Preparations III

You hunt adventurers all afternoon. It's surprisingly fulfilling trying to catch them -- each has their own defenses. What you do after you capture them is even more fulfilling. You make sure they have a good time, too. You're not sure what happens to adventurers after you send them back, but presumably if you do this enough times, word will get back to Citrinas.

Shortly after nightfall you capture two adventurers at once, and they make little secret of the fact that they'd gone looking for you specifically. "We heard the rumors," one said, "and we thought we'd see what it was like firsthand?"

You work them over a little more thoroughly than most of the adventurers. If they wind up mindbroken and drooling for a few hours, you figure they did pretty much ask for it. In the state you reduce them to, it's fairly difficult to get them to read the recall scrolls, but you manage eventually.

If the rumors are spreading that much in the Light Army, you figure your work here is done. You climb through the fortress back to the commander's arena.

As you do, your hindbrain flashes you a reminder:

Perk: Mindbend. Humans you mate with will begin to grow obsessed with you, obeying your orders. The effect is greater the more intelligent the victim is.

You think that one over for a moment. How long would it take, you wonder, before you could give orders to most of the human army? The female part of it, at least.

You stop for food before you get to the arena. A tauren chef gives you a giant bowl of mushroom stew. You don't need it for yourself, of course -- slimes are mostly manavores. But you'd bet they're going to want it upstairs.

When you get back upstairs, your two mages have made surprising progress. Over three-quarters of the ritual circle is carved into the floor. Redhoof looks bleary-eyed, and Leraje is shaking visibly as she moves, but they're still working hard. You feel a tiny bit guilty about spending the day having wanton sex, but it was part of the plan, after all.

"Great work, girls!" you call. "Food break! Did you remember to eat?"

"Just one more glyph..." Leraje answers.

"Now!" you say. "Before you fall over! Don't make me heal you again!"

"You sound just like Reala," she grumbles. But they both sit down and eat.

As they eat, Redhoof thanks you again for the levels. "They just kept coming and coming!" she says. "What were you doing, anyway? I was too busy to scry you.."

You're lucky that slimes don't blush. "I was... establishing a reputation for competence. With the Light Army. I actually wasn't tracking quest completion. Were there a lot?"

"I'm 98 now!" Redhoof grins. "She's up to 73 in her second class!"

"When you say competence," Leraje asks slowly, "what, specifically, were you establishing competence at?"

"Um," you hedge. "People skills?"

"Is that the word they're using for breeding these days?" she asks sweetly. You twitch nervously, until you realize she's teasing you. Jealousy doesn't seem to be a thing, here in the Dark Army.

"Basically all your experience comes from breeding," Redhoof points out. "But it's cute that you're embarrassed about it."

"...Yeah, okay," you admit. "I was breeding."

"Subject change!" you continue. "About those experience quests: if we survive Citrinas, there's going to be a lot of experience going round. I'm capped for today. Is there anything we can do to make sure the experience isn't wasted?"

Leraje shakes her head. "Going from levels one to ninety-nine in one day is already going to give me soulstrain. Even if I could choose a third class right now, I don't think it would be safe."

Redhoof nods. "We have two open slots in the party. And, if I'm being honest, I don't need that last level as much as some others need seventy levels. Permission to reorganize your party for experience sharing?"

"Redhoof, yes, please and thank you. Leraje, should we swap you out as well?"

"Absolutely not!" Leraje says. "Soulstrain heals. I've got seven million to go on my next class, and I'm not giving that up for anything!" You frown. "Er. I mean," she adds, "please don't kick me out?"

"Works for me," you agree.

After the meal, you send Redhoof and Leraje downstairs. Leraje still wants to try her plan to Void Beam the hero at a key moment. Redhoof is there to act as a spotter. You split off a body to keep them company.

After that, it's just a matter of waiting. You go over the plan again and again in your mind -- bluff and counterbluff, skill and counterskill. Citrinas could really end you here, if things go poorly. You're more nervous than you've been in a long time, and it's almost an anticlimax when she steps into the room.