Two nights back, after X finished his daily duties, Lord Derreick came to his cell to speak with him. The Lord found the elf out of himself, but a fresh bucket of water brought him back from wherever his mind had wandered to.
“You’re awake now?” inquired Lord Derreick.
“Yeah. I’m here... Lord.”
“I came to see how this slave is doing. We need you alive for the duel.”
“Of course, sire...”
“I’m going to be blunt. I don’t think you can even scratch Mitchell.”
“Me neither.”
“So, it was all talk.”
“Lord... Your honorable Lordship.” Every time the elf tried to speak with correct terms and a respectful tone, it ended sounding sardonic. “A pressing matter has come to my attention, equally— no, more important.”
"What is it?"
“Do you recognize this?” The redheaded elf produced a relic, the one humans used to cross the barrier. The Lord’s eyes widened.
"A relic!?
“Calm down, my Lord. It’s a only copy. It’s fake.” Lord Derreick’s blood flowed again, and thinking things trough calmed him down. X handed him the fake relic. “I’ve never seen an original one, so I don’t know how convincing it is, but I’ve been told it’s pretty well done.”
Inspecting the fake relic, Lord Derreick couldn't believe what he saw. "It's uncanny. A masterful job. I don’t think this one works, being a fake, but... we need to know for certain.”
“I don’t see the need,” swiftly said X. “They told me they’ve had it for months. Of course, it being a fake, they cannot use it. But they also told me the time had come, and to convince me to join their plan, they gave me this fake relic, which I have to return.”
Several words got Lord Derreick's full attention, the most pressing being, “Plan?”
“And this is the pressing matter. The slaves are planning to escape.”
The Lord chuckled, followed by a sober semblance. “How?”
“I don’t exactly know how, they didn’t tell me all the details, but I can tell you the day.”
"When?"
"The day of my duel."
Lord Derreick gazed at the fake relic in his hands. It all began with it, and it all would end with it. “If this is true, why are you telling me this? Won’t you escape with them?”
“The thing is, Lord... the escape will happen right when I’m dueling the bug man. It will be then and... well, I don’t see myself surviving it, not that Ruianne cares about me in any capacity, but rather sees me as a means to an end. She’s a smart one.”
"Hold on, Ruianne is involved too? Who else?"
“I know at least Ruianne and Head Slave-Butler Gnome are on it. But from what I gathered... at least half the slaves in this city, if not all, know they need to be prepared for that day. And Ruianne, not only is she beautiful... What a cunning lady- female.”
“You expect me to believe that most of Saint Jaulea’s slaves are planning a rebellion and, by the sounds of it, all the slaves in this house are involved?”
“Not a rebellion. An escape. And there lies the crux of the matter. From how they explained it to me, they have people outside, a squad, regiment or something, waiting. They'll hit the gatekeepers first to keep the barrier from being raised, then they’ll come to the arena with collar suppressors in their midst.”
It sounded more outlandish the more the elf kept talking, but a sliver of doubt began eating at Lord Derreick, deep inside.
"How will those outside know when to attack?"
"This is the best part, Lord." The elf produced a stone, one of the portents he had asked Ruianne.
"A portent?"
“And there are loads more where this came from. Why would slaves have them? As I understand, slaves can't use magic and other arts with their collars on. So why have dozens of these stacked somewhere?”
“The suppressors! If they manage to get through, they’ll be able to use them.”
“Exactly, sire. And you know what? Ruianne’s giving them away like candy to her most trusted slaves. And this is not the worst of it.”
"There's more?"
"I saw Ruianne cast magic. She used one of these portents.”
"No, no, no. She has a collar!"
“Well, Lord, sometimes collars malfunction or maybe it was sabotage. Who knows? But remember, something did happen to my collar. The point is, her collar, like mine, doesn't work.”
This was the worst revelation of the night. If true, his whole family had been in danger for a long time.
“But do know, Lord, her magic is as good as a party trick. She cast some on me and didn’t even tickle me. A magicless elf. I feel sorry for her, at least I have an excuse. What’s hers?”
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Lord Derreick’s sober demeanor reflected his thoughtful nature. While everything sounded outlandish, the fantasy of a corroded mind, caution was his best friend. Either way, he had to be cautious of the elf’s words and what the slaves might be planning.
The redheaded elf interrupted the Lord’s inner dissertation.
"Lord, the final, most important piece of information will only be given to me on the morning of my duel. For me... What I want is to live and to be free.”
“You want a deal in exchange for information?”
“I already told you, Lord, all the information I have, except the final, most important piece of the puzzle. That piece of information will have to wait until the morning of my fated day. In exchange for it, my life and freedom.” Lost in thought, Lord Derreick stood quiet.
The elf continued. “If what I say seems outrageous, slanderous, and makes you think I’m lying through my teeth, do nothing. Take this as... the last ramblings of a soon-to-be dead soul. But if something clicks, simple preparations will land you the hero of the day. You could have them all under your grasp in one fell swoop, and I’m not only talking about the slaves, nor their regiment outside. Just you, my Lord, and your most trusted individuals. Don’t alert the whole city if you fear my words could be false. Only your inner circle, those who would understand if it comes down to violence or not. You have one, don’t you?”
