Daniel watches from the ramparts of the Citadel as the golems face off against the second wave of the invading attack. He learned this very morning that they hadn’t actually ended the invasion, yet, because they had captured the general and his officers on the first day, but were more focused on Daniel’s recovery the second day, especially once he woke up.
The sounds of rifle shots reach him, even as far away as they are, though the golems are firing to wound, since the soldiers refused to give up yet, thanks mostly in part to mid-rank and lower officers keeping the invasion going.
Daniel knows, deep down, that it’s difficult to force surrender without killing vast portions of the enemy army, especially in an era like this one. By making a showing of not killing them, the enemy will only begin to believe that the defenders are bluffing.
Now, as per his instructions of slow escalation, they are wounding the soldiers and dragging those the golems capture back to be contracted and forcibly returned east. It’ll be a drain on the Citadel’s resources, but if they won’t turn back otherwise, Daniel will have to figure something else out.
He wishes he knew all of the controls and safeties that went into the nuclear reactors he worked on. He knows the basic idea of almost all of them, as that was part of his training. He doesn't remember every little component, let alone how they’re assembled. And, as much as he might want to, having blueprints for something like that on his phone -however he would have obtained them- would have had him on watch lists at best back on Earth.
So, he’ll have to settle for trying to make electrical power with either wind, solar -if he can identify the proper materials without the technology needed to really work with them-, or hydroelectric. But, the nearest river with enough motion to scale with the Citadel is a few miles away. And, even then, finding a way to make a hydroelectric dam without a difference in altitude will be tricky. Not to mention costly.
Thankfully, the modest population of the Fievegal are content with the Fievegal so far. Daniel makes a point of not trying to draft them, though he may talk to them about the upcoming battles to capture Fort Twilight, and then man it. The golems can easily conquer the castle, but the further out from the Citadel they are, the less efficient they are on mana. For small strike teams and escorts, it’s feasible enough, since they can be recharged when they return and are replaced with other golems.
For a massive invasion force numbering over 100,000 -or, even more than that, considering they’ll be attacking a fortress-, the cost of switching out the golems will very quickly drain much of the stockpile of mana that makes the Citadel so superior. Unlike living beings, which recover mana on their own the way they recover stamina throughout the day and after resting, the Citadel must absorb mana through the deaths of attackers in close proximity or within its walls, or receive donations of mana through special devices. So far, the only devices for making offerings are installed in the town surrounding the Citadel, and they’re working on modified ones to make tidings remotely, which charges magic crystals that are easy to transport to the Citadel for delivery. Ideally, these tasks will be carried out by living workers to minimize the mana cost of retrieving mana donations.
Since the magical energy transfers are the only form of ‘taxes’ the Fievegal is collecting for now, the citizens are happy to pay it, but it’s difficult for the towns that were further out to make the trip every day to make their offerings, and impractical for Daniel to expect them to.
Some part of him ponders keeping the captured soldiers as prisoners of war and using the contract to force them to make contributions every day. It’s against what he wants to accomplish as a leader, but he also recalls various teachings of books and wisdom he picked up over his life.
One of the most prominently referenced in talking about leadership -and applicable to many areas of life- would be Machiavelli’s The Prince, where he makes the argument that if it comes down to being feared or loved, it’s better to be feared in terms of leadership.
Unfortunately, Daniel never got around to reading The Prince, so that’s about all he knows about it. He could execute every captured soldier and have the golems wipe out the rest to the last man, and they would have no qualms about obeying his order. No one in the Fievegal would shed tears for the invading soldiers, even if they might not like the outcome.
It’s a lot of work trying to make them retreat on their own without simply killing them until they give up. But, it’s a tragedy that it has to be that way. His current strategy can only work thanks to the Citadel and the vast mana stockpile the Feral Feldrok unknowingly accumulated over the centuries. Daniel touches one of the stones of the rampart he’s looking out over, deep in thought.
“Daniel?” It’s Wenlianna, and she cautiously approaches.
“Oh! Wenlianna.” He turns and gives her a smile. “What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to check on you. You’ve been out here a while.”
“Thanks. I’m alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure I’m sure. Just thinking.”
She approaches and wraps her arms around his. “P-Pardon me…”
He smiles and nods. “Thanks.”
Wenlianna studies the view of the clashing golems and eastern soldiers. She murmurs, “I don’t understand… Mother should have been able to prevent this…”
“They went past each other. I would guess Her Grace only just returned to the Grand Duchy.”
“How, though?”
