Chapter 27: Balls to the Wall

"Holy shit!  Gang raped?"

...

The sun set a couple hours ago.  But the Grand Hall of Lions Keep is still bright.  Every chandelier hanging from the ceiling.  Every wall lamp.  All shining bright with flame or magic.  And under this brilliance?

Lords and ladies, merchants and priests, the rich and powerful, or even just the famous.  All talk and dance the night away.  Accompanied by the strings and horns of two dozen musicians.  A conductor guiding their performance.

They even have a singer or two for some pieces.  Yep, a fantasy orchestra in another world.  I'm geeking out again.

Concert halls were another thing Sayo wished for but its been as long a road as the school uniforms.  The group performing for us tonight is the Raeleran Symphony that the Lord of Lions Keep has supported financially for generations.

More money flying out of my pockets.

The damage from my first audience in the Grand Hall has long since been repaired and after a buffet style dinner?  I've spent the last eight-hour dancing.  With my wives and, what may be, half the female population of this continent.

Very old, way too young, and every age in between.  Grab me for dance after dance.  Yes I've been practicing my ballroom dancing a lot.  Like a lot a lot.  But I doubt my moves are impressing them.

Again, after Gilend Falls, I'm the top dog in this corner of Tourin now.  So almost everyone who is anyone wants to be on my good side.

Oh well.

Nigs, the local thieves guild rep, has been here the whole time.  He's a jolly looking fat guy who seems like he couldn't hurt a fly.  We've sparred once or twice.  The man is a genius with a knife.  One of those who moves so smoothly it doesn't even look like he's moving.

[Super Senses] tells me he got my message.  Because he has had plenty of folks brushing by him oh so coincidentally looking like.  Yet every time he is sliding another paper into his coat or getting another whisper in his ear.

While he gathers what I want to know?  I take another look at my six stunning wives.  All done up with fancy fantasy dancing dresses and chatting away with the men and women around them.

Red is, of course, in a red dress.  Frankie is wearing a purple dress.  Blue, naturally, has a blue dress on.  While Lili donned a yellow dress.  Odaline chose a white dress for tonight.  And Simone slipped into a black dress.

My mistress Silvie is gracing a green dress.  My new sister Clari put on a black and green dress.  Helping associate her with House Lianlaf.  While Val and her six sisters wear racy black dresses.

I've got a, feeling completely inappropriate for me, white outfit on and am wearing Sanctity and Tormentor on my hips.

Know its pathetic, but I don't want my wives dancing without me.  I'm even alternating every other dance with one of them.  So all six have, already, each had a turn or two with me.

They seem to understand my possessiveness, or insecurity.  So are turning down the many offers they are getting to dance.  Some even including gifts.

Strangely, the idiots dumb enough to go too far?  Are being kept at bay by a bizarre alliance of staff and guests.

Guess no one, in the know, wants a repeat of sneaky and casanova's fate taking place tonight in front of hundreds of party goers.  I would totally do it too.

Of course I have no problem with my mistresses dancing with others.  Yeah, its weird.  I don't quite get it either.

Clari, who has already been declared my adopted sister, is having the time of her life.  She is getting tons of attention and several formal introductions have taken place.  Those could lead to marriage negotiations later.

Of course she has an attendant with her to keep things from going to far.  Hired a few from the thieves guild thru Nigs already, just for these dances.  On top of the living shadows I've placed in their shadows.

Why the thieves guild?  Combat ability and magic resistance.  They've already gotten the green light from me to injure or kill, their discretion, anyone who goes too far.

Val and her sisters are having an amazing time too.  Val's been tutoring her sisters.  Being a healthy vampire, or whatever they actually are, really brings out their beauty.  They may get quite a few meals tonight.  Just hope they stay safe.

Don't want any of them to get Van Helsinged.

Silvie is sticking close to Blue and also turning down all offers.  Seems some of the elves here are either relatives, or know them.  She doesn't want any bad reports reaching her mother.

Gotta admit I'm happy with how well things are going.  The biggest fish in tonight's pond are the Chastels.  Not just the duke and duchess. Several Chastel families have reps here too.

