I may have slightly underestimated the amount of work that I would need to do to make this project a reality. Every other time I had taken to carving a crystal it had been on a much smaller scale with only a handful needed. If I wanted to make this crystal into a weapon that could hurt more than just a single person at a time, there would need to be a lot of finetuning, not to mention I was practically inventing new words in the magical lexicon of runes. This was quickly turning into an artisan's job.
The first day working on this did not involve any carving whatsoever. I spent a lot of time doodling on a piece of paper, combining words that I knew with those that I made. Naturally, the representative rune I chose was the classic thunderbolt symbol for the focal point, and I referenced it a lot in my doodles. There would only be one chance to correctly carve these things, and wasting a crystal this expensive as well as all the time invested into it was not an appealing thought.
I was focused on my work to the point where I didn’t even realize how late it was getting until Kala came up and put a hand on my shoulder. She smiled down at me with a slightly amused look on her face.
“Well, it seems that you’ve figured out what to do, but sleep is important too.”
“Ahh, right, sorry, didn’t even realize how late it was.”
“It’s alright. I’m just happy to see that you aren’t agonizing over the choice anymore.”
My gaze left her and returned to the glowing crystal and the pages of notes surrounding it. “I may not be tied in knots over how I'm going to do this anymore, but the results and use of it are still unpleasant to think about.”
Kala leaned in to rest her head on my shoulder. “Well, I can’t claim to know exactly what you're making or how you're feeling, but I'll be there for you regardless, so you don’t have to face it alone.”
I smiled softly at her. “Thanks, Kala. You really are my better half.”
“Hmm, if you really want to thank me, then you’ll come to bed. I’m tired, and you look a bit exhausted as well.”
The moment she said that it felt like my body gained several pounds all at once, making my limbs feel heavy. “I think you may be right. This won’t be finished any time soon anyway, and we still have our other goals to complete here.”
“Also, it will only go slower if you end up working on it while tired, so come on.” She took me by the hand and dragged me away from my work. After helping me out of my clothes, perhaps a little too eagerly on her part, I was pulled into her embrace under the thick covers. She held me close and played with my hair, a very relaxing feeling that saw me quickly losing consciousness until ultimately, I fell asleep.
That sleep was very restful after a long day of talking, arguments, and worrying about ending the world. At least one of those problems was somewhat resolved at this point, even if I was pulling out my inner mad scientist with this invention. The rest of the world wasn’t done with me though.
My days were looking to be filled with a repeating cycle of trying to gain support from the masses, gathering information about the councilmembers where I could, and fruitlessly attempting to schedule one-on-one conversations with the few who I had yet to interact with on a personal level. Letters and verbal messages being passed along weren’t enough to convey to them the urgency that they needed to feel. No matter how often I tried to get something set up with them, they always turned me away citing a busy schedule or some other excuse to put their heads in the sand.
While the plan basically said to ignore them and turn public opinion to our side, it was still frustrating how obstinate they were being. The next two days we all slogged through could be summarized as talking to the public, dancing around accusations of treason or sedition using my status as a shield, and then working as much as I could on the crystal. It was a full schedule from start to finish.
The only thing out of the ordinary from that schedule would be my afternoon trip to the banks to speak about funding a potential military movement in the future. They were far more reasonable than the council as they were motivated primarily by the prospect of profit. I had them interested when the subject of maintaining control over Yol’vastume and all the trade that it would bring came up. It was a simple transition to pitch a potential world where trade was open once more between the two halves of the continent. Goods and money flowing freely again. Greed was an easy sin to manipulate, and they were quick to promise financial support for any campaign should it be needed.
Slowly but surely our combined voices were getting louder, but it still felt too slow of a change for the timeframe we were on. There needed to be a fervor, heat under the asses of these do-nothing councilmembers to get them to stand up. The stress was starting to get to me because I found myself performing some nervous ticks when I stood around waiting if even for a few minutes. It just felt like I needed to be doing something all the time.
A new opportunity, or trap, presented itself on the morning of our fifth day in the city. A letter arrived while we were having breakfast, formally handed to me by Evixus on a silver platter. I wasn't even sure how literal that saying was in this instance but discounting the possibility of the saying being all too close to reality, I took the letter to see who was writing to me.