“The invasion came from Fort Twilight. It’s the only pass-through large enough to accommodate this many soldiers and the necessary supply lines. The Grand Duchess came and likely returned via Fort Peony, and may not have heard about the invasion yet.”
Wenlianna is respectfully silent for a moment. She hopes that’s the case. Aramellianna is shrewd, but she’s not disloyal, and she has made commitments to both the Kingdom of Mornistae, and now Daniel and the Fievegal.
Wenlianna scoffs softly, and Daniel looks at her. “What is it?”
“I was just thinking about how all of this started because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“Mm-hmm. They threw you away, and then suddenly want you back almost as much as Mother and I. A-And, f-for the record, Mother isn’t… She’s not… She wouldn’t steal you. F-From m-m-m-me…” She blushes, gripping Daniel’s jacket sleeve with her fingers.
Daniel chuckles gently, using his free hand to pat hers. “I did offer to run away, once…”
“Yeah… I haven’t kicked myself enough times already, thanks.”
Daniel sighs as he looks back to the ongoing battle, which almost seems unreal. He feels virtually nothing because nothing of real value is invested. The golems fighting are little more than robots, just powered by magic. They feel no fear, they don’t feel fatigue. They don’t have families back home or lingering regrets and unfulfilled wishes.
The soldiers fighting the golems do have those things. The people fighting believe in something, even if it is as simple and short-sighted as trying to retrieve someone who no longer wants to be retrieved. In fact, most of those soldiers with families back home or lingering regrets probably have almost no idea what they’re fighting for, other than loyalty to their respective countries and the orders those appointed over them gave them.
It’s a shame, really. He was always like that; following orders.
Now, he’s the one making decisions. He has reliable help, but it’s outside of his comfort zone.
“Daniel?”
“Yeah?”
“I… I’ve been talking to everyone, and… I’m glad this all came to be. I… had a pretty poor opinion of demon-kin before I ever even met any. And, well, I’m glad to know the truth. Y-You know me. I always have to know what I don’t know, especially when I learn that I’m wrong.” She smiles, adding softly, “Shek and Skloe are goblins. But, they like cooking and baking; something they didn’t get to do before they met you. Aoloan has probably forgotten more about culinary arts than I’ll ever know. Kera’tai knows magic spells that I’ve never even heard of. A-And… the dragons… I used to think… I used to think that they were monsters, thinking only of destruction and too powerful to ever be reasoned with. And yet,...” She smiles up at Daniel. “My Great Aunt is a dragon.” She leans her head against his bicep. “I took for granted that I was born and raised in the Grand Duchy, never really seeing the war. Now, I’m seeing something so skewed, I don’t even know why they continue to fight. But, the point is,... I don’t want to be blind anymore. There are good and bad people on all sides of any situation. I truly know that now.”
Daniel chuckles softly. “Welcome to being a cynic.”
“Hey! I’m not that far-gone, yet!” pouts Wenlianna, puffing her cheeks as she scowls up at him.
He laughs, and she blushes furiously. “Don’t laugh at me! I’ll fire you!”
He laughs even more, teasing playfully, “If only you could.” He turns more softly serious, adding quietly, “I’d wholly welcome it.”
She remains quiet for a moment, and Daniel decides to break the gloom. “So, did you come out here to ask me to search your body for scales? I might have to be thorough.”
She blushes again, shrieking, “Wh-wha-what!? How could you say that!? I don’t have scales! Take it back!”
“Oh? But isn’t one of your ancestors a dragon?”
“Take it back! I don’t have scales!” She shakes him by his arm as she whines, and he can’t help but laugh. He apologizes, though, saying warmly, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m just teasing. Even if you did have scales, I’m sure they’d be beautiful.”
She blushes, stammering. “I-I… We should be working on magic devices! I wanted your thoughts on something after I got thinking.”
“Oh? What about?”
“About your phone. You once told me that you could use it for long range communication, right?”
“That’s right. But, it requires a support infrastructure to work properly, and while I know the basics of radio principles, to make something as complex as a radio, let alone a phone, is probably outside of my wheelhouse.”
Wenlianna already has her notebook out, scribbling down words as she keeps her left arm looped around his right. “Radio… support infrastructure…. Wheelhouse…” murmurs the magic artisan as she works.
Daniel replies playfully, “Wheelhouse is just a figure of speech.”
“I don’t care. I want to know what it is.” She looks at him, asking seriously, “So then, couldn’t we try to replicate the function using magic? Reignleif told me how she can communicate directly with you remotely using a special kind of telepathy magic with your helmet.”
