

“You know we can’t. We’ve put it off for weeks, if I was in their shoes, I’d be wanting to finish this up by now.” Miranda cooed. She tried to impress upon her husband the viewpoint of the delegates.

Mark rubbed his temples and sighed, hunched over on the edge of their bed. Drew had been gone for over six weeks now, and things felt like they were falling apart. Forgeborn were at Sanctuary’s doorstep, practically. Scouts were showing up almost daily, and it had been a chore to eradicate them before they could bring intelligence back to their masters at their main incursion camp. The citizens had gotten stronger, and Mark and his team were no longer the only ones who could take the tin cans out of commission.

But they needed to remain vigilant. The Valkyries would smite anyone who dared breach the settlement’s walls, but they were restricted from any excursions outside of them. That responsibility fell on Mark and the other citizens of Sanctuary.

A light knock came on the door to their house, and Miranda got up to answer it. Mark didn’t need to be told. It was time, he needed to get to the meeting and hopefully make the best decisions possible for everyone. He just prayed his choices wouldn’t doom them all.

Mark and his wife stood outside the door to the meeting. An impromptu building had been thrown together in haste when the delegations had originally appeared, only made possible by Sindra’s stone shaping powers. The building itself was far from luxurious, but it was practical and functional, and it had served as both the meeting place for all parties, and for housing the two separate delegations over the past few weeks.

“You’ve got this, honey. Believe in yourself, the way I believe in you, and always remember, I have your back.” Miranda smiled at her husband while nodding her head.

Mark grimaced, his lips turning thin as he pressed them together before nodding. He pressed his hand against the door and gave it a good shove, heading into the room. He quickly joined his wife in finding his seat at the stone rectangular conference table. The other parties were already present, and awaiting his entrance.

One of Sanctuary’s citizens, a Soulflame named Daniel, had been assigned as the diplomatic liaison. A fancy title that basically meant he was “bitch boy”, catering to the delegates every request. He was a young guy, but Drew had trusted the young man and he wasn’t lacking in strength, so Mark had put him to use. In truth, he was both a spy, collecting snippets of information from overhearing the delegates, as well as making sure they were comfortable during the stay in Sanctuary. Daniel quickly brought out refreshments of sweet tea, lemonade, and water.

“Heyyyy, how’s it going Bub?” Raz’zat Shinkick, the delegate for the Goblins asked, reaching forward and pouring himself a tall helping of lemonade.

“Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Kobinah, you’re both looking well.” Helimar Dusksorrow, the Dark Elf delegate said, with a slight smile and a courteous nod of his head.

“Delegates Raz’zat and Helimar, as representatives of both Sanctuary, and Humanity, we bid you welcome, and we look forward to this meeting.” Miranda smiled, and opened her arms as if to embrace a child.

Mark nodded, and tried to force a smile despite his nerves. God, bless my wife… Miranda was able to handle the pressure and stress with expertise. She had spent many years in medical school, and even more in actual hospitals, which translated to many long years in high pressure environments dealing with many different kinds of people, and the need to remain calm and collected regardless of the direness of the situation. Mark would be lost without his partner.

Both delegates smiled in return, with the Dark Elf practically glowing due to his wife’s polite welcome. The Goblin smiled due to the respect that had been consistently shown to him throughout his stay here. Mark knew some minor details of the two races now, and the most likely reasons they were here. In truth, as long as they were treated with respect, very little could go wrong during this meeting. The real reason he’d been dreading had been…

“As representative for the Dusksorrow clan, I need to make you aware of my clan leadership’s… reservations, due to the length of our stay at your settlement. They were beginning to worry that your people were not interested in forming diplomatic ties.” Helimar said, carefully manicuring each word so they revealed exactly what was intended.

The Dark Elves as a people placed great emphasis on words and the meanings behind them. Mark had used some of his limited influence as temporary leader of Sanctuary to bargain for basic information on both races with Junior Jr, the branch manager of the Multiversal Store in Sanctuary.

That, in part, had taken some negotiating, but as it was simply basic information and nothing necessary secret, the little Garden Gnome had been happy to help him out. More likely the Gnome wished to get on his good side because of Mark’s relationship with Drew, but Mark wasn’t going to complain. Collecting that information had been Miranda’s suggestion, and one he felt would end up paying dividends during this meeting.

“Yeah, the Chieftain of my tribe has similar concerns. What’s the holdup Bub?” Raz’zat asked, tilting his head.

Where the Dark Elves valued intelligence, and polite gestures, the Goblins valued respect and a more direct approach. Mark empathized with the Goblin’s values, as they were similar to his own. Mark took a deep breath, and tried one final time to calm his nerves. It is time.

