Emerilia Box Set, page 120
part #1 of Emerilia Series
“What kind of soul gem do you want?” Bob floated up in front of a rack of soul gems.
“Let’s say a petty one. Don’t need much—just something to attach the conjuration to.”
“Okay.” Bob floated up to the right crate and pulled a dozen gems from it.
Bob opened up his administrator’s panel and looked at Dave, who was dusting himself off after fixing a control console’s runes.
“Don’t move,” Bob warned.
Dave froze.
Bob uttered out a spell and dropped the petty soul gems. They disappeared in mid-air and landed lightly next to Dave.
“You’re going to have to teach me whatever you just did,” Dave said. “Can I move now?”
“Yes, you can move.” Bob laughed. “You can figure it out yourself one day.”
“Thanks. You’re just lazy,” Dave said.
“Mhmm,” Bob agreed heartily. “Oh crap, that’s what I forgot. Yeah, Anna might need your hand at something. Going to be bringing her people back, but their old lands got ruined. She’s going to need your help.”
“Shouldn’t you be telling her this?” Dave put the soul gems away in his bag.
Bob dismissed the screen, watching Dave. “Well, see, uhh...”
“You forgot to tell her?” Dave asked dryly.
“That may have happened.” Bob scratched his head.
“I’d say it might be a good idea calling her after me,” Dave said.
“Yeah, I think I might do that right now.”
“Good luck, and call me more often. It’s been too long since we last talked.” Dave’s voice softened.
“I will. Things have just been a tad bit crazy.” Bob stepped through the active portal, into the massive warehouse beyond. He could hear arguing in the distance.
“I’ll send you a message when the drinks are ready to be tested. It might be a fast way to make foodstuffs and such, though I don’t know why we couldn’t have something like a food replicator. Be really complex but making a basic slop to be used as food wouldn’t be too hard.”
Bob could tell Dave was drifting off into the land of theories and ideas.
“Well, give me your ideas and I can get some people at the mages college looking it over and working on it. You’ve got lots of other work to do!” Bob said.
“That might be interesting,” Dave said.
“If you get to Per’ush, I know a lady who would be happy to get your party admittance,” Bob said, his mind wandering as he walked over to the yelling.
“I’ll take you up on that!”
“We’ll talk later. Got to go deal with some issues that cropped up.” Bob sighed.
“Later!”
The voice chat cut as Bob looked at a portal where a group of Demons were around a table, yelling at one another.
“Will you shut the hell up?” Bob stuck his head through the portal. “I swear, if I need to, I will bring Alkao back up here to kick his brothers back into agreement. Stop squabbling like a bunch of winged infants. Lezar, stop moving those damned wings around—you’re bound to get stuck in the ceiling, you irate Prince! If I see you lot lounging around and arguing instead of making a plan or helping out your people hunt, I’ll stick you in the damned freezer for another two hundred years!”
The Demons were silent, from the four hefty-looking Demon Princes to their Lords. Their heads turned downcast toward Bob.
He barely reached their mid-thigh but none of them dared to argue.
Bob sighed and stepped fully through the portal. “Okay, what have you got?” He pinched his nose at the impending headache. He was going to put that Scotch to work as soon as Dave finished it.
“We were talking of priorities,” Malkur, the second eldest Prince, said.
He was midnight-black; his crèche brother Alkao was blood-red. Otherwise, both of them had similar features and the same bassy voice that carried through the small space.
“And?”
“We were talking of training our forces to be ready for these new Demon creations and the Horde’s allotment of food from the stores.” Lezar moved his wings in finality.
“You’ve already got a damned tail to express your emotions, Lezar! You don’t need to add the wings too! Like some Italians I know.” Bob muttered the last part to himself.
“If you train forever, but keep on sucking up your people’s resources, then you won’t have enough to support yourselves for the battle against the new Demons. You have people who are in storage and would really like to get out. Train your people as you gather food,” Bob said diplomatically.
“Gathering food belittles the Horde.” Lezar snorted.
Bob pinched the bridge of his nose again. “Have patience. He’s just dumb, doesn’t know the way of the world. Just a child. Just breathe,” Bob muttered to himself.
The Demon’s ears were good enough to hear him.
“I am no—”
Efri and Vrexu restrained their brother and clamped his mouth shut. Malkur gave him a warning glance.
A book appeared in Bob’s hands; he gave it to Malkur.
“You want to know more about where you come from? First, you and everyone on Emerilia started off as one race—humans. For millennia, your forefathers fought one another across a planet. Millions died. A fighting force that cannot feed themselves is useless. Hunting, knowing the plants and wildlife around you—that will allow you to have multiple hordes in the field without needing a massive supply train to sustain you. Starting from today, you will start to learn the ways of war. You will not learn this with training until you pass out. You will learn to fight smarter, to use your natural abilities to defeat the enemy before they ever get to the battlefield. The Dark Lord made you to run into battle willingly, to get yourselves killed for his enjoyment. Do you want to do as the Dark Lord wishes, to be led by your emotions to your ruin?” Bob looked at Lezar.
Efri released his mouth so he could speak. “No,” Lezar said.
