Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 53 - The darkest dungeon - Part Six

Things were not going quite as I had hoped they would. My plan to enrage the Angel and compromise its ability to think rationally had backfired spectacularly. Having Ophelia drain the Divinity from Sebet’s cage and free the little Devil had been a step too far.

“DIE FOR YOUR SINS!” The Angel howled, his eyes flashing with righteous anger and bathing the chamber in golden light.

Blinded, my breath caught in my throat as a pain unlike anything I had yet experienced exploded inside of my mind.

Everything went dark and I felt myself slipping

“No,” Ophelia’s voice was accompanied by tendrils of shimmering amber that lanced through the inky blackness of the void.

The light, such as it was, returned a sense of awareness to my surroundings.

One by one, my senses returned.

A ravenous hunger asserted itself almost immediately. Unable to resist, I retained only a vague sense of awareness as my body moved through the motions of sating it’s desperate need. Biting, ripping, tearing, crunching and otherwise gorging through whatever lay within reach.

Although heavily distorted and dampened, my hearing returned without warning and was dominated by desperate screaming. Unable to place the voice, I continued to feed. Hoping that my sight would fully return and get me into the fight.

As if guided by my own perception of need, my vision slowly began to return. The void and amber light gave way to resplendent silver and gold.

Pulling away with a fresh mouthful of meat and bones, I realised that I was holding my food with both hands despite being unable to feel either of them. Bringing the food toward my mouth, I recognised parts of the food were in fact my own arms and hands. The mangled heap of meat was struggling hard to free itself from my grip, spattering my arms with its silver and gold blood and viscera.

After taking another bite, I realised that the meat was also the source of the screaming. Its cries would intensify and rise in pitch each time I readied myself for another bite. Contrary to my former expectations, discovering the source of the screams lessened my sense of urgency. There was still a present sense of danger, but not as I had expected there to be.

Feeling in my limbs gradually began to return, and with it, pain.

The meat was fighting back.

Tendrils of gold and silver light were arcing from the meat and raking at my arms, chest and face. For whatever reason, the pain they inflicted wasn’t nearly enough to stop me from feeding. If anything, the momentary flashes of pain only served to temporarily intensify my hunger.

No matter how much I continued to feed, the meat remained more or less the same size. However, its resistance eventually began to wane, and with its absence higher levels of awareness slowly began returning to my mind.

I was in a dungeon.

I had been injured, badly, and was feeding to try and recover.

I was not alone. I could now see Gric and Ophelia hovering just out of arm's reach.

Ophelia’s face was matted with bright copper blood and it made me angry.

I felt the bones inside of the meat buckle and break as my fists tightened.

Lifting the meat toward my mouth for another bite, I paused as I recognised a humanoid shape.

After staring for what felt like an eternity, my vision slowly brought the shape into focus and revealed its identity.

The Angel stared back at me with listless eyes. The Angel’s gold and silver blood matted the remains of his savaged armour. The entire upper right side of the Angel’s armour was missing entirely and left bare his pale unsullied flesh.

Before I realised what I was doing, I had already brought the Angel’s exposed shoulder up to my mouth.

*Crunch.*

The Angel whimpered as I pulled him away, ripping and scraping the muscles off of his bones before shearing through the cartilage and bone of his shoulder.

Working my jaw, I began to chew, breaking the bones and drawing in more of his severed arm in the process. As horrified as I felt, I couldn’t stop myself.

The Angel’s wound glowed briefly and sealed itself shut as the Angel fell unconscious.

My hands began to shake as I fought against the compulsion to continue feeding.

“Take...away...from...me...” I groaned nauseously.

Gric was quick to obey, bodily taking hold of the Angel and viciously yanking him free of my trembling hands.

“S-Sebet?” I slurred while stiffly retracting my hands and hugging them tight under my armpits in an attempt to restrain them.

“Wounded, my Tyrant,” Ophelia replied calmly, “But alive,” she moved aside to reveal Sebet’s badly burned form soaking in a large saucepan of water.

Shifting my attention back to Ophelia, I became aware of the blisters and burns beneath the blood letting her face. “Thank...you...Oph-elia...” I had given her no such order to heal Sebet and appreciated the demonstration of initiative and sacrifice.

Ophelia humbly bowed her head.

“My Tyrant,” Gric’s clawed fingers tightened their hold on the enemy Angel, “I believe Ophelia’s decisive actions in saving your life deserve a boon.”

I stared at Gric uncomprehendingly for a few moments before recalling the pain that had briefly rendered me senseless.

“The Angel attempted to pass Judgement upon us,” Gric elaborated, no doubt guessing at my momentary confusion, “Your Ability allowed us to resist, but at a heavy cost to yourself, my Tyrant.”

It took a few more moments, but I recalled Lash being targeted by a similar Ability when we faced off against Orphiel.

