Taste of a First Draft
Hello everyone from the Three Moons Realm!
I always struggle with posting a blog. After reading countless articles and receiving an untold amount of advice, I still never know what I should put into a blog post that the people that wander onto my sight might want to read. Since you are here, I'm guessing you are most curious about what is coming next. The previous blog gives a good breakdown of my time line but how about a glimpse at some actual writing? Provided below is the Prologue of the next Bound to the Abyss novel. Please keep in mind its the very first draft. To remind you how raw it is, I haven't even bothered to run a simple spell check on it yet. Still, I hope it satiates your interest on what is going on with Zin and Ean a few seasons after we've left them in book two.
Enjoy!
Chill, 184 A.P.
Zin was late.
How did the imp know he was late when he had spent the past three seasons underground and had no way to keep track of time?
Zin knew because whenever he was late, he found himself in the same predicament—being carried along in one of the large hands of a four-armed cruxlum. Four stubby yellow fingers were wrapped around his dark brown body and held him out at arms length. The name of this particular Crux was Yagani, and he wasn’t being particularly gentle as he manhandled Zin. He was one of six Crux that Ean had brought out of the Abyss so far. Six Crux, two Maruks, Ean’s personal abysmal hound, Azalea the Yulari, and a dozen simple-minded imps made up their little ‘family’ so far.
And Auz if you wanted to count a sentient magical rock.
“This really isn’t necessary,” Zin said in the cruxlum language. “I am perfectly capable of walking to the Heart by myself.”
“If that was true, you would already be there.”
Well, Zin couldn’t argue with that fact. Especially since he didn’t have a good reason as to why he was late. He just hated being near Auz. The consciousness that was contained in the floating, translucent white orb that sat in the middle of the Heart gave him the creeps. It didn’t help that the thing also controlled what creatures were brought out of the Abyss and then anchored them to this world. Plus, the thing only talked to Ean. For all Zin knew, Auz was secretly plotting against him. Why it would do that, Zin had no idea, but he still didn’t trust its motives. If it had any.
“Could we stop for a second and grab a carnslug or two to eat?” Zin was grasping at anything that might delay the Crux. Appealing to their stomachs usually was a good approach — carnslugs after all were a favorite food of their kind.
“The Yulari said you might suggest that. She also said if I listened to you, or did anything else that delayed us, she would make sure the Zekarian had me spend my time digging out the tunnels instead of training with my fellow Crux. I will not suffer such an indignity.”
Blasted Azalea! Another creature that had too much influence over Ean. Part of Zin wished that the pale blue-skinned Yulari had never been brought out of the Abyss. She was manipulative, clever, and of course any human would find her beautiful. Ean had resisted her charms in the past, but Azalea like most of her kind was patient and used to getting what she wanted. It didn’t help that she was magically linked to Ean now either. She was dangerous, and if she hadn’t been crucial in saving all of their lives, Zin would have pushed for her return to the Abyss a long time ago.
“How about if we—“
“Silence imp.” The Crux gave him a little shake. “I told you I will not risk being forced to perform menial labor.”
Stupid Crux. Zin would have bite the thing if his pointed teeth wouldn’t chip on its bark-like skin. Instead he crossed his arms on top of the hand that held him and resigned himself to being carried around like a dead rat. Mmmmm. Wonderful, now he had made himself hungry. Maybe there would be something to eat in the Heart.
They wouldn’t have far to go. Twelve imps couldn’t do that much digging in three seasons. So far they had only dug out a small barracks for the Crux, a growth pit for the carnslugs, two small rooms for Zin and Azalea, a larger room for Ean, and had expanded the Heart, where Auz currently resided. As they passed the barracks, Zin knew he had run out of time. A few more steps and they entered the room containing Auz. The Crux was polite enough to set Zin down on the rocky floor instead of dropping him, then turned and left.
