Chapter 25 - Leaders of men - Part One
Mouth dry, I tried my best to keep my breathing steady and even. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the Status notification, not just because it was anchored to the centre of my vision, but because of what it contained.
[Settlement Alert {Sanctuary}: Do you wish to name {Unidentified Species} and select primary abilities based on the determined tier of evolution? (Y/N) ]
“Tim? Are you alright?” Nadine asked somewhat anxiously.
I shook my head numbly.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Clarice cursed. A quick glance in her direction confirmed she was staring dead ahead and almost certainly reading some variation of the same Status notification.
“What's going on?” Nadine demanded, alternating her focus between myself and Clarice.
“Is important?” Lash asked seriously. Seeing the same message, but unable to read it.
I nodded stiffly, “Very...” I croaked.
“Talk in private,” Lash stated seriously, “Come,” she picked up the bull horned toads and motioned for me to do the same with the Swamp Lurker and follow. “Red too,” Lash insisted, narrowing her eyes at Clarice, “Is leader now, must make decisions.”
Stumbling out of the nursery in a daze, I quickly became aware that Nadine, Toofy and Ril had come along as well. Clarice had brought her new pet lizard as well, although it seemed none too happy about it, hissing and flicking its tongue irritably.
“Council meeting,” Lash shepherded us all down into the Daemons living space. A large circular room had been added since I last visited.
Taking a seat on a thick patch of moss at the far side of the room, Lash sat to my right while Toofy and Ril sat down to my left. Still wrangling with her new pet, Clarice was dragged to a sitting position by Lash, who promptly dropped the bull-horned toads in front of Clarice’s Lizard.
The lizard’s petulant attitude shifted almost immediately, hungrily launching itself into the slimy toads and almost unhinging its jaw in an attempt to swallow a hind leg whole.
“Thanks...” Clarice grunted gratefully, although she definitely sounded distracted.
Following Lash’s lead, I dumped the Swamp Lurker as well, although I still couldn’t take my eyes off the notification.
“Are you guys going to tell me what is going on now?!” Nadine pressed irritably.
I told her.
“Fuck...” Nadine cursed in surprise.
“Changes things,” Lash agreed bluntly.
“So what do you think it will do?” Nadine asked curiously, “Will it make us monsters like...you know, or just give us some abilities to even the playing field?”
“I don’t know,” I shook my head.
“Lord,” Gric and Wraithe entered the room and took seats opposite one another on either side of the room.
“This is most exciting!” Gric grinned widely, exposing two sharp rows of teeth.
“Indeed!” Wraithe agreed, “With Racial Abilities, the humans will be much less vulnerable!”
Gric gave Wraithe an odd look, “You mean that they will better do their part in serving our lord!” He corrected.
Nadine frowned but said nothing.
“Oi!” Clarice barked in warning, “We were taking care of Tim long before either of you were even born! So shut it!”
Wraithe smirked and chittered in amusement as Gric huffed indignantly.
A short while later, Underlords Skrit and Whisp, the surviving Forrest Goblin Elders arrived.
“Called for council?” Skrit asked crankily, taking a seat closest to the exit.
*Thwap*
Whisp gave Skrit a none too gentle slap on the back of the head and took a seat next to him, “Respect!” She hissed, “Training anytime!”
Skrit grumbled something under his breath and flinched backwards as Whisp feigned another head smack.
Getting to my feet, I called our impromptu meeting to order. For the benefit of the illiterate, I read the notification aloud and then sat back down again, giving everyone an opportunity to think over the potential.
“So?” I asked, “What do you all think? Should I do it?”
Gric raised his hand, “I think you should,” he agreed excitedly, “Granting Racial Abilities to the humans will only serve to make you more valuable. Even if the Ability they receive is underwhelming.”
“Hey!” Clarice cried out angrily, “What do you mean by that?!”
Wraithe reluctantly raised her hand, “Not intending any offence, but most humans are not particularly impressive...”
“Low tier at best,” Gric agreed.
“Low tier would still gain at least one useful Ability though,” Wraithe explained placatingly, “Although I must admit that I am uncertain what Ability would best fit humans.”
“Abilities,” Nadine corrected distractedly, her brow furrowed in thought, “The notification said Tim would have to choose, so there is more than one.”
“Humans made stronger?” Skrit scratched agitatedly at his chin, “Not safe, bad.”
Whisp frowned but nodded in agreement.
I could understand their reluctance. After being betrayed by the Adventurers Guild, it would take time before the Goblins would be able to trust humans again.
“Bastards will always be bastards,” Clarice interjected, “With or without whatever buffs Tim’s choice would give us humans.”
Whisp frowned, “Is why-”
“That’s why it’s important to give more power to your allies!” Clarice growled, “You're forgetting about Synergies!”
Nadine glanced sidelong at Clarice with a mixture of surprise and respect.
“What that?” Skrit asked sceptically.
Clarice just stared back at the Goblin incredulously for a moment, “Are you being serious right now?” She demanded.
Skrit shifted uncomfortably.
Clarice shook her head despondent, “I can’t, I just...”
Before the elderly Goblin became upset, I decided to step in and explain how Racial Ability Synergies worked and also why teaching everyone to read and write was so important. The more I explained the benefits, the more excited Skrit became.
Whisp, on the other hand, had remained much more composed and thoughtful, “This why many monsters bring to Sanctuary?” She asked pointedly.
I shook my head, “No, that has been more of a happy accident. However, different monsters fighting side by side makes us all stronger.”
Whisp nodded thoughtfully. “I say yes,” she declared supportively, “More monsters make Sanctuary stronger.”
“Skrit says yes too!” Skrit added energetically.
