Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 52 - Pacts with Patrons - Part One

Daemonhost. It sounded markedly more ominous than Warlock despite the core similarities in their Class Abilities. Technically, Ushu was a Swamp Dragon Daemonhost but I hadn’t noticed anything, in particular, that was influenced by Ushu’s environmental Evolution or Species.

All the same, the Abilities themselves were as curious as they were disconcerting.

Daemonic Manifestation was a more specific version of the Warlock’s catchall Manifestation, and Contact Patron was a more engaging two-way form of long-distance telepathy afforded by Beseech Patron.

Redirecting Exp toward Ushu quickly granted him a number of levels and unlocked more Abilities that were somewhat stranger than I had expected.

The foremost in this regard was Patron’s Conduit. While first reading through the Ability, I wasn't sure I quite understood its intention due to sharing a similar function of the Daemonic manifestation and Manifestation Abilities. Raw mana stones could be consumed by the Manifestation Abilities to substitute the mana cost of maintaining the Manifestation’s effects, with a portion of all raw mana being sent to the Patron. Patron’s Conduit allowed raw mana stones in their proximity to be consumed and converted into mana with the patron taking a sizable chunk for themself. Furthermore, Patron’s Conduit’s secondary effect was passive activation while Daemonic Manifestation was active.

So if I understood the synergy of Abilities correctly, Ushu could theoretically maintain Daemonic Manifestation indefinitely provided he had enough enemies to fight and was able to kill them at a fast enough rate.

Daemonic Presence was more straightforward but had a number of potential downsides. Most prominently, Daemonic Presence would potentially Enrage any enemy Angels and Spirits who entered a radius determined by the maximum MP of the owner of the Ability. Similarly, enemy Beasts would be Terrified or Frightened, and all other enemies would be potentially Frightened. So long as Ushu had half or more of his maximum mana, or had Daemonic Manifestation Active, Daemonic presence would remain active as well.

Things became even more interesting with the Vested Patronage Ability allowing the Patron, Dar, to quite literally loan Ushu mana through their Pact, and vice versa. On its own, the ability to borrow additional mana wasn’t particularly alarming or impressive considering Ushu’s existing means of rapidly regaining mana. However, Ushu’s promotion and gaining the Daemonhost Leadership Class had caused a number of my own more recent Class Abilities to change as well, and the possibilities were incredibly destructive.

A small part of me regretted not using the opportunity to direct Ushu toward making a Pact with Ophelia instead. As his Patron, Ophelia would have made Ushu anathema to the undead, and by extension, myself as well.

The weight of the blow was lessened considerably by the knowledge that more Warlocks, Beast or otherwise, would form Pacts with Ophelia, given sufficient time and motivation. I just needed to make a point of expressing my willingness to support those willing to take that particular focus.

Drafting a sequence of quests to that effect was relatively simple. Setting aggressive milestones for progress allowed for greater Exp rewards, but the problem remained that higher tier monsters were required in order to prevent level stagnation.

Already faced with a dilemma regarding what to do with the current floor due to its Variant Beast population, I resisted the urge to become frustrated. Instead, my attention focused on the possibilities.

The Variant Carnifexes were an opportunity, and I already had a large number of potential recruits who were as motivated as I was, perhaps more so, in seeking the destruction of the Liche.

*Tingling*

A figure of middling height and wearing a suit of pale-grey plate and mail appeared before me. Dismissing his helmet and padded coif revealed a scarred and deathly pale face with pinkish-red eyes and shock-white hair.

#Majesty.# Fesk signed before bowing his head respectfully.

#What would you give for revenge on your former masters?# I signed in reply, not wanting to waste time and mana.

#Almost anything.# Fesk signed back almost immediately, his albino eyes staring up at me fiercely.

#Almost anything?# It hadn’t been the exact answer I had expected.

Fesk nodded solemnly, #I would not betray you or those you protect.#

I had the sense that Fesk wasn’t giving me the whole truth but also meant every word. #I have a path I wish for you to follow.# I issued Fesk with the questline I had worked on earlier. #The choice is still yours. Read it through and decide if the sacrifice is worth it.#

I dismissed Fesk’s Summoned projection and Summoned Ophelia to outline her role in my proposed plan. Unsurprisingly, she had no objections.

The Thralls taken prisoner during the temporary occupation of the Mournbrent Labyrinth had been the Slaves of the Liche and her Vampyr minions. With the exception of the citizens rescued from the city itself, I doubted few others would need so little prompting to pursue a Pact with Ophelia.

Provided Fesk followed through with acquiring Ophelia’s true name and unlocked the Warlock Class, a promotion would theoretically unlock a special Racial Leadership Class with the ability to claim Ushu as his Bonded Beast. In so doing, both Ushu and Fesk would possess overlapping access to the powers of one another’s patrons. Of course, that was assuming Dar and Ophelia’s powers were compatible in the first place.

