The God of Cookery

by havok038

"Food is the medicine of the soul". Hitoshi Furuta tried long and hard to distance himself from the stigma of his violent past by following this creed his Shishou left him. But when a kindred spirit reaches out to him from another world beyond the Gate, how much is he willing to let go, to fight in order to save her wrongfully condemned soul? If so, could she save his?

34. Chapter 34 - The Gift of Thunder

Author's Notes:

Pushed forward with speed. My brain is now taking a nap.

---

An uneasy meal was had at the place which Darcia had recommended but had no stomach for. Only Hitoshi seemed to be eating fine, because he ate to replenish his energy rather than be affected by current events. Takeo tried to follow the example, but the Dwarves were beyond loss.

The King has fallen. News spread throughout the streets like wildfire. No cause of death, no explanation, just rumors of half of his Guard riding in bloodied and battered with only a body of their liege recovered. It was established that it had been at the Gnolls most recent incursion at Nexus East, the fortress they exited the last time not the Nexus West. Takeo guessed that while they did weaken the wall with their new weapon, they were probably thinking that Furuta would be there again. But Hitoshi thought otherwise, it was possible that it was an entirely different tribe assaulting different sections of the defense as if to test its strength for an impending final push. Time was running out for the Dwarves. He knew he had to act fast to secure the city that would help arm his army. But would the apostle stand for his interference in his own way of preserving the city?

There were talks of a state funeral to be held in three days' time. Already, the mood had soured so much that the bar was beginning to get packed with people demanding alcohol of any kind. Hitoshi had no more business in the District of Waledric, attendant Darcia's home district. He had business elsewhere at a place called Oberun.

The District of Oberun was formerly the territory of House Bloodstein. After a series of misfortunes suffered by the said House with its Lords disappearance without explanation and of Lady Hambelyn's attempt on the Queen Mother, the district fell under the provisional administration of the King with all assets confiscated. Since none of the Houses could settle on who would take charge.

In the disarray, many former residences vacated to other prosperous districts leaving their former homes to the accumulating squalor of the City. Like the Imperial Capital, Telta and Amarel before, there was always a slum or ghetto where there was a City of progress. Overall, Velduar was prosperous and the average Dwarf enjoyed many privileges. But there was an unspoken gap in that policy for who would be entitled to it and who would enjoy these welfares. In their pursuit of quality and perfection of craft, many of these high standards weren't always met. For there were some who could not meet the cut requirements that were laid before them.

The Dwarven employment charter was very specialized. If one wanted to train to be a Rune Priest, he had better become one. Likewise, a miner to be mining, an accountant to do counting. Years and funding were spent honing that skill to the acceptable standard. There was no room for diversity and so those who failed initial training and apprenticeships were socially banished to Oberun. Dragma, was the Dwarven word for these people who were known as squatters. Derived from one of their fairy tales taught at schools to frighten their young ones into working hard and performing well. This was one of the hidden social evils of Velduar. Often, some had the benefit of family or friendly connections that could buy their way into employment or take the hard road out into the unforgiving Continent by themselves.

Those that were not brave enough or just plain unlucky ended up here. They are given the welfare of food by the Monarchy but are not able to acquire solid jobs. Not when an occupation like wood working had an apprenticeship of ten years and would have to compete with those already in the industry. Similar to the NEETs in their own country in more ways than one. It was often these types of people that were welcomed into the Temple order to be serfs and other manners of low-income or discreet positions that needed filling and graciously accepting it as their only choice. These kinds of clergy thrived on this type of civil instability, so did the Haryo tribe. Although the latter had no signature here like in Amarel, Hitoshi was certain of it because the only foreigners were delegates and diplomats from other Kingdoms. Velduar didn't have support for migrants and would likely never facilitate it in their constant state of war, industrial dominance and nationalistic sentiment.

Oberun was about as welcoming as it would ever be. Dilapidated terraces, junk in the street and putrid odors of defecation about the corners. No one would think to come here and those that were would think of nothing but leaving.

"So what now?" There was no plan, only fliers that were in their possession to be distributed out. But how sure were they that anyone would pay any heed when none of the other district peoples did?

"What's say you, Kugel?" Hitoshi asked his friend who had been staring obvious in a single direction.

His answer was to walk there after a moment to dismiss his hesitance. There was only one place that Kugel could be going.

Home.

The others quietly followed him down memory lane. His expression read distraught. The hometown in which he spent the early years of his youth were so rundown and desolate, it was as if hope had left it entirely.

He traversed the streets in a winding fashion that spiraled up towards the walls of a castle. Pushing an opened gate half-hanging from its hinges wrote above on its arch, "Valenroc". Its crest was that of a mythological bird that resembled a giant kite. What was known here as the Angpula Roc, named after the Bloodstein ancestor who had been the only one to tame said creature. Hunted almost into extinction by the Imperials, to ensure that Wyverns remained the dominant sky mount. The last herd vanished from the Continent to settle elsewhere on this world, but there were hopes that it may one day return to Falmart in great numbers. The Dwarves had attributed this omen to be in correlation to the decline of Bloodstein to the disappearance of this legendary beast which had been their lucky bird, but Hitoshi knew that was nonsense.

Unlike with Oakenshire Manor, Valenroc looked less like manor and courtyard and more like a full chateau. Its stone towers and structure were still standing despite years of neglect which was testament to the height of the House of Bloodsteins power reaching near that of Royalty. Everything else was damaged or caved in from disrepair. Almost like it were a haunted castle, but Hitoshi knew there were no spirits here, not like the one he knew.

The front door of the castle up a short flight of steps had lost to time and rotted away leaving the inside exposed to the dryness of the air and outside odours. Before them, a massive lobby with marble flooring and granite walls gave the commanding presence of an abode only for Royalty, or a four-star hotel lobby.

Kugel had been slow with this step, as he took in the surrounding with a tinge of regret in his eyes. After many years, the once grand halls of his house were nothing more than a forgotten memory not just in his world but every other Dwarves' as well. Whatever that was not stone was either in pieces of stolen while left unattended.

"Thank You." Kugel responded after a while of silence which they had respected. Having been given the opportunity to visit the place of his parents, allowed him to put some demons to rest, perhaps.

"No worries, I figured this would've been the first place you would've come to when we planned this trip." Although, he figured there would be more than a desolate castle. Like a family boon that was used solely by those of their house.

"…" Kugel was no stranger to his inquisitive stare around his former family estate.

"Come, I know where the forge is." He waved for them to follow him down another wing of the estate. The rest followed closely while Hitoshi seemed to remain behind a moment longer. Observing the footprints that had been left on the dusty marble floor, and how there were prints walking in a different direction from where they were headed. Also, fresh.

"…."

When he said forge, they pictured a warehouse-like building attached to the castle at the back. But the forge of Valenroc was slightly more unique to the personal foundries of the Seven Dwarf Houses. Kugel arrived at an empty granite wall and began to rub the dust away from a section of the wall as he placed his hand against it and murmured a prayer. His interaction with an invisible interface caused an outline of runes to glow in a warm colour. And slide the heavy granite hidden wall aside revealing a stairway downwards.

"Wow…. A Secret forge…" Takeo was already enamored by the unique hidden forge, like it was a secret cave of the Bloodsteins' alter ego hidden inside.

Kugel looked for a torch hanging on the wall and lit it with an iron flint. The pre-coated torch lit and he freed it from its mount to carry it with him to light their way.

Down a spiral staircase they went, lighting the hanging torches along their path to give them more brightness to what was nearly two storeys beneath the castle itself. At the end, was a room with a vault-like door typically seen in commercial banks. Intricate designs and art were sketched throughout its massive oval blast door. Kugel held out the torch for Takeo to hold and give him light while he inspected the mechanisms.

"During the eleventh Velduar Inferno Crusade, before the Nexus Defence Wall, the Gnolls systematically targeted local forges and rune smiths in their raids." Kugel told the story of this heavily fortified bunker forges impetus, a tale that was at least a thousand years old.

"Angpula Bloodstein saw the need to protect their precious few smiths and built foundries like this one all over the city. Today, I'm sure that only two survive in working order. This isn't one of them." Kugel didn't need to say it, but it was the ones that occupied the subterranean basements of both the Royal Castle and beneath the Temple of Duncan. State-of-the-art forges that could produce and manufacture artifice and rare items that could no longer be made elsewhere in the entire world.

"Maybe we could bring it back to working order." Takeo's optimism was only met with a complex smile, which meant that it was impossible.

"It fell into disuse even before the time of my great grandfather. All that's left are machinery that can't run and components that can't be replicated." It was a hidden truth, that while they were at the top of what this world could produce in weapons and equipment unmatched anywhere else, they had also experienced a decline in their own technology and runes without understanding why.

"But when it comes to good quality tools, there's no better place to look." Complex machinery might not be useful but simple hammers, anvils and other handcrafting tools were second to none and would save them a ton of money and time to acquire tools that were already on short supply with the factions tightening their stocks for war. Another interface presented itself to him, but this time it was clockwork in nature and was made into a sort of puzzle rather than an id check. Testing the competence of those seeking entry, that they be worthy to walk the hallways within. It was a triangle puzzle that had been disassembled. With an assembly that would leave a component sticking out if assembled wrongly, triggering a trap, no doubt. But he confidently solved it, then again, this was his old house, or he was a genius. Takeo had confidence he was both, as the last piece clicked into place setting of a rumbling of mechanisms that unlocked the heavy blast door and opened it creating a rush of air inwards to compensate for the pressure difference.

Once more, Kugel walk in without fear, with Takeo and Attendant Darcia entering behind cautiously as they were still guests. Pulling a lever behind the door which set off an aqueduct of oil along walls, lighting the whole room in an acceptable brightness. Before them was an entire assembly line of ancient machines for pressing and bending metals with their enormous stone structure and components of custom build. A melding of rune technology with basic mechanical nature. And as Kugel had stated before, there was no way of refurbishing them nor replicating these machines that had fallen into disrepair.

"Grab what you can over there." He pointed to a corner where there were wooden cupboards and racks of tools and hand measuring apparatus neatly stored in their place. Takeo reluctantly agreed to the tedious task which would require a few trips back and forth through Oberun to Bruneberg, however, saved them a ton of money and time to procure said tools.

Opening a drawer, he found hammers and chisels of varying size and quantity that were in surprisingly pristine condition due to their build quality.

"Here you go, Sir Kuruta." The attendant of the Queen Mother parked a trolley behind him, making it easier for them to transport many at a time and saving on the frequency of trips to be made. But it would have been a lot more helpful if both Kugel and Hitoshi would join in, wherever the latter was and what the former was more interested in by the assembly of unfinished swords and shields.

Kugel continued his search for important artefacts left behind by his family, thinking that the drawing board and desks were a good place to start. But no luck, as he found not a single schematic of lost designs or papers. It was likely that they were removed some time before Valenroc had been abandoned. A mahogany desk stood in the centre of several desks under a ventilation shaft that aired the place and ensured that none of the forge smoke would suffocate its workers. Looking to be very important, and it was. Because it was his father's desk.

Kugel had only been down here once, when his father showed him this complex that would one day be inherited along with Valenroc castle when he became a Lord of House Bloodstein in the certain future. But that didn't happen, and a year later, his mother was executed, and his father vanished. Kugel could only recall a proud and confident man suddenly turn delirious and ranting about how their Wars could finally end before disappearing the next day. The subjects of Bloodstein also quit one after another having no lord to follow or pay their wages. And Valenroc became empty, left alone with his elder sister Grimilde, they fell on hard times too. If Brom hadn't adopted them, he was sure to have ended up on the street a wandering stray.

His hand scraped the desk as he felt for any hollowness within the hardwood, siting in the seat that belonged to his father when he used to think of how he could restore the ancient machines. It was his hobby, he used to say as he managed to restore only one out of fifteen to working order before sending it to the King for no charge instead of keeping the treasure for himself. Because in his own words:

-Machine must have purpose, just as people do, son.-

Take purpose away, and either would be useless.

"Murmodror hef tlagrangur, tlaga eom thjold goth…" He quoted his father in a soft murmur of the Dwarven Tongue.

(Click) Something within the desk released its spring lock and sent a puff of dust outwards, as he had caused a hidden lock to open a drawer in front of the desk.

He reached up and pulled the wooden case out of its cavity, its circumference had been covered in glowing runes. Likely reacting to his words, or rather, the words of his father.

Turning the box over, its contents tumbled out altogether. Scrolls, books, and even an old stamping seal. Kugel picked them up to examine from latter to former.

In his hand was a black stone seal which he realized was the sacred Seal of Office belonging to his clan, the stamp that endorsed their right to rule of Oberun. But since the late King had dissolved House Bloodstein, this stamp seal was meaningless. However, he kept it as memorabilia for nostalgia sake.

Then focused his attention to the book which he unstrapped from its bindings and read the first few pages of its contents to discover that it was his father's journal. Becoming engrossed in its contents that ranged from experiments he had been conducting in secret upon the ubiquitous alloy that was Adamantite and a couple of strange rune circuits he had been testing out. Its ratio and form made no sense to him despite his years of advance learning in the Temple. What was his father building? There was mention of events that had taken place before his departure, even a reminder to get his ten-year-old son a toy for his birthday some years back. The latest page was telling the story of how his wife had been convicted of a crime which had been implicated upon her.

This sharpened his senses and thoughts to the notion that his dad thought that their mom had been incriminated. But this was purely speculation, because he couldn't identify who the real perp was if there even was one. Kugel's head numbed as he read his father's accounting of the report on the attempt on the Queen Mother. A sketch of the poisonous plant in its original form along with its properties were described in the contents, validated by the Royal Physician himself. Its origins only highlighted his wife in further suspicions. This plant was called Bjar odror by its natives, otherwise known as the Violent heart flower. And it was found exclusively in one place outside of Velduar, in the home territory of the Gnolls. What the Gnolls used it for was unknown, only that they laced most of their arrows with said poison, causing momentary death upon contact with internals. Yet, at the sentencing hearing Hambelyn insisted that it was a medicine till the end. His father did his own investigations to see if it was true but the Royal Physician and other medical experts refused to entertain his wild theories when the Royal Physician had said so, since it would only discredit them and insult the prestige of the Royal Physician. He had written that he had somehow acquired a small amount of this plant through unknown means to test on several of his own livestock in different amounts to see what kind of reaction they had.

Kugel somehow remembered seeing him do that from outside the castle when he was younger. At that time, the servants were already calling him raving mad following the death of his wife to waste perfectly good livestock. Kugel wondered if that really was the case, that his father hadn't been as crazy as everyone thought him to be. Even so, why did he leave him and Grimilde alone like that on his ventures? Kugel felt a gut wrenching feeling that there was something big behind his dad's disappearance. He closed the journal to force himself not to read anymore until he had settled his heart and kept it safe in his pocket. Back to the box, there was just one last item remaining, a scroll.

The type which was used for blueprints and the submission of ideas. Was this something his father worked on or an ancestor of theirs? He unraveled the scroll over the table to study but instead of a blueprint schematic there was only a strange pattern of circles and connecting lines with numerals written next to each of them. Some groups were the same while others differed with a single circle being larger or smaller. These strange patterns had some sort of reference within his father's journal as being the language of the ancient ones. Beings older than the Gods themselves. Kugel had come to know his father as an eccentric in improving their technology as his life's work and had often been denounced by the Temple but gained equally peculiar friends such as Bromhall.

His father had apparently studied ancient sites that were not of Dwarven or Gnoll origin around Velduar. He even claimed in the journal that it was these findings and insight that he shared with another unnamed individual who only went by the alias, Conjurer and nothing more. Allowed him to understand basic principles that had allowed him to repair some of the machinery that was thought impossible to restore. Kugel could feel the excitement his father felt upon this discovery and why it would have a significant impact on the way Velduar pursued its understanding of Adamantite and rune technology.

But to him, this schematic was merely unintelligible numbers and symbols with no meaning. The only words that were written on it was its title and an abstract. It was in its name that he realized that this schematic was a formula of some kind.

An alloy based upon his study of the ancient ones, its summary carried with it a description of a terrifying power that this alloy had in its property. Which was shortened down to the words "Jro Amura" which in Dwarven meant, breaking Adamantite.

An alloy that would counter and disrupt the powers of Adamantite and runes combined. An anti-metal that would defy the will of the Gods. A metal alloy that his father had decided to name in its title after something as precious.

This alloy, he called Iraemite.

The will to break the swords of the God.

Kugel couldn't unwrap why his father would think of making such an alloy to break the blessing that the Dwarves had spent thousands of years nurturing and living off. Worst, swords of the Gods was a phrase often referring to the Apostles. If this became public knowledge, the Temple would outright label him and his family as heretics, a level higher than traitor and denounce this alloy as a Devil's iron.

(crash) Outside of the forge, he heard the echo of something crash and shouting. He turned around to see that Takeo and the attendant had already left the forge with their first batch of tools. He got out of the seat and stashed away his father's possessions as he picked up an unfinished sword and shield from its rack before heading outside. Running up the spiral staircase as quickly as quietly as he could until he reached the mouth of the hidden entrance. Outside, he saw a trolley with its contents overturned with no sign of Takeo or the attendant, or Hitoshi either if he had even noticed they entered the forge already.

Careful steps with his shield raised and sword hand hanging over it ready to strike at whatever revealed itself, he moved towards the trolley as the next point of investigation when he heard a slip sound of a rope rubbing against stone.

(snap) "Arrgghh!" Something bound around his leg and lifted him off the ground upside down.

In his moment of surprise, he'd dropped the sword which was the only means of freeing the lasso around his right leg. He'd been trapped by someone, as the youthful triumphant cheers notified him of their perceived success. A shadow came around the corner and rushed to retrieve the fallen sword, but he struck it with his shield which was strapped to his left. The silhouette tumbled against the wall after that nasty blow and gave him a full view of whom had gunned for his sword.

A young Dwarf. Not adolescent but neither a few years from adulthood either.

"Owwww…. That hurt!" The child in rags rubbed his forehead whilst recovering to his feet and at the gauntlet of laughs for his stumbling and failure.

"Öwen failed! Owen is a loser!" Other childish laughs jeered his performance of a simple task.

"I didn't! And nobody said he'd hit back!" The young man justified, but the group that emerged from the open windows and around the corners of the hallway didn't buy it.

"Duncan's hand, release me!" Kugel demanded of this assembly of teenagers and young adults of both genders. All similarly dressed in their assortment of rags, like a bunch of vagabonds.

"Only if you promise not to hit anymore."

"I'll promise you a good thumping before you get sent home!" When he addressed these young teenagers, they huffed in annoyance.

"Typical of a "donkey" to say that. You won't understand." Said one of the vagabonds. Kugel recognized that word to be a slang used on Dwarves with career professions by Dwarves that didn't. Recognising that it was a crude metaphor for how they were similar to donkeys in that said creature was a reliable load carrier but at the same time just a dumb animal that followed orders. Thus describing such working Dwarves. It was an upstart's opinion, that it was as he was surrounded by said upstarts.

"I'm no donkey! I'm not even from Velduar anymore!" Kugel shouted as he was beginning to feel oozy from being left inverted.

The young vagabonds around him discussed discreetly amongst themselves whether his words were true.

"Mmm… You don't look that clean for a Donkey either. If you want to be let down, you'll have to ask the Lord.." Said girl that was only a few years away from coming of age.

"Lord…?" What Lord? "And where are my friends!?"

"The Lord of this castle, don't you know you tread on his domain?" The girl replied in a pompous tone that was clearly unlike her poor upbringing. Kugel had neither the energy to rebuke that statement nor say who he was. It was clear that someone had made a roost in other people's home, even though it was abandoned.

"What's this about intruders, first you capture a human and a woman, who's next?" A man's voice asked this as a silhouette of someone almost the same age as Kugel came into view.

A scruffy beard and unkept hair said that he was the same as them but only older. The only actual adult here.

"Who's this?"

"An intruder, he was snooping around your halls and opened up a hidden wall! Then the woman and human came out with these shinies!" The girl eagerly presented the adamantite tools from the trolley to her leader. It was obvious that she was naively smitten by him.

The leader of theirs walked over to the fallen trolley and expressed his surprise at the bounty with a gasp and sparkle in his eyes.

"Ahem!-… Yes, well…. Good work. Let's bring this stuff back to sort out and then we can sell it in the marketplace for a good sum." The group of adolescent vagabonds expressed their delight at their leader's suggestion and went about gathering the items in the fallen trolley to be consolidated.

"And who are you, who so willingly tread upon these steps of my abode?" He should be asking him the same thing.

"I should be asking the same thing. Valenroc has been empty since my sister and I left it."

"So you're a former servant? Hah! I hardly recognize you!" the leader of theirs put on a false bravado about claiming that this was his place.

"Nor you." Kugel responded all the same. There wasn't a single former employee or servant that he remembered within these halls. It was no surprise that they left when things got dicey.

"Impudent! I was born in these halls, I know its every nook and cranny better than anyone!"

"Yet, you didn't know about the Fergul-era forge in the basement." The forge he had just revisited after many years.

The leader seemed like he was about to stumble in his line of thoughts and quickly recovered with….

"Well….. it was likely kept secret by my ancestor!"

"And who are you and what is your bloody ancestor's name?" Kugel taunted him to indulge further into the obvious lie.

"You should be honoured to be in my presence! For I am Balduin Bloodstein! Remember that." He even said it with a pose. Without realizing that his captive was laughing internally at the buffoonery of this little upstart liar who was probably just another vagabond calling himself king of the mound.

"Bloodstein, eh? You sure it's alright using that clan name when even the Apostle has excommunicated their heraldry and the King dissolved the family assets years prior?" He challenged the youth despite his position.

"Hmph! What's there to be afraid of when the King is dead and the Apostle hiding in his temple?"

"So which side of the family are you from?" Kugel ignored his boast and asked yet another questionnaire.

"Eh?" He responded staggering on his own pride.

"Which branch were you from in the Bloodstein tree? Who was your ancestor beneath Griffin? I don't recall any member of the extended family with the name Balduin, unless you were born anywhere between eight years ago. But then, you look like you're as old as me."

"Enough!" The leader naming himself Balduin huffed as he was being tested by Kugel on things he clearly didn't know a thing about. He grabbed hold of Kugel's coat and pulling him close to him.

"I don't know who you are, but you're not welcome here." He said in an unfriendly tone.

"Then cut me loose and let me be on my way with my people. I've had just about enough of this wretched place anyway." Cursing the place of his own birth, the vagabonds got angry with him for insulting what was quite possibly their home.

But the leader cut the rope with a knife and waved for his comrade to quieten down. There were as many as several dozen loitering around this lobby area and he was in no mood to beat up kids.

"You may go back to wherever you came from."

Kugel stood up and tapped the dust off his bottom.

"And my friends?"

"What about them?" This Balduin tried to be cocky with him.

"I don't want to sound like a drama muse, but the woman is a private attendant of the Queen Mother. If she's missing, the Royal Knights will be searching this place from her kidnappers without quarter." His words caused a cold breeze to blow pass them. No one wanted the authorities here, especially the Royal Knights.

"And the Human….. well, you don't let him go you'll be dealing with something much worse than the Queen or even the Apostle." Kugel didn't lie. For it seemed that they didn't even know that there was one more within his company and only three of them were counted. But the leader and the vagabonds seemed unconvinced by his threat regarding the human they had somehow gotten the upper hand on.

