《The Drow Empire saga》 Kyros Thorn the Exiled Chapter 1 ¨C Kyros the exiled Kyros ¨C POV How to start this¡­ My name is Kyros son of Zasha, Heir to the great house of Thorn. I write this diary to remind me of who I am and who I used to be or maybe to show me who I will become. I was once the Heir to Matriarch Zasha of house Thorn, a powerful noble house in Drow society favoured by both the Empress and the royal court. I however now walk the path of exile, day by day I travel further away from our great empire, Further into the darkest corners of the earth. I am a scientist, a Warrior, a Sorcerer, some would even call me a visionary others would call me a failure all saw that I tried to change the world, But the world does not want to change. Change often causes chaos it disrupts the natural order and so the world lashes back with all its might. But really what does it matter? What is done is done mistakes were made and there is no coming back from what I have done¡­ somehow though I feel relieved. The burden of responsibility is lifted from my shoulders the future is now mine and mine alone to forge. I feel a rush of excitement as I write this. I now know that for the first time in my life I am free from the constraints of family or obligations of society my sole allegiance is to myself and myself alone. Everyone else be damned¡­ Kyros finished the last words with a smile and started to put away his ink and quill after closing the book. He looked around his dark vision allowing him to see everything like it was day. If Kyros knew what the sun looked like that is. He had only ever read about it in some history books and journals from the house library. Though all he could think of was that someday he would explore the world above and see for himself if the world above truly had a cavern roof that shined blue like a sapphire and changed colours from day to night. Kyros put those thoughts out of his mind he needed to continue he was eager to see what the lands beyond the Drow Empire looked like. After a short walk Kyros started to see a light up ahead along with voices but they were to faint to he heard from this distance. Kyros decided that he required a better view to determine if they were friend or foe, he started to climb the cavern wall up to a ledge for a better look. His eyes focused like a Wyvern searching for a prey. He could see 5 short broad-shouldered figures, they looked like Dwarfs but Dwarfs don¡¯t live this far down so they must be Duergar. The Duergar were sadistic cousins of the dwarfs they had dark skin and were filled to the brim with hatred. They liked to enslave and torture their victims their favourite torture device are hooks this has made them feared. By the other races even Drow are weary of these cruel creatures. Fortunately for Kyros there is a consensus between the Drow Empress and the Duergar king that trade between the two nations is not be disrupted by petty squabbles. So the Drow and Duergar have a mutual understanding. They are not to enslave or outright slaughter each other. However if a drow or Duergar is caught in the act of enslaving the other they are subject to whatever punishment the attacked party considers fair. This almost always ends in a gruesome death for the captured party. Finishing his though Kyros attention turned towards the campfire the Duergar seemed to be roasting from what he could see was a humanoid leg. It is however not the thought of the Duergar eating a sentient that makes Kyros¡¯s face turn in disgust, it was the smell he knew right away that the leg being roasted once belonged to a Drow. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.¡°Fucking animals¡± Kyros mumbled under his breath. Kyros had only smelled roasted Drow once before on his father¡¯s funeral. It was customary for the wife and children of the deceased to eat parts of the parents to honour him or her. Kyros had eaten his father¡¯s brain so he would gain his wisdom, his sister had eaten his father¡¯s kidney to gain resilience, his brother had eaten the father¡¯s eyes to gain perception and clarity, and His mother had eaten the heart so he could continue loving her forever. Kyros slowly started to move from ledge to ledge until he was close enough to hear the Duergar. ¡°Fucking weaklings these Drow why haven¡¯t we crushed them yet like we did with the Gnomes?¡± The other Duergar sliced of a piece from the leg and took a bite and spoke ¡°Our¡­ chewing ¡­ Glorious king¡­ Chewing¡­ has grown weak I can¡¯t wait until someone finally finishes the old fool off¡± The Duergars nods in agreement the conversation continues until the Duergar decide to retire for the night one stays up to guard the others while they sleep. After waiting several hours Kyros sees the Duergar on watch finally fall asleep. Kyros slowly reaches for one of his Dark steel sabre by his waist. Kyros leaps from the ledge and while falling he whispers a spell under his breath ¡°Feather fall¡± Kyros fall immediately starts to slow down and he touches the ground without a sound. He silently sneaks up to the Duergar on watch draws his sabre and puts one hand over the Duergars mouth while in quick succession stabbing his saber through the Duergars throat he gurgles in a minute of confusion before dying with blood running down his lips Kyros quietly puts the Duergar down so the other 4 Duergars do not wake from their