Infiltreetion

Year 147 (end of year)

The 2nd crusades brewed in the distant horizon. A thousand ships set sail from all the continents, but most of them would not make land, only the force led by the hero will first make landfall. At least, that’s the plan we heard. 

“What is our victory condition?” I asked Kei this question as the war preparations went on. “Are you willing to kill your friends?” I wanted to be sure she was on the same side, and what her ‘line’ in the sand was. 

She shook at the word, ‘kill’. “I.... I’m not sure. I thought of defeating them, and they’ll go away.”

Ugh. Now she lacks the conviction.

“I’ll keep defeating them.”

“There’s two of them and one of you. And then they will come back again. Stronger, and bigger. Realistically speaking, if we want to win, no, for this to be a victory, the two of them must die. The crusades will not stop if the heroes live. The temples will not allow the heroes to retreat.” 

“Can we capture them instead?” Kei said. “I want them to see the journals. That’s the minimum I want to try. Maybe we can change their mind.”

This was insane. “The journals can’t leave the room. The heroes enchanted it so that it’s magically bound to that tree.” 

“Then we capture them, and lead them here.”

“What you want to do will put us in tremendous danger.” Defeating the heroes is hard enough. Capturing these star-mana powered superweapons?

She thought for a moment, and then said. “Not if I play my part properly. I’ll need your help.”

-

“Kei!”

“Alvin, Hans. I got a plan, but I need both of you to come, preferably just the two of you.”

“Huh.” The two heroes paused. 

“I think I can sneak both of you to Aeon directly. No need for any large crusading party. If we defeat Aeon first, together, the continent will fold anyway. What do you think? The army can come afterwards, and it’ll be a resounding victory for them.”

“It smells like a trap, Kei.”

“I know, but we’re heroes. There’s two of you, and one of me, and the enemy’s just a tree.” Kei said. “What do you think? It’s the best way to save the cursed continent without spilling too much blood. So much was already sacrificed in the earlier crusades.”

They thought for some time. “We’ll have to discuss this with the High Command of the Crusaders.” 

“Yes, do so. But please, consider my suggestion. A small strike team will be super effective. I’ll also lead you to the Tree’s stockpile of hero items.”

-

“Let’s do it.” Hans and Alvin reached out a week later. It was predictable, since the temples were not really willing to risk life and limb for victory. But if the temple was more than willing to let the heroes risk it all. It’s really par for the course. 

They’ve done it with the demon kings, and they will do it again with me.

“Alright. Here’s the plan.” Kei explained over their magical concall.

-

Hans and Alvin arrived in a small high speed ship, their ship stopped in a quiet, mostly secluded bay. There was no ship in that area. 

The two of them landed with a small team of soldiers from the temples. The soldiers would stay back and keep watch. 

“We’re here.” I had already emptied that targeted location once the plan was set in motion. “Rather lax defenses, not what we were expecting.”

I had a feel of their power, I had tree-sensors in the area, and the bay was filled with trees. They were weaker than Kei for sure. Kei had the benefit of power-levelling in the Rottedlands, and so she scored more kills during the demon king battles. 

“With all the trees here, maybe he already knows we are coming.” Hans said. “But I don’t sense any magic.” Of course they can’t. Their detection abilities are just above average. 

“Hello.” Kei said, she appeared from behind a coconut tree. “Finally, I get to see you two again.”

Alvin immediately ran over. “Are you alright, Kei? Did the Tree torture you or anything?”

Kei smiled. “Look at me.”

Alvin paused. “Just to be sure, the temples gave me this.” He took out some kind of water, and he splashed it on Kei. 

Kei immediately shouted. “What the hell.”

“It’s holy water, the priests said. It’ll wash off any mind control and demonic influence.” 

Kei frowned. “As if such things would work on me.” 

“We never know. The Tree did manage to brainwash an entire continent to rebel against the 4 temples.” Alvin gave Kei a hug. “Glad to see you again.”

“Yeah. Come.” Kei took out a bag with a change of clothes. They were military uniforms of the Valtrian Order. “I stole some military outfits of the defense force. Remember, let me do the talking.”

-

The three heroes were soon at a military outpost in the far south. It was a small outpost, but there was a beetle-truck stop here. 

