Richter thought fast. To oppose a Master of a Place of Power, even on his own lands, was not something he would do idly. He was even less inclined to antagonize his only ally in the entire world. “What I meant to say is that you cannot make such a bold decision without at least having all of the facts.”
She looked at him, her face hard as steel. The guards from the village had finally reached the top of the hill. The chamberlain was with them. Randolphus, no stranger to political situations, recognized the volatility of the scene immediately. The village guards placed their hands on the hilts of their weapons, which in turn caused the sprites on the hill to raise their bows. They didn’t nock arrows, but that meant nothing when every sprite could still fire an arrow in a second flat. The meidon sprites looked around uncertainly, unsure exactly where their allegiance lay. The chamberlain proved his worth once again, by speaking as if nothing was wrong, “Greetings Lady Hisako. How may I be of assistance, Lord Richter?”
Just the chamberlain’s calm voice broke the tense moment. What could have been a potential battle, fueled by frayed nerves and fear, relaxed into a discussion between allies. Richter looked at Randolphus gratefully, “All is well here. Thanks, Randy.” Then the chaos seed started giving orders.
Accommodations had to be made for the prisoners. They needed to be given food, clothes, and water. As many of the former slaves were also diseased, Richter ordered all remaining village healers to be summoned. An empty section of the village was to be cordoned off and used as a quarantine zone until they could be sure there was no threat of infection spreading to the rest of the village. He also ordered that half of the guards remaining in the village were to be mustered. Richter told his chamberlain that the bulk of the village’s forces were returning through the forest, and that he would be leading a force to meet them. He also made it clear that there had been losses. Randolphus listened to all of this impassively, and at the end, assured Richter that he would see to everything that needed to be done. The brilliant man also added one more thing to further diffuse the situation.
“Lady Hisako, if the village guards will be leaving soon, I would greatly appreciate your aid. As our staunchest allies, your sprite warriors would be invaluable in helping to man the village walls until my lord can bring back both your army and ours. I am sure Lord Richter would agree, there is no one we would trust more with the safety of our people.”
The chamberlain’s calm tone finally broke Hisako’s cold demeanor. She was not happy by any means, but there was no anger in her voice when she said, “You are, of course, correct, chamberlain. Yoshi, see that our forces are distributed along the walls of the village. Sion, help him. Lord Richter and I will speak alone.”
Both sprites nodded to the Hearth Mother and turned to leave. Sion patted his friend on the arm for luck as he walked past. The sprites and guards walked away, helping the prisoners with the worst injuries down the hill. Soon, the only ones left were Richter, Hisako, Alma and the adder. The dragonling lay back down on Richter’s shoulders, and the adder slithered a bit away, its scales perfectly matching the green of the grass once again.
The Hearth Mother muttered a quick spell, and stalks of wood rose from the ground. The tendrils interwove themselves in two chairs, complete with reclined backs. She sat in one with a long, relaxed sigh, and rubbed her face, “You suggested I learn the entire story. I would be very happy to hear it, Lord Richter, if your offer still stands.” She offered him the other chair with a small hand gesture.
Richter sat down and let loose his own weary sigh, “It does, if you promise to teach me this chair spell.”
The corner of her mouth twitched, and she said with a wry tone, “We can talk about it.” Her voice firmed again, “I must know about the Bloodstone, however. You know first hand exactly how much destructive power these items possess. What we experienced is only the barest glimpse of the devastation it can cause. Augmenting its power with a Dungeon, let alone a Dungeon built upon a Place of Power, terrifies me. If you knew the stories that I do, you would be terrified as well. If you do not wish me to destroy it, you must tell me why you would trust such an evil to reside in your lands.”
So Richter told her. He shared the entire story and held nothing back. The chaos seed told her of the Chaotic Shard, the release of energy, and the seeming years that he had spent trapped by the Bloodstone, the death of the “Voice” and the deal he had struck. She clucked her tongue at how he had promised the stone’s new consciousness a “home,” but didn’t interrupt. He finished by describing the spell that had transported all of them back to the village.
“I do not know why the hill and dungeon were transported as well, though,” he admitted at the end.
“Your spell teleported all living things,” Hisako said absently. Her face was no longer angry, but instead deeply contemplative. “I have told you that this,” she said indicating the Dungeon, “is no mere lair. It is a living thing. There is much I do not understand about Dungeons, and there is even more that I must learn about the Labyrinth. What I do know is that it will grow and evolve, both in size and power.”
Richter nodded and wondered if the Bloodstone had planned this all along. Had the relic known what the streams of raw chaos were changing the caves into? And the altered patches of land that were now surrounding the hill like a wall. It was almost as if they had been arranged to protect the Dungeon, or, more accurately, to protect the Bloodstone. Both Masters sat in silence for long minutes while they pondered the events unfolding around them.
It was Hisako that broke the silence, “Since you have come into my life, you have brought great change. You have returned the other half of our souls to The Land. A celestial tree grows in the heart of your village, and you have fought, and bled, beside us.”