He sat behind his sprawling desk with a sour expression on his face. His attitude was as poor as it had been in quite some time, and all of it stemmed from the bitch giantess. She had brought him nothing but trouble and woe, though the main source of his trouble and woe lie before him in the bowl of crystalline water on his desk.
"So you do have the rider?" The woman's voice was like that of a serpent, it never ceased to send shivers up his spine. She was darkness eternal, cruelty reborn, and most of all a massive pain in his ass.
"Yes, how many times do I have to say yes before you get the message? I've seen the little blighted beast that she totes around with her constantly and I can assure you it's the dragon. Besides, by your description of the rider I can promise you she's one and the same." How could anyone not recognize her? Her blazing red hair, multicolored eyes, hulking frame, and her aura of danger. She was nothing short of a demon, and that was an odd parallel for him to draw considering his demonic minions.
"You've done good, Gordon." Her pale image flickered for a moment as her lips pulled up into a smile. Her teeth were nearly as white as her flesh, he couldn't help but think she needed a good couple of months under some sunlight.
"Thank you, my lady." He inclined his head slightly. He was treading dangerous waters, it felt as if he had sharks circling eagerly waiting to eat him.
"I was wondering, what might I receive as a reward for delivering the baby rider to you? She is quite troublesome, I've expended a great deal of resources to acquire her and keep her under my thumb." He was most sore about the loss of his demonic minotaur. It had taken months to find the minotaur, and it cost his increasingly finite supply or magi to bind the demon's soul to the bull.
"Reward?" She tapped a slender finger against her chin as a vein of ice crept up his spine. He could already tell things weren't going his way. They never went his way with her... But he couldn't stop pressing now, he had already broached the subject and he wasn't going to be denied. Not again.
"Yes, I've lost a great deal of my magi, my coffers are nearly drained, serving Vekkar has taken its toll on my kingdom. I need some compensation if you want me to continue serving." It was a weak hand and he knew it. Vekkar had no cares for money or the struggles of his disciples. If they could not serve they would simply become stepping stones, corpses on the road he was paving forward. Yet he could hope that the Princess of Darkness would relent just this once and allow him access to the undoubtedly endless resources of the Dark-Father.
"You want.... Rewarded for your service..." She sounded as if she were confused about the very concept of a reward. He grit his teeth in annoyance,
"The baby rider is a handful. It's been hard to keep her contained here and the longer she remains the more dangerous she becomes." He could feel her rage growing as if it were a tangible monster lurking in the darkness. She was always watching, always keeping her eyes and ears focused on the shadows. He knew it wouldn't be much longer before she started to unravel his web.
"You decided to play this game with her, I know exactly what you're up to Gordon and I'm just going to tell you this... I don't care how this ends for you. I'm just enjoying the entertainment of it. Will she kill you? Will her desperate call to the elves be answered? You've made a mess as usual, I always knew involving pitiful humans in our affairs was a mistake. And you're going to prove it to my Father, so struggle worm. You lit the fire yourself." With a wave of her hand she disappeared and the bowl of water was back to normal.
"That stupid uptight bitch!" He screamed as he threw the bowl into the fireplace, the sharp hiss and eruption of smoke did little to ease his boiling rage. Of course she'd refuse him. Of course she'd toss him back into the mess, but it was her mess just as much as it was his. He had never anticipated that the rider would fight his magic so much. Even now he could feel his control slipping, and the moment it did slip she would be there waiting for him and he would surely die.
"I didn't come this far just to loose everything to a pit-blooded swog like her! I won't have this backfire on me. Eli!" He called out sharply. As expected his head healer slid through the main doors silently. He fit the term 'wraith' well, he was more dead than alive and his loyalty was absolute.
"Yes master?" His voice was wraithlike as well, barely even a whisper. It was annoying keeping such creatures under his control but they served a purpose. He moved over to his desk where he pulled out the bottom most drawer. Inside he had a small supply of vials with glowing purplish liquid. He pulled one free and dangled it in front of the wraith's nose, the creature's eyes widened and for a split moment his hands reached for it. In the end his discipline got the better of him and his hands fell back to his side.
"You know what this is right?" Of course he knew what it was, he'd been an addict for years. Gordon swirled it around delicately making sure it was glowing brightly. He could see his wraith's hands start to shake the longer he toyed with him.