"Like what?" The leader challenged him back with a grin.

"Like the Men in Green and the God of Cookery." His response made all of them burst into laughter, as was only natural for someone to claim such things.

"If you let them go, there'll be no hassle. I'll even vouch for you, in case he has other ideas for you lot."

"Who? The God of Cookery? Hahaha!" The leader's response only cracked the vagabonds harder.

"At most, I'm sure he'll punish you lightly by carrying those tools back to our warehouse in Bruneberg, but ultimately it's not up to me." Once again, the truth only made them laugh at the prospect that he was a travelling comedian of some kind.

"There's no way we're carrying these items for you to whatever dump you live in, we're selling these for our own expense." Said Balduin with a hail of supporters.

"That's right! What's in this castle is ours!"

"You mean, Balduin's…"

"Yeah! That!"

"Everything in Valenroc is Balduin boss's!"

"What's Balduin's belongs to the gang also!" The vagabonds began to have conflicting ideas and started to fight amongst themselves almost immediately. It made their leader cradle his aching head and Kugel sit cross-legged watching things play out.

"What are you doing now?" His actions were questioned by their leader.

"Watching your poor management skills, waiting to see how things play out. Witnessing you about to regret not coming clean for the first time in your life?" Kugel was now going to sit back and enjoy what was about to happen to Balduin in these vagabonds.

"The hell are you on about?!" He demanded from Kugel.

"You captured us all without a problem, that's fine. But you didn't confirm that it was only the three of us here." With that said, the leader of the Vagabonds almost predictably swooped his head around the corridors.

"Where is he?" He demanded.

"Dunno. My guess is, he's probably fooling about with you lot since he didn't follow us down the forge." Again, the leader wondered who these people were and how they knew that there was a hidden forge that he didn't even know about despite his history.

"Search the castle!" He called for the vagabonds under his wing to go looking for the other person, but there was no response from the fifty-seven of them.

"Guys, I said find that other-…." He realized the eerie quiet from the bunch that were usually so noisy that he couldn't calm them down even for a moment. Looking up to see that they were still around, but something had changed drastically. As their moments were not seen, in fact, they were standing perfectly still as if time had stopped. Yet the intrude sitting on the floor was digging into a snack in a strange wrapper with alien words on it.

"What is this?!" He demanded as he looked around paranoid that his group had been frozen in time somehow.

"You! You!-…." The leader realized when he called him, he didn't even know what his name was because it didn't occur to him to ask.

"Mmm….." Kugel acknowledge him whilst munching on a snack bar.

"Make it stop!"

Kugel swallowed the contents before speaking again.

"That's not up to me, Lord Balduin." He made fun of the leader once more as the terror of this prank had tickled at the leader's fear of such power.

"No… I can't live like this!" He screamed, thinking he had been locked in time.

"Maybe you should pray to him." Kugel said as a joke.

"Hueh!?" The vagabond leader responded in an almost unmasculine tone.

"Pray to Hitoshi Furuta, God of Cookery to forgive you for your transgression against him in his mission." Kugel suggested.

(plop) Balduin's knees struck the ground as his pathetic coil prostrated towards the ground before him.

"Almighty God of Cookery! Forgive me for I have sinned against you!" Then, he began to hear footsteps approach him from behind his grovelling body, that grew louder as it came closer. His body shook as he realized that the living body of the deity was coming for him to exact punishment.

"Please, I BEG OF YOU! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, fearing his soul being annihilated from existence.

"Anything?" Asked a voice in return.

"Anything!" The footsteps continued and circled around him until a pair of boots were standing right in front of him. And the shadow squatted down to his level.

"Apology accepted. Now get our stuff moving."

---

Like was asked of them, the young vagabonds who had barely even come of age yet moved Kugel's family tools and apparatus from the hidden forge onto a trolley and cart which they had in the stables brought out without questioning the orders of their leader.

Who was made to kneel before the God of Cookery who appeared in the form of a human with black hair and yellowish fair skin like the other human who they were passing along was actually a Men in Green warrior? Obviously won't harm juveniles but could easily take them all on if he wanted to.

"So, who are you again?" Hitoshi was now the one asking the questions, as he sat on the steps awaiting an answer from the "Lord of Valenroc".

"Balduin! Balduin Burrock, Your Holiness!" This time, the young man didn't dare to tell a lie. As was promised, Hitoshi undid the spell that froze his comrades with just a mere touch.

Kugel knew that it was that strange acupuncture technique he used on the vagabonds not time freezing. But never figured that beyond curing and killing, it could paralyze a person's movements as well. To Hitoshi, this was a game of hide and seek with these children who initially got the jump on the three of them. The attendant was most upset by her bindings against her will and threatened to report them to the Royal Knights regardless. Takeo seemed to be the most forgiving, thinking these were merely childish pranks.

Kugel stood with his arms folded as Balduin poured out the truth of his presence in Valenroc. Apparently, he had been an aspirant of the Temple as well. But only reached the fifth year out of a ten-year tenure due to his abysmal performance and lack of ability to pay for his own tuition. But what was to be expected from an orphan with no parental backing? In his years as a vagabond, he had taken up residence within the abandoned halls of the castle while people were considering it a bad omen in the isle to be inhabited. But it seemed that he was not alone, there was an age limit to how long orphanages could hold children, and many ended up in the streets with no skills or hope of moving on their own. Being the noble at heart, Balduin invited them to live with him. But they were all initially against staying in what was a haunted castle and would rather sleep in the curb.

"So you fabricated the story that you were a descendant of the Bloodstein name?" Hitoshi put the rest of the pieces together as Balduin nodded to confirm this.

"My my, what a brave noble squatter you are, Balduin Burrock." The young man was honestly not assured by the sarcasm in his tone.

"A noble thief. Stealing from graves and the rich to give to the poor." Like some kind of green hooded vigilante. To be fair, he was still genuinely good at heart. Apparently, not everyone could be rich, wealthy, or well off in the Dwarves prosperous Kingdom either. There was always someone, whose misfortunes would be a direct result of strict policies that they could not benefit from. Hitoshi knew that feeling well. Perhaps, it was fate that he would always land up with these sorts of people. He didn't mind though, if he could fulfil his life's goal and maintain his own standards by making life for others better. A fulfilling sensation no different from seeing his cooking enjoyed, a selfish self-serving satisfaction of his. But nobody would complain if they benefited from it, so he would make them benefit from this string of fate as well.

"I am all these things you say I am, but please do not think ill of these boys and girls!" And Balduin's plea only fortified this assumption of him.

"I am the one who made them pickpocket and steal stuff in the shops! I made them stay in a castle that didn't belong to me! If you want to punish someone, I am ready to receive it. Torture me, execute me. But please leave them out of this!" Before a God, he came clean. Fearing the wrath for speaking untruthfully.

"And what about forgiving you?" Hitoshi asked malevolently as his perceived personification implied.

"Then, you don't have to. Surely a benevolent God as yourself won't smite children."

"No. I won't. Not unless they point a sword at me." Hitoshi got up and raised Balduin's chin to stare into his eyes and him to get a glimpse of Hitoshi for the first time.

"But I dare say, neither with you." He indirectly called him a child as well but Balduin seemed too happy to care after being forgiven.

"You're still carrying our stuff though." Hitoshi confirmed with him.

"I will gladly obey!" Said the leader of the Vagabond gang of juveniles.

"When you're done, we'll have dinner together." Hitoshi had even added an incentive for them to work hard.

"Lord Furuta-.." Darcia wanted to say something against it. But Hitoshi instead instructed her to do something else.

"Could you run by the shops and get me some ingredients?" Hitoshi wanted to assign her to grocery duty.

"My Lord. I am afraid I will have to depart soon, the Queen Mother awaits my care." She lightly reminded him that her shift was coming up.

"Take a break."

"My Lord-." She tried to speak up against his order despite Queen Thranmilla asking her to take a day off to help him.

"I'll make it up to your colleagues when I visit tomorrow." Against her reluctance, he even promised such things.

"I-…. Darcia understands Lord Furuta." She bowed and produced a paper for him to write the groceries that he wanted. Hitoshi wrote a generous list of not only produce and grains, but expensive meat that vagabonds would never get to enjoy in the public soup kitchens. And provided her with a purse filled with Golden Branwens

Balduin saw this from his quick glances and how his heart pounded with joy. To think that he and the group could eat something provided by the God of Cookery they've all been hearing about in the streets.

"So you know some basic rune craft, right?"

"Yes, Your Holiness!... Although, my understandings can be said to be only rudimentary." With the words that he knew, it was clear that this vagabond used to have an education before he was kicked out of the program. The Dwarven education system was quite perfectionistic, dismissing substandard candidates for Rune priests. And since he was a nobody, with no bribe money, they weren't going to tolerate him in the temple.

"Alright, well…. Help your folks out and there're be dinner waiting for you there, my treat. You have my word on that."

"Yes, your holiness! I thank you for your magnanimity upon us once more!" Balduin dismissed himself to help out his fellow Vagabonds in loading up the carts they had appropriated from Kugel's family shed inventory, not that the latter cared.

"You looked like you had fun." He said to Kugel who grinned back.

"You should've let it play out a little longer." Kugel felt that their play was too short.

"Any longer and he'll call it a bluff."

"…" Kugel couldn't forget that they were the ones with numbers on their side and the protection of underage status which none of them would violate.

"So, did you find anything in there?" Hitoshi asked since he hadn't actually been within the forge room. In response, Kugel huffed a sigh and produced the contents of the hidden box that belonged to his father.

Sharing what he knew since he could trust that Hitoshi would do him well by this knowledge that he was unsure about. He spent more time reading his father's journal, mainly about the description of the poisonous plant that Hambelyn Bloodstein used which the Palace had no record of.

"Any clues yourself?" Kugel asked for his feedback.

"Mostly speculations." He said as he returned his father's journal to him. "The only way for sure to know what the herb is would be to visit these home grounds of the Gnolls and find out who this "Conjurer" fellow is."

"An outside sorcerer perhaps." Kugel guessed by the description of this individual who had shared an understanding of a language of ancient ones which they both could only conclude was referring to none other than the Primodial Ancients that Flare and Hardy mentioned. The first settlers on this world or maybe even its creators.

Hitoshi didn't ask much of what was written in the book, not even about the details pertaining to the mysterious alloy that could combat Adamantite as it claimed. The one his father named after him for whatever ominous reason that he did. He was sure that it would have gotten Hitoshi's attention considering that it was a counter to an Adamantite-rich opposition. Instead, he seemed fixated upon the investigation on his mother's crimes, sensing a pattern for conspiracy.

"Guess we got a good find after all." He declared as he waited for Kugel by the door.

"Those were adamantite carving tools, Furuta. The best in the world."

"And we got some applicants as well." Kugel looked surprised for a moment before putting it together.

"You must be joking. They're not even fully qualified specialists let alone come of age yet." If he knew what he was suggesting, no one would take him seriously anymore.

"They're bright, active and hardworking. I couldn't get a better deal and neither could they." Somehow the lack of underage working laws had worked in his favor even if it didn't sit well with him entirely. They wouldn't complain either with the proposal that he had in store for them.

"Besides, in the factory they'll be working in, they don't need superior craftsmen skills."

"….." Kugel had read much about Earth industry and how they could produce food and other items in sufficient number to supply the world many times over due to a way of crafting that followed a very different principle from that which the Dwarves had adopted as their motto.

Hitoshi was about to introduce something so groundbreaking that it would revolutionize their industry, society and even their mindset towards the way they crafted things. But these reforms couldn't happen without casualties or strong opposition. That is where the Apostle stood to fill in that role voluntarily. Mortar and his Temple smiths stood at the apex of what the Dwarves could produce in terms of artifice and wargear. But what if, quantity could beat their quality?

Hitoshi was going to demonstrate this to the whole of Velduar by pitting a few hundred unskilled and inexperienced workers against master craftsmen, conscripts against veterans of many battles and emerge the victor with much certainty.

Hitoshi would pioneer mass manufacture through industrialization in a craftsmen-centric Velduar.

---

The situation had changed dramatically for the better in their long hours of fighting. Night was over, giving rise to Day. A time when the Imperial Marauders realized they stood no chance when faced with the M167 Vulcan gun that shredded ground and air targets alike without discrimination. And the variety of 81mm mortar rounds ranging from white phosphorous which burnt any who tried to break through the smoke barrier and high explosive. Even during night there was a chance that an illumination round was used to deprive them of the use of darkness as cover. With each passing hour and each dwindling wave, the Prefect grew more and more frustrated.

Of course, he would. A combined arms group of over a thousand strong were struggling against a mere dozen actual soldiers. The SFGs counted their kills carefully to a sizable group. Two ogres, seventeen hell hounds, around fifty orcs and kobolds, a hundred human marauders and a few dozen archers were among the count of corpses littered about. Around a near quarter of the groups power had been not only lost but destroyed.

So terrifying was the array of weapons from sharpshooting anti-material sniper rifles to heavy ordnance that the Imperials were beginning to recognize which weapon made what sound and how many of their people would die. By dawn, they halted their attacks and awaited the night once more to try out something sinister.

With a whole day to reorganize their defensive perimeter and cooperate with the settlement to increase their vigilance and recover their fatigue. The SFGs and remaining SR garrison enjoyed hot meals and a bunk to get some sleep in shift while it was afforded. While the Imperials were left with some of the rations they'd taken, it was difficult to eat under such circumstance where it seemed all but impossible now to break that defence. But Cimon was no ordinary bandit leader, he had used his cunning to not only survive the battles of Alnus and many more conflicts to his advantage. He would not be deprived of his greatest conquest yet.

The inhabitants made themselves useful too. By shoveling soil for sandbags and digging up dirt trenches or extending out concertina wire bundles which Sindri withdrew from the cache. They also added more tripmines in places where there were gaps in their firing arc. Everything to slow down an advance. Some of the inhabitants asked to partake in the fighting but Sindri was strict with his provision of firearms to those who had not even fired one, they would be more dangerous to the settlement than those who understood the collateral danger of indiscriminate firing.

He even ran drills with the rifleman's association group that had been patrolling the perimeter and had seen firsthand what they were up against. Shaken by an actual attack on the settlement which did no wrong by anyone except its very existence, it fell to him to find out which hadn't broken under the stress or succumb to past traumas and prevent those that hadn't to be well equipped and brought back into an acceptable combat ready status.

He did so by having them at the firing range to improve their shooting skills and drown out all unnecessary thoughts. Only seventeen out of the original twenty-three stayed the course, the rest joined those that had a non-combat-oriented role. Fighting wasn't for everyone it seemed.

Tyuule had involved herself as much as she could to keep things calm and settled with the inhabitants. Ensuring that there were enough warm blankets to go around and food to be distributed to those who hadn't ate or were too distracted to. She had rounded the entire settlement into the main pavilion to stay until this situation passed. But also to prevent casualties from any collateral damage that may be wrought by the Jietai weapons or the Imperials if the fighting entered the streets.

Kuribayashi had somehow convinced the children in her care to play a mystery game of murderer and detective. Where they had to guess who was the criminal before time ran out or the murderer killed all the bystanders.

Mari came out of surgery wiping the sweat from her brow and peeling the surgical mask off her face to let the cold breeze refresh her. Seeing that things had happened while she had removed a fragment of metal from her patient's gut and stitched up the arteries and wound with great care. Finally, giving Noriko a replacement blood bag before calling it a day. She heard that SFG Assassin sustained a graze that needed treating but was sure that rest and some field first aid was enough.

She looked around for Kenzaki or Iota to report the current state that Noriko was in, but they weren't in the vicinity. So she had to go through the trouble of finding them, walking through the streets, she realzed that most of the houses had been vacated. She looked in the main pavilion where it was likely to house over a thousand inhabitants easily. And found the walkways crowded with people sitting around together, forcing her to squeeze through to get find who she thought would be here.

"Iota!" She called to the person who had a rifle slung on her back walking around and checking on her people.

Tyuule turned to see a face she'd been longing to see since this mess started.

"Mari-san." She hurriedly approached her, dying to know the condition of Noriko.

"Kurokawa, you're out?" By chance, Kenzaki returned from monitoring the defense line to check up and report their situation was alright for now.

"Lieutenant. Iota. Mochizuki's vitals have stabilized, but you won't be hearing from her for at least a week. I while she's been stitched up and received anti-biotics, I would still recommend that she be casevac to a MASH post or directly back to Alnus where her condition can be monitored with better equipment."

"I would love to send her on the first helo out or even a plane, but we don't have any in inventory. Unless you want to drive two days on uneven terrain back." The only sort of aircraft that had been around recently was that Albatross piloted by the Colonel, but they left for Volgia and should roughly be in Velduar right now according to their schedule.

"Furuta wouldn't be back until the end of the week either."

"Can't you radio for emergency medical evac?" Since he was an officer, he should have had those privileges to requisition certain packages of air support.

"Nothing will go out, not while that command vehicle's electronic jammer stays on."

"Then disable it." Mari's stance was straightforward. "And call in some reinforcements, for heaven's sake."

"Do you think I would already have if I could? Don't lecture me, sergeant." She had finally pushed at his nerves.

"I don't have the authentications to disable it, even if I did, I'm compromising the safety of everyone's' lives here by radioing in for help!" Kenzaki knew why Hitoshi turned on the jammer, it wasn't just to deny radio transmission from their location if they were found, it was to deny the spy from reporting or calling for help. Ymir had made this very clear to him, he was by no means allowed to disable the jammer unless the FOS was at risk of falling.

Mari had a different idea of the whole scenario, but it was clear that no matter how much she asked, things were set in stone.

"Just do your best to keep her stable, sergeant. That's all I'm asking. When this is over, I'll personally see to it that Mochizuki gets the first ride out. No questions asked." That was as far as Kenzaki could allow.

"You boys and your charades." She declared shaking her head as she turned and left.

"Mari-san."

"Sorry, Iota. I'll head back to Medical soon, but I'd like a moment to myself if you please." Mari distanced herself from them as she went to find a place where she could have a moment to herself before returning back to medical. Tyuule felt deprived of some time to converse with a close friend, even though Kenzaki was currently free in some sense.

"I'm sorry." Kenzaki said with a bow.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I know that Miss Iota is close to Mochizuki and trust me, I would love to turn that transmission jammer off myself-."

"I understand, Sir Kenzaki. Her welfare cannot be prioritized over the wellbeing of the settlement." It was compromising the lives of a thousand for one Japanese Citizen. While their government wouldn't mind doing that, most of the garrison here did.

"I can't express how much I appreciate all you and your men have done here alone." There was truth to that as well. If they weren't here, the settlement would have likely been ransacked already. It was their persistence to remain here that kept everyone safe and alive.

"I wish I could say we were just doing our job, though." Currently in hiding after a failed attack on Furuta's life and theirs. Kenzaki didn't question the General's orders, but weren't they over exaggerating the abilities of these Bushi? Or was he under the wrong impression of the full picture? Kenzaki didn't know which was the right answer, only that he felt very anxious to get out on the field again, the rest of the SFGs were likely twice fold restless.

"Chief Kenzaki! Chief Kenzaki!" One of the warrior Bunnies from the militia group ran towards him.

"What is it?"

"Calm down and take a deep breath." Tyuule advised her brethren. The armed warrior bunny took two before composing her sentences.

"That rude man, what's-his-name-….." Until they realised that she didn't know the name whom she was referring to.

"The one that came here with Miss Kuri and Nori Nori…. The silent one is about to execute him at the mountain site!" Aside from the weird nickname given to Noriko and a half-assed attempt to pronounce Kuribayashi's last name, the previous description could only mean one person.

"Come, follow me!" Kenzaki told the warrior Bunny as Tyuule followed them to Site Bravo, if he guessed what went do over there, he still had to stop whoever was about to pass his own form of justice.

Kenzaki sprinted in an unusually fast manner that could keep pace with the two Warrior Bunnies, it only went to show how worried he was that they were too late.

"NO! NO! You'll be a murderer! Murderer!" Approaching the site, they heard the undignified struggle of a man not begging, but threatening in vain for his life. Over the ridge, Kenzaki and the two accompanying him leaped to find Komurasaki forced to his knees and grasped by his scalp head with a blade pressed against his neck, ready to be slit open. Completely at the mercy of Bjorn, the one the Warrior Bunnies referred to as the silent one for his refusal to speak even a word.

"Bjorn! Put him down!" Kenzaki knew that he could hear him, but he saw the flame in his eyes that said that he would kill him no matter what. Kenzaki didn't want to draw a weapon on him to gain his compliance but he had to at least respond to him.

"Bjorn, listen! I don't know what this idiot did but you can't just slaughter a civilian for no reason!"

"Shoot him! What are you waiting for?! He's trying to silence me!" Komurazaki just blabbered anything that would prioritize his safety over everything else.

"Kuzunari, shut up!" His potential victim was only making it worse. Kenzaki knew that he had to diffuse this matter quickly or else this scene would cause disturbances.

"Bjorn, look here!" He tried to get the operative's attention by unlatching his G36 rifle and holding it out in a submissive way before dumping it to the ground.

"Let's talk." He said maintaining his raised hands.

"….." Bjorn looked at Kenzaki like he knew that he would try to find middle ground after this and let this bastard loose again.

"Your call, soldier." Kenzaki tried to take his side of the matter but Bjorn wasn't replying to his answers. Bjorn then looked Tyuule's way and tried to voice out something but it came out like a distorted sound. It was then that Kenzaki realized that Bjorn was genuinely mute.

"Bjorn." Another voice called him from behind them, and their heads turned around to see that Sindri had come to speak to his company mate.

Unlike what Kenzaki did, he instead signed something towards Bjorn with his hands. And Bjorn responded in silence, for he required his own preoccupied hands to talk back in sign.

Sindri continued to communicate in sign language, much to Tyuule's surprise that there was such a way of communicating for the deaf or dumb. Before Bjorn responded by removing the knife from Komurazaki's throat but not releasing him from his arm lock.

That's when Sindri approached an struck Komurazaki in the gut, bringing him to the floor as he writhed in pain.

"Arghhh… you mute bastard!" The reporter cursed before he faced down the barrel of a gun not held by Bjorn, but Sindri instead.

"Sindri!" Kenzaki called out from this surprising changing of sides.

"Make one noise, journalist and I'll blow your brains out instead." Sindri made it clear that he would and for the first time Komurazaki actually respected that enough to keep his mouth shut.

He then turned to Bjorn and nodded for him to speak in the only way that he knew how. Bjorn began to sign what brought him to suddenly attempt to kill this journalist. It was unlikely that he found him so annoying that he wanted to get rid of him in this manner. Kenzaki knew no sign language so he patiently waited for Sindri to do the talking. He never knew that Bjorn was mute either, always figured him for just a strong silent and stoic warrior.

After much displays of hands motioning around, sometimes swift to describe his anger and sometimes smooth to say something else. At the end of it, Sindri nodded his head and turned to the journalist once more and kicked him in the face causing his glasses to fly off.

"You fucking scoundrel." Sindri was no different in expressing his disdain, but he no longer pointed the gun towards him and patted Bjorn's shoulder as he walked towards Kenzaki and Tyuule who were waiting for an explanation as to why even he hit the journalist who were screaming the pain that he received from his bleeding nose. The warrior bunny that reported this was not at all sorry for him, given that he kind of deserved whatever he had done.

"Your charming charge happened to be lurking around the Command Vehicle and lockpicked his way in. Bjorn checked the door that was unlocked on his patrol route and went to investigate." Sindri pointed to Komurasaki next.

