The trip back wasn't what Baik had expected, particularly the reactions of Celinus from how the kobolds viewed them. Although he had allowed her to feed him and acted possessive, he had made it clear before that he didn't want her to simply "be his mate" or have those feelings for her. In fact, his sole acceptance was that she was attractive by his own standards.
But as the group walked with Baik in the rear, constant glances were shot their way. Roktok was the most prominent one to still be jealous of him, but the young kobolds in the group were all no doubt wishing they had a human like her for themselves. Moxli was the sole one focused on the trip and as a result was leading the walk with the wolf beside him to stay the hands of Ango if he saw them before Baik could do anything.
Celinus in all this attention had taken it as a sign to press her luck; she was being pulled by her hand for appearances' sake, but now she squeezed the grip and tried to get close to him whenever he had to slow his stride for the shorter-legged kobolds. Her blush had faded but the smile she wore made her seem happier than usual, even having the audacity to tap his tail at one point much to his chagrin. Even when he glared at her it didn't break this flirty and satisfied air... if anything, it just made her try harder to weave their fingers together and try comforting him mid-walk with side hugs.
Is this Stockholm syndrome? I know she has no reason to truly hate me besides killing the other in her group, but I am still her captor and used her. I enslaved her and even was willing to risk her life to obtain the loyalty of other kobolds. Celinus doesn't need to be with me... right?
A cowardly woman like her would naturally not be a good fit for him, even as a concubine or mate. Her only real use was as a sort of maid or servant with her summoning and control magic restricted by her lack of magical talent. Allowing this facade to go on was dangerous not only to her, but also to himself as an exposed form of weakness.
But Baik didn't try to stop it. The entire walk was miserable but not unbearable. The sun had started to set when they reached the tower, Baik making his way to the front after Moxli spotted it to lead them all into the clearing.
The reaction was immediate: Ango emerged from the tower with spear in hand as part of the late watch, glaring down the other kobolds behind Baik. Asserting his dominance early was good and unprompted, which Baik allowed while turning to Moxli and the intimidated Roktok as he finally let Celinus go.
"As I briefly spoke of before, all of you will be living in cellar three. It's marked with the trio of stakes at its side and the leather strips binding them. The other cellar with stakes is where our slaves are kept. All of them are my property and must be respected... and if any kobold touches a woman, they will be tortured and killed as if they directly stole from me. As their leader, you will be responsible... understand?"
Moxli nods, immediately glancing back at the kobolds. "Got it. I'll cut a finger off the first one to even get an idea of that. Our reward is food at the standard cycle and we can keep whatever loot you don't want, right?"
The prince approvingly mirrors Moxli's nod, turning to Ango at last.
"Ango, get your sister and have her bring a stone tablet. I'll expect you to fill me in on what I missed today while she handles making our terms set-in-stone with our new tribe members."
His friend raises a brow but nods. No doubt Ango was confused why he didn't just go himself, but Baik was trying to build authority in front of these new kobolds. Although they had survived together all this time, a Prince had to establish control beyond doubt; his strength was certain, but the tower's way of life depended on showing Baik's word was law when it was delivered. Even the group he'd grown with instinctively knew he was the final say, but they were the only kobolds he had taken the advice of.
Now that he was effectively taking on mercenaries in the form of Moxli, Roktok, and his band of young kobolds, Baik would need to iron out the basics of the order of work and the rules.
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Ango, Nehlka, Moxli, and Baik had gathered in his room of the tower, whilst Hanaya and Roktok oversaw the "move-in" and the assignment of bedding within the bunk.
"Firstly," Baik starts now that Nehlka had prepared all of the things necessary to etch the stone. "Let me say that I discussed recruiting other kobolds with Ango, my right-hand, before I left this morning. I discussed this briefly with all of you... but let me clarify it again: you all are not part of our tribe on equal grounds. Everyone, including you, will be treated as conquered outsiders until you've earned your keep. You will get meat once a day and may not eat outside of the regular cycle times.
Cycle times are effectively kobold society's eating norms: breakfast, dinner, and the like don't exist to kobolds, but instead they prioritize cycles when in smaller numbers or in dire times to regulate supplies. The cycle times he had decided on was five: this was roughly how often he and his friends ate throughout the day, albeit they snacked on fruit to get some energy partway through hunts or work.
