~ Chapter 21: Igniting the Spark of War ~
[Tuberculus’ point of view]
In my younger days as an adventurer, there was a time when I felt like I had the whole world at my fingertips. Drunk with power, I began to think that I was on the path of glory and that the feeble washed-up sparks I could conjure up were some amazing and incredible flames the like of which the world had never seen. I was delusional... and because of this, one day I made a big mistake.
My party, of which Nanya was a part of, received a mission to escort a suspicious looking man to a nearby village. We were told that we might encounter some ruffians along the way, bandits and the like, with which we could deal as we pleased. Of course, a dead bandit was the only good bandit in my mind. So, we accepted the mission... Along the way, we got attacked several time by masked individuals wielding basic armors and weapons that were no different than what the goblinoids used. We dispatched them with ease, burned a few, slashed in half the others, however, we found it strange that despite how weak they were, they still attacked us.
We paid it no heed, or rather I didn’t. Nanya was suspicious and decided to investigate. I thought she was overreacting and told her to stop it. Then, when we arrived at the village, we learned the truth... The ones who attacked us were the villagers. Instead of a warm welcome with smiles and gifts, we received a greeting with armed forces wearing basic armors and shabby weapons. The man whom we escorted revealed that he was a tax manager employed by the country and with a simple mission: to enslave the villagers who failed to pay their tax in time. He used a powerful spell scroll that placed a slave collar around their neck. The spell did not discriminate among adults, children, or infants.
I stood there, with the pouch of coins in my hand, watching horrified as the villagers were ordered to bow down before their enslaver. The man, a bald fat man two heads smaller than me, with a satisfied grin on his face looked back at me and said “Thank you for escorting me here. If not for you, I would have missed this delicious prey!”
Nanya was ready to jump on him, but I stopped her. She insisted that something was wrong. This could not be the decision of the king of this land. I was against her... I shouldn’t have been... Nanya always had good instincts. I should have trusted her...
When we returned to the guild, we learned the shocking truth that the man lied to us. He was a notorious illegal slaver who was preying on villages like that one. Not being able to pay the tax simply cuts them off from having their roads maintained or patrolled by guards. At worst, the merchants are stopped from trading with them certain luxury goods. We were told that it happens from time to time, and when it does, there are people like that who will disturb the local merchants or stop the villagers from making any money so that they can go to the local lord with the excuse of subjugating a potential threat to the kingdom. Villagers who bare their arms against others become either bandits or traitors to the crown.
Nanya punched me hard in the face and told me that we should have looked more into that mission. She told me that there was something fishy about it. She told me that we should have stopped once we noticed there was something wrong with the ones who attacked us. She told me that I was too blinded by my greed and power... Just because I obtained a certain rank did not mean I also acquired the wisdom that came along with it. I was irresponsible and acted foolishly, getting tricked by a bastard with evil intentions towards innocent villagers.
I scoffed it off as being a minor mistake that we could correct because we were strong. In my mind, I saw myself as easily apprehending the illegal slaver and then freeing the villagers just like a hero would. There was no doubt in my heart that this would be the outcome.
We rushed back to the village, taking the shortest path that our abilities allowed. Unfortunately, we were too late. The village was destroyed completely. The buildings were burnt to the ground. Nanya brought over a child’s toy and told me: “This is your doing, oh great powerful mage!”
What I felt back then was disappointment in myself. Sadness for the fate of the villagers. Regret that I did not do something to stop it when I had the opportunity to do so.
Right now, seeing the ornak, Lion Emperor, and the ellyarian on their knees, trembling, and hearing how their future was being chosen for them. How instead of hope, they could only see despair, I was reminded of how those villagers looked at me when they realized that I brought their enslaver, the robber of their future right to their doorstep. It stung, it hurt, it made me feel like I was the most despicable pile of garbage in the world.
Over the years, those emotions were brought under control. I was not as easily influenced by such sights as years were added to my age, however, I was not numbed. While I knew that acting in a spite of anger was not wise, I never chose not to act. Nanya knew of this, so she did not remind me anymore of that failure.
“Yandrea, how many of our people are in this city?” I whispered to her.
