She once was a proud warrior in the Harpy Queen's armies that ruled the skies; That was until she lost one of her wings in the skirmishes with the elves from the Sarion Empire. Both nations had feuded for centuries, and although not in outright war, border conflicts in the small coastal area both nations shared were constant, with both sides taking prisoners and casualties on occasion. She had been lucky to return alive, but not much else; her position in the armies gone as her status plummeted upon arrival.
The older, nameless harpy dragged her hand over the stump where a wing once grew absentmindedly as she prepared for a long day as the matriarch of a small mining town that she was tasked to oversee by her mistress after losing the right to ascend the spires. More often than not, crippled harpies got exiled or outright killed upon others learning of their existence, but she had earned her dues with loyalty and valor; her life had been spared.
She had been proud, perhaps even arrogant, when she joined her first assault on the Sarion's border. As a flyer, she had all the advantages against the land-dwelling elves, even if they were to be so foolish as to use flight magic against the natural-born powers of the skies. But it wasn't magic that elves used, not magic that she knew of at least, and certainly not magic she could counter. Their warriors were clad in strange metallic armor that let them fly by unknown means as the strange backpacks spewed out fire, propelling them forward at great speeds to face the harpies head-on in melee combat.
Her enemy knew of harpies' pride, and for that reason, they targeted their wings extensively. They aimed to crush their desire to attack and achieve their goals. The haunting memory of spiraling towards the ground as her one remaining wing failed to keep her in the air was clear as day. The pain of shattering her shoulder in the collision would never truly fade, even with time.
She wasn't a powerful noble who could regenerate her wounds fast; it took a full day to regrow her shattered shoulder bones, and her wing never grew back. Not that any powerful harpy would use an expensive healing potion on her. On that day, all her dreams of glory vanished.
Yet her mistress was merciful and gave her this chance to be useful, even if she wasn't seen as a full member of society anymore. Among these lesser creatures, she still was a figure of authority, though she despised the feeling of sitting in the mud while the rest of her kind enjoyed soaring in the skies.
She lazily looked over the latest orders from the spire with an annoyed grunt. Ever since Fulbrosia had joined the monster nation Tempest, there were daily changes she could barely keep up with. One day there were plans for rebellion against the queen, then submission. Then plans to flee, then orders to stay, in rapid succession from multiple higher-ups. The nobility had seemingly lost their minds in indecisiveness of what they should do and what orders their subjects should follow, leaving her stuck in a rut as messengers haughtily breathed down her neck.
The only positive change was that the border skirmishes had finally ended and that elves had assumed a defensive position, not daring to cross the border, and her kind was ordered to do the same. Tempest didn't wish hostilities with Sarion and it seemed that the elves were of the same sentiment, putting in place an uneasy tension along the border and coasts.
There were also the first directives of not opposing the agents of the Hegemony in any manner, as even offending one would result in torturous death.
She was loyal and always had been, regardless of the politics up in the skies. If her mistress wanted for her to bend the knee to new masters, she would, and will do so with a smile on her face. What happened up there didn't matter to the inferior folk down here all that much after all.
Her two wolfmen guards watched her with neutral expressions, standing at half attention facing outwards from the entrance as she sat behind her desk in the town hall, which was a round building with rather a plain interior, sparsely decorated.
Her subjects mostly consisted of beastmen, humans, and elves, all of whom were lesser species. There were occasional days of weakness when she considered a union with these lesser men, but those days were growing rare. There wasn't much legacy to preserve left besides a record that she existed, and the offspring of such a shunned union would never enjoy the privileges of a pure-blood anyway.
She was making notes of what changes needed to be implemented by the end of the week when the door swung open and her mistress walked in, pacing. She froze in confusion, the noble harpy had never lowered herself to enter a ground building in her domain, usually preferring to meet her crippled subject at the top of the small mountain near the village, the furthest she was willing to compromise.
She instantly jumped to her feet and rushed forward, kneeling before the mistress, "My Lady, it's a surprise."
"Indeed," The noble harpy replied. "But things have changed."
"For what do I owe the honor to gaze upon you, mistress?" She asked, lowering her head in reverence as befitting the difference in status.
"Rise." The noble harpy ordered with a hint of frustration, perhaps even anger, in her tone.
