The Human From a Dungeon

Master General Kirain Yith

Adventurer Level: N/A

Half-Breed Drow - Balushenian

I watched the orc slaves dig, doing my best not to inhale through my nose. The smell is abysmal, but that's to be expected. One can't expect a bunch of filthy creatures, who likely don't even realize how bad their stench is, trapped in confined quarters to smell like perfume. Well, perhaps a perfume for a tanner, but not one that anyone with a nose would even dream of purchasing.

The male orcish vampire glanced at me nervously, then yelled for the workers to move faster. Alurgas had opted to follow my plan, likely fearing retribution from his superiors, and it had worked marvelously. He had chosen the two leaders with the weakest wills and turned them. As such, his intentions became their own and would remain so for at least a year.

Fortunately, his inner thoughts had remained with him, and these two don't have any inherent prejudices against half-breeds such as myself. I had hoped that would be the case, because things would have been difficult otherwise. Pawns that despise their king have a tendency to act willfully, and that simply will not do. I turned to the other vampiric orc.

"How long?" I demanded.

"To get it as big as you want it will take another couple of weeks, sir," she bowed.

Two weeks? Too long. The loss of the Aultris Legion's second phalanx weighed heavily on my mind. They had been taken unawares by the mounted mages that have been hounding our forces since, and many of them had been captured. These orcs are annoyingly persistent.

"Use your hypnosis to find five more weak-willed individuals, then turn them," I said with a lowered voice. "Have them begin the escape tunnel. Be certain to keep it a secret, even from the other slaves."

"Yes, your highness. But..." she trailed off.

"What is it?"

"Hypnosis, sir? How do we do that?"

I snapped my fingers and she looked up in fright. Our eyes made contact, and I tapped into a certain darkness deep within my being. This darkness had always been a part of me, and had acted as a cold comfort in times of stress. I felt the tell-tale ache behind my eyes that informed me I had made contact, and pushed out toward the fledgling vampire. Her face went slack as I forced the inner recesses of her mind to activate, showing her exactly how to do what must be done.

'Like this,' I projected. 'Teach the other one the same way I'm teaching you.'

"Yes... sir..."

I closed my eyes, cutting the spell that I had bound her with. I felt the connection sever almost immediately, and a small headache soon followed. I've been told that the headache will go away with practice, but hypnosis is just so damned impractical most of the time.

"Go," I said with a wave.

She bowed again and quickly turned toward the other vampire. He was busy beating an unruly slave, and she decided to wait until he was finished. Satisfied with this outcome, I left the foul-smelling pit and closed the hatch behind me. I forced air out of my nostrils to clear them, and took a deep breath in. Before I could take a seat, though, a small tap came from my door.

"What is it?" I asked loudly, sitting down with a sigh.

"Milord, we've lost Sim Valrin's first legion. Survivors say it was the mounted mages again, but there were more of them this time," General Smarn said through the door.

"Get in here, you pissant!" I shouted.

The door quickly opened and closed as the general entered. He took a few steps and kneeled apologetically. I stared at him coldly.

"You thought to give me such terrible news THROUGH A DOOR?!" I demanded.

"My apologies, sir," he said. "I didn't think to enter."

"Fine. It doesn't matter," I sighed. "Pull the other legions back into defensive positions around the village and erect barricades using timber from the surrounding forest. We have more archers joining us soon, which will put us on a more level playing field."

"Yes, sir. Shall I use the orc slaves?"

"No, I need them doing what they're doing. Without a proper supply pit, we're sunk. We'll punish the survivors of the defeated legions by using them as lumberjacks. The legions that aren't on duty will build the walls and anti-infantry spikes. Be sure sure to have the excess lumber converted to fletching, and have some pits dug while you're at it. Make certain they're wide enough to fit hnarses."

"It will be done, my lord."

"Oh, and send a legion to meet the archers and escort them here. I doubt that the commanders in the city were smart enough to send a large infantry force with them, and we don't want them getting ambushed and routed."

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all. Leave me," I gave a dismissive gesture.

General Smarn stood, and as he left a wave of exhaustion washed over me. Things hadn't gone quite as planned, but all wasn't lost yet. I debated sending a legion or two accompanied by archers on the offensive, but decided against it. We only have enough archers for defensive positions, and vacating those positions would leave us critically vulnerable. The enemy likely wouldn't know that, but it's best not to give them the chance to get lucky if it can be avoided.

I stood and walked over to the map on the table. A deep sigh escaped me as I began to move the markers around the map. I had hoped to continue the offensive and capture more land and slaves than this. I'll still get the chance, but we'll have to be on the defensive for a time. I should be certain to order the defenders to capture the enemy whenever possible.

Our defense should hold up well. Archers are far easier to cultivate and train than mages are, which means I can field more archers than they can field mages. The range of spells and arrows are roughly the same, so the mages biggest advantages will be rapid maneuvers and the area of effect of their attacks. If I spread the archers out among the defenses and have them prioritize the mages or their mounts, we'll be able to hold out for quite some time. Which means that if the orcs are smart, they'll try to starve us out.

They have the supply line advantage, but I have the equipment advantage. They aren't able to field archers because their equipment is in Yirna, where they were expecting to be invaded. Once I add the reinforcing archers to the legions, we will be able to go on the offensive again and secure a supply line. They will have started moving the equipment back here by now, but I have ambushes and traps in place to prevent their delivery.

If that doesn't work, we'll be in a sore spot. However, all of this is to secure more orc slaves and turn them into vampires. I don't need to win this war, I just need to drag it out. We'll need as many bodies as we can get our hands on to take the Night Kingdom's capital.

