Chapter 320 - Alliances (Patreon)

Note : Chapter 325 has been written and added to the queue !

Guys, I swear the vote for if the nsfw specials should be on patreon wasn't falsified, despite results worthy of the Republic's senatorial elections XD

Chapter 320

Ytakan Scrublands, Archduchy of Rebirth

Darthar-Asaria Trade Route

CQ came to a halt as she stepped off of the stairs leading up to the ship, and saluted. Alexandra returned it.

"Welcome back." Said the dungeon core, before cracking a smile, and unceremoniously grabbing her daughter into her arms. "I've missed you kiddo!"

"Moooom! Everyone is watching!" Said the dungeon boss, plaintively, and the Earth-born chuckled.

There was indeed quite the crowd to greet the arrival of the reinforcements. Cheering soldiers and crowds of wide eyed civilians, gazing in wonder and slack jawed amazement at the gleaming metal ships, disgorging their cargo of equally shiny golems.

"Let them watch!" CQ made a face, and Alexandra chuckled. "Alright, alright! Fine." She let go of her daughter, dusting off her uniform. "Seriously though. It's good to have you back. We need the firepower."

Her daughter's expression suddenly became serious.

"That bad, mom?"

"Worse. Come on, let's get to the command tent. The duke and Philia are waiting."

It was a short walk to the tent. Troops lined their path, and humans and golems alike simply stood aside and saluted as they strode among them. It wasn't out of fear or awe from the humans either -well, sophonts really, there were elves, dwarves and a myriad other more esoteric people among the duke's troops-, but genuine respect.

The heavily armed guards, a mix of her Standard Combat Units and Sarth's ducal guards, withdrew the tent flap as they arrived, allowing them in.

"Ah. The prodigal daughter returns." Said Manson Estogan, duke of Sarth, as they entered, a wide smile splitting the old man's face, while Philia kept pouring over the maps, simply giving them a glance and a short wave as an acknowledgment.

"So I have." Retorted CQ with a haughty sniff, before smiling. "And I bring gifts! Gifts that go kaboom."

"So I've heard." The duke's smile fell. "They'll be sorely needed, I'm afraid."

"Yeah...what happened?"

The duke looked at the dungeon core, who sighed, as she summoned a hologram on top of the map table, which she had at long last embedded a holographic projector into. The soldiers who had to unload the thing and set it up whenever they set up camp bitched a lot more, but it was worth it.

"We have started encountering enemy resistance. With the duchess coming south, the garrisons have become bolder. They've begun setting up traps and ambushes. Only with slaves, meaning they're basically minefields. No tactical flexibility. But from their point of view it's free. Thankfully most of the civilian population has gone to ground, or they'd have turned everyone into living weapons, and partisans are hunting down and breaking every ambush they can ahead of us. Still, the attrition has become...worrying."

"Worrying enough that the Kaidani volunteers and our light cavalry have taken point." Continued Manson. "We can heal our troops, but I have been told by your dunge-mother-" Alexandra stifled a chuckle at the slip. "-that repairing your golems wasn't truly an option."

CQ flicked a glance at Alexandra, who shrugged. For what it mattered, it was true. She could, technically, fix her golems, but it was too expensive. Even with the supply routes and travel time, it was still better to make new ones and leave the broken and destroyed for Sarth and Rebirth's people to salvage, as they had industries in place to do so, thanks to the dungeon loot.

Still, the irony wasn't lost to the dungeon core. Originally, they had put the golems in front, as they were far more disposable than the squishy humans, but now the flesh and blood soldiers were more affordable to lose than the golems. No one was under any illusion which would be more effective on a one to one basis in a full scale battle, as even the most enthusiastic and talented of them were still trying to learn their way around their new equipment, while her golems were perfectly drilled, by their very nature.

Interestingly enough, the flesh and blood troops were behind the concept every step of the way, and had in fact insisted on it. They were proud to take the lead, to allow her golems to 'recuperate', and bring the fight to Sunrise with their own hands. The Kaidanis, especially, were extremely keen. Despite most of their people now being partisans and volunteers from lands that had been part of the duchy of Sarth, they had taken their 'adopted' duchy's plight to heart.

"We are also doing preparations for the coming withdrawal." Finally said Philia, lifting her head from looking at the maps. Alexandra almost recoiled as she saw the dark circles under the Knight-Commander's eyes. She exchanged a look with the duke, and saw the same concern in his gaze. "Our surveyors, sappers and engineers have begun making detailed maps of possible places to make a stand, deploy fortifications, or simply lay traps to slow the duchess' advance down, if she indeed does pursue us."

