by Billy Wong
"I guess you're right. Those educated people and their tact."
"Wait, are you implying I'm uneducated?"
"Despite being a duchess," Ruth admitted with a hesitant expression, "you do often come off like a wild brute."
"Heh, how many years did I spend hunting monsters and working as a mercenary to raise money to restore our home? Of course the times when I was tutored and studied hard are buried deep in my memory. But that doesn't mean I can't call up things from them. I still clearly recall, thirteen times thirteen is one hundred sixty-nine!"
Ruth blinked confusedly. "Is... is that supposed to be impressive?"
"Well of course you would be good at math too," Cart-Dragger muttered under her breath, "considering sellswords would need to be to make sure they aren't getting ripped off."
After just over two days of small talk and being bored, they founded themselves relieved to see Lars flying back on E under the setting sun. "Everything went well, I trust?" Cart-Dragger asked.
"It took a while to find a spot where we could set the core down intact without damaging the trees, but eventually we managed to get it done."
"The druids did look at us in a rather distrusting manner," E said.
Cart-Dragger sympathized with the parrotlike elemental, herself having been the subject of unpleasant stares due to her build and scarring before. "We can only hope that with continued interaction, the suspicion some have towards others different from themselves will fade."
"I don't know if suspicion towards those who look different is necessarily a bad thing, though," Lars said. "I know that sounds bad, but we live in a dangerous world. Being cautious of those you meet might only help your chances of survival."
"That may be true," Ruth replied, "but then I'd prefer to be wary of everybody instead of going by looks. It's not as if the pretty ones are always good."
"You're one to talk. You're fine looking enough, but dangerously temperamental too."
She scowled. "What kind of backhanded compliment is that?"
"You do try to crush men's balls just for touching you."
"Keep this up and I'll crush your balls."
Cart-Dragger laughed, glad to have their banter to lighten a serious mood. "Anyway, let's get back to Galantria and discuss our next move with everyone else."
Chapter 8
They arrived in Galantria, residents greeting them with things like "The duchess has returned!" or "Glad to see you back safely, duchess," as their mounts descended. She took some comfort in the sight of Abaddon's form looming beyond the walls, another strong figure protecting the city she loved. Despite the adversity they faced, this was humanity's stronghold, and as long as it stood she felt hope they would persevere.
"There must be much to do," E said while they landed. "Where will you start?"
Cart-Dragger jumped off her back and turned to the north. "First things first, let's pay our towering friend a visit... if she even returned here, that is." While working with them did give Strength the opportunity to take on powerful opponents as she desired, it wouldn't be a complete shock if she had decided to abandon them altogether.
She headed straight for the squat stone building that served for the city guard's headquarters, Lars and Ruth picking up the pace to keep up behind her. When she entered the cramped office Russ shared with his new vice captain, he frowned at her dark expression. "Willow, happy to have you back. What happened, did things not go well?" Strength sat impassively beside him, seeming unaware anything was amiss.
"They didn't go the worst they could have, but not exactly great either. Sorry, we'll have to catch up later. Right now, I have business to attend to. Strength! Why the hell would you leave Athendar without asking me first?"
The big woman looked baffled. "Why wouldn't I leave? The battle was over, the enemy's leader dead and their force largely slaughtered before its survivors could flee beneath the waves. That stupid mayor even said I was free to go, why should I torture myself by being subjected to his company longer than I have to? Always complaining, second guessing me despite him having no clue about battle..."
"Jasper told you you could leave?" She gnashed her teeth. "Not so surprising he failed to mention that—but still! Who do you work for, him or me? You have to check with me before doing something like that, you can't make such a big decision by yourself in my employ."
"Did something bad happen because she left too soon?" Russ asked. "I mean, I gather it did from your demeanor, but what exactly?"
"The enemy leader Strength refers to, our old tentacled friend as you might guess, wasn't quite as dead as everyone thought." Strength's eyes widened. "So because of her early departure, it was free to wreak havoc in Athendar once it recovered due to there being nobody who could readily stand up to it. It was fortunate I got back before its rampage went on too long, or else the damage would've been even more extensive. A lot of people still died though, and even more lost their homes."
The giantess looked down. "All right, I apologize. If my actions led to destruction I could have prevented, you have the right to be angry with me."
Cart-Dragger hesitated. She hadn't expected Strength to admit to wrongdoing so easily, thinking she would try to defend herself. But then, "I don't know if an apology is sufficient. You might not have killed anyone directly, but the costs of you not doing your job were quite steep."
You should have her flogged publicly for undermining your goals. At least, that is what I would do.
"You again? I'd hoped you would stay silenced for longer, but I suppose that'd be too much to ask."
Strength blinked. "Huh? I didn't say anything, and are you telling me to shut up?"
"I was talking to Maximilian, not you."
"Ah, yes. I had momentarily forgotten he speaks to you from inside your head, and we can't hear him."
If you could hear me I would give you a mouthful for being the traitor you are.