“In this city alone, 28... Most of them are descendants of the ones that were captured during the previous Rituals of Suppression.” she replied with a sad voice.
“What about above?”
“I don’t know...”
“Then... let us get those 28... Take them underground and have them wait for me.” I told her.
“But if you do this...” she spoke with worry.
“If I don’t do this, I will regret it later. If I can save just one more, then what’s the harm?” I asked.
“What about the preparations we’ve done until now?”
“The other reason why I chose to go up on this excursion was also because our preparations are nearly complete. As for them... well, as you heard, they have another year, maybe two before they can gather their army and head down. If I grab a bunch of their servants and flee, considering my current appearance, I could just be taken as a criminal trying to make a quick coin.” I looked up at her.
She flew to the left and right, not knowing what to do. I showed her a smile and then reached out to her. Yandrea hovered over the tip of my fingers and looked at me in the eyes.
“If we don’t do this, we’ll regret it. Trust me.”
“Alright, Tuby, I’ll go and free the others...” she nodded and then flew off to some other part of the town.
“Now that this is set... I should make an appearance.” I pulled my hood over my head and approached the crowd.
The adventurers were talking about how strange they looked, how good they probably tasted, while others wondered about what was the most efficient way to kill them. It was sickening to listen to their disgusting remarks. It made my stomach turn; however, I was not at the age where these emotions could overwhelm me. As I made my way through the crowd, I reached the front row and took a step forward.
“Huh? Who are you? What do you think you’re doing?” the negvar elf asked in irritation and raising an eyebrow.
There was no need to give him a reply, I just snapped my fingers and the shackles of those three disintegrated. It was a previously chanted spell, timed and aimed from a distance with the trigger being the snap of my fingers and the target the chains. The formula behind the spell broke down the ore with the same effect as rust but amplified by a thousand-fold. This action put the knights and some of the adventurers on alert, however, I prepared another spell, a wind launcher. By activating [Wind Blow] under them, I lifted them up in the air, then I quickly formed an invisible barrier under their feet and pushed that one with [Wind Explosion]. The barrier dampened the impact and shock of suddenly moving up fast. They were sent flying towards Yandrea, whom I knew would catch them. Just in case, they each had [Wind Glide] spell attached to them to dampen their fall.
Now all that was left was dealing with the aftermath... the angered negvar elf, the murderous-looking guards, and the adventurers who were now on edge, some with their weapons unsheathed, others taking a step back.
“You dare... YOU DARE STEAL THE ESTEEMED VORKAR THE 4TH’S PROPERTY!” the man shouted, and I just smirked.
“Oh? Who? I have no idea who that Merion is, but I take what I like.” I replied and then cast a [Wind Explosion] spell in front of the guards.
A transparent sphere with a raging wind inside it formed in front of each of them. It was air compressed to a high pressure and contained in a thin layer of magic. A single bump was all that was needed to make it burst or... a magic command to release the fragile shell.
“Explode...” I said in a whisper.
The guards tried to jump back, but that was a foolish move. With their feet off the ground, the released air explosion only sent them flying away more violently. Some of them crashed into the wall of the Adventurers Guild while others were tossed across the rooftops. I heard the sound of their Magic Armor shattering, but this was not enough to kill them. Well, coming out of this without a scratch was improbable.
“How unskilled of you young’uns. Were you never thought how to block such a simple attack?” I said as I dashed forward towards the servant of that Vorkar fellow. “I guess your master isn’t here to save you.” I replied with a tone of mockery in my voice and then punched him in the guts.
“GAH!” he was out of air just from that one strike and fell on the ground.
“As for you...” I turned towards the adventurers who remained to fight me. “Do you really think they will pay you for taking me down?” I asked them, knowing their mentality.
They stopped and looked at each other to see if there was anyone brave enough to step forward and admit the lie. They were aware of it. An adventurer was at the level of a commoner in the eyes of nobles, unless they themselves were nobles. As such, why would a nobleman pay for what a commoner did out of the goodness of their own heart; a line I have also heard many times over every time I helped out a city with their defense against monster waves. Unless you picked up the quest that called for your presence on the field, it was useless to put in a demand afterward for rewards or even for the corpses of your kills. Everything was sold and then the money was used for repairs.
