The Fire and the Storm - Metric Pro Edition: Fiction, Dragons, Elves, Unicorns, Magic (46 page)

“Actually, she
hadn’t
been born yet, but we’d already been in psionic contact with her for a while, and she already had enough psionic ability to crush Vanakit Lamitkeze.” Mark told her with a small smile, and continued on in the face of her surprised disbelief.

“As I was going to say,” he continued, “Vanakit held a grudge about it, and he convinced a bunch of you to help him try to get revenge.  They failed in that attempt, and Vanakit’s mind was destroyed.  The rest of you were Healed completely and sent home.

“We still took no further action against any of you.

“But these four fine young persons raised some important points recently; that most of your young killed each other before they became adults, that all of you could be trained to be much more effective in war against the demons than you presently are, and that we might need every bit of help we can get to prevent the demons from completely destroying this world.

“Therefore they were given permission to prevent your young from killing each other, and to initiate efforts to train you to be an army, and to integrate your military capabilities with our own.

“You have given your verbal agreement to our terms.  We are now gathered here to swear binding oaths to enforce our agreement.

“Governor Longstrider?”

“Thank you sire.” Reggie told him with a small bow, and turned to the Sylvan elders.

“Today marks a new beginning for your people and mine, and I’m confident that our association will benefit both our peoples…

“What a pile of crap!” a Sylvan woman yelled from the audience.  “You’ve enslaved our children and insulted our culture!”

“How have we insulted your culture?” Reggie calmly asked as he rose two meters from the platform so he could meet the eyes of the woman who’d spoken.

“The winnowing is what makes us strong!” the woman yelled.  “The Sylvan have gained in ability far faster than any other race, ever since we began on this world!  Generation after generation, we are stronger, faster, more powerful and more intelligent, because the weak are culled from our race before they can breed!  It is a natural and necessary part of being a Sylvan!  With our birthrate, we would consume everything on the world and then starve, without the winnowing!  Furthermore, every adult among us has
earned
our place in our society by surviving the winnowing!  We deserve our standing because we have fought and suffered and killed for it, even under the restrictions of our god!  And you cannot replace it without using constant spells of mind control, and stealing the freedom from our lives!”

As the Sylvan spoke, Helemia had angrily walked over to the edge of the platform and glared down at the woman.  She yelled back as soon as the woman finished.

“All right first of all, the winnowing
doesn’t
improve you in every generation, because who survives the winnowing and who dies is almost completely decided by luck!  More than half of those who die are killed in their first year away from their parental home, and in most cases it has nothing to do with any lack of potential or ability on their part!  The older packs hunt the new releases relentlessly, and it doesn’t matter if some fourteen-year-old has the potential to be the greatest Sylvan who’s ever lived when he gets hunted down by forty or fifty organized twenty-year-olds!  Sure, over
hundreds
of generations, the winnowing does improve you, but it’s the most costly and wasteful way to improve a race that I’ve ever seen!

“And secondly, as to enslaving your children, who would probably have been uselessly killed
anyway
, let’s ask
your
children what they think of their enslavement!”

In a moment she was in the woman’s mind and identifying her children; a seventeen-year-old female and a nineteen-year-old male, then located them among the platoons and Translocated them and the woman to the surface of the platform.

“Give me the Truthstone.” Reggie flatly demanded of Senior Dolimatbene, holding his hand out for it.

After considering the somewhat chilling intensity of his manner, she Summoned it and gave it to him.  He tossed it to Helemia, who rose a meter and caught it and slapped it into the hand of the girl she’d summoned in a single effortless motion, and held it there with a two-handed grip of surprising strength.

“The stone you’re holding is an interface to The Truthstone of Falgaroth.” she growled at the girl.  “You cannot lie while in contact with it; Senior Dolimatbene has already confirmed this.  Now tell your people and mine what it’s like to be our slave.”

