Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 50 - A cultural exchange - Part One

 

Strictly speaking, the war council was an autonomous action of the Kingdom of Asrus Faction. However, deliberately missing a vassal’s war council when I could otherwise easily attend said meeting seemed like it would be asking for trouble.

 

I recognised many of the Asrusian officers and nobles from the last gathering, but there were new faces as well. It wasn’t particularly surprising given the nature of the negotiation that was soon to take place.

 

Johan Shaleheart was considered tall for a Dwergi but was only three and a half feet tall. His coal-black skin was also darker than most and contrasted sharply against his wiry shock-white hair and moustache. Johan’s eyes looked disproportionately large due to the thick glasses balanced on his large nose and hooked over his drooping hairy ears.

 

When the last of the expected nobles and officers arrived, everyone moved to the throne room and Johan took the floor by standing atop his seat.

 

“I will be blunt,” Johan stated in a deep nasally tone as he stared down the assembled Asrusians, “As a respected representative of the Shaleheart Clan, I am prepared to negotiate future services rendered in exchange for armed intervention in the cause of freeing my Clan from Slavery.” He took a moment to let his words settle. “Refusal, no matter how eloquently phrased, will, be, remembered,” Johan scowled as he very deliberately enunciated the last, “If the goodwill and services of my Clan are deemed insufficient, I am prepared to negotiate terms. But do not think for a moment that taking undue advantage will be forgotten!” He warned while shaking the knobby knuckled forefinger of his right hand accusingly at the Asrusians.

 

While the Asrusian nobles and officers began to speak quietly amongst themselves, Johan sat himself down on his chair and waited.

 

While informal discussions were taking place, an assortment of maps was distributed by a small cadre of comparatively junior officers.

 

Gregory provided me with a set of larger-scale maps shortly afterwards.

 

The largest map, topographically, represented the known borders of the Werrian Empire in relation to its neighbours and displayed the major Werrian military installations and cities. A city somewhat on the eastern side of the Werrian Empire had an arrow drawn and pointed towards the city with a small note beneath it.

 

“This city,” Gregory translated quietly, “Weylan.”

 

I nodded and moved on to the next map.

 

As best as I could tell, it was an inconsistently detailed map of a large sprawling city. The majority of the details were centred around the Labyrinth in the centre of the city, and a heavily fortified district in the outermost limits of the city, while the remainder of the city was represented with far less detail. I assumed the map was provided by the Dwergi and represented their limited knowledge of the city beyond the district within which they were confined.

 

The third map displayed a larger and more detailed representation of the district. A full third of the map was reserved for the legend that explained the multitude of markings scattered across the district. Even without Gregory’s assistance, the symbols denoting the military presence in and around the district were incredibly clear.

 

What I didn’t understand initially was the purpose of a wall dividing the district. The markings made it clear that the wall was occupied by soldiers or some form of guards, but the wall was far smaller in scale than the wall that otherwise encircled the district. The symbols denoting the multitude of Species confined within the district were present on both sides as well, which only complicated the issue further.

 

“They have separated the children from the adults,” Gregory explained quietly with a scowl of distaste, “See? This side has workshops and factories for low-skilled crafts,” he tapped the southeastern side of the district, “And there are far too few guards for the number of residential buildings. This must be how they keep the Slaves productive and docile.”

 

I nodded in agreement. The Dwergi had already mentioned previously that their children were kept hostage to ensure compliance. However, what they had neglected to mention, to me at least, was that a whole host of other Species were stuck in the same situation.

 

“Which Species are these?” I asked, pointing to the legend on the side of the map.

 

Gregory took a moment to glance at the map, “Orcs, Gnolls, Elves, Arachne, and the Dwergi,” he ran his finger down the list as he announced each species.

 

“Arachne?” I gave Gregory a curious look.

 

“An interesting Species of monster, Majesty. Depending on the Subspecies, they look more or less human from the waist up and have the lower body of a multi-legged chitinous monster. I would presume that this is most likely a Subspecies that produces silk, otherwise, it wouldn’t make much sense to keep them,” Gregory explained thoughtfully, “It would also explain the presence of so many weavers workshops.” He shifted focus and tapped the large area near the Labyrinth, “This is what concerns me,” he stated dourly, “It’s an imperial arena, so there are probably thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of Slaves kept below its grounds. Most would be wild monsters of one description or another, but I wouldn’t doubt that a number of Variants could be found in the dark cells and cages either. Any dissenters or trouble makers, if they weren’t executed on the spot, would be sold to the arena so their owner could make a little more coin off of their investment.”

 

“So we can’t just storm the district and be done with it,” I agreed.