“I vote in favour of inducting humans into the fold,” Gric tented his fingers and smiled.
“Me too,” Wraithe agreed, “But I insist our human representatives' choices on Abilities be given greater weight.”
“Sounds great to me!” Clarice agreed.
“I know I don’t really have a vote, but I appreciate the show of confidence you all have in us,” Nadine added appreciatively.
I looked at Lash expectantly.
“Trust you,” Lash said simply.
“Alright. Accept,” the Status notification disappeared and a veritable wall of replacements quickly took its place.
[{Unidentified Species} Has been measured as a tier 1 Evolution. Requires a designation and Primary Racial Ability based on the determined tier of evolution. Extrapolated characteristics match four previously established paths of Evolution. Provide a Species designation and select Evolution pathway to finalise induction of Species.]
[Evolution Pathway: {Determination}]
[(Racial Ability: Determination {Rank 0}): Temporarily increase all {Statistics} {1/Day}. Expending MP or HP increases the duration of the effect.]
[Evolution Pathway: {Resilience}]
[(Racial Ability: Resilience {Rank 0}): Reduce the effect of Negative Status Conditions. Gain additional HP:{1}.]
[Evolution Pathway: {Defiance}]
[(Racial Ability: Defiance {Rank 0}): Reduce the difficulty of resisting Mind Influencing Abilities and Conditions. Expending MP increases the effect.]
[Evolution Pathway: {Cooperation}]
[(Racial Ability: Cooperation {Rank 0}): As {Group Leader}, Increase maximum Group Size by {1}. Concentrate to transfer MP to a {Group Member} within range.]
After reading aloud the instructions and available options for everyone else's benefit, the room grew quiet.
“Well,” Nadine was the first to break the silence, immediately gaining everyone's attention in the process, “The choice seems obvious.”
“Yeah,” Clarice agreed, somewhat absently while scratching the baby lizard’s head.
“Cooperation. Determination,” Nadine and Clarice had both spoken at the same time but rather predictably given different answers.
“Huh?! No way! Determination is way better!” Clarice argued.
Nadine vigorously shook her head, “Obviously you haven’t thought it through. Cooperation is obviously superior. Setting aside the advantages of forming a ‘gank squad’-” She air quoted for emphasis, perhaps forgetting that I was the one who used the term, not Clarice, “-Transferring mana through the group could literally save lives!”
“Pfft!” Clarie waved off Nadine’s argument dismissively, “They wouldn’t need saving if they could bump their stats when they need it most!” She counter-argued.
As they both young women settled into a barely civil shouting match, I had to admit that my own preferences leaned more towards the Defiance evolutionary pathway. Being able to resist or break out of Enslavement and other agency stripping mind-altering effects was a powerful ability.
Resilience wasn’t bad either. A flat reduction of the effect of negative status Conditions could be life-saving, not just convenient. Poisoned, Bleeding, Cursed, just to name a few, the Racial Ability could easily be the determining factor between life or death.
There were no bad choices, but that only served to make the decision even more difficult. Naming the species was easy, they already had a name, so I just had to borrow that.
Everyone else but Lash had joined the ‘discussion’ now, loudly proclaiming why their choice was the correct one, and why the others were ‘well intentioned’ but wrong.
While massaging my temple, I noticed that another Status Alert had appeared.
[Tier 1 {Humans} recommended for Subspecies divergence to better adhere to Evolution Pathways. Proceed with inducting {Humans} as a Tier {0} Species with {4} established Subspecies? (Y/N) ]
Taking a moment to consider it, and put more than a little on edge by the escalating argument, I decided that the prompt was probably better than any eventual compromise we could come up with. “Accept.”
Clarice and Nadine continued arguing for a good thirty seconds longer before noticing what i had done.
“So you agreed with me right Tim? Determination is obviously the best!” Clarice declared confidently.
“Wait!” Interjected Nadine, “I know you have a soft spot for Clarice, but this choice has serious implications Tim. I hope you take the proper time to-”
“Already decided,” Lash interrupted with a faint smile.
“WHAT?!” Clarice and Nadine both exclaimed, one hopeful while the other was quite the opposite.
“It presented a compromise,” I explained carefully, “The system I mean. Four Subspecies rather than just one primary Species. When you think about it, isn’t this a much better representation of Humans anyway? The fact that you both couldn’t agree, while I was favouring a different option entirely, basically proves my point.”
“I guess...” Nadine admitted reluctantly, “But how is the whole Subspecies Evolution meant to work? I would have thought that the moment you made your decision, it would have applied the effects, you know?”
That had me concerned for a moment as well, then I remembered what the message has actually said. In addition to making the four options Subspecies, it had also lowered Humans to Tier zero.
“Clarice, what are you doing?!” Nadine cried out, suddenly scrambling in an attempt to tackle the other young woman to the ground.
I was distracted and hadn’t seen what happened to provoke her, but the ‘shit-eating grin’ on Clarice’s face seemed proof enough at this point.
Already established as the stronger of the two, and backed up by advantageous Class Abilities, Clarice effortlessly broke Nadine’s attempted grapple, and swallowed. A visible lump passed down her throat and Nadine’s face fixed in an expression of horror as she numbly tried to lay hands on Clarice again, almost certainly to try and force her to eject whatever she had swallowed.
Partway through deflecting Nadine’s grapple, Clarice’s attention suddenly shifted, allowing the slimmer woman to drive her to the ground.
“Come on Clarice! This isn’t a game! Swallowing unrefined manastones can kill you!” Nadine sounded terrified. As she attempted to work her fingers into Clarice’s mouth, likely to induce vomiting to try and expel the manastone, Nadine was knocked back as Clarice came back to her senses and gave her a decisive shove.
