Cornman8700
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MT 322 - More Grudges
🕑 Added 2025-11-03 03:28:53 +0000 UTC“Please come in, General,” I replied. Regardless of the situation, if Connatis had wanted to harm us, then he didn’t need my permission to walk through a gate that wouldn’t have stopped a reasonably determined mundane soldier, much less a demi-god like him. The general politely opened the panel, stepped through, then closed it shut behind him, treating something thrice his height with the same ease as a simple garden gate. He strode to us casually, moving at ordinary speed, then gave our group a bow upon arrival.
“Princess Ishi,” he said, with another bow. “Lords and Ladies, Madam Inquisitor,” he said, addressing everyone else. “Please forgive the crowd. Do any of you have a privacy skill?”
Drift raised a hand. “I believe I can accommodate that request, General.” A few seconds later, the older Ravvenblaq’s Umbral Aura rolled over us, rendering us silent and invisible to anyone outside our little group. General Connatis looked around briefly, then nodded, satisfied.
“Excellent,” he said. “I am glad that all of you are here.” He looked over his shoulder, then back to us. “Some people are not, as you can likely tell from the mood outside. I will cut to the heart of things and lay them out as cleanly as I can. Most of the Delvers who survived the Hierophant are in support of your participation in our Forest campaign. Many of them are extraordinarily passionate about your involvement, which one can understand, since you saved most of their lives. However, they are outnumbered by new arrivals.
“Of the new arrivals, there are a few prevailing opinions. Some are ambivalent. They have heard of you, but do not seem to view you favorably or unfavorably. This seems to be the smallest group. The next smallest group is those who have friendly attitudes towards you, but it is a fickle friendliness. They have heard the stories, heard the songs, and are admirers because of it.
“Then there are those who dislike you because of your participation in the Eschen Gap conflict. Of course, you have already encountered some of those attitudes over the last year. Unfortunately, those feelings have been further inflamed by the final, largest group of new arrivals. These are Delvers with connections to influential families, families that believe you have wronged them. Some have come upon financial troubles now that their slaves are gone. Others have come upon legal troubles because they were mentioned in the Xor’Drel files.”
“Excuse me, General,” I said. “I understand why the slave thing would be so widespread, but there weren’t that many Littan nobles in those files. It was an appreciable number, sure, but it was nowhere close to encompassing a significant portion of the peerage, much less the majority.”
“Ah, but you see, if a single earl is implicated, this may lead to an investigation of the loyalties of all the counts in his earldom, and all the barons within those counties, and any knightly orders or prominent gentry that may exist within those lands. All of these people may hold grudges.”
Princess Ishi chimed in. “Aren't there many Littan Delvers from humble origins?” she asked. “Their lords may influence their opinion, but certainly most would not be so affected as to cause trouble.”
“We are proud to say that we do not reserve our Delver slots for the children of nobility, such as Hiward does, but instead offer slots based on merit,” said the general. “In practice, merit can often be bought through premier schools, professional trainers, and quality equipment. Most Littan Delvers are therefore still nobility, relatives thereto, or pledged knights and such.”
“Hm,” I grunted. “So the majority of Littan Delvers hate my guts?”
“For one reason or another. And it extends to the ordinary soldiers as well, to an extent, but it is a slim majority. There is heartfelt advocacy for you on the part of your supporters. There have been some ‘incidents’ when the two factions have come into conflict, and discipline is currently strained.”
“And yet, you’re glad that we’re here?” I said. “It sounds like we’ll be an impediment to the proper functioning of your army.”
“No. Do you want to know who was an impediment to the proper functioning of my army? Avario of Connas, that is who. He was not just sleeping with my adjutant’s wife, he was copying my adjutant’s meeting minutes to sell to the highest bidder.”
“Damn,” I said. “That part wasn’t in the files.”
“It was not,” the general agreed. “However, these examples are everywhere. You are not an impediment. No! You have been quite a benefit to the proper functioning of my army.”
“I’m still not sure how we’ll collaborate with the tensions you’ve described.”
“A true concern, Your Majesty, but I am the Grand General. I have laid out all the pieces here today so that we can teach this lesson to a calf, rather than a bull.”
I looked around at all the arrayed soldiers and Delvers doing their best to spy on our conversation with General Connatis. “And how will we be doing that, General?”
“Of course, I have told them that you are an ally. Now, they will see us speaking as allies. Then, you will show them that the allies of General Tyvus Thaddacleus Connatis are not to be fucked with.”
“Oh,” I said, eyebrows climbing. “Won’t cracking skulls make them even saltier?”
“Let them cry into their mulled wine tonight,” he replied easily. “I do not need them to love you, I just need them to understand, in a very real and visceral way, why you and your teams have been invited here.”
“All right. How are we doing this?”
“Let me tell you a bit more about my strategy. Then I will parade you around for everyone to get a good look, and finally, we will take you to the dueling ring, where we will give your detractors the opportunity to express themselves.”
