The Slave Knight Part 1: The Dagon

Chapter Nineteen: Try or Die

That was not the plan Anthony!? Sir Jared was livid, and Sir Jessup's mindscape felt the fury radiating off of him toward Anthony.

Jessup was going too slow with the whole 'better food' bullshit, yuh know? We would have been here for months before we were able to coax Ulfnir into thinking 'help orchestrate a plan of escape for the slave knights and the orc Durug,' and we do not have that kind of time, yuh know? Overlord Baal has probably already seen the ransom and is either writing a response for the new Meister of the Treasury, or is mounting an expedition to come get us, yuh know? Time is of the essence, and we need to take advantage of every second we have, yuh know? The boyish voice had left Anthony abruptly during his little speech. It was now a gruff and grim voice of a man who smoked too much tobacco and had lived a hard and horrid life. It was the voice of a man who had seen and been through too much to let the little things like morality and sanity get in his way. It was Anthony's true voice. A grating and harsh voice. Had he remembered his father, Anthony would have known it to be Lord Torren's voice.

Sir Jessup had no words for Anthony, knowing in his heart of hearts that he truly knew he had taken the right direction, but did not want to admit it. Sir Jared was more upset that Anthony had co-opted the entire plan, without any consultation with the twins. He was fearful. Fearful of Anthony's power. He had taken over and undermined their power with little to no effort. It was something that neither of them anticipated nor expected and felt that this could truly spell disaster for them in the future. Had Anthony willed to use the power that lurked within him, he could destroy the twins and the slave knights with no problem. That scared Sir Jared.

Anthony's power was unmatched and had he the desire, he could absorb and take over Sir Jared and Sir Jessup on a whim, and neither of them could do anything about it. Yet, for some reason Anthony stayed his hand. Or mind for that matter. Anthony knew that he sought none of that power and control that the twins had, or anyone had for that matter. Yet none would believe him if he were to tell them such things. None would believe that such a being existed. A being that craved no power, especially the power that Sir Jared and Sir Jessup wielded, or the physical power of slave knights, for that matter.

I know what you are thinking, yuh know? His voice reverted back to that of the boy. I know that you are scared and upset, yuh know? We are one now. There are no secrets between us. So stop trying to have secrets, yuh know? A tinge of anger grew in his thoughts, and the twins felt some shame. You two know I was and I am right. You also know that I won't take either of you over at any time. I did not come in for that. I came in because I...I don't know why I came in, yuh know? I just know I did not want to die. Not just yet, and you two were the only ones that could really help me not die, yuh know? And you have helped me not die, and I would never want to betray that, yuh know? His voice rang with desperation. A desperation for them to believe him. A desperation that the twins took for sincerity.

Yet you betray our trust by overriding our decision? Sir Jessup spoke now, trying to placate the situation and calm the nerves that Anthony had stepped upon.

I did, yuh know? But for good reason, yuh know? Anthony was nervous. Nervous that Sir Jessup and Sir Jared would try to fight him in the realm of their mindscape. That they would use their combined strength to subdue him and that he would be forced to do things he did not want to do. Night Mare things, he thought.

The Night Mare would customarily fight those and subdue those who resisted its advances in the realm of dreams and mindscapes. It would go forth into the minds of the beings it wanted to make part of its fold and it would break them. It would break them down into submission and it would absorb all that they were into its own mind. It would be a terrible rending process for those that were subject to it and it would cause much devastation to the psyche of the individual. Anthony knew how to do it, too well in fact, as he was the one who brought such ideas to the Night Mare, unwillingly at that. Doing such things to Sir Jessup and Sir Jared, who were part of him, would wreak havoc on all of them. Anthony included.