Chapter Twenty-Eight - Conjuration Conundrum

I had, of course, been in a number of fights in my day.

Gaining the knowledge I'd accrued was not a task so easily done, nor was it something done without meeting any opposition. So, I had to learn to handle myself in combat.

Of course, I have no great love of violence. It is a tool in my pocket, yes, and it is a multifaceted tool with many uses and possible applications.

For example, the threat of violence can sometimes be enough to solve an issue. Your adversary being aware that you are capable of violence at all is a fantastic way to ensure that the more timid, civil-minded, or conscientious of foes will consider other means of resolution first and be more willing to approach the negotiating table at all.

In any case, while I was capable of violence, and while I had used it frequently and to great effect in the past, it was never my go-to answer to most situations. I much preferred discussion, negotiation, and rationality to aggravated and physical means of solving a conflict.

Still, if push came to shove, I could fight.

The Mantis Queen screeched, then rent her claws down from above her tiny form. They glowed, and with the downwards motion came a brilliant scything light that cut out towards us.

I had but a moment to decide what to do. A fraction of a second. So I took that time to ponder my next moves.

First, I had to consider the wider situation. This wasn't merely a fight between myself and a lesser godling. I had Alex by my side, and while the maid was quite strong comparatively, I wouldn't expect Alex to win in a straight fight against the Mantis Queen. There was a clear difference in levels here that couldn't be overlooked so easily.

Then the others. Cinder was a capable fighter as well, I had no doubt, but she was weaker than Alex. The mantis sisters would get swept up in a fight against their mother as well, and the two dwarves currently cowering by the back would do no better.

Second, I had to take into account what the Mantis Queen herself had. I could sense a decent amount of power from the queen herself, but there were some strong artefacts at the foot of her throne.

Then her retinue had to be considered. Some two dozen cultivators, and a dozen more mantises. It was probably safe to assume that the latter would be as strong as Rem or Mem, at least.

Finally, the last consideration was how I intended to get through this fight.

Did I want to play it safe and unleash my full might? No, there was a dwarven kingdom in this mountain range whose alliance I wanted to secure. Did I want to tie a hand behind my back and only use a certain kind of spell work?

Actually, yes, it had been a while since I'd done that!

I watched the shimmering wave of the Mantis Queen's attack come closer as I juggled the potential. Some types of magic were right out. There was no way I'd defeat her with Divination, and while Illusion was still on the table, it would put the others at risk.

Evocation was too easy. Necromancy was... well, no point in calling it a handicap if I was using my ace. Conjuration?

Oh, that might be fun!

Conjuration was a great way to summon up some fun! Oh-hoho!

I decided to open by stopping the Queen's attack. "I Wish you hadn't done that," I said. She couldn't tell that there'd been some clever wordplay there as the attack simply vanished as though it never was, because it hadn't been.

The Mantis Queen recoiled. "Kill the demon!" she hissed.

"Now now, before all of your friends here get Entangled in something they can't handle, why don't we have a civil conversation?" I asked. The ground broke, and the cultivators and mantises both reacted as twisting vines ripped from the floor and grew to cover well over half of the throne room, only the area with my allies was spared.

"For the Jade Throne!" a cultivator screamed as he raced towards us brandishing a glowing sword.

He choked and fell onto his face into the vines a moment later, a few small needles poking into his skin.

"This is bad bad," Cinder said as she eyed the others.

Weighing her strength against theirs and... yes, this was a rather bad position for her. A few of those cultivators were at the same level or higher, and there was a lot to say about the action economy when outnumbered ten to one.

"Yes, this is a bit of a Stink isn't it?" I asked. I was particularly smug as a cloud of noxious fumes spread across the entire back end of the room, then expanded. A slight force of will kept it from my living allies. The rest were not so lucky.

Two of the younger cultivators retched at the odour, then tripped into the entangling vines on the ground. The Mantis Queen herself reeled back, then spat to the side. Her force of will pushed against the stinking cloud as she beat her wings and created a powerful gust of air. "You die now! Stinking undead demon!"

"If you're going to call me a demon, then perhaps I should conjure up some real fiends for you to compare," I said. The air hissed as slits opened up between us. Heat poured from within, burning some of the entangling vines back as large, red-skinned demons walked into our plane. They growled, then roared before charging across the space.

One of them was tackled to the side by a mantis who started to stab and chop into the demon only to be smashed aside by a second's fist.

An all-out brawl opened up, though it was terribly one-sided. I hadn't conjured particularly powerful beings, just cannon fodder to keep everyone distracted.

An opening remained, a corridor of space between myself and the Mantis Queen.

She hissed, then leapt off of her throne to stand before it. The loss in height made her far less impressive than she'd been already. Her herald stepped up next to her, trying to look officious and pompous despite the lingering stench and combating demons.

The battle took shape around us. Alex was guarding our dwarven guests, Rem and Mem found themselves fighting against equals, and Cinder weaved and ducked while flicking out poisoned darts and expelling gases from the tanks she carried on her back.

"I don't think your allies have Grasped the situation," I said to the Mantis Queen.

Large vines as wide as tree-trunks, tore out of the far wall, then raced out to grab some of the slower cultivators. I didn't want to see Cinder overwhelmed, though I wouldn't step in and coddle her. This would be a fantastic learning experience as long as she wasn't overwhelmed.

"We know of you," the Mantis Queen said. "We remember the stories. Told to us long ago, by people scared of you, scared of what you'd done, scared of where you'd gone. Then we found power. Your power, our power. We grew strong. Very strong. Made many sons and daughters, allowing them to grow strong too. Made a kingdom for us. Feasted on man and dwarf, mage and cultivator."

"You grew strong on my font," I said.

The Mantis Queen shrugged, a gesture I might have missed had I not spent time with Rem and Mem.

The Mantis Queen's mandibles clicked and clacked together in something approaching a laugh. "We drank from your power, old one, ancient god killer, and we've become gods, like you!"

"I'm afraid that we are not quite as similar as you might think," I said. "Don't think yourself invulnerable with your stolen might. You're not quite a god yet. You strike me as more of an aberration than a deity. I'm impressed that the Jade Throne has suffered your alliance for so long."

The cultivator next to her stiffened. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by the Mantis Queen. There was a flicker of doubt there. "You will not beat me, and nor will the Jade Throne. The Emperor might be strong, but he knows I'm strong too," she said with a hiss.

I shrugged languidly. "Perhaps. But strength isn't just about raw power. It's about Calling on allies and Plaguing enemies, as well as--"

The Mantis Queen hissed. "You are casting even now!" she screeched as an insectile plague started to hum into being and infernal beings leapt from the shadows. "Tricks! Tricks is all you are!"

"Now now, wordplay isn't just about trickery, it's about having fun and teaching valuable lessons!"

***