CHAPTER 14: THE TERMS OF NEIGHBORS
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The air above the field was thick with unspoken threats and calculations. Baroness Katarina's composure was a fortress, but I could see the cracks, the rapid pulse in her neck, the way her eyes darted from me to Nyx's shadow that fell over her like a shroud.
"A new understanding," she repeated, her voice a carefully controlled neutral. "You speak boldly for a man whose house was on the brink of ruin not a week past."
"A week ago, the world was a different place," I replied, keeping my tone even, leveraging the [Basic Diplomacy] knowledge to project unshakable confidence. "We adapt, or we perish. Stonecrest has adapted. We are no longer a drain on the region's resources, but its strongest bulwark. I am offering you the chance to have that bulwark as a neighbor, not a foe."
I let the silence stretch, allowing the truth of it to sink in. She could try to fight me, but the cost would be catastrophic. Or she could acknowledge the new reality and profit from it.
"And what does this 'bulwark' require for its friendship?" she asked, her words laced with skepticism. "Gold? Soldiers? Submission?"
"Trade," I said, the word simple and unexpected. "We have food. Soon, we will have a surplus. We have skilled smiths producing superior steel. We need lumber, cloth, and access to the river trade routes you control."
Her eyebrows rose a fraction. This was not the demand of a warlord; it was the proposal of a merchant lord. It was… mundane. And that made it more disarming.
"You expect me to believe you are growing a surplus of food in the ashes of an invasion?"
"Come and see for yourself in three weeks' time," I challenged gently. "Bring your own grain masters. Let them walk our fields. Judge the quality of our steel for yourself. Let the evidence speak, not the rumors."
This was a critical gambit. Inviting her to inspect my keep was a show of ultimate confidence. It said I had nothing to hide, that my power was not a fragile illusion. The [Diplomacy] knowledge informed me that transparency, when you held the stronger hand, could be more unnerving than secrecy.
She was thrown off balance. The script she had prepared for this meeting was in tatters. "You would open your gates to me?"
"To a valued trading partner and a respected neighbor? Of course." I leaned forward slightly, Nyx adjusting her hover with a subtle beat of her wings. "But understand this, Baroness. This offer is predicated on mutual respect. Any attempt to spy, to sabotage, or to bring hostile force to my lands will be viewed as a declaration of war. And unlike the demons, we will not be fighting for mere survival. We will be fighting for conquest."
The temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees. The pleasantries were over. I had laid out the carrot and the club with brutal clarity.
She fears, Nyx's thought brushed my mind. But more than fear, she covets. She sees the shape of the power you wield and wishes to own a piece of it.
My dragon was a better psychologist than I was. Katarina wasn't just scared; she was calculating how to use this.
"Your… guardian," she said, her gaze fixed on Nyx. "Is it tame?"
The question was an insult, and she knew it. She was probing the nature of our bond, looking for a weakness.
"Nyx is no one's pet," I said, my voice gaining an edge of frost. "She is my ally. My partner. She chose to fight beside me. Ask yourself, Baroness, what kind of man earns the allegiance of a creature from legend? And what do you think she would do to those who threaten that alliance?"
To emphasize the point, Nyx let out a low, resonant growl that didn't seem loud, but vibrated deep in the chest, felt more than heard. The Baroness's horse shied nervously, and she had to fight to keep it under control.
The message was received.
She took a deep, steadying breath, her political mask sliding back into place. "Very well, Leo Stark. Dragon Baron. I will… consider your proposal. I will send my stewards in three weeks to assess your claims. Until that time, let there be a truce between our houses. No moves against the other."
It was a start. It wasn't a formal alliance, but it was a cessation of hostility and a crack in the door.
"Agreed," I said with a slight, formal nod. "We will await your representatives. And Baroness," I added, as she began to turn her horse. "The next demon wave will not be mindless. It will be led by a commander named Vorgath. He is cunning. Fortify your own lands. We may have need of each other yet."
I gave her one last piece of strategic truth. A warning that cost me nothing but reinforced my position as the region's foremost expert on the true threat. It bound her to me through shared peril.
Without waiting for a reply, I nudged Nyx with my mind. She beat her wings once, powerfully, gaining altitude, and turned us north towards home.
I didn't look back. The impression had been made.
[Quest Completed: The Field of Treaties]
[Reward: +500 Plot Points, +100 Regional Reputation, 'Diplomacy' Sub-module Unlocked.]
[New Title: Astute Diplomat - Slightly increases the chance of successful negotiations.]
A new layer of the Kingdom Management interface unfolded in my mind. I could now see a simple diplomacy screen, with [Baroness Katarina - Riverbend] listed as [Relation: Cautious (-15/100)]. There were also entries for [The Crown - Aethelgard] at [Relation: Wary (0/100)] and even [Aethelgard Royal Astral Academy] at [Relation: Inquisitive (-30/100)].
I had 800 Plot Points again. A war chest.
As Stonecrest came back into view, the half-built wall now looking like a promise rather than a patch, I felt a surge of satisfaction. I had faced my first political test and not only survived but gained ground.
But the System, ever vigilant, had a reminder.
[Alert: Plot Deviation has reached 10%.]
[System Analysis: Minor narrative inertia detected. The 'Chosen One' narrative is attempting to reassert itself.]
[Warning: Protagonist Draco Blackwood has completed his first major quest early. He has been acknowledged by the Church of the Sacred Flame and is en route to the Aethelgard Royal Astral Academy. His path is accelerating.]
The universe was pushing back. Draco was catching his own breaks, his own plot armor tightening around him. Our stories were now in a race, two narrative threads pulling against each other.
The Dragon Baron had secured his borders for now. But the war for the very script of this world was just beginning.
CHAPTER 14 COMPLETE
Next: The return to Stonecrest and the frantic push to meet the three-week deadline. Leo must now manage internal growth while watching the accelerated rise of his fated rival.
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The local threat is managed for now, but the cosmic clock is ticking faster. The Dragon Baron must build faster than destiny can repair itself.