Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3)

by M Damon Baker

  I hadn’t been gone long, but I still checked with Talína before I headed into the seclusion of my rooms, just in case anything important had come up during my absence. Nothing had, so I retired to my chambers and called Bane to join me. Just as with Tási, my relationship with him had suffered during our trip home. He’d flown above and in front of us as we traveled the roads, but even when we camped at night, my less-than-pleasant moods left much to be desired. But with Líann tended to, and even more so, now that we’d taken the first steps together towards making her Táriel, I no longer had that same despondent attitude.

  Bane sensed the change in my temperament through our strengthened bond and rushed inside the moment he landed on the balcony. He’d grown so large that even the wide double doors barely let him pass, but he squeezed through anyway and quickly made himself comfortable on his bed.

  ‘I’m sorry I’ve been such poor company, Bane,’ I sent him as I found my own spot beside him. ‘I missed you, even if I didn’t show it very well.’

  I felt your anguish, Sintári, he replied. You cannot hide such things from me anymore. I can also sense your relief. I am glad that whatever was troubling you has passed.

  I had never really explained my Tári to Bane. In fact, I realized in shock, that despite how close we were, as far as he knew, Tási was the only woman in my life. If we were going to share centuries together, I not only wanted him to know the truth, but I probably needed him to be aware of it as well. My Tári, and especially my Táriel were incredibly important to me, just as Bane was. Not only that, but I might need Bane to help me protect them from harm. When the truth about them eventually became known, my enemies might target them to strike back at me. It was the reason I intended to teach Líann how to defend herself, and even though the others were already quite strong, they were far from invulnerable. None of them were without their weaknesses, and I would need Bane’s help to keep them safe.

  Bane would be my lifetime companion, sharing that destiny with Líann. So, there was no reason for me to hold back anything from him as I told him of her and my other Tári. I told him of the bonds I shared with them, and how, in many ways, they were similar to our own shared connections. And finally, I asked him to help me keep them safe, and told him that protecting them from harm was in many ways more important than saving my own life. I still wasn’t certain about that aspect of my Deathless abilities—I’d never had to actually test my power to return from death, but I assumed it was still there, even if I couldn’t verify it for sure.

  Every time I finally think I know you, Sintári, he replied when I finished. You reveal something new to me. I’m beginning to fear what might come next.

  ‘I know how you feel, Bane,’ I sent him my own frustrated feelings. ‘Much of what I just told you I’ve only just learned quite recently. Believe me, it isn’t any easier for me to keep discovering new things about myself all the time.’

  He let out a loud snort, the dragon version of a laugh, and we settled in together for a while before Tási also returned to join us. Bane cradled the two of us in his massive embrace, and we spent several hours with each other before hunger finally drove us apart.

  Bane flew off in search of his own dinner, while Tási and I shared a meal together. She told me some of the details of her day, and I relayed my experience summoning the new elemental with her. It was the first almost ‘normal’ day I’d had in months, and I was enjoying the relative calm of it immensely.

  Since we had a meeting scheduled for the next morning, Tási and I headed off to bed rather early, although sleep was not the first thing on our agenda that night. Tási had other plans, and, as usual, she had no trouble convincing me to go along with them.

  27

  Our meeting the next morning wasn’t scheduled too early, and after unwinding ourselves from each other, Tási and I had time to share breakfast before we had to venture downstairs to the conference room. The two of us weren’t exactly late, but we were the last to arrive, and Venna called the gathering to order once we were seated.

  We began with the rather depressing but necessary discussion of the losses we’d suffered. Between the battle in Zonnia and the beastkin attack, almost 500 lives had been lost, and more were almost certain to follow, as the forces we left behind to secure both Hygan and Zonnia protected those vulnerable lands during their period of recovery. Those losses would need to be replaced, and that was the next order of business after confirming the tally.

  The Charter not only called for each Realm to supply the Imperial Army with soldiers, but also to replenish their ranks as needed, regardless of whether the need to do so arose from battle or even retirement. Although the casualties we’d suffered had been spread out among the soldiers that had come to us from every Realm, the dwarves of Dhel-Ar had incurred the most serious of those losses. Their position on our front lines made that an almost inevitable fact, and I wasn’t looking forward to telling the King just how many of his former citizens’ lives had been taken, nor of the need for him to replace them. Luckily, Broda, as my Ambassador, volunteered to handle all of those duties for me. Not just with regard to her uncle’s Kingdom, but with all of my vassals.

  From there we moved on to discuss our future plans. We had absorbed or conquered the entire eastern half of the continent, and there were only seven Kingdoms left on the western side that were not yet part of my Empire. Those Realms needed to be under my banner before I could move on to face the scourge of the Dark Lands.

  The danger those cursed lands presented had only been underscored during my absence. Reports of raids all along the borders of the Dark Lands had filtered in while I was away. Those that had occurred along the frontiers of both Olóra and Eória had been easily repelled, as those nations had reorganized their forces to concentrate on that threat once they no longer needed to worry about their neighbors attacking them. Other Realms had not been so lucky—outlying towns in both Earmont and Braskan had been pillaged and razed by marauding bands crossing over into their territory from the Dark Lands.

