The engines had managed to play up Charluth\u2019s lies by acting like he told them directly. When Charluth tried to defend himself, first by saying that he didn\u2019t say a word to them, only to the workers, the workers said that they heard the insults from Crysna. When pressed for details, he lied about the date. \u201cI swear, I heard it from Crysna only two days before I told them!\u201d he urged Tophan as he spoke with him and the engines. \u201cShe was at the transfer yards!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWas not!\u201d replied Dulna. \u201cShe was at the Quarry! The manager there can confirm it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI already checked with the quarry on my inspection tour,\u201d assured Tophan. \u201cThe workers were singing Crysna\u2019s praises on the day my grandson said she was absent. So, Charluth, tell me, why would they compliment a supposedly absent engine? Answer: she WASN\u2019T! So, is there another lie you wish to spin or will you finally fess up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cY\u2026You don\u2019t believe me?! Your own grandson?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cConsidering that your father has warned me about your habit of lying, no, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJUST A MINUTE!\u201d shouted Charluth. \u201cMy dad would never dare say that! He believes I never lie!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf that were true,\u201d snarled a voice as a man stepped out from behind Gornula, \u201cthen you\u2019re dangerously deluded!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cD-Dad?!\u201d yelped Charluth. \u201cW-What\u2019s that supposed to mean?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always triple-checked your stories,\u201d explained Charluth\u2019s father. \u201cI must say, I\u2019m appalled! You lied worse than I did when I was your age!\u201d Charluth dropped the fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho gives a rip about truth?!\u201d he snapped. \u201cI lied to keep our family afloat! I lied to keep those beneath us in their place! We are surrounded by people who would stab us at any given moment because of the incomprehensible decision of abandoning our benefactor when her stronghold was taken over by Dr. Borg! A benefactor that made us rich beyond belief when we were loyal! Mid-realm rules, Under-realm nobility, Over-realm compassion?! Meaningless! Do you understand?! If we kept to our arrangements before Dr. Borg took over Plunder Island Stronghold, we wouldn\u2019t have suffered through the Final War! Now, with people riding on a severe victory high, we must forge alliances to make sure that they only benefit us! We need to make friends to replace Reb, now that she\u2019s lost her nerve!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was a better leader when she was a Protectorate Pirate!\u201d urged Tophan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe was financially weak when she became one! Building power is all that matters in life! \u2026You\u2019re a fool, Grandfather!\u201d He then turned to his dad. \u201cAnd you\u2019re a fool for following him! \u2026Now I understand why Mom, Mother, Mama, and Dad left you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever you feel about me,\u201d hissed Charluth\u2019s father, \u201cis now irrelevant. Our alliance with Reb made us her vassals and our becoming a family of controllers for a small railway has saved us in numerous ways! \u2026But you insist on the weakness of a nomadic existence. Your pining for a dull existence has proved that you haven\u2019t learned what it means to be civilized yet, so you will remain in my house until you learn sense. You are, effectively, grounded!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t be serious!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m deadly so. Go on and say that you hate me. I\u2019ve heard it before.\u201d He then grabbed his son\u2019s arm and dragged him off the railway. Tophan sighed once they disappeared from view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I must apologize for dragging you into my family\u2019s drama,\u201d he said to his engines. \u201cI must also praise you all for looking out for one another, especially for Crysna.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, it just wouldn\u2019t do to leave the new engine in the lurch now, would it?\u201d asked Dulna. \u201cIt\u2019s simply not the-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot the Great Varshenta Way,\u201d interrupted her coworkers and Tophan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I don\u2019t say it that much, do I?\u201d asked Dulna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reb heard the news of what had happened and mulled over the events for a week before she approached Elgrad again. \u201cRebarisal Rojam,\u201d he boomed, \u201cmy colleagues and I have granted you clemency during the Final War and you rejected it when it was over. Tell me, why should you be given it again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause I now see the folly in a nomadic existence,\u201d replied Reb. Elgrad arched an eyebrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould you be more specific?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI lived as an old pillaging Orc, raiding places for trinkets and other items for me to sell. I never fully internalized what settling down means until an old associate, Tophan, showed me what having a place to call your own can bring. I never made the association that Plunder Island Stronghold was a home for me and my crew. As a Protectorate Pirate, I can make sure that those that are lost can have a home. \u2026They can and will be stronger with a place to call their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen will you swear once more to protect the people of the Realms from your old business associates that have yet to see the light?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen let me warn you that this is your last chance. There will be no more chances if you waste this one. Your Protectorate Pirate status is restored.\u201d Elgrad handed her a commission letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you, My Lord.\u201d Reb stood up and took the letter, then she, Melgem, and Rikuna left the throne room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arsha and Denstra saw them off at the port. \u201cSo,\u201d said Arsha, \u201cwhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbably the usual Protectorate Pirate Business,\u201d replied Rikuna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThough, we\u2019re going to stay on the straight and narrow,\u201d assured Melgem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd we must SIMPLY thank you,\u201d said Reb. She handed Arsha a small box in gift wrapping. Arsha tentatively took it and looked it over with Denstra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t look half bad,\u201d remarked Denstra. \u201cIn fact, the wrapping\u2019s pretty immaculate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how I wrap presents for my DEAREST friends,\u201d chuckled Reb. Arsha pulled on the bow and the lid flew off as a pop-up snake jumped out. Arsha yelped and dropped the box. She then regained her composure and looked at Reb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd what\u2019s that?\u201d she asked, a little annoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI rigged it up myself,\u201d replied Reb. Arsha picked the box up and looked at the snake\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooks almost real,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I\u2019ve never seen one with baby-blue eyes.\u201d The snake then squirted water in Arsha\u2019s face. Reb and Melgem laughed as Rikuna hurried them onto their ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s for that DREADFUL stunt you pulled on me once I left you!\u201d called Reb. \u201cNow we\u2019re even!\u201d Once everything was ready, Reb\u2019s ship took off and headed for the Mid-to-Under Realmgate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I hate her,\u201d grunted Arsha as her face dripped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou, me, and the rest of the Realms,\u201d agreed Denstra as she handed Arsha a cloth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The engines had managed to play up Charluth\u2019s lies by acting like he told them directly. When Charluth tried to defend himself, first by saying that he didn\u2019t say a word to them, only to the workers, the workers said that they heard the insults from Crysna. When pressed for details, he lied about the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,239],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-5482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-6-the-eternal-age-of-unity","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5483,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5482\/revisions\/5483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}