ALL NOVEL 82
“You heard what I said. I won’t repeat myself again.” Seems like I have a cultural incongruence on this part. I only read what lore of Warhammer Fantasy fascinates me and I never really read how peace treaties or demands between factions are contemplated and made in this world. The only experience I have is making a verbal deal with Rhya and Taal then that brief visitation from Morr. Then again, dealing with gods is a wholly different matter than this.
“You said you have saved some of my people before, may I meet with them?” Queen Marrisith thankfully continues, knowing that there won’t be any progress if they keep asking me to repeat myself. On her question, I looked at Lak. Who just shrugged.
“My daughter here can lead you to them.” I point at Lak.
“Then why are you asking for a dragon?” Rivandil now ask
“I like dragons. I just want to try riding one.” Literally and the other kind of riding. If not, eating a dragon is something I must also try.
“That is not for me to decide.”
I kind of expect that. Ulthuan won’t be just handing some dragons to a daemon.
“Regardless, I have stated my terms. I am here to stay. Your people can choose to stay under me or leave. You have three days to decide.” I decided to put this under wraps. Both have also started to glance at each other. Either to gauge each other's reactions or that they have some difference in opinion on how to proceed. The only thing that matters to me now is claiming Laurelorn for myself. Having additional bases would be beneficial and there’s the matter of the warp stones too. The Waystones I have installed west, south, and east of Laurelorn will not be easy to lift without some drastic or catastrophic side effect with the world’s rising magic level. The existence of warp stones also put everything on a timer until the rats arrive. So it is better to just properly own the place, fortify, and build up.
Without further ado and waiting for their words, I turn and leave. What’s left is their decision. And if they decide to fight back, we can simply kill them all. Now though, is to handle the reward for my children.
—
“What you mean don’t kill her?” A massive white haired man shouts. His voice echoes the Middenheim underbelly. He wears many pelts of wolves and bears.
“This kind of thing is unprecedented. Also shows that the Four’s hold on their daemons are not as firm as we thought.” Rhya explains the uncertainty of the situation.
“Or a trick. It won’t be the first time.” Taal added
“Oh, so not yet.” This calms Ulric a little and he immediately sat down on the chair along with his peer around the table.
Kostner, the witch hunter that worked with Rhya, Taal, and Valariel previously meanwhile, is sitting on a different table drinking his tea. He starts thinking that this is getting out of hand as now three gods are using his personal hideout as a gathering place. If only Sigmar was here. Though he doubts it will make the time more bearable.
“What do you think about her?” Rhya probes
“A good daemon is a banished one or even better is a permanently erased one.” Ulric answers the matter of factly. As the first god to battle chaos and held the north gate against chaos alone for some time, his hatred to daemons is second to none.
“You know what I meant.” Rhya simply states which made Ulric stop to think. Both stared at each other then his face winced in disgust.
“I will not say it.” Ulric's tone demands no further breach on the subject.
“What? What do you mean?” Kostner finally chimes in. Unable to hide his curiosity on what can make Ulric disgusted.
“In case you don’t get my meaning. Boy. We will not speak of this again.” Ulric glared at the witch hunter who promptly looked away.
“It’s alright Ulric.” Taal speak against it to Ulric’s surprise
“In short Kostner, the daemon is now a mimic. Whether she knows this or not does not matter. It is still a thing that shouldn’t exist in the material world. But it won’t be long until she is not a mimic any longer.” Rhya explains.
“If she is a mimic, who does she mime?”
“Me.”
Silence fill the room as Kostner now understand why
“Well, or other gods that held power over nature, life, and birth.” She added.
“I don’t see why this is a problem. Surely she can’t take your place, powers, and faith from the people.”
“Where she is now, she won’t need to take my place.”
Hearing this Kostner starts to think. He knows as much as the daemon just from the report. And asking more questions will test Ulric’s patience. These three are not his god and he doesn't know when he can accidentally speak out of line without repercussion again. Then it suddenly clicks.
“Is the reason to not kill her yet,” Kostner pauses a bit from uncertainty, “is because there’s a slight chance she can bring the beastmen to rebel against chaos with her as their new goddess?” He guessed correctly from Ulric’s snort and Rhya and Taal looking at each other.
“It is impossible. You see boy, those daemons you always fought are just a splinter from the Four. They are merely an extension and can be freely erased by the four whenever they want.”
Hearing Ulric’s words, Kostner immediately wrote this down. The information does not worth anything as of right now other than to prove that some wizard attempts on fully controlling a daemon is really a folly as the Chaos Gods will still hold the rein. The only problem is telling his superior that this comes from a reliable source as he doubt saying that god tells him so will suffice.
“Any other reason?”
“There was once a greater daemon. He wants to be the fifth chaos god.”
“Alright.”
Kostner write this down too and that there is no fifth chaos god
