Watcher's Question: A LitRPG Saga (Life in Exile Book 2)

by Sean Oswald

  Dave felt preachy but treated it like opening arguments in a trial. He was attempting to show them what he intended to prove later through experience and evidence but for now was simply trying to get buy in to his proposal. “We hold certain values above all others, namely those being a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

  Hearing himself say those things, he felt even more corny but pushed on, “It is not that a person cannot forfeit those rights by their actions, but as the leaders of this community, you are agreeing to uphold those values and to seek to preserve them wherever possible. Now, there may be disagreements between us about how to best do that, and I can assure you that there will be times that my wife and I disagree. For example she would probably never condone torture under any circumstances, whereas I could see that there might be occasion to use it under very narrow guidelines.”

  It was a bit surprising to Dave that not a single one of the men had tried to jump in and defend their actions or argue that he was soft hearted. He was not naïve. Eloria offered a far harsher life than Midwestern America, but he wasn’t ready to forgo his principles yet. So whether it was because of some cultural thing or just because they were good soldiers, not a one of them had tried to interrupt and so the monologue continued, “What I need to know now is if you can agree to those principles or if we have a problem because I would rather sort that out now.”

  “In general, the church of Shanelle does not condone torture, at least not publically, but many dark things have been done in Her name, and in my experience even the Goddess of Redemption is not without a willingness to judge at times.” Jaselm spoke up first, perhaps because he felt most comfortable with Dave of all those present.

  The elves didn’t seem to want to speak up, and the humans seemed content to let Jaselm be their spokesman. Knowing the limited amounts that he did about Moon Elf culture from Emily, he wondered if this wasn’t a saving face sort of thing where they would publically agree with him and then do what they felt was in their Lady’s best interests afterward. That wasn’t acceptable and so he said, “I know that I am only a human and only a consort to your Lady, but I assure you that she will agree with me on this. We need to hear your mind and you are ordered to speak freely.”

  Daichi was the first to say something, as perhaps fighting together for what had essentially been the past three days had forged a bond or at least some respect. “You have proven yourself to be the most honorable human that I have met in my long life. Yet some of what you propose is not how we function. Enemies are to be destroyed. You would not show mercy to a weed that sprung up in your garden, and the same must be done with our enemies. As to our people, liberty is good but all must still know their place or what you call a community cannot thrive. And life is good but in Eloria only the worthy live. What you mean by the pursuit of happiness is foreign to me as are many of the things you say. For myself, I find it oddly refreshing to hear a nobleman speak of serving the people, but often lip service is given to that concept and there is little truth behind it. So only time will tell if you mean what you say.”

  Dave chuckled, “Well I did say to speak freely. The details are things that will be fleshed out later, but for now, I thank you for your input. Of course in Eloria, life is conflict. We have all been told that countless times. But…”

  Either having heard enough or finally deciding now was the time, Eisuke interrupted Dave, much to the shocked expressions of the other elves, “Do you intend us to coddle our enemies? Perhaps we should blunt our arrows and dull our swords. Maybe we can sing songs to them and ask them nicely not to hurt us.”

  Dave wanted to laugh at the sarcasm which dripped from every word but knew that was not the best course of action. “Hardly, I am not calling for you to hold back in the midst of combat. Have you seen me do that? My wife? My daughter? I think rather that you have seen that each of us is willing to do what is required. That is what this is about. What required you to torture a grievously wounded creature that was immobilized and clearly no threat to anyone?”

  Called out, the passion faded from Eisuke’s face, and he adopted a stone-like expression. “Have you had to deal with minotaurs before?”

  “No I have not,” Dave admitted.

  “Then respectfully, perhaps you should ask some questions before issuing an order. That is if you mean the other things you said.”

  Now it was Dave’s turn to become angry, “Wait one second. I called you over here so that Emily wouldn’t just berate you in front of everyone. I have served in a military order before and that is not the way to do things. The very fact that we are having this conversation is because I am asking you. I spoke first to explain our basic position not because I was auditioning for a spot on late night tv but because I wanted to be transparent.” While everyone got the gist of what he was saying his reference to ‘tv’ confused everyone other than Jaselm who had been inside the tabernacle and seen the miracle talking box.

  The forest warden and baron stared at one another. A silent weighing of each other was conducted in their minds and the tension built enough that the human soldiers apart from Jaselm found their hands drifting to a weapon. Finally, Eisuke spoke first, “So what is it that you want to know, Baron Murkwood?”

  “Simple, I want to know what justified the torture of a helpless prisoner. Did he hold information about an imminent threat? Had he just killed some of our men and so emotions were running high? For that matter, how did he get burned like that? Those wounds were rather gruesome and I gather that he must be one tough S.O.B. in order to be able to have survived that.”

