~ Chapter 17: War… war never changes ~
[Tuberculus' point of view]
The moment we sat back down at the conference table, I looked up at Yandrea as various thoughts and questions took form in my old mind.
This entire dungeon, this mega structure she built with her own energy, which she spent decade after decade building up brick by brick... could she abandon it? Could she leave it if needed be to flee from those above? Moving her Crystal Body was not as difficult as it seemed, there were countless Dungeons who upon feeling threatened by adventurers would often hide in some hole they made for themselves like a turtle pulling their head into their shell. As long as another group din not find their air hole on the surface or the attackers inside did not smash through the wall protecting them, it was impossible to destroy the Dungeon.
I also knew that for Dungeons, everything they built was sacred. While Nanya was only a half, she would often feel reluctant to destroy or abandon that which she had built. Whether it was a hut in the woods, a fire, or even a temporary weapon.
I can still remember how one time, while we were up on a mountain chasing after a goat monster for a quest, we had to hunt down a bunch of wolves and make some coats from them. It was freezing up there. The coat she made while it was not a masterpiece of craftsmanship, it was still made with her own two hands. She enchanted it and kept it safe long after we finished that mission.
This was not the only time she showed such a weird but cute behavior. Those few Dungeons we managed to communicate with were often than not more willing to talk with us if we promised not to break any more of their creations. So, if they all displayed such a strange behavior when having to worry about small structures or a few items... I could not imagine how hard it would be for Yandrea to give up this entire place if needed be... However, did we even have a fate... a destiny here anymore? A destiny other than as the loyal and obedient servants of those above?
I could not imagine it... or maybe I was not smart enough to do so...
Looking at the old shaman Mizu'kra Eyo, I thought back at what she told me... that I could foresee a bigger danger... She was not wrong.
After today, their world was going to be turned upside down, no matter if they were ornaks, ellyarians, Lion Emperors, automatons, monsters or anything else. Whether they stuck with Yandrea or abandoned her, they would eventually have to pick a side because the one we picked was that of conflict, of resistance against oppressors, of truth and freedom. The opposing force, however, the upper kingdoms, would never accept this. Even if we were to win against the wave that was the Ritual of Suppression, we would still have to prepare for the upcoming attacks, endless and merciless... never ending until one side submitted completely.
According to Yandrea, all other similar events that they had gone through had been staged... They were a glorious fabricated lie that was made to enchant the hearts of the surface dwellers and frighten those who would dare oppose them. However, what was going to happen here in the future... was going to be nothing short but a true bloody war.
What I foresaw was an endless war if we remained here... and a danger in the form and shape of allied kingdoms of an unknown military power.
"Now that our short break is over, I have but one question... When will the Ritual of Suppression happen? When will they be here and what will they do until then?" asked Mystera Orogaki as she clenched her fist.
"Officially, it is set to start in the spring of the year 876 of The Great Yundra, seven years and three months from now. However, depending on the path we choose from now on, it could be delayed or shortened. Until then, those under the Slave contract with me will come down periodically to check on the progress of each other’s part of the ritual, including and not restricted to seeing if the chosen Rebel leaders are progressing accordingly."
"Then the first choice we must make is to declare here and now if we stand by the Great One or not." Mystera's sharp gaze fell on everyone at the table.
"It isss a foolisssh quessstion. I ssstand by the Great One!" Queen Skara declared as she flicked her tongue in the air.
"The ornaks stand by the Great One!" Pezmo'Va declared with a strong nod of his head.
"You have my word as the Shaman of the ornaks that we will stand by the Great One, our protector and blessed mother, no matter what the outer forces may throw at us." Mizu'kra showed a smile and slowly nodded once.
"No Lion Emperor shall ever dare to bite the hand that feeds them! We stand by the Great One's side as her guardians and protectors as we always had and always will be!" declared Guizbia Shakar as she showed us a toothy smile.
"The ellyarians will stand by the Great One! We shall wield our might against all those who threaten our home!" declared Mystera Orogaki as her reptilian tail snapped in the air like a whip.
"We, the automatons have been created by the Great One, Yandrea, our mother and creator. We shall follow her every order." P.A.L. declared before looking at me.
Everyone focused on me.
"Do I look like the type who wants to sleep under the stars because he did not agree with his wife?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"What are stars?" Pezmo'Va asked raising an eyebrow.
"You will see. However, if this puts your mind at ease, I will stand by my wife's side through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, until death do us apart!" I swore with a hand on my heart.
"Strong words, I like them!" Guizbia said with a smile as her tail waved in the air.