"This four-eyed bastard tried to get the jump on him by attacking him with said knife." Kenzaki sighed, and understood why Bjorn had been so outraged.

For whatever reason Komurazaki had to fiddle around with the trailer's electronic warfare suite, he didn't have the right to attack Bjorn with the intention of killing him.

"I only wanted to scare him!" Komurazaki was quick to defend himself when his ears heard what was spoken against him.

"Even if you tried to come at me with a knife, I wouldn't hesitate to gun you down, Komurazaki!" Kenzaki lost his patience with the journalist whom he'd tolerated since the beginning of his arrival.

"I don't even need to hear from you what you were trying to do!" He said to the fallen journalist as he nodded to Sindri and Bjorn as they approached said person and grabbed him by both hands.

"Let go of me! Let go! This is against my rights! You'll regret this, lieutenant!" Seeing that Kenzaki didn't want to help him, he ranted out again at his captors.

"I'm detaining you for the duration of this attack. Unless you want me to report your attempted murder with multiple testimonies, you better behave yourself." Even from a felony, Komurazaki wasn't safe if they turned him over to Alnus Command that in turn sent him to the police with heavy charges against him.

"Miss Iota! You saw him put a knife to my throat!" He now looked to bring Tyuule into this mess as if her executive civilian status would change anything. But all she did was look at him through her veil with loathe that it even pierced his soul and let him know what an unforgivable fool he was.

"You truly disappoint me, MIster Komurasaki." These words alone had been more effective than their threats and manhandling of the stubborn journalist, as he went limp after these words entered his ears. After all, Tyuule had been cordial with him thus far and even gave him permission to record the happenings around the settlement, no matter his stance against the Jietai involvement here.

Komurazaki had broken the trust of the last person who did have any in him. He was towed away compliantly by the Warrior Bunny who informed them and Bjorn, as he made sure that he didn't suddenly escape on his watch.

"Never would have thought you the type to trust someone like us, sir." Sindri said as if he wouldn't bet a dollar that he would side with them in such a manner.

"I'd be an idiot to let someone like him get away with something like that." Kenzaki never thought the journalist had it in him to attack Bjorn. What must have happened was that in the moment that he thought he was about to be caught when hiding in the vehicle back trailer, he wanted to silence this person from catching him. But was easily subdued by the SR operative who wouldn't fall to such a careless attack.

Kenzaki bent down and picked up the knife which Komurasaki had been using, it was apparently one of the red meat cutlery knives from yesterdays meal. Which he must've kept on him for his own personal safety. Kenzaki wondered how a person that paranoid would ever sleep peacefully, why was he even here in the first place if he was this jumpy all the time?

He passed the knife over to Tyuule who verified it as the same knife found in the cutlery drawers.

"I thought Bjorn was really gonna kill him regardless, I mean I'm glad he didn't but-." Kenzaki continued on.

"I thought so too." Sindri confessed even though he handled the situation better than them.

"You knowing sign language helped, if not he wouldn't have known what we were trying to say." Kenzaki convinced himself that only Sindri knew how to communicate with Bjorn.

"Who said Bjorn was deaf or dumb?" His reply gave a head turn from Kenzaki as it contradicted what he did and why Bjorn responded.

"Bjorn tried to say something but couldn't, is that not been mute is?" Tyuule asked as she heard that the Japanese had multiple names for different ailments that looked and sounded the same, maybe Bjorn's condition was one of these.

"Bjorn heard you all just fine, if not, how could he hear the journalist try to get the jump on him?" When he said it that way, it made perfect sense.

Sindri knew they would ask then why did they go through all that trouble and why didn't Bjorn say anything. He sighed as he took off his cape and rubbed his head.

"Bjorn wore out his vocal chords." He stated Bjorn's true condition. He hadn't been born mute or deaf, but lost his voice entirely at some point of his life."

Sindri looked at Kenzaki in a way that said that he didn't like telling stories about the Company people in his presence. But if it would help in future to be a little more understanding to Bjorn, then Sindri had no other alternative. At least he knew that Tyuule was quite responsible with these sorts of things and didn't overly sympathise with the person until he or she became uncomfortable.

"Have you ever heard of the Thahan Phran?" Kenzaki was quite aware of things internationally, but all he could gather from that name was that it was a southeast Asian language.

"They're the frontier Rangers of the Cambodian-Thai border, a paramilitary group of the Thai Army. Which regularly hunt insurgents and karen militia in the border jungles with impunity. They call themselves black shirts, ruthless fellows those lot are. And Bjorn was the crème de la crème." Not even Kenzaki knew that Bjorn was Thai, let alone from that band of irregulars. He had read up on some articles concerning human rights violations in the area around the golden triangle, these guys were mentioned a lot.

"He was the chief interrogator of one of the regiments. He'd do all sorts of things to get his captives to talk. Everything from cutting off the limbs or castrating the captive's family members in front of them to burning a village that aided insurgents." Not even Tyuule expected the personal history to turn out in this manner, it was no wonder that Sindri didn't enjoy telling it. Bjorn wasn't just a veteran of many conflicts, he was also an instigator, he did the dirty jobs as well.

"Anyway, he reached the end of his savage career when a shrapnel got lodged in his left ear so he couldn't hear orders passing through so well and got instantly discharged. Ended up seeking special therapy to reintegrate into society, that's when he met the love of his life."

Sindri didn't give a name, because Bjorn never said it to anyone. But the unique thing was that this person that he meet was a true mute. Mute and working in a profession that helped people like her, that's what Bjorn found so endearing about this person he wished to spend his life with. The only thing that Sindri knew for certain about Bjorn's girlfriend was that she was Japanese, because there was talk about her bringing him to see her parents in Saitama. Rather, she signed it to Bjorn after they let their relationship go on for a few years.

"So, what happened?" Kenzaki didn't want to sit through the whole story as it was already getting him uncomfortable to know the fate of Bjorn's lover.

"What happened, was that she had a night out with some local friends of hers and got drugged and sold through the human trafficking network." Kenzaki was already regretting his request to quicken the story as it went straight to the ugly truth.

"He had contacts he knew pulled strings and happened to get referred to us by some industry friends of his. And we went on a manhunt for his missing girl and captors." The beginning of their encounter had such a twist, it was clear that everyone in the SR had major issues in their life with their commander being no exception.

Of course, Bjorn tortured the so called "girlfriends" who took her out and sung their confessions. They chased the trail for weeks and tracked her down to a human trafficking syndicate, but apparently they weren't the only ones in that area. The Chinese counter terrorist units were in the midst of preparing to storm the syndicates' hideout in a less than subtle manner with laser guided bombs, regardless of the collateral because they wanted the body of the syndicate number one leader. There was some quarreling with the drug police and the threat that they'd report them to the Thai authorities if they didn't let off these tactics, then some bargaining that they'd get the drug lord to the Chinese alive which they agreed upon.

But things always had a turn for the worst when it came to the SR. When they brought the drug lord out into the open, the Chinese bombed them and brought the entire building and its dwellers with it.

"I guess they thought it was convenient that they were being handed him on a plate for free. They certainly didn't expect that we met them again… face-to-face." There was no diplomatic immunity that could protect the drug police when it came to the SR. They were already liable for acknowledging that the SR existed, so they killed them all quickly and disposed of their bodies. Ending up as just another failed raid on one of thousands of cartels and syndicates in the Mekong. Sindri really hid nothing with these confessions, only to highlight that death and murder was a commonplace in their outfit. Things that could break a Japanese person's humanitarian mind, wouldn't even waver their fortitude.

"He found his girl in worse for wear and apparently dying under the rubble the Chinese caused. Short part, she died quickly and painfully. Screamed his lungs out the entire way till his vocal chords stopped working all together." The death of his loved one broke him and turned him into this shadow.

"He only communicates in sign since then, I guess to honor her memory." Teaching himself to communicate in the only way that his girlfriend could, Bjorn could continue to remember her.

"And from that moment, the man died and Bjorn the viking took his place."

It was an incredibly sad story for both Tyuule and Kenzaki, realizing how much burden that silent man carried within him.

"Bjorn, hates two things more than his life. Chinese authorities and backstabbers." Recalling that Bjorn's girlfriend had been sold out by her friends. They could only imagine what happened to them when Bjorn apprehended them. But it was now clear why Bjorn had reacted the way he did to Komurazaki's failed attempt to scare him, or so he says.

"You did good, sir." Kenzaki wasn't expecting a compliment at all.

"Me?" He could hardly recall doing anything that dissuaded Bjorn.

"You trusted him enough to try to talk, I'm sure he'll remember that. From both of you." He said to Tyuule too, as she had followed Kenzaki in trying to negotiate instead of threatening him despite his impairment.

Sindri went to check on the vehicle instruments to see if anything had been damaged and ran a few tests on the electronic suite just to make sure.

"Alright, all good. He did fiddle around with the frequency a bit though, but nothing too serious." Komurazaki didn't know how it functioned and only turned dials, it was fortunate that he hadn't smashed the console to get it to stop.

"Maybe he was trying to communicate out." This action seemed similar to the adjusting of radio frequency, perhaps he thought that it was a communications vehicle with a powerful ultra-high frequency transceiver.

"To Alnus for rescue…. or someone else?" Sindri questioned.

Kenzaki look to see if there were anymore tampering when he found a piece of paper on the floor.

"What's that?" Sindri caught him reading its contents with slight concern.

"Numbers… coordinates." He held it out to Sindri who examined the note that clearly came from Komurazaki.

"Frequency codes." Kenzaki was already furrowing his brow, so Komurazaki was calling out to someone outside, but who?

"Doesn't matter at this point, he'll be arrested when he gets back." Sindri didn't seem to care as much, maybe he shouldn't either. They still had a very real problem on their hands. A fuss was made outside that made them go outside to see that, Tyuule awaited them outside where Caster awaited them to report.

"What is it?" Kenzaki asked for a situation report.

"You'd better come look at the outskirt." Caster didn't know how to tell it.

"Imperials?"

"Yes, but-…." The Imperial Marauders were trying something new that seemed to make even his SFGs hesitate.

Kenzaki didn't like where this was going but hurried along

He had thought he'd seen it all, but underestimated how cruel the prefect's mind was.

---

It was to the surprise of the people of Bruneberg that Hitoshi came back with a whole column of vagabonds into their Island. Thinking he was just having them haul tons of cargo into his strange warehouse he called a "kojo" (factory/plant) and stranger still when they thought that they'd leave when they were done but gathered inside.

As Balduin's gang of squatters were moving one of the machines over the bridge, Hitoshi told them that they could get help from their friends and they would also have a share of the treat that was in store for them. They went off after one round and came back with a dozen more, some of them were even younger. While some were adults in their mid-30s, still young for a Dwarf. By the time the last of the machines and tools were brought over from Valenroc at the end of the day, there were at least six hundred people who had gathered. Seventy tons of equipment within the span of five hours, a world record if he ever saw one.

Head attendant Melvin of Oakenshire had coordinated his connections to clean up the old warehouse and repaint the walls and roof. While carpenters worked on making rudimentary tables, chairs and work benches or shipped them straight from their workshops before being paid. Darcia returned only to be told that she had to make yet another trip of groceries but had Takeo to help carry it for her this time. Kugel instructed their temporary movers where he wanted his tools to be placed and where his machines assembled. Originally, only the tools were planned but with the numbers that had come, it was possible to move everything from the forge.

This movement gained the attention of the city dwellers in their route, naturally, the authorities too. But the bridge keepers were made aware of this transit by him and the Royal Knights weren't currently in the position to question them. But a few Priests did approach Hitoshi and offered them his help at a convenient time. However, he dismissed them since he was already in an agreement with the vagabonds of Oberun. Neither could they stop them from moving around the city when they had remained in Oberun this entire time.

With everyone hard at work, Hitoshi began to assess his food supply within a makeshift kitchen area of the factory. Melvin had provided his hand to help at the behest of Hekrel who was currently attending a military meeting with the head chief of Velduars military, Lord Marshal Hozatin Grayhoard. Hekrel and the other Lords were being called to arms to undertake the replenishment of supplies and troops to vulnerable areas, according to Melvin. Hekrel was elected the General of Supplies this season as he'd always been. It was undeniable that Hekrel had good relations with the foreign delegates and merchants for the procurement of food and wagon, even though it was regarded widely within the military that it was a step down from his predecessor, Bromhall the Gnoll Scourge. But the former was perfectly happy at doing what was best for the army, he even had the trust of the King, now late-king.

Melvin knew nothing more, but Hitoshi had the feeling that they weren't intending to sit around and let the Gnolls poke at their defenses with their new wall-buster weapons. None of that mattered to the former as it did with him. All Melvin cared about was having the chance to cook beside the God of Cookery and was given the grand task of feeding an impossible six hundred with only both of them. Yet, Hitoshi made several dishes than just one or a soup-based one which were better choices in feeding large numbers.

Hitoshi had assembled a table with several different varieties of food all on a ready tray or pot for them to pick. This concept was called catering, similar to the banquets held in the nobles castles but they went to choose what they wanted than have a servant bring it to them.

The first in the row were trays of appetizers, neatly stacked were rows of triangle shaped sandwiches he called the "Bee Emm Tee" an otherworldly acronym for bigger, meatier and tastier, a sandwich style that hailed from a distant land from Japan.

He folded a pair of slices of ham, salami and black druwni, a local cold cut from goat meat, then poured melted cheese over it with slices of tomatos, onion and fresh lettuce. Binded together with two halves of bread which had received a toasting on a grill.

Those that ate the sandwich took second helpings thinking that was all, even though it tasted like nothing they'd ever have and likely ever again. But next to it was a large pot with bowls to serve themselves its contents from a ladle. Out from it was a warm and creamy soup that smelled of savoury chicken but wasn't.

Hitoshi placed a bet with Melvin, that he could make Dwarves eat a whole vegetable dish without complaints. The dish he chose was creamy pumpkin soup as the second appetizer. Using chicken broth as its base, ginger and nutmeg to flavor the soup and give it richness while onions and carrots gave a caramelizing sweet taste to the vegetables that were soft and sweet. Vegetable did not taste like vegetables they knew, so they never asked what it was and only scooped more. Melvin would owe him a Gold Branwen at the end of the day, but the former hardly complained as he got to have dinner as well with the groups.

With appetizers to warm up their bodies to his food, he introduced the main course just when they thought that it had been over. Hitoshi intended to give them the taste of a full five meal course dinner, in order to gain their attention and persuasion later when he wanted to speak. And he had no doubt that they would listen, for none of them have ever expected this much of a lavished dinner in their entire lives, certainly not one prepared by the God of Cookery. Word would spread about this event amongst the islands and attract the people's attention. But all they could do is watch those that had helped him get to eat well as they deserved. This was his marketing strategy for finding willing recruits.

For the main, a tub-like vessel being heated underneath by a flame contained a peculiar layered grounded meat and tomato sauce pastry that comprised of many layers of pastry and covered with thick cheese on top. It appeared to be an Imperial dish from their ingredients, but he called it "la-sang-nia", and it too didn't stinge on meat. In fact, it was overflowing with it and cheese to make one delicious treat. Hitoshi had achieved the pastry through the use of local wheat flour and a very different variation in the recipe that he knew. Attaining a chewy texture yet soft but not crumby bite.

And to wash it all down were kegs of beer which were free flowing, fruit juices in the case of underage drinkers. It was starting to feel like they'd not entirely earned this lavish a meal for the work that they did which was merely moving heavy or many items. Ingraining a sense of gratitude in them, albeit discreetly.

Then, next on the table buffet was something that they would never have in the position they were in. Dessert. Coming out fresh from a earthen oven was the sweet scent of bread where bread in their city would never smell that way. Off the protective cloth went and revealed neatly rolled pastries that had a frosting of sugar poured over it and hardened. This was a bread that used expensive cinnamon spice as its main provider of flavor beyond sweetness. There were those that kept their portions, thinking to save it for later and had proven a wise choice as they had made a surprising discovery when a piece of the bread was mixed with a cold dessert which was described as frozen cream.

Melvin thought it impossible to make any cold dessert in a place like where they were, but Hitoshi achieved it. He used a sterilized tin bathtub as his vessel to add a few dozen cold rune stones and a few gallons of rock salt, the secret to reducing the temperature below zero. Unlike that time in the Capital when he used liquid nitrogen, it was thought impossible to ship ice into Velduar. So much of their food was preserved via smoking.

He placed a tin bucket in the centre of the tub filled with cold stones that were the equivalent in temperature to ice and rock salt and stirred milk, cream, sugar and a small bottle of vanilla extract which he had on his person. And left Melvin to diligently stir it while preparing another batch of the rest of the food. The Head Attendant initially thought that it was impossible to make what he described, when five minutes passed and his watery concoction started to solidify and become thicker into a paste-like substance. It was until Melvin was given a sample did he realise that this was truly the cold dessert he'd been hearing in the news from merchants who had visited the PX exchange, concerning delicious ice cold desserts. Now, he got to have it himself, and learnt how to make it in the process. It was so stupidly simple, he cursed his lack of innovation in the culinary arts.

Periodically, Hitoshi loomed over the happy customers to ask how they were and if they'd had enough, encouraging them to eat more and spare no crumb or waste like he wanted. At the end of the day, when they were ready to return home, the reality of their brief moment of joy crumbled. As they remembered that they were still vagabonds in the streets of Oberun. It was at this moment that Hitoshi seized the opportunity and handed out fliers to the leaving population. His group did the same and ensured that every person received one, regardless of age. And so, the recruitment fliers read as such:

Aleistar Conglomerate

*Recruiting now*

Under the sponsorship of God of Cookery, Hitoshi Furuta and joint holdings with King Novar Lumnatin Brightshield and Queen Thranmilla Mirthram Brightshield of Velduar. We are pleased to introduce the Aleistar Conglomerate, and its need for a strong and dedicated workforce. The company is currently holding recruitment auditions on all seven island districts, all above the ages of thirteen in Dwarven years are eligible to undertake full or part-time occupations with our company. The audition is walk-in at all hours and will be held until the end of this week.

Minimal requirements are as follows:

Basic Literacy skills

Basic Arithmetic skills

All participants for the audition will be subjected to a short ten multiple choice questionnaire for the following requirements to access their proficiency. Participants exhibiting unique skills, notable previous working experience and military service will be eligible for selective vocations with unique promotion paths.

Participants who have been screened and found positive for our selection will begin employment training for two weeks, and expect to receive the following benefits once their work begins:

15 Silvers per day, for a minimum of six hours a day

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner meals will be provided for free at all working days within the work cafeteria.

Sick and paid leave may be negotiated. (Maternity leave provided)

Accident and health insurance accounts will be opened, with option to deduct from wage.

As he watched their confounded looks upon reading these fliers, he could see the eagerness bursting from their eyes as the saw the list of benefits that came for asking such trivial qualities of them. They didn't even care what was a conglomerate and what that entrails, only that it required their muscle and their activeness.

He immediately received people asking him when the audition started, to which he pointed to the table where Takeo had spent an afternoon waiting for a crowd that never came. Only now, there was everyone that had helped them move the machinery from Oberun and about two-third of that initial number of people that came from the Bruneberg populous. Previously skeptical about the god of Cookery's intentions, they too had seen the things offered in the fliers and watched the vagabonds eat such a lavished meal and wondered if they too could eat like that everyday if they worked for him.

The auditioning went on for another few hours with several stations opened for taking in applicants. All in all, Hitoshi and the group would acquire a total of eight hundred and sixty-four willing recruits. All the manpower that he required had been attained.

When finished with their applications, the participants were informed to come the next morning to receive the results. But Hitoshi wasn't going to reject any of their applications.

The name Aleistar was a play on his Nightstar elf name, Al'aelsaire. The Crow of thunder or Stormcrow. Brainstormed by Takeo to reflect his lightning attribute, and how the company would be heavily attributed to his power through the miracle of electricity. Like a tribute of fire. Hitoshi didn't admire his correlation to Prometheus and what his actions brought for him, but admitted that Takeo did have a tact for coining a good name.

"Here's the last group." Hitoshi collected the applications and sorted them into their respective baskets on the table which Takeo had worked hard in grading.

"I didn't join the jietai to do office work…." He complained but did it anyway, it was now just the two of them doing paperwork in the late hours when all had turned in early.

"Neither did I." Hitoshi took a batch of applications from one of the baskets and counted them. As each basket represented the different sectors of the company and work that was done in accordance with its primary function.

The one that Hitoshi counted and read were those that had prior military experience or training. As they had a very instrumental part to play in the coming conflicts that were about to erupt.

"Two hundred and eighteen. Good, we can at least form an infantry company."

"It's too short a time." Takeo did the mental calculations in his head and deemed it so.

"I don't think we have that luxury anymore." Was he considering this hectic time now as a luxury? Takeo felt that he couldn't keep up at times.

"We've got four days." Hitoshi said with a ominous ending to that deadline.

"Until what, we weren't even supposed to stay until tomorrow."

"I don't think the Apostle is gonna let us go now." Hearing this Takeo rubbed his forehead for the toll it took upon his mind. It wasn't a matter of what Hitoshi predicted, it was a matter of what happened when it did. He understood that by coming here, they had already tripped certain balances.

"Why four days?" What made Hitoshi so sure that it was in that time span.

"The Apostle possesses an Angpula-era forge within the Temple." One like in Valenroc but fully operational like the one in the Royal castle.

"The famous Golden Week took them seven days to produce fifteen thousand sets of weapons and armor for the Mudwan Kingdom during the Crety Undead Epidemic. That's roughly seven thousand between each forge. The entire Corp of Rune Priests and Warriors he has is around five thousand."

"Aren't you forgetting that they're already equipped?" Takeo reasoned, why would they remanufacture weapons and armor they already had? And Hitoshi had an answer for that too.

"Not with a seven ratio Adamantite, they're not."

"Kugel's formula….." Even Takeo knew that the Apostle had pressured the late-king into handing it over for keepsake pretext. But it was really giving him the complete formula to overcoming the weakness of their current ratio of Adamantite. The same ratio that lined the supposedly impenetrable Nexus Defense Wall that the Gnolls effortlessly breached with their secret weapon.

"Mortar probably wants to swipe all the eggs in one basket." It was these suspicions that led Hitoshi to believe that the Apostle was preparing to annex all of Velduar, not just the Dwarven Kingdom, but the Gnolls in one fell swoop. And Adamantite of a seven-ratio was the key to that victory, reflecting the victory the Dwarves achieved early in their history.

"You're saying he'll turn on his own people, his own country…" Less of being unable to fathom this, what made Hitoshi so sure about the Apostle's rebellious nature? And Hitoshi's answer to that was, why not?

"Rory, Granham, Giselle, Mortar. Immortal bodies, mortal hearts." After meeting Mortar in person, Hitoshi was more sure of that similarity he shared with his other counterparts. Rory and Granham were hindered by their love and affection for their partners. He didn't know anything about Hardy's apostle but he dare say that she too had somewhere that she was flawed. And Mortar, he looked tired of it all.

It was the same eyes that Hitoshi himself looked at in the mirror these days and the same on his men. Just a push away from turning against their authority, before reality hits them. But that provision probably didn't exist for the Apostle.

