I could only do my best. It sounded like the old man was giving me way too much credit. I did want to help, but I wasn’t some savior or something. Still, time was short and I couldn’t explain myself. Instead, I created a portal behind the group of incoming fey so that the humans could sneak away. The six of them gathered the remaining slaves that had still been waiting lifelessly, unaware that their fate was going to suddenly change.
“Be free!” I declared.
I first took their bonds using slave taker. Since their owners were dead, the slave bond transferred to me with ease. I then simply canceled our contract. I did the same for everyone else as well, except when I went to remove Demetri and the boys, they protested.
“Please… we’d like to remain your slaves, Master!” Demetri said.
“The power being your slave gives me… I’m not ready to give it up.” The boy stubbornly added.
“I don’t know how much benefit you’ll find from me at this distance,” I admitted. “But, it will be easier to find you when I return if I leave this bond attached. Very well.”
The two bowed in appreciation, making me feel a little awkward. Although I had been a lord for a bit, the people of Chalm didn’t go out of their way to bow or fret over me, so being treated was a little awkward. The way I had casually destroyed dozens of slave bonds had also had a meaningful impact on the population too. It might have been only a minute, but for a minute they all felt a surge of strength and power, and an adoration for me. That feeling lingered, and many of them cried and smiled looking at me.
I’m not your savior! Will you guys stop worshipping me! To move things along, I got them all to enter the portal. Once all of the humans left, I created a new portal. This time, I used the power of the dungeon. Miasma flowed in, and I poured it all into the portal. It finally opened up. At this moment, I heard a cry.
“It’s there! There are humans!” A fey leader shouted.
“It’s all set!’ Elaya assured me, “Let’s go!”
As the fey barreled toward us through the trees on their bear lizards, the group of us jumped through the portal. When the portal slammed shut, the dungeon core, a thing only half-formed, suddenly erupted. A massive explosion erupted, wiping out an entire contingent of fey. Naturally, the news of a dungeon spontaneously forming when one hadn’t formed in decades swept through the nation. Some people believed the dungeon exploded exactly because this continent was too resistant to such contamination. Others had a different theory.
As the rumors spread, other rumors were spreading across a different community. The human slaves began to speak to each other in whispers. A rebellion had begun, one that wouldn’t be defeated like before. This was because it was led by the Human King, a powerful hero who could break the bonds of servitude with the wave of his hand. Despite Deek’s best hopes, the legend of the Human King Hero had begun.