Authors note: Finally got this chapter finished. Had to rework the start of it three times before it felt right. It was not cooperating, but luckily that is now done with.
And now we get to see Bell seeing his first bit of the Adamant Union. And next chapter, even more of it.
Hope everyone likes the chapter, and if you like my writing and would like to support it, I have a Ko-fi link on my profile page.
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Bell knew the forests around the village were told to be dangerous. Wild monsters could sometimes be seen at the greater distances from the village, and it was said that the depths of the valley held even more dangerous things that people, even adventurers, would have difficulty dealing with.
Poisonous gasses that seeped from the ground and killed around them. Steam vents so hot that they could cook someone alive, if they got too close. Plants poisonous enough that a single touch would cause extreme debilitating pain and even death. Monsters unlike the wild goblins that hid deep in other forests that could tear the head off of animals or men in short moments.
Bell shuddered as he remembered that giant insect monster that he had been saved from and then thought about what was coming. Adventurers were supposed to be strong, powerful, unbeatable. That was what he had used to think after all, but now that the truth was known to him, it felt hollow.
More than anything though, he was finding that he may have made a mistake deciding to leave when he did, because now after only a few hours the sun had gone down, and now the forest path was so dark he could barely see anything around or ahead of him. The tree's seemed to bend toward him ominously, and the only sound he could hear was the sound of the wind in the tree's making hollow wailing noises. He was tripping over roots, and beginning to feel like he was going in circles.
And then he heard a branch snap, when he wasn't moving.
"Who, who's there?"
"Relax, you need not, fear me," came a young man's voice as Bell could see movement from between the tree's. A second later he made his appearance and bell knew that this person had to be from those other people from the stars. He was wearing a long coat that was so dark Bell had trouble seeing it. He was wearing a strange wide brimmed hat that was a similarly hard to see dark green, and somehow Bell felt anxious and worried looking at the man, specifically the strange metal thing that seems to cover the top of his head in a band from ear to ear.
"I . . .am meeting you in the dark and don't know you," Bell replied cautiously. "I don't even know your name."
The man merely let out a chuckle as he lifted an arm out of his jacket towards Bell. The arm was not normal, seemingly covered in bright silver metal with golden edging and marking across it that seemed to shift ever so slightly. It was not shaped like armor either, and more like an actual arm would be. "Then, I am Maxwell Shreidder, though you can just call me . . . . . . Namdam, if you would prefer."
"Namdam?" Bell asked in confusion, making him laugh once again.
"It's a nickname, a simpler name to go by, quiet common on Rimworlds where family names hold little meaning. What are you doing out here though? It's rather late and pretty dark out for a kid to wandering around."
"Well I, uh," Bell stopped for a moment and took in a breath. "I wanted to speak to your leader, about what they offered my village."
"Oh, what was offered huh? Fair enough," Namdam said as he half turned and pointed into the forest, but not in the direction he came from. "Head that way for a few minutes and you'll be on track. Should get close enough to our perimeter and then you are in, good hands."
"Oh, thank you," Bell said with a bow, not expecting such information so easily. "But uh, what are you out here for then?"
"Curious?" Namdam said with a grin, and then a chuckle. "I'm just heading out on a long distance scouting mission. Have to know what is around after all right?"
"Oh, that makes sense."
"On that point, would you know if there are any cities around here?"
"Uh, other than my village, the closest city is the Adventurer city of Orario."
"And how far is it?"
"Uh, about a week away by wagon I think?"
"I see, thank you," Namdam said as he took a few steps backwards and reached behind a tree, picking up and bringing into view a large case that looked like it was made of silver, though somehow more dull. The only thing of note on it was a strange symbol that looked like someone twisted a ladder.
"That is a strange looking pack, isn't it hard to travel with?" Bell found himself asking as he stared at the case.
"No, and I wouldn't dare leave it when it, holds important items," Namdam said with a smile as he walked past Bell. "See ya later kid maybe we'll…. Oh, you're hurt."