Of course, I wouldn’t be giving Ushu up in either case. Not for the foreseeable future at any rate. With the exception of Cooper Ushu was the only Beast large enough to effectively serve the role of my mount. Until I could source a replacement, Fesk would fill the default role of a chauffeur as needed.

Assuming he accepted.

After initiating the Conquest, I found Fesk and Nadine slowly making their way down the tunnel and into the cavern. Wearing little besides their armour, Fesk and Nadine curiously wandered around the cavern while signing to one another.

With the centre space of the cavern deliberately kept clear to allow the reservists clean lines of access to the monolith that served as the Totem, I had no doubts that the pair had already seen me. For whatever reason, seeking me out did not seem to be an immediate priority.

Despite being more than capable of eavesdropping on their conversation, I elected to spend my time somewhat more productively instead and continued my studies.

With only Beasts to contend with, the Conquest was very likely to be a straightforward affair. Furthermore, with Ushu, Dhizi and Cooper already available to provide active support, I sincerely doubted my presence would be necessary.

The faint tremors I felt through the floor only served to reinforce my opinion that things would be kept well in hand.

I was part way through a reading exercise when I realised Nadine and Fesk had finished their tour of the cavern and had begun observing me instead.

Upon noticing that they had my attention, Nadine and Fesk made their way over to my makeshift table.

#When did you learn how to read?!# Nadine signed excitedly before becoming embarrassed, “I mean, sorry, I have been spending a bit too much time with Fesk-”

“It’s fine,” I insisted, “I get it.”

Nadine blushed but nodded in acceptance.

“As for your question? I was reviewing a copy of the local alphabet and realised that it had a number of structural similarities to braille, that written language for the deaf I told you about,” I explained, earning a mixed expression of surprise and recognition from Nadine, “I wasn’t exactly fluent in braille, so I have been working on transcribing different words to help with both fluency and recognising the different symbols.”

“Oh, well, it’s still impressive that you can teach yourself,” Nadine commented, “I have been trying to help Fesk because his written vocabulary is quite limited.”

Fesk nodded in agreement, which came as little surprise since I had already assumed his former masters had placed a low priority on his and other Thralls' literacy.

“Well, from what I can tell, Asrusian is mostly phonetic,” I explained slowly while pointing to a few of the words I was most familiar with, “Or at least that is how it comes across to me when spoken aloud. So I am not sure if it is an inherent property of the language, or if it is because of the Labyrinths translation magic.”

“Hrm, I hadn’t considered that,” Nadine admitted thoughtfully, “I think you might be onto something because I always thought some of the spelling was rather...counterintuitive...but-” She picked up one of the nearby books and snorted softly to herself before grinning slightly, “-I can see what you mean. When I actively think about the word I want to say and then consider writing it down, there is a sort of shift in my train of thought and the spelling ‘makes sense’ phonetically. But just as quickly, it doesn’t fit again. I hadn’t stopped to consider that the Labyrinths’ translation magic might interfere with things like that.”

“Especially since it doesn’t translate written communication,” I added in agreement.

“Why do you think that is?” Nadine asked curiously, “What purpose could it serve in doing one but not another?”

I shifted uncomfortably as several ideas came to mind all at once. “Isolation and paranoia,” I stated coldly, “I can think of a number of reasons why the Labyrinth would limit communication, but they all boil down to fostering isolation and paranoia. Which in turn makes them more unstable and prone to lashing out. Being able to reliably communicate across large distances is also important for maintaining order and benign control. The more unreliable communication becomes, the more draconian the measures that are required to maintain control.”

Nadine frowned slightly, furrowed her brow and then nodded, “I think I understand what you mean. But, you seem more than able to teach yourself, so doesn’t that sort of make it pointless?”

I shrugged, not completely convinced of our assumptions myself, “Maybe, but not everyone in my situation would have the right skills, or perhaps even the opportunity and time, to try. Others might refuse on general principle or won’t even recognise it as an option without prompting. Where I am from, there are places where being multilingual is a given, but other places are more entrenched in a singular language.”

Nadine slowly nodded, “I think I understand what you mean. It’s like how most of the continent uses the western trade language in addition to their own national language, but the Dromian Collective refuses to speak anything besides Dromian.”

“Exactly,” I agreed while making a mental note to take a look at a map later, “Does the western trade language use the same alphabet as Asrusian?” I asked curiously.

“Hrm? Oh,” Nadine had been momentarily distracted by a particularly heavy tremor, “All of the countries on the western continent use this alphabet,” she confirmed somewhat distractedly, “I don’t know about the eastern isles or southern continent though.”

“I should probably learn the western trade language as well then,” I sighed somewhat disappointedly. Braille and Auslan had been the extent of my multilingual aspirations on Earth after showing zero aptitude for learning Mandarin or Japanese in primary school.