“I’m fine! Keep your fingers out of my mouth!” Clarice laughed playfully, as if it were all a game, “Bloody hell! It actually worked!”
I hastily glanced at the top of Clarice’s Status.
[Clarice - Determined Human Runt: 1 ]
Furrowing my brow, I brought up Nadine’s Status for comparison.
[Nadine - Human: 0 ]
It was different from before, but not by much. However, it did remind me of Toofy’s Status when we first found her, and the same for the Vrabbits. Was this what the foundation of all Evolutions looked like? “Your status has changed too,” I told Nadine, hoping that perhaps she could fill in some of the blanks.
“Huh?” Nadine dazedly shifted her attention from Clarice to me.
“Your race has a progress tracker next to it,” I elaborated, “Clarice’s is at rank one, and yours is zero.”
Nadine turned back to Clarice, an expression of dawning realization on her face.
“Finally put it together, huh?” Clarice gloated with a wide grin.
Nadine frowned slightly and nodded, “That was still super dangerous Clarice!” She slugged the other young woman in the arm for emphasis, “Do you even-” Nadine suddenly flinched and stopped mid-sentence, “You could've-” She flinched again, “Just try not to be so impulsive!” Nadine huffed.
“Are you alright Nadine?” The way she was flinching was disturbing, especially since Nadine seemed to be largely ignoring it.
Nadine pursed her lips and shared a weighted look with Clarice, “I can’t talk about it, sorry Tim.”
I frowned. The way Nadine had inflected the first half of her sentence sounded...off. ‘What do you mean?” I prompted, wanting to confirm my suspicions.
Nadine flinched, as I expected her to.
“We can’t talk about it-” Clarice bodily flinched, “Fffuck I hate that!” She snarled. Getting to her feet, Nadine began pacing back and forth while energetically waving her wrists as if trying to draw feeling back into her hands.
Clarice’s reaction all but confirmed it for me, something was literally preventing them from talking about it. Most likely, it was an oath of secrecy, and if that was the case, then it was almost certainly one imposed by the Adventurers Guild. Worried that elaborating on my assumptions might trigger a reaction from the oath, I decided to keep my reaction somewhat vague. “It’s fine, I think I understand.”
Nadine gave no visible reaction, “Tim, I wanted to tell you something earlier, regarding the attempted kidnapping,” she explained neutrally, “As long as people think they can steal the knowledge of unlocking Classes from Sanctuary’s people, they will keep trying to abduct them.” Nadine made a point of looking me dead in the eyes, “You should make all of your people swear oaths of secrecy regarding the Classes, that would stop anyone from being able to steal them while you attempt a rescue.”
I nodded to show I understood what Nadine meant.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I shall see to it personally,” Gric guaranteed.
“Alright,” I agreed, “As Overseer of Sanctuary, it is now your responsibility to make sure every man, woman and child takes not only an oath of loyalty, but secrecy as well. Anyone wishing to breach either oath, requires either your or my permission to do so, understood?”
Gric nodded eagerly and then looked expectantly at each person present in turn.
One by one, everyone swore the additional oath of secrecy. Technically, Nadine and Clarice had never sworn oaths of loyalty, but I wouldn’t force them to if they didn’t want to. As founders of Sanctuary, it seemed wrong to think that an oath would do more to stay their hand than their invested effort would.
That did raise another point of interest, “Where is Emelia and Tobi?” I wanted to confirm my suspicions about Shady, Tobi’s Shadowcat. Whether it was a Variant or just a disturbingly intelligent Beast monster.
Nadine’s cheeks turned pink and she determinedly avoided eye contact, “Probably still in their room,” she explained quietly.
Clarice snorted in amusement before returning her attention to her lizard Dhizi.
During our hastily-convened meeting, the wedge headed goanna had ripped her way through the first bull-horned toad and was partway through the second. Granted, once the meeting had begun to wind down, Ril and Toofy had taken it upon themselves to stuff as much meat down the admittedly glutenous lizard’s gullet as possible.
[Dhizi - Fester Maw Hatchling: 0 ] [HP: 20/20] [MP: 0 ]
[Clarice’s Pet] [Class: ??? ] [Exp: 0/0 ]
[Strength: 10* ]
[Agility: 4 ]
[Toughness: 10* ]
[Intelligence: 3* ]
[Willpower: 5 ]
[Presence: 3 ]
[(Racial Ability: Festering Bite {Rank 0}): Enemies wounded by {Bite} attacks are afflicted with the {Poisoned} Condition and become Vulnerable to the {Bleeding} Condition. {Toughness} increases the effect.]
[(Racial Ability: Rending Teeth {Rank 0}): Enemies wounded by {Bite} attacks are afflicted with the {Bleeding} Condition. {Strength} increases the effect.]
[(Racial Ability: Scent Blood {Rank 0}): Detects and highlights {Bloodied} and {Bleeding} targets within a predetermined range. {Intelligence} increases the range of the effect.]
Dhizi’s Status was more or less what I had expected, with the exception of her being classified as Clarice’s pet, rather than a Slave or minion. It was my first time seeing such a variation, so it seemed weirder than it otherwise would have done. It did serve to remind me of something though.
“Clarice, I expect every Underlord to unlock and transition into the Master tier Leadership Classes. If you're up for it, I think we had better unlock it sooner rather than later,” I insisted, “You three should do the same as well,” I motioned to Wraithe, Skrit and Whisp each in turn.
“What is?” Skrit asked cautiously.
“A class like mine,” I explained, “And like Lash,” I continued, after not receiving the enthusiastic response I had initially expected.
Skrit and Whisp’s eyes went wide with awe, apparently far more impressed by Lash’s capabilities than mine. “We do!” Both elderly Goblins agreed eagerly.
