Chapter 17: For The Nation

Monkey didn’t want to get out of this bed. He pulled the covers closer to him. Has it really been that long since he slept in such a comfortable bed? The bed in inns just don’t compare and it was definitely way better than sleeping on the road. Though he must admit sleeping in tree weren't that bad, still, this pillow was soooo soft.

“alright, enough of that. Alpha get him up”

“wha-” Monkey felt the bed tilt sideways as he rolled out of it.

“rise and shine sleeping beauty”

Monkey pulled himself out of the covers to see three faces staring at him. All three trying to hold back a laugh.

One was a woman, dark skin, looked to be in her mid-twenties, she wore a dark purple and black shirt with a hood attach. The front open up into a “V” shape revealing her chest, the gem there was green showing she was a wind caster, she wore short hair, one side falling over her right eye, her left eye a vibrant purple.

The next one was a man, light skin, like the woman he looked to be in his mid-twenties as well. He wore an outfit similar to what the Monks wore in Monkey country but these were silver and black. There was no right sleeve and he wore a cloak around himself, he’s hair fell to the back of his neck and on both sides of his face. The man had eyes that reminded you of the setting sun.

The last one looked to be the eldest, early to mid-thirties. Unlike the other two who wore dark colors he wore more bright colors, a mixture of dark and light blue. He had long silver hair that fell over his shoulders, the ends dyed purple, he wore an eyepatch over his right eye. Monkey guess he must've lost it in battle. The main thing that shocked Monkey the most about this man was the huge dragon tail he had. A Draco.

“must’ve been one good dream, were you making love to your first woman?”

The female said and the other two laughed.

“long hair or short hair?”

“skinny or did she have some meat on bones?”

“you look like a man who taste lie more into the Serpiente people”

“no way, he definitely into the Kratai”

Monkey felt his face burn red.

“Can you guys explain just who the hell you are? And what you’re doing in here?”

Monkey ask quickly changing the subject.

The man in his twenties spoke.

“sorry, my name is Volt, these are my friends, this is Vayu”

The Woman gave a small wave of acknowledgement seem to be uninterested after making her joke

“and this is Artirios”

Artirios extended a hand helping Monkey to his feet.

“Lord Kota must’ve already told you. We’re to help you clear the path to town”

Monkey nodded remembering that Kota saying how he had hired other mercs

“but just you three?”

Volt gave a warm smile

“trust me, we’re all that needed.”

~

Monkey met the three outside, the rain fell lightly today, He wondered how people could live in a world of endless rain. Guess after a while you just get used to it.

Vayu was holding an umbrella. What was the point?

“hey, is there any reason for you to be holding that? I mean. You're going to get wet eventually” Monkey asked.

“thank you!!” Volt threw his hands into the air “I’ve been saying that the whole time we were here but she insisted”

“I prefer staying out of the rain whenever possible” Vayu responded

“come on now Volt, leave Vayu and her umbrella alone” Artirios teased.

“the fuck was that Alpha?” she snapped at him

Monkey watched them and felt envious, he was like this with his friends. His thoughts drifted off to Wolf, Tiger and Viper. He hoped they were well.

Monkey noticed a group of soldiers rushing to the other side of the castle. In fact, more soldiers in groups were headed that way. Monkey was about to follow until he was approached by a man in royal attire followed by two guards and three servants

“are you Volt?” the man looked Monkey up and down

“no, from your appearance you must be the new one my lord spared”

He looked towards the three who was still bickering about Vayu’s umbrella

“which one of you is Volt, leader of the Blackguard?” he asked

They stopped at the question and Vayu and Artirios pushed Volt forward.

“I’m Volt”

The man nodded as acknowledgement and motion for the servant to come forward.

He was carrying a small pouch and extended it to Volt.

“as agreed, 10 gold now and the other half once the job is completed”

Volt counted the gold before tossing the pouch to Artirios.

“will Lord Kota be seeing us off? I haven't seen him since yesterday after the meeting” He ask

“I’m afraid Lord Kota is off on urgent matters. He sends his humblest apologies.”

