Death: Genesis

From his vantage high above, Zeke gazed out at the vast fields. He didn’t know the names of the crops the farmers had planted, but he could feel the mana billowing from the expanse of farms. The Artisan’s Terrace, which really didn’t qualify for that name anymore, had grown considerably larger, though he’d yet to hear the extent.

“How big is this place now?” he asked, glancing at Eta, who’d taken it upon herself to develop the area. She could fight, as she’d proven in the arenas beneath Min Ferilik and in the dungeon where they’d encountered the Mirror King. However, her abilities clearly lent themselves to non-combat applications. She’d once been a highly sought-after gardener, and she’d leveraged those skills in service of the Crimson Tower. Without her efforts, they would have struggled to feed the booming population.

She wasn’t alone, though. There was a whole council of experienced farmers – each of them beastkin who’d been enslaved by Adontis – who’d become instrumental in the terrace’s development.

“We have thirty-eight fields,” Eta said. “Four gardens and six nurseries where we grow herbs.”

“So many?” Zeke asked. Last he had checked, each farm had covered more than a hundred acres, which meant that, over the past few years, the amount of available land had grown by leaps and bounds. “That’s impressive.”

“You should be more impressed by what we’re growing than by how much of it we can produce,” she pointed out. “Every crop we grow is infused with enough mana that it has become a pseudo natural treasure. That is what our people have been eating, and it has increased their development by a significant degree.”

Zeke had seen as much the last time he’d watched the kobold army at work. They still couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with the Radiant Host – at least not on an individual level – but they drew closer to that ability by the day. Some of that was due to his skills like [Prosperity], but he knew that the farming infrastructure had a lot to do with it as well.

“Are the farmers happy?” Zeke asked.

Eta answered, “What is happiness? They have a purpose, they’re treated well, and they have opportunities to advance. That’s far more than they could expect in most situations, leaving aside the fact that they come from enslavement. So, as far as it goes, yes – they are happy. Most of all, they are productive.”

“The crafters are happy, Ak-toh,” said a kobold Zeke didn’t recognize. From a size standpoint, he was somewhere between the legionnaires and the juveniles, which put him at slightly larger than a man. More, he wore a thick leather apron, and soot stained his scales. The implication was clear – he was a blacksmith. Bowing, the kobold went on, “I am Nak, the lead smith, and I represent the Crimson Crafters.”

After that, Zeke learned that his people had established a multitude of guilds, each one dedicated to specific endeavors. There was one for blacksmiths, another for jewelers, and still another for those who dealt in textiles and leathers. Altogether, there were fifteen such organizations, and they all fell under the overall umbrella of the Crimson Crafters. It was an unimaginative name, but considering that so many of the kobolds had only achieved sapience within the past few years, it wasn’t surprising that they weren’t the most creative when it came to applying labels.

In any case, Nak spent the next few minutes explaining their manufacturing capabilities, and Zeke was more than a little impressed to discover the breadth of the operation. Their growth wasn’t as tangible as the scope of the farming efforts, but the army’s success was just as dependent on the goods they could provide – including armor and weapons – as they were on good food.

In short, the Artisan’s Terrace was a resounding success, and there were many plans to improve upon it. Happy to see those developments, Zeke was content to leave them to their farms and workshops.

The next stop on his tour was the training facility known as the Hunting Grounds. There, he was informed that the kobolds used it to develop strategies and practice their formations. Certainly, they had a natural affinity for working together, but much of their battle success could be traced back to the drills they went through in the Hunting Grounds.

Zeke watched one such session, which involved an entire clutch of legionnaires and centurions fighting against an army of Knights. There were no skills in use, so it wasn’t quite as overtly impressive as a real battle, but the lack also made it far more brutal. Seeing the kobolds respond to varying tactics was just as impressive as seeing a devastating skill being used.

In another section of the Hunting Grounds, other fighters engaged in individual battles. Sometimes, they fought against one another, and others, they faced off against monsters. This was where the kobolds tended to fall short. Their strength was in their unity, and once they were alone, they found themselves at a disadvantage. It was especially apparent without skills to assist them.

But they made it work, though not without considerable attrition. Luckily, any wounds incurred in the Hunting Grounds were illusory and would disappear upon a warrior’s exit. That, along with the flexibility of the floor gave his people a distinct advantage that most forces would never experience.

The most interesting scenario Zeke witnessed was when the assassin kobolds – who’d been dubbed the Inashi by the other kobolds – engaged in a hunting simulation. It took place in a forest, and the Inashi were required to stalk and kill specific targets. Normally, that wouldn’t have been difficult for the little kobolds. Originally, they’d all been rangers, so it was precisely what they’d spent their lives doing. However, without skills, that became much more difficult.

But they made it work, using the shadows and the cover provided by the trees for concealment, then pouncing on their prey with bestial ferocity. Because of [Benevolence], they’d gained access to some of Zeke’s advantages, including his attunements. However, the skill had also strengthened them in a more general sense, turning them into elite assassins that could stand up to anyone of similar level. So, even without their skills – which could be overbearing – they were deadly foes for any opponent.

“The Inashi have been instrumental in our success,” said one of the beastkin who’d managed to rise within the ranks. Kobold society was nothing if not merit-based, so they had no qualms with integrating other races into their command structure. The only requirement was competence. “Their activities have forced the Radiant Host to implement time-consuming and expensive defensive strategies each time they make camp. As a result, the ground the enemies can cover is vastly reduced.”

