Chapter 94

Chapter 94

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The War Room, The Fortified Mansion, Medea Island

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Kata was one of the five people in the war room to whom the messenger delivered that fateful message. Lord Medean took the scroll from the messenger, swore him to secrecy, and then dismissed him. His eyes scanned the scroll quickly before passing it off to Layla, who passed it to Felin without turning her head. The guilder read the message aloud as Medean sat heavily on his throne-like chair, hands running down his face.

"My Son, I hope this letter finds you in good health," Felin recited, his voice affecting a noble tone, "It is with great sorrow and a somber heart that I must impart dire tidings that have befallen our realm. The King and his entire living bloodline were murdered a few days ago, as of sending this letter. The kingdom has been dissolved with no clear heir to unite the disparate duchies. As you have already surmised, the fleet that had been gathering to repel the invasion force, which I have no doubt you have been valiantly defending, will not be coming to your aid. Captains and Admirals have been recalled by their dukes, and the fleet splintered."

Kata could barely breathe. Medean and his Guard Captain seemed to age a decade as the worst-case scenario was confirmed. Layla remained poised and quiet, sitting in her high-backed chair.

"My own warships, while sufficient to protect our trade fleets, are no match for the force arrayed against you," His voice long lost the slightly mocking tone, Felin continued with grave seriousness, "While your wife's family remain our allies, they too will be reluctant to commit their strength. I have already heard stirrings of war as dukes prepare to repay slights and reignite old feuds. All I can offer are my prayers for your survival in these dark times. May the Gods watch over us all."

"There was a lot of flowery language, but that's the gist of it," Felin grumbled, rolling the scroll up and handing it back to Medean. The noble accepted it with a distracted nod.

"Well, that's it, then. We've no hope to fight them off on our own." Medean stated, the defeat in his voice plain to hear. Kata stiffened as she felt The Creator's presence brush her mind, feeding her lines.

"Not necessarily," Kata began, drawing the attention of the other four. "I would call this an opportunity. We could declare independence, parlay with the Bahrain, and agree to act as a supply hub in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. From the looks on your faces, that is not an option." The glares lessened but remained.

"In that case, we just win the war on our own," Kata's words turned the glares to incredulous surprise. "With no kingdom willing to commit forces to protect you, The Creator is the only one capable and willing to come to your aid. The Creator has already agreed to defend the island. But, in exchange for revealing monsters from deeper floors and committing more of his forces, He demands you acknowledge His claim on this land," She could tell the lord wanted to speak, his face reddening. Still, she continued before he could get a word in.

"He was here long before you discovered this island and will be here long after you die," Kata asserted. "By right, the Island is His. The name Guildmistress Losat calls Him is quite appropriate. Medea. The island itself. As I told the mage I fought yesterday, you are ants living on His skin. You are welcome to continue living here, farm the land, build your towns, and even delve into the Dungeon."

"But he would be in charge?" Layla finished for her, and Kata nodded.

"Preposterous!" The lord practically exploded, apoplectic with rage."A Dungeon ruling?! Never in all my life have I heard such-"

"Watch your words, Lord Medean," Kata interrupted. "Your authority ended when the kingdom supporting your claim to this island shattered into over a dozen pieces. No matter what you decide, The Creator intends to claim the island's surface. This deal, submitting to The Creator, is the only way you will be allowed to remain. If not, you will be cast from this land when the invasion is repelled."

"I-" The lord began, standing and slamming his hands on the table. Before he could say another word, Guildmistress Losat spoke over him.

"The Medea Island Guild accepts your deal." There was silence.

"Losat, have you lost your mind?!" Medean demanded.

"I will take the deal because it is our only chance of survival." Layla continued. "I have dealt with the Dungeon directly for months now. It- he is merciful and governs his... Children with what I can only describe as the lightest touch possible. From what I've heard from my Guilders, the Drake-Kin govern themselves with their Shaman Council, and the Capriccio have a single leader. I have no doubt the other kinds of Children, if capable of it, have their own form of governance." Layla directed this last statement at Kata, who was prompted to nod.

"They do," Kata confirmed. "The only ones who don't are those without the intelligence to organize themselves."

"We would be largely left alone to govern ourselves as well?" Layla questioned.

"You would, mostly. The Creator would reserve the right to appoint the head of state. Otherwise, His interference would be limited to foreign policy and regarding the regulation of the Dungeon."