"She will." Confidently said Alexandra. "If she doesn't, we'll pound her into rubble."

"Do not underestimate her." Warned Philia. "She will have her elites, the cream of the crop of her duchy, with her. Perhaps not as many mages as the southern army had, relative to the number of troops, but many. And lots and lots of paladins, rangers and specialists like gryphon knights. If she indeed starts after us, how do you plan to outrun pegasus skirmishers and those knights, exactly?"

Alexandra smiled.

"It's simple." She tilted her head, nodded, and opened the tent flap, beckoning the others outside.

They stepped out...and came to a dead halt as the towering monster that was the Mackie was unloaded from the transport. The war machine rose to its full height, and began taking slow, measured and utterly earth shaking steps forward, coming to a halt before the officers, glimmering in its magnificent and deadly glory.

Seven machineguns, twin autocannons, two rapid fire howitzers, shoulder mounted rocket pods, and a back mounted missile launcher...

A worthy firstborn of the mech indeed.

"I won't have to." Finished the dungeon core. "If they're stupid enough to try and outrun their army to rush us...I'll have all the firepower I need to take them out, on the ground and in the skies. Let them fly to their deaths then. I'm sure their comrades from our previous battles will be more than happy to welcome them in hell."

*****

"So. Now that i have done all that confident talk about my new units turning the tide and kicking their asses, we better deliver." Said Alexandra as she paced before her assembled subordinates in the workshop. "CQ's reinforcements are good, great even, but not only will we need new stuff, we need more of it! And more of the old stuff as well. Glitch, Seraph. I need the both of you to rationalize our raw materials production. Not just for our smitheries, but iron, steel smelting, damned near everything. We need our basic materials cheaper and in greater quantities. We haven't done any work on that in almost a year now, there should be ample room to improve. Subtlety, Ghost, you two are on high tech industrial production and assembly. We can't use our high tech weapons, but there's nothing that says we can't use high tech means to build lower tech hardware. And I don't mean pump out a few precision engineered tools and accessories from the fabricators, I want a full, spacetech assembly line cranking out weapons. Sarah, Ella, CQ, I need you to come up with how we will engage the enemy during the retreat, and bleed them every step of the way. Dirty tricks, minefields, whatever you can come up with."

The dungeon core turned towards her remaining people.

"Jared, Emilia, the old team back together again. We're going to try to make an AI that can cast spells."

Emilia frowned.

"But...don't we have the enchanters from home? They did all that special ordonnance you shipped with CQ."

You mean besides the fact I trust them about as far as I can throw my mesa fortress? Thought Alexandra, though of course she didn't voice it. Instead, she grinned.

"Oh, not for enchantment. For battlefield spellcasting. We're going to make a whole new generation of warships."

*****

Satina Olyrin, head of the house of Olyrin and by the grace of the Gods duchess of Sunrise, and in her insane dreams before she had gazed at the true scope of this war, 'rightful Queen of the Asarian Kingdom', stared as the biological ship came to a shuddering halt, and its flesh parted, a ramp deploying like some madman's idea of a tongue.

The ship was impressive...but even she could see the scars, hastily healed to not be suppurating wounds.

Wounds that were the reason why those high and mighty members of the United Dungeon Council were even deigning to speak to her.

A delegation walked down the ramp, a small knot of what had to be dungeon avatars, headed by one that looked like a phasma wearing some kind of porcelain mask, and flanked by hulking abominations towering over everyone.

The delegation came to a halt before her, and the duchess simply stared, as both sides refused to greet the other first. She may acknowledge her lack of power compared to them, but she certainly wasn't the one running north with her tail between her legs, begging for an alliance to save her skin.

The porcelain mask on the phasma shifted, and smiled.

"Greetings, your grace." Said the dungeon avatar, and the duchess had to suppress a shiver. There were...layers behind even just that simple statement. She hadn't survived this long without being good at reading people, and she could tell there was something wrong here. With the entire delegation, she realized.

"Greetings, dungeon core." She returned neutrally, and the mask's smile widened.

"I am Glarvistar of the Emerald Glade, commander of this fleet." Something in the body language of the others told her that it either hadn't always been that way, or there was something behind that statement she wasn't aware of. Besides, wouldn't the one commanding a fleet be an admiral or at the very least a commodore? She may not be the most versed in military matters, but Sunrise had been the anchorage for the Kingdom's wet navy, though for all intent and purposes it had always been her private fleet. She even had imported Tarkian vessels, the delicious irony of those slaver hating scum delivering warships directly into her hands. "I come with a proposal of alliance against a mutual foe."

