SK4 - Chapter 23 - The Darkest Road

[Author Note - Feeling good about how this is going, the words are flowing well to where I think I'm caught up from that week where I got behind? Anyway, enjoy!]

Nick was working in his study, filling out a ledger–a work that he usually avoided. Managing his kingdom’s finances was frustrating when he really had to pinch pennies, something he hadn’t experienced since he had gained a mountain of gold from all of his heroism. Robbing thieves was quite profitable.

The shadows in the room shifted, and Sable’s voice called out to Nick suddenly. “Boss! Lord Brightclaw is here to see you now.”

“Lord Brightclaw?” Nick frowned as he closed the ledger and got up from his chair. “That’s odd… here? This can’t be good.” 

It had been about six weeks since they arrived, and things had been going quite well. They had several trade agreements among the coalition now, and people were really starting to grow from their mutual cooperation. They had even won a few minor Conflicts against the enemy coalition under Tagron thanks to his incessant plots unraveling, and so their strength was truly becoming a substantial threat. The land skirmish itself and the economic sanctions by Lord Bronzebeard weren’t overly exciting, but it won them rights to a mine and some extra funds for resources. 

It turned out that having many Paths was a pretty useful advantage for a coalition, because there was almost always some way to penalize the opponent for breaking the law and attacking outside of sanctioned conflicts. 

Orion had rules for how it wanted Conflict between kingdoms to occur. While it was entirely possible for an enemy kingdom to just attack another with armed forces and slay everyone, Orion would make them regret it with punishments so severe it often wouldn’t be worth it at all when caught. 

Nick wasn’t sure how long this scenario would last, but he thought there was a good chance it was going to end around the upcoming event. It was a special Conflict scheduled to begin in a little over a month over some resource Orion would spawn that would give either coalition a significant advantage over the other and even push the Control Radius of the winners. It was imperative that they deal this blow to Lord Tagron to increase their safety.

He reached over to the shadows Sable’s voice came from, and her head popped out for him to give her some headpats and some ear scratching. “Thanks, Sable. I’ll go see him now. Come with me?”

Sable grinned. “Course, Boss.” 

Heading over to the meeting area rather than the throne room with Sable hidden in his shadows, he found that Jasmine had already served Brightclaw tea and a serving for him and then left. The balcony sat behind the table, where a few extra tables sat for outdoor eating or conversing. The room was empty other than the ratfolk man and their tea.

The anthropomorphic rat man had a confident smile on his muzzled face as he stood to greet Nick, but Nick could see the truth as he shook his hand. “What’s going on, Lord Brightclaw? I’d say it is a pleasure to see you, but you don’t look so good.” 

“Hm?”  Brightclaw had backed away after he shook his hand, but now he looked down at himself, the rat man frowning, before he had a small, wry smile. “You can tell? Most non-beast or monsterfolk couldn’t tell.”

Nick chuckled. “You didn’t hide it that well. I can tell you’ve been biting your nails, your whiskers are stiff, then your fur is matted, and…oily in other places. And your posture–”

Brightclaw interrupted, “Alright alright! Maybe…anyone would notice. But…I appreciate that…you really see me. I’ve met many elves and humans, and…they don’t. I could wear my shirt inside out, and they would not notice.”

Nick looked significantly at his somewhat regal but rather disheveled red and black tunic. “Actually–”

“What! No way! Ah…you’re joking with me.” He sighed as he looked at his fur. “Shit, is my fur going gray now too?”

Nick sat down. “Don’t worry about it, you look regal–normally. What is it, my friend? I thought things had been going quite well.”

Brightclaw let out a breath as he sat down, and he drank some more tea. “I mean, they have! Our coalition has led to my greatest gains! Trade is booming, and my people prosper. Prosper! But now, I’m…afraid. I… think this coalition has been a mistake. It’s not enough. The enemy is just too strong, too dangerous! He’s tried to kill me several times now, and I thank you so much for looking out for me, but I think my time has finally run out!”

Nick, of course, knew what Brightclaw was talking about. He had several of his girls and subordinates eventually take up rotation in the fortress to help protect against sabotage and assassination. 

Sable and Jasmine each had thwarted attempts on Brightclaw’s life, and they had actually moved him to the fortress from his city to better protect him. He was the lynchpin of their coalition, and Nick had actually convinced him to take the sort of leadership role within it.

