Conviction, page 14
“I will inform my forces. Have all that are under you gather here and present yourself to me when it is done.”
With that Xeal flash stepped away and returned to the point where Luna, Selene, Daisy and Violet all awaited him. As he shifted back to his physical form, all four of them looked surprised to see him and like they wanted to say something. However, with only five seconds before he would be hit with the backlash, he held up his hand and spoke quickly.
“Tell the front that the city has surrendered. One will come to meet with me soon.”
As he finished saying that, Xeal felt weak as he suddenly saw all his stats plummet to next to nothing. As his consciousness started to fade and he passed out, Daisy and Violet caught him and got him into his tent. Luna and Selene passed word to Kate, and it wasn’t long before word had spread. At the same time, word was spreading on the other side of the conflict and the whole of the city was being marched out to the space below where the stables used to be. This wasn’t a quick process as with the destruction of many paths, the dark elves had to take the long way around at some points. This was especially hard for many of the children, who were too weak to climb down after the paths to their home had gone slack.
Though once it was all done and every dark elf that could be accounted for was gathered, Xeal had long since recovered from his skill’s backlash, thanks to only needing to use it three times before the fight ended. He was still trying to figure out why any dark elf matriarch would surrender so quickly and had been in counsel with Ceclie about the exact manner it was done, when the still nude woman came forward. All Xeal had really learned was that the nudity meant that she had fully surrendered and would do nothing without his order, unless it was all just a ploy, but Ceclie didn’t think it was. Even so, she had been surprised by the events and had still been trying to wrap her head around things as the nude woman was shown in. Kate accompanied her and was the first to speak as she caught Xeal looking a bit too long.
“Xeal, close your eyes and order her to cover herself. She is refusing to heed anyone’s orders but yours.”
Xeal winced slightly knowing that he had been caught looking and quickly closed his eyes before speaking.
“What my wife says is prudent. Please take whatever she hands you and dress yourself in it before this meeting begins.”
“As you command,” replied the dark elf, sounding broken.
A short moment of ruffling clothes later and Kate spoke once more.
“Alright, you can open your eyes again.”
As Xeal did so, he could see that the dark elf had been dressed in a plain shirt and pants that were normally worn under armor. He could also see that she would not meet his eye and looked like she was just barely holding herself together as she waited for him to speak. So, he didn’t waste any time in getting right to it, as he started what he expected would be a rather enlightening meeting.
“Please join us and share your name. Ceclie was just starting to explain to me what your manner of surrender meant and she has a few questions of why you would do so.”
With that Kate and the dark elf joined Ceclie and Xeal at the table, before the dark elf started to speak.
“My name is, or at least it was, Finshapi Zashriadah. Now it is whatever you deem me worthy of, if you deem me even worthy of a name as my actions make such matters moot.”
“I have no intention of denying you something as basic as a-”
“Master, I think it best if you wait to finish speaking until you know what you’re saying,” interrupted Ceclie. “Now, tell us why you surrendered in the manner that you did. I know our kind better than most and the lives of those in your city wouldn’t matter to you enough to humiliate yourself as you have done.”
“Am I to answer her questions as if they are your own, master?” asked Finshapi.
“No, but you can simply look at me and if I nod, then you should answer her and I would like to know why you surrendered so quickly as well.”
At Xeal’s words, Finshapi sighed before looking away from Ceclie as Xeal could tell that while she was showing him that she could be diminutive, she hadn’t lost all her fire. Rather, it seemed that her and Ceclie were already enemies, though Xeal only had a few thoughts as to why.
“While I know that the fight had just begun and I could have easily escaped in the chaos that would have followed the battle, I know best where my path to survival is. My kind is endlessly cruel, myself included and were I to flee and live another day, it would only lead to me dying at the hands of a rival. So, I gambled and trusted that the display you showed and the army you lead would be enough to guard my life by pledging myself to you.”
“Why were you so sure that you had no chance to win?” asked Xeal, while frowning. “Your people know the area better than any, and you still had many spiders and driders to call on.”
“I know when things don’t add up and you don’t, master. Had it just been the taunt skill, that I am sure you were planning to chain until you couldn’t, I would have managed your actions, but you were too calm in your destruction. I can tell that you have fought in much tighter situations and regardless of whatever skills you were using to press your aura on us, the terror that I felt upon feeling it isn’t something just anyone could instill. No, I expect that if you had wished all my kind dead, the attack that destroyed my stables would have killed many more. Only a foe who is sure of victory has time to hold back and take slaves from the start.”
“You, and any of your people, will not be slaves,” retorted Xeal as he clenched a fist to keep his temper in check. “That includes any who were enslaved before my attack.”
“Yet you have one of my kind who has bound her soul to you and calls you master, master. I am sorry, but I am confused. If she is not enslaved to you, what is she?”
“My situation is complicated,” replied Ceclie, before Xeal could answer. “While I call him master and remain as a prisoner in his care, I am not truly a slave. Though, that is only because our master refuses to abuse the power he holds over me.”