“Walk normally like you belong. Think spy movies.” Kei said. The two boys straightened their backs. “Walk behind me.”

“Good Evening, Lady Kei.” A soldier saluted as the three walked into the outpost.

Kei nodded. She was also in a military uniform, but her uniform was one of a higher status, similar to those of the Valthorn’s upgraded classers. The two walked behind her. “When’s the next beetle arriving?”

“To where, milady?” The soldier asked.

“Freshka.”

“In two hours.” 

“Got it. Thanks.” Kei said and she turned. “We have some time, let’s eat.” She led them to a canteen in the outpost. There was a very small force in that outpost, and most of them left after seeing them.

“Why do they seem to be afraid of you?” Hans asked once there was no one else. 

“Because I outrank them. I’m an honorary Valthorn, which makes me part of the elite force.” 

Alvin nodded. “It’s clever that you so easily snuck into-” Kei immediately lunged forward, her hand covered his mouth. 

“Don’t say it.” Kei looked stern.

The boys both nodded. This was an espionage! One that I am watching through all the trees everywhere. Even Kei doesn’t know I could see so much. 

“What are we waiting for?”

“Beetle-carriages. They’re kinda like long range buses that travel from selected outposts to various destinations throughout the continent.” The two boys nodded, impressed. 

“Wow. They’re advanced in this aspect.”

“Yes. Now, both of you are my assigned escorts, here’s your fake name tags and papers.” Kei took out a stack of papers with tags and various badges. She pinned it on them. “Refer to me as Lady Kei. If you see someone with the same uniform as me, refer to them as a superior rank. If you don’t know their name, just say Yessir. Got it?”

“Yes. Why didn’t you tell us all this earlier?”

“I just didn’t remember that I needed all this then.” Kei said frankly. “Now, come. The convoys should be here soon. I’ll get an exclusive one for us.”

-

Year 148

“How long will this journey take?” Hans asked a week into the journey

“Five weeks. Usually it takes only two, but the express beetles are on other duties, and it’s winter, so the travel speed of the beetles are slower. They're more sluggish during this time. This beetle will stop in a few cities along the way, maybe we can try to catch an express beetle. This path also has less... traffic.”

They were wrapped in thick winter jackets supplied by the Valtrian Order. The south was usually warmer, but the path they chose took them through to the highlands. The beetles stopped at one of the mountain snow-covered towns. These were the winter-adapted beetles, product of my earlier research to counter the effects of cold. Still, they had to travel close to the [subsidiary trees]. 

The mountain town also had a small group of soldiers. Here, it was a mix of militia and Valthorns. The local town maintained a militia to deal with various monsters that spawn from the snowlands. 

“Let’s take a break. I have to submit some reports to the local Valthorns, and we’ll need to do some monster extermination missions here.”

“Why?”

“To keep up our cover, stupid.” Kei said. They hunted some mountain icegoats and frost lizards for two days, and then resumed their journey. 

“Alright. This beetle is going to take us to Fortress Arkiad. It’s one of the larger southern fortresses, and a key staging ground of the defense force. I suggest both of you memorise this place well for your later battles. We will need the local commander, so, again, let me do the talking.”

Throughout the Central Continent, we had many, many staging grounds and Fortresses. Fortress Arkiad is one such Fort. It had three [Giant Attendant Trees], and tonnes of wooden walls and defenses around it. 

“Holy cow.” They both said. It was their first time seeing the Giant trees. 

“Aeon is larger. So shut it.” Kei said, as the beetle approached the gates. A group of six well-dressed soldiers approached them. The beetle also lowered it’s body. 

“Papers please.”

Kei quickly flashed her badge and handed over her papers. She looked at the two behind him. She coughed. “Papers.”

The two quickly scrambled to find their documents and presented them to the soldiers. “Alright, you can pass.”

The beetle stopped right after the wooden gates. “Impressive, right?” Kei smiled. “These are all magically reinforced wood, and hyper resistant to fire, contrary to common belief.”

“Resistant to fire?” Both Hans and Alvin responded.

“Yes. Strange but true. Come. As a senior Valthorn I must meet the commander. Both of you will come with me. It’s the first time you’ll meet a Valthorn Classer, and the first time in a giant tree.”