 

Gregory nodded, “That isn’t all. If we are serious about this, storming this district, then we might as well hit the rest of the city. The arena and the Slave workshops have the largest conentrations of Slaves, but they are not the only Slaves in the city. It’s common for even the poorest Werrian families to own at least one Slave, human or otherwise,” he paused and carefully considered the previous map, “Most of those Slaves are either human or wild monsters, but the wealthier citizens will have Variants as a sign of status if nothing else.”

 

“You’re suggesting a full-scale invasion?” I prompted,

 

Gregory slowly nodded, “That is one possibility,” he admitted, “But even so, the Probation Officers we have now would be insufficient to reasonably minimise losses amongst those we are endeavouring to liberate.”

 

“We would need at least a hundred or so,” I agreed, “Probably more.”

 

“Probably more,” Gregory agreed, “The more of them there are, the faster they would be able to scour the city.”

 

“I don’t want to lower the standards for recruitment,” I warned preemptively, anticipating a request along those lines.

 

Gregory nodded, “A list of potential candidates has been underway since the evacuation of Laine. Of course, they will still require final vetting, and they will need to be put through accelerated training to achieve the levels necessary to maximise their utility-”

 

“Like taking them to the capital’s Labyrinth and participating in Conquests?” I interrupted, guessing at his train of thought.

 

“Or something similar,” Gregory agreed, “The more time we have to prepare, the greater our chances of succeeding with fewer casualties.”

 

“They won’t have the Abilities necessary to compete against higher level monsters, not on their own...” I muttered thoughtfully, “But we could offer the probationary soldiers accelerated citizenship for participation. Sheer numbers would initially bridge the gap, and accumulated Exp and levels in their own Classes would keep them competitively matched against the wild monsters...”

 

Nobles and officers took turns expressing opinions on what could or couldn’t be done within the scope of their respective expertise and knowledge. The general consensus was surprisingly in favour of taking some form of action. Unfortunately, they couldn’t quite decide what that action should be.

 

The military wanted a small-scale invasion, while the nobles were largely divided in preference between bribing and buying the Slaves’ freedom through one means or another, and rescuing the Slaves piecemeal through small covert operations.

 

Johan seemed relieved that the Asrusians were being so receptive, but it was difficult to say what he had actually expected in the first place.

 

When the war council took a break for more informal discussions in the adjoining rooms, I wasn’t particularly surprised when Johan took the opportunity to address me directly.

 

Climbing up onto the table in front of him, Johan turned toward me and bowed somewhat stiffly, “Majesty, might I speak with you?” He asked with a determined set to his jaw.

 

“You may, Johan,” I motioned for him to continue.

 

“Thank you, Majesty,” Johan bowed again, “I must first insist that I am immensely grateful for the shelter you have provided for myself and the lucky few of my people currently residing within Sanctuary. I must also thank your majesty for the opportunity to gather allies to pursue the freedom of my people that are still Enslaved.” He paused and glanced toward Gregorybefore returning his attention to me again. “Majesty, I am old and long hours overseeing the forge have left me hard of hearing, but I believe I heard your Majesty and your Majesty’s advisor discussing a potential means of rescuing my Clansmen. I apologise for my impertinence, but might I hear your Majesty’s plan?”

 

It wasn’t really a plan so much as hypothetical preparations and speculation, but I repeated the main points of consensus I had reached with Gregory.

 

“A full-scale invasion...” Johan’s legs trembled and he was forced to sit down, “Your Majesty would commit to a full-scale invasion?...” He asked weakly.

 

“It’s the most efficient means of performing the operation,” I replied flatly, “And If I am going to intervene, I am not going to knowingly leave others in the same position behind.” Of course, this would mean soldiers would be put into positions of greater danger and there was a very real chance for targeted reprisals...unless... “Gregory, what if we outfitted our soldiers to look like mercenaries?”

 

Gregory was silent for a few moments. “As a means of infiltrating the city? Or redirecting blame?” He asked curiously.

 

“Both,” I replied with a grin, “We could arm the soldiers in magic equipment for the most part and just use sashes or tabards or something for the insignias.”

 

“Hrm...” Gregory quietly considered the suggestion. “We would need to gather more intel, and more equipment. Which will take time, but we can use that time to continue Conquering the Labyrinth for more territory and earn Exp for the parole officers at the same time...there is something there, Majesty,” he agreed tentatively.

 

“Of course...If we could level a Pact Binder to a sufficiently high enough level, Ril might be able to establish a Gateway through the use of a projection,” I suggested with a hint of hesitation, “Retreating through a Gateway would be far safer and faster than the alternatives.”

 

“That is true, Majesty,” Gregory agreed, “And we might leverage that Pact Binder’s capabilities to assist in creating more Gateways within or in the vicinity of other Labyrinths. Seizing the lowermost floors of the Labyrinths under our enemies' control will substantially weaken their economic and military capabilities.”

