Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1233: Debrief(2)

Naturally, the conversation developed in the direction of Deltaʼs current situation. During the battle, several gates had opened surrounding the Guardian Tree. 8 stone gates, that Karina found to lead to a world of Spatia and 7 Hell Gates that led to various worlds of the Abyss.

When it came to the question of how to enter Spatia and gather information, the attention turned to the stone gates. As it was a point on the agenda anyway, Leana transitioned to talk about the new pathways leading out and into Delta.

“We sent golem scouts to get a better understanding of the landʼs layout on the other side,” Leana said and the videos of the scout golems appeared on the screen. It was the first time for the members of Minas Mar, to see something as monumental as the “World Stele”. The princess had dubbed it so.

The video showed an eight-sided column with one of the giant gates on each face of the monument. It was a massive structure. And this massive monument of magic engineering was now swallowed by an even bigger tree that had sprouted on its top and strangled the eight giant gates with its massive root system.

Surrounded by vast grassy hills, there were no signs of human habitation, except the remnants of hastily evacuated military camp, drowned in the tree’s root system. This sapling of the Guardian Tree was actually bigger than many of the offshoots that grew for a longer time, as it received an abundance of “nutrition” during growth.

Typical for the tree, its vast emerald crown spanned far into every direction and the ground below was saturated with strong roots that kept it upright. The heaps of vacated armor and weapons glinting between these roots couldn’t escape the blacksmith’s eyes. Apparently, this was what was left of the army meant to invade Delta, together with the wave of five legends.

“It doesn’t seem like there is any village or town nearby. They probably built it away at some frontier in case something went wrong.” Drosi commented calmly. The old Tijaahk merchant and uncle of Duhu was probably the most experienced of anyone in the room when it came to finding civilization in a new world.

In a way this reminded Seth of the stronghold, the bridgehead the Theocracy of Chains had once built in the southeastern forests, to use as a stepping stone to invade Urth. Coincidentally, they now also had something like that, despite never actually planning to invade anyone.

“They are probably surveilling it from the distance, but maybe we could sneak in if we use the invisibility cloaks?” Jonah suggested. They had some experience sneaking into place to wreak havoc, from the time they went against Y-City and the Scene.

“As long as you managed to evade detection, it would not be too weird for unknown groups of people to appear at a frontier to make a name for themselves. You could try to infiltrate Spatia from there,” Drosi mused.
This was the reason the conversation had moved to the gates. They had been talking about how to get to Spatia. Unless they were able to reach their worlds, there was no need to talk about possible acts of “preemptive war efforts”.

“What about the Hell Gates?” Misto, the mist demon, asked. The whole room took more or less part in the conversation and everyone now looked at him. Why would he mention the Hell Gate right now?

“I wanted to talk about the Hell Gates next. Although the Guardian Tree is currently plugging them up. That is no permanent solution. But why did you bring them up?” Leana, still standing at her lectern asked surprised.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Well, couldnʼt we try to negotiate with the demon? We could offer them the world beyond the gates and while they are wreaking havoc over there, we could sneak in and join the refugees or whatever to enter the towards of Spatia,” the demon suggested.

“Are you seriously saying we should try and negotiate with the Abyss?” Faenys asked in disbelief. It was clear that she thought this was a stupid idea, however.

“They are demons, not Spatia. The chance that they rather cooperate with us than fight us is quite good;” the blacksmith interjected. Demons knew no morals, but they did anything for their motivation and interests. They just had to sell the idea to them.

“Hmm, we would have to try and contact them. Maybe we could ask the bard college for help?” Mary suggested, but her idea only caused the few people in the know to shake their heads.

“That wonʼt work. Although demons technically have all the same origin, the demons of the abyss treat others like strangers. if anything the chance they might see them as enemies is even higher.” Misto explained to everyone.