She did as told, still holding her gaze toward the floor while trying to figure out what she could have done to anger the noble harpy. A crime she likely would pay dearly for with her head flung off.
"I came here personally because I needed to make sure you understand what needs to be done immediately." The noble harpy crossed her arms, her nose twitching.
"Mistress, I will carry out your will to the best of my ability, you have my word," She assured.
"Will you? Then there are two things you must know. First, from this day forward, all species are considered equal and discrimination of any kind cannot be exercised, which means all the slaves are now free and all sapient entities are to be given the same rights as harpies."
"Even the elves?" She couldn't help but inquire. The animosity between Fulbrosia and Sarion had deep roots, as the vile Empress of the long-eared creatures had resisted the rightful claim of harpies to own the world tree.
"Yes, even the elves. You will get a full list of laws by the end of the day, but setting everyone free is an order you are to execute immediately. That said, I want an increase in iron ore mining production and all of it is to be prepared for transportation. The merchants of the Hegemony will arrive this week and they want a sizable amount of the metal for purchase."
"I will do as told, my lady, but-"
"But what!?" The noble harpy interrupted her with a screech, her emotions finally bubbling to the surface.
"I-if the slaves are freed, who will work in the mines?" She continued. There was no doubt in her mind that the moment the chains were off the feet of the wretched creatures, they would leave the province and flee towards the Forest of Jura, which was rumored to be a sanctuary even for the lowest of low, as the Hegemony's reach was the strongest there.
"You will make sure there are enough workers, even if you have to go work there yourself. Am I clear?!" The noble harpy barked an order.
"Yes, mistress. I will make sure the mine is working at maximum capacity!" 'Why? Why am I being punished so harshly?' her loyalty faltered for the first time. She had done nothing to incite this wrath coming upon her head and there was little she could do if slaves decided to run the moment they were freed.
"Good. If I hear a single complaint from the Hegemony's merchants, you will never see the light of day again!" The noble declared and promptly left the room, leaving deep talon marks on the wooden floor as she stomped off with barely hidden rage, the guards closing the door behind her.
Her resolve faltered. She now needed to go out and declare that everyone was equal under the new laws, and then likely take a pickaxe and go work in the mine till her back gave out. And even then she wouldn't be able to keep up with former production.
The crippled harpy left the town hall and ordered everyone to gather in the town center. As she slowly walked to the top of the building, using the very undignified means in the form of stairs, the people started to gather around. She reached the podium area and looked down as even the slaves were pulled out of the mines and huddled in one area, many still holding their tools.
Most of her subjects were either miners, guards, or people catering to the first two groups. They were simple people, working from sunrise to sunset, and only getting their bellies full as a reward on rare occasions when feasts were held and getting drunk on locally made spirits, something she couldn't lower herself to even try.
"Listen and obey! From this day, everyone is seen as equals, from harpies to elves alike. All slaves are free and will now enjoy the same rights as the rest! Take off their chains and know that they will not be punished harsher than those who work for money! They shall get paid the same as the rest! Furthermore, our mistress has declared that she wants more iron ore to be mined, so get to work and make her happy! Fail to do so and your wages will be cut or all of our heads cut off!"
She wasn't one for long speeches. The moment she was done speaking she descended the stairs as the guards cautiously approached the former slaves and took off their bindings. Predictably, some ran the moment they could and disappeared in the forested area to the north. However, to her relief, the majority remained, likely due to still not believing that they were free now.
She headed towards a mining supervisor and the head of the guard, both of whom loudly discussed the new orders. The tiger man had worked as a head of the guard under her for close to a decade, an exile from the beast kingdoms deemed to be too weak for his kind and chose to flee in shame and serve under the harpies instead of fighting for honor and dying on the battlefield. A pitiful man but still strong compared to the rest in their service, arguably her strongest subordinate. The mining supervisor was a mole man, a corpulent and strongly built short creature with great knowledge and passion for mining, and the main man on the ground who handled minor affairs.
The mole man, seeing her approach, hurried forwards and, in a rather high-pitched voice, shrieked, "Matriarch, your orders, we can't simply increase production with fewer workers. I was already pushing the miners to their limits."
