102 Power And Pride (1/2)
Eleven dark elves watched in stunned, disturbed silence, as a figure appeared as if out of nowhere behind them and walked until it was next to one of their own family members. The figure was an entity composed entirely of shadows, and it was silent.
The powerful creature activated a number of its abilities as it came to a stop. One of the most prominent of the powers it activated was one of its newest: ”Banishment of lies”, a potent power that made it impossible for creatures in its presence to lie. It also activated an assortment of auric abilities to truly set the stage for the confrontation it had waited for, for nearly a week.
The shadowy, vaguely-humanoid shape was a totally dark silhouette and its appearance was enough of a distraction that when a thin blue vapor appeared out of the floor of the bed-chamber they were in none of them noticed. But when the entity suddenly bathed the room in radiant light, the dark-elven family did notice.
They had to shield their eyes to prevent the sudden illumination from temporarily blinding them. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they moved their hands away from their faces and laid their eyes on the god responsible for their diseased suffering and for the explosion of illumination that now kept their room mildly illuminated.
While it was bathing in the sudden burst of light, the figure responsible for the abrupt illumination had smoothly taken on a new appearance. It went from a dark-elven sized silhouette to a disguise inspired by actual dark elves. Unlike in the past when the strange god had taken on an appearance that was an enlarged version of Drow Dragonstone this new form it took on was a wholly original one.
The god took on the appearance of a male dark elf, one with purple skin. He constructed an original face for himself by mixing and matching the facial features of his worshipers from the Dragonstone family. He did this in an instant, having grown familiar with weaving together disguises and forms over the course of the days he spent practicing his powers and abstaining from acquiring new ones.
He clothed himself in pants made of silk-like darkness and allowed his muscular upper body to be free from the confines of clothing. He was an unfairly attractive dark-elf, thanks in part to his decision to attempt to use his powers to achieve his goals without violence. He radiated strength, charisma, and power, and his aura was one of peace and intrigue.
”Hello. I've waited for this meeting... Well, I've waited for it longer than I've ever waited for anything in my life. Have you enjoyed the small sampling of my power that I've provided you?” He asked, his voice an eerie baritone. There was a sinister smile on his lips as he spoke.
His eyes were void-like orbs that radiated no heat, making them appear even darker when peered at by the dark-elves who could see shades of heat as clearly as they could see light. The god was greeted with silence, as none of the dark elves dared reply to him. He chuckled and with the same ease as he inflicted the diseases that had plagued the family for days he undid them, as a gesture of something akin to good-will.
In an instant, the sores that had covered their once beautiful and handsome forms and the pus that made them grossly slick disappeared. This left the assorted familial elders and their children feeling better than they had in days. The chamber was filled with the sounds of dark-elves sighing in relief, thankful for the mercy the eerie god had just shown them.
”We have much to discuss. And I suppose it'll be better for everyone involved in all of you are at your best as we discuss our... shared futures.” The god told them, speaking freely and boldly. His sinister smile had never once left his lips.
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I undid the plagues and poxes I had inflicted on the once beautiful family in an instant. Their emotions flared up and their hearts raced as they felt the weight, pain, and discomfort they had endured for days leave their bodies. They immediately regained their former beauty and handsomeness, and before me now stood a gathering of darkly and evilly sensual creatures.
”This was fun. If I do again... I'd be wise to make it worse for my victims.” I thought as the emotions of my victims rushed into me. I felt their hearts react to both my presence and my powers. Their reactions were complete since they were in the space of my ”Religious fervor” power and my ”Unfettered divinity” ability.
These two powers together bathed this room in light. Even a human's eyes would have been comfortable in the light that bathed this room. It wasn't harsh by any means, but it was vibrant enough for a casual viewer without heat-oriented vision to be able to see me, and the family of dark elves I was hells-bent on making my servants.
”I have come to secure the freedom of the slaves you have abused for untold centuries. I will put an end to this abhorrent practice. But I am not here to make an enemy of you. If you would wisely obey me I will instead make you more powerful than you have ever been.” I proclaimed to the gathered dark-elves.
They looked at me skeptically and even hatefully. I chuckled at them, understanding their bitterness and the complex emotions they were feeling. I had made myself an unstoppable foe of theirs, one who hurt them from a distance and who made them feel powerless for days, and now I was offering them both peace and power.
That said, the family refused to speak unkindly to me, instead contenting themselves with their glares and skepticism. I allowed silence to fill the air for a minute, before speaking once more. As I did so, I recalled the day I met Lilith Silverstone.
”I was once told that dark-elves value 'power, pleasure, and pride'. I have come here to offer you and your family new means to acquire all three of those things.” I told the dark elves, a cruel glimmer sparkling in my eyes as I spoke. This intrigued the dark-elves, a few of whom looked at me with renewed interest and emotions more nuanced than hatred or fear. I smirked at them.
”I have not come to deprive you of power, friends. I have come to persuade you to pursue a new means to greatness.” I told the gathered creatures. Their interest did not wane, and so I opted to dive right in.
”I am a god of undeath and necromancy. Among many other things. I would like to propose a deal with you. One that I believe fairly compensates you for what you will lose in peacefully liberating the people you have long considered your property.” I explained, a smile on my face as I did so.
”For every slave you free, and you will free them all, I will give you control over two tireless undead. The undead are far more efficient laborers than the living and far more cost-effective. I will give them enough intelligence to obey any of your commands, and I will take pains to ensure that they can serve you as laborers as well as additional guards.” I explained, pausing for a moment to feign catching a breath. I did this mostly to give the family a chance to absorb the offer I was making.
”In addition to that, you all will become my worshipers. And in doing so I shall grant you society-wide power. You will enter into an alliance with the Dragonstone family, gaining the prestige that comes with being allied with the best-armed noble family in the city.” I added and in doing so revealed that the Dragonstones were among my servants.
I stopped talking and smiled patiently at the family. They took to this news, especially the bit about the Dragonstone family, somberly. They lost a bit of their bravado and bluster, and the hate that once filled with their gazes was replaced with a cautious, almost respectful, fear.
The Dragonstones, not just Drow but his entire family, were well-known as a largely apolitical family interested exclusively in warfare and battle, not the machinations of the local nobility. The fact that I could truthfully call them my servants signaled at the depths of my power and added weight to my overall bargaining position.
The dark-elves turned to look at each other and I could see the shifting emotions in their cautious and steely stares. Milene, still beside me, looked at me and whispered something as quietly as she possibly could.
”Althos... They are communicating mentally. Our family is one of the last remaining bloodlines in the city that possesses that power. Even now they are frantically whispering to each other about what to do.” The traitorous dark-elf, who happened to be betraying her family to me, muttered. I smiled at her, genuinely surprised by the revelation that her family possessed telepathic abilities.
I established a mental-link that tied her and I together and then spoke to her through it.
”Thank you for sharing that secret. You have done well.” I informed her, causing the dark-elf to smile eagerly at me. She visibly relaxed and transmitted a message to me.
”The men are in favor of your deal. The women are not. It's an even split along gendered lines.” She told me, revealing the contents of their discussion with great eagerness. I appreciated her sharing that with me. That did make me curious about something though.
”If you all can speak mentally, why did you communicate out loud just now? When you were introducing me?” I asked my one faithful servant. She was mentally silent for a moment before answering.
”I do not know the depths of your powers. I did not wish to assume you could hear me if I spoke mentally to my family.” She revealed a gentle grin on her dazzling features. I chuckled, appreciating both her decision and her candor.