AN: And now the hints as to what is happening elsewhere. Next chapter, though... :D
Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them.
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"Denied," I growled at the large group of soldiers wearing a more expensive attire of garments and armour. They had come to the communal tent shared between my person, the apprentices, Undying, and the dwarves. The dwarves were placed near the entrance of our tent, as they are the loudest even when they sleep. Which led to Brutus claiming they could even wake the restless dead before he had a chance to revive them into his services.
This led to them alerting all others when this group of beings appeared in front of the shared tent when the day-star had just started its trek across the world of Azara. It seemed to us they were willing to invite us in, save for the twins and my appointed apprentices. Of the latter, they appeared insistent upon executing Siuun as she was considered a "Crazed Child". This led to my growling towards those before us, as I lifted the girl-child in endarkened leathers onto my right shoulder, and Shoriin crawling up my body to perch atop my head.
"You will not harm them, and if one tries, then the entirety of this city will suffer for your sins against my person."
"She is crazed and needs to be destroyed before she has a chance to afflict us with its madness," stated one of the few clothed beings, of whom were of the Lion beastman race. These signaled a few of those in armour to unsheathe their swords and advance slowly upon my position.
However, "You will not touch them," my voice thundered as my eyes glowed with a fierce crimson. The air about us grew heavy, as the skies darkened with shadowed clouds full of violet and emerald lightnings. This led to several streaks of such lightnings to strike down upon those who drew their swords in an attempt to slay the child who was mostly curious about these turns of events, and giggled with the clapping of her clawed hands at the strength of my rage reduced the offenders to piles of dust and ash.
Once they were reduced to such piles, did my eyes return to their normal colours and depictions of our constellations, as well as the skies clearing themselves free of the clouds. Those still living had fallen to the ground and many had soiled themselves, if only from Siuun's observation of, "Ew," gave any inclination.
"You desire to have my person within your walls, and yet you dared to strike against I and mine? What is to stop us from attacking your city and destroying all that you hold near and dear to your hearts?" A leakage of energy slowly fell from my body, as I enacted an intimidation spell which made my appearances grow until those in front of my person stared upon the heavens with great fear. However, I was still of my average height, and this spell was only an illusion which made my targets believe I had become much larger than previous.
This led to many creating a rush back towards the gate with which they had first come out of, as they screamed as though each were being murdered by my person. Eventually, they would return to whomever had sent them.
For now, though, the turn had just begun, and there were many hungry mouths which had only now appeared with so few coins with which to purchase a large variety of foods from my wares.
*****
"You stupid fools," rampaged Ramses, of whom had thrown a large vase towards the lions who were sent with an invitation for the odd beastman. They were to invite all of them, which included those he believed were the other's slaves, despite their appearances.
At this point in time, the king was upon his throne with a haste filled dressing about his shoulders. This was so that he may accept those before him and hear their words, else he would still be asleep at this time. However, if he had been half asleep when the lions first appeared, their words awoke him with much anger.
"You were supposed to invite him and his into the city, not start a war by trying to kill one of his slaves," he growled towards the others of his kind, "Guards, throw them into the pit for their disobedience."
"No," they wailed as one of their number rushed out of the room, only to find its chest pierced by several long spears of the guards outside. It was not killed immediately, as the eyes of such a creature frantically moved about in their sockets, whilst the body continued to move down the length of the spears in a desperate attempt to flee from its king's decree. Whereas the others were aptly detained and shackled in irons, the one impaled had reached the hands of those holding the spears with a smile upon its features as the lights within its eyes finally faded away.
"Clean up the mess," growled the lion upon his throne of gold and satin, as more guards and a wide variety of servants with buckets and mops appeared within the room.
Once the servants sloshed the stone floor in an effort to scrub the blood away, did he leave the room with great anger. This anger led him away from the now active castle, and down into the depths of a secret chamber beneath his bed. Within such a chamber, though dimly lit from candles, was a large orb of a dark stone. This stone, though it did not have a name for it, was used with communication with the mainland. More importantly, to his father King Nero the first.
"Well?" Grumbled a very old Lion who was more skeletal than alive and wore more gold and jewels than necessary. "I haven't got all day, boy. What do you want?"
"There's an odd beastman here who brought food and other items, but we've now pissed him off."
"Is that all?" Grumbled the other with a thoroughly annoyed look. "Is that really all you came to tell me about?"
"No," Ramses shook his mane filled head, "This one was able to call down lightning to kill without any incantations, or what have you."
"Oh?" Nero's eyes sparkled as a large tongue licked the right side of his muzzle with anticipation.
"Yes, but he's threatening to destroy the city because an idiot tried to kill a Crazed Child under his care."
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"Did they succeed?"
