A week had passed since Lily and Malroth had landed at Moonbrooke and met with the King and his few people. Lily was slowly doing her best to refortify the walls, but every time she even seemed to think about leaving the Throne Room, more monsters came to attack. She looked up when three skeletons ran around the corner, grinning at her. "Oh. For the love!"
Malroth let out a laugh and pulled out his ax, only to go still when Lily went hog-wild on the trio. He watched with a slack jaw as she threw the block of castle wall at one, smashing it to the ground and then hitting the next with her hammer from beneath, when the skull started to descend, she swung hard. That skull slammed into the last skeleton who caught it, bones clacking in surprise. "Would you leave us alone, for one Goddessdamned moment?!" The skeleton couldn't react before he was turned to dust beneath her hammer.
Malroth walked up to Lily, pulling her against him with a purr in his throat. "Need to relieve some of that anger?" She melted against him when he nipped at her neck. She really shouldn't blame the monsters completely. Malroth had been a huge distraction all on his own, it was just so hard to not… touch. And then the people of Moonbrooke needed all of these little things from her; beds, food, water… potatoes only grew so fast in this weather, even with her help.
And on top of that, Warwick hardly gave Lily and Malroth any alone time, and he would never shut up long enough for Lily to think straight about what she was working on. Not that Anessa would either. They both wanted Lily to understand why they continued to fight all these years with the army, but they only spoke at her, they didn't seem to care about having an actual conversation with the builder.
Anessa was walking around the unclaimed area, sword out as she searched for the builder and her companion. "Lily? Malroth? I thought I heard some fighting…?"
Malroth walked around the corner, tying off the belt of his pants when he nearly tripped over Anessa. He jumped back; eyes wide. "Oi! Army girl! What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? What are you doing?"
Lily popped up behind Malroth, tightening her pigtails once more as she smiled at Anessa. "Is there something I can do for you, Anessa?"
Anessa smiled at Lily as she shook her head. "No, no. Warwick asked me how your repairs were coming so I told him I'd find you and ask since I hadn't seen you since breakfast."
"They're coming." Lily lashed out, smacking Malroth in the arm when he snickered like a teenager. "The repairs. Those are coming along just fine."
"Oh, good. When you get a chance, I'd like for you and Malroth to see what we're up against. Warwick has said he'll take you on a reconnaissance trip, but you have to be sneaky about it. You wouldn't stand a chance in a direct confrontation with their entire army."
"Alright… I guess… we can go whenever Warwick is ready." Lily grumbled, not having gotten anywhere with her repairs in the last week, not like another day or two was going to make a difference.
"I'll go get him, meet him at the Southern wall in ten."
Malroth rolled his eyes when Anessa was far enough away. "Do they really not understand that we took on the Badboon and the Madusa already? You've explained that to them, right?"
"They say those guys were small fry compared to what we're facing here. I can't even complain to Tiny right now! I don't know where he's at!" Lily let the way to the Southern wall, seeing a hole in it big enough for them to slip through. "I knew he was going to make himself sparse, but still."
"Yeah, I understand that." Malroth whispered, glancing over when Warwick ran up, grinning at the two.
"Be quiet little mice, hm?" The soldier let out a soft chuckle before ducking through the hole in the wall, not hearing the snarl that left Malroth.
Lily laughed and touched his hand before guiding him after Warwick. The three climbed the mountain side until they got to an outcrop that allowed them to look out over the barricades and army that lay beneath them. "So, this is the lookout, is it?" Malroth stepped to the edge, ignoring the nervous chatter from Warwick behind him. "Look, Lil." He purred, pointing to a monster closer to the barricades on the opposite side of the battlefield. "So, that's the monster's army? The one that has you besieged?"
"Scouty skeletons defeated by pesky humans? Rumors must be true, then – builder comes to island." The troll let out a roar, clearly pleased by this news from the little skeleton. "This is good news! This means war not over yet. More fun fighty times ahead!" He brought his weapon down on the skeleton that brought him the news, eyes narrowing on Moonbrooke. "Break down their barricades! Beat them black and blue but let them live! Fun, fun fighting forever and ever!"
Malroth frowned at the words he heard faintly over the winds, he turned to Warwick, frowning at the soldier when he spoke. "Satisfied, Malroth? The fiends will stop at nothing to see us suffer, and this is only their advance guard. Anessa may have a point…" Warwick turned away, gritting his teeth with his hands fisted at his side.
Malroth let out a groan, his head lolling back from the boredom of it all. "Don't get me started on the whining windbag. She can take her 'heartfelt conviction' and stick it where the sun don't shine." He looked to Lily, frowning. "What is a 'conviction', anyway?"
