Chapter 94: Man vs Strategy

Chapter 94: Man vs Strategy

The battle was won, the dragons were dead, the slaves were safe. All in all, Basil called it a good day.

You know, the last dragon we encountered took my second life, Plato said as Rosemarine dragged a beheaded white wyrms corpse outside the factory. The creature had been called Scalefrost from what Basil gathered, and was killed while attempting to kill all his captives. No matter the gruesome nature of the monsters death, the Dragonknight couldnt bring himself to pity him. This one folded in two blows. Do you think its a coincidence?

Not when you possess a dragonslaying blade, Basil replied. Platos singing sword Joyeuse was the only weapon in the teams arsenal even stronger than his halberd. Ill admit fighting dragons has lost its luster though.

Steamslime had been the hardest challenge the team faced during the first Incursion and his defeat cost Basils team two casualties. Roarwing and his compatriot possessed over twice his level, yet died pitifully easily. Although Basil was loath to thank it considering the damage it had done to his world, the System was the great equalizer; it let small humans and cats stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the mightiest of monsters.

Rosemarine laid Scalefrosts corpse next to Roarwings; both of them had been beheaded. The tropidrake glanced at her two distant cousins, an idea clearly forming in her mind. She swiftly grabbed the heads of the dragons and switched them on the others body. The final result was as morbid as it was absurd.

Do you like it better this way, Mister? Rosemarine asked. Her tail wagged behind her in anxious anticipation.

You have a future in taxidermy, Rosemarine, Basil encouraged her crafting aspirations.

Rosemarine chirped in delight. I have created art! I have made something, with my own two hands!

Basil had the feeling this was the beginning of a tale both great and terrible.

So what do we do with them? Plato asked while licking his ass; grooming himself was the only thing he took off his Simba costume for. We parade them before screaming children to raise funds?

That was something Shellgirl would probably do, but Basil was more practical. The scales will make for good armor, he said. The claws, fangs, and bones can be used to forge weapons. Now that I think of it, I wonder if I could find a weapon Crafter to help refine my halberd further

And the meat? Plato asked.

Mmm Basil considered many recipes. Steamslimes flesh had tasted like a mix of snail and chicken. He supposed Roarwing and Scalefrost probably leaned towards the latter, but he would have to run tests to be sure. Its been a while since weve eaten burgers, and dragon meat should make for nice steaks once fried weve got enough cheddar and vegetables from Hungary for everyone.

Can I have one too, Mister? Rosemarine pleaded. A very big one, with toasted bread?

Plato chuckled at Rosemarines suggestion. Wouldnt it be cannibalism if you were to eat another dragon?

Goblins were Beast types like you, Basil reminded him. That didnt stop you from eating them roasted.

Plato mulled over his words for a few seconds, before raising his paw and examining it quizzically. His head turned to face Basil himself with a truly worried look.

Basil stared back at his best friend blankly. What are you imagining?

Can you swear to me it was always goblin meat? Plato asked with a low, dreadful tone. That it wasnt some other meat? Feline meat?

What the? Im never going to cook cats, Basil protested. Even my palate has standards.

You were considering it, the day the System appeared, Plato said, his eyes squinting at his former owner. I remember it clearly.

I wouldnt mind eating myself, Rosemarine thought it wise to add. I would taste sweet with all the sugar in my veins.

Is that truly how you see me, Plato? Basil complained. Someone who will eat anything and anyone?

Plato held his gaze without answering.

Okay, Im out of here, Basil said as he walked away, with Rosemarine following him dutifully. Lets check on the workers and forget this conversation ever happened.

I cant, Plato said gloomily as he remained behind, paralyzed. The doubt consumes me.

If you become a vegetarian, Plato, Im kicking you out of this team, Basil grumbled as he left. He could tolerate the pee on his bed, the constant meowing during the mating season, the rude awakenings, but he had to draw the line somewhere.

After claiming the factory, the Bohens had swiftly claimed a warehouse as a Lair and added it to the ever-expanding portal network connecting them to their allies across Europe. The European army had deployed a group of deminers to help remove the slave collars keeping the workers bound to the premises. As it turned out, the Unity had installed multiple layers of failsafes on the devices; taking control of the facility helped Vasi remove some of them, but not all.

As it odd as it sounded, the dragons made it harder for outsiders to free their slaves than to take over their gearsmen.

I guess that makes some twisted amount of sense, Basil thought grimly. Crafters can help make gearsmen. Theyre more valuable, more dangerous.

The deminers had gathered the workers in a line outside a warehouse. Half a dozen men in heavy armor worked around the clock to disable the slave collars around the former slaves necks. Basil watched the process happen with a quizzical look; one deminer started by using a spell to suppress the runes around the collars, while two others used specialized shears to remove it from the victim. A fourth man then disposed of the disabled devices into a black box covered in magical symbols, while a fifth gave the freed slave a quick medical checkup.