“Ophelia immediately moved to render aid, even as the Angel pursued her. Ignoring the Angel’s attack, she restored your strength sufficiently to allow you to reenter the fight,” Gric motioned to the weeping hole in Ophelia’s breastplate, “If I might be so bold, my Tyrant, I would propose Ophelia be allowed the remainder of the Angel’s Divinity.”

Ophelia gave Gric a curious glance, apparently just as surprised by the suggestion as myself.

Still fighting hard against my hunger, it was becoming increasingly difficult to think. “Fine,” I agreed somewhat dismissively, “But I...Urk...I need...” I grimaced in pain as my hands began to claw at my armpits.

A sudden movement drew my attention to Toofy as she cautiously emerged from beneath a pile of discarded equipment. After briefly glancing at the unconscious Angel, Toofy wasted no further time in racing in my direction. However, Ophelia snatched hold of Toofy’s tunic just as she was about to cross the blood-spattered tiles that roughly approximated my reach.

“Why?!” Toofy scowled at Ophelia and bared her teeth menacingly.

Ophelia simply shook her head, pointed to the ground and then to the maimed Angel, “It is not safe.”

Toofy’s scowl deepened and she was about to say something else but grew very still as my stomach violently and urgently expressed its displeasure. Slowly backing away behind Ophelia, her eyes wide with fear, Toofy waved her hand and they both disappeared behind a mountain of fruits, vegetables and roasted meat.

Unable to hold back my hunger any longer, I began gorging myself on the small mountain of food.

By the time I regained a proper degree of control over myself, the mountain of food had all but disappeared. This was particularly disconcerting since I vaguely recalled Toofy replenishing the pile at least four times.

Ophelia was hunched over the prostrate remains of the maimed Angel while Gric watched with an expression of malicious glee. With each passing moment, the Angel’s skin grew increasingly dull and lifeless.

Toofy seemed to be feeding Sebet some sort of mushy paste while she remained mostly submerged in the large saucepan.

Despite my hunger, I had no shortage of mana and decided to do something about Sebet’s condition.

*Tingling*

Wraithe lingered by my side just long enough to cut free my belt and appropriate the satchel of medical supplies before hurrying over to Sebet’s side. “Not good,” Wraithe hissed loudly while shoving Toofy away with her tail.

“Gric...” My mind ached and made it difficult to concentrate but I forced myself to focus.

“Yes, my Tyrant?” Gric abandoned his position beside Ophelia and the dying Angel to stand before me instead.

“Sebet...would promotion...” I grimaced as the pain inside of my head momentarily intensified, “Would it help her?...”

Gric stiffened for a moment but otherwise betrayed no signs of irritation and aggravation, “A promotion would render most of the damage irrelevant,” he admitted coldly, “As would Wraithe’s ministrations.”

“Gric,” I made a point of staring him straight in the eyes, “I have...plans...for...her. Work that...needs...her skills...”

Gric lowered his gaze and glanced briefly over his shoulder in Sebet’s general direction before nodding his head obediently. “As you say, my Tyrant.”

After taking a minute to concentrate, I assigned Sebet her own Faction and promoted her to Overlord.

The reaction was immediate.

The moment I confirmed the promotion, Sebet’s body began contorting and growing in size.

As best I could tell from my vantage point, Gric was right. Sebet’s charred skin was grown anew, reborn a bloody crimson tinged with flecks of black that intensified and concentrated around her extremities. This left her hands, feet, ears, and the fingers of her wings in a dark contrast to the rest of her body, but somehow it seemed to suit Sebet just fine.

The small horns on her forehead had migrated to the nape of her skull and had grown large and twisted like the horns of a ram, effectively shielding the back and both sides of her head. Similarly, Sebet’s wings had grown considerably larger in proportion to her size.

“You could have waited!” Wraithe chastised irritably, “Treating her will be that much more costly now!”

Before I had time to properly consider a response, the chamber began to shudder.

“The dungeon is collapsing,” Gric declared matter of factly while casually looking around the chamber.

“I will create a path,” Ophelia replied grimly as she stared down at the disintegrating remains of the Angel beneath her, “My control is limited, but it should suffice.”

The rumbling and shuddering momentarily intensified as the far wall featuring the sculpted cliffside collapsed to reveal a dark tunnel.

Grunting and groaning, I forced myself to stand and lost my armour in the process. The hauberk was so badly damaged that most of it fell away the moment I disturbed it, and without my belt to halt it’s descent, it all fell to the floor.

Gric picked up Blackthorn from where I had dropped it and obediently fell in line beside me as I began slowly making my way across the chamber.

Toofy appeared a few moments later and began shoving Wraithe, “Go time!”

Wraithe waved Toofy off and pointed vaguely in my direction, “Fetch the other one, then we go.”

