The empress stopped after an hour and just stood there, running her tongue along her canines as she mulled over the information coming from her ornithopters, recon teams, deep mining control teams and satellite surveillance to try and find whatever cave entrance the iron dragon used to get into the dwarven underground territories. Everyone else, on the other hand, just watched her stand there blinking while the intel flew around on her Hud, the dev trying to make sense of all of it.
A potential dig site was marked about twenty miles ahead of them, though there was some heavy forest for at least the last three miles keeping everything hidden; dense woodland was interspersed in between right next to the mountain side, making use of a helibot to land treacherous at best, at least until a daisy cutter bomb was used to clear a landing zone; that was something she didn't really want to do, as it would be showing the elves that the empire was not intending to ravage the lands and build wherever they wanted to. Having an explosive go off just to allow easier access to an area they may not visit again would be poor form on her part. There were some smaller markers further beyond, but this was the best choice to at least start with.
A heavy tier VTOL transport dropped off three VLRV vehicles, little more than fast moving four wheeled buggies. "Donovan, Melsia. I'd hazard a guess you'd rather not come face to face with a dragon that might not be… well…" Selene tried to find the right words.
"Unfriendly? I understand, your majesty. In this case… we might get in the way. We'll head back to the palace and read through what we can about the laws the high elves use" Donovan replied, looking to his wife for approval. She simply nodded her head at that idea.
"Actually… speaking of my race…" Elsei started to speak, looking between them. "Your majesty, I… as much as it might be an impressive view to lay eyes on an iron dragon, we do not yet know if it will communicate beyond slinging slurs at us… and… we are close to Eil'Ta Forest. I was wondering if Morlan and I, as well as his parents for that matter, would be allowed to head there and… see how things are being contained by the queen, now that they are a part of the empire."
Melsia looked up at her husband and elbowed him lightly. "It would mean we could get access straight from the high elf royal libraries, give us a much better idea of what might need to be addressed in the future."
"Mhmm, it could give us a chance to firmly connect the economies without any issues. Your majesty, could we?" Donovan asked. Selene looked amongst her group, with four of them wanting to head to the new addition to her borders.
"Well, I mean… sure, I guess. Didn't you say you weren't ever going to go back there? Also, I would have thought some of you would want to get a chance to see a dragon up close, like… still living. As you've said, there is no guarantee they are friendly. We might not see another if they do decide to attack on sight. Are you sure?" the dev questioned, wondering if Morlan might actually stick around. It wasn't as if Elsei and her lover were attached at the hip after all.
The elf looked up at the large warrior as he fidgeted, placing a hand gently on his elbow. "It's alright if you wish to stay, they are my people after all. I'll make sure no harm comes to your parents."
"If any harm does come to them, they'll have more than Morlan to deal with" Brynhildr chimed in, looking at the empress. Hurting any of her citizens, especially those in her arbitrarily small administrative cabinet right now, would mean she'd come down on them like an asteroid on a snail. Morlan glanced at the empress and nodded.
"I would like to stay. I have slain some drakes in the past… two, to be exact… I've yet to see anything beyond that age range. It would be an experience I might not get again in my lifetime."
"Good, because frankly speaking… I'd like to go with Elsei" Bryn added in.
"Why?" Selene asked her, furrowing her eyebrows. Surely, she'd want to stick around for the meeting with a potential great wyrm or even older?
"I've seen my fair share of dragons already, your majesty. I… kind of want to see if I can get my hands on some elven wine… I can keep an eye on these three as well. Elsei can act as a tour guide for us, there's bound to be some things to see that she'd enjoy showing the group." The elf had a small smile grow on her face as she looked at the Valkyrja. There had to be some sights she wanted to share, some secret grotto or shop she enjoyed visiting.
"I would be honored to show you around, however, I want to tend to a few things as well. This is not a trip without business, and, I did say I would not come back… though that was before the forest was integrated. Now… I believe there is nothing to fear; I believe you handled quite efficiently what was keeping me from ever seeing my people again. Queen Ynshael would not dare cross her new ruler after she decided to attend to their troubles. Besides… someone needs to tell them they do not have to fear Drow incursions."
The empress threw her hands in the air and shrugged. "Oh well, guess it's just Hrist and Morlan with me for this little adventure. Just the same, I'll send some escorts with you." Elsei nodded as a transport came down from above, allowing them to board it. An escort frigate airship was pulled away from 1st Air Fleet and would be used to get them safely back to the palace quickly after their business was concluded in the high elven capital.
Morlan looked at the fast-moving buggy that would be carrying him to their destination, the driver being an automaton. The fact the soldier was wearing a visored helmet worried him a little. "So… this is the way we're heading there…" he spoke, wondering how the four wheeled vehicle was going to move so quickly. The last few times he had left the palace was on horseback, a few of the purebreds bought from Werelosil in the event there were visitors who were too afraid to ride in something more advanced, or those who were equestrians.
"Yep, they're small enough to weave around the trees, fast enough to make twenty miles feel like nothing, and I don't really feel like flattening the woodland just for a trip to see a giant lizard" Selene replied. She walked over and picked up a helmet, tossing it over to the man. His eyes showed he was unsure this was the right idea. Hrist, on the other hand, picked up her head protection and immediately put it on, stepping into the reinforced seat and strapping in. She was going to ride with the empress, the Valkyrja wasn't afraid at all. The raven-haired woman did ride Asterion practically on a daily basis.
Morlan sighed and realized what he had gotten himself into. Sticking around with the empress and her general meant doing his best to keep up with them as well. Even her honor guards had smaller ATVs, though they looked a little comical with their bulk sitting on the four wheeled one-seater. They reminded the dev of seeing a circus bear riding a tiny motorcycle; all they needed was a fez cap on their heads and to try and do wheelies.
He resigned himself to sitting down in the buggy, strapping the seatbelts down tightly, and trying to figure out what deity would answer his prayers to safely get him to where they needed to go without injury. As Selene got into the driver's seat of her vehicle, Hrist tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "May I… attempt to drive when we head back?" she asked her. The dev glanced over her shoulder.
"Well… it is a little complicated. Are you sure you want to?" the auburn-haired woman questioned as she placed her helmet on her head, flipping the visor up. Hrist nodded.
"We Valkyrja are quite quick to adapt to new forms of travel." Selene waggled her eyebrows for a moment and blinked. It seemed logical that they would be able to understand all the ways of getting from point A to point B.
"Ok, we'll see how it goes." The buggies started up as the empress drove a little forward, getting used to the fast-moving vehicle's controls. This was her first time getting to use her Driving skill and she was a little nervous. There was no real need for a driver's license back on Earth anymore due to all the self-driving cars or copters. Any place that still had a truck or wheeled transport that didn't move on its own was considered backwater and not many people lived there anymore.
(Recommended Song: District 78 – Shy Boy)
The other buggies pulled up next to hers along with the ATVs, the honor guard ready to chase after her. Morlan looked at Hrist and the dev and seemed to fidget heavily, holding onto the straps and keeping his head pressed against the seat headrest.
Selene revved the engine, engaged {Evel Knievel}, and slowly eased into drive. Within seconds, due to the skill, she was almost at maximum speed, shooting between the trees and dodging around boulders. "Tree! Another tree! Rock! Roots! Big ju- OH BOY!" Morlanion shouted out as the convoy zipped around the forest quickly, the suspension and hydraulics shifting and tilting to add better control to the four wheelers. The tires seemed to segment and slide to allow a far greater movement range than was expected for the transport.
Hrist just laughed as the empress shot through the woodland area without a care, rolling two wheels up over an incline while the left side was still below, providing a chance for the buggy to slip between two closely packed trees. For the dev, it was almost like riding a roller coaster with a dive headset. The buggy landed back on all four wheels and launched over a hillock, landing effortlessly and continuing on. One of the ATVs jumped her buggy and swerved to the right around a tree, keeping up with them even though the honor guard had about the same mass and weight as all three cars combined.
Things were going so fast for Morlanion as he tried to keep his eyes shut where possible, with the empress's buggy drifting just in front of them. "Look out!" he shouted in panic, the driver ignoring his words and following right behind, with each vehicle not even touching each other. The wheels bounced over what seemed to be an array of potholes and gopher piles, then dipped into a large divot with roots arcing multiple times just over their heads. The divot curved and wound a few times then carried the mechanized group out and near the mountains again.
The forest patch opened up a little to allow more freedom of movement and less haphazard twitch responses to the steering wheel, though the view above was completely covered in the mushroom top of leaves from the huge dendrons trying to get as much light as possible. Selene drove right alongside a small river, hopped it with a controlled use of the hydraulics, racing towards the first cave entrance. Deer ran away as the buggy continued right past them, with Hrist noticing the panic in their eyes, before they parted ways and raced off. Morlan was sweating as the automaton driver just kept on going, not even slowing down once as a tree suddenly fell, its roots giving out from rot and barely missed them.
"Yahoo!" Selene cried out in joy as they launched a second time, happily accepting any chance to get the buggy airborne for more than a few seconds.
They finally arrived at the cave, or what was left of it, now sealed shut with boulders and dirt. Her buggy skidded sideways and nearly performed a 180-degree turn, switched into reverse, and backed up a little more to park her vehicle next to a fallen tree. Morlan's buggy came up next to them, with the man just sitting there as the empress and her general got out and took their helmets off. "Morlan? Hey, Morlan!" Selene asked as she tapped his shoulder. He was breathing and his heart was still going, but his mind was still trying to take in the speed he was going just a minute before. "Oh, come on, that wasn't that fast, we didn't even get past 200 mph."
The man shakily unlatched the seatbelt harness and took his helmet off, pushing his hair back a little and looking at her, blinking. "This is normal to you, right?" he asked. She looked at Hrist, who seemed very relaxed after the jaunt through the partial forest.
"I take it you aren't used to going faster than 50 mph? You gotta understand, going that slow doesn't get you anywhere on this continent, let alone on the planet." The warrior slowly stood up and got out of the buggy, his legs vibrating and tingling still. He massaged his thighs and looked around, feeling a little embarrassed; just as quickly, he tried to hide behind the buggy, with the dev wondering for a split second why he didn't want her to see what he was doing. "Oh. Ah… you uh… had an…"
"Don't say it… can you… use that spell you used on Prince Ralyf?" he asked in a pleading tone.
"Right. Sorry. Hopefully you'll get used to the speed later. I'll… I'll see about getting a landing zone opened up nearby… if you don't want to ride back…" she responded, wincing a little that her idea of protecting the environment from damage caused him to have a bladder problem. A few trees cut down shouldn't hurt the forest too much and she didn't want to make one of her entourage suffer due to her need for speed. What she had just effectively done was force him to travel in a way he was unaccustomed to, and now he was more than a little embarrassed.
As she cast [Scrub] on him, cleaning his clothes as well as his body, the empress let out a light sigh. She was already so used to fast movement and advanced technology now that she didn't realize others in her cabinet weren't so up to date with how she travels. Just a few months ago she was lower level than Morlan and would have thought his Martial Arts abilities were incredible; now, he could be a level 100 and it wouldn't impress her. He did have his strengths though, as his honor and morality made her trust him quite a bit.
Morlan walked up to the front of the cave, with the empress feeling a little guilty about putting him in a position where he had to follow her mode of transportation. Her eyes wandered the collapse of the tunnel, with the whole entrance completely sealed. "You can at least say the dwarves were thorough" the man commented, his hands on his hips as he glanced at his empress over his shoulder, still a little self-conscious.
A minor coms request popped up from security just past Olva'lore Forest, with a picture appearing in the report sent. Selene did her best to not squeal in cuteness overload as she got her first view of a catgirl, with a long black tail and black ears popping out of her raven hair. She was peeking over a hill at the defensive emplacements the automatons were stationed on, with what looked like a large pack strapped over her shoulders. There was another picture of yet another coming up to her to help run away from what they saw, looking to have pure white fur and heterochromia, a green and blue pair of eyes. Both looked to be in their teens and looking for reagents, a few herbs in their hands now seen.