“Ceclie, is there a way to remove the piece of your soul on Xeal and restore your complete freedom?” asked Kate.
“Yes, but only after our contract has been satisfied. In this case, once the subjugation of the queen is complete, he could free me. Though, he would have to wish to do so and I will never ask him to.”
Xeal wanted to sigh, as he could see the confusion on Finshapi’s face as she listened to Ceclie’s words and he decided that he needed to return the conversation to the situation with the city. While he was happy to have captured so many, they were not equipped to handle it in a timely manner and he needed to fix that.
“Alright, we are drifting into subjects that can be discussed later. What I need to know now is just what the situation in the city is and how soon other dark elves will know that something happened here.”
“They already know, master. I am sorry, but my oaths required that I provide my old queen with a reason for abandoning her to serve a new master.”
“How much does she know?” asked Kate, looking livid.
“She will have received a message that would show master fighting and the army charging in. Master’s face in particular will be known to her now.”
“Xeal, you should kill her and display her naked body if you wish to ensure that the citizens of the city respect you,” advised Ceclie. “But I know you won’t, which leaves you with a few options, none of which you will particularly like.”
“Great,” muttered Xeal. “Just great. So tell me, what is it that I am being cornered into doing?”
“First, while I know you won’t approve of having her walk around naked, she should never wear more than-”
“No, I am not having her expose herself,” cut in Xeal.
“You need to act as if she is a prize that you have won,” retorted Ceclie. “That, or throw her to the orcs and tell them to use her as they see fit.”
“Ceclie, if you insist on such a thing, I will have you thrown in with her!” all but shouted Xeal, as he confirmed once more that he hated dark elf culture.
“Then bind her with a soul contract and force her to fight for you and yes, others will see her as your slave at that point. I know you came here with the intent to free any who are currently enslaved, but this city will show you why that is impossible.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, Ceclie is correct,” commented Kate. “From what has already been seen, soul bindings are rather common here and killing the masters just kills the slaves. Honestly, letting them know that freeing the slaves is one of-”
“I can do it,” interrupted Finshapi. “At least I can for this city, but it will require a bit of deception on your part.”
“Explain,” was the only response Xeal gave.
“Offer all those who hold a soul-bonded slave a choice. Die and have their bodies shamed, or relinquish the bond to another. All you need to do is make it clear that slaves don’t have any need of their own slaves. If you were to be the one to receive all of the soul bonds you could allow them all to live life as they wished-”
“I am not going to become a nexus for every soul bond that needs a host,” cut in Xeal. “Do their contracts not have any way to free them?”
“Most have no way other than death,” replied Finshapi.
“So we kill them,” commented Xeal.
“What!?” shouted Ceclie. “I thought-”
“Kate, get Gale and make sure we have enough clerics that can cast resurrection on all of them. If the owners resist, don’t bother reviving them.”
At Xeal’s words, understanding dawned on Ceclie and fear crossed Finshapi’s face as she spoke next.
“There are 50 bound to me.”
“Let’s hope we have enough to handle that many all at once. Now back to discussing what we are going to do about your queen being aware of us…”
Like that the meeting devolved into discussing just what options for retaliation could be expected, as they discussed everything at length. In the end, a full retreat was ordered as they fell back to the kobold area that they were mostly in control of, and Xeal ensured Finshapi knew she was no slave and could keep her name. The main issue was that it would take weeks before they would be able to reach their destination and before they arrived, they were expecting to be attacked at least once. Still, before they left, Xeal made sure every drider and spider was killed as they were a true liability, and despite their ability to speak and think, Xeal didn’t count driders as people. At least not sane ones who could be reasoned with, as they would happily kill endlessly if released from the control of their masters. Then there was the other major endeavor of freeing all the slaves, which was being undertaken while they marched. Luckily, there were just over 60 within the force with a reliable and strong enough resurrection skill to handle this undertaking. After the first few dark elves had resisted, the others quickly capitulated after seeing them executed and not revived for their refusal.
That said, their physical compliance did nothing to tame their tongues. It seemed every dark elf who was even slightly high in society, believed they needed to show the other dark elves that they wouldn’t go silently. Apparently, this was a consequence of Finshapi not being displayed naked as they walked and Ceclie had made it clear that anything less than ruthlessness would fail to end the issue. So, Xeal sighed as he had the most vocal of the dark elves stripped to just their underwear for the march. This proved to be a mistake as they continued to taunt their captors about how soft they were being. He almost had them stripped naked, before getting a better idea and had them put in heavy coats and winter clothing. While none of them were in any danger from the wardrobe change, it did make them rather uncomfortable.
Like this, things continued as Xeal continued to scout ahead with his party, made up largely by his wives. The only break they took was on day 182, as they celebrated Mari’s birthday. They were over halfway back to the captured kobold town on day 198, when the rear scouts reported in that an army was coming from behind. Normally this wouldn’t worry Xeal as they would be able to outrun this army, but with the need to fight monsters along the way, the ones behind could move quicker as the path would be clear for them. With the estimates at only half a day before they were caught, Xeal made the call to find the most defensible location before standing and fighting. After that, Xeal counseled with Ceclie and Finshapi about what he should expect and what would be the best moves to make. Having listened to their advice, Xeal had a plan and a location that would be ideal, as he set things into motion for what he expected would be a fierce confrontation.