 

“I hadn’t thought of that...” I admitted honestly, “But that sounds like a good idea.”

 

In spite of the Asrusians’ best efforts, they had yet to unlock the Nexus Binder Class. They had a sizable collection of teleportation items, but Humans just seemed to lack the basic mana sense that was required for unlocking certain classes.

 

When the war council reconvened, I had Gregory put forward the initiatives that we had discussed earlier and during the short recess.

 

Unsurprisingly, there was unanimous support for ‘acquiring more territory and potentially sticking it to the Werrians without risking an escalation of renewal of open conflict.

 

The war council continued deliberations for another two hours before the discussions came to a close in the early afternoon. Informal planning and discussions would continue, but I left with Gregory so we could prepare for our return to the capital’s Labyrinth.

 

Gregory began hurriedly organising and making arrangements for the Parole Officer candidates to present themselves in Sanctuary for the most important stage of their vetting process. Messages and runners were sent to gather the existing Parole Officers and extend offers of accelerated citizenship to the Thralls and former Werrian Slaves currently on probation and participating in the citizenship through service program.

 

If Gregory was fast enough, the latter would be able to join us for the second Conquest and gain some valuable Exp.

 

Leaving Gregory behind, I returned to Sanctuary so I could collect Ushu and Byron for the second round of negotiations with the Stonepaw.

 

I found Ushu waiting for me when I arrived, as well as Clarice who was busy strapping on his saddle while Dhizi watched from a short distance.

 

“I’ll take this as a sign that you want to come on the next Conquest?” I guessed with a smirk.

 

Clarice grinned but kept her attention on the task at hand, “Pretty much,” she agreed, “But I was thinking about what you said. I think Dhizi and Ushu need a chance to get to know one another, and I figured if they got into a fight with one another it would be better to have it happen outside of Sanctuary, you know?”

 

“That’s surprisingly considerate of you,” I observed warily.

 

Clarice shrugged, “Dhizi also needs flying practice, and I figured she would learn faster by watching Ushu.”

 

I was about to say something else, but was interrupted by Byron’s abrupt arrival. Not important enough to attend the war council, Byron had very likely been contacted by Gregory to let him know that the council had adjourned.

 

“Majesty!” Byron bowed, panting slightly and red-cheeked, reinforcing my earlier assumptions.

 

“Who's this?” Clarice snorted with amusement.

 

“Byron, he’s our negotiator,” I replied while helping with Ushu’s saddle, “He will be taking the lead in negotiating with the Stonepaw Kobolds.”

 

Byron stood a little straighter and puffed out his chest, or tried to.

 

Clarice gave me a dubious look but said nothing.

 

Apparently too nervous to approach Clarice directly, Byron busied himself with adjusting his arming belt and hauberk in a vain attempt to make himself look less pudgy. As someone who used to have the same general problem, I sympathised with his plight.

 

In order to keep the peace with Dhizi and Ushu, I passed through the Gateway with Ushu and Byron first, and Clarice gave us a half-minute head start before following with Dhizi.

 

It worked out more or less as expected, but our staggered formation required many more soldiers to serve as our escort from the palace grounds to the Labyrinth.

 

Just like last time, Ushu seemed to immensely enjoy the awe and low-scale fear his presence elicited from the populace.

 

From what I could tell by glancing behind us, Dhizi seemed particularly enamoured with the scale of attention she was receiving.

 

Passing through the portal and into the Labyrinth, Ushu immediately began snorting and huffing at the air. It almost caused an incident when Clarice led Dhizi through a short while later, startling Ushu.

 

“Don’t worry, everything fine Dhizi,” Clarice cooed while hugging the Wyvern's neck, “Ushu’s just being a big meanie, it’s not your fault.

 

Fully capable of understanding what Clarice was saying, Ushu gave Clarice a dangerous hiss in warning before ambling away.

 

“You really shouldn’t provoke Ushu,” I reminded Clarice, “One swipe of his claws could dash out your insides.” I felt a twinge of sympathetic pain as I recalled the sensation of thick claws penetrating my side.

 

Clarice shrugged, “He needs taking down a peg, and you were holding his reins anyway.”

 

“These reins?” I asked dryly, holding up the end of a long length of chain.

 

“Yeah,” Clarice insisted, “Those chains...” She paused and then looked over at Ushu who was now outside of the walls.

 

“That bit in Ushu’s mouth is for show, Clarice,” I pointed down at the long bar of iron with small lumpy spurs along its length, “Ushu tolerates it because he likes scraping his tongue on those spurs. But there is nothing stopping him from spitting it out the moment he feels like it. Ushu is an intelligent sentient being, and I won’t treat him like an animal unless he makes it absolutely necessary.”

 

Clarice had paled considerably, “Could have sworn those rings were connected to something...” She muttered.