It was because Nick and his kingdom were the strongest. He did not want the appearance that this coalition was his tool, and he wanted his actions to match. Brightclaw merely had the ability to break ties in their consensus, and this choice made a significant difference in their perception. Nick knew if he was the leader, Lord Tagron’s messages would wear away at their wills, whispering that he was just using all of them for his own kingdom’s success.

“Tell me. What has happened?”

“I got…a letter. You see, in the event we have coming up, Lord Tagron said that if I don’t bend the knee…then he will kill me, and destroy my city, and turn all my people into slaves! That he will crush us all, no matter the cost! He’s too powerful… I know he can do this.”

Nick was unbothered by the threat, taking a drink of tea slowly before setting it down on the saucer. “What will he give you if you do bend the knee? And I assume… let him through your fortress and at the rest of us?”

Brightclaw’s eyes were wide. “How can you be so calm? This is dangerous, disastrous! He said…that he’ll leave us alone, and he’ll even reward us. That one of the coalition’s Ordeal Cornerstones will be mine, and he’ll let me stay or go with it.”

Nick arched his brow. “You believe him?”

Brightclaw slammed his hands on the table and then stood up and spread his arms wide before pacing as he spoke. “Do I have a choice? I’m…I’m not like you. I don’t have a powerful blade or wives that leap from shadow to shadow… wait, is she here now?” He looked around nervously, then cleared his throat. “It doesn’t matter. Or who can blow away my enemies with a point of her finger and a deadly beam of light as she pours tea at the same time? I’m just an administrator! I’ll be lucky if I ever even reach the third stratum in my lifetime!”

“I see. I understand the threat this represents, and I am not taking it lightly. Please, sit.” 

Brightclaw let out a breath and sat back down.

“You fear Tagron, and you plan on bending the knee as you feel that you have no choice. Yet you came here to warn me. I respect that very much.”

“I…it was the right thing to do. You’ve…done so much for me, for my people.”

Nick shook his head. “I have not done that much for you. It’s only been a few months? But I have also done it for all of us. You have earned my support through your own actions, for doing what is right for you and for your people. I see your love for them in all that you do, in how hard you work and every choice that you make. I respect you very much, Brightclaw.”

“That first part is not true! You have gone far above and beyond mere mutual aid. Really, you’ve done more for my people…than I have done, in some cases. And the coalition, you let me be at the head of it, but everyone knows you and your subordinates lead it, that you’re the only ones holding us all together. They’d all have defected by now or been killed or run out of resources by now if not for you!”

That was true. Nick was truly blessed that even his fake subordinates–when wielded correctly–were actually extremely capable compared to others he had met. “Let me ask you something. On that day that we met at that Marquis Grand Ball, why didn’t you want to bend the knee then? Why not give the prince what he wanted so he would let you go?”

“Because…he wanted my Kingdom! My people, he’d have treated them like chattel, slaves in all but name, if not in actual name! They see us as lessers–” 

Nick nodded, Lord Tagron was a known bloodline purist. “So now, you’ve built a fortress with a handful of allies and thwarted several of his plots to kill you. His plots have actually led to levies on his kingdom, Orion-sponsored sanctions that have, without a doubt, weakened him and upset him. Perhaps, by far more than what he might have gained if you gave him your kingdom in the first place. His offer went from you giving it to him for nothing… to you keeping it and gaining an Ordeal Cornerstone. Not bad.”

“You…what are you getting at?”

“You think he no longer wants your kingdom? That if you let him into your fortress, he will just continue on, ignoring your people and not wanting revenge? Even if that’s true today, will it be true tomorrow? Did he even offer you an Oath? What is the wording of it?”

“He…didn’t give one yet. He said his son shall offer it at the event.”

“He will offer it when your back is against the wall and the only choice is your death–and it will be for terms that are reprehensible, mark my words. Lords that force obeisance through extortion and dominance are not the kind you should ever bend your will to. For they are tyrants, and their sovereignty will always seek to grow, their greed never coming to an end. The moment you bend your will to them, you already wear a collar in their mind. It just hasn’t been placed around your neck yet.”

A look of realization went into Brightclaws eyes, and his voice trembled. “What…what should I do?”

Nick stood up and walked around the table before grasping Brightclaw’s shoulder. “What should we do, my friend. There is still time. If he gave you this offer, it means he likely gave others similar offers. We can protect ourselves with Oaths of our own, and I can give you my own promise as we prepare for his threats.“ 

“Promise?”

“That I swear I will do everything in my power to help protect you and your kingdom during and after the event, even going so far as to face Lord Tagron myself. I cannot just give my life or my people for yours, so I am not unilaterally promising I will sacrifice for you. But I will do my best for you because I know if your kingdom falls, or if we give in even once, it will be his boot on our necks in the end. You can have faith in that, in that I will do what is right for us all, even if it is dangerous.”  

