Chapter 318: Re-negotiation

Blake  went to Ilya after meeting with Chillik to explain the situation. The orc noblewoman had once again thrown herself at him, and it took a good hour before they were able to talk about something useful.

Now they lay side by side, Blake breathing hard and covered in sweat. He thought again about that annoying old Vietnamese man and what he’d said about strengthening his body. He rather resented thinking about an old man as he lay naked beside Ilya.

"So, the goblins first, or the demons?" Ilya turned on her side and rested her head on a hand.

"Demons." Blake sighed. "I have a group formed, I think. Myself, Annie, Seul-ki, and a Greenblood Assassin and Wizard. And I was thinking maybe Pliny if we can take six. That's the engineer."

"Three goblins?" Ilya frowned, then dropped to her back. "I wish I could go with you."

"I know." Blake took her hand. "But we both know you can't leave." He meant 'shouldn't', but wasn't entirely sure the new orc noble could leave her town for system reasons.

Was she so controlled mentally that she would always find some reason not to? Would there be some kind of orcish law? Or was she as free as a human player? He honestly had no idea.

"Isn't there a chance the goblins...turn on you? Betray you? If the opportunity arises? I could find an orc warrior, surely...someone maybe from another clan, not the Stonebloods, who would volunteer and..."

"I've been in too many orc minds, my dear," Blake said and shook his head. "You're people are very brave and strong. But there's a reason these demons are here with you. You're weak to their magic."

"A shaman, then. They have powerful resistances to almost everything, and..."

"Almost being the operative word. They have no resistance at all to mind magic. Trust me."

Ilya sighed. "But goblins do?"

Blake nodded.

"It's hard to even look at the assassins' minds, though I think it's easier if you get close. And the wizards have a shield that protects them against basically everything. It wouldn't last too long, but it's a hell of a lot better than nothing."

He put up a hand and nodded to concede her real point, which was inevitable goblin betrayal.

"I know I can't trust them. Obviously. But right now they need me. If they killed me—frankly, even if I just died on my own, but let's not tell them that—how long would they last? You'd probably send all your constructs to kill them that afternoon. And I imagine your fellow orc lords might be happy to help."

"I would," Ilya said instantly, then seemed to shiver at the thought. "Do you think...will the demon portals be so dangerous? You're much more powerful now than you were."

Blake smiled and took her hand. "I don't plan on dying, if that's what you mean. But I'm sure it won't be a walk in the park."

Ilya raised a confused brow, and Blake remembered the limits of translation.

"I mean it won't be easy."

She nodded and cuddled up against his chest, running her fingers over his skin. He was sure he'd get tired of it eventually, but he couldn't imagine when.

"When will you go?"

"Good question." Blake stared at the ceiling and tried to keep his brain calm.

Plans swirled within plans, ambition raging against the sides of his skull, telling him he was too slow, too careful, that he could solve everything if he just found the perfect pattern.

It was largely indulgence. Mental masturbation. And he was better off if he cleared his mind.

Sex usually did the trick, but it only took minutes before things fired back up again. Drugs and alcohol had always been a temptation, but he'd abstained largely because he decided that was a bad road to go down for someone like him. He realized some time had passed since Ilya had asked, and she was watching him.

"There's too much going on in there." She tapped his forehead.

"You got me.” He smiled. “We'll go after another day of making constructs. Are the orc lords getting impatient?"

"They moved past impatient several days ago." Ilya sighed and put a hand across her head. "There's more reports of attacks and madness all the time. It frightens the lords, but they can't look frightened. So they get angry instead. It hasn't turned on me, exactly, but it might. They ask daily about your progress."

"I'm sorry it all comes down on you." Blake squeezed her hand. "But we're finally ready. It'll get easier after we clear the first portal. And by then maybe..." Blake shrugged and trailed off.

In his fantasies he imagined Mason and the others finishing with their own task and coming to the tower. He wasn't sure exactly what this 'central hub' would do, but he expected it was a step closer to binding humanity together. Or putting them at each other’s throats.

