"Yes," Hank struggled to explain, "these soul runes do weaken over time, especially as our magical power grows. That's why each promotion within the magical realm requires us to renew our family oaths. Our superiors use specialized tools for this process."
"Doesn't that seem… odd?" Eliot interjected, drawing everyone's attention. "Doesn't it affect you somehow?"
William took up the response this time. "Yes, it's an unpleasant process that leaves us weakened for a day. But after resting, we return to normal."
“This method is old and has had tens of millions of users. Naturally, they've developed a good technique.” Hank concluded his companion's words, still upset about the situation, feeling pain but willing to accept Jonn's agreement and avoid friction. Whether Jonn was being sincere, he couldn't be sure. But in the situation they were in, collaborating seemed the least bad thing, with at least some chance that they could access the boy's precious mana crystals.
Eliot and Elia had their doubts about whether having such runes in their souls was as simple as those two made it sound. For all they knew, the two hostages could be under the influence of the very runes they were talking about!
Jonn put that aside and went ahead with the negotiation. “Explain to me in detail how they analyze these runes on you. Do you have to do anything? What are the tools they use?”
Hank realized where Jonn was going with this. “Without at least the tools of an enchanter, you're not going to make it, boy. But I'll answer your questions.
“When we go through a realm promotion and receive a new role within the family, we go through either an enchanter or a mage of a higher level than us. We don't have to do anything. We just have to stand still and not use our mana while they use their tools to check the status of the rune. If it's weakened, they strengthen it with other equipment. If it's still mostly whole, they do nothing.”
This was common information that any large landlord in a Valorian state would have. But it was new to Jonn and his fellow villagers, who listened to Hank's every word with solemn attention.
Jonn continued with his plans and asked, “This tool they use to analyze the rune situation, what does it look like? Where exactly do they use it on you?”
Hank sighed, settling against his restraints. "I don't know its name or full capabilities. We sit on a special platform enclosed by glass walls reaching to the ceiling. A crystal-like object above emits a beam of light onto us while the operator circles the platform, feeding mana into the equipment. Results appear on their handheld magical device."
That didn't help me much. Jonn lamented, seeing he would have to analyze them to find a way to see what this rune was all about and whether he could circumvent its rules. But from Hank's description, it must start in the head. The head would be the first area to be hit by the beam of light he described.
“Very well, I'll examine you two and try to understand those runes you speak.”
William laughed lightly, contrasting with his pallor and the pain visible on his face, “You will not be able to.”
Jonn didn't mind the gratuitous teasing. “Well, that's my problem. Just know that I'll try. But for now, let's get on with the questioning. You've both made up your minds to try and find a way to follow up on the proposal I made, right?”
The two thought for a moment, but didn't take long to answer. If they could live to have a chance of being part of the mages that this boy would nurture, then they were totally willing!
At the very least, that would be better than dying and being tortured!
Both Dayflare Family mages were willing to die for their family and their leader's orders. Torture didn't scare them. Even threats wouldn't scare them. But any mage craved power, to live longer and be able to deal with problems that were before insurmountable.
Siding with Jonn would be a betrayal, but in exchange for the power they could access, it would be worth it — they both agreed with that thought!
Duke Dayflare was powerful and had crystal mines of his own. But they were only part of the second echelon of the family. With their talents and ages, they could get at most one mana crystal a month.
The mana crystal that was part of their salary was good until a few minutes ago. They longed for more and one day to be able to receive three crystals a month, as some of the family's top mages did. But meeting someone capable of creating a crystal as large as the one they were still seeing in Jonn's hands in a few seconds was enough to make any will tremble.
Aether Tears were power in crystallized form!
Their value could be different, depending on one's talent. But as long as you have an endless supply of them, sooner or later you would advance to higher levels.
Both Hank and William were intelligent men, given their personalities and loyalties. They saw that they couldn't easily get Jonn's crystals, but they also saw that Jonn didn't have enough mages to invest. Jonn had his beasts, but mages could do much more than beasts.
“Yes, we'll go ahead with your proposal,” the two said in unison.
Elia smiled as she took a step forward. “Let's start with that Dayflare Family you mentioned. Are they the masterminds of your group?” she asked.
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“Yes, the family sent us, in particular, their leader.” Hank felt nothing holding him back.
If Jonn and his group went to Littlewood and researched the symbol carried by the enemy group earlier, they would easily discover the origin of these people. Duke Dayflare was the leader of the Dayflare Family, the mastermind behind this attack.
William said, his voice laced with the difficulty of collaborating with those who a short time ago had been trying to kill him, “Your enemy is one of the five most powerful men in Eldoria, Duke Dayflare. If you do your research, you'll discover that he's a Mystic, so get ready. The war ahead won't be easy.”
Hank nodded positively and added, “The Duke knows about your plantations and won't stop until he has these lands as his own.”
“Why?” Eliot asked naively.
“For his method of cultivation, of course," William said as he looked into the young archer's eyes.
Elia disagreed, however. “No. This isn't about the method of planting. It's about land.” She looked at Jonn with a confidence that left no room for doubt. “The Barren Hills of Deepshadow is large and has no sovereigns... Why just take our method and take it to a place that doesn't need it? This is a war to dominate the Barren Hills of Deepshadow!”