As always, Nick’s promises were ones that people could feel were true. While he didn’t make a Soul Pact, and couldn’t with Lord Brightclaw anyway, his promises were nearly the same thing. 

“That… is a rather loose promise, but…” He hesitated. “I understand, and I do trust you... Still, what could you do against him? He’s in the third stratum! There’s no way you could stand up to him!”

Nick chuckled. “It wouldn’t be the first time for me. I’ve faced two in the third stratum already, and while I didn’t kill them, I didn’t fall. I probably can’t take him on my own, but we are not alone, are we? This proxy war event coming up promises a relatively fair playing field. We have a chance to earn a big prize and a chance to become more. And more importantly, for our people to as well. It is worth the risk, as Orion decrees.”

“I…well, you’re right. I guess… it’s worth it to try. With you…I feel like if anyone can make it happen, it’s you. I should be off then. If I’m going to give my people a fighting chance, I really need to do my best!” He stood, and Nick clapped him on the shoulder with a chuckle. 

“That’s the spirit. Let’s do everything in our power to prepare the keep. Thanks to that letter of his, we know he plans on marching on it during the event. He will find that it’s definitely a tough nut to crack, or if he tries to attack us after the event on our way back, he’ll end up in a terrible pincer. When you know what your opponent is going to do, sometimes it does not matter how strong they are.”

Brightclaw looked much happier and more confident than when he came in, giving Nick a polite nod as he started to leave. However, he only got a few steps before he froze and turned to Nick, his eyes blinking. “You…really didn’t offer it.”

Nick frowned. “Offer what?”

“There is another option. I could…give my kingdom over to you, and then Lord Tagron wouldn’t be able to target me easily if you just led my forces. You could protect me and my people better, and then… we would maybe even be better off, have a better chance of success.”

Nick let out a breath. “Of course, I’m aware of this. But I believe in your Path, and I believe in you and your people. I cannot ask a friend to give up his Path. For anyone who has become a Lord of Orion, it feels like a death of its own to lose their kingdom, many failing to cultivate after such a thing happens. I wouldn’t be your friend, let alone an ally, if I offered you that. Only if our backs are truly against a wall, or if you were the one to offer, and only then, I might.”

What Nick just said was true. Which was yet another reason why the strange vision of the lord of dark and light was so inspiring. The man had effectively died twice, and yet he still got back to up to continue again, even ascending in the very end.

Brightclaw snorted. “You don’t think our backs are already against the wall? Whatever his plan is, if we don’t do it now, we may never get the chance… but you’re right. I would rather not give up my kingdom, my people. I’ll fight it tooth and nail–” He looked back to his hands, ”er, I’ll need to sharpen them again. But I love my home, and I love my people. I won’t give it all up over some…bully! I won’t! I have a responsibility to my people, and I won’t give it up to anyone!” 

Nick smiled. “That’s the spirit. The proxy war will be a great challenge, and so will getting away from it with all our lives intact. Let’s do everything we can to prepare so we can give this bully a fat lip.”

Brightclaw grinned. “Let’s do it. And… I said all that…but if I had to choose anyone to take my place and run my kingdom, it would be to you.” They shook hands, and Nick just returned his statement with a smile. 

As Lord Brightclaw left the room for real this time, the shadows in the window flickered, but not in the way that he liked–by Sable. He had to hold back the groan as an angel landed on the balcony and then opened the glass door to enter the conference room.  

It was an angelic woman, wearing diaphanous clothing. Her proportions were just the same as the beautiful Irene, and with her clothing being see-through, it was like she was pretty much naked. “Do you think that was wise, Lord Noblefrost? Or more importantly, ethical?” 

Nick knew the woman’s spiel–if he whined about her eavesdropping, she’d explain and argue how it was totally ethical for her to do so. “You heard all that, did you? Thank you for not interrupting us.”

“Yes, well, I couldn’t help but overhear. But it was none of my business, after all.” 

“It’s a surprise to see you on this day, Councilor Robins. To what do I owe the pleasure? Would you like some tea, Or?”

At first, Nick thought the humans of Zura being replaced by actual angels was going to make his job easier, the magical people having strong light affinity and power. 

But nothing could have been further from the truth. They worshiped a similar goddess named Litiana, but rather than one of their core values being wisdom, it was replaced with ethics and morality–they were philosopher angels.