“What’s making the ground shake?” Nadine asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

“Oh, that’s just Ushu, and maybe Cooper as well,” I replied somewhat distractedly before realising it was as good a segue as any for changing the subject toward my intentions for Fesk. “Has Fesk told you about my request?”

“Unlocking a special Warlock Class?” Nadine clarified.

I nodded.

“We talked about it while travelling through the capital,” Nadine elaborated with nods of agreement from Fesk, “Making a Pact with Ophelia to turn him into champion against the undead seems like it should work, but I don’t really understand why you suggested it so suddenly out of nowhere. Isn’t the army running trials on the Classes already?”

“They are,” I confirmed, “They are actually doing a great deal of that testing in this company.”

“Really?” Nadine looked around in surprise, “Besides being underground, nothing really seems all that different.”

I couldn’t help but grin a little at that, “Maybe we should head back above ground so you can see for yourself? You probably didn’t get a good look since the fighting wouldn’t have started in earnest before you both descended the tunnel.”

Nadine shifted her attention to Fesk. #What do you think?#

#I think we should go take a look.# Fesk signed back with obvious curiosity and more than a little excitement.

“Okay, let’s go take a look,” Nadine agreed.

Leaving the books and papers on the table, I led Nadine and Fesk back up the tunnel.

Similar to the previous floor, the majority of the fighting was performed by the ranged Classes and those with ranged weapons. However, the most prominent fighting was undertaken by Ushu and Cooper.

Of the two Dragons, Ushu was visibly more striking and drew the eye like a moth to an open flame.

Having activated his Manifestation Ability, Ushu’s scales and muscles had thickened considerably, taking on an amber hue. This served to increase his overall size by close to ten or twenty per cent, depending on the muscle groups in question.

Besides the increase in bulk and colouration, the most striking change was the second set of eyes paired along with the first, and the black hooked horn hovering a short distance from his brow.

Ushu’s second pair of eyes seemed capable of independently tracking movement, but I wasn’t sure exactly how much they improved or increased his total field of vision.

The horn was what interested me most. Jagged amber marks that looked similar to lightning strikes flashed across the surface of the horn in time with every kill notification I otherwise would have received for our location. As best I could tell, it was most likely a visual cue that represented the activation of Patron’s Conduit since I hadn’t seen anything similar from the other Warlocks thus far.

“Is that...Is that really Ushu?!” Nadine demanded with a sense of awe.

“It is,” I replied while watching as Ushu whipped his tail and dashed apart half a dozen Guzzards, reducing them to nothing more than a red mist.

“What?...how?....” Nadine shook her head but didn’t seem able to look away.

I shared Ushu’s Status with Nadine and Fesk so they would have a chance to figure it out for themselves.

#Like this. For me?# Fesk signed excitedly a few moments later. He probably hadn’t read much but seemed to have a general idea.

I nodded. #Similar. Angel, not Daemon. Maybe both.#

Fesk tilted his head curiously to one side and raised his pale eyebrows at me. #Both?#

#Maybe both.# I corrected him. #There is an Ability used for Bonding with a mount. That Ability shares all the Class Abilities of the rider and their Bonded mount.#

Fesk didn’t quite seem to grasp what I was getting at, but before I could elaborate, he looked back toward Ushu again and furrowed his brow in thought.

“This is...just...wow...” Nadine stated somewhat breathlessly, “It’s similar to the Warlock but so much more...Is this what you wanted to do with Fesk?”

“At the minimum,” I agreed.

“Minimum?” Nadine snorted incredulously.

“Have you checked Clarice’s Class Abilities recently?” I asked, dodging the question slightly.

Nadine frowned before taking a moment to think, “What do Clarice’s Class Abilities have to do with it?”

“It’s one Ability in particular,” I specified, “And it’s not exclusive to her Class either.”

Still frowning, Nadine took some more time to think.

Fesk nudged Nadine to get her attention. #Bonded with mount?# He signed with a curious expression. #Ushu and I will have both?#

Nadine’s eyes grew wide with surprise, “Both?...” She gasped and looked up at me with disbelieving eyes.

“Both,” I confirmed with a smirk, “Maybe. I don’t know if the powers of Daemons and Angels would even mix. Fesk and Ushu might only gain access to both, but have to choose which to Activate. Not that it would be the worst thing in the world either.”

“Both,” Nadine repeated incredulously, visibly struggling to accept the idea.

Despite his otherwise reserved nature, Fesk’s eyes burned with excitement. #Want.# Was all he could manage due to how hard his hands and arms were shaking.

“I’m glad,” I replied happily.

“Does Clarice know about this?” Nadine asked warily.

“This specifically? No. But Clarice knows about Ushu, so I wouldn’t expect her to take long before figuring it all out,” I replied honestly.

Nadine sighed and nodded before giving me a strange look, “So why didn’t you ask her to do the experiment? This is exactly the sort of thing she would go crazy over!”

