Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 84 – Origins in Trauma – Part Two

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 84 - Origins in Trauma - Part Two

As we approached the border, it became increasingly apparent that our earlier trespass had not gone unnoticed.

Crude watchtowers had been hastily erected and gave the enemy scouts an unobstructed view of our approach, and ample time to provide warning to their allies.

Instead of an army, a small contingent of Knights riding large horned lizards rode out to intercept us. Showing no immediate signs of aggression, it became clear that they intended to engage in some form of diplomacy.

Unable to assume a human form and unwilling to draw additional attention to myself, I sent Sebet forward with the Oba clan’s elders to see what the Knights wanted.

Wearing her stone armour, Sebet cut quite the contrast amidst the Oba elders in their Eastern-styled brigandine and breastplates. Thankfully, their altered helmets did much to disguise their horns as ornamental decorations as well as conceal their faces.

Sebet and the elders approached the Knights on foot.

One of the Knights drew closer but did not dismount. No doubt intending the gesture to serve as a form of indirect insult. Or perhaps as an intimidation tactic, forcing Sebet to crane her neck to look him in the eye.

Or to avoid having to do the same if he were to dismount since Sebet was currently eight feet tall.

<Bad news, I am afraid.> Sebet reported almost immediately. <They are intending to launch an ambush.>

<You are certain?> I replied somewhat irritably.

My nerves and general mental state were in poor condition after days of forced marching without sleep, and I was in no mood for diplomatic shenanigans. If they intended violence, that was exactly what they would get.

<Their spokesman’s mind is shielded with a magic item. So I cannot probe too deeply without being noticed...> Sebet hedged. <However, his companions have no such protection and are quite impatient to be on with it. They are convinced that we are rogue mercenaries and have angered the Dominion in some way. So they are going to kill us to try and keep the peace.>

<They aren’t afraid we are working for the Dominion?> I asked, confused that they would act with so little information.

<The Dominion doesn’t hire mercenaries.> Sebet replied glibly. <They do not need them. Or I suppose they HAD no need of them.> She amended with a hint of amusement.

<If they cannot be dissuaded...then they will need to be put down...> I ordered, hardening my heart to the senseless deaths that would soon follow.

In the blink of an eye, the Oba clan elders leapt into action. Moving so fast that their bodies were a blur of motion, they landed behind the mounted Knights with swords drawn and stained with blood.

The five Knights toppled from their saddles in pieces, scattering onto the ground in bloody chunks of armour, flesh and bone.

With a thought, I seized control over their mounts, Dominating them without effort and Commanding them to my side.

Sebet retrieved something amidst the dirt and gore, presumably the lead Knight’s source of psychic Resistance.

A panicked horn call trumpeted from the enemy camp.

“Shields!” Baldr called out excitedly, rousing his warriors from their mental fatigue. “Spears forward! Wodin watches us! Move!”

The clear skies overhead rumbled with thunder and storm clouds began to appear as if by magic. Which, of course, they had.

Viking Cultivators giggled and chuckled with deranged battle-lust as they jostled from the prime of place at the head of their ragged formation. Each sparing a handful of moments to whisper prayers to small pendants worn about their necks.

My bodyguards formed a solid wall of magically fortified stone shields. Not so subtly penning me in place. Both as a means of protecting me from the enemy, and discouraging me from engaging in direct combat.

Mentally directing the Ogres, I formed them into a second ring of defence around myself. Many of them were missing armour and weapons, and while they were no doubt capable of killing an armoured Knight with their bare hands, a spear to the brain or heart would kill them all the same.

Besides, based solely on what I could make of the troops I could see marching out of the enemy encampment, they wouldn’t be needed.

The majority of the enemy force, roughly four hundred or so infantry and as many bowmen, was on foot, dressed in mail and padded cloth armour. If their armour wasn’t magical, and I had no reason to believe it was, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Baldr’s men. No doubt the enemy’s confidence to act came from the hundred or so mounted heavy cavalry.

Then, I felt it.

First one, then five, fifty, ninety...

Close to a thousand slaves began spilling out of the side of the camp in a ragged rushed formation.

With a single thought, the Ogres began moving with deadly purposeful silence. Taking up a vanguard position ahead of even Baldr and his warriors, the Ogres each assumed their place with uncanny precision.

