Gnomish Councilor of External Relations Baldeenk Zickleseckle
"This is an outrage!" I let out a sigh as he continued to rant at the Chief Spokesgnome and other councilors. It's a dereliction of duty. Violation of public trust. A gnome wanting to leave. Ungnomish!"
"Enough," the Chief Spokesgnome declared, and he instantly fell silent. "Let me review the terms of the deal personally."
I handed over the written documents. The councilors received copies. Safan and I have just made both of our presentations to the Gnomish Council of Governance.
My political opponent was quite unhappy. While Lanner's departure was unavoidable, it would inspire others and create problems. The Chief Spokesgnome had led us for the last 30 years and been alive for 150 years, and so he was stuck in his own ways.
I clenched my fists in frustration. We couldn't gain levels hidden away like we were, but there was no other choice. Gnomes were too weak. Lanner thought of spitting in the face of reality, but he would die horribly.
"The deal is acceptable. Make the trade and encourage our guest to depart immediately!"
"What of Lanner?" Safan asked.
He was burning up political capital with his antics. It was nice to see him on the back foot for once.
"He can depart with our guest. We won't declare him ungnomish either. It might not align with gnomes of today, but braving the unknown like our ancestors is gnomish. But neither will his records remain public. That would stir up discontent. The authorities will classify his records at the first level to prevent public discussion of him and to remind other gnomes who seek to leave."
It was a compromise decision. That was normally the way of our culture.
"Let us discuss the more pressing matter. Councilor Happentap, will the anti-divination wards be repaired?"
"With yellow cores and the metal, yes. With seven of those yellow cores, we can bring back the second anti-divination ward to turn off the first to make urgently needed repairs. The Mana channels have degraded. And if we apply the new runes appropriately, they could disperse Mana."
"Good. Draft a comprehensive plan for our safety experts to approve. We can't let our anti-divination wards fall no matter what, and repairs on the primary ward would put my mind at ease."
The Chief Spokesgnome looked towards me, and I felt my heart speed up.
"Councilor Baldeenk. Few gnomes, let alone councilors, would dare risk leaving the safety of our settlement personally. This trade deal is well done. You have solved a critical crisis for the entire settlement."
There was a round of applause from all the councilors including Safan.
While he might dislike me, bringing Justin to the settlement, getting him to agree to our conditions, and arranging this trade deal were all major accomplishments. It would be the crowning achievement of my life.
"What is more impressive is that you have ensured our safety and security. Never forgetting the core principle of gnomes — to remain hidden. Getting a guest to agree to our terms is difficult. Too many worry about the effects of a curse skill or think our settlement is a monster trap," the Chief Spokesgnome said, sighing with a sigh.
Everyone present reflected on this truth.
"The fourth success compared to twenty-three failures over recorded history. And when our anti-divination ward was at risk of failing and dooming all gnomes to barbarity. Therefore, I declare you Vice Chief Spokesgnome to take over from me as the 114th Chief Spokesgnome when I retire a year from now."
I felt my chest swell with pride.
I was now going to be in charge. My decision to risk my life and negotiate with Justin had worked out perfectly. Sure, there were challenges, and Lanner had made things difficult, but I had navigated the crisis with skill. All the other councilors stood up and bowed in my direction, even Safan begrudgingly.
While we might have disagreements and be passionate, we were all gnomes, united in purpose and culture. It was always a question of what was best for us. Even Safan was only doing his duty. But when the time came to unite, there was no race or culture stronger than gnomes.
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Whiteclaw
The bell rang out. It was the middle of the dark season and the middle of the night. It would only ring out if it were an emergency. I got out of bed, slipping on my fox claws. Some beastkin would call them cat claws, but they were fox claws.
A tier 4 weapon and the legacy of the White Fox Clan.
There was a scream in the distance as the bell rang again. I felt the cold increase, and the scent of blood rise in the air. The settlement was under attack. My guards fell in on my flanks as they woke up as well, and we exited my building.
We began making our way to the main plaza as there were more screams. My heart fell.
"Demons! Demons in the settlement!"
"Fight! Fight!"
"No mercy!"
"For the Fox Clan!"
My Danger Sense surged. White Fox Ethereal Form. Before they could block, something instantly shredded the guards. They collapsed to the ground, bleeding to death. The sharpened hands pierced my ethereal body, not damaging me in the slightest.