Looking over my shoulder, I grimaced as I realised we had left the Fairy, Dan, behind. My conflicted emotions only intensified when I realised he was lying prone and unmoving inside of his cage. The only consolation I could find was that Wraithe did not seem to find his current state to be a higher priority than the lingering damage left by the Angel against Sebet.

Toofy gave Wraithe a nonplussed scowl and then went running to fetch Dan’s cage.

Ophelia seemed to be in no hurry, taking her time to make her own way toward the tunnel. She didn’t seem to be particularly distracted either, which left me feeling conflicted regarding how much time we had to vacate the dungeon.

Despite Sebet’s new body being roughly six feet tall Wraithe seemed to have no problems in bundling Sebet and her large wings up in her arms and making haste toward the tunnel. All while carrying the large satchel of medical supplies with her barbed tail.

Toofy caught us up in no time at all, but I noticed her hesitate before she approached me directly. However, before I had a chance to dwell on it, Toofy had leapt up onto my left arm and anchored herself in place with her claws. Toofy then proceeded to climb up onto my shoulder and nervously pat my head while giving me a nervous and embarrassed smile of apology.

I couldn’t blame Toofy for how she had behaved. I wasn’t all that keen on being around myself either.

It was taking a great deal of concentration not to think about-

Not to remember-

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, hoping the pain would provide a distraction.

It only made things worse.

Contrary to the aesthetic of the dungeon thus far, the walls, ceiling and floor of the tunnel were rough crudely shaped stone and seemed to be devoid of traps.

Thanks to her natural agility, Wraithe was able to maintain a sizable lead. It was just as well since it made it that much easier to divert my attention to avoiding disturbing subjects of reflection.

The absence of traps was greatly appreciated, but a part of me wanted to flinch each time I set one foot down in front of the other. It just seemed so bizarre to be making headway without a deadly trap springing out of nowhere.

The rumbling gradually intensified and I made the mistake of looking over my shoulder to check on Ophelia’s progress.

The tunnel was literally collapsing behind her.

Despite the danger, Ophelia seemed to be unphased and continued at the same sedate pace, remaining a dozen steps ahead of the collapse at any given moment.

“She is feeding on the dungeon,” Gric explained with mild disinterest, “Controlling its collapse.”

I didn’t quite know what to say. However, watching the collapse more closely I could see that it was following a repeating pattern that should have been impossible for a natural collapse.

I was so preoccupied with paying attention to what lay behind me that I almost crossed the threshold without realising it. Which was just as well, since the exit looked like a dead end. I would have stopped dead in my tracks if I hadn’t blundered straight into it.

Expecting to be blinded by the sudden transition to daylight, I was somewhat relieved and concerned to find that it was late evening and the sun was close to setting.

So far as I could tell, we had left through the same gateway we entered through in the first place. Although it was hard to be certain since the moment Ophelia crossed the threshold, both she and the gate disappeared.

“-needs proper rest to recuperate,” Wraithe insisted while tying Sebet to Dhizi’s saddle with Nadine’s assistance.

“That still doesn’t tell me who she is,” Clarice groused, “And where is Tim?”

Wraithe pointed in my direction with her tail but otherwise remained focused on her task.

“Hrm?...” Clarice followed Wraithe’s tail and jumped back a step, “Bloody hell!”

Even without a mirror, I knew my appearance was bound to be disturbing, so Clarice’s reaction was not at all surprising.

Ignoring Clarice’s outburst, I stiffly sat myself down, conjured some food, and began to eat.

“We were worried about you,” Nadine admitted as she cautiously made her way over, “Your HP got really low for a while there...”

I wasn’t really sure what to say to that, so I nodded and continued eating.

“Most of that blood doesn’t look like it’s yours,” Nadine prompted, “But are you sure you are alright?”

“No,” I grunted uncomfortably, “And I don’t want to talk about it...”

Nadine looked conflicted but remained silent as she began circling me to assess potential sources of damage. “Most of this blood isn’t yours,” Nadine commented neutrally.

Anticipating a wave of nausea in response to the reminder, I was surprised when the moment came and went without any noticeable reaction. The lapse in concentration was enough for the remaining thoughts to tumble loose with the same lack of fanfare and active reaction.

I had gorged myself on another living being, someone who looked human, and that fact failed to disgust or horrify me. However, that thought in and of itself was profoundly disconcerting. A well-adjusted person would be mentally disturbed over engaging in cannibalism, yet I felt nothing.

“My time grows short,” Gric announced and offered me Blackthorn’s handle, “Returning to Sanctuary for a time might prove wise for yourself as well, my Tyrant.”

I nodded noncommittally and accepted Blackthorn.

“Toofy is gone soon too,” Toofy added with notable disappointment and reluctance while hugging the side of my head, “Tim will come home?”