Volt nodded. “being a lord always keeps one busy, please let lord Kota know that we’ll return once we’ve completed the task and the roads are safe again”

The man nodded.

“one last thing, if by any chance there are any survivors my Lord would request that you escort them back to the castle. Of course, you’ll be rewarded for your services”

“of course,” Volt bowed to the man who bowed in return before heading back to the castle.

“survivors? It's wrong to give yourself false hope. Even if someone survives from the Black Beast the monsters that appeared after would surely get any survivors”

Vayu said as Volt returned.

“ah Vayu, always the pessimist.”

“I prefer to be realistic Volt” She said heading down the street the other two following her.

Monkey looked towards the direction the soldiers headed off before turning back and following them.

“I don’t know. I kinda like that the lord here has hope that there might be survivors. It's nice to have hope” Artirios said to Vayu

“don’t get me wrong Alpha, Hope is nice to have but giving yourself false hope is dangerous and leads to disappointment. Kota having hope that someone will still be alive will only break the man down once he hears that we found no one”

“hey guys” Monkey interrupted

“where your leader?”

They were traveling down the market street and Volt disappeared into one of the stores

“oh god” Vayu and Artirios were both rubbing their foreheads

“you got the gold, right?” She asked him.

“yup”

They went inside a tailor finding Volt trying on a different assortment of clothes

“the gold actually goes well with orange.”

Volt was admiring himself in a mirror

“now let's try-”

He never got the chance to finished as they dragged him back outside

“they got so many outfits!! Come on guys.”

He tried to plead to them but it fell on deaf ears.

Monkey just had to ask

“is he alright?”

“oh yeah, Volt just has an unhealthy obsession with clothes” Artitios pulled Volt up to his feet.

“it is not an obsession!” Volt said defensively

“Volt, every time you see new pair of clothes you immediately buy them” Vayu said.

“your room is literally full of clothes”

They went back and forth on the subject as they walked Monkey noticed a lot of women wearing rather revealing outfits standing outside of certain buildings.

“hey boy, I’ll show you a rather good time”

“A night with me and you’ll never want to leave”

Monkey forced himself to face forward. He could feel his cheeks burning red.

“what kind of place is this?” Monkey asked

“sin city” Vayu enlighten him.

“the very heart of all you desire. Gambling, Sex, Drugs. It’s never dull here”

“but...wouldn't it be chaos here every day? Murder? Thievery?”

Monkey looked around for a place that meant to be full of sin it seemed a bit...orderly?

“I believe you already had an experience in one of the towns before you came here?” Vayu looked back at Monkey the side of her mouth curved up

“you heard about that?”

Volt couldn’t suppress a smile “oh we heard everything from the innkeeper when we were told you would be joining”

“if it means anything, I would’ve done the same thing.”

Vayu said

“I’m pretty sure anyone would’ve if they were left to be eaten alive” Monkey said more harshly than intended.

Luckily for him Vayu ignored it.

“easy there, we’re going to be getting to know each other over the next few days. Let’s not start biting each other head off” Artitios had a big smile that made Monkey feel guilty

“sorry, it's been a rough a few weeks” he apologized

“think nothing of it, I’m sure anyone would be piss off if they were eaten alive” she threw him a smile that said no hard feelings

Monkey returned the smile as he walked faster to catch up with the trio. These three really did remind him of his friends.

~

Viper hurriedly walked down the corridor; she was in a rush. Right at this moment her father would be in the war room with the other general. Her father, Adom. Was a great warrior it was his prowess on the battlefield that impress the queen so much that she chose him as her husband. He earned himself the nickname barak; blessed by the gods.

It was said that when he took to the battlefield the snake god would bless him with foresight of the battle, he was a skilled fighter but it also his military tactics that helped create the Snake empire.

The guards bowed as Viper approached.

“is my father inside?” she asked not stopping

“yes, Princess but he-”

The guard didn’t get a chance to finished as she moved pass him barging into the war room.