SQUEE! I wanna pet those fluffy ears! Wait, that would be improper of me… I'd ask politely if I can pet their fluffy ears, then probably do it regardless of a yes or no.
The empress seemed to be lost in thought with a goofy smile on her face as Morlan waved his hand in front of her, trying to tell her something. "Empress are you alright?" he asked. She snapped out of it and shook her head, looking at him with a slight red tint of embarrassment.
"Uh… I'm fine, really. I uh… let's… lemme just get this cave in removed…"
Her hand rose and aimed at the entrance, massive in size compared to their small forms. The iron dragon must have been incredible in his dimensions. The boulders quickly started being pulled away and piled neatly to the side with her psionics and telekinesis, removing the very well-made barricade. They noticed some of the rocks had to be dislodged from mortar that was layered in, keeping all of it together. The whole act took no more than five minutes, with a constant flow of earth and stone flying through the air and landing in a makeshift pyramid. The tunnel behind was dark and foreboding. The automatons that were coming with them, including the honor guard, switched on head and shoulder lights so that Morlan could see. A small spider mine converted into a walking lantern kept in front of the man as they started to head in.
"Stay together, the tunnel branches a few times up ahead" Selene informed them as a V Light helibot flew above her head unarmed, just there for sensors and scanning equipment. The trek down the cave network was going to take an hour, almost mind numbing it seemed for everyone. Hrist had a small satchel hanging from her hip, which she started carrying around with a stash of sweets. Her gloved hand snuck in and grabbed some taffy, offering a few to Morlan as he accepted them. Meanwhile, the dev checked on a few reports in her Hud to see what her security around the empire had to deal with.
A man was caught in Sweet Water demanding Nia return to Artinia and claim her rightful place next to her brother, crazy as it sounded. He built up a small cult that took up a picket line outside the mayor's home, in which Gilford had to have his police break it up. Some even stated they would force her to head back. As far as the empress was concerned, that was treason. While she wanted to leave most crimes to the police now being well trained in the towns and cities, things like that required her security to show up and take them into custody. Most, if not all, attempted to resist. They were caught and killed immediately, to most of the people's relief. The empress would not tolerate that, not ever.
Of the three villages below Paldos City that were taken, one decided to attempt to "recapture" lost slaves and wanted to somehow secede from the empire back into Artinia, just because slavery was abolished. Most of the citizens didn't even work, expecting their previous slaves, now freed, to do their jobs. A quickly thought out response that would be sent via a V Light recording automaton was dispatched to warn them if they attempted to break away, the next military action in the area would wipe their village off the map. For the first time since they were created, a Very Heavy automaton, a quadruped walker, was tasked to sit just outside Olva'lore Forest and aim at that municipality. She didn't want to be a tyrant and kill her own people, but if they attempted to disobey and continue in these acts, they wouldn't need to secede. She'd disown the village and allow the walker to shell it into the ground.
I never said I was lawful good in alignment. I'm more than willing to do what I need to do to keep the empire productive and make sure the people are free to attain their dreams, excluding trying to force others into working for them to achieve that goal. Those slaves are free, those assholes don't get the right to try and kidnap them.
Production queues were cleaned up in her inventory, with new 3D printers and fabrication systems added along with a design lab to help create new specialized automatons. Selene was starting to notice there were some shortcomings in what she was building; her military, despite being quite diverse in capability and combined arms, still had too much of a cookie cutter design for her standard soldiers. Her Strategy and Tactics had shown her that having a customizable kit for each soldier in a fireteam, platoon, company or higher would increase their capability to respond to more emergencies. The variants of weapons were too high to just have a platoon with one of each type of damage, let alone the new external equipment that Orlo kept coming up with.
The lab itself would give her a generalized aesthetic of what the automaton would look like for each job, allowing her to simply add or remove new tools or features. Some spots were just labelled "variable" to give the soldier a bag, latch or belt to carry whatever was required for the mission, whether it was fighting on the frontlines or digging an irrigation network. This also allowed her to have completely different vehicles in the same tier, with heavy tanks having multiple different packages for long range, medium range, short range and rapid fire, akin to the difference between a Main Battle Tank and a Tank Support Combat Vehicle. They both had the same chassis usually, just one had wildly different weapons and features to assist other tanks.
Before she knew what was happening, a fork appeared in the tunnel. "Let's sit here for a minute while recon gets the lay of the underground" Selene told them as she sat on a hastily built stone bench brought up from the ground. The automatons split up and moved in different direction, with the only mechanical soldiers staying behind were her honor guard. They waited ten minutes before she got two separate reports… the tunnels split yet again, now turning into four tunnels sinking deeper into the mountains.
Each tunnel seemed to have signs of pickaxes used, though a few had claw marks. This only told her that the tunnels were partly made by the dwarves, with some of the new paths created by the dragon, probably for defense. No one is going to split their forces too much as they go into unknown territory just to find something that seemed like it didn't want to be found. Multiple escape routes, multiple ambush points, lots of ground to cover. Morlan just sat there and sighed after she decided to give them both the news. "It could take days to find the dragon, we don't even know if it is inside its lair right now" he sighed out, wondering if it was pointless to even be there in the first place.
"If we don't find it in the next hour, we'll head back. Just let my recon teams do their jobs and-" the dev stopped mid-sentence and noted a marker that was given to her by a scout. They had reason to believe the lair was just up ahead. "Never mind, we might have lucked out." The empress stood up and stretched, making sure Hrist and her escort were prepared. The son of the Rikter family got up and followed her down a good twenty branches of tunnels, forgetting which direction to go just to get out. If he ever got disconnected from the group, he would be lost forever, or at least until she could send a rescue team.
The caves eventually opened up into a wide underground dome, with even more openings lining the edge to unknown areas, probably further escape routes. There were mounds of dirt and stone everywhere, looking like a subterranean hilly plains' biome. Somehow, though she couldn't figure it out, there was grass growing on a few of the mounds, even without sunlight. There were a few bones strewn around the area, nothing alarming beyond what they expected from regular meals to a massive winged lizard. There seemed to be a few wisps, at least what she thought were wisps, floating around and tending to glowing mushrooms, probably the grass as well.
The fungus growing in the area was verified by her Hud to be the last ingredient for the elixirs she was trying to brew. A quick snatch with her hand, barely seen by Morlan, and a good couple of handfuls were placed in her inventory, waiting for the auto farmers to use a hopper and plant them.
There was slight movement on the far side of the area, the sight of a tail in the dimly lit dome.
I just realized that if this thing isn't friendly, Morlan is pretty much a snack. What does the iron dragon use as a breath weapon? Lightning? Or was it poison… crap, there were so many references I had to pick through, I don't know what type of damage it does!
Before the male warrior could take another step, Selene crafted a few quick lower quality tier items and pulled them from her inventory, grabbing his arm and draping an amulet over his neck, a few rings on his fingers, and a sticky emblem on his pauldrons, to his immense confusion; his arms were held out palm up, wondering what she was going to attach on him next, an eyebrow raised. A medal was clipped to his belt, adding in a huge boost to resistances in all forms. While they didn't exactly protect against physical attacks, the concern was for large area of effect attacks that could catch him off guard behind them. For all intents and purposes, he looked like he just got out of a really weird Mardi Gras party.
A pair of yellow eyes opened in the darkness, staring at her. They started to come closer, slowly, as they slightly bounced up and down from the gait the dragon had. As it reached the halfway point, it stopped, a wisp floating near the head as it stood ready to attack, lips pulled back and showing teeth. "I know not which town sent adventurers, but this is your only warning. Leave, or you will become a crunchy meal."
"We're not here to fight you, at least not without provocation. I'd rather talk if you would allow me to" Selene replied as the now known male stopped baring his teeth at her. His scales looked to have slightly tarnished coloring, though that could have been from anything. From what she could research, metal dragons tended to have darker colored scales at younger ages, though the color for this one could have been from a great many reasons, one of which could be he hadn't shed recently. His size, however, was definitely impressive, easily dwarfing the red dragon the dev had seen at the eyrie. They looked almost like ants compared to his looming stature.
"Talk with your kind means very little to mine. I will not give up one thing from my precious hoard, you can be assured of that. That is why you have come, yes?"
"Not really. We just spoke with the dwarves. There is an iron dragon in these mountains that has been attacking them, took over part of their mines for its lair. Are you the one who has done this?" she asked. The dragon chuckled.
"They act as if they own the entire range. For such an insignificant race, they have been quite a nuisance." The empress's eyes surveyed the landscape, her sight raking over the underground lair for signs that there might be others. The place was large, too large, for one dragon to consider its home. She noticed that there were a few broken scales near his rear right leg, a few scars from healed wounds just above them. The dwarves weren't exactly just a nuisance if they could harm him.
"The problem is you've taken over their mining tunnels in this area. Don't they have claim to that which they built?"
"These tunnels were abandoned long ago, the main veins already dug up by those specks. A shame, I would have hoped for more sustenance found here." Selene shook her head slightly in confusion.
"Wait, you eat metal?" The huge creature sat down on his haunches and stared down at her.
"All dragons can supplement our regular meals with a material that embodies us human. How do you think we are so… diverse?" he replied, amused at her poor knowledge.
What the hell do red dragons eat? Rubies? Lava? Gold in glass creates a red color, do they eat that?
The dev tried to get herself back on track with the questions. "The dwarves have sealed themselves away from the rest of the world in order to keep you from escaping. They are working to annihilate you."
"Ah, yes, that would be why they sealed off the cave entrance. It matters none, it's not as if I am averse to eating their people as well." The dragon tilted his head a little and seemed to almost furrow the scales over his eyes as if they were eyebrows. "What do you hope to gain from informing me of this? I will not provide a reward."
"I was hoping that you would be willing to find another place to live." There was silence in the lair, the dragon studying her for a second and blinking once. A light chuckle erupted from his throat that eventually turned into full laughter.
"That is very funny, little human, to even suggest that. Your kind have always been good with jokes."
"That wasn't a joke. We've noticed there are other caves you could build a lair in; we could probably transport whatever hoard you have to it. It's not as if we want anything from it either, so you wouldn't have to worry about anything being stolen." He laughed again… until he realized she was serious.
"And why would I do that? I care not for the issues my lair creates for their people, little human. I also do not trust you to keep your word with my hoard. Touch it and I will smear you on the ground."
"Because if you don't, they're going to find you, they're going to come in force, they're going to figure out a way to end you. To think otherwise would be foolish given the damage I see on your leg. The problem is, they'll have an incredible casualty rate in doing so. I'm trying to get this done peacefully without bloodshed." The iron dragon stood up and sauntered over to them, a massive tower of scales and muscle, his wings folded in yet looking like an old battleship's giant sails. He leaned his head down in front of her and looked the woman in the eyes.
"And what do you get from doing this exactly? There is always a political motive involved when it comes to one race interfering in the affairs of another." Despite he more than likely eating large animals, his breath didn't reek of any left-over meat stuck in a tooth. There was a distinct smell of iron though, the tinted metallic aroma almost akin to blood. Selene sighed and slowly nodded.
"You leave, they open their doors. The elves mine mithril, and if you aren't interfering, everything goes back to the status quo. Involving moving your hoard, I can guarantee you nothing would be lost, I'd even add a little extra for your troubles. I seriously don't need anything from it." The cost of a few thousand gold and silver was a pittance compared to a resurrection for a dwarf that died without a good cause. The lizard looked at each member of the group… all seven of them, with Hrist standing in her peculiar clothing style that only the empress understood as stylish. He couldn't see the cloaked automatons keeping their distance, just the honor guard next to their empress. As of yet, he hadn't yet done anything to cause concern. There was a long pause between them as he decided on what next to say.