Before I could answer, Toofy’s projection disappeared. Wraithe caught Dan’s cage before he hit the ground and then made her way back over to Dhizi to secure it somewhere out of sight.

With a depressed sigh, I conjured several barrels of water and made an attempt at scrubbing the dried blood from my face and chest. To my surprise, the gold and silver blood of the Angel was already gone, so all that remained was my own.

I now understood why Nadine’s reaction had not been more intense.

There was still a great deal of blood, but without the luminescent glow of the Angel’s blood to draw focus, only the densest concentrations of my own blood were particularly visible.

Clarice and Dhizi had left by the time I finished, and Wraithe’s projection along with them. This left Nadine, Fesk and Ushu to accompany me back to Hamburg. Instead of riding back, I chose to walk, which incidentally forced them to do the same.

The simple exercise helped distract my thoughts somewhat but not as much as I had hoped it would.

Upon arriving at Hamburg, I handed Blackthorn off to Fesk and decided to follow Toofy’s suggestion in returning to Sanctuary.

My sudden decision would have caused the Asrusians some trouble if they hadn’t already been preparing an escort for Clarice, Dhizi and Sebet to pass through the capital. All I had to do was tag along. It wasn’t like anyone could stop me.

The city was surprisingly active despite the imminent curfew, or perhaps because of it. Men and women hurried about their business with an intense urgency and purpose that would have given me pause if the soldiers serving as my escort failed to clear a path.

Of course, Dhizi earned no small amount of awed stares, but most seemed to originate from children peeking out from windows overlooking the main road. Clarice was only too happy to wave at the children as she passed them by, which, in a fashion, reminded me of the annual Christmas pageant back home.

Sebet would have drawn attention, but Wraithe had bundled her otherwise naked form quite thoroughly before tying her to Dhizi’s saddle. She looked no different from the other bundled supplies attached to Dhizi’s saddle, which I supposed was the whole point.

After passing through the Gateway, I made my own way to The Grove while Clarice and Dhizi took a detour to the hospital where Wraithe was no doubt already waiting for them.

The lake was larger than I remembered and the trees growing in the centre were much taller. Both were bustling with activity despite the late hour.

Lizardmen hatchlings were darting to and fro in the water while their adult caretakers slowly patrolled the periphery. Similarly, a couple of dozen small dark-scaled and snake-tailed humanoids I assumed were Evolutions of the Serpent-Kin, were likewise playing in the shallows under the observation of their Serpent-Kin parents.

The adults and adolescents of each group made a point of demonstrating respect as I passed them by but I didn’t pay them much attention since my focus was elsewhere.

Lash was chasing Pete and Suzy around the shallows near the cave that led to our home, making an exaggerated show of coming up short as the twins madly scrambled to escape.

The twins had grown at least a few inches since I had last seen them and were moving about with far more confidence. The moment they spotted me the game was abandoned as Pete and Suzy began excitedly splashing their way in my direction.

Following our children’s sudden shift in focus, Lash seemed surprised to see me. She went so far as to rub her eyes and stare for a moment before chasing after Suzy and Pete with a big smile on her face.

In stark contrast to their game, Lash had no trouble snatching up the twins while sprinting through the shallows. She slowed somewhat as she came within arms reach, no doubt to avoid crushing the twins, but I swept them all up into a tight hug anyway, easily absorbing the energy from her established momentum.

Holding my family close, I didn’t care that they were positively filthy and caked in mud, I was just glad that they were safe.

Contrary to my expectations, I slept through the entire night and found myself incredibly refreshed.

A part of me wanted to fixate on how bad I should be feeling. However, I decided that I wasn’t going to go out of my way to make myself miserable, so I focused on other things instead. Like spending time with my family.

I spent close to a full day just walking around Sanctuary with Lash and retelling what had happened since I left. Lash, in turn, pointed out the number of small changes that had cropped up in my absence.

The most notable change in Sanctuary was the outsiders' ward. Completely walled off from the rest of Sanctuary proper, the outsiders' ward contained a second Gateway that was linked to the other major cities and towns. It served as a sort of trade district and processing centre for the goods involved in ongoing cooperative projects like the Evolution Elixirs. It also held a security office, of sorts, that vetted anyone seeking entry to Sanctuary proper.

The security office was established by Gric but was overseen by another Daemon, Jinn, who took the role very seriously. Jinn’s staff were almost exclusively Humans.

This had seemed odd to me until Jinn had explained that the Humans all had spouses with full Sanctuary citizenship, which meant that they were all married to monsters who lived within Sanctuary.

Although that was something of a weird qualification, given that Humans were technically monsters as well.

Jinn had over fifty Humans and a dozen other monsters working under him in the security office and expected that number to double within the coming weeks. His expectations were based on the projected growth of the outsiders' ward itself.