"As outlined, you will all get a three-cycle allowance. The cellar is temporary but will act as a barracks until you all earn your keep. Once you've done so, you will be allowed to build a hut or whatever housing you want and eat on a five-cycle like we often do. In exchange for this, Roktok will join the hunting party and you will lead the kobolds as either a labor force here or as an armed force under me."
Moxli nods and Nehlka begins scratching all of these details down into stone. Once she finishes and sets it on the table, the older kobold taps a new one. She looks to Baik for an assurance, quickly getting it when he nods and turning her attention to the scout just as his focus goes to Baik.
"We will be given an assurance of your interpretation of the Laws. In exchange, we will not harm your slaves and shall follow the order of things in your tribe as if it was our own."
As it marks down, Baik sighs in relief. Moxli understood better than to question him, it seemed, even though his outlook on things was outside the norm for most kobolds. The prince had gotten lucky meeting an open-minded kobold like him in his first recruiting venture, especially since it will give him better negotiation room with Bailaka in the future to have someone this talented in his fold. The combat prowess of Ango and Hanaya was a token and Aggel's teaching of Nehlka had given him a strong second, but the consolidation of elites underneath a Kobold Prince was vital to cementing one's ability to be on good terms at a negotiation table. Compared to the large army Bailaka could field, after all, the only real combat strength they had was on parity to a handful of Bai's elites
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All-in-all, the exchanging of these stone-written laws was a means to bring more legitimacy to his rule and affirm understanding on par with the demons who enslaved kobolds in the past. It was knowledge, after all, that allowed kobolds to be often bested... so a smarter course of action was important to avoiding the mistakes of their ancestors. Baik grabs his room's jug of water, unplugging it and pouring the stone cups full between all of them. Ango may not have been speaking but his presence wasn't going unnoticed: Baik didn't want to make him feel omitted. Hanaya's voice was also best shared through him given their friendship, all the more important to making this gathering feel open for all present to speak.
As she takes her cup, though, it's Nehlka who speaks first while casting a look at the older scout.
"So, um... you have silver fur. I heard that kobolds with silver fur are more common in the southern part of the forest. What brought you this far north?"
Although they didn't know much of the surrounding area, Nehlka had spoken with Aggel for quite some time and learned a lot more than Baik. Her knowledge, however, was handicapped by the lack of knowing what was around them; the mapping project Baik had undertaken was being doubly-checked and proofed by her whenever he was out and she wasn't busy. In turn, she knew the second most about their situation and the area... and had no doubt determined a rough idea of where in the forest they might be.
"I'm from the south," he confirms. "But nothing brought me this far north besides simply trying to teach my son the ways of my tribe's scouts."
Ango takes a long drink of water before his tail swishes behind him. "Really? What couldn't you teach him that made you break the tradition of the Trials?"
It was a question that Baik had wanted to ask but didn't find the time. Now, however, the older kobold was on the spot between the three of them with no one to deflect it. It makes Moxli avert his gaze and sigh.
"I would like to not answer."
"Come on, you can't tell us even though Baik spared you?"
Ango's tone is somewhat combative, no doubt getting angry that Moxli wasn't answering when he was only alive because Baik wanted to recruit them. However, Nehlka frowns and shoots a look at him that makes him realize it's pressing too much into the matter.
"I would like to know as well, even if it's in vague terms."
Baik looks down at Moxli, the two of them meeting eyes while the prince drinks his fill. He sets the cup down and goes a step further, setting Akort's hatchet down on the table. It gets the attention of Ango and Nehlka instantly, marking the second time they had seen human weaponry.
"My enemies are those who endanger my tribe, not you. If you plan to become part of my tribe... then I will reward you for honesty. If the answer can satisfy me, I will even gift you Akort's weapon."
Or should I say your weapon, right?
Baik didn't need to ask his question, simply communicating it through his gaze toward the scout. It was obvious from how Akort wielded the hatchet that he wasn't used to the weapon. But Moxli, on the other hand, had looked at the weapon a handful of times since the other kobold was killed. Although he gave it up for the safety of his son, it was understandable that he'd become attached to a metal weapon that was sized-well for a kobold to wield. Although hatchets for someone human-sized like Baik paled to a true axe, kobolds could wield it two-handed without issue akin to true axes. For a scout, an axe or hatchet was also invaluable; it could clear wood debris as well as cleave thick hide with its weight distribution. The only downside for a kobold was their lower strength meant it didn't quite hack as cleanly... but skill with such a weapon over a long period mitigated that very quickly.
