AR Chapter 503 (Patreon)

With this I'm nearly caught up on my chapters for this week. Had a rough start, but now just one AR chapter behind. That should be coming tomorrow, now that I know where I'm going with this story. Thank you so much for your patience!

Time continued on in its inexorable way, and I found myself losing track of the days. Summer came and went, with fall bringing the thickfeathers’ migration once again. Their numbers had swelled excessively, with so many of the wyrms and Misti Hawar killed in the war. I wasn’t sure how well they were able to eat in the Misti Hawar Principality’s mountains to the south during the summer, but evidently, they were doing just fine, because the ones that we hunted were fat and tasty.

Under Joral’s instruction, our herds swelled quite a bit, though not nearly as much as they could have. He explained something about sustainability and ideal numbers of thickfeathers to be left free in order to ensure their numbers could remain high enough for a dozen other considerations. From it, I understood more than enough to realize that we were doing exactly as much capturing and hunting as we should have to make sure that we could continue to feed ourselves and also not destroy everything around us.

“The Unbroken Blade is continuing recruitment,” Shraal reported. “The sacrificial ritual we used during the siege is evading my continued attentions, as you warned. For that, I thank you, Voice of the Conquering Goddess.”

“Having a rather direct line of communication open to the goddess does lead me to being able to give good information about her,” I laughed.

As the leader of the religion in Nievtra, Shraal had a large amount of authority, larger than I had initially expected. Given that he worshiped the ground I walked on nearly as much as he did the goddess herself, I didn’t have a problem with his power, but when it had become apparent that there was some schism between myself and Nievtala, his unwavering support had nearly created a break in my small country. As such, I’d steadily weakened his position while also taking a stronger position within the Unbroken Blades.

“Your patience with this imperfect vessel is inspiring,” he answered me. “You are the throne to which the wise submit and the peak under our goddess which casts the long shadow.”

I waved him off, and with my dismissal, he quickly retreated. Left behind was just Farahlia, who had taken the lead on all of our communications and messengers sent to the Misti Hawar. She, once I gave her permission, stepped forward and bowed before me. She hadn’t stopped trying to seduce me, though, thankfully, Sybil had stopped trying to convince me to take an additional mate or four.

“We have finally received word from Maksulah,” Farahlia reported. “Of the twenty seven Misti Hawar clans, twenty have given an answer that they will come for a late autumn summit. At that time, you will be welcome to come and present your case.”

“The fact that they think that they can tell you when you can or cannot come is an insult,” she continued, clacking her jaws as her tail thrashed. “You have destroyed their army, captured their people, and are giving them the grace of negotiation. They have no rights.”

A good portion of me agreed with the sentiment. I stood in my country, watching our numbers grow by the day. Clutches of eggs hatched all the time, with carefully built teams from each of the castes teaching the children and honing them into the citizenry of my Empire. The Misti Hawar had thrown themselves, huge swarms of wyrms, the spawn of Illan’Klli, and the attention and wrath of that god himself at us. Despite their decades, and probably centuries, more of existence as a country, we had destroyed their attack and killed their leader. Considering the fact that Absolute Dominance hadn’t evolved despite its evolutionary requirement being “establish dominance over a country’s longest established ruler,” the Nyust’Taa hadn’t been as firm in her position as she seemed to have presented.

Regardless of the dead cat-like person’s position, I, deep in my soul, felt that I merited greater respect from these defeated subordinates. They were my spoils, if I wanted them to be, and it wasn’t their place to start making conditions to me.

Despite that, I took a deep breath, forcefully stilling my tail and loosening my jaw as I gave my response.

“They will learn to bend the knee, or those who are so foolish as to remain on their feet will be cut down. This will be their sole opportunity to attempt to throw off my rule, and until they have an opportunity to see their inability, I will be merciful.”

Farahlia bobbed her head, twisting her hip, as she did so in a way that curled her tail. She never went any further than flirtatious movements like that, and the same part of me that demanded that the world itself bow down in my presence relished in that. The thought of lining every female Keel in front of me to take at my leisure was an attractive one. Even so, my soul revolted at the thought.

Perhaps my willingness to negotiate, however aggressively, as well as my monogamous inclinations were some of the last holdovers from my life as a human. Of the other male Keel, only Oncli and Foire were even remotely hesitant to attempt to sire more children with whoever was willing. Even Brutus, who had spent years pining after Took, didn’t hesitate to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh whenever the opportunity arose.

As sometimes happened when I thought about the difference between my current life and what it might have been had Viilor not murdered me, I went still. Fortunately, my position as the Voice of Nievtala gave me plenty of an excuse to occasionally be lost in thought. I didn’t mind occasionally taking my measure of where I was, of who I had become, and what I once had been.

Ashlani the man had been training to be a tribal chieftain, his greatest focus in becoming a stronger Speaker as he halfheartedly learned about positions of leadership. That man had been buried by my instincts as a hatchling, and his rationality, what little had remained, had led me to becoming Alpha of a handful of hatchlings, then my brood, then my swarm and beyond. Violence, aggression, and slaughter had brought me power, and desperation and willingness to sacrifice what was necessary had allowed me to survive the hunting efforts of the High Speakers.

Now, as Ashlani the Keel, the Zaaktif, I had gained a place in unwanted mountains through strength of arm, sharpness of claw, and willingness to defend my people. Perhaps, if there were enough of us, I could continue to stake our claim, simply through the strength held within my body. However, there were other strengths to develop, other difficulties to overcome, and every Keel in the past had died when they relied entirely upon the strength of fist. Perhaps I could be the first Saharliard Empire established that could last.

And to do that, first…

“Let me know when it’s time to go,” I nodded at her. “I’ll bring a pack of fifteen Keel when it’s time, and will show these furry bastards just how badly they’ve gotten in over their heads.”