Chapter 796 – Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen

Transportation should be handled by electric railcar rather than spaceship. It will be difficult enough to devise a system of ports between the islands, a railcar will be less efficient in terms of total materials, but they will be far easier to maintain and organise compared to free-flying vehicles. Oxygen can be handled through storage, rather than through generator systems, with the railcars refilling at stations.

I do not see the individual lattices in the fashion of fleets, as the majority of you do, but rather as city-projects. They are static entities, with the islands not having any ability of individual movement between them. The tactics they will use are also more akin to fortresses or… well, cities. We see this already in the planning stages and the effect will only become more pronounced as construction of the prototype lattice continues. For this reason, I would ask that the Empire turn to the Bureau of Infrastructure and enlist their Department of City Planning to assist in the Million Man Miracle.

Ultimately, I think the entire mentality on the project has to change. Whereas I doubt that the majority of the lattices will be permanent, we are essentially putting the foundations of space stations into orbit. Whereas what will be done with them can remain a discussion for after the Second Arc, we should not treat these miracles of technology and magic as ammunition to be spent.

- Excerpt from the “M.M.M. Discussions”, this section is credited to General Menith of the Imperial Army.

Fortia readied her palm, already twisted as if she was holding onto the handle of her spear and muttered a curse under her breath. Fucking walls now. Fucking walls. Since when did monsters build? The nests were bad enough but them building actual walls? What was that even? “Why are they building?” She had to say something to get the nerves out. And she was NOT scared.

“Scared?” Fer chuckled from the side. As if Fer was not scared? The woman was a monster herself, the sight and smell, or whatever it was, of a real human corpse had seemed to calm her.

“Fucking unsettled Fer, there’s a difference.” Fortia said. “And I know you are too.”

“I think we all are.” Fer said.

“I’m not.” Neneria said dryly, she looked down at Iniri, who was stood with an almost mirror image of the same expression.

“Don’t even pretend Iniri.” Fortia said. “On the mountain, you were as timid as a mouse.”

“Believe it or not, politics is a far more stressful than monster-hunting.” Iniri said. “There, you had to argue to prove a point. And then you’d turn up, and wave your spear around, and pretend everything I said was wrong and stupid. Or Allasaria, or you Maisara.”

“They’re learning.” Fortia said. “The monsters are learning.”

Iniri stared a death-glare back at Fortia. “Great, change is the most miserable thing on this world. I am sure they’re far more scared of us than we are of them.”

“So they figured out how to block off a tunnel?”

“Don’t animals do the same thing?” Iniri said, looking to Fer.

“Oh, bears and ants can. And most things with dens.” Fer said.

“Exactly.” Iniri said. “We can deal with it until they start playing politics with us.”

“And what then?”

“Then we call upon Arascus, Kassandora, Helenna and Allasaria to deal with matters of extinction.” Iniri said dryly. “Can I get on it with it now or no?”

“Go ahead.” Malam said from the wall, she was scraping her nail along it, running it down one of the cracks. “It’s made out of their bile I think?” She said. “It’s not rock, it’s soft, not really set yet.”

“Do you know what kind made it?” Maisara asked.

“Not a clue.”

“So they’re evolving.” Fer said. “Like animals.”

“Very quickly then.” Malam said. “If they started learning just after we came down here.”

Fortia realised a mistake in Malam’s words. She caught it and she wished she didn’t, because it made the monsters less terrifying, not that she was scared down here. “Unless they started reacting to the first expedition, Paida’s one.”

“The rock is fresh though.” Malam said.

“I see Forti’s point though.” Fer said. “They would have to practice how to build.” Everyone turned to the Goddess of Beasthood. Why did she even open her mouth?

“That’s the worst thing you could have said.” Fortia said and Malam chuckled.

“So they’ve practiced then, I like that.” Fortia rolled her eyes and decided not add anything else. They were toying with her, Malam was enjoying torturing her. After a moment of silence, Malam finally flicked her nail against the spine that pinned the lone human to the wall. It twanged and echoed in the darkness, all the way back to the human soldiers who were still setting

Iniri took a step forward and raised her hands, an acorn already in her palms. She held it there for a moment, took a deep breath, and then flicked it towards the wall. In one instant, it went from an acorn to the beginnings of an oak, the oaks spread out and bit into the stone, effortlessly biting into cracks as if they were, unpacked dirt. The tree grew thicker, it leaves brighter, into a healthy green, and the cracks in the walls suddenly became a patchworked spiderweb. A few pieces of pale gravel fell from monster’s construction. “Is it hard?” Malam asked.