“We appreciate both of you letting us know of your concerns, and I personally apologize for the tardiness of our response. To put it bluntly, my wife and I are temporary leaders here in Sanctuary, and I’d been holding back on our meetings in the hope that our leader would be returning shortly. Again, I apologize. It was not my intention to deceive either of you, I just didn’t wish to make any commitments without speaking with our leader.” Mark said, trying to keep a careful lid on his emotions.

It was a risk, letting these people, technically invaders, know that the settlement was without proper leadership. But the meetings could no longer be put off, and without Drew here, it fell on him and his wife to make the decisions. He had some educated guesses about the intentions of these two races in front of him, but at the end of the day, that’s all they were. Educated guesses.

“I see. The Dusksorrow appreciate your candor, and I believe I understand your reluctance in relaying this information, given the situation in your world.” Helimar stated. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t seem angry either.

“Ahh, you were worried we’d try to storm your settlement and take advantage of you. Fat chance of that Bub. Most of our race are scum, but Tribe Redtoof doesn’t do things that way, despite what my last name may lead you to believe.” Raz’zat Shinkick laughed, waving his hand in dismissal.

“No, I was not worried about the safety of our people here, we have above adequate protection in that regard, rather it’s as I said, I didn’t wish to make any commitments between our peoples without the guidance of our leader.” Mark replied, wishing to correct Raz’zat before any misunderstandings occurred.

“Two questions, if I may.” Helimar spoke up, his hand raised slightly. Miranda and Mark both nodded.

“First, I take it your leader has returned from wherever he’d gone? As for the second, you claim to have strong protections in place, strong enough that you do not fear incursions, may I ask you to briefly elaborate upon that?” Helimar asked.

“Yeah Bub, your people are still new with The System, what makes you so confident? Or have you not witnessed the might of a full-blown incursion yet?” Raz’zat added in his own questions, taking another sip of lemonade.

Mark poured himself a glass of sweet tea from the pitcher, and took a gulp, both to wet his palette and to quench his growing thirst. Sweet southern iced tea, there’s nothing like it. Mark internally sighed in contentment.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Our leader, Drew, has not returned, unfortunately. On a very personal level, it is frustrating, but he is off doing something very important, something which ties into the answer of your second question. Drew is the Champion of The Baleful Lady, and as such, The Lady has granted Sanctuary her personal protection. Members of her Cadre, the Valkyries, much like Sindra who you originally met at our gates, are here to ensure our safety.” Mark replied, with Miranda nodding.

Politics were not Mark’s strong point, and they definitely weren’t something he enjoyed. But he knew when a show of strength was necessary. Better to nip any foolish attempts in the butt now, rather than wait to play that card.

Helimar leaned back in his seat, his eyes ever so slightly wider than normal. The Dark Elf quickly regained control of his facial muscles and his face returned to the neutral stance he had before. His left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, barely noticeable, except for Mark’s extremely high perception stat. Raz’zat, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as subtle with his response.

“Whoa! A Bigshot huh?!” The Goblin leaned forward, both hands on the table, his face clear with an almost manic glee. “Usually I need to buy someone dinner to get something this juicy. We’ve struck gold here boyo.” Raz’zat reached over and patted Helimar on the shoulder, clearly very happy about the situation. The Dark Elf sighed, and delicately removed the Goblin’s hand from his shoulder, like a person picking up a dog turd with a tissue in the hope to flush it.

“Finding a Valkyrie here was curious, but the people of their race work many jobs throughout the multiverse. I was surprised that my inspection ability wouldn’t function on her, what Grade is she, if I may be so bold as to ask.” Helimar said, trying to and failing to keep Raz’zat from touching him in his excitement.

“Sindra?” Mark asked, looking over to his wife.

“She’s in B Grade, although we’re unsure whether that’s low, mid, or peak.” Miranda replied politely.

That reply had a bigger effect than Mark expected. Both of Helimar’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead, and his hand froze in its attempts to swat Raz’zat away. Seconds later the Goblin also froze, having processed what Miranda had said.

“Wazzat? A B Grade, here… on this dirtball? By the Tinkerer Goddess’s sweet tits…” Raz’zat removed his grabby hands from Helimar completely and plopped back down in his seat, grabbing the glass of fruit juice and downing in a single gulp, before pouring himself another one.

“Our preconceptions were clearly incorrect.” Helimar thought out loud, turning to Raz’zat.

“No shit, this changes things.” Raz’zat nodded and agreed .

“Excuse me, I believe I’m missing some crucial information here…” Mark interrupted. Confusion on his face.

What Preconceptions? What’s going on here, were they really going to invade after all?

“Ah, excuse us Mr. and Mrs. Kobinah. The information you’ve just provided was not expected. I believe it would be in our best interests to be more direct in our dealings. I’m unsure what you know of our two races but…” Helimar began, trying to craft the words that would work best in this situation.