So he had to hurry.

In his fictional reality, Blake somehow managed to sit orc, goblin and human down and convince them to get along. To set up formal alliances. To swap settlers in each other's settlements, intermarrying and forming friendships that would last for generations. To swap knowledge and resources and therefore strengthen all.

If they could just put an end to these petty squabbles, if they could beat back the demons and then whatever came next, then maybe there was hope. Maybe they could recruit other races, could build a united empire of the living that sprawled across roboGod's apocalypse.

Maybe that would be how they beat the game.

Ilya tapped Blake's forehead again, and he blinked and gave her a wink.

"Don't worry, my dear, I have a plan. One more day and it'll be moving. You don't have to be concerned. I promise you."

"Then I won't be." Ilya smiled, her fingers trailing slightly lower down Blake's stomach. "Now I think it's time to shut down that big, busy brain of yours..."

Blake sighed and lay back, already blanking slightly as his orc beauty slid herself against him.

"That is a very good idea."

  *

After a very pleasant night with Ilya, Blake spent one more day making constructs, then met with Chillik and his prospective teammates. Things didn't go particularly well.

"None of the wizards will go," Chillik said from his plush throne, already surrounded by goblin slaves. He was obviously slightly drunk. "They say demon holes are for fools and the orcs should just learn to live with it. But you can still have the assassin."

"That wasn't our agreement, Chillik," Blake said, his friendly mask dropping. "If your people aren't willing to work with me, or your orc hosts, you are going to swiftly run out of purpose. And I am going to look bad. I don't like looking bad."

"And how do you think I look, eh?” Chillik shifted on his cushion. “We were run out of our home by your people. Now we're trapped here. At your mercy. You demand our help. You..."

"I offered you a deal. A deal you accepted, Chillik. And I saved all your lives from my people."

The goblin grit his teeth and swallowed some sourbrew. "Maybe." He said the word but obviously didn't much believe it. Blake took a deep breath and tried to think.

Chillik was not a dictator. He had certainly taken the request to the others, and they had decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. No doubt Chillik had threatened and tried to bargain, but had been unsuccessful.

"What can I offer them?" Blake said. Chillik looked a little mollified, but shook his head.

"They want too much. Orc slaves, human slaves, silver. They won't be reasonable." He sighed, glancing up at Blake with a bit of chagrin. "They may need a little...frightening. To learn the strength of their new...allies."

Blake winced, understanding that Chillik needed Blake to hurt and maybe kill some goblins to get them in line. To be the bad guy so Chillik could be the good.

"What a waste," he said, feeling a moment of doubt. Humans weren't so different, he knew, especially in the past. They were always testing each other's will, their strength, their resolve. "I'll need a name."

Chillik winced, looking at least a little sheepish.

"If you can avoid...permanently damage, I would...appreciate it. My cousins have always been stubborn asses but they are perfectly adequate wizards. And I can't just let you. Whatever you do, it'll have to be effective. Subtle. "

"I understand," Blake said, failing to keep the annoyance out of his tone. "But I don't have time now. Send for the assassin. When we're finished with the first batch of demons, we'll deal with this. And our deal as bargained is off, we'll have to re-negotiate."

Chillik opened his mouth to protest, but then just nodded miserably. He waved a hand, and a dark-cloaked goblin stepped as if from nothing, a blue shield evaporating as he appeared.

"Don't worry, he couldn't hear us," Chillik muttered with a sigh. "The shield blocks everything but sight. Go along now, you miserable bastard. And try not to get killed. It takes forever to befriend a murderous sneak. And I trust your colleagues even less than I trust you."

The assassin bowed his head, nothing visible of his face but his softly glowing red eyes.

Blake stood and pretended not to be disturbed, or concerned, as the creature followed him. It was going to be terribly embarrassing if his whole project blew up in his face, and he had to give Mason another 'I told you so'.

But he took some comfort in the knowledge that he'd probably be dead.