Master of the Hoard - Chapter 22 (Patreon)

As I strode into the red’s domain, right behind Jazinth, I spared a thought for the person who made me go through all this bother of just charging in and sorting out the pieces afterwards. Chad. Fucking Chad.

So, twenty years ago, when I stopped with the grunt work and became a foreman, I was introduced to the lovely world of mandatory courses. And those titles. Urgh. Sometimes you didn't even know what you were going to attend. Professional Site Management sounded decent, but was basically workplace anti-harassment training. Proper Data Management was four horrible hours of the gospel being laid down by an exquisitely boring guy with a horrible tie. "Thou shalt not surf porn on company computers." "If thou doth click on an outside link, contact thine overlords in IT." It was a shitshow, really. Maybe one in every eight courses was actually useful. Some of them... I'd rather take on two red dragons than redo the eight-hour GDPR course.

Chad, however. He managed the double whammy of nailing the prize for the single most reprehensible human being and handling the most educational course. Chad was in marketing. When he strode whistling through the door, tanned, wearing a pair of Raybans, designer clothes and a Rolex, we all disliked him. Nonchalantly tossing his giant size Porsche key chain to the desk as he sat down on the desk and smiled a pearly white grin, we actively loathed him. His opening speech, however... "It takes the average human being seven seconds to get a solid impression of who you are. Once that first impression is made, you will have to work twice as hard to change it, be it to the better or the worse. Right now, you have a fixed impression of me. Were you to find out that my clothes and glasses are fake and I actually drive a Prius - preposterous, of course, I'm not a loser - it wouldn't necessarily be able to destroy that first impression of me. Rich, self-assured, in control." He grinned at us while most of us silently added the words "cocky bastard." before continuing. "So, basically, the way you approach your customer tells him whether he should treat you like a servant or a king. Who here would like to be a king?"

My years of working as a foreman did not make me loathe Chad less. It did, however, let me learn that he was right, to a certain extent. First impressions matter. You should present yourself in the way that you want people to remember you. And if I was going to add these ugly Crawls to my domain, I wanted them to know for sure that I was both in charge and in control.

This was why Jazinth marched ahead of me, concentration fixed on the Fire Tower. When I explained what I wanted, she was quick to get to it. Apparently, she really did want to make amends.

The remaining Talpi were following behind us. According to Aelis, the Crawls didn't leave the place much - mostly, they were either eating or sleeping in the Habitat, or flailing away at a handful of wooden targets in what was probably a Training Chamber. Our forces should look properly intimidating now.

Even as shouts erupted from around us, a low rumbling sound announced that Jazinth had made it and the Fire Tower was covered by falling rock and dirt. I strode past the waiting Talpi into the huge cavern, threw back my head and roared. In front of me lay the red dragon's home and I had time to take in the details. The place was gaudy. Not that-decor-is-outrageous gaudy. Gaudy in the way that the red dragon apparently had a thing for shinies. The hoard was filled with shiny gems and coins. What weapons and other items there were, were polished to a high shine. As if that weren't enough, even the walls were hung with metallic creations and studded with gemstones. In comparison, my domain was simple, though the rooms themselves were of a much higher quality. This was basically a natural cave that had been filled with tons of items. What really set the place apart from my own was the light - because the place was shining bright. Torch brackets hung at even intervals and the floor held a handful of candleholders. These, combined with all the shinies, made the place look like an eighties music video with extra bling.

My vision might be somehow magical, allowing me to adjust from darkness to light with little difficulty, but this didn't stop me from blinking incessantly as I entered the cave. Hoping that dragons weren't prone to epilepsy, I focused on the movement inside the cave. Now, it was all about my new minions.

To begin with, they just peeked out from the Habitat to see what was going on. Then, showing that they weren't completely bereft of brains, they stayed put, probably hoping that I'd loot the place and leave. Fat chance of that. My mental shout rang through the cavern. "Show yourselves before your new master."

That caught their attention. In ones and twos, they came slinking out of the two side rooms, hanging back as much as possible while still obeying my command. Their sensations? Fear. Stark, honest fear. Standing like this, or in some cases, kneeling, they did not look as intimidating as when they were running towards us, weapons in hand. I just stood there, towering, impressive, looking down upon them from above. I decided to dispense with the formalities. "I have slain your master." A shudder went through the gathered creatures. God - they really were ugly with those flaps of skin hanging over their legs, arms and chests. "I will be your new master from now on. Serve me well, and you will prosper. Try to betray me and you will die." As threatening speeches go, it was rather lacking, but it wasn't really my area of expertise. I decided a carrot might be the thing. "In time, you may find a place with me as real allies - but for now, I require your simple obedience."

They took it rather well. Most of them simply observed me with glazed looks on their faces. A few knelt, and a single, shellshocked Crawl lay prostrate. Damn. It looked like my showmanship was completely irrelevant here. They were already used to being treated as pawns.  I shook my head. No time to dwell over the unfairness of the world. "You will select a spokesman or woman. The rest of you will remain while we arrange for your departure."

