Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 96

Chapter 96 – Discussion

“…And that was how we took down the Theocracy’s attempt to spread discord between Bikar and Dascora, with the aid of the Fastriders.”

The major looting was already done, thanks to the tools the Voice of the World offered, but finding clothes that would fit the former captives took time. Since I did not want the atmosphere to become heavy, I filled that time with an edited version of our adventures since leaving Windwater. Well, everything I said was the truth, but without the details of my heritage thrown in. The spell which blew away the two bosses in the Necropolis was a spell we found in an item, which was now gone, and the skill to see souls was something I acquired while helping to free the betrayed angel in that place. All of which was true, but left out things like sacrificial rituals and demon heritage and so forth.

“But, Mistress,” Ivette frowned, “if you gained the power to break spells and such that bind the soul, shouldn’t you be able to break the [Slave Brand]?”

Before I could answer, Libbe spoke for me. “That is a common misconception. The truth is that the two magics work along different lines to accomplish the same ends. A [Slave Collar] or [Slave Brand] is a curse, ‘granting’ the bearer a title that forces obedience to their Master. The [Soulslave Ritual], from what I understand, alters the target’s soul, and marks it, thereby earning a title only visible to those who can see souls. The Soulslave is not compelled to obey their Master by the title, but by the changes to their soul, which is also why the binder gains a hidden title, and someone who simply uses a [Slave Collar] or [Slave Brand] does not.”

That’s right, Libbe, despite being an Earth Sorceress and daughter of the Guildmaster of the Crystalshield Adventurers Guild, was also a Scholar by profession. Looking at her, I asked, “So, it is like someone who is shot with an arrow, versus one shot by a spell. To the untrained eye, both people were attacked and damaged at range, but the methods used, and the defenses that could be brought to bear, are different?”

The Scholar nodded. “Indeed. The [Soulslave Ritual] likely takes some time to properly conduct, during which time the victim should likely need to be restrained or otherwise made helpless. Thus, making the whole process harder to do on a whim, without raising concerns from the victim’s allies. In return, the effect is deeper set than that of the [Slave Collar], harder to detect, and far more difficult to remove.

“On the other hand, anyone with the right tools or skills can make one a Slave simply by applying the curse. Because it is simpler to apply, it is easier to see. There may also be nuances in how much a Slave can resist their Master’s will versus a Soulslave, as well. It is well known in scholarly circles that Slaves with inattentive masters can work around a command, obeying what was said and not what was meant, or by simply not informing the master of anything that they weren’t ordered to report.”

She paused, and then continued. “Considering that this [Slave Brand] is the Tier 2 version, and the item apparently requires a substantial investment of MP to apply, you would likely need someone with Tier 2 cursebreaking magics in order to remove the effects. A Priest evolution in the mid-ranks of Tier 2 should have access to that kind of magic, assuming that they did not specialize away from those kinds of things, and other classes or professions may get similar effects, at around the same level or higher. However, finding those sorts of individuals is supposed to be difficult on this continent, unless you go venturing deep into Bikar, or visit the Dwarven caves. Though recent events suggest the Theocracy is hiding something, as well.”

Ivette nodded slowly as she pulled on a pair of rough pants taken from one of the female bandits. “Ah, I see. Meaning no disrespect to you Mistress, but if I had my pick between slave and free, I’d much rather be free.”

I chuckled. “No need to worry about that, Ivette. The situation is far from normal, after all.” Looking around, I saw that the captives were all dressed, if not dressed well, or to their preference. Turning to Astruth, I asked, “Is everything finished on our end?”

The Lesser Balor bowed his head. “Yes, Mistress. Any usable equipment has been gathered, either for sale or distribution to the armories in Windwater, and the trade goods have been collected, so that you can add them to your inventory space. Once that is done, we can set fire to the bodies and what remains of this place, to wipe away the remaining effects. Also, Linette suggested that you might try and take the ballista. Even if we don’t have anyone trained in its use, having one to start reproducing or improving upon would give the crafters in Windwater a head start, and we could start training militia on it when you start that.”

“Excellent idea, Astruth. Tell Linette I’ll be sure to reward her properly, when we have a chance. For now, let’s set about taking everything that could be useful, and destroying the rest. And maybe try to bring down this cave, so that no other groups can try and make a fortress of this mountain.”

It took another hour before everything was packed up and we were ready to fly. Thankfully, Frostmaw, in his full form, could easily carry us, especially when I temporarily dismissed Rastran, and let Zazriel fly alongside. Even so, the night was waning when we returned to the fort. It was not yet dawn, but the first glimmers of color could be seen in the night sky to the east, telling me that it was not far off. At Tier 2, we could go without sleep for a night, though it wouldn’t be fun. Still, managing to accomplish everything over the course of a single night was fairly impressive, if I say so myself.

Naturally, our return caused some small commotion. Especially since we returned with more people than we left with. Thankfully, the fort’s commander, Onvyr Dorven, had turned in early when he saw us fly off on a dragon, so he was well rested when we returned. We had barely gotten through the fort’s gate when he came striding up to us, already asking for a report on the bandit lair. Which was good, since we needed to talk with him anyways.

