>>5935601The Rex-Imperator now enters the palace of the Emperor. It was a place of absolute luxury; baths, rooms for harem women, cushioned floors, decadent stores of food even as his people were suffering from overpopulation and a food crisis. He finds himself disgusted by the hedonistic lifestyle his counterpart lived. This is why he was defeated, he tells himself. That and this artifact he now holds in his hands. He stares at it, feeling a great temptation arise from a dark and hidden wellspring within the core of his very being.
A tool such as this could be used to great purpose. It could tame monsters and men alike, force them into submission. It would make the people safe. His advisors, who would keep him from pursuing his love with the warden? He could change their minds, or remove them from their positions with no arguments, or even have them kill themselves. He could have it all... as many wives, as many servants, anything he would ever desire for himself and his children.
Out there, on the field, he knew the thrill of victory. Why not take and keep this as a reward? Does he not deserve it? If such a thing exists, why not make use of it? It could be only for what is needed, or what is deemed prudent at the time, or whatever he wants whenever he wants...
The Rex-Imperator trembles a moment, awash in the power and promise the staff offers. He faces this temptation, and after a shamefully long moment of consideration, breaks the staff in two and casts it aside, the enchantment now rendered meaningless and the staff now only two useless hunks of wood. He takes a deep breath and falls to his knees, certain that he has made the right decision. He will tell tales to his children one day of this moment, the moment when he could have become a tyrant but chose not to.
The mustelids will need to be released safely; they came from somewhere in the west, their native river lands. As for the wyverns, while the adults will never be able to be tamed, several eggs can be taken from the broodmother before. A question of if releasing the creatures is for the best, or if they should be put down and their resources harvested.
The palace is looted of riches; valuable works of art, jewels, and other trinkets are taken by the soldiers, but nothing from the common folk. The women of the harem are dismissed, though a good number of them find their way into the arms of the soldiers. The next day, the female dragon Alacris returns with the draconic sorceress to deliver good news: the family of the old mage made its way safely into our lands.
He thanks them deeply for their assistance, as well as that of Avitus, and plans to do the same for the fallen Velox once he recovers. He now plans to tour the three villages before triumphantly returning to Anguia.
