by Marcus Sloss
“Virtue you are a wise young shaman. Your age reversion has done wonders for your looks… Maybe your brain too. I may need to visit this…” She paused as she remembered something. “I did not bring any soul stones to pay with.”
Virtue handed a heavily filled soul stone to each of us. When I approached the booth to pay I realized the landing pad and the entire platform was elevated. We were twenty feet off the ground and down below were dvaren. I handed my stone to a smiling orange eyed, dark green shaman. A pamphlet was handed to me. The gate guard gave instructions the pamphlet was not to leave the planet. If it did I would be tortured and endure the pain of Warg himself. It was all very ominous and had me riled up. I looked at the brochure and noticed the material was a type I had never seen before. It was a flexible stone if I had to guess. Something I did not know existed. I became so enthralled in its design Roz had to pull me forward.
When we were away from the enclosed entryway everything opened up dramatically. When I looked back I realized the landing pad was designed to prohibit views. This made sense if they were charging an entry fee. Now that we were in, I was able to absorb the view. If Entria was an elvath preserve, this was a dvaren one. There were random mountains that pierced the sky. Outside of those, there was nothing besides buildings, streets, parks, and billions of dvaren.
I looked down at the brochure. Welcome to Dvarenland was what the cover had etched across the top. It was starting to sink in, at least I thought it was.
“How old is this place?” I asked sadly.
“A few hundred million years,” Virtue replied. He waved me forward. “This was built a long time after the dvaren wars ended. It is rumored a certain deity of war comes here in a disguise to reflect on the time period he battled these dvaren. I think the tram is the best way to experience the planet. Others the blimp…”
I had somehow missed a blimp loading station while I gazed below at all the dvaren. This was a slave planet without the slaves. I tried to wrap my head around it and fell back into the thought process of Entria. It was a preserve really. The difference was dvaren lived long and bred often. So frequently they had overcrowded the planet.
“Blimp over tram for sure,” I muttered. I wanted to experience the blimps. Maybe I could add them to combat units or trade. At the very least the tram was a packed train with ogres pumping hand cars in the front. The blimps looked lavish and only for those wealthy enough.
“Here is another stone for the ride. We will talk more on our private shuttle.” Virtue said while handing me another stone.
I then handed it to a cyclops who drank a steamy liquid so hot it wafted even in the perfect climate. It seemed like a slow day for him as the blimps were lined up waiting for passengers. Virtue handed the pilot a tip, which was the first I had ever seen done. We entered and the door to our cabin was sealed. A hiss of warm air inflated the blimp to fullness and then we were off.
A series of fan blades were spun by goblins to propel up. I had to look up to see them. Everything about the cabin, including the glass floor, was designed so we could experience Dvarenland. Virtue bubbled us in a silence shield.
“Before Raxrune there was a water champion who died young. Before that champion, it was Halvina the wise.” Virtue said as the air blimp reached its cruising altitude. We were flown over many buildings so finely designed they could only be classified as marvels. The blimp dropped a few more feet seeking the perfect level and I absorbed the view while Virtue talked. “This has never been replicated. It has been attempted many times. Halvina created this masterpiece because she was Halvina. A demigod with an unlimited bank sheet.”
I watched the sight of the first mountain growing as we neared. There were minecarts on the outside that spiraled from top to bottom. I wanted to ride them… A lot. I pulled out my pen and added mine cart fun track for Rocven. I smiled as I watched some young dvaren ride the carts with large smiles of joy. There were so many dvaren here it was astounding.
“What do they do to contain the population?”
“They do not enforce controls. This is a profit making planet on a few scales rarely seen. Every dvaren here is a slave without a collar. Much harder to control, at the same time there is not much to deal with. There is no central portal here for them to rebel and destroy. This has been designated a trade world. All the little baby dvaren as born into slavery. They sell the excess. The entire process of choosing who goes and who stays changes often to keep the markets guessing what is coming next. The last big sell off was smiths.” Virtue said while pointing to a city smothered in smog. “The question is what will you do when they overpopulate Vin?”
“I never thought of anything long term. My goal was to end all this. I failed already though. I failed to grasp and comprehend the scope of the dilemma. There are more slaves I want to free than space to place them. If there are no controls then space will become overrun if we are living infinitely. Seven hells this place is bursting with dvaren and they are not immortal. I think mine were as long as Vin’s core is still filled with aura and they get healed every so often. Ugh… I do not want to thank you for showing me this. My ignorance was blissful. There was no hard choice, there was only the choice of freeing those I could. I now see if I free to many, that my proverbial lifeboat will sink from the weight.”
“Do not despair,” Roz butted in. “You can claim other worlds. And expand yourself.”
“Let us play that one out. Ogre worlds are ripe candidates for takeover. They isolate themselves until a lot start to die or they feel like as a whole they can lose the planet. I could still defeat them in a running battle. The question is should I. I swap my free slaves for the blood of the ogres. Rationally there is no question it will aid our side. Emotionally it pulls at you. Good thing I am a heartless ogre hating bastard.” I said with a sigh. “Then there is what happens if I remove Maurta or close the portal to this universe? Will Maurta vanish? Is his portal storages supported by the warring universe? Will shamans still steal electricity or will that spell vanish? You are only conduits after all.”