“It’s just stone and bone.” Iniri said. “I’m just securing the outer edge so the tunnel doesn’t collapse.” She held her arm out for a moment longer, and then twisted it. The wall held still for another instant, before falling apart all at once. Roots twisted and tore and expanded, and then retreated to make beams for the ceiling. The wall collapsed.

Malam’s flashlight was first through, although Fortia had hers soon after. Fer and Maisara were quick to follow. Neneria and Iniri were lazier in their illumination. Long shadows appeared for a mere instant as the Divines inspected the centre of the room, although they did not do much sightseeing. All the beams concentrated on the creature in the middle of the room.

It was craned over and feeding on a corpse that had claws for hands, and hooves for feet. Not a human. Fortia’s mind immediately went to the question that Malam was no doubt asking herself too: Since when did monsters feast on their own kin? The creature itself was as large as Iniri, thin and ragged, with flesh wrapped tightly around its bones and irregular teeth, all pointed, fillings its jaw. Too many, and not in the fashion of Fer’s beastmen who at least maintained symmetry in their tusks. A pair of large eyes immediately settled on the flashlights and it blinked.

“What the fuck is that?” Malam said as the monster stood up and stretched to be as tall as she was. “Neneria, kill it!” Neneria raised her hand, her eyes began to blaze with soulpower, and the monster charged at them. The first ghost dropped from the ceiling as the beast began to swing at the Goddess of Death. Its fists aimed directly at her throat. The Goddess of Beasthood slammed into the creature. Under the bulk of the Goddess of Beasthood, the creature crashed into the wall. One of its arms had been broken.

Neneria did not even react to the threat. She just turned, continuing to track it with her eyes. A flood of ghosts came from the ceiling above the creature, hands stuffed with clubs and swords and other ancient weapons, or just hands on their own. And silent, pale, opaque teeth that sensed another soul for their claiming. The creature twisted, kicked off the wall and disappeared behind a column.

When it crossed the distance, the broken arm was already rearranged and Fer spat on the ground, her nails grew into claws. Fortia realised this was no common beast, her spear materialized in her hand as Maisara’s axe thudded into the ground. It leapt at Fer and of Beasthood moved in a flash to meet the creature. Fortia managed to track the blur that was Fer, she saw the mistake at the last moment. Fer kicked off the ground.

It dived down, slid on the ground, and went straight for the smallest of the party.

Iniri threw the acorn into the ground ahead of her, the wall of wood had already formed by the time the creature slammed and bounced off it, into Malam. Maisara caught it this time, her axe coming down in an overhead cut that split one of the creature’s arm off. Malam slithered away as Fer leapt over Maisara, then crashed onto stone. The arm had been abandoned and it went for Neneria this time.

Fortia caught it with a stab, it was fast, but it was not fast enough for the peak of Divinity. Maybe against a national Divine, it would pose trouble. Of Peace’s spear went through its stomach and battle ended for an instant. Everyone looked at the unmoving body on the tip of the spear. Malam opened her mouth to speak and the creature reawakened.

Fortia spun her spear around and flung it into the wall. “MALAM! INIRI! NENERIA! STAY BACK! FER! SECOND LINE! MAISARA WITH ME!” Fortia commanded, the shake from her voice was gone. The Goddess of Peace bellowed out orders. This was no longer Malam’s demesne, this was a proper battle and that was much closer to Fortia’s expertise. They were causing themselves more trouble by fighting this close.

The rest of the party reacted without question. Maisara stepped forward, Fer moved behind the two. The rest fell back into the corridor as Iniri readied another acorn. The creature was back on its feet already, that regeneration was faster than Fer’s. It snarled at them, the mouth with too many teeth made a harsh sound, and then it scurried to the side.

Behind a pillar and Fortia listened to the sound of claw slapping on stone. It was climbing. She flipped her spear, prepared to throw it, and then the creature reappeared at the ceiling of the room, launched straight at her. Maisara caught it with the broad side of her axe and bounced it away again. “Fast.” Of Order said.