Kalki was also present, using his charming demeanor and music to put the workers at ease during the procedure. Quite a few sweated and held their breath as deminers worked on their collars, fearing for their lives. Twenty former slaves were now free to breathe at last, but ten times their number remained enthralled for now.nove(l)bi(n.)com

Hello! Rosemarine introduced herself to everyone with a toothy grin. I am Rosemarine Eglantine de la Barthe! I am so happy to meet you all!

Her words and dragonliness were met with screams of terror from the slaves; even those who had been liberated. A slave in the middle of having his collar removed tried to escape, but only succeeded in tripping on a deminer. His collar started beeping the moment he landed on the ground, much to his horror.

Shit, shit! A deminer promptly tackled the worker and pinned him to the ground. Gary! Gary, cast the suppression spell!

Neutralization, Neutralization! shouted one of his comradesGary, Basil assumedas he bombarded the collar with white waves of energy. The runes flickered, yet the collar kept beeping. Im sorry, I cant! We well have to amputate!

Amputate what, the head?! his fellow deminer snarled at him, while the worker started to sweat in fear. Basil could smell the piss between the latters legs from here. Gary, you stupid ass, stop spitting shit and do your job!

Im sorry, boss, Im sorry, poor Gary apologized, trembling as he cast his spell. Neutralization, Neutralization, Neutralization!

The runes flared to life only to switch out like lamps running out of energy. The collar promptly stopped beeping. The worker responded by bursting into tears, with the deminer holding him gently patting him on the head as if he were a kitten in an attempt to calm him down. Poor Gary received no applause for his efforts.

The spectacle did nothing to pacify the rest of the workers. Basil raised his hands and tried to reassure them. Its okay everyone, Rosemarine is one of the good ones! She helped free you!

You can feed on my blood, if youre hungry, Rosemarine said kindly. Like Jesus!

It greatly pleased Basil that the tropidrake remembered her catechism, but her words only agitated the Crafters further. Kalki brought his silver flute to his lips and played a slow, soothing song. His music relaxed everyone present, even Basil himself. He felt the stress he had accumulated during the battle flow out of his body like sweat.

Kalkis melody cured everyone of the [Terror] ailment!

Thank you, Kalki, Basil said before addressing his countrymen. By now they had calmed enough to listen. Were all friends here! Im Bulgarian, like you! Basil Bohen, born and bred in Varna! Accept no substitutes!

His wordsand his noticeable native accentseemed to reach their hearts. Are you with the Swords of Saint George? one of the collared workers in the line asked, a male in his fifties. The resistance movement?

Uh, no, Basil admitted. He had heard of the organization since his mother had taken refuge among them, but he had yet to encounter them. I just returned all the way from Western Europe.

This caught Basils full attention. Maxwell? he guessed immediately. Thats how he made his way to Earth?

I assume so. Walter traced a path from one sphere to another. This is a chain of worlds that have been linked together by the Trimurti System in one form or another, starting from Elysium. Every single link in the chain has met a violent end, without exception. Theyve exploded into smithereens, collapsed on themselves, or purely vanished.

Basils blood boiled within his veins. He had expected to hear something like this ever since they encountered Maxwell in Paris, but to have it confirmed filled his heart with anger. The atrocities happening to Earth werent a one-time thing.

They were part of a much larger, cosmic pattern.

Hes destroying worlds, Shellgirl guessed in disgust. Like a snake oil salesman, he ruins a place and bails out before consequences can catch up to him.

How many? Kalki asked, his voice weakening.

Hard to say, Walter admitted. Ive identified at least ten links in the chain, but the final number must be exponentially higher. If this is truly Maxwell's work, then he has been doing it for a very long time.

Kalki looked at the ground, his gaze empty. Basil winced at the sight. Hey, he said, putting his hand on the bards shoulder. Its not your fault.

I Kalki shook his head and held Walters gaze. It didnt seem he had heard Basils words; or rather, they didnt register. Why? Why is he doing it? What purpose could all this destruction serve?

Hes told us once before, Vasi said, her voice dripping with disgust. It amuses him.

I suspect there is more to it, Walter countered. The System summoning process does not have to be as violent as the one Dismaker Labs used, bringing it at all to a new world demands immense preparation and resources. If Maxwell is truly responsible for this devastation, then he has been repeating his modus operandi for centuries. I simply cannot fathom someone working so hard to set up such a complex operation, repeatedly, only for ones amusement. He must gain something from it.

What? Shellgirl asked with a skeptical frown. Souls? Loot? Does the world drop a treasure when it dies?

Walter shrugged his shoulders. I cannot say without further data. I suspect you will figure it out in time, and once you do, we can put an end to this pattern.

We? Basil scowled. I thought you said you didnt care for Earth?

