"Support a nameless little girl on her feud against the mightiest kingdom in all Volatia? HA! You must be kidding me" The croaky voice of the obese man bellows all around the circular chamber as he leans back on his creaking chair. Hideously deformed, he takes a puff from his pipe and lets out a wide ball of purple smoke dissipate mid-air, cracking a smile "I say we give her over in exchange for exclusive rights on the slave business" He pats his big belly happily, dressed in flamboyant dark-toned clothes.
"Making a queen with our backing? Imagine the debt she would have to repay to us" A woman of voluptuous proportions adds as she leans to the side, her long fingernails playing with the hair of one kid wearing rags, a few others around her, all looking as dead as the one next to them "All the laws we could make, the changes...much more than just giving her away"
"I didn't come all the way here to discuss a what-if," A small midget says as he stops sucking on a woman's breast. The woman dressed more like a toy than a person, holds him like a baby "What can she give us NOW, and what can we get out from her LATER? That matters the most" He adds, continuing to suck on the breast.
"Now? Absolutely nothing. But later on? EVERYTHING" Another person speaks, dressed more like a priest than the rest who dress like merchants and nobles. His attire is black, with a simple circular silver mask on his face "An investment for the future, that's what this is"
"Where is Scarlett? She was supposed to be here already" A woman says, her face divided in two, one speaks half of the phrase, and the other finishes it "This is pointless without Scarlett with us"
"You called?" Scarlett says causing a small commotion among the people sitting around the circular stone table. She suddenly appeared sitting on the most ornate of chairs, at the head of the table.
"Scarlett, you have-" The midget stands up and slaps the woman who was breastfeeding him. Because of Scarlett's scare, he had bitten off her nipple "You have told us to put our men, coin, and very heads on the table by supporting the princess, but to gain what?"
"War is bad for the merchants, and civil war? Huh, we will barely make enough to cover our expenses" The obese man says taking another puff from his pipe " I will be honest with you, I'm not interested"
"If we start a civil war, the Tsardom will shred the kingdom now that our fucking king is waging war on two fronts. Not to mention we will be caught in the middle of three enemies at the same time!" The voluptuous woman says caressing the kid's back, making him shiver "No, no, no, no, NO. Unbeatable odds, it would be better to ask us to slice out throats, you may get luckier convincing us to do that"
The group laughs and chuckles, they are inside the tower deep beneath the ground, its black bricks and dim torches adorning the interior of the chamber.
"Not mentioning that the king has his eyes on you, Betrayer " the masked figure adds "We coming here to discuss the possibility of pledging our allegiance to her is already dangerous enough...when the king finds out-"
"IF, the king finds out," Scarlett says, her claws tapping the stone surface rhythmically.
"...IF, he finds out, nothing stops him from unleashing the champions onto us"
"Your protection is guaranteed by my witches, all of you are well aware of this"
"The priests have grown more than ever! Your witches have not!" The two-faced woman speaks, her fingers playing with each other almost anxiously.
"True, the new Sentinel has recruited so many new people to his stupid temples that now there are dozens in each city. And I'm sure a few of them will be gifted with the Sight in no time...it's gonna fuck up business" the obese man says with a grunt.
"He has the king eating out of his hand. Anything he asks for the king provides" The midget says "But we? We are on our own with the few witches you can provide for us, we need more!"
"Yes! Each one of us should have an entire Sisterhood to watch our backs and do our bidding" the obese man says as he strokes his chin.
"Your bidding?" Scarlett's tone is low, and froze everyone in place "So that is what you want? To rule my witches in my place?"
"No, of course not, we need you Scarlett" The obese man quickly answers.
"All of you fail to see the threat that the Sentinel is to all of us" Scarlett then stands up, her thin yet tall form imposing over everyone else" He is gaining the support of the nobles by the day, each week they give up more and more independence to appease the Virtue demons that the temples worship in turn of aid in battle, aid they wouldn't need if the king wasn't such a warmongering barbarian, but he is, and the Sentinel is using his nature to grow more powerful"
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"You can't be meaning to say the bastard is planning on a civil war of his own! Are they in season or what?" The obese man chuckles, but everyone else remains silent "Hmph, trying to lighten the mood in here"
"Of course, the more numerous priests, the increased aid to the downtrodden and famished which also only grow in number due to the war...he is making a name for himself and the temples, then, burning them in the name of the king," The masked figure says as four thin arms pop up from his tunic, their long fingers pressed against each other "To gain more support from the poor"
"And there are a lot of poor in our territories," The voluptuous woman says as she sits straight "I didn't expect the Sentinel to be power-hungry"
"So the holiest of men is trying to take the kingdom for himself! Now that changes things"The midget adds.
"If the priests rule, it will be a witch hunt like the tales of old, especially with that thing on their side," The obese man says as he grows nervous.
