Steel and Mana

Chapter 400 – Rebuilding

Walking with the soldiers, the scouts of the Khulman Empire remained silent, using a secret method to communicate. It required no sounds to be made; only their fingers were needed for it. They were moving them in particular patterns, forming words and sentences between them without having to open their mouths.

"Shouldn't we run?" Temuj asked.

"No," was Bakhi's simple and straightforward answer.

"Not that we could." Naran signed, "They surrounded us well."

"They can't be faster than horses," Temuj argued, but then Bakhi's last signs stopped the discourse there and then.

"Enough. Stay still and follow my lead."

He noticed something. As their hands moved, so did the soldiers' eyes. Well, not really their eyes, but the intensity in those glowing eye sockets was changing. When they stopped signing, so did the barely noticeable ripple in that reddish glow.

What Bakhi didn't know was that he was right. The soldiers were communicating via the radio in their headsets, noticing that they were using sign language. Although they couldn't read it, they could identify that it was happening, and they began memorizing it. Luckily, he stopped the others from giving away more and didn't give them an easy way to crack it.

However, the scouts' eyes widened once again as they approached the city, and they finally caught a glimpse of the people there. They were... not what they expected. The people of Markoth were not like a corpse reanimated, and the city was not like a crumbling ruin kept alive by sheer will—but instead, it was actually being rebuilt and feeling... alive.

First, they left the horses outside, taken away by a new group of soldiers, leading the animals into a stable. Even if they wanted to argue against it, the time was not right, so Bakhi simply signed an order for the others to comply with the wordless 'request' of the Avalonians. Seeing the others obey him, his eyes returned to scanning his surroundings.

Watching, the clues before him were there that it was not this peaceful and lively all the time—maybe not even a year ago. The city's once-broken walls told him that. The marks were too fresh to hide the truth, but even then, it had been rebuilt with a strange blend of traditional stonework and something unknown—a design that was foreign to them.

Walking through the main southern entrance, he noticed how it bore the marks of monsters on the stone pillars. Still, a new metal gate had been installed, double-layered with reinforced hinges, and guarded by more soldiers in the same ominous black armor as those who walked beside them.

"Surprised?" Lancelot suddenly asked, looking at Bakhi and recognizing him as the group's leader.

"I am." He answered honestly, looking at him once before glancing back at the people they passed by.

There were people everywhere. There were hundreds of voices, including laughter, which was the weirdest of all, as it shouldn't be something they could hear here. Then, there was the sound of hammers hitting steel, chisels biting into wood, and the whir of ropes being drawn, pulleys lifting beams into the skeletons of new homes being built in place of empty lots.

It was a city under heavy construction and without desperation. There were no frantic scrambling or hollow-eyed survivors as these were citizens, men, and women of all ages, working with energy, rhythm, and coordination. Then... to their surprise, they saw how dozens of children ran between their legs, carrying messages or food, some tossing stones at each other and, once again, laughing.

“How...?” Naran whispered from behind Bakhi, the young scout turning left and right in disbelief. “How is there... this much?”

Bakhi said nothing, but he agreed with a simple nod. No... It should not be this way. Not here.

“You’ll want to keep your eyes forward,” Lancelot advised with a smirk, enjoying the surprise on their faces. “There’s a lot to take in, I know. But you don’t want to miss the best parts.”

They moved slowly through the main thoroughfare, and the scouts took in the sights: marketplaces were being manned, and by the looks of it, those who stood behind the stalls were also foreigners. Yet, before being able to ask anything, they saw a building being propped up, in the middle of being finished, one that was unlike anything they had ever seen. It wasn't made of metal or wood—well, not entirely. Instead, it had transparent, glass-paneled walls and roofs... but why? They couldn't tell.

"That will be a greenhouse." Lancelot suddenly spoke up, answering the unasked questions. "It is of Avalonian design, so the people inside the city can grow some food even in the middle of winter. It will be the first one, so the locals can adapt and learn how to handle it before we make more."

"A greenhouse..." Bakhi muttered, repeating the word. "What about the unused lands?"

“Yeah, the Dead Lands... and the monsters...” Temuj joined in without being able to hold back his words as he looked behind them toward the gate that hadn't been closed at all, remaining wide open.

"The population is not big enough to reopen farms—not yet," Lancelot answered calmly. "What could be grown can be done within the city after a bit of preparation. When more people return, they can start reopening the fields right around the city. As for monsters... Well, yes, that can still be an issue. For now."

“For now? How did you—”

“Come,” Lancelot interrupted Bakhi before he could ask another question. “You’ll see.”

He guided them toward the center of the city, where the frame of the old main castle still stood—but even here, construction crews were hard at work. A scaffold wrapped around the entire building, and they saw people using simple-looking tongs to grab onto stones and lift them as if they weighed nothing. They wanted to ask why, but they all knew they would receive no answer. Because magic like this will not be revealed just like that...

But what drew Bakhi’s attention most wasn’t the buildings or even the strange tools they apparently had access to. Those were secondary. What was important was the people’s eyes.

Focused. Driven. Unafraid. Rejuvenated.

Unlike how they felt, the people of Markoth did not shy away from the soldiers in black armor. None whispered about the scouts or treated them as a threat, either. They looked at them, nodded, and moved on. They didn't show any sign of curiosity or fear toward them. Whatever their current jobs were, those were more important than stopping and starting to ponder who they were.

