After Noire successfully incapacitated our bandit “friends” I tasked her and the Oni with keeping them alive. Those struck by her lightning had suffered minor burns and those Mulan had held off needed their legs healed. None were on death’s door or anything but I thought it best to be safe. I’d been half joking with Simmons about headlines but could be a blessing in disguise now that we’ve avoided the worst case scenarios. Showing the public our people can be a force for good so soon gives me some extra pieces to work with. Maybe I could have some of my Oni, Lamias, or Golems work as mercenaries and provide safe travel between cities like adventurers do? Ideally I’d like them to work jobs that don’t involve violence but it could be a start.

Having loaded our captives into a few of the Brooksdam wagons, in exchange several of the families would ride in ours, Eli noisily approached me in his armor “Mr. Sol I’ve got something you might want to see.”

Reaching out a hand I accepted a small leather patch from the captain. The material was nothing special but the design caught my attention. Made of interwoven strands was an emblem fashioned after an eagle swooping down to catch prey with talons extended. The eagle was a bright yellow while its claws, beak, and eyes a piercing cobalt blue.

“What does this mean captain?”

He answered with a sigh “Nothing good I’m afraid... Found personal effects like these on almost every single one of our prisoners. That eagle belongs to the country of Undrass’s flag meaning most of these men were likely citizens of Undrass. Obviously that tells us a story.”

“Someone in Undrass hired them to attack us... Why bother though? My attendance at the Iliad shouldn’t concern anyone outside the country.”

Having overheard our conversation Noire slithered beside me “Actually Chairman we pose a big threat to several parties. Let us say everything goes perfectly and the Dungeon of Seasons is made an official ally or territory in the country of Illia. We would then begin private trade within the country and bolster their military strength many times over as our forces can leave our dungeon home unlike others. If you were already trading, let’s say cotton hypothetically, with the country of Illia your profits would take a hit once it could be produced locally at higher volumes and with greater quality. Or we could think bigger for a moment and presume Undrass had been considering war with the nation of Illia. You’ve put years of effort into bolstering your military power and just before your planned attack a sentient dungeon announces itself an ally of Illia, not a mere neutral party. As we’ve recently demonstrated our strength to the world as well it would put countless projects and plans on hold. It is an unfortunate but understandable outcome.”

“I see... I’ve been so busy sorting everything in Illia out I haven’t given other countries much thought. Now that you mention it though any dungeon master could have watched our war not just those nearby. God this is too much to think about...”

Patting me on the shoulder Eli said “Welcome to politics! Where every goal involves stepping on someone’s toes and everyone has a dagger trained at your back. But don’t worry, once King Rylen officially names you an ally outside forces should quiet down. We aren’t the largest military power in the world but we certainly aren’t the smallest. They’ll think twice before trying stuff like this again.”

As Eli walked away Noire bent down and whispered in my ear “And if they do Chairman we’ll just end them ourselves. Now that I’ve got a feel for it I can make bigger storms than that.”

I whispered sternly back “I’d rather not fight any more wars you know... Although I guess we could theoretically fight human forces on their turf now. I wonder if the voice would consider that a dungeon war or not? Is the definition a dungeon at war or a war between dungeons?”

“Would it matter sir? With the new monsters in our forces I doubt your standard human forces would fare terribly well. A large swarm of Doll Flies alone would decimate any formations they could come up with.”

Doll Flies: Evolved from flies experimented on by a mad scientist Doll Flies become living voodoo dolls of their targets. If the fly is killed before the effect wears off the target shall lose a significant amount of vitality.

Momentarily considering the truth behind her words I shook my head “It’s not about whether we can or can’t take them out. It just wouldn’t be the right thing to do.”

While I could tell she disagreed with me Noire nodded and returned to her healing duties after saying “I suppose you’re right sir.”

Watching her work I couldn’t help but be impressed by her talents once again. What made Noire so special wasn’t just her work ethic but her incredible magic potential as a Lamia Queen. In fact from what our tests have shown Noire can utilize every single magic element without compromising the strength of any. Using her aptitude she’s already invented countless combination spells new to this world. Her [Conductive Rain] spell demonstrated earlier makes use of over 4 elements. Water, Air, Earth, and Lightning. Water and Air are used to generate a massive rainstorm and then to surround the target in water. Earth magic draws salt deposits into the water increasing conductivity. And finally a large amount of lightning magic is sent coursing through the water killing the target.

Sadly the tradeoff for such power is immense. Noire’s body does not independently generate mana. Obviously this presented quite the problem, luckily her black mamba heritage was there to answer. All Black Mamba Lamia scales have the interesting ability to cancel and absorb magic skills. For example if Noire blocked a [Fireball] spell with the scales on her arms it would be absorbed and converted into her own mana supply. By absorbing other dungeon monster’s magic into her supply Noire is able to sustain herself. She does need to be careful however not to absorb too much an overfill her mana pool. The one time she’d done so had resulted in an illness similar to what the humans call being “Overcharged”.

When one is Overcharged their body will do everything in its power to release the over capacity mana. For a fire mage this could be simple as boiling nearby water or dangerous as igniting their own clothes. Usually these magic accidents correspond to a mages elements of choice. Once when researching the subject I learned of an ice mage who accidentally encased an entire bar in ice after drinking too many potions. But what happens when a being capable of using all elements is in an Overcharged state? I’ve chosen to call the result a “Mana Storm”.

