Kapitel 492: Power of Suggestion
Inside one of the many tunnels outside of Oblivion, a black wolf clawed at a dead end. "Interesting!" he said loudly.
The lizard nearest him was startled by his presence. He had thought he was alone. The creature hurried to his side with a small lamp. "What are you doing wandering around in the dark?"
The black wolf shrugged. "Your eyes get used to it if you let them. If I want to be strong, I have to push myself, right?"
The lizard thought for a moment. "I suppose that is true...Why did you say 'interesting'? Did you find something?"
"Look here!" The wolf teased at the dirt and it fell away easily, widening the cavern almost instantly. The phenomena was nothing short of magical. "See?! The soil practically digs itself. We could be under the wall and invading Oblivion tonight!"
The lizard hissed, his inhuman tongue flicking in and out of his mouth. "That is quite an observation! Lady Livie will be very pleased when you tell her."
The black wolf looked offended. "When I?… no no my friend! When we tell her, you mean. As you said, it is hard to see in the dark, so your contribution was crucial."
The lizard stroked his chin. "I suppose..."
"Excellent! Let's go tell Lady Livie together. I don't want to take all the credit!" A furry hand clapped against the leathery hide of his companion, nearly causing the lizard to drop his lamp. "How fortunate that you came along when you did!"
The lizard's eyes swiveled in the darkness, looking the wolf up and down. His tongue continued to flick in and out of the lamplight, enhancing his sense of smell.
"May I ask you a personal question..." the reptile paused, waiting for a name.
"It's me. Johyn. Do you really not recognize me?" The wolf pressed his hand against his chest.
"Of course, Johyn...It's just dark in here. Uh, Johyn, how tall were you before you, uh, turned?" The lizard's tongue flicked closer and closer to the wolf's face. Johyn backed away to avoid being licked.
"Why are you worried about my height? You know I used to be smaller than a gnome. Turning made average. Why do you have to poke at my sore spot right after I have helped us both? Not everyone can be tall and slender like you!"
The lizard backed up slightly, aggrieved. "I did not mean to sound ungrateful. You just smell...."
"Like dirt and sweat? I have no idea how I smell because my nose is clogged with mud from a cave-in back there." Johyn jerked his thumb down a side tunnel.
"Another cave-in?" the lizard cast a nervous glance the direction indicated. The thought of the walls crashing down on him suddenly seemed like a very real threat. It would be nice to see the sky again, and soon.
"Izzy? Is that you? Who are you talking to?" A voice called from behind them. A faint light was growing in the distance.
"Over here, Pippy! Johyn and I found something," the lizard answered, cupping one hand to his mouth.
"Who?" The far off voice questioned.
"Don't be rude or you won't be able to share in our glory," Izzy warned.
A second lizard peeked around the bend. His eyes widened with greed as he processed Izzy's words. "Glory? Oh, you said Johyn! I thought you said Jym. Hello Johyn, I hardly recognized you in all that dirt!"
The wolf flashed a vicious smile. "Don't fret. I didn't recognize either of you at first either."
The ground around them trembled slightly, pulling the three from their thoughts. "Let's get out of here and tell Lady Livie the good news." Izzy held the light tightly in his claw.
Johyn patted his friend's shoulder once more. "Good idea. All I ask is that I get to be there when you tell her."
"Me too! Don't forget about me!" Pippy fell in step behind the other two.
Pippy had no idea what was going on, but there was no way he was not going to seize the chance to get into the good graces of the lovely Livie. Joyhn and Izzy were his best friends, after all. They were a team!
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Three mud-caked abominations emerged from the crater with triumphant grins. Seeking out their illustrious leader, they marched through the ranks of their army without sparing the lazy soldiers a glance.
As they approached the broken platform, they caught sight of the gorgeous woman whom they served. She was resting in the shade of the last unbroken wooden beam of the battering ram, being attended by a silver wolf at her side.
But before the trio could gain access to their mistress, Hadley stepped between them and the platform to block their path.
"State your business, Izzy." Hadley looked down at the lizard with disdain.
As a human, the filthy creature had been beneath her notice and she saw no reason for that to change now that he was technically her equal. She snarled slightly to remind the lizard of his place.
Izzy hesitated, looking back at Johyn and Pippy. Bolstered by their presence, he addressed the she-wolf confidently. "We are here to see Lady Livie."
"We?" Hadley arched her brow and eyed the two creatures with Izzy. "And who are these numbskulls?"
"You remember Pippy?" Izzy motioned to the other lizard.
"And this is Jym," Pippy offered.
"His name is Johyn, you fool!" Izzy elbowed his friend. "Did you hit your head down there or something?"
Hadley tapped her foot on the ground, stopping the two lizards from beginning to quarrel. "So we have Izzy, Pippy, and Johyn…shouldn't your name be Johnny?"
"For you, I can be." The onyx wolf covertly winked.
"None of that," Hadley barked, but there was no bite behind her words.
Below all the dirt, the black wolf seemed quite handsome, even if he had two numbskulls for friends.
Clearing her throat, Hadley abandoned her train of thought. "Why do you want to see our Lady?"
"We have some important news about the tunnels," Izzy insisted. He spoke loudly, hoping to catch Livie's ear.
Unfortunately, the beautiful woman was engaged in a conversation with her assistant and fully uninterested in what her gatekeeper was doing.
"Tell me and I will relay the message." Hadley crossed her arms. There was a finality in her voice that the lizard was hard pressed to overcome.
Johyn stepped in on his friend's behalf. "I never thought you would steal the credit for our hard work. Surely you can appreciate the value of Izzy's firsthand knowledge. Only he can answer Lady Livie's questions about what we have found."
The she-wolf bared her teeth. "How dare you! I worked hard to get here and have never stolen credit for anything in my life. At least tell me the message so I can deem if it is worthy enough for you to bother our lady." Hadley's olive branch of compromise seemed good to Izzy and he launched into his pitch.
"We were down in the tunnels, my friends and I. Just like Fechin ordered. We know when he says to do something, we should act on it like Lady Livie herself said it. So we did and headed into the tunnels as soon as we were bid to do so…"
"Get on with it before I kick you back into the tunnel with my own foot," Hadley snarled.
But Izzy had already begun his performance, and there would be no stopping him now. "So there we were in the tunnels. Darkness on all sides. The ground was threatening us at every moment. But we were not afraid. With abandon we pushed our safety aside and pressed ever forward.
There were a few times I thought my lamp was going to go out, but even in the darkness I would have pressed forward. That is when I heard a voice in the void. At first, I thought I was just hearing something, but no! It was Johyn here talking to me like good friends do. So I said to him..."
A low rumble escaped Hadley's chest. "Get to the point!" Her razor sharp claws shone like daggers waiting to pierce his chest.
"Be patient, Hadley! I am almost there...." Izzy ignored the warning.
Hadley's pupils began to grow. She lifted the lizard with her mighty paw off the ground, letting him dangle by his neck. "The point. Now."
The lizard choked out his final words. "The tunnels. There is a spot near Oblivion. The dirt is soft. We can breach below the wall tonight."
"Hadley, drop him." Livie interrupted Izzy's death. The she wolf registered her mistress's voice just in time for her eyes to return to normal.
Her paw-like hand opened, releasing the frightened lizard to the ground. Izzy gasped for air. His own eyes had begun to see red when Hadley grabbed him, but the lack of air had stunted the fire from overtaking him. He fell to the platform gasping and helpless.
"Thank you, my lady," he dipped his head to the noblewoman.
Livie narrowed her gaze on the poor creature. "Don't thank me yet..."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein