V13: Chapter 10 (Patreon)

V13: Chapter 10

…

Interlude: Conquest

…

The perfidy of the Stymphalians called for retribution.

They were unable to do as they wished with our people; our defenses were too mighty for them to overcome, and so they lashed out with disease. The results of the disease were horrific. The first cases that arrived at hospitals suffered vile deaths, melting and rotting away even as they lived, and it would have been more horrendous if not for the King of Wisdom’s preparations.

Years were spent stockpiling everything from food to munitions. Medicine was included in those stores, and the moment the disease reached him, he unleashed them.

The disease was stopped.

Those who suffered advanced cases were stabilized and were interred for healing in the Citadel and recovered fully.

But that was not the end of the Stymphalian’s low cunning.

They sent upon us refugees from the Guardians of the Moon, for they had no answer, and now I was forced to see the deluge of the damned.

“Shredder, report I entered the command tent, and one of the officers under my command stood swiftly and gave me a nod of acknowledgment. She was young and barely reached my sternum in height, but officers were not chosen for strength of arms. They were chosen for succeeding in tests of command and overcoming challenges leaders must face. Still, I saw her in a brighter light when I shook her hand. It was well calloused. “How goes this section of the border?”

“The guards have managed to get some rest. We’ve quarantined the refugees in the spare dorms stored away, but we will need more.”

“You’ll have them within a few days, but for now I’ve instructed the soldiers to double up in their provided tents and share what is not used. They will be provided new ones.” My forces were primarily composed of Conquerors; thus, they had far more massive tents to accommodate them. They will serve the refugees well, though they will require aid. “If you have some men to spare, they can help build them along with latrines and other necessities.”

“Hm. My men are already helping the border, but the nearby towns have laborers to spare. Having them help bring up the stored houses settled the spirits of the populace. Having them see a vast encampment be built will soothe them further.” I looked at Shredder and gave her a nod of approval. It was a grand reminder that I didn’t need to rely solely on myself and that officers of her standing were expected to be clever and have initiative. Officers on the field were more rigid, as we needed them to shepherd our soldiers to objectives and retreats swiftly. Anyone above captain, who had more than a dozen soldiers at their command, had to be swift thinkers, decisive, or cunning. All three were best, but they were rare. Thankfully, they were able to rise to the top with no nobility or families interfering with promotions, such as Shredder. “I’ll send a messenger to the mayor. They’ll enjoy having some more funds for their treasury.”

“A sound plan. I will be sure to leave this place in your command, Colonel.” I gave her a nod, which she returned with an appreciative bow, while one of her staff came forward. They were reports, and I swiftly read up on the highest priority folder. It was thankfully thin. I almost feared that she would showcase the problem she solved as the highest priority issue, but such was not the case. It was worse than I feared. “Where is the smuggler now?”

“In the basement of the border fort and guarded by devotees of the Divine Engine of Life.” Shredder explained, and I gave her another point in her favor. Pinnacle’s devotees spread across the land to bid others to join their people. They were eager to be auxiliaries of the armed forces of the King of Wisdom, though many simply went to agricultural towns to help with healing and spread their goddess’s gifts. They would sooner die than betray Pinnacle, and she served the King of Wisdom. “My command staff knows of the offer and has seen it, along with the commander of the border fort and his staff.”

I felt a few stares upon me at those words, and I knew some present wondered if they were to die to maintain peace.

I dispelled those notions with a shake of my head.

“Rest easy. You have done well to send for me to deal with this matter. You are all to be commended.” I told them, and they sighed in relief, while I stood and handed the priority folder back to the colonel. I wondered if I was ever like her, but with a blink, I knew such was not the case. At her age, I wore tribal furs and leathers and never touched a gun in my life.  Nor had I been so educated and filled with the confidence to act with such decisiveness. At her age, I still followed after my father, but Shredder’s decisions changed the course of history. “You’ll have some minders watching you all for a year or so, but so long as you do not share the secret in that time, all will be well.”

“Understood, Lady Conquest. Thank you.” Shredder gave a nod, and relief was clear on her features along with many others in the tent. A secret was easier to carry when one knew they needn’t keep it for long. “I’ll handle the matter now. Forget about it and see to the refugees. That’s all you need to do now.”

A spark of cunning shone in her eyes at my statement.

“Yes, Lady Conquest. I will be sure to turn back any traitors to the Guardians of the Moon whom we encounter.” She gave me another bow, and for a split second a smile crossed her face, which I had to snort at. As capable as she was, she was still young. She could not hide her joy at knowing that we were not simply being generous by taking these refugees. “Such are our ways as their erstwhile allies, after all.”

I gave her a nod and bid her farewell before leaving the tent to make my way to the border fort.

The Guardian’s wonder, which they refused to share, was now ours thanks to their inability to protect their own people.

Just as our king predicted, with their fractured population, traitors who sought out a better life were bound to seek us out with gifts in hand.

And, of course, we would be more than happy to take our pick of the best gifts that arrived on our doorstep.

…

A city filled with light.

It was an amazing sight that I never grew tired of.

Not only was it a reminder of home, but also of my progress.

When I was a slave, light was scarce. People had to work throughout the day to gather wood. Candles were carefully hoarded along with fuel for lanterns. They were for people patrolling in the evening so that they could protect the camp. The wagon that I lived in along with all the other orphans was pitch black on most nights, unless the moon was full and the sky was unclouded.