Which told him enough.

Finally, they stopped beside a mostly renovated, three-story building.

“You’ll rest here for the day,” Lancelot stated, stepping onto one of the stairs leading to its entrance. "You’ve traveled hard. Food’s fresh, and the benches are warm from the sun. Relax a little." He smiled as he looked at them. "After you’ve eaten and rested enough, I may take you to someone who can explain more. As per your... request.”

"So," Bakhi narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to explain it yourself?”

"You asked for a superior of ours, did you not?" Lancelot’s grin widened. “Changed your mind?”

"..." Bakhi didn't know what to answer this time around. He already felt that it was not an easy question; it could easily be a trap. Words can be just as deadly as a dagger, and he has to be extra careful with them.

Then, while he was thinking about a proper answer, one of the black-armored soldiers leaned down and whispered something into Lancelot's ear, and the young man nodded smilingly.

"Your arrival has been noted." Lancelot continued, gazing at Bakhi, "My superiors will meet you when they return."

"From where?" Temuj asked.

"Most of our forces are inside the Markothian Pass," he shrugged, "overseeing the main project. I am responsible for directing the city and its surroundings. Now... please enter and enjoy our hospitality. I will come for you when it is time."

With that, they were ushered into the building, and all of them knew it was just a holding cell with a somewhat cleaner and nicer coat of paint. Bakhi didn't blame them for it, though. He would have done the same if the roles were reversed.

Inside, it was relatively puritan and straightforward, something they were used to from the way they usually lived. What surprised them was that there were long communal tables beneath a row of candleholders in the central area, where large bowls of stew and thick loaves of bread were already laid out. Exactly as many as their numbers were.

Bakhi didn’t eat at first. He just sat, silent, staring across the others, reading their thoughts from their eyes. They either had a way to communicate long distances without them noticing it... Or they were noticed beforehand. Bakhi's own conclusion was the latter. The way they were greeted and surrounded, they had to detect their arrival way ahead of time. Maybe even days ahead, which also meant that they are better scouts. It felt frustrating...

"These people... they don't fear winter any more," Naran said aloud, more to herself than anyone else.

"No, they do not." Temuj agreed, looking at the other four, "And building? Inside the mountains? Are they mad?"

"Probably not," Bakhi whispered, finally reaching for the spoon and tasting the food. It wasn't anything to write home about... but it was warm. And it was better than the dried rations that they ate while traveling. "But we are here to discover as much as we can. Nothing else we can do about it now, so make sure to exploit every opportunity from our current predicament."

"So far, they are friendly towards us," Naran offered, knowing full well that it was a perspective that could change quickly.

"I am more worried about something else," Temuj whispered, looking around. Instead of telling, he began talking with his fingers. Who knew who else was listening from behind a hidden wall or floorboard? "If they speak the truth and they kill the monsters, then this Avalon is a force that we must be vigilant against. An expansionary force like theirs could spell trouble."

"Who would expand into the land of the dead?" Naran argued, her fingers moving just as fast while she continued eating with her left hand. She was deliberately making enough sound that if a spy was listening in on them, they would think they were eating in silence.

"One that can deal with its dangers?" Temuj offered.

"The only probably capable force would be the one that bears the name of Ishillia." Bakhi offered, looking at the others. "They have a just as deadly Artifact as our people. But they are far away from us—far enough for us not to worry about."

"If they still exist." Temuj offered, making his leader think, "What if they got destroyed like Markoth? Or by this... Avalon."

"There is no need to look for theories or start making up lies to satiate our curiosity," Bakhi 'said' as he put down his spoon. "You heard the boy. We will know more soon."

...
....
.....

"Really?" Sasha asked, humming as she stood on the bridge of the Stormbringer, looking down at the construction below. "Keep an eye on them," she added, talking with Lancelot on the radio. "We will be back by sundown. I will brief King Edric, and he will meet them first. You will accompany him, of course. Any questions?"

"Not at all."

After the connection was cut, Sasha couldn't help but cross her arms, thinking not about the scouts but about their current position. She didn't care about the visitors; that was up to the others to handle. Her primary focus was on the base of the future fortress.

She decided that it would be raised atop the steep slope within the Pass. It was just the perfect position for it. More than that, any monster coming would need to ascend it, putting them into a difficult position. Yes, it would mean the fortress was deeper in the Pass, but... it would be way more defendable. Not to mention, they will be able to lay down all the traps on the slope before it. It could be much more withstanding than the one back home. She was already befuddled about why the previous leaders of Markoth refused to build it at this spot.

"Lady Sasha," Captain Voss stepped up to him, "Commodore Pion had just reported in. They reached the end, and there is indeed a God's Formation there. They can't compare the diagrams, but they are recording an image for you to go through later."

"Thank you, Captain." Sasha nodded, her mind already forgetting about the guests back in the city. "Call them back. This passage is much more straightforward than ours..." She muttered, looking at the map they had so far.

"It is..." Voss agreed, crossing his arms and looking at the same drawing. "But it is also narrower. The big ones, like the spider carrier we once faced, couldn't fit in here."

"That is good for us." Sasha smiled, her eyes looking at how the people down below were soon finishing leveling out the space, from mountain wall to mountain wall. Then, the actual construction can begin. "Markoth will be able to defend this spot with our help... So, what we need to worry about is..."

"The other empires," Voss mumbled, looking back towards the city.