Dungeon Robotics 139 (Patreon)

Morning Everyone!

Louella

I helped a few stragglers return home as the sun came over the mountain. I wasn’t sure I ever felt so… at home. I had always tried to make it feel like home, but a lot of the time I felt like an outsider. I knew that was the case a year ago, but most of the people living in the valley have only called it home for a few months maybe that fact let me feel a bit more comfortable.

Speaking of home, my father was still locked up in a cell at the jail. I had practically forgotten about him, but my memories returning made me remember. Part of me wanted to rub what had happened in my life in his face. It was thanks to him trying to use me as a pawn and tossing me out when he got a new wife that I came to be where I was. I should thank him.

If there was anything I was sad about when it came to my family, it was that my brother was likely dead. He was a minister in the capital thus was likely killed by the attack. While we weren’t overtly friendly with each other, with each being raised more like a tool with a purpose, I didn’t hate him either. The last time I really spent any time with him was almost ten years ago, after that it was more glances in the hallway as we passed each other from time to time.

With nothing I could do to change the past, I just shook my head. Walking the streets of the city while the sun slowly came up was nice. Only a few people were emerging from their shops as they readied for the day. Most were likely to sleep the day away given how much alcohol was drunk last night. 

“You seem sad.” I looked around but didn’t find the source of the voice. “Up here. No one ever thinks to look up.” Looking up, I saw Sophie floating in the air above me. She had grown a little since I last saw her, but she still possessed a sort of out of touch with the world expression. I flew up to the roof she was floating slightly above and joined her to watch the city come awake.

“Sophie. Did you enjoy the celebration?” I asked doing my best to smile for her. 

“I watched. Sister has gotten good a tracking me down, so I’ve had to get creative.”

“Don’t you have the whole dungeon to hide away in? Some of the floors are almost the size of nations now.”

“She put together a Lecazar Guild. Its her way of remembering and honoring the place.” Sophie made an annoyed face when she mentioned Lecazar, I guessed the memories of her betrayal were still strong for her.

“Interesting. I’ll have to go see her soon.”

“She has a manor in the south section of the city. They managed to buy it with gold they earned from the dungeon.”

I wanted to comment on the fact that she knew quite a bit for someone that didn’t want to be involved with her family and old nation. Still, the plates and glint of metal from her body told me she was firmly with the dungeon. “I see. Thanks for letting me know. How is Lord Regan treating you?”

“Alright. I haven’t seen him in a few weeks. I mainly spend time with Anna and Gray if I’m not alone or just float around the libraries reading.”

“The elf and golem. Good that you’re learning. Knowledge is power.”

“Are you going to answer my question,” she paused before giving me a sarcastic smile. “You know, since we’re talking about learning.” I couldn’t help but feel I was talking to a tiny Regan. 

I coughed before I shrugged. “I was thinking about my family actually. You had a sister betray you, my father basically did the same. My brother is likely dead, and my mother has been gone for almost fifteen years. So, yes I suppose I’m sad.” I looked around at the rising folk that were wiping their windows or sweeping in front of their stores. “But I feel like I can call these people my family.”

Sophie looked around before she shook her head. “How can you trust them? What if someone offers them more power and they betray you?”

“I imagine that is a question that plagues everyone, but if you stop believing in others. You’ll miss out on the ones that won’t betray you. Remember, everyone might have the same question about you after all.”

Sophie stared at me then shook her head. “I will try to consider it, but I think I will have issues trusting anyone. At the least, I doubt anyone will ever truly capture my heart.” With that, I felt a circle of gravity form behind the girl, and she shot off, moving at speeds that would probably kill a mortal.

“Okay! Good talk,” I called after her even though I knew she was long gone. The sun spirits all clustered around me and patted my face. I gave them a smile. “Its okay.” I took one final look at the sunrise, then turned towards the castle. It was time to get to work.

Dropping down on my balcony, I found Ezal waiting for me. It was still early in the day, so I had to wonder when she had got here. She closed the book she was reading and stood as I walked into the room. 