  “I hate to say it,” Stel offered. “But we can use this to our advantage. The fact that Realms within the Empire are better able to protect themselves from these threats is a powerful argument in favor of joining.”

  “He’s correct,” Líann chimed in. “And the longer your Realms easily fight off these attacks while the others continue to suffer from them, the more heavily this will weigh in your favor.”

  I understood the point that both of them had made, but I wasn’t content to sit by and hope that the rest of the Realms would come to me on their own.

  “That’s true,” I replied. “But we need to be proactive as well. How do we bring the other Realms to us?”

  “I think,” Broda replied. “That we should do exactly as you say and bring the other Realms to us. Literally. I will send envoys to each of them and invite them to a conference. They can come here and see everything you’ve done for themselves. It worked before, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t work again.”

  “That simply won’t happen,” Líann countered. “Nerec and I shared an almost uniquely close relationship with the King of Dhel-Ar. We trusted that he was not leading us astray when we came here. None of the other Realms, not even the dwarven nations of Bhamar and Braskan, share that same level of trust with any of us. They will not come here, of that I am certain.”

  “What about Oróna?” Stel offered after a moment’s pause. “It’s easy enough for all of them to reach and although it’s part of your Realm, it has been treated almost like neutral territory for quite some time.”

  The elven city of Oróna was a major trading hub. We’d been there ourselves long ago during our early adventures, and although it was part of Líann’s territory, it had served to host numerous diplomatic meetings and summits, even when Líann’s Realm had not been part of those discussions. It’s status as a safe harbor for so many high-level events was something of a point of pride for Líann, and she took to Stel’s suggestion immediately.
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  “That might very well be acceptable to them,” she replied. “At the very least, the suggestion to meet there will not be rejected out of hand as a summit here likely would.”

  “If that is our best chance, then let’s go with that,” I decided. “Every Realm outside my control is to be invited. We’ll do our best to convince those who accept to join us, then we’ll deal with the rest.”

  After what had just happened in Hygan and Zonnia, the implication of my last statement needed no further explanation.

  We attended to some other small matters after that before the meeting came to an end. I had business to attend to with Líann afterwards, so I sent Tási off to deal with her own obligations while I spoke with Líann.

  “You and I need to deal with something very important,” I told her, and she cut me off before I could finish explaining.

  “You’re going to give me another V’Ríel!” She exclaimed.

  No, I wasn’t, but her eagerness to experience it gave me the idea I needed to motivate her to do what I wanted.

  “Actually, I had something else in mind,” I replied. “You’ll only get your next V’Ríel after you’ve learned a different lesson first.”

  Líann followed me as I led her out of the conference room and through the halls of the Palace. She hadn’t wandered them as I had, so she was completely unaware of where I was taking her. The room I’d reserved for my exclusive use was one she was totally unfamiliar with, having never been in one before, but she recognized the purpose of it immediately.

  “I’m no warrior,” she looked around at the weapons and armor in disdain. “If your idea is to defeat me in combat, I won’t be able to put up much of a fight.”

  “That’s why you’re here, Líann,” I prompted her as I threw a leather chest piece at her. “To learn.”

  She recoiled from the armor I flung at her as if it were on fire, before completely rejecting my idea.

  “I have guards to protect me,” she scoffed. “I don’t need to learn anything.”

  “You won’t always have guards, Líann,” I replied as I picked the armor up of the floor. “Put it on.”

  “This is stupid,” she protested.

  “You’re my Táriel,” I finally told her. “You are not only my greatest strength but also my greatest vulnerability. That is not something we can count on staying a secret forever, and when my enemies learn of it, they may very well come for you. When that day comes, you may be forced to fight for your own life, Líann. And I intend to do everything I can to ensure that you win that battle.”

  “And, if that’s not enough for you,” I finished as I glared at her. “I won’t give you any V’Ríel except the darkness that you need until I’m satisfied with your progress.”

  “Show me how to put this on,” Líann replied as she took the armor from my hand and finally embraced the challenge.

  I helped her dress in a full suit of leather armor before we began training. It wasn’t exactly practical, but I had her wear the pair of practice daggers she used strapped to her thighs, where they would be when she wore them concealed beneath one of her gowns, just to get her accustomed to the feel of them.

  At first, the lessons did not go well—Líann simply tried to lunge at me desperately and more often than not, fell to the floor when she overextended herself. So, for a time, I only focused on her footwork and balance. Líann was a natural with that, her years of training had included countless dancing lessons, although she’d rarely actually danced with anyone other than her instructors. But those efforts finally paid off for her, and she quickly learned to apply them to her blade work. I would have extended the session a bit longer, but Líann was still not fully recovered, so I cut our time short rather than strain her too much.

