Dragon Mage 114 - An Offer Refused (Patreon)
Content
370 days until the Arkon Shield falls
I dragged my steps as we marched upstairs, and Tara held back too. âHere you go,â she said, holding out Ash on her palm.
âThanks,â I said. Acknowledging the elementalâs cheerful greeting, I stowed her in my pocket and gave Tara a tired smile. âGood job in the orc camp. Doesnât look like they suspected a thing.â
Tara shrugged. âIt was easier than it should have been. I got the feeling the orcâs donât think much of us humans.â
I nodded, knowing what she meant. The overwolders in general, and the orcâs in particular, were arrogant. âWhat was the camp like?â
âIntimidating,â Tara admitted. âSay what you will of the orcs, but they are disciplined and well organized.â
I nodded thoughtfully but didnât say anything further as I picked at the problem of what to do next.
âWhatâs got you down?â Tara asked.
I glanced at her. âWhat do you mean?â
âSomething is eating at you,â she said. âI can tell. Youâre not looking forward to this meeting. Why?â
I sighed. The green-eyed woman knew me too well. âIâm not sure I agree with Thursten and Arensonâs plan.â
She stared at me blankly for a moment. âWhat, you mean enslaving Jhaven and using him against his people?â
I nodded. The two rebel leaders had come up with a truly diabolical plan for overcoming the orc company. While I had few qualms about its chance of success, I was less enthused about how the pair proposed going about it.
Tara pursed her lips. Placing one hand on my arm, she stopped me. âExplain.â
I bit my lip. When weâd discussed the matter earlier, Iâd not voiced my doubts because I was conflicted myself as to the right course and because Iâd been hoping the Trials would take the decision out of my hands. Now, though, I was left in a quandary.
âStrategically, enslaving the shaman is the right move,â I began slowly. âWith a veteran mage on our side, the outcome of any battle against the orc company is assured. Jhaven is an orc, too, and one of Orgfulâs followers to boot. He must have killed and subjugated many himself.â I fell silent.
âBut?â Tara prompted.
I exhaled noisily. âBut I just canât square myself with the idea. Slavery is...â I shuddered. âThe very notion is vile. Even if Jhaven is an orc.â
âJamie,â Tara said carefully, âisnât this what you crusade demands? Isnât this what you promised to do? To make every orc you found suffer?â
I hung my head in shame, unable to meet her gaze. âYouâre right. I did want that. I more than wanted thatâI craved vengeance.â I inhaled deeply. âBut my thinking was flawed.â I sighed. âDonât get me wrong. The orcs have to be defeated, and I still believe our best strategy is to take the fight to them, but there are limits to what we can doâor should do.â I stared steadily into her green eyes. âAnd slavery,â I said softly, âis a step too far.â
Tara didnât say anything for a long moment as she held my gaze. âAlright, Jamie,â she said finally.
âAlright?â
âAlright, I will support you however you want to play this, but letâs get in there now before it is too late to change Thursten and Arnesonâs minds.â
â˝â˝â˝
The scouts had placed Jhaven in the largest roomâGorkinâs. As Tara and I entered the chamber, we caught the tail-end of the shamanâs words. â ... will never serve you!â
Arneson scowled. âThen you are a fool!â he spat.
Thursten glanced at us. âWhat kept you two?â
I opened my mouth to respond, but he waved aside the question. âNevermind, I donât want to know.â He turned to glare at the shaman. âThe orc is being obstinate.â
âHe is refusing to be bound?â I asked, concealing my relief. The shamanâs hands were tied together, and he was seated crossed-legged on the floor with the rebels looming over him. His ash staff lay next to him. I would have to analyze the weapon, but later.
Arneson jerked his head down once. âHe wonât accept my contract,â the rebel leader growled.
âHe claims he would rather die,â Thursten added.
Tara and I exchanged glances. Given that the Trials itself had not forced the orc into slavery, the only way to bind Jhaven into servitude was by compelling him through a contract. So far, it seemed verbal threats were not working, and from Arnesonâs expression, he was ready to move on to other methods.
Jhavenâs gaze found mine. âKill me,â he demanded again.
Arneson had had enough. Drawing a knife, he advanced on the orc. âYou will soon wish you were dead. That, I promise.â
âStop,â I said.