To hear Jinn explain it, the outsiders' ward had become the unofficial trading hub for the Demi-Plane thanks to the Gateways it was connected to and its immediate proximity to Sanctuary. Most trade goods were capable of being produced en masse anywhere in the Demi-Plane, but the most sought-after goods, such as the mana potions and Evolution Elixirs, were only available in Sanctuary due to its intense ambient mana.

Similarly, Hana and her sister Kohana had begun selling their services to create tailored crops and vegetation to suit clients' needs. The costs were extravagant, but once planted, the seeds provided could be trusted to perform as requested.

Qreet was a powerful Druid herself, but she didn’t quite have the same intuitive knack for genetic engineering vegetation that the Dryads had. Although she had shown promising superiority in regard to Fungi. Which I could only assume was due to the aberrant nature of Fungi themselves, being neither plant nor animal, but also a bit of both.

Sanctuary itself was growing as well, albeit vertically rather than horizontally. Harpies had taken to living in the topmost branches of the trees, but a sudden influx of Dwergi had led to extreme renovations and terraforming belowground.

The Asrusians were taking their pledge to free the Enslaved Dwergi of the Empire quite seriously and had already freed hundreds of them through covert means. It was initially difficult to understand how until one of the Dwergi elders mentioned using Gateways.

Apparently, Ril had been producing magical items the Dwergi called Waystones. Functionally similar to Gateways, the Waystones were linked to the Gateways network, with the exception that they could only allow teleportation to a single specified Gateway. They could be activated from any distance provided those holding the Waystone had enough mana between them to cover the distance.

Through the combined use of the Waystones and the Rangers coordinating with the Dominators amongst the Parole Officers, the Asrusian and Dwergi alliance had made laudable progress with only a few unfortunate losses.

Of course, I didn’t doubt that the Asrusian military would be clamouring for more Waystones for other projects, but I decided to leave that up to Ril’s best judgement. I was already rather surprised that she had involved herself at all since Ril seemed perfectly content with swimming in The Grove’s lake all day.

Contrary to my expectations, three days passed before Gregory decided to pay me a visit. Which was just as well, given that I had been enjoying spending time with my family and hadn’t been in a particularly receptive frame of mind.

“Majesty,” Gregory bowed respectfully, as usual, “May I have a few moments of your time?”

I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of going back to work so soon, but I nodded and motioned for him to continue while I dropped another apple into the twin's play pool.

Pete and Suzy immediately began thrashing at the water as they each struggled to claim the prize for themself.

Momentarily distracted by the twins, it took Gregory a few moments to regain his former focus. “High command would like to request your Majesty's assistance with sabotaging the Labyrinths of the Confederacy.”

“And by assistance, you mean you want to borrow Artefacts,” I qualified neutrally.

Gregory nodded determinedly, apparently unafraid of addressing the issue head on. “Even if your Majesty is willing to part with only a single Artefact, the high command would be profoundly grateful.”

Considering I had only just acquired another Artefact, the timing of the request was somewhat suspect. However, seizing more territory for the Demi-Plane was a high priority in my plans to confront and destroy the Liche. So it wasn’t like the Asrusians' retribution wouldn’t serve my own interests and the greater good.

“Alright,” I agreed, “Vet a list of candidates and those who would serve as their immediate support. If I am satisfied with your selection, I am willing to temporarily loan up to two Artefacts.”

Gregory seemed to be slightly surprised, “Two Artefacts, Majesty?” Judging by the inflection in his voice, Gregory sounded like he had expected a single Artefact at most.

“I am not sure if the bow counts, being only half of the complete Artefact, but it is your people’s property to begin with. So I don’t mind risking it in this endeavour,” I explained carefully, “Blackthorn is a powerful weapon, but I am curious to see how its special effects will influence a Human.”

“Special effects?” Gregory asked curiously.

“One moment,” I focused my attention on the empty space next to Gregory and gathered my mana.

*Tingling*

Fesk’s armoured form appeared in the empty space on bended knee, the projection of Blackthorn held in both hands with its head pressed into the ground.

“I will be taking Blackthorn back,” I explained, opting to give him the warning rather than simply snatching it right away. It seemed like the right thing to do, considering he might be engaged in a deadly battle.

Fesk silently nodded to show he understood, and then his projection disappeared.

“If only I had such an Ability,” Gregory sighed wistfully, “Some parts of my job would be so much easier...”

“Probably,” I agreed and then willed Blackthorn to appear in my right hand. Requiring only a slight tug and a small expenditure of mana, the cruel thorn-barbed mace appeared a fraction of a second later. I offered Blackthorn to Gregory so he could inspect it for himself.

Gregory graciously accepted and made a point of avoiding the thorns.

While Gregory inspected the Artefact, I dropped a couple more apples into the play pool for Pete and Suzy.

Lash gave me a somewhat disapproving look but made no attempts at removing the apples. “Too many fruits is no good for them,” she chastised with a quiet sigh.

