In Loki's Honor Life 29 - Chapter 43 - Gauntlet

I had a list with nas, along with their Class and Species, on top of their level. It was a matter of appraising people around the Guild headquarters and Dungeon district to abduct into the Ethereal. There I erected a prison with stone. The walls were a ter tall. It was useless to escape because none of them could return from that dinsion. Getting out ant they'd wander after phantoms for whatever ti they had left.

Kazuyran would have dealt with them in due ti, but his agents couldn't simply catch them one by one and shove them in another dinsion. They needed to plan and ti their attack to leave no witnesses or evidence of assassination. They also had to avoid biting more than they could chew. The [Assassins] were expensive and highly trained agents. On top of it all, they were all very loyal to Windere and Kazuyran, usually handpicked and raised from a young age. They weren't, by any asure, disposable mooks. I contacted Kazuyran to let him know what I was going to do and to give him a few dozen storage rings. I had too many and they would help the organization a lot.

I spent a week mapping the whole Dungeon district and the Guild building, as well as working on my enchanting and attending classes. This was the day before Mirina's departure and I wanted to go with her to Lonid. It was a unique opportunity to scout the opposition and see what I'd have to deal with in the future.

Out-of-town Adventurers usually slept in hostels managed by the Guild. I used one of the ntal map slots to map that section of Windere and the spots where they were abducted from, a pin marked and labeled with their nas. That way, I had a perfect accounting of who I should abduct and where they slept. A few parties were delving and would return in a week or two. They were inconsequential and could be handled by Kazuyran's agents.

Once I had everything mapped, I got all of them in one go. I had a prison in the Ethereal, a box of stone one ter tall. The outside, however, was crowded with my newest summon.

Raleigh Whisper, level 112 [Swiftwind Rogue]

The feeling of vertigo was unlike anything he ever felt. Raleigh wondered what was happening as he was dragged through a rift in reality. The world beca hazy and transparent as if it was no longer real. Twisting around, he saw his captor. An Eleon woman flew on white wings, dragging him like a ragdoll. He heard skittering and screams. The clash of blades and the shrill scream of both monsters and people.

Looking down, he saw a group of Adventurers defending a rectangular wall of stone from a horde of aberrations. A tallic body, eight tentacles ending in blades, and a long trunk on top of a squishy body. Upon close examination, the tal of the body was actually thousands of tiny blades on smaller tentacles, covering the whole body.

"There she is! Kill that fucking bitch!" Soone shouted and both spells and thrown weapons flew toward Raleigh's captor. The Eleon didn't even dodge the attacks; they bounced off of her ineffectively.

Flying over the walled square, he was unceremoniously dropped over the crowd. Flipping himself, he conjured the winds to slow his fall and get on his foot.

"Brother, welco to hell!" So guy cackled, clearly out of his mind.

"Help here! The monsters are overrunning us!"

More screams and shouts. Raleigh drew his daggers and used {Flash Step} to strike one of the monsters. His sharp blades severed tentacles like they were nothing. He wondered, these monsters weren't that hard to defeat. Adventurers died left and right to the monsters, their bodies vanishing as they drew their last breath.

"No, you moron!" He was shouted at. "Don't sever their tentacles, it only makes more of them!"

Truly enough, the tentacles started to grow and morph into smaller versions of the monster.

"What works on them then? Whoa!" He was suddenly forced to move all the way back to the fort because his {Swiftwind Evasion} Perk would push him an inch away from each attack he failed to dodge in 1 second. To move this much, it ant the monster must have struck with all the blades in its body.

"Nothing!" Soone shouted back. "Maybe blunt attacks, because we don't have a single war hamr with us! But they have shields that defend against blunt damage!

"Kill the winged bitch!"

"It's useless!"

Like a divine emissary, the Eleon flew above them. She cared not to defend against spells or weapons. Raleigh knew so of the Adventurers here, and they weren't weak by any asure. Worse, she had no status. Nothing. Raleigh was sure he could at least glean so information from her but her {Status Concealnt} seed absolute. He could only wonder how dangerous she was. No, not a divine emissary. She was Royalty, he was sure of it. There was no way a creature so powerful, so majestic wouldn't have followers or maybe even worshippers.

"Stop attacking her," Raleigh shouted then looked into her eyes. "My lady, you are quite powerful to bring us here. I have no doubt these monsters could've overrun this square yet they don't cross such a simple stone wall. What design do you have for us? Please have rcy," He asked using his [Negotiator] proficiency.

Contested Charisma test Failed.

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She chuckled. All the monsters withdrew five ters away from the wall. Battered and wounded, the Adventurers around him took advantage of the respite to recover and heal.

"My, aren't you a special one, Raleigh Whisper. Alright, alright. Let's parlay. You might even co out of this alive, but the first one to…"

"Don't fuck with us, you bitch!"

Raleigh facepald. There was always an idiot that wanted to take his chances and overestimated his strength. A javelin made of pure Force magic brained the rough idiot the next second. His body vanished, leaving only a few drops of blood behind.

"Next one? And don't think dying helps you at all."

She waved a hand and the ghosts of all the Adventures that died appeared around her. Sedated, they stared at nowhere with vacant eyes. The ghost of the guy that just died joined them.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Raleigh asked.