Whether it was the three continents or this one, there was no difference between the two when it came to money. Adventurers were no heroes; they were employed workers. Their services offered a variety of work; however, they were essentially under contract every time they headed out.
“This ain’t worth it.” one of them spoke out and sheathed their sword.
Another shook his head and followed up. Soon enough, all the adventurers turned around and left, leaving me with the guards and the barely breathing servant of the Slave.
“I guess you are out of luck.” I smirked and kicked him in the stomach.
“Guha!” he rolled on the ground once and then glared back at me. “T-The m-master will have your head f-for this!” he barked at me.
“Oh, I’m so afraid of a wanted poster~!” I laughed.
“Y-You will have n-no place in the T-Three Kingdoms!” he threatened.
“Never sought one.” I shrugged.
“H-How d-dare you!”
I looked back towards where I tossed the three and saw a little ball of light flying towards me. Yandrea was coming back.
“I freed them as you asked.” she told me.
Of course, these people could not hear her, but it would have been dangerous if they saw me talking to someone, so I made my escape and jumped on top of a nearby building.
“That’s good. Are they all heading down?” I asked.
“Yes. I made a path for them. It’s small, but it should be enough for now.”
“Do you sense any Slave around?” I asked just to be safe.
“Hm...” she made a circle around me, then stopped and replied. “There’s one on the other side of the city... He’s entering this floor now.” she replied.
“Will he sense me or you?” I asked.
“No. I made it so that he can’t notice me. As for you, only if you confront him face to face and tell him who you are.” she replied.
I looked in the direction of the Slave and furrowed my brow. This was an opportunity to get rid of him or even start a conflict... I could kill him on the spot with a long-range spell or ask Yandrea to give him an absurd order. There were many way to go about this, however, was doing this the right thing?
Just as I was thinking about this, Yandrea stopped in midair as a strange silver circle formed around her.
“What’s happening?” I asked her out of concern.
“The Slave... he activated an artifact... the Silver Chains.” she told me.
“Silver Chains?”
“It is a tool similar to the Golden Chains of Submission used by the Royals to call me to them or to… ngh… assert their will upon me. The Slaves use the Silver Chains and the Watchers… ngh… the Bronze Chains. Except for the latter, they can call me to their location. I can refuse or go against their order… but it hurts.” she replied as she struggled against the call.
“Can you do something about them?” I asked furrowing my brow.
“I never tried... I never thought I could... I was always afraid, terrified…” she faced the direction of the Slave.
Clenching my fists, I said “I never thought they had something like this...” I shook my head “No, I should have thought about it when I saw that crack on you years ago… You told me it was an inhibitor of sorts they used, but was it the Bronze Chains?” I asked and looked up.
“Yes… I didn’t want to worry you…” she replied apologetically.
“I’m sorry, I should have known better.” I lowered my head “This could be very dangerous for you. We need to do something about it. We need to find a counter for it.” I told her with a firm tone in my voice.
“As far as I know there are the Gold Chains of Submission that can even lower my own Magic Armor and reinforce orders on me. The Silver Chains of Submission are used mostly by the Slaves and can call me to their location. They are not as strong as the previous one, but they can still force me to do some things. I usually comply... because it hurts if I don’t. My pain is also triggered when they squeeze the artifact in their hand and push their energy through it. Lastly, there’s the Bronze Chains of Submission. The only thing they can do is to summon me to them... They can’t force me to do anything.”
“Any other effects?” I asked just to be sure.
“Only one. The user, if they infuse Magic Energy into them, they can’t be attacked by my traps or summoned creatures.”
“So, similar to the Slaves and my own status.” I let out a sigh.
“I need to go now.” she told me and then flew off.
“I won’t be far...” I said and then took one last look back at the Adventurers Guild. “Well... my adventurer days were behind me anyway...” I took out my guild request and then let it fly in the wind.
This would be the first time in my life that I would fail to finish a guild request.