Being alive for eight hundred years of dedication to a lord that slumbers is perpetual torture. Every time a new King of Velduar replaces the old, the cycle repeats itself. Soon, he stops making friends and relationships after watching them die of old age while he's stuck in this immortal body for an eternity. Made to guard and guide the Dwarves against the Gnolls that continue to gnaw at both his charge and his patience. But even then, what motivated him to want to break this cycle?

"If we leave now, Velduar will fall in his possession." Then, they'd never get their armaments.

"I understand." Takeo responded simply.

"….. You've grown stronger, Takeo." In the past, he let small things worry him, and life endangering scenarios detriment his thoughts. But now, he not only confronted them head on but kept to his principles of morality. Such morality that innocent lives would be lost from this impending schism and that if given the option to leave, he decided to stay with them.

"It makes me feel strong too." Hitoshi did not lie when he complimented his friend, leaving the latter scratching his head for hearing him say awkward things with such a straightforward attitude.

"I'd better get a gem as big as Itami's when this is all over." He demanded, as Hitoshi was sure who that precious stone would go to after he received his reward.

"I'm sure they'd even host a ceremony for you to receive it." Hitoshi mused, as he was certain that things wouldn't turn out as half-assed as they were in Amarel.

Hitoshi now had the willing manpower, but he would need to gain political support at an uneasy time when the factions were down to two camps. The Apostle not only had the support of half of the army and a few Lords besides his own house, but the support of their population. Hitoshi needed to acquired the support of the opposition and he had to do it by convincing them while their King was no longer around to vouch for him. He would have to prove hell and mighty if he wanted to assume control over all of their assets. Because while the Temple moved, so did the Gnolls. The latter were well aware of the death of Novar and would poise to strike while things were unstable for the Dwarves.

It appeared now a good time than any to cash in on his favor with Queen Thranmilla. As she would most certain be inclined to help if it meant protecting their sovereignty as well. The Queen Mother was due for a checkup on her condition tomorrow afternoon, that was certainly a good time to ask while there were eyes watching their every move.

---

Arriving at the doors of the castle the following day after a long night of planning and coordinating, the King's guards hardly stopped him like they did before. For they knew the purpose of his visit and were well informed by the Queen on it. Regardless, an inspection of the ingredients he brought was still mandatory and only took a moment of his time. After that, he was unhindered the entire way to the greenhouse garden where he'd promised the Queen, he'd check on her Mother-in-law. A quiet place where few were permitted and therefore fewer untrusted eyes watching and ears listening in.

There were many thoughts running through his mind, everything from planning to the method in which to mass produce his tools of that would diffuse this rising tension and end what was literally becoming a potential civil war.

He only knew one thing, which was that the Apostle in his infinite wisdom was patient. Unlike his counterpart in Amarel who was several hundred years younger. The apostle could be considered a master of warfare above even the Generals of the main army, his presence alone inspired his faction as was his identity as the right hand of their God. But rather than act now while the iron was hot, he remained within his temple grounds, the furnaces burning brighter than they usually were, and Hitoshi knew why.

Kugel's formula for superior quality Adamantite removed a deficiency in the alloy that had happened to the Nexus fortification wall. The Apostle had a master plan that Hitoshi figured was to wipe out all of his opposition in one fell swoop. And he had a feeling it wasn't counting the Gnolls alone.

He reached the door into the ward where the Dowager Grammola lay struggling with her affliction of leukemia. Eight years of living, she broke the record of anyone known to survive while still going strong, but how long more did she have? The least he could do would be to transport her with them to Ascension for a diagnosis by an actual medical professional, then transit to Alnus for emergency treatment at the hospital facilities. Where he was sure the top brass wouldn't question a member of Royalty getting treated if it meant a favorable outcome with her Kingdom.

The General Staff authority had honestly been too comfortable with their current situation as if it were another peacekeeping mission or joint live-fire exercise. And this included Alnus Command. It was like they'd completely forgotten the whole pretense of this expedition, resource hunting. But seemed more bothered about stabilizing a volatile political situation with the Imperials that was never going to stabilize. The Saderan Empire was over, Hitoshi had seen sovereign states crumble to the ground before. It was foolish to think that any of the three Royal Princes and Princess could do anything about it for all the flaws that they had and self-interests. And former Emperor was no better, nothing more than a cog keeping the previous state of bureaucracy turning.

The whole Special Task Force had achieve next to nothing in their eight whole months of arriving here. If it was any other countries army, they would have dealt with their situation in the most beneficial way to their cause. Russia would have eliminated the monarchy and introduced an oligopoly, where powerful factions of the Empire would compete for supremacy whilst contributing their resources to Russia. And unlike a single puppet leader that could be deposed, an oligopoly of influential lords or merchants could quell rebellion together since there was no definitive hierarchy.

If he knew the Chinese, well enough, they'd turn the Saderan Empire into a second African state. Flooding cheap goods into the market to destroy local businesses and increasing dependence on Chinese-made goods whilst redistributing an ethnically Chinese population into the new world so that they became a majority power and therefore have wider Chinese national interests in Falmart. The Chinese were by far, the most subtle yet cunning for attaining their goals.

Then, there was the United States approach. Contrary to their ongoing efforts in the Middle East, the annexation of the Saderan Empire to "liberate" the people from a dictatorship would be far more comparable with their success in Annexing Hawaii as an American State or the aftermath reforms of their invasion of Panama that regained control of its important canal for their Naval fleets. Achieved with a show of brute force applied by their powerful armed forces. People like Zorzal and clowns like Herm, Calasta and Mudra would've been drone-striked without hesitation, not wasting other precious manpower or resources. It was by this show of strong yet precise application of force that would discourage insurrections against their provisional government. After all, in comparison to the American's, the Saderan Imperials were unsophisticated folk.

It was laughable what they'd done. Truly laughable, and he was sure that even his fellow soldiers in Alnus felt the same way, except for a few that were content with the way things were. But things were about to change, he could feel it in his bones. Unlike before, when only men traversed the Gate. Hitoshi had encountered a total of three Gods in no less than a month of his travels undercover and resource investigation duties. Gods that were usually too lazy to do anything. Yet, these were only the Gods with funny quirks, what happened when the really powerful Gods decided to do something that wasn't funny? Rory's god for instance, was one that fed on war and violence, already something that worked against any opposing army. What happens when they decide that they've had enough of these otherworldly invaders? A God incarnate was a living nightmare for him, what about a group of them collaborating? Like attack in full force, Apostle, zealot armies and living incarnates all at once.

For now, the Jietai's hubris had been its own salvation. As it left them relatively disinterested and the Jietai non-threatening towards their followers and worshipers. And not forgetting Hardy. If she knew how to open the Gate, she could easily close it off and maroon fifteen thousand Japanese soldiers and civilians alike on their world. He was a mere captain, and yet worried about these things. Hitoshi laughed at himself. These threats didn't scare him, but he still respected their capacity to do damage to his own forces.

"What's so funny, Furuta?" He was made aware of the arrival of the Colonel accompanied by Queen Thranmilla and Hadric the spymaster as per his request. For unlike the rest at Oakenshire Manor, the Colonel had taken up residence in the Royal Castle as a foreign VIP. But pretexts aside, he was really there to provide further input to the Chief Engineer in reconfiguring the Dreadnoughts. Personally, Imazu considered them as battlecruisers rather than battleships because of its cruiser-thin armor, he was still arguing with Hitoshi about its designation even though it was not theirs to decide.

"I bet Alnus will still be the same after five years."

"Jokes aside, you should hear what Her Majesty and Sir Hadric have to share concerning their situation." Imazu dismissed his lighthearted humor for things he'd learnt himself while in the Palace.

"Let's hear it, then." Hitoshi got serious as he sat back and listened to Hadric explain the details of the power balance, recently shakened from the inside. At times like this when a King met an untimely death, provisional power was held in the stewardship of the Queen Mother who as they could see was in no condition to wield anything. So that position was left open to the next most powerful person. However one could debate who that was, Chief Minister Blackwyr, the right hand of the King in statecraft, or the chief spiritual leader, Mortar. But the Apostle had one thing that the former didn't have as his playing card.

"The best we can do is have Her Majesty's supporters keep Lord Sturmhammer and the other Temple-aligned Lords and High priests in order." Finished Hadric in their secret meeting in the air-tight greenhouse room of the Queen Mother's.

"Änd the princes?" There were four scions to Novar. Two of the elder ones were of Thranmillas own blood, the latter two were by concubines. Under traditional status, the Crown Prince was the prime candidate for rule. But there was another power which they required for their coronation as a King beyond power over their subjects and people.

Their coronation required someone vested with powers beyond mortal rights, someone that could anoint the King with the blessings of their God. The only such person that existed for this purpose was the highest religious authority, which so happened to be the Apostle. Thus, if he didn't give any blessing, there would be no new King appointed by God to reign supreme. This predicament they found themselves in was made worse with the abysmal relations that the crown prince had with the Apostle for aligning himself with the Nationalist factions, that of his late father's and supporters.

As it turned out, the third and fourth princes had not let this opportunity go to waste as they ousted some of the two elder princes' supporters in their home grounds while the Crown Prince and Second Prince were filling the gap left by their late father on the frontlines by supporting the Lord Marshal and his retinue of Generals.

As it stood, many of the elder princes' supporters and sponsors had defected over to the upstart pair when rumours of their fair inter-relations with House Mobkis were spread. This led many to believe that there was a possibility that the Apostle might coronate either of them, at least a better chance than the Crown Prince and Second Prince did. This put Thranmilla's wards in grave danger from the opposing faction, thus she would obviously never consent to the reappointment of the heir apparent, even if forced by a majority approval of the Lords. But this would only escalate the unease and even endanger her sons lives to possible assassination if the younger princes felt they could get away with it.

The nationalist faction were put in a very precarious situation with limited options available. What they needed was a game changer, one that was suitably influential enough to contend with a herald of God. Who else better to turn to than the friendly allied God of Cookery.

He figured as much when they came almost immediately when he asked for them to come. The Queen was on her last ropes as it was. Despite how much he claimed to be human, the same could not be said for the reverence he held in Bruneberg and with House Oakenspire, one of the Six Lords of Velduar. Meaning that having him on their side meant them as well. Hekrel's family had been highly decorated for many wars with the Gnolls and thus had a greater influence over the Main Army as well. Even without Brom, the Army wouldn't mobilise elsewhere under anyone else's commands without official decree from the King, especially the Nexus Garrison Force of over Eight thousand.

"What's the security on the Dry Docks and the Dreadnoughts?" That was currently their highest priority if they wanted his help. They couldn't allow the airships or the warships to fall into anyone else's hands. It would greatly reduce the logistical burdens of any who possessed them and gain a significant strategic advantage at controlling the city.

"Safe, My Lord." The Chief Engineer Dwight, reported as was his responsibility over the warships in development.

"However, we are unsure of His Holiness the Apostle would demand access to the Royal Castle. If he does, nothing will bar him from entry into the dry docks or the laboratory." Banking on secrecy of the project alone was risky, but then, Novar and his Grandfather managed to hide their developments for two hundred years.

"As a precaution, take out their engines, send one to Oakenshire and the other bring it here." It was paramount that they remain inoperable to unwanted possessors, hence, removing the engines and placing them in two places that were either unexpected or inaccessible to even the Apostle was a smart move. So the Chief Engineer took note of that as his next order of business later.

"The less activity goes on there, the more the Apostle worries about me." Needless to say, Mortar was cautious of him too. He wasn't called a God by mortals alone, and the events of Amarel were somehow known to him, the true account.

"Consider it done. My Lord."

"And how will you do that, Lord Furuta?" The Queen was anxious to know. It was a powder keg situation without him there to chaste the Apostle who clearly had his own agendas.

"Your Majesty, could you arrange for me a meeting with these people?" Hitoshi handed to her a slip of paper with a list of names. The Queen read it briefly and noticed a trend with these familiar names.

"Ït will be done, but-….. why, are these not merely purveyors to the court?" She would have thought he would have asked to speak to key members of the Army command.

"It'll buy us some time." Hitoshi assured her.

"How?" Imazu asked.

"We aren't the only ones preparing for something to happen, sir. The Apostle is doing just that." It was also concerning them that the Apostle hadn't moved, yet Hitoshi seemed to have the reason concluded.

"Until he's completely rearmed his entire force with the quality of Adamantite thanks to Kugel's formula, he wouldn't make certain his victory."

"Why?" The spymaster asked.

"So that the Gnoll's special weapon doesn't pose a threat to them." This was the first time he had mentioned that, so they were all particularly attentive. As was Imazu, who'd only recently learnt that Adamantite was shaped-charge immune regardless of quality or thickness.

"Before coming here, myself, Brom and Kugel did extensive testing on his Adamantite and other sample qualities and found out that ratios below six, like your Nexus Defense wall actually has one weakness." A weakness that the Apostle was correcting with his foresight.

"When we blasted the inferior plates with explosives, we started to notice gradual spalling, albeit in flakes but it highlights that Adamantite below the ratio of six is vulnerable to extreme shockwave." Unlike the pure adamantite shield that could absorb and distribute extreme forces and vibration from even God Incarnates, the impurities of the lesser ratios weren't capable of doing this. Overall, making the adamantite exceedingly brittle, more so than steel. A random guess would be that the molecular bonds were not as stable as pure Adamantite, if anyone could ever achieve that feat of making the latter.

"Shockwave?" Imazu could only imagine a high frequency cutter slicing through it. The Dwarves, less so, picturing an incredible concussion that would break the adamantite into pieces only possible with legendary creatures.

"Which brings me to the Gnolls' new weapon, I think it operates on the principle of shockwave." They couldn't imagine anything that could achieve the required force to break through the alloy wall.

"When the Gnolls attacked the Nexus West fortress, I didn't see them lugging any sort of siege weapon. So, I'm assuming it was small, portable even. Explosive in nature." Hitoshi had examined the plates of the wall, it was burst inward by the incredible force exerted from outside. The walls honeycomb structure was turned against it as it created overpressure in those areas that trapped the force of the explosive and thereby damaging the integrity of the walls structure even further to cause that cavity. But to do that required an explosive compound that was as energetic as their modern explosives on earth. As far as they were concerned, there was no use of gunpowder here on this continent as least.

"So you're implying that the Gnolls have somehow acquired a method of making plastic explosives?" Imazu still didn't get it.

"No. I'm saying that someone outside is providing them with these weapons."

"Good god. It's them, isn't it….." With a pale complexion, Imazu declared as he came to grips with how the situation had evolved. Who else would possess explosives besides the Self Defense Force in this world.

"Were it that easy. We would be taking to the field with the Apostle right now." Hitoshi had come to a conclusion that this three-way conflict had someone else supporting the Gnolls with armaments.

"Forgive me, Lord Furuta. But who are these people, which Sir Imazu speaks of?" Because Imazu declared it, now the Queen was asking questions to something they shouldn't even know.

"A bunch of insurrectionists who smuggled themselves into your world." Hitoshi tried to put it as mildly as possible without disclosing their true nature or agenda, only that they were hostile to the Jietai and to him.

"They're our problem, if they show themselves." Hitoshi stated their stance, but Imazu was feeling that this was now their responsibility to safeguard the Dwarven Kingdom because of their failure to recognize the threat that Hitoshi's phantoms posed and evaded them. In truth, Imazu too thought that it was a conspiracy that Hitoshi had coined up as a pretext to do what he wanted in this other world where the boundaries of their society prohibited.

"With that aside, if you can get these folks in touch with me. We'd at least be able to delay the Temples' need of iron sand, while our forces can get armed." Adamantite weaponry, like any wartime production needed immense amount of raw materials to produce aside from a manpower of capable craftsmen. Delaying their shipment could also stall their rearmament and buy more time.

"Ï will see to it that they are aware." Naturally, the Queen would have better persuasion with her subjects than either Hitoshi or the Temple. Of course, all she was doing was asking them to accept his invite, it was up to him to persuade them to follow his directives and give their support. And he knew just the way to do that, by speaking in their commercial language. This is why only he was here, while the others were at the factory making and developing their first products of commerce and war.

From here on, it was private discussions. Before Hadric made private conversations with the Queen and Chief Engineer Dwight, he passed him a hefty sack and pointed to the two artifices laying against a wall. Hadric was returning to him their firearms and Adamantite artifice.

"I pray that Lord Furuta has better luck than we did." He referred to his strange adeptness with making innovative creations that were out of the comprehension of the Dwarven Rune Priests. Like the levi-plate that had been what their aviation had been culminating to achieve, was humiliatingly accomplished in a hour by his curiosity. In all likeliness, Hadric had been directed by the same eggheads who had been studying their weapons in hopes to reverse engineer it but failed. Of course, they did. His firearm was built upon a principle of interchangeability with other massed produced parts, not finely fitted or custom-made ones. He was just grateful to be reunited with his special Adamantite knife.

"What are your plans if they're here?" Imazu interrupted his train of thought with his greatest worries.

"If I know them like I do, they'll always operate in pairs." Hitoshi said no more than this, nor explaining why it was only two that he thought were here. It would only cause the Colonel to worry more than act which he could not afford. But for his proof, the Gnolls actually had another weapon at their disposal but not in their possession. One not for breaking the walls and structure of the Nexus Defense but for singling out the highest-ranking officer and killing him the instant before the wall was breached and the fortifications assaulted in a highly coordinated attack. A weapon with incredible precision and turn a head into an exploding tomato within its helmet.

A weapon wielded by a pair, one shooter, one spotter.

Indeed, he remembered a certain pair that operated together just like he did with his brother. Just as inseparable in relations as bondsmen. Lethal was hardly the word he would have used to describe their efficiency, if they were alive and here, he was put at a serious disadvantage. But in all likeliness they weren't around anymore, Hitoshi had seen to that during their destruction at Tsushima. Before he knew it, his eyes grew cold and merciless in their contemplation of a counter strategy.

"Lord Furuta…" His thoughts were woken by the Queen.

It appeared that whatever was discussed between her and the two was over, as they retired back to their duties. Chief Engineer Dwight and Imazu to the retrofits to the warships, whose propulsion was not even perfected yet. And Hadric, back to his business of espionage and counter espionage against his opposition and foes. It was just him and the Queen, not forgetting the Queen Mother.

As promised, he went over to check on Dowager Grammola. All the usual steps of care. Consulting the shift reports of the three attendants including Darcia, observing the chamberpot and blood released from her extremities. She was in about the same state as she was in previously, with the sole exception of her relaxed sleeping expression in contrast to the nightmare-ridden one she previously wore.

"They think it's because Lord Furuta's meals give her something to look forward to." Thranmilla spoke of what the attendants thought.

Hitoshi acknowledged her with a nod as he released the rope bindings to the prepared food in the claypot. Releasing a burst of steam and nutritious scent into the air.

"My.." Queen Thranmilla exclaimed to the exquisite smell.

"I made enough us too, if you're interested." Of course she was, so Hitoshi placed a bowl for each of them.

"This is called Shaguo Doufu where its popular, we call it Tofu claypot." He answered her quiet but curious gaze.

"Tofu…" Thranmilla mimicked the alien world.

"It's beancurd or paste of beans that have been curdled into pudding, in this case, I used eggs instead of soybeans though." It was a different kind of tofu that was still acceptable with the overall dish.

"You can enjoy yours will I feed the Dowager." Against her reluctance, she yielded when he had already sat beside the Queen Mother and blew to cool the hot claypot soup.

The aroma and taste when it entered her mouth could be seen on her expression as it pleased her greatly that today's offering was something else besides porridge. With Hitoshi carrying out her duty on her behalf, Thranmilla indulged herself in her own bowl.

It seemed to comprise of everything he said but also pieces of fish and magma shrimp which were likely sourced from the marketplace. Thranmilla started off where she should have, at the soup base and reveled in the exquisite taste that could not be described with words. Only because she had never experienced flavors beyond that which was sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Yet this concoction carried all these flavors together without contradicting each other. They came together and made something that the culinary world of Velduar could never have dreamed of.

"There's more if you're interested." Hitoshi returned surprisingly fast to the table where she ate.

"So fast?" She couldn't believe that the Queen Mother was fed so fast without being force fed.

"She really enjoyed it, I guess." He even gave the Dowager a larger bowl worth. Thranmilla could only make out the comfort that Queen Mother Grammola enjoyed in the continuation of her rested state. It was curious to Hitoshi since she wasn't exactly comatose, but she wasn't fully awake either. And now, what sort of wonderland would she dream of now? Escaping reality once more that became harsher and crueler by the day. She might wake up to hear of her son's death, she might not even wake up at all.

"Ï'm sorry, for your loss." Thinking about the Queen Mother, it dawned of him the unmoved expression of the Queen until now that was disconcerting to him.

When these words reached her ear, she dropped her spoon back into the bowl with a clang. Was it really the first time she'd heard this from anyone?

For a moment, the Queen covered her face with her hands in shame.

"I must have appeared so disconcerting… to Lord Furuta." She tried to apologize behind the welling emotions.

"No." He replied as honestly as his tone implied.

"I too…. Have lost someone dear." To empathize, he stated as such. Gaining the attention of her watering eyes.

"It felt… like the whole world wronged him." This too was true.

"Even now, I feel loss without his support…. My brother's." He was sure that deep down, the Queen too had her fears with the loss of Novar.

"I've spent all this time hiding my grief, letting it fester till it eats away at my soul. I regret not moving on with my life." He even had the company of his phantom, but he couldn't let it go.

"I won't tell you to do otherwise, but I can at least tell you that no good will ever come from hurting that which he loved too." Even if that something was themselves.

It was here that he had triggered a relapse in her guard as her tears and wails failed to be masked by her hands. Seeing this lonely widow in need of comfort, he offered his shoulder, but entered an embrace due to her child-sized body. His head pivoted to the Queen Mother as he figured that perhaps he was doing her job as well at this moment.

"But recently, I meet someone wonderful." Hitoshi declared in the sadness that Queen Thranmilla had to endure alone all this time.

"Wonderful?" The pretense of formalities had naturally slipped away with her after this emotional support was given.

"I met someone here, in your world. Someone I thought I'd never meet in a million years, because she lived in yours."

"What makes this person so wonderful?" Thranmilla endured her own woes and inquired on the story he wished to share, his own struggle to overcome his pain in the kinship of another.

"That I'm here because of her." Realising the gravity of what was being said, Thranmilla understood the importance of this individual.

"That is wonderous." She agreed, had it not been for this person, Hitoshi, the God of Cookery would have never come. Dowager Grammola would continue to suffer and she would be left with a kingdom at war with itself.

"Not as much as her story I'm afraid. Should I tell it?" He teased her.

"Lord Furuta wants to say it regardless." She was not amused, even as she sat in his lap like a child. In strange moment of kinship.

Hitoshi let out a chuckle as he was all figured out, she wasn't the Queen of Velduar for nothing. Hitoshi thought about it, the identity of this person and whether to disclose it or not, it depended on how much trust he was giving to this Queen. But then, look at how much trust she had in him in comparison? So he set his mind to it, to trust this stranger this once.

"This person lived through a surprisingly similar role as you." Similar? Thranmilla's interest had been piqued.

"Like you, she was once a Queen of her peoples. At the brink of annihilation by the Imperials." There were countless kingdoms and populations which the uncultured, yet ambitious Human Empire had conquered during their six hundred years of rule. The Queen reflected on all those which would match the description which Hitoshi gave following that. Instead, he gave a full name despite the consequence that came with disclosing it.

"She goes by the name Iota now but used to be called Tyuule. Queen of the Warrior Bunnies."