"What?" Bell asked as he looked around and then noticed a small cut in his forearm , a small trickle of blood forming around it. "Oh, when did that happen?"
"Allow me," Namdam said as he placed his case on the ground gently and opened it, revealing dozens of small glass tubes that, to Bell, looked sort of like potion bottles. He did not grab any of them however, but instead took out a small piece of cloth and held it out to Bell. "Hold this onto the wound. It's clean and should absorb the blood enough that we can bandage it properly."
"Oh, uh, right," Bell said with a nod as he took the loth and pressed it against his small cut. It seemed like overkill to him, but he was not about to say no to someone's good will.
"There ya go, you are lucky I carry medical gear on me," Namdam said with a light chuckle as, instead of a full length bandage, he pulled out a small light brown rectangular one that looked like it would not even fit around his wrist cone, let alone enough times to stay in place. "Now then, let me get a look at that and –" Namdam deftly yanked the cloth off Bell's arm, and then almost literally slapped the bandage over the wound. And somehow, it did not move, in fact it seemed to stick to his skin tightly. "There we go, perfectly covered to heal now!"
Bell marveled at the bandage for a moment before looking at Namdam, seeing him take the now slightly bloody cloth and sticking it into an empty glass tube and then in to his case. "Shouldn't you throw that away?"
"I can reuse the cloth, I just need to wait until I can wash and sterilize it," Namdam said as he closed the case with a loud and hard sounding clack. "Now then, I have to get going; do you need those directions again?"
"Uh," Bell looked into the forest and shook his head. " Maybe?"
Namdam let out a light sigh and pointed back through the tree's. "Don't know why you didn't take the main pathway that goes down the valley, but if you go through the tree's there you'll reach that old roadway in about five minutes. You'll be able to see where you are going from there. Trust me."
As soon as the final words left his lips Bell felt his body shiver. The man was friendly, but something in the back of his mind was telling him that something was wrong. It didn't seem like he was lying, just that something about him was, odd. "Uh, okay, thank you."
"Sure it's no issue," Namdam said as he turned and began walking away while waving over his shoulder. "Maybe we'll meet again, kid."
"Uh, okay?" Bell said uncertainly as he watched Namdam leave and disappear from his sight between the tree's. ". . . that was, weird."
After a few moments when it became clear he was alone once again Bell began walking through the forest again in the direction that Namdam had pointed him too. After a few minutes he began wondering if he had gotten lost again, or had been told the wrong direction, as he didn't seem to be making any sort of progress.
Then, he suddenly found the ground drop down a few inches and looked around, realizing that, he was now on an old packed dirt road that had plants and brambles growing up its sides and edges.
"Okay, so now I guess I go down the road and I'll see the-"
"Do not, move."
Bell froze as he could hear a faint buzzing sound and glanced down. There, being held just shy of his neck was a short blade, silvery white in color, with a strange scintillating field surrounding it. And holding that blade was a man wan in dark green armor with pointed dark red fox ears coming off his head.
"I-"
"I did not tell you to talk yet," the foxman said as he stepped closer so his arm was not so stretched to reach Bell's neck, allowing him to see that he did not have one, but three foxlike tails coming out behind him. "Why are you here kid, you're not one of ours, so I'll assume you are from the nearby village, right?"
"Yes, I, I am I mean," Bell said, unnerved by the look in the foxman's eyes, like he was hoping he would try something, would give him an excuse to hurt him. Like he ached to spill blood. "I was, um am, coming to, I mean I want to speak with your leader about something they offered us."
The Foxman was silent for a moment, as if weighing options, before he silently removed the blade away from Bells neck and slid it into a sheath on the waist of his armor "Is that so?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you sound uncertain?"
"Um, how else was I supposed to answer?"
The foxman smiled. "Alright, come with me and I'll bring you to our gates. Deadbolt will decide what to do with you then."
