Dungeon Robotics 10-6

Good Evening folks! How is everyone's wednesday treating them? Managed to get it done!

Chapter 6

Louella

I left Viola at her quarters. The cathedral had created a place for the stewardess to stay. While it offered the young girl protection especially from her currently enraged older brother, it also served as a cage for her. Here, we would be able to keep tabs on her. Of course, in a few days Regan would be able to keep tabs on everything in the city.

“That went rather well,” Wrakras said as we returned to my chambers.

“I certainly hope so. All this grows tiresome,” I retorted dropping to the couch in the sitting room. Just a year ago, I was a bought noble that had fled her home country due to her corrupt father and mother-in-law. Ever since I met Regan, I felt like it had been nonstop. Not that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I rubbed my eyes feeling tired even though it was midday. I wanted to get back in the air, but we couldn’t leave until Regan created his dungeon here. Our food supplies were that low after giving supplies to the townspeople. Regan had created a good amount before, but there were just too many people to keep fed. The stockpile was gone in a matter of hours.

“I’m sure the next item for the day could wait a few extra hours if you wanted to rest. It is not too far fetched to say that you are one of the most powerful people on the planet. I doubt anyone would question you,” Wrakras said as he handed me a cup of tea. I hadn’t even noticed him make it. I really must be tired.

The thought of sleeping did entice me, but the memory of the last time I slept flashed through my mind. I still hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Regan about the being that appeared to me. I knew that it held malice for, well, everything. I had no doubt in my mind that it wanted to destroy everything it set its eyes on. That didn’t change the fact that I was tired.

“Maybe I should,” I said after a minute of silent thought. I sipped the tea and leaned back. “Please let whoever is next on my list of meetings that I will be late.”

“It will be done,” he said with a bow as he backed out of the room. I stared after him, part of me wanted him to stay, but another part that did not want to rush anything. I sighed at the complications of relations between people before I just shook my head. There was plenty of time for that later.

“Why does my life have to be so complicated,” I mumbled and took another sip of my tea.

Wrakras managed to buy me two hours. Quite the feat considering what I had on my plate. The nobles of the city were nervous about the power change while merchants were busy trying to consolidate any potential loses. The commoners were by far the most nervous of the group though. Even with all my words of good will, it wouldn’t be the first time that a conquering force completely disregarded anything they said in the spirit of looting.

Checking the time, I realized that Regen likely wouldn’t be placing his core today. Thinking it over, that was probably for the best. The people were nearing the end of their rope. I’d hate for something like that to be the match that lights the powder keg. I didn’t fear for my people, but rather the Thonacans that would be caught up in the confusion. The last thing I wanted was for families to be ripped apart due to the confusion getting out of control.

A flashing light from my desk caught my attention. I reached out and tapped the communication device expecting one of the captains. Thus I was surprised when I saw Valamar. He shouldn’t have any reason to contact me unless something happened at the valley. “My lady. I need to speak to you,” his image said with a frown.

I waved for Wrakras to hold the next person in line to see me. “Go ahead, Val.”

“We’re not sure of anything yet, but I thought it was best to let you know in case it developed into a real situation,” Valamar said managing to grow even grimmer. “The undead scar has been showing signs of acting up.”

“Acting up?” I repeated. It wasn’t like Valamar to be so vague with a report.

“Like I said we’re not sure of anything yet. Some people from Tearfalls that used the new train system built by Lord Regan claimed that there was almost no undead sighted in the vicinity of the rails.”

I tapped my finger on the desk. That didn’t track. Even Regan claimed that it would be years even with his intervention before the undead would be cleansed from the area of the undead scar. With him busy building his defense, I doubted he’d been working on it in secret.

Most my think it was good that the undead weren’t being created from the ambient mana, but I knew better. Evil that was gathering its strength was more dangerous than a constant badgering from weak undead. The undead scar covered half of Lecazar and a good chunk of the northern terrortiies past the mountains. That was a large area that could be gathering strength to strike out at us.

“How many scout class vessels have been completed since I left?” I inquired.

“Twelve, with one to be scheduled to be finished tomorrow.”

“Send as many as you think is wise. In nothing less than groups of two. Find out the cause. We can’t afford to be struck from behind while dealing with the Lelune Theocracy.”

“That was my thoughts exactly and they are already ready and we were just waiting for the go ahead. I would also like to advise a guard detail for the train. The people using it, aren’t exactly able to defend themselves in the event that something happens.”

“Good idea. See that it is done.” I sighed and sat down, praying to Regan that whatever this was, wasn’t the calm before another storm. I just didn’t want to see how many storms we could weather before it was too much.

“I shall.” Valamar’s hologram bowed before he moved off screen.

I tapped the device, turning it off. Looking outside, the clouds moved around the airship with a gentle ease. It was hard to imagine that there was some much struggling going on only a few hundred meters under the ship. “The height of power or is my head in the clouds?” I mumbled with a chuckle before I got up and walked over to the window to get a better view.

~~

I looked over the group of nobles getting a terrible case of DeJa’Vu. I was reminded of the time that the Lecazar nobles fled to Vaihdetta after the undead scar incident. Rather than work together or show any compassion towards the people that were supposed to be their responsibility, all they cared about was their own power.

For instance, the three men in front of me had lands that bordered each other. During the war, they had used the lack of men in each others lands to hire mercenaries and thus take chunks of land from each other. The only people that really suffered were the commoners that had been killed during the struggles. Not that these three cared. They were more concerned with making sure they kept the land they acquired.

When it devolved into a shouting match, I looked over to Wrakras. He nodded, understanding without me having to say a word. Man, we were getting good with the silent communication. He walked over and smacked the three now former nobles over their heads, knocking them out instantly.

“Guards. Take these three to the stockades. List their crimes and make sure the citizens know that they are free game to any retribution actions they’d like to take,” I ordered and the two men saluted and dragged the three out by their ankles. I looked over to the aide from the city. She was looking on nervously, but still managed to maintain her calm. “Find their nearest kin. Go through the list until you find the least horrible among the lot. Put them in charge.”

“As you wish,” she said quickly before she bolted from the room.

“I thought we weren’t going to reorganize the country just yet?” Wrakras asked with a playful grin as he brought me a drink.

“I hadn’t intended to, but when I see shit like that, it just reminds me too much of my own father. I suppose it goes to show that power on that level without any restraints is too prone to corrupting people.” This wasn’t the first group of nobles I’d cast out of my office in the cathedral. In fact, the number that I’d allowed to keep their power was less than a third of those that had been stripped of their power.

“Perhaps it is time the system changed?” Wrakras suggested. “I’ve read a great deal about different methods of government in Lord Regan’s library.”

“Any that were corruption proof?”

“No. They all suffered from various faults, but they were based on a world that had no power such as this,” he explained forming a globe of darkness over his hand.

Nodding, I took a sip of my drink, which turned out to be a very sweet flavored tea. I had to smack my lips a few times there was almost too much flavor. “You got this from Regan didn’t you?” I asked putting the drink down before returning to the original topic. “This world is very much survival of the fittest, but that doesn’t mean we should spit on the weak like those fools I just kicked out.”

“Then you’ll have to find a new way for this world. You might be the first person in a very long time to be in a position to actually make such a change.”

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. That was something to think about. I might have become queen to make the world a better place, but in the end it was more of a reaction to the craziness that was happening around me. I had gone down the same path as everyone before me. Maybe it was time to go down a new path as Wrakras suggested. The question then, was what sort of path would that be?

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