Digging Things Up

Taanyth's reluctant acceptance of our proposition propelled our plans forward, but I can't rest now. The Legion has already been informed of our next plan of action, and the Printers are already being overworked to meet the demands of the inhabitants of the Tunnels.

A small contingent of preachers has been dispatched, and I can already see their red-robed figures running around; it puts a smile on my face to see the small crowd gathering around them.

If things progress well, then this campaign will turn these peoples into devout converts. Or they are just pretending to listen because of the free food.

Either way, I can't be too choosy since I need a lot of soldiers, and I need them fast.

Speaking of soldiers, I hope there will not be too many activities around my home. The Legion might get overwhelmed since a small but still sizable part of my forces are now stationed in the Shard.

I trust my soldiers, especially with their new weapons based on my equipment. But they are just regular people even if they can throw a few weak spells around. They would be no match against the more robust mercenary bands that are bound to come for the ever-growing bounty placed on my head.

As much as I want to linger in the Tunnels, I have things to do. Right now, I'm responsible for shipping the needed supplies for our upcoming cleansing operation.

I 'requested' a half-collapsed tunnel from Taanyth and the Order turned it into a forward base of operation. The modern and brand new concrete fortifications are a heavy contrast compared to the crumbling remains of the rest of the Tunnels, and it attracted quite a large crowd of curious onlookers.

The curious locals are all whispering to each other while stealing occasional glances at the armed guards patrolling the walls and at the large logo painted on the gray walls. It's a white frowning skeleton while the outlines of a black flame surround the stylized cranium. Three black gears near the jaw of the skeleton complete the logo.

I glance at the deep crimson banners bearing the design and grin. I had no idea that the Order had something... so exciting.

I would like to question Terrence about the banners, but the man is already beyond busy with the plans I dumped on him, so I shouldn't bother him.

Instead, I focus on teleporting yet another batch of crates of ammunition. With this last shipment, we now have enough firepower to shred anything I can think of. And the ammo production back at home is running into overdrive to build up more stock.

The last of the machine guns have already been shipped, and the Legionaries are walking around the camp and discussing with each other, laughter can even be heard in the distance. They only stop their carefree attitude to salute me or one of their superiors, other than that this place almost looks like a summer camp.

But I'm all too aware of why these people are here. They are here because of me and my crazy plans. Knowing that everyone here is ready to put their lives on the line with a single order is beyond humbling, and I know that I'll never forget myself if one of them dies during this campaign.

*ThEir sACriFicEs Will nOt bE fOr NoThinG...*

You know your guilt is strong when even the murderous voice in your head starts comforting you.

But I can't let that get to me. I declared total war against a group of worldwide oppressors, so deaths are inevitable...Even then, I can't help but feel a twinge of guilt every time I look at a Legionary. I'm a fraud who hijacked their faith to further his gains, and I have no clue if my plans are even right in the first place.

I shake my head to chase the depressing thoughts away. I can't let them bother me. Right now, I need to meet up with Terence to discuss the next phase of the plan; the initial strike against the gangs. We're not going all out, but we are planning covert attacks on the patrols to test their defenses and thin out their numbers.

"Prometheus." The busy Commander, who's going over some projected three-dimensional plan of the surrounding area, nods when I enter the commanding tent in the middle of the encampment. "Our scouts have made a rough map of the area. It's not on the level of a mapping spell, but it's the best we can do considering the current situation."

I nod, the very nature of a Shard makes it impossible to map which is both a boon for us since it's easier to hide, but it's also a flaw since the gangs have the same advantage.

So both sides have to rely on relatively inaccurate maps to plan their movements. It's something that can be appropriately exploited against a force without a lot of discipline like the gangs, at least according to Terrence.

"So, what do you recommend?" I ask while feigning competence, just like usual. The Order is lucky to have a man like Terrence; I feel that without him this campaign would have fallen apart before it even started.

"For now, we have to work with the assumption that the recruitment drive will fail, so we can still achieve our objectives in a reasonable time frame. If we keep that in mind, then I believe that the best course of action we can take is to drop the covert approach that we first discussed since this gang seems weaker than I first thought.

