As it turned out, I didn’t actually need to mark any of Nazarick’s NPCs and wait the full three days for the capture to complete. I had forgotten entirely that confessions of love resulted in instant captures, and with the tweaks that I had made to the NPCs in order to ensure their absolute devotion before the summoning had taken place, each and every one of them had been quick to give me as many confessions as I could possibly ask for.
It was almost enough to make a man feel bad for selling them all off.
Almost.
In the end, however, I didn’t really want to keep any of them. The only NPC from Nazarick that I’d actually liked was Aura, and while I’d considered keeping her, it felt somewhat squicky. Which was probably hypocritical as hell, given that I could change her body as I saw fit and make her less underage, not to mention the fact that I was essentially an interdimensional slaver on a power trip, but in the end she went the same way as everyone else.
Which left Hakuginjo considerably more empty than it had been, leaving Alexstrasza and I alone the moment the NPCs I had sent scouting had returned, reported exactly what I expected them to report, and subsequently been sold.
Fortunately, I had thereafter been drowning in credits, and quickly put them to use so that I could start really changing things up. Starting with preventing the attack on Carne village from happening to begin with, or at least preventing any damage from being done, because I had every intention of being inside the village long before the ‘knights’ could arrive and start killing innocents.
Which was why I, along with five of my waifu -all newly purchased- were rapidly making our way through the forest separating my castle from Carne itself. Which was much closer than Carne had been to Nazarick, fortunately. Only two miles or so, practically outside the walls geographically speaking, and I had to wonder -briefly, given the circumstances- why that might be. If nothing else, it would make defendign and integrating it considerably easier, provided I didn’t simply move the entire village and all of it’s people to rest directly beneath my walls.
Something to decide later.
At any rate, I’d chosen my waifu carefully. All of them were as deadly as they were beautiful, and all of them held particular fondness in my heart. Keladry of Mindelan, one of the young women that codefied my deep appreciation for women with martial talents, her brunette hair pulled back and her hazel-green eyes sharp. Lara Croft, another fine example, carrying a magnificent recurve bow. Ashe the Frost Archer, her own bow radiating a level of pure cold that was uncomfortable even to me. Akali Jhomen Tethi, little more than a shadow even in broad daylight, flitting through the canopy above us with speed and grace. And finally…
Setsuna. ‘My’ daughter, arguably my favorite character -alongside Sango- from the Inuyasha universe, and certainly the best of the Three Princesses from Yasahime. The only one I actually liked, to be frank, which is why I would most likely never procure her twin nor her cousin.
Alex, for her part, would be staying at Hakuginjo. I doubted that the Slane soldiers would find it, and I certainly didn’t believe that they would try to attack it. There weren’t nearly enough of them, for one thing, and it was a massive castle for another. That being said, she was still my Queen -in more than one sense of the word- and someone needed to remain at the castle just in case.
Besides, a part of me found it rather appealing to come home to my wife after a successful day on the battlefield, and have her soothe my aches with her love!
…granted, I doubted the upcoming battle would make me sweat in the least, never mind give me aches or pains, but it was the principle of the thing!
Of course, we’d also have to convince Carne Village to listne to us once we arrived, but I didn’t think we’d have too much trouble with that. Dressed as we all were in fine armor -samurai in appearence, tougher than the best European steel in strength- and as, well…clean and healthy as we all were, we’d hopefully look every inch the nobles that we were, and that would cut down on any argument. Throw in a modest amount of gold for some food and drink, and we’d likely be well-placed for our heroic interference.
At the speed we were moving with, it didn’t take us long to break through the trees and lay our eyes on the village itself. It was beautiful and medieval, laid out in the sunlight in that endearing, idealized chaos of a simple village that hadn’t been built on a grid, and I could practically hear the wind in the wheat and the laughter of children playing in the fields despite the distance. It was also…
“Indefensible. If it wasn’t for the strength that we have, My Lord, it would be impossible to defend a settlement this large and scattered without a company -no, two- of men. They don’t even have a palisade!” Kel voiced the thought for me, sounding almost affronted, not that I could blame her. The Tortall that she’d grown up with had suffered a half-dozen smaller wars, a civil war, the reemergence of the immortal races -which, naturally, included those that fed on human flesh, like spidrens-, and the colossal war against Scanra in the space of some twenty years.