"My loyalties are to myself and myself alone, I owe nothing to those specks you call dwarves. However… I am not against negotiation, especially when it involves coming out ahead. The problem is, I cannot do as you have asked. My clutch is here, hidden away. I cannot move them."
"You have eggs?" she asked, taken aback by that information. She was debating whether the deep male voice was actually… female.
"Yes, my mate was killed long ago, and it has fallen to me to await their hatching." He shook his head from side to side as if to dry himself like a dog. His head lifted up and again looked down at the ants below him. "There is no need to explain what had happened to her. Needless to say, the eggs cannot be moved, as they have latched to the ground. If there was an ample supply of iron, they could hatch… quite late it seems."
"Wait… so, the eggs, what, bathe in the iron?" she questioned.
"You clearly do not know anything of dragons, do you?"
"It's not as if any of your kind attempt to educate us on how your people live. By all means, enlighten me on your culture, if you would be so kind." The dragon chuckled.
I seriously probably know more than I should honestly, the problem really is… how much have I read that really can be connected to these dragons from this world? Reading about elves from fantasy novels is different from what I've seen here for instance, and I haven't met the orcs and goblins just yet either.
"I am not just willing to give up the secrets of my race to you insignificant beings" he said, clearly thinking he was the superior creature in that room. He had no idea he was staring at a group that had a Valkyrja amongst its number, that had fought against a particularly powerful undead abomination well beyond the capabilities of this iron dragon. "Moving on, there is no way I will leave my clutch, and given there is no large amount of iron to bring them into this world, I remain. These dwarves will just have to accept I am here to stay."
Selene raised an eyebrow and shoved her hand into her inventory. A quick swap of some extra resources and packing, a little quality control, and there were massive shipping containers brimming with iron ready to bring out. The iron dragon watched with interest as her hand seemed to disappear into nothing, recognizing that move from others long ago. A large portal opened nearby with a container, inside holding exactly what he wanted and didn't expect. "Would this be enough?" she questioned. He was silent for a minute as he inspected the cargo, glancing at her occasionally as if formulating a plan in his head.
"This… will do. Perhaps I will allow this. I tire of the specks attacking at inopportune times." A large clawed paw lifted and pointed towards a far tunnel entrance. "If you want this to be over with quickly, I'd suggest bringing this to my hoard. Beyond it is the secret entrance to my clutch."
Why is he allowing us suddenly to just walk near his eggs or hoard? Shouldn't he want to just take the iron and bring it himself? Something is wrong…
"Then our business will be concluded once this transfer is complete" she said as the container started to hover next to them, the group walking across the dome and reaching the tunnel pointed at. It was dark for the most part, leading on for another ten minutes before widening. There was a line they barely passed on the ground that seemed to have curved metal running along the edge.
Inside, sitting in the middle of the brand-new dome, the iron dragons hoard sat right in the middle. Piles of gold, gems, weapons and treasure chests reached towards the ceiling. There were pieces of armor, equipment, even magical scrolls and potions littering the floor. Morlan was surprised there was so much. Selene, on the other hand, was more interested in the fact the walls were completely covered in an as yet unknown bronze metal, with runic etching that did not look dwarven in the slightest. There were waves noted in the coloring of the bronze, looking almost like Damascus Steel, with structural bracing seen every five meters completely surrounding the dome.
This doesn't look draconic or dwarven… someone else made this… and why do I get the funny feeling there are no other tunnels attached to this…
Just as the container passed the opening, a wall slammed shut, trapping them in. "Son of a bitch, I should have trusted my gut…" Selene swore and sighed, immediately bringing her hand up in a facepalm and shaking her head slowly. Morlan's head snapped to the now closed exit with his eyes widening in fear.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. I knew something was off, we should have sat at the front and dumped the cargo in or something… welp, contingency plans are around for a reason…
"Damn it! That bastard trapped us! There was no clutch of eggs, he played us all!" the warrior snapped and ran back to the door, striking at it with his fist. The empress put her hand up to calm him down. Hrist charged at the wall and tried to strike at it with her sword, seeing if she could somehow pry the metal down enough to get a hand in and push. The dev was surprised that the metal was resisting so well, then observed each strike the battle maiden attempted on a particular point. The armoring of the dome somehow was ignoring every hit. There was no way the material was stronger than Carbyne, not unless the technology was much higher for whoever created this place.
"Damn it!" Hrist growled out in frustration and backed off. Her strength should have completely shattered the armor and probably would have if it was anything below tungsten steel. The honor guard aimed their weapons at the door and lit it up, their weapons doing almost no damage to be seen… it did allow the dev to see small flashes, ripples emanating from the points of impact. The empress stepped forward and brought her hands up, using both her psionics and [Molecular Reformation] ability to attempt to rip apart the metal. Morlan turned around and headed around the side of the hoard, staring at it as well as surveying the area. There was no other tunnel connected to this room.
The armor paneling was resisting her attempts to break through, not because it was incredibly strong… but because it was actually causing her to have a migraine. What damage she thought she caused quickly settled back into position almost as if it was semi malleable and sealed that opening, the size of a small dog if even that. The armor plating seemed to use the structural integrity of the whole dome, not just the point she was attempting to break through. There could have been extra layers she couldn't see yet that were adding extra protective strength. The whole thing didn't seem to act like a vault, more like… a bunker.
That material was causing me significant strain. Granted, I'm not using any amplification equipment, given I haven't done much research into that just yet…
"No way… empress… you need to see this…" Morlan shouted out as the two women turned around. The man made to touch the hoard sitting in the middle of the room… and his hand went right through a goblet.
"Phased out of the physical realm to stop others from taking anything. Smart" the empress commented. It was a good security measure; she was already thinking of doing the same with the royal vault back at the castle. Morlan started walking along the edge of the dome they were now finding themselves trapped in, looking for any seam or rivet that wasn't set right. His hands dragged across the metal, hoping they would somehow find a crack they could pry open.
"Are we really trapped in here?" Hrist asked her quietly. Selene simply shook her head and closed her eyes for a little bit. She had made sure there were a great many contingency plans in place just for such an occasion, requested by none other than Bronze Team. If she should ever find herself captured somewhere that she couldn't get out of, there were tools ready for those eventualities.
"Morlan, can you come back here please?" the auburn-haired woman asked. The man turned around and did a double take in the direction he was heading, resigning himself to head right on back to her. "Everybody put your hand on my shoulders. I'm going to see if we can't teleport out of here." She started to cast a teleportation spell, bringing both Morlan and Hrist, as well as her honor guard, with her if it was possible. The spell failed almost immediately.
And there is a teleportation block grid in the metal. This proves it, it isn't the material that is doing this, it's magically enhanced somehow… but this is even past tier 10 magic, hell, it's even beyond super tier magic… the only reason I was able to get something like this was because Orlo figured it out with weird science and a whole lot of steampunk tech. Is this dimensional magic that is reinforcing the dome?
Her next attempt was to use her amulet, which… worked. Selene appeared in the castle, with Jeeves turning and gazing at her. "Madam, are you alright? You just appeared." Hrist and Morlan, along with her honor guard, were nowhere to be seen.
Well, shit.
She reused the amulet and went right back to her previous location, sighing in frustration. "Damn it, can't travel in a group using that with my amulet. Guess we resort to an emergency plan."
"There are restrictions in place just for those who try and teleport" a male voice said from inside the hoard pile. The group turned around and peered at the glistening gold, iron and precious gems, only to see a man sit up and look at them. Half his body was still hidden by the phased treasure, but from what they could see, he was incredibly disheveled.
He had somewhat shoulder length very dark purple hair with one light purple streak from his bangs through the middle of the parting near his left temple, and an even darker full beard, though it was possible that was due to how long he had been trapped there, just like them. His clothes, while looking as if they might have been considered elite quality at one time, were little more than worn from what Selene observed with her scanner. His level, however, was what interested her, as he was a level 90. She had thought no human could reach above the high thirties, but this man was an exception to that rule it seemed. Though most of his face was covered in hair, he did look a little gaunt. "Trust me. I tried." His age registered as 22.
"So it seems" Selene replied to him, her automatons turning and aiming their weapons at him; she put her hands up for them to calm down as she walked up to him, the man slowly standing up and stumbling a little. He looked like he wasn't filling out his clothes as much as he should have. "So, you couldn't find a way out I take it?" she asked.
"The material the vault is made of diverts the energy you aim throughout the structure; that also causes any… oh what was the word my teacher used… coordinates, yes coordinates, it disperses all of that around so that you can't teleport either, probably took a hefty ritual to get it done too. I don't have the power to diffuse enough destructive force right now to pop it. I doubt there is a spell right now that can be detonated without killing myself in the process, at least without some extensive defensive spells that I… sadly… haven't quite worked on well enough I'll admit. I take it you were caught just like I was? He seems to like gather living creatures as toys if he can sense the power they wield." His voice had a British accent, though the fashion he had didn't look like it was from Artinia.
"Or he's afraid of us enough to let anything trapped in here simply to starve to death" she replied. A dry chuckle came out of his mouth.
"Sure enough, I nearly did just that. You would have found my corpse eventually in a few days, hidden under all of… that."
"How long have you been here?"
"I'm pretty sure that comes after introductions. My name is Gabriel. Gabriel Turkanos." He put his hand out for her to shake, dirt and grim caking it. He thought carefully after seeing how disgusting his fingers looked and cast something she never expected to see anyone else use. The [Scrub] spell was cast, a dimensional magic spell. She had already learned that tier magic and dimensional magic were repulsive to each other, and she hadn't attempted to teach anyone anything beyond [Nutrient Replenisher], which failed and was replaced with a tier spell of likeminded nature instead.
There is someone from Arcanic's Wizardry out there!
He put his hand out for her to shake one more time, but she looked at him as if he was an alien. His eyes glanced at Hrist and Morlan, who were both wondering what she was thinking. "Where… did you learn how to cast that spell?" she asked calmly, making him feel awkward as she didn't accept his shake.
"I… I… learned it from… my master, another wizard. Why?" he questioned, taking a small step back. He looked a little worried now.
"That was dimensional magic, do you know that?" His mouth dropped open for a second, surprised she knew it was different from tier magic. Selene immediately activated multiple features in her scanner to look for something, anything that told her he was casting dimensional magic. One such feature she had overlooked before that could be enormously useful was verifying if someone had the registered title of "player." It could also tell her if something was brought over from Yggdrasil, like an NPC or equipment. She hoped it would work on Gabriel.
As the feature came on, the dev was greatly confused when it didn't register him as a player or NPC.
Is he a native from here? Who the hell is his master?! They have to be a player that was brought over! I have to learn more about who this man is, maybe meet his teacher.
"Umm… yes? Look, I know we're all stuck in here, but if we can just remember I'm not the enemy… that the big scaled living weapon is the reason we can't leave, I think-" Gabriel started to stammer out.
"I can use dimensional magic as well." She opened her pocket dimension, his jaw dropping. Apparently, this was a spell he hadn't learned, more than likely due to not figuring out how to control the dimension of reality to create it without disintegrating everything inside. His eye kept jumping from the portal to her over and over.
"My… m… Master Teagan could do that… b-but how… we had th… we had thought that no one else around could do what he could. This… this is… who are you?" he asked her.
"I'll explain inside, given it might be our ticket out of here." She ushered the group through the portal, waiting for every being, including her honor guard, to file through. As Gabriel stepped in, he was greeted with a cozy home with a newly installed garage, a few vehicles and a small warehouse to store an assortment of gear and items. Selene walked in and left the portal open, heading towards the door of the house. The entrance swung open to show three automaton maids waiting and bowing to her as she walked in and stopped, waiting for everyone to come in after.