“I can’t say no, but I don’t know how telepathy itself works. I know how radio waves work. There’s a difference.”
“Then, we just need to figure out how telepathy works, right? Then, if we can make two magic devices that link using a similar magic connection, we should be able to talk to each other over great distances, right? Isn’t that how your phone works?”
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“More or less. Though, ideally, you can select which person’s phone you would dial. Uh, who you are calling. For phones, it’s a dialing system using numbers as a sort of… code, I guess, that tells the controlling device who you want to connect to.”
“Daniel, when it comes to remote communications, let’s just get to where we can do that first. We’ll worry about isolating individual calls once we can all talk to each other. Sound good?”
“Couldn’t you just learn the telepathy?”
“I could, probably. But, you can’t. At least not yet. And, then there’s the matter of this;” She points at him playfully as she adds proudly, “I’m a magic artisan. It’s my job to make magical devices to do the job of spells.”
He chuckles. “I definitely can’t argue with that logic. Before that, though, I need to speak to the general Hekate and the others captured. I want to know if his orders came from the Empress, or if someone took what she said and altered the context.”
“She wanted you brought back into the Empire’s jurisdiction. That much I’m certain of. Though, I thought they were going to attempt infiltration teams instead.”
“Instead, we got demon-kin. Something stinks, and I’m not sure if the Empress is part of it or not.”
“Y-You think the Empress sent demon-kin after you in addition to the army?” asks Wenlianna, surprised.
“No, not like that. I just mean… It’s strange to me that both sides are this aggressively convinced that I’m such an asset. It’s almost like they want to provoke me or whoever they think captured me.”
Wenlianna hugs his arm again, replying softly, “I can only speak for the Grand Duchy, of course, but we were genuinely convinced that you were a hostage. At least until Leiwelles told us the truth. P-Please don’t be mad at her.”
He scoffs. “Mad? I should be thanking her. I should have probably done a better job faking my death, though I’m sorry for what that did to you.”
“You should be!” She gasps. “The diamond machine! I didn’t dismantle it. What if…!?”
“We already have one being assembled here as well. You operating it will reduce cost on the Citadel, of course, so if you’d be willing…”
“Of course! But, aren’t you worried about Mother?”
“Why would I be? She’s our ally, right? If you want to take your share and donate them to the Grand Duchy, I don’t mind. I understand it fueled her efforts quite well.”
Wenlianna blushes and nods. “Y-Yes. Thanks to you.”
“You’re right. I am pretty great, aren’t I?”
She scoffs this time. “Arrogance doesn’t suit you. You’re much better when you’re being kind.”
“Thanks. Everyone keeps complimenting me, though, and I’ve never been great with compliments. So, I deflect with humor.”
They stand together for another moment, and the second wave of the soldiers finally breaks formation, falling back towards the troubled main camp.
“Looks like now’s a good time to speak to the general.” He looks at Wenlianna, saying gently, “You should avoid meeting with enemy soldiers, just in case someone recognizes you. I don’t think now’s a great time to reveal our alliance with the Grand Duchy.”
She nods. “Agreed. I’ll be tinkering on the donation altars. I almost have the rigging finished and an easy-to-change crystal housing.”
He smiles. “Excellent work. Thank you. Now then, Wenlianna, if you’ll excuse me.”
“W-Wait…” She tugs on his sleeve gently just as he’s turning, and he stops. She adds sheepishly, “W-While I have you here…”
“Go on…” replies Daniel gently.
“Do-Do… Do you think you… could… um… give me… a k-kiss?”
Daniel cocks his head, and she blushes. “It’s just that… W-We’re… I’m… If we’re to eventually be married, I just… I want…” She closes her eyes.
Daniel interrupts her by taking her in his arms and kissing her. She gasps, but quickly melts in his embrace, hugging his head as they share a kiss.
Her cheeks fill with color, and Daniel says softly, “Forgive the arrogance, my Lady. But, I’ve learned to just go with it anymore.”
She smiles dreamily, replying, “I’ll allow it, thank you. F-Forgot what I was going to say, anyways.”
He chuckles, stroking her cheek one last time before he heads back into the Citadel.
Daniel makes his way to the transportation station and teleports to the prison block, where the General and his men are being held separately.
Hekate appears right after him, bounding up beside him. “Daniel! I was just on my way to find you! What’s up?”
“I’m going to speak to the General and see if we can’t end the current battle.”
Xyreko appears in a teleport alongside them, greeting them. “Daniel, Hekate. Is now a good time?”