The Heart was a large, circular chamber empty of any kind of decoration or furniture, and at its center sat Auz. A sphere radiating light, Auz had grown to the size of a large wagon wheel in the three seasons they had been living in the mines of Rottwealth. Made from an unknown white material, just below its translucent surface it swirled like a storm caught in a bottle. That storm could be raging one moment and calm the next, which made Zin all the more nervous. Ean had explained that it had a consciousness when he was first brought back, but that ever changing storm just beneath the surface also hinted at something similar to emotions as well. Just another reason to fear the thing.
When Zin was finally able to pull his gaze away from the orb, he found Ean, Azalea, and Jaan speaking quietly off to the side.
Azalea and Jaan. The two were polar opposites in every way, which made them excellent advisors to Ean. Personality-wise, Jaan was a quiet and thoughtful tactician, wanting every move they made to be precise and ensure the growth of their power. Jaan had easily bested the six other cruxlum that made their home in these caves, and declared himself Ean’s advisor for their race. Azalea on the other hand was all instinct and emotion. And greedy. Anything that got a quick fix of power or pleasure won Azalea’s vote, and she made sure you knew why her vote was the only one that mattered.
Physically, Azalea, the pale blue Yulari with her feminine curves and blood red eyes was only half the height of Jaan. Of course, not many creatures were the size of a Crux, and Jaan was big even for his race. He towered over everyone in the room, his thick head almost touching the ceiling. He was listening as Ean spoke; his pure black eyes focused on the man while both pairs of his dark yellow arms were crossed in front of him. Those four arms could have passed for young tree trunks; his muscles bulged, making it look like his rough skin was barely containing them. The Crux could bully anyone in the mine, or anyone outside of it for that matter, with ease if he wanted to do so.
Thankfully, Jaan took on his role as advisor with a positive attitude. If it came down to a fight, Ean was no where near ready to challenge a skilled cruxlum like Jaan. Even with all of the changes that had happened to Ean after his magical evolution.
Gone was the lanky young man that had first summoned Zin out of the Abyss, his stringy appendages replaced with muscular arms and legs. His thin face had rounded out as well, with a broad chin and dark blue eyes giving his face more character then it had before. Then there was the tattoos. They covered the majority of his body now like a dark blue web, traveling up from the tops of his feet to the base of his neck and covering everything in between. When the man had little on and was holding a large amount of the energy of the Abyss, those tattoos glowed brighter than a dozen torches.
“Zin,” Ean said, waving the imp over. “It’s about time.”
He spoke in the Cruxlum’s language. He always did whenever Jaan was around. The Crux wouldn’t even attempt to learn to speak human. Bags hung under Ean’s eyes, barely visible behind his overgrown black hair which he repeatedly brushed out of his face. He wore simple clothes, a brown sleeveless shirt and long pants, which was all that Zin had been able to steal from the town when they had first arrived. Dark blue light shown off of the tattoos on his exposed arms, intermingling with the light Auz was giving off, creating a light purple hue that covered the room.
“Yes,” Azalea chimed in, speaking Crux as well. “So nice that you could pull yourself away from hunting vermin to—“
“Azalea, don’t start,” Ean barked, and the Yulari immediately grew silent.
Something was wrong. Ean’s tolerance for the jibes Zin and Azalea took at each other had been fraying these past three seasons. Zin knew that part of it came from being stuck underground together for such a long period of time, but he sounded more than frustrated today. The fact that Azalea had immediately quieted down was another clue to the man’s mood. The Yulari could read his mood perfectly through the bond she shared with him.
That blasted bond. Another thread tied to Ean that Zin couldn’t control or cut. Well, Zin couldn’t worry about that now. Best to focus on whatever major crisis had come along.
“What’s going on?”
“Apparently,” Azalea said, stealing a glance at Ean, “Auz has finally decided to relax its grip on Ean and let him out of the mine.”