“Most people hate us. What?” Raz’zat said, then looked to Helimar when the Dark Elf jabbed the Goblin in the ribs. “You said we should be direct, remember?” The Goblin protested.

“Yes, however there’s direct, and then there’s verbal excrement, please do not confuse the two.” Helimar stated, with a slight grimace, revealing he caught himself using a vulgarity he didn’t expect.

“Still kinda lost here folks…” Mark added in, looking to his wife for help.

“What did you mean when you said, ‘Most people hate us.’?” Miranda asked, filling in for her husband.

Helimar sighed, his shoulder slumping slightly. He waved his hand to Raz’zat.

“It’s like I said, most people hate us. It’s a race thing. Goblins are almost universally despised, sometimes for good reason, but most of the time it’s prejudice. We live short lives, even once we’re evolved, compared to other races. We make the most of it though, we party, we drink, some enjoy recreational chemicals, others, well… we like music and fucking. The things we invent sometimes blow up, as an accidental feature.” Raz’zat explained, counting things off with his fingers.

“Sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll?” Mark asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Ohhhh, I like that! Is it an Earth saying?” Raz’zat asked excitedly. Mark and Miranda both nodded.

“I think I’m going to like it here, Helimar.” The Goblin grinned, pointing to the co-delegate. The Dark Elf sighed more loudly this time, before turning back to Mark and Miranda.

“As Raz’zat here has stated so eloquently, his people are loathed by many. Some of it is normal stereotypes taken to an extreme, especially regarding the Goblin’s lesser evolved brethren, but there is much hatred towards both our races.” Helimar explained.

“Helimar, would you mind if I asked why people dislike your people?” Miranda asked.

“Ah, I can answer that one! It’s their snobby cousins! They have their noses up in the air, and do everything possible to piss on the Dark Elves. Ya know, the Sun Elves, High Elves, Wood Elves, etc. They’ve been hunted down and persecuted unfairly for ages now.” Raz’zat said, looking towards Helimar.

“It’s as Raz’zat says. Our people are seen as sneaky, duplicitous, cave dwelling barbarians. Most see us as thieves, backstabbers, or sometimes just evil. It can be a challenging existence.” The Dark Elf said, he sat less straight, and slightly more slumped as he explained, almost as if he’d given up.

“And is there any truth to these claims?” Miranda asked.

The Dark Elf grimaced in response, and the Goblin wiggled his hand as if to say “ehhh, some?”.

“We’ve had racists here on Earth for many thousands of years before The Descent. Your people will likely find similar experiences on our planet, but I’m happy to report that Sanctuary is free of such people, and we will not tolerate it. People are judged on an individual basis and upon their own merits, not stereotypes. Although, I must ask, what is your purpose on our planet, and why have you come here?” Miranda asked in a polite tone.

Mark and his wife knew all too well of the challenges racism brought. The hatred, the distrust and division. His own mother was Indian, and his father was a Caucasian American. Miranda’s family originally hailed from South Africa, and eventually moved to America before she was born. One would think that black people wouldn’t have racial issues in South Africa, but Mark had been surprised to find out that black folks were a minority there, and not treated well at times.

Although they both grew up in America, they did so in the early nineties, when racism was just starting to die off… slightly. She’d grown up in New Jersey, and he grew up in Texas, and they both had different challenges throughout their childhoods and even adult lives due to the color of their skin.

“I’d imagine so, you both look to have Dark Elf blood running through your veins. It’s not uncommon to find people of our shared ancestry on backwater worlds. As to your question, our peoples, both my own and Raz'zat's, have seen the various media productions created on your planet. Books, movies, shows, and even games depicting our races in varied roles. Both as villains, but to our pleasant surprise, as heroes and valiant figures as well. Our people purchased our incursion spots in the hope of forming friendly diplomatic ties to your peoples, due to the open mindedness your culture clearly has for our races.” Helimar explained, with Raz’zat nodding in agreement as the Dark Elf spoke.

“Oh.” Mark grimaced, looking at his wife, who also pulled her face slightly in a “oh, shit” look.

“Oh?” Helimar asked, confused and clearly wanting clarification. Raz’zat for his part also tilted his head.

“Well… It’s like this. All that stuff you saw, it’s fiction. The only sapient race that existed on Earth prior to The System were Humans. Although, from a scientific point of view, dolphins and some members of the ape and monkey families showed… nevermind. There were only humans here. Drew is a Progenitor, and we received our tokens from him, allowing us to change our races if we chose. Originally, we were all human however.” Miranda explained.

Best to let Miranda handle this part, she’ll put it more delicately than I can. Mark thought to himself. He looked to the two delegates expecting to find disappointment on their faces, but found nothing of the sort, and instead found both diplomats exchanging looks before furrowing their brows in thought.

