Chapter 355: Compromises (1/2)

“I will have his left hand taken and he will be put on house arrest. Not that either will be much of an inconvenience. It will be a reminder.” Alistair said.

Ilea nodded. “Appropriate. Not much of a punishment.” She sighed. “We will see what the survivors have to share about him. If he really is as honorable and true to Riverwatch as he pretends to be, I don’t really care if he lives on.”

“Is that what you wanted to discuss with me?” Alistair asked. He looked at her with inquisitive eyes.

“That too. Too many people as well. I need to breathe.” She added and moved a chair away from one of the tables, sitting down casually. She continued to eat.

Alistair followed her example and grabbed a chair too, sitting a couple meters in front of her.

“The open schools, loans for non nobles… that one I didn’t even know was a thing. Why bother? The kingdoms and empires wouldn’t be an issue if you just kept doing whatever Riverwatch did before.” Ilea said.

“And be owned and controlled by foreign interests?” Alistair asked. “No. The war brought us an opportunity and I acted on it. I had hoped it would last longer but I have to live with it now. Education and capital for everyone will lead to a much more powerful populace. Many will want to live here simply to study their schools of magic. Necromancy is just one of the often forbidden magics, many of them useful if practiced responsibly.”

Ilea blinked closer and smiled. “We seem to be on a similar page. What about war, expansion?”

The man looked up to her. “Nobody cares about the western forests. Some leeway was given to the independent cities because of this in the first place. I do like the idea of reclaiming the lost towns but beyond that, there is enough space here. Let them slaughter each other in the east.”

“I will hold you accountable to those words, Alistair Gallian.” She said and formed a dome of ash around them. “Ravenhall will become independent of Lys. To be managed by the current leadership of the Hand.”

He remained quiet, a grin forming on his mouth as he processed the words.

“I believe we could find a way to back one another.” Ilea said. “Do keep this information to yourself until your own spies bring you news of this.”

Alistair nodded. “I believe an agreement can be reached. Lilith, of the Hand and Riverwatch.”

“Write to the Head Administrator of the city. She will manage the rest.” Ilea said. “Ah another thing… what do you think of cooperation with dwarfs and dark ones?”

“Dark ones… monsters turned sentient?” Alistair said. “Laws apply to everyone. As long as they abide by them when they are in our city, I see no problems.”

Ilea refrained from asking about elves. Right now she knew only Elfie and his crew, not about to suggest they side with the monsters that brought them so much torment. With Sulivhaan and the Hand, she had to know how they stood to it. With Riverwatch, it was less important to her.

“Good.” She said. “Then that’s settled.” Ilea got up, the ash dispelled before she filled her plate again and walked towards the door.

Alistair remained on his seat for a moment, finally standing up and brushing off his suit. “May I ask one last thing?”

“Sure.” Ilea said, standing near the door.

“Why Riverwatch?” He poured himself a mug of wine before he joined her. “I can tell you like the policies I introduced but there’s no reason other than the gold you have here. If what you said is true, we might need more help than we can provide ourselves.”

Ilea smiled. “It’s the first town I found.” She said and walked out, not offering him any more than that.

A group of guards was waiting, the officers and Vincent nowhere in sight. “Governor.” One of them nodded. “The interrogations are in progress, conducted by Valery Stormbound. We moved the prisoners into the cells.”

“Good. I will join them. Vincent?” Alistair asked as he walked closer.

“He is with them, as are some of the officers.” The guard said and looked at Ilea. “Captain Dale has continued the evaluation. He told me to inform you that he would appreciate the continued participation.”

Ilea nodded, chewing some cheese.

Alistair turned her way. “I will contact you again in regards to the letter. The information I provided in regards to Stormbreach are sadly all I have. As to the third job, do come find me once you wish to start.”

The disappearances. “Sure. I might check out Stormbreach today.” Ilea replied.

“Captain Dale will be able to provide a guide.” He said and bowed his head to her lightly. “I wish you good fortune, Shadow.”

“Cheers.” She said and walked over to the groups of people participating in the evaluation.

There were still a bunch of officers waiting to try themselves against her, their faces lighting up when they saw the Shadow approach.

Some of the guards who had been near the canteen were following her at a distance, the others went with Alistair.

“She’s back.” Dale said when he saw her. “Care to join us again? We’re nearly through with the recruits.”

Ilea nodded. “Sure.”

“Nothing is happening.” A guard commented.

“Did he even use a spell?” Another said.

Ilea waited with crossed arms, her ashen armor mostly ignoring the ice lances that slammed into it.

“This is fucking ridiculous.” The ice mage said and shook his head. He gulped and bowed to her. “I give up.” He joined the group of laughing guards and officers once more.

“If he can’t get through, I don’t know if we even have anybody that could.” Someone commented.

Ilea yawned and walked over to the buffet that had been prepared for the normal guards. Dale certainly hadn’t been kidding when he organized this distraction test.

He walked over to join her, a plate in on hand and a mug in the other. “They were hoping for more of a reaction.” The man said and smiled at her.

“Should’ve done this a year ago then.” Ilea said. Some of the attacks had gotten close to penetrating her armor of ash but her resistances against the magics were too high. Coupled with all the defensive bonuses it seemed like people below level one fifty had a hard time even scratching her.

Dale nodded. “And here I thought a group of my guards could take down even a Shadow.”

“I’m not any Shadow.” She said with a smirk, her armor receding and her helmet vanishing before she shoved a spoonful of hummus into her mouth.

“You certainly aren’t.” Dale said and paused. “What did you talk about with Alistair?” He asked, unable to stop his curiosity.

“Maybe you’ll find that out in the future. Maybe not.” Ilea replied, winking at him.

It was midday now, the evaluation and bets had taken up quite some time, coupled with her short expedition into the wild. Many of the guards had already gone back to their posts, bored by the lack of success against the Shadow.

Dale sighed. “You’re not as easy to read as you once were. Too much power and secrets. How are you?” He asked.

“How am I?” Ilea asked back. She could tell he wasn’t asking how she felt about the food or the sun or even the evaluation. “Better, I think.” She replied.

He looked at her, waiting for more. When nothing came, he nodded. “That’s good to hear at least. I’m here you know.” He paused. “If you want to talk to someone a little less insane than the people you likely deal with on a daily basis.”

“I appreciate it.” Ilea said and meant it. Coming from Earth and being at her height of power, she doubted many could truly empathize. Perhaps a guard in Riverwatch, grounded in his life and morals might just be the one to offer some counsel.

Those in the Hand were reasonable enough too but somehow she had felt more comfortable with Maro, Terok and Goliath, each of them understanding a little of the absurdity surrounding the world. Maro perhaps the most because his situation was maybe even more ridiculous than her own.

I hope he’s not forming another cult. She thought and continued eating. Oh well. One more or less.

“I’ll need a guide. To show me where Stormbreach is.”

“You really are going for that too.” Dale said and shook his head.

Ilea looked at him. “Dale, you will understand once you get the ability to fly. Shouldn’t be too long by now.”

He waved her off. “I’m very much fine on the ground. Thank you.”

She laughed and stretched before she looked around. “Seems like most of you lot have had enough. You didn’t try yet.” She said with a smirk.

“I’ve seen enough of you to know the result.” Dale said. “No reason to make myself seem incapable in front of my men. Again.”

“Fair enough.” Ilea replied and went back to the buffet.

“Any hunters who’ve been near Stormbreach recently?” Dale asked the men and women standing around the tables.

“I’m not going there again.” A woman said. “It’s bad enough in the forests around here, I don’t want to add demons into the mix.”

“Not even if she’s with you?” Dale asked again, pointing at Ilea.