Ean rolled his eyes at the Yulari. “That’s not what I said. I’ve become strong enough now that Auz can’t hold me here any longer. I tried walking towards the exit of the mine, and even though Auz tried to stop me, I was able to push through the barrier that has kept me contained here for what seemed like forever.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Zin caught the swirling storm in Auz pick up intensity for a moment before calming.
“I don’t see how that is a bad thing.” Zin scratched at his backside for a moment before continuing on. “You didn’t want to be stuck down here—“
“He wants to go out today and speak to mayor fatty,” Azalea said, cutting Zin off. “He wants to come to some kind of arrangement with him about the mine and us living here permanently.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound like a good idea at all.” If Zin remembered anything about the mayor during the years he and Ean had spent in the village, the man wouldn’t want to give up the smallest bit of control over the area. “First, Ean, you are not exactly the best with words. Second, your past relationship with the mayor, by the Abyss with everyone in Rottwealth, has been less than positive. Maybe someone else should go first to talk to Mayor Erikson.”
“And who should go?” The annoyance oozed over every word Ean spoke. “You?”
“Well, probably not me…”
“Azalea? After what happened in the Deadlands she can’t even be around humans anymore without breaking into hysterics.”
Azalea’s pale blue skin turned a light purple as she looked at the ground. Only Ean could bring up what happened to her in the Deadlands without incurring her wrath. The twin scars running down her back where her wings used to be was reminder enough to the Yulari. Anyone else that brought it up could expect fresh cuts and bruises.
“How about you?” Ean rounded on the Crux. “What would you suggest?”
One arm unfolded from the crux’s chest and he rubbed at his chin for a moment before responding. “The Crux could claim the lands you want, enslave the strong humans, and kill the rest.”
“We will not be killing or enslaving anyone,” Ean said with a sigh. When it came to other humans, Jaan saw them as weak. Enslavement and death was his usual solution. “This isn’t the Abyss, Jaan. Things are different here. We don’t just enslave anyone that we can.”
“It doesn’t matter where we are, Zekarian, it is always the same. The powerful control the weak. My people control weaker creatures, and we are in turn controlled by those more powerful. It is how life works.”
“Not here. Not if you follow me.”
Jaan shrugged and refolded his arms.
“Good. Then if their are no more objections, I want to get this done today.”
“One more objection,” Zin said, and felt himself wither under the look Ean gave him. He still plowed on though. “Instead of going out there, why don’t you invite him here?”
That got a laugh out of Ean, although the bitterness in it was apparent. “We’ve spent the last three seasons scaring off anyone that tried exploring these tunnels and make them think it was haunted. How are we suppose to convince any of them that now it isn’t?”
“Well I would suggest Azalea go and talk to them, but since she has become such a coward around humans—“
“I’ll show you coward!” Azalea leapt at Zin, but he dodged between Jaan’s thick legs. The Crux let out a huff but remained still. Azalea was about to make a grab for him again but Ean placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Leave it be, Azalea,” he said. “I’m sure once Zin is done with his insults he’ll actually tell us something productive instead of wasting our time.”
“Fine, fine.” Rising, Azalea used the opportunity to slip underneath Ean’s arm. When he kept it around her shoulder, she winked at Zin and stuck out her tongue.
Yes, those two were getting much too comfortable together.
“What we should do,” Zin said, coming out from behind Jaan’s massive legs, “is leave the mayor a note.”
“A note?” Azalea barked a laugh. “How sweet. Should we write him something flattering and rub some lovely smelling flower petals on it as well?”
“No, you soul-sucker. If Ean really wants to get along with the people of Rottwealth, it would be best to lay everything out so he knows what to expect. That way he won’t be surprised by what he might find down here. And Ean should offer to open the mines back up to the rest of the village. If the mayor comes and meets him to discuss the terms. Terms that should include us retaining ownership of everything we dig out and half the profits from whatever we dig up. The other half will go towards improving the village. That should broker some good will for us.”
