156 Chapter 8.11 - Amber Waves

Waves of amber grain as far as the eye could see. Rolling hills, sweeping stalks of newly grown vegetables. The catfish in the local pond had grown to gigantic size with the monster bonemeal that had been shipped in from the city. This was a sleepy farm, in a quiet town. It was far away from any real danger.

In the years since the church had assumed control of the daily affairs of the country, nothing had really changed for this town. The government field office had been replaced with a church, the old were still ushered out, but now to lead other farms with the lucky ones selected for missionary work with the church.

There were hundreds of farms just like this. They had learned to be at peace with the wild, and with the knights that made their rounds to take out nomadic monsters that strayed too close, the townsfolk led a life of agrarian idyll.

Susie was pleased with her work. She had shown her tenacity for childbearing, having 4 children before her 25th year. Now, still pregnant, she checked her fields. The work was not much, just check for mutated weeds, and call the local paladin if they appeared. Harvest was done by teams sent from the church. So was planting. Her only job was to ensure the mutated weeds did not appear.

And to bear young, of course.

When weeds did appear, calling the paladin wasn't difficult, it was her husband after all. She had been assigned as his primary wife by the church, and although polyamory was practiced by the church as a whole to determine those called to be childbearers, her ability to bear children so well and often had earned her the right to have the young strong, and handsome paladin all to herself.

It was every girl's dream to have a knight in service to the goddess chosen to make you his.

Susie finished her morning rounds and strolled into town. She had errands to run, and thanks to her increased monthly allowance from the church due to her ability to bear, she was often able to buy one or two luxury items on this weekly trip, something most other mothers would purchase once a month.

Luxuries not afforded to those who did not bear.

Susie smiled and as she used her ration stamps to sort out what foods she wanted for the week, she pulled out her golden stamp book from the church. These were the only way to purchase goods.

The 'credit' system was good and well, but it led to needless suffering at the hands of the money grubbing merchants. So most people in Susie's town did not have a single credit to their name.

Most credits could be traded in for ration stamps, so those that used them, adventurers and the few church approved merchants that traded outside the GWA, were able to do trades within the nation.

It made Susie happy that the Church had such a tight control on food and household goods. None ate to excess like when she was a child, and the rot of those at the highest levels was quickly purged.

There were still those that couldn't adjust to the helping hand of the church guiding its flock, but those deviants were sent to special schools to be retrained. The church would not waiver in guiding its faithful back to the fold. It was just so pure. Man was meant to bow to its divine master.

Susie smiled as she pulled off her ration stamps and handed it to the church appointed grocer. She spent one luxury stamp on a few yards of cotton, the color matching her husband's eyes. She wanted to make him a new set of sleeping clothes, as he had outgrown the ones he received so many years back at his plating and wedding ceremony.

Susie saw the young girl devilishly eye the luxury stamps. She was not yet a mother, and was not currently carrying. She would not see a luxury stamp for at least a year.

Susie smiled as she looked at the girl, tore off a golden stamp. "I will pay you this, but in return I would like you to deliver my groceries to my home after your shift."

The girl smiled and nodded. This was her chance at fabric for a new dress, or maybe a box of Mont Kingdom chocolates. The possibilities were endless, and Susie had made it happen, although it was for her benefit. She was pretty late in her current term, and the church healer explained that the children would be born twins of pure human blood.

There were rumors of those that were somehow giving birth to non-humans, and the church had their stance. These mothers were purified with their children at the stake. This had not happened within the GWA territory, but some merchant daughters and adventurers had been caught by the blood devils' schemes.

Surely, Mephystra would know if the defiled entered her domain.

Susie walked through town after getting her groceries. Her second stop was the preschool. Here was the most important woman in the town, having sired 12 children until Mephystra had been pleased and gave her reprieve, Humi was now the caretaker for the children under 5. This was where they learned, laughed, played, and prayed. Here she would make recommendations for their career path based on their attitude and aptitude during play.

Before, all of the GWA's youth were sent to war or to breed and run farms. Now, the Church had abolished this barbaric practice.

Instead, at a young age, youths were given a set of tests. Yes, there were two main groups, those that fought and those that served, but it branched farther. Some were more apt for the divine magic of blood. Some were better suited to exploring and patrolling the wilds. Some were meant to tend fields. And some, well some were called to a higher purpose, meant to fight as one of Mephystra's chosen.

Susie was happy with her lot in life. She was extremely fertile, and it was her personal goal to beat out Humi and produce more young than her. Mephystra's teachings stated it was a woman's duty to outbreed those defiled of blood. And the more children Susie had, the higher chance her powerful trait of fertility would pass onto new generations.

Susie then stopped by the church. She sat in on the late morning daily sermon. Today, Herald Dilk went through the importance of chastity outside of church approved unions, as the gene thieves of their enemies defiled young maidens and stole the seed from young men. Then the sermon switched to the current affairs. Herald Dilk announced that 10 days ago the offensive to purify the world of sub human species had begun.

"Be thankful my children, for our Town is the one farthest to the northwest. It is closest to the hive of the impure. When our troops return home on their march, they will pass over our lands first and we can cheer them on as they return home."

Susie smiled. It was a joyous thought. The church had said when the war was over, every citizen would be given an entire book of luxury ration stamps.

So generous of their divine savior.

Susie exited the church and walked back home. She smelled the air. She smelled something. Was it fire?

That was normal. They often did controlled burns in the grove to the south. She felt the wind. The wind was blowing south, so it couldn't be that. She then looked and it was coming from the direction of her farmstead.

As she walked, she crested the hill where her house stood, and as she did she saw.

The clouds were parting and the sky was filled. At first she thought it was birds. It was not. It was airships and giant beetles. Dragons and Rocketeers. But only one nation had fabled airships. Only one had slept with the dragons. Only one had control of vile insects. Only one had men who could fly.

And they were supposed to have been destroyed.

Susie then looked down the hill towards the north, and walking across the fields out of the forest were dozens of large hulking soldiers in armor, flames spewing and burning the fields.

All of the fields. She looked around and saw more and more. She felt a shadow move aross her neck. She looked behind towards the town. They did not know yet. Susie could feel she was being watched. But only tall amber stalks waved between them. The shadows around her grew larger.

Susie then looked straight up. There was a small speck of an airship from which she saw several shapes getting larger.

Had people fallen from the airship?!

As they got closer they did not slow in speed, nor make a sound. They instead curled into balls.

As they came within meters of the ground, a large gelatinous form exploded from them, forming a bubble. This form absorbed the impact, and the people inside straightened up, and as the gelatin receded into their backpacks, they looked at Susie.

"Non combatant. Female. With child. Orders?" It was a male speaking. He had the symbol of a green circle within an arrow pointing down. [GDST-1A-18] was written under the symbol.

"There are no non-combatants, Newzy. Coller and crystal her." Said the female. Her armor had the same symbol, but it said [GDST-1A-4]

"Understood."

Susie remembered her training, and as they neared, she remembered the spell to self immolate. But as she began to cast, she stopped. She did not want her child to die, so she instead ran. She made it half a meter before an inhumanly fast shape cut her off. He the man placed a collar on her neck which lit up blue.

Then she felt a flash, and Susie could not move. It was as if she was stuck in ice.

She was able to see. She was able to hear. She saw as her husband arrived, flaming sword in hand. She saw as a giant metal wolf tackled him from the same amber waves. She heard him scream and a sickening schick sound, and then the moans. He was then collared and put in amber. She could not see him as he was moved next to her. She could not move her eyes.

The amber waves burned, and from their ashes, demon hounds of metal and devils in armor took their place.

***