“Well, uh, the food’s pretty good, we’ve all been eating a lot better for sure, and the rooms are nice, and the work’s okay because they don’t work us too hard and we get to work with our friends.  And the party every night is really really great!  I’m sure they’re casting a spell on us to make it more fun, but I don’t care because it works so good!  And they’re so good at Healing that we can do anything!  I mean I challenged
Barkovene
last night, even though I knew he’d beat me bad, and he did, but it was still worth it because I knew I’d get to
hurt
him pretty bad before I went down, and I did, and I knew I’d be Healed completely one blink after the fight was over!

“And tomorrow we don’t have to build anymore, and we’re going to start having these really real-seeming war games against
demons
, which will be just like being in a war except we’ll all be Healed and alive every night!  What could be better than that?!

“I mean, being in a war every day and
knowing
you’re going to be all right, and then being at a great party every night where you can fight and have sex as much as you
want..!
  I mean really, this is as good as life gets.  This is the best thing that could’ve ever happened to us.”

Everyone on the platform was surprised when the thirteen thousand young Sylvan in the platoons all stood up and cheered.

By the time it died down a few moments later, even the girl’s mother was grinning and chuckling.

“So much for the slavery of your children.” Helemia snickered.  “They’ve been enslaved in Sylvan paradise.  Once the demons are completely dealt with, we’ll let you go back to your old way of live if you want, but I doubt you’ll want to.  Personally, I think that what we’re offering is the
real
ideal and natural lifestyle for Sylvan; work and fight and kill and die all day, then party and fight and have sex all night.  When we get out of the time-bubble, we’re going to offer it to all the Sylvan in the world, and I’m willing to bet a kilo of diamonds that almost all of ‘em will take us up on it within a year.

“And beyond that, in a week we’ll have improved your abilities more than ten thousand years of the winnowing would.  The spells and techniques we’ll be teaching you are better than anything that’s ever been used on this world before now.”

“Hmm.  I have three younger children at home right now, all younger than puberty.” the Sylvan woman revealed.  “What would you have happen to them?”

“The same as the rest of you, except I doubt they’ll want to have sex at the parties.” Helemia chuckled.  “You and they will train together during the day, and party at night, and I doubt that children that young will need a spell to help them relax enough to have fun.  You’ll continue to assist with their training and education.  When they get to be fourteen or so and they’re thinking about killing you so they can steal your house and belongings, they’ll have to settle for challenging you in the arena.  When they’re past puberty they can join the regular platoons.”

The woman nodded.  “All right.  I can accept that.”

“Excellent.” Helemia grinned.  “I’ll just put you back, and we’ll continue with the occasion.”

She Translocated the three Sylvan back to their places.

“There seems to be only one thing that you haven’t considered.” Senior Dolimatbene asserted.  “And that is the reaction of our god to everything you’re doing here.  He made it plain that our lifestyle was exactly what he wanted it to be, and I’m sure he won’t be pleased when he learns what you’ve done with us.”

“Your god is a renegade among the Pantheon of Kellaran.” Reggie stated.  “When the time-bubble ends, the other gods will learn of his existence, and that he’s hidden from them since he ascended, neither taking part in nor abiding by the resolutions that they have agreed upon among themselves after extensive and often acrimonious debate.  If this hasn’t occurred already.  I’m sure he’ll have bigger problems to worry about than what we’ve done here.  The other gods and the nations they’ve formed are all sworn members of The Just Alliance now, and we do not fear The Sylvan God of Stealth.

“Now as I was saying, I’m sure the relationship between your people and mine will be beneficial to us all.  Through us, you are joining the wider society in the world, and your isolation can end when the time-bubble ends.  You’ll have the chance to travel the world, to see all the wonders of it, and to take part in society in any way you choose, within the limits of the laws of The Just Alliance.

“Most important of all, we’ll all have the best possible chance to defeat the demons.

“Now,” he said as he held out his hand and Valentia gave him the stone, “We will swear binding oaths upon The Truthstone of Falgaroth.

