V10: Chapter 9

  …

  Sarala was one of the Champions longest with us, but I rarely met with him. All his reports were on the up and up, and validated by Ayah and a couple of other Iterants. All his accomplishments were either within expectations or wildly beyond them. As a 'support' Champion, though he could be deployed in battle and kill plenty of opponents, he was best suited for improving the overall output of cities.

  After doing great work with the Children of the Elm's lands, I sent him off to work with the Conquerors, and while he was there I sent told Khanrow to find Sarala some apprentices.

  One of whom would be trained very differently from the rest.

  Now, those apprentices were ready.

  "Sarala."

  "Your majesty, I am humbled to be of service." Sarala had a few silver streaks in his golden mane now. The lion-based Merchant Champion was clad in fine, billowing robes vaguely like a desert sheik. The land of the Conquerors was in the desert region between my main region and the Children of the Elm's lands. It was a land created by the Ancients for harvesting rare metals and spices. The perfect place to 'park' Sarala after he was done setting up trade and the foundation of our economy in the Children of the Elm's former lands. "My apprentices have finished their final tests. Your patience has borne fruit."

  He no longer lived in a walled compound, but a large palatial estate near an oasis a day or so on foot from the Conqueror's capital and Citadel. The main household was embedded into stone and the land around the oasis was being cultivated, while a small town was present to support him. The massive rockface he carved his home into had hydroponics within, as well as an entire pig farm, and there was even a coal and iron mine nearby.

  He had a little airstrip ready for my arrival and a whole host of armored soldiers bearing my colors. According to the Iterants, they were mercenaries he knew before he joined up. They brought in their families here, too. He was currently looking for mages, necromancers in particular, to continue to bolster his private residence. The final plan was to cause a rockslide and bury the outside town, after bringing everyone into the safety of the shelter.

  This was basically his billionaire shelter in the face of the apocalypse.

  Where he'd rule as king with food, water, and a stable population.

  Honestly, I was happy to see someone who took the coming threats seriously.

  "You have my thanks. I see that your shelter against the coming storm is well underway. I hope that it will not be necessary." The closest of our enemies were the Demons. They were supposed to spawn at the Academy and be held back a few years, but after scouring the underground, I knew that it wasn't going to happen there. The sword that was used to corrupt the Conquerors and bring them low was most likely the original source of the game scenario that 'lost' the entire center of the continent and destroyed the Academy. We didn't have to worry about a spawn there. I think. "If you have funds to spare, I suggest creating a network of tunnels to nearby, similar rock formations for access to more resources… and be ready to house and support a few hundred Iterants."

  Sarala didn't look the least bit surprised at my statement. He gave a nod of gratitude at the mention of the Iterants, though.

  In another post-apocalypse, having Iterants would solve a lot of problems.

  But back to why I was really here.

  "I only need to meet with Helton. The other two can be assigned where you believe them needed most. Helton will be supporting the defensive perimeter." There were two main uses for support Champions. The first and most common was to have them just play administrator and pump up the outputs of cities and regions. More money, production, culture, research, etc. The other, rare use was to have them support a 'fortress' city. Instead of increasing output of gold and industrial capacity, they instead improved regeneration rates of garrison troops, increased the logistical cost of armies in their region, improved the rate of attrition suffered by the enemies, and gave buffs to defenders. However, there was one, singular trait that for a fortress-city Champion that was the most necessary: maxed out smuggling. "I need to be sure, otherwise he and all under his command have only death awaiting them."

  Sieges occurred when an enemy army was adjacent to your city and used the siege-action. Once a siege is underway, that city is effectively cut-off from the rest of the empire. All its outputs are zilch, until you lift the siege. The siege pits the 'siege attack' value against the 'siege defense' value of the city. Every turn that the city is under siege, its health is reduced by the enemy's siege attack subtracted by the siege defense. If the siege defense is higher than the attack, the health of the city doesn't go down, and instead the enemy sieging the city will suffer attrition damage. Improvements like walls and fortifications and garrisons improve siege defense, while granaries, food stores, and shelters improve city health.