“Pretty sure I’m the one who told you that,” I chuckled as I sat down next to her.

Lash shrugged and gave me a contented smile, “You did,” she agreed and leaned into me, “So no more fruit. They need meat.”

Given the twin's rapid growth, it was a fair statement to make. The last thing we wanted was for their development to be impacted by poor nutrition.

“I think I understand what your Majesty means,” Gregory announced somewhat warily.

“It might do nothing for Humans, but I figured it would be worth investigating,” I elaborated in reply.

“Indeed,” Gregory agreed tactfully, “Then I will see myself out, Majesty.” He set Blackthorn down on a crate out of the immediate reach of the twins and then saw himself out.

“Seizing more land is important?” Lash asked curiously.

“For the Humans?” I qualified, “Definitely. Many are content to live in cities, but even cities need to grow as the population increases with each generation. There are a lot of Humans already and I suspect that there are some amongst them that are beginning to feel claustrophobic. Ah, that means, they are feeling anxious because they feel there isn't enough space.”

Lash gave me a strange look, “There is much-unclaimed land already...”

I shifted somewhat uncomfortably as I tried to think of how best to explain it. “Do you remember when we were in Mournbrent? That human city overrun with the undead?”

Lash stiffened slightly and nodded, “I remember.”

“Do you remember how tightly packed all the buildings were?” I continued.

Lash frowned and furrowed her brow in thought.

“Well, most of those buildings were people's homes. As many as twenty or so people could be living in some of those larger houses,” I explained slowly while Suzy clawed her way out of the play pool and up my leg.

Lash stared at me incredulously, “So many people...Is not possible...”

I sighed and pulled Suzy up onto my lap, “The city was most likely home to close to a million people...I mean...I don’t know how to explain to you how many people that is...”

Lash’s expression slowly changed and became more disturbed, “So many died...”

“Yeah...” I replied lamely, feeling guilty for my part in magnifying the horror of the memory.

“All the Human cities are this large?” Lash asked hesitantly.

“They seem to be,” I replied while wavering my hand to express my small degree of uncertainty, “The capital city for the Asrusians is close to five times as large as Mournbrent, but it has many more of the large houses and manors for wealthier citizens and the nobility. There were also towns that are as large as Sanctuary, but they have all migrated into the Demi-Plane due to the war.”

“I want to see a human city,” Lash stated determinedly, “A living city.”

“We can do that,” I agreed readily, “The Humans have been busy rebuilding their cities in the Demi-Plane. Thanks to the Earth Mages, the buildings themselves won’t take long to build, but we should wait a few weeks if you want to experience a city in its true state.”

“Alright,” Lash agreed and fished Pete out of the water, “Someone is here,” she nodded her head toward the thick curtains at the mouth of our cave.

Lash was half right.

From my vantage, I could see Clarice nervously lingering by the curtain as well as the tall pale-skinned woman in tribal dress that had entered unannounced.

“Sebet,” I guessed and confirmed as much a moment later.

The tall woman approached several paces and then prostrated herself on the ground, spilling her long dark hair into the shallow water that covered the floor. “Great One, I have come to offer my gratitude for your generosity and benevolence.”

Lash tensed and bared her teeth, although I wasn’t precisely sure why.

“I told you before. I am not interested in taking a concubine or further wives. Lash is all I want and need,” I stated coldly, wanting to make my position crystal clear for Lash’s peace of mind.

Lash straightened her back and sat up a little taller, her anger shifting into smug confidence.

“I remember well, Great One,” Sebet replied in the same supplicating tone, “I offer other means of repayment if I am allowed to explain myself?”

I glanced at Clarice for some sort of clue, but she just shrugged and shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

“Go on,” I agreed provisionally.

Sebet remained kneeling but sat up so she could look me in the eyes.

Ironically, the shapely form Sebet had chosen only served to put Lash further at ease now that she had an opportunity to take it in. While Sebet would objectively meet the criteria for many men's preferences, she was far too short and lacking in build for my tastes and Lash knew it.

“It was explained to me that you are training warriors for a great battle, using a Labyrinth of your own making,” Sebet began to explain, “While the loss of life is...minimal...I believe I can eliminate these losses entirely. Provided I receive your consent and authority to act, Great One.”

“Explain.” I wasn’t going to dismiss Sebet’s offer out of hand, but I had suspicions regarding her potential methods.

“Of course, Great One,” Sebet agreed obediently, “Depending upon your degree of support and coordination with your other subjects, I could broker Contracts that could provide emergency assistance under certain conditions.”

“At what price?” I pressed, suspecting that the payment or exchange for the service would be the part that would make or break the deal.

“Soulstuff,” Sebet replied rather bluntly, “The core mana of one's being,” she elaborated slightly, “A Soul will recuperate with sufficient time and care. The smaller the portion lost, the faster the recovery.”