"Yes sir." The wraith's desperation was tangible. He almost smiled, but he wasn't that happy yet.
"I want you to do something for me, and if you succeed I'll give you two of these." They were mana potions, some of the purest that he was capable of producing. Wraiths were constantly starving for mana, their entire existence hinged off of the mana their masters fed them. The more mana they had on board the more powerful servants they became. Eli was already the most powerful wraith he had, and unfortunately it left him with no other options.
"Ask, and I shall pursue your goal to the ends of this world." Eli bowed extravagantly, as usual he was a bit of an exhibitionist. Gordon tucked the vial away with a wicked grin. He was going to break the giantess's spirit if it was the last thing he did. He'd have her serving him like a proper slave, his magic was ineffective against her in the long run but he was certain doubling down would see results. If he had a dragon rider on his side the bitch queen of darkness would have to take notice. And if she wanted the rider back, she'd have to pay a steep price to get her.
"You told me your spell on the giantess is becoming less effective right?" Eli had crafted a brilliant spell to keep Talia's legs numb and useless. It was like pulling the fangs from a venomous snake, it could still bite but it lacked the deadliness to effectively kill.
"Indeed, I am uncertain if it is her vastly greater ability to recover her mana or my own increasing need for mana to maintain the spell, either way she will soon break free." Gordon sighed as he took a seat at his desk. It wasn't an unexpected answer but it was still not one he wanted to hear.
"I want you to make it worse. Convince her she's gravely ill, do whatever it takes to break her down. Drive her mad with her ineptitude as you coddle her like an infant." He was certain that was the path to breaking her spirit. As a giant she was active, strong, and proud. Giants did not recover well from being crippled, if the wounds were too severe oftentimes they would separate from their tribes and die honorably. He was hoping it wasn't a cultural phenomenon and more of a specie driven mechanism.
"I am not certain this is a good plan my Lord. If there's one thing I've learned from her so far is that her rage fuels her forward despite her obstacles. She's kept Lotus away from her, locked her room down somehow with what little bit of mana she has to spare, and she's written multiple letters to any allies she might have. In my honest opinion it is far more dangerous keeping her here than it is to let her go. We are not prepared to keep the likes of her within these castle walls. Nor are we prepared to defend the walls if her allies march upon us." Gordon sat stunned, in all his years playing with his necromantic underlings not once had they ever dared to defy him.
"Are you refusing me?" He snarled. How was it even possible for an undead idiot to offer an opinion?
"I exist only to serve you. It is only in that regard that I offer up my most humble opinion. I can not serve you if you die." He slammed his fist down on his desk with a roar,
"I don't care! I have given you an order and I demand you see it done. I didn't make you to hear your opinions, I made you to be a humble and undying slave! I'll honor my offer, if you succeed in making her grovel to me like a dog I'll give you two vials. Now get out of my sight." He watched as the ghostly man flitted out of sight with a frown. What was the world coming to? He wasn't going to admit that handing the rider over to Vekkar was a much better option, he wasn't going to just let his chance at riches and recognition slip through his fingers. But now that he had her handled he was drawn to another problem, well two other problems if he was being honest.
First was the other necromancer, the boy who had been in her group that he had removed from his kingdom. Something told him the boy wouldn't stay away for long and nothing was more dangerous to one necromancer than a challenging necromancer. He drummed his fingers on his desk while wondering just what that boy would do to get back to the rider. Or the dwarves, they had been travelling together after all.
Which then lead him to the issue of the dwarves. The prince had been troublesome and his band of men were making even more trouble. He had split them up and yet they refused to give in and run back to their mountains like the rats they were. He should have known, he thought idly, dwarves were loyal little braggarts. He couldn't kill them without drawing forth the armies of Marimoor. And despite his reluctance to agree with his slave he had to accept the fact that the dwarves would overrun him. They were the far more deadly threat.
What to do? He had the perfect opportunity buckle Baldyr's kingdom. While Bromyr wasn't directly in line for the throne it was still a crippling blow to loose one's child. Of course, there were worse things than death. He felt his mood start to lighten as a plan started to form. If there was one thing that could fix his foul temper it was ripping someone's life apart. And next on his list was the famed prince Bromyr.