Arenson glanced at me and smiled at whatever he saw in my expression. âDonât turn squeamish on me now, Jamie. Words alone were never going to suffice. We both know that. But apply a little painâŚâ He twisted the blade in his hand suggestively. âDonât worry, soon the orc will do whatever we want.â He turned back to the shaman. âLeave it to me.â
âI canât,â I said quietly.
Arneson swung about to face me, all traces of humor vanished. âStay out of this,â he warned.
âSon,â Thursten said, drawing my attention to him. âThis is war, and there is nothing pretty about it. Surely youâve learned that by now? Let Arneson do what he must.â
I folded my arms. âThere is a better way to do this.â
âYou donât know what youâre talking about,â Arenson scoffed and took another step towards the shaman.
Jhavenâs lips twitched as he observed our byplay. I couldnât tell what he was thinking, but it appeared he found our conflict amusing. Damnit, I shouldnât have left this unresolved. Still, I couldnât let matters continue further.
âStop!â I barked.
The rebel leader ignored me.
Arensonâs stubbornness was galling. Left with no other choice, I stamped my staff onto the floor and let dragonfire play along its length. âBack away, Arenson,â I ordered softly. âI wonât ask again.â
The rebel leader spun about. âFool boy!â he exclaimed, its temper snapping. âWhat do you think youâre playing at? This is war. There can be no half-measures. If you donât have the stomach for it, leave. But one way or the other, Iâm going toââ
âThatâs enough,â Tara cut in. âListen to Jamie. He is not as ignorant of the stakes as you assume. Let him talk to the shaman first.â
Arensonâs rage seemed to cool at Taraâs words. The fury dancing in his eyes didnât dissipate, but he regained control of himself. âAnd if that doesnât work?â he asked in a frozen voice.
Taraâs gaze darted to me. âThen, we do it your way.â
Arensonâs face remained expressionless, giving no sign of what he thought, and it fell to Thursten to accept Taraâs offer. âAn acceptable compromise,â he said, laying a restraining hand on his companion.
Arenson sheathed his blade. âGo ahead,â he spat and backed away from Jhaven.
âThank you,â I murmured solemnly. Approaching the orc, I analyzed him.
The target is Jhaven, a level 267 orcish player. He has exceptional Magic and Might, is gifted with Resilience, and has mediocre Craft.
Jain had spoken true. Jhaven was a Veteran.
âDonât waste your breath, human,â the shaman hissed. âI will never enslave myself to your people.â
âWhat if what I proposed wasnât slavery?â I asked.
The shamanâs eyes narrowed. âMeaning?â
Pursing my lips, I studied the orc, wondering at the best approach. For all of Jhavenâs repeated requests to die, he had done nothing to force our hand. He had complied with Thurstenâs orders even when there were a host of ways in which he could have passively resisted. Did that mean the shaman wanted to live? I thought so.
âI donât blame you for not wanting to become a slave,â I said at last. âI wouldnât think to inflict that fate on my worst enemy.â I held his gaze. âYour people, though, have no compunctions about forcing my own into servitude, and ordinarily, I would just kill you, both for your crimes and those of the masters you serve. But I donât have the luxury of making such simple choices. The truth is we need you. And if you want to live, you need us.â I paused. âThe question, though, is, do you want that?â
The shaman studied me through slitted eyes. âGo on.â
I held back a smile. Jhaven might not want to acknowledge his desire to live, but his response was answer enough. âWe cannot hold you like this indefinitely. Sooner or later, you would escape. If you donât bind yourself to us through a contract, we will be forced to kill you.â
I paused to study Jhavenâs reaction, but he didnât appear surprised by my words and remained silent. I went on, âYou, though, have made clear you would rather die than become a slave. That doesnât mean, however, that we canât come to some other sort of agreement of mutual benefit.â
Jhavenâs eyes narrowed. âWhat agreement?â
âJamie,â Arneson growled. âI warn you, my people wonâtââ
I slashed my hand downwards, cutting him off. âA contract of civilian service,â I said, my eyes not leaving the shaman.
The orc looked puzzled. âWhat sort of contract?â
âA year of service to Sanctuary as the settlementâs mage, doing whatever non-combat tasks the village council asks of you, including teaching, building, crafting, and providing information on the Orcish Federation.â
âAnd in return?â
âYour freedom once the Arkon Shield falls.â
Jhavenâs eyes glinted. âI will not betray my people,â he declared.