“Then why ask for it in payment?” I asked curiously.

Sebet gave a slight shrug, “It is a universal currency for exchange, making it the most flexible in terms of what can be offered and how it can be delivered.”

“So these contracts would do what exactly?” I pressed.

“All manner of things-” Sebet flinched, “Apologies, Great One, old habits...” She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before establishing eye contact again. “So long as they are within your pocket dimension, it would not be unrealistic to have a fatally wounded warrior placed in Stasis and immediately relocated to your house of healing.”

“Why not offer contracts just for relocation then?” I countered, “Most of the deaths, so far as I am aware, are due to overconfidence and then being unable to retreat.”

Sebet furrowed her delicate eyebrows in contemplation, “That is another possibility,” she admitted, “However, it would depend on the willingness to endure the Soul Sickness that would accompany activating the Contract.”

“Why can’t they pay in manastones or something instead?” I asked curiously.

Sebet sighed and seemed to be making a conscious effort to remain polite, “To broker such a Contract, I would need access to someone with the Ability to perform such an action-”

“Like Ril,” Lash interjected smugly.

Sebet frowned for a moment before policing her expression back into a neutral smile, “I am unfamiliar with this, Ril? Are they another Fallen Angel? A Spirit? Or-”

“Ril is a Daemon,” I interjected, “She is the one who made the Gateways.”

Sebet’s crimson eyes widened in surprise, “A Rift Binder?” She asked with tempered excitement, “Yes, I could certainly broker such a contract with a Daemon Rift Binder,” Sebet agreed enthusiastically, “They wouldn’t even need to be within the pocket dimension for the Contract to work efficiently.”

Now that was interesting. “Sebet?”

“Yes, Great One?” Sebet replied with keen anticipation.

“Can your Contracts break the Enslaved Condition?” I asked with guarded optimism.

Sebet cocked her head curiously to one side for a moment and the sclera of her eyes flickered at impossible speeds for several seconds, “Yes, yes they can, Great One,” Sebet replied with a small degree of surprise.

“Why do you sound surprised?” I pressed.

“Well...I knew my Contracts could break Enslavement in exchange for a certain price, Great One,” Sebet explained carefully, “But I had not anticipated the cost to be so...small...”

“And why is that?” Now I was truly curious.

“A combination of factors, Great One,” Sebet replied almost automatically before flinching again, “Apologies...A significant factor in the discretion of Contract negotiation is determined by negotiating authority. Ruling over my own Faction...It is a powerful asset in this regard. As is my elevation to Overlord and my Evolution, Great One.”

I nodded and motioned for Sebet to continue.

“And of course, this hypothetical contract would be negotiated with your direct approval and support?” Sebet assumed, “Allowing access to a form of your own Abilities to facilitate the Contract.”

“What about breaking Enslavement and teleporting the signatories over large distances?” I asked, earning a shocked gasp from Lash.

Lash was just as aware of the Dwergi’ plight as I was, perhaps more so, and she had been privy to the same conversation I had been. It would have been strange if she hadn’t guessed at my intentions when I all but spelled it out.

“The costs would increase depending on distance...” Sebet hedged warily, “Assuming I have the cooperation of the Daemon Ril, the cost could be kept manageable...”

“Good,” I ignored Suzy’s energetic but futile attempts at mauling my finger with her teeth, “One last thing though, Sebet. Can Contracts be paid in advance?”

***** Clarice - Tim’s Demi-Plane ~ Sanctuary *****

Tasked by Wraithe to keep an eye on the strange shapechanger, Clarice had spent a couple of days showing Sebet around Sanctuary and explaining things. She normally wouldn’t have been so forthcoming, but Clarice found Sebet surprisingly easy to get along with.

However, Sebet’s sudden request to meet with Tim had thrown Clarice somewhat. Not because she had requested a meeting, but because Tim had accepted despite spending time with his family.

Tim’s tone throughout the meeting had been...dangerous...like Sebet had been treading on thin ice from the moment she intruded upon Tim’s private time. Clarice could tell Tim wasn’t pleased by her grovelling either and made a point of telling Sebet so afterwards.

Clarice was painfully aware sometimes of how much of a charmed position she held with Tim in regards to the whole Empire thing. As a friend, she knew she could get away with basically whatever she wanted, within certain limits, and that Tim preferred it that she used that privilege to remain informal.

However, Clarice could also understand that Tim couldn’t just forgo the formalities entirely either. All the pomp and ceremony were annoying, but the co-opted and cannibalised traditions provided a certain level of defence for his family.

“You believe I am too formal with the Great One in private?” Sebet asked in response to Clarice’s earlier criticisms.