And so, Hitoshi told the story of how the two walking tragedies met each other and grew a bond which neither could describe. Because to do was not to experience it, and they chose to enjoy that experience instead.

Together.

---

"Queen Tyuule?!" This name ran like electric through her mind as she recalled a chance meeting with such a person, years ago. During the days of the Volgia Bunny Kingdom, they had been a provider of Quartz used to power their runes in exchange for weapon steel.

Thranmilla had initially been in charge of correspondence with the Warrior Bunny Kingdom on mineral imports. And found the negotiations by letter to be incredibly shrewd, expecting it to come from someone of incredible ability and wisdom that she herself would actually concede for the first time. Whereas, the Dwarven Lords and bureaucrats treated it as nothing more than a minor kingdom.

So eager to meet this person, she volunteered to act as the delegate to the Warrior Bunny Kingdom even though their countries relationships were meager and required her to traverse the treacherous Highway pass Telta lurking with Human bandits for a month despite her substantial escort assigned to her by her worried husband.

Having expected only a humble ambassador, the Warrior Bunnies were unprepared to receive a Queen of another nation, but their Queen handled the situation with such grace by casting her cloak on her pathway in place of a bouquet of flower petals showering their arrival and said, "Welcome, Lady Velduar. For today, allow us to treat you as if our very own Queen."

She exemplified humility, cunning and grace in words to expression and posture. And was exactly as Thranmilla pictured her. She would stay for another three days to negotiate and receive their hospitality before she departed feeling that the trip was worth every moment to arrive and depart.

Then, three years ago, she received word that the Warrior Bunnies came under attack by the damnable Imperials.

But in their positions, she nor Velduar could do anything about it since their relationship was purely trade in small quantities. It was costly to sent troops that would never reach in time and would only compromise their defense against the Gnolls. Thranmilla was only informed of the aftermath which went as one would expect from an Imperial capitulation. Barbarous and cruel to the woman folk. But she also received the disgraceful news of Queen Tyuule's surrender for her own welfare. This, Thranmilla could not accept as nothing more than Imperial lies. The Tyuule that she knew would never betray her people she cared so much for.

But for the first time, Hitoshi, the God of Cookery would disclose to her what had happened in her years of enslavement. She had been kept as some kind of trophy by that hopelessly hypocritical Prince Zorzal, the widely known chauvinistic pig. Forced to submit to his will and desire of her flesh under the belief that she'd spared her people from the worst. But as far as promises by the Saderans was concerned, they never kept it to begin with.

Thranmilla could feel the pain and anxiety one must feel to go through such torture daily, and realized that her own worries were indeed trivial. Indeed, she had lost her husband, but she hadn't lost her people like she did. Not yet.

Hitoshi described his encounter as a twist of fate, which Thranmilla thought all too typical of fated encounters. Only to be left in stupor when he said that she actually plotted to kill him a couple of times for getting in her way, before any olive branches were held. Naturally, it was impossible for her to do so, since this was the God of Cookery they were talking about.

Hitoshi himself was curious at how someone else would react to a story like this, the last person who knew this story was Hardy, but she didn't qualify as a person. So, he gave even the smallest of interactions between himself and Tyuule. Thranmilla was shocked at how the relationship cooled down so quickly with such bold moves from both of them that she blushed when hearing this tale as if she were listening to a romance novel reading.

Gradually, Thranmilla seemed to have forgotten about her own problems as she enjoyed the story of how they spent their days together. Disappointed when he reached the ending with his departure for the ruined site of Volgia. And the apparent horrors that were found there.

There was also the mention of the High Elves stealing the Warrior Bunnies sacred armor for safekeeping. It didn't change her view of what she and other Dwarves thought about the pointy-eared hypocrites. She was glad that she didn't have as long a life as the High Elves, because she didn't have to stand hearing their obnoxious behavior. It was already considered a charity that Hitoshi had spared them their ruined city to rebuild gradually, no one else would have given them the same benevolence. Especially after what they had done to preserve their own hides at the expense of the Warrior Bunnies.

Thranmilla learnt of the pact that Flare, Wareharun and Hitoshi had made concerning their stances and non-aggression from that point out. Understandably so for the humiliation that the God of the Sun had received for being defeated by an outworlder with a title that wasn't even suggestive of strength like his was. It was here that she started to understand that Hitoshi was very much human as he said he was, and not at the same time. What kind of upbringing did he have that would raise men to defy Gods, and triumph?

"You did all of this… for her?" The scale of his exploits to break this tragedy was so enormous, it was as if he had a vendetta against fate itself.

"Yes." To which he answered as such and would continue to answer before she could even voice her query of why.

"I'm done letting our tragic lives define us. If she can break this spell that I couldn't, I'd rather she be the one to march forward alone." It sounded like he was still being trapped by his own past. But Thranmilla believed that if Tyuule could make these impossible things happen, it would end her own torment. It made her want to support them with all her heart despite the predicament that they found themselves in at Mount Nyx.

-It's just like before…..-

The Queen realized. They had not helped the Warrior Bunnies before because of their own difficulties, and now, the same thing happened again. Thranmilla reached an epiphany that she too was being trapped by a dark fate that awaited her and her people. But maybe, if they united, things would be different.

"…Maybe….. it can be broken yet." Thranmilla suggested for both of them.

"You know what….. maybe it can." Hitoshi smiled in surprise at the Queens own words of encouragement.

At his suggestion of wanting to leave, Thranmilla got off and stood up.

"You've given me a lot to think about myself, Your Majesty." Hitoshi said as he bowed with respect and a gracious smile.

"Furuta." Hitoshi turned around as a surprising note, she addressed him as an equal rather than the like before.

"Our futures are uncertain, but I ask of you. Please help me save our city. And we will come in aid of yours whenever, wherever you need us."

"Naturally, I will help all of my friends." He said before departing on his mission. Recognizing that he had addressed her as a friend to him, Thranmilla put all her faith into him as she went about gathering the people he asked for.

Hitoshi too was surprised that Thranmilla had a previous encounter with Tyuule. There nearly a thousand miles in distance in their respective homelands, but if the Dwarves traded with the High Elves next door, it was likely they had some kind of communication with the Warrior Bunny Tribes as well. Hitoshi would do his best to keep Velduar from ripping itself apart even if it meant battling another Apostle. One that was more experienced and better armed than the last one. What was Duncan doing sleeping at a time like this? His followers were a matchstick away from killing one another. It can't be that he expected him to do something in his place, right? Hardy's machinations resounded in him, the Gods loved playing the long con that much was certain.

But now, he had another reason.

Velduar, there was another who didn't believe the lies of the Empire. Here, Tyuule had not just another ally that would help her in her time of need.

But a friend.

And nothing was going to stop Hitoshi from defying their fates.

---

As far as defying fate went by on the following day, he had only started up his company. When morning came, there were six hundred people who had been informed that they'd passed his selection, although there was really no reason for them to fail something that easy. Perhaps in the more illiterate parts of Falmart it would have posed a challenge, but not in the highly competitive Velduar. So at the company breakfast of morning eggs and bacon with tea, he briefed them on what was expected of them, of themselves and of their co-workers.

There were divided into four sectors which encompassed very different craft and training. First was the Metal works division, they were in given the job of harnessing pig iron or iron sand and turning them into high-grade steel. Then processing them into castings and forgings of metal products. As far as they understood, they had no definite product which was intended yet. But then again, they had only started training, and the God of Cookery had made them read and practice safety guidelines and peers coordination, while allowing them to play around with the metal lathe and other tools that they'd brought from Mother Goose on Kugel & Arpeggio's supervision. The latter provided the flame for the kilns where they were made to make fire brick with a unique composition.

The second group were called the Communications Division. This group comprised of Dwarves of the most varying of ages, from youngest to oldest and many women as well. For this occupation did not required muscle, only a sharp mind and quick response, thus having more younger boys and girls than average. They were gathered into a room where they were given diagrams of the Dwarven alphabet with their own respective patterns of strange dots and dashes, and given an apparatus which made a beeping noise when tapped with their index finger in order to simulate words translated into the respective dots and dashes.

Group three were called the Textiles Division, they comprised of people with background in the making of fabrics or even just home knitting. Thus, they were a largely woman-based group. Their job was the simplest of all in making clothing, yet different from the way that they'd done so before. Hitoshi had purchased a number of looms that were common to most working-class households in this world, crude and requiring a tedious amount of attention and patience. But the employees had nothing to complain about since this was naturally what they did in their everyday life making clothing for their families with the exception now being that they were paid well and fed well too. However, Hitoshi and Kugel had made some mechanical modifications to said looms that would be considered revolutionary to the fabric industry of this world. So, it was still prudent for them to be taught how these new additions worked and changed the way they weaved clothing. For their examinations, he would make the create their own uniforms.

The last group were the most unusual in that they weren't assigned to any sort of tasks like the former three. They were called the Gray Division, without a clear objective. Instead, they were organized into squads which were then subjected to physical training and drill exercises by Takeo and Parna. Doing everything from cadence running as a group around the island, to understanding basic fire drills and coordination of group tactics. Not much had been explained to them, only that they had been selected for a very important task which involved protecting the company's assets. So they assumed they were being trained to be some sort of militant guard for the valuable equipment and resources of the place they worked in. Among them was Balduin and some of the older Vagabonds. Disappointed that he hadn't been chosen to join the Metal Works Division due to his rune priest aspirant background, Hitoshi told him that his job was no less important that the metal works division and was in fact an occupation which the other divisions revolved around, although he won't say anymore. For the Temples eyes and ears were everywhere listening to the gossip and personal accounts from those working and around the God of Cookery's factory with careful distance.

But in a working world, there was always a need, a drive to succeed or be better than they were. Thus, Hitoshi graphed a primitive hierarchy system amongst the employees so that they could also distinguish one another, from basic worker to supervisors. He didn't need to put much thought into it as he'd already established a similar ranking system with the Syndicate. Overall, their ranks were divided into nine colour-coded grades which were liken to Karate belt levels. An armband denoted their status within the company to all of the other employees. White being new and black being at the peak which was a rank that was afforded only to the General Manager of the Company, of whom Hitoshi held that position provisionally until a suitable candidate was approved. So currently, everyone else was white banded.

When lunch came, all work stopped and everyone came to the cafeteria where the food was waiting for them, no less delicious or unusual than breakfast but enjoyable all the same. So there was no complains having their expectations and hopes met in reality. Hitoshi brought Kugel his lunch while they sat in a private workspace which the latter had made into his workshop and forge. Here, he worked on making working prototypes of the machines and devices which they'd experimented on in the company of Brom.

He placed the food next to Kugel, but the latter continued to examine the relics of Amarel with great attention. As far as they were in their developments, they had modernized the textile-looms and finished a special furnace for producing high grade steel that surpassed even the current Dwarven process of steel through the science of Earth. There were still two outstanding problems for them.

One, it was still difficult to create anything that could come close to the small-arms of the Jietai to be manufactured and distributed quickly. Even if Hitoshi knew the formula for gunpowder and other more reactive substances.

Two, Kugel had been bogged down by being unable to make a machine that could imprint Hitoshi's unique attribute onto other devices. Thus, levi-plate production could not proceed as planned. Hitoshi had consulted many of the books he bought from Arhan's shop which gave only details of how to control or manifest their mana. But not transfer it, as Arhan had said before, it was impossible to maintain its presence within a material beyond a single use. Similarly, magic objects could not be drained of their energies.

But that wasn't true at all. The power armor's sword had done both of these things, kept lightning and given it to him. With the sword in fragments after his bout with that alien, the wiring within the armored hand was all that was left to study. As the sword was powered directly from the suit's advanced reactor, but it too had succumbed to time. All that remained was its outer alloy plate which Kugel yesterday found out wasn't adamantite at all, but a composite with inferior qualities.

He found qualities of steel, synthetic compound that was extremely brittle and titanium which was called Drawa here in the Special region. He surmised that this machine was manufactured to make up for a shortage of Adamantite or that its makers didn't understand how to create qualities of Adamantite as well as the Dwarves did. Strange, since this machine from four thousand years ago should have had just as advance metallurgy as the ancient dwarves.

"Unless, it's not from that time period." Takeo had taken his break as well added in.

"What, like a robot from the future sent to kill a leader of a resistance?" Hitoshi joked at the reference that only Takeo understood.

"It'll be less funny of that was true, can you imagine doing all that for the elves?" Kugel took it differently, thinking that if that were a time travelling warrior, they died for nothing more than the high elves to build their lie over their corpse. At least a monument to commemorate their passing would have been nice.

"It was a joke, Kugel."

"Still, what sort of problem do we have?" Takeo was less involved in the technical aspect of their R&D so he asked for a brief summary.

"Furuta knows how to make levitating plates that the Kingdom needs for a secret project of theirs. The problem is that he's the only one that can make them, and they all have his lightning attribute signature in it. Rune priests can't operate or interact with them."

"Being programmed with my attribute, they do react with electricity. So in theory, hooking up a generator could power it. But it's only a short-term solution to sustainability for their industry." If they couldn't make it themselves and relied on a patchwork of technology and magic fusion, it defeated the purpose.

What they lacked was a new principle theory in which lightning could convert back to rune magic which the Dwarves were adept in and vice versa. This was crucial for a mass production of levi-plates that numbered in their thousands. They needed to make a machine that could imbue his runes and mental image into every slate without inconsistency, like a metal press shaping cups of the same dimensions. The problem was that they couldn't even make that outline for the press which would graft onto the plates, because it was a mental image that supported the rune magic. Everyone's image of something was interpreted uniquely by them.

"I see….. it kind of sounds like tracing paper." That he was right. Tracing… paper?

"Like I said, it's impossible." Kugel shook his head, but Hitoshi came to a realization of what Takeo had inadvertently stumbled upon for him.

"You're a genius, Takeo." Hitoshi reached for a pen and paper and began to draw a diagram for a strange device. The former was embarrassed to be referred to as such, as Hitoshi furiously sketched away.

"What is it, Furuta?" Seeing his eureka, Kugel was eager to know what he had discovered.

"We were thinking too much in the metalworking sense. All this time, we were thinking of ways to make a die that would imprint the right runes into the alloy, but it was impossible to project the right image onto the plates because everyone sees it differently." Hitoshi embraced the high-low density theory, but the Dwarves saw it in the sense of a boat flowing on air. He had bypassed a significant mileage of concept to be grafted onto the levi-plate in such a simple manner, but with other technological hurdles that weren't available to the Dwarves in their current state.

"Takeo, what other way do you put an image that you see onto something." He asked the only one with 21st Century common knowledge to get at what he meant.

Takeo thought hard about it, but not for long.

"You take a photo?"

"Yes." He was surprised that his half-hearted answer was the correct one. As Hitoshi was sketching a schematic that seemed like one of those strange box projector-like devices.

"When you take a photo, you get a photo negative image." Takeo finally understood what this all boiled down to.

"You'd have an inverted image of what you see, right?" Hitoshi nodded, while Kugel was left in the dust by their conversations of strange technologies from the other world.

"Perhaps I could project an inverted image of my lightning attribute runes onto a lithographic mint." There was no guarantee that it would work, but at least they had something to work on. And it excited them in ways that were no different from a child's excitement.

The people in the cafeteria could only hear maniacs working within the private studio next door. Conjuring up a wicked spell or rune, only, it wasn't the infamous Kugel Griffin, but the God of Cookery and Sergeant Kuruta.

Disassembling an old K-14 reflector sight which had been the fire control device jury-rigged by the airforce crews on Mother Goose, he took out the lens components that were present and the collimating mirrors which were assembled onto a crude wooden box placed over a plate of Kugel's Adamantite.

"Kugel, I'm gonna need you to etch what you see projected onto the plate from the light on it." Kugel wasn't sure what he was asking but grabbed his father's etching tools and prepared to carve runes.

"Alright."

"Here's what's going to happen." He said to prepare them.

"I'm going to project my imprint of the runes upon a lens, that lens is going to receive light and project upon a collimator mirror underneath the box, and shine upon the plate. You need to etch away all of the darker portions in whatever depth they may be in. Takeo has steady hands and will position the box and light in the manner that keeps it over the plate."

"Got it." Takeo replied.

"You both have a job that can't be done without the other. If Takeo slips, Kugel will etch wrongly." Takeo understood the impact of his job now.

"I'll be focusing on projecting that image for as long as you need, Kugel." Even Hitoshi had a task that was not modest, he had to maintain that image onto the plate if Kugel wanted to etch it out. And it had to be the same image throughout the period.

"Got it." Kugel cleared the desk and made himself comfortable. Hitoshi was depending entirely on his workmanship that surpassed any other craftsmen in precision to make this work.

"Ready?"

""Ready!"" Takeo stood with the box levitated over Kugel as Hitoshi channeled his energies of grafting upon the lens without passing to much electricity that would harm Takeo even if he was wearing gloves.

Hitoshi closed his eyes and focused on projecting the imagine of his high-low density characteristics upon the lens in a constant stream of current that emitted light. This was another technique that Arhan's book had taught him about in creating projections with his attribute. Arpeggio did hers with fire, Granham could project moving images with her light attribute, and Flare could make it have physical presence. In a way, Hitoshi wasn't projecting light, so much as he was projecting an electro-magnetic field. Light, after all was one of the spectrums of magnetic radiation on a different wavelength.

Kugel received light passing through the lens and mirror and was surprised by the image he received in lieu of a photo of a flying machine like everyone said. Instead, all he saw were tiny balls compacting together. He saw tightly packed uniform balls around the plate area and in the centre was a circle with balls spread out and uneven.

He wasted no effort in starting to etch away with the fine etching tools he recently sharpened. Channeling his rune magic to form a highly concentrated edge that cut into the invulnerable Adamantite, for this was how runes were made upon the hardest alloy by Rune Priests. Hitoshi in his absolute concentration, could feel the rise in magic coming out of Kugel that he had felt last in Oakenshire Manor. But didn't let it distract him.

Minutes passed, and Kugel had only finished cutting out impressions of a few balls out of nearly thousands but proceeded on diligently. The employees were finished with their meals and went back to their tasks with some of their trainers missing. Parna and Arpeggio did the best they could at coordinating the groups with missing supervisors to practice on their own time.

Hours later, Kugel had only done a third of the plate. Takeo's hands were starting to get sore as he positioned himself in different manners to compensate. Hitoshi was sweating as his mana was depleting, taking a drink from Cato's mana potion to regenerate the loss as quickly as he could. But none of them let done in their task.

Night had arrived, the employees were sent home with extra coin to compensate their missing dinner while Arpeggio and Parna closed shop. Kugel had somehow managed to increase his speed as he became more familiar with the depth he should use on each coloration. While Takeo and Hitoshi were just more tired than they were.

It was the curfew hours now, and the light was still on for them. But Kugel had announced that he was only a patch away from done. What was supposed to be a simple experiment turned into a day long trial with no room for error. As they realized that if there was even one flaw, they would have to start all over again.

Where Kugel needed light, Takeo focused it towards. Soon, time seemed irrelevant to them. Even as the bell chime of the clock tower of Bruneberg told them that midnight had come. This was too important for them.

At the third hour past midnight, Kugel blew the plate and examined it for any imperfections or missing spots. Feeling the cold plate with his barehands to tell him so.

"Done." He said as he lay back on his seat. The other two relieved of their tasks huffing away. Hitoshi severely drained of mana that his knees wobbled before collapsing.

"You, alright?" Takeo called to him as he too was too tired to physically check on him.

"….. I think… I'll stick to cooking, thank you very much." He let them know that he was alright.

Kugel took the etched plate and washed it in a sink as he inspected it under the light again. The perforations marked out looked like a strange modern artwork, but they were there to stay.

"Now what?" He asked as he brought the plate over.

"Now we test it." They brought it to one of the ancient Angpula-era machines that replicated the action of a power hammer press.

Kugel laid the plate on the base and brought a blank steel plate over it from the furnace that was warming. Placing the hot plate of malleable metal on top of the etched plate and awaited Hitoshi's consent before he activated it.

"Do it."

(Bang) A ton worth of heavy stone force struck the two plates together. Imprinting the steel with perforations matching the exact outline that had been etched into the Adamantite plate. Kugel kept the anvil down to let the shape form. As he did so, energetic sparks flew out of between the sandwiched plates and hammer surfaces. As the inversed image was being implanted upon the blank slate with an active rune being completed.

Kugel lifted the power hammer and used a tong to ply the hot plate off the etched one and brought it over to a barrel of oil to quench and harden the overall metal and cool it slightly. Then let it to rest while they did as well. But their anxiousness prevented any sort of idle as they waited for the plate to reach cooler temperatures.

Kugel checked up on the plate after half-an-hour and passed it to Hitoshi when he deemed it alright.

"Here." If everything was as it should be, the plate would lift up under influence from his lightning attribute. If not, they'd just wasted a whole half-day proving that it wasn't possible. But they refused to believe that, after all the effort they put into solving this riddle.

Hitoshi held the plate with both hands but not doing anything as he too was anxious but concerned.

"Heliography. Our very first kind of photographic image, it started a trend of lithography that sharpened our printing of books and maps by greater margins than hand painting." He began with the story of how Humanity had first acquired photography of life-like images by means of light manipulation and the use of nitrate chemicals like silver nitrate.

It was thanks to Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, the father of photography, another amazing French pioneer like those who provided Hitoshi with the concept for levitation by pressure difference.

"If it works, it proves that not only are we the head in the field of something. It's possible to meld our technology with magic, our two worlds can come together like we have and make a better of both for us all." Technology was always about making life better, improving quality of life and allowing people to be better than they were made for.

He had been waiting for his mana to recover to an acceptable level and spoke about his own vision for them and this company. That its motto shouldn't be about earning money or hoarding new technology, but making the world a better, safer place.

"Couldn't think of any less."

"Never thought I'd be a CEO of anything…" Even Takeo mused away, however his precious stones to make for jewellery were instead used to make capital for this company. He had made a sacrifice of his own for his friends.

Hitoshi closed his eyes shut and channelled only his lightning attribute into the plate which he held.

"Wow….." Hitoshi felt the plate in his hand feel incurred to rise up into the air.

"YES!" Takeo cheered as twelve hours of work had finally bore fruit at last.

"I'll hand this over to Dwight, you two should got to bed while you still can." Not letting the excitement distract them. They now had a viable way of imparting his lightning-type runes into the plates and needed to be produced as fast as possible within the Royal castle forges as its top priority.

Hitoshi locked up the factory and carried in his possession, an etched Adamantite plate which was priceless. The more he thought about it, the more he realised the impact it had on aviation in general for both sides. Then, the thought of it falling into the hands of his own Government who demanded its safekeeping was not assuring at all. As much as he was on their side, they'd repeatedly blindsided him and used him like an expendable asset. Hitoshi was poised not to let his fortunes benefit them as selfish as it sounded. That's why, after they'd fully built enough plates for the dreadnoughts and a fleet of airships they agreed to keep, he intended to destroy the die plate.

If it fell into the hands of someone like the Imperials, they'd use it to manufacture flying vessels of their own to regain power and continue their hedonistic expansion. If it ended up in the hands of the Japanese Government, they would end up being pressured to share this technology with its allies and start off a whole new and unnecessary arms race of aerial warships and aircraft with impressive VTOL capabilities. He understood the price of breakthrough, many scientists had developed theories and applications with noble intentions. But men in power always seemed to have a different design for these technologies by ordering it fashioned into new and destructive ways of slaughtering their fellow man wholesale.