"Ah, but there is where you are wrong." The Bahrain admiral smirked like he knew something we didn't. "The Phenoc King is dead, along with his entire famil-"

"We know," Kata interjected, taking the wind from his sails. "You failed to intercept the hawk. Who knew the Bahrain were such poor archers? Disgraceful." She finished with a smirk. Zlatan slumped slightly but gathered himself and powered on as if Kata hadn't said anything,

"Ahem. Your kingdom is shattered, and no navy is coming to save you. We will attack, and we will win." Eh. Didn't hit as hard with the interruption.

"What makes you so confident, Hm? Superior numbers? Our last battle proved the quality of our defenders easily trumps each of your own soldiers. Beyond that, do you not get it yet? I am negotiating, not the 'Lord' of the island or one empowered by him." Sadly, she didn't mime the quotation marks, but her tone of voice should have conveyed her disdain even without them. "I am the Voice of The Creator. You aren't fighting a small militia with no reinforcements. You're invading a dungeon, not a small island colony of a defunct kingdom."

As she spoke, the admiral paled, realizing the implications. He stuttered, but Kata swiped her hand to the side. "No. I don't want to hear whatever insulting demands you were instructed to ask of us. We will not surrender. If you have not vacated the waters around Medea by the time the ceasefire ends, you'll find out what it looks like when a dungeon goes 'all out'."

The pathetic admiral ran back to the rowboat, quickly followed by his guards. The High Archon stayed behind, staring Kata in the eyes. "What I said yesterday remains true. I have been charged with conquering this land, and I will fulfill my task." With that, the man turned and walked away at a measured pace. Though I knew he could fly away, he chose to step into the boat as it was pushed into the water.

Kata and her guards left the beach and passed through a gap in the militia. The Phenoc soldiers were uneasy, having been far enough away that they'd only heard snippets of the talks. The guilders, though, were more grim. Their hearing was good enough to have heard the entire conversation. Haythem approached Kata as she passed and spoke up.

"Miss... Voice, is what that admiral said true? The Kingdom is... gone?" As Kata looked over the crowd, I hummed and hawed over how much to release publicly.

"It is true; the entire Phenoc royal family has been assassinated, and the kingdom dissolved. The hawk bearing this news arrived early this morning." Kata confirmed gravely. Panic began to spread, but Kata continued before they could go too far. "But fear not! In His wisdom, the Creator has claimed the island's surface and its inhabitants as His own. Since they cannot protect you, this island is no longer a colony of the Phenoc Kingdom nor the Estrassen Duchey. This island will be its own kingdom! The first kingdom was ruled by a truly immortal leader: Medea! The Creator of the Children! Patron of the Elemental Courts!The Dungeon of Medea Island!"

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Bahrain Flagship Fist of The Emperor, Bahrain Invasion Fleet, The Kalenic Sea

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Grand Admiral Almaanz Shakih looked away from the pathetic, panicking man and sighed. The Dungeon had killed some of their best officers, and some of the replacements had proven they did not live up to their predecessor's capability.

"Your thoughts?" he asked the two mages. High Archon Izza looked severe, as he always was. The youngest mage to reach his office ever. Though he'd proven himself a dozen times as powerful enough to keep his role, a dozen years later, the thirty-year-old still strived to show maturity and wisdom beyond his years. The bent, elderly man beside him was the oldest Archon with the title: Jal Sagar, The High Archon of Water, and head of the Bahrain Jewel Corp.

"There is no precedent," Jal began, his voice creaking. "Truly intelligent dungeons are rare enough as it is. To reach that state naturally... It would take centuries. Perhaps even eons! The Phenoc believe it to be a Lost dungeon that gained its intelligence through subordination to a human, then killed its master. They also believe it's ancient, so it could be a combination of both. Lost dungeons are normally put down quickly, so one has never had the time to properly consolidate and take advantage of their power."

"You believe this one has?"

"I do. Izza, tell him what you told me of the monsters," Archon Sagar demanded as he perused book after book.

"Powerful, skilled, and above all balanced," Izza began when Almaanz looked at him. "These are not mana mutants spat out by lesser dungeons. These creatures have been designed, over centuries at least, to take advantage of their abilities. Refined, tested, and refined further. The one I fought, The Voice, was... less coordinated. Obviously, it's a new creation, unused to fighting in that form. The others? From what little I saw personally and what my lieutenants have told me... They are far more capable. The lizard was the most skilled, and though it was slain yesterday, today it stood before me whole and hearty."

"It was not another creature dressed up and given the same weapon as the dead one?"

"No, it was not. When shown an image of the creature made of my flame, the Diamond who killed him confirmed it. Horns in exactly the same positions, the same set to its shoulders."

"Hmmm." Almaanz hummed as he turned his gaze to the island. The sun was high overhead, and the appointed time approached. "Begin the second assault early. We will catch them off-guard."

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