I shifted somewhat uncomfortably while deciding just how honest I would be with my answer. “There wasn’t a guarantee Clarice would agree with choosing Ophelia as her Patron,” I explained slowly, “And I’m not sure about Dhizi either.”

Nadine frowned slightly as she thought it over but nodded her head in agreement afterwards, “I see your point. Knowing Clarice, she will no doubt try to form a Pact with Senn or maybe Dar as well.”

I sighed and nodded in agreement, “That sounds exactly like what she would do.”

“Okay, so what else does Fesk need to do exactly?” Nadine asked curiously, “He visited Ophelia before we left and has unlocked the Warlock Class, amongst others, so what’s next?”

Fesk looked up at me expectantly.

“Promotion is a part of it,” I explained, “But Fesk needs to unlock one of the mounted Classes as well. So I was thinking that saddling one of the goat monsters and getting some instruction from Nila or one of her team might do the trick. I’m not sure if promoting you now might make it more difficult to unlock one of the mounted Classes, so I’ll wait until you do, alright?” I had yet to unlock any of the mounted Classes myself, so I worried promoting Fesk too soon might limit his options later.

Fesk nodded animatedly. #I understand.#

Most of Nila’s team were in reserve since there wasn’t much to actually do while on the back of a Dragon. Enemies were well out of reach of spears and wings tended to get in the way of any attempts at using projectiles, as often as not.

Those left in reserve were only too keen to participate in the experiment. This wasn’t all that surprising since Nila had selected her team based on their open-mindedness and willingness to engage in activities beyond the established norm. At the end of the day, they had as much to gain as Fesk since they were no doubt already on a shortlist for promotions to Underlord. That list would no doubt grow considerably shorter once they informed their superiors of my discovery that Variant Beasts were capable of unlocking at least a small number of Classes.

If my predictions were correct, mounted Classes and those with a similar Bond Ability would become a high priority for the military.

This was good, since it would incentivise the military to expend far more effort and maintain a higher state of diligence when searching for Variant Beasts during our Conquests. However, it also meant that my musings for establishing a Beast welfare organisation needed to be ironed out much sooner than I had anticipated.

With Fesk undergoing his training, I returned to my studies.

Sometime in the early morning, I Summoned projections of Lash and our children so I could spend some time with them before going to sleep. I had decided that so long as the stronghold was safe enough and I had the mana to spare, I would make it part of my daily routine.

It wasn’t especially fair for the soldiers who no doubt missed their own families, but I had little doubt that any of them would do differently if they had the means. However, to prevent negatively influencing morale, or stoking resentment against myself, I made a proposal to the Major.

Given that the mana cost was entirely dependent on the Evolutionary Tier of the subject and their actions taken while Summoned, I was prepared to set aside a half hour of my time each morning and evening to facilitate short visits by projections of the soldiers’ family members.

Depending on the number of soldiers who would take me up on the offer, I would be reserving close to three-quarters of my mana each day. Most of that mana was for Lash, Pete and Suzy, but I also had to account for organically regenerating my mana and maintaining combat effectiveness.

Word got around quickly and the soldiers scheduled for rest were making formal inquiries with the Major’s aides.

Accompanied by one of the aides, the first group of soldiers were brought over to my study area not long afterwards.

I made sure to explain that each of them would be allotted a total of ten minutes each, assuming the desired target or targets were Human. If unwanted advances or lechery was directed toward their designated projection, they would be blacklisted. I had no problems with people in consensual relationships making the best of the opportunity and spending it how they see fit, but I was not a human-trafficking pimp.

Most of the soldiers seemed to understand well enough, but a couple looked somewhat embarrassed. Whether they had intended to attempt predatory lechery or were embarrassed that I had given the green light for consensual bedroom shenanigans, it was anyone’s guess.

Of course, the Major’s aide made a point of noting that any such activities would need to take place in a suitably walled-off and soundproofed area. Not for the sake of modesty per se, his intentions seemed to stem from maintaining general order and eliminating the worst distractions for the soldiers in reserve duty. This was fair enough since a walled-off area had already been established nearby so soldiers could catch up with family or friends in relative peace. What the aide was proposing would only take a few additional steps beyond what had been done already.

For the most part, the soldiers seemed to be unmarried, so they opted for Summoning projections of their parents and siblings. A younger woman tested the waters by requesting her boyfriend, which was trickier to facilitate. It would have been impossible if the common folk hadn’t taken the rules for adopting last names seriously. My ability to navigate the registry of my subordinates at will was only limited by available information used to narrow the search. I could locate anyone with a glance, but working by name alone slowed things considerably and invited an element of error unless I was able to cross reference through other individuals.

Fesk’s training seemed to be going well enough. Despite initial difficulties with remaining in the saddle when trying to make turns while at speed, Fesk got the hang of it eventually. With Nadine cheering him on and healing his injuries, Fesk maintained the same intensity from start to finish, refusing to let up until he met the requirements for the Cavalier Class.

