A Soldier's Life - 382 - It Is All About The Details (edited 4-26-25 +400 words. Still not great but fixed some things based on feedback. Will get additional edits)

Chapter 382: It Is All About The Details (title needs as much work as the chapter)

The capital of the Shiunyuet lacked the grandeur of other capitals I had visited. Kwongchun was located a safe distance from the intersection of three rivers, and featured low stone walls interspersed with round towers. Atop these towers sat large ballistae and a pair of bored guards scanning the river and hills beyond for threats. The city seemed terribly indefensible against an organized army, but I read that the concern was primarily about beasts. If an army approached, all the tribes would band together to defend the territory and meet the attackers in the field.

“Why is this city built from stone?” Blaze asked suddenly from my left as I put away my spyglass. We had seen very few stone buildings so far in the Shiunyuet, so his question was pertinent. 

Selene answered from behind us, perhaps attempting to impress Blaze with her knowledge. I could tell the marksman was making inroads with the comely First Citizen. “The dwarves built this city. They either abandoned it or it was captured by humans ages ago. The stone to build it most likely came from the mountains on barges down the river.” I nodded as that made sense, but I knew only one of the three rivers actually extended to the mountains to the north on my maps.

“There are no dwarven states on this continent,” Castie added. She pointed at the walls a mile away. “I am assuming those tower defenses are for dragon attacks.”

“Dragon attacks?” Benito asked worriedly. Dragons were creatures that were always talked about but rarely seen. Even the bestiaries I read seemed to guess a lot about their ecology. The readings suggested the males lived far to the south, with the females residing in the Dragon Spine Mountains. When an adult female woke from a long hibernation, she would fly south to find a mate, gorge on large animals and fish for a few weeks, and then go into hibernation over the clutch of eggs in the Dragon Spine mountains.

From what Hearne had told us, the Dragon Spine mountains were plagued by juvenile dragons carving out domains as they matured. It took decades for them to develop enough size and strength to fly, but even during that growth period, their biggest threat was other dragons.

I reassured Benito, “Don’t worry, we are hundreds of miles from the heart of the Dragon Spine. I doubt they have seen a dragon this far east in years.” I smiled, but Benito was too busy scanning the skies worriedly. 

As our group moved toward the city, I reviewed what I had read and learned about the Shiunyuet Tribes. There were dozens of tribes throughout the hills, but a single Matron ruled each tribe. The eldest women in each tribe selected the matron for their wisdom, but most also had decent magical affinities. All the Matrons resided here to jointly manage the laws of all the tribes.

Each tribe governed a swath of land and brought their goods to the cities for processing, and Kwongchun was no exception. An array of different colors of smoke rose from various parts of the city, highlighting various industries. Night would soon obfuscate the smoke-filled sky, but not all the odd smells drifting on the winds. Supposedly, the land and people were too fierce to make conquering worth the effort. Other nations had tried, but the Tribes valued their independence and always came together to confront outside threats. Their warriors’ fierceness was renowned across the continent. Sometimes, tribesmen would wander the continent as mercenaries.

Having reached her destination, Karina suddenly seemed less sure of herself, pulling her mount into a slow walk. I kicked Ginger to ride beside her to try and persuade her again. “You can still change your mind and come with us to Gramney.”

“No,” she said firmly. She seemed to fold on herself a bit. “We will talk to Matron Lucette first. When we find someplace to stay, you can leave Evie with us and be on your way. You are a good man, Eryk, but we are going to walk on our path in this world and find a way home.” I frowned, but would respect their decision. I planned to tell them everything I knew.

As we passed through the unguarded gates, stale, unnatural air assaulted us upon entering the city. I didn’t need to be told it was magic, purifying the air. All the buildings within the walls were constructed from gray, black, or bluish stone veined with white layers. Several structures featured darkened walls that seemed to be flowing stone—clearly melted by a dragon’s breath or powerful magic. I could hear Benito and Lesna conversing in the back, arguing about the size of the dragon needed to melt buildings. It was logical that the city avoided wooden structures as dragon fire could devastate a city and cause a rapid expanding fire.