“Your majesty.”

“Ezal. Its too early in the morning for that. Just call me Louella and sit down! You’re pregnant for Regan’s sake!”

She did as she was told and sat back down. “Sorry, Louella. You’ve just changed so much that it seems like you’re a different person.” 

“Well I’m not. You’re my old friend.”

She gave me a smile then bowed her head. “Thank you.”

“So, what’s first on the agenda?”

~~~

The rest of the day flew by, but at the same time I felt that it dragged on. It wasn’t surprising that many of the ex-nobles sought a meeting once they learned that I was not only still alive, but back in the valley with more power than one person should rightfully call their own. 

The merchants were happy to see me though. Several of them worried about what would happen if the valley went to someone else. Thonaca was the only other nation on the continent right now. The Lelune Theocracy was still in the process of establishing itself. Hard for a nation to make claims when their entire northern border was overrun with undead.

I was meeting the last person for today. Brine Wintergrasp. He was a big help during the battle with Thonaca by supplying us with potions. Many weren’t used then but rather afterward while my forces were in the ruins of Ferias and holding off the undead. I owed him a large thanks for his service. 

“My queen. Please come in!” Brine said as he greeted us himself at the entrance to his manor. Ezal had already rewarded him with some land for his service, but I still want to come personally. 

“Thank you, Sir Brine.” I motioned for my guards to remain at the entrance then followed Brine inside. The sun spirits zipped around the hall as we walked. They appeared to enjoy seeing new things.

“You may drop the sir. I have officially requested to be a citizen of Vaihdetta. Whether I become a member of the nobility of your country is still to be seen.”

“I think you’ve done more than enough to earn it. You did technically supply us against your own nation.”

“No! I will not have that. A good noble always earns his rank from the start of his career in the nation. I have already been compensated for my actions by the Fire Bringer.”

“Fire Bringer?”

We reached what I assumed was his sitting lounge. Taking a seat, he asked a maid to bring us some snacks and tea. Honestly, I’d had enough snacks over the day to last me a lifetime, but I couldn’t be rude. Plus, the sun spirits apparently had bottomless pits and could consume whatever was put in front of them. 

“Lady Ezal. Stories of her summoning a great fire monster to crush the enemy army have spread throughout the city. She is quite worshipped by the fire mages.”

“I see.” Ezal hadn’t mentioned any of that, but I guess sometimes we need a third person to really see what was said about a person. 

We talked for close to an hour. Brine was making some real headway with his potion research. With him joining Vaihdetta, it would be a real blow to Thonaca. He did mention that he had some family that he needed to get out of Thonaca, but their situation wasn’t dire. They would be fine as long as the war didn’t develop much larger.

“I want to start a magic research facility in the city. I was wondering if you’d like to join it. I can promise you greater access to resources.”

Brine didn’t say anything at first. That’s how you knew he was intelligent. He didn’t jump at the offer without considering the risks. “I will consider it. I was offered something similar in Thonaca and in Lecazar but rejected both at the time.”

“Don’t worry. I will not be angry or anything if you say no so, take all the time you need to consider it. I want to push magic and our understanding of the world back to the point it was over a thousand years ago, and then passed that. Lord Regan’s libraries help, but we need to do our own part.”

“On that point, I can say we agree. Alright. I will let you know within a fortnight.”

“Good to hear.”

Glancing at the clock, I found that it was time for me to leave. There was one more place I wanted to go before the day was over. I thanked Brine for the evening and made my way out. My guards took up their positions around me and we made our way to the military district. 

Ezal was working hard on managing all the city, but I guess she was still a guard at heart as she had expanded the district to almost twice its size. The area was planned to support about that much expansion, but it was supposed to be a gradual thing that happened over time. Still, war was a constant threat and I couldn’t blame her for her efforts to protect the city and people. 

As we were walking, I noticed there was a strip of what looked like metal that was supported by beams placing it several meters in the air. I sensed mana coming from it but not much to be anything too extreme. “Captain. What is that?”