  “We will be meeting here three times a week,” I told her as she peeled off her armor. “I’m going to teach you daggers first, then some other bladed weapons. I hope that you’ll embrace this training and maybe even seek out more as well. I can’t teach you the magic I know, but you would be even safer still if you had some of your own. I have no idea what dangers we’ll face in the future, Líann, but we’ll both need to be prepared for them when they come for us.”

  “I’ll do as you command, Empress,” Líann replied, turning her training into yet another game of dominance.

  If that’s what worked for her, I didn’t care. As long as my Táriel was safe, that’s all that mattered to me. We then went our separate ways after our first training session; I returned to my quarters and Líann’s guards escorted her back to her suite.

  Broda sent out her envoys to the seven Kingdoms the next day. The distance each had to travel varied, and we didn’t expect to hear back from the last of them for as long as possibly two months. It would take longer to reach Laska, the most distant Realm from us, than our trip to Zonnia had, so the conference was scheduled accordingly—six months from the day we sent our envoys out. That was how long I had to wait before I’d know just how successful our efforts would be.

  During those long months, Líann and I continued our sparring. Not only in the training room, where she began to truly take to her lessons, but in her chambers as well. Líann’s strength returned quickly once she received the darkness she needed, and even increased as our combat developed her muscles. She fought me with a reckless abandon in both arenas and although Líann gave her best, she also seemed to relish her defeat every time.

  Despite her losses, Líann’s abilities steadily improved, and she became more than competent not only with all three blades I was able to teach her, but with the bow as well. Líann even came to enjoy wearing her Khelduin daggers, a pair I had Georl make for her, concealed beneath her fancy gowns. I think she got a slight thrill just knowing that she had them hidden there. And I have to admit it was damn enticing to see them strapped to her thighs when she undressed for me.

  It was during those sparring sessions that I discovered that the Essence Blade had grown again. The blade was no longer just fine steel, but had strengthened into Dwarven Steel, and the thin gold inlays were even more intricate than before. The only milestone I’d passed was reaching level 40, and I attributed the changes in the Blade to that fact.

  Tási was well aware of Líann’s training regimen. As head of my security, it would hardly pass her notice that my guards took me to spar with Líann so frequently. We didn’t discuss the matter much, just like everything else Líann related. But Tási did inform me that Líann had actually sought her out to inquire about training with magic. While Tási was quite powerful, she wasn’t yet up to that level, but had referred Líann to one of the halfling Evokers who might be able to help. I was glad to know that, despite their rivalry, the two of them could actually talk and even help one another, and I made sure that Tási felt the fullness of my appreciation later that evening.

  The Realms under my control also sent the replacements for the soldiers we’d lost, including Broda’s uncle. I’d thought he might be furious at the losses, but it turned out to be a point of pride for him instead. Broda explained that he was flattered by the trust I’d placed in his people, putting them on our front line and relying on their strength so heavily. To him, and the dwarven people, there was no higher honor than to be so heavily relied on in battle. The losses that necessarily followed such trust were a matter of pride, not resentment.

  Not only were our ranks replenished, but they were bolstered as well. Both Hygan and Zonnia fulfilled their military commitments earlier than we expected, although the cavalry they sent were not the heavy knights those Realms typically employed in their own defense. Instead, the two Realms sent us the lighter, more mobile forces they employed in their hit-and-run strikes. Evans was delighted with that fact, since it gave us a capability we lacked before. One thousand soldiers on horseback striking like lightning at an enemy’s flanks or disrupting their supply lines was a powerful weapon, and he immediately incorporated them into his schemes.

  While our military grew even larger, I had to reconsid
er the task I had assigned Ridge. The encampment outside our walls was simply growing too large, and we needed something more permanent for our standing army. Evans came up with a basic outline for a fortress that would not only house our soldiers, but also compliment the Garrison’s defensive barrier, and I set Ridge to begin its construction. I even dared to summon a third elemental, a partner to aid Ridge in the construction, and although the effort was difficult, I managed to subdue the Earth spirit and provide Ridge with some much-needed help.

  We also continued to receive more and more new citizens, seemingly on an almost daily basis—not only did they settle in the valley, but small communities also began cropping up in the areas beyond the walls. The surrounding forest had been pacified for quite some time, and as the population grew, people were beginning to take advantage of its bounty.

  Finally, the time drew near for us to depart for Oróna, but this would be no simple caravan that accompanied me. Evans and my entire Cabinet insisted that I travel with the whole of the Imperial Army as my escort. Not only did they think it would make an impression on the Realms who might be hesitant to join, but they also knew my intentions: any Realm who refused me must ultimately be conquered. We could begin that process much more quickly if my Army was already in Oróna when we discovered just which Kingdoms needed to be taken by force.

  When I met with Líann for our last weekly breakfast before our departure, I brought her a pair of special gifts for the road. I wasn’t sure that she’d appreciate the significance of them, but regardless of that, I wanted her to have them.

  Líann greeted me as she usually did at the time, already seated at the table and wearing the forest green robe that had come to hold so many memories for us. But when I approached her, I didn’t take the seat across from Líann as I typically did; instead, I spoke to her as I stood beside the table.