I frowned. âYou are our prisoner, shaman, and in no position to negotiate,â I said flatly. âI will not lie to you. The only reason Iâve not killed you is because I want whatâs in your head. If you refuse to share that information, we will have no deal.â
The shaman chewed over my words in silence for a protracted moment before inclining his head. âMy people will never accept me after this.â
I shrugged. âPerhaps, or perhaps not. That is your own problem to solve. The important thing is you will have your life to do with as you wish after a year. Do you accept?â
The shaman was silent for so long, I thought he would decline, but eventually, he sighed in defeat. âVery well.â A Trials message opened in my mind.
Contract initiated: Shaman Jhaven has offered to serve you in a civilian capacity, fulfilling whatever non-combat tasks you require of him. In return, you commit to keeping him alive until such time as the Arkon Shield falls, after which this agreement will be considered complete. This contract is binding only so long as both parties remain alive.
Do you accept Jhavenâs contract of service?
I had only a few seconds to study the message before it disappeared of its own volition.
My brows drew down. Whatâ?
The terms of this contract have been deemed unacceptable. While you possess the Orcsbane Feat, you may not form any Trials-enforced agreements with orcish players.
My lips turned down, and I noticed a similar expression of disgust on the orcâs face as he received the revised alert. The Trialsâ response was clear enough but still frustrating.
My gaze flickered to the others, wondering who else Jhaven could form the contract with. Not Arneson, certainly. After witnessing his bout of temper, I didnât trust him fully. It couldnât be Tara either. She was a warrior, and the chance of her dying before the year was up, was sadly high.
That left Thursten.
Of those present, he was the most suitable candidate. Thursten was level-headedâmore so than Arneson anywayâand too frail to be on the frontlines. Jolin would have been a better choice. If anyone could keep a tight rein on the orc, it would be the old lady, but she was too far away.
âForm the contract with Thursten,â I ordered Jhaven.
The rebel leaderâs eyes widened, a protest on his lips, but before he could get the words out, a messenger burst into the room.
âThe orcs!â the rebel yelled. âThe orcs are coming!â
â˝â˝â˝
There was a moment of stunned silence before Thursten took matters in hand. âSlow down, boy,â the rebel commander said. âThe orcs canât enter the settlement. Now, take a minute and tell us whatâs going on.â
The messenger flushed in the face of Thurstenâs calm. âSorry, sir,â he mumbled. He took a steadying breath. âThe orc company has left the fort and formed up outside the east gate.â He paused. âThey are demanding to speak to Gorkin.â
I frowned unhappily. Iâd expected that without Jhaven, the orcs would take longer to act. It seemed I was wrong.
Jhaven chuckled and studied the blood-spattered room. âGorkin is dead, isnât he? Oh my, you people are in trouble.â
I glared at the shaman. Once again, he was all honeyed confidence. âComplete the contract with Thursten now.â
âNo,â Jhaven said succinctly.
Arneson snorted. âI told you, you were wasting your time.â
I rubbed my temples but didnât respond, not wanting to get into another argument with the man. âWhy not?â I asked, keeping my gaze trained on Jhaven.
He shrugged within his restraints. âIsnât it obvious? Captain Fagan will free me. I know now you wonât kill me, not while you believe I can be of use to you.â He smiled. âAll I need to do is wait to be rescued.â
I kept from grinding my teeth in frustration with an effort of will. Damnit, why did the messenger have to barge in right then? Only a few more minutes, and we wouldâve had Jhaven squared away. âYour people cannot enter the village,â I said, affecting a confidence I didnât feel.
Jhaven laughed. âYour ignorance is amusing, human. My people donât need to enter a settlement to destroy it.â
Arneson scowled at the shamanâs words, and I saw his knuckles whiten as his hands tightened around the hilt of his sheathed blade. The last thing we needed after Jhavenâs refusal was for the rebel commander to act precipitously again. I needed to get matters under control fast.
âWe donât have time for this, Jamie,â Tara warned.
She was right. We had to deal with the orc company first. Then I can worry about Jhaven. âLetâs go,â I said, spinning about. A step towards the door, I paused and turned to the two scout sergeants. âBring him with us.â
Tara looked at me in surprise.
âHe might come in useful,â I said, not explaining further.