Wailing cries of despair rose from the ragged horde of Slaves as they passed the human infantry and laid eyes on what was ahead of them. Here and there, Slaves staggered as they tried, to resist the Commands of their Masters to little avail.

As the horde of Slaves grew closer, laughter carried from the ranks of the infantry and archers trailing behind them.

With a surge of MP, I drew stone up from beneath the barren plain and formed a bristling wall of stone palisades in front of the Ogres.

As one, every Ogre leaned forward and began snapping spikes free from the palisade and gathering them up in their free hand.

With a second surge of MP, I smoothed the ground again.

The wailing from the Slaves grew louder as they began their final approach. Several had already collapsed. However, it was unclear whether it was from the pain, abuse, malnutrition or a combination of all three.

Bracing myself for the pain that would follow, I took a deep steadying breath. With Every scrap of will I could bring to bear, I seized at the magical Bonds of the Slaves in a bid to free them from their Masters.

Just as I anticipated, pain rippled through my mind, clawing and digging at my ragged nerves but failing to find a permanent purchase.

Caught unawares, the weakest amongst the Masters died without putting up a fight, increasing the burden upon those that remained. Creating a cascade of death they couldn’t hope to escape, let alone survive.

Urging the Slaves onward, I sent another Command to the Ogres.

As one, every second Ogre in the formation moved three paces forward and three to their left, forming open channels allowing the Slaves to pass amongst them and beyond without breaking stride.

The laughter came to an abrupt end and was replaced with confused shouting from officers and soldiers alike.

Before returning the Ogres' autonomy, I gave them one final command.

<Throw.>

Ogre Sarges roared and swarms of stone javelins took flight in rapid succession.

Cries of terror and pain erupted from the ranks of the enemy infantry as javelins hammered into their frontmost ranks and drove into those behind. Binding dying men together and stalling the enemy's advance, causing those behind to suffer the same fate.

Enemy archers hastily returned fire but met with no success. As dim-witted as they were, the Ogres stuck to their training and shielded their eyes and throat with their free arm, causing the archers’ arrows to bounce harmlessly off the Ogres' thick hides.

The cavalry began moving around the periphery in earnest, no doubt hoping to charge on our flank and incite a rout.

Without being told what to do, my champions turned their attention toward the cavalry and began preparing countermeasures. Spikes and palisades and thick walls of brush and thorns rose on our flanks, directing the cavalry back toward the centre where Baldr and his Cultivators had just initiated a one-sided slaughter amidst the ranks of the infantry.

Just like the Ogres, the Cultivators proved all but invulnerable to the scattered volleys attempted by the archers who were attempting to hold their ground.

Half of the enemy force was already dead or actively fleeing the battle and more were doing one or the other with every passing moment.

Baldr was singling out officers at every opportunity and hacking them down almost as quickly as he identified them. Besides wreaking havoc on enemy morale, it was growing apparent that Baldr’s executions were making the man himself quite frustrated.

It was hardly a surprise since the Cultivators were practically monsters with class levels. Making the confrontations ridiculously one-sided.

When the remainder of the infantry was routed, the heavy cavalry fled as well. Leaving the infantry and archers behind in a cloud of dust.

Baldr’s Cultivators didn’t take any prisoners, and a small part of me, deep down, deeper than I had expected, felt ashamed for not taking steps to prevent what amounted to outright executions.

Then I considered the sorry state of the surviving Slaves, and that small part of me went silent.

The human Slaves were understandably terrified out of their wits and many of them had broken down into hysterics or near catatonia, with few in between.

The monsters had begun segregating themselves by Species, regarding one another and above all others, myself, with hard leery eyes.

Recognising an Orc majority, I turned to Lurr and waved him forward. “See that they are given food and water. If any are dangerously malnourished, make sure the others don’t starve or overfeed them.”

“Understood, Tyrant!” Lurr slammed his gauntleted fist against his chest in respect and approached the mass of Orc Slaves.

Suspicions amongst the other Slaves rapidly evaporated after witnessing fresh food and water being liberally distributed amongst the Orc Slaves. After only a couple of minutes, they began actively seeking out the supplies on their own.

However, the majority of the human Slaves were so out of sorts that they didn’t realise what was happening. Those that were aware of the food and water being distributed, hung back out of fear of the monsters.