Rank wise, besides the duke, there are several counts, a number of viscounts, and a whole herd of barons.  And that's just the humans.  Beastkin, elves, dwarves, and even halflings, are here.  Its a complete fantasy ballroom experience.

Supposedly someone from the royal family and another duchy will be showing up in a day or two.  Maybe even from the other march.  Its only the second day after all.  The exams don't even begin until day four.

Nigs finally catches my eye.  He's ready.  I apologize and cut short my dance with a milf.  My wives feel the change and excuse themselves from their conversations.  New old seneschal and ex patchy catch the signs as well as the mayor and constable.

Even Tharick and Frosty are suddenly next to me.  Sneaky bastards.  Val, Silvie, and Clari, join us on the way.

I thought about keeping this need to know only but I refuse to keep anything from my wives.  And, honestly, if it comes to a fight there might be a ton of collateral damage.  So really, the ones in charge of handling such things?  Should know too.

Nigs didn't expect this big an audience but everyone in the room knows who he really is.  Once everyone is in this largest balcony meeting room?  Black and greens take up position inside and out.  As do my undead.

Thru shadows I see the secondaries have smoothly subbed to keep everything humming.  The duke and a couple others picked up on the change but choose to pretend its not happening.

Well, let's get this shindig started.

"Welcome lords and ladies.  Misters and misses.  Thank you for giving me some of your time despite the short notice."  Nods and murmurs.  "I have asked Mister Nigs to join us this evening to share what the thieves guild knows about the aquecian heroes."

The mayor is the first to respond.  Poor guy has been running ragged trying to keep the festival going smoothly.

"Thank you for inviting us Viscount Barton, but why should I care about the aquecian heroes?"

While my first audience was terrifying?  Its become clear, since then, that I'm not the interfering type.  They do their jobs?  And I will support them completely.  Okay.  Here, we, go.

"Because the thief hero is in Pearlden."

"What!?!"  That's Pearlden's top cop.

The thought of how much destruction heroes could bring?  Yeah, he's not a happy guy right now.

"Onii-chan?  Are you sure?"  Frosty loli, doubts.

"I met her today.  She is in disguise but I can see thru it.  The others may be here too, but she is the only one I've encountered."  Hand wave.  "So far.  If they are in disguise?"

Marshal ex patchy rubs his chin.

"Then they are up to something they don't want us knowing about."

I nod.

"This may be just a scouting mission.  But why send a hero to scout?"  Meaningful shrug.  "Sabotage?  Assassination?"

Tharick finger combs his long ass beard.

"Scouting and sabotage don't need a hero to accomplish."

"Maybe they are not after me?  They may be targeting someone else?"

Many eyes look at the second toughest bastard in the room.  The Rector of Stormgarde Academy.

"Well, to make a better judgement we need more information.  So I have asked Mister Nigs to provide it."  I sit and point to the very not thief looking thief.  Who replies.

"Thank you.  The aquecian heroes were summoned on..."

"Holy shit!  Gang raped?"

Everyone in this room has spent the last hour plus listening to a happy looking fat man tell a truly unhappy tale.  Beginning with the summoning of four children.  Then moving on to their training, and manipulation.

Well, they see them as naive adults.  I see them as children.

Climaxing with the kidnapping and repeated gang rape of the 'priest' hero only a month after their arrival.

Then onto the reactions of the other heroes when they discovered what was being done to 'the Saint.'  And what was planned for the other two women.  Massacre isn't nearly an appropriate enough word to describe what followed.

The 'heroes,' went on a rampage across the aquecian capital.  Hunted down anyone involved who ran.  Even executed the emperor in broad daylight.  And after putting a new emperor on the throne?  Launched a full scale purge.

They killed hundreds.  Imprisoned thousands more.  They even started sterilizing people.  Chopping dicks and balls off.  Cutting out ovaries and uteruses.  What the fuck?

"So, why were they turning people into eunuchs?"

Nigs had an answer ready to go.  Way to smart a fellow.

"The Saint allows no 'whole' man near her and no 'complete' woman near the Hero."

While their actions were brutal?  They got results.  With any opposition dead or hiding?  The heroes could do anything they wanted to do with the largest human nation on the continent.

