by Wolfe Locke
“Not this much spirit,” Zekant said. “This will be a liability in the war.”
“Or an asset—” Crixa tried to say.
“A liability,” Zekant said firmly. “I need my servants to be reliable. We must break him.”
“I don’t think—” Crixa responded, cut off.
“Will you constantly make me repeat myself?” Zekant snapped. “I have said we will break him. These are my orders. He must be broken.”
“My Lord,” Crixa said, “I must object. Tetraites is a good soldier. He could be a great one. Trying to crush him will make him more rebellious. If you treat him fairly, he will serve you.”
“Crixa,” Zekant said. “I created you, and I can unmake you just as easily. I resurrected Tetraites as well. He is my slave and mine to do with as I wish. Disrespect as he has shown to me, will not be tolerated.”
Crixa bowed low, silently acquiescing to the Dark Lord’s command.
Zekant nodded curtly. “Good. I will send you plans tomorrow.”
The monster vanished. Alone again, Zekant turned back to his pile of scrolls. There was work to be done before the war, and he was determined to see it through to its conclusion.
Lord November approached from the shadows, once again wearing his own dark armor, the holes where his wings had been continuing to bleed. “I have a proposal Zekant. The skeleton has my favor, I would buy him from you.”
Zekant stopped what he was doing, “I had thought you went back to your dungeon. Are you so bored with the humans you must bother me?
The scarred man smiled. “It is far less complicated than that. I am expanding my dungeon. I could use a minion like Tetraites to help manage a floor. I do not trust the demons Amarath has bonded to us.”
Zekant turned and looked, “And what would you part with that would ever be worth the price of Tetraites?”
“I would offer the one thing you crave most in this endeavor of yours. Fresh souls. Not those taken from the Well, not those doomed by the Gehenna Pits. The newly dead. Those yet unwarped by the eternal darkness that awaits them.” Lord November explained.
Zekant signed. The idea has merit. I’ll need heroes, though, actual heroes. Not broken souls and tormented villains. The loss of Tetraites might be worth it.
“I want 300 souls of unselfish heroes that die within your dungeon. That is what would make this deal worth it for me.” Zekant finally responded.
Lord November smiled. “It is a deal,” and pulled out an eldritch looking cage from within his own spatial ring. “I’ve 1,000 such souls right here. Count the remaining towards the purchase of other slaves.”
“Fine. It is a deal.” Zekant responded. “I will have Tetraites sent to you immediately.”
Lord November smiled and prepared to leave, saying before he left, “Make sure to send that flesh golem of his, wherever he’s hidden it. It will become a powerful butcher in its own right.”
Authors Note:
I started writing this series almost 2 years ago, my skill as a writer has come a long way since then, but my interests have also gone elsewhere. If you’d like to keep following my work, make sure to follow my author page and check out my other books.
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