Without being asked, the Ainsleys began making their way over to the humans.

“How far are we from the outermost range of the Anchors?” I asked, directing the question toward no one in particular.

“At our established rate?” Lord Garick qualified, his wrinkled brow creasing still further as he contemplated the question. “Roughly a half day's march, Majesty. Accounting for any, ahem, new arrivals, it could take a full day. Likely longer.”

“Recommendations?” I pressed, trying not to let on just how tired I was.

“Sleds, Majesty,” one of the more junior, although by no means young, officers volunteered. “We could fashion the tents and the like into simple sleds. With the Ogres drawing the Sleds, and the Slaves riding them, we should only lose the time it takes to fashion the sleds themselves. Which shouldn’t take long at all.”

“At worst, we could make litters to carry them,” another officer suggested in agreement with his peer. “Poles and cloth are all that is needed, and the Ogres have strength to spare.”

“See to it,” I agreed, tacitly giving both men carte blanche to see it done.

We were on the move again within the hour. The stretchers had proven faster and simpler to make, but the humans had gone into hysterics at the prospect of approaching the Ogres. This meant that Baldr’s warriors had to be called upon in place of the Ogres.

While physically capable of the task, the Cultivators were not particularly enthusiastic about it. If they had been given a choice in the matter, they no doubt would have refused. Or at the very least, would have attempted to excuse themselves under one pretence or another.

So it was good that they didn’t have a choice in the matter. The irony of this was not lost on me.

The original plan had been to use the Beacons and Recall for the return trip. The Slaves required an alternative method.

As the hours passed by, I didn’t think much of it. However, as our surroundings became somewhat familiar, I became increasingly aware of the problem.

I was so tired that it didn’t matter what I decided to do at this moment. The moment I got home, my brain would make every excuse it could think of, no matter how stupid or unrealistic, just so it could shut off and I could sleep.

Which left me a finite number of options on how to proceed, and I didn’t like any of them.

So, naturally, I settled for the simplest solution I could think of.

Once we were free of the Anchors, I had the Ogres shepherd the Slaves through a massive Breach. Saving time at the expense of burning through almost all of my MP, my reserve of MP, and a chunk of my HP as well.

Which was definitely a risk. However, the moment I returned home, it ceased to matter.

The instant my head touched my pillow, darkness claimed me.

Opening my eyes, I felt a brief surge of panic as events reasserted themselves in my conscious mind. However, my authority just as quickly diverted my attention by imposing lost events and the passage of time into my mind.

Ten days had passed since my return. During that time, Slaves had been arriving in steadily increasing numbers. In my absence, Sebet had been manually exercising her limited authority to redirect the Slaves away from a watery grave. It was only in the past five hours that she and Gric had changed places.

“Daddy can play now?” Suzy asked, drawing my attention back to my immediate surroundings.

My daughter was sitting on my chest with her head tilted to one side and resting in her webbed palm. Her expression made it clear that she was bored and wasn’t particularly optimistic regarding her chances of a favourable answer.

I could see the tablet with the broken screen on the bedside table and knew that investigating its contents for answers was not an undertaking that I could take lightly. Assuming it held any answers at all, I would need to devote my entire attention and focus to finding and understanding them.

I gently shifted Suzy aside so I could sit up and stretch. The trapped gas escaping my joints sounded like a string of firecrackers and drew Pete’s attention away from the small pile of books spread out over the dining table.

“Okay,” I replied, doing my best to smile but uncertain whether it managed to reach my eyes. “I just need to handle some work first.”

Suzy’s expression flipped on a dime, shifting from grim acceptance to jubilant optimism in less than a heartbeat. “Really?!” She asked excitedly, eagerly hopping up and down, unable to contain her happiness.

“Really really,” I answered, picking her up and planting a kiss on her forehead before setting her down again. “Take Pete and Eg, and I’ll come find you when I’m ready to play, okay?”

“Okay!” Suzy agreed eagerly. Spinning on the spot, she momentarily lost her footing in the two-foot-tall water covering the floor before scrambling toward her brother.

Seeing his sister coming and knowing exactly what to expect, Pete was already on the move. Having abandoned his books, he was nearly halfway out the door by the time she reached the table.