Just as the last guard entered, the empress stepped right back out and let the door close. "Wha… what?" Gabriel questioned, wondering where she was going.
A muffled "be right back, going to ruin the dragon's day" was heard outside as the dev headed to the warehouse. A trailer was pulled out with what looked like an unarmored cruise missile strapped to the top. A truck was backed up and hitched to the front, allowing it to be carried to the portal and driven out. Once the vehicle was parked, the auto crane picked up the munitions on the back and carefully lowered it to the ground.
As the woman stormed over and activated the decoupling of the safety locks, effectively arming the low yield thermonuclear weapon, she grumbled something about trying to play nice with the iron dragon and all it did was get her stuck here. Now he was going to pay the price. Remote detonation was prepared, with the signal able to be used as long as she was outside of her pocket dimension. That was the only issue with her plan, however that would be sidestepped with incorporating part of another plan.
Hrist sat down on the couch in the house and waited as Gabriel just walked over to the dining room table to rest his weak legs. Just as he sat down, they both heard the truck and trailer pull back through and park, the door slam shut, and the empress come right back inside. "I still feel as if I gave you more information than you are willing to share with me, my lady" he commented, looking at her with raised eyebrows and blinking, waiting for a reasonable response. His brain was still trying to grasp what she had just done or had used outside.
"Ah, right. Sorry, busy getting revenge in order, hope you understand. My name is Empress Selene of the Clockwork Empire." She was expecting him to say something along the lines of he had never heard of it, but the apprentice just sniffed.
"Your… majesty, is it? I… appreciate the… hospitality of the chairs here after sitting on the hard ground for so long… thank you." There was a long uncomfortable silence as the clock in the corner ticked and the maids got something ready from the kitchen.
"Right. So… introductions aside… um… let's see…" the empress looked over at the kitchen, expecting the maids to bring out some food for him. One brought a small basket of soft bread, in which he grabbed a slice and immediately started eating. His face looked like he was in pure bliss, despite there being nothing on the bread. "Easy, slow down, there is more than just that, something more substantial." He stopped eating and put half of the slice down, his cheeks filled. A glass of water was put down for him to drink, which he eagerly drained to wash down the food.
"Her eminence is generous with her food, you're a miracle to arrive when you did. I was afraid I'd have to start eating… well... there are spells that can create food, though it isn't exactly that appetizing. My digestion is the very reason I was ready to perish due to starvation."
"It's perfectly fine, don't worry. Now, when did you arrive?" A plate of spaghetti and meatballs was placed in front of him with a small salad to the left. His left hand shot for the fork and proceeded to stuff his mouth.
"I arrived in the month of November… some… somewhe… scuse me…" he muffled out in between bites.
"Slow down, you're going to kill yourself like that." He looked as if he hadn't eaten in two weeks. That was probably quite close to the truth. The purple-haired man calmed down and carefully swallowed after chewing well, waiting for his mouth to be empty.
"I'm very sorry, your majesty. I just… my rations were exhausted more than a week ago, at least I think it was a week ago… what day is it?" he said, picking up a napkin and cleaning his mouth and beard.
"The second of December" she replied. He seemed to blink at her in incredulity for a moment.
"Oh my. I've been here for a month then…" Gabriel seemed to be lost in thought for a little bit. "That would explain how difficult it was to keep my food and water rations from disappearing. Blast it, here I am constantly telling my master that he should always plan ahead, and I didn't pack well enough this one time…"
"You carried enough food and water for a month?" The man reached to his side gingerly and grabbed a small bag and slowly expanded into a decent size satchel. "Whaaaaaat… that's a bag of holding!" she chuckled out, realizing what that was.
"So you know of it? Of course you do, you're an empress. You probably have all sorts of artifacts available to you. Most people tend to look at it as if it was a gift from the gods."
"It takes some effort to craft one of those, but no, it isn't something given by a deity."
"This one was made for my master supposedly, by a god. I'm not arguing with you, your majesty, just explaining." The dev paused for a moment and looked up at the ceiling above them, trying to figure out if any of the gods here would provide something like that. Then it hit her. There was a quest in Arcanic's Wizardry that gave an endless bag as a reward, from a sea serpent deity. The avatar was so large most of the body couldn't be seen, given it stayed coiled through an underwater mountain. It was like that because the dev leads couldn't agree on the aesthetic design of the god, so they hid most of it inside coral and rock. A long sigh escaped her lips as she realized her mistake. "Endless like the ocean" was the catch phrase she remembered.
His master is a player. He has to be. I've got to find him.
"I didn't actually carry a month's worth of rations. You'd be quite surprised how long you can stretch three days' worth." He continued eating his meal provided to him, not really causing concern to the empress as an autodoc in the house gave him an all clear. Once he was finished, he put his hands on the table and looked at her. "Well, thank you for the meal, your majesty. Now… I'm a little worried we're all still stuck here, however."
"I'm dealing with that right now, no need to worry. You should know how a pocket dimension works though, don't you? That we aren't really stuck here?" she said to him, a slight hint of a grin curling on her lips. His jaw dropped a little as if to say something, then thought long and hard as his hand went up to his chin to rub his scruffy beard.
"Master Teagan had once said… what was it… oh my studies always passed over the spells I hadn't needed to learn just yet… ah… a pocket dimension had the capability to store vast amounts of anything the mage required… no… entering and exiting required a portal and a connection to the real world…"
"You're getting warmer."
"Hmm… oh my…" he exclaimed as he looked up at her, his eyes widened. "A pocket dimension has a secondary exit in case of emergency. Where is your secondary exit placed?" The spell itself was quite complicated, requiring a ritual for each sphere crafted. This was one of the few dimensional spells that required reagents other than mana as well. The more resources funneled to create it, the larger it could be, theoretically capable of creating a Dyson Sphere, provided an extreme amount of materials were used.
The main fact that Gabriel was trying to get to, however, was that there was a spare exit portal attached to the pocket dimensions' anchor point, created and placed wherever the mage wanted to have it. This was to allow the mage to jump to their home if unwanted pvp ever happened, so that they could escape and not deal with gankers. Those same gankers could try and camp outside the main portal, waiting for the mage to leave and ambush him or her. The anchor point was made to allow someone to easily get back to a hub city or town, completely bypassing those who wanted to grief and thwart their plans. It wasn't considered teleportation, as there was a set exit point that could be moved where needed, similar to such things as hearthstones or resurrection waypoints for ARPGs. The anchor was never allowed to be blocked or interrupted, with the lore being a tear in the fabric of space and time always allowing egress.
"Where is your anchor point?" he questioned.
"Back at my castle. The main issue will be once we leave, we'll be a good distance from the Kaldanas Mountains, away from the dragon. Once we're out, I'm going to deal with our would-be kidnapper."
"May I come with you? I'd like to have a very stern talking to the beast as well, probably with a few of those words connected to some spells." The dev giggled at the thought of that.
"I'm sorry, but it won't be a very eventful conversation. Besides, you've been trapped for a good deal of time. Rest at my palace, as a guest. I'm also going to have a few questions right after involving your master. I'd like to know where he learned how to cast dimensional magic. It's extremely rare after all."
"Hmm, quite. We've been the only two able to understand it, or maybe it's because he said I don't follow in the same… oh what did he say… gene pool? I think that was what he said, I didn't go down the same path as everyone with tier magic."
"That seems to be the main issue noticed. Tier magic and dimensional magic are mutually repulsive" she replied.
"It appears that way. Well then…" he coughed a little and looked at the two others watching him. After a long pause, Selene stood up and introduced her colleagues. "A pleasure to meet both of you. Now, I'll admit, I really should say this will be my first time using the back entrance to a pocket dimension. It will be invigorating to see where it lets me out."
The empress walked down a small hallway and down a short flight of steps to a door that would normally go into a wine cellar and grabbed the doorknob.
Please work, please work, please work, please work, please work… don't make me look like an idiot here…
As the door was pulled open, they could see the grand foyer awaiting them. The dev sighed in relief that the anchor point held. No magic was allowed to block leaving the pocket dimension, just as it should be. As the group walked out, Gabriel's eyes were jumping from one spot to the other, his head on a swivel as he took as much as he could in about the aesthetic design. The empress's home was bright and clean, warm and had large windows compared to the thick walls of other castles.
"Well, I knew I was walking into a palace, I just didn't expect it to be so… grand…" Gabriel commented as he turned around and walked backwards, his purple eyes checking out the chandeliers and molding along the walls. The dev had to take note that this was yet another color difference from Earth, what with magic having an effect on genetics now. "So, how do you plan on responding to the forced incarceration placed upon us? Steal the clutches of eggs he has?"
Selene stopped walking and stared at him. "I thought that was just a farce he put up. There are actually eggs?" Gabriel nodded.
"I saw them myself, once. I'm almost positive he moves them around to keep them well hidden. There were many clutches, some looked to most likely be not of the iron brood. It appears he might be more of a thief than a warrior. Strange, I had heard that iron dragons tended to be a bit more brutish than normal… not that I had any experience with them, mind you."
"Huh." The empress walked down a few hallways and brought Gabriel to a guestroom. "Here is where you can stay, don't hesitate to explore a little bit, but the top floor is restricted. I'll have a doctor come to see you in a few minutes, give you a checkup. In the meantime, I'm going to put my plan into effect. If you'll excuse me."
Selene walked away without another word as the man just stared after her, blinking. "I get the funny feeling that dragon bit off more than he can chew."
One Hour Later
The iron dragon lifted its head inside his lair and heard something walking down the tunnel towards him. He carefully peered down through the darkness; his dark vision was useless as he could see nothing approaching. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Selene appeared, decloaking herself, and alone. "Impossible! There is no way you could have broken out of the vault!" he roared, disbelieving his own eyes.
I'm now pretty sure that was a bunker, not a vault.
"Oh, we did, it was pretty easy after all. You stupid dragons think you have everything figured out, but I guess you didn't take into account someone stronger than you showing up. You know, breaking my trust is a great way to lose everything you have; your hoard is one of the things you've already had taken away." The dragon scoffed, but he ever so slightly looked over his right wing back towards the vault and hesitated once, then twice, his breath catching in his chest. She couldn't have.
"Don't believe me? You aren't the only thief out there, stealing away that which is precious to others. How many clutches are there, stashed away? How many other broods did you piss off? I can now see why you hid with so many escape tunnels, and I can also tell you didn't build that vault." The creature was getting angry, which was what she was hoping for.
"I'll tear you to pieces!" he roared as a clawed paw shot out to strike at her. The dev's right hand came up and blocked it, not even moving an inch, {Move a Mountain} kicking in and amplified by her levels and strength. Rubble and dirt blew by her form as her hand just held him back easily, her hair flailing a little then resting finally. He struggled as she just held him back, unflinching and unmoving. That was when he looked as if he might attempt to cast something.
Wild Magic. I have to see if I can't stop him from using it. My defenses will keep up, but I'd rather not know where he's getting his fuel. It's possible it doesn't sacrifice anything, but if my idea is correct, he stole those clutches just for this.
Selene immediately cast [Silence of the Void], an especially powerful anti-cast spell used for dimensional magic. It was akin to using an interrupt for most MMOs, except this sealed off an entire dimension of magic from the mage for a good hour. It normally took a healthy chunk of mana to use, though with her pool, it was lower than 1%. She hoped against hope that it would work, just like all other magic.
The wild magic backfired from the interrupt, the dragon backing off immediately and surprised she could even do that. The empress sighed in a relief, as the entire thing was a gamble. Orlo and Turnie's experiments intel on her defenses working paid off. "How… you can't…" he snapped out, some of his scales bristling off his body as if electrified. She simply stood there, staring at him, just as he unleashed his breath attack, pure lightning arcing its way towards her. It connected hard, though her resistances never got a chance to block it, the energy absorption system into the portable capacitor she had hidden under her clothes sucking up the electricity like a lightning rod, her personal shields not even phased. He had given her a power boost for future use.