There was a stamped seal on the front of the letter, but I wasn’t familiar with the individual crests and who they belonged to. Figuring that the letter should explain who was writing in greater detail, I cracked the seal and pulled the slip of paper out. After undoing the trifold, I was greeted with a full page of writing, not counting the space at the top and bottom that politely stated both the recipient and the writer.
My eyes scanned across the surface as I read the Thrainian script. That was something that I found interesting, how each race could have their own language, but they stuck with a single written language. It was a mostly practical decision from what I've been told, and it is certainly convenient for a number of reasons. Just another oddity of this world compared to mine.
As I continued to read through the letter my face went through a variety of expressions. I didn’t know how to feel about this exactly, and Kala, seeing my concern, leaned over to see what had me in such a state. She had a similar reaction as I did, up until she finally reached the end of the letter where it was signed, and she settled on anger.
The letter was the promised, or threatened depending on how you look at it, invitation from Nadala to attend a private tasting of some exotic foods. Kala was getting defensive over me again, despite my reassurances. She at least had the restraint to wait for Evixus to leave before she said anything.
“So, how do you tell a council member to kindly fuck off?”
The toxicity in her voice was enough for even me to raise a brow at her before sighing. “Kala, I think this is one of those things that you just can’t ignore. Even if she said she knew how important supporting us was, I wouldn’t intentionally antagonize her just in case she changes her mind out of spite.”
She clicked her tongue and practically sneered at the notion. “All the more reason for me not to like her. Why do we have to humor this whore with her ‘dinner party’ when she’s trying to split us up?”
I hate that I have to do this to her. “Kala... There is no ‘we’ in this situation. I’m going alone.”
Her eyes went wide. “What?! No. No no no no, I don’t trust that bitch for a second around you. She’s going to try and jump in your pants the second she is alone with you!”
“Kala, if you honestly believe that I would let her do that, then I'm sorry that I've made you feel like you can’t trust me.”
She looked like she had been stabbed. “N-no I... it’s just...”
I grabbed hold of her hand. “It’ll be fine. She can try whatever she wants but it won’t make any difference. I’ll let her spin her wheels, be flirty, probably offer me some sort of boon or bribe, and then politely refute her at every turn. Maybe I can just play the oblivious guest and act like I don’t even see her flirting.”
“But why can’t I come with you?”
“Because that’s probably what she wants. If she can get a reaction out of you, make you look like a fool, that would just play into her hands. She might use that as further leverage to attempt to drive a wedge between us, and the more I protect you, the more social damage builds.”
Her shoulders sagged as she hung her head. “I’m just a detriment to you.” She stated sadly.
“Only in this one instance. You can’t win them all, and it would be unfair to expect yourself to.”
She sighed. “I just feel uncomfortable not doing anything while you're with that...” She trailed off, but the intended adjective still made it through.
I gave her a smile to help ease her. “I’m sure that you can find something to do for the next few hours that will keep your thoughts occupied while I'm enduring this drudgery.” My inflection changed to make it more obvious that this wasn’t going to be much fun for me either.
It seemed to work, because she gave me a half smile in return. “I suppose I could continue to speak to people, ask them to attend the sermons so we can get more supporters.”
“Sounds like a solid idea. We’ll split the group again and at least get something productive done. I get the feeling this is going to destroy my afternoon.”
“It’s a lunch invitation, right?”
“Yep, gonna need a few directions though in order to find her house. We still have several hours before then, so that’s plenty of time to get all of that sorted.”
In the meantime, we spent much of the morning around the lodgings making preparations and doing what work we could. For me that meant carefully carving into the crystal, Kala was practicing her writing, and everyone else was performing equipment maintenance. By the time midday rolled around everyone was more than prepared to move out.
Holdrem, Ulthises, and Velian decided to go with Kala while everyone else was with me. It only took a little bit of asking around to get the right directions for her house, and after a quick farewell with Kala, we split to head towards our different objectives.