“One of Regan’s automata announced it. Something called a train. It leads to a large structure that was constructed on the edge of town a few weeks ago. Metal railings extend off towards Lezacar from the structure. I believe it is supposed to allow people to get around the city much faster.”

“Do you know when it will be operational.”

“No, your majesty.”

I nodded and decided to ask Ezal about it later. We soon arrived at the jail which had also grown much larger since the last time I saw it. Patrols and guards were stationed to cover every crevasse of the place. With my absence, a few people thought they could take over as the ruler. Ezal didn’t allow that to fly every long.

One of the guards at the entrance rushed over to me. “Your majesty! How can I be of service?”

“Yes. I would like to visit my father. Duke Coates.”

“Understood, your highness. Follow me.”

We made our way inside. I was always impressed with Regan’s buildings, and the jail was no exception. Most of the rooms were of a better standard than many commoners would be able to enjoy under some lords. The jail was bright and dry as well which allowed many of the prisoners to actually get healthier.

I was led down several hallways and more than half a dozen security checkpoints. I felt like we were in the deepest part of the jail when we finally arrived at my father’s cell. Unlike most of the other cells, this one only had a peep hole and the rest was solid steel. The words at the entrance to this section made more sense now. High Security. 

“Which one is my father’s?” The guard moved to a door and pulled back the peep hole. I glanced through it and saw it was indeed my father. “I want to talk to him.”

Two of the guards moved to either side of the cell and inserted a key. They turned the keys at the exact same time and the lock popped. A third guard twisted the handle while the first two guards held the keys turned. It was an amazing setup that would keep a lot of people from being able to get out. 

Once the door was open, a barrier formed in the place of the door. I could tell that I would be able to enter and leave, but the occupant of the cell would receive a nasty surprise if they attempted to touch the barrier. I motioned for my guards to wait for me, as well as the sun spirits.

Stepping into the cell, I got the first real look of my father in several months. The last time I saw him was when he attempted to kill me and my guards when the merchants first arrived. I was a lot weaker than, but still more than a match for my father. 

“Who are… you?” father asked weakly. It sounded like he hadn’t spoken in weeks. He was only wearing an black set of cloths, that while some of the best clothing that you could find in a market, they had seen a bit of a rough life. His hair was unkempt, and he had a beard. The cuffs on his arms and legs kept his mana almost to the point of non-existent. 

“The queen, but more to the point, you daughter.”

“Louella?” Father’s eye grew wide as he looked more fully at me. “I can see… it. Just barely. What have you changed… into now?”

“That’s neither here nor there. I came because I wanted to ask you something.” 

“What?”

“Did you ever see me as more than a pawn?” I asked but then shook my head. It didn’t matter. It was pointless to come here. I turned to leave. With my memories so fresh, and the day of seeing my people, I guess I couldn’t help but ask. 

“Yes. No man can have a child without feeling something.” Father said as he sat up and leaned against the wall. “Now that I’ve lost absolutely everything. Ferias is a ruin. My son dead. Lecazar gone. My wife,” He turned and spat at the wall, “Slept with a guard to escape and abandon me here to rot. And my daughter hates me. Ironic isn’t it?”

“Some would say you deserve it.”

“Aye, I will not deny that. I was so caught up in the affairs of the nobles that I was willing to let my daughter be killed. That is why no matter what you decide for me, I will accept it. Keep me here for the rest of my life or take my head on the block. Either is acceptable and understandable.”

“I haven’t decided anything for you. You will understand if I take all this with a few grains of salt.”

My father chuckled then coughed harshly. “No. I understand.”

“I’ll leave you for now. It might be a few months before I remember to visit you again.”

He smiled and nodded. “You look well, daughter. Try not to change again before I see you next.”

I exited my father’s cell and the guards closed and locked it. I turned to the major. “What’s this about his wife sleeping with a guard?”

“That. Yes, we caught them less than an hour after they made a run for it. Lady Ezal ordered them both executed.”

“I see. Too bad I couldn’t be there.”