Moxli showed obvious internal conflict at such a valuable trade, yet still kept still. His eyes studied the weapon, unmoving for almost an entire minute of silence. Just as Ango starts drinking noisily, Moxli turns his gaze up to the prince.
"I am teaching him how the demons taught my tribe to scout."
Nehlka gasped while Ango momentarily choked on his drink, Baik remaining unmoved despite the duo's surprise. Although he didn't expect to hear that, he slides the weapon the rest of the way over the table to Moxli.
"You realized I wouldn't care. That alone is impressive given how most kobolds have disdain for demons given our role in their armies."
His friends look at him, forcing Baik to turn his gaze their way.
"Don't mistake me: I don't plan on working with demons, either. But I personally have no qualms about stealing their techniques and using it for ourselves. It's only logical if they have better methods, right?"
Nehlka nodded but wasn't happy, whilst Ango smirked rather unexpectedly. Until he spoke, that is.
"I bet we could learn their fighting methods and use it on them, too, right?"
Between Hanaya and Ango, it may be quite hard taking slaves from other races. But maybe he'd change his mind if they met a useful demon like he had with the humans. It was a side-track that was unimportant right now, ultimately pushed to the back of Baik's mind so he could turn his attention back to Moxli as the kobold retrieves the hatchet.
"I'll be assigning our slave Virm to your group for labor jobs within the camp as well. He's the larger male of our slaves, but he has largely been compliant similar to the woman I used as bait before. You have no problem with that, do you?"
"None as long as he listens."
He settles the hatchet into the belt of his leather armor, turning his attention toward the window and the darkening sky outside.
"After I get the kobolds settled tonight, I'll patrol the grounds and prepare some basics you all haven't. I noticed you have a handful of trails and paths you've made from living here for so long, but much of the perimeter is weak to ambushes. Although it would've been a loss, attacking this place in the night would have been brutal on your group. Having it be so relatively isolated definitely helped you escape trouble all this time."
Moxli knew nothing about the Bailaka tribe being nearby. Although he would no doubt learn in the future of his original tribe, it wasn't essential to tell him now or even for him to be told in the first place. It was a means to try and gauge just how much is known of this region to someone like him who had lived for a time. Totaina was a threat he knew of, but now he learned there were other tribes further south that would inevitably become points of contention. But now that they were done, he finally waved the elder scout to leave and let him go with the stone tablets Nehlka prepared. With him gone, though, Baik finally turned his attention to the siblings.
"Ango, you don't need to patrol tonight, Protecting the tower is enough. Going out to keep watch would be too dangerous if he was to betray us, anyway. Nehlka, you should rest as well; in the morning, I'll be going with the new group, Ango, and Hanaya to investigate the place I fought the humans."
She nods while Ango smirks, the latter of them no doubt excited to finally get to do something with the prince for the first time in a while. They had built up such a stockpile of supplies by now that missing out on some hunting wasn't going to hurt them. Taking Virm with the squad of kobolds meant they would be taking away the only one she might be unable to beat.
It's her brother, though, who speaks. "So if we're taking that human you gave to help them, does that mean we're going fighting?"
"Maybe." Baik kept his tone neutral intentionally. "I don't think we'll run into them. But my goal is to investigate the location and test the other kobolds. The two of you coming is just in-case we find something that will be a good test."
Ango tilts his head. "A test?"
"Yeah, of course. After all, when was the last time the two of you had a real life-or-death fight since we fought the chimera?"
Nehlka laughs at the statement and its immediate angering effect on Ango, watching her brother get up and storm off. With the two of them alone, she settles her attention back on Baik and smiles.
"Hanaya and Ango, huh? This must have to do with the other thing Bai asked of you, right?"
If only she realized that my killing of the humans was easier than trying to get those two to stop beating around the bush and just become mates, she may realize that Bai's task is already done and this is more of Aggel's work. Maybe my teacher and her both know and she's just teasing me. Either way... at least tonight I'll sleep easy with Celinus held in her bunk.