I channeled Mana into my weapons and drove them into the demon in front of me. They solidified inside their chest. The flesh sticking to my fox claws twisted. The attack threw the demon off balance.
Now for the dangerous part.
I solidified and twisted. My feet gave me leverage as my fox claws tried to force their way through the impossibly hard flesh of the demon.
"STRENGTH SURGE!" I roared.
The fox claws dug into my hands, and I could feel them bleed from the sheer amount of force I was using.
I bisected the demon in half. Blood and viscera rained down upon me.
"Lightning Beam!"
"Ward!"
I countered the spell skill and spun to the side. Even after being bisected, the demon still fought, just like all monsters.
"Chain Lightning!"
The other beastkin rushing over screamed as they were electrocuted. I stabbed down into the corpse of one of my guards, using his body as a shield against the powerful spell skill. His corpse exploded in burnt checks.
I rushed forward.
"Slice!"
I drove both my fox claws into the head of the bisected demon. It had grown weaker and lost a lot of Mana. My weapon cut through its head, shredding it. Breathing heavily, I stepped back."Fireball."
I burnt the corpse of the demon to ensure it would not come back. Some tales even said they could regenerate just from their core alone.
The screams continued as the darkness increased as the few lights about the settlement failed. I reached down and ripped apart the demon, pulling out its blue core. A strong one, but not the strongest that was out there.
The sky lit up. There was a surge of Mana and the ground shook. An explosion's roar washed over me. The explosion wiped out the central furnace and all the protective wards. The temperature dropped even lower. Our settlement was finished.
I pocketed the core and quickly retreated.
There was nothing more I could do. It was time to pack up everything I could with my hidden spatial pouch and escape with my life. The only hope was to make my way to the coast. I had many contacts in the Cat Clan.
The Fox Clan had ended.
Just like the other clans, we slowly lost and retreated, one by one. Soon the beastkin would be no more. I tried to turn things around. Now I would have to salvage what I could from the growing plots. I wanted to curse, but there was no point. I spent them all long ago.
"Whiteclaw, can we join you?" Elder Keeneyes asked me nervously. I noted the orphans behind her, all carrying packs of everything they could fit. She always knew when to run.
"Yes, help me pack up everything we can quickly. I have a spatial pouch. We need to take what we can."
Fortunately, most of the cores were still unused. Only about a third of the items I traded with that human had been used.
The enchantments would have to be deactivated, but it was a small cost to keep them. It would allow me to set up a small farm in the Cat Clan and eke out a living.
"Quickly. Help Whiteclaw," she said as screams continued to echo over the settlement.
We quickly got to work packing everything I had away into my spatial pouch. The orphans learned quickly. When your life was on the line, that was when you focused the most. Once the orphans and Elder Keeneye were packing everything away, I stood guard outside and listened.
She also had the orphans making tower shields to block out the wind and cold when we moved in formation, but it would be slow and tiring. It would take months to get anywhere, and we would be easy prey during that time.
The screams were dying down. The hardest part would be escaping during the dark season. Many would freeze to death. I might freeze to death. We had enough food from my reserves, but the cold would be brutal. Traveling during the dark season was a death sentence.
The demons would likely attack us while we were traveling. They wouldn't let any survivors escape if they could help it. I survived one such massacre long ago. Now a second one was occurring.
The demons had used a beastkin to sabotage the wards. Once they failed, it was all over. The wards had weakened the demon I slew. Their Mana had been sluggish. Even then, it had been a tough fight.
I felt my Danger Sense rising. There was another demon closing in on me. Killing it was the only way to escape. As fear struck my mind, my fox claws came up. I cast such emotions aside. I would never cower.
"I am Whiteclaw of the White Fox Tribe. Come face me if you dare!"
Since you were already exposed, hiding from a more powerful foe was pointless. Some beastkin would try to either die in silence or the dark. I had to fight to survive. If I could kill another demon, I could only hope the rest would leave us alone.
My father had done something similar long ago. But we hadn't been able to fully escape, and he had stayed behind to hold off the demon pursuing us. He had left me his legacy and his fox claws. I would not disgrace them or his memory by dying here.
The tension continued to build as my heart sped up despite the oppressive cold.