She reminded herself she should take any advice Maximilian gave about Strength with a grain or a hundred of salt and pondered what an appropriate punishment might actually be. She shouldn't hurt Strength or otherwise compromise her ability to help defend the city, but it had to be enough to discourage her from acting rashly again. "No pay for a month," she said at last, keeping her voice as authoritatively even as possible. "But you'll still have to do the same work in that time, if you want to keep working for me that is."
Strength held her gaze for tense moments, making Cart-Dragger think she might not accept it, then shrugged. "It's fair. I'll hardly starve or be out of a place to stay just by virtue of what my job entails, so if I got civilians killed, not giving me extra money to spend on pleasures isn't excessive."
Wasn't excessive indeed... She couldn't help the feeling maybe she was letting Strength off too easy, but what could she do? She tried to justify it based on it being an honest mistake, and Jasper having contributed. Yet she had to acknowledge the real reason was that the prideful warrior probably wouldn't continue helping them if she tried to enforce a punishment along the lines of what Maximilian suggested, and they needed to keep every strong ally they could at present. "I'll talk to you two later about other matters," she told Strength and Russ, not sure what else to say, and walked out of the office.
"So Jasper encouraged her to go," she mumbled in the hall. "His aversion to our company does both sides no favors."
Ruth agreed, "Certainly not. Do you think he really might not ask for help in case of another attack?"
"I hope not. I doubt he'd rather die than seek aid when it comes down to it, though. My biggest concern would be that he doesn't delay contacting us out of stubbornness until it's too late."
"By the way," Lars said, "her reaction was kind of surprisingly reasonable all in all."
After a second, she gave a nod. "True. It's giving her a lot of credit, but perhaps she understands that humans have to stick together in these times too."
#
Later that day, Cart-Dragger called for a dining hall meeti
ng. She told everyone what had transpired during her time away, then said, "I was able to slay the new King Elemental of Water, but from what we've learned there's likely still a King Elemental of Air out there, who may be waging the battle against humanity in the east if what Obo says is true. If it's anything like its predecessor, it can probably fly, and if we go by the tentacled one's example of leading similar creatures, its forces might too. We should prep the city as best we can to defend from an aerial attack."
"Do we know for sure there'll be an attack?" Gene asked nervously, like he wanted her to say no. "Maybe they'll be defeated elsewhere before they get to us, or stay on their own continent."
"That's possible, but not something we should count on. Plus, if the elemental forces have a way of communicating with each other, they might well switch priorities to taking care of us after learning Tentacle Nest was defeated."
Maximilian sighed in her head. The creature is dead, is it really necessary to still call it by that stupid name now?
"Do you have a better name for it?"
"So I guess that means reinforcing some roofs so people will have places to take shelter," Scott suggested, "among other things."
Lars added, "Adjusting ballistae so they can aim farther up."
"Having the guard and other volunteers practice shooting upward more," Russ said.
Strength nodded at him. "Simple yet appropriate. We should have the God Soldiers do drills also, especially the flying ones but any that are willing to fight too. I imagine many of them are rusty at this point, especially with regard to warfare and not just hunting for food." It had been many years since they fought under the empire's banner.
"I think I'll leave that to you," Russ replied looking a bit intimidated, "being the one with experience with them."
Ruth said, "I'll help too. I was just a grunt in the imperial army, but saw elemental troops fight enough that I might be able to quickly learn to help train them."
Mindy chimed in. "The blacksmiths will naturally have to make more ammunition too, if ranged weapons will be important in this battle."
"You guys already know what to do," Cart-Dragger observed with delight and pride in her friends.
I must admit they are fairly quick on the uptake. Is it from working so long with a bloodthirsty brute like you?
"Partially, but they all have their own expertises too. I couldn't do a hundredth of what Scott does in terms of engineering... speaking of which, Scott, how is work with the imperial machines coming along? We should focus on salvaging machines and weapons that can attack upward, like that tube you used on Maximilian before."
Grr... and they're called guns.
"Hey, I knew that. I just prefer to stick with 'tubes,' since that's how I thought of them before I learned their name."
"Well, most of them can be fired into the air," Scott said. "The empire's weapons tend to be versatile, though there are a few explosive launchers with more limited range we might not give priority for now. The work is going fine. We've gotten a couple more of the vehicles mostly functional—in fact, I wanted to show you something, but it can wait until you're not too busy."
She could already guess at what. "You're talking about one of those walking giant knight-looking machines, aren't you? Are you thinking about driving it yourself when the time comes?" His bashful expression alone answered her question, and she raised an eyebrow. "But I thought you said back then that engineering didn't cover operating vehicles."
"It doesn't, but I thought I picked it up pretty well."
"You almost got yourself killed last time." She smiled. "You did help me out plenty though, so I suppose I can trust you to do it more than most. Like Russ and Strength were saying about the guard and God Soldiers, you and anyone else you're planning to have drive those things should get some practice in as well."
"Yeah, we will, once we get some of the clinks fully worked out."
