They say “reality is the best fiction”, and after the past few days I am inclined to agree. I never expected my meeting with King Vatlaw to go the way it did, and I am still rather ashamed to admit how it all happened.
It started with a tour of the Vel-Ri’s city from Saya. She showed us their glass blowing workshops and explained the difficulties their race faces in expanding with so few numbers. She mentioned that several Vel-Ri adults were clones, and that even King Vatlaw was only a clone of the original. That news is startling, but not unexpected. The Vel-Ri’s technology surpasses our own, so the ability to duplicate a person’s body is not beyond the believable. I do wonder if there is any corruption that occurs between the duplications. That might explain Vatlaw’s behavior—though that is strictly supposition on my part.
We were lead to the engineering quarters of the Vel-Ri’s vessel, and as expected it was awe inspiring. A miniature model of one of their works was even given to Malik who took to the trinket like a small child being enchanted by the glow of a light or the dance of a flame. I cannot deny admiring that innocence.
Saya explained a good deal about the Vel-Ri with us. First, she explained that the Del-Hi are constructs created by the Vel-Ri that have grown to betray their makers. That was not a revelation I was expecting, and only furthers the reasoning the Vel-Ri are responsible for the fall of Stormguard. It should be needless to say, but I will not be sharing that truth with Geddon quite yet. Second, the Del-Hi defeated the Vel-Ri by a sheer numbers advantage; a fact I thought would be all that was necessary to convince Vatlaw that our fate had an impact on his own. Lastly, we learned that not all the Vel-Ri agree with their leader’s disposition, and there was even a concern for his legitimacy to the throne. It all appears to be centered on the nature of a magic sword that the leader of the Vel-Ri wields. If a bloodthirsty leader holds the weapon then the flames are a passionate red, but if the flames turn blue then it is the sign of a true leader.
With that information I retired for the evening, though I did try to get a sense of Geddon’s state of mind considering what we had learned of Vatlaw’s intentional lack of action against the Vel-Ri during Stormguard’s fall. He assured me that he was at peace with that news, and that his anger was focused solely on the Del-Hi. I have trouble believing that, but it may just be that Geddon possesses a far greater will than I gave him credit for.
The next morning was our meeting with Vatlaw, and I asked to bring Malik along with me for negotiations. I thought bringing the hard-nosed fighter might appeal to his Majesty’s pride and honor, but I doubt he noticed. I spent our conversation trying to reason that a defeat for our nations meant a stronger Del-Hi army, but Vatlaw did not seem swayed. It was a break in logic that is infuriating. I have dealt with stubborn pride such as his in the past, but never from such a position of weakness. I explained that we only needed to use a device Saya showed us to detect the portals and seal them, but when I mentioned that Saya aided us Vatlaw began seething. He called Saya a traitor and immediately grabbed her presumably to kill her. I was not going to let negotiations fail like that, so I used my magic to pull Saya from his grasp.
That was quite admittedly a mistake on my part. By involving myself, the King’s anger turned to me, and once again he took my shoulder. This time however, he did not suppress his strength. His talons ripped through my flesh as though it was the skin on a peach, and I felt his claws dig into my muscles. I could not move or fight against his strength, and had he not thrown me against a wall I very well good have been crushed in his paws. Thankfully his anger (and likely pride) kept him from immediately executing me, but I was still at his mercy. He charged in for the kill, but Malik jumped to my defense. I fear the good Half-Orc might have met his end right there, but Saya pushed Malik out of the way of the attack of Vatlaw’s sword. To our bewilderment, the sword did not kill the Vel-Ri Legionnaire. Instead, it passed through her body harmlessly and flickered with a blue light. I quickly assumed what that meant and urged her to take Vatlaw’s sword, but now Saya was filled with a primal fury.
The two Vel-Ri tore into one another with a savage viciousness I have only heard of in animals and monsters. Saya managed to get the better of her King, and Malik’s actions helped pry the sword from Vatlaw’s grip. After separating the two Vel-Ri, Saya picked up the weapon and watched as the sword signified her as the next true leader of the Vel-Ri, though it seems that her gender made that decision shameful to the eyes of Vatlaw. He charged in for the kill, but was cleanly executed by Malik and Saya.
I will not lie; I did not want to see Vatlaw die. He could have been a tremendous ally to our cause, and I blame myself for not being good enough to prevent this scenario. Still, I will not weep too much as Saya’s victory means aid for our nations. She ordered the city be raised from the ground for the first time in centuries, and gathered a team of Vel-Ri to travel south towards Freeport for negotiations. It is a victory, albeit a bittersweet one.
I paid for my mistake. My shoulder is a mess. Even as I write this I bite my tongue so as not to scream. I have sung for hours trying to restore the damage to my muscles, but there is a limit to what even magic can fix. I am assured the damage will not be permanent however thanks to Halim’s work. That boy so desperately wants to help even after I tease him. He possesses an amazingly gentle soul, and it infuriates me to know that priest back in Freeport continues to corrupt it with lies. I cannot allow the two of them to meet privately. I will not allow my work to help Halim find his free will be undone by more religious propaganda from an insidious man of the cloth.
I also spoke with Pallith to glean where her loyalties stand. I was decisively abrupt when I recruited her for our mission, but I know I cannot force her to stay with our cause after she has seen what we have gone up against. Gold alone would not be a proper motivation, but it seems that our thief has things in Freeport she still wants to protect. I am glad to know she will still be on our side. I have seen her skills first hand, and I vouch that her work with the blade is impressive. I also admit to finding myself very curious as to the nature of the magic she possesses, but that is something I will pursue at a later date.
For now our course returns home to Freeport. Our mission is far from over, but a chance to return home will be greatly appreciated. I do long for the feeling my own bed, and the peace of mind that comes from spending the evening lost in a song.
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