"D-dead bolt?" Bell asked, the same sounding strange and ominous. Almost evil even.
"One of our leaders," the Foxman says as he began walking down the rough old road. "He leads our security and will be the one who will decide your fate at this time of night."
"Oh . . . ." Bell said as he followed the fox man and could not help but keep staring at his multiple tails. "Um, are you, a Renard?"
"And what is that supposed to be?"
"Um, Renards are Fox People," Bell said, knowing little else about the rare and almost mythical race he had never seen before. The only people in the village were human after all.
"I am a Fox type Xenotype, but I am not what you call, a Renard. I'm a Revian."
"Oh."
The Revian man chuckled darkly. "If you knew the stories about my kind, you would not be so calm right now."
"Um, why?" Bell asked as he glanced around as he noticed that the trees were thinning out on either side of the road. A number looked to be cut as well, stumps sitting around the road more and more often.
"Because we are known as bloodthirsty fanatics of a war god who wants blood and nothing but blood as tribute," He said with a smirk as he took a few more steps and stopped at a slight rise of the road where the tree's seemed to disappear. "We're here."
Bell stepped up beside the man and found his jaw drop open in surprise. The tree's that he assumed would keep surrounding the road were completely gone in front of him, leaving the road to head straight across an absolutely massive field of nothing but stumps until it reached a line of black stone that, after a second, Bell realized was a wall that spanned the entire width of the valley. Strange glowing beads of lights could be seen on it at regular intervals, likely torches to light the wall, and behind the walls there was an impossible amount of light that illuminated the tops of numerous buildings. It was like a city now held the rear of the valley, where mere weeks before the whole area was said to be nothing but a forest of death and poison.
"How . . . . How did you-"
"Build our city so quickly?" The Revian said, finishing Bells question with a smirk. "We are very skilled at building things quickly. Now come along."
Bell nodded uncertainly as he followed behind the man, his eyes glancing side to side at the huge area of clear-cut forest, wondering if such thing would affect the local animal populations right up until he noticed something odd, a strange blue glow in the dark between a couple stumps. Many of them. "What are those blue glows? Runes?"
"Hardly," the Revian said with a chuckle. "They are mines."
"Aren't they too small to get ore from?"
"Ha, not that kind of mine kid," the Revian said with a shake of his head. "Let's just say that if you set any of them off it would be last thing you ever do, so don't drift off the roadway."
Bell simply nodded as he followed, and after a few minutes of walking came to a realization that began to terrifying him. The wall they were approaching was getting bigger, but didn't look like it was getting closer. Not by much at least.
After another half an hour it finally seemed like they were getting close to the wall, and it was then where he could see moving sources of light along the bottoms of the wall. The shapes of people doing something around large blocky object of various sizes. Some were small, barley the size of backpacks, while others were the sizes of large wagons with strange grey rods sticking out of them that looked to be made of metal rods wrapped in a circle. What really grabbed his attention though was the pair of absolutely massive objects that were on either side of the door. They stood easily two stories tall on their own and seemed made up of some kind of strange base not unlike the foundation of a building, but what rose up from them were large blocks with excessively large coils of rods sticking out the front, while odd spindly shapes and pipes seemed to hang off the sides and curve around behind them.
"What, are these things?" Bell asked in bewilderment as they passed between them and began coming up towards the gate that, now close to it, looked at least three stories tall, the wall another story further in height.
"Our Secondary line of defenses," the Revian said as he tapped something on his arm.
Bell looked around in confusion, staring at the wall for a moment and realign that it didn't actually look to be made of stone, but rather some kind of odd plates of some kind, but before he could look further his attention was pulled by a strange hissing sound that, when he looked to it, saw the massive gate in front of them slowly shifting to the sides and opening like sliding doors that were the size of walls.
It also allowed him to notice that the doors themselves seemed to be thicker than he was tall.
And further in, beams of light brighter than he ever expected to see threatened to blind him. But even as the light tried, he could see the form of someone standing there right inside the opening gate.