“You are a Demon Prince. Do not fight simply for enjoyment. Doing so will just whittle your forces into nothing. Know when to hit, when to recover, when to take stock of supplies. There are many fearsome creatures on this planet that your people need the Horde’s protection from.” Bob held a finger up, stopping Lezar from talking. “Do not say that it is their fault that they die because they are weak.” Bob glared at Lezar.
The Demon Prince looked shamefaced and more than a little scared.
“Your race looks to you, in both times of war and peace. If you are a good leader in war but in peace, you let your people be killed, you will not stay in power for long. Help your people to grow and prosper; they will do the same for you. Going out, finding the right materials, carrying them back and preparing them is hard work, which is why every Demon is going to try their hand at it. You might have become Demon Princes for your natural abilities in the field of battle. Now, you must prove to me and to them that you deserve your position. You are all warriors of famed repute; many myths repeat your names in fear and respect. However, being a Prince is a lot harder than a warrior. The Horde is strong but without structure. You will create ranks and train people to be good not only at fighting, but at surviving. I will help you as best as I can. You must look to see are you Prince of the people, a General of the warriors, or both? It takes a stronger Demon to know where his weaknesses are in order to focus on his strengths and remove those weaknesses.” Bob looked around, seeing them all take this information in.
He smiled at them fondly. They might have been made by the Dark Lord, but Bob felt a connection to all creatures on Emerilia. He’d created it and they were in a way his children.
Anna is not going to be happy I forgot to tell her about her people. Maybe they can help me putting some sense into these demons. They were great at hit-and-run tactics. Didn’t give too much of a damn about honor in battle and scrounged for themselves. They’re also a bunch of recluses.
“Thank you, Gray God. You have given us much to think on,” Malkur said.
Bob could see the thoughts racing behind the Demon Prince’s eyes and the thoughtful frown on his face.
“Good. I think I will have another group that might be able to assist you lot with figuring some of this out. I will be back to talk to each of you individually at one time. It’s time we had a talk of the future. Oh, and stop yelling right next to my portal! Damn racket!” Bob sighed and walked back through the portal.
He walked past other portals that were off or led to different locations. One showed massive beasts all in a room, a number that would have made many shiver in fear. The ones that looked the prettiest, like the harpies and lily toads, were the worst ones. There was a large red button next to the portal.
He continued on, past scenes of different places: caves, sand dunes, jungles. Bob didn’t see any of them, distracted by his thoughts, and nervous to talk to Anna.
He stopped in front of a portal that looked out over a mountain covered in the vibrant green, yellows, purples, and reds of the forest. “Ahh, I’ll talk to Kala first. She might be half-bear, but she’s much calmer.” Bob smiled at his decision and walked through the portal.
Bob waved his hand casually. An arrow that had been coming for his head splintered before it reached him. Bob sighed as he held out a finger. A wolf Demi-Human flew toward Bob so fast that there was no air for them to scream. They started as soon as there was air to fill their lungs.
Bob made a circle with his finger and an up and down motion.
The wolf Demi-Human spun upside down and was shaken quickly. Their arrows and gear fell out as Bob continued to do it a few minutes. Their screams turned to jerky noises, unable to catch their breath as they were thrown up and down.
“Other than the Scotch, this is a pretty good way for getting rid of some stress.” Bob walked down from the portal and through the forest. The wolf followed Bob as he whistled to himself.
In a clearing, there was a basic village. Bob could see people on the walls, looking for threats. The wolf Demi-Human still bobbed up and down, making muffled cries, following Bob as he glided into the air and over the walls.
Demi-Human soldiers rushed to their positions as Bob came down in front of the largest tent inside the wooden walls.
“What is—” The angered words cut off as a massive brown bear Demi-Human stopped and looked at Bob and the wolf that was still going up and down, making pitiful noises.
“Was the alarm you?” Kala sighed.
“Probably. Didn’t want to go through the whole guard at the gate thing, not when this one tried to put an arrow in my head,” Bob said.
“Could you put him down?” Kala asked.
Bob looked to the wolf. “In a bit,” Bob said. He wasn’t done yet.
“So, what did you come here to talk to me about?” Kala asked. “I assume you are here to talk to me?”
“Yes, I need your advice and I had an idea about something.” A smile formed on Bob’s face.
“You and your plans.” Kala smiled.
There were a number of noises as Demi-Human soldiers of all types moved in all directions, working together to make a shield wall around Bob.
“Ahh, I always love to see a bit of teamwork, and the idiots I want you to teach are going to need a lot of good examples.” Bob sighed.
“Put the shields and blades down. This is the Gray God.” Kala waved at the fighters.
“Doesn’t look like much.” A fox-looking Demi walked forward as the shield wall came apart.
“He’s also Anna’s father.” Kala’s tone held a warning.
The fox Demi-Human paled and his tail drooped as he took a knee in front of Bob. “It is an honor to meet you, Gray God.”
“Always good to know that the kiddo left a lasting impression. Could you deal with this one?” The wolf Demi-Human was a mewling mess as Bob gently put them in front of the fox.
“Now, what is this you say about a plan? I hope it will speed up things for our return home. As much as this planet is interesting, it is not home.” Kala walked into her tent.