“Maybe.” Ean ran a hand through his hair. “That is a rather smart idea. The Mayor certain cares about money more than anything else. I still don’t see why I can’t go to him first though.”
“No,” Azalea chimed in. “As much as I hate to admit it, the foul smelling imp is right. If you go to him, you will be in his inn, in his village, surrounded by people that support him. He’ll be safe and confident in his home, and will probably talk a novice negotiator like you into leaving the mine and the valley it sits in completely. Best to have him come here, have him walk past the Crux and your hound. See how dangerous of an enemy we could be, even if you have no intention of taking the village by force. Have him try to negotiate with Zin and myself at your side. We’ll see who comes out better in a deal then.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Jaan? What do you think?”
“We should crush them all.”
“Alright, two votes for getting the mayor to come here, one to destroy the village. I believe I’m going to go with the choice that doesn’t involve the mass murder of people I grew up with.”
“Wonderful, I’ll write something this very moment.” Azalea ducked out from under Ean’s arm and headed off towards her chamber. The foul Yulari made it sound like it was her idea!
“Hold on!” Zin took a few steps after her. “Maybe I should be the one to—“
“Zin,” Ean’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “I have some other things I want to discuss with you and Jaan. Auz is almost ready to bring a few more creatures out from the Abyss. We need to get the imps working on expanding…”
He paused for a moment, his attention shifting towards the glowing sphere in the middle of the room. “Yes, it would be best if you brought more imps this time. If we are going to continue to grow, we need to dig much faster, and the imps don’t need their own space. I would also like to have enough imps to start mining ore as well. If we have some iron or copper to show the mayor, it might help with the negotiations.”
Auz pulsed a few times, its light increasing in intensity for a moment then returning to its usual glow.
“Good.” Ean turned back to Zin. “Well thats one thing settled. Unfortunately we have a dozen more items to discuss.”
Zin sighed as he saw the rest of his day disappear behind a mountain of boring discussions and planning. It almost made him miss their days of traveling around and facing danger around every corner.
Almost.
I always struggle with posting a blog. After reading countless articles and receiving an untold amount of advice, I still never know what I should put into a blog post that the people that wander onto my sight might want to read. Since you are here, I'm guessing you are most curious about what is coming next. The previous blog gives a good breakdown of my time line but how about a glimpse at some actual writing? Provided below is the Prologue of the next Bound to the Abyss novel. Please keep in mind its the very first draft. To remind you how raw it is, I haven't even bothered to run a simple spell check on it yet. Still, I hope it satiates your interest on what is going on with Zin and Ean a few seasons after we've left them in book two.
Enjoy!
Chill, 184 A.P.
Zin was late.
How did the imp know he was late when he had spent the past three seasons underground and had no way to keep track of time?
Zin knew because whenever he was late, he found himself in the same predicament—being carried along in one of the large hands of a four-armed cruxlum. Four stubby yellow fingers were wrapped around his dark brown body and held him out at arms length. The name of this particular Crux was Yagani, and he wasn’t being particularly gentle as he manhandled Zin. He was one of six Crux that Ean had brought out of the Abyss so far. Six Crux, two Maruks, Ean’s personal abysmal hound, Azalea the Yulari, and a dozen simple-minded imps made up their little ‘family’ so far.
And Auz if you wanted to count a sentient magical rock.
“This really isn’t necessary,” Zin said in the cruxlum language. “I am perfectly capable of walking to the Heart by myself.”
“If that was true, you would already be there.”
Well, Zin couldn’t argue with that fact. Especially since he didn’t have a good reason as to why he was late. He just hated being near Auz. The consciousness that was contained in the floating, translucent white orb that sat in the middle of the Heart gave him the creeps. It didn’t help that the thing also controlled what creatures were brought out of the Abyss and then anchored them to this world. Plus, the thing only talked to Ean. For all Zin knew, Auz was secretly plotting against him. Why it would do that, Zin had no idea, but he still didn’t trust its motives. If it had any.