They gathered in a huddle for a brief discussion. Their language resembled their form. Ugly, clunky and rough. It only took a minute until one of them separated from the pack and walked over to kneel before me. Where their voices were rough, at least their mental voices were clear. This specimen was even uglier than most. The folds of skin on him had taken on a hardened look, turning the light grey skin color into a darker shade and folds were even growing on his neck. "You command, dragon?"

"Onyx. You will call me Onyx. And yes, I command. I need you to arrange for transportation of the entire hoard, as well as everything else of value in the domain. What is your name?"

"Erk. My name is Erk. We will do this - Onyx." He grunted out a number of syllables and the Crawls sprang to work.

I could feel the hesitation wafting off of him. In fact, his emotions were a lot easier to read than any of the Talpi. How convenient. "Ask your question. I will not harm anybody for asking."

"Can we bring offspring too? Some can work - others soon."

Damn. Of course. I hadn't even given that part any thought before. Obviously, with slaves, kids were part and parcel of the whole deal. "Yes you can. They will not be required to work until they are of a fair age. We will make sure they are fed and taught. And protected." As he nodded and walked away, I cursed at myself. There were sure to be adolescents among the Talpi too - and I hadn't even paid attention so far. Gah. I would have to come up with some rules I could live with. It might be normal in these parts, but I sure wasn't going to run some sweatshop.

Tearing down the place took less than an hour. I was really impressed with the speed the Crawls worked by. They might not be fast, but they had a certain economy to their movement and just didn't pause. A few shared grunts was enough for them to communicate their intentions as they moved around among each other. Oh boy, they were strong too. I watched as one of them staggered out into the main cavern carrying a whole handful of weapons.

I took a tour of the place - a formality which didn't take too long. It really wasn't that impressive. The Habitat was basically just a cave, where the Habitat construction had been added on top. The single positive surprise there was a huge stack of furs, pelts and skins. The shinies of the main cavern disappointed too. The "gemstones" set in the walls were nothing special, sometimes nothing but shiny rocks placed in a hole. The hoard, however... the hoard, I liked.

I spent less than a minute battering down the force field protecting the hoard. The opaque force field would not stand up against large monsters. It would mostly ensure that nobody would be able to pilfer things from your hoard undetected. I would have to remember that for when I constructed my own. When the field fell, I dove in, investigating the contents with pleasure. Most of it was trash, poor quality iron items of little value. A few of the items had gained simple magical enhancements. I didn't bother making a list - I could always have Aelis divide any useful items among the tribe. There were three surprises, however. One was an abundance of coins. Coins in the thousands made of bronze, silver, and even steel, were scattered throughout the hoard with the rare gold coin and carved gem interspersed. The other was a single expertly carved jade necklace, sized for a regular humanoid. The quality of the item stood out, and I examined the piece. To my amazement, it held a +5 Mental Power enchantment. Somebody was getting an early Christmas gift. The final surprise was at the bottom of the pile and I smiled as I encountered them. Three shiny Mana Crystals, alive with mana running through them.

Soon, all Crawls were weighted down with items and the Talpi took their share too. The heaviest items were dragged on simple tarps. I would really have to work on inventing some simple wagons or something to transport items - especially if I made a habit of conquering other domains. And like that, we were off.

The walk back home took twice as long as the walk there. I was impressed by the fortitude of the Crawls. For now, I was still in prison warden mode, keeping an eye on them to ensure they didn't run. From the sensations emanating from them, that would not really be an issue, though. It felt like they had had the sense of hope beaten from them a long time ago. The single exception to that rule was tumbling along behind us. Three stocky kids were ignoring the hopelessness of their parents, playing and grunting between themselves. They kept stealing glances at me, even though the adults tried to stop them. Maybe those kids would be easier acclimatized to their new life - only time would tell. I spotted another handful of small bodies wrapped in clothing attached to the bodies of their mothers. Or - I supposed they were the mothers. I really couldn't tell the difference. I looked forward to being back home, where the mini map would be able to assist me with information.

As we walked, Jazinth observed the trailing kids with distaste oozing off of her. I tried to distract her. "You did well, Jazinth. Your speed was commendable too."

She shook her head. "It was easy. The roof of the cave was more dirt than rock anyway." Indecision battled with her distaste before she decided to talk. "I cannot believe that you would let them keep their spawn. Did you not see how they attacked us, trying to slay us all? Would you replace us with these mindless beasts?"

Ah. So that was it. "No. And in time I may have to get rid of all of them, unless they learn to coexist with us - peacefully. But you will have to get used to this one fact, Jazinth - I do not kill sentient beings needlessly."

Puzzled, she clammed shut and I let her think through the consequences by herself.