Chapter Text
Log date: --/--/697
The fight against the fallen god-warriors has been waging for centuries on end. They cannot die; they are much too strong to die by the hand of a human. We have succeeded in lessening their numbers, but it is tedious and taxing on us all. Our land is at their mercy, but it has been shown that mercy is a concept that they do not know.
Camavor has been fighting since the time of my grandfather, since before my grandfather. The end is nowhere in sight. The sadistic nature of the enemy and their inability to die quickly makes them a force that mustn't be trifled with recklessly and requires much planning and strategy. There must be a way to keep them away from Camavor.
Perhaps they could be content to leave us alone if given something. Given someone.
-Log end-
-
Days came and went, and the battles of the eastern continent came to a halt as the combating parties came to meet. Each sent a representative: for Camavor, a nobleman who had been loyal to the royal family for years, owning and governing a portion of their conquered land. For the Darkin, they sent one of their own. In fact, it may have well been the only Darkin in the area, as the almost 2 millennia of war had caused their already small numbers to dwindle.
The two met in a location not too far from the capital. The lord knew what he had at stake, and that fact weighed on him. If he failed, he may die, either by the Darkin’s hand or that of his king. He was a cruel king, and the lord knew that he had no care for what would happen once the agreement was made. All he cared about was saving his own skin and that of his beloved heir.
The Darkin seemed entertained by the little man. He could almost feel the stress coming from him. Perhaps he would let this man live. He had no care for mortal life, to him it was just entertainment. Watching the little people run around screaming and trying to fight back, it was just too good.
They each had their own entourages, but for the most part they were ignored. What mattered was the outcome of this meeting,
The lord’s nervousness was apparent, but he tried his best to hide it as he looked up to the Darkin, deciding it was time to give out his offer.
“Th... This meeting has come forth today so that we may discuss-”
“Get on with it, we don’t need the fluff.” The Darkin interrupted him, causing the Lord to jump in surprise and fear.
“Ah, yes, yes… As a representative of Camavor and our King, I would like to suggest an agreement. A hostage for safety from you and yours.”
The Darkin seemed amused by this proposition. What did these people think he could do with a human? They were so fragile. So weak. He couldn’t do anything long lived with them without them dying in the process, and this idea made it seem like he wasn’t allowed to kill his new toy, so what would be the point?
“A hostage? What use would I have for that? You humans are of no use to us. A day's worth of energy, yes, but I probably would be correct to guess that you don’t want the hostage to die, and so this is where our predicament lies.”
“...You would be right to assume that, yes. We believe that the agreement should be that if Camavor does not attack your kind, then you shall not harm us. If this agreement is breached by Camavor, then you may kill the hostage or do what you wish with them. If you breach this agreement, then we may attack you with no consequence.”
“Yes, yes, expected of you to make this agreement have more in favor of you than it has for me. More is in it for you than me. What else can you offer me, to even it out? I can be reasoned with, unlike some of my brethren.”
The Lord felt cornered. He knew this would be a difficult conversation due to the nature of it, but he could feel himself cracking under the pressure of it. His king would have his head, no matter how loyal he was.
The Lord thought to himself. His king only cared about himself and his heir.... His Heir. There were so many of them, some who would never even see the throne unless there were some freak accidents to the ones born before. Perhaps he could… No, he couldn’t. A soldier or noble hostage was one thing, but a member of the Royal family? No, he couldn’t sell one of them to these… things. He was loyal to the entire family and made a point to protect them as needed.
But surely, there was a way to get around that issue. There had to be. In this situation, he must choose his King over the entire family.
“I could offer the hostage as one of my King's own blood, young blood at that. He can be prepared for you within the coming days. Is this enough for you?”
“You’d offer up your own ruling family for this? My, you are an interesting one. I think we have a deal. Seeing you struggle with this conversation was the highlight and that alone was enough for my side. Now go on, I will be back to collect what is mine 5 days from now. Go on and continue being a little court jester for you dear king.” The Darkin left with that. He was mocking the Lord. It was a game to him; he didn’t care at all what happened to these humans.
If the contract was broken by either party, he’d just have more entertainment for himself. The Lord did not like that fact, but he kept that to himself. He called his party and left back to the capital, steeling himself for the coming meeting with his King to discuss the agreement that had been made.
His day truly was only filled with fear. A fear for his own life.
Gods don’t let him get executed for this.