  “Minotaurs do not travel alone. Their basic unit is comprised of four men and is called a quadrian. Most of the time when we see minotaurs it is because they are acting as bounty hunters or mercenaries and are in a group of four. So yes, I needed to know where the rest of his quadrian is at. As far as fighting our people, it was actually your youngest daughter who discovered him while playing with her pet goblin and the half-orc. He didn’t attack anyone and tried to run away.”

  “So you brought him down and it was necessary to burn him that badly in order to stop him?”

  “As improbable as it might be, it was the goblin who knocked him down and he was already burned like that when he was discovered. We have not been able to get any information from him yet, but truthfully that may be because he was so wounded. I just can’t afford the delay that dealing with a minotaur raid would cause when we are so close to finally dealing with the tree sappers.”

  Now Dave let himself laugh, “Krinnk brought down that monstrosity?”

  “Yes he was running and getting away from us, but the goblin made a leaping attack with both feet and struck the minotaur’s back sending him tumbling. His prior wounds did the rest.”

  “Very well, I understand the need to deal with the tree sappers and from what you are saying, I assume the scouts or druids have determined that they are close.” Eisuke only nodded so Dave continued, “And of course you are right, we can’t move on if there is a risk as grave as what you are suggesting the minotaurs would face which could strike at Eris’ Rise. But you don’t have all the information. Looking at those burns caused me to believe that I may know where he got them.”

  Jaselm asked, “Are you thinking it had something to do with the melted rock in Gary’s Playground?” The paladin obviously didn’t understand the meaning of the name given to mine 714 but still addressed it properly.

  “Exactly. Well, either way, I’m sure that Emily will have mostly healed him by now and so maybe we can get answers from him.”

  “Very well,” Eisuke begrudgingly said as he turned back to where the prisoner was along with the rest of them. All but Dave drew weapons instantly upon seeing another minotaur standing next to Emily and talking to the now healed prisoner.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I have done a thousand dreadful things as willingly as one would kill a fly, and nothing grieves me heartily indeed but that I cannot do ten thousand m
ore.” — William Shakespeare

  A poorly lit room far to the south set the backdrop for a meeting which none of the souls in the Murkwood had any awareness of but which was already setting in motion events which would cause them much harm. The room was underground as its occupants were not yet ready to draw attention to themselves. Each individual was strong but they did not have the power to challenge any nation head on, so they were forced to work from the shadows, and work they did. For decades now they had been moving to fulfill their charter. First they recruited, then they gathered resources and finally with the appearance of an outsider they had been given orders from beyond. Orders which set in motion the events far to the north.

  Now they were meeting to discuss the outcome of their most recent project. The eleven men and women sat at a table built in the shape of a U. It was a table built for thirteen, but the chair in the head position was empty. Seimion had shown up only half a dozen years ago and virtually co-opted their assembly. He was from the old world and brought proof of his authority, not that anyone dared to challenge him after what had happened to poor Keni. For the simple crime of speaking words of caution, the gray robed mage had killed Keni and the message had been clear. This may have been the high council of the Cult of Alucien on Talos, but no deviance from the main plan would be allowed.

  Seimion’s seat was not the only empty one. Recently, one of their members had disappeared in the north. The mage said simply that he had failed but that their Master would turn the setback to his advantage. No further discussion was had as to the fate of Draznei’kai, the death knight. Now though, the other eleven members of the council met. They all spoke a bit more freely without the gray robed one present, but none were foolish enough to speak too plainly for fear of what words might be carried to their leader.

  “How could he have failed? It was an unclaimed dungeon and had no intelligent life forms to resist him?” Berget spoke with a refined Faelorian accent, speaking to her breeding.

  “I don’t know. And why ask such a question. You know as well as I do that we can’t scry inside of a dungeon.” Talorii had little patience with his human counterparts. As one of only two elves on the council he had been a member for longer than most of the others.

  “So what do we know then? Did the summoner survive? Did any of them? Can any resources be recaptured from what was sent with them? It’s over and done so the why doesn’t matter,” Gustov’s voice seemed to boom and echo off of the stone walls.

  “The why should matter to you, Gustov. This failure happened in your region and you know how our Master deals with failure,” Berget smirked.

  “Now, now, Sister, you know the code. No names, not even here. Our personal identities don’t matter to the cause and we are all brothers and sisters in the will of our Master.” Apolashi-nari-to was the only member of the council who couldn’t sit in one of the chairs. His four legs just didn’t make such a thing possible. He was also one of the most devout, his involvement with the cult being more religious than political unlike many of the others.

  “Why should it matter here, it’s not like any of those simpering fools in their palaces know we are here. Or even that we exist for that matter,” Berget’s tone was petulant. The eyes that watched without being seen knew how best to manipulate that childish streak in her, but it still chafed at times.

  “Because it is the will of the Master set forth by his own hand. And if that isn’t enough for you then consider this, if we can secretly scry on lands far away then what is to keep someone else from scrying on us.” Apolashi-nari-to wouldn’t budge from his position but tried to make his point in the least confrontational way. The eyes upon them smiled. The centaur was a fool but at least he was a faithful fool.