“I certainly do not know, maybe Maurta does. I am here with you to show you that the dvaren you have will boom in numbers if left unchecked. Also to let you see not how daunting your task is to free everyone. You need to know a single planet with a few mountains will not house them all. At some point when you find enough space you can free to heart's content.”
I reclined in my plush seat while I watched the dvaren beneath me going about their daily routine. The conversation left me deep in thought. There would be no easy answer. It certainly did not deter me from raiding the dvaren brewing planet. I wanted that damn ale. More so than before. With Glowvia on our side and given time, we could expand. Especially if Sara the AI Madame Mastermind was out there with a working fleet. All was not lost. Indeed, things were looking up. Virtue did this so I would be prepared. I was shaken lightly from my thoughts when our blimp docked at the station. I wanted one of these too. I added it to my to do list. As we neared the exit my pamphlet shot to a container bin. There was no option to remove it with me and I wanted to kick that shaman who threatened me in the shins. We proceed to the portal pads and went home.
CHAPTER 15
I hated all the meetings, always had and probably always will. Unless they are jovial, joking, and full of food, I despise them. This was a briefing though. I sat in a rocking chair that squeaked across the wooden floor as it rolled back and forth. All the chairs were doing it though, and the briefer had no issue talking over the noise. I snacked on some dvaren flavored goblin jerky.
“The enemy has fortified positions here, here, here, and here.” Colonel Prixal said while using a stick to point at a map.
The rendering of our target area was a top down view. It was drawn this way because Siliq had purchased a wyvern for recon. The small winged monster could barely fly an elvath. It was usually used as a troll air mount. Unlike dragons, they were easier to tame and control. Also unlike dragons, they were weak. They had a soft s
kinned hide, minimal teeth, and generally preyed on small animals. They had no fire or insane combat abilities. They could, however, go through portals. In this case, Lady Jia herself rode into the planet to retrieve this information. She flew in and was back here in Fernlan in less than ten minutes. It was decided to hold this meeting a few hours later, which we were doing now.
“There are more dvaren below ground. The enemy has very few defenses in the center of this boxy enclosure. Almost everything is geared toward repelling a foe trying to come in from the outside on the ground. We will send two companies per fortified position. The last two will handle any roaming guards. Any questions commanders?” Prixal said to the eleven of us seated here. It was a basic plan. That was intentional. No questions were asked. “In your recon sheet, you will see which shaman you are assigned and which company you are to partner with. Dismissed.”
I waited as the other commanders left. I was a loose eleventh company and my sheet was blank. Colonel Prixal seated himself in the chair beside me.
“I think it should go smooth,” I said and he nodded.
We sat in silence for a few minutes while we rocked our chairs in the well lit briefing room. It was almost too bright in here. I thought over how I could be implemented into the plan. Unless there was a reinforcement contingent I was useless.
“Central portal work?” Prixal asked.
“Seems prudent. I will take Santa and lock the main exfill portal down. If I get bored I will help load wagons. If something big pops up I will be around.” I said.
That concluded our burly conversation. We left the briefing room for the cold night air. The snow never left from last night. It was now piling up and I hated it. These ale brewing dvaren were getting it lucky. They were heading to the southern tip of the Rocven mountains when they were free. There was a team of earth mages adding exterior structure and reshaping fields in preparation of these dvaren. We estimated twenty two million would be freed tonight. Not a warrior among them. Some of the finest ale producers in the universe though. Our biggest boon to this operation was the storage yard where the ale collected had been robbed so many times it was heavily guarded. There had never been an attempt to steal the dvaren themselves. Tonight that would change.
I found Cora with Siliq and Fae waiting with Santa. My half company awaited me while shivering in neat rows of troops.
“Huddle around,” I called out and reached into my bag and dropped a lava stone. The heat radiated for the mass of soldiers. “We are on quick reaction force. We let the other companies handle the defenses and help get the dvaren moved from there to Vin. If something big goes down we defeat it or stall until we can. Siliq has gleaned the entire area from Jia so we can be anywhere in moments. I am doubtful any big defense will come at us. Even the warehouses where the ale is stored is only a thousand ogres on foot. I don’t think we will see mounted icraws or dragons until we go for elvath. Never know though so be ready to drop what you are doing if I call for a transition.”
Prixal sounded the marching orders and five portals simultaneously were created. Once again we were marching to war. There were no drumbeats or horn calls. The companies had their targets and were marching forward. A dvaren by my side walked over.
“The lads were wondering Emperor Gryff. How did Vin lose the war here when your mages and griffins are so powerful? It tis something that been botherin us.” The guard asked. I had seen him a few times. Mostly a quiet backdrop to our meetings.
“Vin griffins did not have catalysts for offensive magic. Our mages slew many Horde, the griffins more so. Eventually, they kept coming even after numerous defeats. With a lack of catalysts, the enemy numbers mattered far more than a mage who had limited magic. Not to mention there is mage fatigue. Here on Vin, I can skirt that with the power of the planet. Outside of Vin, I am just as susceptible to running out of aura as any of these mages are. In conclusion, the numbers matter. And until we have stacks and stacks of catalysts and enough mages they still matter. That was why the Vin master portal was so vital.”