King Lofin has kept most of the troops out of paranoia. It was unusually gracious of him to grant me the archers that are on their way, although I suspect the request didn't even make it to his ear. The reason I'm getting reinforcements at all is likely due to vampiric subterfuge. I'll have to clean house once I take the throne.

I finished rearranging the markers and walked over to the nearest window, pulling back the curtain. The clouds that had blanketed the sky all day had moved on, leaving a field of glimmering stars in their wake. I opened the window and leaned out, taking in the view. One must take time to appreciate the smaller things in life, or else be crushed by the larger ones.

Before I could get my fill of the sights, another bout of exhaustion took me. Bedtime already? I stifled a yawn, then closed the window and the curtain. I took a step toward my bed and stumbled, managing to catch myself on a chair.

I looked at the hand that was now supporting my weight, but it looked alien. It is definitely my hand, but my mind refuses to recognize it. Depersonalization... have I been drugged? Might one of my precautions slipped? Or am I just that tired? It had been a long day, fraught with stress and worry.

Even as the thought of being poisoned caused my adrenalin to surge, my eyelids drooped. I don't have the sweats, coughs, or shakiness that are indicative of most poisons. Why would someone use an anesthetic to try to assassinate me?

What kind of anesthetic works on a fully fed half-breed vampire? Even as I tried to figure out this mystery, I stumbled over to my bed and lay within my covers. I barely managed to kick my boots off before my eyes could no longer stay open, and I slipped into slumber.

'Finally,' Something almost like a voice said from within my mind.

What's happening? Didn't I fall asleep? Is this a dream? I looked around but saw nothing. No, not nothing. Darkness. Palpable darkness. Darker even than the darkness that resides within me. A true abyss, and I was within it.

'It is the time that we should meet.'

"Who are you? What do you wa..." I ran out of breath and could not take another.

'You do not need to speak. I know your mind and soul better than you do.'

I panicked at the lack of air for a few moments before I realized that it didn't matter. I don't need to breathe? Is this really a dream, then? Why am I so cognizant? WHAT IS THIS?

'Your mind is frantic. Focus your thoughts and direct them to me.'

Focus my thoughts? Easy to say, not easy to do. Plenty of subjects rushed through my mind, but above all stood one question. What in the HELLS is going on here?

'The Hells? Quite astute of you, but no. Not the hells. Close, though.'

I focused on the non-voice, ignoring the inky blackness that surrounded me and the lack of air in my lungs. This has to be magic. Unfamiliar magic, but magic nonetheless. If this... entity wished me harm, I would be harmed by now. I steeled myself against my rising panic.

'What is the meaning of this?' I demanded.

'An introduction. To ease you into knowing my voice so that when the time comes to hear it, you will not panic as you did moments ago.'

Speaking in riddles. Infuriating, but I am in its power for now. I must play along.

'Who are you? Or what are you?'

'Who am I? A laughable question. What use is a name in this situation? It isn't as if you will tell anyone of me. No, it would be better to ignore such mundanities. As for WHAT I am, deep down, you already know.'

The being all but confirmed what I had already begun to fear to be true. It is a god, a magical spirit of grandiose power and mysterious purpose. Which means that I am now a touched. I had always believed that the touched simply had mental instabilities, and that is not an uncommon perception of them. This god is right, I'll be telling no one of this.

'Why have you brought me here? What do you want of me?'

'As I said, this meeting serves simply as an introduction,' The god answered. 'It will save us time in the future. Time that will be needed to achieve our goals.'

'What goals could we possibly share?'

'None. It would not be possible for one such as I to share a goal with a being of flesh such as yourself. However... our goals align. And for that reason, I am willing to aid you. You will achieve your goals, and in turn I shall achieve my own.'

What sort of twisted goals could a being such as this have, and why would they align with my goals? Does it want me to conquer the world in its stead? Or does it want the vampires to suffer? Perhaps it needs the orcs eliminated?

'No,' the being laughed. 'Those are not your goals, nor mine. Your goal is to be seen and heard. To be able to enforce your will, and ignore those that you see as inferior. You do not need the world or a kingdom for this, you simply need power. Power and purpose, both of which I can guide you to.'

The words cut through me like a well-honed blade. The truth of the matter is that I do not fully believe that I can conquer the world with my plan. I had intended to take the Night Kingdom as my own and try to expand its borders, but I would have been content with executing King Lofin and exterminating the vampires that had created and then belittled me.

This was a carefully kept secret, though, even from myself. My anger became stoked as I realized how easily this thing had read me and carved its way through my delusions. How can I, Master General Duke Kirain of House Yith, be relegated to mere words on a page to be read on a whim by a god?

'So you will give me power?' I asked with a snarl.

'No. I cannot interfere that much. Instead, I will guide you to power and give you a purpose. This must come later, though. For now, you must know what it is to live without my guidance,' it said with a cruel smile behind its words. 'You shall awaken, returning to your plans and your schemes. Try your best to see them succeed. We will meet again when the time comes.'

Before I could demand a fuller explanation, the darkness tightened around me. This embrace was freezing and forceful. I felt my bones crush and break as I was swallowed up by the abyss. Then I awoke with a start, grasping my blankets and glancing wildly around the room. I drew in a deep breath and let it leave me with a shudder.

Everything in the room was just as I had left it, and the bright beams of sunrise had begun to peak through the curtains. I grabbed my arms and shuddered again. My skin was freezing, which caused another surge of fear as I realized what that implied.

I hadn't been dreaming.