slumber. Kyros goes from Duergar to Duergar cutting their throats its easy work for someone who has been trained from birth in the art of death like Kyros. Without such training an heir of a great house in drow society would be easy pickings for the other houses. . Kyros finds what is left of the Drow the Duergars had been eating seems like they had kept the poor sod alive so the meat would not turn foul. Kyros admires the Duergars handiwork for a moment before stepping over to the Duergar corpses. They seemed to be outlaws most likely why they did not care much for the Duergar King or the Drow Empresses wishes. They were however carrying something ordinary to the average Duergar but it would be much more valuable to Kyros. It was a map of the Duergar underway Kyros now knew exactly where he was and how to navigate this unknown terrain. Kyros slowly studied the map ¡°Seems like I¡¯m right on the crossroads between the Drow and Duergar empires. I don¡¯t really fancy spending any time with the smelly and unsophisticated Duergar and I can¡¯t go home that means I take the third option the Red Badlands¡± The Red Badlands was full of nasty creatures and it was also largely left unexplored because of it. It would be the best location for Kyros to make his new home away from the prying eyes of civilisation. After Kyros had thrown the bloody corpses into a nearby chasm Kyros sat looking into the burning embers until he grew tired and slept for tomorrow would be the first day of his new life. The Drow Species - (Lore chapter) The Drow Species - Lore chapter The Creation story of the Drow: The accepted theory is that thousands years ago at the dawn of the elven race one of the 7 clans of the Elves was either banished or left by their own choice they were the Drow. Either way they decided that they would travel underground once there they started to fight with the first dwarfs who had also recently started to walk the earth. The dwarfs were winning against the Drow but at the final battle a clan of dwarfs known as Clan Duergar betrayed their dwarven brothers and turned the battle into two fronts for the dwarfs with the Drow on one side, the loyal dwarfs in the middle and the Duergar on the other side. The battle however ended in the defeat of the Drow and Duergar due to the legendary dwarven king Tormund Stonebreaker. He rallied the Dwarves and was able to kill the Duergar leader who was his own brother he had turned on him for greed. After the battle the Duergar and Drow survivors fled deep underground where after centuries their appearance started to drastically change. After centuries underground the Drow¡¯s golden hair turned white or black, their skin turned dark or dark purple. Nobody knows how the change happened many think it was the lack of sunlight and the cruelty of these races that turned them to reflect their rotten insides. The Drow people: The Drow are the ¡°Evil¡± cousins of the ¡°mighty¡± High elves and the ¡°Wild¡± Forest Elves. The Drow or as they are ignorantly known by the younger races as ¡°Dark elves¡± this name is considered a gross oversimplification of their name but since the younger races like the Humans are generally considered stupid by all elves the word Dark elves or High elves are generally accepted by elven kind as sufficient. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The Drow are a longed lived species like the other elves they can live up to 900 or more years. Some Dark elves are known to have found mysterious ways to keep themselves alive beyond their natural age like preforming spirit transfer or drinking elixirs of youth. It takes about 100 years for a Drow to be considered an adult but their bodies are fully grown at 50. The drow possess several racial advantages like Dark vision or enhanced agility they also possess a sort of stone sense like the dwarfs that let them orient themselves underground better. The Drow Society: Drow are treacherous and cruel creatures their society is based on two things first betrayal the nobles of the empire are always looking for their next step on the ladder and will push anyone off it to get there first. The other thing that fuels the Drow society are slaves without slaves the Drow would crumble. Every aspect of their government, religion and empire is tied with slavery like a pregnant mother is tied to her unborn child. The Drow Religion: The Drow worships Calypso the Shadow queen who is the patron god of the Drow. And their protector while there are cults in Drow society that worships different gods other than Calypso like her children Erebus the god of Murder and sacrifice or Cerberus the god of blood and vampires. There is a priesthood of Calypso in the great temple of shadows somewhere In the Drow Empire. Author''s note: i thought i''d try to flesh out the Drow so you know a bit more about them and who they are as a species hope you enjoy i''ll try to get another chapter out ASAP. A New Home A new home Kyros was standing on the outcropping of the tunnel he had just come out of behind him. The Red Badlands was truly a sight he thought. Kyros looked out towards the massive cave that was known as the Red Badlands it was a mix of dangerous species, fungal forests, ruins and magma pools also it was known as the ¡°Red¡± Badlands because the cave ceiling was a red colour stone colour. Kyros took off his backpack and pulled out the map he had stolen relieved from the Duergar. He could see a poorly detailed outline of the Badlands but he could also see that there was a Drow border town a couple of tunnels away from where he was standing. It could be a useful supply point for him in the future¡± What to do¡­ what to do¡­ I first need to find somewhere to live it needs to be defensible, close to the cavern wall and solitary so no one finds me. But first things first let¡¯s get down from this ridge.