"Sir Deadbolt, I wasn't expecting you to meet me here, sir," the Revian said as he stepped through the gate toward the man, his whole countenance shifting from seemingly arrogant and vicious, to respectful in an instant.
"Yes, well it is not often we get singular guests either," the man said as he snapped his fingers, some bright objects behind him shitting of while others turned on, removing the backlighting and allowing Bell to see him clearly. He looked like a young adult. Short black hair, a tall build, a small shadowing of beard and mustache. He was wearing dark black pants and boots, a strange dark red shirt, and a very long dark black coat. He looked rather unimpressive, at least that was what bell thought until he noticed that the man's eyes seemed to glow bright red in a way that utterly unnatural. The man then looked to Bell, his expression unchanging. "So, you are the one who has come to talk, eh?"
"Y-yes?"
"Well, what is your name, kid?"
"Oh, B-Bell Cranel, sir," Bell answered as he heard a dull thud from behind him and saw that the massive gate had closed. How had he not heard it sliding back into its positon?
"I see, well come along then and we can begin speaking," he man said as he looked to the Revian, "thank you for bringing the twerp in. you should turn in early. Surprise your wife and daughter."
"Will do, thank you sir," The Revian said before he bolted past the man and into the city of large seemingly dark stone buildings with odd glowing lamp posts between them.
"Now, then, follow me mister Cranel," the man said as he began walking not into the streets of buildings that, at least from a distance seem to be made of stone brick, but towards a stairway on the wall. "as you have likely realized, I am one of the Adamant Union's Leaders. I am the Adamants Unions sharpshooter, leading training and deployment of shooters, gunmen, scouts, as well as the majority of our defensive systems and planning. You may call me Deadbolt."
"Uh, is that a nickname or something?"
"Yes, it is," Deadbolt said as he ascended the stairs with bell behind him a few steps.
"Um, then shouldn't I-"
"Those of us in leadership roles have forsaken our names to all but select few," Deadbolt said seriously as he reached the top of the stairs much faster than Bell though possible. "By only being called our nickname, often given when we take up our position, it shows that our rank is more important than who we were. Our position is of utmost importance to the survival of everyone we protect and serve after all."
Bell finally made it to the top of the wall to find Deadbolt sitting atop one of the Crenellations, his long dark jacket blowing lightly in the wind in a way that was both ominous and strangely impressive. What also was strange were the apparatus on the wall itself. Dozens of the same things seemingly made of long boxes and rods, held to the walls by hinges with what looked like strange crates partly hidden in the crenellations themselves. There were also dimly glowing lines of blue light seemingly inset in the wall itself below his feet.
He also could see the whole of the now open field all the way to the tree's from atop the wall, courtesy of the nearly full moon.
"So," Deadbolt spoke up, pulling Bells attention back to him. "Arethusa should have left a one use transponder at that village of yours, and we haven't been contacted yet," He said as he took a small metal disc out of his pocket and showed it to bell before slipping back out of sight. "So why are you here all by your lonesome in the middle of the night?"
"I, I wanted to speak to you, you leadership, I – I wanted to ask for help in-"
" I will stop you there, kid," Deadbolt said as he held up a hand, causing his coat to shift and allow Bell to see some kind of odd object on his belt, sort of silvery and brass in coloration and glowing pale orange in places. "As should have been relayed to your people, we'll accept people here as temporary refugee's, but fighting an army in a field is a bad idea."
"But you have such powerful weapons, don't you? Shouldn't you be able to deal with them? Shouldn't you help us and-"
*click*
Bell froze as suddenly, without seeing it occur, Deadbolt was now holding the silver and brass object and pointing it at Bell, a utterly uncaring expression on his face. "You are one of those kids who have grown up being told fancy stories about heroes and shit, aren't you?"