It had also turned the conflict into a war of attrition. The longer Zeke’s forces managed to drag it out, the worse it would be for the Radiant Host. After all, they were a long way from home, and their supply convoys were under constant threat of attack. Meanwhile, the kobolds – along with the centaurs, beastkin, and others who made up the army – were on their home turf. That came with the advantage of never being far from the supplies they needed.

So, anything they could do to slow them down and make their progress more difficult was a win. Even if all they did was keep the enemy on pins and needles and making them search every shadow for a potential assassin, the Inashi’s efforts would be more than worth the trouble.

After watching the progress in the Hunting Grounds – and leaving impressed – Zeke headed to the prison. It had gained quite a few new residents since the war had begun – most of which were Knights of the Radiant Host – and they had proven to be even more indoctrinated than even the Knights of Adontis. Never was that more apparent than when Zeke stood across from a high-ranking Knight who’d been one of the first prisoners they’d taken.

The man was tall and gaunt, the latter because he refused to eat anything his jailers gave him. He was powerful enough to survive without food, and he flatly disregarded anyone who attempted to interrogate him. Even torture had proved ineffective.

So Zeke was more than a little surprised when the man spoke. “You are the one in charge, I take it,” he croaked. He’d drunk a little water since being taken, but only enough to ensure his survival.

“I am,” Zeke said.

The man made a show of looking Zeke up and down before shaking his head and scoffing, “I am not impressed, monster.”

“I am no monster.”

“I can smell the corruption on you, fiend. Even if I could not, your actions speak louder than any foul odor. You consort with beasts and monsters, treating them as people. Only another monster would stoop to that level.”

“And what about demons?” Zeke asked.

When he’d visited battlefields, he’d sensed the familiar note of corruption in the air, and the kobolds had reported fighting against creatures that could only be demons.

“They are a means to an end,” the knight said.

“And what end is that?”

“Supremacy.”

“Over whom?”

“Everyone.”

“Why? Just for the sake of power? Or do you have any other goal?” Zeke asked.

“We will join the sun goddess and rule over the heavens, as is our right as her loyal servants,” the man spat. The statement had notes of learned propaganda to it, which wasn’t surprising. He’d met Lady Constance, after all. He knew just how insane worshipping the so-called Sun Goddess could make a person.

“You know that Shar Maelaine is not a real goddess, right? She’s just a step above us. Ascension doesn’t bestow godhood. It’s just the next step in our progression. I have seen sights that would make your Sun Goddess quiver in fear. I have felt things that would tear her to pieces. You are an insect worshipping a child because that power is the limit of your perception.”

That got through to the man, but not in the way Zeke had hoped. The Knight launched himself at Zeke, fully intending to tear him to pieces with his bare hands. However, he hadn’t counted on the fact that, in the Crimson Tower, Zeke was the ultimate master. The prisoner’s strength failed him even before he could fully through himself at Zeke, and he fell to the ground with a thud. It didn’t stop him, though. Instead, he clawed his way forward and likely would have tried to claw Zeke to death if he hadn’t been stopped by a boot to face.

Zeke had only utilized the tiniest fraction of his strength, but the blow still sent the man flipping backwards to collide with the wall of his cell. He was unconscious a second later.

“That was unproductive,” Zeke muttered inwardly. Belatedly, used [Inspect] on the man:

Ronar Amin – Level 76

“He didn’t feel that powerful,” Eveline said, her first real contribution to Zeke’s tour of the Crimson Tower. She’d remained silent more and more of late, though he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“He wasn’t,” Zeke said. “Even if I’d let him go, he could have done nothing to hurt me.”

“In your titanic form?”

“In any form,” Zeke said.

“You’re definitely getting stronger,” she pointed out. “I’d be surprised if anyone but those at the absolute peak could challenge you now. And even those would need to be old monsters who should have ascended long ago.”

“Maybe,” Zeke agreed. “Any thoughts on what we saw today?”

“Just that you need to stop stalling.”

“I haven’t been.”

“Sure.”

“This needed to be done. I need to be seen, and I need to know what’s going on here,” he argued. “Otherwise –”

“Well, you’ve seen all there is to see,” she interrupted. “You know all there is to know. What’s the next step?”

Zeke sighed. In truth, he had been putting it off, but now that he’d done everything he needed to do, there was no point in further delay. So, he said, “I guess I need to end this war with the Radiant Host.”

“You mean you need to kill them all,” she said.

Zeke shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably. They don’t seem like the negotiating types.”

“They definitely don’t,” Eveline said.

After that, Zeke headed to the Pillar, where he summoned everyone he considered part of his war council. Obviously, that included Silik and Kianma as representatives of the kobolds, but there were a few beastkin there as well. Pudge came, and so did Jasper. Even Sasha showed up, largely because, aside from Zeke himself, she was their heaviest hitter. With time, she could single-handedly destroy an army.

There were a few others there, too, but they were mostly new faces with whom Zeke wasn’t terribly familiar. Once everyone was ready, the discussion around how to finish the Radiant Host once and for all began, and it ran well into the night. But in the end, they decided on a simple, straightforward plan that would hopefully bring the conflict to a close.