“Could we stop for a second and grab a carnslug or two to eat?” Zin was grasping at anything that might delay the Crux. Appealing to their stomachs usually was a good approach — carnslugs after all were a favorite food of their kind.
“The Yulari said you might suggest that. She also said if I listened to you, or did anything else that delayed us, she would make sure the Zekarian had me spend my time digging out the tunnels instead of training with my fellow Crux. I will not suffer such an indignity.”
Blasted Azalea! Another creature that had too much influence over Ean. Part of Zin wished that the pale blue-skinned Yulari had never been brought out of the Abyss. She was manipulative, clever, and of course any human would find her beautiful. Ean had resisted her charms in the past, but Azalea like most of her kind was patient and used to getting what she wanted. It didn’t help that she was magically linked to Ean now either. She was dangerous, and if she hadn’t been crucial in saving all of their lives, Zin would have pushed for her return to the Abyss a long time ago.
“How about if we—“
“Silence imp.” The Crux gave him a little shake. “I told you I will not risk being forced to perform menial labor.”
Stupid Crux. Zin would have bite the thing if his pointed teeth wouldn’t chip on its bark-like skin. Instead he crossed his arms on top of the hand that held him and resigned himself to being carried around like a dead rat. Mmmmm. Wonderful, now he had made himself hungry. Maybe there would be something to eat in the Heart.
They wouldn’t have far to go. Twelve imps couldn’t do that much digging in three seasons. So far they had only dug out a small barracks for the Crux, a growth pit for the carnslugs, two small rooms for Zin and Azalea, a larger room for Ean, and had expanded the Heart, where Auz currently resided. As they passed the barracks, Zin knew he had run out of time. A few more steps and they entered the room containing Auz. The Crux was polite enough to set Zin down on the rocky floor instead of dropping him, then turned and left.
The Heart was a large, circular chamber empty of any kind of decoration or furniture, and at its center sat Auz. A sphere radiating light, Auz had grown to the size of a large wagon wheel in the three seasons they had been living in the mines of Rottwealth. Made from an unknown white material, just below its translucent surface it swirled like a storm caught in a bottle. That storm could be raging one moment and calm the next, which made Zin all the more nervous. Ean had explained that it had a consciousness when he was first brought back, but that ever changing storm just beneath the surface also hinted at something similar to emotions as well. Just another reason to fear the thing.
When Zin was finally able to pull his gaze away from the orb, he found Ean, Azalea, and Jaan speaking quietly off to the side.
Azalea and Jaan. The two were polar opposites in every way, which made them excellent advisors to Ean. Personality-wise, Jaan was a quiet and thoughtful tactician, wanting every move they made to be precise and ensure the growth of their power. Jaan had easily bested the six other cruxlum that made their home in these caves, and declared himself Ean’s advisor for their race. Azalea on the other hand was all instinct and emotion. And greedy. Anything that got a quick fix of power or pleasure won Azalea’s vote, and she made sure you knew why her vote was the only one that mattered.
Physically, Azalea, the pale blue Yulari with her feminine curves and blood red eyes was only half the height of Jaan. Of course, not many creatures were the size of a Crux, and Jaan was big even for his race. He towered over everyone in the room, his thick head almost touching the ceiling. He was listening as Ean spoke; his pure black eyes focused on the man while both pairs of his dark yellow arms were crossed in front of him. Those four arms could have passed for young tree trunks; his muscles bulged, making it look like his rough skin was barely containing them. The Crux could bully anyone in the mine, or anyone outside of it for that matter, with ease if he wanted to do so.
Thankfully, Jaan took on his role as advisor with a positive attitude. If it came down to a fight, Ean was no where near ready to challenge a skilled cruxlum like Jaan. Even with all of the changes that had happened to Ean after his magical evolution.