"I really think we should let Obo's family in," Mindy said. "Their story matches up with what we know now, right? If we don't, they'll be sitting ducks out there."
"While I'm not usually the sentimental type," Strength put in, " it's true that if we don't become aware of an attack in time, they might well be massacred before we could get them into the city."
Do not let emotion get in the way of your better judgment. Remember in this you are a leader first, and a woman second.
"Don't you think I know that? And since when is that conflict exclusive to women? I'm a better leader than you, as evidenced by who still has a body and who doesn't."
Then make your decision, oh great leader.
Cart-Dragger bit her lip. On one hand, her intuition told her to believe the refugees, but then again... "I'm sorry Mindy, I can't. The camp is just outside the gates, so as long as we have any warning of approaching hostiles, we should be able to get them in before they reach us. Before then, given the possibility they're spies, it's too much of a risk."
"But Willow-"
She raised a palm. "We have to look at what's best for everyone. The needs of the many outweigh those of the few. It's not like we're ignoring them, we've offered the help we can. I know it isn't the best situation—but if you flee your homeland for a faraway place you've only heard stories about in hopes of finding paradise, you can't expect that they'll take you in for sure. The people you seek aid from have considerations of their own, and in our case, we have to put our survival ahead of anything else."
"I agree with the duchess," Lars said. "They made the choice to come here, and they can make the choice to leave, but we shouldn't bend over backwards and compromise the security of the entire populace for the sake of forty people."
"I... guess you two are right." Mindy exhaled. "I'll apologize to them on everyone's behalf, but I won't try to change your mind again until things are more stable."
"No, I'll personally give them my apology, in case they're sincere. If I'm the leader, I should face up to my decisions and not hide in shame behind my subordinates."
That was relatively well handled, Maximilian said after Mindy nodded and sat back.
"You probably would have brushed her off fueling continued discord. I told you I'm a better leader than you."
Until all of this is resolved, we can say little about how good a leader you truly are.
She supposed he had a point. This would be the first great test faced by the state of Galantria as a whole, as opposed to the little group she led against him before, and she hoped dearly that they would pass it.
They continued to discuss aspects of their preparations, such as where to store food so enemies couldn't easily get at it and widening patrols outside the city so they would have more warning before an attack, for several hours. The next morning, Cart-Dragger landed after a round of exercises on E with a few other elemental allies in the skies above Galantria to find Scott had been watching. "Those were some amazing jumps!" he said, walking up to her. "I always knew you were strong, but we rarely see such graceful acrobatics from you."
She chuckled. "I leap high all the time, but yeah, against grounded opponents I tend not to need too many fancy flips. Against predominantly airborne foes though, since my main weapon is my hammer, it seems like a good idea to practice some aerial combat."
"That jumping between mounts looked mighty dangerous, though. Weren't you scared you might fall?"
"The other God Soldiers weren't simulating other mounts, but enemies for me to jump between while killing them." At that, he gaped. "I could do a similar thing to snag a new ride if my current one died, but I'd hope that doesn't happen."
"I would hope not too," E agreed.
"Anyway, if I did fall I would have my hard head full of evil emperor to break it. So what do you need? I assume you're not here solely to commend my midair acrobatics."
He grinned. "I was hoping you had a moment to spare, so I could finally show you that thing I was talking about."
"Sure, I don't have any pressing business."
I wonder which of ou
r weapons you're so proud to have stolen for your use.
Scott led her to a gigantic warehouse and opened the door. As she stepped inside, she beheld what looked like a white metal giant standing in the center, even bigger than the machines she'd fought before at around fifty feet, while also sleeker and more covered with protruding tube weapons on its arms, knees, shoulders, and even head. Spikes adorned its knuckles, elbows and feet, and over its back jutted the hilt of what must be an enormous sword. She had seen it lying down before when it was first recovered, but it made a much more imposing sight upright.
"That looks like it might give me a run for my money," she muttered.
We never completed testing on that prototype, Maximilian said. I'm surprised if you've actually gotten it to work.
"I don't know if I would go that far," Scott replied to her, "considering it's never shown it can match King Elementals and the relative inexperience of all the potential drivers. But it is the pride and joy of the Galantrian Engineers Division. Meet the Lightbringer!"
Such an unimaginative name...
"It certainly is an impressive visual, and as I said would make a formidable opponent on the ground, but how well does it shoot up? I imagine it can aim its arms and swing that blade skyward, but some of those other tubes don't look the most mobile."
"They're more mobile than they seem, with most capable of swiveling a good amount. But better yet... actually, maybe I should just show you instead of telling." He climbed up a ladder to the hatch in its back. Going inside, he said through a mechanism that deepened and amplified his voice, "Not only can the Lightbringer shoot up"—there was a loud clacking sound, and she gawked as huge metal wings spread out to its sides—"it can also fly!"
It's supposed to be able, anyway, Maximilian clarified.
Cart-Dragger asked, "Wait, does that mean the flight capability was never tested?"
"Don't worry, we've tested it before!" Scott sounded all too excited. "Now, here we go!"