Now that everyone here knew that they were on the same side, they all let out a breath of relief. Until the last moment, they worried about the possibility of having a traitor in our midst.
I did not doubt even for a second their unwavering loyalty towards Yandrea. The simple fact that they called her 'the Great One' instead of her name showed the deep respect they had for her. I also witnessed several moments when she helped them directly either by healing the gravely injured, offering advice, or building a much-desired home.
Yandrea, on the other hand, did not see her interactions and help as something significant. It was something normal for her to do all of that, not generosity or magnanimity but rather a duty conferred to her by her very existence.
Often than not, historical saints and heroes would be unaware of how much the little help they offered saved those who were in need.
Her small acts of kindness, while they either did not hold any weight from her point of view or were seen as a duty, they still had a powerful impact on the people affected by them. As time passed and more such small interactions happened, their trust and faith in her would grow. The journey from a Ruler to a Great One was achieved by her alone.
You are not as alone as you believed you were, Yandrea. I thought as I glanced up at her.
"..." she did not react right away. As a result of this overwhelming moment, her cheeks were probably bright red, her face lit up with a childish glee. Relief and happiness probably washing over her.
Unfortunately, I was not within her Inner Mind right now to see that energetic reaction of hers.
When she spoke, however, just from the tone of her voice, I could tell that she was trying hard to compose herself.
"W-w-Well, i-in that case. Ahem! We can all agree that we are on the same side and our next objective in this meeting shall change towards seeing what solutions we can come up with... as a group... against this impending force."
A small smile could not help but form on my lips before vanishing just as fast.
The first to speak was Pazmo'Va.
"We all agreed that we stand by the Great One, however, from what I have witnessed while posing as the Rebel Leader, there are those who have come to believe my lies and now stand against us. What should we do with them?"
"Time heals all wounds and I am not one to judge or punish unjustly." Mizu'kra spoke and then looked at me.
Feeling the need to offer some sort of reply, I said "Indeed, in time it will be necessary to reveal the truth but doing so at this moment will only have a negative effect. Playing the confused Rebel Leader who has come upon a mind shattering piece of information is better."
"OOH! We pretend to have witnessed something that makes us doubt our own beliefs! Then we started to investigate! We create events to show them that we were wrong from the beginning, that the Great One is not the enemy but those on the surface and that the slaves are those who made a mockery of us all!" suggested Pezmo'Va as he sat up with a big grin plastered over his face.
I smiled and nodded. His mind worked faster than expected. While I was thinking more along the lines of slowly telling them the truth and maybe having a big reveal later on, his plan was much better than my own.
"That does indeed sound like a good plan. It is a good direction you can follow, after all, Yandrea does not desire any of you or any of your followers to fall prey to the unscrupulous workings of those Slaves and royals from above!" I declared with a smile.
Samraus Orogaki looked back at his wife and then back at me. After clearing his throat, he spoke.
"The rebellion on the ellyarian side is not as advanced as that one on the ornak side. We found it difficult to believe that someone like the Great One conspired against us and that our salvation are those bastards from the surface who took pleasure in killing so many of us. We are few in number and all filled with doubts. It will be much easier for us to stage a play."
"Tomorrow, I will drop by each settlement to meet these rebels as well as discuss the best way to help them. As my husband said, I do not wish for any of those whom I have welcomed on my territory to be harmed. I felt powerless each time I saw them harm you. Most of those times were meant to test me to see how I would respond... Ignoring your pain and pleas would satisfy them and stop them from harming you more. Acting up would give them a reason to attack or rush the Ritual of Suppression." she explained.
"Every time... we had to endure... yet we did not know anything..." Mystera closed her eyes and when she opened them, she asked "What about now?" her gaze was piercing.
"Now, there is nothing more to test. I will not allow for such savageness to continue! You will be free to retaliate. The worse that can happen now is that they will hasten the coming of the Ritual of Suppression." she replied without a moment of hesitation.
"If it comes to that, and it might, I would say we act in the favor of saving those that need to be saved by declaring they are useful for the ritual and their death will impede the plans of the Royals. This should at least make them hesitate." I suggested as I remembered that one of the things nobles hated was to upset someone of a higher rank than them even if it was no more than a dissatisfied look tossed in their way.
During a territorial war or a political battle one less noble helping you could lead to your entire family's death.
"I will do that." Yandrea said and then continued "Now, as for what the future has planned for us, I do not know but I desire a resolution to this situation. This is the first of our many meetings to come. We have seven years to make our plans come true."
"It is feasible." P.A.L. nodded.