Shrugging into the clothes I reserved for ‘official business’ I relocated myself to the throne room on its isolated mountaintop. Incidentally catching a handful of cleaning staff and decorators by surprise. Allowing them to continue their work, I sent a Quest to all of the Faction Leaders, informing them and requiring that they or a designated representative travel to the throne room and adjoining council chambers within the hour.

While waiting on my throne for their arrival, I summoned a projection of Lash and held her close.

“You are awake,” Lash observed brightly after stealing a kiss.

“I am now,” I chuckled trying to avoid thinking of the circumstances of the past month, if only for a few moments.

Lash smiled and there was a glimmer of pride and satisfaction in her eyes as she made herself comfortable on my lap.

“I didn’t want to pull you away from whatever you were doing,” I explained while doing my best to relax and enjoy the feeling of her body against mine. “We can talk more in person later.”

“This is fine,” Lash replied without judgement, resting her head against my chest briefly before smirking and glancing up at me from the corner of her eye. “For now,” she amended huskily.

“I already promised Suzy I would play with her and Pete,” I cautioned, intending to temper her expectations.

“My turn will come later,” Lash commented without the faintest hint of jealousy.

I wrapped my left arm around her waist and gave her an appreciative squeeze instead of a spoken promise.

We remained this way, taking reassurance in one another’s company until the first of the Faction Leaders arrived in the antechamber. However, it was only after the last of the invited Faction Leaders arrived that Lash took her place on the throne beside mine. Albeit with visible reluctance before assuming a more commanding and regal demeanour.

Opening the doors with my Earth affinity, I motioned for the assembled Faction Leaders to enter the throne room.

All told, there were close to a hundred people. While the largest Factions belonged to the Humans, Dwergi, Scaled Kobolds and Gnolls, there were many other Species that had sufficient numbers to warrant representation. Most of these Factions only had a few hundred members, but a few numbered in the low thousands.

What’s more, the influx of Slaves from the Dominion was almost guaranteed to swell the smaller Factions' ranks multiple times over. Assuming the liberated Slaves joined existing Factions rather than petitioning for their own.

Although motioning for silence was unnecessary, I made a point of doing so anyway as a means of signalling the beginning of the meeting.

“The Coleopteras, the beetlemen that invaded Sanctuary, are all dead,” I announced with grim finality.

This news came as little shock to the Humans and a few of the other Factions that were on close terms with them. I could tell just by looking into the eyes of the Semenovian King, Asrusian Regent, and Dwergi Chancellor that they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“A new enemy, an older enemy, has presented itself,” I continued. “Although the threat they present is currently uncertain, I will be taking steps to bolster the strength of all willing individuals to secure Sanctuary’s safety.”

Faction leaders exchanged uncertain glances.

“Furthermore, I am permitting the renewed and accelerated acquisition of Labyrinth territories.” I paused, waiting for the cacophony of gasps and muffled exclamations of surprise to die down. Those possessing the Overseer title can now initiate a Challenge independently without need of an Artefact, while others in possession of an Artefact may proceed as before.” I had to pause again as a fresh wave of excited murmuring rose from the crowd. “As some of you already know, I have come into possession of new Artefacts and I intend to make them available for this endeavour. However, in the interests of mutual gain and establishing closer ties, my Artefacts, both old and new, will only be made available to those who agree to cooperative undertakings involving a minimum of five other Factions per Artefact. To encourage greater consideration for involving the smaller and less established Factions, those who finalise a commitment to cooperation with no less than ten Factions will be forgiven Sanctuary’s territory taxation for the duration of this campaign.”

Dead silence fell over the throne room and I could see the gears turning behind the Faction Leaders’ eyes as each of them hastily determined how best to gain an advantage for their people.

While territories taken from the Labyrinths added to Sanctuary’s overall mass, there were no guarantees that the territories taken would be desirable to the Faction that claimed them in the first place. In other circumstances, they would petition for the territory to trade hands. Or if they were lucky, it would be taken as tax. My offer was intended to change that.

“Each coalition will be required to mark their conquered territories and register the territory with head librarian Yor. This record-keeping system will ensure that distribution of these territories can be undertaken without undue disruption.” I had spent a considerable amount of time in the past fiddling about with borders and the like before and was not keen on repeating the process on a much larger scale. “In that same vein, I will require all participating Factions to negotiate their current and future borders accordingly. Territories will not be placed without the express agreement of all neighbouring Factions. Attempts to circumvent or manipulate this mandate will be met with harsh consequences.”

