Once everything was in place, the plan was set into motion, and everyone in the party found places to watch out of sight as Dawson the Daring stepped a bit over-enthusiastically onto the open ledge overlooking the village. He walked forward a couple paces until he was near the edge, and loudly cleared his throat as he raised his hands."People of this gnoll camp! My compatriots and I wish you good day, and wish to speak to those of you in charge about the possibility of brokering peace." He said, the metallic echo of his voice echoing through the ma.s.sive room. "We have no interest in continuing the conflict between us, and are willing to make concessions in order to obtain what we are hoping to achieve. Please select a delegation to parley with us, that we may find a more amicable resolution than continued bloodshed."
Once he finished speaking, he turned towards Jack looking for feedback. Jack gave him a thumbs-up, which Dawson reciprocated before resuming.
"I will remain on this ledge fully visible, awaiting your response. As soon as you have decided to speak terms, the members of our party who will be representing our interests will agree to hold negotiations within the village center, as a first gesture of good faith." He said. That being done, he stabbed his greatsword point downwards into the dirt, and rested both hands on the pommel as he and the rest of the party prepared for a long period of standing by.
To almost everyone"s surprise, a cry of reply came up less than a minute later.
"Ve agree to your inizhal terms. Select sree of your people. Ve vill gladly dizcuss peace." The voice called up.
Dawson turned towards the rest of the group.
Urien frowned.
"I don"t like it. It seems too eager. Too easy." He said.
Jack turned to Urien. They finally had the chance to stop future fighting after all the carnage they"d caused, and his first instinct was to a.s.sume that it was all a ruse.
"Is there ever a time you like or feel good about a single thing anyone else in this party, especially me, comes up with?" Jack said, looking Urien in the eye. For the first time since they"d met, he was actually feeling frustrated with him.
Urien crossed his arms and straightened his back.
"Excuse me?"
"They"ve offered to talk terms. They"re expressing a willingness to end this fight. They have made no effort to come and flush us out, or take Dawson down, and they have every reason to want peace because of the harm we"ve done them. Why do you have to automatically naysay it?" Jack asked.
"Do you think you know these creatures?" Urien asked, stepping forward so he was nearly nose to nose with Jack. "Hmm? Do you think you have a better idea of how they operate than I do?"
"I think any intelligent being, when faced with the prospect of certain defeat and death will look for a way to keep it from happening." Jack said. "It"s basic psychology. Just give them a chance and accept that you might be wrong for once."
"I don"t know what this psychology is, but if you believe all other sentient race think and act like us, most especially those fur-covered mongrels, you are a fool." Urien said, stepping even closer so that his hardened gaze bored into Jack"s. After a moment, he turned and took a step away.
"Farien and I had other siblings once. A sister named Ingrid, who was a masterful archer, and an older brother named Sigmund, who was a healer. And a mother too. Hannah was her name." He said quietly. He paused for a moment, and then continued pacing as he did so.
"I saw Ingrid eaten alive by one of those dogs while another one raped her during a raid. My mother, she was hauled off as a prize and we never saw her again. I can still hear the sounds of her screaming my father"s name as her face disappeared into the underbrush. My brothers and I, as well as many of the men in our village, pursued this raiding party until we finally cornered them in a narrow ravine on the far side of this very same mountain. We had slaughtered nearly all of their number, and outnumbered the remaining amoung nearly three to one. My brother, being the gentlest and wisest, insisted on trying to talk to them, to offer them a chance at peace, to surrender without death. The dogs agreed immediately, and when my brother and serveral others went to meet with them, the hounds turned on them, hacking them all to pieces and then rushing our line before most of us had a chance to react. It was a slaughter. Nearly every man with us was either wounded or killed, and the dogs escaped. When I found my brother"s body, it was barely recognizable as a corpse."
Urien turned and stuck his finger in Jack"s face, his expression hard and unyielding.
"So don"t you dare think you know better than me. You"re a soft boy who is playing at being a hero. What have you lost, Jack? Hmm?"
"The girl I"m trying to rescue from this cave." Jack said quietly, his voice cold. "A girl I spend nearly every waking second afraid I will never see again. The first girl to ever..." He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence. Without warning, tears flooded his eyes, and he had to clear his throat and turn away for a moment. Once he composed himself, he continued.
"Look, you"re right. I don"t have the experiences you have, and there is a chance I am being naive. But this working is just about the only chance I"ve got to get Eleanor back. And I will do anything to get her out of this place and away from these monsters, even if that includes me dying in the process. Why? Because that"s what a hero does. If you"re telling me you have no interest in being a part of the group that goes and meets with them, that is your choice. But I am going with or without you." He said. He turned to go, only for Urien to grab him hard by the shoulder and hold him in place.
"No, you"re not. You"re not in charge here, Jack, no matter how much you think you are." He snarled.
Before Jack could stop himself, a pulse of magical energy was already surging through his body. He turned, s.n.a.t.c.hed Urien completely off the ground, and slammed him hard enough against the cave wall for it to knock the wind out of Urien"s lungs. For the first time, there was a look of genuine fear in Urien"s eyes as Jack spoke again.
"Let me explain something to you. I am, without a doubt, the most dangerous person in this party. The only reason this expedition even happened is because I led the way because all of you have never been able to find it. The only reason you all didn"t die in Darkshire Forest is because I killed their leader. The only reason you all didn"t get shot to death or die in the trenches around the defensive line is because I trained you all in defensive tactics and then called a literal f.u.c.king firestorm and destroyed the entire f.u.c.king camp single-handedly while you protected yourselves. Or did you forget that already?" He said, his voice raising in volume and emotion as he spoke. He found himself trembling now, and whether it was from his emotions or the magic in his veins, he wasn"t sure.
"I am tired of this world. Since I have been here I have been beaten, burned, feasted on, stabbed, drugged, disrespected, and disregarded. One of the only two bright spots for me in this entire time being here is currently probably the plaything of a megalomaniacal furbag somewhere in this cave. I am going to end this, I am going to get her back, and I am going back to the farm with her. And there is nothing you or any of the rest of you can do to stop me from doing that." He said.
He stepped in towards Urien, staring into the ranger"s eyes hard enough to make the man blanche as his grip around the man"s collar grew tighter and tighter.
"So either come with me, or get the f.u.c.k out of my way. Got it?"
And without another word, he dropped Urien off the wall, and walked past the rest of the dumbstruck party as he walked to join Dawson on the ledge.