¡± The ridge was about 20 meters above the cave floor I slowly started to climb down fortunately there were plenty of cracks in the stone. So the descent when fairly quickly after the first meters. I finally reached the cave floor my arms ached from the climb but I had to push forward and find suitable lodging while I slept otherwise some predators could attack me while I was slept and that would be very unfortunate indeed. Maybe I could get some gladiators in that town I saw on the map to defend me while I worked? Oh yeah I almost forgot I barley have any money¡­ a life of total luxury will do that to you. Maybe I could hunt some beasts and sell the pelts? Eh we¡¯ll see. Kyros had been walking beside the cavern wall for a while when he saw the lights of a campfire Ahead he crouched and started to sneak closer. He stood by one of the massive mushroom trees that were common underground. He took a closer look, what he saw were 3 goblins sitting outside a cave entrance. These goblins were probably guards, the main horde and chieftain would be inside. From what Kyros had read was that Goblins were notoriously stupid and always followed the strongest among them even warriors from other race as long as they were the strongest. These Goblins would prove very useful for Kyros if he could kill their leader he would become their chieftain and then they would follow him with absolute loyalty. The goblins were half asleep when Kyros advanced on them from behind he had a knife in his left hand and his saber in the right. He stabbed the Saber through the goblin on the right and at the same time he sank his knife straight into the neck of the goblin on the left. The goblin sitting in the middle screaked in surprise. But before he could swing his short spear Kyros had grabbed the Goblin with the short spear by the throat and lifted him upwards. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He looked into the terrified goblins eyes ¡°look here you little greenshit after I let you go you will run inside and tell your boss that he should come out here and face me for the leadership of this pile of shit that you call a tribe¡± nod if you understand the goblin had dropped his short spear and was clawing the hand around his throat for air. But when Kyros was done speaking he nodded furiously. Kyros dropped him the goblin gasped for air and then ran into the cave. Kyros knew he would have to prepare in case this leader was a challenge for him so he put down a magic explosive trap 2 meters in front of where Kyros would be standing. He also picked up the three goblin short spears he would hopefully be able to throw one against the chief before he closed the distance. After a minute he could hear the sounds of people sprinting inside the cave looked like there would be a party. Kyros could also hear a pair of heavy footsteps perhaps this was the chief? Soon a small horde of goblins poured out of the cave they formed up in a mob in front of the cave entrance and then Kyros saw the chief it was a giant Ogre perhaps this would be fun after all¡­ The Ogre stepped through the lines of goblins about 10 meters away from Kyros ¡°WHO DO YA THING YU ARE LITTLE MAN I AM GNOBLIB DE STONE CRUSHA DE LEADA OF DA BAD LANDS RULER OF THESE LANDS¡± Kyros tuned out the screaming ogre it was not worth his time instead Kyros prepared he could feel the adrenaline tuning his senses he was ready he weighed the goblin Short spear in his hand it was a poor excuse for a spear but it would serve its purpose. The Ogre was still screaming at him Kyros simply in one motion lifted the spear in one second aimed for half a second and threw the Spear went straight into the ogres chest. The ogre stopped his speech for a second and then simply said ¡°NOW YA DONE IT I¡¯LL BASH YUR HEAD IN AAAAAH¡± The Ogre then charged straight into the magical explosive trap it went off perfectly the ground was torn asunder and the Ogre was sent flying back while burning. Kyros simply drew his saber and started running he and jumped over the crowd of goblins onto the ogre and stabbed him in the eye he twisted the blade and pushed it further into his head through his the brain and then the back of the skull. A second later a geyser of blood and gore sprayed Kyros his long white hair was now a dark red colour making him look like a devil his grin made some of the younger goblins faint. Kyros stood up and spoke ¡°I AM KYROS THORN I AM NOW THE IMPERATOR OF THIS TRIBE YOU FOLLOW ME NOW ANYONE WHO DISAGREE WILL DIE¡± The goblins simply looked to each other and one after another started to kneel before their new leader, Chapter 3: Putting the Goblins to work 1 week later: After killing the ogre leader i immediately set the goblins to work cleaning the whole cave it was covered in shit and piss from top to bottom. It took a while but eventually after only having to kill one of them to prove my point they understood what