RD 5 Ch 5

It had been three days since I had jumped down and taken on the demon masses in the field. Thankfully, I hadn't needed to step up again.

There was no shortage of men willing to bet their heels of bread on who would win. In some cases, men went down just to prove a point. Especially those who were veterans and thought they had something to show the newbies.

More of them were winning more than we were losing, which made me particularly happy. Yet, not everything about the current situation was sunshine and rainbows. Despite winning fights, hunger was clearly taking its toll on morale.

My gaze shifted over to the indicator at the corner of my eyes. This was just a stopgap until we could solve the actual siege. 

That brought me to the next window I had received in the countdown that had minutes now instead of hours. "Frank, any sign of the delegation?" I asked, turning to my quite helpful assistant.

"Not yet, Lord," he dipped his head. "They should be coming through the pass soon enough." 

I held back a grumble, wondering what help they could even offer.

In the last two days, I had re-familiarized myself with everything about the fort. I had been so disoriented from that nightmare of a dream that I’d needed to double-check all the information, even the maps around the fort.

We were backed up against mountains that were too treacherous to send an army through after the passes had been purposefully destroyed six months ago. If the demons won, they’d have to rebuild them before they could move a sizable force.

But this delegation, apparently, was going to make the trip confidently. That fact only made me more concerned about how they would offer any actual aid when that inevitable question came up.

I frowned, wondering if they could bring some higher levels over the mountains with enough spatial rings to restore the fort. Restoring our supplies and moral would do a lot of good.

Winter was coming and at this point most of the forest at the base of the mountain was long gone. We’d need wood. While the hot water would be welcome, it would do nothing for the boiling pot we found ourselves in with the rest of the fort surrounded by demons on all sides.

I turned, staring at the map I had placed on the wall so I could familiarize myself with it and feel more confident in my understanding of the situations. It was strange to suddenly forget the landscape around you. There were a few odd things I couldn’t find the answers for since I’d woken. Thankfully, trapped in the fort as we were, it wasn't as if we were going anywhere.

No, my best bet was to follow the system's quests. I’d wondered if this was some strange instance more than once.

My eyes slid over to the counter again. Less than twenty minutes and not even sighted, I thought to myself.

But just as I was having that thought, a man rushed into the room. "Lord, the delegation has been spotted. They're at the base of the mountain, and whatever they were using to hide, has ended." 

I sat up straight. "And the demons?" There was no small amount of urgency in my question. 

"No movement from them yet." He replied.

"Yet," I repeated. "Don't wait for it. On my order, send out no less than a hundred men to ensure there's no difficulties in reaching the fort." 

My orders startled him, but he didn't let that bother him for long, bowing and rushing out. 

"A little excessive?” Frank asked.

“There's a reason to protect our lifeline." I scoffed. "Besides, I'm sure some of the men would be happy to stretch their legs." 

Frank chuckled. "I suppose so. You haven’t led us astray, apologies for doubting you."

With them gone, I decided it was long past time to prepare. "Frank, get whatever food we have that's not stale or moldy. Set out. And if we have any, and I mean any, alcohol left, find it." 

Frank chuckled. "Already done, sir. We've been ready all morning." 

I stood up and resisted the urge to pace. "Well, do me a favor and double-check everything. The last thing I want is for one of them to find an excuse to deny aid because they mistake mold for poison." 

Frank frowned.

"When they need an excuse, it doesn't always have to be reasonable." I gave him a long, knowing look.

"Ah, of course, sir." He nodded.

I stood up from the desk and threw my cloak back so that I wouldn't trip on it, then left the room in as much of a hurry as I dared present to my soldiers. Appearances mattered at times, even as much as I hated the cloak and the urgency that I’d woken up with still pounded at the back of my skull.

"If I may,” Frank began. 

"You may not," I snapped without a thought. "Now is not the time for any new thoughts." 