 

I nodded. That was part of the optical illusion. It was also why people hadn’t run screaming for their lives when Ushu was walking through the city. The reins gave the illusion of control.

 

In comparison, Dhizi’s neck-mounted reins were adequate considering her much smaller size. So long as Ushu was available for active comparison, Dhizi’s neck-mounted reins would be enough.

 

That was also another difference between Clarice and myself. Clarice was a rider and Dhizi was her mount. I was a passenger and was provided transportation by Ushu.

 

With Byron in tow, I set aside the faux reins and began making my way toward Ushu.

 

He was still sniffing and huffing at the air, but didn’t seem agitated in the same way he had been during the Conquest. “What are you searching for?” I curiously asked Ushu.

The ground was still stained with the blood of the monsters slain during the Conquest, and a mass grave on the east side of the Settlement was being slowly filled as hundreds of soldiers dumped monster carcasses gathered from the surrounding area. A butchering station near the gate was extracting manastones as well and was carefully sorting them into barrels in preparation for transport.

 

Ushu paused and turned to look at me with his large reptilian eyes, “Coo-perrrr,” he rumbled in reply before beginning to turn away again.

 

“Cooper?” I looked at the deep claw marks in the ground and realised that I had just assumed they were all Ushu’s. I concentrated for a moment and pointed somewhat toward the south, “That way.”

 

Ushu followed the direction I was pointing and inhaled deeply through his nostrils, “Coo-perrr,” he rumbled again, only this time with a sense of vindication.

 

“We could stop and see Cooper on the way to our visit with the Stonepaw?” I suggested.

 

Ushu seemed to consider things for a few moments and then lowered himself so Byron and I could climb onto the saddle.

 

Clarice was already mounted on Dhizi but was keeping her distance.

 

After casting a wary eye at Dhizi, Ushu launched himself up into the air and began flying southward.

 

Ushu seemed to have spotted Cooper almost immediately, because he changed course and began making a slow descent.

 

After a few minutes, Cooper’s albino scaly hide came into view. He seemed to be headed westward, so I assumed Nila and her team had most likely been sent on some sort of patrol in preparation for the second Conquest.

 

While the wild monsters would respawn before our troops arrived at the second Conquest site, standard practice thus far had been to eliminate or sabotage organised sources of resistance to make the Conquests more manageable.

 

Cooper had come to a halt by the time Ushu caught him up and landed.

 

“Majesty!” Nila called out excitedly and waved from her position atop the throne segment of Cooper’s saddle.

 

I raised a hand in greeting but waited for Ushu to settle down before making a reply. “Are you on patrol?”

 

Nila nodded and motioned back towards her team standing on the platform behind her, “Yes, Majesty! We arrived last evening to assist with the cleanup operation.”

 

That made sense. Moving all the bodies by hand to the mass grave site would have been brutal. Although I wondered if they had Cooper feeding on the corpses rather than transporting them. I still didn’t know if Cooper was a Variant or a domesticated Wild Beast.

 

“Will you be a part of the second Conquest?” I asked conversationally while Ushu and Cooper grunted, huffed and hissed at one another.

 

“I haven’t been given orders to that effect. Or, at least not yet,” Nila amended hopefully, “I am still rostered for active duty and my next scheduled leave isn't for another two weeks. If I can’t spend time with my kids and my husband, then I want to spend that time getting stronger so I can protect them!”

 

Intimately familiar with the feeling, I felt somewhat guilty due to my position allowing me to return home whenever I wanted. “You can tell your superiors you and your team are drafted. I doubt they will complain. In fact, if you want to be proactive, tell them to send you the designated Pact Binder so you can get started on the defences. They should know what you mean. If they don't, tell them to bring it up with Gregory.”

 

Nila grinned behind her helmet, “As you command, Majesty!”

 

Ushu and Cooper hissed their goodbyes before Nila directed Cooper back toward the Settlement. However, she quite suddenly pulled Cooper up short and brought him back around again. “Majesty! There is something else!” Nila called out somewhat nervously.

 

I waved at her to proceed and wondered what would make her so nervous.

 

“It’s about Cooper, Majesty,” Nila fidgeted nervously with her reins, “The Bond I share, it gives me impressions on Cooper’s thoughts and the like,” she explained, “And, uh...Well...”

 

“Cooper is a girl!” Clarice called out with barking laughter.

 

Nila’s hands slumped.

 

“...” I looked toward Cooper’s hindquarters without thinking, then back to Nila. “You’re sure?” I asked neutrally. I was the one who had just assumed the Drakes were male. Unlike mammals, reptiles were considerably more difficult to identify by sex.

 

Nila nodded.

 

I sighed and shook my head. “Alright, we will figure out how this changes things later. But for now, you can tell your superiors that Cooper isn’t to be deployed in isolation.”

