Devourer

Chapter 119: The Mountain

Balor Ironhammer bit his right thumb as he held a goblet of Dwarven mead in his other hand. The past year has been a worrying one to say the least. His spies reported absolute chaos on the surface. The war between Voleria and Elysia ended in a decisive victory for the Elysians. That monster had just rolled over the Tralis army, the most powerful nation in the region. Yes a united Elysia was formidable as well but not powerful enough to take the entire nation in weeks.

Tralis’s walls were powerful and heavily enchanted. It was borderline unassailable for most humanoids. Balor knew his people certainly couldn’t take the walls. The best they could do was to surround the city and starve them out.

“My king, the delegates from Elysia have arrived.” one of his men said and Balor wearily rose to his feet,

Balor knew he was in quite the predicament, the Great Beast was the commander of a hive, a burrowing hive more specifically. There was no chance in hell his people would be able to fend off a burrowing hive. They lived underground which means the hive could strike at any place and at any time, that alone invalidated all of their defensive fortification. Provided the hive doesn’t just cause a massive cave in and just bury their city under a torrent of stone.

The only hope they had was that perhaps the hive couldn’t dig through the hard stone of the mountain. The city was built on a bed of hard granite for stability so perhaps that might be able to stop the hive. That however, didn’t account for the mines which were made of far softer stone and an attack from the mines would still circumvent the vast majority of their defenses.

“With any luck they won’t levy unreasonable demands against us.” Balor said as he headed out the door of the watchtower.

Balor was on the wall that faced the main entrance into Ironhammer. It was a massive twenty five meter tall wall that was covered with massive glowing runes. He looked down and saw a small delegation from the newly formed Averlonian Empire. He couldn’t see any beasts, just this ornate red and gold carriage that was accompanied by two dozen guards in red armor. Balor looked along the wall and saw the ballistas and spell cannons along the wall, he had ordered all them loaded but all pointed upwards. He didn’t trust the ELysians enough to unload his defenses but he didn’t want them to feel threatened either. When people get threatened they tend to get aggressive and Balor would rather they stay calm because honestly… he was feeling rather threatened at the moment.

“General…” Balor said and he turned to look at General Rasdruil the general tasked with guarding the wall.

“Keep an eye out but do not attack unless we are first attacked. Do not do anything preemptive even to save me.” Balor said, his voice stern and stiff. General Rasdruil visibly recoiled slightly at the statement. It was certainly a strange statement for the king to basically order his own general to leave him for dead. But given the circumstances such orders were warranted. One over eager soldier was all it took for his nation to be destroyed.

Thoughts like this have weighed on Balor for months, he was not sleeping as well as before. Now when he looked in the mirror he saw black circles under his eyes. His wife often told him to rest, she must have noticed how tired he was all the time. But he had to keep going, at least soon this problem will be put to rest one way or another.

When Balor walked past the great gate that divided Ironhammer and the interior defences he saw a table had been set up in the wide open area outside. He cast one final look at his city's stout defenses. For generations they have been maintaining and improving the defenses of their mountain home.

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They had constructed weapons especially for the defenses of the sacred walls. Ballistas the size of buildings, each armed with bolts that could level city blocks. Only the best soldiers were permitted to stand vigil on the walls. There were two walls, the first faced the outside world. When that fell the invaders would have to contend with a massive killzone. The gates were meter thick heavily enchanted mithril and both walls had two gates. An outer gate and an inner gate, the space between the two gates created another small killzone. No expense was spared to create these layers of defenses. Just as how their mountain home provides and protects, the dwarfs must also provide for and protect their mountain home. Just a year ago Balor sincerely believed that no army could overcome the walls. It was doubtful the conventional armies of this world could even take down the weaker outerwall. But now the situation was very different. Several thousand years of work on this wall now mean’t nothing, the hive could just go around it.

