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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/KyleKKent on 2024-10-17 21:40:11+00:00.

First

Weight of Dynasty

“… Oh come on, have you people honestly forgotten how dangerous sorcerers are?” Vana’Thar asks incredulously.

“Maybe they have, maybe there needs to be more sorcerers. Maybe there should be a Dark Forest on literally every world with an Apuk population.” Morg’Arqun states as vines and flowers blooming in midair while wrapped around numerous invisible Apuk demonstraght that he’s not the one in danger very, very clearly. “Maybe it’s all too easy to forget that there are consequences to actions when we have multiple generations without them.”

“Why do you even need to do that? You’re here. The Forest is with you and the plants here are clearly the forest too!”

“That’s easy. The Forest is with me yes, but these are temporary extensions. Unless there is a forest on this planet then all extensions are temporary. Sorcerers are the eyes of the Forest in the galaxy at large. They last a while, some longer than others, but unless it’s a sorcerer then all extensions of The Dark Forest slip away after a time.” Morg’Arqun notes as he balances his plate of food on the head of the formerly invisible woman and steps around her. His final crab leg pulled off it and out of the mound of shucked shells. “So, any other poorly thought out plans or…”

“That wasn’t part of any plan.” Queen Margat states and he raises an eyebrow. “Invisible bodyguards are a tradition and one taking initiative is a slight issue, but not an attack. My protector there was a little, overenthusiastic, not I, and not any of us. It’s a single woman’s personal failing.”

“Hmm…” Morg’Arqun says as he pulls out half the crab meat with his teeth and looks back to the woman half unveiled. In the gaps between the vines she’s still invisible, and a poke from his finger starts disrupting it. The blank spaces are quickly filled in by an Apuk in a tight grey bodysuit that covers everything. After that he reaches up and rubs his thumb over the slight gouge in his horn. “Next time, be a bit more cautious with the super sharp knife.

He gives her a shove as the vines and flowers slacken their grip and she staggers back. The plate is inexplicably back in his hand. He didn’t grab it, it’s just there now. Everyone but Morg’Arqun and Vana’Thar missed his quick and subtle bit of woodwalking.

He finishes off his last crab claw and then sweeps his hand across it. The shell and dirt vanish.

“Where did you send that too?” Vana’Thar asks.

“I’m done with it, but the shells and drippings are fine fertilizer and bug food. They’re at the roots of several local plants. I have high hopes for them. The Forest has a strong grip on them.” Morg’Arqun states as he looks over everything. “Anyways that’s the question and answer session done with. And while you do have all sorts of rights and powers. There are a few vetoes from The Empress that means you can’t legally stop me. The Forest is recognized as a citizen of The Empire and therefore has the rights to Life, Safety, Travel and Speech. Unless I break a law, I can do this because this falls under Life in the intent of continuing to live and bringing new life to The Empire. As well as Travel being what brought me here. Any questions?

“Is…”

“That was rhetorical, I don’t care and I’m done pretending to.” Morg’Arqun says and Mina’Yas outright flinches. “Need an escape route?”

“Possibly?” She asks looking to her queen in mild horror. His hand falls on her shoulder and they’re both gone.

“… Are all Sorcerers so trying?” Queen Amarl demands.

“… Yes and no? They’re not controllable if that’s what you’re wondering, but they’re not unreasonable. Unless they’re personally annoyed with you they’ll usually stop doing something you don’t like if you just ask them to.”

“How do you handle them?”

“… Like a person? The only difference between a sorcerer and anyone else is that they’re more or less impossible to strong arm into anything and know it. You can’t imprison them, they can just woodwalk out. You can’t best them in a normal fight and their reputation for vengeance means that no one ever even thinks to attack their families. Fines and fees mean little to them as they can live comfortably in The Dark Forest and generally consider any job outside that to be more of a hobby.”

“Then how do you deal with them? If they can’t be bought, hold no loyalty to titles and cannot be contained or killed then how is such a thing to be reasoned with!?”

“With reason? You talk to them and don’t bother getting upset, they either want you upset or don’t mean it, either way getting upset is the wrong thing to do.” Vana’Thar asks before chuckling. “Set your pride to the side and speak to them like an equal, you’ll get a lot more done.”

