"Welco to the faction?" Enora's voice sounded the sa as before, but in perfect English, and a slight accent that sounded vaguely…Australian? Or not quite, maybe Australian and England mixed?
"I don't feel very welco."
Seriously? I'd say all things considered we were basically rolling out the red carpet.
I folded my arms. "What exactly did you expect? We're not the ones who raided your planet."
Honestly. She was acting as though she had done a favor.
"It's the way of things Layton. We can't possibly be the first raid that your faction has faced?" She pulled her hair behind her ear.
"What does that have to do with anything? I don't know the way of things. What I do know is you chose to raid us, even paid for it, not the other way around."
She cocked her head at , seeming confused.
"Why does that bother you? Clearly you possess superior power, aren't you glad for the experience points?"
I wrinkled my nose.
A cyclops, not that long ago, had said sothing similar.
"We have more than enough opportunities for experience points. And there will be plenty more."
She nodded. "Of course, you feel that way, you're in a new world. It's not so easy for everyone else."
"I know so." I pointed to Ellison. "Ellison isn't from this world, he ca here in a raid. He ca here with nothing, sa with all the Guildian's."
That caught her attention and she examined my friend.
"Alright, look. Clearly we have differences of opinions on so things." I sighed. "But for right now we need to know what we are going to do with you and your faction."
I turned to Ellison. "Do you have any thoughts?"
He scratched his beard and Durkil cleared his throat. "Layton, uhh not to interrupt but I have a question."
Enora jumped at Durkil's deep voice from behind her. "Yeah of course, what's up Durkil?"
"Well I'm just curious how this is any different than when you welcod us into your faction." He looked at Ellison who nodded for him to continue. "You've already demonstrated our dominance, that's why they surrendered."
Well…that was a good question. The truth was when I t with Ellison sothing just felt different. I offered him a way out he was willing to negotiate, when offered the sa chance these raiders chose to ignore diplomacy and just fight.
Except that wasn't really true though. Goatee man had done that. He was dead now. I recalled how she looked back at before the fight, the hesitation. I'm certain that I saw it, she wasn't sure they should fight, she disagreed with her faction leader.
"Enora, before our fight, I saw you were telling your faction leader sothing. What was that?"
I raised a finger. "Oh and keep in mind, honesty is the most important factor in what we decide to do with you."
Her eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it's a threat—but only if you lie to . The only way this works is if we're both honest."
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Enora studied , speaking slowly. "I told him this was a fight that we couldn't win, and that he should negotiate." She waved her hands to where he died. "He didn't agree."
That explained the look she gave . What it didn't explain is how she looked out our hodgepodge of an army and ca to the conclusion they would lose. In fact, based on sheer intimidation they had us in spades. So why would she feel like it was a fight they would lose?
"So you looked at our posse of villagers, compared them with your professional army and thought 'we're dood'?" I shrugged. "I'm not calling you a liar but I need more than that."
"That's easy. Our people call it 'resonate bias'."
This was new…"Keep going."
"I'm sure you have a different word for it of course." She spoke faster. "You've seen it, I'm sure. Mana enhanced characteristics?"
I glanced at Ellison. He shook his head and looked at Enora. "Assu we know nothing about this."
She looked at us sideyed but didn't argue. "Ok. You live in a world of mana now. Your stats absorb mana like plants absorb light." She paused and gave a quizzical look.
"Yes, we know about photosynthesis, keep going." I said exasperated.
"Mana powers your growth and fuels stats, but once the mana is used it becos part of you, self perpetuating. You essentially beco your own mini mana conductor." She waited to make sure we were still following along. I nodded.
"Well, that mana, the mana you are now perating is part of you. It carries your traits and characteristics in strange ways. We don't know exactly how it works but for the mana sohow gives an…intuition."
It was like a lightbulb went off and the whole world made just a little more sense. Was this how Jordan was able to manipulate so many people to so many terrible things? Was this why people responded so well to Jared and his work ethic? Were people sohow getting influenced by living in my faction?
I knew that Enora was telling the truth because she was right. I had felt it. I could sense it in people's intentions, I had felt it with Ellison, his earnestness to help his people. When I saw Mischief laying in the grass scared, eting Sadie, Xander, Richard, the list went on and on. I had felt so strange intuition that made want to help them.