"I know, that's why I want half of the guard to join the mining effort as well. I will join in personally if needed," She replied, ignoring the man's outburst.
"It's that bad, huh? Don't worry boss, I'll order my men to work hard and join them myself. You can rest easy, I'll take care of everything." The tiger man flexed his muscles with a determined expression, once again trying to impress her in a vain attempt to woo her. It had never worked, but it had become an old joke within the trio.
His attempts were flattering, that much she could admit, but he was still of a lesser kind, even if the new laws said otherwise. Perhaps she would lessen her hard stance over time and consider the tiger man as a potential lover, but now wasn't the time to even think about such trivial matters.
"Good. But make sure the order is kept up. I don't want my town to descend into chaos."
"Will do boss, you can count on-" The tiger man stopped and looked around confused.
Before she could inquire what he was doing, a voice invaded her mind, { Congratulations, by the orders of Supreme Overlord Momonga Tempest, you have been chosen to receive a name and join the ranks of Nazarick. }
{ Who are you, and what is this? Name? Why would someone as low as me be named? } She asked the mysterious presence, which she assumed was one of Hegemony's leaders.
{ Everyone will be named in time. This town holds strategic and financial value and thus was picked for an early upgrade. I am nothing but a voice of my master. Should you choose to reject his gracious gift, you will never receive this offer again. Choose now. } The voice grew more insistent.
"Hey boss, I just got a name, I am called Taigfoshitsu!" the head of the guard announced a moment later, his muscles bulging before her eyes as he grew at least a few centimeters taller and wider.
The mining supervisor also grew taller and seemingly lost a bit around his midsection in the process, as if something violently pulled him upwards, his muscles bulging.
'Everyone!? Tempest is naming everyone?' She knew she couldn't reject the offer, and there was a chance that if she received a name from the new masters then her mistress wouldn't punish her so carelessly, should she not live up to the expectations.
'I accept.'
{ Excellent. But I sense you do so not to be loyal but to gain protection. This sort of sentiment is not acceptable. }
'I haven't met my new masters, but I will serve them nonetheless. My duty will be towards Tempest and Fulbrosia.' She replied.
{ Indeed, then consider this an initial bonus that is expected to be earned in time, Hawanfai. I will be watching your progress, but don't think of yourself as special just yet. I am my master's eyes, I see everything and everyone. } The voice declared.
She had a name now. Hawanfai felt a rush of energy enter her body, a lot more than during the harvest festival that happened a few weeks ago that had pushed her to almost her prime in terms of raw muscle. But that wasn't all. She gasped as the stump where once upon a time her wing resided began to expand rapidly, regrowing into what was lost in a matter of seconds.
In mere moments she wasn't a cripple anymore. She spread her wings, feeling their strength. It was back.
"Damn boss, you're getting treated, congratulations!" Taigfoshitsu exclaimed.
She didn't respond. There was only one thing in her mind. A gratitude as she felt herself connecting to a greater whole. A staggering sea of souls congratulated her for the right choice as she joined the ranks of the Servants of Nazarick, to serve dutifully and delightfully.
Without thinking she shot up towards the sky, feeling the thrill of flying once again, tears staining her vision. 'Thank you, thank you! Please tell the Supreme Overlord I am his eternal servant!' She pleaded with the voice.
{ The Lord already knows. He sees all. Enjoy what is gifted and remember to repay the debt in kind. } Nazarick replied, the presence already fading from her mind.
'I will.'
All the fears, all the uncertainties she had been shouldering ever since the new regime were quickly replaced with gratitude and the desire to serve, to give her all for her new superiors. She would try to find a way to join the army again. To be a loyal blade in the armies of the Supreme Overlord, but that blessing was out of her reach for now, so she would do her best to oversee the mining and provide the needed resources for the Hegemony.
Perhaps in the future she could regain her previous connections, equipment, and power to rejoin the military by proving her worth, but that wasn't important right now. If she had been named, the others in her town had likely also been named, and that meant she had to get a handle on new power levels, logistics, and equipment fast before the lesser species got all uppity.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by Stac, aidan_lo, Alassandro, Malguis, Malguis, Sluethen, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, fvvck, Working_Stiff, CakeEight, and clagan.
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