Not long after Goraykan settled into accepting their invaders, who weren't as bad as many, tension began to rise again. Everyone knew that Fodajix and Budajix were no longer on speaking terms, and no matter how many times Razz told everyone that they were still allied, the rumors persisted. It was even said that they had stopped feasting together, even if all the other invaders were present.
Of course, it helped that Razz had made sure that they occasionally weren't informed.
He knew that he was playing a dangerous game, but he figured as long as the two lead invaders were focused on one another, they weren't hurting as many people. All their underlings were falling into factions as well, focused on one another instead of the Goralians.
Untariin had been gone most of the time these days, and Razz didn't blame him: the invaders might be lashing out less frequently, but occasionally their anger spilled over and they killed someone. Hunters and others with a small amount of power were more at risk, unlike someone as harmless as Razz. It was possible that they would kill him too, but if he died that way, he'd consider it as a death in the line of duty.
One day as he was trying to source more chakra-rich wine, Razz heard a heavy footstep behind him. Somehow he knew who it was, and by the time Fodajix walked in behind him, Razz wondered if this was the moment he finally died. The small man did the least boasting and talking of any of the invaders, but the way he was staring made Razz's blood run cold.
"Did Budajix ask about me?"
The question sent a chill up Razz's spine as he dared to hope. "My lord...?" He cringed back, which didn't require much acting. "I don't know what you mean. I strive to serve all of you to the best of m-"
"Stop sniveling." Fodajix stepped up behind Razz, not touching him but too close. "Has he asked any questions about me?"
"I..." Razz swallowed carefully. "Very little, my lord. I think he may be jealous about the mansion you took for yourself, because he asked all kinds of questions about it. Of course I found him the best one I could, but if you're unsatisfied with yours..."
Fodajix grunted and stalked away, leaving Razz wondering if he had played that right.
Pitting the invaders against one another was a difficult act, because if he was too obvious they would lash out at him, but his early attempts had been too subtle. He'd discovered that Budajix was easy, since his ego was fragile and he stopped thinking when it was damaged. But Fodajix was hard to read and smarter than the others, so it would be too easy to tip his hand.
Because Fodajix had already seemed paranoid, Razz had tried to push back a little, not offering an answer that too obviously served him. He'd wanted to subtly imply that Budajix might be investigating his mansion as a threat, though he wasn't sure if it had any effect. It was entirely possible that he'd just undone days of fostering discontent between them.
The next morning, Budajix was found murdered in his bed.
There was no question about who had done it: Fodajix was wearing the other invader's mana circlet, increasing his power yet further. All the other invaders were shocked, keeping to themselves as if anything could happen. Razz was shocked himself, never having imagined that things would escalate so quickly.
Unquestionably, the smart thing to do was keep his head down and avoid attention. Even the other invaders were doing the same, and some hid their weapons as if in fear that Fodajix would come for them next. That atmosphere of paranoia weakened all of them, so in one sense it was best not to interfere with it.
But the chance that the murder would trigger the worst case scenario was too high. Shouldering the risk, Razz entered the mansion where Fodajix sat alone.
"My lord, I-"
"Go away." Fodajix waved him off without looking.
"Please, my lord. Your business is your own, but please tell the others about what happened. If they don't hear from Budajix and think that it was one of us, no one will be able to stop them. I have family across the continent, I just want them to be safe..."
"Ugh." Fodajix pushed Razz hard enough to shove him out the door, but then he reached into his robes and pulled out the communications crystal. Rubbing his bruised chest, Razz stayed long enough to hear him reporting that he and Budajix had fought before he slipped away.
Was the best plan to flee as soon as he had a chance? Razz had hoped to undermine the invaders, but this had surpassed his expectations. Then again, trying to flee could well place suspicion on him, and he couldn't guarantee that he could actually outrun opponents who were so impossibly fast.
By the end of the day, Razz had resolved that he was going to stay in Goraykan. He made sure to visit all the weaker invaders, giving them what remained of his stash, as if trying to raise their spirits. Many of them actually seemed to appreciate it, leading to painfully human moments of connection where they acted as though they were both normal people, instead of conquerors and victims. He didn't expect any of them could defend him, but it would bolster his reputation if it came to that.
When Razz went home, he found Fodajix waiting. The man had looked more emotionally troubled before, but now his face held only an icy curiosity.
"You're an altruistic man, thinking of your fellows like that," Fodajix said.
"And I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Razz bowed deeper than he usually dared. "I know we need to adjust to the new way of things, I just want my family to-"
"No, I don't think so." Fodajix grabbed his arm and his fingers might as well have been a steel manacle, bruising Razz as the invader dragged him up against a wall. "You seem entirely too smart for my liking."