Lily sighed and shook her head at him. "What Anessa did the day we got here, when she said 'So long as I live,"
The group was huddled back in the throne room, having just defeated the monsters that had attacked. Malroth was actually impressed that someone knew something useful, such as Anessa and the castle walls being a good place to start around the Throne Room. "Alright, alright, you got me there, Army Girl."
"Now we can branch out and start fortifying the other areas of the castle, it's our best chance." Anessa sighed, looking to Lily. "However, the monsters' military might is unparalleled. The very best we can hope for is to hold their forces back and stave off defeat."
"Anessa, Malroth and I have fought with two other islands, freed them from the clutches of Hargon. This one will be no different, I promise." Lily tried to laugh, but she was almost sick and tired of having to explain to everyone that she met that she and Malroth could handle anything Hargon threw at them.
"I will not stand in your way, Lily, nor Malroth's. But believe me when I say this is not a war that we can win." Anessa grumbled at the builder before standing up straight, saluting to the sky as she spoke. "So long as I live, I shall fight. This is what the Children of Hargon have taught me. And this is my heartfelt conviction!"
"What she meant was that it's something she believes in, strongly. Nothing will sway that. Until she hears the builder bell." Lily gave Malroth a sly little grin that brought a grin to his face. "Everyone sways when they hear that beautiful noise."
"Yeah, well, that sounds stupid to me. Anyway, we'd better get back to the castle – that troll seemed pretty keen to get the party started." Malroth was vibrating with the desire for a nice hard battle. He all but scooped Lily up and ran down the mountain path ahead of Warwick who was begging them to quiet down as they ran back to the castle.
Anessa was waiting for them on the other side of the wall, arms crossed over her chest. "I hear- I mean, see that you're back from your little scouting expedition. As you've now seen for yourself, the monsters have us completely blockaded. We can't simply walk out of the front door whenever the fancy strikes us." She shook her head as she thought a little bit. "At this stage, our best bet – I dare say our only – course of action is to gather what resources we can and use them to fortify our position."
"And we must be swift." Warwick was panting by the time he caught back up with Malroth who was still holding a giggling Lily on his shoulder. "It would seem the fiends are preparing to sally against us forthwith…" He looked up at Lily who had finally stopped giggling. "Builder, at present, only the throne room is fortified – let us begin there and expand outwards. The King might throw a little fit, but I think any and all work stations you need should be put in the Throne Room, you need a safe place to work."
Lily rolled her eyes when Malroth set her down and she got to work on finding all of the different stations she would need, setting them up in the throne room. Though, she hadn't even gotten the anvil when a small troop of skeletons showed up to harass her. Between Malroth, Warwick and Anessa though, Lily was able to move the rest of the tools she needed into the Throne Room. The King understood, but he wasn't happy about it in the slightest.
"Alas, those skeletons have us surrounded… with their watchful sockets ever fixed upon us, it may prove difficult to leave the castle grounds. But if we are to gather the materials we need, we must! We must be sneaky about-"
Lily held a hand up, cutting Warwick off. "Look, thanks for trying to tell me how to gather resources, but I know I can gather them just fine. You should have seen Malroth and I back on Khrumbul-Dun, fighting off monsters and collecting ore, we'll be fine."
Malroth pushed off the wall he was leaning on with his shoulder, grinning at Warwick and Lily. "That's right. Lily, you focus on building and gathering materials from here on out, I'll smash any monster that gets in your way."
"A gatherer and a hunter, eh? I had my doubts when looking at you two, but it seems like you make a pretty good team." Anessa was sitting on the workbench, eyeing the two of them.
Lily frowned at Anessa, wishing she wasn't sitting there. "Yeah. We get that a lot."
"Allow me to join the team as well! Malroth and I shall follow your footsteps and keep the fiends at bay, so you can focus on the fortifications!" Warwick stood straight, trying to look ready for whatever fight loomed ahead.
Before the three could leave the Throne Room though, Gerome blocked the door, eyes narrowed on Lily. "I don't know why you came to this accursed island, but ever since you arrived the monsters have grown ever more fierce."
"Do you have a point?" Lily glared at the old man, wishing he'd shove off so she could get to work.
"I'm sure young Warwick has told you already, but you mustn't waste your precious time trying to fight them all off. Just ignore them, and they'll go away eventually."
"Yes. He made that clear."
"You'd be far better served retreating to within the fortifications – we shall join you there once the beastly beasts are bested! Speaking of beasts – I have the most beastly hunger. You don't happen to have anything I could eat… do you?"
Lily slowly pulled out a cooked potato that she had made earlier that day, eyeing the old man as she took a bite of it. "Oddly enough, no. I don't."