The damn angels would argue philosophy all day long in their temple, and when they didn’t like something Nick or his people did, which was frustratingly often, they would fly over to his keep and debate with him about it. They would talk and talk but never do anything, and it was absolutely infuriating. 

And as much as he wanted to just…lock the windows on the balcony, they would still find their way inside and then lecture him for a few hours about inconveniencing them. Or debate with him about how a lord should never silence his people’s voices, or…the list went on and on.

They had similar values to worshipers of Seraphara in Peace and Compassion, as well as Purity. Combined with their holier-than-thou attitude, he was surprised they hadn’t just become extinct, murdered by anyone with a pointy weapon who came near.

But the angels were strong. He’d give them that. Their barriers were actually something else entirely. Typically, the angels resolved fights with barriers so powerful they would just tire enemies out and then make them leave, and the ones that they couldn’t stop, they would just fly away and leave. He actually learned a little bit from them regarding using light essence.

He didn’t know why Councilor Robins had been genderbent into a woman. At first, he was more surprised that the man had ever entered the Path of Kings at all, but it turned out he had joined a run to earn the early Trait on the second floor. And now it was difficult to meet the councilor’s eyes, thanks to two headlights flashing at him.

Robins said, “No, thank you. I do like your servant’s tea, but there’s no need to trouble them. At first I was on my way over because I heard you once again meddled in the affairs of another kingdom–I heard the moon gnolls tore apart some mercenaries and bandits outside of our kingdom? But now, I think I’m much more disappointed to hear that you convinced Lord Brightclaw to fight a losing battle because you knew it would be better for you. Unethical…and reprehensible.” She gave him a very disapproving look as she walked past him, her wings spread out wide.

Nick rubbed his chin. “Ah, I see. So it wasn’t your business, but you have no problems sharing your feelings on it, is it?” The Councilor just turned to glare at him over her shoulder, waiting for his answer. They’d played this song and dance more than once, and he knew that the angels hated to repeat themselves–unless it was to say, ‘I told you so,’ or, ‘you’re wrong.’ They absolutely loved saying that. 

So he replied to her statement, “Better for me? Lord Tagron does not only wish for me to be under his heel–he wishes the same for the entire coalition and has wished it long before I formed it. When someone tells you who they are, you have to listen, and he told us who he was when he wanted Lord Brightclaw to give up everything for nothing, using extortion. He almost killed him and me at the Grand Ball; this is an undeniable fact. And so it is my hope that we can all avoid a fate where we live underneath his boot or are killed by his hidden blade.”

She spun to look down on him, her frown full of disapproval. “A coalition you created, and all because you didn’t want to give up some pathetic creature spawn and make peace. You convinced them all to risk themselves and their people’s lives by going against Lord Tagron. Not for a promise of safety but a mere possibility of success. You call it hope, but I call it gambling with souls that are not yours to wager, manipulating someone to fight a war on principle. It is not noble; it is coercive and utilitarian.”

Nick sighed. He really wanted to point out that if it was unethical to even convince someone of something, then these damn angels were the most unethical people he’d ever met. But then that debate would go on for hours before they got back to the original point.

He admitted, “Perhaps, in trying to do what I believed to be the right thing and a righteous cause, I exposed these people to greater risk. But I have gone above and beyond in my aid, helping these kingdoms grow to make this possibility of success a real fighting chance. However, I will not apologize for convincing Lords of Orion to do what they desired to do in the first place. If a Lord cannot decide on their people’s fate, there is no one qualified, and that is not up for debate. Orion’s Will is very clear on this, and not even Litiana herself would go against it. They chose their destiny, and we are now where we are, in this coalition, and where Lord Tagron would have us all collared or slain even if we beg for forgiveness. So now that we are here where we are, what do you believe I should have done with Lord Brightclaw? What would be the ethical thing to do?”

“He wished to bend the knee. That was his choice. To persuade him otherwise–was that justice? Or simply the imposition of your will under a noble name?”

Nick smiled. “Ah. So the ethical thing to do would have been to do nothing. What a surprise? It feels like that’s often your conclusion, Councilor Robins. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you debate all day so that you can go back to your temple to sleep with a smile on your face, knowing that you did nothing.”

“Yes, but you do know better, don’t you? When chaos reigns, we bring order. When people bleed, we offer compassion. And when–”

“When someone does something you don’t like, you talk them to death so you can feel good about being right, yes, I am painfully aware of that. Well, you’re right, I may have exposed my friends to some undue risk in hopes we can stand up to evil and so that we can all truly thrive if we prevail. What’s done is done, so if there’s nothing else, I do have things to actually do.” He gestured to the balcony.