Instead, we should go and be more overt, that way the gang who owns this Shard will get riled up and send a good part of their forces to deal with us, thus weakening the defenses around the Gate terminal. Of course, if things go as planned, then we would lead them into specific choke points that would allow us to gun them down without them realizing that this was all a trap." Terrence declares.

I nod to urge him to continue. To me, this plan relies too much on the fact that the gang will be alone, and that we would be able to deal with them with our current weaponry. But I'm sure that the Commander has already considered this in his plan, so there's no point in bringing it up. "Of course, I would like your presence in some key areas where the elite of the opposing forces should gather. Ideally, we would have you in constant contact with the team leaders, that way you would be able to assist us in our time of need."

"I will lend my assistance, minimizing losses is my priority," I say to Terrence, who smiles and continues.

"It's great to hear! I'm sorry that the Fabricators couldn't achieve the copies of your Portal Gun in time, but we are in a bit of a hurry, aren't we?" the Commander says while making a wry smile.

It looks like my bounty didn't escape Terrence's ears, but it isn't like it was a secret in the first place. The Commander must also be aware that the Enforcers are going to pursue me in the near future, so he knows how urgent it is for us to secure this Shard.

"We'll launch our attack in two days, and every available personnel will be in charge of spreading the Promethean Truth as much as possible. We will also record the fight against the gang members and broadcast it live in the Shard. If everything goes well, then it will help with our propaganda efforts." He says while rubbing the back of his neck.

I ponder on the Commander's proposition. If the gangs are as weak as he thinks then this will be a walk in the park for us, and we have everything to gain from acting quickly.

"Got it, then what shall we do in the meantime?" I ask, and my phone rings at the same moment.

I recognize that the ringing device is the secure phone provided by the Order, the displayed name is Alan. " Prometheus, thank you for answering!" the Fabricator says in an excited voice.

"What happened?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. I instructed the man only to message me if something important came up. Hopefully, he has good news for me.

"We found something regarding the Altar, and I think you should see this with your own eyes!" the overjoyed Alan declares.

I nod, it must be pretty significant if he is that excited. The Fabricators are currently in charge of a rather large number of projects, and I can only think of a few who are worthy of such a reaction."All right, I'm coming right now." I declare before turning towards Terrence. "Do we need anything else, or are we good with our current supplies?"

"We are all right in the weapons department, and the Printers are busy making the more large and intricate structures, and they will not be ready until at least a few hours," he says.

All right, then I shouldn't be needed in this place for the time being, unless something unexpected comes up...

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

I sink into the ground and appears near the middle-aged Fabricator, who smiles when he sees me.

"A grand entrance like usual, Prometheus. Please follow me." the leader of the Fabricators declares.

I do as he says and we arrive into a large, newly built square windowless building which looks like it was specially made for the Altar hidden inside. The Altar itself is linked to large bundles of multicolored wires, and tiny, almost indiscernible runes cover each cord.

The pedestals are hooked to a set of modified computer screens that are displaying various graphs and numbers along with unknown symbols. I don't have a clue about what they are doing, but it must be important since a Fabricator is assigned to the two similar clusters on opposite sides of the Altar.

The floating stone cube is the one which has been modified the most since it is surrounded by a chain-link cage made of black metal, which is linked to dozens of large bundles of wires.

"I'm glad that I brought you another Altar," I say while still surveying the Altar. It is at this moment that I noticed that the Distillery is enclosed into a large steel metal sphere which is hooked to a black box by large plastic tubes.

"As expected of Prometheus, you immediately noticed it!" Alan, who has been following my gaze, smiles brightly.

Yes, I noticed it. But I have no clue about what it is.

"I'm sure that you already guessed what it is, but allow me to present it anyway," Alan says while making grandiose gestures with his arms.

Please do, and explain while pretending that I don't know anything.

Of course, it's just pretending because there's no way that the great Prometheus knows nothing about enchanting.

"We were perusing through the list of existing essences you provided, and we noticed that the essence of emptiness was one of the hardest to obtain. From what you told me about your travels, this substance is an essential ingredient if we want to obtain something like a spatial bag." The Fabricator says while heading towards the box hooked to the metal sphere.

My ears perk up at the mention of a spatial bag. It can't be that Alan and his team already discovered a way to make spatial storage possible?

