Chapter 576
Ajax was starting to relax a little more now that the conversation had gotten a lot more civil. He was still a little nervous, he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to address the hydra as HelSotHein or each head as an individual depending on which one he was addressing but from the looks of it at least it didn’t seem like things would end up in a fight. Most reassuring for him was that small conversation the hydra had with itself about killing him, though he had to admit he was a little curious about why the hydra thought it would be killed if it decided to kill him.
“Let me cut you off here as well before you ask.” Hel said. “I am not going to form a Bond with you.”
“Oh, I wasn’t going to ask…” Ajax said a little awkwardly.
“You don’t think I’m good enough?” Ajax was starting to see the different personalities of each head, Hein clearly being a younger and more hot headed one than both Hel and Sot.
“Actually, it's me who isn’t good enough.” Ajax’s answer surprised Hein. “At least not yet. I’m pretty sure I’ll catch up.”
At that Ajax decided to throw out his first inspection and put [Inspector’s Eye] to work. He had the perfect excuse ready with this comment and a way to stroke the hydra’s ego if what he felt from the difference in Aura between the two of them was anything to go by.
The information he got was a clear surprise for himself. HelSotHein coiled a little as it felt the inspection Skill, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Ajax was very much surprised to find out the hydra was only level one hundred and twenty three, that was only a little more than double his level but according to the threat it posed it was at the level of Aranor. Even more shocking was that its highest Stat was actually Mind and not Vitality. He had expected the hydra to be a Vitality focused creature from the knowledge he had from Earth, this one seemed to be a caster instead. He supposed that since the Ascended races were all sapient they might have a similar freedom of choice in where to take their builds that the humanoids did.
“You’re more than double my level.” Ajax said, looking to diffuse the situation. “As far as I understand how a Bond works, unless one of us is very young we should be at about the same strength in order for a Bond to establish. Or do you know of another way?”
The question at the end might seem self serving but now that he knew Mind was the hydra’s highest stat Ajax was trying to butter it up by complementing its intelligence, something that might have worked on Hein but from the look Hel was giving him it hadn’t worked and Sot seemed like he not only wasn’t flattered but had actually seen through his plan to flatter the hydra.
“There are some ways to form a Bond outside of those two circumstances but it usually isn’t worth the trouble if what you are looking for is a mutually beneficial partnership. Mostly they are used to bind alliances. Sot offered after a brief moment of uncomfortable silence. “What were you going to ask?”
“ I was going to ask if you were willing to trade some information.” Ajax offered, now that he thought of the hydra as a mage he thought information might hold some more value for it. While humanoids were clearly known in the Wild Lands he was pretty sure all the information came about those who dared venture out here, which was a very small portion of the population. Maybe he could trade some information common back in humanoid lands for some that was common in the Wild Lands. “I’m sure there is a lot I don’t know about being one of the Ascended.”
“Judging from your reaction when I mentioned the Agreement I’d say you’re pretty much aware of everything a humanoid might need to know about being an Ascended race.” Sot said making Ajax hold back a grimace, he had been so focused on being unthreatening his political training had gone out the window and he had leaked information. “The only other thing I could think of is to warn you about keeping your word. You’re the first human I’ve met but from the stories I heard about your kind breaking your word isn’t all that uncommon for you, you’ll find that carries a lot of weight for us Ascended, especially when dealing with members of another race.”
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Ajax made a note of the advice but he also made sure to take it with a pinch of salt. While it might very well be true it was also the kind of obvious thing someone might tell a stranger to make them more forthcoming with correct information.
HelSotHein P.O.V.
So the humanoids were aware of the agreement and yet they still attempted to rob our parents. That is preposterous, perhaps the stories about them were really true.
Calm yourself. He’s an Ascended, the only one in millennia if not much longer he could very well be different. This is a chance to get some updated information on the humanoids that could trade very well. Might even speed up our growth.
He also saw through our privacy, more than that he looked calculating based on what he saw, he clearly didn't think he could kill us or even fight us but he seemed comfortable with the idea of running from us.
“So tell us, how is it that you are aware of the Agreement?” I ask the human, Ajax I remind myself, he isn’t just a human, he is an Ascendant. How would I like it if he thought of me as the hydra.
“The humans, elves, dwarves and beastikin weren't really aware of the Agreement, as you call it. It is only recently that the connection has been made and a theory of its existence has come to be.” Ajax answers, I can feel the answer is the truth but there is something more he isn’t sharing [Honest Intentions] giving me a good read on him. “You mention that your parent was responsible for creating this ruin, that fact is actually part of the basis for the theory on this.”
“Oh how so?” That is interesting so the humanoids aren’t aware of the agreement. It seems like such a waste that the greatest of them sacrificed so much to make that agreement and yet his legacy isn’t even remembered by his people despite them benefiting from it.
“Every record of any interaction we can find between humanoids and the Ascended races starts with humanoids provoking them, in some form of way before they are wiped out.” Ajax answers, this time it's the full truth. “All but one, one where the Ascended attacked unprovoked and two other Ascended races killed it before it could do too much damage."
“I suppose I can see how the Agreement would be easy to work out if you are looking at records for enough time.” I agree. “Though it seems hard to figure out how knowledge of it was forgotten in the first place.”
“Greed.” The surety in Ajax’s words surprised me. “Some king or queen some time back wanted something from one of the Ascended races, he wasn’t dumb enough to try and get it himself so he would have restricted the knowledge and once a generation was born who didn’t learn it he would send them to get it. Then the race retaliated and killed the king and the survivors who escaped lost the knowledge forever, though I imagine they gained a healthy fear of Ascended that would last at least a few generations.”
“It’s a good thing that we figured it out now.” Ajax continued. “It will help a lot with making the expansions a lot safer.”
“What expansions?” I didn’t need to see the small smirk he tried to suppress at my question to know I had given him the exact reaction he wanted.
“There has been a small breakthrough for humanoids, a way to save tens, maybe even a hundred extra stats, for everybody.” Ajax explains.
“That little means nothing.” I would lose more than that just by losing one head for good, sure it wouldn’t be pleasant but it wasn’t a revolutionary amount of stats.
“Not for the top people, the strongest and nobles.” Ajax agreed. “But this works for everyone, most of the common people will take those extra stats they saved and instead of trying to become even stronger they will just toss them into Vitality. Doing so that early will increase lifespan by a fair amount, with that a large increase in population will follow. Our kingdoms will have to expand to have enough space for the people while the rulers find a way to slow down that growth.”
That was valuable information. “Why are you telling me that?” I ask.
“Because I am hoping you will tell me what the reaction to such expansion would be so that I might best prepare for it.” He was honest about how he hadn’t given me the information just to befriend me he was fishing for something for himself as well but that wasn’t something to hold against him.
“That depends on which direction you decided to expand in.” I answer. “And which Ascended race you find there. You’ll find that a good number of them have a bad impression of humanoids.”
“The grudge against the Reaper still holds…” He knows about the Reaper, that’s interesting he clearly has more knowledge of the agreement than he let on initially and now I know a little more about that .
“It’s not him they have a grudge against.” I explain. “Its those who took over after he died that caused the rift. Back then humanoids truly held a position as one of the Ascended races, turns out your leader didn’t just make an agreement for us to leave you alone but he was also making sure humanoids left us alone. After his death the conflicts were started by humanoids but Ascended ones, they didn’t have his power but they still did a lot of damage that hasn’t been forgiven yet by a lot of us.”