Otherworld
I have no idea
Where I am
Elves.
Elves. Okay.
Because…
Sure. Why wouldn't there be elves?
The black and purple combined with pierced heart, skull and thorny vine iconography makes me think '
Warhammer Dark Elf', but really those are generic enough that it's not really
proof.
And I need to keep myself calm and
focused on the outcome that I want because the one thing the
brief fight I just had taught me is that this ring doesn't like me being afraid. Fear gets me shot with repeating crossbow bolts and
I don't want that again.
On the deck of the
ship just in front of me the crew
kneel bound and gagged by glowing orange chains. If this
is the Warhammer world, these would be corsairs, and… The cloaks do rather.. suggest…
Once I've dealt with this, I'll… Go and check.
I half-turn, taking in the fishing village they were in the process of raiding. A few wooden boats pulled up onto the shore. Wattle and daub houses with thatch roofs. A couple of the houses have visible timber frames, but this clearly isn't wealthy enough or close enough to a good quarry for stone buildings. Not sure why there aren't
clay bricks…
The people here were scarpering as I arrived, the fastest making it to the tree line while the slowest were hit with bolts from the probably-corsairs. The bolts haven't actually pierced them anything like as deeply as I thought they would, and since the aim was to take slaves… Some sort of drugged tip? Since this is my first day as a… A
Lantern, I decided not to take a chance on wound repair and left the bolts where they were after moving the wounded into one of the houses.
No one has reappeared since I defeated the attackers. Which makes sense; they probably think I'm a daemon.
But what happens next? This place is clearly too small to have a military presence. It certainly doesn't have a prison. Don't… The Bretonnians have a Knight of the Realm in every village or something? So this probably isn't
Bretonnia, but those are definitely pale-skinned humans lying on the shore. So… What? Empire? Border Princes?
…
Did they..? Have a coast?
Oh, it.. doesn't matter.
Right. The pirates. Mixed sex crew, but with the males outnumbering the females. The man with the fancy armour is probably the captain, and the woman in the leather bikini who threw what I suspect was a doombolt at me is a sorceress. Given that they're a) pirates and b) completely evil, I should… Probably just kill them.
…
I'm an ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT! Last time I got in a fight with someone it lasted about ten seconds and we went our separate ways! And I don't even
remember the time before that!
Okay. I need to.. find out what's going on.
Deep breath.
I
remove the gag from the captain. He doesn't immediately respond, simply staring at me. I drift a little closer and a couple of my prisoners use the opportunity to test
their bonds oh no you don't.
"Are you lost, little daemon?"
"Yes. Dreadfully."
I float into a sitting position. I'm… Going to have to kill them. That's-. I mean, I know the physical act of killing isn't particularly complicated or difficult, but…
Ring,
what sort of person am I looking at?
The ring shows me-. Augh. His satisfaction at lashing slaves, breaking their will and watching them suffer and die by inches. I turn my head a little and see that the rest aren't much different. The only real difference is that some don't have his patience and want to hurt and kill the thing right in front of them immediately.
I think I can bear killing these people.
"So I've got a deal for you."
His face remains impassive. "State it."
"I'm afraid that I'm rather against piracy and slavery."
"That is the advantage of being in a position of power; you may do as you like to those weaker."
I.. nod. "You're not wrong. Still, I'll give you a choice between three options. The first is: I kill you. I will endeavour to make it as swift and painless as possible. The second is: I hand you over to whoever represents the local judicial system. I imagine that will most likely result in your death in a way that is less swift and painless, but the option is there if you wish to die in accordance with local law. The third option is: I rewrite your personality with the orange light so that you're not… Evil."
His eyebrows go up very slightly, then his eyes dart for an instant to the sorceress.
I suppose it makes sense that this would be outside of his wheelhouse. I
remove her muzzle.
"Be warned, sorceress, that if you attempt to use magic upon me I will take that as you choosing option one."
She looks at me with a sort of
hungry fascination. "A daemon of Malal? I did not think that they existed."
"Yes, nice attempt at a divide by zero there. Malal is Chaos-as-contradiction, not
stupid."
"I can feel nothing of the winds of magic from him, but his power is evident. Make your decision, captain: purity or survival. I've made
mine."
"If it helps…" I look at the rest of the crew. "If one of you who is completely sure that they'll be choosing a clean death
would kindly attempt to raise their right arm?"
There's a moment of hesitation as those who were testing their bonds freeze, then one jerks.
"Well volunteered." I
remove his muzzle. "Please confirm your decision audibly."
"I would sooner die than be tainted by a human's magic. Or that of a slave to the Chaos Gods." He turns his head as much as his bonds allow to sneer at his fellows. "Show some
pride and do not
abase yourself before this
thing."
I nod. "Those were good last words." I raise my left hand and
want him dead, every part of his body crumbling and burning until nothing's left for being that obscenely vile.
An
orange bolt hits him, and he dissolves into grey dust and blows away.
"That's as quick and as painless as I can make it. Now, I would like a volunteer to demonstrate the mind control option."
The captain continues to stare at me. "You will make us empty vessels?"
"No. I'll… Reach into your minds and… Change how you value things. Your desire to make things suffer will decrease, your desire to dominate will be suppressed… You won't want to be as evil. In their place, you will gain more pro-social desires. In case you were planning on escaping that way, I won't be
maintaining the effect. Once it's in place, it's done. Even if I died, it would remain in effect."
The sorceress smiles.
"So there would be nothing to stop us carrying on exactly as we are?"
"You… Won't
want to, but in theory, no."
"Then my choice is simple. Do your best, daemon."
I
lift her up to float just in front of me, reaching into her… Revolting desires. No, remove that positive association with ritual murder. Add in one for… Aiding someone… Never? Okay, just… Create one. And-.
"Halt, vile daemon!"
I turn-. Oh. A knight. With a faintly glowing two-handed sword and faintly glowing eyes.
"Stand and face me!"
That could be bad.
Still impressed he's thought of doing that. How did he know he could?