“Adventurer Pureheart, was it?” he started. Going with the polite fiction that I was an adventurer, then. I could play along with that. When I nodded, he continued. “Excellent. I am Commander Dorven. Now, I assume that, since you’re back, and with a substantial increase in your numbers, that there is some news about the bandits?”

“Indeed, Commander. I’ll start by saying that, by the laws of Bikar, I need to report that the bandits had illegally enslaved several people within the borders of the country, and the Voice of the World passed ownership of the slaves to me when the bandits were killed. Unfortunately, as they were all marked with a [Slave Brand] in Tier 2, removing the marks is beyond the ability of myself, or anyone in my party. One of the slaves, the Lightning Sorceress Finnea, told me that there were provisions in the law to cover such circumstances?”

Commander Dorven nodded once. “Straight to it, then? Very well. I will need to have my men question the slaves, naturally, to ensure that your story matches the truth, but assuming that everything checks out, I will be able either confirm your ownership of them, or purchase them on behalf of the country for a fair price.” He clapped his hands, and eight soldiers came forward”

“Of course,” I nodded, and turned to the new slaves. “Follow these officers, and answer all questions they have honestly and to the best of your ability, holding nothing back. Other commands will need my permission first.” I looked back to the commander, who had an eyebrow raised, and answered him with a shrug. “Even good men may be tempted in situations where they have power and someone who cannot say no. Some of them are in worse spirits than others, so something like that will help them. As for what happens after? I gave them the choice earlier, and the bard wishes to remain in Bikar, while the rest will be going with me at least as far as Crystalshield, and maybe all the way back to Dascora.”

“You gave them the choice? An actual choice in things?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “I may be traveling as an adventurer, but I am a Baroness. A normal adventuring party might not have any need for the unfortunate souls, beyond what use they might be in hauling goods or supporting the group in combat. However, as a Baroness, there are more potential uses for them in my lands. Plus, it gets them away from areas that might have too many memories. After all, they came from several different groups, not the same caravan. Which means that, on top of whatever else that they have suffered, the people they traveled with, likely friends and family of theirs, are dead.”

“Right, well, I cannot fault you on that. We’ll work out a fair price on the bard in a bit, then. Now, about the bandits?”

“As we reported, the goblins spoke of there being fifty of the humans who came in and conquered their fortress. We came in invisibly, and from above, managing to take out the four guards outside without raising an alarm. Sneaking through the fortress went easily enough, until luck turned against us, and we stumbled across a man coming out of the latrine. He managed to yell before we silenced him.

“After that? The rest of the bandits were in the main room. Levels ranged from 45 to level 5 in Tier 2. They greeted us with a ballista bolt, so I caught the leader and hit him with a spell powerful enough to kill him, and then some. That managed to quash the bandits’ morale, and a few of the bandits looked as though they were about to try and surrender, but they did not get the chance. They’re all dead, now. They were not prepared for being woken up in their sleep by a party of Tier 2s.”

Commander Dorven nodded. “I know it is probably too much to ask whether you could have taken any of them alive for questioning, but did you manage to find out where they came from, and who was supporting them? Eshiari is not so far away that we don’t get regular reports whenever someone new breaks through to Tier 2 in the dungeon, and we would have noticed that many training to get that high up.”

“Well, considering the fact that most of the ‘not quite Tier 2’ group were wearing armor sets that showed up in the loot table as things like [Eclanan Warrior Chainmail], [Eclanan Warrior Longsword], [Eclanan Warrior Shield], and so on? At the very least, they were supplied by someone with access to the Theocracy’s own armories.

“As for the bandits themselves? The rumors, as the Eshiari branch told it, was that the leader of the group was a former Crystalshield militia member kicked out for being too cozy with the Theocracy. Man by the name of Hammond, who was supposed to be a Dark Knight. However, the one who looked to be in charge when we struck was a man named Henricus Fogaxe, a Darklight Crusader and Hierophant.”

 “Ah, I can shed some light on that, at least. When someone from outside the Theocracy joins their ranks, they are renamed, getting a ‘proper’ Eclanan name recognized by the Voice of the World, so that they truly are no longer their old selves. As for the family name? He probably had that given to him at the same time. Members of the clergy and inquisition never take a family name, or give it up if they had one before, but the lay members and general citizens usually have family names, probably to better sort tax records, though I’m sure there’s some spiritual horse dung that they like to wrap it up in. Only member of the clergy that has a family name is the Pope-Queen, who always takes up the name Lionspirit. Because they’re pretentious fucks, and that’s coming from an elf!”

“Not just that,” I said, slowly. “That’s a deliberate kind of choice. Makes it easier to have the common people believe that they are better than those of other countries when they see people in other lands only have a given name, unless they become nobility or get famous enough to have something appended to their name, while everyone in Eclana has a family name. Makes them feel special, which means that their country is right. On the other hand, because the clergy only have the one name, they stand out more, making the people notice them more. And the Lionspirit name is just creating history and tradition where none existed before.”

“And that would be why you’re the baroness, and I’m the commander. You have more of a head for that kind of nonsense than I do, it seems. I prefer my problems to be ones I can take on with a blade.”

“So do I, Commander. But the problems still need to be handled, or more issues that could be resolved with a few words turn into situations where men’s lives are thrown into the fire. Usually for little to no gain in the long run.”

“Sadly true, Baroness. Sadly true.”