“It is. Good afternoon, Xyreko.”
“Good afternoon. Ucahote reports that the Allied forces have been routed for the time being, and he is returning the golems to defensive posture to await the next wave.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Hekate remarks dryly, “We should just attack them at night. They won’t be so eager to fight with no sleep.”
“True, but I guess I want to give the illusion of us being the better people in this matter.”
Hekate scoffs. “You say that like it’s a challenge. I can’t wait to see the look on Jothy’s face.”
“The general? What’s his actual name?”
“How the heck should I know!? It’s really long and obnoxious, just like his stupid speeches about nobility!” Hekate shrugs dismissively. “He’s lucky it was me he was fighting. I’m pretty sure if it was a fellow count like him, he’d have been killed for being so arrogant.”
Daniel pets Hekate’s head, and she blushes with a grin. “Good work, Hekate.”
“I never get tired of hearing that!”
Xyreko finally fills in, “His name is General Jothraligus kos Ekstragar the Third, according to Ryuogriar. He is a count in the Grand Zenkon Empire.”
“Ekstragar…” murmurs Daniel. “I feel like I’ve heard that name before. Maybe…”
-If you have, it was prior to meeting me, your Grace,” replies Xyreko. “With specific exceptions, I have cataloged all of your meetings. In fact, is there a particular reason you’re not wearing your armor today?”
Daniel smiles with a soft chuckle. “Because, I should be able to walk around my own home in normal clothes, should I not?”
“I suppose that is true, but… what of the protections I am able to provide? In addition to being able to remotely communicate with and monitor you.”
“Actually, Wenlianna and I were just discussing that very last point before I came down here.”
Hekate clicks her teeth with her tongue before grumbling, “Tch! I should be charging a fee…”
Daniel and Xyreko ignore her, and Daniel clarifies, “We want to make a magical device that anyone can carry, and would allow us all to communicate with each other without supplying our own magic.”
“I-Is that so!?” asks Xyreko with excitement in her voice. “Like your ‘phone’?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Hekate brightly adds, “Ooo! I approve!”
“Right! We’re almost there. Please follow me.” Xyreko does a 180, turning around and walking back the way they came.
Daniel chuckles as he and Hekate come to a stop. “Nice try, Xyreko. We still need to speak to the general and his officers.”
“But Daniellll,” groans Xyreko. “I detected no illnesses. Even if we don’t feed or water them, they’ll linger on for days.”
“They’re people, Xyreko, not chickens. I need time to stew on the idea anyways, since I hadn’t really considered coming at it from the magic angle. I doubt I’d produce anything today if you lock me in a room and feed and water me.”
“Ha! I would never debase you so low as to treat you like an animal, Master.”
Daniel smirks, having known she knew the difference in wording, though she adds playfully, “I would also include baths for you.”
He chuckles. “Let’s get this over with, and then we’ll set a date for the invasion of Fort Twilight. During the time in between, we’ll work on developing a basic magic phone system. Deal?”
Xyreko makes an audible sigh. “Your wish is my command, of course, Daniel. I suppose it will come in handy on future missions as well.”
“Including the one to find the means to give you a body, right?” asks Hekate.
“Indeed, your Greatness. But, all in due time, I suppose. Sigh. I suppose I can wait on my Master. Waiting for hundreds of years just to wait some more.”
“Har-dee-har,” retorts Daniel. “I’m sorry you’ve been around for seven of my full lifespans. Some of us count their blessings for just one.”
She slows down for a second, while Hekate points at him, saying in a fiery tone, “Daniel, no! Now that you have magic, my new mission is to make you live forever with me! Period! Final! It is my Imperial…” They both stop to look at Xyreko, who has come to a stop. Xyreko looks at Daniel, asking quietly, “Daniel? How long do you expect to live?”
“Hmm? Well, in my world, with all of our medical advancements, we were lucky to make it to seventy or so. I guess that would be closer to sixty years here, maybe a little less…”
He notices Xyreko clench her fists, though the movement is extremely subtle, since she doesn’t have flesh or muscles to tense.
“Hey, now, if I’m really lucky, maybe it’ll be like eighty years…”
“A hundred should be the minimum average!” cries Xyreko suddenly, startling both Daniel and Hekate. “Humans are said to live well over a hundred years. Some like that Wenlianna girl could easily reach two hundred or more with magic! Y-You, you’re only in your twenties! F-F-Forty years is t-too… too short…” She trails off.