The stars were nice, and seeing nebulas never got old, but I didn’t hesitate to drown it out with city lights.

Partly because it was nice to see, but also because having a city that never slept meant that third shifts were completely feasible.

So, the lights were comforting in that they reminded me of better times, but also the fact that it was a sign of my success and progress.

Nothing soothes the soul more than light where there was once darkness.

And, of course, factories churning out war material nonstop.

That was comforting, too.

But as much as I wanted to just relax and admire the city while resting for the evening, I couldn’t.

Khanrow came through, and now we had the Ancient Crystal Wonder at our disposal.

The plan we set up was mostly passive in nature. Nothing more than rumors of us being generous to people who come to our side, which was already technically true. They were in place for the longest time to encourage people to come to our lands so that I had a larger population to use and encourage to grow. Ever since the Academy fell, we also used it to build the core of our bureaucracy, since so many of the survivors were educated.

Now, with some rumors added that you could get a great position by bringing something valuable added onto that idea, we cast bait and waited.

Waited while Celia endured the crisis events as best as she could.

Honestly, it was a surprise that no one showed up sooner.

I exited my room, and Ayah was already there and waiting.

“It’s been verified?”

“Yes, it has, and it has already converted the biomatter we provided to more crystal.” She was covered up from head to toe in white robes and handed me some for myself. “It is almost a one-to-one conversion of biomatter to more of the crystal.”

I knew that was going to happen, but there was no way that I could sell that I did.

“The Citadel was able to detect what didn’t become crystal, correct?”

“Yes, my lord. It is a gaseous form of the substance that holds similar properties. The Citadel was able to sequester it and store it. Upon compression, it became liquid.” The Ancient Crystal wonder was powerful, but it was also exceptionally dangerous. If you lagged researching it, and if you didn’t improve your research districts with safety protocols and other techs, you lose the whole district and the people in it learning everything that was just discovered now. “As you suggested, after it absorbed all biomatter and accounted for all the mass within the room, we took it apart and began testing various forms of energy upon it.”

We entered an elevator, and I turned to her while fully covering myself in the ancient biohazard suit. With a click of a button on the robes, it sealed around me. A clear visor formed on the front of my face, and a small machine we couldn’t replicate began to circulate air. My voice went through the suit without issue.

It was a bit uncomfortable and felt like moving around in molasses, especially with it over my clothes, but I didn’t want to be turned into crystal.

As far as I was concerned, it was a good trade.

Everyone handling it for the time being was Iterants, but I hoped the tests I ordered resulted in the deactivation method.

It should’ve.

“I’d like to hear the results.” I informed Ayah as the elevator took us down to the lowest levels. It was swift, and soon I was in a room overlooking the test site. Inside were dozens of Iterants, all in the same all-concealing, all-covering white suits. They were taking pieces from a truly massive hunk of crystal. The finger-length shard that we got, stuck into a ton of organic waste and crap, was now a ton of crystal. Well. Almost a ton, save for the gas that was thankfully accounted for. The Iterants were taking basketball-sized chunks and testing them. Acids, fire, and more were being applied to the crystal before a shard was taken and applied to more organic matter. Thankfully, with just a glance, I already found the way. “There. That group over there seems to be having the best results.”

The answer was to run a current through the crystal while most of the gas was dissipated or contained.

If you applied a direct current to the crystal while there was gas, it would keep the crystal active. That was its purpose in its gas state. Re-activating the material so that it could replicate more when required. The gas, when compressed, became a horrifically potent fuel source. A drop was enough to replace a barrel of oil after being dropped in a barrel of water.  If it was ignited in its undiluted state by the barrelful, it would cause an explosion… one that would be just shy of a tactical nuclear warhead and turn everything organic that’s not vaporized into more of the crystal.

The Crystal Wonder was powerful but dangerous to use. The benefits it gave were immense… but the fact that I had it now showed why those benefits hardly mattered.

It spread, it was taken by everyone, and it could be used against one another.

Barrel bombs of liquid Ancient Crystal used in one fight meant it was being used in every fight onward, until everyone was just using artillery or air power while the crystal spread and spread.

It was a world-ender if used wrong, and so my first goal was to be able to turn it off.

“Well spotted, my lord, that team has had a breakthrough. An electric current turns off the crystal.”

“Send a current through the liquid form and the gas form as well.” The answer was electricity. Static electricity coursing through the air was enough to turn off the weaponized liquid. The explosive would go off, but the liquid charge would do nothing. “If it succeeds, I want you to contact our scholars and mages to develop methods to send the minimum amount of electricity to turn it off. The Guardians of the Moon will not be able to use it against us. After that, continue testing until we find a way to break down all forms into the most basic elements.”

The answer to that was going to take them a while if left alone, but I knew that it was energized harmonic waves.

How do sound waves carry enough energy to shatter exotic matter filled with energy without causing immense explosions?

I have no clue, but I’m going to ‘find’ hints and drop them around smarter people to find out.

All in all, I wasn’t going to use this stuff for its bonuses until I could turn off its replication ability and dispose of what exists when needed.

Celia and the Guardians of the Moon were probably going crazy with the stuff already, so I’ll need to be cautious when using it.