cleaning meant or at least that the master did not like shit and piss and that they should remove it. They took their time but eventually the smell was some what bearable i also had them dig a ditch outside where they could relieve themselves hopefully the smell would also prove as a deterrent from any dangerous predators roaming the underdark. The Ogres room had been the worst even the Goblins had found the smell in there to be disgusting i had them take shifts since some of the goblins had passed out from the smell when i had forced them to continue cleaning the room. Once that was done it was quite roomy i of course had to throw out the bed and several other furnitures i even found a rotting dwarf leg rotting behind the makeshift sofa most unpleasant to say the least. After exploring a bit the Cave was more of a system of natural caverns that lead to several other chambers there was even an underwater river flowing through one of the smaller caverns it proved very useful when the goblins were cleaning and now it would serve as an excellent source of fresh water there didn''t seem to be anything living in the river but to be the on the safe side whenever i needed water i always had one of the goblins fetch it for me. L of course had them boil it before i used it for anything who knows what manner of disgusting creatures and diseases could be in it. I had also gotten around to counting the goblins after much effort to get them all to stand still i killed one to once again prove my point and then i counted them seems like 124 goblins in total where of 44 are female and the rest male but i couldn''t really be sure. Fortunately one of the goblins were an elder he was somewhat more intelligent then the rest seems like goblins grow more wise with age he was still stupid as a kobolt but just not as stupid as the rest he did speak fluent under common which was an added bonus. I made a mental note to have him close by he could prove useful and he even showed it when i was counting as i went from goblin to goblin counting he would state their gender as we passed but some goblins even he was unsure what gender they were it did however not matter in the end i only needed a number. After counting i now could effectively organize them to my desires first i had to solve the looming food shortage the goblins had plenty of food since i had so generously gifted them an already dead ogre how kind of me... so i had the Goblin Elder organize them into a Drow formation called a Hunting Cadre it would normally involve 6 hunters with repeater crossbows 2 beast masters with hunting animals 1 tracker to help when the beasts lost their scent and a leader who normally was a Drow female of a some standing. But we neither had hunting beasts or repeater crossbows so we had to make due i assigned them 8 hunters 1 tracker and a leader it had to be a male since the goblins only recognized strength and unlike drow society the female goblins were weak and even stupider then the males. I would assign half of the males to hunting duty that would mean 40 male goblins divided into 4 hunting cadres, The goblins knew the terrain better then me so i left them to hunt were ever they usually hunted hopefully this formation would help them somewhat i did teach them to bring two spears one for throwing and one for stabbing, so i taught the leaders of the Hunting Cadres some simple throwing techniques and said that the one who brought back the biggest hunt would receive a gift from me. They were very excited at that i had asked the Goblin elder how they had been treated by the Ogre not that i cared but it was useful information. The Goblin elder explained that they had hunted for the Ogre and when they failed he would eat them and when they succeed he would sometimes eat them anyways! I stopped listening to his whining i got the information that I needed. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The goblins had low expectations and as such as long as i treated them better then the Ogre i wouldn''t have a problem controlling these little abominations. But this did not mean i was not going to be cruel i was going to be very cruel and with a grin i left the Elder scrambling to follow me. After i was done with the Hunting Cadres i was going to have to make some improvements to this cavern i had 40 goblins left that did not have to hunt so i put them to work. I had them start cutting down the giant mushrooms around the cavern i would be useful as firewood and it would improve the amount of warning i got if any intruders were spotted i did not yet have enough material to build a palisade so a simple ditch would have to do for now i had them dig it around the cavern entrance and construct a thick double door at the Entrance. It would not stop a committed intruder but it would give me time to prepare my defenses. Inside the Cavern I started to assign different purposes to the rooms: living space: before the goblins had been living basically everywhere and the Ogre had kept the females in separate caves and only let the goblins he liked multiply this is why this goblin population was relatively small in comparison to the bigger tribes out there. Tannery: Once the goblins brought in dead animals i would have to skin the animals and then i would sell them at a profit at the Drow trading posts for various tools and material that i cant manufacture