I swept into the meeting room, looking at the paltry display before me, knowing I was going to have to deal with at least one complaint. But ignoring that concern, I sat at the head of the table and waited with my fingers laced before me.

Frank stood by the door, ready to usher the delegation inside. We were as ready as we could be. And sadly, that was not enough. 

The delegation came sweeping in not a minute later, and immediately my hopes dimmed as three puffed-up men walked in with clothes that were not designed for fighting or travel. They held their heads high, chins out. They scanned the area, their faces turning to disgust at the state of their reception.

Fucking silver spoon nobles. I felt like I hadn’t seen such people in a good long while. Perhaps they all disappeared or became something much harder after a few years of the demon invasion.

"Lords," I said, gesturing to the table. I knew that with this sort of individual, it would be best to look firm rather than grovel. They weren’t the type to stop once they were full, if I gave an inch, they’d ask for a mile.

As they entered the room, the countdown completed, and a new window popped up. 

[Secure aid for the fortress]

I did my best not to obviously show my check of the screen and focused on the men before me, certain that my needs and the system's were aligned. 

The noble picked at a slice of bread before tapping it on the plate to check its hardness. To be fair, at least the plate didn't crack and shatter. But it was likely far, far below his standards by the way his face turned down at the bread.

"As you are all aware," I said, keeping my expression as polite as I could manage, but I had a feeling I was failing. "We are in the midst of a siege. I'm sorry I don't have fine dining, the latest wine and cheese, but if you'll bear with me, I think the business at hand is still a worthwhile conversation." 

The noble puffed and threw the piece of bread down, the other two didn't so much as look at the food. "Yes, you're here to grovel at our feet and doing a poor job of it," one of them spoke. "I expected a little more eagerness, considering the situation here."

I smiled broadly at the group. "Why would I be eager to defend not only my lands but the lands all past the mountains? For if the demons cross here, they will flood the field of Athopia," I gestured to the man on my left, "or they'll take to the hills of Malkin," I gestured to the one in the center. "And once they have a grip on that much space, do you think Thesmar will stand a chance? After all, you need that land in those fields for your grain even more than your neighbors do." I smiled at the man who had insulted my bread.

"It is true," he said, his nose in the air, "that we need the resources of those plains, but do you think none of us are capable of defending ourselves?"

"You are more than welcome to defend yourselves, and I believe you even can, for weeks, months, perhaps even years. But as we've all seen, the tide of demons before my fort is endless. For three years, my kingdom has fought them back before we were reduced to this tiny fort, one last stone before they spilled out to the rest of the continent. Now, I am neither eager nor particularly interested in continuing this war, but I have committed myself and committed my men. I am stuck here defending the rest of you from a horde of demons that would wipe you all off the face of this world. That’s what will happen if I so much as have a bad night's sleep. So, you'll forgive me if my bread isn't to your liking, or my wine selection is too poor."

The bread critic's nostrils flared at me, but I sat there with a polite smile on my lips, fingers laced, calmly watching all of them.

"When you're in the same situation as me, after a time, you lose the fear of death. Instead, you stare out at the endless horde with nothing more than a desire to waste their time. All of my men in this fort are the same. It's the only thing that keeps us breathing from day to day. It's certainly not the bread."

Those words received a small chuckle from the man in the center, who then got a glare from the one who had criticized my bread.

Bread critic seemed to be in charge unfortunately.

"Be that as it may, there's still a form of debt or payment that you must incur. If not monetary, or land, then certainly in pride."

I smiled and spread my hands out for him. "Would you like me to make one of the rooms in the keep yours? We'll make sure anytime we see you coming to clear out the soldiers in it so that you can come comfortably every time you visit for a vacation. After all, I hear this spot is prime real estate."

The bread critic's jaw tensed. He glared at me like he wanted to pluck out my eyes for I couldn’t recognize the man I was dealing with.

The reality was, I didn’t care.