With all the preparations completed, Fesk eagerly sought me out after returning his borrowed mount.

#You are sure?# I signed, giving him one last chance to back out.

Fesk nodded determinedly, #Certain!#

After only a moment's hesitation, I gave Fesk his promotion to Underlord. Using my authority as Tyrant I accepted the Class upgrade on his behalf and then waited while the promotion resolved Fesk’s new Class.

“Thrall Sin Eater?” I squatted down to take a closer look at him.

Fesk looked back at me expectantly.

He was completely unchanged.

Reviewing his Status, I ignored Nadine’s sudden appearance and skimmed through Fesk’s Class Abilities.

Manifestation of Corruption. Functionally identical to Ushu’s Daemonic Manifestation, the only difference was that the Ability specified a Fallen One instead of a Daemon when referencing the Pact’s Patron. It was something of a blunt reminder that Orphiel and Ophelia were not ‘pure’ Angels and the Labyrinth had a clear distinction regarding their true nature.

Grace of the Fallen was somewhat more interesting than Daemonic Presence. Besides Enraging Angels, which was probably going to cause problems at some point. Grace of the Fallen added Fesk’s Presence to his Agility, or his Agility to his presence, for the purposes of determining the bonus effects of his Abilities. It also allowed Fesk to spend mana to attempt to Charm an enemy.

Martial Mastery was a carryover from Fesk’s original Class and provided passive benefits to Momentum and reaction speed while using a weapon associated with the Ability.

Unfortunately, Fesk’s Sin Eater Class did not begin with the Ability to Bond to a mount but he did have the apparent namesake of his custom Class, Sin Eater.

Similar to Orphiel and Ophelia, Sin Eater allowed Fesk to Heal others by taking on their wounds and negative Conditions at the cost of mana. However, taking damage and Conditions through the use of the Ability would temporarily provide stacking levels of resistance against Negative damage, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Life Drain, Diseases, Poisons and Venoms. On the whole, Sin Eater wasn’t a bad Class Ability at all.

Diverting the bonus Exp from Nadine temporarily toward Fesk, I was relieved when an upgraded equivalent of Bonded Mount was added to the list of his Abilities.

Bonded Warbeast was functionally the same Ability, it just added Fear Resistance based on Fesk’s Presence. Ushu probably wouldn’t benefit much from the increased Resistance, but it was better to have it than not.

Curiously, and somewhat disappointedly, Fesk didn’t unlock the Vested Patronage or Patron’s Conduit Abilities. As best as I could tell, the underlying reason was most likely due to the sheer number of Classes being drawn on by Sin Eater.

Fesk and Nadine didn’t seem to be disappointed and were actively signing back and forth as they discussed his new Abilities.

With the possibility that the Abilities would be made available through Bonding with Ushu, I decided to wait and see before expressing any disappointment.

#-don’t think it would look so bad.# Nadine signed in response to something Fesk had signed while I wasn’t paying attention.

Fesk looked conflicted.

#Go on, try it.# Nadine insisted.

Fesk worriedly worked his jaw for a few moments before nodding his head. #Okay.#

At first, nothing seemed to have happened. However, after a few moments, six scythe-like translucent copper-coloured wings materialised behind Fesk’s back and a glowing copper-coloured halo appeared above his head.

Fesk tilted his chin upward in an attempt to look at his halo but was immediately distracted after noticing his wings.

I pressed Nadine back, just in case.

I had seen the wings on another Warlock penetrate a Vampyr with no apparent effort, so I felt it would be best to demonstrate some degree of caution.

In the name of scientific inquiry, and sating my own curiosity, I gingerly attempted to touch the bladed section of one of the upper wings. To my surprise, relief, and no small measure of disappointment, I felt nothing. My fingers just passed harmlessly through the coppery translucent as if it was air.

“Seems safe,” I told Nadine, who seemed just as curious as I had been, “Couldn’t even feel anything.”

Nadine was about to reach forward for herself but stopped abruptly as the bladed segments of Fesk’s wings suddenly turned solid and shone with a dangerous sharpness. “Uh, care to try again?” Nadine asked with a small grin.

“Not particularly,” I replied honestly, “But I will anyway, for science.” I reached out and pressed my thumb against the edge of one of the blades. Or I intended to do so but stopped as I felt no resistance from the blade and a pang of pain shoot up my arm.

Carefully retracting my hand, I raised my thumb so I could take a closer look and frowned.

“What is it?” Nadine asked, “I didn’t see any blood. Did it even break the skin?”

“It cut to the bone,” I replied dryly, “The edge was too sharp and fine to leave room for my thumb to bleed before the wound closed on its own.” I lowered my hand again so Nadine could take a look at the thin scar that now ran the width of my thumb.

“Woah! That would probably have taken someone's hand off!” Nadine exclaimed.