"If they did, I would be upon the walls with him and his attacking us." Ramses's right clawed hand absentmindedly scratched behind his right ear slowly, "Bah. Enough about this; it'll be dealt with by the eve. What of the 'dragon problem'?"
A resounding chuckle flooded the chamber the younger king was occupying, "Hah. The idiot has killed the bastard after being a thorn in our side for so long," the older's eyes glinted in the candlelight, "Him and his have been sent off to the third continent to kill that one. What of your end?"
"The idiot you sent us went off and disappeared, and the tracker vanished the moment those monsters attacked Freeport," came an anger filled answer as a candle holder flew across the chamber to clatter against the distant wall.
"Such a waste."
*****
The day-star had reached its zenith when another invitation came for us to venture into the city. This time, it came with the promise that none of my servants would be harmed, no matter how crazed they appeared. Instead of the lions and their guards, we were approached by several wolf beastwomen who were sent as a "gift" to appease my person after the threat of harm towards Siuun. These females seemed eager to please, but were terrified of my presence and strange eyes. Thus, they were given over to Shauu for evaluation, as I would not bed anyone beyond my beloved Sarah.
Yes. Many would be shocked to note I had such thoughts, as many, including yourselves, would jump at the chance of having a "harem". Myself, in particular, was not at all thrilled with the thought of sharing my body with more than one, and still do not understand why others find enjoyment of such antics. Perhaps it is a desire to spread one's seed throughout the land to ensure one's line is secured. Who knows?
In any case, I deigned to not accept parts of their invitation, as several merchants from within their city brought with them a contract of sorts after the breaking of my servants' fast. They did their best to have my person's mark upon such a contract in order to reap in the "profits" I had been making. This, along with the rights to sell my products would cause their coffers to swell, but I chose not to. Of course, this caused their mind to boil with barely concealed anger, as I had come to sell, they willing to buy, but still chose to do nothing.
They had come before my person with all their cards laid bare, believing I could not read nor understand their quick speech patterns. However, even a child of the Ogre race would understand it was being cheated, especially when they used smaller words despite my person showing I had more intelligence than they. "Perhaps they themselves are the idiots, Master," spoke up Val'ruum, of whom had a bored look about his features and even went as far as to yawn in their faces on many occasions.
"Silence your pets, good sir," growled one of their number, "or we shall silence them for you." A glint of iron was revealed from within the clothing of this one, and yelped loudly when it found itself floating in the air.
"What is the meaning of this," it growled as my own silvered energies invaded its mind. Of which caused its body to spasm and convulse greatly as it extracted everything within its mind. This led to an orb of silvered energies slowly forming out of its skull within mere moments of attacking the mind, and entered my own.
"I see," my voice was barely a murmur, as the images spread out before me in the form of conspiring individuals bent on taking everything that I hold and giving back only a few pennies from the gold they would be making.
The knowledge gained was soon spread to my gathered servants by way of a duplication spell I use constantly amongst them, and they each glared at the merchants who were exuding faces full of confusion. "You are to leave, or you will die." My voice was slow and calm, whereas those around us were slowly drawing upon their weapons and abilities. These actions, coupled with the rapidly decaying body of their compatriot, was enough of an incentive to make them scarce.
Upon the day-star reaching its zenith, as I had spoken of before, did the gates open with another courtier surrounded by guards approach our communal tent in order to ask of our presence within. There was even an invitation for all, including the Draconians and Dragonocks, to attend to a party within the moon-turn. It was a long ways away, and I did not need to answer at this time.
However, I was not going to bring my wares into the city. Instead, they would sit outside to be sold to those who desire them, whereas those of whom wished to venture inwards could, but with an escort. Except for the dwarves, who were tasked with one very important mission. "Buy everything that suits your fancy," my voice shook the earth around those gathered, as I handed each a purse filled with one hundred gold coins. Each was twice as thick as the minted coins these beastfolk and Kin used, and will be enough to begin the next battle of attrition.
"Everything, lad?" Asked one of their number, as each had the glint of madness within them from staring at the coins for too long.
"Everything and anything. From wine and whores, to food and whatever blacksmithing sites they have. I care not, but you are each required to spend it all before returning here. Which means, good dwarves, every day you enter that city, you are to spend one hundred of my gold coins in order to flood their market."
"Boy, do you even have that much gold?"
Nearly all grumbled loudly at the paltry sum in their grasp, as I motioned them inside the tent and towards the far back where my personal servants slept. It was here that I opened a large portal into my Void Space, in order to reveal mountains upon mountains of gold, jewels, ores, cloth, and food. Everything. Anything. It was all here within my Void Space, and I revealed it all before their very eyes.
"Do I have enough gold?"