Chapter 23.1 – Arriving at the front lines – part 1.1

While Craydon and Meryda were crossing the campsite, riding the two Karkadanns, all eyes were on her and her Monsters.

There were a lot of inaudible whispers, and Craydon couldn't quite understand what everyone was saying, but he knew it was about him and his daughter. What else could it be?

He even saw some soldiers with broad smiles nodding at him as if they just realized that the never-ending war was about to come to an end with their victory. How wrong were they, thought Craydon, for there was no chance he would let Meryda help them, considering that in his eyes, the Oomans were the bad guys by trying to invade the country of peaceful beings that never once posed a threat to anyone.

Finally, they reached a massive tent right in the centre of the campsite. The General Commodore dismounted, and the riders with him did the same. A few soldiers came to get the reins of the horses and took them away, but no one dared to approach the Karkadanns when Craydon and Meryda dismounted.

The two Sub-Monsters and the Salamander stood by Craydon's side, and only the Emptiness escorted Meryda, hovering above the ground. As usual, the Slime was on her neck but still on guard in case of danger.

A soldier opened the fabric of the tent by pulling it to one side, making an entrance for the General Commodore and his guests.

When Craydon crossed the entrance, he saw a group of ten men, also in armour but with a silver colour, standing.

They all greeted the General Commodore by placing their hands over their chests and making a bow with their heads while saying, "Greetings, General Commodore!"

"At ease, men. I believe introductions are in order. These are my Generals. They came from all the Ooman countries of the Alliance and are in charge of a few platoons of soldiers and Mages. This is Craydon Crawler, your average Demi-Cat man, and his daughter, a very powerful Monster Tamer, and according to the small Magic Crystal on her staff, also an Earth Mage."

Meryda looked up at her crystal and said, "It doesn't look small to me. I noticed the Mages that were outside had enormous Magical Crystals, and I was told the size of a Crystal is equal to the amount of Magic a Mage can use. I can still use some powerful spells with my crystal, but not that many. The ones I can use normally do the job pretty well."

One General frowned and said, "You shall not speak unless we ask you, Monster Tamer! We may need to teach you the proper military way!"

While Meryda was puzzled, the General Commodore quickly added, "The training can wait. For now, let's talk about the situation that we have been facing for the last month and then talk about how you can help us."

With a serious face, Craydon retorted, "Her help will depend on your explanation, in case you forgot."

Another General took two steps in Craydon's direction, and as he was raising his hand for a slap, he shouted, "No one asked you anything, Demi-Cat!"

When the hand was going down, Craydon reacted. He took one step to the side, grabbed the man's wrist, pulled him near, and hit him with an elbow in his throat, making him gasp out of breath. In the next second, the two Sub-Monsters were all over him, pushing him down to the floor and screeching menacingly near his face.

The other Generals grabbed the hilt of their swords, and the Salamander stood right in front of them, shining bright red, as if warning them not to make a move, and the two Black Shucks stood next to him, growling at the surprised Oomans.

With a harsh voice, Meryda warned them, "If any of you try something like this again, I will tell my Monsters to eat you all." She then stared at the scared General Commodore and said, "Starting with you. I didn't come here to see someone attacking my father or trying to force me to do anything. I came because I wanted to know the truth about this war and see what was happening here with my own eyes. So far, I am not impressed!"

The General Commodore tried to sound casual and asked, "What truth do you think there is here? We are fighting Monsters in the mountain range — monsters that were sent by Demons to prevent us from mining Magical crystals — and we are in dire need to help our people to fight Monsters and wild animals! There is no other truth!"

Meryda crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her father, making him say, "According to what I heard, Oomans already mined all the Magical Crystals that existed in other locations, and the mountain range is the only place left to mine. Considering Crystals don't dissolve into thin air, what happened to all the Crystals you mined in other locations?"

"It… it is common knowledge that we sold all the excess to other countries! What they did to those Crystals we don't know, neither we can be responsible if they lost them!" answered the General Commodore.

"Interesting… It is also interesting that, even though no one ever saw a Demon, the Oomans told everyone that there are Demons after the mountain range, powerful creatures who aim to conquer all the other countries. Where did you hear that?"

The General Commodore frowned, wondering why those questions were asked, but still, he answered, "From ancient texts. There are plenty of old texts written on parchment and the walls of very old caves saying that. There are even drawings of Demons. Nightmare creatures, with horns and dark wings."

He then walked to a nearby shelf, and from there, he took what looked like a very old book with a golden hard cover. He flipped a few pages and then showed one to Craydon and Meryda, saying, "Something like this. If this is not a Demon, I don't know what it is!"

Craydon frowned at the picture. A dark being with naked breasts and long dark hair with two intricate horns on her head and two small dark wings resembling the ones of a bat. At her feet, there was a vast swarm of beetles eating the corpse of a horse, and a City on the horizon to where a line of beetles was marching. What was scarier in that drawing was the face of that winged creature, for it had none.

