System Break

There were seventy thousand souls in Salastria, and I felt most of their eyes on me as I walked up the main street carrying the humungous qi core on my shoulder. Imagine someone walking down main street pushing a cart full of gold dressed as a fairy. Fortunately I was intimidating enough to discourage a mugging. The tallest of men came up to my chin where most were a couple of feet short. 

My brown skin looked like timber in colour and texture.  My chest was bare, muscular, and made the women swoon; or so I was told. While the women stared at me there was no doubt that men gawked at Gisael and Sakaala. They were lithe and athletic with enough curves to make a man drool. 

We crossed a bridge and reached the castle in the centre of the city. It had a high stone wall with two arched entrances. It was interesting that the wall on the castle was taller and wider than the wall surrounding the city. It made me think the Duke cared more about his own safety than that of his citizens.

Waiting for us under the arch was none other than the lovely Peppin. Whose beauty was matched by her surliness.

"I didn't think you cared?" 

She pouted. "I don't want to be here. But despite what you think I follow orders. And I'll have you know no one is as disciplined as me."

I laughed. "You care what I think?"

Her face turned red and I wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger because she turned away and marched up the cobbled path where I got another view of her fine behind. 

She wore tight leather pants and a puffy saffron shirt. Her ornate sword hung from a leather harness which crossed from her right shoulder to left hip. The hilt faced forward which allowed her to draw with her right hand. As she walked her tight blond ponytail swung side to side in tune with her hips.

She led us through doors, corridors stairs and guards until we reached the main hall. We waited at the entrance until permission was given for us to enter. I was not surprised to see the land core at the end of the hall in a wall. The wall hosted an interesting battle mural with  men dressed in lion capes and a hodgepodge group of other races.

In front of the wall was a long table with the duke seated at the head. There were guards at the corners and desks with clerks against two of the walls. It was like a medieval open office.

The old duke was a lecherous greedy bastard. He grinned and waved at us like we were old friends. "Back so soon; did you miss my company?"

"Yes my lord," Sakaala said and I was grateful because I had little motivation to greet him politely.

"A report has reached my ears before you," he said and glanced at Brione. "You took care of our Gargscarab. I am grateful as I am sure are our farmers."

Sakaala nodded and I stood like an idiot holding the giant core they were discussing. "The farmers and my lord are both welcome."

"But," he said sadly. "It was not necessary; you see my protectors could have taken care of it. It is well within their capability."

Sakaala smiled. "We'll never know. But the fact remains we did kill it and the core is ours as is our right."

"But you didn't ask permission. It was within miles of my walls. I am sorry but I feel cheated. Like you stole it from us."

Sakaala pouted. "But my lord, we have a treaty that says we can hunt monsters and take their cores in your lands. In fact the treaty demands we do just this."

He shouted, "In the lands surrounding the Reach!"

"But," Sakaala said, "It does not clarify the end of the area we are to hunt."

"Surely," he whined, "Surrounding means nearby."

"In what legal definition? If anything we've gone above and beyond by killing orks within the walls. Orks which would have taken the fort if not for us. And you'd have no fort. We were meant to protect the farmers not the fort itself."

"You admit, you've overstepped then," he said with fake sincerity. 

"Enough," I said and dropped the core. It bounced across the decorated stone tiles. All eyes were drawn to the core and all mouths were silent.

I took one step towards the duke and without my intent my qi flowed strongly. It was the second time today it moved on its own without my desire or call. 

"I'll make this simple. You can keep the core and you give us the Reach. You can't defend it anyway."

The duke laughed but it was forced and nervous.

Brione cleared his throat. "My duke I think this is a good solution. He is right we cannot protect the Reach and we would already have lost it without their intervention."

The duke's mouth hung open for a second. "Are you mad Brione? We are negotiating and you side with the enemy. If I didn't think you were a moron this would be treason."

"Your alternative," I said.=, "Is we fight. We will not give you this core because you spew crap from your mouth."

Brione whispered. "He took down the Gargscarab alone my lord."

The dukes eyes dropped but then flared again. "The investment in the Reach has been huge, I cannot let it go. You have to earn your keep Brione and defending us is how you do it."

The leader of the protectors eyes grew dark. The thin frown on his face made him look suddenly old; all of his sixty years. "You command our deaths for a territory you will lose?"

The duke looked at the protector with zero empathy. "You are old and weak. I will be forced to concede this territory because of your incompetence."

Peppin could no longer control herself. "Father. We should leave this low life. You given him your life and he spits in your face. I will not give mine over to such a man."

She genuinely surprised me. This woman had backbone, perhaps she wasn't the selfish, prejudiced bitch that I thought she was.

We didn't need to say another word.

The duke stood and glared at us. "I am forced to accept your proposal. The Reach is yours."

Sakaala smiled like a salesperson who just made a huge sale. "Good, I'll get the paperwork done with your clerks right away."

The duke shot her an incredulous look.

"You don't expect us to trust you do you?" Sakaala said as she walked towards the clerks at the edge of the room. "We just witnessed your moral character and found it wanting."

I could not help myself. I picked up the core and placed it carefully in front of the wall with the magnificent mural. I was showing the duke I knew exactly where his land core was located. It was like a veiled threat.

He stared open mouthed at me as I turned but he was lost for words. 

Peppin also stared at me with eyes full of curiosity and interest.

I nodded thanks to Sakaala and left with Gisael. 

Without a word Peppin followed. 

Brione sadly watched with the realisation that his daughter's words were true. He'd wasted years in service to this foul duke.