Chapter 11: 11 – Plan

X saw a narrow path out of his conundrum, one opportunity, and he’d take it, he’d take every chance he could and more. He grinned to himself and took off to find Head Slave-Butler Gnome. Mountains of work laid ahead in his road towards freedom. Fraught with half guesses and leaps of faith he kept advancing confidently that he could twist the weak-willed creatures of this world, spewed out from whatever hell conjured them up, to his advantage. One truth worried him; manipulating people takes times. How much? It depended on several factors; his skills as a puppeteer, the personality of his victims and time. The longer the better, in most cases. But with his deadline already encroaching over him X had no time to put in the heavy work. He had to risk his vanguard to save his flanks.

Nightfall came, he tried to sleep but his restless spirit thought otherwise. This day he did almost nothing of his duties and yet ended exhausted. He couldn’t do much under his actual circumstances but struggle to find a way out until the very end.

True to her word, Ruianne made her appearance at midnight.

“Wake up! You elf!” She tried to keep her voice down. “Ekk’s!”

Her delicate voice awakened him from his half sleep.

“... Ruianne...? Oh, it’s you.”

“Who else could it be?”

“Who else indeed...”

“Come close, I don’t want to yell... it’s dangerous... everyone’s on the mansion.”

He approached her, rested his left arm on one of his cell bars and spoke. “I think explanations are in order.”

Ruianne had thought about it and concluded she had to tell him something. How much should she tell him? How sincere? She didn’t know. The female elf had confided in Slave-Head Butler Gnome whom told her he would stand by her decision, whichever path it's led them. ‘Isn’t he deferring responsibility?’ Ruianne thought at the time. But in the end their organization and planning fell on her shoulders. She had raised morale amongst her fellow slaves, giving them hope and dreams but right here with the bizarre elf before her the right words eluded her.

“You don’t trust me. You’ve already made it clear,” X whispered silence away. “Let’s do this. I’ll ask you some questions and you choose if you want to answer them or not.”

She nodded.

“What will you do about the slave collars?”

Her mind changed gears trying to make a decision. She doubted what to tell him and how much.

“Look, you can choose not to answer anything but if you decide so... then why did you came here tonight?”

Ruianne didn’t reply.

“It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion.”

“A what?”

“You’re like kids playing with fire in a wooden house. Then you’ll wonder why the house burned you all down. ”

“You don’t know our plan.”

He smiled. “There are not many options. I mean, it’s not hard to imagine what has to be done. And for your plan to work everything has to be near perfect. Which it won’t, then, your next best bet is for the ones carrying out your plan to be first-rate at whatever you’ll have them do. Which means slaves will have to be in top form, veteran warriors, whom won’t break under pressure, ready to kill on command, men, woman, children... whoever might compromise your plan. And yet banking on humans to be dumb enough they’ll don't have countermeasures in place for slaves rampaging while they sleep. Because I'm sure you plan to do this at night, freaking original idea. Those same dumb humans that enslaved you all in the first place.”

Ruianne gritted her teeth. At first she swore by her good-natured actions, a noble heart wishing to help those in need, so strong she felt about this cause that she voluntarily came to Saint Jaulea disguised as a slave. Her idea to free the slaves seemed so easy at first. But doubts plagued her beleaguered mind, eating away her remaining stability. After arriving to this city she spoke with her fellow kinn’hayas, laid the necessary groundwork, established a trusted network between Houses, but it wasn’t enough. Her motivation decreased little by little as days passed. Her fellow slaves were simple folk and their path to freedom would be anything but simple. Regardless, the plan didn’t stop, she could not delay it further or morale would implode.

“Whatever your plan is, it’s not gonna work like you think. And not because it’s bad. I don’t know yet. But I know the ones carrying it out. They are normal, decent, everyday... creatures. Not soldiers. When the arrows begin falling over them and blood spills, can you guarantee their best?”

Ruianne exhaled her worries alongside her exhausted breath. X’s words stirred her worst fears. Once against doubts assaulted her every decision, past, present and future. Tired and nervous, sometimes she wondered if her destiny led her towards a failed attempt, failing every fellow kinn’haya along with her.

“Suppressors.”

“Mhm?”

“A squad of collar suppressors have already infiltrated the city. They’re awaiting orders.”

“What about the barrier?”

She had no energy left to hide and try to deal with everything herself.

“My collar is broken, it seems to work on the outside but it... doesn’t. I’ll take out the gatekeepers. A squad of collar suppressors will get our fellow slaves out of Saint Jaulea.”

“And if any problem arises?”

“An... an army will be on standby nearby.”