Six years ago, Yandrea would have told me that it was impossible for her to do anything about those chains, however, now she believed that there might be something that she could do. Her doubt about her abilities was slowly fading away, while her self-confidence was growing. This was what she needed, to understand that she was a Godlike Dungeon, powerful and wise. Just because at one point in time there were those who could overpower her, did not meant that the same was valid even now. These artifacts posed a threat to her, true, however, even back on the three continents there were tales of those who tried to force the Dungeons to submit to them and failed miserably. They were either fooled by the Dungeons and turned into their pawns or they were downright blown away by their sheer might, and those were not even Godlike.
I had faith in Yandrea. I believed she would not allow a simple artifact like that to chain her down. Now, if only she believed the same...
When I first saw a carriage on the roads of Endless Mountain, I was surprised but also curious. Instead of horses, the people in the Three Kingdoms used creatures named Tuuri. They had horns with rounded ends, lizard eyes, scales instead of fur and two tails. Unlike the horses used on the three continents, the Tuuri could reinforce their bodies with Magic Armor and strengthen themselves with Magic Energy. This way, they could pull heavier loads over longer distances. The downside of this mode of transportation was that the focus was on the beast rather than the carriage, resulting in products that could barely handle the full strength and speed of the Tuuri. In my eyes, in terms of performance, their best carriages were no different than a commoner’s transport carriage that could be hired for handful of copper coins.
In terms of luxurious aspects, there was no shortage of gold or silver adorned carriages, or beautifully decorated Tuuri to show the prestige and wealth of their owner.
Not far from the entrance passageway that led to the surface, I saw a caravan of six such carriages waiting on the side of the road. They were all adorned with jewels and precious metals, while their driver was dressed in clothes that even a low-ranked noble could only dream of. The discrepancy between this convoy and the other carriages that were passing by was enormous. Then again, a smart merchant would not want his transport vehicle to catch the eyes of bandits and ruffians. Unlike them, nobles were guarded by knights and soldiers willing to lay down their life for them.
As for who this carriage belonged to, well this was simple to figure out... The one elf that was dressed in the most expensive garbs and looked the most arrogant was most likely the one. The travelers also tried to avoid eye contact and moved away as fast as they could from them.
I stopped at a reasonable distance and watched from afar what was happening. With the help of a directional sound amplification spell, [Whisper Call], I was able to hear what they were saying.
“Ah! So here you are! You are late!” the arrogant and dismissive tone was aimed at my wife.
I clenched my fists, but I did not act yet.
“I was busy. What is it that you desire?” Yandrea asked while the silver ring was still around her form of light.
“Don’t be arrogant! Your life is in our hands!” he retorted as he lifted a device up and clenched it in his hand.
“Ugh...” Yandrea groaned as sparks appeared from the silver ring around her.
From afar, I could kill him... It was easy, just one spell maybe two... However, I waited and watched. I wanted to see if Yandrea could free herself from the restraints of that artifact. It was necessary to know how she was bound by it, to have a way to counter it, or rather for her to know that she could counter it. I believed in her but she had to believe in herself that she could do it. So, I waited and clenched my fists.
“Hmph!” the elf released the pressure on the artifact and lowered his hand. “You should bow down your head to our great selves the moment you see us! Such arrogance! Do not forget that we are the ones who allow you to live in the first place! It would be no problem for any of us to shatter your core into tiny pieces whenever we want!” he declared and pointed at her.
At this point, the guards already began to push the travelers back, blocking the roads on both side. I was standing still in the field, far away from them, watching the scene.
“...” Yandrea did not reply.
“Anyway, the reason I summoned you is because I frankly hate this dump. It’s beneath me! Absolutely disgusting!” he spoke with pure disgust as he stomped the ground once.
“...”
“There’s a situation. The two Slaves you sent away, I don’t know what mistakes those two fools made; however, it is required for all of us Slaves to accompany his Highness Regius Artero Gassar. the 3rd Prince of the Zebrasil Kingdom, his Highness Kimir Asser Fagorm Despino, the 3rd Prince of the Domeris Republic, and as an honorary guest 3rd Prince of the Vespora Kingdom, Elderimus Palos Vertino! These three esteemed royals shall be led by his Highness Kasimir Azafassar Teruk Despino, the Crown Prince of the Domeris Republic, on their initiation through the Ritual of Suppression!” he declared.