"To make things easier for everyone, I would suggest using an automaton in each settlement to present the problems and results of our implemented solutions." I proposed.
"One accessible by everyone or just the leaders?" asked P.A.L.
"Hm..." I reflexively stroked my invisible beard and the replied "Both. One that reports directly to the leaders and one that reports to Yandrea and is accessible only to the leaders."
"It can be done." he nodded.
"It is a good idea. We shall do this. Any objections?" Yandrea asked.
"None!" everyone replied in unison.
"Very well, now, I would like to ask if there are any urgent matters that require our attention?"
As far as I knew there were plenty of things to discuss that could not only be considered important but also urgent as well. Just at the top of my head, I could think of a few such as the way the monsters and the citizens of this floor should continue to interact with the wandering adventurers; the way the laws and rules of each society should change in order to accommodate the future, in which sense we would need to discuss about the methods that were right now deemed as useless or inefficient for the people; resource sharing and army training; trap and dungeon remodeling; monster tribes out at large that were not part of those found here.
After a minute of silence, the one to speak up was the old ornak shaman, Mizu'kra Eyo.
"Hm, if the younger ones have nothing to speak up about, then I shall be the one to do so." she stood up and looked at Yandrea "There is a matter, which I believe to be of utmost urgency."
"Speak then, we are listening." she replied.
"The matter I speak of is one which has left me pondering for the entirety of my life, Great One. Why have you asked us to keep a distance from each other instead of creating a single unified community?"
The land of this floor, while vast by the regular standards of a dungeon, it was indeed small and cramped when compared to the surface. 100 square kilometers in surface area was good enough for a regular town on the surface with enough space for the locals to grow a farm and increase their population to a few thousands, however, without outside trade, areas to expand, places to explore, it was an area that severely limited the expansion of progress of all those who resided within it.
"Your communities have been... a surprising gift for me, an unexpected discovery, however, the reason why I kept you separated was so that you would not become a threat to the royals above. The Slaves who always make inspections of your communities have the mission of making sure you never develop past the point which they would consider you a threat. The rebellion may even have the hidden purpose of culling your numbers... while making sure that the survivors are indeed suitable to become a new generation of loyal servants." she replied.
"Do you really think they would have posed a threat to them?" I asked.
"Yes. The ellyarians can become master craftsmen who can mold metal into any shape and form. The Lion Emperors would make unbeatable explorers and adventurers. The ornaks would form the perfect armies while also vastly surpassing the craftsmanship of the negvar elves and the reiss. No matter the craft, no matter the profession, my children would be far above those from the surface. Proof of this lays in the fact that even with little to no resources, you still managed to create incredible armors, artifacts, and constructions with your own two hands. Many assumed that I just gifted you those but they are the result of your very own hard work. Thus, stands to question... how far would you develop if I were to give you access to more land and more resources, if I were to allow you all to form a single unified settlement?"
"Hm, that is indeed true, my first reaction when I saw their crafts, their armors, and items was to think of the fact that you gifted them. If they made all of this from the ground up..." I said and then my gaze fell on each of them.
The leather armor of the ornaks were sturdy and the stitches were evenly spaced out. Given the thickness of the leather pieces, it was not easy to pierce them with a regular needle and an unsteady hand. The beads and feathers decorating the plates and arm pieces could have sold for quite a few goldiettes on the noble market. The fact that they were enchanted too made their price go higher, however, the most impressive part of this armor were the decorations on the leather plates, which had both symbols and pictures sewed in.
The ellyarians wore metal armors with decorations that would have made even a master blacksmith admire them. The enchantments on them were impressively added as well, being a part of the engravings done within each decorative piece. The leather used underneath the metal parts was black with singed engraving covering the entirety of the visible side. Each of them being a text piece that told a story, probably their own. Magic Energy ran through those each line singed on the black leather, granting it the power of unknown enchantments.
The Lion Empress, while she preferred to wear more decorative pieces made with fur and feathers, they were all of ornak design. They fit her well, but I could tell that the craftsman who made them was meticulous in adding every single detail. Each bead had an engraving on it. Each feather was painted in three different colors. Every leather strap was double stitched. Every metal plate had both a practical and a decorative purpose.
"I can see why the craftsmen on the surface would end up feeling threatened by them... They are on par with the human and el'doraw crafts." I continued.
Pride swelled inside them when they heard my words.
"So... everything was done for our safety?" asked the old shaman.
"It appears so..." the Lion Empress said.