“I swear that we of the community of Homestead on the Islands of Hiliani, of the nation of Hilia and of The Just Alliance, will provide the Sylvan of Hiliani with the training and facilities to maximize their military potential, and will ensure their well-being as best we are able for as long as we are responsible for them.  As soon as we have sufficiently trained enough senior officers among the Sylvan to allow them to assume command of the Hiliani Sylvan, we will allow them to do so, contingent upon their continuation of the military and social systems we have emplaced, until the threat of attack by demons on Kellaran has been eliminated.  We will abide by the land use agreement that was discussed yesterday, allocating twenty-three of Hiliani’s twenty-seven islands for Sylvan use.  All of this that I have sworn will be known among us of Homestead as Valentia’s Vow, for Vice-Governor Valentia, who chose the wording.  All of us will be able to conveniently swear this vow on the stone by stating; ‘I swear Valentia’s Vow’, and every citizen of Homestead will do so, this I so swear.”

There was a bright blue flash of light from the stone as the binding took effect, then he handed it to Senior Dolimatbene.

“I swear that we of the Sylvan of Hiliani will not act against the citizens of Homestead, and that we will abide by the military and social systems that you have emplaced.” she stated.  “We will abide by the land agreement, and will not trespass upon the four islands reserved for non-Sylvan without permission.  This vow shall be in power until the threat of the demons that now approach Kellaran has been eliminated.  This vow shall be known among us of the Hiliani Sylvan as Plozofen’s Promise, allowing us to conveniently swear this vow on the stone by stating; ‘I swear Plozofen’s Promise’.”

Mark held his hand out for the stone as the blue light flashed again.  “I swear Valentia’s Vow.

“I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to allow any citizen of Homestead who wishes to do so to swear Valentia’s Vow upon it by merely touching the stone.

“I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to allow any Sylvan of Hiliani who wishes to do so to swear Plozofen’s Promise upon it by merely touching the stone.

“I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to place the mark of Hiliani upon the bodies of any who swear Valentia’s Vow or Plozofen’s Promise upon it, making the marking of the size and on the location preferred by those who have sworn, and making it known to those who observe them that they have sworn the vow.”

The stone flashed blue after every vow he swore, and the symbol of Hiliani that had been displayed in the big Revealing appeared on his left arm two centimeters high, close to the marks from the other vows he’d sworn.   Then he gave the stone to Valentia, who was holding her hand out for it.  It flashed blue as soon as it touched her.

“I swear Valentia’s Vow.” she said anyway, then giggled.

“I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to make it fly around touching people until it’s touched everyone on Hiliani, casting the appropriate vow and instilling the marking on those it touches, then return to Prince Mark.”

It flashed blue again and took off as soon as she released it, darting around and touching everyone else on the platform in a quick series of blue flashes, then it was down in the crowd.

“Well that’s efficient, I must admit.” Senior Dolimatbene smirked as she followed the trail of blue flashes thorough the assemblage for a moment, then turned to Reggie again.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Now we are united, and it is a great day for us all!” Karzog declared.

“Now we feast, and then we party!” Reggie laughed.

They were given a huge, rousing cheer that rose all up and down the beach.

 Reggie cast a quick spell that marked out a large area of the beach with a line of blue light.  “Can I have everyone move outside that blue line?  We’ll put the feast there as soon as it’s clear.”

“Troops, you’re off duty.” Helemia called.  “And since this platform makes a good stage, we’re going to use it as a challenge arena tonight.  The size and elevation of it will add a new element to the fights.  Along with the regular ways to lose a fight, you lose if you get knocked off the stage.  The winner of the first fight holds the stage and fights the next challenger until someone else wins, then the next winner holds the stage.  There’ll be a prize at the end of the night for whoever holds the stage for the most victories.  We’ll also have four other regular arenas up and down the beach, one for purely physical combat, one for purely magical, one for purely psionic, and one where anything goes, including any spelled items or weapons you have.  The stage here is also an ‘anything goes’ arena.  And that;” she said as she waved her hand and a transparent bubble of blue light sixty meters wide appeared in the sky, “Is our first arena for aerial combat, and the queue to use it will form directly under it.  As always, there’s no flying or Levitation allowed in the other arenas, and the line to use them forms on the west side of each arena.