Wernher's moon rocket became ballistic missiles, Einstein's theory made the atom bomb, Chinese fireworks weaponized into firearms. He didn't want to be responsible for the next war of advanced weapons nor involved in it. So the plate shouldn't even exist. But he knew that if he destroyed it now, the Dwarves of Velduar might likely face annihilation. Orochi was involved with the Gnolls, supplying them anti-structure weaponry. The apostle also seemed a bit weird, they knew each other's hostilities but were biding their time. What gave the Apostle the assurance that he had time to remanufacture his weapons and armour for the big push?

He hoped, that his gift of thunder would not ruin them all.

---

A momentous breakthrough had occurred last night, when he went to the Royal Castle late at night to speak privately with the Queen. Summoning Dwight and Hadric to the gardens where they discussed the nature of Hitoshi, Takeo and Kugel's object that would help replicate the effects onto slates, allowing the production of levi-plates. Realising the significance of this revolutionary die, they understood that as unique as it was the only one in existence, it could easily fall into the wrong hands.

But Hitoshi had a solution to that in a very subtle way, at the left corner of the plate was an unetched portion he left out from the beginning. That was for Thranmilla to etch her signature into the die for the simple reason without her authentication, even if there was current running through the levi-plates, it wouldn't activate. Kind of like a two-factor authentication, there was a special rune that existed called the blood bind. It was like a biometric that linked to the wielder to an object that had this rune and would cease to work when that person perished. Once she'd done so, he handed the plate to Dwight to begin production while they worked on increasing the engines capabilities to keep up with the enormous energy requirement to run all of the plates at once. And Thranmilla's promise that she wouldn't sell nor let the plates leave Velduar for as long as she lived. Or Duncan could smite her and her soul forever damned. Dwarves never lied, especially Royalty. Even so, she wrote a blood oath which was signed by both of them. It became the informal pact which made the Kingdom of Velduar the allies of what the Restoration would become. Allies always watched each other's backs. It was also this time that he disclosed to Thranmilla alone of his suspicions about the order of events that had taken place in Velduar as of late.

Hambelyn Bloodstein might have been wrongly accused. As there were some poisons in this world and his that could also be used as medicine, provided that it was used in the right amount. The herb that was identified in Kugel's father's journal, Rambek Bloodstein's accounting was that of a local variation of periwinkle. Poisonous, but commonly used to treat high blood pressure. This he learnt from an Indonesian island medicine man. If so, then this put the Temple under suspicions for removing someone from the nationalist faction and the Queen Mother's most trusted handmaiden.

Motives for a ploy to usurp the Velduarite throne. Hitoshi couldn't confirm, but if Duncan should have been awake most of this would not happen on his watch, unless he was part of it in some way. But from all the things he heard about of Duncan, it didn't sound like this "father" would make his sons and daughters kill each other over beliefs. This was clearly the apostle's doings alone, but why would the highest authority of Duncan. His most loyal and faithful turn on his own God? There have never been any records of any Apostle doing such a thing. Even Granham didn't, despite her tendency to let her personality take over. There was something out there they weren't seeing clearly.

Even the Gnolls pointed in some way to this suspicion. Traditionally, they were about a head shorter than an Imperial citizen. But here, they were hulking over men almost to the height of a Volralden. And their blood rage state seemed less of narcotics and more of some kind of power infused into them. When he was at the Nexus West siege, the signature that the Gnoll Shamans gave and the one that the princess gave off were worlds apart. Rhelzus Woeblight gave off the attribute that was clearer and made the Gnolls with her blood rush powerfully. Even the shrunken head, Wyldmin had essence that matched hers. But the union of Shamans he saw that received her gave a sickly feeling of blood lust. At first, he thought that it was because they were veterans of many wars and thus had the smell of blood on them. But now….. he wasn't sure.

"Prepare all of your people, Thranmilla. Keep your loved ones close even against their will, even if the Gnolls breach the Nexus defense again, the worst has yet to come." He was sure that his verbal warning would be heeded, but even so, he too was unsure of what he was up against.

Only that the Apostle would make the first move that would shock all of Velduar. He would strike fast and hard with his crack troop of Rune Priests and Warriors.

Then, there were the Gnolls on high strength. From what he heard, it seemed that there was another Gnoll he hadn't had the pleasure of being introduced to, at the top of their hierarchy. They call him the High Chieftain but the Dwarves simply call him the Gnoll King. He was a shaman and chieftain alike. The chieftain among chieftains which led all tribes as one, and the Gnoll King of this era was not like his predecessors. For Hadric told him that it was he who killed Novar in single combat while Novar tried to outflank the besieging Gnolls and catch them off guard. They lost the North Defense that day and had only managed to rally a strong enough force from the gathered Lords to reinforce and retake the wall only to discover that the Gnolls had left it and returned. The strangest of behaviors even for them. Wyldmin claimed that their objective was freeing the altar of inferno made it sound that their only target was the temple of Duncan itself.

Under clouded thoughts, Hitoshi showed that he was a master of hiding expression and emotion the next afternoon after much developments had been made due to the craft that they'd discovered through their ingenuity. Kugel spent the entire morning retrofitting most of the metal works machines with this new technique that allowed Hitoshi's magic to be manufactured across the city if they wanted. Takeo had taken a laidback role of supervising the textiles division while Parna took his job of bringing up the fitness of the Gray division and threw in some close combat classes even if they were reluctant to be bashed around by a Warrior Bunny. Arpeggio did the same as yesterday but a little to relaxed in her position, she did develop some of her fire attribute in to new and inventive ways. She tried to show him that she had managed to melt steel with her fire now, but Hitoshi paid little attention as he was preoccupied with making lunch. A very important lunch with very important individuals today. The list of Dwarves he asked Queen Thranmilla to assemble today.

They came by carriage and horse with their personal attendants, richly dress and severely overweight in some cases like Hekrel's Uncles. But they would outright tell you that they were born big boned, and their obesity was merely a charade as they were deemed combat fit. At least three out of ten of them were as they said, the others were either too comfortable with their non-combatant roles in the current war and position in wealth.

Yes, the people who Hitoshi had rounded up today were to be his biggest customers, in both pun and literal sense. They were the supreme merchants, the guild masters and the people of high office in the trade and movement of raw materials in Velduar. Hekrel would have been here today if not for his role in the Army.

"Gentlemen, I welcome you to our factory. Once again, I am Hitoshi Furuta. Some call me the God of Cookery, but I assure you I'm very much human." Their brows furrowed, as they tolerated his dallying with a simple introduction as they sat in their seats at an oval table. With refreshments and cigars for their leisure.

"God of cookery, we are quite busy with the supply of the army and are only here by Her Majesty's grace." One of the Guild Masters rudely commented fearing no wrath upon him. Like himself, most of them hardly recognized Hitoshi as a living deity with the exception of Hekrel whom they thought was just a weird line of Oakenspire.

"I understand your weary patience, Master Steward of the MIlls, Darton Mirem. So I'll keep things short." Hitoshi addressed him back in a manner that was neither aggressive nor passive.

"Indeed, talk is weak. I would be happy to show you the wonderful things we've build and let all of you decide for yourselves if they're useful or not. Then, as is customary. You shall be my guest for lunch, or you can decide to leave immediately after."

"Hmph." Huffed the same person.

"Naturally, I will inform Her Majesty of your cooperation and you shall all be commended." Making sure that Thranmilla's name was put in there to let them know that whatever they said or behaved would be reported to her. Anything discourteous or rude said, would immediately earn them a trip to the dungeons.

"Might I ask, what does Lord Furuta make?" A well known merchant inquired wishing to know what he was selling.

"I'm glad you asked, Sir Feudwin. Aleistar sells ideas." It was already sounding ridiculous in the eyes of these men.

"Pardon me, there's a better word for it. Working prototypes of machines that will offer you a significant edge to your competitors locally or even outside." This slightly interested them, but it could all amount to simply bold claims. They'd have to see it for themselves to understand the importance

Hitoshi explained that the company had a specific role in development of industry related devices. It was indeed necessary for these industries to have talented manpower in the form of people who could read and make runes which defined much of Velduars industry and infrastructure. He claimed that the things they make are strictly mechanical in nature with the added benefit that they did not require rune priest but made the job faster if one was.

Hitoshi brought them in a tour group out of the office towards the Textile room where they saw first hand the simplicity and efficiency of the work force and the apparatus they had to work with.

"Is that… a loom?" The fabric merchant asked as he noticed that the loud sound of cranking metal and wood resounded from the apparatus that resembled one and yet not.

"It is, Sir Nueve." He let the merchant wander closer to the assembly of looms where the fabric workers pedaled the mechanism to turn the entire contraption attached to their respective looms as it moved on its own.

"Why…. They're barely even inspecting the weave!" He announced excitedly as he never would have thought to see something as fascinating as this.

"M-My Lord.." The address expressed a different treatment and stance he now adopted after seeing the power of technology at work. For he was a fabric merchant and knew how long it took for even a professional seamstress to make a substantial cloth in months.

"H-How-.." These words couldn't come out properly as he was losing his ability to control himself and the hammering in his heart.

"How?" Hitoshi smiled as he'd earned the cloth merchant's full respect and the attention of the others who saw their peers break into a sweat as he saw the speed in which the machine loom moved with its worker barely doing a thing besides pedaling the assembly and stopping only to check the unfinished fabric for imperfections and changing out the string in the shuttle that moved back and forth by itself.

"Using cranks and gears, were managed to automate the entire process into a pedaling action. The shuttle is what we call a flying shuttle. As the fabric is woven, a mechanism is tripped, catapulting the shuttle across, to and from the weave." This was a very tedious process in manual, as the seamstress had to reach over and push the shuttle by hand through the intertwining thread.

"It's also a good source of leg exercise." Noting the pedals that actuated the entire assembly.

"Marvelous…" The fabric merchant was instantly enthralled by the design that was explained to him, and Hitoshi had assembled so many.

"Come, let me show you something else we've done with our looms." He beckoned them to follow him to another section of the same Division. Instead, to an assembly of even larger looms with some sort of clockwork device strapped to the top of it.

"This is the crowning jewel of our textiles machinery."

The fabric merchant who had followed closely ever since, approached the machine first and wondered what was different about this one to the others when he saw the fabric being produced in the same fashion but in a different way.

"The threads…. They're aligning themselves!" The fabric merchant couldn't believe his eyes. While the previous set of looms were impressing in their own right for making a lot of fabric in a very short or less intensive manner for clothmaking experts, there was still the need for talented seamstresses that could weave a variety of shapes and colours that was difficult to imagine on the previous loom.

Until the present one shattered that assumption.

"What!?"

"Let me see!"

"Wait your turn!" It was the first noteworthy device they'd heard from the estatic fabric merchant even though they weren't of that profession or background. Their wives were and they were considering it as a gift to their significant others was high on their train of thought.

Unlike the previous loom, which was powered by the pedaling of the worker, this loom seemed to move entirely on its own. Making a racket of rhythmic cranking noises but producing cloth at an incredibly fast rate with different colors to add.

The fabric merchant turned almost automatically to Hitoshi to hear his explanation on how this was achieved, to the latter's satisfaction.

"It moves on a similar principle of mechanical movement as the previous loom I showed you all, with two exceptions." He walked over to the side and showed them an attachment point for where the pedal like the previous loom was had a stone rune with attachment points for cranks on both ends of it and a Nemozim Quartz restings in its centre. A common element used to power runes and airship engines in Velduar. Fuel that he had collected in the Former Warrior Bunny Capital was used to power this machine into what was the first notable power loom in existence within the Special Region. Looms in Japan were jet air type and were not even in the same category as these primitive attempts.

"But how does it chose which thread to lift in order to make the color patterns?" That's what he was most interested in knowing. How could something not alive decide how to form color patterns on fabric which required at least a well-versed seamstress to make? And Hitoshi also explained that in layman's terms because not everyone could understand.

"The device you see up top is called a jacquard's machine." Technically, the whole apparatus was called a Jacquard Loom, however, technically was semi-powered by a non-mechanical means.

"These assembly of hanging cards you see here is what make the patterns that you see on the fabric. They trip the sears according to the sequence they're in as the machine turns, so do the cards." He pointed to the jacquard machine on top and the track assembly of perforated cards.

"Here." He directed them to a nearby apparatus where a worker was looking at a picture of a pattern that was their next desired fabric pattern. Highly intricate and difficult for many average seamstresses to do without concentration and sleepless nights.

"Hello, Mishla."

"Afternoon, Lord Furuta." The worker greeted him before proceeding with her translation of the fabric pattern into the jacquard cards.

"Mishla, could I trouble you for an explanation on what your job enthralls to these gentlemen? I think they'd rather hear from someone with experience."

"Certainly." The worker agreed and turned to face the assembled Oligarchs.

"My Lords, I am Mishla. I am a mother of two and make almost all of my family's clothing. This machine you see here allows me to interpret the fabric patterns into orders for that machine over there." The worker gave a brief description of her humble background before explain what she effectively did. It was her work to give the machine instructions, therefore she had to be careful or else the wrong commands could be given, resulting in a flawed pattern for the entire roll.

"For a simpler explanation on how the holes influence the machine, it's what we call binary. The language of the machines. Mishla is among my best students in this area and is solely in charge of this important process that saves on manpower and time." He explained, as Mishla wore an orange band. Putting her two ranks above her peers. In another life, Mishla would have been an exceptional computer programmer. But binary had no place in the Special Region, as of yet.

Hitoshi couldn't be bothered to elaborate further because he knew they wouldn't be able to understand this mechanical genius that was the brainchild of Joseph Marie Jacquard, the man who made fabric mass production possible and the precursor to computing machines. Also French.

The last item of the textile division he showed them was a column of sewing machines, also operated by a pushing leg pedestal that drove gears that moved a needle to reciprocate up and down with incredible accuracy and speed. The ladies on these machines ran two sections of cloth through the needle which instantly bonded them together. Hitoshi boasted that it took them only ten minutes to assemble a jacket or a shirt which they showed by their motivated speed.

The tour group were thoroughly impressed, while the fabric merchant alone was eagerly awaiting the end of the tour to strike a deal while he still had the opportunity.

Hitoshi led them through the corridor to the next room of wonder, along the way, some of his clerks held a tray of refreshments for the group to quench their thirst. Ice-tea with mint, he had taught them how to do it for themselves and for guests when they appeared and had not disappointed him yet. The group followed him feeling comfortable and pleasant after that delicious beverage that was surprisingly not even beer.

Hitoshi pushed the door into the Metal Works division, getting the attention of the steel mill superintendent in his group who was responsible for the processed steel supply going to the forges of Velduar. The merchants dealing in raw materials for forges were also piqued with interest. He had managed to make them anticipate great things from the next show exhibit and would do well not to disappoint them.

"This place is a relatively new one since most of the techniques that are practiced here aren't what you'd usually find in most of the primary forges here in Velduar. So, I've geared the workers in this area towards practice to get adjusted to the utility of the machines they'll be working with." Hitoshi had to raise his voice as the sound of hammering and humming was much louder than in the textiles room and rightfully so, as they were in a place where metal was being fashioned into stuff or from sand and ore.

"My good sir, may I ask how many rivets or screws would be required to secure say two flat plates of roughly a single Durhan together such that the metal would shear before the bindings broke?" Hitoshi asked the metal works specialist.

"At least eighteen screws of a third Winlew or alternatively twenty rivets of the same size I suppose." They discussed the measurements in the local units as was appropriate.

"Right, Sir Antham. But I'm assuming it would require a significant time to cut out the threads after making the holes, and also aligning them. Right?" The Dwarf nodded, as he felt that Hitoshi was going to present an interesting alternative.

"So, then wouldn't it be better to weld the two plates together in extreme heat?" Hitoshi proposed.

"It could only be done at forges and not in the field, furthermore, you must understand the strength of the plates before it can be done. By that time, a rivet would have been sufficient." The metal works intendent explained back.

"Understandable, but let's just say that we could use another method of welding these two plates in less time that what you had just mentioned and faster than even screws or riveting them would be without severely compromising the plates strength in those bonded cross sections." Almost all the Dwarves in the group understood this principle having been raised in an environment where the forge and smith were like playgrounds to them.

Hitoshi approached a group that had been responsible with binding struts together to form a metal carriage wheel.

"Please turn away for a moment until they're done." He told them and they followed his instructions. When they did, a bright blue spark casted their shadows upon the wall with a fizzing sound going off. When the light died out, Hitoshi told them to turn back and witness the finished product.

They examined the wheel and discovered that the sections had been welded as he said they would. With the welded points still glowing but bonded together.

"How?" Was a word they were asking a lot from him now.

Hitoshi asked the pair of workers to lent him the tools that made it possible.

"This is called stick welding, it uses lightning to melt the contact points of the metal together." He gave a very base summary because he was sure that they couldn't understand it even if they tried. The welding tools were from Mother Goose as well.

"Unfortunately, it produces a lot of light and only these fellows here have the needed eye protection to work with it." He couldn't show them the process without risking blinding them. But they had seen what this stick attached to a hose could do which would have taken a complex forge and furnace to accomplish. Dispelling the belief that welding could not be done on the field or away from infrastructure.

"Over here, our workers are making new furnace bricks." He showed them a rather mundane work of employees mixing sand, mud and gray compound into a mold for bricks.

"You want to see something freaky?" He showed them an oven furnace which glowed from the outside in some slits and gaps. And placed his hand upon the outer surface causing them to be bewildered and shocked about to tell him to take his hand away before it caught fire. But he kept it there without removing it.

"See? Totally fine and cool." He said as they approached but dare not touch the exterior of the oven for heat treating even though he showed that he was fine. He was the God of Cookery, after all. But didn't he already say he was mortal?

They remained largely mistrustful, until the steel mill intendent took a leap of faith and pressed his palm upon the glowing surface. And breathed a sigh of relieve that he hadn't singed his hand even though it was quick rough from metal work.

The rest followed in suit as they let the experience prove that it was indeed cool to the touch.

"Neat trick, huh? The bricks are completely insulated to about the heat you'd use for smelting steel."

There was no special trick to the making of this Fire Brick as he explained, only its composition was different from the normal special furnace brick that they currently used and had to replace after a few uses.

"But showing you all this doesn't make this place a metal works for nothing. Let me show you our steel furnace." He brought them to another section that had the heat appropriate to an eight-foot long furnace that was strangely vessel shaped and looked more like a cooking pot.

The workers were highly coordinated as they lowered a pair of long rods into two openings on top which created a banging and crackling sound from inside the pot-like furnace as well as a bright light. Hitoshi let the workers demonstrate rather than talk.

After a few moments, they carefully retracted the rods and turned the furnace into a casting mold they had prepared.

Molten slag of steel flowed into the casting and was sent off to be processed after cooling. The workers tossed in more iron sand and scraps of iron that were collected into the opening before repeating that loud process and providing that same slag of steel in just minutes of adding additional steel to melt. The act of reusing impure steel with oxidation was seen as bad use for any forge furnace, but the quality of the molten metal seemed alright to them.

Hitoshi brought them to meet the recently made steel ingots. He held out a hammer for them to take and test the steel ingots that were refined. Hitting the metal with their testing hammers to examine the quality of the steel for any cavities or imperfections, this was what the Dwarves excelled in.

When they were finished, he awaited their verdict.

"My Lord, what sort of furnace was that?" They didn't say, but it was read upon their faces that the steel quality exceeded that of even the best forges in terms of purity. This was high grade steel suitable for the manufacture of Adamantite weaponry as it composed slightly of steel in its composition.

"We call it an electric arc furnace. It combines the processes that you gentlemen had seen earlier in this room and boiled the steel in whatever quality into a consistent grade of steel." The arc furnace was indeed the pinnacle of success for them when they started building the new machines. Hitoshi had assembled a chamber that would blow pure oxygen into it thanks to Arpeggio's other attribute of wind since she could identify individual elements at least. Thus, feeding the oxygen for the process. He had also commissioned the making of two graphite electrodes and created the rune circuitry for the welding machine to the furnace which was now operable by a rune specialist. Hitoshi didn't need to depend on other forge facilities to get his own good steel.

And that was all that he showed them for the metal works division as he led them through the same hallway towards the cafeteria.

"My Lord, you missed a few rooms." One of the VIPs pointed out as he looked towards the room that Hitoshi had just passed, marked as communications division. A fairly strange word to use for a room given all the other appliances they had seen being developed and used.

"Ah, that is a special project we're currently been contracted by Her Majesty to complete, the same with that other Gray Division Room." But the latter was just a 24-hour barracks for the Gray division trainees who were expected to stay overnight and through the week within the facility.

"I'm afraid that I can't show you anything within those rooms unless you are a partner to our company or have special consent from Her Majesty the Queen." Hitoshi had just played on their curiosity. For if the two previous rooms had such groundbreaking technology, what exactly was he working on behalf of the Queen. It had to surpass even the former two in its importance.

"Instead, allow me to buy you all lunch as promised."

Lunch from the God of Cookery, they were all could hardly wait.

---

Lunch was held in a common eating area where all the other employees sat for their meals. The VIP group felt a little cheated out of expectations. But had no will asking him what the meaning of this treatment was when they were directed into a line that formed for where the food was being served.

Hitoshi had prepared it before their arrival under a heating element awaiting the lunch hour, so he could tour them around. The sight of a feast worthy food waiting on their tray left them bemused. A five-course meal lay before them, everything from finger foods to main course and even pastry desserts. They ended up observing the workers pick the food that they wanted onto their plates before finding a place to eat and came back when they felt like eating anything else.

The God of Cookery was feeding his factory workers like Lords and Kings. It was no longer a rumor they heard from the people around, it was a given fact. As they too had the choice of selecting the dishes that they wanted onto their plate. A table was reserved for them at very least where they all sat without speaking another word and dug in.

"Does Lord Furuta make all of these meals himself?" One of the agriculture ministers asked him.

"On occasion, although Lord Oakenspire's personal cooks come to help sometimes to learn a few tricks now and then." Oakenshire's cooks were eager to study under his tutelary even if Hekrel gave them leave to do so, and Hitoshi had professional help as an incentive.

Since the last few meals he'd cooked for them, the cafeteria had received new tableware. Thanks to the metal work divisions' metal stamping press, they'd produced their own cafeteria trays that had indents for sections to contain their food of different variety. Even though it was just a copy of a fast food style tray, it was convenient to the workers than getting more dishes to bring to the tables.

"Today's menu is BBQ pork patties with baked beans, sauerkraut and baked potatoes. Fudge for dessert." He gave them the rough gist of what they were eating, but they let their pallets determine for themselves that this was indeed a different level of food from what they had. Extravagant were their meals on a daily basis, yet this food of simple appearance was far more appetizing than their party feasts. Yet, it was trivialized as a company meal offered to the employees of this facility. It almost made them envious of these common workers, and thinking of joining themselves.

"Was Lord Furuta the one who came up with these inventions?" The textile merchant asked as this was the only explanation for all these strange gadgets that could only be conceived by him.

"Myself and my colleagues designed and built all of these."

"If I'm not mistake, your associate is the one with the last name, Griffin." They had all heard of this, the scion of Bloodstein was under his wing.

"As much of the rumors that you've heard about him, it is Kugel that made most of these machines operate on the principle of Rune magic and mechanical phenomenon that was possible to replicate with Dwarven engineering." In other words, if Hitoshi and Takeo were the visionaries and architects, Kugel was the hardworking engineer that made it all possible.