 

Nila nodded far more energetically, “As you command, Majesty!” She directed Cooper back towards the Settlement and left.

 

“How did you know?” I asked Clarice.

 

Clarice grinned beneath her helmet, “It wasn’t super obvious,” she admitted, “But it was the way they were talking with one another, and Dhizi really didn’t seem to like her. So I figured that with as clueless as you are sometimes, there was a decent chance that Cooper would be a girl,” Clarice shrugged, “That and it explains why he was so hostile to poor Dhizi,” she firmly patted Dhizi’s neck consolingly.

 

I sighed and shook my head.

 

Silent throughout the protracted exchange, Byron cleared his throat self-consciously, “Ah, does this mean the kingdom should expect more Dragons in the future?” He asked with restrained excitement.

 

“Maybe?” I shrugged. Unlike Clarice, I had no intentions of turning Ushu into a breeding stud. Ushu was free to do what he wanted.

 

Taking to the air again, we cut back toward the south and the Stonepaw fortress.

 

Landing on the same hill as last time, I remained mounted in the saddle while Byron nervously waited for the Kobolds to take note of our presence and send out a representative.

 

After perhaps twenty minutes, three regimented formations of spearmen and slingers left the fortress and took positions on the hill. Shortly afterwards, the same elderly Kobold from our previous visit descended the hill with his personal guards.

 

“Now’s your chance to shine,” I encouraged Byron supportively, “If you feel like your life is in danger, you have my permission to run, and I won’t think any less of you for it.”

 

Byron nodded nervously and fidgeted with the strap of his helmet for the umpteenth time. Taking a deep breath, Byron descended the hill and began making his way toward the elderly Kobold.

 

“You do know that he’s basically dead if they start slinging stones at him, right?” Clarice commented, “He hasn’t even taken his shield off of his back.”

 

“I know,” I agreed with a sigh, “But I am fairly certain that the shield staying on his back is deliberate. If he runs, the shield will intercept far more rocks on his back than his arm.

 

Clarice snorted with amusement.

 

Too far away to hear anything that was said between Byron and the elderly Kobold, I was surprised when their conversation lasted all of ten seconds and didn’t result in Byron running for his life. Instead, Byron slowly made his way back up the hill to report what had happened.

 

“They, uh, they surrendered?” Byron reported, slightly out of breath and apparently as confused as I was.

 

“Surrendered?” I repeated.

 

Byron nodded and looked confused, “They, uh, they want to know what you want them to do?” he scratched at the strap beneath his chin.

 

“Recruit the elder, or a volunteer, then repeat what you told them,” I suggested, “Make sure they properly understand what we are here for. At the very least, you should be able to understand their response more clearly.”

 

Byron bowed, “As you will, Majesty.” He briskly made his way back down the hill again.

 

A short conversation ensued before Byron returned with the Kobold Elder, Chief, and his retinue in tow.

 

I dismounted Ushu and waited while the small procession made its way up the hill.

 

“Aherm, Majesty, this is the Chief of the Stonepaw, ah, Chief,” Byron stepped to the side and bowed slightly as he motioned to the elderly Kobold.

 

“Most big, Majesty!” Chief barked nervously and with obvious fear, “Stonepaw no fight! Serve Majesty!” Chief and his retinue fell to their knees and whimpered as they bowed their heads and tucked their tails between their legs.

 

Byron gave me a confused and apologetic shrug.

 

I sighed and decided that ultimately, things would sort themselves out over time. “Chief, I accept your oath. You shall rule the Stonepaw in my name and enforce my laws. So long as you and your people are loyal, I will do my utmost to ensure your opportunity for prosperity.”

 

“Chief obeys!” Chief yipped eagerly while still grovelling in the dirt.

 

The one-sidedness of the exchange was making me uncomfortable and I was beginning to feel bad for the poor Kobolds. “Chief, as a reward for your reward for your subservience, I want to gift to you and your people a territory that will free you from attacks by the wild monsters.””

 

Chief grew deathly still.

 

“Are you familiar with the human village?” I prompted.

 

“Yes...” Chief whined quietly.

 

“It is now yours,” I declared magnanimously, “The protective barrier has been strengthened and will grow alongside your people.”

 

Chief looked up at me with watery eyes, “Most big Majesty, generous! Generous and kind! Stonepaw accept safe den! We go now!” Chief jumped to his feet and yipped excitedly, prompting the other Kobolds in his retinue to jump to their feet as well.

 

A little surprised by Chief’s abrupt shift in emotions and intensity, the Elderly Kobold and his retinue were already at the base of the hill by the time it occurred to me that I should have said something. “Well...I guess this will give you an opportunity to discuss a formal alliance,” I told Byron, who seemed just as surprised as I was.

