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Chapter 131: Defending Mujenan
🕑 Added 2020-03-17 00:28:13 +0000 UTCWell, were all gonna die, Kip said cheerfully. The aging pirate dressed up in ill-fitting Gadveran armor, his calloused hands rested on the haft of his spear as he looked out into the face of death.
The typhoon had delayed the landing of the Malkenrovians strange fleet, crashing many hundreds of ships into the rocks outside the Mujenan port. The typhoon continued long after Jinnei arrived in the city, but the combined power of the Academy was no longer what it once was. They couldnt hope to keep the storm raging forever.
And there were thousands more ships waiting just outside the range of the winds.
Jinnei glanced over the edge of the wall, unable to see the ocean through the sails.
We all die at some point, Kip.
Yeah, but that dont mean I like the idea, Kip responded.
Jinneis eyes narrowed as the skips began crashing against the shore and began spilling open.
Yes, spilling open.
The ships broke apart on the beaches inside the cove, unleashing what looked like a wave of slithering black snakes.
These black snakes squirmed forward with a speed she could barely believe. They rushed up the side of the wall
Burn them off! General Andra shouted to the handful of wizards on the walls.
Sir, The eldest wizard stammered. If we do this, we wont have anything left for the siege. Would it not be better
Now!
The wizard nodded and instructed the rest of the noble-born men and women to do as the general said, retrieving odd silver vials scarcely bigger than her thumb from their pockets.
Below them, heat bloomed as the wizards fire burned the black snakes off the wall, shriveling them as they fell off.
You, form a team and round up barrels of oil! The wizards arent going to be able to hold this forever!
You, She turned back to the wizards. Youre done for now. Lock yourselves up inside your tower and wait further instructions. Focus on getting that Bent back as fast as you can. I dont care how you do it.
Yes, maam. The grey streaked man nodded and left.
Pirate. Youre sure those worms are as dangerous as you say? She asked, glancing at Jinnei.
Jinnei nodded. They get inside you, and suddenly youre no you anymore. More than one of our crewmembers turned against us as we tried to save them.
Anything else?
Theyd got something like a Beranga wurm, it crawls under the water. It cant match a ship going full speed, but its fast nonetheless. They should arrive any hour now.
Andra seemed to stiffen up at the mention of a threat she was familiar with.
Like the steel one three months ago?
I wasnt here three months ago, but yes, it did have steel bolted to its body somehow, and blades in its jaw.
Dont forget that it eats forests and poops out ships! Kip added for good measure.
Andras eyes narrowed. If I werent looking at a fleet that could carry an entire nation, I would call you mad.
Its a good thing were looking at the same fleet then isnit? Kip said with a sneer before he remembered where he was. um, general sir,maam forget I said anything.
The pirate looked back out to the ocean with studied casualness. Andra watched him a moment longer before turning her gaze back to Jinnei.
And what do you want as a reward for the advance notice? A bigger ship, perhaps? Im sure there will be plenty to choose from if we survive this thing.
I dont want anything, Jinnei said, shaking her head. I grew up in Gadvera. She glanced back over at the old pirates lining the walls. These bastards, on the other hand
We want Malkenrovia, Kip said. Whatevers there now, it aint human. That makes the land ours by default. Well have to find out whos most closely related to the royal line, and make them our queen.
Andras brows raised. Thats a discussion to be had with the HashMaje, assuming we live through this.
I spose, Kip said.
Their words dried up as the heat from the wizards fire began to fade away, allowing the black snakes to continue their ascent.
They dont like salt, either. Jinnei remembered. They died in the salt water. Thats probably why they had a fleet.
like slugs, huh? Andra said, as she glared down at the dimming orange heat of the walls.
Damn, but I could use that wasp-brat right now.
Who?
Captain Gadsint? The Wasp? Andra said, eyeing Jinnei sideways.
Gadsint was the last name of a bastard. It was Calvins last name, actually, but he couldnt possibly be the bastard she was talking about.
Ive been on the ocean the last quarter-year. Jinnei said with a shrug.
Figures, Andra said before turning back to her troops. Get the salt! The salt you bastards! Double time!
You sure your pirates can hold this strip of wall? She asked looking back at Jinnei. You seem like youve got some kind of leadership aura. Its kind of puny but well take all the help we can get.
Jinnei scanned her ragged group of pirates, including a handful of press-ganged Ilethans and gill-folk.
Yes. Were veterans, and weve dealt with these things before.
Jinneis words were punctuated by a massive iron spike fired from the ocean slamming into the wall. The spike was covered in meaty nodules that burst, unleashing more of the black snakes above the line of heat created by the wizards.
