Over time, Alex returned to his people and was surprised to see the changes. The entire tour had taken him about a month, yet when he came back, he found something he hadn’t planned for but welcomed greatly.
Alex brought good news: several packs within the forest were willing to negotiate, meaning many resources from the deep forest would soon flow into their cities. However, the precondition for this was that Alex needed to refine these materials and return a portion of the refined elements back, which meant he would need to bring a large number of alchemists to work with all these materials, as well as build new infrastructures and workshops.
“Where could I do such a thing?” Alex wondered aloud.
“This capital of yours is well-positioned, sir. We just need to bring the equipment here, and they can work,” replied Dregg.
“Bringing all the equipment and the enchanters necessary to build the towers and alchemist labs will be nearly impossible, to say the least,” Carter countered.
“What about the outskirts? The trade enclave has already completed its first phase and has a solid wall for defense. Over time, it could grow to house the alchemists, enchanters, and any other useful outsiders,” Alex suggested.
“The problem with that plan will be time, my lord. It will take time, especially considering we will need to prioritize defenses this year. The enemies we push out won't stay quiet; they will counterattack at some point,” responded Kragash.
“These resources are essential, but if there’s no way to secure them, we’ll just have to wait,” Alex said, feeling defeated.
“There is a third option, my lord,” Carter interjected.
“What is it, my friend?”
“The city of Nikrim, my lord.”
“I don’t understand,” Alex replied.
“Ah, I see,” Kragash said. “On Miss Lin’s advice, we will acquire trade licenses, as well as some residences and warehouses in the free city. There is no reason not to expand our influence there and open some labs and build towers.”
“I see. That’s true. People might be hesitant to come to the forest to work for us. They might feel like prisoners without a way to leave here on their own. If we work within the city, we can ease many of those fears and attract more alchemists,” Alex responded.
“Strengthening our ties and influence in the city could also bring many other benefits. As we make our name known, others with great skills may consider us as potential employers,” Carter added.
“That’s very true. I wonder why I didn’t think of it before. We’re beginning to need more and more skilled labor, and although I’d like to train them right here, time is of the essence. If we can recruit them from outside, that would be a great start,” Alex nodded.
“Will we go in person then, sir?” Kragash asked.
“Yes. I can’t delegate that task to anyone. But first, I need to do something. Order all the matriarchs to come to me as soon as possible. They must leave anything that isn’t of vital importance. Also, spread the word to anyone who wants to witness the ritual; something important is about to happen,” Alex told Kragash, patting his head.
“Something important,” several people echoed, all intrigued by why Alex wasn’t clearly communicating his intentions. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
“Yes, sir,” Kragash responded simply. With a slight bow, he left the room.
“Dregg, prepare the main square. We will need a platform, and the rest of you can help spread the word. Once all the matriarchs and important Gnolls are present, we will begin,” Alex concluded.
Alex’s orders were executed instantly, and information began to circulate. Although no one knew why, speculations of all kinds quickly began to spread throughout society. One thing was clear: what was about to happen would be monumental for the Gnolls, which also had the other two races and the remaining mages intrigued.
The gathering process took about three days, and the fact that Alex had not issued any explanation or context caused rumors to grow exponentially. From the most nefarious, suggesting Alex was resigning due to the Gnolls, to overly optimistic announcements proclaiming the war as ended.
For his part, Alex reveled in keeping everyone on edge. Indeed, he knew it wasn’t a very mature attitude, but somehow he wanted to generate a mystical aura around what was about to happen. He felt he deserved it.
Many were so anxious that they requested audiences to learn more about the matter, but Alex rejected them all under the excuse of preparing for what was to come. When this began circulating among the common people, a certain tension started to build, which, while not particularly harmful, became clearly noticeable in the atmosphere. Something was coming, something big, and everyone could feel it.
Finally, all the relevant actors arrived, and it was announced that at dawn the next day, the ritual would take place, which would be recorded forever in the history of the Gnolls with those exact words.
More and more conspiracy theories, increasingly wild and ridiculous, started to emerge and die quickly as the moment approached, and the night passed slowly for almost everyone present. Alex’s capital was flooded with people, undoubtedly summoning every significant person in the government and the military. Everyone who had ever done anything remotely recognizable attended, which, for a couple of days, even completely paralyzed the kingdom.
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With the first light of day, Alex was present on the platform prepared in the center of his city, standing there like a statue. And so, without informing anyone but Kragash, he ordered him to bring the matriarchs.
Soon, the first signs of activity began, but when Alex was seen ready in the square, more and more Gnolls, Resh, and dwarves quickly began to gather, filling it completely and making it difficult for other figures to arrive. However, everyone soon took their designated places.
Both Atasha and Atarra wanted to make a comment to ease the tension in the air, but they were so immersed in it that they couldn’t speak, as if a stone blocked their throats.
Finally, Alex stepped forward and looked at the matriarchs. There were Atasha and Atarra, along with a couple of matriarchs Alex had rescued from the Goblins. However, these did not have what it took to be matriarchs and had decided to follow one of the two matriarchs.
“Step forward,” Alex ordered, indicating with his hand two spots that had been marked.
When the two matriarchs took their positions, Alex, with his eyes, made a simple gesture to the other matriarchs, who quickly understood and also positioned themselves behind the two matriarchs.
“Kneel.”