Satina tilted her head. Right off the bat, with the proposal? Interesting. Very interesting.

And not something she had expected. It looked like there was more going on here than she had thought.

Perhaps what she had glimpsed wasn't so apocalyptic after all...

"Of course. Please, follow me."

She gestured, and the dungeon avatar followed her, leaving behind a dumbfounded assortment of dungeon avatars and a whole menagerie of nobles, shocked by the sudden and utter disdain for protocol, finding themselves unsure of what to do, now that the lynchpin of what should have been a tense, half lie, half truth discussion simply left them to have a real discussion instead of a genital measuring contest.

They entered her command tent without a word, and Satina gestured at the flap, abruptly closing it, and stared at the dungeon avatar as she crossed her arms.

"I was not aware you were a mage, your grace." Simply commented Glarvistar, and the duchess smiled mysteriously.

"I'm not."

Let him make of that what he would.

The dungeon avatar simply nodded.

"Of course. You are aware of the situation, I am sure?"

"I was...forewarned of your efforts." Forewarned while your superiors filled my head with visions of the apocalypse. Yet they don't even seem capable of scratching her, let alone the other dungeons that went with her. She thought, though a little voice in her head whispered to her that she hadn't seen the full end of it yet...that the worse was still to come. That maybe, this was only the beginning, muffled because of all who had foreseen its coming, and tried to prevent it.

Or perhaps, it is simply tinder, used to lit a much greater flame.

She shivered mentally. That...wasn't a comfortable thought.

He nodded.

"Good. Then you are probably aware of our failure."

"I am."

"We have dealt considerable damage to the enemy, of course, and-"

"Considerable damage?" The duchess laughed. She couldn't stop herself. "Damage that will be easily replaced, you mean! Have you and your superiors learned nothing from her previous battles?"

"On the contrary, we have learned a great deal. Which is why we intend to reinforce."

"Your closest...ally is far further away than Darthar or Rebirth."

The dungeon avatar looked at her.

"I know."

"Then your supply lines and reinforcements will be more strained than hers, and I am willing to bet she can outproduce you in terms of ships any day. She hasn't even been building vessels for more than a year, look at what she has accomplished!"

Glarvistar nodded.

"Agreed."

"Then, why should I agree to this alliance, if all you bring is a shattered fleet, and the vague promise of somehow outmatching your opponent? Why should I not declare myself neutral of the UDC's little spat?"

She expected a reaction, some shift in body language at such a blatant insult...and shivered when she got none.

Either he was very, very good at controlling himself, or he was uncaring about the isolationists' ideology. And she didn't know which one was more terrifying.

"If you believe that will prevent Crystal from slaughtering your army, then feel free. But we both know the only thing you shall buy is a bit of time while she neutralizes my force, before she comes down on yours. Or vice versa. Stand together as one, or fall alone, and all that. But to answer your question, yes, we are confident of our ability to reinforce, and support you further than what I have brought today."

"How?"

The avatar smiled, the porcelain mask once again creepily shifting.

"Simple. We bring our means of production here."

Satina tilted her head...then her face went white.

"You're sending a core forward." She whispered.

Glarvistar nodded, his smile widening.

"Crystal's secondary cores are foolishly entrenched in cities." Something in his tone told her those weren't his words, but someone else's...and that he disagreed with them. "We will...demonstrate the full extent of their power."

"And force her to destroy them, and her reputation, if she overpowers you."

The dungeon core inclined his head. Not quite a nod. But an acknowledgement.

The duchess laughed.

"You severely underestimate her if you think it will be that easy." She said, and somehow, through body language, she knew Glarvistar agreed.

What the hell was going on within the UDC?

"Perhaps. But it is what it is. We will support you in your battle against Crystal. No more, no less. We will engage any force she has with hers, but no others. We will not besiege Asaria, nor will we attack Sarth. But we will aid you in destroying the dungeon's army, and accompany you on your march south to Darthar, and then Rebirth. Do we have a deal?"

The duchess closed her eyes.

"Will Crystal be gone?"

"If she does not suffer an...unfortunate accident, she will be removed from Rebirth. You have my, and my superiors', words."

Satina opened her eyes, and met the porcelain mask's gaze. His wording said it all. If they weren't certain she would befall an accident...it meant his superiors had something in mind for her.

That, or Glarvistar himself did.

But at this point, she would take anything to get that core off of her damned doorstep. And they both knew it.

"Then yes. We have a deal."