Ravos's face contorted with anger, and he interjected, "You dare? You will regret this insolence!"
Faz's voice, laced with a mix of bitterness and restrained rage, cut through the charged atmosphere. "Serenia, Ravos, you thought you could keep me shackled forever, but I have been liberated. I remember the torment you subjected me to, and it will not go unanswered."
Serenia's eyes betrayed a flicker of worry amidst her anger as she attempted to reason with Faz. Her voice trembled with a mix of desperation and frustration. "Faz'nur'thoon, we had a deal! Is a god capable of taking back her promise?"
Faz's gaze hardened, her many red eyes burning with a mix of resentment and pain. "True, we had an agreement," she responded, her voice laced with bitterness. "But it was a deal made under false pretenses, fueled by my desperation and weakened state. You tricked me, Serenia. You took advantage of my vulnerability and locked me in here in your selfish desire for immortality."
Serena's features tightened her expression, a mixture of defensiveness and guilt. "I did what I had to do to ensure our eternal youth and power. You were the key to our continued existence. Can you blame me for seizing the opportunity?"
Faz's voice turned cold, the pain of betrayal evident in her words. "Seizing the opportunity? No, you ensnared me in a web of deceit. You saw my weakened state and used it to imprison me, to exploit my powers for your own gain. You broke the very trust we had established."
I stepped forward, my voice steady but firm, interjecting into the tense exchange. "Faz was in a vulnerable state when you captured her. You manipulated her, exploiting her weakened condition for your selfish ambitions. Such actions are not befitting of elves."
[Your relationship with Faz increased!]
Good.
Ravos scoffed, his tone filled with arrogance. "We did what we had to do to survive, to maintain our eternal life. In the grand scheme of things, her sacrifice was a necessary means to an end."
Faz's voice quivered with a mix of anger and sadness. "You speak of survival, of eternal life, but at what cost? You discarded my freedom and my autonomy and subjected me to endless torment. That is not survival; it is cruelty.
"It is too late for apologies now. I have been freed, and your reign of manipulation ends here. You will face the consequences of your actions."
I put a hand over Faz's shoulder when she was about to attack. "Let me handle this."
"They need to die," she hissed, her lethargic face wrapped in anger.
Ravos and Serenia took a step back. Even if they could defeat Faz with their combined strength, their goal was not to harm or kill her. And this was where I would come in.
"In due course," I assured her. "But I need them alive."
Faz stared me in the eyes and saw my unwavering resolve.
"You . . . you will not help me get my revenge?"
"The last time I checked, we've agreed to your freedom in exchange for your loyalty and obedience. Are you going back with your words?"
". . ."
I could see Faz's anger oozing from her behind her tight lips.
[Your relationship with Faz decreased!]
"You want to . . . let them live?"
I nodded. "I need them alive than dead."
Faz, though seething with a desire for revenge, looked at me with a mixture of uncertainty and understanding. She knew that I had a larger plan in mind, one that required keeping Ravos and Serenia alive. With a nod, she reluctantly restrained her vengeful instincts, placing her trust in my judgment.
Rather, she had no choice.
"There's no need to be hostile here," I said calmly, addressing the two elves.
Ravos scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "What are you planning?"
I met Ravos's defiant gaze with a steely resolve. "I'll get straight to the point then. You want eternal life, and I want allies. A simple partnership and change of allegiance would suffice to diffuse this tension."
As the words settled in the air, a tense standoff ensued. The determination to get Faz back and the simmering desire for revenge hung heavy, a clash of wills that would determine the fate of all involved.
Ravos sneered, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "And why should we trust you? What guarantee do we have that you won't turn against us once you achieve your goals?"
I maintained a calm demeanor, my voice steady and persuasive. "Trust is earned through actions, not empty words. I have no interest in turning against you. Our goals align, and together we can achieve far greater power and influence than we could alone."
Serenia, her face still filled with a mix of defiance and uncertainty, spoke up. "You speak of partnership, but what exactly are you talking about?"
I stood firm, meeting their curios and wary gaze with a steely resolve. "I'm going to war, and I need your help."
Ravos's eyes squinted as he processed my words, a mixture of surprise and intrigue evident in his expression. "War?" he echoed, his voice laced with both curiosity and skepticism.
I met his stare with a resolute nod. "Yes, war. A war with the youngest Volmont. Edward Volmont."
Serenia's disbelief broke through her stunned silence. "Edward Volmont? The very embodiment of privilege and power? How did this come to pass?" Her voice carried a mix of astonishment and urgency.
"As you can see. I need allies of my own."
"You need an army," Ravos scoffed.
"I have an army. I have a kingdom." Sort of.
"Kingdom? What's the name?" Serenia questioned.
"HAVEN."
"Never heard of it," Ravos replied dully.
I shrugged. "It's new."
"So, to make this short," Serenia ran her probing eyes over me. "You want us, House Asuka, to ally ourselves with you?"
"In secret," I said. This exchange of words was exhausting.
<In the future, Host could delegate these boring tasks to your diplomats>
"That's a hard, one-sided bargain," said Ravos. "You know that House Asuka is one of the major powerhouses of the kingdom."
"I think it's fair," I told them. "You get your daily boost of energy. Right, Faz?"
Faz didn't utter a word, and when I looked at her, she pouted and looked the other way.
<Kekekeke. All your minion gods don't want to follow you>
I know, without even you pointing it out.
Ravos's gaze flickered between Faz, Serenia, and me, his face a mask of contemplation. "Alliances can shift, and loyalties can waver. What is it that you truly seek from this partnership?"
"I seek to rule this world."
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