The old wisdom dictates that the ancients operated on different rules. They came from a world that was brutal beyond comprehension. Death, slaughter and horror was the order of the day. Now an ancient inheritor of the old world has emerged to change the course of history. All knew the old stories, from every beardling that ran the streets to the venerable white beards. The dwarfs and their progenitors were created for one purpose. To dig precious metals out of the ground for the old gods. They were slaves, allowed to live as long as they continued to slave in the mines. For all their labor they were only ever rewarded with one thing, the right to live. Every dwarf knew that if their ancestors outlived their usefulness they would have been slaughtered and their flesh used in some of the old gods' twisted experiments.

Still… when Balor looked out across the massive cobblestone road that led from the inner wall to the outer wall. The carriage and the table was right in the middle of the killzone. Balor knew this was a show of confidence. The Empress herself was here and if she was willing to walk into a deathtrap it means it wasn’t much of a trap…

Either that or she was just crazy…

Balor turned to look at his delegation and saw the heavily armoured royal guards. They were some of the best warriors but yet he has heard the Empress was a powerful mage. Some rumours even said that the Great Beast was teaching her some of the older magics. Dwarfs were vulnerable to magic, they had limited casting abilities and relied heavily on equipment and heavy weapons. Mages were few and far between amongst the dwarfs, but they did have a large number of enchanters. It was just something to do with the dwarf geneline that caused it as far as Balor knew. The old gods probably made them this way so they would be better mining slaves.

As Balor walked past the safety of the inner wall, past the smaller mounted ballistas at ground level and the wall defence soldiers he couldn’t help but look at the very relaxed demeanour of the Empress in the distance. It was a distance away so he couldn’t see it that clearly but from what he could tell she had a bottle of wine out and was sipping from crystal glass. She showed no fear, no apprehension at the precarious and dangerous situation she was in. What made his nerves even worse on this subject was that she requested this place to be the one where the negotiations take place.

This whole situation just felt wrong, from top to bottom…

When he finally got to the table he saw a red haired human in an ornate, red and gold dress. He couldn’t tell whether this one was considered beautiful even if he had heard rumours of her supposed beauty. As far as Balor was concerned he preferred women with well groomed facial hair. So her hairless face was far from beautiful in Balor’s eyes.

“King Balor Ironhammer.” Empress Cecilia said as she calmly swirled her wine glass. She didn’t even rise from her seat, instead just calmly gesturing to the seat at the opposite end of the round ornate table.

“Empress Cecilia, may I ask why you have called this meeting?” Balor asked uncomfortably as he sat down on the plush cushioned chair. The chair was lower than usual and so was the table at least by human standards.

Still what concerned him more about the furniture was where did it come from? The table in front of him was made of marble, and this chair was partially made of gold. It is unlikely she dragged all of it here in that carriage. Unless that carriage was somehow larger on the inside as compared to its exterior, Balor couldn’t see how it could have fit.

“Wine?” Cecilia asked as she raised a glowing hand and the bottle lifted off the ground.

Balor visibly baulked at the sight as he watched the display of magic. She calmly tilted her head, as Balor stared wide eyed at the bottle. It wasn’t that impressive if one had no idea what they were looking at, but he was a king and he knew exactly what was happening. This was what was known as a Formless Spell. Spells were fixed ether scripts but truly exceptional mages could manipulate magic to a point where they can come up with basic spells on the fly. Normal telekinetic spells maintain the orientation of the object because without that line of script you may just end up flipping whatever you are trying to lift. However, the bottle was tilting and moving naturally as if someone was holding it. What’s even more surprising was that she wasn’t even looking at the bottle, such a spell would require precise concentration and you couldn’t just hold a conversation while maintaining it. Yet here she was, magically manipulating the bottle as if she had an invisible extra limb.

“If you would be so kind.” Balor replied after catching himself and he watched as the bottle gracefully poured him a glass. He then looked on mutely as the filled glass floated over to him. Balor gingerly grasped the floating glass and he took a sip. Usually he loved alcohol but given the circumstances he could barely taste it.