*****
The walk through New Krimsim was such a dog and pony show that it made me feel like a circus animal. The tension was practically a physical thing; an emotional wave of hot, humid air bringing forth a storm front. It was a profound shift from the attitudes we’d been getting before we’d released the files, where we’d occasionally run into someone holding a grudge over Eschendur, but who would mostly keep their opinions to themselves. Now, people looked ready to put a knife in my kidney when I wasn’t looking, not that it would do much.
After the general’s explanation, I more or less understood what was happening. What I was less clear on was why he was so confident in his solution. The general seemed to think it was obvious that it would work, but I had some trouble understanding his explanations for why it would work. His logic was making assumptions that I didn’t really follow. I figured we were hitting a cultural divide here, so I psychically posed the question to the Closetlanders. Xim had the most salient thoughts.
“Most Littan soldiers worship either Yara or Sumrann, who are both gods of civilization. Yara deals with civilization more broadly, but her domain encompasses the respect of legitimate law and authority. Sumrann is a god of bounty and harvest, but don’t take that too literally. Bounty and harvest can mean a lot of things, like we saw when Tavio ‘harvested’ more than a hundred thousand bird souls when we fought the Hierophant. Sumrann is well-loved by farmers and soldiers both, and one of his most prominent tenets is cooperation towards a beneficial end goal, especially one that serves the larger community.
“This means that the ideas of obedience to the law, respect for authority, and cooperation for the greater good are revered religious beliefs for Littan soldiers. Because of this, I think they could forgive the Littan deaths we caused in Eschendur to an extent. Both sides were in a valid conflict, the soldiers died in the line of duty, and their leadership later absolved us of culpability. They were even ordered to work alongside us.
“Now, however, their leadership is in conflict. The peerage that holds authority over many of these soldiers during their normal lives sees us as hostile. The most gracious reading is that the Xor’Drel files were a destabilizing influence, and the nobles find the way we handled it inappropriate. A less gracious interpretation is that the nobles in question were caught being naughty and are willing to blame us for their own sins. Either way, now one leadership structure–the peerage–is telling them we’re an enemy, while the other–military command–is telling them we’re an ally.
“Combine that with our prior history of killing Littans in the military, and now the powerful beliefs that allowed us to be forgiven are becoming fractured. Some figures are driving their influence into those cracks like a wedge to pry us away from the legions.
“As for why a public display of force may alleviate the issues, it goes back to the idea of legitimate law and legitimate authority. General Connatis is superior in the chain of command to anyone but the empress to these men and women, so long as they’re in his service. That means his authority and interpretation of the laws are more legitimate than the nobles who are trying to manipulate things. By creating a public display of his support for us, he’s lending his weight to our own legitimacy.
“A physical contest to express grievances creates a structured forum where this borrowed legitimacy can be challenged, and, in some ways, claimed as our own.” Xim took a moment to think something over, then added, “There is also the fact that virtually all warrior cultures ultimately respect the rule of ‘might makes right.’”
“Damn,” I thought in reply. “Do you and Baltae spend all of your time on cultural lessons?”
“No. We also have sex.”
“Right…” I thought. “Up top!”
Xim gave me a hand-shattering high-five celebrating coitus, which everyone else politely ignored.
“And here we are!” said General Connatis. He threw open a set of double doors on a massive building, revealing an odd sort of coliseum. The sandy arena floor made up most of the space, divided into sections, with a low set of bleachers around its edge. It looked geared towards giving fighters as much room as possible, rather than accommodating a crowd of spectators. It was indoors, enclosed and fortified, which probably helped keep errant skills contained, but I doubted the mana weaves I was seeing would work against higher-level fighters and their more potent skills. Etja confirmed as much.
The bleachers were about half full, and as we entered, the crowd of soldiers in our wake began filling in the empty seats. There were a few groups using the space for training, with gear and weapons of all sorts burdening mobile racks that hovered over the sand. One group that stood out to me was a squad of mundane soldiers furiously beating on a half-naked Littan Delver. The Level 20 Gold stood and weathered the spear strikes and thrusts against his toned body without flinching, and even looked bored with the whole thing.
“What’s that about?” I asked the general. He followed my gaze and chuckled.
“Most new recruits have never seen a Delver in person,” he explained. “You can tell the pups that they are all but helpless against a Delver, but none of them will hear what you are saying. They will think ‘But if I strike him between his armor, certainly he must bleed!’”
He gestured towards a mundane soldier who thrust his spear into the Level 20’s chest with enough power to snap off the spearhead. The Delver snatched the broken haft from the mundane soldier’s hands, who watched himself be disarmed, dumfounded. An effortless push against the young fighter’s chest sent him tumbling for twenty feet, and inspired a medic to rush out and check on him.
“This exercise shows them how deadly that thought is,” the general continued, “and beats into them the fact that, should they face a Delver, fighting them will be their final option.” The general smiled fondly as another soldier was tossed aside. “Coincidentally, that is Kai of Seaward, who is one of those Delvers that ‘hates your guts.’”