“Are you certain Lord?” Wraithe seemed more hesitant, “What if I lose my Surgeon capabilities altogether?”
“Then you will retain your position as Surgeon General,” I reassured the anxious Daemon, “If you lose the Surgeon Abilities themselves, then it will just become even more important to foster talents amongst the others and expand our medical knowledge.”
Wraithe visibly relaxed, “Thank you Lord, I will do as you command.”
“Well? What are we waiting for?” Clarice nimbly hopped to her feet, “Let's get to it! I bet I’ll unlock some sort of legendary warrior Class or something,” she boasted confidently.
Lash and I shared an amused look with one another, knowing full well what the required leadership Class entailed for unlocking, and that Clarice would very likely not enjoy the experience.
With Emelia and Tobi still, ‘upstairs’, Nadine was more than happy to tag along as medical support, just in case Wraithe lost all her Surgeon Abilities in acquiring the new Class.
Leaving Dhizi in Ril and Toofy’s enthusiastic care, we left Sanctuary through a new rear gate created by Qreet and her fellow Druids. The soldiers were still in the final stages of relocating to their camp, and I wanted to avoid giving the adventurers and other human refugees an excuse or opportunity to witness the unlock method. There was always a chance that someone clever might figure it out just by context clues alone.
“You're serious?” Nadine demanded incredulously, eyeing the rapidly approaching Swamp Lurker.
“Very,” I replied.
“Is truth,” Lash agreed, “Collar beast, become stronger.”
Clarice seemed more at ease after hearing that, even though she had already looked over Lash’s Status and should have seen something like this coming.
To her credit, Clarice did much better than I expected her to. I had forgotten that her Advanced Class would give her a definitive advantage at something like this. Within a few seconds, it was all over, the Swamp Lurker rendered docile by a beast Slave collar crafted by our own resident Beast Trainers.
“Uh, I think there might be a problem?” Clarice stated uncertainly, “Says something about pending? What’s that me-oh never mind,” her brow furrowed in confusion, “Can?” Clarice gave me a questioning look.
I decided to take a look for myself to see what was going on.
[Clarice - Determined Human Drudge: 1 ] [HP: 31/31] [MP: 5/5 ]
[Tim’s Slave*] [Class: Human Khan. +1 Strength, +5 HP. ] [Exp: 0/25000 ]
[Strength: 13* ]
[Agility: 10 ]
[Toughness: 13 ]
[Intelligence: 10 ]
[Willpower: 10 ]
[Presence: 7* ]
[(Class Ability: Pillager): Slaying an enemy has a chance to strip them of their belongings and deliver them to the nearest allied Settlement Totem. Expending MP will deliver the corpse alongside all belongings.]
[(Class Ability: Brutal Momentum {Rank 0}): Increases the momentum of your attacks. {Strength} increases momentum.]
[(Class Ability: Bonded Mount): Accelerates the evolution of a bonded Beast. The bonded Beast gains access to all of the bonded rider’s Class Abilities. Limit {1} bonded Beast.
[(Class Ability: Implacable Charge {Rank 0}): Reduce the momentum of enemy attacks while engaging in a mounted charge. Expending MP extends this effect to nearby allies.]
[(Class Ability: High Ground {Rank 0}): Deal additional damage while attacking an enemy with lower elevation. [Strength/Agility} increases the amount of bonus damage.]
[(Racial Ability: Determination {Rank 1}): Temporarily increase all {Statistics} {1/Day}. Expending MP or HP prematurely resets the daily limit.]
“Wow...” I had not expected this. Although in hindsight, I probably should have. I might be way off, but I was pretty sure Imperator was Roman, and Khan was definitely Mongolian. Unsure if the Labyrinth was just pulling similar concepts from my mind to match with from this world, it was certainly starting to seem like it.
“Tim?” Clarice asked worriedly, “You okay?”
“I...I’m fine,” I tried to put it out of mind for the time being. “It’s pronounced Khan. Where I am from, Khans were leaders of nomadic tribes that rode horses into battle. They were well known as conquerors and impeccable riders.”
“Not that I’m complaining...” Clarice disengaged from the Swamp Lurker and rubbed her arm awkwardly, “Why do you think it changed from that Imper Class to this Carn?”
“Close,” I smirked, but grew quite serious again without meaning to, “I’m not sure. Maybe you just happened to have all the exact pieces required to unlock the Khan? Who knows, maybe you were a hairsbreadth from unlocking something else but this one was slightly closer?”
“I guess...” Clarice agreed noncommittally before suddenly perking up again, “The Abilities are pretty kick ass though!”
Nadine nodded in agreement, “Certainly seems to have had your impulsive temperament in mind,” she joked.
“Hey!” Clarice grinned and gave her a playful shove. “Do you think Dhizi will grow big enough for me to be able to ride her?” She asked seriously.
Nadine shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t remember reading anything about Fester Maws, so I can't really guess either.”
“Maybe,” I hedged, “It is a monster after all, so it could be a matter of when and not if you can ride her.”
“True,” Nadine agreed with a nod, “And she is a named monster too, so she will keep evolving. You never know, one of those evolutions might be something that could serve as a mount.”
“Lord, a human representative wishes to speak with you,” Wraithe interjected politely, “Gric says that the innkeeper Kirk and his wife both vouch for this man,” she added.
“Who is he?” Clarice asked, beating me to it.
“Cecil? Seasil?” Wraithe scrunched her face in confusion for a moment before shaking her head, “A merchant,” she shrugged helplessly.
“Will you be able to help the others through the unlocking process?” I asked with a sigh, in no particular mood to negotiate with a merchant.
