I teach Zeke as he consecrates the ground of my fortress. He looked disgruntled at me talking until it finally happened. Just like so many I've taught before he looks shocked then screams out in surprise and excitement. He is on the verge of crying once it happens. I can only laugh now at the process now. He tries to consecrate the rest of my fortress for free but I say no, I'll pay in even after me teaching him.
I have plans for him and him being happy now will make the things I want him to do later easier to ask for… I want him to slowly consecrate the ground around the island inward and maybe even infiltrate the base to consecrate some more ground… Reducing the stats of the corpses and ghouls that will be summoned will be the biggest help in the future fight.
Speaking of which, around 300 pirates have deserted… From what my scouts say… More tried to but those were the only ones that could get away. They are being detained in several locations but because of the pirates we had gotten from the ship before. I had thought of expanding the prisons to accommodate many people. Some of the deserter pirates see the pirates from the ship all happy and moving around and realize that their leader was spreading lies about us… We are just people trying to survive the war as well…
For now. We make sure they aren't hungry, that is a promise I had made that I plan on keeping. Starting with vegetables and then switching over to meat might be a good idea… Seeing as… They might think that it is human if they are forced to eat meat so soon after coming here… Perhaps if we killed the animals and fish in front of them and cooked it as well they would eat it… I don't want anyone to starve because of fear though.
With gaining Zeke as an ally, I feel a little safer… I still need to get a hold of Lance and Leon… Giving them a communicator slime would be the most helpful.
Lance's point of view
“If you wish to eat we still have some meat left!…”
No one attempts it. It takes some self control to not start shouting at this person. That he is lying and that the food has been changed by their leader. With Kite being chased out the spy mission has fallen to me and Leon… Unlike the ship, the idea of being a spy in this army makes me feel excited… At least it would if the leader wasn't killing her own men so regularly. That only makes me angry.
They had to stop putting people onto the stakes out in front of the main building because they had ran out of room. Now the deserters are just thrown on the ground in front of the building… The ones that don't disappear into the base to become food for later… Or worse... A few hundred pirates have been taken inside the main base for who knows what... None have returned after entering... It has been an entire day of no food… The few summoners in the army are keeping busy by conjuring food but it can't be eaten regularly or you will get mana poisoning. Even when the bandits had captured us they made sure we were fed at least once a day… I can understand what the enemy is going through a little better because of this… Many men don't even have enough energy to bat the flies off of themselves anymore.
I've actually started to make friends with some of the pirates here… Perhaps if we can defeat their leader I can continue to be friends with everyone… I want to protect them from their leader… Leon is still doing things to disrupt their army. A true professional when it comes to a mission. Later that day… Leon brings me into our room alone and talks to me.
“Listen… We need to kill their leader sooner rather than later.”
“Shouldn't we wait for Kite?”
“His identity has been revealed… The longer we wait the more people will die. Her death will bring about the end of the war… The next time she shows herself I'm going to kill her.”
“Fine… I'll back you up.”
“No… If I die… The mission will go to you.”
“...I refuse… If you're planning to attack her I want in...”
“Fine… Only if we get the chance though.”
We wait for our chance… The red weapon guy comes out and talks again… I don't think he is important though. His death wont cause the pirate army to collapse… He brings out more food and after a single person eats it and runs off no one else does… This is bad… Real bad, as time passes more people will be willing to change into these… Monsters that are attacking us… They are far more dangerous then a normal human… It is like they are emotionless… The chance to kill their leader doesn't come that day… I'm starting to get hungry as well. The man walks out again to tell us something.
“We're going to let a handful of men leave on the ship. They will make an attempt to get to the north and ask for assistance to fight against this menace. This mission is going to be a very difficult one… You have a very little chance at success… Please know that if you go forwards.”
That isn't a half bad idea. If they can get help then we will be forced to leave them alone. I don't think Kite will give them a chance make it there… Several hundred men have volunteered. Even if they are caught, they'll be treated better than they are right now as prisoners of our army… They take around 50 pirate volunteers… They disappear underneath the base for an hour… Then when they come out, I notice something terrible. I see no life in their eyes... It is as if they are walking corpses. They are still dressed as like normal but they are now dead… The corpses board the ship and leave now… No one even notices they aren't alive anymore... Not even Leon... What the hell is she planning?
Kite's point of view
I'm about to head into the portal to get to our ships before I'm stopped by Nami.
“Hey… Can we talk?”
“Yea what do you need?”
Before she can answer Green rushes up to me and starts yelling.
“HEY! Kite, we need to talk.”
“I mean… Nami was here fir-.”
“It's about that little girl with the crazy magic powers.”
“… Umm… Can this talk wait till later Nami?”
“Sure. Come to the village when you aren't busy.”
She leaves as Green starts to explain. Leaning in close and trying to whisper but speaking loud enough for everyone in close proximity to hear.