Gerome let out a whimper as Lily pushed past him and went outside to start collecting fortifications with Malroth and Warwick at her back. Malroth burst into laughter at the look on Gerome's face as they slipped outside. "Lily! You're so cruel! I love it!"
Soon the throne room was littered with beds and tools of all kinds, but Lily had yet to be able to reclaim any other rooms with the monsters appearing as soon as she stepped outside the door. It was going to drive her mad. She rubbed her head, growling. "A week, Mal! A fucking week and I've built one room!"
Malroth sat with her at the dock, enjoying the stolen moment of peace they could have. The monsters hadn't noticed them sneak out this last time, and Warwick hadn't either, he had been too busy calming the King down over all the new things in the throne room. He bit into the warm potato, giving Lily a side eye. "Ring the bell, dummy."
"The bell?! Oh, my Goddess-"
Malroth let out a laugh and took another bite of his potato. "We need more soldiers anyways. When we head back you can fortify that room next as quick as you can. There are plenty of castle walls behind the room that you can use."
Lily leaned over, kissing him; despite his mouthful of potato. "You're a genius and I love you."
"You just need someone who doesn't succumb to the same stress that you do." He purred against her lips, pulling her back into another kiss before following her back to the castle.
The two came running through the canyon, Lily grinning ear to ear as she started collecting castle walls. Malroth was having a hay day bashing skulls of skeletons that tried to surprise them. "Warwick! Anessa! Get your asses out here! You too, Gerome!" Malroth roared as he knocked three skeletons away from Lily with a wild swing of his ax.
Lily glanced back at Malroth, seeing the hunger growing in his eyes. The others barely ran out by the time Malroth had smashed half the skeletons and Lily had already finished the room. Malroth popped his neck, a growl still leaving him as he forced himself to cool down. "Just kidding, we finished." Lily grinned as she spun in the new bell room, arms pointing towards the bell that hung in front of them.
"What is this supposed to be?" The King poked his head out of the Throne Room, frowning at Lily.
"C'mon out and I'll show you, Your Majesty." Lily gave him her signature goofy grin as she pulled her hammer out, eyes locked on the bell.
Malroth closed his eyes, letting the magic rush around him. He bit back the growl that started to leave him from the rush of it, it felt desperate. He could smell desperation on Lily, not that she would admit that to him or anyone else; but she had been running out of ideas. The monsters were relentless here, they had been almost pampered back on Khrumbul-Dun with how few monsters attacked the town. When he opened his eyes though, he saw a sparkle in Anessa's eyes as well as Gerome's and the King's. While Warwick looked almost nervous. He started to walk up to the soldier when Gerome pointed out that there were people outside.
"And I have this sudden urge to… build!" Warwick quickly shook off that nervous air about him that Malroth noticed. "I never thought this peculiar bell might harbor such power!"
The group that was outside came running in, looking for protection from the monsters that were waiting for them outside. "Zara!" Anessa rushed down from her spot next to Lily and the bell, hugging the female soldier that was with the group. "I can't believe it! You're back!"
"You don't look like a military woman." Zara hugged Anessa back before she looked Lily up and down before glancing back at Malroth, her eyes slowly scanning the bare muscles of his torso. "Who is your new friend, Warwick, Anessa?"
"I'm Lily. I'm the builder that's going to rebuild your home."
"A b-b-builder?! Heavens forbid! The Master of Destruction will surely strike us down for keeping such company!" Zara jumped back from Lily; eyes wide with shock.
Malroth moved forward, hiding Lily behind him as the others ooh'd and awed at her. "No one is getting struck down from any Master of any kind." He hissed at them.
"The moment I heard that bell ring out, that's when I knew – you are the one! The builder who will save Moonbrooke from its futile fate! I know now what must be done. I must abandon the Children of Hargon and become a builder like you!" Warwick saluted Lily, eyes bright as he looked at her from around Malroth.
Mal glanced over his shoulder at Lily, seeing what she thought of this declaration as the others almost had heart attacks from it. Anessa ran up to Warwick, shaking him. "Are you insane!?"
"I had a feeling your faith wasn't that strong, Warwick…" Gerome looked away from the younger soldier, shame in his eyes. "A single clanger's clapper is enough to make you renounce your faith. This bell will be the end of us, I tell you!" Then he glared towards his comrades, not being quiet as he spoke. "That's if these newcomers to the castle don't finish us off first. There may be an enemy spy in their midst! A traitor! A mole!"
"You think one of them is a mole…? Get your glasses checked, grandad. They're obviously all human." Malroth scoffed at the old man, arms crossed over his bare chest.
"I am with Warwick! The resounding ring of that bell drew the veil from my eyes! I cannot stay in the Children of Hargon one moment longer!" The King let out a deep laugh that started in his belly.