The snakes flooded up, and Jinneis men quickly put the rags over their mouths before they began squishing the worm-like creatures en mass.
Nobody wanted what happened to Guliver to happen to them.
Where is Karen in all this? Jinnei know her mother couldnt hold her hand through everything, though, and she was most likely saving her time and energy for when things got really bad.
There was a groan that shook the walls, and no less than three of the strange ship-building worms reared their heads out of the water, somehow immune to the salt that the little black creatures seemed to fear.
Damn. Still no Karen.
As one, the worms reared up and slammed their bodies into the walls of Mujenan, their heads even with the top of the wall. The reinforced stone shuddered, but held against the titanic pressure.
Jinnei wrinkled her nose as she caught a waft of rotting flesh form the slimy jaws in front of her, big enough to bite a ship in half.
As a single entity, the worms opened their mouths and heavily armored men poured out of them, covered in slime. Jinnei could see the side of the worms rippling as they continued to disgorge man after man.
Except they arent men.
The men were curled in fetal positions as they landed on the edge of the wall, a strange umbilical cord dangling from their stomachs.
Did those things birth these?
As Jinnei looked closer, she saw that the armor they wore wasnt armor in the proper sense, it was bonded to them, made of hardened chiton, formed into a facsimile of armor by convergent purpose.
What are you waiting for!? Jinnei shouted to her men. Kill them before they start moving!
They rushed toward the growing pile of bodies, hacking and slashing the still forms. The creatures seemed to be waking up, though, as some of them began moving. And their armor, it was rapidly hardening after they were born.
They only managed to kill fifty or so before they began to defend themselves, the umbilical cord shriveling and falling away as they got to their feet.
It was then that any doubt as to their inhuman nature was washed away.
Their armored, lipless mouths split open, revealing a horrifying array of slicing teeth and wiggling, grasping fingers meant to pull food into their gullets.
Iyaaaah! Kip squealed, half in anger, half terror, as he shoved the tip of his spear through the chest of the monster in front of him. Jinnei felt the power he siphoned off of her as a little prick of tiredness. She focused on the sensation, bottlenecking it. She couldnt afford to give her men more than she had and pass out again.
Where was the warning about these!? Andra demanded, hacking through the creatures with greater ease than Jinnei had given her credit for.
I dont know everything, damnit!
Even with the outpouring of strange inhuman soldiers, Andra made sure the snakes couldnt make their way up the side of the wall and join the fight.
Hours of pitiless fighting went on and on, and Jinnei became more and more drained, her power used sparingly to bolster those who would otherwise fall. Andra held the rest of the Gadverans together through force of personality and strength of arm.
Tell Bekvahl to give us another breather! She shouted while making hand signs to one of her royal guards. The man nodded and sprinted away.
Hold them off until the prince arrives! Andra shouted, kicking several more enemies off the side of the wall, letting the fall do the work for her.
This is going to be one of those long days, isnt it? Jinnei thought, narrowing the flow of energy to her men down to a thread.
***Calvin***
So the lease effectively chokes them off over time? Calvin asked.
Effectively, Kurawe agreed as they walked back to the city. Murak balanced the resources required in the lease to appear nonessential, yet they function as the lubricant that keeps greater industries afloat. I suspect his plan is to ransom those resources back for an even greater share of the citys wealth.
Damn.
Calvins heart was finally starting to return to its normal measure, now that he was away from the [prospect of fighting an army and had firm control over the city. or at least, over the people who had control of the city.
The royal family would take over the administrative, governing duties, as well as control over the military, while Murak tended to the money that flowed through Uleis. The two factions were not friends, however.
The royal family couldnt simply try to order their army to seize control of the commerce of Uleis, because Calvin represented a significant deterrant in his own right, combined with the fact that the Uleisan Royals had no idea which of the Legends that currently crowded the city were also under Calvins employ.
Ellas uncle had planted the seed of doubt, and Calvin was going to capitalize on it.
Now all I have to do is get Ella knocked up a couple times, and I dont owe him anything, either... Can humans and Genosians make babies?
I can add a mutation for that in Lady Killer, Elliot said, ever helpful. Ive been dabbling with something that could ensure fertility no matter the species of the other person. I call it The Captain Kirk. Ill have you know I was pretty good at biomancy back in the day, and this sort of stuf is in my wheelhouse.
Calvin rolled his eyes. Of course he would experiment with something like that.
Lets see. How much Warp in the tank?
8/34 Warp Remaining.