"You were hired by Torgo to harass and tarnish my beloved Windere," She answered.

Raleigh read her emotions using his {Tonal Reading} Ability. She hated Torgo, loathed their work, and was willing to murder all of them here for Windere.

"I don't think you'll let us go if we promise to never return," he stated. "Is there sothing we can do to keep us alive?"

Staring coldly at them, she replied, "I don't think so. You ca to fair Windere to pick a fight, now you'll learn you ssed with the wrong country. Those who murdered a Windere citizen, kneel!"

Contested Ego test failed. You are under a Royal Geas. Failure to comply will result in dire consequences.

So knelt, so didn't, and fell down convulsing as they scread like their souls were being ripped off. Raleigh didn't feel compelled to kneel. He killed a lot of people, probably so of them from Windere, but none of these could be considered murder.

She waved her hand and a volley of the sa javelins claid those that knelt and the ones screaming. Less than a dozen remained. He almost regretted accepting Torgo's contract but the pay was too good. Outside their stone square, the monsters awaited, almost without moving. Were they her summons?

"Your Majesty, please wait!" He raised a hand. "We were indeed hired to co here to harass the local Adventurers and population, but those of us here haven't done anything to deserve death! I beg your rcy! We can surely find a middle ground!"

Contested Charisma test Failed.

Damn, it was like hitting a stone wall with a wooden sword. She had to be late third or even fourth rank. With such powerful summoning magic, damage resistance, and points to spare in social defenses? Raleigh shivered.

But she didn't refute when he called her a Queen. Yes, she was probably soone with their eyes on Windere… no. She was the Queen of Windere. The maternal devotion she expressed when calling this country "beloved" was as real as the warmth of the sun.

Windere is known for having more than its fair share of heroes and powerful characters. The Kin matriarch, the founder king, the lamia princess, and lamia duchess, not to ntion the obscure halfling archmage. Legends from centuries ago. The world believed they'd bitten more than they could chew when a powerful enemy destroyed the castle and killed the king and his heirs. None ascended to claim the throne of Windere. Perhaps she had a good reason to remain hidden.

That may be the reason the nation endured for two decades without an apparent head. Its shadow assassin organization and the lamia knights kept the local governnt from attempting to seize more power than they had before and kept the nation running rather smoothly. Now he understood how that could work. Windere was never defenseless. It was just baiting its enemies to annihilate them in one fell swoop.

Title or not, it wouldn't be wrong to call the woman flying above them the queen of Windere.

"You are enemy combatants," she replied. "The spearhead of an invasion force. Tell how you are worth more alive than dead to . As you can see, the dead serve perfectly well."

All of his instincts told him one thing. He was standing before a divine entity. If not a true goddess, sothing so far away from normal people that ordinary offers would not work. Raleigh fell on his knees and prostrated himself.

"The dead may serve you but only because they're forced. They have no true loyalty and won't go beyond the minimum. You may not lack servants, Your Majesty, but I recognize you for what you are. Oh, mighty Queen of Windere, let pledge my eternal loyalty to you. Allow to repent my cris against your fair nation with my life, but not with my death."

She seed amused. With a wave of her hand, she produced a piece of green cloth with gold trim. His {Appraise} told him he might have a chance if he passed the gauntlet before him.

The Tabard of Windere - Level 159

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"I see you know what this is. The ultimate test of loyalty to Windere. Make your oath, Mr. Whisper. Pledge yourself body and soul to , and don the Tabard. Let it be the impartial judge of your worth."

Legends spoke of King Locksley's charity, rcy, and kindness. Of how he went from village to village, healing the sick and infirm citizens of Windere for free. Of how he rode the continent on a train of carriages over an ice road, rescuing slaves and refugees, and treating them as his kin. How he gave away most of his vast power to bring Windere's population back from the dead as the silk-folk.

His not-so-famous companion, The Eleon [Sorceress] Rosewise Honorcoin has not as many legends but what survived told she was of one heart with Locksley. The Eleon before him could be a descendant of that [Sorceress]. Not the [King] because it is well known he only had eyes for his Queen.

"I accept my fate," he resigned himself. He was sure those in her service never wanted for anything.

The silk Tabard fell on his head. He took the cloth and folded it carefully, making sure the coat of arms stayed on top. Then he knelt as the Tabard was held it against his heart.

"To whom do I pledge my loyalty, my [Queen]?"

"You are mistaken. I am no Queen. Your loyalty, you'll pledge to Windere and its people, not to a person. A [King] can be beheaded and a [Queen] seduced, master Raleigh. A nation, however, will be as true to its people as they are true to it in their hearts."

"I pledge my life, loyalty, and service, to the best of my ability and skill, to Windere and its people. I only ask Your Highness to guide and show the way."

"As Windere Royalty, I accept your pledge, Raleigh Whisper. You may don the Tabard and prove your worth."

He donned it. As soon as the silk fell on his shoulders, his heart, mind, and soul were thoroughly searched. The power of the Tabard was imnse. It was every bit the legend he heard and more. Much more.

It reached the last knot of doubt in his heart. The one where the [Swiftwind Rogue] sheltered his love for freedom. The Tabard started to squeeze him.