Gone was the lanky young man that had first summoned Zin out of the Abyss, his stringy appendages replaced with muscular arms and legs. His thin face had rounded out as well, with a broad chin and dark blue eyes giving his face more character then it had before. Then there was the tattoos. They covered the majority of his body now like a dark blue web, traveling up from the tops of his feet to the base of his neck and covering everything in between. When the man had little on and was holding a large amount of the energy of the Abyss, those tattoos glowed brighter than a dozen torches.
“Zin,” Ean said, waving the imp over. “It’s about time.”
He spoke in the Cruxlum’s language. He always did whenever Jaan was around. The Crux wouldn’t even attempt to learn to speak human. Bags hung under Ean’s eyes, barely visible behind his overgrown black hair which he repeatedly brushed out of his face. He wore simple clothes, a brown sleeveless shirt and long pants, which was all that Zin had been able to steal from the town when they had first arrived. Dark blue light shown off of the tattoos on his exposed arms, intermingling with the light Auz was giving off, creating a light purple hue that covered the room.
“Yes,” Azalea chimed in, speaking Crux as well. “So nice that you could pull yourself away from hunting vermin to—“
“Azalea, don’t start,” Ean barked, and the Yulari immediately grew silent.
Something was wrong. Ean’s tolerance for the jibes Zin and Azalea took at each other had been fraying these past three seasons. Zin knew that part of it came from being stuck underground together for such a long period of time, but he sounded more than frustrated today. The fact that Azalea had immediately quieted down was another clue to the man’s mood. The Yulari could read his mood perfectly through the bond she shared with him.
That blasted bond. Another thread tied to Ean that Zin couldn’t control or cut. Well, Zin couldn’t worry about that now. Best to focus on whatever major crisis had come along.
“What’s going on?”
“Apparently,” Azalea said, stealing a glance at Ean, “Auz has finally decided to relax its grip on Ean and let him out of the mine.”
Ean rolled his eyes at the Yulari. “That’s not what I said. I’ve become strong enough now that Auz can’t hold me here any longer. I tried walking towards the exit of the mine, and even though Auz tried to stop me, I was able to push through the barrier that has kept me contained here for what seemed like forever.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Zin caught the swirling storm in Auz pick up intensity for a moment before calming.
“I don’t see how that is a bad thing.” Zin scratched at his backside for a moment before continuing on. “You didn’t want to be stuck down here—“
“He wants to go out today and speak to mayor fatty,” Azalea said, cutting Zin off. “He wants to come to some kind of arrangement with him about the mine and us living here permanently.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound like a good idea at all.” If Zin remembered anything about the mayor during the years he and Ean had spent in the village, the man wouldn’t want to give up the smallest bit of control over the area. “First, Ean, you are not exactly the best with words. Second, your past relationship with the mayor, by the Abyss with everyone in Rottwealth, has been less than positive. Maybe someone else should go first to talk to Mayor Erikson.”
“And who should go?” The annoyance oozed over every word Ean spoke. “You?”
“Well, probably not me…”
“Azalea? After what happened in the Deadlands she can’t even be around humans anymore without breaking into hysterics.”
Azalea’s pale blue skin turned a light purple as she looked at the ground. Only Ean could bring up what happened to her in the Deadlands without incurring her wrath. The twin scars running down her back where her wings used to be was reminder enough to the Yulari. Anyone else that brought it up could expect fresh cuts and bruises.
“How about you?” Ean rounded on the Crux. “What would you suggest?”
One arm unfolded from the crux’s chest and he rubbed at his chin for a moment before responding. “The Crux could claim the lands you want, enslave the strong humans, and kill the rest.”
“We will not be killing or enslaving anyone,” Ean said with a sigh. When it came to other humans, Jaan saw them as weak. Enslavement and death was his usual solution. “This isn’t the Abyss, Jaan. Things are different here. We don’t just enslave anyone that we can.”
“It doesn’t matter where we are, Zekarian, it is always the same. The powerful control the weak. My people control weaker creatures, and we are in turn controlled by those more powerful. It is how life works.”