Bob followed. Kala needed to move the open flaps of the tent out of the way, but Bob was short enough to get inside without touching either of the flaps.
“Well, first of all, your home isn’t there anymore. Like the actual place—gone.”
“How?” Kala sat in a large seat that could have been Bob’s bed.
“Dragons.” Bob sighed. It had been a pain trying to fix the damage by Eldapik. Damned Air Dragon was as bad as his Affinity lord at getting out of traps! Took three of his brethren to finally hunt him down and kill him.
“It is no matter. We will find another home.” Kala sounded sad but resolute.
“Well, seeing as you’re looking for a new place to live, I have an area in mind.” Bob gave her a winning smile.
“Where is it, what’s in it, and what do you want from us?” Kala asked.
“It’s Devil’s Crater. Right now, not much, except fields that need cleaning up a little, natural fortifications, seven mostly intact fortresses, and a natural curtain wall around the entire thing. I want you to teach the Demons to be soldiers.” Bob smiled.
“So, you’re offering to send us to Devil’s Crater, the homeland of the Demons, and teach them to be soldiers. First, are you insane? And second, Fire no!” Kala barked.
“Hear me out.” Bob sighed.
“I would offer you a real drink, but all we’ve got is water,” Kala said.
Bob pulled up his inventory, selecting one of the wines he kept on him at all times. He opened a pouch on his belt and pulled it out, handing it to her.
“Thank you.” Kala looked excited by the promise of booze. She moved to grab cups.
“So, what is coming, it’s going to need people to band together. Right now, the Demons are pigheaded and don’t understand anything more than facing their hordes at the enemy and yelling charge. Only Alkao’s Black Hands were anything like adept at true war fighting. The rest were secure in the knowledge that they were strong in their individual skills; there was nothing to promote them working together. Right now, they’re training their forces instead of gathering supplies for returning to Emerilia, the kind of training that only ends when they lose consciousness,” Bob said dryly.
“So, what do you want from us?” Kala held out a cup to Bob.
He took it with a nod of thanks. “I want you to teach them not as warriors, but as soldiers. How to fight together and rely on one another. It can be the start of turning them into something terrifying,” Bob said.
“Why, by all things good, do you want to make the Demons better at fighting?” Kala frowned.
“That is for me to worry about and I don’t want to make them better at fighting. I want you to make them better at fighting. They need to appreciate that they can get slapped around by others, to understand that they have much to learn. Imagine if your two groups worked together? Demons and the Demis; kind of has a ring to it. At the very least, could you have a meeting with them? I will mediate and no one will get hurt.” Bob sipped his drink.
Kala took her time, drinking her wine before she sighed, looking like her true seventy-eight years. “We owe you much, Lo’kal. We will meet with them, but you shall need to share with me your plan.”
“You should know by now I don’t have a plan—I just move things by nudges. I create meetings and possibilities. What you lot do with them is up to you.” Bob saluted her with his drink.
“What about Anna’s preparations?” Kala asked.
“Uhh, well...” Bob scratched his head awkwardly.
Kala raised an amused eyebrow at Bob’s reaction. “You forgot to tell her.”
“Yeah, well, there was a lot going on and she was doing other things! Though, now I can tell her she can keep worrying about the other things until you and the Demons decide what you want to do!” Bob smiled happily.
“You just hope that she doesn’t find out you forgot about making her a quest.”
“Oh, shut up,” Bob said into his cup.
Kala’s amused chuckle rumbled through the tent. “Very well. I will meet with these Demons tomorrow. I’m leaving telling Anna about this up to you.”
“Fine.” Bob drank more of the wine.
Chapter 30: Progress!
Dave stood, cracking his back and grunting. It had been a long day, but it was only starting.
He checked the soul gems that Bob had sent him. Pulling one out and holding it in his hands, he spun it around and played with it, looking at the beautiful dancing lights in its midst.
“Malsour, how are we looking?” Dave asked over the party voice chat.
“All good on my side. I think we’re ready to get out of here.”
“Nice. Suzy, how are the spikes doing?”
“We’ve got them at fifty percent submersion into the magical ley line. We’re holding there as we’re powering the base’s soul gems and the few connected train carts. We’re pumping power into the portals and teleport pads so we can start powering these soul gem trains and moving them around,” Suzy said.
“We’ve just reached enough charge to keep a portal to Alephir open on the transfer platform,” Anna said, referring to the level with the train carts and train tracks.
“Have you connected to Shard?” Dave asked, signaling to the other crafters in the room with him to finish up what they were studying and to follow him.
“Connection complete.” Shard sounded smug and his regular self instead of his robotic subsystem. “I have enough power to activate guardian forces within the power station and make sure that nothing else shows up.”
“Good stuff. You need anything else from us?” Dave asked.
“I should be good. I am opening a portal on the transfer level to Alephir. I can then begin to move soul gems in and out of the power station and lower the charging forks more to increase power output as we’ll have somewhere to put it.”
A ping announced a change in their quest.
Quest: Aleph Homecoming
You have restarted an Aleph power station.
Rewards: Increased power usage to assist in other activities.