“At night, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re just my kinda girl! Elf-girl... whatever.”

Ruianne locked her eyes with his, a frown on her face.

“Is this a joke t-”

“You don’t give a darn about how many slaves will die don’t you. You’re just going to push through like a horny teen, underwear and all.”

She didn’t answer. Or better said couldn’t.

“When will it be.”

“... in five days,” she sighted.

“Mhmm... it’s not a horrible plan, but a whole lot of creatures are going to die. Humans, slaves... your army coming. If you don’t mind bloodshed then go through with it. And there’s no guarantee you’ll be free in the end.”

She had thought about it countless times, different incarnations of her plan and this was the best one so far. There could be no more ifs, her fellow slaves needed to be freed.

“You... have a better plan?”

“A golden opportunity opened before you.”

“What...?”

“Me!” X looked at the doubtful female elf with a big smile. “Advance your plan. Make it... in three days.”

“You mean...?”

“Exactly. Make it the same day, the same hour, as my duel.”

Ruianne stood paralyzed thinking about it. X kept explaining.

“From what I’ve heard, the whole town will be there, in one same place. All eyes will be on me.”

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The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

“We’ve got the place, we’ve got the deception. Only thing missing is a surprise.”

“What do you mean?”

“At the duel... you’ll now it when you see it. Something strange, out of place.” He didn’t know what it could be either. “And that’ll be the signal.”

“To escape?”

“No. By then your escape should already be underway. That’ll be the signal for your army to seize the gates and escort your fellow slaves to safety while confusion reigns.”

For the first time Ruianne thought they had a chance. But she couldn’t bring herself to trust him completely.

“Look, let me worry about the signal and I’ll leave the details to you. But do make a diversion after I make it. Divide their forces. How? Use that pretty thing on top of your shoulders. It’s not only for decoration, right?”

He always had to aggravate her, but she let it slip.

“It can’t be so easy.” Her circling thoughts dizzied her. “What do you want?”

“I want to escape too. What else could there be? Unless you’d be willing to-”

“No.”

“Escape it is. And two of those shiny rocks.”

“Portends of magik?”

“Yeah... two.”

“You think these grow on trees? You know how difficult it was to get the ones I have?”

“Temporary, I’ll give them back.”

“What do you want those for? You have no magik.”

“Are you finished?”

“Hmph... Ok, got it. But do give them back.”

“Of course.”

“How do I know you won’t betray us?”

“A kiss and I wont.”

“I’m being serious.”

“And me too. But oh well, let’s... umm... We are fellow slaves in distress and I wouldn't jeopardize my own freedom.”

Ruianne didn’t have the luxury to antagonize this crazy elf. Nevertheless, she had to tread carefully around him.

“Oh yeah, and about what we talked tonight... No word to any slave. Not until the very day. Don't trust anyone. My freedom also depends on this. Tell your contact in the army, or however you communicate with them but no one else. This is critical to our plan succeeding. You do understand this?”

“But they-” Ruianne wanted to treat all slaves like what they were, equals.

“They don’t need to know. They are not going to do things easier for us if they do, but they can certainly make it worse. Get it?”

She disliked how X’s disturbed mind made sense, but she obliged.

“I get it. Only those that need to know will.”

“Ideally keep it a secret until my fateful morning. And you better make sure to get everyone out. Any slave staying behind after we escape is going to have one hell of a time.”

X always reminded her of things she didn’t want to. But again, he was right.

“On a personal note I have a question,” he said.

“I’m going to regret this, don’t I?”

“Your Lord... has he never wanted to get inside your bed? You catch my drift?”

“No, and there’s no reason he should... ”

“What, is he gay?”

“I don’t think so. There’s really no reason for him to seek me out. Believe me. And to put it succinctly, I’ve never been touched nor treated in such a way here.”

“So you have been touched, and here I thought you were a cold hearted bi-b-eing, through and through.”

She wanted to slap him but prison-bars impeded her just retribution.

“I have a question of my own.”

“Shoot”

“That day, after aggravating Mitchell... How did you know he tried to buy me?”

“The way he struck you down, there was more than enjoyment in his eyes, there was pure, unfiltered obsession.”

“Huh...” Ruianne glanced at him, then turned around and walked towards the stairs. Before disappearing out of sight X said his farewells.

“Oh yeah and don’t forget my magik rocks, make one be turquoise, that one looked nice enough. Send them tomorrow with Gnome.”

“What are you-? They’re not easy to acquire in our present situation and we are going to need them. They will be on loan.”

“I already said I’ll return them to you.”

She needed to keep him happy and playing along with them.

“In one piece.”

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