“father”

Adom stood over a map of the world, him and his generals

“ah, my lovely beautiful daughter. To what do I owe the honor of this interruption?”

“is it true? That you plan to wage war against the other kingdom?”

She approached the table. Looking down she can each nation from the small models it seems that her father planned to attack the cathedral.

“father, do you honestly plan to break the alliance that was formed by all twelve nations?”

Her father didn’t seem worried.

“that treaty was formed out of desperation because of the black beast. It decimated all our armies”

“which is why we should be focusing on recovering and not war.”

“Do not worry it won't be our troops that we’ll be sending. It'll be the slaves that we have, besides as you said like we should be focus on recovery so should all the other nations. By the time any of them realize the cathedral will be ours. From there we will be in the perfect position to attack the rabbit kingdom, then from three sides we will begin a campaign into the dragon kingdom.

“this is bad”

She thought to herself, she knew her parents had never any intention to uphold the alliance for long but this was too soon. And the cathedral would be the perfect stepping stone to expand the empire farther.

“what makes you think after hearing the cathedral fall that the other kingdoms won't react? Wouldn’t the dragon kingdom come to the aids of the rabbit kingdom?”

They laughed.

“ah daughter, the dragons are prideful and arrogant as ever they would never waste time nor resources in saving the rabbit kingdom. They would sooner believe that alone they could repel any invasion.”

There was a reason for this. The Dragon kingdom was ruled by twin brothers one possessing the rare power of light while the other possess the power of darkness. While the snake empire was great if the dragon kingdom ever did decide to wage war, the snakes would take a considerable lost. Surely her father must know this so why?

As if sensing her thoughts her father answered her.

“I’ve planted a spy inside the dragon kingdom it seems the twins are arguing of late. No small argument either, with each passing month the twins stray farther from each other. It won't be long before a civil war breaks out and that will be when we invade. Of course, we must have the rabbit kingdom under our control before then”

Blessed indeed. Planting a spy into the enemy ranks was genius. And thanks to this “alliance” noone would be the wiser.

“aren't you worried from an attack from the horse kingdom? Not just that but from the sounds of it you plan to take the cathedral in one fell swoop”

The generals looked at each other with questionable looks, she can't blame them. She never spoke out like this before, least of all to her father in the war room. But times are changing she has plans for the future

“do you have a problem with my plan daughter?”

This was it. Viper could feel the pressure from her father gaze alone. She must choose her words carefully.

“you plan to assault the cathedral first correct?”

He nodded

“you must plan to set the slaves that we have in the front line. Assuming that it the elders, actually no, it would have to be the elders”

“and why do you believe that?”

She stared him in the eye, a test.

“because they’ve been fully trained to never disobey or betray their masters unlike the younger slaves we have. If we armed the younger ones and sent them out to fight there a chance, they may fight rebel against us instead.”

Some of the generals nodded in agreement but her father said nothing waiting for her to continue

“it not a bad plan, even if it just the elders we’ll still outnumber the cathedral but there three problems”

Her father stroked his beard.

“three? And what are they?”

This is the moment she needed to hopefully buy more time for the other nations and for herself.

“one is that cathedral itself, while only our troops will be able to wield magic every single one of the troops there will have access to magic and will easily destroy our front lines, second is Eddie C. though she denies being the ruler of the those lands she is the leader of the cathedral and most, if not all of her soldiers were once orphans that chose to stay there and help protect it. These are warriors who were trained by Eddie C. herself and they are willing to die for her.”

Her father still looked unconvinced

But it would be who they were facing that would be the deciding factor in this.

“as much as I respect you military mind father Eddie C. know those lands better than anyone”

“are you saying our lord Adom wouldn’t be able to conquer a nation full of orphans?” one of the generals spoke up the other laughing at the thought.

“unable to? No. But it wouldn’t be as quick as he would hope. The battle would quickly become a siege and a siege could last months. More than enough time for the other nations to notice and while the dragon kingdom would not act if we attacked the rabbit kingdom, they would however act to intervene if they learn we’re attacking the cathedral. Prideful and arrogant to a fault they do keep their promises and will no doubt act in accordance to the treaty.”