The iron dragon was flabbergasted at what was happening, then cut and ran in the opposite direction towards the bunker… right where she was hoping he would go. Selene followed him, just far enough away to keep him running and not slowing down to look behind, her recon team keeping track of his direction. As he entered the vault, the door closed behind him as he laughed.
Hook, line and sinker.
"You never touched my hoard! I knew it, a pathetic human like you could never manage to get all of this out… not while… not while…" he trailed off as something was beeping in the middle of the pile… something ready to detonate.
Fuck your hoard. Fuck your lair. Fuck your stupid race, you overgrown purse. ARE ALL OF THESE DRAGONS LIKE THIS?! GOD DAMNED KLEPTOMANIACS! I had hoped that at least some of them were different! This is supposed to be a metal dragon, one of the good guys!
The empress ordered her soldiers to back off with her down the hall as the bomb exploded, shaking the whole mountain as the vault did everything it could to contain the nuclear fission inside. The tunnel leading to it collapsed with a massive cave in, large boulders and stalactites falling throughout the rest of the network. The dragon had a split second to realize he was played before having his flesh ripped from his bones. The treasure hoard unphased as soon as the explosion ended, the dragon wiped off the face of the map.
As the area settled, the dev saw much further down an entrance that was previously sealed off being picked at from the other side, tools breaking through and dwarves piling in. Hrist and Morlan could be seen running far ahead, straight towards her. The mountain king walked through and stood there, confused as to why the empress had shown up. "What the… why are you here?" he asked sternly as guards took up positions near their ruler, weapons ready, though fearful of just how strong Selene was.
"I was attempting to negotiate the dragon leaving peacefully so that you would open your doors once more. Unfortunately…" her eyes glanced back at the now collapsed tunnel behind her "I hit a snag. The dragon is dead now." The mountain men started to whisper amongst themselves as the king pushed through his escort and stood in front of her, all four feet of him in all directions.
"We didn't ask for your help. Last time I checked, I distinctly said fighting underground is different from above."
"Yes, you did; I just figured doing this was quicker to get the mithril flowing again." Two miners walked out towards the cave in and looked back.
"Your highness! This will take time to get through!" one reported. "I'd give it a few days, maybe a week just for this alone."
"Indeed. Get to work. As for you, Empress Selene… you are trespassing on our mines. Don't expect a reward from us just because you have slain a dragon. This is our property you are standing in; we ask you to leave." The king crossed his burly arms over his chest and glared at her sternly, however there were no nobles behind him. It seemed he had more than enough courage to stand with his men in the face of a dragon invading their home.
Morlan attempted to speak, but the dev put up a hand. "There are clutches of dragon eggs that are hidden in here. It seems the iron dragon had been stealing them away from others. I'd like a chance to get some research done, if you wouldn't mind getting an R&D contract going between our people." The king was shocked, looked back at his son and advisors, then split away to speak with them in private.
"Good, at least we can walk away with those given the way the vault was destroyed. I wonder if his hoard survived whatever it was you used back there; it might be possible there are some magical-" Morlanion started to say before the dwarves finished deliberating and walked forward.
"We will not allow you to perform any research on those eggs."
"What? But Empress Selene-"
"These are our mines. You trespass when you are not wanted, then expect us to give you things that are on our property. The dragon, the hoard, the eggs, they are ours. Now… leave, your majesty. I do not want to sour relations between our two nations further. It would be the same for you in your lands and we would respect that." Morlan glanced back and forth between the king and his ruler, hoping she would ignore his demands and simply take the eggs. She certainly had the power. There was absolutely nothing the dwarves could do against her might.
"Fine." Hrist kept her mouth shut as the empress walked back down the tunnel heading out, both of her team following.
"You're just going to let them have those dragon eggs? I mean, that could be a powerful force if you took them, your majesty" Morlan told her, his arms gesticulating wildly while he walked next to her.
"Those clutches don't really concern me, if they want them then it's fine. I mostly wanted to just get historical research done with Erina."
"But, your majesty… having your own dragons, if just for the intimidation factor…"
"Do you have any idea how much work goes into raising any sort of creature, Morlan? Now figure in waste disposal for I don't know how many dragons, then food, cleaning, training. It just wouldn't be worth it."
"Waste disposal?"
"Yes. You have any idea how much shit a dragon would produce in a day? Multiply that by however many eggs are back there. The dwarves just asked for way more than they bargained for." Morlan admitted, he didn't see the logistics of raising them, and also knew that it wasn't like the empress needed them in the first place.
"Why are you so dead set on her having them, Morlanion?" Hrist questioned him. He sighed as they saw the light outside.
"Would it not be better to have those clutches in the hands of the empire than of the dwarves? I mean… you're handing them military strength… and you could be considered the mother of those dragons, I guess…"
"I believe the term you're referring to is a force multiplier. The problem with that is if they can even figure out how to hatch those eggs, then raise them, then get them to fight for their kingdom. That's a lot of ifs. Far easier to mass produce fighter jets with automaton pilots, or my air fleets" Selene replied. She didn't want to explain that at best, those dragons would also only reach level 100, maybe a little more, if that; experience points would be a premium to get any of them to become strong great wyrms. The capability discrepancy between her military and living dragons that may or may not listen to her was not worth the effort in her eyes. Morlan chuckled a little as he rubbed his nose for a second. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I just… it would be interesting to see a new title for you, your majesty. Empress Selene of the Clockwork Empire, goddess of the Golden Valley, ruler or mother of… whatever broods are back there…" he thumbed backwards down the tunnel they had just came from.
"No thank you, I don't need that kind of bullshit. If anything, I'd have some research done on the eggs, see about the life expectancy of the creatures, I dunno… throw them in an incinerator or something afterwards." The man was shocked.
"You'd destroy the eggs afterwards?" he questioned, wondering if she was joking.
"Look, so far, it's been dragons doing stupid stuff in my borders. This one attempted to hold us captive, trophies. After finally meeting one, a metallic dragon which I thought might be at least cordial, I've now come to the conclusion negotiations with them is pointless. They're assholes, really big assholes, that do not care about anything but themselves." The team exited outside and looked around, the transport above already picking up the buggies.
"We're going to teleport back, just to make sure the magic that was imbuing that vault didn't disperse outwards and contaminate the area, turning it into some sort of hazard zone." Selene grabbed both of their hands and cast her spell, bringing her back to the castle without issue. It was still a little disorienting to perform, finally realizing sadly that she did suffer some light vertigo effects. They might disappear if she used the spell judiciously from now on, though she'd still rather just not get nauseous in the first place and use standard transportation. The buggies were picked up long ago, given the expedited nature of returning back and forth. Hrist didn't get the chance to test her foot on a gas pedal.
As they arrived in the palace, Jeeves took the empress's jacket as she continued on, leaving Morlan in the hallway watching her receding form, Hrist by her side. He couldn't provide any advice on what she was now talking about, with Orlo and Turnie showing up to discuss material composition from the vault. He barely heard them say something about a quantum refraction mesh that was created via mana, before they turned the corner and were out of sight. Most of what they were talking about was simple theory, no concrete evidence as they couldn't perform any tests just yet with no samples.
He turned his head and glanced around him, noting there was nothing but two automaton guards at the doors. The warrior sighed, hearing nothing but his own breath leaving him, silence overwhelming the area. The man had no effect in anything involving this adventure, other than providing healing potions to those wounded dwarves in the forge… all of which were provided by his majesty. He didn't know any healing magic, he had little negotiations skills, other than talking with his sword. For all intents and purposes, he was just there for the sights, to finally see a fully-grown dragon, the whole time being protected by his ruler. It should have been the opposite.
While Elsei had a job to do in Eil'Ta Forest, he was just puttering around until the empress decided to bring him along for another trip. "What am I doing…" he muttered as his hand rose into his vision and he flexed. He used to be a hero of Artinia, praised for his capability. At the moment, he felt more like background scenery.
Meanwhile
Alfred was writing some missives for his soldiers to carry out orders and continue to track any messengers leaving the city of Silvinholm. His hand was flying across the paper, copying what he had written twenty times already. There was an empty bottle to his left; he had hoped to somehow get it refilled at the same still and brewery.
A quick scratch at his goatee and slicking back his brown hair falling into his eyes before another one was finished, and he was onto the next sheet. A knock at the door sounded out as he looked up and sighed. "Come in." His lieutenant walked through, looking shocked as if the end of the world was happening. "What's wrong?"
"G… g… General Galdin is here… sir… just outside the gates…" he stuttered out. Commander Dalonas looked up at him with his eyes going wide.
Why the bloody hell is he here?! Is he passing through with his army?!
"It's possible they are resupplying" he responded as he continued to write out his missives.
"No sir, he… he wants to speak with you, in his tent… they haven't entered the city…" the lieutenant told him shakily. A female sergeant came in behind the lieutenant, her blonde hair twisted in a braid. She whispered something to the lieutenant in worry, with him responding with a sigh. "He wants to speak with you… now, sir." The commander sat there blinking, his hand frozen over the paper as ink slightly dripped from the quill he had between his fingers. Somehow… an envoy had gotten to the king behind their backs. How they were able to get here so quickly though… General Galdin must have been in the area and had a wizard bring word of what was happening.
"How the hell did this happen?" he grumbled out as he put away the quill and rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he could feel a headache coming on. He already knew what was going to be forced upon him. The General would order him to follow orders, against his better judgment, and do what he was told. That simply wasn't an option. "What is the feel of the standing army here sergeant?" he asked. The woman stepped forward and stood at attention.
"Sir! The army will follow you. The thought process about the orders that were… er… rumored… to have been received is that it is insane. Some of them have families that live here. They are hoping you will find some resolution to this issue." Alfred scooted back from his desk and leaned on the armrest of his chair, thinking.
"Thank you, sergeant. I hope they are willing to keep their faith in me for a little longer." He stood up and straightened his uniform, his eyes glancing at the still empty bottle.
Not going to get a chance to drink that or anything like it for a very long time.
"Sir, we should go with you" his lieutenant stated, wanting to act as his escort. The commander nodded in agreement.
"Pick two others to come with us, sergeant. Make sure they are ready to escape at a moment's notice." The blonde was shocked at what he was asking.
"Sir? Do you think… do you think the general will… will try and execute us?" she asked. He looked into her eyes and sighed… then shrugged. He didn't want to solidify her fears.
"We disobeyed orders from the king. However, we cannot allow innocents to simply be slaughtered just because they have a different opinion of how things should work. If anyone senses any danger once we meet with Galdin, we run, understand?" She nodded vigorously. The three of them headed to the makeshift armory, retrieved suits of armor for light cavalry, then headed out to the men on the walls of the city.
Teams of soldiers were heading from one place to another, either off duty or heading to investigate a disturbance in another district, something the mercenaries were quite good at. A few of them were frustrated they couldn't kill those who would commit the crimes, though most others were thankful for that restriction. It allowed them to keep their humanity, though some were just afraid of stabbing their sword into a human being. With so many other creatures out there that treated humans as food or slaves, excluding the surrounding nations, they needed ever man, woman and child available to keep them going. The fact they had completely lost contact with every town and village west of Silvinholm, and the fact Paldos City had been annihilated by an unseen force, told them they needed to stand together, not kill each other.
"Sergeant" one man said as he walked towards her with another squad mate. He was a corporal in their army, usually very good at horse riding and archery.
"Corporal. You two, I'm commanding you both to assist us in escorting Commander Dalonas to meet with General Galdin, just outside the gates" she said as the private behind them gulped a little at hearing his orders.
"We saw. Galdin is just past the hill with an army. You don't think he… I mean… there's no way…" the corporal replied.