myself. Carpentry: This will be mostly useless for the moment but for now this will be a good place for the goblins to make spears i want a surplus once the goblin population grows Goblin Elder''s room: The Elder had proved himself useful so he was rewarded with his own room and the first pick of who he wanted to breed with when that eventually happened. Cells: Kyros Hoped that the goblins would eventually capture some more sapient creatures like dwarfs, orcs and maybe humans and drow. Kennel: This room was put aside for the goblins could make nets and other ways of capturing animals they would later be domesticated and turned into both farm animals and hunting beasts for the hunting Cadres. After a long week Kyros sat down in a chair he had created himself and finally fell asleep. Chapter 4 – caught something interesting Kyros awoke to someone knocking on his door, it could only really be one person the Goblin Elder none of the other goblins would ever dare and it would be very doubtful that an intruder could sneak through all the caverns and passages that lead to just this door without being detected. But just in case Kyros picked up one of his hidden daggers in one hand and opened the door with the other as expected it was the goblin Elder. Kyros never let down his guard but he did relax just a bit when he clearly saw that the goblin Elder was alone. Kyros looked down upon the short white haired little Goblin wondering what could be so important "Well..." Kyros said expectantly "Master one of the Hunter Cadres you sent out have sent word that they are returning and the messenger said that they have a gift for you please come it is currently being carried to the cave. Kyros thoughts since they bothered to say that it was carried that most likely means it''s alive and the only reason it could still be alive is if it was a sentient of some race. Kyros licked his lips as the thought about a juicy deep gnome rib mm civilization did have it''s perks indeed. Kyros quickly collected his thoughts and snapped out of his trance and told the Elder goblin to follow he still had one of his daggers ready just in case. Many drow have fallen to treachery and Kyros did not feel like joining them especially to a goblin that would be a stain that would haunt him to the afterlife. After walking through the maze of tunnels they finally arrived. The Elder Goblin and Kyros came out through the cave entrance into the clearing that had been cut in front of the Cave. Kyros saw that the goblins who had been working on the ditch had dropped their shovels and were amassing in a mob around someone or something. Even though the Goblins were short Kyros could not see from the distance he was standing. So he started to walk towards the goblin mob as he approached the Goblins parted ways to let him through. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. What he found was very very intriguing it was a very badly hurt female Tiefling. Kyros had only read about these exotic creatures they are the children of and infernal beings known as Daemon or Devils. He knew that there was a difference between a daemon and a Devil but just couldn''t put a finger on it maybe the Tiefling could shed light on the matter. Once she recovered of course. One of the goblins who Kyros had appointed as leader of one hunting cadre started to approach the Unconscious Tiefling. As he walked he started to pull off his pants Kyros quickly turned his head towards the Goblin Elder "Is he going to do what i think he is going to do?" The goblin Elder took a step closer to Kyros "I believe he wishes to mate with the female it is a goblin fasination to impregnate females of other races it cant be helped" "that is actually very Interesting" Kyros said as he took a step over the unconscious Tiefling and with a swing of his sword separated the goblins head from his shoulders Kyros put his sword back in it''s scabbard on his back and picked up the goblins head by the hair and then he addressed the assembled goblins who were both confused and Frozen in fear "Listen up you pathetic mongrels let it be known that all females except of course from the lesser races are to be treated with respect and are not for breeding anyone who goes against my wishes. Look upon this head and be reminded of what happens if you disobey me. After speaking Kyros walked over to the female Tiefling and picked her up in his arms and carried her away as he walked he could hear the Goblin Elder translate what he had said. I really need to get smarter minions... Chapter 5 - A good fistfight Chapter 5 - A good fistfight POV: Eskara (Tiefling) I slowly became conscious but I remained still feigning unconsciousness. I found myself laying in a rather uncomfortable bed where am i? I can''t remember how I came to be here and suddenly my thoughts were interrupted felt a presence behind me he was staring straight at me. Was he a friend or foe? It mattered not I would not take any chances I would subdue by any means possible. I gathered my inner strength and moved my lips spelling out the incantation called haste it would allow me to move with unnatural speed. I formed my hands into fists so hard that my nails pierced my palms spilling trickles of blood the presence remained unmoved it would be his fatal mistake. I flew up from the bed into a leap and I slammed my fist into the drow''s cranium but my fist