"W-well I have been told many but why does that-"
"Because it shows in your naiveté, and arrogance," Deadbolt said with a sigh as he stowed his weapon in a flash that Bell could barely see. "Do you know the definition of arrogance?"
"uh, well -,"
"Arrogance, or more accurately being arrogant, is having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities. It can also be attributed to ones onions and ideals in some cases. In your case, it's how you look at others with power. You think that, because we have power that you feel is great, or greater than others, that we are required to use it for others, to just, bend over backwards for others, despite the dangers that it may or may not entail."
"But why can't you-"
"Stop talking," Deadbolt said seriously as his glowing eyes seemed to bore into Bells own eyes. "You believe that those with power should go out of their way to help others. Yes or no?"
"Y-yes."
"Yeah, I figured as much," Deadbolt said with a shake of his head before pointing at bell with a finger. "That sort of ideal, is going to get you in trouble. We've already offered a safe haven, why do you want us to go out there and endanger ourselves further anyway?"
"Well, people homes could be damaged and-"
"So you want us to risk the lives of our people, because you think your villagers will be too lazy to pick up and move? Too lazy to flee from danger toward safety. Because you want someone to just fly in and save everything at their own risk?"
Bell found himself staring at Deadbolt for a solid minute as nothing was said between them. Why was he here? Why had he felt he needed to convince these unknown people to help so badly? Their weapons where strong, and he had heard the conversations, heard the suggestion passed on, so why?
He knew why. "I, my grandpa, he doesn't trust you. I'm worried he'll endanger the village with his distrust, just because that girl looked sort of dragon like," Bell finally admitted slowly. "I, I just want to protect my home, but I can't fight, and I can barely hunt, and I was lied to and-"
"So you're first emotional thought was to come crying for help from those who you barely know, and who most of your people do not trust," Deadbolt said before smirking. "Brilliant, really smart there kid."
"So you'll help?"
"I'm being sarcastic."
Bell stood there looking at Deadbolt. "So, you won't help?"
"I, and that means we as in the Union, will hold ourselves to what we have already offered," Deadbolt said simply. "If your people contact us and ask for refuge, or simply come here for it, we shall provide it for a time, and if we are attacked by that army, we will utterly annihilate them down to the last man if it comes to it."
"But, if they leave to late, people could get hurt, people could die!" Bell stated in worry.
Deadbolt simply shook his head with a sigh and then looked out to the large field outside the wall. "People die all the time kid. Hypothermia kills, heatstroke too. Blood loss, poison, allergic reactions, bullets, a hungry animal, people die every day in numbers you cannot even fathom. And yeah, it sucks, but what can you do about it? You cannot save everybody. There aren't enough medical supplies to tend to every wound, and there is simply no way to be everywhere at once to save everyone." Deadbolt then looked not at Bell, but past him. "We can only protect what we can."
Bell didn't understand for a second until he turned around and looked inside the wall. From the ground it had looked like a modest town of stone buildings, but from atop the wall he could not see that the number of buildings was mind boggling. Buildings everywhere, lights illuminating the streets between them and making the sheer scale of this town, no city, to be fully realized. "How, how many people are here?"
"The last proper count was months ago before we arrived here," Deadbolt admitted with a smirk as he dramatically gestured to the city. "What you see here is the entirety of the Adamant Union, thousands of peoples, unified by our desire to survive and protect ourselves, and to not cross certain lines."
"There, must be, thousands."
"Yes. Do you get it now?" Deadbolt asked simply. "We protect the lives and needs of thousands, and we will not act in such a way that endangers them. Defensive actions are always superior, as they provide the safest way to defend ourselves with the least risk of someone's mother or father not coming back alive."
"I . . . . .I'm being selfish," Bell said after a moment of silence.
"A bit, but I'm guessing it's more based on your upbringing and the ideal therein, rather than by a direct choice,"
"But-"
"Don't try to put yourself down, kid," Deadbolt said with a chuckle. "Anytime you make some kind of world changing realization, its best to sleep on it, or meditate on it, let your mind clear so you can think about it with a calm head. And on that point, it's the middle of the night. You should be asleep."