"Let's hope not. We should just be cautious though." They both nodded and ran to tell the rest of the soldiers to prepare on the walls. If everything went according to plan, the general would just come in and see everyone saluting and at attention, exactly where they should be. If not, and Galdin decided to suddenly attack, they were already prepared to defend.
Commander Alfred mounted his horse carefully, the lighter armor still increasing his weight a bit. With his escort in tow, they headed out through the gates and carefully approached the general's very large camp.
There's only one reason for him to not enter the city.
Alfred dismounted just as they entered through the picket line, the soldiers coming up and grabbing the reins of their horses. They had grim faces as they stared at the commander. This was not good.
"Commander…" the sergeant whispered to him as they kept close, the rest of the men watching them as the group walked towards Galdin's tent. Once they were outside the flaps, he turned around and looked at his escort. They all nodded at him and kept their eyes peeled for an ambush. The fact the new army were keeping track of them inside the camp meant only one thing… they might have to fight their way out. The other very real prospect was that some did not like what they were about to do. They could probably gain some new recruits if things got ugly.
The tent flaps opened as a bald and slightly rotund man sat behind a table, his burly arms belaying the fat on his stomach. While he might have looked out of shape, General Galdin could easily lift a keg by himself if he wanted to. His uniform was missing the sleeves, showing multiple tattoos of the battles he had been in, the scars of combat. He was well known, almost as well known as the oldest son of the Rikter family, though not nearly as powerful as he was. While Alfred knew of Morlanion, once the hero of Artinia, now a criminal fugitive, he had never met him in person. His men had the chance to put shackles on his hands, but he somehow managed to escape with his family. He had received a very generous chastising from Alain for that, as if somehow all of his men being knocked out was his fault.
"Ah, the star of the show has arrived! Greetings Commander Dalonas!" Galdin chuckled out as he motioned for them to come closer. The General was a man who did whatever it takes to get the job done, didn't question orders from his king, and had no conscience if it meant slaughtering innocents. Collateral damage was not in his vocabulary. "Mmm, I take it Silvinholm is having some trouble it looks like?" he asked, a small grin on his face as his grey goatee shifted.
"Nothing we haven't been able to handle, sir."
"I see, I see. Well, they haven't actually gone into rebellion, so it shows the capability of its officers keeping things under control! That's good to hear."
"Yes sir. We don't have to worry about anything happening."
"Good, good. Oh, by the way, you uh, you might have forgotten something though. It seems you might have forgotten a very important uh, missive sent to you by order of the king. Was it lost in transit? I have a spare provided to us before we left to reach here." The sergeant gulped a little and looked at Alfred. He seemed calm and collected. The General, despite quite clearly a threat here, was treating this as simple miscommunication. He wasn't jumping to conclusions about the Commander being a traitor, as it was possible he just didn't get the memo.
"I'm afraid we might not have received it, sir."
"Oh, that is a shame, it really is. Having messengers lose important documents is poor form, it is. Well, we have another, just in case. Oh, by the way, we received a rather cryptic message from an uh, Alain Reysor I believe. Seems he contracted a messenger to get to a village for a shipment of diamonds, then the words changed, magic and all that. Now, something about the commander not keeping to his orders?" Galdin questioned.
"I'm unsure of what he was mentioning. Perhaps it was his own faculty that was performing unsatisfactorily? They do have men with those titles under their employ" Alfred answered with another question.
"Perhaps, perhaps. Well, regardless of that. You probably are wondering why we are here. The king, our glorious ruler, has requested us to enact these orders and end any chance of a rebellion from happening."
"General Galdin, I can assure you that-"
"Assure me of what, commander? That the people won't take too kindly to military roaming their streets? Eventually they will either do one of two things. The first, is they accept our laws that we enforce, through strong military presence, they obey what rules we set, no matter how obtrusive they may be. They get used to it, go on with their lives. The second, and this is most likely to occur, is they attempt to break away from Artinia. Given the trade that goes through here, it would be disastrous, wouldn't you agree?"
"Sir, the loss of life is-"
"Oh, don't worry about the loss of life, they forfeited their chance at having one when they spoke out against their king and his choices to root out any corruption and hired swords from controlling this fair city. We don't need it marred by those who cannot see the order that Artinia brings, the strength of having our forces watching over the people here! No no, it will all be over quite soon and more of the people will eventually move here, replacing those that have been slain. The world will go on, and Artinia as well." The lieutenant felt sick hearing all of that. The general had no care about who he was fighting, just that he followed orders from his king. There was no conscience, just the need to obey.
The corporal was about to speak up when Alfred cut him off. "Then it is as the king wishes."
"Yes, we are here to serve him after all. Now, let me see how you've been holding up the walls and security of this fair city. Come! Give me a tour of your men, then we will stand together to enforce our majesty's will!" he laughed out and stood up from the table. The sergeant looked up at her commander, fear in her eyes. She knew her parents were outspoken about what was happening in this city. They would have the sword run through them if he allowed this. Commander Dalonas simply nodded and walked with the general outside.
"Prepare my horse! Let's see the men and women who took in the corrupt hero of House Rikter, chained and ready to go to the king! A shame that was, losing him, but that was not your fault commander. Probably paid cutthroats ready to get them to safety. We'll find them as well, after this small setback." General Galdin waited for his mount to be brought to him while Alfred got onto his steed, his escort following along. All of them were wondering what he was going to do.
Once the general was ready, his own escort with him, they rode slowly out of the camp and headed towards the city. As they reached the halfway point, with the sergeant terrified of what was going to happen in the next few minutes, Alfred did his best to keep strong and work out a plan in his head. As they reached the walls, the gates opened up with his men looking at him in concern. They knew what was going to be ordered of them.
"Hmm, at least you've kept the place under control with the men under your command recognizing their superiors. I haven't seen a parade formation in some time" Galdin commented as he surveyed the troops. The man was escorted through the lines of the Silvinholm Artinian army that kept security of the city, with a swarm of people with signs yelling and swearing at them in the distance. They were unhappy with the current conditions; however, most of that was the fault of the nobles doing as they please right now, very little if any of it was the military policing the area. They were the muscle to yell at though, with the houses hiding away in their estates while they all suffered.
"Is everything up to snuff for you, sir?" Alfred asked.
"Quite. Maybe this is enough for us to start, without my army stepping forward to assist. Now, prepare your lines." Commander Dalonas motioned for his soldiers to move forward, though he gave a peculiar look to most of them as they passed him. As they got ready, their shields locked and swords out, the crowds of civilians hesitated and quieted down. Rocks stopped being thrown as they all looked at each other, wondering what the soldiers would soon do to them.
Each footman stood there, scared out of their mind that they were going to charge against unarmed men and women who just hated how things were being run. "Hmm, your front line needs a little work, you can train them a little better after all of this is done."
"Yes sir." Archers notched their arrows and raised them, getting ready to fire. The general seemed amused at what was about to happen, looking at the people before the security force now realizing they were going to be killed. Huge swaths of them broke and ran, just trying to get some distance. The arrows would seek them out soon enough.
"Ready…" the Lieutenant commanded as the archers focused. Swordsmen closed their eyes tightly and prayed.
"Jared! How could you do this?!" A mother asked as she stared at one of the soldiers, her own son, his shield ready. His family was one of the groups that wanted things back the way they were, when they had better rights than what the nobles provided now. Without the Rikter family keeping things under control, the other houses did whatever they wanted, even infighting between them. The only ones keeping the peace were the Artinian security force there. The mercenaries had all now done what they can to leave the city, to seek out new jobs, a healthy chunk hearing rumors they would not be killed if they headed west into the unknown that had enveloped those towns and villages.
"Aim…" Alfred looked up at the archers and the lieutenant, constantly motioning with his eyes to look at the general. The bowmen seemed confused at first, then finally figured out what he was planning.
"By the king, this is taking too long Commander. Fire!" Galdin snapped. Nothing happened. "I said fire!" Again, no arrows were loosed upon the people. He turned around, wondering what the holdup was, and saw the archers aiming not at the discontents ahead of them, but at his guards as well as his own person. "I see. When did you change and be so soft hearted?"
"Since I knew wiping out half the population here would cause the city to collapse, and with it, Artinia. Without the trade here, the king has nothing but his imperial city. There is a better way than this, General, we just have to find it. They are just afraid of what the nobles are doing, if we can get that under control, trade improves without firing a shot, the livelihood of the people improves. We don't have to do this." Galdin simply stood there, his hands behind his back clasped together. A twitch on his lower lip was seen as he stared at Alfred, turning slowly into a grin.
"That's not for us to choose, little man. I'm sad to see this happen, however, this will not end the way you think it will." A small crystal dropped from the cuff of his uniform into his hand, activating. His escort followed suit, all teleporting out of the city.
"Damn it. Seal the gates!" Alfred commanded as his men got into gear, preparing for a siege. He had known about those crystals for some time, he just didn't know if there were any more left. They were extremely difficult to create, only the officers or high-risk mission operatives were given them ever, with the Ghost's Ashes having almost all of them bar a few spares. The chances of them having anymore were slim to none, which meant no sabotage groups porting in and causing chaos while they were defending against trebuchets. "I want guards on the walls at all times! You, I want you to get all the other gates sealed up immediately, bring in all traders and convoys, I don't care if they are willing or not, it's safer in here than out there" he said sternly to the Sergeant. She acknowledged and hopped onto her steed, racing towards all the other entrances of the city.
"Lieutenant get me a list of supplies we can get a hold of, requisition spare weapons from the smiths. Someone get the civilians in doors! We don't need them wandering the streets!" The city of Silvinholm was going to be under siege, whether they liked it or not. They needed make use of every advantage they had available to survive this.
There were shouts from the people wondering what was happening, starting to yell profanity again. "Shut your mouths! We are about to go to war for all of you idiots!" the lieutenant snapped, shutting them up. The Artinian security was now the Artinian rebels, deciding instead to protect the rights of those who hated them being there… all because of their conscience.
Night
Selene walked out of the palace towards the research labs and noticed Morlanion outside practicing with a sword against a dummy. He looked to be sweating profusely and forcing himself to continue. "Morlan?" she questioned as the dev stopped right where she was, watching him. The man stopped swinging and wiped away the sweat from his forehead, stumbling a little and sitting down on a nearby bench. The empress jogged over and pulled a bottle of water from her inventory, handing it to him. "Easy, easy. Why are you pushing yourself so hard?"
He didn't answer at first, just drank the water and stared at the ground. The woman stood there stooped in front of him, worried. "I was of no use to you when we faced against that dragon" he finally responded. His hand gripped tightly the bottle, though it didn't get damaged. The warrior suddenly threw the container away and stood up, angry. "I was of no use to you! I'm useless!" he snapped as he walked away a few feet and stopped, breathing deeply and blowing it out of his mouth loudly.
"What are you talking about? Calm down, tell me what's going on." Morlan sighed and put his hands on his hips, his tunic soaked in sweat. All that could be heard was him breathing heavily. He finally turned around and wiped back his hair, looking her barely in the eye.
"I know I accepted the chance to see a live dragon, and I appreciate the opportunity to do so, but… when he captured us… I just… I couldn't help at all, I just walked around and let you do all the work. You are my empress, but it seems like I'm just dead weight right now, not even doing what I should be doing, protecting this empire I swore an oath to, to you your majesty. I don't feel as if I have a purpose. In Artinia, I was sent everywhere to fight battles far and wide. Now? Your military does all the work, I'm… I'm not even good at real diplomacy, that's what my father and mother excel at. Even Elsei is better at talking than I am."
Selene walked next to him and looked up into his face, filled with sadness. He seemed depressed, given his physical standing. His empress, her Valkyrja, her automatons, all of them were leagues above his capability. Each time an issue arises, he was just there to see it unfold, not really getting the chance to do anything to assist. "So, you're trying to somehow work even harder to be useful" she stated. He slowly nodded, not even looking at her.