Honestly, I was a bit more nervous than I let on. I had no idea why Nadala wanted to seduce me. Was it just a power play, or did she have some other motive to pursue me? This wouldn’t end well if I was forced to take a firm stance and tell her no.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
It didn’t take too long for us to find her house. It was a large single-story building with a big square door on the front and two visible windows on either side. Beneath the windows there were some potted flowers that seemed to shimmer slightly in the light. It was certainly less intimidating than Larvell’s house, but we had yet to see the inside, so my judgement was withheld for the moment.
After knocking on the door, we waited a minute before it was answered by a butler. I was quite surprised to be faced with a Droln wearing a neatly trimmed vest over a dark short sleeved shirt. The disconnect between the massive hairy being in front of me and their refined, yet revealing, attire was almost comical, and I made a conscious effort to not smirk at the sight of them.
“Lord James,” the Droln began, “my lady has been expecting you. Please come with me, I will take you to the dining hall.”
The big man started to walk back into the building, and taking the invitation, my group followed along behind him. The halls of Nadala’s home were much warmer looking than the rather grisly display of hunted creatures from Larvell’s. There were a few entryway tables spread out at appropriate intervals. Atop the tables were either small decorative works of art made from ceramic, or more potted plants. Sometimes a painting would be placed on the wall above them, one of them being a portrait of Nadala herself in fine flowing clothes similar to what Kala had, and the rest some form of landscape being captured in stunning detail.
We passed a couple doors on our way into the building before eventually being presented with one of the last few of them on the left-hand side. The butler explained that my escort could wait in the tea lounge during their stay here as the dining room was set aside for the private enjoyment of myself and Nadala. Joy of joys, alone with the thirsty woman.
I gave a nod to my friends, and they begrudgingly accepted that they could not accompany me into the room. Hopefully, this whole thing wouldn’t take more than an hour to get through, maybe two at the most, but that depended on whether Nadala had any business to discuss with me, or if this was purely for her own pleasure. I certainly hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed if she didn’t get as much pleasure as she wished from me.
Once I entered the room I was greeted by an, admittedly, very lovely setup. The table was set with candles and a long narrow cloth that stretched from end to end to break up the solid dark wood color. A total of ten seats were situated around the table as it lay horizontally from the entrance. Naturally, only two seats were prepared with a placemat, the one in front of Nadala, and of course, the one right next to her. All that table space and she had me sitting right on her left-hand side, a more obvious ploy could hardly have existed.
Still, I put on a polite smile as my host rose to greet me. “Lord James, I am honored that you have chosen to accept my invitation tonight. I promise you a most delectable night, sampling some of the finest foods that can appease any palate. Do keep in mind to save some room for dessert, though.” That last bit was laid on rather thick with innuendos.
I swear this woman has to be setting some kind of record for thirst in this world. Still, I had to be polite about our interactions. “The pleasure is mine, Lady Nadala. I certainly look forward to what you have on the menu.”
“Come, have a seat, relax. The entrees and wine will be out soon. I’ve selected a wonderful vintage for tonight's tasting that should go well with the entire feast.”
Great, wine. Just what I wanted, an easily drugged drink. No, she wouldn’t do that, I'm too high profile now and have my escort of rather intimidating soldiers. She wouldn’t dare try anything... right?
Nadala then picked up a bell on the table and gave it a gentle ring. The signal was received and a door in the back of the room that probably connected to the kitchen opened, revealing two new faces, one an Ulgor, another a Nactren, both wearing the strange butlers vest and short shirt that showed their arms. The Nactren deposited a glass next to both of us while the Ulgor filled Nadala’s and then mine with the white wine variant.
“Thank you dear.” Nadala said as she gave the Ulgor’s arm a gentle caress as he walked by her again. The way her eyes lingered on the man as he walked back into the kitchen had me questioning a lot of things, primarily the uniform.
“Is the drink to your liking?”
Her question snapped me out of my thoughts as I quickly focused once more, taking a small sip. It was dry, with just a hint of fruitiness to it. “It’s quite good, thank you.”
“There’s more where that came from. The first course should be coming out soon enough. I hope you’re hungry.”