A few Faction Leaders of the more cunning Species, Humans included, shifted nervously under the intense but deliberately vague warning and consequences.

“We will convene again later this evening,” I announced firmly. “In the interim, I expect you all to begin making preparations for what lies ahead. You are dismissed.”

Murmuring quickly arose from the crowd as they headed out the door toward the council chambers, quickly rising to a dull roar.

Once the room was empty, I Summoned projections of Sebet, Yor and Wraithe. These three were also Faction Leaders. While Yor and Wraithe probably didn’t need or want any territories, they were still entitled to use their position to negotiate for things they had a use for.

Sebet’s case was more unique and I wasn’t certain how I felt about it. Just like the Daemons, she was entitled to participate in the negotiations. However, she didn’t have a pressing need for territories either, and unlike the Daemons, Sebet had a distinct advantage when negotiating for whatever she wanted.

“I strongly disagree,” Sebet countered once I had explained what had transpired and my misgivings. “I am a Queen, in my own right, and I have several subjects already. What’s more, with the influx of new arrivals, I expect their numbers to grow. After the loss of the territories formerly placed under my care, I have been left in something of an awkward position, and it is affecting my ability to live up to my assigned duties as effectively as I might do otherwise.”

“That is technically true, on all counts,” I agreed dryly. “However, wouldn’t ruling over thousands of people also distract you from your duties?”

Seebet grinned slyly. “Not as much as you may think,” she replied calmly. “In fact, it would allow me to delegate more freely, making it easier to dedicate more of my attention elsewhere.”

“Mhm...” I grunted, making it clear I was still unconvinced.

“I’m bound by Oaths AND a Contract,” Sebet reminded me with a hint of exasperation. “What exactly are you worried I might do?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “And that’s what worries me.”

“What about probation then?” Sebet wheedled. “Give me a few months to prove I can do it and don’t have any ‘nefarious’ ulterior motives.”

“Fine,” I relented. “Just as before, Gric will have the right to audit your operations at any time.”

“Of course,” Sebet agreed with a Cheshire grin.

Shaking my head, I waved her away and then turned to Yor, who was still patiently waiting for further instructions. “I was thinking if each Faction had the means to Summon you directly to a conquered territory, you could leave identifying markers and keep a central record in Sanctuary’s library.”

“I can certainly do this, my Tyrant!” Yor agreed eagerly, doing an amusing skittering dance on her eight spider-like legs. “Just like Wraithe, you’re entitled to negotiate for territories of your own as well, if you want to,” I added.

Yor wrinkled her brow in confusion. “Wouldn’t this present the appearance of a conflict of interest?” She asked warily.

“It would,” I agreed. “However, you could use the territories as leverage for a public good. If you are so inclined.”

“Oh! I like that idea!” Yor agreed and clapped her chitinous hands excitedly. “I could use the land to build more libraries! And Universities to write more books to fill them with!”

Wraithe had been somewhat disinterested up until this point but perked up after hearing that. “I could have more hospitals built? And schools to teach and train more Surgeons?”

I nodded encouragingly.

Leaving them to sort things out independently, I dismissed Lash’s projection and returned home. After removing my royal costume, I went outside and found my children were all waiting for me.

Upping the ante on the slip and slide, I made several water slides. The simplest was a chute on a forty-five-degree angle that emptied into the water. The most thrilling, and potentially dangerous, for Humans, had a series of winding turns and was initiated from roughly fifty feet in the air.

Crafting the steps to access the taller waterslides had required soliciting Hana's expertise. While I was comfortable working with stone, Hana was able to mutate a local moss into forming a gripping and absorbent surface to walk on.

It was only after completing the final slide that I noticed a few things.

First, Eg had Evolved and taken on a similar Evolutionary path to myself and my children, with the Lake adaptation. Allowing her to breathe water while in the water, just like us. Although she was still understandably cautious when going into the water on foot and outright frightened before completing her first trip down the gentlest waterslide.