Fesk silently transformed the blades back into light again. #What was that like?# Nadine signed hurriedly at Fesk.

Fesk shrugged. #Light touch. Lost mana.#

Glancing at Fesk’s Status I confirmed that he had in fact lost mana, but I wasn’t sure how much was from the experiment with the blade and how much was from maintaining his Manifestation.

#Can you do anything else?# Nadine signed with avid curiosity.

Fesk shrugged and was about to sign something but I interrupted him.

“He should be able to fly,” I stated confidently, “Although I am not sure how exactly beyond using the wings in some way.”

Fesk looked surprised. #Fly? Really?#

I nodded, “Ophelia and Orphiel can fly without effort, but I think it drains mana when one of the Warlocks tries it. So maybe concentrate on the idea of flying or floating while gathering mana?”

Fesk seemed uncertain but nodded his head before closing his eyes.

Close to a full minute passed before Fesk’s booted feet gently lifted off the ground. Unfortunately, the sudden shift in sensation seemed to have rattled Fesk and caused him to lose concentration and fall to the ground.

Fesk closed his eyes and tried again, managing to float off the ground after only a few moments of concentration. However, he only managed to rise a few inches off the ground.

Nadine squatted on the ground and passed her hand beneath his feet, “You’re right, he's definitely flying, erm, floating I mean.”

“Fesk probably just needs more practice,” I replied thoughtfully, “Maybe try concentrating on the tower and think about moving toward it?” I suggested helpfully.

Fesk nodded and then stared at the tower. Almost immediately, Fesk began to drift toward the tower. Then, without warning, he closed the remaining distance in less than a second and crashed into the tower’s wall.

“FESK!” Nadine cried out in alarm as Fesk fell to the ground.

Still looking at Fesk’s Status, I could see that he had lost only a handful of HP and hadn’t gained any negative Conditions. Relatively confident that Fesk would be fine, I slowly began making my own way toward the tower.

Already sitting up and shaking his head, Fesk had begun animatedly signing in response to signs made by Nadine. Unable to clearly make out what Nadine was signing with her back turned toward me, I stopped walking without meaning to as I tried to puzzle out her half of their conversation based on what Fesk was signing.

#I am fine.# Fesk repeated several times. #I promise.# He tried to rest his hand reassuringly on her arm but hesitated because Nadine was still signing. #I would tell you.# Fesk signed with a serious expression. #You have said it many times. Blows to the head are bad.# He waited while Nadine signed something in response. #I know, but I didn’t hit my head. My hands hit the wall and my butt hit the ground.# Fesk smiled as he signed the last.

Nadine punched Fesk’s breastplate and then recoiled her hand while hissing in pain.

Fesk’s smile disappeared and was replaced with concern as reached out toward her hand.

There was a bright flash of copper light.

Fesk smiled but his hands were otherwise occupied so he remained silent.

“Idiot, you didn’t have to do that,” Nadine said quietly.

Fesk raised an eyebrow in exaggerated scepticism and then made a point of looking down at his breastplate before lookback at Nadine and grinning.

“Shut up!” Nadine hissed with embarrassment, pulling away her hands and deliberately looking away while crossing her arms over her chest.

Fesk opened his mouth and made a clicking sound with his tongue before grinning at her again.

“OH! You know what I meant!” Nadine huffed crossly, but I could see she was beginning to smile.

Lost in my own thoughts momentarily as I processed everything, I didn’t immediately react when Nadine tried to get my attention. “Sorry what?” I asked apologetically.

Nadine and Fesk had both gotten to their feet and seemed to be making an effort to stand apart from one another.

Nadine looked slightly confused and more than a little embarrassed, “You said, that makes sense,” she stated with a little pitchiness in her voice and blushing slightly.

“Oh...” Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed as I tried to decide whether or not to tell the truth.

Perhaps mistaking my silence for deliberate intimidation, Nadine and Fesk began to fidget uneasily and sneak glances with one another.

“Fine,” I sighed exasperatedly, “It’s not like I can pretend that I haven't noticed. Not now anyway.”

Nadine flinched.

“You two are dating, aren’t you?” After reflecting on their behaviour, I figured that they were either dating or very close to starting to.

#What is?# Fesk signed somewhat awkwardly while trying not to look guilty.

#Dating, courting, romantic relationship.# I signed back.

Fesk’s hands stiffly fell to his sides.

“W-Well, it’s not like we planned it!” Nadine insisted defensively with a hint of worry in her voice.

“So?” I replied bluntly.

Nadine flinched and visibly deflated, actively looking away to avoid eye contact. “We are courting,” she admitted, “But we aren’t sleeping together...”

#Separate beds!# Fesk signed emphatically while his wings twitched nervously. It was incredibly strange to see someone with a halo above their head with an expression of such profound guilt.

“That’s not really any of my business...” I replied awkwardly.

“Huh?...” Nadine stared up at me in confusion.