“I sent them away because they were about to completely wreck the plans of the Royals.” she retorted.
“I don’t care! They could have killed your child for that matter! Do I look like I care? Your concerns are beneath me! What matters is that the Royals are satisfied and you are nothing more than another leaf among the thousands on a single branch! Just because you maintain this place doesn’t make you special, we can always replace you!” he declared with a smug look on his face while looking at Yandrea as if she was just another beggar on the streets.
“You can easily... replace... me?” she said, her voice quivering.
“Yes! This is precisely why this entire event must be perfect, so make sure this entire city is well maintained! Build some structures that will show the grandeur that the Royals deserve! This will be a decisive event that will pave the way for our future king of the Domeris Republic!” he shouted with pride as he spread his arms wide.
In his mind, he probably thought that Yandrea was nothing more than a maid decorating his mansion while waited for the arrival of some spectacular guest. He probably saw himself as somewhere higher, completely ignoring what the word SLAVE actually meant. Even if Yandrea was afraid to use them as such, this did not mean that they were above her. The SLAVE contract was something that Illsyore made with Shanteya. Initially, when I heard about it, I found it impressive, however, the more I studied that spell, the more I realized just how complicated it actually was. Illsyore could give those he contracted as a SLAVE any unreasonable order. Their life was in his hands. The only reason why Yandrea was not aware of this power was because of how much these... monsters oppressed her.
“We might also need some special weapons and gear for his Highness. Something that can really show their magnanimous power! Maybe something that can easily kill all the creatures on the floors below?” he spatted out.
“You... want me to make something... that kills... everything?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Yes! Exactly! We’ll also be heading to the lowest floor, so make sure those beasts and savages will know how to bow down to his Highness as though they see the hero that he is!” he declared and pointed at her.
“Isn’t this information... supposed to be a secret?” she asked as there were quite a few civilians nearby who were now wondering what this was all about.
“Well, you will be cleaning up for me.” he smiled from ear to ear as though he was expecting to see a great show, however...
“No...” her voice was weak, but it was there.
“What?” his smile slowly faded.
He was not expecting to hear that one... single... word.
“No.” her voice gained strength.
“Hahaha! The journey here must have been rather difficult on my esteemed noble self... I think I just heard you deny MY order?” he laughed and then stopped, glaring at her with murder in his eyes.
“I said... I won’t do it. I will not kill innocent bystanders.” she replied, loud enough now so that the others could hear her.
“You... YOU DARE?!” he pointed his finger at her.
“I will allow those two to return to this dungeon with the Royals, however, I will not kill for you.” she replied again, her voice getting stronger and stronger.
“YOU WILL OBEY ME!” he shouted and took out the Silver Chains of Submission, which he squeezed tightly.
This was the first time that I saw this curious artifact. It was small enough to fit in the palm and had a rhomboid form with rounded tips. Inside was an hourglass with a silver sand flowing back and forth fast. The artifact itself appeared to have been decorated with silver parts to identify it easier. From what I could see, it pulled Magic Energy from the user, fed it into the contraption inside and then cast it out directly towards Yandrea. It seemed to be able to target her Magic Energy specifically, but I could be wrong. There was only so much I could tell or at most guess just by having a quick look at it from afar.
“Ngh!” Yandrea appeared to be struggling.
There were silver sparks flying off left and right from her small light form, the circle appearing to strangle her. I wanted to jump out and punch the elf in his wretched face, but I stopped myself from doing so.
“You can do it, Yandrea. Break free... You can do it!” I whispered as I looked at her.
A single sign from her, a single call was all that I needed to jump in and help her. However, this was also a test for her... and a way to see that she was not the weakling that these nobles claimed her to be. Yandrea was strong, smart, and beautiful, now she only had to believe in herself. She had to break free of her restraints... figuratively and physically.
“NNNGAH!!!” she screamed as she squirmed in the air.
