by Andur
I frown and look around. Elona changed quite a few things since she claimed the place. There are a lot more more dried up plants in here. And there is a pot with a jingling lid on the stove. A green light shines out of the crack and something hisses inside.
Doreen reaches for the lid, but I raise my voice in warning. “Aaahh, I wouldn't do that!”
“Why not?” Doreen asks baffled.
“Elona is a very competent witch. Many people had to learn the hard way that touching her cooking can be... quite the experience. I wouldn't be surprised if that stuff actually turns you into a frog,” I explain.
Doreen raises both hands, palms out, to show that she will not touch anything. “The girl could have put up a few warning signs if her art is that dangerous.”
I shrug. “She used rune magic to ward the room and keep people out. You are just too strong to be affected by the subtle influences of her mind magic.”
Doreen's head snaps in my direction. “She did what?”
“Didn't I already explain that she claimed the room? You should have felt the wish to go to the living room instead of the kitchen when you came here?” I ask.
Doreen nods and grins wolfishly. “So that's why I found Quianna cooking in the servants kitchen instead of here. At that time I thought that she wanted to bond with the lows, but now her strange antics make sense!”
I smile wryly. “Maybe we should ask her to loosen the claim on this place a little. At least enough to let her sister in.”
43. ~The enemy of my enemy.~
“Desire is a sense of longing or hoping for a person, object, or outcome. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as "craving." When a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take actions to obtain their goal. The motivational aspect of desire has long been noted by philosophers; Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) asserted that human desire is the fundamental motivation of all human action.”
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Neutral Territories between Equilibrium and Soistaat
Elona
We are sitting at a rough stone table under free sky. I admire the violet quartz from which it was summoned by Sous. The table has room for six people and has the shape of a triangle. Each side has room for two people.
Tisha is sitting right next to me and assisting in this diplomatic endeavour. I just hope that this isn't going to end in one epic fuck up. Especially since I proposed the idea.
I size up the two groups of people who are meeting us today. To our left is Sous, the leader of Equilibrium. His son, Ajax, is sitting at the far side of the table. He is an almost perfect image of his father, just younger. Blonde hair, green eyes and a stunningly average face. Okay, maybe certain girls could find him attractive, but I do not. I wish I could have worked on his appearance before this whole meeting started.
To my right is Morpheus, leader of Soistaat. He is a lean man with green hair and drooping eyes. So far, he never opened them, but he still seems to notice everything that is going on. He is accompanied by his daughter, Takea. I already know her from the party a few months ago. Her eyes are transfixed to my belly.
I pat it and smile at her triumphantly. That awakens her from her trance and finally she manages to move her eyes away.
“So, what do you think about our proposal?” Tisha opens the discussion with a hopeful expression.
We invited the two parties in hopes of forming an alliance against the slavers. But the problem with their two clans is that they have a long and well-kept history of being enemies. Before someone paid Morello from Imothep to destroy their slowly improving relationship, they were on the best way to making peace.
“We won't work with the bastards who got one of our clan members killed.” Sous crosses his arms in front of his chest and shakes his head.
“We can say the same about you!” Morpheus hisses at Sous.
They continue bickering until Tisha raises both hands to stop them. “We understand that there is a lot of bad blood between your factions. But why don't you fight against the real enemies who wanted to keep you locked in your internal affairs? Wasn't it proven that Imothep was behind the assassinations?”
I nod vehemently. “Yes, you even found out that they were assisted by a traitor. Rhia was her name, wasn't it?”
Sous starts laughing. “One more reason not to trust such people. And the alliance has already expulsed Imothep and stopped any trade with them. It's just a question of time until they give up. Their island isn't self sustaining.”
Morpheus retaliates immediately. “As if your lying bunch would be any better. Your people wouldn't wait a second if they got the chance to stab someone in the back. And even if both of our clans would unite, we wouldn't stand a chance against Imothep.”
Oops, maybe not the best argument.
Tisha tries to salvage the situation. “I think our proposal contained a detailed explanation of the events. That's why we believe that Imothep played the role of hired guns. But we've set a trap for the ones who can truly be blamed. If we had your people at our side when the trap snaps shut...” She continues to explain our suspicions about our enemies without mentioning names.
I can already see that Sous and Morpheus are two dickheads. No matter what we say, they already have their opinion. They just visited this meeting to save face towards us.
My attention turns to Ajax and Takea. Their attention kept wandering from person to person, but I noticed that both of them are avoiding eye-contact with each other.
Such innocence.
Wetting my lips, I slide a little lower in my seat and stretch my leg out under the table. It's fortunate that the both of them are sitting across from each other.
I activate my ability on Ajax and brush my leg teasingly across his inner thigh. Simultaneously I send a wave of pleasure into Takea. My ability doesn't work that well on women, but it should arouse her a little at the very least if I give her the full treatment.
Both of them straighten in their chairs and snap their heads to attention. Then they glare at each other with shocked expressions. From their point of view their counterpart is currently trying to initiate a very naughty contact.