  “Speaking of scrying, what do your spells of the diviners reveal?” asked Aerith. He was the newest member to the council but very matter of fact as all moon elves tended to be.

  “Very little so far. The most that they can tell is that the summoner and the entire quadrian that we hired to safeguard him have fallen, that is until a last-minute update right before this meeting indicating that at least one of the minotaurs survived,” Gustov delivered the news of a survivor with a grim tone.

  “That is inconvenient. I had thought that these mercenaries we hired were supposed to be among the best that money could buy,” Talorii said. His robes hid the smile on his thin lips. He still delighted in any opportunity to rub the inadequacy of the lesser races in their faces.

  “They are or were the best, so I don’t know what went wrong with the summoning. All we know is that no fiend was summoned but our agent and his guards were killed except for one and that one was severely wounded. As to it being an inconvenience, it is part of their blood oath. He couldn’t reveal any facts about his prior employer even if he wanted to.” Gustov assumed an air of boredom to minimize any blame that might come his way.

  “And you are willing to trust in that magic?” Aerith asked dismissively.

  “Yes, but if you aren’t then you can always send your little pet Itsu after him,” Gustov crowed.

  All around the table, the faces hidden within their hoods but yet know to one another stared at each other. None of them liked it when the others knew too much about their agents or plans. The hidden eyes scrying this meeting closed as the lips beneath those eyes smiled. All was going well. The master’s plans were moving forward and this group, this so called High Council of the Cult of Alucien, would serve his master well. Some of them might even survive to reap the rewards. Yet he would continue to pit them against each other just as much as he used them against the rejected people of Talos. For that was the founding creed of the Cult, spoken by his Master, survival of the fittest.

  Daichi bolted with that astounding speed he could manifest from time to time in sudden bursts. Dave had never seen anyone move that quickly except for Max. The monk blasted into the second minotaur who was standing next to Emily, or at least that was his intention. Instead, he went straight through the body of the minotaur before he regained his balance. The minotaur flickered and then disappeared.

  “Arghh … What have you done to her?” the bound bull man to the tree bellowed in a rough imitation of the moon elf language.

  Emily said, “We were not trying to deceive you with the illusion, only make you feel more at ease.”

  Dave chuckled softly and signaled for all the men to stay quiet. He had known all along that the second minotaur was only an illusion cast by Mira since they had discussed when she had obtained the spell for it. Now he walked over to where Daichi was shaking his head and Emily was trying to calm down the prisoner. He strode up and spoke in the minotaur’s own language.

  “My wife did not mean anything by it, but now you talk to me.” On a hunch Dave adopted a very stern voice.

  The minotaur looked back at him. A snarl curled his lip and exposed large flat molars.

  “You can snarl all you want, but you are the prisoner. I am the lord of this land and you will answer my questions. If you do, then I will set you free.”

  People all around were asking what they were saying since besides Dave only Daichi and Eisuke spoke the minotaur’s language. The brute spoke, “I can never be free again.”

  “That is not true. It is within my power to free you. I simply need to know why you were here, how you were injured, and if there are any others of your kind here. On the other hand, if you do not tell me, then I will undo the healing my wife just delivered to you.”

  “You misunderstand me, no-horn. You can’t free me because I owe a life debt to this elf who healed me. I was dying, but she saved me from the soldiers and healed me. I am bound to her for the remainder of my life.”

  “She does not require a life debt from you, she would have done that for anyone. If you wish to pay her back then, you can answer my questions and assure that the people she cares for are safe.”

  The bovine warrior snorted. He appeared to be pondering Dave’s words, but it was hard to be sure given how dif
ferent the structure of his head was. Meanwhile, Dave decided to explain the conversation to Emily. She was shocked and offended. “I don’t believe in life debts. That sounds like slavery.”

  They argued back and forth for a while. Dave pointed out that they needed answers from the creature or they would have to kill him. When Emily objected, Dave started speaking in English. “We can’t let people think we are at odds. Eloria is not the same world as earth was, and we have to adapt. You have to agree to let me handle the security related matters while you handle the quality of life and development of Eris’ Rise.”

  The expression on Emily’s face was pained but she said, “For now.”

  Dave knew better than to try to push the issue, so he took the little victory and held onto it.

  After watching the two of them speak in a language he could not possibly understand. He started up in Moon Elf, “I cannot answer all of your questions, but I will answer what I can. My name is Rak’kar son of Beorth. I was the lead of a quadrian, and we were hired out to act as the bodyguards of a summoner. We failed and my three quadmates along with the man we were guarding all died, and I was nearly killed but for the healing provided by my idioktitis zois, what you would call my life owner. I have failed under the kodikas, the code my people live by. My life has no meaning and by all rights I should have died. Once saved though, my life now belongs to her, what we call zois.”

  “What was the mission of the man you were guarding?”

  “I can’t answer that. I am already skirting the edges of the kodikas. I can only say that from what I know of it, there was no direct threat to you or your people.”