  A good enough fortress city is basically a meat-grinder for enemy armies. It's layers and layers of walls, districts, and factories that take on enemy armies and turn them into meat. If you have some artillery garrisoned in the city, the enemy army isn't trapping your city. They've trapped themselves in a siege and are basically sacrificing themselves so that city isn't giving any resources, and the surrounding region doesn't organize defenders eating away at their logistics and passing armies.

  Unless you have a Champion with Rank 5 of 5 in Smuggling.

  Rank 1 allows you to use the city's production but halved, and keeps the attrition rate in the surrounding region at levels pre-Siege. The Champion can smuggle in enough food and materials through the siege for the city to work on putting together units or improvements. 2 and 3 reintroduce population growth and double culture growth. The people inside basically get the creature comforts they need to live 'normally' and their valiant persistence inspires the rest of the player's territories. Rank 4 returns city production to full capacity, with the flavor text stating the Champion is somehow ferrying tons and tons of supplies in even through the most massive of sieges.

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  Rank 5 in smuggling?

  It negates any debuffs being under Siege gives.

  Meaning that your city, despite being surrounded by even tens of thousands of enemy combatants, can freely churn out cannons, infantry, and all sorts of bullshit, while also giving out research, influence, and gold unabated. All the while the city's defenses are chewing through the army, because having full production capacity means you can just keep rebuilding your defenses and revitalizing your health pool. A fortress city, equipped with a support Champion with Rank 5 smuggling, located somewhere at a chokepoint the enemy needs to go through may as well be a wonder in and of itself.

  I really, really hoped that Helton was at least Rank 2, because if he was, that meant he'll be able to learn fast enough and quickly enough to get to Rank 3 before the first wave of events start.

  With the EXP those'll bring, he should be able to hit Rank 5 before the first armies arrive to hit wherever I assign him.

  "Your majesty, my household is yours." Sarala gave another deep bow, just as we reached the large doors of his palace/shelter. "Please, enter."

  As I did as Sarala asked, I idly wondered how things were going on in the lands of the Wardens.

  It was a bit strange that I haven't heard back from them yet.

  I'll need to double-check that my order to keep that crazy bitch away from me properly got through.

  …

  Interlude: Sirena

  …

  I beheld the power and might of the King of Wisdom's armies and felt despair.

  Theirs was the might and strength long lost to time.

  We had been struck with their fastest, swiftest force and ambushed by hidden assassins of incredible durability and lethality. A potent mixture that combined speed, precision, and preparation to destroy our most potent, professional force. Against that combined force, against the Iterants and the Champions of the King of Wisdom, warriors could summon courage and fight. They could give their lives and valiantly push forward with sacrifices not made in vain.

  But, attached to Morgan, I witnessed the true strength of the King of Wisdom's armies.

  Morgan described it as a great beast. The legs were the many transports ranging from wagons, trains, and their flying transports. The innards that fed muscle and let blood flow were parts of the army but were 'noncombatants.' They did more than ensure supplies reached warriors. They made repairs, erected buildings, repaired roads, cooked, and more. The officers and generals were the mind of the army, but the mind was linked to the senses. Their eyes, ears, and other senses were the reconnaissance forces on ground and on air. When they had information they can send orders to the rest of the body through dozens of messengers and signalers waiting for their orders to be relayed. The claws and teeth of the army were its soldiers and mages, supported by everything else.

  What I saw was an unstoppable force that crushed anything its path with overwhelming potency.

  Nothing could break through the stout lines of heavily-armored pikes fast enough to survive the thousands of rifles bearing down on them.

  Nothing could flank the formations assembled, because on the flanks Conquerors were waiting.

  Nothing could smash them apart, because the skies were dominated by mages, by flying knights that dropped flames onto the ground below, and the flying bastion that rained death down upon anything it could reach.