With a very convincing fake relic in his hands, a strange elf speaking like the devil into his ear, and his mind spinning wildly, he gave serious thought to all of it.
"Do you think they'll make it work?" inquired X.
"This fake relic?”
The redheaded elf nodded.
“Under ideal conditions, possibly, But not at a moment's notice. No chance."
“They gave it to me, along with the portent, to convince me to play along. What a plan! And it’s all hers. Ruianne is a cunning elf.”
“And you?”
“She doesn’t like me one bit and would gladly sacrifice me to whatever it is she devotes herself to. And I like living. This is all I ask, a coward’s way out.”
Lord Derreick peered down at the desperate, fallen slave. If everything the slave said proved accurate, then the elf would be willing to trade his own kin for his life.
“Maybe they’re going to exchange it for a working one?” asked X.
“Perhaps.”
“But as I understand, only one person can use it.”
"Not exactly. If they're linked, say by holding hands, many people could cross the barrier using just one relic. It’s a limit of the system.”
“Lord, why are you freely telling me this?”
"It's no secret," replied Lord Derreick, his gaze fixed on the slave. "If they obtain one, they'll likely use it this way."
“Maybe that’s the final puzzle piece. I won't know until my fate-deciding morning arrives. Play their game, Lord. Like a little ignorant fool dancing to their every song but... be a tiger in disguise.” The elf wondered if tigers were tigers in this bizarre world. “Or not. Come duel day, I'll be either correct or merely delirious, all this a figment of my imagination. In any case, the answer is simple. Be prepared.”
Decisions are always hard when they are life changing. And there’ll always remain a thorn in our minds. What if? The fake relic was convincing enough to give partial credence to the elf’s words. He couldn't have created it on his own. His other claims were more than outlandish, but the fake relic in Lord Derreick’s hands instilled the right amount of doubt that he needed.
The Lord returned the fake relic to the elf. “Don’t let them suspect anything. And of course, if you’re lying—”
“I have death to expect, Lord, or worse. I understand this better than you think. But if I’m not lying and events transpire as I say, help me live through the duel.”
Lord Derreick scrutinized the elf, seeking to decipher such a being, before finally giving up. He pivoted and strode towards the stairs.
"Keep your eyes open, sire, keep them wide open," the redheaded elf called out. "You'll see the truth has been right in front of you all along, here in this mansion."
X’s teeth shined through the darkness, a smile to himself. His heartbeat raced non-stop, and he struggled to contain it from bursting. For the fake relic, wasn’t fake at all. He had taken it from Leandro’s chambers. All his hoops and jumps paid off. It had been a wild bet, a long shot among long shots. To steal it under Leandro’s nose turned out to be easy. The hard part came the next day when he had to replace it with a fake one he made with one of the portents Ruianne had given him. It had cost him a great deal and a whole morning to take the relic stone from the locket it was in and replace it with a convincing imitation. On top of that, he had to paint it to resemble the original as much as possible and return it to Leandro’s box. Not his best work, but he only needed it to work once.
The redheaded elf held in his hands the most important chess piece of his plan, the relic stone.
That was the first step of his plan, and his prey had taken the bait. Lord Derreick’s thoughts tipped towards glory and wealth. He would become a hero, with accolades and political positions not far behind. X had left no downsides for him to hold on to, no doubt running amok, no opportunity to back out. The Lord used his Jetual Corps’ membership, a tight association, to hatch a plan of his own and lead them to power. They understood the stakes involved and stood to gain if everything went according to plan. If not, no one would ever talk of this matter again. Gain, as far as his mind could think of. Lord Derreick’s eyes glimmered with ambition while he made the necessary preparations.
The second part of the elf’s plan came together the night before his duel, when the young Lady came to visit him. That night, he stole her locket, a gold piece engraved with their House emblem and her name. After a joyful and passionate night, he left her sleeping and locked up in a cozy dungeon cell. With her kind of personality, this proved not difficult to achieve.
On the morning of his duel, X's last puzzle piece would fall into place. If it worked, he’d be a free elf, if not, no one could say he didn’t try.
Lord Derreick personally escorted him to the combatants’ gate and asked for the promised final piece of information. The redheaded elf replied, “Look at my hands when I shout to you, I’ll be holding what you yearn after. Really look at them and think carefully. That’s the final puzzle piece.”
X employed Ariana’s locket as his lifeline. He knew the Lord would let him die, same as the fantastical beasts who wanted to escape slavery. The elf had to force Lord Derreick’s hand to intervene, and for family he’d do anything. The Lord was that kind of man, and X used it to his advantage.
*
And what kind of man wouldn’t help his troubled brethren and save countless others? What kind of man wouldn’t choose to redeem himself given a second chance?
Whoever that kind of man was, X wasn’t him.
To be fair, X was no longer a man, but a wild creature. Too wild for civilization and the masses’ concerns. Same as before, a wild force of nature treading its own path until a violent death took him, once and for all.
-- END OF VOLUME 1 --