“Fast.” Fortia said. “Let me.” Fortia stepped forward in a feint. It was recognising and reacting to her moves. This was a fighter. And it fought well too, very dirty. Exactly in the war that soldiers from every nation on Arda were trained to fight in. It danced with her, stepping away and forward as neither of them fully yielded into a proper blow.

The creature stepped forward, its arm swinging low, Fortia stepped back, pulling her spear around and using it as a staff. She managed to hit it on the head this time. It bounced, slid along the ground and the Goddess of Peace followed up. Launching into the air was a mistake, she stayed low to the ground with her strides, spun her spear around and put her entire force. Not aiming for the monster but for the ground below it.

Divine metal effortlessly slid through flesh and bone, and then deep into stone as Maisara ran up. The beast woke up again, thrashed and then grabbed at the spear. Fortia twisted her spear as the beast gave another thrust forward, its flesh contorting as it tried to wrap around the shaft of her spear. “MAISARA! CRUSH IT!” Fortia shouted. “THROUGH THE SPEAR!”

“Understood.” Maisara held her axe in her hands as if she was going to decapitate the beast. The two knew each other, and Fortia knew the tell of a swing. The shift in Maisara’s arms and the tightening of her calves. She kept the axe flat, and swung it down directly onto Fortia’s spear.

Of Peace dematerialized her weapon in the last possible moment. The creature shifted it, but the fraction of a moment it had to dodge would have been impossible for anyone. Maisara squatted down, her axe coming down like a hammer, and the stone around the impact crashed. Fortia stepped away as Maisara let out a heavy breath, then pulled her weapon away.

The blood itself was still moving, black and viscous, not a drop of it remained on Maisara’s axe as it began to reform like a body made entirely out of worms that crawled towards the limbs that had been too long for Maisara to crush.

The puddle of blood gave a final as Fortia crushed one of the hands with her boot. That was the end of it. Foul, black miasma splashed up her legs and she merely stared at it. The regeneration had stopped, the writhing blood was just bubbling now. For a few moments, she stared at it in disgust. Blood should not be bubbling. “We should burn it.” Malam said.

“My thoughts exactly.” Fortia said. They turned to Iniri who threw an acorn into the puddle of bubbling blood, it was already sprouting in mid-air, into a tiny, man-sized oak tree that began to teem and overflow with a viscous sap. The golden jelly covered the blood as the branches spread out like vines, they even made a ring. Iniri a branch extended to Iniri, she held out her palm and a dozen acorns fell from luscious leaves into her open palm. She quickly stuffed them into her pocket.

“What?” Iniri said to the five Divines looking at her. “I’m keeping a reserve in case.”

“No one said anything.” Fer replied. “So?”

“I can’t spark it.” Iniri said. “Has anyone brought a lighter or anything?”

“Where’s Irinika when you need her?” Malam chuckled. Fortia looked to Maisara, who shrugged.

“We can spark it.” Fortia said as she held out her hand. Her spear rematerialized in her hand and she held it just out of the sap. Maybe it could drown the creature and the fire wasn’t needed. The bubbling blood seemed to have trouble doing anything down here. She raised her hand, the axe appeared in her hands, and then she slammed it down on Fortia’s spear.

At the last moment, Fortia pulled it upwards to make a crash. Metal kissed metal and made small series of sparks which fell towards the sap. The jelly caught immediately, flaring up almost like an explosion. The Divines actually took a step back from the sheer heat of that burning corpse. The fire burned dirty, producing a thick smoke which pooled at the tall ceiling of the room, although it provided far more illumination than the focused beams of the torches.

This was the pillar room that Paida had been in. They weren’t far off now. Malam took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Well, it is what it is. I’m not even going to comment.” Fortia understand it well enough, they had seen so many impossibilities that monsters living amongst ancient pillars no one knew about was a surprise that had been predicted.

“The masonry is good.” Maisara commented on it. “It’s nothing like the wall.”

“Mmh.” Fer said as she inspected one of the pillars with the with the inscriptions that Imperial linguists and archaeologists had worked on translating. Malam had briefed them on the translations, if not the original texts. Although whether Malam had even seen the original texts in the first place was a question no one bothered to ask. Fer gave her usual wisdoms. “I can’t read that.”

Iniri took slow steps to the pillar. Her eyes wide as she mouthed soundless words. She put her hand on the pillar and traced a rune. “I can.”