Walking into the room I can see everyone taking seats in front of a large stone table connected to the floor. On one side sits my group with the locals sitting opposite of them while Zadin and Keeg sit at the head of the table on either side of an empty chair. Glancing at everyone once I walk behind the locals and take a seat between my two newest friends, smiling at the glowering stare of a heavily muscled snake creature.

"Hello everyone! First I would like to thank you all for the hospitality towards me and my group. I'm very relieved to see that the entire swamp hasn't been destroyed or controlled and it leaves me with a feeling of hope for the future of this region. Now to begin I've been told by Talia that some of you want to join us on our mission?" I ask as I see a prompt appear and I smile gently.

{Mental Defenses Successful! Completely blocked Control Monster, Control Person, and Charm!}

My eyes are glued onto a small women sitting at the last seat on her side, barely standing taller than five feet tall, her body is wrapped in vines and her skin releases a soft glow. Long wooden horns grow from her forehead as a leather set of armor tightly fits her body, several roughly sewn fixes show where damage has accrued. After the prompt fades away her face was the only one that showed any sign of nervousness as she glances towards me and our eyes meet, hers widening in surprise and fright while mine radiate amusement with a glint of killing intent. Before I can say anything a bulky man made of a mixture of rock and mud stands and bows towards me and begins speaking.

"Hello Sir Noortain! My name Gulag of the stone kin. We greet and welcome you to city and hope you able to help us fight evil creatures! We all are strongest warriors and mages of survivors. My team find you and friends outside during recon and rescue. Glad to see you awake now!" The slow speaking man says in a voice that sounds like two rocks grinding together. As the stone kin sits I count 5 more creatures on his side of the table including the wood horned woman, each waiting patiently until Gulag has finished. Each of them stand after the last finishes their introductions until the wooden horned woman nervously stands and opens her mouth to speak before I interrupt her.

"Well it's been absolutely fantastic meeting all of you and I thank you from the bottom and top of my heart for taking care of my friends! Now I believe we should get down to the nitty gritty of this meeting and figure out where we are going to strike first." I say politely watching the wooden horned woman begin shaking as anger shines in her eyes.

"Master Noortain, as much as I may not enjoy this woman she IS one of our most powerful mages. It's very rude to not allow her to at least introduce herself and her people." A limbless Leach with a mans face says kindly with a bit of snark mixed in. His flabby body is covered in a deep green vest and small pincers are lining his stomach.

"That would be true normally but when I entered this woman cast two control spells on me as well as a charm spell. Although I may be immune to these effects I cannot excuse their usage during a peaceful meeting of equals therefore she has the options of either sitting down and no longer having a say in anything. She can leave and she herself will no longer be included while if her people wish to help they will be welcomed under a new leader. Or the one I personally wouldn't say no to, she accepts a challenge to combat and if I win she works directly under my orders and if she wins it will be vice versa. She has one minute to choose." I say calmly with a smile on my face as all eyes in the room direct themselves to her pale face, sweat dripping from her chin as she glares at everyone around her.

The other members of her group all glance away from her eyes as she turns towards mine and turns paler at the looks of disgust and anger. After several more seconds of complete silence she finally turns to me and nods her head.

"Fine! One as high as myself have no need to grovel before a foreign outsider. I Alice Silver, Queen of the Spriggans, challenge you to single combat. Winner take all! I cannot wait to add your corpse to my garden you insignificant creature now let us begin." She screeches at me before marching outside angrily.

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"Sir Noortain be careful of lady Alice. Her magic strong and she tricky to fight." Gulag whispers to me quickly before everyone walks outside ad a circle is cleared for the battle.

Walking into the circle I watch Alice stretch her limbs and pull a set of black daggers from her waist, the handles made of a deep orange wood as the blades seem to grow longer and sharper. All of a sudden she rushes me and everyone gasps at the suddenness of her attack, a cruel smile on her crazed face as her wheat colored hair flows behind her.

"Fool, those who rush to attack may be skilled but if you don't know your opponent your doomed to eventually be outdone. Don Juan was faster and he at least showed respect." I say quietly so that only she can hear, her face going from manic to confused quickly before my hand grabs the can from my back and sweeps it forward while my body rushes to the right. The wolfhead slashes past her body and impacts the empty air beside her before the body of Alice begins to fade into view and her double disperses into mist.

"Queen of trickery more like it huh? Where I come from spriggans are defenders or residents of the land. Peaceful creatures that are skilled at mischief and thievery but overall good people. Yet you, Madame, show very little skill and no respect whatsoever to me. If you show hostility towards me that makes you my enemy. And recently I've decided that my enemies will learn to fear me. Thank you for volunteering Queen Alice Silver of the Spriggans, You shall be made an example of." I say calmly with a smile as she stares at me from the ground, terror etched onto her face as she crawls backward while vines grow around my legs.

I replace the cane on my back and pull the scimitar from my side before carefully slicing the vines from my legs before walking forward. The spriggan starts casting magic constantly at me and I smile as I walk through the multiple illusions and mental attacks. Several small plant creatures grow from the ground and charge towards me but are dispatched quickly as I swing the blade using fluid strikes. Next a vine that's as thick as a tree breaks the ground and swings towards me but I just slash with the scimitar and use its effect, within seconds a tanned creature made of sand appears before me, its legs are a small whirlwind while its four arms cross each other before I point at the root and it nods. The sand spirit rushes forward and grapples the root before pulling upward quickly with a crack before the rest of the vine goes limp and separates into two. Walking past the dispersing spirit I find Alice with tears running down her face on her knee's. He body shakes in fear as I approach her and smile down at the broken woman before inspecting her.

{Alice Silver Level 40 Spriggan Princess Boss}

A princess of the chaotic spriggan race trying to prove her worth as queen. As a royal she has access to various types of earth magic but excels in mind and illusion magic. A master of using her charm to take advantage of those around her these royal creatures are to be wary of and only approached if they can be controlled. Upon a challenge their uncontrolled pride will not allow them to refuse unless they have submitted to a master who says otherwise. This creatures emotional state is an intense fear of the monster in front of her who is unaffected by her vast array of mental abilities, as well as its apparent disinterest in her continued existence.

I chuckle as a prompt appears in front of me and I can't help wondering about the perfect timing.

{An enemy who has been completely defeated by the Soul Reader is detected. Mental Parameters are met, Skill unlocked Soul Enslavement! Soul Enslavement can only be used once every six months. This skill allows the Reader to turn suitable enemies into completely loyal allies. These allies will gain a special title as well as special skills dependent on that title over time but all allies made this way will be unbreakably loyal to the Reader and willing to lay down their lives for them without fail.}

"If you submit to me and work under me I promise to spare your life Princess Silver of the Spriggans. This is your only offer, loyalty or death, choose." I say loudly as several gasps and chuckles sound around us as the spriggan stiffens before me.

"I.....I shall serve.....Master..." She bitterly whispers as tears hit the ground before her. I smile happily as she lets out a screech of pain before collapsing on the ground and I turn away walking back into the building ignoring the prompt before me.

"So friends, let us continue our planning shall we?" I say confidently as I walk back into the building as everyone looks back and forth between my leaving figure and the spriggan with fear or astonishment.

{Skill used Soul Enslavement-Successful! You have obtained complete loyalty of your first soul slave Alice Silver! She has gained the title of Soul Seeker. Seekers are mentalist allies who excel at scanning the minds of those around them and seeking out enemies and intel to help the reader. When trained they can become extremly potent mind mages. Congratulations!}