Most settlements had been fortified to some degree, many to a greater one, and soldiers had patrolled the roads between those settlements near-constantly. Seeing a settlement this utterly vulnerable -it’s only real ‘defense’ was a single watch tower that seemed more intended to spot approaching weather than it did encroaching armies- was probably damn-near disturbing for her.
Not that I disagreed, of course.
One of the things we’d need to fix, once this initial problem was handled.
“Perhaps I ought to put you in charge of the defenses, O noble Protector of the Small.” I responded aloud, my lips quirking at the look she gave me in response. She wasn’t particularly fond of the title, I knew, finding it both pretentious and grandoise, but that’s what made it such a fine tool for teasing her. Still… “I’m serious, Kel. You managed to hold Haven against all comers, and if you and your escorts had been there during Kinslayer’s final attack, your people probably would have won the battle. As it was, they managed to kill multiple war-machines that would make anyone in this world shit themselves with nothing more than fishing nets and pickaxes.”
She didn’t particularly look like she wanted to agree with me, but she didn’t try to argue with me either. Sensible of her, really. Not because I was her Lord, of course, though that was a factor. But because it reflected emotional maturity and wisdom, in that she -deep down- knew how right I was.
“Incredible. I think that is the most impressive, self-aggrandizing compliment to another person that I’ve ever heard delivered. Which is saying something, given the sort of circles that I used to travel in.” Lara drawled, and I realized that I’d said all of that outloud. Hmm. That was a bit awkward, wasn’t it? Funny though.
“I strive to excel in everything that I do.” I intoned solemnly, the sheer seriousness of my tone and mien adding to the joke, and received a chorus of eyerolls as a result. Which was fine, ideal even. Shaking my head, I looked to Ashe. “I’m going to count on those hawk-spirits of yours to be our scouts. I’m hoping they’ll come straight in at the village, given the circumstances, but I won’t count on it.”
My stoic little ice queen inclined her head in understanding, before tilting her head back and giving a soft, trilling whistle. A heartbeat later, a pair of shimmering hawks -frost trailing from their wings- swirled into existence and went swooping past to head for the perimeter of the settlement.
“They’ll see anyone and anything that approaches the village, my King, and therefore so shall I.” she announced, calm and composed…right up until I ruffled her hooded head in approval. Then she flushed crimson and pouted while trying to fix both her hood and the silver-white hair beneath it. Ah, girls who try to play it cool and collected while secretly being anxious cinnamon rolls were just spectacular.
“Adorable.” I murmured, mostly to myself, though of course my enhanced companions heard it quite clearly, to a mix of reactions. Setsuna was actually pouting, to my amusement, and I reached out to give her some headpats as well. Which, of course, promptly led to further affection being delivered onto the others in an effort to keep everything equitable. A small delay, but a worthwhile one, and it was a very pleased group of women that followed me toward the village square to greet the people of Carne.
The people of Carne, for their part, reacted about how I’d expected them to.
Which is to say, with a great deal of surprise and terror.
A young man —perhaps seventeen or so, with a pitchfork clutched in white-knuckled hands— had spotted us first, and his cry of alarm had emptied the fields in short order. By the time we reached the square proper, a small crowd of villagers had gathered, the men shoving the women and children behind them, farming implements brandished like the weapons they very much were not. Faces pale, jaws tight, eyes darting from my armor to my companions and back again.
I couldn’t fault them. Six strangers, not wearing the colors of any noble house they recognized nor those of their King, showing up out of nowhere in a world where a mid-ranked adventurer could probably wipe out this entire village single-handed, was essentially tailor-made to cause a result like this.
“Calmly, my friends, calmly. My companions and I have no intention of bringing any harm to this magnificent village, nor to anyone that lives within it. We’re a travelling group of adventurers, nothing more.” I greeted them, holding out my hands in peaceful supplication, letting my eyes trail over the gathered humanity, lingering briefly on the Emmot sisters before moving on. “I am Sesshomaru, leader of the White-Silver Covenant. My Companions are Ashe, Lara, Setsuna, Akali, and Kel.”
A woman near the front —older, perhaps in her forties from the scent, though she looked older thanks to qthe sun-weathered skin of someone who’d spent her whole life working the fields— stepped forward slightly. Not out from behind the men entirely, but enough to speak. Brave of her. Or desperate.