Morpheus, Sous and Tisha are indulging themselves in a heated discussion in the meantime.
For several moments both my targets just glare at each other. So I let my foot and tail wander a little further towards their private places. Believe me, stretching like that in my current state is an accomplishment.
I already start fearing that I made a grave mistake in my judgement. I know that Takea tried to make out with that slimy bastard from Draconis, but I can't believe that it lasted longer than the party. Especially not after her abduction.
At last the corner of Takea's mouth twitches upwards, just a little. I retreat my caressing tail and leg as I feel her legs move. Seconds later both of Ajax's eyebrows rise. He shifts a little in his chair, which can mean only one thing.
Straightening myself, I let my eyes wander. The safe zone between these two clans is a nice, small patch of green grassland. If the two idiot factions had just a little bit of brain, they could work out a deal to share the land to grow food. Instead both of them settled down in the rougher territories north and south of the safe zone; and are fighting ever since.
My wandering attention returns returns to Ajax and Takea. Both are smiling at each other and they even decided to hold hands, their fingers intertwined.
Wow, I didn't expect that I am that good! All I did was remove their reason for restraining themselves. And it should have only worked on Ajax.
Suddenly Ajax interrupts the heated discussion between our three elders. “Uncle, I think this alliance would be a really good idea. I burn with the wish to punish the people who killed my cousin.”
“Yes, Dad. Let's make peace and kick some ass,” Takea adds with a heated voice.
The discussion ends abruptly as A
jax and Takea stand up and bend over the table. Then a fierce battle of lips and tongues starts.
Morpheus and Sous watch their offspring in horror, then the screaming starts. But the two of them simply ignore the dickheads.
Tisha leans over with a befuddled expression on her face and whispers, “You did something! Didn't you! Don't lie to me, I am also a sex demon!”
I raise a hand to my chest and feign shock. “I did nothing of the sort! Succubi only work with what's already there. We don't warp the minds of our clients. That was my mother's first lesson.”
44. ~Trap.~
“Evocation is the act of calling upon or summoning a spirit, demon, god or other supernatural agent, in the Western mystery tradition. Comparable practices exist in many religions and magical traditions and may employ the use of mind-altering substances with and without uttered word formulas.”
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Semper Fidelis
Shade
So far it was a good day. I finished my amulet, even if it took a little longer than expected, and from what I heard, Elona's mission is about to succeed. Tisha sent us a message which explained that the leaders of Equilibrium and Soistaat are in the process of forming a task force to assist us.
Elona's idea to secure the assistance of those two clans was a good one. The probability that they are involved with Draconis or the slavers is a relatively low one. The only issue is their rivalry with each other. I seriously hope that they can set aside the differences until the fighting is over.
Doreen and I are still discussing various possibilities regarding our enemies when it happens.
Aswang bursts into the room. “They are here! And they are being very blunt about it! They are marching up to the city wall without a care in world.”
I get to my feet while Doreen inquires for more information. “More details boy, remember your education. Don't stop there or I will demote you to commanding the lows.”
Aswang's face reddens, but he reigns in his temper before saying something unfortunate. “They moved in from the open fields towards the desert. Apparently our teleportation inhibitors are holding up. We have counted approximately a thousand soldiers and eighty-four people who could be higher immortals. Apparently they brought all the higher immortals they could muster. The soldiers look like elite troops. I suppose that they are at least mids.”
“Where did they get that many people to use as cannon fodder? Oh, no. Don't tell me. I suppose they pulled Imothep to their side?” I ask, grimacing at the thought.
“It's very likely, but we have no confirmation.” Aswang guides us out of the palace with hasty steps.
As we walk, I notice soldiers rushing past us. They will mobilize everyone who is able to fight.
“Why are they giving us the time to ready ourselves? I thought that they would swoop in and be all over us to create as much chaos as possible,” Doreen grumbles while following us.
I shake my head and send a short, mental image of the situation to Elona. If she wants her reinforcements ready in time, she has to hurry. But I am also glad that she isn't here to join the fighting.
The fact that the slavers are approaching us like they do can mean only one thing. “I suppose that they want to have a word or two? It seems like they are very confident. Maybe they will ask us to surrender because they don't want to destroy their city?”
We arrive on the courtyard and take off. Aswang takes us in a short flight to the damaged section of the city wall.
After surveying the area I start getting doubts about the reasons of our opponents. The wall is still damaged since nobody had the time to repair it.
This is a little confusing. Did our adversaries choose their direction of attack because of the wall? It should be no problem for them to overcome the wall. Even a low should have the power to fly or jump over an obstacle like that. In a world where everyone has some sort of superpower and magic, the wall's only function is to keep the weaker wildlife outside the city.
When we arrive at the city wall, we find Manti and Ishaan inspecting the approaching troops. They are marching in neat rows. Again, I ask myself what they are up to. Their slow approach is giving us the chance to rally our forces.