The streets were filled with numerous tribal warriors, similar to those who had disturbed us last night. They wore various leather hides, most of which were highly tailored and extremely fashionable. A few even had identifying reliefs etched on their chest pieces, like the Savage Eagles. A dragon breathing flame, a ram with a sword in its mouth, a flowing tree, two griffins in flight were just some of the tribal markings I noted as we walked.

Laborers and craftsmen rushed home for the evening as well, not giving us a second glance. The society was such that they did not require guards on their streets because crime was non-existent among the tribes. The population self-policed, and punishment was typically severe if a criminal was found. As outsiders, I expected we would be watched closely. I took a brief peek at Lesna, who was still in an animated conversation with Benito.

Anika dismounted to talk to a man carrying a heavy satchel of tools. The conversation was quick, but he gave us directions to the accommodations in the city's northern end. Anika explained to the group, “The Matron houses are all in the northern district, just south of the river banks. The carpenter suggested the Fox Den. They have the best food, and the Blind Raven Tribe owns the establishment.” I nodded in understanding as Matron Lucette governed the Blind Raven Tribe.

We followed the advice but had to stable our horses elsewhere, as the Fox Den catered to travelers who arrived by the river, and their small stables were already full. It was a small inconvenience, but we were not settled into our rooms until well after dark. At least the inn was massive, with dozens of rooms over three stories, so we were unlikely to have our rest disturbed tonight.

After a decent meal of baked, flaky flounder with savory buttery mashed potatoes, we all crowded into the largest room in the block of rooms we had reserved. Castile's eyes kept locking onto mine as if she hoped I would see things her way and find a way to bring Evie with us. 

The group quieted down as Anika spoke for the Earthers. “Thank you for rescuing and guarding us. We are all grateful, and if we can ever repay you in the future, we will.” Murmurs of well wishes and thank yous echoed in the small room.

“I will accompany you when you talk to the matron tomorrow,” I said in English.

“I don’t think that is necessary,” Karina replied. “I think it is better if we approach her alone first,” she quickly added, seeing me likely to become upset. “After we start a discourse, if you still want to talk with her. We will need Evie with us when we go.”

Karina’s eyes were on me, and Lexi appeared hopeful, and I relented. Evie appeared in front of me, slightly disoriented as Lexi crashed into her and hugged her. “I don’t think you comprehend what you are risking,” I said with my eyes on Karina and looking at the two girls.

Karina confidently asserted herself. “The Shiunyuet people believe in the lawful governance. The Matron is known as a fair and knowledgeable woman, and she may know a way back for us,” Karina said fervently.

I didn’t want to crush their dreams, but I thought I should tell them what I knew before she met Matron Lucette. I tried to break the news in a compassionate tone. “There is no way back, Karina. The Titans destroyed the World Gates millennia ago. Otherworlders are pulled when the aether engines in the dungeons become saturated with aether. There is no rhyme or reason to it—the controls have been destroyed.” It was my best attempt at summarizing what I knew of the situation.

Evie and Lexi had no idea what I was talking about, but Karina and Anika seemed to understand enough. “World Gates?” Karina questioned pointedly.

I exhaled as I explained, “The Titans created powerful magical gates to conquer other worlds and bring back servants to this one. They encountered something more powerful than themselves and were forced to destroy the World Gates to stop it from invading Desia. It caused a civil war among the Titans, and the lesser peoples took the opportunity to vanquish the weakened Titans.” They didn’t need to know that it was the dungeons that had trained and equipped the smaller races.

“Why didn’t you say something before?” Anika snarled atypically.

Karina took my admission differently. Her eyes focused on the question, “So, if we can rebuild these World Gates, we can return?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “No. I am guessing it would be like a caveman trying to build a computer.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Anika snapped angrily as I snatched hope from her. 

“I do,” I said with a gravitas in my tone. “I have talked to Lord of the Titans, Khrusos, who lived during those times.” There was a look of disbelief on their faces, but I pressed on. “He told me of the civil war among the giants and—” I paused, recalling one small detail I had forgotten. After the mental pause, I continued, “—how they were forced to destroy the gates.” My conversation with Khrusos had been under great stress, so I was not surprised that I had not revisited it, but he had told me the name of the Titan who had built the World Gates, and alluded to him being alive—Hephaestus. Was the Titan we killed at the Atlantium ruins Hephaestus himself, or could he still be alive elsewhere on Desia?

