9 Zeyn's choice

Adriano looked at Zeyn with a mixture of fear and mockery, at this moment he knew Zeyn had lost the battle. His men were dying and he would die soon too, no matter what happened now. However, at the same time, Adriano was now at his mercy.

"You really managed to get here, impressive." Said Adriano while mockingly applauding. "too bad for the losses of your men, because you are their leader, are you not?" The rhetorical question made the mad expression on Zeyn turn worse.

Suddenly holographical displays appeared in the air, each of them showing scenes of Zeyn's men either fighting or already injured on the ground. "You see what you've done coming in somebody's else house and acting like it was your own?" Adriano's voice changed from mockery to a cold tone.

"I don't know whatever that inshallab guy promised you, however, there is nothing for you here that you can take against my will, if you raise your sword on me I'll use the power of the sun to smite everything in here, me and you included, and then all your men will have died for nothing." Adriano couldn't decipher Zeyn's face as it had morphed in a wolf's muzzle, however, he could see something had changed in his eyes.

Zeyn had seen Adriano control the earth and the sky, would controlling the sun really be that far-fetched?

"The second choice is to turn your tail and go back to whence you came, I won't give chase and you'll be able to save your remaining people and take everything you want on the way back. However, before you take this choice, over sixty percent of your men are poisoned and will die in less than twelve hours." The sudden revelation weighted heavily on Zeyn, no matter what happened, his men were goners, what his ancestors had built for hundreds of years would end under him.

"The last option is to surrender. There are currently sixty-three of your men that you left for dead and that can still be saved, plus the almost two hundred still fighting outside. Surrender and they can all be saved. I'll also allow you to live here and give my protection." Zeyn wanted to scream in rage, "surrender your mother!" however the display still held images of his men suffering and dying.

The more he waited to make a choice the less would be able to go back home. "Oh father, what would you do?" the burden of responsibility weighted him down like a giant boulder and he fell to his knees. "to live in slavery with my brothers or to see all of them die?" images of their many fights in the desert flashed past his eyes. The same men who had fought for him and saved his life were now in his hands like never before. "Sixty two left, one just died because of injuries," said Adriano trying to put pressure on Zeyn, and seeing how he flinched, it had worked.

"Inshallab, where are you now that we need you the most? you promised us a land of milk and honey, not a deathtrap!" tears streaked out wetting the golden fur as he prayed for help to his god.

Zeyn finally opened his mouth since the first time he entered the room. "if we... surrender," every word was heavy to speak. "what will happen to my men?" Adriano looked satisfied and spoke with a softer tone.

"Nothing, you don't know this but, I created this land to live freely. I'm willing to offer the same freedom to you as well, build your houses, grow your food and do what you want. As long as you are not a threat to the dungeon I'll let you be." he completed his speech with a smile.

"Promise me..." spoke Zeyn with a desperate voice, "promise me what you are saying it's the truth, that we will live free." at this point he was just begging to have someone's else take away the weight of responsibility.

"I promise."

---------------

On the battlefield, the last goblins were fiercely struggling against the remainders of the invader's army. They had been able to resist so long solely thanks to the lightning storm that would reap a few lives every now and then.

suddenly in the sky appeared a holographic display. Both their new master Adriano and the leader of the invaders appeared standing side by side. The first to speak was Zeyn.

"We lost, there is no reason to continue fighting, drop your weapons, it's over." Spoke the leader of the Sila clan before the display disappeared.

What came next happened very fast, as the soldiers unwillingly surrendered, a weird feeling spread through all of them, a feeling like the first time they bonded with their companions.

However this time they felt a boundless cold air coming from the other side of the bond, struggling was useless and they soon all surrendered to the new bond. A new sense of interconnectivity was now shared between all of them, this spread to the goblins as well, when they watched them, they no longer felt the hostility, it was more like seeing a cousin you never met. It gave you a sense of familiarity you just couldn't quite put your finger on.

Then, when the goblin offered them never before seen herbs, they instinctively recognized them as antidotes. After taking the antidotes, the rest of the day was spent going around the jungle under the goblin's supervision rescuing the other they had left for dead in the jungle. Some of them, they managed to save, others not.

Of the army that entered the dungeon, a little bit more than 300 remained, many lost their bonded companions and even more lost their will to fight as they had listless empty eyes while being ordered around by the goblins.

Thus, the Sila clan was defeated during the first war for Sanctuary.