"Why am I here?" Alex asked aloud.
"Because you need to decide," both replied.
"I won't abandon the Gnolls," Alex said.
"You don't need to," both responded.
Both sides looked at each other, and then the elder one began.
"You have the power of ashes, capable of purging evil. You must delve into its knowledge and forcefully eliminate the curse along with any obstacles."
"Unnecessary. You have the ancestral knowledge of the forest, which has existed long before intelligent life and will continue long after. You can help the Gnolls grow and withstand the curse," said the smaller one.
"Unnecessary is holding onto what serves no purpose. You can purge a dark pact. There will be no need for such evil when you reunite with your true people," said the elder.
Alex's eyes gleamed, and an idea crossed his mind, involving a large-scale ritual designed to eliminate the curse. However, the ritual included one last macabre step.
"You want me to gather the most powerful matriarchs, sacrifice them, and break the dark bond before purifying the submissive Gnolls," Alex asked inquisitively, giving a stern look to the elder.
"It's not what I want; it's our will. You devised the plan based on your knowledge. If you enhance your knowledge of ashes, you'll have a better chance of carrying out the ritual and bringing a great servant to the side of humanity. The Gnolls cannot be subdued as long as the matriarchs exist," the elder replied.
Alex knew that the matriarchs had an ironclad and irrevocable control over the Gnolls. It wasn't through fear or any other means; it was more of an unquestionable loyalty forged through centuries of leadership, guiding their people through multiple hardships and betrayals. It could be said that following them was deeply carved into their souls and minds.
"Humanity is unnecessary. We know very well how they behave and how destructive they can be. Selfishness and greed have been the driving forces of human development for millennia, and you know very well where that has led them. Here, you have the opportunity to transcend. You can deepen your knowledge of the forest and integrate with it, become one with it, and lead from within," intervened the younger one.
"Do you want me to abandon my humanity?" Alex asked.
"At this point, you're halfway there. We are part of your mind, and we know how reluctant you are to return to it now that you have received the call of the forest. From here, you can make a difference and reign above all in equality. If humans want to come, they'll have to do it on your terms, respecting the law of the forest, your law," the smaller one said with passion.
Alex's eyes lit up, and an idea crossed his mind involving a large-scale ritual designed to modify species. This way, he could help the Gnolls evolve and turn them into a species closer to the forest, greatly increasing their internal power while decreasing the power of the curse. Over time and through natural selection, individuals would become stronger and more resistant to the curse until it finally didn't affect them.
"Again, the answer involves a great purge. With natural selection, a significant number of individuals would die, and it's even very likely that they would go extinct without being able to rid themselves of the curse," Alex responded in a low voice.
"Letting nature take its course is never a bad choice," affirmed the smaller one.
Alex closed his eyes to weigh the options. Whichever path he took would result in massive loss of lives. Although he didn't want to be a hypocrite, he preferred to give the Gnolls a real chance to fight, as invasions would have to be faced, and he could hardly do it with a purged society.
The notion of eliminating so many Gnolls even before facing invasions from other planes was madness. Both plans assumed massive loss of Gnolls, and although he knew these were the most rational and realistic plans from the perspective of this world, allowing him to better rule in the future, he struggled with the ethical implications.
"Ruling isn't everything; we need to stay alive to have a chance in the future," Alex told his own versions, almost like a question, almost as if he were trying to convince himself. The allure of power and governance was something that had attracted him quite a bit, silently devising such plans without even knowing if his potential future was sufficient to carry them out. Yet, somehow, he felt that they could be implemented.
This train of thought led him to a sudden idea: if both plans were possible separately, each involving a great cost along the way, they could also be feasible together and decrease the final cost in lives, even though it would increase the difficulty of implementation and the resource cost.
If he could make the Gnolls much stronger with the Forest's Sigh, while weakening the curse with the energy of ashes, he could help the Gnolls grow faster than the curse, perhaps reaching a point where they could address the issue of the dark pact.
When Alex opened his eyes, they reflected a new resolution.
"If you follow that path, you'll corrupt your nature, your own being," said the elder.
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"There's no balance in such a resolution. Let nature take its course," the younger one asserted.
Alex took a few seconds to observe each one.
"We weren't chosen to take the easy and safe path. If we must lead, we'll do it through difficulties and give blood, sweat, and tears," Alex said.
He raised his hands and gathered his inner strength. Immediately, both versions of himself abandoned their avatars and transformed into their objects, the necklace and the pin. Alex put them back in their places.
Finally, Alex opened his eyes in the real world, a moment that felt like an eternity for the matriarchs but was only 30 seconds.
Seeing the determination in his eyes, the matriarchs waited patiently for him to reveal the result of his internal deliberation, and Alex didn't keep them waiting.
"We'll deal with the curse. Although I don't have a specific answer on how right now, I have a couple of paths I'd like to explore. I hope these open new possibilities if you're willing to walk them with me," Alex said, looking at both. They, in turn, nodded slowly.
"It will be fine as long as we maintain the traditions of the Gnolls," Atarra responded.
"It will be fine as long as it allows the Gnolls to prosper," Atasha said.