“Adventurers?” Her voice wavered, but she pressed on. “We ain’t got no work for adventurers, my lord. Nor any coin to pay for it if we did. We’re just farmers here, simple folk of simple means.”
I offered her my most reassuring smile, which admittedly might not have landed quite the way I intended, given the silver hair and the markings and the general aura of ‘predatory non-human wearing human skin’ that I exuded at all times. Especially with my rather larger, and sharper, canines compared to those of a regular person.
“I’m so very glad to hear it, though you’ll find me as baffled as I am pleased. We heard rumors that soldiers of the Baharuth Empire were wandering the countryside in this area in numbers, and thought perhaps there was some monster encroachment that hadn’t yet been reported.”
The cheerful sincerity in my voice was painfully facetious, given what I knew the reality of the situation was, and I felt a rather uncharitable amount of glee at the way everyone in front of me froze with shock and fear at the words. They, like me, were perfectly well aware that nothing good could come of Imperial troops roaming their countryside, given the fact that their kingdom had yearly ‘wars’ on the Katze Plains with that same nation.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy. I let it linger for a moment, savoring the way the villagers’ fear painted itself across their faces, before allowing my expression to soften into something more openly sympathetic.
“But I see now that my concerns were misplaced, fortunately.” I continued smoothly. “If soldiers of the Empire are truly here to hunt monsters roaming this area, you would doubtlessly have seen some sign of their prey. It must be so very fortunate, that their targets haven’t yet reached your village…” I trailed off deliberately, every word spoken with a tone that implied the very opposite of the words themselves.
The older woman’s throat worked as she swallowed. Her hands, I noticed, were scarred in a way that spoke of someone that had fought in her past, and I couldn’t help but wonder about that, and who she might be. An old veteran, settled down for a peaceful rural life, perhaps?
“That being the case, we could very well move on, if you would prefer it. We should hate to make you feel unsafe due to our presence, of course, and doubtlessly other settlements of our dear kingdom could make use of our talents…”
The trap was painfully blatant, really, the invitation for them to say something else, and unsurprisingly they took it immediately.
“My Lord, of course we wouldn’t ask you to leave. You are adventurers, heroes of our kingdom, and the hour grows late.” the same woman said quickly, before I could so much as shift my weight, her eyes calculating and her tone sharp. “You are more than welcome to spend the night, and while we have little to offer you, what we have is yours. For nor more than a quarter of it’s cost.”
“I should be glad for us to stay, but I won’t hear a word of underpayment!” I scoffed, waving a hand in dismissal of the very idea. “I shan’t pay less than full price. All reciprocal duties of hospitality aside, just imagine what my fellow adventurers would say of me, to hear that I was accepting so steep a discount? No, no, I shan’t hear it!”
The woman’s shoulders eased a fraction at that, though her eyes never quite lost their wariness. Smart of her. A stranger who insisted on overpaying was very nearly as suspicious as one who came to take, and I could practically see the calculations turning behind her gaze. What did the fine lord want, that he was so eager to be generous?
Nothing she’d guess correctly, at any rate, though she definitely and immediately dangled some bait in front of me.
“Enri, dear.” she said after a moment, without turning her head to look at the most beautiful young woman in the village, who -to give her due credit- she’d probably already noticed my eyes had lingered on. “Why don’t you escort our esteemed guests to our home, settle them at the table. I’ll follow you soon enough.”
“Yes, mother.” Enri acquiesced immediately and without hesitation, and I managed to conceal my surprise at the last moment. Enri’s mother, was she, this ex-warrior? Interesting, I could certainly understand why we were being ushered to her house. She was likely the deadliest person in the village, and seemed to have some authority -mayoress, headwoman, something like that? Or simply respected due to her martial past?- given the way that she had spoken for them all without argument.
Well now, I mused to myself as I followed the busty, beautiful farmgirl through the dirt streets, enjoying the way her hips swayed beneath the skirts of her dress. What should I do from here?
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Once again, make sure to vote on each of the 'catagories' of the vote.
Catagory One: Enri (Options 1 and 2)
Catagory 2: How To Approach Coming Conflict (Options 3 and 4)
Catagory 3: What To Do While We Wait (Options 5, 6, and 7)