So it was that as the enemy army rounded the corner with driders and spider riders in front, that Xeal stood in front of his forces on a platform that had been constructed haphazardly. While other rudimentary defenses had been created behind him, if everything went to plan, they wouldn’t be needed. For this confrontation, he had picked a tunnel that would take the other army at least a day’s travel to find a path around his force. Furthermore, by using the tunnels, Xeal was sure that regardless of the number of enemies, his force would retain the advantage in power over time. The only part that Xeal didn’t like was the fact that Finshapi was standing in front of the first set of barriers and would need to play a role in his plan if he wanted it to succeed. Thankfully, the first part was a success as both the driders and spider riders came to a stop at seeing him and the army behind him. It was only a moment later that one of the dark elves on the backs of the spiders approached on her own and stopped when she was about ten feet from Xeal before she spoke.
“By the order of her majesty, Queen Becriri Sianelvuc, you are to surrender yourselves and return her property to her!”
“No,” replied Xeal. “Instead, you can surrender and find yourselves treated fairly as my forces continue our subjugation mission.”
“Ha, it seems that stories of males on the surface not knowing their place is true. Tell me, Finshapi, how does it feel to know that the queen will thoroughly humiliate you-”
“I would flee while you still have the chance,” cut in Finshapi. “Your queen isn’t an equal to my new master and nothing you could have brought will be enough to win the day.”
“Ha, we shall see, and be grateful, male, my queen has ordered you be brought to her unharmed, if at all possible. Though she said she would understand if we needed to rough you up a bit and show you where you belong first. So, please give me a reason to have to break you before I present you to her.”
“If there is anything that you, or any who will be part of the first charge wish to have known, you should ensure to tell them to one who will be at the rear,” replied Xeal. “Else, I fear that no words that were exchanged between us will reach your queen’s ear and I have a message for her.”
“Oh, and what is it, male?”
“If I have to attack her city to reach her, I will not give her any chances to live.”
“Ha! I hope that if I don’t get the chance, my queen breaks you and lets us all watch as she parades you around as her loyal pet!”
With that the dark elf turned and returned to the front lines, before heading past them and around the corner. Xeal took a deep breath as he examined what he was facing. Part of what made driders particularly terrible was the fact that they could crawl along the tops of these tunnels and sadly, Xeal hadn’t been able to use a smaller or shorter one for this battle. Still, his electrical blast should be enough to completely fill it and kill the first wave on its own, but he was concerned about if they could counter it. With the curve of the tunnel only about 200 feet away from him and as such limiting the number in his range significantly, Xeal knew that they would have plenty of chances to figure out a counter to him. With a nod from him, Finshapi retreated as he watched the enemy forces begin their charge. Xeal took a deep breath and reminded himself that the heaviest losses would be felt by the driders and spider riders, as most of the foot soldiers would charge in behind them.
Still, the tunnel would easily contain over 1,000 dark elves, as he felt the first batch of electrical spells hit him. At the same time, Xeal could see a force shield pop up in front of the charging group and he just sighed while releasing the electricity inside of him. The flash that followed hid the faces of the dark elves and driders as they realized their lives were ended and when Xeal could see again, all that was left of the first charge was blackened corpses. At the end of the tunnel, Xeal could see those who had just barely missed being in the tunnel when he unleashed his attack, standing in terror. A second later the dark elf who had spoken with him came around the corner, before shouting something as the dark elves around her resumed their charge. With them came more driders and spider riders on the ceiling and sides of the caves, and Xeal knew they were assuming that he couldn’t use that attack again as he stood there waiting for them.
Though it seemed they were hedging their bets as only a few hundred came in this wave and if Xeal had to bet, that would remain the pattern until they succeeded in forcing a melee. That said, more than one sent a spell flying at him as the force shields that Kate and Aalin cast blocked anything from reaching him, as he waited for the next round of spells to hit him. When they did, the group in front of him was only ten feet from reaching him before they were no more, and Xeal waited and once more a few hundred were sent out. This continued for 20 minutes as Xeal sat with completely depleted stamina, as his by skin of your teeth title kept him alive.
It was at that point that the waves stopped coming and either the dark elves were waiting for Xeal to come to them, or had decided to take his advice and retreat. Either way, he couldn’t move and it was about five minutes later that a scout was sent forward to see what the situation in the tunnel beyond was. Only the moment before they turned the corner, they were speared by a massive spider leg as the largest spider Xeal had ever seen came around the corner. At a level 279 monster, Xeal knew that it was at the peak of what was possible for a non-sentient creature. Even so, Xeal just sighed as the player who had moved forward struggled against it for only a few moments, before choosing to end their own life before they could experience the full effects of the spider venom. With their death, Xeal gave the signal once more and all the held spells were sent into him once more, before he fired off a concentrated bolt of electricity at the spider who almost filled half the tunnel.