“I will go,” Alʼzalsar suddenly proposed. “The abyss is a little too dangerous to send the field teams. The worst scenario would be that they get swamped by monsters until a legend comes to strike them down. Negotiation will be a lot smoother if we are the ones with the bigger fist,” the sorceress explained.

“You want to go there alone?” Leana asked perplexed.

“Sure, who else is able to go there and come back if things go awry if not me?” the sorceress asked cheekily. Leana seemed unconvinced, Seth also thought that sending AlʼZalsar alone was a recipe for disaster. There were a few people that came into question.

Misto could have accompanied her as a link between her and the demonic culture. But he wouldnʼt have much control over Alʼs actions. Luf, the bride of death was technically equal to a legend and she was known for her wisdom. There was a high chance she would be able to push Al in the right direction if it came to negotiations. Even if a fight broke out, she could protect herself.

“Someone who understands demon tongue, and can influence AlʼZalsar...” Fin mumbled out loud. Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down his spine. It was too late, all eyes were already on him. The fairyʼs summary fit him like a glove.

“Canʼt you grant me at least a small break?” the tower master asked with a sigh. They didnʼt have to say it out loud for him to get the hint. Even Monique and Jonah who had looked eager to volunteer, were now looking at him in anticipation.

“Fine, fine, I will go with Al, but later, give me a break,” he finally said. It wasnʼt that he gave in to their stares. The bard was actually interested in seeing the abyss world, as it might help him grow his musical skills. It was just that he didnʼt feel like doing anything right now.

They talked a while longer about other details but soon came to the conclusion to let that topic rest, as they could only make further decisions later on. In the meantime, Leana moved on to the next topic.

“Since we talked about Spatia, itʼs only right to talk about our relationship with Chrona next,” the princess of said empire said with a little depression in her voice. Chrona had run off and technically sold them to Spatia. Nobody advocated for a positive stance toward Chrona, to say the least.

“Since they ran off, they canʼt expect anything from us,” Tekar spoke up determined. It was rare for the massive man to speak up, so it was special to see him voice such a strong opinion. Probably because he felt the most empathy for the people of Delta.

As rugged and stoic as the tank may have seemed sometimes, he was a loving single father who lost his wife. He probably understood best, the feelings and fears of the people during calamities like the demon invasion.

“I also think that cutting ties with them completely would be for the best. Letʼs show them what they threw away and have them squirm in regret.” Even the usually calm and almost emotionless Alison voiced a quite dark opinion with a derisive smile.

Many agreed with her notion. Thriving for themselves and having the disloyal dogs suffer when they see the loss they took by casting them aside. Even Seth found this idea appealing. Only the spokesperson on the rostrum, Leana, seemed a little apprehensive.

“Leana, would you like to say something? After all, Chrona is your home,” the bard asked her.

“I-Itʼs nothing,” she said hurriedly.

“You know, you can tell us everything. We trust you and you can trust us,” Mina interjected with a warm smile. After all, she and Yulecatʼs Fur knew the princess for quite some time longer than any of the others.

“Itʼs shameless, but I hoped we could keep some diplomatic relations. I wanted to look for my brother and maybe, if we manage to get him on the throne, we can regain Chrona as a strong backer,” she argued embarrassed.

Seth looked at her for a long moment, trying to use his knowledge gained as a bard to read her before he finally understood. In the end, Leana was worried for her family and friends back home. She was a Princess of Chrona and most of the people she knew and loved were there.

“But would Chrona even be interested in diplomacy with us? They just cut us off. We are just a faction in a single world to them, arenʼt we?” James voiced his concerns.

“No problem. we just have to follow Alisonʼs plan. We will grow into a power that canʼt be ignored, and then we strike. Right guys, we can do that much for Leana?” Seth answered convinced.

“Yeah!” “Hear Hear!” “Lez doit!” cheers echoed in the auditorium as everyone agreed cheerfully. Leana cried a little, so they decided to have a break and get lunch, before continuing.