The Fortress Commander’s office was high up in the Giant Attendant Tree, and getting there meant walking in the spiral stairs or taking one of the wooden pulleys. “Shit this place is straight out of a fantasy.”

Kei glared at Hans. 

“Oops. Sorry milady.” 

The Commander’s Office was a large room with open windows. “Greetings Commander Lovis.” Kei said. 

“Ah, Lady Kei. Welcome to Fortress Arkiad again. How long will you stay this time?”

“Just a day or two. I’ll need to head off to Freshka soon. Aeon summoned.”

“I see.” Lovis instantly leapt and stopped right in front of Hans and Alvin. They both gulped. Lovis recently capped out at Level 85 as a [Spearmaster]. “Strange, your two escorts... they smell funny.”

Only a select few were privy to the plan. Lovis was genuinely suspicious of Hans and Alvin. The two heroes froze. They were easily stronger than Lovis, but their mental state was weak. I wonder whether it’s because they got their levels too quickly.

“It’s the sea. I believe they were stationed on the outer trade islands.” Kei responded calmly. 

“I see. Both of you better get a shower. It’s improper for escorts to make your lady defend you.” Lovis said. 

Kei chuckled. “I’ll see to it. If we may?”

“Yes, yes. Go ahead. Use our facilities as you please, Lady Kei.”

-

“Who was that again?” Hans asked. He clearly didn’t pay any attention when Kei explained earlier. To heroes, most people are just npcs. Not worth remembering. 

“Lovis. [Spearmaster]. I believe she’s Level 85.” 

“Shit.” Hans was impressed, even though he was clearly stronger. “I could beat her, but she has a presence.”

Kei smirked. “She’s not the only one.”

“No wonder the first crusade lost. The number of people at that level... I think the kingdoms have only a few.”

-

After another three weeks of travelling, they entered the domain of the Freshlands. 

“On your left, in the distance, is what remains of the Rottedlands. Carved up by Aeon’s magical energies.” Kei said. 

“The temples said Aeon made a deal with the demons.” Alvin said. 

“Well, then the ground we are now on is all demon then.” Kei explained. “There will be more demonic hybrids, and they are attracted to creatures that emit star mana like us, so be prepared for more fighting.”

“So it’s true. Demonic hybrids. This.. Aeon made a deal with the demons and that’s why we have these cursed hybrids. The gods would never create such twisted monsters.”

Kei paused. As they travelled closer, they were attacked by a few demonic hybrids. They also saw beetles emerging from the trees to fight them. Then, they reached the first walls of Freshka.

Over the decades I’ve added layer after layer of defenses. There was a [Giant Attendant Tree] that functioned as the centerpiece of the walls and gates. Again, Valthorns and Valtrian order soldiers quickly did the usual ID checks, both the heroes getting used to the investigations. 

“Now we have the centerpiece of Aeon’s propaganda machine.” Kei said, half joking. “We’re passing by the educational institutes.” They passed by the Freshlands Treetiary College and the School of Treeology. The Valthorn Academy was on the other side. 

“Should we blow them up now, especially that School of Treeology?” Alvin said. “They are a cult. This entire setup is a cult.”

Kei paused. “No. People don’t need to die for this. Remember, the goal is Aeon.”

The two of them nodded “Okay.”

-

“Come.” Kei led them into the room of where all the hero items were kept. We had intentionally set it up such that it looked like the entire tree was just a simple building. 

There were a few hero items on the table. It’s a risk if they activated them, but I had to trust Kei at this point. 

The journal was there too, on the table. It was closed, though. 

“So... this is it?” 

“There should be more.” Kei said. “Where did it go...” 

The two boys started searching, and then Hans walked over to the journal. He briefly opened it, the star mana in the journal resonated with his own. Then he froze. Alvin immediately ran over and touched Hans. “Hans... you alright?”

“...No.” Hans said. “The journal...” 

Alvin then went and looked at the journal, its pages open, magical words floating everywhere. Habitually he reached out and touched the journals’ sides, and then he froze. The journal glowed. I still didn’t know what was in the journals, and why it evoked such a strong emotion.

Both of them were stunned. The journal glowed, and their own bodies seemed to resonate with it. They didn’t move for a few hours. Kei just shrugged, sat down and started brewing some tea. 

When they finally broke out of the stupor, they both turned to face Kei. “You trapped us.”