And when those heroes are over educated, over motivated, over powered, traumatized, and brutalized, japanese students?  That's apparently a whole hell of a lot.

They've pushed back the demons.  Liberated a ton of territory and rescued tens of thousands from slave camps.  Started rebuilding and expanding the empire's roads and infrastructure.  And begun mandatory education for children.

But they also continue to arrest and torture thousands.  Buy slaves by the boatload.  And have created a private army of neutered men and spayed women.

Plus formed a police force with unlimited authority.  Added 'observers,' political commissars, to the army.  Even begun a program of propaganda and indoctrination.  All while blaming all of aquecia's problems?  On non-humans.

Beastkin, dwarf, elf, and halfing.  If you are not human?  Or are human but have some non-human ancestors?  You are the problem.  The words 'final solution' ring any bells?

Fuck.

"Fantasy nazis.  I hate fantasy nazis."

"Jon?"  Red's curious.

"Its, from my world's past.  About a century ago, a nation was taken over by a group calling themselves 'nazis.'  At first, they got things working again in a nation that was paralyzed by economic and political problems."  Leaning back.  "But it was a trap."

Realize that all the other conversations in the room have stopped.

"A trap, master?"  Yes Frankie.

"Yep.  You see, they came to power by telling people that others were to blame for, well, everything."  Shake my head.  "They built their power on jealousy, hate, and fear.  Which led to needing more of the same, to stay in power."

"Dearest?  What happened?"  Lili is a top shelf milf.

"War.  A World War.  My world's second one, in fact."  Eye rubs.  "My memory may be off, but I think it was fifty million humans died in around five years?"

"M-million?"  Indeed Simone.

"Yeah.  A million is a thousand thousands."  Eyes around the room get big.  "Picture five hundred Raelera's being murdered to the last man, woman, and child.  In just five years."

"Metia save us."

"Oh and sixty to eighty of those Raelera's?  Was the nazis own people.  Not soldiers either."  Jaws are dropping now.  "The nazis even setup camps they hauled people to so they could kill them faster.  All day and all night.  For years."

"..."

"So!"  Clap my hands and many jump.  "The point of that story is nazis are bad.  And those four japanese kids are using an awful lot of pages from the nazis book."

"..."

"Thank you Mister Nigs.  I think I understand the situation now."

Frosty tilts her head.

"Onii-chan?"

"The thief hero is here to kill me.  If they decide I'll get in their way.  And I will definitely be in their way."  Sigh.  "I am not here for you.  But I'm sure as shit not going to let them turn Tourin into a death camp.  Killing everyone with any non-human ancestors."

Can't help but start laughing.  Earning me a sharp look from new old seneschal.

"My lord?  What about this is funny?"

"A necromancer from another world.  Is facing nazis from another world.  On a fantasy world.  And you don't find it funny that a necromancer wants to stop people from getting killed?"

Several guffaws, giggles, and chuckles follow.  Nigs even breaks out a belly laugh.

"So the rest of the heroes are not here?"  New old seneschal asks.

"Very doubtful.  Nazis are paranoid.  If they all left?  They might not have a country to come back too."

Nigs comments again.

"Latest rumors include the Saint being pregnant."

Rubbing my neck.

"The thief hero is probably alone.  The other two are watching over Aquecia and the Saint."

New old seneschal asks.

"What do we do?"

"You?  Nothing.  Be aware.  Be prepared.  After this afternoon?  She should think that I'm weaker than her.  So she won't feel pressured to do anything right away."

Frosty gives me a worried look.

"Will that really be okay onii-chan?"

"Should be.  They are like four lordlings whose childhoods were way too sheltered.  And were then suddenly dumped in the slums with no way out.  They are trying to protect themselves by controlling everything around them.  Using examples from my world's history."

Ex patchy asks.

"What will you do?"

"Me?  Keep her guessing.  Either until she's confused enough to leave.  Or she heals enough to forgive herself."

Blue turns to me.

"Darling?  Forgive herself for what?"

"For not being as strong as she thinks she is."

Nigs (male, human, tourinese)