During one of Noire’s Mana Storms no one is safe. Any magical phenomena is possible until she releases enough excess mana to reach normal levels. It doesn’t help matters she practically passes out during the chaos. Last time she’d activated a Mana Storm she nearly collapsed the Indigo biome while entombing herself in a sphere of all nearby ore deposits. Another time had ended with Mulan and Melina polymorphed into cats while Almar grew feathers across his body we had to forcibly pluck off later. If one ever triggered a Mana Storm during a fight even I don’t know how things would turn out.

Thankfully Noire’s mana pool has grown quite large and we seldom have to worry about her running out. She could cast her [Conductive Rain] spell at least a dozen times on full blast before needing to conserve power. In drawn out battles or against those of equal strength however she’d need to be play strategically between absorbing attacks and dishing them out. Luckily she has the foresight and mind to manage her gifts while accounting for her weaknesses.

---

Another 2 days later we were finally coming up on Centrilliam. Having saved our fellow travelers from danger all those still apprehensive in our presence had at least grown tolerable. Many of them actually expressed desires to stay in contact with specific Oni and Lamias as friends. All I asked was that they spread word of our peaceful nature and came to visit if they could.

Unfortunately our prisoners hadn’t woken up for interrogation. I’d have loved to learn who in Undrass wanted me dead or captured but I couldn’t do anything about it. Captain Eli would handle the report and have them brought to the capitol’s prison. If they come to during our remaining time in Centrilliam he’s to let me know what they learn. He also assures me that he’ll permit me and my monsters to conduct our own investigation separate from the kingdoms. It’s not that I don’t trust the captain but I do trust my Stalker’s ability to gather information more than some random knight’s.

As all those bringing processions into the city were instructed we, along with the Brooksdam representatives, rode to our designated gate. Once the Iliad officially began all those in attendance would march into the city and meet around the castle. We’d not be meeting with the king today but according to tradition we’d ride 3 times around the castle grounds as one before heading to our designated places of rest within the city.

Our groups had been given the Southern gate along with a few other small towns and territories. According to Simmons which gate a procession was given held some importance. Those coming through the North gate would consist of high noble families and dungeon masters. The East gate was for current military leaders and politician’s who’d served in the army. Finally the West gate was for important representatives who held no land such as guild leaders or traders. Being allocated to the Southern gate meant we weren’t as important as those coming from the North. Some might have taken it as a sign of disrespect but it had been a calculated choice on all my supporter’s parts. If we’d entered alongside my detractors tensions had the chance to flair before even meeting the king. The Southern gate also led through lesser populated areas meaning few would be there to make a scene by provoking us. The longer we delayed either of those interactions the better it would be for everyone involved.

My first impression of Centrilliam as we waited for the gates to open was not that of awe but of slight disappointment. I’d been hopeful for a fantastical view with floating islands, magic tools, and elaborate buildings. Instead I saw a rather mundane city of European styled buildings organized into districts depending on elevation. My dreams of a video game hub world style town with magic academies, coliseums, and forbidden forests had been ruined.

As mentioned before the city is divided into 4 districts dependent on elevation. Each level is connected by another wall and gate that ensured the safety of the castle located atop the highest level of the city. In times of war these walls would be closed off in sequence to halt invaders. An event that has only ever occurred 3 times in Illia’s near two thousand year history according to a very prideful Eli.

The first and lowest level district was mostly for military and merchants to deal within. Closest to the gates were stables and dismantlers looking to purchase animals or monsters from hunters. Closer to the second level are the less pungent commoner shops for daily provisions, smiths specializing in household items, and the odd furniture or carpentry shop.

Past the second wall is where most of the cities major guild buildings and higher end or custom stores are located. During the day it is a place for business dealings and planning but at night the area becomes rowdy as everyone gets off work. Naturally plenty of bars and brothels open up to accommodate the fierce demand.

Most of the capitol’s population lives within the third district. This is to keep them safe from any attackers that break through the city gates. The houses are tall and grouped together with rentable rooms of varying prices as far as the eye can see. Small alley ways create an intricate maze that even people who have spent their entire lives within the city’s walls will get lost or find new shortcuts every day. Hidden within these winding paths shady characters exchange information and goods out of the public eye. This is also where we’ll be staying for the duration of the Iliad. Except for my Elk and Nargacuga. They get to stay in the stables below.

The fourth and final district is composed entirely of the King Rylen’s castle grounds. Even from outside the walls I can tell the castle is gorgeous. Built centuries before the Rylen branch family was thrust into their position Bertros Castle has become a symbol for the entire country. In fact it is considered any citizens unofficial obligation to see it at least once before they die.

As I took in the slightly disappointing city I almost missed the return of Almar who announced we’d be bringing up our group’s rear in around 15 minutes when fireworks launched in tandem with the gates opening.

Sitting atop my Nargacuga with my [Named] riding their Kirin behind me fear began to set in followed immediately by a quiet resignation. There would be no going back no matter what happens. If the people hurl insults and items at us, we’ll bear through it. If the nobles try to discredit me and renounce my attendance, we’ll bear through it. If everything so far has been a trap luring us into a fall sense of security, we’ll bear through it. Regardless of whatever happens we’ll enter this city of humans together.