Master of the Hoard - Final chapter 44 (Patreon)

“There are tons of things I could and probably should be doing for work right now. But at some point, you have to put it aside and get busy with the things that really matter.”

― Lisa Wingate

Aelis and I were resting. We'd earned it. The day had been exhaustive, emotionally as well as physically and we were spent, propped up against the walls of one of the small caverns. In the distance, the sound of work and celebration rang forth. No chance we were joining in, though. We were also completely unable to move from having stuffed ourselves with the meat from Ravahk. I marveled at the pop-up again.

[Congratulations. You have received a permanent increase to your attributes.

You have consumed the flesh of a being rife with the gifts of Deyra. The mana-rife meat bestows upon you the following:

+4 Agility

+2 Mental Power

+1 Strength]

It was no wonder everybody in this damn place was so bloodthirsty. With these kinds of incentives from a single meal atop the impressive xp gains that netted me both levels 15 and 16, I mostly wanted to go straight after the next one. Except of course, that was hyperbole. I was not going after a green without additional preparation any time soon. This had been too close. I burped, held a paw over my mouth from old habit and sniggered. A dragon trying to mind his table manners. That was rich. Flowing in that tired in-between stage you reach after over-indulging sometimes, I wondered aloud, "Hey. Did we ever figure out why Arthor attacked early?"

She held her stomach with a grimace. It wasn't poison as I'd been the first to eat from the green, waiting for any after-effects. This was simple overeating. "We did, Sire. It was simply bad timing. The Urten sent out another scout and he had to act."

"Oh." I had to concentrate to remember what exactly the plan had been. "Hmm. So what did the pressure plates do?"

She waved a paw. "Well, the first one dropped hidden doors on both sides of the entrance chamber."

"Huh. Fortunate for us." I waited. "Come on. Don't leave me hanging."

She smiled. Not a kind smile. The kind baring lots of teeth. "The second activated every single trap in that chamber."

I grimaced. The thought of being forced to stand inside that chamber as decoys and then suddenly having the doors slam down on you and traps spring on all sides...

She noticed and grinned. "Judging from their corpses, the number of traps was not inconsequential."

I shifted my position slightly, trying to alleviate the pressure on my bloated stomach. "Yeah. Let's change the subject." I mulled it over for a bit. The practical issues could definitely wait. We'd have a hell of a time, dragging all this meat back home. And the hoard? I couldn't wait to get back and add all those goodies to my pile. It looked like Ravahk had even managed to get gems to absorb magic. Did that mean I could outfit everybody with magical jewelry? I shook my head. That could also wait. There'd be plenty of time for experimentation once we were back and safe.

Aelis took the decision out of my hand. "Milord. You were aware that they were mates, correct?"

"Who?"

"Arthor and Jazinth." A hint of disappointment wafted from her.

"Oh. Oh!" I shook my head. "No, I was not aware. It does, however, explain quite a lot. How is he?"

"He keeps himself busy." She smiled at me, sadness playing in her eyes. "It is not an uncommon experience in the mountain. He just needs time and plenty of work. We will make sure he has both."

I nodded and glanced at the Talpus who was resting her head against the tunnel wall. "We will. I still have a hard time dealing with how common death is here. I'm not sure I wouldn't have broken already if I were in your position." I couldn’t believe that I had actually missed that one. Here I thought I had them mostly figured out.

"Oh, Sire. We are already broken." Long seconds after, I felt the slightest of touches, a companionable paw on my flank. "I believe we might soon begin to heal, however. Soon, the lair will be full of new litters and pups everywhere."

I smiled at the thought. I wasn't about to tell her I already thought Talpi were cute. The thought of a Talpus pup might be more than I could bear. I relaxed and lay back, enjoying the relative quiet. I could feel myself slipping closer to sleep, when Aelis' words woke me up. "Sire? Where are we going from here?"

"Huh?"

"What is the overall plan? Expanding our defenses and stockpiles is wonderful, obviously. But... we have managed so much. Killed Clenchers. Dweelers. Slain two dragons! What, if anything, is our end goal?"

I thought about it. Really thought about it. So much of our planning had been simple survival, reacting to the circumstances - and even the plans we had made were invariably derailed or postponed. "Let me try to answer with a question. Who is the master of our hoard?"

Her response was immediate and full of conviction. "You, Milord."

I smiled and craned my neck to look at her. "And who makes the rules in our domain?"

That answer was a second longer in coming. When it did come, it was no less convincing, however. "You do, Sire. But you are good at listening to our opinions."

"Thank you. I try." I moved from my comfortable position to face Aelis, knelt and put my face at her height, smiling. "I love your world, Aelis. I adore the magic and the possibilities - the lack of limits on the growth you can aim for. Heh. I even love the struggle and the fight." I paused, before continuing. "I also hate it. A world where everybody fights everybody else for dominance simply because that's how it has always been done? I loathe it." A sigh escaped me. "I'm not going to accept it, however. If being in charge is what it will take for me to change the rules, then that is what I will do. I... am going to become the Master of the Mountain."

The Talpus looked at me with her eyes wide open. She held a hand over her mouth. Slowly, she started shaking her head and I saw laugh lines appear in the corners of her eyes. "Milord... they are going to hate that."

I did not waver. "I know. And I am not going to win everybody over right away. That is not important right now, however. What is important is this: Are you with me, Aelis?"

The tiny Talpus stared at me like she was searching for something in my visage. Her right paw cradled her maimed left arm defensively. Finally she opened her arms and, slowly, laid her hand on top of my claw. "Sire. Onyx. I am yours."

I looked down. Her tiny paw, lay on top of my huge, sharp digits, disregarding how they were made only for maiming and rendering. A warm realization blossomed inside me. I might not be able to use my claws for building - but I would still be able to build something worthwhile. For everybody.

The End of Master of the Hoard.