“I simply wanted you to understand that there was a more ethical path. The river yields to the mountain, yet it carves it down in time. Resistance is not the only path to victory. You think yourself and your actions righteous, but that righteousness will make your sword heavy, and you will not bear that weight alone. Others will die beneath it.” She left with a look of smug satisfaction on her face, flapping her wings as she flew away and got the last word.

Nick groaned as he realized she was finally out of earshot and sat back down. “God I hate those damn angels.”

The shadows shifted again as Sable rose from out of them with a chuckle. “Damn, but you can bounce a copper coin off that ass though. She has points, but they are still rather meaningless. You already formed that coalition months ago, and Lord Brightclaw’s mind has already been changed. Is there any value to debating something you already did and can’t undo? What are you supposed to do, call him back in here and then tell him to go back to his original belief?”

Nick laughed. “I swear they get off on hearing the words, you’re right. It’s the only reason. Well, they say that it’s because they wish to enlighten everyone so they can make better, more ethical, and moral decisions the next time.”

Sable snorted. “Yeah, but does that ring true?”

“Actually…from most of them, it does. But some, like Councilor Robins there…it makes me wonder about the real one.”

Sable shook her head. “Nah, the real Councilor Robins is a good dude; this place is just weird. I think the Keeper just tried to give us just enough to latch onto with our minds. To make it more reasonable for you to manage. Having to learn fifty new subordinates from scratch might have been a little much for our period of time.”

Nick considered it. “Insightful. There could be a hundred reasons why. Like making me care a little bit more if one of them dies, drawing parallels to my real followers so I don’t just squander them or something. Or…they just wanted to screw with me. You can’t look at Elyra and not think that.”

Sable laughed. “That’s true. There are also some other interesting parallels with Lord Silver and Lord Brightclaw. If Blackthorne had shown up before now, when you were more ready…what would you have done?”

“Hard to say. I would have had to do something, though–I couldn’t just do nothing. Thankfully, Lord Silver had his father to fall back on. I’d only need to buy him some time for reinforcements to arrive rather than truly put my neck on the chopping block.” 

“And now our army should have a real fighting chance. His lackeys have proven to just not be that strong and capable. Otherwise they wouldn’t serve under him in the first place.”

“Somehow I doubt that the people in his Dark Kingdom really have that much talent or loyalty, but I’m not about to underestimate him. We’ll prepare our army before we make our expedition.”

Fang and Luna burst into the room, their tails wagging as they approached him at his seat. They bowled into him, offering their heads. 

“What is it, girls?”

Fang replied, “We’re cheering you up! Every time that lame angel shows up, you get so annoyed.” She narrowed her eyes in happiness as Nick showed her in head pats and ear scratches, and did the same for Luna.

Luna added, “That one especially. I bet Becca is on her way already too. We’re really not good at handling people like that Councilor Robins, I wish we were better at making her go away.”

Jasmine came into the room as well, clearing her throat. “I’m sorry I make myself scarce with her around, Master. I can’t bear to watch you speak with her with how she treats you. I think if I stayed in the room, I might just try to eat her in a rage.”

Sable chuckled. “Eat her? You mean in the carnal sense? Can’t say I blame you.”

Jasmine examined her nails. “No, I mean eat her. In my original body I would just eat them all up, and they would be such a delicious meal. I can’t stop thinking about it whenever we’re near.”

Nick chuckled. He would almost be alarmed for Rebecca and Irene for when she got her body back, but he knew the only reason this was a problem for her right now was because of how much she hated the angels.

He continued to relax from his angel visit, peppering his girls with head pats and ear scratches. Sable joined him on his lap, the three smaller women crowding him.

“Things going well, Fang, Luna?”

Fang replied, “It’s been kinda okay training these knight guys and the frogloks, they are fun. But it feels like a waste because they are just gonna disappear when we leave the tower, right? Kaya and Shara are enjoying it, though. They mostly just beat each other up while others watch.” 

Luna added, “I find it interesting how they advance. Each week or so they enter the tower, and they come out just a little stronger. And since it has so many towers just like your home city, they are growing fast. Otherwise, I’ve just been focusing on my shamanic magic, trying to improve for our proxy war.”

Sable was often on guard duty or performing espionage tasks, which was just the right experience for her. 

It was one long day of many, but Nick and his wives were gaining plenty of experience doing other things, just the same as him. This tower floor was challenging, but they were making the best of it.