This cause some of them to exchange nervous glances. Now she just needed to deliver the final.

“and if that wasn’t the worst cause there's also the fact that she a highly respectable warrior of the tiger kingdom, as everyone here is fully aware that the tiger kingdom is the only kingdom that matches the dragon kingdom in terms of military power. How do you think they’ll respond if they learn that we’re attacking one of their races? As power as the Snake empire is do you think that we could take on the combine might of the tiger and dragon alliance? And that only if the other nine kingdoms don’t join in the as well. Though the chances of them not joining are slim at best. Some of our neighbors have been looking for an excuse to attack us.”

Adom said nothing as he stared at the map. Then he smiled

“that my girl”

All the other generals smiled and applauded her

What the hell was going on?

“did I not tell you she shared my military mind; it won't be long before she leading armies.”

Adom boost of his daughter embarrassed her.

“in truth Viper I came to the same conclusion as you, which is why we won't be attacking the cathedral”

Her heart grew heavy at those words, it meant that her father already had something else in planned.

“as I stated I’ve had a spy planted in the dragon kingdom for a few months now and we’ve learned a lot.”

He pointed at the map

“right here, this narrow path between the cathedral and dragon kingdom, there no town or villages within miles. We can easily sneak a few hundred soldiers through here into the rabbit kingdom.”

Dread filled Viper as she realized what this meant but she dared not let it show on her face as her father continued explaining his plan.

“with this we can ransack the nearby villages in the rabbit kingdom taking as many prisoners as possible and bringing them back here”

Slaves. With more slaves they could increase production collecting more resources and focus more intently on recovering. In fact, if they succeed, she suspects that her father would attack the rabbit kingdom in force by the end of next year, or the horse kingdom.

“when will you send the troops?” she asked

He smiled a devilish grin.

They left two days ago.

What? Two days? But she just heard about the plans for war today unless?

“everyone leave us, I must speak with my daughter alone” Adom commanded

It was a trap meant for her. But why? Did her father figure out her plans?

As soon as the generals left and the door closed her father slowly walked around the table towards her

“I’ve noticed that you’ve a taken quite the interest in military affairs since your return from the cathedral. Not just that but you’ve been looking into the other royal families as well. Normally I would think nothing of this. As it is the duty of the princess to learn these things. But, military aside, not once have you showed an interest in learning about the other royal families at all”

He was behind her, she could feel his gaze, as if he was probing her thought for information

“and I must say, I have never been more proud of you!!”

“huh”

She felt herself being lifted into the air being held in her father arms

“d-dad!?”

“my sweet daughter finally taking her duties as a princess seriously. I was worried just because you were second in line you would continue to slack off but since you’ve returned you have done nothing but shown dedication to your studies”

Adom was crying tears of joy as he held his daughter close, Viper who was trying to get out of her dad arms.

“you’re getting tears all over me, at least stop crying”

“never!!! I'm so proud even your mother mention how happy she was.”

“please let me down father, even alone this is embarrassing.”

He finally relented letting Viper go.

“I don’t know what happened there but it seems your time at the cathedral has changed you for the better. Regardless of the risk invading poses it is for that sole reason I will temporally leave them alone.”

“temporally?” Viper asked

“of course, I still plan on bringing the dragon kingdom down to its knees. And for this to succeed I need a foot in their door. The cathedral provides the perfect position for us. All in due time of course. First, we need to restock and restore our strength. The slaves we will soon have from the rabbits will be a great benefit to us.”

She felt a bit relive but the dread she was feeling did not go away entirely.

“wont it be dangerous risking our troops just to kidnap a few pe..slaves from another kingdom”

He nodded

“sometimes risk are worth taking for the greater good”

She nodded in agreement.

Sometimes risks are worth taking....for the greater good.

She smiled at her father

“would you like some tea?”