Hank looked at the long-haired girl between the two young men from the Eternal Village differently, noting her aptitude for political relations. He didn't say anything, though. Something in him prevented him from confirming what she had just said.
“It makes sense.” Jonn pondered his companion's words, not needing to hear confirmation from these men to put this as the enemy's goal, which they would fight against.
They want our method and all Barren Hills of Deepshadow. Not only that, they can't risk letting our village out of their control. That would increase the chances of other groups finding out what's going on here and starting a war to divide the Barren Hills of Deepshadow. So the Duke's orders must be to take control of the village and start occupying the region.
Jonn made quick conclusions while Eliot and Elia talked to their remaining hostages. Despite the verbal agreement between them, for the time being, these men would live as hostages and receive nothing, of course. Jonn's offer had been very clear. They should first generate results with information and support, and only then would they get something, like the mana crystals or their freedom from this cave.
“... The Baynard boy from Littlewood was the one who told the Duke about your village and your crops on the dead ground in the Barren Hills of Deepshadow. What happened to him? Did you seize him?” Hank asked after confirming what the group had already guessed.
“So his name was Baynard?” Eliot asked with a slightly angry look on his face. “He hid his identity. It looks like he was malicious from the start, Jonn.”
“Yes, that seems to be the case," Jonn confirmed, turning his attention to the group in that torch-lit area. “Do you know more about Baynard? He died in combat, so we won't be able to question him.”
William replied without blinking, “He was the son of a large landowner in Littlewood. It seems his father died recently in a local power struggle.”
Elia and Jonn looked at each other when they heard this, understanding exactly where Baynard was coming from even without any further information. Baynard had arrived in the village with Yeoman Ferry's group of former servants, so it was clear who his father was.
“Makes sense," Jonn muttered.
“Did those people protect him?” Elia asked, not caring if the hostages heard her.
“Maybe.” Jonn didn't rule out the possibility, although he didn't immediately think that was it. “Perhaps they didn't notice their former young master among them. Baynard arrived in the village physically broken, head shaved and as dirty as an animal. Maybe they protected him, or maybe they didn't realize who he was. He was clever and managed to infiltrate our midst for months before disappearing.”
He looked again at the two level 3 mages and asked, “What now? What next?”
They were both silent, clearly unable to answer Jonn's questions.
Elia tried a different approach. “What would the Duke do if we had fallen? Are you here to exterminate us or to rule us?”
“We're here to rule over you,” said Hank, having in fact been sent to scare the village into surrendering peacefully. The Duke didn't want to have to send hundreds of workers here immediately. That would draw the attention of his enemies. He wanted to use the people of the Eternal Village themselves to start his plans in the area, which naturally involved them communicating these 'positive' plans to the community.
Hank continued, “Upon winning a battle here or achieving their surrender, our first step would be to understand the layout of the community and its plantations. We would then send this information to the capital and wait for answers.”
“They would probably send people to work in the fields if your method proved replicable, and also more guards to work on the surveillance and protection of the area," William added.
“And if you were wiped out, they would send a stronger group to the area.” Elia didn't ask, just stating the obvious in her words.
The look on her face said enough for Jonn. They had no choice but to go ahead with his initial plan.
'If these men are really only second rank, then we have to assume that there are at least level 4 mages in the Dayflare Family, maybe even level 5. That's not counting the other level 3 mages...' Elia thought silently, becoming more serious as she felt her anxiety speed up her heart.
Jonn thought about the situation too. This is going to be dangerous, but it's what we can do. If we don't use these men to make it look like we've lost the conflict, we'll be visited by a group that will decimate us.
He sighed as he closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he finally revealed the function of these two individuals in his plans. “You're going to help us make Duke Dayflare believe that the Eternal Village has fallen under his group's control.”
The two of them widened their eyes, forgetting the pain of their burns to think about Jonn's suicidal plan.
“It won't work,” William said in an altered tone. “They'll find out, and then we'll all be dead!”
“Really,” Hank didn't disagree as he looked at Jonn with concern. “That won't work. It might last a few weeks, months at most. But they'll find out and exterminate us for it.”
“What other choice do we have?” Eliot asked.
“Surrender to the Duke's forces for real," Hank said sincerely. “We'll help you get the best deal possible, and you'll have a chance to serve the Duke with oaths like ours.”
“That's out of the question," Jonn said firmly. “I won't accept you marking my soul, nor will I put my companions in that situation.”
“Then you'll have to prepare for war. It will come, sooner or later," Hank said in a deeper tone, his eyes narrowing with the gravity of his words.
“Better we fight a bad war than become slaves.” Jonn didn't change his opinion, doubting very much that his village would be saved by surrendering to an unknown man.
By accepting a deal like the one Hank had indicated, not only would they not be able to go against the family, they would also be obliged to obey the orders of their superiors. This, of course, included fighting on behalf of their lord, waging wars ordered by their lord, and doing things against their own interests!
Elia agreed wholeheartedly with Jonn, while Eliot nodded, not quite understanding the subject but unwilling to bow his head to a foreign landlord.
Hank said in a fearful tone, “Then I hope the gods have mercy on us. The war that will overtake us will be devastating and cruel!”