"Lord Furuta, I believe it is time we discuss what you would like for your machines." Said the textile merchant.

"Nueve! How dare you jump on ahead of us!"

"Right! That's not fair!" The other VIPs accused the merchant who only smirked as it was still first come first serve.

"Firstly, I would like to say I'm not selling those machines."

"What?!" Said merchant lost his composure as he declared that those incredibly useful machines weren't for sale. The rest of the VIPs were also aggrieve that their favorite machines weren't purchasable.

"But Lord Furuta, why did you bring us around then?" That was a good question, unless he had a sadistic sense of torturing them with the thought that he surpassed them in many technological aspects and could easily upset the existing market if he so chose.

"Please calm down, Gentlemen. I understand that you were unfairly led to believe that I was selling the technology. But under current Dwarven Law, all technologies conceived within Velduar must remain so." He reminded them of a tiny clause in the commercial laws of Velduar that they shouldn't have forgotten. But there was another loophole that they could exploit that Hitoshi proposed.

"What I intend to sell to you gentlemen, is even better." He claimed as they leaned in to listen carefully.

"I'm selling stakes of the company."

"Stakes?" They said thinking of nothing but the impaling rod.

The concept of stakes and shares did not exist concretely within the Special Region yet. So, Hitoshi enlightened them further on the idea.

"As you're also aware of in the laws of this Kingdom, businesses must be Dwarven-owned and there are no exceptions for myself despite my relations with your Monarchs." Hitoshi spoke of selling ownership of the entire company to anyone of them.

"But it never said anything about how many owners." Hitoshi introduced another concept that ownership could be shared. As the VIPs stared hostilely towards each other deeming that sharing was not really in their agendas.

"Allow me to explain further. As stakeholders, you will be involved in the executive decision-making process of how the company steers itself towards its future. This could be in times of prosperity or times of hardship as well. Think of it as a senate within the company itself. Your vote will cast the company in a certain path, and the numbers that support you amongst the other stakeholders will decide whether your decision will go through." Hitoshi had expressed their powers, but not their responsibilities or benefits yet.

"Effectively, you will be buying positions of appointment within the company itself. The company's prosperity will be divided according to the amount of stake you have with the company. But if the Company goes into financial difficulty, you will also share responsibility of the debt, again, based on your stake."

"And how will you sell these…. Stakes?" Asked the guild master of carpentry.

"I'm glad you asked, Guild Master Fuilwyn." Hitoshi smiled as he unraveled a scroll with the diagram of a pie chart and a table of resources that were respective to their professions that had an equation written out for how much was given that would translate to the percentage of stakes that they would buy from the company. In the pie chart, there were currently four names and different amounts of stake which they owned already. A person named Takeo owned ten percent of the Company, while Kugel Griffin held five percent. And the God of Cookery only owned a mere five percent as well which surprised them. The last name was someone they weren't surprised at all to see. Queen Thranmilla owned a total of thirty-five percent, having the biggest stake of any of the existing stakeholders. It was Hitoshi's tribute for her monetary and raw material contributions she'd made to keep the company going thus far. And as he said before, the Velduarite law stated that ownership was strictly Dwarven.

This left a total of forty-five percent of the total stakes remaining. They realized that in this scheme of public ownership, there were many people's stake on the business that would prevent it from failing from stupid executive decisions if it did, instead of one incompetent owner if there ever was one to succeed, as how typical business ownership was run.

They were effectively bringing these VIPs of different backgrounds to enter an inevitable working relationship and improvement of ties with one another since they were part of the same business and had the same interest for this company. Interrelations meant widening connections and was considered another benefit as well.

They consulted his chart and found that all they were required to do was to contribute a sum of resources and funds for their stakes and were required to regularly give a monthly tribute for upkeep of the company expenses and outside costs. All in all, Hitoshi's strategy for crowdfunding had its appeal to these people as they began to consult with him what would they be required to give in terms of resources and funds to gain the percentage of stake they wanted. With abacus in hand, Hitoshi swiftly calculated their numbers and included the cost of shipping and moving to be separate expenses.

They each had been given this one-time opportunity to purchase five percent of the company stakes and were immediately elevated to becoming part of the board of directors group. The most well-known textile merchant in Velduar, Nueve became the director of the textiles division. Overseeing and appointing the employees to their respective jobs and promoting them accordingly. Antham, owner of a steel mill conglomerate was appointed the director in metal works. While the others were given the titles of vice president and chief operations officers. Naturally, while he did tell them the benefits, he also told them the consequences. Say one of them was coerced into corporate sabotage or espionage for his own personal gain. Not only was he going to face time in the dungeon for illegal practices, but all of their company assets will be frozen and redistributed off if found guilty. Company security was under the Queen herself, as she had appointed Hadric to do the work of chief security officer and have spies monitoring them all.

Hitosh had expected them to ask for a day to decide, but it seemed that they were worried that there would be no stakes left, having been bought by their fellow VIPs.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the future." He said shaking the hand of every happy member of his company.

They saw it as him giving out a fortune, but what they hadn't realized was that they were swearing their allegiance indirectly to Queen Thranmilla in this time of political uncertainty. They would never betray the company, because it would affect their interests and they would not allow each other to compromise it either, thus maintaining a close eye on one another. In reality, Aleistar Conglomerate was merely a paper company that had been made material by these very people.

Very soon, the Temple of Duncan was going to experience a shortage of iron sand, timber and fuel needed to completely retrofit their militant forces. But by that time they realized who was responsible, they would have no choice but to field whatever they had on hand. He bought Velduar time, but unsure of how much time. The apostle wasn't the only menace to the crippled throne.

---

Kenzaki hurried over to their new defense line where a killzone of barbwire, landmines and ditches were laid out over a hundred yard stretch beyond foxholes manned by the SFGs. Hugging the sandbags near where Rider and Berserker laid a general purpose machine gun.

"There." Rider handed him a pair of binoculars and the direction of where to look. Towards the treeline of the forest, a line formation had formed that crept gradually towards them. Must slower than any previous advance but constant and strange.

Adjusting the lens of the binoculars, Kenzaki attained a clearer view of the monstrous actions of the Imperials. Kenzaki gritted his teeth as he passed the binoculars to Tyuule to see what he saw without hiding it.

The Imperials had indeed formed a line formation that was typical of their regular army groups, but with a twist. For at the absolute from of their line were the refugees that had accompanied them, their hands outreached and tied to another to form a long human chain.

"Cimon…." Her growl was as piercing as her eyes scanning the column for the orchestrator of this fiendish tactic.

The prefect had sent out a shield of human beings to protect his forces from the ruthless firepower of the Jietai. And unlike the skirmishing archers, he'd sent out his soldiers cladded in full armour. The column moved at the speed of a turtle because it was difficult to force the refugee human shields to move in coordination. But they were moving gradually, and the fact that no mortar shells rained down on them improved their confidence to push up.

"Archer, Baldr, do you have a shot of them." He called his sniper teams up on the vantage point on the mountainside.

*Negative, sir. The Imperials know we're here.* The Imperials were in fact hunching down beneath the silhouette of the refugee chain that was pushed forwards against their will. There was sounds of wailing, crying, begging and screaming mixed into the crowd that approached them with intent.

Up till this point, the Imperials had never been this vicious or devious in their tactics. Because they were a regular army, but Cimon started out as a bandit and was capable of far worst acts against his fellow man that others would shy away from.

*If they reach the six hundred yard mark, I'll have the shot.* Baldr declared over the comms at Archer's displeasure as they argued about whether there would be collateral at that distance.

"Stow it, you two." Kenzaki could see that the precision option was not available to them.

"You have to do something quick, sir. Or else they'll trip the claymores regardless." Caster said surprisingly composed, realizing that the more time the wasted the closer the Imperials would venture and when struck, the next wave would come knowing that their long-range weapons were no longer pointed at them. Whatever happened, they had to delay the column.

"Sindri!" He noticed that the aforementioned person had gone over to man the 81mm mortar.

"There's not much time, so here's how it'll go."

"No. I won't let you fire into the crowd!" Despite the lessons learnt from Sindri's stories, it didn't mean that they cast aside their humanity for their goals.

"We won't." But Sindri surprised him by saying otherwise, as he explained a strategy that would work in their favor.

"Site Charlie, this is Sindri." He contacted the snipers' current position. "We'll give you a three second window with every barrage."

*Site Alpha, repeat. Did you say barrage?* Baldr asked for clarification over the comms.

"Affirmative, we will be firing a practice round in every ten second interval. I repeat, practice round, ten seconds. Over." Sindri then turned to Kenzaki to confirm his plan.

"The Imperials might've gotten the balls to face us and our ordnance, but I bet the refugees are still the shriveling cowards that they were." Kenzaki realized that with the practice mortar rounds with simulating black powder charges, they could scare the human shield refugees into ducking for cover, exposing the Imperials for a few seconds as they tried to rally them back up as meat shields.

"Miss Iota, will you help me?" Sindri called Tyuule over to undo the M880 practice rounds from their carry casings. While he fiddled with the warheads and armed the fuses when Kenzaki entered the foxhole.

"Need an observer?" Kenzaki offered to calibrate the mortar with Sindri by aligning its collimator sight with the reference marks.

(BAbabaam)(Bababaam) Rider fired a few warning shots at the walking parade to let them know that they'd reached the five-hundred-yard mark and were now liable to their return fire. But the Imperials stubbornly pushed forwards, as they forced the wailing refugees to move ahead confident that they would not be fired upon so long as they had these human shields to protect them. As the Jietai had proven that they wouldn't fire on non-combatants, they were sure of their arrival.

"Fire in the hole!" (Thump)

(Whistle) Until the heard the familiar whistle of the dreaded exploding earth in its imminent arrival.

The Imperials went into an immediate crouch whilst holding their shields still.

(Boom) When earth exploded in front of them, the refugees hit the dirt as well.

"Get up you worthless dogs!" The front line of soldiers handling the refugees quickly shook the refugees from their apparent cowardice when- (crack)(crack)

The discharge of sniper rifles tore through a swath of Imperials bunched up together which was followed by the GPMG fire that arched over and took the heads off the squatting imperials without any human shields to cover their silhouettes sufficiently from Rider and Berserker's accurate burst.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

"Retreat!" The survivors yelled as they ran from their human cover that were glued to the ground.

(Whistle) A mistake that Kenzaki reminded them as he called out their exposed positions.

(BOOM) Real airburst munitions were used to decimate the large force of Imperials in their failed assault. Baldr and Archer sniped the stragglers that wandered off the groups that were sighted in.

When the bombs stopped dropping, the refugees ran in all directions. Some towards the encampment and some back to the forests. Rider fired another burst of the machine gun to tell them that they were too close to the traps, but they took it as they were not welcomed and ran towards them nonetheless, triggering the explosives that turned them into red mist.

"Damn it!" Berserker slammed the sandbag in front of him when the refugees couldn't take a hint. But who was going to elaborate to the freed hostages that saw safety as their only concern beyond other dangers? It was the first collateral suffered by the innocent.

But it was too early to celebrate their success, as the Imperials showed them how tenacious, stubborn and ruthless they were of all things.

"Treeline!" Rider called out as he spotted several more human chains and separate line formations of Imperials behind them.

The prefect had increased the number of targets they had to carefully break open while the other groups poured in.

Kenzaki did his best to replicate their success with their previous tactic on the Imperials which broke three separate lines of human shield protected marauders, but the numbers were a problem and so was their munition count for the mortar they were using at present.

"I'm getting more!"

"Go!"

Sindri had hit the last amount and informed the lieutenant before running for the nearest cache of mortar rounds. Tyuule did not slow him down and accompanied him as the shells in their casings was a deal that required many individuals.

"I'll get help!" She separated from him once the cache site was identified and ran to find the extra hands from the main pavilion.

At the front, Kenzaki loaded a tear gas grenades into a grenade launcher that he popped off into the centre mass of the human shield lines that were more effective, but also highlighting that they were now dangerously close enough that his underbarrel grenade launcher could be used. By the time Sindri returned, they'd have to fling the mortar shells like that in that American movie about rescuing a private. The only reason that the imperials were still being bogged down now was because they were in a safe range for their snipers to take precise shots, negating their hostage cover.

"All units, if the Imperials reach the hundred-yard mark you are clear to fire. All safeties disengaged."

*Sir, the hostages!* Archer still argued with him, but unlike the former, he didn't consider them hostages but conspirators. Since the very beginning, they'd taken advantage of their acts of kindness to the point that it even agitated him a professional officer who was bothered about standards.

"If they cross that minefield, they're dead anyway. We've killed them regardless!" As it was clear that they didn't know about the landmines but still crossed over whether they were forced to or not."

Kenzaki did the best to lighten the sense of guilt, but they were already liable for their deeds today. The only difference was that everytime they took care to make a shot that killed an imperial instead of a refugee. They had spared one life out of the hundreds they'd take.

And then, things got even worst.

"Ogres!" Rider again called out the reappearance of the armoured ogres and the rest of the troop that followed behind. But unlike their previous attempts at brute force, they had melded some aspects of their most recent attempts into a new style of unjust warfare.

"Bastards…." The ogres were now made to carry large wooden boards while the imperials pushed wheeled versions of this wooden siege shields. And attached to the front were the eagle spread refugees that had been tied against the front of the shields, proving that once again they could not be underestimated.

And unlike the previous line formations that were still converging slowly. The Imperials main force moved as fast as the ogres and the men behind the wooden shield were pushing that unethical apparatus. They had learnt too quickly, or rather they had been tested by the prefect with the first preliminary waves to see if they would really take the refugees' lives into consideration before he charged his entire force. Yet again, unlike the previous formation they traveled in a column. Such that if the front shield was taken out, their occupants could run behind the cover of the one directly behind.

Kenzaki could no longer employ the same tricks as before, and the snipers on the mountainside could no longer sight targets behind the cover of the wooden siege shields. The enemy commander smirked behind the rear most shield group as his strategy was beginning to show promise with the waning barrage and automatic fire hurled their way and set on finishing of the unfortunate first wave combatants.

"Here!" Sindri returned ahead of Tyuule, but not with mortar shells as he held out the new equipment that he wore himself one and a few other samples held out in his hands to the rest.

"This is-…." Kenzaki hesitated.

"It's our people or theirs now, Lieutenant. We still haven't lost yet!"

Kenzaki pursed his lips but stowed his unwilling thoughts away as he gave the next set of orders to Baldr and Archer at Site Charlie.

"Saber to Charlie, take out those ogres now."

*Saber, that is a no go. There is a hostage attached to their shields! Over.*

"Damnit, Matoi…. Baldr!" Kenzaki surprised his own sniper by calling the other one with him.

*Sir, Baldr here.*

"Baldr, kill those ogres. You have green light on the Vulcan." Hearing this, Baldr realized what the lieutenant was asking of him.

*Sir, there's a hostage on the board!* Archer continued to protest on the comms.

While Baldr was already powering the auxiliary on the M167 gun.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" His companion sniper demanded him to state his actions even though they were obvious.

"Following orders." Baldr did not say anymore words that would try to justify what he was doing. He knew the stakes, and he was sure that Archer knew them too even if he was lying to himself.

With the engine whining to life, he used the stick to align the gun through its sight upon the centre mass of the first ogre that entered his sight whilst he calibrated the fine adjustments.

"Stop right there!" He heard the sound of a handgun slide being racked and knew that Archer had just drawn a gun on him.

"Your morality is insufferable." Baldr said but did not remove his hand from the controls.

"And you have none! You think I wouldn't dare?!"

"You goddamn fool." Baldr cursed in english before he spoke in japanese again.

"You're endangering the life of your team, you stupid son of a bitch!"

"They aren't in any jeopardy from the beginning. It's you lot and the cook that set them up to this!" Baldr hardly had time to comprehend what Archer was saying when he noticed but pretended not to of the presence that had arrived behind his aggressor.

"You think I'm stupid, that Furuta didn't let this happen from the very-(crack)." Archer received a blow to the back of his head from a rifle butt that caused him to hit the ground unconscious.

"Thanks, Bjorn." His other crew man nodded as he helped align and ready the gun.

"Alright, ready. Hey wha-?!" When the gun was prepped, Baldr was shoved out of the seat by the mute warrior as he took over and gave a look that said "it's alright, he'd handle it". Baldr stepped back and let him do the deed that needed to be done. As Bjorn pressed the trigger, a whirling storm of 20mm SAPHEI shells cut through both shield and ogre in a saw fashion in just one burst.

(Roar)(Plop) When their heaviest and most protected units fell even with human shields, the Imperials knew that it was a do or die. Before that merciless weapon was used on them after the second ogre fell and the last one awaiting its death by high caliber incendiary ammunition.

The prefect had played all of the cards in his hand, all he had to do was be patient where no one else had before. With the death of his last ogre, meant losing the strength of a few battalions in one of these precious armoured ogres. But he was gaining a lot more than that, besides the Warrior Bunnies and the inhabitants these Japanese soldiers defended so fiercely, it was their weapons cache he was after. The one that contributed so much firepower that it could take on swathes of armies at a time with so few men.

He had learnt this from his special scouts and witnessing their effects firsthand. Once they had taken this settlement, the otherworldly weapons would make him a hundred times more valuable in the eyes of his patron, no-… the Crown Prince would make him his top General to lead his armies against the dreaded invaders the weakly regular army struggled so vainly against. And they laughed at his bandit roots despite his success, but by the day's end, he'll be the one laughing triumphantly.

"The front column has reached!" His useful subordinate informed him.

"Right! Do it now!" He ordered.

The SFGs nerve wreckingly held off the converging rectangular siege shields by lobbing grenades over and only managing to shatter a few and killed fewer men still as the survivors withdrew in coordination behind the cover of the shield behind that still stood. Kenzaki figured that they'd spent all night chopping the wood to make this many mobile emplacements, or that they forced their unwilling slaves into making it for them. When they reached the scorchmarks of where the landmines had been identified the attacking column stopped almost immediately.

Causing Kenzaki to grow suspicious of their activity, he couldn't tell what they were planning. Surely, they wouldn't abandon their only cover just to rush them, did they? IT was still a hundred yards of killzone from machine gun fire, sniper fire and hidden mines. Then, he heard a horn sound and he saw the most unbelievable thing.

The siege shield with a refugee attached to its front moved forwards, but not from its place. It turned over and lay itself upon the ground from the front, crushing its captive refugee under its weight. The murderous occupants fled behind the second siege shield, but instead of holding on to it, they pushed it over the first toppled shield and lay it front first into the ground ahead. Setting off a landmine and killing its hostage as well, but did not harm any of the Imperials due to the log thickness.

"Stop them! They're making a bridge!" Realizing the ingenuity behind the Marauders' intentions that involved not only moving the column forward with as much protection as possible but also providing them a means to cross any obstacles in their way. This primitive bridge laying technique would allow them to have the bulk of their forces cross safely. But Kenzaki wasn't going to allow it.

He lobbed HE grenades at the siege shields regardless of whether the refugee occupant was alive or not, they soon wouldn't be. None of them would. So he made the choice of giving them a quick death by his own hand. The GPMG pinned the Imperials behind their siege shields and wounded some of them, as the machine gun caliber was sufficient at piercing timber without problems. But even as the shields shattered, another one pushed the wreckage aside and took its place. Laying the shield down over the barbwire which it crushed under its weight along with its refugee prisoner in a gory mess. The Imperials had no intention of sparing anyone, that should have occurred to him from the beginning, but he was too stuck on his beliefs and that no matter their allegiances, soldiers wouldn't do this sort of thing. How wrong he was to believe the Imperial Army for anything less of monstrous. They'd forced their hands to become so desperate that they'd rather do this to achieve victory.

The last grenade was thrown at a distance, the farthest Kenzaki could throw it. Hoping that it would hit that merchant bastard. Cimon stood comfortably behind a shield as the one in front of him exploded with its occupants, but he didn't mind at all. The last of the shields had been laid to complete their bridge and now was the time to-…

"Charge!" The Imperials vacated their siege apparatus and rushed forwards in numbers through the opening they had created. Screaming and roaring at the top of their lungs, as it was time to finally let the Japanese soldiers know what steel tasted like.

And such presentable targets they did, as they formed a line in front of them as if in defiance of their entry into this plunder paradise. Telling them that they could not pass.

There was vicious laughter amongst the soldiers the closest to them as there was no return fire to ward them off which felt a little bit weird but how could they deny them if they were seeking death. Paying no heed to the lack of retaliation or frantic fire for being so close to them they could almost smell them, the Imperial Marauders charged with wild abandon.

And then, balls of flame burst out from the device that two of the Japanese soldiers were holding and wearing. These balls of fire burst forwards and engulfed the charging group in a sea of flame as the devices that spewed dragon fire continued to sweep the charging groups that couldn't slow or stop. The sight of the spewing flames had made a definite stop to the charge as over sixty men drowned and danced screaming in flames. Awakening man's innate fear of fire once more.

(Baababababaaam)

In this god given opening, the GPMG shredded the stunned Imperials until it was time to reload the belt and switch the burning barrel.

"Push them back!" Seeing their opportunity to counterattack and break this wave, Kenzaki called on his machine gun team and snipers to go on a full-on push. Rider and Berserker abandoned the tripod gun and used their primaries to mow down the Imperials as the moved forwards step by step, while Kenzaki and Sindri created the opening with their M9 flamethrowers that unleashed a fifty yard spray of liquid death upon those that were in its line of fire.

"That's enough!" Just as they were pushing the Imperials that were intending to retreat in this unbelievable turn of events, Kenzaki and the group were shouted at from behind.

For a moment, he turned around thinking that he was being told to stop this cruel act by someone naïve. But ended up facing a very different dilemma.

"Drop the guns, or Iota gets it!" Sindri recognized that voice coming from the best marksman of the rifle militia, but didn't think that the other seventeen were in cahoots with her. While she held Tyuule in front of her with a Garand rifle pressing against her back, they weren't the only hostages these turncoats had in their possession held at gunpoint.

Kenzaki too recognized this Warrior Bunny as she knew him back from many brief encounters, but he never imagined that she would be someone like this. Someone who was working for the Prefect as an undercover agent. His current armament wasn't capable of handling a hostage situation either ways so he unhooked it and dropped it on the floor like Sindri did.

The Imperials noticed their attention inside the settlement area and move in to secure the unwatched ground.

Kenzaki murmured something over the comms to the only two assets not yet discovered to remain hidden for now. Undid his rifle sling and dropped his primary and secondary also. His men, took some time to do the same as the Warrior Bunny turncoats pressured them to relieve their armaments on the double. Showing no fear or remorse in their intent, as if the whole time they'd been doing a performance to gain their trust and understanding in order to acquire the same kind of weapons that the Japanese soldiers had and gain the upperhand.

Kenzaki looked towards the leader of this renegade group in the eyes and saw that she was indeed suspicious from the very beginning. Asking questions that no one bothered to, and always with her pack of sisters who were most likely in the same group, collaborating with the prefect in one of the longest cons he'd ever pulled off.

His hidden trump, Fraulan Kruger. Had finally been the winning card all along.

---

It was to be his fourth day visiting the Queen Mother under pretext of administering treatment and Royalty-worthy nourishment, and entering a secret meeting between himself, Imazu, Hadric, Chief Engineer Dwight and last but not least, Queen Thranmilla.