"Thank you for your trust," Alex replied. Although he understood that both had reservations, judging by their expressions when responding, he didn't let this discourage him.
"What's the plan?" Atarra asked.
"It's too early to reveal it," Alex replied after a few seconds of reflection.
"Then what do we need to do?" Atasha asked.
"Our normal plans are still in place, but I also need some method to heal my soul. The damage I inflicted on myself has crippled my chances of continuing to cultivate the energy of ashes, and without it, we'll have limited options," Alex clarified.
Both matriarchs nodded, and immediately, an ugly expression came over their faces, similar to the one you make when sucking on a lemon... rotten, as both knew how complex it was to repair soul wounds. However, when they examined Alex's soul, the expression changed to one of despair. They finally discovered that the magnitude of their task was gigantic.
Both bid farewell to Alex and agreed to devise a plan with their people. However, the real discussion was about Alex's horrifying situation.
"Did he really fight head-on with an Eldritch Horror, with an ancestral abomination unleashed?" Atasha asked, dismayed.
"You saw it for yourself, girl. The boy completely destroyed himself; only a strange energy keeps the pieces together. I wonder what that energy is," Atarra said.
"I'm not a girl, old fossil," the young matriarch replied angrily. "That energy comes from the forest. Since Lord Alex first arrived, he has shown an incredible affinity with the energies of nature, which he has deepened incredibly in the short time since he returned from that expedition with you."
"Lord Alex, eh?" Atarra responded, carefully considering the words of the young matriarch.
"You felt it too, Atarra. There's no need to pretend. Among all the matriarchs, your xenophobia is second to none. Don't tell me that after a time of slavery, you rehabilitated and now love outsiders," Atasha emphasized.
"The boy has something special, I admit, but he's hardly worthy of great respect. If he wants me to treat him as a leader, he'll have to not only demonstrate the capabilities of a leader but also the merits necessary to earn such a position," the old matriarch replied.
"That's not something to worry about. We'll have many opportunities for him to prove himself for better or for worse. The most worrying thing is how we'll fix his soul. If he truly is the savior promised by the gods, we could be on the verge of losing him at any second," the young matriarch said.
Atarra just snorted at the comment about being the promised savior of the Gnolls. It wasn't the first time the old matriarch had heard such a declaration or even mentioned it. There were dozens, even hundreds of cases in the oral tradition of the Gnolls.
"For now, we can only perform rituals to increase his vitality temporarily," Atarra commented.
"If we could get elemental stones, we could perform an elemental infusion ritual. That would help increase the strength of his soul slightly," Atasha replied.
"The elemental fusion ritual is a special tradition for the Gnoll people," Atarra protested.
"I know, I'm also a matriarch," Atasha replied defiantly.
"Would you dare to perform it for an outsider?" Atarra inquired.
"Would you dare to let him die so easily? Someone who was able to fight against an Eldritch Horror and is also on the side of the Gnolls?" Atasha returned the question.
Atarra just grunted and shook her head. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she was willing to perform the ritual. It's just that her traditions were really strong in her, and she wouldn't easily accept these ideas without protesting. If Atasha weren't present, she knew she wouldn't do it on her own.
"The problem will be getting elemental stones. We don't know the forest well enough to identify possible places for collection," Atarra said.
"For now, we can only hope to obtain them through looting other factions or through trade," Atasha said thoughtfully.
"Trade? Who would trade with Gnolls? Have you gone mad, little one?" Atarra said, scoffing at Atasha's naivety.
"No one trades with Gnolls, but he's not a Gnoll, old one. If you're not senile, the weapons carried by our best soldiers are of very good quality; those were acquired by Lord Alex in a city, in the company of Gnolls," Atasha emphasized, ignoring Atarra's dismissal.
Both matriarchs continued grumbling at each other, throwing curved balls trying to catch the other off guard.
Slowly, they agreed on at least a dozen options that were possible with all the knowledge of both matriarchs. Of course, many resources were needed for all of them, and some even required resources that couldn't be found in the forest.
Although in the end, both were dissatisfied. As much as they had been able to extract about 8 forms that were indeed useful for strengthening the soul, none was a real cure. They would only be able to delay the problem, and for them to be really useful, they would have to start performing them as soon as possible.
Both matriarchs came to the realization that they were in a great race against time. They needed to start performing the rituals in less than a month, and after that, they would have to continue performing at least one per month, with three being ideal, just to maintain the current situation. If they wanted Alex to truly grow beyond his wound and have a real chance of healing, they would have to perform all 8 different rituals.
This scenario posed a consumption of resources at a vertigo-inducing level, at such a fast pace that it could make the annual budget of a single clan seem laughable. By the end, both matriarchs had nothing more than to hold their heads in their hands. Even though the intentions were present, it seemed impossible to do anything about it.
Unbeknownst to both matriarchs, their entire conversation had been overheard by two small creatures that were able to bypass any guard or protection that both had put in place.
From a dark corner near the door, a small silver-black ball of darkness observed. On the opposite side, on the ceiling, the figure of an ethereal bird looked with inquisitive eyes.
Both creatures, having heard enough, decided it was time to report back to their respective superiors without anyone knowing who had been present and whether they were friends or enemies.