 

“So are we leaving him behind or?...” Clarice asked antagonistically.

 

Just for that, I decided to issue Clarice with a quest.

 

“Huh?...OH COME ON! Tim?! What the hell?!” Clarice demanded irritably, “An escort quest?! Really?!”

 

“If you don’t want the Exp, I guess I could rescind it-” I replied calmly.

 

“Hang on!” Clarice barked warily, “Just gimme a minute to read this damn thing...” There was a short pause. “What does TBD mean?”

 

“To be determined,” I replied with amusement, “The reward will scale with the total difficulty and your contributions.”

 

Clarice was pensive for a few moments as she thought it over, “This is the floor where you earned all that Exp, right?” She asked warily.

 

“It is,” I agreed with a small smile.

 

“Hrm,” Clarice glanced over at the stone fortress, “Part of the quest reward is determined by the number of people I would be escorting, right?”

 

“That would be part of the difficulty, yes,” I agreed.

 

Clarice began counting off on her fingers, “Lots of enemies, lots of escorts, decent distance...Hrm...You think kids will increase the Exp? Being so small and defenceless?”

 

“Very likely,” I replied while observing the frantic energy take hold of the Kobolds in the fortress.

 

“Ugh, but that means their warriors will reduce it too...” Clarice complained.

 

“There are a lot of them though,” Byron chimed in.

 

“I guess we will have to wait and see,” Clarice sighed irritably.

 

“We?” I countered with a smirk.

 

Clarice narrowed her eyes and glared, “You are planning on leaving me behind?”

 

I shrugged, “Maybe?” I chuckled and shook my head, “You made that too easy. Of course, I am not going to just leave you behind to deal with this.”

 

“That wasn’t funny,” Clarice grumbled irritably.

 

We waited in silence for about a half hour.

 

“Do we even know when they will be leaving?” Clarice asked with concern.

 

That was a good point, so I sent Byron to go investigate.

 

When Byron returned a short while later, we learned that the Stonepaw intended to leave some time in the following morning. Clarice reluctantly decided to remain behind under the pretence of accumulating a larger quest reward.

 

I returned to the Settlement with Byron and Ushu. I had intended to return to Sanctuary to spend the rest of the night with my family, but the portal was so busy with troops and supplies arriving for the second conquest that I decided to hunker down beside Ushu and take an early night.

 

Returning to the Stonepaw fortress in the twilight hours of the morning, I found Clarice and Dhizi waiting outside of the fortress gates amidst hundreds of small ramshackle sleds.

 

The sleds were made from cordage. roughly split timber and gnarled dried branches. For the most part, the sleds were empty, but that quickly changed when Kobolds began scurrying out of the fortress carrying all manner of belongings. Stonepaw warriors held defensive positions around the sleds and kept watch on the surrounding area.

 

More sleds were assembled as the first sleds were claimed by the first wave of Kobolds and a second wave of unarmed Kobolds joined the packing frenzy.

 

It wasn’t until the fourth wave of Kobolds left the fortress that I began to appreciate just how large the Stonepaw tribe were. At a rough count, I estimated that there were around two thousand Kobolds on the hillside.

 

I was surprised to find that the warriors were outnumbered close to four to one by the other members of their tribe. While this afforded them a great deal of manpower for drawing sleds, it presented a less than ideal situation for screening against any potential threats.

 

Ushu and Dhizi would allow us to spot threats from a great distance, but there was also a distinct possibility of drawing undue attention in the process. As something of a compromise, Clarice would scout the periphery with Dhizi while Ushu would lead the procession from the front.

 

Before setting out, Byron explained how the promotion system worked and how the number of promotions was calculated. Given the population of his tribe, I promoted Chief to Overlord, allowing him to Promote his own subordinates to Lords and Underlords as he deemed appropriate.

 

After some additional explanations from Byron, Chief began recruiting and promoting his people en masse. The promotions were not just limited to the tribe’s warriors either and seemed to be fairly evenly distributed throughout their population as a whole. Although the highest promotions did seem to be reserved for the warrior caste.

 

Chief surprised me when he began emulating the retinue abuse party structuring techniques employed by the Asrusian Military. Only the Spearmen had unlocked their respective Class, but it was a promising development to see how readily they adopted the strategy. Moving Chief and his party into my own retinue initially caused a small panic before Chief realised what had happened.

 

To their credit, the Stonepaw Kobolds did their best to set and maintain a comparatively brisk pace. Through somewhat frequent rest stops and alternating hauling duties amongst the civilians, they managed to maintain a consistent marching speed as we wound our way through the small valleys beneath the surrounding hills.