Wraithe nodded but seemed to empathize with my reluctance, “I can Lord.”
“Alright then. Just make sure not to take any absurd risks,” I reminded her, “I would vastly prefer everyone Unlocks their Classes without any injuries if we can avoid it. If you have to cheat to make sure the Goblins get a decent crack at it, then do it. Alright?”
Wraithe nodded obediently, “Swamp Moccasins seemed an appropriate choice,” she suggested.
“Smart,” I grinned and gave Wraithe an approving pat on the shoulder before heading back to Sanctuary.
“I’ll, uh, catch up with you guys later,” Clarice explained as she began jogging ahead, “Gonna see how big my baby can get!” She cheered excitedly.
Nadine and I shared an exasperated look and then smiled, Clarice hadn’t changed at all.
“It’s good to see everything hasn’t gone to her head,” Nadine joked sarcastically.
“I feel sorry for the poor hunting teams,” I sighed. If Dhizi had an appetite remotely close to the Daemons, then was liable to go through four or more Swamp Lurkers before sundown.
Having returned to Sanctuary with Lash and Nadine, we found the innkeeper Kirk, his wife Rose, a young woman with red hair and dark freckles I assumed was their daughter Millie. They had two Daemons standing watch a short distance away, their bodies concealed by heavy robes.
Having seen us coming from a distance, the trio seemed quite happy to see Nadine, but were somewhat apprehensive regarding myself, or perhaps Lash.
“I am glad you are alright,” I offered Kirk my arm.
Kirk smiled, visibly relieved as he clasped my arm in greeting, “As am I!” He joked nervously, “Thought we were done for, just like on the first floor...” Kirk’s hand and arm trembled slightly before he let go, “But look at you! I knew there was something different about you! A chieftain of your own Settlement and everything!” He waved expansively at Sanctuary’s surroundings with an expression of awe.
“I sort of fell into the job,” I admitted sheepishly, “Despite what the army thinks, I was a Slave when we first met.”
“Really?” Rose seemed genuinely surprised, “But you were so...-”
“Polite?” I suggested with a smirk.
“Well, sure,” Rose agreed with a smile.
“Hello,” Lash held her arm out to Rose.
“Oh,” Rose seemed somewhat surprised. “Hello,” she somewhat nervously accepted the arm clasp.
“This is Lash,” I explained, “My wife.” A lifetime growing up in Australia left ‘mate’ feeling rather inadequate in regards to defining our relationship.
Rose’s demeanor brightened considerably, “Oh! Congratulations! No wonder your life got together in such a hurry eh? Haha,” she chuckled good naturedly.
Lash seemed somewhat confused, “Wife is?” she murmured quietly while giving me an imploring look.
“It’s like mate, bonded. The human word,” I explained.
Lash smiled, and confidently turned back to Rose, “Yes, Tim my wife,” she proclaimed proudly.
“Pfft!” Nadine barely covered her mouth in time to hide her reaction.
Kirk’s face turned an interesting shade of purple as he held his breath and tried not to laugh.
Rose, bless her heart, appeared to be made of stone and just nodded congenially.
Mollie didn’t quite seem to know what to do with herself and squeaked nervously before covering her face in her hands out of equal parts terror and embarrassment.
“I am your husband,” I corrected with a grin and then pointed to myself, “Husband,” I then pointed back at Lash, “Wife.”
“Oh...” Lash blushed and ducked her head down in embarrassment.
“It’s fine,” I kissed her cheek consolingly, “Humans have a lot of words for just about everything, and it can get confusing sometimes.”
“Why laugh?” Lash asked apprehensively.
“Well...” There was a great deal to unpack to fully explain everything, so I decided to keep it simple. “Basically, a wife is a female, like you or Rose, who gets bonded. A husband is a male, like me or Kirk, who gets bonded. Humans usually find it funny when you call someone the one they aren't.”
“Oh,” Lash smiled shyly and nodded in understanding, “So many words,” she complained half-heartedly.
I shrugged, “You're not wrong,” I agreed.
During this exchange, Rose had begun cuddling Kirk’s arm and leaning on his shoulder, watching us like Lash and I were some sort of daytime soap opera. “They go so well together, don't you think?” Rose whispered.
“Mhm...” Kirk was still struggling not to laugh and was determinedly biting down on his lip.
“Uh, so anyway,” I cleared my throat to try and bring things back on track, “If Millie still wants to become a Surgeon, she can start taking classes at any time.”
That sobered Kirk up right quick, “R-really?” He stammered, struggling not to cough as some spittle went down his airway.
“Even though we didn’t manage to hold up our end of the bargain?” Rose asked guiltily.
I snorted quietly and smiled as I nodded in confirmation, “You meant to, and that’s what counts. Even if the foothold wasn’t attacked, we actually wanted to change the plan on our end after things started taking off over here. That’s why Nadine and the others were out there, to bring you here instead.”
Kirk and Rose looked shocked. Apparently, none of the girls had told them why they were out there.
Far more humble now, compared to finding out I was the chieftain of a Settlement, Kirk pulled off his leather cap, “Is that true?” He asked Nadine.
Nadine nodded, “Tim argued that it would be much safer in the long run. Even before everything went crazy, we had already managed to carve out a real safe haven, you know?”
Kirk and Rose both nodded in understanding, their eyes wandering over the strange structures and vibrant fields bursting with food.
“I don’t know if anyone from the army talked to you about it yet, but I was wondering if you wanted to run an inn again. One of your own this time.” The idea was partly to repay them for their kindness and willingness to help, but also to serve as trusted intermediaries to facilitate trade.