Evie and Lexi looked lost as the exchange had been terse and tense. Evie was still acclimating to coming out of my space and was confused by the intensity of the conversation around her. I hoped she was smart enough not to reveal her necromancy affinity if we were forced to part. Karina seemed a little stunned by my admissions but regained herself. “Matron Lucette will have the answers we seek if you don’t,” she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself.

The Earthers ended the debate as Karina hustled them to their room. “That could have gone better,” I mumbled. I turned to my companions. “They still plan to talk with the Matron but don’t want me along.” Castile and Blaze looked dubious. “I will give them a day before talking to the Matron myself. If nothing comes of it, we will be on our way back to Gramney tomorrow evening.” We had gone through a lot of effort to save them, and were being discarded for an unknown.

Castile remained behind as everyone left the room. She stood at the door and faced me, “This is not going to end well for them, Eryk.” That was all Castile said before leaving and closing the door. She didn’t have to say it, but I knew she meant it would not end well for Lexi or Evie.

I sat barefoot in a chair in the room, my feet resting on the cool stone. I considered this expedition. I had found others from Earth, but they didn’t want to be saved. I sent out an earth pulse through the stone floor.

I smirked as Selene had snuck into Blaze’s room. Good for him. Helena and Sylph were entertaining themselves as well. Lesna was snooping around in the kitchens below—probably invisible for a snack. It looked like Anika and Karina were still arguing as they walked back and forth in their room. Maybe they would come to a better decision tomorrow. The two girls sat in their bed listening to their two maternal protectors as their fate was being decided. Benito—oddly—appeared to be the only one sleeping.

I couldn’t sleep either, wondering if I had done enough or if I should intervene further. Castile was right about Evie. Her necromancy would not be welcomed anywhere in civilized lands—I doubted the Shiunyuet would be welcome either. Maybe the Death Sentinels could train her, but I knew so little about them. Was this really my problem to solve? Raelia was waiting for me, and I should probably send her a message that I was going to be a little late.

I pulled out a bottle of Elven ambrosia and started to sip it to dull my senses and guilt. The Elven whisky was sweet and seemed to soothe both my throat and worries. It didn’t even taste like alcohol, and the pleasant buzz snuck up on you. Before I knew it, the bottle was empty, and I was on my bed in a restless sleep. My nightmares featured Evie at the head of an army of undead in legionnaire armor. Her eyes appeared uncompassionate as her soldiers ravaged town after town, while I tried to organize a defense against her genocide.

Then my nightmare switched to Telha, with Renna in the throne room fighting for her life against the First Citizens trying to take her emperor’s mantle. I had abandoned her and not thought about her much after leaving the Telhian Empire. My nightmares were not done there; I was then pushed into a fight with Khrusos, who was trying to stop me from rebuilding the World Gates and unleashing a demonic horde onto not just Desia but also Earth. 

I woke up sweaty, with the sun cracking through the small window. I should have taken an oblivion pill before passing out. I sat up, and at least the Elven whisky left no hangover. I sent out an earth pulse and cursed as the Earthers had already gone. They were most likely trying to gain an audience with the matron at this very moment. After two more earth pulses, I knew where everyone else was but Lesna.

Helena and Sylph were still in their bed together. Castile, Blaze, and Selene were all sleeping in their own rooms. Lesna—was not in the inn. I dressed quickly and went down to the common room to find Benito finishing off a breakfast plate at a polished oaken table. “Where did the otherworlders go?” I asked as I sat across from him.

“They left at first light,” he said with a full mouth.

“When was that?” I asked impatiently.

“Two hours ago?” he replied in more of a guess. 

A crackling, reverberating boom, like a nearby lightning strike, echoed outside, causing everyone in the common room to freeze. Alarm bells began to sound in the city, and I guessed that with my luck, the Earthers were somehow involved. “Benito, get the others!” I ordered as I rushed out of the inn.

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