Second, the screams and laughter of the kids had drawn a large degree of attention and spectators. Amongst which was Nadine, Fesk and their newly born child, Edwin. Affording me my first glimpse of the pudgy little toddler. Besides his white wispy hair and overly fair skin, he looked human. If it wasn't for the intense look in his dark eyes, that is.

Like all monster children, Edwin had an established foundation of knowledge imprinted into his brain. Whether or not he was capable of understanding most of it was unclear. However, it did create an almost unsettling degree of awareness that wasn’t present in human children.

Third, and last of all, I noticed Mud was belching plumes of flame between mouthfuls of roast Beast and some type of alcohol. An amusing sight on its own merits, but decidedly disconcerting and infinitely more interesting after I realised his blazing belching was suffused with Chi and the Fire Affinity. My surprise only intensified after inspecting his Status and realising he had gained access to the Cultivation System and had a second Status.

What’s more, Mud had already learned a Technique. An impressive feat in its own right, that only became more so with the knowledge that Mud, just like the other wild Ogres, was utterly illiterate.

Summoning a projection of Sebet for her expertise, I didn’t expect for her to have an answer already on hand to explain the phenomenon.

“My Tyrant, you are the one that altered him...” Sebet stated warily. “Do you not remember?”

I slowly shook my head and tried to suppress my mounting concerns.

“While fighting against the Coleopterans, you, erm, you used Mud as an improvised projectile...It was during this time that you altered him,” Sebet explained. “As for the Technique...I am uncertain, but I shall consult with Oba Kei to find answers on your behalf.”

After giving my approval, I transported the projection to Oba Kei’s location and then returned to my children. My short period of distraction had not gone unnoticed and I didn’t want to upset Suzy any more than I might have done already.

To make it up to her, I made one last water slide. While it didn’t have as many twists or turns as the others, the slide and an upward-angled chute at the end would send anyone half my size or smaller flying through the air before landing in the lake.

I took special care to pay attention to Suzy whenever it was her turn to use the slide.

After a couple of hours, and the kids had worked up a ravenous appetite, Toofy volunteered to take them out of The Grove to get something to eat from Sanctuary’s market. I would have thought it was a convenient coincidence if Lash hadn’t handed Toofy an incredibly shiny silver mirror a few moments later.

Leaving the other residents of The Grove to enjoy the new attraction, Lash and I slipped away so we could spend some time alone.

Several hours later, I was staring at the ceiling with Lash draped over my chest, explaining what had happened during my absence, what I had seen, and the significance of the tablet on the bedside table.

I had spoken of my life on Earth before, but it was difficult to adequately explain the technology I had once taken for granted. A great deal of it required either specialised knowledge or an existing understanding of certain concepts. Which Lash, as a native of this world, lacked.

So it was difficult to convey how utterly strange I found what was altogether overly familiar the technology appeared to be.

She listened anyway and did her best to show she was giving my concerns serious consideration.

“You have questioned the Angels?” Lash asked after I fell into a lengthy silence.

“Not yet...” I admitted.

“You are afraid to ask. Afraid to know the truth,” Lash commented sympathetically, paraphrasing several comments I had already made to that effect when retelling events.

“I am...But not just for myself,” I amended. “These Angels, if they are searching for me, the trail will lead them here. To our family, our people...If I go looking for them, it will make it that much easier for them to look for me, and through me, everyone else.”

“You need to know,” Lash observed with quiet confidence. “Not knowing, it will drag you down until every breath is a struggle.”

“I know...” I agreed and let out a long sigh as I mentally shifted gears. “I’m not sure Ophelia would know anything...but Orphiel...I have been thinking back on how he acted back when we first encountered him in the Labyrinths. Even if he doesn’t know anything about ‘this’, he knows something...Almost certainly, at the very least, how I can find someone who has the answers I want.”

“What of Ril?” Lash asked, taking me by surprise. “As a Forever, she should know?”

“A Perpetual...” In all of the focus I had given to the Angels, I had forgotten about Ril entirely. “It's possible.”

Distracted by the possibilities, I lost track of time. When I realised how late it had become I reluctantly left our bed and began getting dressed.

Lash did the same but surprised me by opting for a more elaborate outfit.

“You’re coming with me.” It took me a moment to realise it, but felt incredibly obvious in hindsight.

“I am going with you,” Lash confirmed supportively.