Kirk nodded, “Uh...Yeah! A Colonel sat us down and gave us this whole spiel about the greater good and national interest. By the end of it, we were half convinced they were conscripting Millie into the army!” He shivered and gulped hard, “Then he goes on to say that the crown wants to build us an inn and that we should very seriously consider accepting it. I thought maybe they were going to charge us an arm and a leg for it, maybe try to copper and silver it out from under us with hidden taxes or fees or something...”
“But this makes more sense...” Rose scratched her chin thoughtfully, “You made some sort of deal with the military, right?”
I nodded, “Several actually, although our latest one is by far the most significant, and still pending for the time being. In regards to the inn, I had hoped that you would serve as intermediaries to help facilitate trade with the approved merchants the army will begin bringing through,” I explained enthusiastically, “Of course you can feel free to charge for the service, like a commission or something, I don’t expect you to work for free.
After a solid minute of silence, Kirk and Rose gave each other a prolonged meaningful look.
“Alright,” Kirk agreed, “I would have to be an idiot to say no to free construction and a decade of tax-free operation.”
I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“The officer made some offers to try and sweeten the deal,” Kirk admitted with wry grin, “He even offered to negotiate for Millie to receive training in an Advanced Class, but Rose caught on right quick that they must have gotten it from you or one of the girls in the first place.”
I nodded to show I understood. So long as the offer was to negotiate for the service on their behalf, then that was fine. Although it was still quite interesting to see the lengths the army would go through to facilitate one of my requests.
“Oh!” Rose lightly smacked her brow, “I completely forgot! There is someone we think you should meet, if you have the time?” She amended somewhat apologetically.
“Gah, right! Cecil!” Kirk added, thumping the side of his head.
“Who is Cecil?” I asked, more than a little intrigued by their reactions at having forgotten him.
The married couple shared a weighted look, “Cecil, erm, is a merchant, of sorts,” Kirk replied evasively and looked around nervously before suddenly growing relieved, “Right, monster Settlement,” he chuckled with visible relief.
“Cecil is a radical abolitionist,” Rose explained, “He and his associates, erm, steal people and monsters, then set them free.”
“Oh...” It made much more sense why Kirk had been so nervous talking about it. Even though Asrus didn’t use slaves as extensively as the other countries, they were still considered legitimate property. As such, liberating them, without their owners consent, constituted theft and was a crime. “Alright, I’ll meet with him,” I agreed, “But we probably don’t want to be too obvious about it, right?”
“It should be fine,” Kirk reassured me, “Cecil’s cover as a provisions merchant has held up for years. If any looky-loos see us talking, they will probably attribute it to the Inn we were talking about earlier. The inn will be on your land after all, so it just makes sense that you would be part of the negotiations right?”
That made sense and Kirk seemed confident enough, “Alright,” I agreed, “But perhaps it would be best if Nadine introduced Millie to her instructors and peers?” I suggested, giving the poor girl an easy out.
Millie gave her parents a pleading look.
“Would it be alright if I go with her?” Rose asked nervously, ‘Not that I don’t trust you or your-”
“It’s fine,” I agreed, “Just bear in mind that you will be required to take both a vow of loyalty and secrecy.”
Rose sighed with relief and nodded, apparently all too familiar with the process.
“Oh, right. If you do want to take up the offer of an inn, I can offer you both Advanced Classes to better ensure your safety,” my proposition caught Kirk and Rose quite unawares.
“I, uh, don’t really know what to say,” Kirk flubbed, nervously wringing his badly stained tunic.
“Yes?” Nadine suggested with a playful smirk, “I’d definitely recommend it. Tim could probably assign a repeating quest to award Exp each time you help the locals secure a good trade deal too.”
I nodded in agreement, “Securing favourable and stable long term trade deals will be important. The more valuable Sanctuary proves to be, the more resistance ne'er do wells will face in trying to cause us problems.”
“Then we accept!” Rose agreed happily.
“Alright, we can speak more about it later. After you have taken your oaths, you can tell one of the Daemons when you are ready to speak with Gric, he can let you know the list of Classes we know how to unlock.” I looked off in the direction of the army’s camp and was glad to see that it was almost completely packed down, with only the command tent and a few half collapsed tents still standing.
“We will do that!” Rose agreed eagerly.
“Alright, follow me,” Nadine motioned for Rose and Millie to follow, and then began walking in the direction of the Hospital, “You're going to love it Millie! There is so much to learn and one of the officers is super handsome!”
I wrinkled my brow and tried to remember the faces of the two male soldiers being trained as Surgeons, but drew a blank. I could only shrug in response to Kirk’s sudden look of concern. “I doubt they would have the confidence to flirt with your daughter while your wife is watching,” I tried to reassure him.
“It isn’t Millie I was worried about...” Kirk grumbled quietly, “Officers in wartime are as bad a match as adventurers anytime. I just hope she remembers that.”
“You don’t like the idea of your daughter marrying an officer?” I asked, having trouble following the sudden shift in reasoning.
Kirk nodded and began leading us towards the army encampment, “There are rumours of heavy skirmishes taking place along the borders, entire squads disappearing without a trace. The crown seems to be denying it, but they have been paying out the pensions all the same...”
I could see what Kirk was getting at. Border skirmishes had always been a prelude to war on Earth, and paying out the military pensions of the missing was tantamount to admitting their deaths. The army’s desperation in wanting to grow stronger as quickly as possible made a bit more sense. I had already assumed that they had problems with their neighbours, but had not expected things to have progressed so far. Especially since it had been explained that Asrus was not intended to be the focus of aggression from either side of the actual conflict.
Nearing the edge of the army’s camp, we found Cpt. Kristof engaged in a quiet conversation with a tall blonde-haired man wearing a soiled yet expensive looking coat and boots. The man's pants were similarly soiled, but were obviously made of cheaper materials.