“Usually I have a servant do it but since this was a rather informal meeting I thought we could dispense with the pleasantries.” Cecilia said calmly.

“What would you like to speak about Empress?” Balor asked tentatively.

“It’s rather simple you see, I am here to give you an offer. Probably the best offer you have received in thousands of years.” Cecilia replied calmly as she took another sip of wine.

“You see King Balor, I wish for Ironhammer to swear fealty to my Empire. I will grant you the title of duke and you will get a great amount of autonomy. For you see I need your nation’s expertise.” Cecilia said and Balor nodded in understanding.

This was pretty much what he expected. Honestly it wasn’t that bad just from this offer, dukes were given a lot of freedom and they also had a lot of sway in empires. He was more worried she would demand abject slavery. The rumours said she was a good friend of a giant man eating monster, so that expectation was not completely unfounded. So now all he had to do was to get the best offer possible.

“Empress, even if I were to agree I cannot decree it with just this. The nobles will revolt.” Balor said as he lied through his teeth. He knew the nobles would be fine with this deal alone. Dwarfs were nothing if not pragmatic, they were stubborn yes but also ruthlessly pragmatic. They were not nearly prideful enough to risk war with an ancient beast.

“Do not be coy with me, do you truly think your court is completely loyal? I know the offer of a duchy is more than enough. The spider’s web is quite wide you know.” Cecilia replied and Balor visibly flinched, yet somehow the Empress didn’t seem angry. In fact there was a very satisfied smile on her face.

That smile was making Balor very uncomfortable. It reminded him of a wyvern who has found a very attractive meal…

“But that coyness is exactly what I was hoping to see… Yes I think you will do nicely…” Cecilia said as her smile widened till it showed some of her pearly white teeth.

He really was going to be eaten wasn’t he?

“Empress? I am afraid I don’t follow.” Balor said tentatively, mustering every ounce of willpower to keep his voice level.

Balor was no fool, to most the Empress would just look like a beautiful woman or a human woman if you asked a dwarf. There was nothing immediately threatening about her, if she didn’t use that simple display of magic he wouldn’t be that informed of her abilities. However, the thing that bothered him most was because she resembled something in the ancient stories. There was once a Lord known as Lord Varas, he was a sweet talker and he charmed his way to the top. However, he also nearly brought ruin to Ironhammer. Lord Varas is often compared to demons, for they say demons do not come bearing fangs, fire and swords.

They come bearing gifts…

Demons do not threaten nor do they strike. Instead demons charm, they whisper sweet words, delightful promises and in the end they seduce you. They will give all that they have promised but those who take their deals should hold on to what they have been given. Afterall soon after that little pittance of a gift or recompense will be all that fool has, for the demons will take the rest.

“If you just accepted it, it would have been because you wanted to save your skin. You are pushing to see if there is anything you can get for your nation. But at the end of the day it is irrelevant. I didn’t offer you the title of duchy because I was being generous for what I have planned for your nation, nothing less but a duchy would be practical. A certain degree of autonomy and power is essential for the tasks ahead.” Cecilia said as she took out a small cube from the pocket of her dress.

Then in a flash of blue a map appeared on the table, already unfurled and ready for viewing. Balor looked down and saw a map of the region with these red lines linking the major cities and ports.

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“Is this… a logistics network?” Balor asked and Cecilia nodded in response.

“With Averlon at its centre…” Balor muttered as he stared at the map.

“The smaller line linking Ironhammer and Cathay is a smaller path. I want Averlon to be the centre of the empire, all goods and talent will flow through my capital. If I recall your people have great experience with regards to rail lines. You use them for your mine carts.” Cecilia said and Balor nodded.

“Yes, it was one of the few scrapes of ancient knowledge that the angels allowed us to keep. Many of our weapons of war were confiscated. We also no longer have any of the old runes of power.” Balor replied.