"But sadly, the list of available ingredients aren't like anything we've seen before, so we were about to ignore this particular project for the time being. But that's when our newest

recruit had a brilliant idea." Alan says before beckoning Cynthia forward. The woman looks at me with a wry smile. I think she's a bit afraid of me.

I wonder why.

"Now, please tell Prometheus what you told me earlier." Alan urges her.

"You see, I thought about the whole concept of the essence of emptiness..." she shuffles her feet. "And I said 'what could be emptier than nothingness?'. So I suggested we use a vacuum chamber on the distillery, I remember hearing about them from a Youtube video or two. "

Shock briefly stuns me, and I'm forced to Rewind for a second to make sure that anyone doesn't notice it. Of course, how could I have been so blind? It all makes sense now. I guess I was too roped into the mysticism plaguing that planet to think about things rationally.

"It took some trial and errors to set the thing up properly, and we almost destroyed the Distillery in the process, but..." Alan turns on the box, which is a pump, and my jaw drops when a steady stream of precious black liquid drops into a prepared jar. The process only lasts for a minute before the Fabricator turns off the silent machine and present me a large pot filled to the brim with the essence of emptiness.

*Just how many MH Shells will I be able to make with this much essence?!*

I can't suppress my grin, and I hand the jar back to Alan.

"Very good, the Fabricators did a tremendous job!" I enthusiastically say. "Is there anything else that you want to show me?"

"Not for now," he shakes his head. "But we are making good progress with the Portal Gun prototypes. However, the Starmetal containment is nowhere near ready."

Got it, I feel sorry for what I'm about to do, but this idea will add a tremendous amount of firepower to our troops.

"All right, then can I have a word with you?" I ask the Fabricator, who nods and follow me into my mansion.

...Roshia's PoV...

I can't help but stare at the magnificent structure in front of me. The grand drawing painted on the banners, and the sizeable gray wall makes me feel small and insignificant.

It isn't anything like the shacks we are huddled in or the decaying Tunnels. It's brand new and a testament to something far more significant than anything we could ever accomplish.

The robed men are speaking to whoever will hear them, and they are distributing books with each ration they are handing out for free to the people. I just finished eating one, and I think I've never felt so full in my entire life. The taste is a bit bland, but it's still miles better compared to the garbage we are usually forced to eat. A lot of other people and I listen to their preachings while eating, and I can't help but be mesmerized by their message.

We suffered for so long, and everything seemed lost. The things we relied on for generations were starting to falter, and it was no secret for the Divers that the Diving Suits would soon become utterly inoperable in a decade or two.

But then everything changed when Prometheus appeared.

The Codex is a bit hard to read since the translation isn't perfect, but I can still decipher it. The book speaks of lush landscapes and plentiful resources, and also of unimaginable evils that threatened the very fabric of reality.

And Prometheus stopped them all.

I can see how this man...No, this divinity took care of everything. Some people doubt the message of the Order of the First Flame; they say that it's just a sham and there is no evidence for anything they claim.

But they haven't seen the things I've seen. I saw a glimpse of his indiscernible power, how he succeeded in everything like it was the only possible outcome... How he killed the Invaders in a single breath.

How can a mere mortal achieve such greatness? The Invaders were rumored to be divine retribution sent to us for the sins of our ancestors, but I never really believed them.

Now I know that my faith has been rewarded, and Prometheus will show us the way.

But some people still doubt him. And I cannot let that happen, lest our only chance of survival abandons us. Elora was reticent to my idea, but I soon convinced her since she also witnessed the divine retribution that Prometheus unleashed on the Invaders. We then explained the situation to a group of people who were rightfully grateful for being saved by the Order, and we soon formed a sort of militia.

The Codex mentions sinners and heretics. They are people who aren't believing the Promethean Truth; some even dare to disrespect Prometheus.

How disappointed will he be if he finds out that the majority of the people he's trying to save aren't grateful at all? He will either smite us or leave us to rot in this decaying place.

So I need to take care of those sinners and heretics, I need them to accept the Truth, or we might be doomed for eternity. For the first time in my life, I have a greater sense of purpose. I feel like I can do something other than survive and that my role in the world has finally been revealed to me.

I know it will be hard, people don't like to change, and life in the Shard made them jaded and cynical. But my new companions and I will do everything to make them understand.

And we can't convince them with words. Then there's one last option.

We will convince them with a sword.