163 ... and its bloodline (2/2)
But when she arrived near her known acquaintances, she saw his bearded face beginning to darken. He had removed his helmet, as he was previously chatting with a large ratman near him. Not really concerned by the cold welcome she got, she only noticed too late what was in his hands, before it quickly moved toward her.
”TO LEILADE OCTAVIUS! SLAYER OF THE SPIDER QUEEN!” Raising high his bottle of alcohol, he drank it in one go. Behind him, she could see numerous ratmen carrying huge barrels of beer and wine, before distributing it to everyone. Removing their dirtied helmets, ratmen and dwarves began to celebrate early their victory.
”I was joking with you, don't make such a face. Maybe you don't realize, but many of us thought we would die in this place. Even if the casualties are not too high as the spiders rarely attack, who would want to get old without their families?”
”Yes-Yes. The spidersss are no more, sreek sreek. Thousandsss of years, su-suffering under their mandibles. But you. You killed them all, ex-exterminated them. To the lassst of them.” The evil face of the ratman was grinning evilly while saying this, but she could see that it was joy. Even as they celebrated, it never occurred to them that she could have returned without accomplishing her task. Feeling a bit naughty, she wanted to see their faces crumbled.
”The Spider Queen escaped.”
PFUIII
Both officers spat instantly their drinks while looking at her with stupor. After that, their eyes landed on their warriors that were happily chatting and drinking, wondering how they would be able to tell them the hard truth. Realizing that they may have jumped to the conclusion too fast, the jug in their grips were crushed, letting the strong liquid taint their hands.
”Joking, she is dead.” Hearing this, both looked at each other, then at Leilade, then at each other again. the dwarf began to sit down, his heart not capable of sustaining any other jump of emotions. With his breathing getting louder and louder, even the soul near him feared a bit that she had shocked them too much. It would be bad if she killed someone by accident, after telling a bad joke. Regretting once more to have succumbed to an impulse of emotions, the worst did not happen.
”Don't ... pfuiii ... Don't ever ... Joke like that again ... haaaaa ... You're killing me.” Grabbing another jug from someone that passed nearby, he drank it far more slowly this time, only taking a few sips at a time. Right after this, the reports of the other troops informed them that they had not sighted a single spider since at least half of an hour. But each time they entered a new cavern, they could spot the countless corpses laying on the ground.
”I guess those ghosts are your doing. And if you say that the queen is dead, we have to trust you. It would take weeks to explore everything, but I think it's fine if we already inform the king of the news. I wonder how big the feast will be at our arrival in the capital?”
”You won't inform anyone.” The cold, infantile voice broke the thoughts of the two living beings, that merely raised their eyebrows about that remark. ”For the next ten days, no one will leave the Foundations of Iron. If someone comes, you will tell them that you are still fighting hard. No one will know about what I have done until this period of time has ended.”
Instead of being angered or anything alike, the only thing she could see was sheer disinterest. Like what she said didn't concern them in the slightest. Feeling the gaze of the dark soul perturbing their small celebration, the ratman finally acknowledged what she said. ”Fi-Fine fine. We heard from you. What'sss ten days anyway?” ”Do what you want. Just, before you leave, can you let those ghosts kill the last spiders for us? Even with our good visions in the dark, it is still hard for us to spot some hiding spots on the ceiling and the walls.”
Lifting her hand, Leilade did a small hand gesture as a dark orb was created. Extending her hand for the dwarf commandant to pick it up, she explained its utility. ”This is linked to my summons. When they will be done, the orb will immediately disappear. Meaning that all the living beings in those tunnels have been exterminated. As for the ranger that followed me, he can go back to the capital. Tell him to only speak to the king.”
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Finalizing to fix the last miscellaneous issues, she then listened to the dwarf to know where to go next. ”The orcs? Hard to miss those greenskins. If it was me, it would take a long time before reaching them, but you don't have that problem. Just go to the West and it will be fine. And if you want more actions, aim at the river that is leaving the Iron Kingdom. It will lead you directly to a huge lake, where most monsters of those forsaken plains go to drink.”
Soon after saying those words, the two officers could see the soul in front of them beginning to disappear into a nearby stone wall. Finally getting rid of the morbid and glacial atmosphere that followed their savior, the taste of the drink in their mouths was greatly improved. Returning to the fortress and after learning that they had not lost a single man, celebrations resonated in the depths for all those days. And when the black orb crumbled under their happy stares, it only made the party even bigger.