As we drew closer, Kirk raised his hand in greeting, “Cecil! Oi oi!”
The tall man turned to look in our direction and smiled. Classically handsome, Cecil had an aquiline nose, intense blue eyes and a short well-trimmed beard. “Kirk! It is good to see you!” He made as if to approach and meet us partway. However, Cpt. Kristof was having none of it, and swiftly planted a large hand on Cecil's shoulder, firmly holding him in place.
“Captain,” I gave Cpt. Kristof a nod in greeting after drawing closer.
Cpt. Kristof saluted but made no other reply.
“Any word from your Colonel?” I asked, not really expecting much of a reply given how little time had passed.
“Colonel Klive, left for the capital an hour ago sir. I expect we will not receive further news for another hour at least,” Cpt. Kristof answered somewhat cagily while eyeing Cecil.
“I want to speak with this man in private,” I explained bluntly, unsure of how much the army knew about him and not willing to overcommit before I had a better understanding of his character.
Cpt. Kristof fidgetted uncomfortably, “After the incident, I would strongly suggest against it,” he insisted. Careful not to overstep his authority.
I frowned disapprovingly, more exaggerated bluff than my actual state of mind. I would prefer privacy, but wouldn’t demand it. Worse case, Cecil would return once Kirk and Rose’s inn was built, and we could speak then.
Cpt. Kristof began to visibly sweat, “Uh...” He looked around as if seeking out a superior officer, or perhaps a colleague of similar rank to help back him up. Eyes settling on the command tent, Cpt. Kristof sighed in relief, “Then might I suggest the use of our command tent?” He suggested hopefully, “It should afford all the privacy you could hope for, while also allowing me to keep an eye out to make sure no one causes trouble,”his last words were directed at Cecil, who only shrugged innocently in response to the unspoken accusation.
“Acceptable,” I agreed and began making my way towards the command tent.
Leaving the captain outside, the four of us sat down at the table, Lash by my side, with Kirk and Cecil sitting opposite us.
“I am glad that I have the chance to speak with you in person,” Cecil admitted with no small amount of relief as he extended his hand across the table.
I clasped his forearm and motioned for him to continue.
“Our mutual friend-” Cecil offhandedly motioned to Kirk, “-has likely already told you some of the more important things about me and my work, but allow me to better explain what it is we of the Midnight Caravan do, so there will be no misunderstandings or cause for bad blood between us. Is this agreeable?”
I nodded and motioned for him to continue.
“We are Slavers,” he stated boldly, causing Lash to immediately tense in response, “That is to say, many amongst our number ply the trade as cover and to allow the forcible breaking of Enslavement bonds.”
“I understand,” I commented, reasonably familiar with the basics of Enslavement.
Cecil paused for a moment and gave me a curious look.
“The girls enslaved him when they first found him, and later he flipped it on them,” Kirk explained.
Cecil’s eyes grew wide, “Oh, so you DO know then, that will save us a great deal of time. Then I will move on to some facts you may not be aware of. The overwhelming majority of Variant slaves are taken from the first twenty floors of the Labyrinths, most commonly the first five. Slaves are typically sold into either general labour or military conscription, although, there are exceptions,” his mouth scrunched up and he winced slightly as he spoke the last, making it clear that those exceptions were considered truly distasteful. “I won't beat around the bush, we need you and your Settlement,” Cecil admitted, “Returning freed slaves to their original homes is close to impossible without extensive access to Adventurer guild records of each Labyrinth. Even then, it is still a guessing game, and not all freed slaves have a home to return to. We do our best to return those that we can, but as I said, it isn’t always possible and finding them safe places to hide is becoming increasingly difficult.”
“How have you been hiding them?” I asked curiously, “Just mingling them amongst other slaves? Or places where people expect to see slaves?”
Cecil smiled wryly and nodded, “Both, in truth. But our resources are close to reaching capacity,” he earnestly held my gaze again and clasped both hands, “So I ask only that you please give these freed slaves a chance!”
I was a soft touch, and well aware of it, so I looked to Lash for a more balanced opinion and perspective, “What do you think?”
Lash was thoughtful for a moment and then nodded determinedly, “New blood make Sanctuary stronger,” she declared confidently.
She had a point. Every new species of monster we brought into Sanctuary increased our group Synergy potential, making us stronger. Then there was the long term issue of genetic diversity, which once again reminded me that I still hadn’t spoken with someone about how monster pregnancy differed from humans or animals.
“Your mate is as wise as she is beautiful,” Cecil flattered, his eyes betraying his relief at receiving Lash’s support.
Even though I knew he was just trying to flatter her to better work his way into our good graces, I felt a sudden surge of possessive jealousy. I reached one hand over and around Lash’s waist and then drew her closer, “Yes, she is,” I replied flatly, unable to keep the hint of a scowl from creeping onto my face.
Lash grinned and snuggled in closer. A clear reminder that in spite of her minimalist and stilted speech, she was still fully capable of understanding everything we were saying.
Setting aside my jealousy, I took a moment to calm down. “Any freed slaves, and those who accompany them, will be required to swear oaths of loyalty and secrecy, as well as follow Sanctuary’s laws,” I cautioned.
“That is perfectly understandable,” Cecil agreed, “I promise you won’t regret this!” He extended his hand to formalize the agreement.
Firmly clasping the abolitionist's arm, I sincerely doubted it. Slavery had been big money on Earth, and from what I knew of this world so far, it was even more so. With that in mind, I knew I had just become a part of pissing off some very powerful people.
*****
Col. Klive followed closely behind the royal guards and deeper into the castle. Unlike his last visit, the already impressive security had been increased close to three fold. Squads of royal guards diligently patrolled the passages and checked each room, making sure the windows and shutters were securely locked and free of tampering.