“Not here. Not if you follow me.”
Jaan shrugged and refolded his arms.
“Good. Then if their are no more objections, I want to get this done today.”
“One more objection,” Zin said, and felt himself wither under the look Ean gave him. He still plowed on though. “Instead of going out there, why don’t you invite him here?”
That got a laugh out of Ean, although the bitterness in it was apparent. “We’ve spent the last three seasons scaring off anyone that tried exploring these tunnels and make them think it was haunted. How are we suppose to convince any of them that now it isn’t?”
“Well I would suggest Azalea go and talk to them, but since she has become such a coward around humans—“
“I’ll show you coward!” Azalea leapt at Zin, but he dodged between Jaan’s thick legs. The Crux let out a huff but remained still. Azalea was about to make a grab for him again but Ean placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Leave it be, Azalea,” he said. “I’m sure once Zin is done with his insults he’ll actually tell us something productive instead of wasting our time.”
“Fine, fine.” Rising, Azalea used the opportunity to slip underneath Ean’s arm. When he kept it around her shoulder, she winked at Zin and stuck out her tongue.
Yes, those two were getting much too comfortable together.
“What we should do,” Zin said, coming out from behind Jaan’s massive legs, “is leave the mayor a note.”
“A note?” Azalea barked a laugh. “How sweet. Should we write him something flattering and rub some lovely smelling flower petals on it as well?”
“No, you soul-sucker. If Ean really wants to get along with the people of Rottwealth, it would be best to lay everything out so he knows what to expect. That way he won’t be surprised by what he might find down here. And Ean should offer to open the mines back up to the rest of the village. If the mayor comes and meets him to discuss the terms. Terms that should include us retaining ownership of everything we dig out and half the profits from whatever we dig up. The other half will go towards improving the village. That should broker some good will for us.”
“Maybe.” Ean ran a hand through his hair. “That is a rather smart idea. The Mayor certain cares about money more than anything else. I still don’t see why I can’t go to him first though.”
“No,” Azalea chimed in. “As much as I hate to admit it, the foul smelling imp is right. If you go to him, you will be in his inn, in his village, surrounded by people that support him. He’ll be safe and confident in his home, and will probably talk a novice negotiator like you into leaving the mine and the valley it sits in completely. Best to have him come here, have him walk past the Crux and your hound. See how dangerous of an enemy we could be, even if you have no intention of taking the village by force. Have him try to negotiate with Zin and myself at your side. We’ll see who comes out better in a deal then.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Jaan? What do you think?”
“We should crush them all.”
“Alright, two votes for getting the mayor to come here, one to destroy the village. I believe I’m going to go with the choice that doesn’t involve the mass murder of people I grew up with.”
“Wonderful, I’ll write something this very moment.” Azalea ducked out from under Ean’s arm and headed off towards her chamber. The foul Yulari made it sound like it was her idea!
“Hold on!” Zin took a few steps after her. “Maybe I should be the one to—“
“Zin,” Ean’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “I have some other things I want to discuss with you and Jaan. Auz is almost ready to bring a few more creatures out from the Abyss. We need to get the imps working on expanding…”
He paused for a moment, his attention shifting towards the glowing sphere in the middle of the room. “Yes, it would be best if you brought more imps this time. If we are going to continue to grow, we need to dig much faster, and the imps don’t need their own space. I would also like to have enough imps to start mining ore as well. If we have some iron or copper to show the mayor, it might help with the negotiations.”
Auz pulsed a few times, its light increasing in intensity for a moment then returning to its usual glow.
“Good.” Ean turned back to Zin. “Well thats one thing settled. Unfortunately we have a dozen more items to discuss.”
Zin sighed as he saw the rest of his day disappear behind a mountain of boring discussions and planning. It almost made him miss their days of traveling around and facing danger around every corner.
Almost.
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