The Fae looked over Craydon's shoulder and said, "The Mambabarang, a very powerful Monster Tamer. They control all the Monsters in the mountain range, but they prefer to use meat-eating beetles. We never liked those insects. Disgusting things!"

Upon hearing that, the Captains started to ask how the Fae knew that, and if they ever saw a Demon up close to which the green being shrugged and said, "We might have encountered a few. This is actually a very accurate drawing, despite the exaggeration. Never has a Mambabarang ordered a swarm of beetles to attack a City. In case you have all forgotten, you are the trespassers here. You never saw a Demon on the battlefield, and never a Monster attacked unprovoked. Until now, they only attacked when you guys tried to reach the mountains. If you don't try anything, they stand still, watching. Like they have been doing for hundreds upon hundreds of years. We are sure those ancient texts of yours also mention that."

Noticing the silence around, the Fae continued, "Many of you may believe you are doing the right thing, but the reality is that you are trying to invade the land of peaceful beings that never once posed a threat to anyone when all you guys want is Magical Crystals. And not to help your people, because Oomans have plenty Mages with Crystals. Your Kings and Nobles even have chandeliers with Magical Crystals to radiate light in the rooms of their castles and palaces! What your rulers and Nobles want is to sell crystals to other countries and earn a tonne of money. At the same time, you want to have control over all those countries by lying your teeth out and spreading lies about Demons who want to invade other countries and kill everyone. For all the years this war has been going on, the ones who caused all the deaths among Oomans and Demis are you guys. No one else."

With a shout, the General Commodore said, "By the grace of Goddess Cinna, that is sacrilege! It is our sacred duty to fight Demons, to stop them from killing everyone in this World and destroy everything we hold dear! And if you are on the Demon's side, you are our sworn enemy!"

"Goddess Cinna? You dare to mention her in our presence? We know her very well, and we also know she is not pleased with this never-ending war the Oomans started! If it wasn't for our intervention, she would have eradicated you all millennia ago! So don't you dare say anything about a sacred duty! What duty? Greed is the real name! Ugly, despicable greed!" The Fae shouted in response, and the power in their words made the entire tent shake.

Meryda put one hand on the Fae's right shoulder and said, "Breathe, just breathe. That's it; air in, hold it, then air out."

With a sigh, Craydon said, "There is no point arguing with fanatics, Fae. Oomans have spread this sacred duty of theirs for years upon years, and probably no one knows when it all started. These men and probably every single one in this campsite grew up with this twisted knowledge, and even if you put the truth right before their eyes, they will say it is a fabrication and a lie, and they will never believe it."

"And that, Craydon, will be their doom, because we can't do anything more to help them. Cinna will mock me for millennia because we were the ones who said to her that she should spare the Oomans because they were a young race in this World. Over the centuries, they have never changed. In fact, they only got worse. We are starting to think their species is beyond salvation, and nothing we do will save them from oblivion."

The sad-looking Fae faced Meryda and said, "Do you want to talk with the soldiers and the other Monster Tamers? Perhaps they have a different view of this conflict, and they can help you decide."

While looking straight at the angry General Commodore, Meryda answered, "I might as well do that, because what I heard until now is making me regret coming here. Now I am starting to understand why that Ambassador in Oka said all those things to me. They are desperate and probably tired of this war, but at the same time, they think they have to continue. And the fact that man tried to hit my father and that one over there shouted at me something about military training is showing me how wrong they are."

Meryda sighed and turned away, going to the tent's exit. One General tried to stand in her way, only to receive a growl from a very angry Salamander glowing in red, making him back away.

Craydon slowly shook his head and said while following his daughter, "You have really done it. Not only did you make her sad, but you just proved to her that you were in the wrong."

The General Commodore spoke with gritted teeth, "We have ways to convince stubborn people. This is not the first time someone very powerful has had doubts about joining our cause. All of them had weaknesses, and hers is you."

Craydon immediately stopped and said without looking back, "The only reason you and everyone in your army are still alive is because I am with her. The moment I am not, she will lose it, and you will regret turning her into your enemy. The Fae already said that Oomans are on the brink of extinction. Mess with my daughter by using me as a bargain ship, and you won't have anyone to stop her from killing you all in her sadness and rage. And I am not even mentioning the Fae, who took a liking to my daughter and became her friend. Make my daughter sad, and the Fae will act."

He then turned to look at the General Commodore and continued, "The Fae asked the Demons to send those Drakes for my daughter to ride and come here and see for herself what was happening, and they did it without asking anything in return. Oomans never gave her anything besides worries and threats. If you force her to choose a side, whose side do you think she will choose? One that never once threatened her, or one that was after her ever since people talked about her powers? And don't you even say it is her sacred duty because she wasn't raised in your blind faith. I know my daughter, and I know she will do everything she can to save as many Ooman and Demis as possible. I just don't know if you will be among those."