I had grown increasingly accustomed to ‘holding court’ with important people, so I didn't get as nervous about it as I used to. However, it still felt nice knowing that Lash cared and would be at my side of her own accord, rather than because I Summoned a projection of her.

Teleporting to the throne room, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had given the Faction leaders a deadline, but it was intended to light a fire under their collective asses. With so many competing interests, I wouldn’t be surprised if a vocal majority called for more time. However, upon arriving in the throne room, I found several servants and subordinates of the Faction Leaders eagerly anticipating my return.

Allowing them time to discreetly leave and spread the word of my arrival, I delayed opening the doors to the throne room for several minutes.

When the doors opened, the Faction Leaders, including Sebet, Wraithe and Yor, began filing into the throne room.

I motioned for silence.

Francis Asrus, Regent and current Faction Leader of the Kingdom of Asrus Faction stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “My Tyrant, Tyrantess, at your command we, your loyal servants and subjects, have deliberated for many hours-”

Here it comes.

“-And have arrived at an amicable resolution.” Francis Asrus beamed with pride as he waved expansively to his peers. “In the best interests of all, we have come together under a single banner.”

Banners bearing Sanctuary’s mark rose from the crowd.

“For prosperity. For security. For Sanctuary!” Francis Asrus withdrew a thick roll of parchment from beneath the folds of his cloak, raised the parchment in his fist for dramatic effect and was met with cheers.

I felt Sebet’s thoughts briefly touch upon my own. <You’re welcome.>

When the cheers died down, Francis Asrus respectfully approached me and offered the parchment. “This document bears the formal terms of our coalition and the signatures of all Faction Leaders called upon for this most worthy and historic undertaking.”

Accepting the parchment, I passed it along to Lash so I wouldn’t accidentally damage it. “Then you have my blessing to prosecute this campaign in accordance with my laws. Be bold. Be brave. Secure new lands so your descendants will have room to grow and live without fear of scarcity! Be vigilant so they will never know predation! This is our home! This! Is! Sanctuary!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd, with none so loud as the monsters liberated from Slavery.

“Go now!” I commanded, “Convene your councils of war and secure our future!”

After everyone had left, I settled back into my throne and took several deep breaths to calm myself. “Was that a bit much?” I asked, feeling awkward.

Lash looked back at me with a confused look in her eyes.

“The speech. You don’t think it was overly dramatic or anything?” I specified.

“This is important,” Lash replied, still appearing uncertain as to what I was talking about. “If this is not for drama, what should be?” She struggled a little with finding the right words, but I could see what she meant.

“You’re right,” I agreed. “Thanks,” I leaned down and kissed her.

While drawing back into my throne, I noticed that Lash had begun reading the document.

“This is?” Lash pointed to a paragraph near the middle of the document.

Before I leaned down again to take a closer look, Lash rose from her throne and hopped up onto my lap.

“Each Faction will be afforded a minimum allotment of land suitable to their needs?” I read aloud seeking confirmation.

Lash shook her head and pointed to the paragraph again and in the same place as before.

“Additional lands will be awarded in accordance with their contributions and participation?” I asked.

Lash nodded.

I skimmed through the document again and pointed to a section closer to the bottom. “Basically, providing food and other supplies, warriors, magic items, potions, and Overseers all has a predetermined value. So long as each Faction meets the minimum commitment they agreed to, they get a fixed number of territories. If they exceed that commitment, they can earn more.”

“This is fair,” Lash stated approvingly.

“Mostly,” I agreed. “This agreement actually favours the smaller Factions though. From a logistical perspective, at least. The larger Factions have surrendered a small portion of their prospective gains to guarantee the smaller Factions will receive territories for meeting easier contribution levels.” The paragraphs detailing Faction tiers and qualified the conditions of who belonged to what tier, was somewhat complicated, but that was the gist of it.

“Why?” Lash asked curiously.

“Goodwill, most likely,” I replied with a shrug. “Even the Human Factions won’t be able to use all the land they stand to gain. So giving up a few territories out of potentially hundreds means little compared to securing Synergies for securing the territories in the first place. There might come a time in the future when the smaller Factions could help them with other things as well, so getting on good terms now, when it's easy, is prudent.”

Lash nodded and continued reading.

Securing Overseers would need to be a high priority, as every Overseer committed to the campaign would increase the rate at which new territories could be taken.