“Similar to us, they took Elysian magic. But regardless of the past, I want to use your people’s expertise to construct and maintain this network. Naturally the users of this network will have to pay fees. The profits from this will go to Ironhammer and it is taxable of course. The plan for this network is not only to serve resource shipments but commuters as well.” Cecilia explained and Balor stroked his beard as he pondered her words. This was an extremely profitable venture if successful…

“In addition there is something else I am in need, of a vast quantity of mithril. Enchanted if possible. I am seeking to mass produce a new type of weapon.” Cecilia said as she snapped her fingers and a nearby attendant approached with a case.

The case opened revealing this strange contraption with an oddly shaped crystal at the end.

“This is a Focii Rifle, that crystal at the tip is a creation from the Great Beast’s hive. It allows for some interesting applications. If you wouldn’t mind me asking, do you have any magical potential?” Cecilia asked and Balor nodded.

“In truth almost all dwarves have magical potential but it is weak. Which is why we prefer to enchant rather than cast spells. Since enchanting relies more on reagents rather than the raw power required for spells.” Balor replied and he watched in confusion as Cecilia paused for a moment. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. “Almost all dwarves have magical potential, you say…” Cecilia muttered and Balor saw that smile again.

“Hmmm… well if you would rise I want you to try something.” Cecilia said. Balor wasn’t sure where this was going but he decided to humour her. Even if he did have misgivings about her logistics network proposal.

Balor listened to Cecilia’s instruction and he raised the so-called Focii Rifle and took aim. He noticed there was a sight built into the top, similar to the ones the dwarves use in their crossbows. He soon realised this was supposed to be used like a crossbow but he didn’t see any arrows or string. Then he was told to pour ether into the rifle, he did so and at first he felt the ether flow into the rifle. But then it suddenly stopped as if the rifle was full and he noticed a small rune was glowing on the side of the rifle. He took aim at this dummy that she had somehow made appear just like the map. There was even an enchanted mithril breastplate on it. Then as per instructions he pulled this trigger on the rifle.

The first thing he noticed was the kick as the stock slammed into his shoulder, then the flash of blue light. He looked at the target and saw this streak of blue fly out from the rifle and it slammed right into the dummy. To his surprise he saw a glowing hole in the breast plate. He lowered the rifle and in almost a daze he approached the breast plate. He looked closer and saw the beam and melted through the mithril. This wasn’t as powerful as a heavily enchanted crossbow bolt, a Wyvern Bolt would have blasted the dummy to pieces. But to be fair that type of ammunition had that name because it was designed to hunt wyverns.

Still it was ridiculously easy to use… it wasn’t that difficult for him to use even as a dwarf. All it needed was the initial construction and from what he could tell it wasn’t that complicated to make. Balor raised it again and fired, then he fired it again and again. By the end of his barrage the breast plate was drilled full of holes and Balor to his surprise only felt slightly fatigued. The terrifying thing about this weapon was not the destructive power, it was the ease of use…

Almost anyone could use this…

“However there is a slight heating issue. I was hoping your artificers could have a look at it.” Cecilia said and Balor ran the words through his head. All of this is a great offer but there were problems. For instance, if Empress Cecilia wanted him to arm a large number of soldiers with this weapon they simply didn’t have the capacity to extract enough mithril ore. As for the logistics network, it would be a similar story. The tunnels themselves would be impossible to dig but Balor assumed the hive would help with that. The same could be said with the extraction of ore but that was a far more delicate process so he wasn’t sure if the hive could manage it.

“If you are worried about whether you can even do it. Well you need not fear I would not request this if I didn’t think you could do it. My dear friend the Great Beast is…” Cecilia said but she paused and then Balor noticed the ground shaking beneath his feet. He looked up at the Empress and saw a fond smile had graced her lips.

Fashionably late as usual…

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