The Level 20, Kai, turned to us and narrowed his eyes, caught another soldier’s thrust without looking, and shoved against the haft of the spear, driving it into the young man’s gut. The recruit puked and collapsed, releasing his weapon. Kai twirled the spear and gave the rest of the squad that was going ten to one against him each a love tap that laid them out. He then stabbed the spear into the sand and marched to follow us.
“Wonderful,” I said.
Once we’d reached the northern quarter of the coliseum, General Connatis stopped and turned to survey the room. A feeling of unease crept up my neck, and every soldier in the building dropped what they were doing and turned. Most were noticing the general for the first time and hastily came to attention. Someone yelled, “General on the floor!” and the thunderous sound of a thousand Imperial salutes rumbled.
Connatis gave an appreciative nod. “At ease!” he said, his voice easily filling the cavernous space. The soldiers dropped their salute and transitioned to a slightly more comfortable stance. “I have a special treat for my legionnaires today! I am sure that everyone here has heard of at least a few of my very famous guests.” He waved an arm at our two parties. “This is Fortune’s Folly, who hails from Closetland and will be supporting us with our actions in the Forest. Along with them is the party of Princess Ishi, to whom I expect everyone will show the greatest respect as honored guests. Most of the members of each were present at the Battle of Krimsim, and were no doubt instrumental to our victory over the Hierophant scourge.
“There have been many rumors surrounding Fortune’s Folly, who fought honorably against us in Eschendur. Yes, I said, ‘against us.’ However, their justified involvement in that brief conflict uncovered the murderous creature known as The Operator, who’d slaughtered countless Littan soldiers and innocent civilians inside the Littan territory of the Eschen Gap. Fortune’s Folly showed us that our war of reprisal was the product of the Operator’s deceit. Without them, we might still be marching through deadly swamplands and fighting Eschen monks and revelators, whose only crime was becoming the Operator’s scapegoats.”
The general paused to let everyone digest all of that. His version of the story was so cooked that it was going to give half of them indigestion, I was sure.
“Additionally,” he continued, “the term ‘the Xor’Drel files’ will be familiar to many of you by now, and I suspect all of the officers and Delvers here have heard of it. Fortune’s Folly makes up much of the leadership for the kingdom of Closetland. Closetland recently published those files, accusing government officials across the entire world of various crimes. A few of these allegations were made against individuals within the Empire, and I will admit that we are not immune to the occasional misguided acts of criminals. So far, Folly’s spear has landed true.”
The general took a deep breath and gave the crowd a meaningful look. “You may disagree with Closetland’s methods,” he said, “but their strikes, though vicious, are done in the name of justice! To cull the diseased in pursuit of a healthier flock! So that we are at our strongest when we face the creatures in the dark, together! Creatures like the Hierophant!”
The general’s growing enthusiasm was infectious, and more and more of the soldiers began shouting their support after each sentence. “The Empire is stronger because of Fortune’s Folly! We are stronger! And they are here, again, to help us protect our lands and our nation! To give you strength! To help you protect our way of life against monsters, like those of the Forest!”
Now there was full-on cheering from half the crowd.
“Is it weird that I wanna join the legion now?” I thought to the group.
“I’m already looking for the recruiters!” thought Etja.
“He’s pretty inspiring,” Xim replied. “But what it makes me want, is to join Fortune’s Folly.”
Connatis let the crowd’s mood boil over for a full thirty seconds before holding up his hands to calm them back down.
“Now, some of you have grievances,” he said. “Whether you seek vengeance for a friend, or retribution for the loss of a count who gave you patronage, you may find that you cannot accept Closetland’s actions, that you cannot accept Fortune’s Folly’s actions. And so, I am giving you this opportunity, today, to test their mettle. To place a balm upon your burning heart through force of arms, words, or both. Should you wish to duel any member of Fortune’s Folly, today is your chance!
“If any of them loses, then they will all return to Closetland! Step forward, and show them the strength of your resolve!”
Comments
PJ LeBlanc
Sgt Baltae is one of the Littans from Pio's delver party that raided the Void King side of Arlo's pocket closet delve. He's the nerdy space mage with the tunnel spell, an academic interest in spell skills/mana shaping, and iirc a taste for smutty romance novels that Xim shares. He's also the member of the party that figured out Arlo was the Void King.
Levi
Can someone remind me who Baltae is? Is he the Xor'del tribsman from the third layer?
Levi
I say if it's a pain in the ass then don't do it, but I read chapters directly on patroen so I'm not sure my opinion counts. Maybe make a separate poll post for this question?
Cornman
Does anyone use the pdf or epub I add to these posts? They're mildly annoying to make and add, so I figured I'd ask. If nobody uses them I'll just stop, but if it's beneficial to someone then it's not a huge deal to keep up with them. Just another thing to manage when making a post.