Kei smiled. “Yes.” 

“You sly woman.” Alvin said. “You wanted us to see this.”

“Yes. It is the only way we can stop being pawns of greater powers. ” 

They froze. “What now? You’ve just shown everything we’ve known to be lies.” They had a headache. Kei offered them tea. 

“I don’t know. But I wanted to show you that this whole crusade is pointless. Fighting you on the battlefield wouldn’t have proved anything, even if we win.  I don’t want to fight you, and we shouldn’t be fighting with Aeon. I don’t want Aeon to fight with the temples either, as disgusting as the temples are. Our true enemies are not each other.”

“Then? We play arbiters of peace?” Hans said. 

“The gods want us to be in perpetual conflict. Us, the heroes and the demons are agents of that intention. We trigger more fights. More wars. Maybe this whole world is just a farm and we are the means of harvesting something.”

“How did the previous heroes know?”

“I don’t know, but they seemed to have managed to resist the gods’ influence to a greater degree than us. Either they found a way, or we’re just too weak.” 

“Then...”

“I want us to take a timeout. There’s really no reason for more bloodshed. We can break the cycle, even if the gods want us to play our part in this. We failed with the demon king, but we can stop this one.”

“You truly think sparing Aeon is the right decision? Not fighting him?”

“We’ve committed too much, and an army will soon be on their way.” The other boy continued.

“A timeout. Please. Let’s just pretend each other doesn’t exist. Why must we fight? When heroes fight, so many people die pointlessly.”

“I... I’ve seen the good things the temples do. The temples are not bad, either. I won’t just switch sides.” Alvin repeated.

“I’m not asking the two of you to be friends with Aeon. But see the value of his presence in the world, even if he made a contract with the demons, which, by the way, I don’t think so.”

Alvin and Hans both just sat there. “I need more time. I can’t process this. Not yet.” 

“I’ll be here. I’ll go get food. Please, don’t do anything stupid. We really, really don’t need to fight anyone. Well, maybe just the demons.”

Kei returned later with food. 

“Also, there’s more to the journals. I don’t know how the previous heroes did it, but they’ve somehow copied a large chunk of their mind and memories into that magical journal. I’ve... I’ve added my own to it too.”

Alvin and Hans glared at Kei for a moment, and then they sighed. “They uploaded their minds into a book. Great. This is next level crazy.”

“It’s been crazy since we got here, boys.”

That was how two heroes ended up camping in my tree of hero items for a few days. The crusades, thankfully, didn’t move on. The temples were smart to suspend further action once they discovered the heroes had gone silent. 

Some time later, their bloodlust seemed significantly more subdued.

“I think we should head back.” Alvin and Hans said. “We won’t be friends with Aeon, but we agree. We don’t need to fight. It is pointless, as much as the temples want to convince us otherwise.”

Kei happily nodded. “It’s fine. I know you’re too invested in the temples’ hierarchy by now. But all we want is to stop the outright fighting. The world doesn’t need more deaths. We had enough in the Eastern Continent.”

“Yes. We can agree on that.” The two heroes agreed, though they have not truly switched over to my side. 

Kei escorted them off. 

“So, it’s over?” I asked Kei as their ship sailed away.

“I think they won’t attack us, at least. The temples might still continue the crusade, but it’ll just be the temples’ own forces.”

“Then they won’t.”

Alvin and Hans returned to the Southern Continent and soon advocated a focus on healing and restoration, rather than a second crusade. The Eastern Continent still needed a lot of healing, and that was the angle they took.

Jura continued to fear for a large crusade, and personally, I was just happy I didn’t have to fight heroes. But I’m now super interested in what’s in that magical journal. What did Gerrard, Harris and Mirei write in there?

“So... all our military work, what do we do?”

“We can slow it down, and prepare for the next demon king. Take a break, you all deserve a bit of it.”

This year, I significantly dialed down the war efforts. Still, I kept those things, the anti-hero countermeasures in storage. I may still need it someday.

Kei managed to diffuse the situation with the journal, and in a way, it was very lucky that it worked out the way it did.

Though I know that someday, I will have to fight a hero for real, I’m happy that this 2nd crusade ended before it even started. For once, a war fought and won with cunning, instead of blood. In a way Kei really did something heroic.