Of course, there were moments when Yandrea royally messed up. She was not perfect, and from her memories, I knew that whatever change she decided upon was one that was usually deeply thought about. Or, at the very least, this was the conclusion I came to after seeing her memories. As for mistakes, there were plenty of those spread far and wide... Even a Godlike Dungeon was not perfect... She started as a child, with little to no knowledge of the outside world. A child that was then enslaved by greedy adults who only wanted to take advantage of her abilities. She grew up with her hopes shattered and her dreams twisted, so much so that I could only think of it as a miracle that her mind had not been warped into that of a hideous monster... or maybe it did but she managed to heal her scared self?
"Great One..." Mystera looked up at her "If we had not been forced into submission by those living on the surface... if we had all the resources we needed... if things were different, would you have still imposed all these rules... and restrictions? From our jobs to the way we govern ourselves?"
"No. I would not have done so... When your kind first appeared in my dungeon, I did not even know how to handle you. It was difficult to raise you as you are now... always mindful of the Slaves, always careful not to have you stand out..." Yandrea spoke in a much softer tone.
This was a difficult question to answer. How could she know what the future had in store for her? If she did, she would have changed a lot of things. Even the way she had been acting until now, the way she saw things through, as flawed and at times as unacceptable as they were, they were still better than the alternative: death.
The enemy in her eyes was a monster she had no idea how to attack or defend against. Every decision she made, every plan she put together, they were nothing more than trials and errors. So far, their purpose of keeping them alive had been accomplished but they were still a bunch of fish trapped in a pond that was slowly being drained by hungry fishermen.
"Should we raise an army?" the one who asked and broke the silence that had settled in, changing the subject from this sensitive one was Samraus Orogaki as he scratched the scales on his chin.
An army... the proof of a nation's might and otherwise a leader's determination to stand their ground. In our case, it implied the fact that we would all move now with the intent of opposing the Ritual of Suppression alongside everyone else who participated in it.
I looked up at Yandrea, who waited for a moment before answering.
"Yes."
It was a short answer that carried a weight that could have crushed me. Unlike Yandrea, I did not have what it takes to be a leader. I was once the principal of the Fellyore Magic Academy, however that was an entirely different role with a different set of responsibilities. I was there to teach and guide, not send people off to war. Yandrea had what I lacked.
From this point on, we discussed the ways we could amass a great army that could face off against our oppressors from above the ground. Whether we should focus on heroic individuals with vast amounts of power or multiple well-trained individuals was one of the main debates that went back and forth. The ornaks were in favor of an army of soldiers while the ellyarians were in favor of an army of heroes. The Lion Empress considered her kind as the sole protectors of Yandrea, so they would remain as such, the last defense. As for the automatons, they were apparently going to provide materials, weapons, and armor for the masses as well as install various equipment pieces they would all need.
When it came to talking about traps and such, I intervened and reminded them of a simple yet crucial fact.
"Whether we amass an army, train thousands or just a few elites. Whether we start building traps, changing the environment or equip ourselves with better gear, there is still the matter of the upper forces that remain. They have a ready army, we don't. As such, I propose that whatever we do should be done in absolute secrecy so that when the Slaves arrive here and make their inspections, there will be nothing out of order."
"So, you are suggesting we build a secret base?" asked Samraus.
"Yes. I believe that's possible, right?" I looked up at Yandrea.
"Yes, it is." came her quick reply.
"Then it is settled! We shall build a secret base and then train our troops there!" declared Mystera with a smirk.
Everyone came to a unanimous agreement.
Now we had somewhat of an idea on what to work on in the future and what to focus on. We had an army to raise, weapons and armors to make, new traps to think about, a base to build, and ultimately a way to change the ever so stagnant civilizations of the ornaks, ellyarians, Lion Emperors, and the automatons.
War... War never changes... Whether it will be now or in a thousand years in the future, the same questions shall always be asked. For the soldiers: Why do we fight? Who do we fight for? For the leaders: Who do we defend against? Who do we attack? What do we stand to gain from this conflict? How many lives can we bear to sacrifice for our goal?
As for the civilians... the question will always remain a single one: Why do I have to suffer for them?
For it has never been gods who declared wars nor their apostles. It has always been the mortal ones blinded by greed or desire for power, corrupted by madness or clinging on the insatiable lust for blood that have chosen to start a war. For they were on both sides since war itself needed a victim willing to extend the conflict and an aggressor willing to answer that will with their own sadism.
During this entire meeting... not a single one of them chose the option of peacefully fleeing from this continent even when I mentioned the existence of others. Revenge, for some, was a necessity for their own sanity.