  I thought that, after I witnessed the strength and might of the King of Wisdom's true army, that I had seen the pinnacle of warfare.

  Until I walked beside General Morgan through the lands taken by the Goddess of the Death that we found.

  There I beheld true horror.

  "She certainly doesn't go for half-measures. That's a point in her favor." General Morgan stated dryly. We were accompanied by her two apprentices. They were both doing their best to hide their disgust. She called me here after discovering that her sanctified blade worked well against the Death Goddess, due to her Undead nature. I had come as a reluctant, potential executioner. Now, I felt that what we found should've stayed buried. "I think we might've done the Wardens a favor, Sirena."

  "I believe so." We looked upon a land with skies tinted red, lengthened shadows, and fields drenched with blood. Upon stakes of bone, flesh was being torn away by skeletons. Meat and viscera were laid out in great piles to rot. Corpses of dead warriors, whether mercenary, Warden, or Forger, were being pushed towards rows and rows of stakes manned by animated skeletons by grotesque, hulking amalgams of flesh from dozens of bodies. "This power reminds me much of a Death Lord. Too much."

  "She's the Goddess of Death. The Death Lord is lesser than her." Morgan took a step forward, passing the boundary into the land where the Goddess of Death was sent. Immediately, dozens of eyeless-sockets turned to us and the corpulent and bloated giant beasts turned our way. They had no eyes, only mouths with bared teeth and fangs, and numerous slits that reminded me of gills. My hand almost went to my blade, but they soon returned to… processing the corpses. "It seems like we're expected."

  A creature descended from the sky. For a moment, I thought it a mere crow, but it grew larger and larger still as it approached. I thought it one singular creature, until it began to spread apart and hundreds of dead crows surged across the field to begin pecking and breaking down the remains of flesh and innards strewn across the land. The last murder came apart and the Goddess of Death appeared before us with head bowed and raising her skirt in curtsy.

  Her dress of black lace and silk fitting for elegant ballrooms was dyed scarlet and blood dripped from its folds onto the ground.

  "General, the region is yours. None who oppose our master remains. The forces I create here and now are yours to command." Her voice was sweet and cloying to the ears, but at the same time carried a faint, underlying screech. A high echo that grated at the soul. Perhaps, it was my sense of hearing screaming at me to kill the creature that was now before me. She noticed my intent and looked my way. A too-wide smile filled with fangs instead of teeth filled her mouth as I matched her glare. "Oh, joy. Another mighty executioner to take my neck, if I fail."

  I was tempted to leave my scabbard, but Morgan held up her hand to stop me.

  Then, she smiled and walked towards the land of death and shadow with a smile.

  "A wonderful showing. All my scouts and far-sights say the same. Complete obliteration of the enemy forces in the region. None allowed to retreat. Only surrender." Morgan spoke and shook within my sheathe. I knew it was true. This was what the King of Wisdom demanded the Goddess of Death. She achieved her mission. Her destruction was stayed. We had need of monsters such as this. Still, I wondered if this was the right path. If this creature continued to be unleashed on the continent, we will unite all our enemies against us. "But I am afraid to relay that the only reward for your good work… is more work. Finish your army. It will remain under your control. His majesty has found the perfect use for you: stalling for time against the Ancient's foes."

  I very nearly let loose a sigh of relief, as the Goddess of Death's eyes suddenly shone with an eager light and even General Morgan allowed herself a genuine smile, as she held up a black envelope with the King of Wisdom's seal upon it.

  The King of Wisdom predicted this outcome already. Now the Goddess of Death would be sent against our true foes after instilling fear into those who saw her here.

  I should not have been concerned.

  A/N: V2 is now live on and on . It is free on Patreon if you are a supporter who already donates 5 dollars or more a month. Please consider purchasing it. Proceeds from the book are used for the next book.

  Additionally, I've got three other stories being actively posted from my Patreon to SB. Give them a look if you have some time!