"I don't know what I am going to do in this empire. Elsei can speak on behalf of the high elves, maybe I can go be a trainer at the academy, I don't know. I just feel like I'm not strong enough to be here, in the castle walls. I'm not strong enough to be in your presence."
"Your parents are far weaker than you and they live here now."
"They assist you with laws and regulations, that's different. I'm no good at that. Perhaps… perhaps I should…" he turned around and sat down again, thinking what to say next. The dev slowly walked over and sat next to him, about to place her hand on his back but thought better of it with all the sweat.
"I'm sorry I put you in that position, I didn't realize we were just sitting you on a shelf to look handsome. I just thought you might have wanted to see a few sights, not have to always worry about being in the thick of it. You're no tool, Morlan. I thought I wanted to make that very clear. You're a citizen of my empire, I wasn't just going to throw you at trouble like Artinia does in hopes it made it all better." He chuckled at that response.
"I've thought about how I can help the empire, after everything you've done. It's either the academy, or something else. The problem is, the only other things I can think of would be to somehow, some way, find others who are willing to stand with me to fix the issues your military cannot work on… something like, I don't know, how your police in towns work, but private."
"You mean a government sponsored mercenary fixer group." Morlan finally looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.
"I… think so?" he replied.
"Is this coming from you or Elsei as well?"
"I haven't talked to her just yet, she's staying in Eil'Ta Forest for the next two days dealing with the aftermath for the queen, per your Bronze Team members; they explained the escort that went with her wouldn't be coming back just yet. Apparently, they're dealing with the integration of the high elves into your empire quite well, just… there are personal issues for her back home that she's cleaning up, something to do with her mother."
"Ah." There was silence between them as Selene clasped her fingers together and looked up at the stars. "I'm sorry you feel inadequate around here, that wasn't my intention. I'm sorry that I embarrassed you when we shot off to the mine network as well." The sky, despite it being cold outside for anyone but her, was stunning and clearer than anything she had seen in a while. Earth was a polluted foggy mess now, while this world seemed so refreshing now that she wasn't fighting to survive. Morlan, on the other hand, had to be freezing and could very well catch a cold or pneumonia. The heat lamps throughout the outside were going strong to protect the gardens and keep the royal stables well taken care of for Asterion and the other animals that lived within the walls. The reactors hidden below didn't even have a hiccup for the power requirements the castle had.
"You know, I actually envy my younger brother, Ezra. He knows his place within Elesia's Abbey. He has a gift that I don't have." He was pouring his insecurities out it seemed, at least about how he would pull his own weight. He really wanted to do his duty, to help keep the empire safe… he just didn't know how right now beyond the idea of a specialist team.
"What are you talking about? You're a lev… er…" she started to correct herself, almost about to tell him he was level 35; "You're stronger than you think. Those martial arts you have are fairly impressive for a warrior to have."
"They didn't work against you."
"I have stronger armor, magic and I've beaten a Valkyrja in a duel. I'd like to consider myself an exception to the rule."
"Point taken." That meant that while he couldn't do much against the empress with those skills, they were still powerful abilities to use on others. She could only imagine what some of his abilities could do to an ogre, or a young dragon with at least some proper weapons and equipment, at least tungsten steel, more than likely Elite quality tier or higher. More silence enveloped them as he leaned back and watched the stars as well, with a good five minutes going by before he spoke again, relaxing a little next to his ruler. "I'm hoping to train hard enough to somehow make myself stronger, to be a force you can count on here, your majesty."
"And find likeminded individuals, I can respect that. Maybe, maybe trying to assist the police in cities and towns might be the way to go; I mean… they'll be restricted by laws and policies to keep the citizen's rights protected, maybe having a special group going around investigating that which I can't divest any of my military to work on would be a good idea. Some crimes do go unpunished, even with the police doing their duty." Morlan looked at her with wide eyes. She was agreeing to support this idea. The man jumped off the bench and kneeled in front of her, keeping his head down and averting his gaze.
"I will do whatever I have to for this to become a reality, your majesty, with your permission." She sighed and lightly touched his chin, tilting his head up for him to meet her eyes. The police in most towns were all human, with the main criminal activity mostly cleaned up at the beginning when her armies swept through. The new officers available were required by law to be paid well and have their moralities checked monthly, though their benefits were so incredible that no bandit or thief could ever bribe them. Their families also received discounts at shops as long as their fathers and mothers served and protected. This all combined, among other things, completely dashed all chances of corruption.
"I'll see what your father can help me with to institute a specialized task force organization here. This… might be what the empire needs, in all honesty." He was smiling at her, a glimmer in his eyes. At that moment, she only had police in her municipalities and security defense forces outside any of the walls. Beyond that, was her military. There was no real in between of soldiers and civil protectors. Now the dev realized she was going to need something akin to the FBI, NSA, US Marshalls, ATF and CIA. Morlan could become the director of this organization, small as it was going to be at the beginning.
Once we take Silvinholm, he could have his pick of the finest adventurers maybe, or even the best students from the academy with Skuld's approval.
"I've been renewed, empress. Thank you." He quickly got up from his kneeling position, his head down for a moment as if saying a silent prayer in her name. The mountain of a man then turned on his heel and walked over to a sword to pick it up, getting ready to practice again.
"Hold up, hold up. I understand you want to get stronger, but there is a limit to how much your body can handle" Selene intervened, standing up to put her hand on his to gently have him lower the weapon. He sighed and nodded, closing his eyes. "I take it you somehow thought with enough hard work you might be able to stand next to Hrist, Bryn and I?" she questioned softly.
"I… had a feeling you would say something like this. I'm probably pushing it a little too far?" Morlan's eyes wandered down to the ground as he lowered his weapon. He was working so hard with what he had. He wasn't some dumb warrior with a sword, that much was certain. There was a reason he was considered a hero of Artinia. The problem was, he had no capability for magic, though his martial arts did replace that. He had no training in technology, so uplifting him with the same equipment Bronze Team had was risky, as he could potentially shoot himself in the foot. There was a sharp mind there, however it needed to be tended and nurtured, which the battlefield didn't give much of a chance to do.
"Your body can only take so much before you tear a muscle or damage ligaments. Maybe if your body was augmented in some capacity, you could get past those limitations I think… eh, whatever… just take it easy…" She rambled out, as he looked at her, listening to her every word. There were projects that could be started, at least primitive ones given she was still in Early Intersolar Era tech. Each one was designed to create super soldiers, pretty much the age-old idea of Space Marines that every sci fi game or story had in some capacity, whether it was Halo or Warhammer 40,000.
While her tech at the moment seemed vastly higher in some areas compared to those universes, there was a drastic gap in many other tech paths; most of the improvements she had was from the side tech tree for steampunk as well. Weird science had been a major boon to her at the beginning. She wouldn't really have anything that was FTL capable until after quite a few more tech ups, so her super soldier programs would be a little antiquated until that time came around. There was also the fact that she just didn't need to invest anything into them in the first place, with her automatons, and now standard tech robots in some specialty jobs, doing all the grunt work. Still, it could help her in minor issues around the world, or multiple worlds, if specialty groups that were highly loyal to the empire and their empress were improved beyond their normal means, to act as the special forces for nonmilitary related purposes.
"Augments? You mean to improve my body? That's… that's wonderful. I'm willing to start whenever you wish it."
Fuck. Damned diarrhea of the mouth.
"Wait, what? Uh, Morlanion, I don't think that's the best course of action, at least… um… I mean… I… uh…"
"What do you mean? You just said the only way to get past my limitations is to augment my body. Let me guess, magical? I am ready and willing."
"Look… when I said augment your body… I… have some… experiments… that might… and I do say this carefully, might be able to speed the process up for physically enhancing your body." Morlan blinked at her for a moment.
"Well what am I waiting for? Let's do it!" he laughed out.
"Morlan, listen to me carefully. These are experiments, as in not set programs. There is a chance they may not work as intended. I'm… willing to admit… this will be the first time I've ever done something like this before either. There is risk, even if the rewards could be high. I'd need you to sign waivers that you've read over thoroughly before you agree to them, like not holding me accountable for any side effects." While some of these basic projects would allow humans to become incredible superheroes, she had no idea what it would do to natives of this world. There was also no guarantee they would have the same effect on anything beyond humans here. While genetic enhancement or cybernetics might work on Morlanion, it could potentially cripple Elsei or anyone else Morlan brought into his group. There was also the risk that any of the enhancements could cause excruciating pain. She didn't have enough information on the genomes here.
"So… what you're saying is to be prepared for the worst."
"Yes. There is always a chance for some of these experiments to simply break you, even kill you. You need to understand this." He stood there and bit at his lower lip, thinking it through. "That's why I don't think it's the best course of action to take. We could go easier instead, like… different physical training, throw you through a higher education or Extreme Officer School, things like that." EOC was a thing after the 2050s for the United States that brought hundreds of would be soldiers from all throughout NATO to learn to git gud.
"Empress Selene, I trust you. I made an oath to you before, and I reinforce that oath. I… know you wouldn't lead me astray, now even trying to warn me of the risk. Give me the waivers. I'll read them, with the help of my father, and decide if I wish to go through with them. I need to show that I am willing to protect you as well as the empire." She just stared at him, studying his face. He was set in his decision. She wasn't just worried for his wellbeing; she was actually afraid of the experiments. This would be the very first time she'd do anything like this with a volunteer… or anyone. Automatons didn't need to be turned into super soldiers, they just had modules installed in them for new upgrades from the fabrication units in her inventory. It was simple to plug and play for all of her army. A Light auto could have Medium hydraulics installed for better lifting capability, there was no chance of rejection. There were too many variables for living creatures that scared her.
"Alright. I'll see about getting everything prepared for tomorrow. Just rest for the time being, we'll see about where to start. The first obvious choice is to change your training first, see how far we can push you right now without any projects put into place. It'll give us a benchmark for how much of an improvement anything will have. Then, education. I'm going to see just how far your brain can be pushed; we might be able to get that sped up with hypno courses or something."
Selene brought her hand up to her face and just covered her eyes in a facepalm. She needed to work on keeping thoughts like that from blasting out of her mouth when around friends. She was so used to brainstorming new features for videogames that it didn't occur to her to shut her mouth when it came to troubleshoot Morlan's hindrances to be a better soldier.
"I understand. Your majesty… thank you, for listening." She nodded and smiled at him. The list of experiments was fairly high after the school courses. The first thought was to completely alter his training regimen, adding in something like BUD/S from the Navy SEALS or Ranger School, potentially Operator training for Delta Force. While it might be impossible to provide all of the training course for him, such as firearms and maybe explosives, at least at first, it would at least give them a good idea of how far he can push himself. After that, higher education via some sort of fast track program, followed by genetic enhancement, then by potion enhancement. Cybernetics would be an emergency program if everything else didn't work as intended. The dev wanted to make sure as much of him was born and bred instead of replaced like a spare part. Afterwards, there was potential for extended technology training.
Morlan got up and looked at her like he had found an answer to an age-old question. There seemed to be conviction in his eyes, an ultimate vow to be better than he was to stand amongst the strongest. The empress closed her eyes tightly. What had she just gotten herself into promising this?
Shit… alright, now I really don't have a choice. Orlo and Turnie can't possibly jump between so many research projects and I don't think my research stations can really help in this regard.
The warrior picked up the strewn about weapons and gear to put them back in their slots, cleaning up the training yard. Meanwhile, Selene got to work on two new personality cores for lead scientists as she sat down again. While the members of Bronze Team were incredible, she couldn't just keep throwing two of them at a project and hoping for something to pop out. She needed a dedicated science division, regardless of how she can move up her tech tree.