But Enora's helped her sense danger or sothing?
"I have felt it." I admitted. "But I don't get it exactly, is it an emotional thing? How does that explain what you do?"
"I have always fancied myself a decent judge of potential and threats, mana has enhanced that trait. It's usually subtle, but sotis…it's impossible to ignore." She grinned. "You're using it now, you know."
I stiffened. "What do you an?"
"I wondered why I felt so open, so willing to share. It's you." She shrugged. "Or soone here, but I am pretty sure it's you."
Alex snorted. "Yeah, it's him."
She looked over her shoulder. "You can't help it. Your presence is stronger and it's subtly nudging in that direction."
That didn't sit well with . And I chewed on my lip.
"Don't worry, your faction won't beco a bunch of mini Layton's. They have their choice, it's just a nudge. Other nudges bleed in and choice still exists."
This was a topic I wanted to explore more, but it wasn't the ti. Right now we needed to figure out how we were going to assimilate these raiders.
"So what did your intuition tell you about our faction?"
Enora's face darkened. It happened so fast I barely caught it, but it was there, and then she was composed again.
"It told that we shouldn't fight your faction."
***
Did he see? Enora couldn't be sure. She tried to maintain composure, but she couldn't help but the shiver crawling up her spine when Layton asked her what she felt.
She was being honest. Her intuition had told her they shouldn't fight with Layton and his faction. What she didn't tell Layton was that she had practically begged Teklen not to fight.
"Your intuition is wrong about this one Enora, look at them. They're barely a faction." She looked.
Teklen had a point. They really didn't look like much. Her intuition had been wrong before. But she knew it wasn't now.
Her eyes scanned the group walking across the field. Each a threat in their own right. The two giants, one in a hodgepodge of Iron armor, the other a perfectly fitted blue plated armor suit gilded in light gold. Alarm bells sounded in her mind, either of those two would be more than Teklen could handle, by a lot.
If they weren't enough the young man with a bow and a dark cloak with flowing black hair made her skin crawl. His eyes were always moving, seeing everything. Another killer.
Those three, they felt like enough. Those three alone could end this raid, she could feel it.
"You're wrong. Please, let's at least see why they want to et. What could it hurt?" Teklen looked down at where she was squeezing his arm.
He huffed. "They don't want to die. You'll see. That's all this is." He pulled his arm free. "I'll go, if that will put your mind at ease."
So they t.
"I'm Ellison, and the man next to is Layton. He is the faction leader, not ."
Ellison was not at the sa level as the other three in terms of threat level, but she naturally wanted to trust him. A powerful resonance no doubt. But it wasn't Ellison that had her attention.
Layton. The boy in the grey healer's robe.
Intense eye's.
Teklen was right about one thing. This faction didn't want to fight.
Teklen examined the boy. He didn't see what Enora could.
"What did I tell you, Enora? They are scared, they don't want to fight. Let's go."
Ellison pleaded after them. "We are hoping that through diplomacy that you might be open to a peaceful resolution."
Teklen didn't listen. Enora didn't know what to do. She looked back at the boy in the grey robe and her knee's quaked. They were all about to die, they were going to beco the experience points they ca here seeking.
Layton. He was different, he didn't want to kill. Maybe….
Teklen died in a blur. He knew it was over the second Vink was mauled by the hamr. Enora had one hope. She threw up her hands and dropped to her knees. Like a wave the rest followed suit.
Now, here she was. Explaining Resonant Bias to Layton. A man who literally oozed with it.
It was bizarre, he was a walking contradiction. On one hand he stood over like a cloud, her own resonance telling her he was terrifyingly dangerous. But his own bias tugged at her to believe in him and trust him.
It nudged her to be honest, to be fair. It was devious in its subtlety. She had t powerful figures from her old world. Their bias smashed you over the head like a hamr, they kicked in the door of your emotions and forced you to feel. It was easy to fight those biases because you could see it happening.
Layton's was like a soft insistent whisper. It was gentle, she almost couldn't tell it was happening.
It was terrifying.
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