Hekate tries to add gently, “I agree. We’ll just have to find…”
“There is no ‘finding’, Hekate. Xyreko, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m human. A normal human from Earth.” He chuckles gently, looking up at the ceiling. “I wonder how long people here would live with technology from Earth. Two hundred on average? That’s like two forty in Earth years or so…”
Xyreko suddenly steps forward and hugs Daniel, which is a surprise. “Daniel, we WILL find a way. I promise you.”
Daniel sighs. “Alright. But, I’m living a life I never thought I could dream of, so… you know…”
“No I don’t! And I don’t want to! Come! Let’s get these wretched beasts out of the Citadel. They disgust me.” With her harsh tone expressed, Xyreko storms forward towards the general’s cell.
It’s only a little further, and she opens the cell without any hesitation, and Daniel and Hekate briskly walk to catch up.
Once inside, Xyreko speaks the eastern language. “Look at this disgusting animal. To think it will outlive my beloved master even as old as it is already. Disgraceful.”
General Jothraligus looks up from his seat against the back wall in absolute disgust, though his expression falters when he notices Hekate. Hekate grins, replying, “I agree, Xyreko. Let’s not waste any more of Daniel’s precious time on him than we have to.”
“Both of you relax, please,” urges Daniel gently. He approaches Jothraligus, saying, “General Jothraligus kos Ekstragar, correct?”
The general glances at the other two, and then looks at Daniel. “I am.” He stands up, though he’s not as tall as Daniel, who stands with surprisingly good posture given the rumors. Assuming it truly is Daniel. “And you are?”
“I’m Daniel kos Lawson, the otherworlder you came here to either retrieve or assassinate. I’m still not certain of which.”
Jothraligus scoffs. “Is that what they told you?” He glares at Hekate and Xyreko.
“I know for a fact you’re here for me. And, I know for a fact that I was nearly killed. I wanted to believe that you were here just to ‘rescue’ me, but if it’s going to be assassination, then of course, I’m going to take issue with it.” Daniel gestures at Xyreko, who projects images of the fight between him and Hekate.
Jothraligus sucks his teeth. “The coward used a demon wand instead of a sword. You’re a disgrace for following that little monster.”
“I created that demon-wand. And, she used it after you took advantage of your compatriot’s interference. The next time you insult the Empress of the Fievegal, I will subject you to real questioning.”
Again, Jothraligus looks down his nose at them, sucking his teeth.
“Who gave the orders?”
“I assume the Empress. I am a loyal servant of the Empire and my kind.”
Daniel sighs. “Your ‘kind’ is an appropriate term. Did you know anything about the archoneldwyn mages in your ranks?”
“The what? I’ve never heard that term before.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course. I feel I’ve been rather candid with you.”
“You have. Next, I’d like you to describe the full defensive capabilities of Fort Twilight.”
Jothraligus scoffs. “Two questions, and you’re already going to threaten me with attacking Fort Twilight?”
“I already know you’re a useless stooge who came here for glory. I’ll get everything out of you that I want in a short while. But, if you cooperate, I’ll make sure you make it to Fort Twilight with your face intact.”
“Ugh! Such brutish threats! I am an Officer and a Gentleman of the Grand Empire of Zenkon! I will not stand for such lowly treatment by a commoner and his slave wench-BLAHARGH!” Daniel lunges in and punches the General in the mouth, catching him off guard the moment he blinked.
With the General toppled, Daniel kicks him in the face for good measure, causing the general to cry out. “Y-You canth tweat me thith way!”
Hekate snickers. “He did warn you.”
Daniel crouches next to him, looming over his face as he tries to nurse his broken teeth. “You’ve chosen the hard way, General. I hope some of Erimaya’s good luck rubs off on you.”
Jothraligus turns as white as a sheet, and Daniel stands up. He states calmly, “Xyreko, bring a bench, a towel, and a bucket of water. Oh, and some rope, of course. The general looks thirsty.”
“As you wish, your Grace,” replies the golem. Two soldier golems enter the room after a few moments.
Daniel says, “Hekate, you shouldn’t be here for this.”
“No. I am the Empress. I will be by your side through whatever it is.”
He sighs. “Very well. Then, you’re not to do this lightly, understand?”
She nods. “I do.”
Daniel then asks, “Xyreko?”
“I am prepared, Daniel. Perhaps I needn’t worry about this beast outliving you after all.”
“Please have the golems help me get him situated.” He taunts the General, who tries to slink away into the corner, “General, I know the answer, since I covered my bases the last time I did it, but have you ever heard of ‘waterboarding’?”
***