Lucky Prodigy

18: Diplomacy

"The sage? He doesn't have any children yet, does he?" I hummed, looking at Mika.

She shook her head. "Not that I know of, no. If they meant his children as his 'Disciples', then that makes sense, he took most of the people in the village as disciples, or maybe the Shrine Maidens? We're supposedly his children, according to human legends, which is ridiculous."

"Yes! The Shrine Maidens, that's who we were sent for! But... you're not his children? That legend is a lie?" He deflated, looking confused.

"Hm. Either way, you're to return to this guild of yours and tell them this; 'The Monster Continent does not tolerate those who own or take Slaves. It is illegal, and we will execute any and all who are guilty of it. If your slavers' lives mean nothing to you, then by all means, continue to feed our crops with your blood and meat. But Slavery is not welcome here.' You've got that?" I asked.

His eyes widened. "I'm- I can go? I'm not... I'm not going to be killed?"

"No, dear, we need a messenger! All is well!" I patted his head, and he relaxed, just as I broke his neck.

He collapsed, and I wrote down the message on his chest, then looked at Jerrod, who sat a few dozen meters away, meditating. "Can you animate this one and send him home?" I asked.

Jerrod sighed and stood, stretching leisurely as the Orc flinched; he hadn't noticed the presence of the dragon yet. Jerrod walked over and reset the man's neck, then muttered a spell, making a purple mist cover the mage's body and soak into his skin. The mage day up slowly, eyes vacant and lost, and then took the note from my hand, walking calmly down the mountain.

"And send him to where he's going, please, the Plains will eat him alive, with how weak he is." I sighed.

He nodded and tapped the undead man's shoulder, disappearing and then coming back immediately, with two crossbow bolts flying out past him.

The orc leapt into action needlessly, throwing his arm in front of me and getting struck with both bolts, piercing into his thick skin. Deep blue blood began to drip down from his arm as Mika sighed at him.

"Really, if you had just ignored them, they wouldn't even have hit her!" She grumbled, ripping the bolts out roughly and healing him with a wave of her hand, her normal brusque healing system.

"I kind of like a man who helps others, thank you!" I admonished her, and kissed his cheek. "That was very sweet of you, but I agree a little with her; I'm much stronger than you, and if I was in any real danger, I would've just moved." I whispered, and smiled.

He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck abashedly. "Roight... yea. Thanks for tha healin', missy."

"WHO'S THIS?!? AHA, A NEW ORC!!! WELCOME, FRIEND!!!" Hallox cheered loudly, and embraced the smaller orc happily, pounding his back. He stood almost three and a half meters tall, which was very big, even for an orc, and about as big as most of the Ogres, now, which made the smaller, more normally-big orc seem small, even at a little over two and a half meters. "I AM HALLOX MARS, SON OF THE ORC CHIEF HERE!!! COME, I WILL SHOW YOU OUR VILLAGE!!!" He began to drag the other orc away casually, not even noticing the smaller being pulling at his arm ineffectually.

"Hallox, dear, we were talking." I sighed, and he paused.

"Oh... alright, then I will show you LATER!!!" He amended his statement, releasing Jae.

"Thankee kindly... is all tha Orcs hea so big-like?" He asked quietly, rubbing his arm.

"No, that's just Hallox and his father. They're both big men, but Hallox is an Orc Paragon." I explained, and his eyes widened slowly, before he knelt in front of Hallox quickly.