I do not, Walter replied without skipping a beat. However, the pointless, repeated destruction of worlds is not something I can tolerate. Whatever phenomenon follows this Anton Maxwell might one day reach my home or planets in which I have a key interest.

Its always about business with you, Basil said with some scorn. He was thankful the necromancer was considering helping them further, but his utter lack of compassion disturbed him.

Once you reach my age, if you do, you will learn that emotional detachment is the key to happiness. Walter shrugged and changed the subject. Otherwise, I have studied the gearsman schematics Vasi so kindly brought to me. Ive told you before that any creature with levels has a soul. After a few tests, Ive concluded this machine was no different.

We use a special substance called powerstones in my world, Vasi mentioned. They are pure magic made solid, harvested from the fossilized remains of dragons and fairy lords.

The runestone cores that power these golems function under similar lines, Walter confirmed. They are the coalesced remnants of souls and emotions once carried by powerful magical beings.

So gearsmen are sentient, like Steve? Basil squinted in skepticism. Why havent they shown any hint of it?

Free will is a complicated thing, Basil. Walter smiled thinly. You cannot cherry-pick the parts you want from those that you dont. If you grant a golem the ability to grow and evolve beyond its boundaries, then you also give it the ability to think for itself. You give it the ability to ask questions, and most importantly, to disobey.

Kalki, who had seemed lost in his guilt so far, snapped his head in Walters direction. Theyre slaves, he whispered in horror.

Of a sort, Walter confirmed without any hint of emotion. From what I can tell these gearsmen are deliberately deprived of free will during the construction process. Their souls are born shackled. They give experience, but they cannot gain any nor take levels. Its standard golem-creation procedure, really. The Unitys construction process only differs in its scale and industrial standardization.

Basil asked how this could be possible to starve someone of experience, since it went against the Trimurti Systems very foundation until he remembered his first day. When I gained my first level, he said, reminiscing, I was offered the possibility of increasing difficulty. I could even remove the ability to gain levels.

The Unity must exploit this feature during the construction process, Vasi theorized. Is it possible to awaken the soul inside a runestone core, Walter?

There is a Tier VI Necromancy spell that can do exactly that, the necromancer confirmed. Awaken Soul. I can teach it to you, if you wish.

The witch scowled. I am still locked to Tier IV.

At level sixty-three? Walter frowned in disapproval. Im surprised. At your level, I could cast Tier VI spells and beyond.

I need a new metamorphosis ritual, Vasi conceded. I intended to run it after the New Year.

Run it earlier, Walter chastised her. Infinite magical power can never wait.

This is only a thought, but what if Kalki squinted. What if we could spread the spell to everyone?

Basil raised an eyebrow in confusion. You mean, share knowledge of the awakening spell?

No my friend, I mean spread it. Like the flu. Kalki shook his head, his eyes burning with anger. I mistook these machines for mindless weapons, but I was wrong. They are no different than the people we freed from this factory. Their slave collars are only better hidden.

The idea sounded absurd on paper, but Basil gave it thoughtful consideration. Whereas the Apocalypse Force was a band of marauders in finite numbers, the Unity could afford to produce an infinite number of gearsmen from off-world factories. Destroying their base on the moon would cripple their operations but leave the wider empire unscathed. They were bound to come back for another round eventually.

What you suggest could wound the Unity, Basil conceded.

Or it could backfire, Vasi pointed out. We would give war machines self-awareness. Some might remain loyal to their masters, except now they would gain the ability to grow even stronger.

Why would the Unity enslave them all then? Kalki asked. A single elite robot with ten more levels than usual is worth a hundred of its mindless comrades; look at how quickly weve dealt with this factorys defenders. Yet the dragons dont even take the risk.

They are afraid, Walter conceded. Perhaps rightfully so. The larger an empire is, the more brittle it is; they require a constant influx of tributes to keep functioning. A revolt weakening the very foundations of their war effort might cripple them, perhaps even destroy them.

The machines could do worse than rebel against the Unity, Vasi pointed out. They could become hostile to everything and everyone.

Basil had seen enough Terminator movies to understand her worries. They couldnt ignore the risk, though the Unitys dragonlords and the gearsmen were equally likely to wipe each other out. This plan would be a leap into the unknown.

And is it possible at all? Vasi asked in skepticism. Unless we can actually run the necessary ritual, this discussion will lead us nowhere.

To make the Awaken Soul spell contagious would be a magical challenge worthy of an archmage. Walter smiled thinly. I might take up the challenge, but you have already asked much of me. Shellgirl kindly explained to me your commission.

Did the price match the work required? Basil asked.

It cost us all of todays loot, Shellgirl lamented. But it did.

I will see how to collaborate with this Leroy, Walter said with a smirk. I've never opened a portal to the moon before but there is a beginning to all things.