“What you do in your relationship is none of my business,” I repeated, making an effort to add additional clarification.

Nadine only seemed to become more confused and Fesk looked completely lost.

“You mean, you don’t mind?” Nadine asked dubiously.

‘Why should I?” I countered, ‘I’m pretty sure we cleared up the whole harem thing ages ago. I’m not interested in a polygamous relationship.”

Nadine stared at me with an expression of dumbfounded confusion, “Harem?”

“Why else would you think I would be upset?” I countered somewhat defensively.

Nadine glanced back at Fesk for a moment before warily looking up at me again, “Because Fesk is meant to be your prisoner?” Nadine replied with mounting uncertainty.

“Oh...” I had kind of forgotten about that particular detail. Fesk had made no attempts at harming anyone and his agreeableness, or I supposed his silence, meant he hadn’t really made any waves up until now. So it had been only too easy to focus on the positives in his behaviour. The fact that he was technically meant to be a prisoner under strict conditions of parole hadn’t crossed my mind in a long time.

Fesk shifted uneasily.

“I don’t see a problem with it,” I stated, “To be honest, I kind of forgot,” I admitted, “If I was to write out a list of people I would expect to stab me in my sleep, Clarice would definitely be higher on the list then Fesk would be.”

Nadine took a breath and was about to reply but fell silent, took on a thoughtful expression, sighed and nodded in agreement, “I could see that,” she admitted tiredly before focusing on me again, “You really don’t have a problem with it, with us, I mean?” Nadine reached for Fesk’s hand without breaking eye contact.

I watched as Fesk firmly rook hold her hand and stared up at me with an odd expression. It was a strange combination of hope, defiance, obedience and expectation all rolled into one. It left me with the impression that Fesk would accept my decision, but it would probably have consequences a long way down the road.

“I have no problems with it,” I replied with a sigh, “You’re both consenting adults, so far as I’m aware, and Fesk hasn’t given me any reasons to think he’ll switch back to serving his old masters. If you want to pursue a romantic relationship with one another, it’s really none of my business.” I shrugged to express just how much of a non-issue it was for me.

The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Fesk and Nadine were dating.

*****

Clarice sighed in disappointment as she watched Tim retreat back down underground. While she had not expected him to lose his temper, Clarice had thought that Nadine would, at the very least, be given a stern talking to.

“Tch,” Clarice spat the accumulated dust and grit from her lips and returned to watching Dhizi stalk a nearby hillside from her own vantage point atop the wall.

Tim had been right when he pointed out the dangers of accumulated mental fatigue, so she was taking care not to overextend herself. The Conquest only had a few hours left, but Clarice wanted to give Dhizi as much time to enjoy herself as possible before it came to an end.

When the Conquest came to an end, Dhizi seemed to have well and truly tired herself out, putting up no fight whatsoever as Clarice began removing her saddle.

Only partway through removing Dhizi’s saddle, Clarice was surprised when Ushu, completely unattended, settled himself down only a few feet away from Dhizi.

Expecting another low-scale conflict, Clarice was almost disappointed when Ushu made no signs of hostility whatsoever. Still altered by the Daemon's influences on his appearance, Clarice wondered if Dar somehow had a tempering influence on Ushu’s aggression.

For her part, Dhizi was nervous at first but calmed down quickly after Ushu made it clear that he wasn’t going to start a fight.

Unwilling to leave the two alone together for fear of the peace being broken in her absence, Clarice borrowed a bedroll from one of the soldiers and began setting up a sleeping space beside Dhizi.

Nila and Cooper arrived shortly after Clarice had finished and was stripping her armour.

Cooper arrived shortly afterwards and settled herself down beside Ushu while Nila and her team removed her saddle. Partway through her saddle being removed, Tim arrived with Nadine and Fesk in tow.

“Well, this looks like progress,” Tim commented approvingly while nodding toward Dhizi and Ushu.

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything else besides bribe him?” Clarice asked sceptically. The change in behaviour had been too quick and happened all at once, making it difficult for her to believe that it was genuinely a shift in behaviour and not an act.

“I suppose some of what I said could have been interpreted as a threat,” Tim mused thoughtfully, “But I think you are radically underestimating just how profound an issue treasure addiction is for Dragons.”

Clarice frowned, “Dhizi’s not like that,” she countered.

“Dhizi’s technically not a Dragon,” Tim countered before raising his hands placatingly, “Wyverns are like cousins, so it would make sense that she wouldn’t share all the same strengths and weaknesses to the same degrees.”

Clarice had to admit that made a certain degree of sense. “So what are you doing now? Just stopping by to remove his saddle?” She hadn’t intended to make it sound like an accusation, but Clarice would have been lying if she said she wasn’t annoyed by how long Ushu had been left waiting. Sleeping and resting in a saddle was comparable to sleeping in armour, and Clarice doubted Ushu enjoyed it.