"Dante doesn't take sides, everyone knows that" The midget replies, fear in his now trembling voice.
"That better be the truth, because if he does..." The voluptuous woman says letting out a nervous sigh "What do we do?"
"Isn't it clear? We do exactly what Scarlett wants us to" The masked figure says as it chuckles silently "You devilish woman, you knew we wouldn't be able to refuse all along, didn't you?"
"Oh, you can always refuse," Scarlett says with a tiny smile.
"And receive the short end of a civil war," The midget says as he shakes his head "You could have started there"
"But why do we need the princess? The people won't care who we want to put on the throne so long as we keep them fed and content" The obese man says.
"Because you all have been doing such a wonderful job at it," Scarlett says as she reaches the other end of the table, standing between the obese man and the voluptuous woman"Someone of royal blood gives us legitimacy in the eyes of the nobles, and the right to wage war if the Sentinel moves first"
"Most wonderous mind you possess Scarlett! Truly, amazing!" The two-faced woman says as she claps.
"We are at the gates of a new age for the human lands, and it all depends on whether you will support the princess to reclaim that which belongs to her by birthright" Scarlett's wings seem to grow and stretch to her sides "An age where you are the real nobles, and witches can practice the arts freely, without the ever watchful eye of the temples"
Scarlett remains silent for some time, every one of them occupied with their thoughts, wondering about the favors and leverage they would have to use to support the princess's claim on the throne. But soon, the midget speaks first.
"Alright, I will assist the princess, what do you need of me?"
"Your territory is rich in minerals and blacksmiths, so divert funds to prepare armor and weapons"
"Not like we get much of a choice" The obese man grumbles and crosses his arms "What will you want?" He says looking at Scarlett.
"Focus your slavers to gather strong men, and make sure to abuse them under a puppet, so that when the time comes our princess can rescue them and we will have a more prepared force"
"We stand to lose everything or gain everything," The voluptuous woman says dejected, but ultimately perks up and looks at Scarlett" I suppose you will make use of my little spiders?"
"Indeed. Make sure they keep their ears open for any gossip, eyes wide to see anything suspicious, and feet quick to carry the news to you" Scarlett answers as her wings retract and she begins to walk back to her chair.
"What use do you have for a drug lord such as I, I wonder?" The masked figure says playfully.
"Strengthen your connections and mules, such lines of transport will be extremely beneficial for any...unfortunate sickness that may spread in times so unclean, such as war"
"Ah, weakening the enemy from within even further, marvelous" He replies excitedly.
"And. Us?" The two-faced woman asks.
"You...I have a special duty for you alone. This is a perfect opportunity to speak about someone else that will be aiding us" Scarlett says sitting once again on her chair.
"Someone else? Who?" The obese man asks as he leans back on the chair, making it creak under his weight.
"Inside the Farwoods there is a subordinate of mine, preparing an army of monsters that will come in handy to support our cause" Scarlett's words make several eyebrows raise "Do not worry, he is an intelligent and capable man that sees the benefits of my patronage...and you," She says, her black eyes looking at the two-faced woman "Will provide him with the necessary tools to create a mighty army"
"We see. Why isn't he here?" The two-face woman replies.
"Because the less time he spends inside the human lands, the easier will it be for him to build up his army without any bother"
"But right now the Farwoods are occupied by the Orcs, how will he grow an army if he is boxed in by people that won't hesitate to kill everyone in their camp?" The midget asks.
"So you don't believe me?"
"N-No, of course, we believe you, Scarlett" The midget then clears his throat "What is the name of this fellow?"
"Rokan Ushkur," Scarlett says letting out a satisfied sigh "Now that this matter has been addressed, you all may leave"
At her command, the others one by one opened their scrolls and leave the dungeon, returning to their respective cities, taking with them any slave they brought. Leaving Scarlett alone in the dim-lit chamber as she leans back against the chair.
"You may come in, Anaid" Scarlett says not bothering to open her eyes "It is rude to spy on other people"
After she says this the large metallic gates open with an echoing screech, and Anaid walks inside. Her red eyes almost glowed in the poorly lit chamber.
"Apologies...I just wanted to know if as soon as possible they would support me" Anaid says bowing to Scarlett.
"And are you satisfied by what you heard?"
"...No. They didn't pledge fealty out of duty, just fear and a lack of options"
"In that much, you are mistaken, princess...there is always a choice, and in the following days we will know who decides to take one of the many that they possess,"
"So we wait for one of them to betray us"
"Never. We wait for one of them to want to do it...only to stop, knowing that my wrath will be one thousand times worst than any betrayal...and soon my wrath will be yours" With those words Scarlett opens her eyes and snaps her fingers, appearing behind Anaid in an instant "Speaking of which, come. There is more training that needs to be done"