"If I don't have my humor, then what else do I have left at this point?" I smiled at him and the rest, spreading my hands out. "If you have an interest in something I can provide, then you are more than welcome to ask for it. We're here to make a deal, are we not?"

At this point, neither of the other visitors were speaking. Instead, they were watching the bread critic carefully, looking for any cue as to how they should act.

Pathetic, I thought to myself, but dared not say those words aloud.

The noble glared at me, his fist clenching and unclenching, as he worked through how to snub me next.

The one on the left cleared his throat after it was clear the bread critic wasn't going to be the first to speak. "We have decided to send the fort two months' worth of food. It will be basic, but it will be enough to fill the stomachs of your men."

"Wonderful." For him, I had a wide smile. "Will you two be matching that?"

At this time, the bread critic's jaw looked as if it was about to crack a tooth from the tension. "Our King, would like access to the fort and your intelligence. A small force will be sent your way. They will not take the main role in any combat, and they are not yours to command. They are instead here to gain experience and will be cycled out from time to time."

I smiled even more broadly. "I see. This wasn't much of a negotiation, was it?" I spread my hands on top of the table. "You all came with something prepared.” Which was fantastic new for me. Their kings knew that they had to help here, the cost in resources would be far lower to protect a single fort than an entire open plains. These three were just here to get as much as they could for it.

“Well, it's now a matter of what you'll give for what we have." The bread critic sneered.

"What I have?" I asked. "The answer to that is nothing. I'll be quite honest with you. My kingdom is gone, and my people are dead. I could swear to promises of my land should the demons ever leave. I'll grant you that." I shrugged, though I could tell in the gleam of their eyes that it at least caught some excitement.

That land was gone, but maybe it could encourage some of them to get it back.

"And what is that supposed to do? Shall we take a dead of land and ask the demons to step aside?" Another taunted.

"Well, ideally, some incentive to help me push the demons back. After all, none of us get anything if it stays in their hands. Not to mention the vast service we provide by preventing the demons from spilling out into the rest of the continent. I would personally think that has some value."

The bread critic snorted. "You speak as if you understand how being a king works. I'll remind you, you are nothing more than a failure."

I kept the smile on my face, but I knew there was no hiding that it grew more rigid. The title was old, now that my kingdom was gone it didn’t feel right to hold it. "I'm sorry to hear that your king thinks so little of me. After all, you're here as his representative, are you not?" I looked over the three. "Perhaps I should be making deals with the demons. I could open up the pass through the mountains and let them frolic as they please." I leaned back, ignoring them as if I was pondering the option.

"You wouldn't do that." The middle one called my bluff.

"Well, I wouldn't survive doing that," I said with a shrug. "But unfortunately for you, you've all come here to bargain with a man who has nothing left to lose."

Silent looks passed between the three. The bread critic stood up. "We're done here. Supplies should arrive within a week. Additional forces within two. Reminder, the men that come are not yours to command."

"That's fine," I shrugged. "They're welcome to camp outside the walls. Can't have men with multiple authorities stationed inside. It would just be too much confusion should something happen."

The bread critic tensed. He was already halfway to walking away. "Preposterous. These are our kingdom's elite."

I held my hands open. "What good is any soldier regardless of their quality if they can't follow an order? The last thing I need is confusion on the battlements or in the field."

I could tell he was ready to kick up a fit and leave. However, instead, he just ground his teeth and stormed out, the other two looking particularly bewildered before hurrying after him. Their exit left me alone with Frank in the room as I became boneless and slid partway down my seat.

"Well done, Lord," Frank commented as I let all of the tension in me relax.

"Yes, well, the carcass has already been picked clean. Even before the vultures came to help." I air-quoted the last word.

"Then it seems they'll go hungry tonight," Frank smirked.

"Let's hope so. I'd hate for the vultures to get too much of a taste for our people, lest they become even more aggressive." I replied.

He nodded along, and I let myself relax into the chair for a moment, knowing there was more to come.