“No use trying to free yourself! This artifact was made to bind you completely to our will! You will not escape us! You will never be free from us! WE own you! So, obey! Obey my orders!” the elf shouted with bloodshot eyes that made him seem like he was a lunatic.
If there was anything all of these Slaves had in common, that was the fact that mentally they were abnormal. While walking through Koin and even by looking at the various people standing and watching this scene, it was clear that they were not of the same opinion as him. Fear and worry was on their faces, concern for their own safety because they heard him give out the order to have them killed. Even the guards were uncertain what to do. The knights were looking at each other, no one dared to move. It was a stalemate in which Yandrea decided the outcome. Will she submit and obey or will she go against their order?
Although there were not that many children on the streets of Koin, there were representatives of all the species; enough to give me a good idea of their society and moral conduct. The conclusion was that they were not born inherently evil. There were those among them who cherished kindness and looked for a way to cooperate with others. There were smiles of joy and smiles of grief, emotions that overwhelmed some and made others drown themselves in alcohol. They were similar to the humans, the el’doraw, and the draconians. They were just another civilization that was ruled by corrupt nobles and royals... Even if we did nothing, a rebellion was going to start sooner or later.
Even Yandrea, who has been under their cruel rule all this time, knew that there was good and bad in them... Thus, she refused to kill, she refused to obey.
“I SAID NO!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, the silver ring shattering with a burst of magic.
An energy feedback was sent to the artifact and silver lightning attacked the man, sending him flying into the fancy carriage behind him. The impact broke it apart, turning it into nothing more than scrap, while the body of the elf flew over the field, landing more than 10 meters away, shattering his Magic Armor upon hitting the ground. He rolled a few times in the dirt before coming to a stop in a puddle of mud.
Everyone who witnessed this scene was now shocked, uncertain what to make of it. Some of them looked at the defeated noble, while others at the floating sphere of light, Yandrea, who was breathing hard. For a moment, nobody said or did anything.
“I said... I won’t kill innocents... I won’t...” Yandrea’s voice turned weak as her body turned dim and invisible to everyone else but me. In my eyes, she was still floating up there.
I smiled and nodded at her. She did a slow and tired loop in the air.
“Now is my turn.” I said as I then dashed towards the noble, towards whom a few knights were running to help him out.
“You! Who are you?!” one of them shouted.
“A tired old man!” I replied as I punched him in the stomach and sent him flying back towards the road.
“You won’t get away with this!” another called out as he drew his sword.
“I’m already a wanted man.” I shrugged and then released a [Wind Explosion] at his feet.
“GAAH!” he was sent screaming back a few meters, his Magic Armor shattered from the fall.
“As for you, I’ll be taking that expensive-looking artifact.” I smirked.
“Y-You... You dare?!” the elf that was now in tatters, bleeding from his mouth and was barely standing up with the help of a guard, was glaring daggers at me.
“Yeah, I like to steal from the weak and pathetic!” I retorted and then used a [Wind Slash] aimed at his right shoulder.
“GAAH!” the man screamed in pain as his severed limb that was still holding the artifact was sent flying away from him.
“My lord!” the guard called out in shock.
“As for you... Sleep.” I said as I jumped towards him and kicked him in the head, sending him flying away from the elf.
I then landed in front of him and grabbed him by his hair before he fell in the mud.
“Y-You w-won’t get away... with this.” he muttered.
I smirked and then said “I already have.” and then punched him hard once in the face, breaking his nose, and kicked him once in his family jewels, hard enough so that he would not have to worry ever again about offsprings.
Considering how tenacious the body of an adventurer was, I doubted that was enough to kill him. He was not that lucky, especially with these guards rushing at him.
Grabbing his severed limb with which he dared to harm my wife, I removed the artifact from his grasp and then set it on fire. I could not allow him the slim chance of reattaching it; he did not deserve it. For the sake of those down below, I was not going to kill him, yet... Either way, his days and the days of all those Slaves were numbered.
“Oh, before I go! The Vespora Kingdom thanks you for this gift! It will make me rich! Hahaha!” I shouted loud enough for everyone there to hear me and then left.
A bit of strife among the Three Kingdoms could do nothing but help our great cause!