I need more than a science division, for crying out loud… I need quite a few divisions to manage under me. So far, I only have two Generals, a magistrate, a magic magistrate, a head of construction for military and civil. I'm being stupid to not expand that. How many different secretaries were there for the U.S, or for that matter, any other country? How many of them were useless so I don't screw this up?
She opened her character sheet and checked her stats alongside her inventory. Tech Era was Early Intersolar. The dev had slowed down on her use of the orb, which might have been a bit of a mistake. Being over 200+ was more than anything she had seen that could be a threat, beyond the abomination they fought. As her eyes watched Morlan finish cleaning the yard and head inside to take a bath, the empress set additional personality cores into production for surveillance, administration and even history. There were spares set aside in the eventual creation of further help as needed, blank until installed.
"Hey" Hrist suddenly said behind her as the Valkyrja walked up and sat down next to the auburn-haired woman.
"Hey…" she replied quietly as Selene leaned back.
"Is something wrong?" her general asked.
"Morlan wants to push himself to the near breaking point to try and reach our strength tier."
Hrist blinked at her for a moment. "He cannot, at best he'd be an einherjar, worthy of having on the battlefield. I cannot see him ever reaching our tier of power." The empress crossed her arms and looked at her friend, making an openhanded gesture to acknowledge her agreement.
"I accidentally blurted out that I have the capability to help him on that journey, though most of it would be experimental right now."
"You… you have that ability?" Hrist questioned.
"I do, sort of." The dev explained the situation, with the Valkyrja nodding in understanding.
"Can that be done to me?" her General asked.
"I… I don't know? Maybe. Look, this is experimental right now, I'd… I'm a little afraid to do this to even Morlan. He's a good guy, and I would rather not have one of the projects cripple him due to something going wrong."
"Then do what you need to make sure it is a success, otherwise, do not allow the experiment to continue. I can see the trust… and faith… he has in you. I would believe he might be secretly a part of the religion that has been building around you."
"Yeah. I'm trying to hide from those guys." Both them sat there on the bench, the light posts around the castle keeping the area well lit. It was freezing outside, though the cold didn't have any effect on the women due to their extremely high resistances. "Hrist?"
"Yes?"
"If this does work, and I'm not saying it will, do you really want to be enhanced?"
"I believe we would all wish to have the ability to improve beyond our normal means, if there are not any side effects." Selene sighed and nodded slowly, averting her gaze to the ground. A notice popped up for her involving a threat found near Olva'lore Forest. A second notice, though only registered as an issue, appeared for Silvinholm.
As she opened both, the dev decided to read the intel from the city she was about to take tomorrow. What she found was interesting. The army that was holding the city was rebelling against Artinia to defend the people inside. They were going to be laid siege to by the opposing force. Ornithopters kept an up to date population count on the districts, the numbers of soldiers and even had a limited list of supplies that were available, massive as that was. The Artinian rebels now had strips of dyed cloth on their shoulders to discern who was friend from foe. The nobles were bunkered up to keep themselves away from the people until help arrived from outside the walls.
The second notice made her eyes widen in shock. Drow were spotted deep in the cave near the dark elves, attempting reconnaissance. There was intel in the report that there might be a secondary exit point somewhere else as well due to information provided by King Weren before about the history of the Drow, with percentages placed throughout the continent all reporting zero. The ornithopters weren't there to guess, just provide information where needed. The analytics and scans for finding underground cave networks wasn't very big on her to do list.
All the more reason to get agents and an intelligence division set up. While the fliers provide excellent surveillance, I need boots on the ground to give me a heads up, like the FBI and CIA. At least I won't have to deal with the crap those agencies gave the federal government, given they'll be automatons and androids mostly.
Hrist stood up and looked at her, offering her hand to help her stand as well. Selene accepted the offer as they headed back to the palace, the research labs would wait until tomorrow. A quick task of her security forces near the forest to guard that cave, then a personality core processed into a research station, she was ready to head to the vault to use the orb. Her General watched as she left her side, with a quick glance back over her shoulder. "I'll meet you in the library, I'm going to watch the new comedy play right after this." The Valkyrja nodded and headed off.
Once down in the vault, and a quick touch of the orb to drain the much sought-after experience, she hesitated for the first time after receiving another five levels, then another five, staring at the artifact with her hand just barely hovering over the top of it. Although the dev was a little hesitant, her hand finally went back down and drained the action points required for a tech up to Middle Intersolar Era. There wasn't a drastic boost as she was expecting, though the new tier allowed for better impulse engines, radiation shielding, ground to space transportation and a few other essentials. Satellites would get a bit more streamlined as well.
While it seemed mostly uneventful for space capability, ground based tech, at least for off the planet she was on, had a far more advanced look, with limited terraforming becoming completely viable now. Up until now, for Early Intersolar, it was just going to be a dome colony placed here and there for anything off world, with at least some magnetosphere protection in some capacity from orbit. It wasn't anything amazing like turning Mars into a lush green tropical paradise, the new schematics would at least allow protection planet wide from radiation, better gravity and probably allow tilting and rotation if a planetary object is completely dead, at least very small ones like Pluto. So far as she could see, keeping a livable atmosphere naturally would still be a little out of reach, at least in a timely manner, which was surprising given the tech to make a micro planet or large asteroid rotate. There were no high-speed missiles that transformed anything into an Earth like environment just yet.
Selene finished up and dropped the security systems down around the orb again, then headed out. She was going to wait until her level was 250 before using all of the points in a burst, which would require another four days. A quick check up on Gabriel, who was fully recovered as he got to lounge in the music room, then she was in the library to watch the play recorded. As they watched together, the empress checked on the progress for the first mass driver.
Parts were manufactured like Juliet had said, they were installing them now. Having automatons and the robotic gantry system never need to sleep was a boon from the heavens for her. The plot of land set aside for the space elevator was now also mostly cleared. Gabriel slipped through the door and waited to be seen. "Can I… uh… may I be allowed to watch as well? The library was my next stop in this amazing palace you have, your majesty." He was well groomed now that he had a chance to clean himself up, with the beard now trimmed carefully with a razor edge point at the jaw line.
"Of course. Tomorrow though, I expect an in-depth conversation about your teacher."
"I accept, your majesty. Maybe you'll have the chance to meet him."
Meanwhile
"Everyone, prepare yourselves." The headmaster of the wizards in Aureos motioned for all of them to get in position, with most of them nodding and double checked their scrolls, their preparations, their ritual inscriptions. An apprentice had found a spell that allowed for translation of the spoken language between races, ancient in its thought process. There were theories that this was what was used in the grand all-encompassing effect that allowed everyone to speak to one another on this incredible world. The main theorem was that a dragon lord had cast wild magic while a wizard attempted to decipher the meaning, clashing against each other and somehow warping the spell. It was highly doubtful the wizard survived, given the strength of such a creature, so there is little historical evidence that this is what happened.
Digging further into the creation of the translation spell, they found a more advanced spell crumbling away in a dusty tome, following the same principles, [Comprehend Languages]. It was such a simple thing to miss, and an easy tier 1 spell, though it required a full ritual.
"The king wants to let us know that he is impatient for our success here, headmaster" Dragolas commented, keeping a boorish tone the entire time.
"He will have his artifact understood by the end of this night; he just has to wait a little more." The wizards all circled the symbols written on the ground, glowing in a multitude of colors and shapes. Some were damaging the stonework below their feet, eating away at the floor due to the caustic nature of the reagents. The original incantation required salt and soot, though this would seem to need more than a few exotic ingredients. The first attempt to use the spell had a reflection ward fire the mana used back at the journeyman who cast it, melting the flesh of both hands.
"Alright. We start!" The headmaster shouted as they began performing the ritual, greatly expanded in hopes that one of them would succeed. As the ritual continued, the papers crackled with energy, arcing out along the table they were on and lashed out at two very capable wizards, flash frying their insides. There was a sound of gurgling as they slumped to the ground, the rest of them continuing with their duty.
A circle of fire erupted around the table to keep anyone at bay, the wizards doing their best to stay undeterred. "Keep going!" An apprentice was lifted from the ground, screaming as he floated confused in the air, then sliced in half by some as yet unseen foe. Once the creature had fully materialized, the rest of the wizards were shocked. "Get the guards in here!" the headmaster yelled as a death knight stood before them in the middle of the room, defending the scriptures. Somehow, an imprint of the menacing foe had been stored in the papers, allowing it to summon to defend its master's personal items. Soldiers ran in only to be smacked around by the shield and large sword, with a few more spell casters behind getting a few shots in.
"Do not falter" Dragolas told everyone as he stepped forward and launched multiple ice bolts at the undead creature, damaging the legs but doing little else. It knocked it to the ground, long enough for the remaining guards to jump on it and do their best to tear away armor and bone. Maces slammed against the ribcage and shoulders, whittling away the hardened protection and allowing them to finally end it once and for all. The cost, however, was at least thirty dead.
Two more apprentices were shocked to death by lightning as the ritual finally completed, a concussive wave blasting out from the papers and knocking everyone off their feet. Whoever created these was incredibly powerful in their eyes. For all they knew, they were playing with the knowledge written by a god himself. These scriptures were more deadly in one ritual than most magical weapons they had created.
"It's… done…" one wizard said as he coughed and slowly helped another stand up. The headmaster walked briskly up to the table and looked at the writing, the circle of fire doused after the ritual was finished. A light chuckle escaped his lips. He could read them.
"The design of this artifact doesn't quite match that which Ulbert had in mind, though it may yet suit my needs. The materials were quite difficult to find, even if we had some of the more rarer reagents available in the treasury. I have high hopes for it to transfer the life force of one creature and use it as an energy source to finally attain that which my friend had once sought, to unleash a force so powerful and endless that no one could hope to defend against it. If it works, I will not have need for a new army again. The problem that needs to be addressed is to find one such creature strong enough to use as the fuel. I can think of only a few that are within the guild. I will not use them to attain this goal.
The activation phrase is the previous name we had once used for the precursor guild, Nine's Own Goal." – A
"It worked. It really worked…" he whispered to himself as he did his best to read through the papers quickly before they needed to bring them before his majesty. There was not a full translation, as some of the names seemed to not quite be understood, such as a mention of a man named Touch Me and Herohero. These were supposed to be people it seemed, which appeared to lean more to these papers weren't all there to explain the usage of the item, but also some of a journal as well. The headmaster could see why there was such outrage from the woman these were stolen from, the succubus. They needed to be careful once their king learned to control the artifact to get rid of these scriptures.
"Sir, have we done well?" one wizard asked, limping along with his colleagues towards the entrance to the room.
"Yes, you all have done very well. The king will be pleased."
{{Vectored response from Black Widow Sat /SL-41-S = Unknown power spike detected grid 129-4 in location designated: Aureos, Artinian Capital}}
{{Measured fluctuation = 1.7849 Gigajoules erupted six times. Verifying target location: Wizard Academy, 9th floor, internal ring. Determined source: Unknown object. WARNING: Capacitor capability detected near power spike. Discharge status = empty}}
{{Detected Undead, hostile combat form, primary mode: defense, melee. Hostile combat form was destroyed. Casualties tracked: 31}}
{{Further reconnaissance required. Threat potential still unknown}}
{{Send traffic to creator. Traffic sent. Unknown object detected near magical wards registered, tier level: World Class. AMENDMENT: Faulty object, unfinished, design unstable, further recon required, surveillance team RECON 9-2-6 requested}}
{{Orders tasked by creator: Long range surveillance. Track movement of unstable World Class object. Verify if activated. Verify if charge stabilized in capacitor functionality. End Task}}
A single spy satellite orbited just above Aureos at that moment, sending its feed once it had found something interesting for the empire to check on. The people of the imperial city had no idea that another ruler was now a little more interested in what they were doing.