In the past, I had wondered if Overseers could be used to recruit new Overseers by Conquering fresh Labyrinths. I just didn’t have the opportunity to test it before events drew my focus elsewhere.

To that end, I Summoned a projection of Skreia, a Harpy and Overseer. Coincidentally, she was also a Faction leader and had stood within the hall only moments earlier.

Skreia bowed her head in respect. “My Tyrant and Tyrantess!” The long dark feathers by her ears twitched nervously. “How may I serve?”

“It depends,” I replied. “As both an Overseer and a Faction Leader, I am going to give you a choice.”

Skreia bobbed nervously from one talon to the other.

“As the leader of your people, it would be reckless to send you out onto a battlefield,” I explained, trying to make my reasoning as clear and simple as possible. “With your permission, I would like to strip your title of Overseer, and replace it with another title.”

Skreia gave me an odd look with her piercing dark eyes. “That is all?” She asked hesitantly.

“That is all,” I replied.

“I abide by the Tyrant’s will,” Skreia answered with visible relief. “If I must give up one title for another, then so be it.”

I had gotten the answer I wanted, so I tried not to overthink it.

Dismissing Skreia’s projection, I replaced her Overseer title with Lord.

Considering potential candidates for the test, it didn’t take me long to narrow the list down to three people.

Summoning projections of the Ainsleys, I explained my intentions and allowed them to make the final decision for themselves. After a rather lengthy discussion, It was decided that Faine would be the one to temporarily take the Overseer title.

Dismissing the Ainsleys projections, I gave Faine the temporary promotion and then returned home with Lash.

While Lash stored the parchment somewhere Suzy wouldn’t find it, I decided to bite the bullet and press Orphiel for some answers.

Teleporting to an isolated territory using my authority, I took a few minutes to get myself into the right state of mind and then pulled Orphiel to my position.

“-that’s so...huh?” Orphiel looked around in confusion.

“I have questions, and I want honest answers,” I rumbled, not above employing a certain degree of intimidation to set the tone for our conversation.

“Ah, okay?” Orphiel replied with visible discomfort.

“Where do the other Angels live and how many of them are there?” I demanded.

Orphiel’s discomfort bled away and was replaced by confusion and a small degree of belligerence. “I can’t answer that,” he replied bluntly and then hastily raised his hands in surrender. “No really, I literally cannot speak of it.”

“Or you’ll die?” I guessed cynically.

“What? No. I just can’t talk about it...” Orphiel answered with a snort. “It’s protected information, so mindreading won’t work either.”

“Protected how?” I pressed.

“I can’t talk about it,” Orphiel replied with an exaggerated shrug and wave of his arms.

“What do you know about authority?” I asked, already knowing what the answer would likely be.

“Can’t talk about...” Orphiel answered, although his eyes had narrowed slightly.

“What about, a secret facility buried under the Dominion?” I conjured Eliza Eckart’s I.D. from my Storage Ring and pressed it close to Orphiel’s face. “A place filled with machinery and technology that is far too advanced for this world.”

Orphiel had only looked at the I.D. with minor curiosity, but the mention of advanced technology caused his eyes to flare wide in a show of surprise. “I...” He frowned and furrowed his brow. “I don’t know about such a place...” He replied with exaggerated and deliberate care. “Such a place would probably be very-I can’t talk about it...Damn it!” Orphiel swore. He took a deep breath. “Ieeeeee-can’t talk about that...” Orphiel scowled and looked just about ready to rip his hair out. “It’s not fair! It’s every Cherubims' dream to make a pilgrimage! I may be Fallen, but it wasn’t my fault!”

“Pilgrimage?!” I demanded, recalling the memory of the two Angels that had arrived just as I was leaving.

“To bear witness to-to...” Orphiel scrunched up his face and considered his next words very carefully. “Lay eyes upon his glorious wor-I can’t talk about that!”

As Orphiel descended into a string of expletives, I began having serious doubts about whether he would be able to give any meaningful answers at all. Which was frustrating, because he clearly had the answers I wanted. Or some of them, at least. But if he had to skirt around the actual answer to such an extent, then it defied the point of asking in the first place.

I took several deep calming breaths and prepared to ask another question.

It was going to be a long evening.