The Warp Gates disappeared in unison and Syrook could finally drop the act. He rushed to the crates, bursting them open with a touch of his hand and letting himself almost be drowned in a wave of gold.
"I can't believe that those morons bought your act." Quaron said while stepping out of a Warp Steps. "A bit of Body Sculpting to fix their looks and a bit of rejuvenation to crank those old bones up can't change the fact that they have just a few years to live."
Syrook sighed deeply as the appearance of the Ranger ruined the moment for him.
"It will only matter if they manage to survive the incoming war." He replied. "For the moment, their foolish dream of youth is just the leash with which I'll keep the nobles in line until they outlive their usefulness.
"At that point, I can claim that they died because of their lack of faith. The good thing about being a god is that you don't have to explain yourself to anyone."
"We've really done it!" Quaron threw a handful of gold in the air, letting it fall on his head akin to rain. "Thrud upheld her part of the bargain."
"Indeed." Syrook dilated his nostrils in annoyance at the sight of the Ranger touching his gold and at the thought of losing half of it.
"Not even youth would have brought those old fools on my side if not for a member of the Royal family supporting my political coup and her subjects in the neighboring regions assuring that they would quickly join the uprisal.
"Too bad that now I have to do my part." Syrook split all the riches he had gained from the Nestrar region in half and took one artifact of each kind to be delivered to the Mad Queen.
She was eager to learn the secrets of Royal Forgemastery and recreate them with true magic before the war really started.
"Aren't you afraid of the Council? They are not going to remain silent once they discover that you Awakened me." Quaron said.
"Those old farts are irrelevant. They are so scared to reveal their existence and so glued on their chairs that when they understand what's happening it will be too late.
"Thrud will help me to take them down right after we get rid of the Royal army. Once that happens, I will have full control of the mana geysers of Nestrar and of all the magical goods they produce. As long as I give the Queen her due, of course."
"That said, why are you here? You were supposed to keep riling up the people and stall for time until the Royals are forced to attack their own subjects." The false god said.
He was certain that the Nestrar region would fall, but the seeds of grudge that were being planted in the key areas of the Kingdom would give Thrud the ground she needed to claim the throne.
She didn't want to reign over a pile of ashes nor to win a civil war just for a weakened Griffon Kingdom to be invaded by its neighboring countries. The Mad Queen had been working behind the scenes to make sure that her subjects would welcome her as a savior instead of fighting her like an invader.
"We are in a bit of trouble." Quaron sat on the throne, drinking from the ruby glass and groping the handmaiden's shapely buttocks. "Instead of attacking Zeska or trying to parlay with the City Lord as you predicted, Verhen challenged me to a duel.
"Even with your gifts, I'm not sure that I can take him. The bastard has a crazy reputation and his body count is flawless."
"How can a body count be flawless?" Syrook's eyes turned into fiery slits brimming with mana and fury at the sight of the Ranger touching his stuff.
"Verhen doesn't have a perfect record. He failed a few missions, but he always survived by walking on the corpses of his enemies. I don't want to join the club so I was thinking that we should just ignore him-"
"There's no we!" A simple wave of the fake god's hand made the Ranger bleed from his eyes, ears, and nostrils as every fiber of his body writhed in agony.
"You don't think, you just follow my orders." Quaron fell from the throne in a seizure, foaming from his mouth.
"I didn't give you those powers as a gift nor because I think of us as equals. I just put you on a different leash compared to those buffoons but a leash nonetheless. Once Thrud conquers the Kingdom and gives me the Nestrar region, I need a human face to rule it.
"I can't bear the stench of your race nor the thought of wasting precious time to take care of bipedal cattle instead of using it to increase my powers. My "gifts" give you strength, but they also allow me to read your mind and control your body.
"Touch what's mine again and you'll discover that the difference between a leash and a noose is paper thin!" Syrook sent a new wave of pain that pinned the Ranger to the ground like a bug in a collection.
"Then tell me what to do, master!" Quaron said, yet the false god kept torturing him until he was certain to have broken the Ranger's mind, body, and spirit for good.
"You are going to face Verhen fair and square. Don't even dare to attempt a dirty trick or to change the terms of the fight." Syrook said after reading from Quaron's memories the message that he had received from Zeska.
"Why?" With his life on the line, Quaron feared death more than pain and found the courage to question his orders.
"Because it doesn't matter if you win or lose. You need to show to my subjects that you are the hero they believe you to be. That you are willing to die for them. If you win, then the King will be forced to break his vow.
"If you lose, I'll show up and kill Verhen along with his army. The sight of their god will strengthen the faith of my followers and with no witnesses left, the Kingdom will believe that Verhen lost to you and they will attack Nestrar. Either way, I win." Syrook said.
"It will be done." The Ranger said, coughing out mouthfuls of blood between words.
"Don't worry, you are still too valuable for me. I won't let you die." Syrook bit his index finger, letting the blood drip into the mouth of his servant still sprawled on the ground.
Quaron's body healed instantly as a new strength flowed through his veins. His muscles swelled and his bone popped under the mana pressure that usually only a violet core could exert.
The Ranger felt an adrenaline rush while looking at himself in the mirror and discovering that not only his strength, but also his looks had improved.
Yet he turned pale the moment he realized that he was no different from those nobles he had mocked just a few minutes earlier.
"Let me guess. You didn't do it to increase my chances of victory but only to make me fit for the role of hero.." Quaron said.