“That’s one of the reasons,” Tim agreed as he began loosening some of Ushu’s straps, “I think this saddle is probably on the way out, so I would like you take some measurements and pass them along,” he directed the last toward Nila, who nodded before continuing to remove Cooper’s saddle.

“What’s the other reason?” Clarice asked curiously.

“An experiment,” Tim stated with his typical infuriating vagueness.

Before Clarice could ask a follow-up question, Fesk stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Ushu.

Ushu shifted his attention from Cooper to Fesk and stared down at him with a domineering intensity.

Fesk held his ground and stared defiantly back at Ushu.

The tension was immediately broken as Fesk extended his hand palm facing upward toward Ushu’s snout.

Ushu’s nostrils flared and he turned his head to one side to inspect Fesk’s hand. “Sssilverrrrr!” Ushu growled possessively.

Fesk nodded and closed his hand into a fist before pointing at Ushu, then at the saddle on ushu’s back, and finally back at himself.

“Crazy bastard,” Clarice chuckled, glancing briefly toward Tim before returning her attention to Fesk and Ushu.

“Miiiiine!” Ushu growled, curling his scaly lips and revealing two rows of serrated teeth.

Fesk repeated the motions again.

Ushu exposed more of his teeth.

“Is this really necessary?” Nadine asked warily, “Can’t you just transfer the Bond or something?”

“Can’t,” Tim replied glibly, “We don’t have one.”

“Wait, what?” Nadine’s face turned white with fright and she slowly backed away from Ushu, “Then what has been stopping him from-”

“Mutual respect,” Tim interjected seriously and then grinned, “And a fair bit of bribery to keep him on his best behaviour.”

Clarice frowned. She had been under the impression that Ushu was still Enslaved.

Given the Dragon’s temperament, it seemed incredibly dangerous not to maintain some degree of control.

Clarice’s frown deepened as she recalled the incident in Sanctuary’s Grove. Realising that Dhizi could have been badly hurt or even killed, Clarice was about to give Tim a piece of her mind but stopped abruptly as something else drew her attention.

Fesk had opened his hand again, revealing a slowly expanding disk of silver. As the disk continued to grow, Clarice was able to make out more details.

The silver disk was covered by intricate etchings of curious symbols that resembled the pictures Clarice had seen drawn on rare high-level potions. A single hole punched near the edge of the disk held a pair of silver links, one of which had a small bar and screw on its far end.

“An earring?!” Clarice demanded incredulously.

Much to her irritation, Ushu had visibly calmed down and was even presenting Fesk with the ribbed fan-like crest on the right side of his head.

Fesk looked back toward Tim for confirmation before unscrewing the earring while Tim used a sword to make a small incision in the leathery membrane of the crest to make space for the earring.

Once the earring was locked in place, Ushu made a series of satisfying huffing sounds as he slowly shook his head back and forth to agitate the earring.

“Why are you acting like a little girl who was given her first earring?” Clarice muttered quietly, “It’s not even your first one-” Her eyes widened in surprise as Fesk’s body began to swell, “What the fuck?...”

Segments of Fesk’s armour were destroyed as Fesk’s muscles swelled to absurd size. His pale white skin shimmered with amber hues and revealed orange-tinged scales that now covered every inch of his exposed body. Fesk’s slender frame had been substantially reinforced and his lower jaw had grown thick bony ridges and spikes. However, what drew Clarice’s attention most of all was the large shimmering obsidian horn hovering a fingerbreadth from Fesk’s forehead.

Before Clarice was even certain of what she was seeing, a shimmering copper ring appeared above Fesk’s head and six scythe-like copper wings appeared on his back.

Clarice’s eyes ached as she tried to take everything in. “H-Hey-” The words died in her throat as a far larger but otherwise identical copper ring appeared above Ushu’s head. ‘What...the...fuck?...” Clarice desperately struggled with her shell-shocked mind and tried to get a grip on what was going on.

What she was seeing should have been impossible, or, at least, that is what her mind kept repeating over and over again.

The translucent copper wings and halos were obviously Manifestations of the Angels, but the obsidian horns and amber scales were from one of the Daemons. Possessing both characteristics simultaneously seemed...wrong...Not just impossible, but something that should be punished for even having attempted.

Pulling off his ruined gauntlets, Fesk revealed thick boney claws and more amber-scaled flesh. A second pair of eyes had formed alongside the first, and a thick Swamp-lurker-like tail materialised on his back. Far from afraid, Fesk looked down at his altered hands and gave a savage smile that revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Clarice’s thoughts proclaiming abomination and blasphemy were silenced almost immediately and completely as Clarice felt a familiar pang of jealousy. Narrowing her eyes, Clarice focused her attention on Tim. Whatever was going on, Clarice was certain Tim would be at the centre of it.

“I want it too!” Clarice growled quietly, “I want to become stronger!”