Hitoshi undid the clasps that held portions of their lunch in the greenhouse while Hadric reported the news of the front and other troop movements.

"Crown Prince Mayre and the 5th cluster are scheduled to return as Her Majesty had ordered, the second prince will follow momentarily. However, I've heard that the Temple has dispatched its guard to reinforce the gap created. And no small group either. A thousand temple guards, fifty rune priests." He hinted that they'd taken this opportunity to inject troops amongst the currently fighting army.

"The Apostle is moving to secure control of the army command." Hitoshi sensed this behavior and informed them of his theory.

"There's no way he could take possession of the entire army." Hadric said sure of himself.

"Dwight, sir. How goes the work?" Hitoshi passed his suspicions off as a low priority as he confirmed the state of the dreadnought refit. Dominion in particular.

"You're asking a lot from a fifty-year-old man here, Furuta. But I can safety say that the voice tubes are now past tense. You should thank these sturdy fellows for working so quick in tight corners." Imazu credited Dwight's engineering crew which reworked the behemoth to have a means of telegraph throughout the ship systems to and from the bridge section that had been shifted to under the front bow of the ship.

"These are trivial concerns compared to the unfinished state of the engine you promised, Lord Furuta." Dwight was more urgent that the main component of the entire ship hadn't even been put into working order and mainly stashed away in case the Apostle found it.

"You let me worry about the engine and the armaments. How far are you from a complete installation of the levi-plates?" The most important aspect of this class of ship couldn't fly without its primary propulsion method.

"You aren't asking us to lay bricks here, Furuta." Once again, Imazu was standing up for the crew he had gain a lot of respect for these few days of living in the Royal Castle guest room and advising on the ships rebuild according to Hitoshi's specifications since he was the only one with naval experience.

"Two-thirds done, My Lord." Dwight answered.

"Get it done by tonight, then have your crew come over to my factory. I need double output if we're to get that ship armed."

"I don't suppose you have anything more interesting than a matchlock being made there, right?" Imazu wasn't convinced that blackpowder weapons could help change the Dwarves' fate against a monster like the Apostle and warrior priests armed with the seemingly invulnerable alloy made even more potent by Kugel's formula taken by the Apostle.

"My Lord, what of the ships?" He was asking them to leave them completely unattended.

"Mortar would be more interested in why you and five hundred others were being welcomed into my factory." Thinking that Hitoshi intended to support more production output of something.

"….."True, Dwight thought for a moment.

If anyone could potentially ruin whatever he was planning, it was the God of Cookery. After all, he brought the Dwarf that rediscovered their lost ratio of Adamantite, that didn't mean he didn't have other surprises.

"What've you been up to much recently?" Imazu inquired, expecting him to share what he'd done while they were working hard.

Hitoshi didn't like this sort of sass from him, but he was a superior officer. So he shared his headway besides making a unique uniform for all his employees. His dealings with the various economic and logistic powers of the city had been in their favor and the temples' misfortune. As expected, the temple threatened their waning supply of iron sand and other necessary raw material shortages with a visit from the Apostle. A few groups cave in to pressure, but not the big ones that were already part of Hitoshi's conglomerate force. Hitoshi had effectively formed a financial clique that would threaten the dominance of the Temple influence over the city islands. After all, prayers didn't feed or pay you at the end of the day. His zaibatsu was winning economically for him, but he knew that it was also pressuring the apostle to act quickly. As seen by his move of significant forces posing as reinforcements to the Nexus East Fortress where the General command staff of the Velduarite army had made camp along with five thousand of their men.

"The Gnolls made another push at the Nexus, the Southern fortress this time. Why aren't they pounding the same one?" Hadric, besides being a spymaster wasn't a strategist like his former liege was.

"That's what I'm concerned about." Hitoshi's eyes were on the Gnolls this entire time, the Temple forces were easy to predict as they followed Mortar's instructions and therefore matched his personality. But the Gnolls weren't controlled by Princess Rhelzus but the Gnoll King,

If Hitoshi had to guess, they were testing the strength of the walls as a standard of measure. It was clear that with King Novar dead, there would be political unrest throughout Velduar. That, the Gnolls knew. So his best assumption would be that they were waiting to strike a familiar spot that was the weakest while the Dwarves struggled amongst their own for political stability. And as he'd seen the response time of the Dwarves, the fortresses would have fallen on their own before any QRF arrived in time. If they needed to respond, it had to be exactly when the Gnolls hit when the reinforcements were dispatched. But they all knew that that was impossible even with the fastest rider dispatch.

But not with the solution that Hitoshi had prepared for the Nexus fortresses without them knowing. As his communications division were already starting to prepared for their turn to enter the limelight in performing one of the most crucial roles in military warfare.

"Your majesty, have the preparations been made?" He asked his co-conspirator who was well aware of what he had been up to as of late.

"Minister Ferguys has allocated the necessary timber and manpower to assemble the emplacements." Thranmilla informed him, as her part in this story was perhaps the most important role of all as the main authority of Velduar for now.

"What's all this contriving between you and the Queen?" Imazu identified the Queens rubbed hands as a trait that had seem to be adopted from Hitoshi for things going as planned. To which Hitoshi smiled.

"Mortar thinks his superior armaments will sway the tides of war in his favor. Tell me, sir. In your experience, what is the most important trait of any army?"

He tested Imazu's competence before these important individuals, couldn't tell how annoyed he was at that. But Imazu was no idiot wearing a paper uniform.

"Communication." As much as the aforementioned division's name suggested that had the highest priority of work passed down.

"Right. The faster, a general conveys his orders as his subordinates relay the situation back." There were many examples in their world history of communication outright beating the other party and many that had similar situations to velduar at present.

Hitoshi read from papers that the Queen handed to him that he passed over to Imazu who read the schematics of the revolutionary devices that they had managed to create in the span of just a few days.

"As we speak, poles 130 Drati apart are being planted in lines stretching from the Royal Castle itself out to the Nexus defences." Hitoshi boasted the industry that he now had possession over doing his bidding. All that the apostle would notice was that his eccentric behavior had not only led his own kind into strange jobs of planting wooden poles along the stretches to the Nexus Defence fortresses and all over garrisons, in some sort of unknown ritualistic fashion. The apostle had never seen him use magic before nor sensed any significant amount in him to do anything of that scale either.

There was nothing more to be said, as this was the last general meeting they could afford to have right now. Hitoshi handed Imazu his handgun for personal protection as he made his way back to the factory to sort out their most outstanding issue of armaments capable of dealing with adamantite armor.

Accompanying him on his way out was none other than the Queen.

"Perhaps, it'll be safer if you move to Bruneberg. Hekrel's manor is further away from the Temple." He expressed his concern for her given the state of the guards at the Royal castle and her proximity to the Apostle's main abode.

"If I leave, my subjects will lose confidence in the throne. My boy will too." She wanted to stay and support her son who had returned from the skirmishes with the Gnolls, no doubt tired and unnerved by the stress.

"….."

"I'll let Mayre know of the plans. Hopefully, he will aid you in your endeavors with military support." Hitoshi recalled seeing the crown prince only once, at the throne room on the day of his arrival. But didn't think much of him, the latter probably had a mutual feeling as well. He wouldn't believe in the magic like his mother did.

"Better not, he'd just say I'm beguiling you with false promises." Hitoshi pictured himself as a foul mystic fooling people of power with his parlor trick acts. Like Rasputin.

He reached the end of the castle, where Thranmilla bowed once more.

"I have absolute faith in Furuta's abilities and the victory that awaits you."

"Awaits us all you mean." He reminded her that there was more than just them.

"I pray for our victory over this strife then. Godspeed, Furuta." Thranmilla bid him farewell as she prepared her part in all of this. They would meet again, when the fighting started, but until then, he had to make sure that it was his guys that came out on top.

Back at the factory, Hitoshi returned to the laboratory dedicated to Kugel as he flung a slag at the wall in frustration for his inability to comprehend the composition of the alloy that his father, Rambek Bloodstein left to him.

"Let's think this rationally, Kugel." He tried to get him thinking straight after he smashed a box with his fist angrily.

"Think rationally? There was nothing rational about my father!" Kugel poured out his resentment for his father's abandonment of them as children.

"Well, the apple doesn't fall far of the tree, doesn't it?" He reminded him that he was just as eccentric in behavior, if not more.

"Guess I have him to thank then." He replied sarcastically.

Takeo was standing by the door, he had let him blow off the steam a little bit. Shaking his head at Hitoshi to describe the events that previously took place before the disaster that Kugel made came out of the furnace.

"How about the device?" He asked about the wonder weapon which the Dwarves would use against the Gnolls and Temple guard, if need be.

"Works and feels like a BB gun, as for stopping power, meh." Takeo passed him the weapon they had spent two days in experimentation and prototyping whilst designing the dies that would assemble each part quickly and efficiently.

As Imazu had once advised to Hitoshi's concurrence, firearms were not possible with the level of industry the Dwarves had nor the consistency of their measurements. But nobody said that it had to be a gunpowder weapon.

At first, they drew blank heads on what kind of projectile weapon to use as a basis. When Takeo suggested that they make a BB gun for reference as a joke and Hitoshi to take it seriously. For their latest discovery in imparting his lightning attribute opened new possibilities.

From memory alone, Takeo drew out a schematic of a gas-blowback airsoft mechanism and valve. Giving them a means of cycling and chambering pellet ammunition. Before Hitoshi did a calculation for upsizing the design to accommodate a 10mm hexagonal stake projectile that had the characteristics of a very short pencil but had weight beyond it due to being metal. That's because it was composed of a ferro-like material, he had even created a filler for an organic incendiary compound that came from a rare lava moss that grew near heat from the magma. Kugel created the fire control by means of a piezo-electric trigger that powered the device to a rune of air that was pressure tested to be able to fling the projectile about a hundred feet away, but wouldn't do damage beyond poking someone's eye out.

That's where Hitoshi made his changes to that with Kugel and Takeo's help. He imbued a metal sleeve over a smoothbore hexagonal barrel that was cut with the lathe which had a very particular set of conditions in its circuitry. Particularly one of electromagnetic nature.

He had turned the front portion into a second staged coil gun that would accelerate the magnetic projectile out of the barrel even faster and could penetrate steel plate at a hundred and fifty yards with no considerable bullet drop. The power required for it to work had been fed off the Nemozim Quartz that they brought here, integrated into the buttstock. Acting as the capacitor, it had an incredible amount of energy density when it interacted with lightning attribute. While the sectioned sleeve of the barrel, he worked circuitry into it to also act as capacitors that would discharge immense amount of power into the coil circuit. His multimeter got a reading of around five hundred volts in each of these sixteen sleeve pieces that amplified together giving him a potential of 13kJ of energy being dumped down at range. There was no chronograph with him to measure the projectile velocity, but it managed to pierce the steel plate of 5mm at two hundred yards and cause a cascade of sparks from the ferro material. But beyond that, its accuracy plummeted.

Overall, the hybrid pneumatic-actuated railgun looked like a toy, handled with a heft that only a Dwarf would appreciate and spewed a magazine of ten projectiles half the size of a crossbow bolt with more weight at the range of a carbine. Hence the working title of this new infantry weapon, the Ferro Carbine. It was the equivalent of one of those crazy workshop builds of handheld gauss rifle projectiles on the internet. As before, he used the lithography method of creating the suitable die to imprint his attributes onto mass produced models.

The other ordnance he and the two worked on was the reverse engineering of a Hydra rocket he'd saved. Replicating the aerodynamic contour of its design and replacing its complex fuse mechanism for a piezoelectric contact fuse that was typically found on rifle grenades or RPGs. Again, using a Nemozim quartz which had such piezo qualities. As for propellant and the explosive compound itself, he awaited the arrival of the Royal laboratory crews who had some chemistry knowledge that was instrumental in making vast quantities of both fuel and charge. They also had to make a chassis system of which to launch these rockets that had would have the same devastating power of the Hydra 70s.

So small-arms and rocket artillery as his primary offensive means. A normal opposing force would be easily routed. But he was anticipating adrenaline pumped berserker Gnolls led by their nightmarish Gnoll King and Adamantite-cladded Temple warriors taking the commands off an Immortal Demi-god Apostle.

When Kugel was done making the box pay for his mistakes, Hitoshi patted his shoulder and provided what assistance he could give. As he was made to go through the entire developments, they had made in order to try and replicate the formula of this very strange metal that Rambek Bloodstein had somehow discovered and kept hidden. An alloy that could break adamantite, was enough to break any strategic advantage the Dwarves had if the production method ever it went out of Mount Nyx, if it was even feasible, let alone real.

Kugel seemed to think that his father was a deranged madman raving lunacy his entire life. SO did the people of Velduar who christened him Rambek Ravul, translated as Rambek the Mad. Hitoshi read the contents of the journal a second time thought differently. He wrote like a sane person at very least, that was tidy and coordinated account of his days till his disappearance meant that he was quite aware of leaving his son and daughter alone for a period of time. Either way, something happened that even he didn't expect that would not allow him to return immediately.

Hitoshi flipped to the pages that held the mention of an ancient site which he had studied with the "conjurer", an unnamed individual of dubious origin. Likely foreign since Dwarves had no mages except the Apostle. Rambek trusted an individual as his colleague when any sane Dwarf would shy away from magic users, highlighting his eccentricity clearly.

Apparently, this site was one of two sites in the volcanic mountain. The other one he confirmed it to being the archive which Kugel was caught breaking into during his aspirant years. One held the secret of Adamantite, the other of this Iraemite. It was no coincidence that these two sites held secrets to something similar. Although, it was mentioned that the site which wasn't at the temple was in the outskirts of the city. And Rambek had only gone there once to record his findings before the ruins were desecrated on his second trip. Someone had destroyed the site which Hitoshi was now starting to believe was a Primodial Temple site, one of two in this area that held the secret of a super alloy which the Dwarves christened Adamantite. Super technology that was decades if not centuries ahead of the present Earth.

Kugel was slumped against the corner to rest and reflect on what he had learnt, he was far from giving up even though it was frustrating, but he needed to cool his head. Takeo went out to get some lemon sorbet ahead of the workers' lunch shift currently being cooked up by Oakenshire chefs who were following Hitoshi's recipes.

Hitoshi referred to the book and the schematics that Rambek had left his son. Indeed, it was quite strange for a formula sheet to not describe the process and instead encode it in numbers and a strange network pattern of spheres and connecting pipes. And yet, Hitoshi felt something strangely familiar about this design. He had a cheatsheet for the Dwarven numerals so that he could understand what the numbers were. Writing the numerals next to their Dwarven counterpart for easier reference.

He looked upon the spheres that had similar size and yet different numbers in some.

But there was one particular sphere size that remained constant in value throughout, the one with the number six.

"Kugel!" Hitoshi called out as he had a sudden thought that occurred to him.

"Yeah?"

"Lend me your primary school science textbook!" The one Kugel had read the first few chapters and let it sit in his backpack never to read it again because he wasn't into science.

"Sure, did something happen?" But Hitoshi only beckoned him to hurry up with an outstretched hand waiting to receive the book.

When he felt something heavy clasped in his hand, he brought it down on the table and opened the content page to find what he was looking for under chemical science. And arrived at a chart that was labeled in English, Periodic table.

"Six….. six is an atomic number." Hitoshi's finger found the element that had this number was carbon. But to dismiss this as a mere coincidence to find fact, he looked at other spheres after marking the carbon elements with a large C symbol to denote its classification. Then, using carbon as his reference of the compound structure that this element formed.

"One. Hydrogen." Hitoshi followed this trend and identified all the hydrogen atoms within the compounds that were laid out.

"They only made enough for two so-." Takeo returned with two cups of ice cream only to be hushed by Kugel as he watched Hitoshi decipher the so-called language of the ancients.

"Compound structures?" Having some basic science knowledge himself, he found Hitoshi writing up the chemical composition of these structures, realizing where he had missed out on identifying them as such.

Hitoshi continued his puzzle game at rooting the right elements to its correct composition, eventually identifying elements of Carbon as Graphite, and other elements such as manganese, iron, phosphorous and silicon. He cleared one of the structures as a formula for steel of high carbon quality, something achievable with the electric arc furnace.

There was also a composition for a fluoride-based plastic in a separate structure, and a ferro-ceramic structure that resembled the artificial ballistic hard plate structure. HE then realized that the last structure compound was that of the Adamantite ore itself. An element that did not exist on the periodic table.

So instead, he worked out the elements that surrounded it to work out its neutron to get the appropriate atomic number which was 117 and was made chemically stable like Gold for such a high proton count comparable to neutrons. It was also what gave Adamantite such heft but high density.

Kugel stared at him as he deciphered the language of the ancients thinking that even if he didn't claim to be a god, there was a very mysterious aura around him. Hitoshi enjoyed a challenge of this level, remind him of the cram school he attended at night hours. It was his favorite subject, although he didn't pursue a scientific career. It did give him the idea of how a food item that was acidic like meats could be neutralized with something with strong alkali like lime, nuts, turnips or tofu. Making for a very balanced meal that did not affect the body's internal stomach acids too strongly.

"Done." Hitoshi examined the formula once more and determined that it was added from top to bottom, since there was no instructions.

"Let's get cooking." Hearing this Kugel lightened up and turned up the furnace by adding more fuel.

They started off with making this version of polymer that seemed to be critical to its concoction with steel to form a new compound. They added graphite, rubber material and silicon glass that had been acquired from sand separately.

With the electric arc furnace, it was no problem of getting the right steel slag to add in almost immediately and then came the final ingredient.

"Careful." Adamantite. Unlike other alloys, the process was done entirely by means of runes that controlled the furnace environment in ways that normal state-of-the-art furnaces couldn't accomplish yet. That's why Rune Priests were still relevant for Adamantite production.

But mixing it with the other ingredients, they had no idea how it would form and whether it would make it difficult to form. Kugel sat over the pot furnace as his hands manipulated the properties of the slag, stirring and separating the excess from the molten metal. It was a half hour of work that he did not flinch for even a second. Then at last taking the lid off and tongs to lift the jar as he turned it onto a casting mold of a block. Once in, he brought it to the power hammer and shaped the mold into a more refined flatter metal in but a few strikes which showed his skills with molding metal. Then, took a metal shaping rod and folded the metal in half to form an axehead. All the while on limited time as the metal composite rapidly cooled off, he added a mark that was his forging initials stamped onto the end of the blade and used his runes to shape the edge while it was still cooling off which was never done in real steel works. But his precise control over the metal's composition had allowed him to break a few boundaries.

When he was done, he walked over to a barrel with oil to quench its surface and heat treat the metal. Dipping the axehead in, the barrel caught fire and subsequently cooled as he placed it on a hanger to reach a cooler temperature to handle.

Kugel searched his workshop for something he got in Amarel and had been working on it since their arrival, a piece of wood carved into the shape of a handle bearing effigies of his homeland. Carefully resizing the end where the axehead would be fitted with his shaping tools.

"But why an axe?" Takeo asked as he touched the blade after a while when it had become bearable to touch. Little late in the decision-making process as he would have thought that a sword or a spear would've made more sense in terms of versatility.

"Marvyn Griffin came into this world with an axe." He answered whilst removing pieces from the enchanted wood. The ancestor of the Dwarves was not how they usually depicted valiant heroes with blazing swords and glowing shields, Marvyn was a woodsman blessed with an incredible destiny to find Duncan and found the Dwarven ancestry on the Special Region.

"An axe that was said to be able to cut through any rock and steel. I'd like my fellow Dwarves to think the same, call it rubbing off Furuta's way of manipulating superstitions." And Hitoshi was proud of him, he'd finally understood that his enemies were a lot weaker than they seemed, especially the type the pious and zealous types that were easily swayed by physical miracles like that of the Temple. Novar didn't give Kugel the name Griffin for nothing, he was trying to give him a name that all Dwarves feared as much as they respected it.

Takeo worked on curing a leather strap that would serve as its grip while Hitoshi fashioned a pommel out of steel shaped on the lathe as a tapered end that he imbued lightning attribute into without Kugel knowing with a whisper.

When Kugel had finished, he collected the pieces to be assembled together. First, his enchanted wood handle, sliding into the slit of the axehead. He used his tools to close the runes around the wood to close the circuit between the two elements causing the axehead to light up with runic symbols. Kugel then began to murmur into the energized metal the attributes of self-sharpening, corrosion resistance and rendering. While Adamantite had a dull grey finish that could appear glossy at times, this strange alloy was straw-copper, almost like it was made out of bronze. Thus appearing weaker than it actually was.

(Ting) Tapping the bit of this one-sided bearded axe, all of them could hear how low it sounded as its density surpassed that of perhaps an industrial tungsten carbide blade yet weighed half as much.

Kugel passed it over to Takeo who insisted he wanted to have a look but appeared unimpressed by its appearance. It truly gave off nothing that said that it was as incredible as Rambek claimed.

"So… how do we test it?" They made it into an axe, but who were they supposed to test its effects against Adamantite as Rambek claimed.

"Mmm.."

Without warning, Hitoshi grabbed one of the swords off the ready rack and attacked Takeo with killing intent, triggering the latter's defensive reflexes.

(Thang) As much as was expected, the sword collided with the bladed tip of the axe as Hitoshi had intended. And metal was sliced through, as the end of the sword was peeled off effortlessly while it flew separated into the surface of the table.

"The hell!" Takeo was rightfully angry for the unwarranted attack before he realized that the sword that Hitoshi held had come apart as if it were butter, a perfect cut.

Takeo struck the table with the axe, but failed to cut through like he had intended.

"Over here." Hitoshi received the axe and held it over the rest of the sword with its bit facing downwards. He dropped the axe onto the sword edge and it again cut through it as a blade passes through water.

(Thang) But when it impacted the stone floor, it stopped and did less harm to it than it had to the wooden desk.

Kugel was beginning to understand the meaning behind this alloys' purpose. While Hitoshi remembered the formula that this alloy composed of wondering if it was the effect of the amalgamation process. Where the reaction of this new alloy would break the lattice bonds of the stable and thought indestructible Adamantite, like mercury did to Gold. Because if so, there were now new applications for this alloy in shaping Adamantite via modern milling and cnc. If shaped as a metal cutter like tungsten carbide, it could make Adamantite a viable metal for modern applications.

"Jro Amura." Kugel repeated the frightening phrase his Father had written on the formula sheet which he passed on to his son with the intent that he would break the unreadable code.

And finally gain the will to break the swords of the Gods.

"...Lord Furuta...(huff)...(plop)"

Their discoveries were once again interrupted by the appearance of Hadric who hadn't visited without purpose, as his bloodied armor suggested. Hitoshi caught the spymaster before he collapsed upon his last ruined leg. And whispered the important message that he wished to pass on to Hitoshi before he passed out and was brought to recover by the Dwarven employees.

"What was that all about?" Kugel asked as he was too stunned to speak by Hadric coming in the state he was in. He should've been at the Nexus Defence with the General Staff and Marshal of Velduars' strike force.

Hitoshi received news that could not come at a worst time.

"The army got crushed this afternoon." Eight thousand men strong, defeated despite holding the advantage of defence, how could that happen?!

"How did the Gnolls catch them off guard?" Takeo asked the most accurate and ironic question that made Hitoshi chuckle with slight lunacy in response. As he disclosed news that would most certainly be heralded as the darkest day in the history of Velduar.

"The Temple guard…. The Apostle has sided with the Gnolls."

Their gods had abandoned them all.