“Aye, the dvaren sort of revere you after you created Rocven Mountains. Yee slew Raxrune with ease, some of us know he was wounded. Still, ya ended him without any damage to you. Makes a lad wonder what else you can achieve.” The soldier said as he left our circle to resume his post.
I let out an exhale that frosted the air in front of my face. Damn snow. I found the central portal and gave a hand signal to march into it. First and second companies were already in. I had noticed the shaman holding the gateway open waving for us. I urged Santa forward and we shifted planets.
∞∞∞
I heard the distant clang of metal on metal. This was accompanied by cries of battle. The dying screaming in anguish and our victorious allies clamoring in annihilating their foes. It did not last long. Our mages were too much to deal with on small scale warfare with full aura and lots of catalysts. I saw vole lava illuminating the night sky with its destructive power. Our fire mages were given the orders to unleash it at will. We suddenly had an excessive amount of the catalyst.
Lady Rain herself had been getting voles from Malvia, this time there was no stopping mid farm to let things grow back. They pushed deeper and harder with the dvaren and trained wolves. I saw the reports and they were very impressive. Lady rain had dedicated herself and it was prevalent here that her success was having an impact.
I pulled Santa off to the side and penned her a note thanking her. I saw the portal I came through close and a new one open to the southern edge of Rocven Mountains. Ale brewing dvaren in light leathers and cloth tops came from all sorts of buildings to flee through the portal. I watched a lot of equipment being hastily dragged into the road. The process had begun. Unlike the last raid, there was no blaring horn or alert sounded.
The never ending task of moving supplies and dvaren started in earnest. It was backbreaking work that I loved. For hours I would help lift massive equipment that required purple aura or ten dvaren. I never slowed or became distracted. When a counteroffensive was launched by the slave owners it was a hundred ogres that never reached our retrograding lines. The report that was read to me from the front was one of no casualties and an easy victory. Prixal was a pro, and it did not hurt we were very good at killing Horde. I worked on loading supplies into wagons for so long the morning sky crested the horizon. The sun here was the reddest I had seen and it gave the daylight an odd tinted glow.
The work did not suddenly end because it was bright out. I had enough of this slow process and ordered more wagons and teams to help from Vin. The call was made for citizens of all types to help while we secured the slave city. These were manufacturing dvaren, which mean they had to have their equipment. A drastic difference from the desert dvaren where they simply grabbed their essentials and rushed to Vin. I kept expecting some larger response to charge us and found myself listening to the distant sounds over the near ones. It was midday when I had enough. The majority of the ale brewing dvaren were settling into their new home and our military companies were walking in the stragglers. The civilians who helped move the rest were already gone. I ordered the remaining supplies to stay because all the important stuff had been moved already. The last thing I needed was for a proper reaction force from the slave owners to hit us when we were tired.
I watched the last of the ale brewers enter the portal. Siliq spun into creation a separate portal to Fernlan and I returned home exhausted.
∞∞∞
It was a full week later when I found myself fighting off two wiggling twins. We were on the same table that Pipi had struggled on. This time it was Yvette. Fortunately Ruby, Emily, Trish, Priscilla, and Victoria had given birth relatively easily. I say that because besides Priscilla they still struggled. It was nothing compared to birthing purple aura boys though. They were the worst. They never wanted to leave momma’s womb. These two had zapped Yvette’s strength the moment her water broke and she went into labor. Thankfully she had been here under this pavilion waiting for this moment
.
I fished around for one of the boys. The problem was, I would finally get ahold of one and the other would block the exit. Well, I was tired of digging around on the insides of Yvette's belly. I clasped the two stinkers together and heaved them out. King Aves sat behind me ready to block me from flying into a wall this time. There was a loud sucking sound and then a plop, soon after the sound of two squalling boys erupted. I bit the cords off a few inches above the bellies and handed the rascals to dvarettes who held baby blankets open and ready.
Priscilla moved forward and touched Yvette's forehead while I sent a contract of love. It was accepted and she opened her eyes to scream in blinding pain. She had endured the worst of the griffin healing when Priscilla put her under. The entire process was done in less than five minutes. Such a difference experience could make, poor Pipi. I went to a human servant holding a towel and washed the blood off my arm and face.
“That went well,” Priscilla commented as she sat back in her wooden wheelchair.
“I told you there were plenty of others who could have helped, but yes. It was fairly smooth. Want to get lunch?” I said as I removed the last bits of blood off me. “Was thinking that new brewhouse that opened up.”
“That sounds lovely… And there goes a lovely time.” Priscillas said deflated as Urshoe showed up from a portal.
“Urshoe, what brings you to Fernlan?”
“The Rarish Empire has sent a diplomat, a hostile one. So hostile they fired around Lord Nova. He, of course, shielded it all and threatened to burn them all to ash…” Urshoe said while letting the sentence hang.
King Aves was off the ground before Barice could get in his saddle. He would want to be there for negotiations. That meant I had time to kill.