“One of Gobber's little girls. She came onto the battlefield and healed things that were impossible to heal by anyone else… My men were saved because of her… She said something about feeling the pain happening or some shit and had Darkclaw take her to the battlefield.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
This is bad… If Hilda hears one of her children went to the battlefield she might want to leave… That doesn't change the fact that she did something truly amazing… It brings back memories of the time that Pokodo was poisoned and she was able to heal it… There might be more to those children then I first expected… She also has a sense for people in need… It seems she knew people were going to get injured before it even happened…
“Alright… Thank her but tell no one… If Hilda finds out about it she could leave the fortress.”
“What!? Why? Her child can do something so amazing as heal impossibly difficult wounds. Wounds made by those weird ass monsters rushing out from their base and I need to keep it a secret!”
She is now yelling at this point… Keeping it a secret is going to be far harder than I thought… Perhaps it would be better to tell Hilda the entire story before she hears a piece of the story from someone else. Green yells a few more times something similar to what she already was before leaving… I start to head to Gobber's room but Kline stops me before I can make it there. Can I not get anything done today? Everyone seems to need to talk for some reason. I'm the leader of an army but people still continue to bring their problems to me... I like helping people with problems but this is getting to be ridiculous... He looks visibly shaken up by something.
“I… Can we speak in private?”
I take him to my old room before he begins telling me what is wrong.
“I… It is like someone is following me around. Everywhere I go it is like someone… Something is right behind me but I can't see it.”
“Hmm… Did you get any feelings since we've been in this room?”
“Not yet… Even around people I still get the feelings.”
“Sit right there and I will watch you. The second you feel the presence alert me.”
It takes around 10 minutes of sitting still waiting for something to happen. Finally he yells.
“I can feel it!”
I look around. Nothing, there is nothing behind him, I would have been able to sense it even if it was invisible… For a second I thought I seen something. I instinctively reach out and grab at it. From thin air, I get a hold of something. As if pulling it through another dimension, I rip something through. A green girl comes popping out. I can see through her to the other side where Kline is, it is like she is made of air or something. The second she realizes I what has happened my hand slips through her arm. She attempts to flee but I grab at her with no success. Thinking quickly I put up a wind wall in front of the door.
It stops her dead in her tracks, she is now stuck in here with us. She looks terrified by what has happened. I need to ask her.
“So… What exactly are you?”
She goes to speak but no words come out. Only music notes are produced as she speaks… I try to think… What the death god could she be? A spirit of some kind? I've never seen a spirit but I doubt they would be tinted green like this… But from reading stories and books about mythical creatures… I think she might be a sylph… So she might understand some fairy language. I try to speak using that… At least pieces of it.
“Can you speak fairy?”
She looks at me in slight shock by my knowledge. I know that the fairy language is one of the harder ones to learn. It has very long drawn out phrases that are lengthened to make entire sentences. It is hard to learn if you aren't from the family of the fae. Me speaking it would possibly confuse her more than anyone inside this base being able to.
“Y-yes...”
“Good, good, now… Why are you following Kline around?”
“He is… Such a good person I wanted to just watch him be so nice and caring.”
In common I say.
“It looks like you've gotten a fan Kline. She is watching you because you are such a good person.”
I continue speaking to the sylph.
“So… Why had you remained hidden. If you would have revealed yourself, I'm sure you would have still been fine.”
“Well… It is because of what I am. Most people would try to capture me to use me as a dimensional door… Or keep me locked away to admire my beauty... We aren't very social either… From the air realm, I can watch people through the tears in the dimensions. I've never… How could you see me?”
“I don't really know for sure… Is it bad that you are here?”
“Well… Not really… It's just… We sylphs are very shy...”
“But you still spy on Kline.”
I have a feeling that if she could blush, she would be right now… Hmm… I'm not sure how this works but I think them becoming friends for now would be in the best interest.
“Kline… I'm going to give you the ability to talk to this sylph… She was just curious about you and was spying on you… I think having her close by instead of spying from a different dimension might come in handy.”
“A-alright… So… How are you going to teach me to talk to her then?”
I start using my give knowledge skill from master of teaching. I focus on the sylph language and soon enough I get it all compacted into a certain part of my thoughts. Then I cut those thoughts out of my head… Trying to throw them at Kline. His eyes start to glow as I do this. A few seconds later the light dies down I have to make sure it works.
“So? Can you speak it now.”
“I'm not sure… I guess I'll give it a shot.”
He starts speaking now… It is in a language I can't understand now.
“Heesssssssshhhhhhhh. Naaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhffffffffttttttaaaaa.”
The sylph looks excited by Kline gaining the ability to speak to her. She speaks at him now.
“Faaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. Faaaaaaaaaahhhhhssssssssssshhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa. Neeeeeeeeeeeeefffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuu.”
… I now have no idea what they are saying… If I could still learn it from osmosis I think I would have started picking up pieces of it by now… I doubt I'll ever be able to learn it the easy way again… It still might be worth learning it if I have the time though… It will just take… Years to master that language now but… It feels like I've made the right decision…
It let me test out my give knowledge as well. I break off and let them speak in private. The sylph looks like she has a crush on Kline. He is speaking and she continues to laugh at his antics. It is like she can finally understand the words that were making all those children laugh now.
I still have to talk to Hilda. I head towards Gobber's room.