Okay, whip it up. Im probably going to spend the next week in The Filter anyway maxing out my Attributes. Calvin anticipated at least two more skills from Playboy.
Now that he had successfully kidnapped the Uleisan princesses, he had a combined Body and Mind that was damn respectable. About the level of a finely tuned Eighth Break Royal.
Thank the gods the Uleisan royals were Break-starved. Kala and Nadia hadnt had time to grow into their abilities, but Kalas father? Nadias father? Those guys might be able to beat Calvin soundly.
Especially when my Attributes are far below their maximum.
Which was exactly what spending another week underground would help fix.
After that Push for my eighth Break, see where we can go from there. with the warp tnak, I might be able to break nine.
The atmosphere alone in the Filter wasnt enough to trigger the eighth Break, but if he used his Warp tank to bolster the amount in his body at the right time, he should definitely be able to break into the realm of people told of in stories and song.
Like Karen the Bloodletter.
Come to think of it Nah. No way theyre the same person.
Giant sword, check. Name, check, huge suit of armor battle mode, check.
Im sensing a pattern here.
Calvin shook his head and dismissed the thought. Didnt matter now that he was raised by one of the greatest slaughterers of men of her time, he had other things to worry about.
Like building a country.
The lease payment on the country of Uleis gave him
Just call it tribute and be done with it.
Fine. The yearly tribute from Uleis should go a long way toward funding the creation of a city-state of my own to the south. Once this war is over, Ill be able to carve a larg chunk out of the jungle and set up a trade route between Juntai and Gadvera.
The Juntai were rather xenophobic, but they had specialties and needs like everyone else. Carving a trade route to their heart would very possibly unlock a completely new market. Theres gotta be a lot more than wood in the southern jungles
Calvin was drawn out of his scheming by the sound of the massive glass chimes above the city wall, tolling to summon the guard, the majority of which were strung out behind him, trudging their way back to the city.
Enemy attack?
I doubt it. Kurawe said, pointing to the west side of the city. They started over there. Whatevers coming is coming from the west.
Im going. Calvin said.
As you wish.
Calvinian summoning
31/33 Bent Remaining.
Calvin created a massive wasp and saddled himself between the segments. A moment later, with a mental nudge, the enormous insect shot into the air, sending a punishing blast of air down beneath it.
In a matter of seconds, Calvin rose high enough to see what the commotion was about.
People.
A massive line of people. Men, women and children wearing Gadveran clothes, stretched back to the horizon.
The only reason Calvin could see for a line of refugees that big was that the war with Iletha was Not Going Well.
Why do the gods delight so in ruining my plans of conquest?
Youre telling me.
Lets go see whats going on, Calvin thought, urging his steed toward the stream of refugees.
Comments
Macronomicon
huh.
Ryan Naquin
Back in chapter 28 when Ella asked why they hadn't had sex yet Calvi said "Humans can breed with everything, that’s common knowledge. I didn’t need Calvin-brats running around making my escape harder.” So he shouldn't need a mutation to have kids with Ella.
Shinra D Scaryweather
Yeah Jinni had no actual character development I didnt even remember her when she showed up as a pirate again.
There was no build up for her character development other than the beginning of the series. I’m not very attached to her. I’m more attached to Ella and Calvin than the rest of the characters.
drag0nreb0rn
Why cant I like Jinnei? I find myself skimming her portion no matter how hard I try not to.
Findell
Thats a good question as to where they came from.
SunderGoldmane
Refugees? I don’t understand. This can’t be refugees from the malkenrovian landing that I assume is happening simultaneously. We’re they really losing the war so badly against illetha?
0xFFF1
More importantly, Calvin will probably have to give up his power to the Hash'Maje if Andra and their royals are mixed in with the Gadveran refugees.
Chad B. Sonnen
Good fot Calvin. As long as Murak keeps on relying on him for protection from the Ulesian royals, things should be good in the short term but everyone plays the long game. Those are probably half of the original refugees that set out for Uleis, the rest died in the desert. Also, when there is a big influx of refugees, it means the huge depreciation of labor cost affecting local communities and workers, as well as increase in Crime but the greatest factor is the strain they are going to put on Uleis hyper optimised water and food resourses. Calvin's enemies(or Nadia) could easily use these refugees against him because of xenophobia and the reason above as well as his conection to them.
0xFFF1
For some reason his low natural intuition still matters on occasion. Macro, what's the significance of someone's pre-1st-Break stats?
Chris
…I’m sensing a pattern here. lol. Looks like his intuition increase is paying off.
