Chapter: 651 – Gifts and Reasons

Tala stood tall in the Revered City Lord’s temporary throne room as silence practically resonated around her.

The gold and iron dasgannachs flowed across her exterior, creating beautiful patterns as their various tendrils coiled and intertwined without losing connection with the rest of the singular dasgannach of each type, even as they continued looking for material to devour.

She felt something within them, an odd fraying of their reality nodes that was growing worse with every passing instant that they didn’t consume something, that they were exposed to the air.

With the barest flexing of her will, she gripped the nodes, pulling them back together and allowing them to start to reknit. At the same time, she used the same action to pull the air back from them just barely, halting that vector of degradation.

The creatures—curses? It didn’t really matter—didn’t react, continuing to futilely search for anything they could claim. As such, Tala assumed that their actions were only partially driven by the reality of their situation.

As to material, there was plenty of iron and gold, much of which they were actively touching, but all of it was utterly and irrevocably Tala’s. As such, it didn’t seem to even register to them as either iron or gold.

So, they can inherently tell that something isn’t available to them.

-Doesn’t that mean that your bloodstar, oh so long ago, wasn’t entirely yours?-

Exactly, but we knew that. We offered it up, remember?

-Right, right. So, that was enough to be the bait and hook in one.-

So it seems.

-Poor things. Slaves to their nature.-

Eskau Meallain had taken a step back as Tala had gripped the collar, but Terry hadn’t moved, his faith in Tala unshakable.

In that frozen moment, Tala noticed that the collar had actually been created of an odd amalgamation of gold and iron, mixed with something else that she could only describe as tangible authority, even if that made no sense.

Still, even if she couldn’t understand it—maybe especially because she couldn’t fully understand it—she would not snub such a gift. She bowed in gratitude—even if not in deference—before speaking into the stillness. “Thank you, Revered City Lord. There is so much that I can learn from this collar as well as these fine specimens. This is a truly unmatched greeting gift, utterly beyond what I deserve, and I return the gesture with an offer of a minor boon from myself, as the gift was to me and not my house.”

That sent a ripple through the gathered Pillars and Eskau. Pillar Sanguis seeming to let out a relieved breath as he stepped forward. “We of the House of Blood cannot allow such a gift to our long absent Eskau to go unrecognized, despite the truth of such a gift being specifically for her. We also offer a minor boon to the City Lord.”

The Revered City Lord seemed to relax just slightly. Tala had danced on the edge of outright stating that she was over him, deigning to give him a minor boon, but with the explicit addition of that from the House of Blood? It was reframed as an action of gratitude due to his generosity.

At this point, he could act as if this was his intention all along—thus taking their actions as a bolster to his position and increasing his renown—or he could countermand the narrative that had been handed to him and force a conflict in that moment, his authority and position on the line.

A younger, more prideful man might have taken the second path, but this man was no fool, at least not in this. He smiled, giving a slight incline of his head. “I am glad that my gift is so well received. I was momentarily concerned that I would have to insist.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Your House has been lesser without your presence, Eskau Tala, and all of Platoiri rejoices at your return.”

The silence of all those gathered stood in stark contrast with his words, but Tala nodded in grateful acceptance nonetheless. “Thank you for the words and the sentiment.”

At her direction, the two dasgannach flowed, one to each hand, balling up near—but not quite touching—the broken halves of the collar.

With a flexing of will, she sent them all into the sanctum, contained and in close proximity, the space altering to fit their needs. At the same time, Tala used her own proximity to the dais and the table of similar collars to grab another half-dozen that were unlikely to be missed.

The acts of will had been accomplished concurrently, and apparently no one noticed the second, at least not for the moment.

The man turned and strode the rest of the way up the steps of his dais before sitting on his throne once more. “In light of Eskau Tala’s arrival and continued… freedom, a change to the laws are required.” His tone took on one of absolute authority, existence itself seeming to resonate with his pronouncement. “Gated users of power may be free within the bounds of Platoiri if they are under the control and authority of a Major House or other recognized, allied entity of note.”

As his words faded, Tala gave another bow. “Thank you, Revered City Lord. In light of your magnanimity, It would be my honor to introduce to you, and all those assembled here, my husband, Paragon Rane Sappherrous.”

Instantly, Rane appeared beside her, his Paragon aura sending an almost tangible pulse through the hold as it pushed back the other powers, magic, and auras with a brutality that belied the kind man she knew and loved.

Still, this was a side she had seen and been drawn to for years.

Rane stood tall, having arrived a bit behind her and to the left. Force was out and resting casually across his shoulders, one hand on the hilt. His clothes clearly designed to be courtly, and their quality and cleanliness made them appear to be brand new.

The only armor he wore were two bracers of white steel, thick bands of metal that coated him from wrist to elbow, seemingly each of one piece as they clung perfectly to his flesh.

Inscriptions danced with power within his flesh, even as his magic was tightly contained. Even his aura—which he’d briefly pulsed out upon his appearance—was obviously under precise control.

His appearance caused a rather different reaction than Tala’s arrival had.

Many of the gathered Eskau and Pillars had fought gated throughout the centuries, and most of those would have been Paragons or above. As such, the appearance of one such in their midst caused an outpouring of exclamations, gathering magics, and drawing of weapons.

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The Revered City Lord stood in a rush, his power and authority billowing out in a wave.

Contrary to what Tala expected, the man suppressed all of those who were aimed at Rane with hostile intent. “Cease!”

Silence once more fell upon the assembled crowd, though blades, whips, clubs, and hammers of all sorts were all in evidence, many Eskau having brought their protian weapons forth in defense of their Pillars in the face of a perceived threat.

Rane didn’t even look around as he sheathed Force and bowed appropriately to the Revered City Lord. “City Lord. It is my honor to come to Platoiri, where my wife was so well treated in the past. I hope that I can return that hospitality, kindness, and courtesy at some point in the future.”

The already standing arcane looked down on Rane, a grin spreading across his features. To Tala’s surprise, the expression seemed utterly and entirely genuine. “Paragon Rane Sappherrous, it is long since I have crossed blades with one of your rank. Though, I sense you are still a youth in the grand scope, I trust that your advancement is hard won and rightly earned. It would be my honor to enter the sparring ring with you in the near future, if you would be so inclined.”