 

Iron Gut was partially responsible, but the heavy lifting seemed to be thanks to one of the Kobold’s own Racial Abilities, Dogged Determination. Similar to the Human Racial Ability Determination, Dogged Determination allowed the Kobolds to temporarily boost their Toughness and Strength stats specifically as well as becoming resistant to Exhaustion and Fatigue with the option to extend or reactivate the effect at the expense of MP or HP.

 

Granted, they were consuming inordinately large amounts of food in order to maintain their breakneck pace, but for the time being, it seemed to be working. I had few doubts that the Asrusian military would be champing at the bit to recruit a few Kobold Auxiliaries to allow for protracted forced marches.

 

The first sign of trouble didn’t appear until well after midday.

 

Whether it was just bad luck or Dhizi and Clarice drawing their attention, a pair of Goatmen warbands were headed in our general direction.

 

As much as the general concept of cannibalism turned my stomach, the nature of humanoid monsters made the issue more complicated and nuanced than I would have liked. Each Species seemed to consider ‘cannibalism’ as a concept to be restricted to eating one of their own immediate Species or Subspecies. Any other humanoid monsters were fair game.

 

With so few alternatives for food on this particular floor, it would have been profoundly naive for me to assume that a large volume of the Kobolds' dried and smoked meat rations didn’t come from Goatmen.

 

I intended to summon a reasonable stockpile of food for the Stonepaw once we reached the Settlement, and sooner if needed. But I also wanted to use the warbands as an opportunity to express my own views on cannibalism and gauge the Stonepaw's reaction. Ideally, I wanted the Species that served under me to not look at one another as potential sources of field or winter rations.

 

With Chief’s assistance, we manoeuvred the column so both warbands would approach from the same direction

 

According to Clarice’s rough estimate, the closest warband was the larger of the two and had a couple of hundred Goatmen in total. The second warband was roughly half the same size but was gaining on the first and appeared to have scavenged equipment and not just stone weapons.

 

As the Stonepaw established their screening formations on the top of the hill and prepared for battle, I wondered if the Goatmen would even commit to an engagement with Ushu so prominently positioned on the hillside.

 

The wild humanoid monsters of the Labyrinths always seemed to be at odds with themselves. Like the Beasts, they were driven to attack anything that wasn’t like themselves, but for better and worse, they seemed fully capable of reasoning out how they would go about it.

 

Most of the Orcs from the first floor of the Hurst Labyrinth would run at the sight of me. However, those who had reached a particular stage of Evolution were the complete opposite and had attacked me until they were killed, regardless of their injuries or becoming outnumbered.

 

The Goblins had behaved entirely differently, fleeing from my immediate vicinity when few in number, but were only too keen to join a melee if they had objectively overwhelming numbers.

 

So as best I could tell, fear was still as motivating a factor as the rage instilled within the monsters by the Labyrinths. The respective ratios just varied from Species to Species and seemed somewhat linked to Intelligence.

 

Sure enough, when the first warband came to a rather abrupt halt after cresting a nearby hill.

 

A long tense standoff ensued until the arrival of the second warband, which proceeded to crash into the flank of the first with murderous intensity.

 

The members of the first warband quickly buckled under the assault and scattered, leaving the second warband in possession of the hilltop.

 

They were too far away to make out clearly, but they seemed just as hesitant as the first warband. Right up until a heavily armoured Goatman pushed his way to the front of the warband, raised his bloody axe high and charged. Like a dam breaking, the warband surged forward in the first Goatman’s wake.

 

Snarling with anticipation, Ushu began stalking down the hill, zeroing in on the large Goatman that had initiated the charge.

 

However, before anyone had a chance to react, Dhizi came sweeping out of the sky and drove the Goatman bodily into the ground beneath her powerful talons before launching herself back up into the sky.

 

Ushu stared at the mutilated remains of the Goatman and huffed indignantly, “Wasss, mmmmine!” He hissed irritably before launching himself bodily into the fray, dashing apart three Goatmen with a single swipe of his claw. Ushu’s focus abruptly shifted back to the mangled remains of the fallen Goatman. Ploughing through the ranks of the Goatmen with ease, Ushu came to a sudden halt next to the large Goatman’s corpse, “GOOOOLD!!!” He roared possessively, whipping his tail eagerly and killing a dozen more Goatmen in the process.

 

*****

 

Having recently departed a formal luncheon with local nobility and merchants to gauge the authenticity of the recently elevated Baron Rivers’ bloody coup, Cassius Ivante wandered the city of Mordran under the watchful eyes of his personal bodyguards and a small detachment of Baron Rivers’ loyal soldiers.

 

The large number of soldiers patrolling the streets and stationed at key infrastructure was in line with Casius’ experience with military coups. However, it was also easily explained by the nation’s drastically diminished territory.