She was practically devouring me with her eyes already. Honestly, why is she so dead set on bedding me? It seemed I would be getting my answer a bit sooner than I realized. The kitchen door opened again where a Satyr, a Valus, and a Trelnval, all male, and all wearing the same short sleeve uniform brought out plates, napkins, and silverware. Everything was set up with near robotic levels of precision. It was an impressive display of coordination, but all of that paled when a food cart was pushed out of the backroom, and at its back was a Thrainian!
I couldn’t keep the wide-eyed look of shock of my face as I watched the young man push the cart filled with silver platters. Other than the uniform, he had one more accessory that immediately soured my mood. He was wearing a slave collar, an admittedly nice one of polished metal with bits of leather on the inside to prevent chaffing, but a collar nonetheless. My expression dropped to one of disproval, and Nadala either didn’t notice, or chose to ignore it as she talked.
“You curious about good Tolvrin there? Most people who haven’t been in my house before are.”
I tried my best to keep my features neutral while replying. “Less curiosity, more wondering if you realize that when the war ends you will have to take that collar off.”
“Oh, of course.” She said with a dismissive hand wave. “Tolvrin was a... a rescue, you could say. He was caught as part of a Thrainian camp, serving as their chef. Not a violent bone in that boy’s body, but they were either going to throw him in a cell for the rest of his life or even hang him for the crime of making food. I saw the injustice in this and argued for him to be placed under my care. The collar was simply a measure that everyone else wished to prevent an uproar from the populace. I’ve never had to use it, because Tolvrin is such a good boy, aren’t you?”
“Y-yes, my lady.”
Tolvrin had a look on his face that I tried to analyze. Is that fear or... arousal? I was baffled for a moment before a realization dawned on me. All male staff, strange uniforms, one of every race represented here. She’s a collector, and I'm the next piece she wants to add to her collection. I wasn’t sure if I was more or less scared of her motives now.
There wasn’t much time to think as the tasting began. It seemed soup was the start of this sampling as I was handed a small bowl of a light looking mixture, probably something designed to whet the appetite. We both took a sip or two from the bowl using spoons before she started a conversation again.
“Mmm, fantastic as always Tolvrin. Is the soup agreeable, Lord James?”
“It is quite good, yes.” I replied simply.
“Tolvrin has proven himself time and again to be worth all the hassle I had to go through. He cooks not only my meals, but the rest of the staff’s as well. I always make sure my boys receive the best care.”
There’s that double entendre again. She was doing it on purpose. The soup was finished in relative silence before the next course was put down. This time it was a plate of three slices of meat with a sauce drizzled over it and a garnish on the side. Honestly, it looked delicious, but I was a little disappointed at the serving size. I knew this was a multi-phase meal, but it always seemed like the rich eat like fucking pixies all the time.
The meat was juicy, fell apart with barely any effort, and filled my mouth with its flavor instantly. “Good, isn’t it?” Nadala asked, bringing my attention to her. “Perfectly aged cuts are hard to come by, but I have my sources. It makes you wish you can have it every day, doesn’t it?”
I thought about my reply very carefully. “Well, indulging in the finer things in life is nice every now and again, but sometimes simplicity is king. You never lose that desire for something greasy and covered with oil. It’s like a... palate cleanser, almost, to prevent you from losing your taste for the richer flavors.”
“An interesting perspective. I can certainly accommodate such a request should you desire.”
I let the statement hang without a response, instead focusing on the food before the empty plate was removed and some sort of fish was placed in front of me with a vegetable side. She took that moment to speak again.
“Well, now that we have a bit of food in our bellies, let us speak of business. You need friends on the council, and while I am certainly on your side, we are currently outnumbered. I happen to be quite close with Artisa as our businesses often cross the same paths. A few words from me could potentially see her on our side.”
She was cutting right to it. “And I assume there is something you wish in return for your aid?”
“Oh, come now, you make it sound like I'm going to ask for a blood sacrifice. No, no, what I want from you would be much simpler and far more pleasant than such things.”
Here it comes.
“I’d just wish for a commitment from you. If you would see fit to grace me with a deeper relationship, our combined influence would make it easy to convince the other council members to support us.”