went straight through like he was made of smoke. I realized too late that the drow in front of me was only an illusion and then I felt a kick connect against my back I flew through the illusion and was sent flying towards the wall I recovered well and turned mid air. Landing my feet on the wall I had almost crashed into. In a split second I pushed off using my haste to fly towards the drow who was simply grinning. We started exchanging blows I gave him as good as I got the fight was even I would parry one fist only to find out that it was only a diversion and then the other fist connected to my shin I stumbled back dodging and weaving his punches and kicks were masterfully executed. POV: Kyros This was fun she was fast but I on a whole other level i was better faster stronger, my body had been hardened by overseers beating me since i was a child. Whenever I had made a mistake they would intentionally break my bones so they would heal becoming harder and stronger. She was good though oh how I love a good fist fight, another of my fists connected and sent blood flying from her nostrils. Suddenly she jumped back I gave her room to recover I wouldn''t want to finish this fight too quickly. I saw her lips move but no sound it seems the tiefling knows how to cast incantations without having to speak them out loud a very useful skill. Unfortunately for her I know how to read lips. Ah very interesting she''s casting in infernal the language of devils and demons how entertaining. A moment later her fists erupted with hellfire it seems like she''s gotten tired of my games and is ready to finish this fight I guess it is time after all how unfortunate. I pulled out a dagger keeping it hidden in my palm she lunges towards me I feel the heat of her fists crashing towards my face I turn just at the right moment the flaming fists go crashing past my face some of my hair get''s incinerated as she comes flying past. I take my dagger and for a moment I consider plunging it into her neck but instead with a flick of my wrist the dagger turns upside down and with all my strength I bring it down on the right pressure point at the back of her head she immediately loses consciousness as the oxygen to her brain is cut. With her momentum her body goes limp and crashes into a table crushing it and the flames on her hands disappear. I walk over put two fingers to the back of her head I push down and I hear a loud POP from her neck as the air is once again allowed to flow to the brain her brain was without oxygen for 20 seconds so no hopefully no permanent brain injury. Kyros thought with a grin ¡°I think I like this girl¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Chapter 6 - Babies! and Reform! Chapter 6 - progress ¡°The only friendship i know of is the one between a slave and a master anything else is a cordial ceasefire waiting to be broken¡± - Kyros Thorn POV: Kyros Kyros looked upon the once again unconcious body of the tiefling before calling out. ¡°Elder!¡± a few seconds later the goblin elder entered looking around weary of all the damage around the room. *Yes master?* the goblin elder called out in a subserviant tone Kyros looked at him with a cold stare ¡°have someone clean this place up and tie up the tiefling make sure you gag her with hard rope and blindfold her. Those measures should make it difficult for even her to cast any spells also if any of the goblins take liberties i will personally roast your balls over burning embers and feed it to him¡± The goblin elder seemed visibly sick at the thought of roasted ball sack but simply nodded fervently in response. Kyros then started to walk and without looking said ¡°follow¡± The goblin elder quickly shouted a couple of words in goblin to the guards and then fell in line behind Kyros. The guards hurried off to most likely find someone else to clean the room and restrain the seemingly very dangerous tiefling. The goblin elder lifted his head *master?* Kyros simply shifted his head to show the goblin that he had his attention The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The goblin elder seeing that he had his masters attention continued *what if i may ask are you going to do now? The hunter cadres are getting more experienced by every hunt which has sorted out our food situation and the cleaning and administration of our humble cave has resulted in a remarkably positive increase in the workers overall productivity. The pallisade is nearly complete and the moat is almost 1 meter deep. by my last count there are a total of 104 new goblin younglings that have been born in the last week..¡± The goblin elder was about to continue before he saw Kyros gaping at him ¡°Master?...¡± said the goblin elder causiously Kyros looked at the goblin elder in surprise ¡°the goblin population has almost doubled?¡± The goblin Elder nodded ¡°indeed master but many will die in the first days due to cannibalism, disease and only the strongest survive. Us goblins have a predatory urge to multiply with the strongest and since our own race is so meekly master we do find other taller races very very attractive hence the interest in your tiefling woman. But now that you have conquered her she is yours and no other goblin would dare touch her without challenging you first master!