Even at this point our soldiers are arriving at their stations to defend the city. A relatively slow reaction. “What happened to the scouts? As slow as they are approaching the city, we should have been warned much earlier.”
Manti shakes her head. “I think they took the scouts by surprise and silenced them. None of the people who were stationed further out reported in. And from watching their self-assuredness, I suppose that we shouldn't hope to see our scouts showing up again.”
“The enemy have a lot of strong guys. I can sense Morello and Ra among them. Of course Enwick and his goons are there too.” Ishaan looks at the approaching troops and his icy, blue eyes flash in disgust. “Enwick is mine.”
“No, he is mine! But you will learn that soon enough, Dad.” I turn around and watch the fighters who are gathering behind us. Slowly, this starts looking like a real army. Every person in this world has some kind of combat experience, so there is no need to tell everyone what they have to do. Imagine an army that isn't composed of mere soldiers. Everyone who is standing up to fight for the clan was a commander at one point or the other.
“Why did Ra join up with the slavers? I don't understand it,” Manti grumbles in a displeased tone. She is wearing armour and her trusted batons.
“Maybe because of the trade embargo which was declared by the other allied clans? They decided that fighting is better than admitting their deeds?”
“It was an idiotic idea from the beginning. That's how new slaver clans are born. The fuckers from Imothep were just mere mercenaries. But by pushing them against a wall, we ensured that they had to pick a side.” Aswang spits on the floor.
I sigh and look up to the sky. Why did they have to pick the middle of the day for a fight? I would have been much more comfortable with a night raid. Then I return my attention to the opposing army. Their foot soldiers are using a wild array of weapons, while most of the higher immortals have their hands free. It's inconvenient to use a weak weapon if you could use your hands to channel mana instead. “I suppose we will go out and greet them? Come, Dad. The time for hiding is over.”
“Son, you can't imagine how itchy I got while being locked up in that stupid palace.” Ishaan punches his knuckles together. “Not even your mother managed to divert my thoughts from killing something. We will walk in there and show them how titans fight!”
I snort and turn my attention back to Doreen. “Is our little intervention force ready to be teleported in? Having them sleeping at the mine is probably not the best idea.”
She nods gravely. “Yes, but I have my doubts. They seem to have eighty higher immortals and a thousand soldiers. We beat them completely in terms of normal troops. We have at least three thousand mids and lows at our disposal. But we have just about forty-two higher immortals altogether. That's including the fifteen guys who we stashed away at the mine. Even if we bring them in, it will be a mess. If each one of our higher immortals binds one of theirs, that still leaves forty of theirs to deal with our troops. No matter the outcome, if we fight, the body count will be high.”
I nod to show that I understand Doreen's point. We didn't expect the slavers to bring Imothep into the fight. Without Imothep, we would have crushed them. Now the odds are slightly against us. If our troops can't hold off their higher immortals for long enough, we might even lose this. Our only advantage is that we have more heavyweights than them. And once Elona returns with Tisha, they will bring another twenty-two people to the fight.
Equilibrium and Soistaat may be willing to send most of their higher immortals to assist us, but I highly doubt that they will also add their mids and lows to the mix. They need someone to guard their homes, even if it's just a skeleton crew. And I am not sure how fierce they will be in battle. They aren't exact
ly fighting for their people. At least our army will look more impressive than what our opponents brought to the field.
“Who are their strongest fighters?” I ask.
“Watch out for Enwick and his personal guard. The three guys who are following him are tough as hell. And don't underestimate Morello. If he puts his mind to it, he can move mountains,” Doreen informs us.
So five people to have an eye on. That's good. We have seven or eight with significantly higher power level. As long as we bind their forces, two of our people will be able to slowly reduce their forces. Though I have a bad feeling that this battle will be a mess. “Alright let's walk up to them and have a nice, little chat.”
I focus mana into my legs and jump. The force easily propels me over the remains of the wall. A little levitation magic carries me further until I land in front of the enemy army.
The marching troops come to a neat halt and I can see a group of people fighting their way through the ranks.
While I am joined by Doreen, Ishaan, Aswang and Manti, I study our approaching enemies. I know three of them. One is definitely Morello and that traitorous bitch from Soistaat. Seems like she escaped her clan.
The other figure is Enwick. Big, pale with brown hair and elf ears. A big scar disfigures his face and a black, metal armour covers his body.
Bloody hell, how long did I wait for this day. I just hope that they don't want to make peace. If they do, I have to find a reason to start the massacre.
45. ~The Court.~
“Chhaya or Chaya (Sanskrit: छाया, Chāyā) means shadow or shade. Chhaya is also personified as the goddess of shadow, the consort of Surya, the Hindu sun god. She is the shadow-image or reflection of Saranyu (Sanjna), the first wife of Surya. Chhaya was born from the shadow of Sanjna and replaced Sanjna in her house, after the latter abandoned her husband.”