"But where would I-" Bell began to ask, only for a shrill beeping to cut him off.
Deadbolt took out the odd disc he had taken out earlier and smiled as he looked at Bell. "Do not speak, got it?"
"Um, okay?"
"Good," Deadbolt said as he held the disc out in one hand and clicked it. And in that instant, a glowing see through image of one of the Goddess that had come to the village appeared. The one with the red hair if Bell remembered right.
"You, are not the ones that came to speak to us earlier today," she then said, her voice sounding slightly off, as if it was vibrating.
"No, they were emissaries, while I am one our actual leaders. You may call me Deadbolt. Am I to assume you, yours, and the villages will be coming to the Adamant Union for a time?"
"We have decided to take you up on your offer for our own safety, yes, however we wish to know a number of things before-"
"Look eyepatch, this transponder only has limited charge so I'll tell it to you simply. While here we'll care for your needs, but you will be required to work. Additionally, any sort of violence started by your own people against ant member of the Union will be looked down upon to a drastic degree. The specifics can be worked out when you arrive. Have your people left yet?"
". . . no, we are planning to leave shortly though and travel throughout the night to-"
"Then you'll arrive likely in midmorning with that army a mere few hours behind you. Better get moving patchy, see you in the daytime," Deadbolt said as he tapped the disc, causing it to turn off. He then looked to Bell. "Looks like your friends will be coming after all."
"Y-yes."
"You sound worried."
"No I just," Bell paused for a moment before looking at Deadbolt. "why were you being so rude to a Goddess?"
Deadbolt stared at bell for a second, then a minute, before very suddenly breaking into a fit of deep laughter that looked like it would make him fall off the wall. "Oh that was, that was good you-" Deadbolt stopped as he looked at Bells face, then smirked. "You were being serious, weren't you?"
"Yes."
"you think that woman was a god?"
"A Goddess."
"Right . . . . . you seriously think that woman, is a god?"
"Yes, she is a Goddess," Bell said simply.
Deadbolt let out a chuckle. "you know how insane that makes you sound?"
"What do you mean?" Bell asked curiously. "Do the gods not walk among people where you come from?"
"Ha, walk among people, absurd," Deadlock said with a shake of his head as he slid of the crenellation of the wall. "Gods are nothing but made up names that people use to justify their crimes and horrors, to give meaning to their pathetic ideals and to give their hateful actions some sense of self-imposed honor, nothing more."
"Why would you say that?"
Deadbolt scoffed and shook his head. "It's not something you would understand kid, but try to imagine just for a moment. Fanatical maniacs who burn people alive on the fields of combat while screaming the name of their god, beings who tear the hearts and organs out of their victims to graft them onto their own bodies like horrendous masses of mere flesh. Imagine armies of armored warriors chanting the hymen of their gods while charging toward your people, their cries carrying the promise of death and suffering, all because you will not accept their beliefs as true. Imagine for a moment, that every belief system, god, spirit, and worshiped being is merely a form for a peoples to throw their hateful and dominating ideals into others as a way to honor their most horrid ideals into physical form."
Bell opened his mouth to speak, to say something, but stopped when he noticed Deadbolt's expression. His eyes, those glowing spheres of light told of nothing, but his expression was pained and morose as he spoke up again.
"That is what religion is on the rim, merely a thing that lets people abuse others and forces their opinions on others, no different than that fucking empire of sin."
" . . Uh, um,"
"Sorry, that was too far for you," Deadbolt said as he motioned with a hand for Bell to follow him and began heading down the stairs. "Our refugee barracks is mostly done, and there are beds there. You can sleep there tonight."
"Oh, thank you," Bell said as he followed Deadbolt down the stairs.
"Hmm, we'll see how thankful you are in the morning," deadbolt said simply. "After all, those who do not work, do not eat."