 

Cassius already had agents attempting to verify the rumours of the Baron’s regicide, but Cassius himself needed to determine if the coup was legitimate. Baron Rivers’ fit the profile of most military commanders who defected to the Confederacy. An otherwise loyal man who had risen through the ranks and held the respect and loyalty of the lower rank and file, he turned traitor when the Lord Regent demanded his men be thrown into the meat grinder to drag out an unwinnable war.

 

Several nobles of the former Asrusian kingdom had seceded at the onset of the war, but that had been the result of lengthy negotiations and intrigue. All the same, Cassius dared to hope that the Confederacy might amalgamate Mordran without much resistance.

 

With the former kingdom's territories now up for grabs, it would be a race between the forces of the Confederated City-States and the Werrian Empire to see who came out better off for their temporary alliance.

 

Considering the Empire’s current withdrawal from the field, there was a very real possibility that the Confederacy might seize all but a handful of cities and reinforce them before the Empire had an opportunity to contest their ownership.

 

There was also the matter of maintaining the Confederacy’s armies. The daily costs in soldiers' wages alone were staggering. If Baron Rivers’ was sincere in his desire to join the Confederacy, not only would the Grand Council be spared the burden of paying to fortify and rebuild the city, but the Baron would be expected to begin contributing to the war chest.

 

Passing through a Market square, Cassius was forced to stand aside while three thoroughly beaten men wearing crimson sashes across their chests were dragged away by a squad of soldiers.

 

“Royalists,” one of the Baron’s men noted with disgust before spitting at the ground with contempt.

 

Cassius noted that the sentiment was shared by the other soldiers in his escort as well.

 

The general populace seemed confused, but with so many soldiers in the vicinity, they kept their questions and opinions very much to themselves.

 

“Have there been many arrests?” Cassius asked curiously, carefully scrutinising the soldier’s eyes for signs of deception.

 

The soldier nodded, “We caught most of them early, now we are just mopping up what’s left.” There was a grim satisfaction in his words.

 

“It seems to have been good for law and order,” Cassius noted with interest, “I haven't witnessed a single theft since I entered the city.”

 

“The Baron rounded up the criminals along with the royalists,” another guard grunted with a grin, “They got military trials before we marched them into the Labyrinth to serve as meat shields.”

 

Cassius shivered at the soldier’s cold indifference to the slaughter of his own people.

 

“Better than what they deserved!” Another soldier chimed in with a sneer, “Should have fed them to the Ogre or the Baron’s Dragons!”

 

Cassius felt his heart skip a beat, “I’m sorry, what did you say?” He asked weakly.

 

“Should have fed them to the Ogre or the Dragons!” The soldier repeated emphatically, “Scum like that won’t learn otherwise!”

 

There were grunts of agreement from the other soldiers.

 

“Dragons?...” Cassius's mouth and throat felt bone dry, “The Barons has Dragons?...” He croaked nervously.

 

“Farming for treasure since yesterday,” the first guard interjected, “Gotta keep the coins flowing after the Guilds turned traitor.”

 

Cassius was reasonably certain that the former Lord Regent had purged the Guilds, but he thought it prudent to keep that to himself for the time being.

 

“I hear some of the higher-ups are getting paid in magic items,” the second soldier added in agreement, “Those Dragons have a nose for treasure!”

 

“Magic items?” Cassius asked after spending a few moments moistening his throat.

 

“Sure, the independent merchants can’t buy enough of them,” the first soldier answered helpfully, “I’ll bet the Baron probably set some aside just for you sir. A goodwill gift and all that.”

 

“Really?” Cassius wasn’t willing to get his hopes up, but even the weakest magic items were still considered quite valuable.

 

As they continued through the city, Cassius made a point of paying much more attention to the conversations of the commoners around them. Having expected the soldiers to have been exaggerating, Cassius was surprised to learn that they might have been underselling events instead.

 

According to the commoners, the Baron was lavishing magic items on even the rank and file soldiers of those who were loyal to him. The Baron had become so wealthy through the sale of magic items that the collection of taxes had been suspended outright.

 

Cassius was more inclined to believe that looting the Guilds’ coffers was bound to have a larger influence on any potential reduction in taxes. At least for the time being. However, if the Baron was acquiring a larger volume of magic items, any house that could secure trading interests with Baron and his city, would make a killing in the larger regional markets.

 

“I think I would like to seek an audience with Baron Rivers,” Cassius announced while trying not to sound over-eager.

 

Casius’ instincts were telling him that there was much more going on than he was being allowed to see. However, Cassius was willing to accept a significant degree of risk if it meant his house would get an early edge over their competition, and improve his own standing in the family in the process. Cassius was so focused on how to turn the situation to his advantage, that he barely noticed as another group of royalists were rounded up and dragged away,

 

So long as both he and his house benefitted, Cassius didn’t really care what the Baron did with his detractors.