I took a deep, slow, breath as I tried to formulate a reply in a speedy manner. “Well, I am flattered that you think I’m worthy of such a position, but I'm afraid I am already in a committed relationship at the moment.”
“Ah, yes, the no name from some village that burned down years ago.” She said flippantly. The casual insult to Kala made me tense slightly. “I know all there is to know about her, and that, frankly, isn’t a whole lot. Someone of your position would be much better suited to be at the side of a lady with substance to her.”
It took everything in me not to explode in a violent tirade at her. “Kala was there for me at the beginning, when I was a nobody with nothing to my name and a mountain’s worth of mental issues. She stayed by my side even at my lowest point, and that kind of loyalty and commitment is priceless.”
Nadala looked far less amused now. “You would turn down my offer for that peasant?”
“That ‘peasant’ is worth more than all the gold in the world to me.”
She inhaled sharply and picked up her fork, idly stabbing a vegetable and examining it with a disinterested look. Suddenly she flicked the utensil which sent the food flying off the table and onto the floor where it was quickly retrieved by one of her reverse harem members. She discarded the fork with what almost seemed like contempt before focusing on me again with a much colder gaze.
“Very well. If that deal is unacceptable to you then we can speak of things with more monetary value.”
I put on a business face and leaned forward slightly in my chair. “By all means, make the first offer, Lady Nadala.”
She huffed slightly as she tilted her head upwards. “I want exclusive trading rights with Yol’vastume. Every last grain that comes out of that pit I want control of.”
Talk about a damn price hike. “Why is it that people seem to assume that I have an unlimited pool of power and influence at my disposal?”
“Do you not, oh champion of the goddess?”
I smirked. “If I did, then the council would already be at my beck and call. My absolute authority probably begins and ends at the doors of the church.”
She waved a hand in front of her. “Fair. So, what is your counter offer then?”
“I can personally introduce and recommend you to the suppliers at Yol’vastume once trade opens again. You’d have a firm foot inside the door, and I'm sure a lady as versed as you in the business could navigate easily from there. People tend to trip over themselves to get on my good side.”
She contemplated my offer for a minute while swirling the wine in her glass. After having a hearty drink, she put the glass down and made her reply. “I suppose that would be the most I could hope to get out of you in this instance. Very well, but I expect positively glowing praise from you when the time comes.”
“Naturally. It pays to be kind to your business partners.”
“Business...” She scoffed lightly before picking up her glass again. “To business then.” It was obvious that she wasn’t exactly happy with the outcome as she preferred her first offer over the second, but there were no open complaints to the effect considering that the deal, should she pull it off, would make her rich.
Eating became a bit more awkward though as she neglected to uphold any sort of conversation after we concluded our deal. I hoped that there weren’t many courses left to eat, but after I finished the fish, there was an interruption as the Droln entered the dining room.
“My lady, there is a messenger here for Lord James.”
She sneered in annoyance. “We are in the middle of eating! Whatever it is, it can wait.”
“Yes, my lady, and normally I would not have bothered you with it, but he claims that it is quite urgent, and I believe him from the manner in which he arrived.”
She placed a hand on her head. “Gods above, this day. Fine. Let him in.”
He bowed and quickly went to retrieve the messenger. My brow was furrowed as I tried to think of what might be so urgent as to barge into the house of a council member currently hosting a luncheon. I was slightly worried, and that became even more so when the man in question entered the room.
A satyr I had never seen before stood slightly out of breath after apparently running all the way here. “L-lord James, yes?” He asked between gasps.
“Yes, what seems to be the problem?” My worry was starting to grow.
“There's, been an incident sir. An attack.”
Attack? My eyes widened and I was immediately out of my seat. “Kala?!”
“Yes, sir. Your lady and her escort were attacked in the lower city, some of them are in bad shape.”
I was already moving towards the door. “Take me to them, now!”
Before we could exit, Nadala spoke up. “Oh, Lord James, if the worst comes to pass, my previous offer still stands,” she said with a smile.
Opportunistic bitch. My jaw locked tight, but I ignored her and continued with the satyr out of the house. Kala, please be okay.