"Than-"
"Shut up. I got to thinking about what you've done for us, how you've always been at our shoulders. And I don't think I like it."
Suddenly Razz was slammed against the wall and he heard his arm snap. He couldn't stop his cry of pain, but it got worse when the invader twisted the broken arm and shoved his face against the wood.
"Who are you working for?" Fodajix demanded, cold eyes finally showing some hatred. "They're pulling your strings, aren't they?"
"Who do y-" Razz cut off as force slammed into his legs. He dropped to the ground, clutching the broken bone and struggling not to sob. Fodajix stood over him, looking down with pure disgust.
"I've always known you weren't as beaten as you looked. The strong ones are still lurking out there... I just didn't think they'd sent money-counters to do a warrior's work. If you want to live - if you actually have a family you care about - you'll give them to me. Set up a meeting."
Razz's body still hurt worse than anything else he'd experienced, but the pain was becoming numb. He stared up at the invader and, as he realized he was going to die, found himself strangely clear-headed. Somehow he even pulled himself up to a sitting position.
"Kill me now," Razz told him. The stark statement seemed to make the invader hesitate. "I don't have contact with anyone important, but you won't believe that, will you? Just kill me now and save us both the trouble."
For several seconds Fodajix stared at him, then he chuckled grimly. He reached down and grabbed Razz by the hair, dragging him into a storage room. The pace forced Razz to put weight on his broken leg and there was no way he could push through that with manful silence - he was groaning and whimpering by the end.
Once there, Fodajix pushed him against the wall, then grabbed a long piece of metal used for construction. With his bare hands he bent it into a half-circle, then he slammed that circle around Razz's neck. It pinned him to the wall in standing position, either struggling to keep himself upright or sagging and choking on the metal. Razz instinctively grasped at it with his unbroken arm, but he was clawing at steel and it was futile.
"You're brave," Fodajix said. "You're going to regret being brave by the end. How long can you survive here, I wonder? Even if you stay brave and refuse to say anything, I can still use you. Unless they threw you away, they'll come for you, and then I'll be able to take my revenge."
Struggling with the steel around his neck, Razz couldn't say anything. Fodajix closed the door on him and then he was engulfed in total darkness.
As the hours passed and Razz grew weary, he realized that it wasn't actually pitch black: he could see faint hints of light through the cracks in the construction. Those hints faded as it shifted toward evening outside, which was his only way of keeping time. It seemed like it had been an eternity and his legs ached - he could keep his weight off the broken leg, but the other hurt nearly as much now.
When the door opened, Razz groaned... and then he saw that it was Untariin.
"Unt-!" Razz choked as he tried to speak, then recovered. "It's a trap! He's going t-"
"Nah." Untariin grabbed the steel and tore it out of the wall, then pulled Razz to him and broke something which caused mana to surge around them.
Then, with a speed that seemed simply unbelievable, Razz was back in the sunlight. He thought he recognized northern Goralia from the foliage, but all he could feel was relief. His head was spinning and all his aches and pains redoubled, as if the light had awoken them as well.
"Oh, poor Razz..."
He realized dimly that Juray was guiding him to the ground, cradling his head and helping him drink a potion. When the mana surged through his body, at last he felt some relief in his broken limbs. As the pain ebbed, so did his energy, as if he had nothing left.
"Good work." Untariin knelt down on the opposite side, smiling at him. "There's one less invader in the world thanks to you. None of the rest of us can say the same."
"What... what about Fodajix?" Razz asked. "If... if he attacks..."
Razz didn't get an answer to his question because he dipped in and out of consciousness as his body recovered. Both sleep and waking felt like a dream and sometimes it was hard to believe that he had really done all that, living near invaders who could kill him in an instant. When he finally woke with a clear mind, he was incredibly disoriented.
Now he had the presence of mind to understand that he was in an elite base... and it must be the next morning, based on the sunlight. Raghi had joined them, talking to Juray in a low voice. No one looked panicked, but the uncertainty ate at him.
"What happened?" he asked. Untariin appeared beside him with a thin smile.
"Calm down, it's okay."
"But what about Fodajix? Did he start killing people in retaliation?"
"He didn't kill anyone, didn't even talk to the others, he just left the city." Untariin's smile thinned to a knife edge. "That's the bad news: he went toward the Frontier and we lost track of him. We have no idea what he's doing now."
Razz let out his breath and slumped back against the bed. At least his actions hadn't triggered the worst... but he could only hope that they were for the best. All he knew for sure was that the rest wasn't up to him.