¡± Kyros scratched the stub of his beard thinking such a primitive society i suppose drow society is no less barbaric only we use more subtle ways and i suppose the roles between males and females are reversed interesting. Kyros once again returned his focus to the goblin elder ¡°i will not have you wasting my goblins for you to keep your seed strong¡± The goblin elder spoke up in a concerned tone ¡°but master the quality of our¡­ your goblins will decrease!¡± Kyros stared at him with an annoyed expression ¡°I KNOW stupid goblin and i do not care two lesser goblins are better than one stronger goblin. Now here¡¯s what you are going to do and listen closely for your sake because i will not be repeating myself. Once a goblin is born you will inspect it¡¯s features if it is strong you will place it with other strong goblins if it is weak you will place it with other weaker goblins the stronger goblins will become hunters in the hunting cadres and the weakling goblins will become workers and servants a servant class for the warriors yes?¡± before the goblin elder can issue a response kyros has already turned his back on him and has started walking towards the surface Kyros came out from the mouth of the cave he was now facing a half built palisade made out of giant mushroom logs it seemed to be nearing completion and the goblins were working diligently. It would seem the goblin elder is an adequate administrator after all. Kyros once again shifted his head nonchalantly towards the goblin elder and spoke ¡°I will be taking a trip expect me back in 3 days i leave you in charge and once i get back i want a full report on everything but first fetch me the pelts you have gathered and the tiefling woman¡± The goblin elder nodded noting everything kyros said down ¡°Of Course master everything will be completed and your words followed to the letter!¡± The goblin elder said before leaving to carry out his orders. Chapter 7 - Getting what we need Chapter 7 - Getting what we need Quote: ¡°devouring a sentient being is the ultimate portrayal of superiority¡± - Kyros Thorns Eskara (Tiefling) - POV ¡°You¡¯re a dick you know that right?¡± Eskara said while breathing heavily her new self imposed master had honored her with carrying ALL the pelts the goblins Cadres had worked hard on acquiring. Kyros simply smirked ¡°i¡¯ve been called worse you should thank me if would have not returned within a fourth night they would have presumed me dead and had their way with you by now¡± Eskara simply spit on the ground in disgust ¡°oh yes thank oh great fucking master if you had not carved this rune of obedience on me you would be dining in hell by now and i know a few friends there who would love to have a taste of you¡± Kyros turned his head slightly and pulled on the chain to her slave collar making her almost lose her footing ¡°oh now that¡¯s interesting so you are a devil tiefling how glorious maybe i¡¯ll sell you off once we get into town to some nice brothel who would love to have a taste of you most likely quite literally i¡¯m afraid¡± Eskara shuddered at the thought of being sold to a brothel she¡¯d heard horror stories of how Drow brothels offer specials that include you fucking the prostitute while you are devouring them at the same time. Eskara quickly repressed that thought ¡°you mentioned a town what are you bartering for?¡± Kyros answered sarcastically ¡°unfortunately goblin ingenuity only takes you so far and there are items i need before my real work can begin¡± Eskara raised an eyebrow at that ¡°what kind of work?¡± Kyros simply turned around and gave her a wicked smile and continued to walk KYROS POV: 1 day later: Kyros and Eskara had been walking almost all night except for a few rests so Eskara could catch her breath but he had kept the breaks intentionally short so she would be tired and slow if there was any chance of her breaking her bond of servitude. Kyros had learned the Rune of forced servitude from a Duergar Slaver who he had afterwards skinned alive and served to the slaves he kept in his kennel. after that he had sold of the slaves to the Duergar slavers rivals for a tidy profit. Kyros finally came to the edge of the fungal forest and he could see the first marks of Drow civilization in the shape of a crucified corpse of some humanoid creature. Upon further investigation it was apparently a large ork and to Kyros surprise it was not a corpse at all the creature was still breathing somehow. but he seemed badly wounded and the ork had lost a lot of blood from his time being crucified. very interesting kyros silently brooded the implications of this discovery. Kyros had planned on buying an orc slave for his future experiments but this specimen could work aswell, it was too badly hurt in it¡¯s current form but a healing spells did exist that could bring the creature back from near death. unfortunately Kyros this was beyond his capability he could stop the bleeding and he would probably survive but this would delay him severely from his time schedule. He looked over at Eskara ¡°it seems like this one is still breathing you wouldn¡¯t happen to know any healing spells would you?