"No, Your Majesty! Not you too! Do not make any rash decisions, I prithee!" Gerome gasped, running up to his King and falling to his knees with wide eyes.
"I know not if we can defeat Hargon's hordes… they outnumber us by a truly horrendous margin… But now, we have hope! And so long as a shred of hope remains, we must try, Gerome!" He turned to Lily as he headed for the Throne Room. "This is where you come in, Lily. Come, speak with me, girl. We have much to discuss…" Before he got to the other room though, his voice boomed around the bell room. "Hear me, my subjects! I speak not just to Lily, but to all citizens of Moonbrooke,"
"For many long, grueling years have we done battle against the monsters' beastly brigades. It was our duty, as faithful followers of the Children of Hargon, to keep the fires of war aflame. But no more! If the royal castle can be rebuilt, our armies strengthened… then we may yet end this war and emerge victorious! For this, we of Moonbrooke shall need your help, Builder! This is my decree!"
Lily let out a soft groan that had Malroth snickering. "Just what we need… another hot shot who thinks he's helping." She whispered against his shoulder as she watched the King closely.
"So far it's been 'build this', 'build that', but now we get to smash some skulls." Malroth was purring as he looked back at Lily, a dark look in those hungry red eyes. "You can count me in for this one!"
"Warwick, my boy, you are the finest swordsman in all of Moonbrooke. You will be responsible for Lily's safety. See that no harm comes to her." The King ordered the blue-haired man before addressing Anessa. "You are my most cunning strategist. I leave it to you to guide Lily in expanding our fortifications in the most efficient manner." He saw the need in her eyes to say something, to be heard. "Worry not, Anessa, I will not force you to submit to Lily and give up your teachings just yet, not until you are ready. But it is crucial that the castle be rebuilt, no matter what it is that you're after."
Malroth and Warwick were following Lil as she ran around, slowly collecting bits and pieces of wall so she could fortify the area with the potatoes she had found. She threw a few bricks down, clearly frustrated when yet another group of skeletons came running up. "That's it! I'm done! This is taking too long!" She slammed her hammer against the wall, frowning when it didn't do hardly any damage to the bricks. "This hammer isn't cutting it!"
Anessa watched the builder as she worked on a new hammer and a new ax, both deadlier than the weapons that Lily and Malroth currently used. "Lily… may I talk to you… about something?"
"What." Lily didn't mean to sound sharp with Anessa, but she was focused, and the girl had bad timing.
"I… the truth is… I have had a strange feeling of late. Even when this place is at peace, it feels as if there were a monster in our midst. Or perhaps… someone working for them…"
"Not more of this spy shit, please. Gerome is old and senile-"
"You're right, I'm sorry. I haven't even an inkling on where to start… forgive me. Now is the time to celebrate, not to indulge in base rumor." Anessa started to leave the builder alone when she turned, looking back at Lily. "I will say this though, builder. Be careful who you trust on the battlefield. Pay no heed to a warrior's words, only to his deeds. This is not your world, Builder. Trust no one. Not me, not even your closest friend…"
Lily straightened up, frowning at the back of Anessa's head as she left the Throne Room. "I already dislike it here." She hissed as she went back to work on her new hammer. She paused though, her body relaxing as she remembered floating in the darkness. Her grandmother, Dracken. She needed to build a room of her own so she could talk to the being and so she could see Tiny again.
Once she was done, she made quick work of the next area, easily blocking it off. She added a small room for the potatoes to grow in without fuss from the others. Along with more beds for the soldiers and civilians alike to sleep in and a war room to appease the King and Gerome. With a breath to breathe, Lily relaxed, a smile on her lips. Until Zara came up to her. "Lily, I'm sorry to bother you-"
"I doubt it but go on."
Zara gave a nervous smile but continued on. "All of our weapons are outdated… would you be willing to make us new ones?"
"Huh? I have some made, I saw Anessa with a copper sword of all things earlier. They're in the chest next to my anvil."
"Oh! Wow! Thank you."
When the girl didn't leave Lily, Lily let out a groan and rolled her eyes. "Do you have a theory on the traitor, Zara?"
"Wh-What…? Uhm… well…" She chewed on her bottom lip before glancing at Lily again. "It seems someone secretly switched Warwick and Anessa's weapons for blunted practice swords… I hesitate to say it aloud, but I think there may really be an enemy spy in the castle! It gives me shivers just thinking about it!"
"Then stop thinking about it." Lily turned away from Zara, yanking her hand away when the other girl grabbed her. "Zara."
"Lily! You have to listen at some point! I hate to distrust my sworn comrades, but I for one will be sleeping with one eye open from now on… and I suggest you do the same!"