“Unexpected. But allow me to ask for clarification, the both of you began your lives as humans, and out of all the sapient races in the multiverse, you both chose to become Dark Elves, is that correct?” Helimar asked them, with an eyebrow raised.

“Well, I’m technically a half-elf, with both Human and Dark Elf blood, but essentially, yes?” Mark said. The end of the sentence was a slight question, as Mark was clearly confused on the focused attention and importance of Helimar’s query regarding their racial choices. Miranda nodded her head in agreement to her husband’s words.

Helimar broke into a smile, stood up and walked around the table. Daniel, who had been remaining quiet, and keeping somewhat out of sight in the corner of the room tensed up, reaching for the hilt of his longsword. The Dark Elf reached Miranda and opened his arms wide, leaning down to hug her, before doing the same to Mark. The husband and wife sat quietly, very confused about what was happening, and the randomness of receiving a hug from a delegate who clearly didn’t enjoy physical contact, as his interactions with Raz’zat had shown.

“On behalf of the Dusksorrow clan, I, Helimar Dusksorrow, Son of Matron Ciera Dusksorrow, propose a formal alliance, including a defensive pact and trade agreement between our clan and the settlement of Sanctuary, under the protection of The Baleful Lady. With The System, The Baleful Lady, and The Moon Goddess Elethane as my witnesses.” The Dark Elf proudly proclaimed loudly.

Mark and Miranda both looked at each other, still very much confused about what was happening, and why. They both glanced at Helimar, and then at Raz'zat, who was crying as he clapped his hands excitedly.

“I, Raz’zat Shinkick, Son of Chieftain Redtoof Shinkick, also formally propose an alliance, including a defensive pact and trade agreement between Tribe Redtoof, and the settlement of Sanctuary, Under the protection of The Baleful Lady. With The Baleful Lady, The System, and The Sibling Divine Beings, Rathmar The Performer, Regena The Tinkerer, and Avae Goddess of Fertility as my witnesses.

Columns of light struck the stone building, various colors colliding and condensing into an iridescent beam. A pressure unlike anything Mark had ever experienced fell upon his shoulders, as if he stood underneath Niagara Falls. He fell to his knees, it felt like the gravity had been increased ten or more times the normal, and he struggled to turn his head and check on the others. They were all in the same boat, even Daniel, the young boy face-planted into the stone floor as if he was taking a dirt nap. Raz’zat and Helimar were no better, neither one had the strength to remain standing. Only Mark, and his wife were capable of remaining on their knees and hands.

Mark was scared, confused, and slowly becoming intensely exhausted, as he tried desperately to fight off whatever was attacking them.

*PING!*

The Redtoof Tribe of Goblins, and the Dusksorrow Clan of Dark Elves have both proposed a formal alliance, Defensive Pact, and Trade Agreement with the Settlement of Sanctuary. As Sanctuary’s temporary leader, you may formally accept, delay, or refuse this agreement.

An alliance is a System granted formal declaration of friendship between two or more entities. A Defensive Pact only encompasses one world and settlement at a time, in this case the Settlement of Sanctuary on the planet Earth, and the Incursion camps of both the Dusksorrow Clan, and Redtoof Tribe on the planet Earth. A Trade Agreement is a formal acknowledgement of the intention to promote trade between two or more entities, whether physical goods, services, or the sharing of religion and culture.

Please note: By accepting any of these agreements, the Incursion Gates controlled by the Redtoof Tribe and Dusksorrow Clan will be forcibly closed by The System within seven solar days. Future multiversal travel will require permanent gates to be constructed at great expense for your pending allies, however all rewards for closing said incursions will be distributed and rewarded to your settlement and its official leader.

Accept Clan Dusksorrow’s Proposal

Yes/No

Accept Tribe Redtoof’s Proposal

Yes/No

Fuckkk… Yes… I guess… just stop the pressu…

Agreements Accepted. The System bears witness.

“I bear witness.” A cold, yet kind feminine voice echoed throughout the room.

“I bear witness.” An elegant and loving voice swirled by like a cool night’s breeze.

“We bear witness.” Several voices said in unison. One of warmth, and two with feelings of excitement.

The pressure vanished from the room, and Mark dropped to his stomach, unable to remain kneeling, his body covered in sweat, yet shaking cold. He turned to Miranda. She was okay, just worn out from whatever that pressure was, the same as him. He turned to look at his guests. Raz’zat was out cold, the pressure cold-clocked him, Daniel was barely conscious and trying to crawl towards Mark and Miranda. Helimar had one eye open, his face on the floor, staring at the husband and wife.

“Brother… sister… welcom…” Helimar passed out, his one open eye glazed cloudy and shut. Soon, light snoring and the rasping of breath could be heard coming from his lips.

DREW!! Get your ass back here!!!