Both matriarchs looked at Alex. His tone, his demeanor, the steadiness of his hands, his stoic posture and severe appearance, and without needing to look at the others, they knelt servilely. They were immediately followed by the other matriarchs.
At that moment, Alex spread his arms wide with palms up and began to materialize his entire aura, which exposed his face tattoos and the crimson aura in his eyes.
The power was so intense that the crimson aura quickly spread throughout the city, completely affecting all the Gnolls, with a 50% effectiveness on the Resh and at least a 10% effectiveness on the dwarves, which was a surprise to many.
In Alex’s palms, his elements resided, and in one appeared his necklace and in the other his metal pin.
As Alex continued to show more and more of his aura, condensing it more each time, the audience began to find it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Finally, a kind of marble emerged from Alex’s forehead. It was completely black; however, it seemed to be made of some sort of compacted dark mist. It began to react more strongly the closer it got to the matriarchs.
At mid-distance from the matriarchs, Alex halted the strange sphere and, quickly, with both hands, gave a strong clap, striking the sphere.
An explosion of energy resonated throughout the city, shaking the ground beneath their feet and sending a wave of air charged with an indescribable mystical energy. The mist sphere disintegrated into thousands of particles that fused with the atmosphere, creating an ethereal veil that enveloped everyone present in a palpable mystery.
Alex, with a deep, resonant voice that seemed to come from the depths of the earth, proclaimed, “Today, we forge a new destiny. Today, we seal an eternal pact. Today, we rise to a new level of existence.”
The air was charged with electricity. A reverential silence fell over the crowd, each being present feeling deep in their soul that they were witnessing something unique, something that would change their lives forever.
Everyone could feel the oppressive atmosphere laden with energy. However, the Gnolls present could feel a cruel and bloodthirsty presence breathing down their necks. They all instinctively knew what they were feeling, and terror slowly began to flood them. This presence had accompanied them all their lives and represented the constant scourge of their vitality. However, soon there was a change in this presence, and simultaneously, all the Gnolls looked to the center of the stage.
The curse on the matriarchs was much stronger and appeared as a large, strong, and defiant figure of smoke. However, its imposing appearance was nothing but a façade, soon revealed when a crimson light pierced this figure.
All the Gnolls present experienced intense pain in their heads, but it passed quickly, and what followed was a slight sensation of well-being, similar to the muscle pain after working out at the gym.
Abruptly, as the ritual began, it ended, and the entire plaza fell silent.
"What just happened?" Atasha asked.
"I have claimed part of the curse. Now, one percent of it is mine, and as long as I don't will it, the curse cannot fully activate," Alex responded.
All the matriarchs remained kneeling, unable to comprehend what had just transpired. It wasn't that they didn't understand Alex's words; rather, the meaning and realization of what he had done escaped their grasp of reality.
The matriarchs exchanged glances, as did the other guests. They looked around, seeking any sign or expression that might clarify if this was some sort of joke, a misunderstanding, or if someone truly understood what had just happened and could explain it to them.
Seeing their confusion, Alex felt the need to clarify further.
"The curse functions in stages," he began. "It starts a slow charging process, progressing from zero to one hundred percent. As it charges, it increasingly affects the Gnolls. The first 25 percent makes it harder for them to feel satiated. The next stage dulls their senses of taste, making everything seem tasteless and unpleasant. The third stage causes their bodies to waste a significant amount of the nutrients in their food. Finally, the last stage accelerates their metabolism, making them burn through food at an alarming rate.
"When the curse reaches one hundred percent, all these issues, which had been slowly building, begin to grow exponentially. Minor problems quickly become insurmountable crises. However, by claiming one percent of the curse, I have obtained the central core of it from the First Aspect. This one percent is enough to prevent the curse from reaching the exponential phase that drives the Gnolls to madness.
"No matter what happens now, my Gnolls will never descend into insanity. Upon hearing this, the crowd didn't know how to react. At first, there were isolated shouts of joy and laughter, then tears, remorse, and anguish for those who had perished before Alex, so close to salvation. Finally, a renewed sense of optimism swept through the population. They had witnessed a true miracle. Alex, their king, had saved them from the curse. After an interminable length of time, the Gnolls had finally found their home.
"You will still need to help mitigate the curse among your followers and slow its progress as much as possible, but there is no need to fear its activation in the future," Alex concluded.
All the matriarchs prostrated themselves, kowtowing to Alex, showing an unprecedented submission among the Gnolls. The rest of the Gnolls followed suit, kneeling in his direction.
The other races and remaining mages stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do amid a sea of kneeling Gnolls. The realization hit them, and a strange sense of uncertainty filled their beings. It was as if they had woken up one day and found that two plus two no longer equaled four, as if everyone had suddenly forgotten how many genders there were...
A curse that had existed for thousands of years had suddenly been solved by someone with no significant history or substantial backing. The situation was so surreal that it left the mages pinching themselves repeatedly to ensure they weren't dreaming.
There was another implication, a much deeper one that only a few mages pondered. If it was true that Alex had claimed even one percent of the Gnolls' curse, it meant he could potentially do the same for other species still struggling with their own curses. This was a terrifying thought, with many implications that could shake the balance of power in Glamoria. Although it was impossible to know if Alex's method could be replicated, one thing was clear: if they weren't already involved, it was worth keeping a close eye on Alex. Every mage present knew they would return to their factions to report in great detail what was happening in Iretar.