“Well, yeah,” Clarice agreed, relieved that Sebet finally seemed to understand, “All that Great One and Majesty stuff is fine, just don’t overdo it in private, yeah?”

Sebet gnawed at her pouty lips for a moment and then nodded, “I will take your advice,” she agreed.

“Good,” Clarice sighed, “Tim hates that stuff, gets him all wound up. You will see that he’s pretty relaxed about it here, even with the stuffed shirts from the Asrus Kingdom.”

Sebet frowned slightly, “Really?”

“Sure,” Clarice confirmed, “He doesn’t do away with it entirely, but he reserves all that formal nonsense for out there where the fancy pants can see it.”

Sebet stared at her sidelong with her crimson eyes for a handful of seconds before sighing and shaking her head, “I suppose that makes sense. It’s just...he’s not quite what I expected...” Sebet admitted quietly.

“What do you mean?” Clarice asked curiously and then abruptly narrowed her eyes accusingly, “This isn’t about the whole Ogre thing, is it?! Because you can stop that shit right now! Tim HATES that.”

Sebet seemed confused, “What? No, not that, although that was...unexpected...”

“Then what are you talking about?” Clarice demanded, unwilling to let her off the hook so easily.

“Well...” Sebet shifted uncomfortably, “I was speaking of his true nature...”

Clarice stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Sebet warily, “True nature? What do you mean?” She asked guardedly.

Sebet pursed her lips for a moment and seemed unsure of herself. She made a show of looking around them before leaning in close to Clarice’s ear. “His position as a Lord of the Labyrinths, and all that entails,” Sebet whispered, her hot breath and close proximity causing Clarice to become somewhat flustered.

“I...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Clarice lied, unwilling to divulge Tim’s complicated position as a human in a monster’s body.

“You’re lying,” Sebet observed with mild amusement.

“W-What?!” Clarice stammered in surprise, “H-How-urk, no I’m not.”

Sebet looked thoroughly unconvinced. “The Great One, Tim, is an instrument of great change,” she explained quietly, “And I thought that meant a campaign of death and destruction to create something new from the ashes...However, as I said, he is not what I expected.”

“No shit,” Clarice swore and felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she realised how great an impact her past decisions had shaped the present.

Sebet’s expression shifted again and grew curious, “Interesting...” She stepped back out of Clarice’s personal space and appeared to carefully consider the entrance to Tim’s cave.

“Oh no!” Clarice barked uncomfortably, “You are not barging in on them again!”

Sebet raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at her in reply but said nothing.

Clarice scowled and pointed to the lake, “You need to speak with Ril, right? Well, she’s probably down at the bottom of the lake amongst the tangled tree roots.”

Sebet seemed surprised, “In the lake? You are certain?” She asked curiously.

“It’s very likely,” Clarice replied, “She rarely leaves the water so long as she can help it.”

Sebet nodded her head thoughtfully, “Yes, I can see why,” she agreed with an amused smirk, “The air is positively brimming with mana, but the water is saturated in it. Assuming one had the patience, all they would need to do is wait in order to grow in power.”

“Wait...what?” Clarice asked nervously, “You can get stronger just from being around mana?”

Sebet gave her an amused look and tilted her head so her long dark hair shifted away from the shaved left side, exposing an intricate tattoo in the process, “Of course,” Sebet replied with a hint of incredulity, “Why would consuming manastones be so different?”

Clarice had never really thought about it, so she didn’t have an answer.

Sebet drew closer again and leaned uncomfortably close, “There are many means to take in mana,” she purred, locking with Clarice, “Some are faster, others more painful and dangerous...” Sebet paused and smirked as she narrowed her eyes in a predatory fashion, “I could show you...” Sebet’s fingers began to slowly wrap themselves around Clarice’s throat and applied the faintest hint of pressure.

Clarice baulked and stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet and landing arse first in the shallows. Drenched from head to toe, Clarice’s cheeks remained flushed in spite of the cooling effects of the water. Angry and confused, Clarice staggered awkwardly to her feet and glared at Sebet while nervously rubbing at her neck. The shapechanger had done something to her, Clarice was sure of it. She just didn’t know what.

Sebet stared at her with hungry, downright predatory eyes, and Clarice felt a sudden rush of excitement and a medley of other emotions too complicated to process. “Is this a no?” Sebet asked breathily, her chest working hard despite a lack of physical activity, “Or is this just part of the game?” She licked her lips hungrily.

Before Clarice could even attempt to form a response, Sebet’s attention abruptly shifted toward the centre of the lake.

Briefly closing her eyes, Sebet released a deep regretful sigh, “Another time perhaps?” She suggested with a grin before striding past Clarice and diving into the lake.

Dirty, soaking wet, embarrassed and thoroughly confused, it took Clarice several minutes before she felt confident enough to even attempt reflecting upon what had happened, and several more minutes to go looking for a fresh set of clothes.