1.46 – Plans Within Plans

Ariadne watched as Ulrika tore through the goblin war camp. With her arms crossed, she leaned back in her plush velvet chair and let her anger simmer. Her lips twisted into a sneer as, one by one, the goblins died. When Ulrika eventually made it to the warboss, Ariadne waved a hand. Her scrying mirror went dim, leaving only the warm glow of the candelabras to light her study.

She should have known better. Should have known not to rely on a bunch of screaming savages. As she chastised herself for relying on goblins of all things to do something that should have been simple, she tried not to think too hard about how much this had all cost her. Nearly two dozen Ebonwood Focuses—far more wealth than those creatures deserved—had been lost. Ariadne had crafted each of them personally, too. Then, there were the Infusion Gems. The savages didn’t even use them, preferring instead to set their own minions on fire.

“Idiot creatures,” she said, before heaving a frustrated sigh.

A short time later, a notification popped into her awareness.

Conquest Contested!

• Conquest (Canyon Falls area, Northern Ironback Mountains)

• Participants

  • Aggressor – Baroness Ariadne Blackstone (Progress 6%)

  • Contestants

    • Rika (Party Leader) – Adventuring Guild, Undeclared

• Assets – Information Locked

• Forces – Information Locked

Ariadne fought back the spike of anger when she read it. While she’d gone to great lengths to hide her involvement with the goblins, she’d known this was a possibility. Laneyra had told her as much when she set up the Conquest of the Canyon Falls region. She’d just assumed Ulrika wouldn’t have any hope of making it this far. Tapping a finger on her arm, she shook her head. No, this wouldn’t do. What was done was done. While she could simply concede the Conquest, that would mean Ulrika won. That wasn’t something Ariadne could tolerate.

“Laneyra,” she said. “What do I have left to work with?”

Ariadne’s Oracle spun in a little pirouette as she floated over between Ariadne and the scrying mirror. The Oracle took the shape of a deep purple gemstone with a constantly shifting number of facets. From within each of those facets, a single shining eye stared out. One eye fixed itself on Ariadne, while the rest searched for something within the shadows of her study.

“Very little, it seems,” came Laneyra’s voice. It was the same musical tapestry of words and pure knowledge common to all the Watchers’ Oracles. “Much of your material resources have been exhausted. The Ebonwood Focuses took up most of that.”

“I’m very much aware,” she said sourly.

“Should I provide a manifest?”

As soon as Ariadne acknowledged the request, a list of her resources spooled out in her mind. It was—admittedly and distressingly—far less than she would have liked. Just as Laneyra had said, her stores of crafting materials were nearly spent. Worse, her Ossuary was nearly depleted, too. While spending so long focusing on her own personal advancement hadn’t been a bad idea at the time, it had left her woefully under-prepared for taking on a regional Conquest. At least one that had been properly contested.

While she hated to admit it, Ulrika had left her with little other choice.

Ariadne returned her attention to the scrying mirror. A quick mental command to Laneyra, and the mirror clouded. Then, a too-familiar face coalesced from the mists held within the artifact.

Maximilian fixed her with his iron-hard gaze. For a moment, he said nothing. Ariadne shifted, forcing herself to sit up straight rather than lounge elegantly as she often preferred to. She hated that she did. When her father finally spoke, it was what Ariadne had been afraid he’d say.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“This is about your Conquest.”

And that was it. In a single sentence, he’d cut through any attempt at dissembling. He’d put her squarely on the defensive, and she’d not even asked anything yet.