Only able to assume that something had happened in his absence, Col. Klive wished his escorts would increase their pace.
After no less than fifteen further security checkpoints and identity challenges, Col Klive was finally standing in the waiting chamber of the king. Contrary to the heightened security elsewhere, the level of security had waned when drawing closer to the king, likely as a result of prioritising manpower for the Prince’s quarters.
Despite the gossiping of the common folk, Klive knew that the King wanted nothing more than to pass the crown to his nephew, and the increased security measures confirmed it.
“Enter!” The king called out from the other side of the door.
One of Klive’s escorts opened the door and motioned for him to enter.
Not wanting to keep the king waiting, Col. Klive hastily entered the king’s study. Just as impressive as the last time he had attended the king, the study was in fact a small personal library filled with untold knowledge collected through the kingdom's illustrious history.
The king stood with his back to the door, hands planted on his desk and scouring a map of the kingdom adorned with model soldiers. “Klive? Tell me, what is so important that you require a personal audience? Even after receiving the full authority I can bestow under the laws governing my regency?” The king’s voice was laden with fatigue but still held a genuine note of curiosity.
Klive hurriedly cleared his throat, “My liege-”
“Regent,” The king corrected sharply, “For the final time, Colonel Klive, you will refer to me as Regent, or at worst, Lord Regent! I am not, and will never, accept this infuriating crown,” he tapped the gold band on his head for emphasis.
Klive flinched, but nodded, far too excited by his news to take the rebuke to heart. “The Ogre Chieftain, he made another offer.”
The king stiffened for a moment and then pushed himself away from his desk. Tall, but incredibly lean, the king bore only a passing resemblance to his brother. His raven black hair seemed to defy his advanced age, as did his piercing steel grey eyes. However, the dark rings under king’s eyes and two days worth of accumulated stubble surrounding his otherwise immaculately trimmed moustache and beard, made it obvious that he likely had not strayed from his study for at least a day and likely more. “Another offer? Then he has accepted the treaty?”
“Yes my Lie-ord Regent, that agreement was reached already, albeit with a few acceptable concessions and alterations,” Klive replied hastily, “The Chieftain has offered another deal, one that renders the others nearly insignificant!”
The king narrowed his eyes but held up one hand to stall further explanation while he stiffly lowered himself into a nearby chair, “Proceed.”
“Titles of power...” Klive’s mouth felt dry after just speaking those few words aloud.
The king’s attention intensified, “You are certain?”
Klive couldn’t help himself from shaking as he nodded in confirmation, “His descriptions match those from the records you showed me all those years ago, although they are admittedly less flowery in naming than the records suggested.”
“Which titles did he offer specifically? Was it the Least? Perhaps a Lesser?” The King asked with equal parts excitement and anxiety.
Klive couldn’t help but smile, “Not just the least title, but an offer for the Governance, or Overseer as he called it.”
The king stared back at Klive in astonishment, “Truly?” He demanded breathlessly.
Klive nodded.
The king sprang to his feet and began manically pacing next to his desk, “We need this! It just might be enough to see us through the coming devastation...” He stared grimly at the map, “What does the Ogre want? Do I want to know?”
Klive stepped forward and couldn’t have wiped the smile from his face if he tried, “Half of the least titles provided by the Governance was all he asked for, in addition to deepening our alliance of non-aggression and swearing oaths in support of that alliance.”
The king was stunned, “That’s all?” He demanded incredulously.
Klive nodded, “That’s all,” he confirmed.
The king shook his head and rubbed nervously at his temple, “I thought your people’s reports held this Ogre in high esteem, and of ‘remarkably high intelligence and wit’? There is no way he cannot understand how valuable this is, especially...” The king froze and began nodding his head, “Yes, that has to be it. He is unsure of our intentions, or more specifically, mine. He intends to use you and your men as a buffer between us!”
Klive wasn’t sure how to feel about that, especially since it seemed like something the Ogre would do. His people’s safety always came first, and as the king pointed out, Klive and his men were already literally expected to serve as a buffer against other human threats and interference.
“This is perfect!” The king declared excitedly, “I want you back in Hurst’s Labyrinth as soon as possible! We need to accept this deal before it is snatched off the table!”
Klive made to obey his king’s command, but froze as he remembered the final part of the Ogre’s request, “Ah, there is one final requirement for the deal to be finalized,” he apologised sheepishly.
‘Well, what is it?!” The king demanded worriedly.
“He was concerned that my rank would not be a sufficient deterrent...nor reflect the elevated status of my position...” Klive explained awkwardly. Begging for promotion was something ‘other officers’ did, and it rubbed Klive the wrong way.
The King paused his pacing for a moment and then nodded in understanding, “Hestin is a good man, I wouldn’t see him demoted, not with what is coming, would Field Marshal be sufficient?”
Klive shifted uncomfortably, “I think he expected I would be ruling a territory under official..erm...noble title...A Baron, I believe was the comparison...”He felt dirty for even having suggested it and fully expected the King to reprimand him.
“Done!” The king waved his hand dismissively, “With your public record of service, no one will bat so much as an eye at raising you to the lower peerage. It’s the promotion to Field Marshal I expect to ruffle a few feathers! Although the elevation to nobility may assuage that to a degree...” Slipping into his own thoughts, the King energetically waved for Klive to carry out his mission.
Only too eager to obey, Klive bowed and hurriedly left the King’s study. First his promotion to Colonel, and now this...Klive took what little consolation he could in the fact that at least his wife would be happy, and that for the first time since he was married, his mother-in-law would be well and truly lacking for complaints. Well...for a while at least anyway.