A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 622 - - Resolve [2/2]

"It's done," Elora told him through their bond, her tone gleeful as she finished binding Nobuntu with a Bond of Service. "I do love it when they come to us themselves. This would never have been possible if she hadn't allowed it."

Surprisingly, the fairy was now outside his dimension, in her smallest form, and hiding behind Nobuntu's head. Since she could no longer merge with Erik and cast her magic through him, she now had to actually do it in person.

Nobuntu was far too preoccupied with what was happening inside her to notice the fairy, and neither Kudzai nor any of the other spectators could see her because Nobuntu was acting as an obstruction.

"Certainly makes things easier," Erik chuckled before quickly pulling her back into his dimension.

With the bond established, there was no longer any need for him to hold Nobuntu. Both the matriarch's all-out attack and his response to it were calculated so that he could grab her throat, but now he needed to pretend the fight was still ongoing.

With a roar, he swung around his axis and tossed his opponent away like a ragdoll. To their spectators, he'd simply been holding her for a few seconds as an intimidation tactic.

Nobuntu crashed into the ground a dozen paces away, face first, much to the surprise of those watching—and with good reason. Had she been in a proper state, she could have easily righted herself to land elegantly, but Elora's actions dazed her.

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"M— Mom?!" Kudzai exclaimed in surprised panic. He took a step forward but, like Naeku before him, was held back by Ankhur. "She's fine, boy. Erik just dazed her a little before throwing her."

Ankhur had no idea how he dazed her, but it was obvious to him that she had been.

Fortunately, eating dirt also shook Nobuntu out of her daze. While lying on the ground, she took a moment to gather her thoughts but then jumped to her feet again, much to Kudzai's relief.

Yet, once on her feet, she didn't attack again. Instead, she blinked and looked at Erik strangely. Slowly, a hand inched towards her throat, but her eyes widened when she heard a voice in her head.

"Stop. Don't do anything else to make people suspicious. Attack me again," the voice told her in a commanding tone. Somehow, she knew it was Erik's voice and that she had no way to disobey it anymore.

His order even suppressed her natural desire to slowly come to terms with her new reality. Her expression lost its confusion and became stern once again. Instantly, she returned to the offensive, and their clash continued as if nothing had happened.

Yet, their conversation had now moved to the mental realm.

"What— did you do to me…?" she asked him in an unsurprisingly tense tone.

Erik smirked slightly. "Nice work. I'm impressed you figured out how to talk to me so quickly. Personally, I needed the method explained to me the first time."

Yet, Nobuntu was not in the mood. "Answer the question!" she growled, surprised by the difficulty she encountered in trying to talk to him in such a tone.

"Hehe, you know what happened," Erik chuckled mentally while his body performed another sweeping arc with his lightning-charged hammer. "You paid the price for my help. I'm sure you can feel the effects, even before you willingly let it happen. Honestly, I'm impressed by your resolve."

"This feels… very strange," she muttered back, a little absentmindedly, not bothering to refute his claims or thank him for the compliment. Outside their conversation, however, the fight continued. Nobuntu's stern expression didn't show any of her inner confusion and turmoil.

"I'm sure it does," Erik nodded as some solemnity seeped into his tone. "The question is, do you regret it now? Circumstances forced this to happen quickly, but I prefer my servants to make an informed choice. If you wish for me to let you go and forget about our deal, I'll give you a chance to do so."

Currently, the only information he'd revealed to her was his ability to enslave someone like this. Even Elora's existence still eluded her, so he'd lose very little if he let her go now.

Nobuntu's mind instantly bristled at Erik's choice of words. Her answer flowed out instinctively, naturally, and with a deep-rooted pride.

"I am the Khumalo matriarch and a third-ranker! I may serve, but I am no one's servant!" she objected, barreling straight through the Bond of Service's enforced submissive tendencies. "I'm entering your empire to become a subordinate faction leader, like Ankhur!"

"Wrong," Erik answered with harsh finality. "This bond marks you as my servant. I will treat you as such, and you will behave like it. Perhaps I will remove the bond one day, but as long as it remains in place, this is how it is. If this is a price you're unwilling to pay, then say so. You have till the end of our fight to back out."

Nobuntu bristled more. Her inner turmoil turned into anger that she gladly vented in their physical battle, where blood, ice, and lightning continued to rage. "You— You need me, too! This isn't a one-way situation! I'm offering you Azania under your banner!"

"Wrong again," Erik said calmly, still with a tone that brooked no resistance. "You offer no guarantees, only promises. I believe you don't even have a concrete plan for peacefully bringing Azania under my banner, correct?"

Nobuntu's irritation rose, but she stayed quiet. Unfortunately, he was right. She had some ideas, but each missed one or more components to become an actual plan.

"As I thought," Erik nodded sternly. "I won't deny that having you on my side is useful, but… I don't need you. In a war, Azania on its own stands very little chance against my empire, fledgeling as it may be."

Physically, he charged a thundersnow blast in his werewolf maw and flung it at Nobuntu, while mentally, he continued talking. "That said, you'll make things easier for me. So, in return for becoming my servant, I'll solve this Sipho problem you have and make sure shapeshifters will always be equal citizens of Azania."

Silence fell between them as the cogs in Nobuntu's brain worked overtime. She wasn't clear on the exact power this so-called empire could field, but the confidence in his tone made her believe him. At the same time, the current situation of her people in Azania flashed through her mind, strengthening her resolve.

Their battle continued for a few more minutes, now in silence, yet in the end, it didn't take her long to come to a decision. "You'll keep your word…?" she growled, hesitantly.

"I always do," was Erik's immediate answer. "Besides, I have no real reason not to."

"… Then… fine…" Nobuntu spoke with difficulty as if physically forcing the words out of her brain.

To Erik's surprise, she leaned into his next attack and let herself be blasted away. Dust flew into the air, and for a few moments, everyone's vision was obstructed. When it settled, everyone saw Nobuntu down on one knee, with her head angled downward, panting heavily.

"I surrender!" she said out loud.

"I'll serve… Master," she spoke through their bond.