“Is anything going to be done? It cannot be safe or sane to spread A Dark Forest onto Soben’Ryd!”

“It’s a legal citizen with the rights to travel and live. Meaning that unless it’s committed a crime then there’s neither reason to nor right to stop it from having a child. And considering that due to the ways the laws line up all Sorcerers count as adopted sons of The Dark Forest it has a reputation for raising strong sons that almost always marry very, very well.” Vana’Thar states.

“When did that happen!?”

“When it decided to interfere with a pair of feuding families and get between them.”

“The Forest was never this active historically.”

“It received one hundred and one new sorcerers in rapid succession, from my understanding each sorcerer active makes The Forest more aware and more active on the intelligence front. So the extra hundred means it’s actively taking an interest in the outside world and interfering.” Vana’Thar says before shrugging. “And considering that it’s interference has so far been, help traumatized girl, save the children and stop the fighting I’m not seeing much in the way of problems myself.”

“But The Forest is acting independent of The Sorcerers?”

“It always has, but the thing is, it’s A Forest. It wants only for water and light on the regular, has no value of grabbing gemstones and precious metals.”

“But entire armies vanished within it!”

“True.” Vana’Thar states. “Are you saying you wouldn’t oppose a foreign army in your home? In your private chambers? Due to the way the Forest IS the armies would be inside it. Would you tolerate an enemy army within your own person?”

There is no answer to that question.

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“Hmm… I would have expected him to have flunked out by now.” Hart’Ghuran states as the winners of the shooting contest move onto the next round. To his surprise the shooter with the Djek Tech Rifle had passed on ahead of the Canid Solutions one.

“So perhaps your assumptions on him were off?”

“Entirely possible, I’m not clairvoyant after all.” Hart’Ghuran says as he looks over the contract they had put together in the time the shooters had used to adjust their scopes, find the range and slowly get comfortable taking their shots. “Anything else in here?”

“Oh it’s fine, don’t get so drawn into the minutia on the first signing, it’s going to be negotiated and renegotiated a thousand times no matter how good a job we do. As all other such contracts have been and will be.”

“True, sorry, I have a bit of a perfectionist streak.” Hart’Ghuran admits before the next round begins. Then a small child rushes into the tent and hides behind them.

“What by the homeworld is…” Jazza’Xalitha begins to demand as a heavily armed guardswoman rushes in.

“Oh! Masters! Have you seen an urchin run in? The wretched thief has been plauging the stalls.”

Hart’Ghuran slowly turns to look at the little girl. “How old are you?”

There is a very poignant pause. The guard starts to move and he holds out his hand. “How old child? I’m not upset with you and if you answer my questions honestly and promptly I’ll get you out of your trouble.”

“You will?” Both guard and girl ask and Hart’Ghuran reaches into his formal jacket and pulls out a trinity of Axiom Ride Coins. The guard stares as he places them on the table.

“I take it that’s far, far more than the girl has stolen.”

“One of them is far more.”

“Good. So now that money is no object, what is going on? And once more, how old are you child?” Hart’Ghuran asks.

“Seven… and a half!” She declares and he nods.

“And why are you stealing from stalls?”

“I’m hungry! I need to eat!”

“Do your parents not feed you?” Hart’Ghuran asks and the defiant look on her face tells him that she’s rather lacking in that department. And now he has an idea. “Are there others like you?”

“Uh…” The Little Girl begins to say. The Answer is clearly yes, but she doesn’t want to say it.

“They’re not in trouble either.”

“… There are twenty three of them. A family of criminals was recently apprehended and the children have refused to stay in foster care or an orphanage.” The Guardswoman says.

“Oh, so you’re not willing to play with or play along with authority?” Hart’Ghuran asks.

“Never!” She cries out and he shrugs.

“Fine. Not all ideas have to come to life.” Hart’Ghuran says as he picks up one of the coins. He tosses it to the guardswoman that fumbles for only a moment then grabbing tight. “Pay back all the stalls stolen from double, the rest is yours. The kid goes free until next time she does something. Understand.”

“Is this a bribe?”

“I think it’s closer to reimbursement and payment for services render…

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