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Eskara sighed ¡°if i did could you set me free? That savage orc is a much better packmule then myself¡± Kyros fully turned himself to face her ¡°hmm interesting the you are proposing is arguably in your favor i admit but i¡¯ll humor you with a compromise i will set you free but i would have you stay in my company. I am in the need of competent followers and a tiefling is not something you come across everyday. As such swear your loyalty upon whatever patron deity you tieflings worship and i¡¯ll accept¡± Eskara looked at him for a good long while weighing all her options, she did not like Kyros but he had ambition and this was her first time visiting the underdark and so far it had not gone according to plan she looked at him again with renewed vigor ¡°only one more condition that brute looking at the orc will carry these fucking pelts¡± Kyros smiled ¡°done now swear it¡± After swearing her oath of fealty to kyros upon her patron god Asmodeus she proceeded to use her extensive medical knowledge in cohertion with her advanced healing spells to sufficiently bring the ork back to a semblance of his former self. ¡°Wake him¡± kyros demanded Eskara shrugged her shoulders and slapped the ork across the face The orc started to mumble something in orkish before slowly opening his eyes He looked upon Kyros and Eskara before lunging towards Kyros before realising that he was still nailed to the cross and screamed out in pain as his hands and feet that are nailed to the cross once again start to bleed. The orc struggles against his restraints and screams in orcish ¡°My My seems like we have a wild one here indeed¡± Kyros hears something behind him as something in the underbrush cracks under someone''s footstep he glances to see that it¡¯s not Eskara but she is looking away, trying to ignore the Orcs screaming A voice calls out at Kyros ¡°stay where you are scum¡± Kyros identifies it as a female drow as he senses 8 other in behind the female. A drow hunting cadre ¡°damn¡± seems like the orcs screaming has drawn unwanted attention Kyros turns around slowly towards the voice and speaks ¡°don''t do anything you will regret¡± A low chuckle comes from the underbrush as 8 other drow step forward they are all carrying repeater crossbows and on their hip is a drow sabers in their scabbards. ¡°Cooky are we i¡¯ll teach you a lesson and soon you will be begging for mercy poor little man¡± Kyros simply smirk ¡°oh i don''t think so¡± and with a quick glance and a nod in Eskaras direction Kyros leaps into the air with supernatural speed dodging arrows and Drawing his swords mid flight. Kyros lands within arm length of the first drow hunter as the hunter quickly drops his Repeater crossbow and draws his sword they both engage. Kyros quickly shows himself the better swordsman but the other soon also started to join in on the fight. Soon Kyros was starting to lose ground as he was fighting 5 opponents at the same time the other 3 were engaging Eskara and she was holding her own and was pressing them hard with her flaming fists. Kyros parried, dodged then countered blocking several swords at once and tricking his opponents into getting in each others. But it wouldn¡¯t work for long as he could see them spacing themselves around to surround him. He finally parried a blow and with a fast counter cut the drow¡¯s sword hand making him drop it Kyros quickly followed it up with a quick slash to the throat dropping the opponent. Kyros luck turned sour as the female drow leader used her comrades death to her advantage and attacked Kyros overextended flank hitting a glancing blow to his ribs. Kyros grimaced in pain but his concentration remained intact. A roar came up from behind Kyros distracting one of the drow long enough for Kyros to impale him through the heart. Afterwards Kyros shot a quick glance towards Eskara she had dispatched one of her opponents and was grabbing one of the drows heads in the palm of her hand scorching his face to the bone. But before Kyros could put his attention to the roar the angry and formerly crucified ork smashed the cross he was previously impaled on into one of kyroses assailants breaking his spine and caving his left side in two. Kyros did not know if the Orc was on his side or not so he quickly maneuvered away from the orc and splitting the remaining hunters attentions between Kyros and the Orc. Kyros pressed the attack on one the drow that had split of to deal with him Kyros started to spin his blades in random directions, confusing his opponent who did not know where the next strike would come from and eventually he made the mistake of parrying the wrong blade and did not see the other coming down on his exposed neck cutting his head clean off. The orc was a terrifying opponent to witness it had crushed another Drow beneath his massive Cross and was now facing the Drow female he eventually finished the fight when he unexpectedly threw his cross towards her she dodged it. But the Orc followed up his attack by seizing her by the throat and swordhand he snapped her sword hand like a twig and lifted her up to eye level and spoke in a rough under-common dialect ¡°I am Bazzor of the knights of the dark flame and i the end¡± before crushing her windpipe. Eskara and Kyros quickly finished off the last Drow before standing before Bazzor who was standing by the females drows corpse looking into the distance. Bazzor turned towards Kyros ¡°I am Bazzor Knight of the dark flame you have saved my life as such i owe an unrepayable blood debt to you as such i swear an oath of loyalty and fealty to you¡± Bazzor then kneeled before Kyros Kyros simply smiled with his trademark wicked grin ¡°I accept¡±