The refugees fleeing from the people of fire had long since paved several safe roads that could be used to reach Omasha from almost anywhere. The safest road was the one built literally from Shen Guan - the inhabitants of the greatest fortress began to improve the surrounding area, numerous outposts appeared in the neighbouring forests, and the miraculous sand castle, built on the spot from where the fire people had launched their attack, was improved and gained a port, its own personal guard, and became even stronger than when it was first erected. How did I know this? We literally approached my monument, stopping in front of the gate to take the only convenient and most direct road.
Yes, the several-day journey by ship had finally come to an end. Fully aware that if anyone spotted us on the ship of the people of fire, we would be in trouble, I decided to abandon the vessel in the nearest bay and hide it from prying eyes. The moment everyone disembarked, many civilians rushed to kiss the ground, as did the soldiers who had been sailing the seas for many years. According to them, it had been the most dangerous journey of their lives, and the few days of travel had stretched to almost a week due to unforeseen incidents, constant breakdowns and external factors. And we were sailing on the fastest frigate! Surprisingly, despite all these incidents, I slept quite well, apparently so tired that no storm or shaking could wake me up. Although it is strange that I never woke up on the floor.
In any case, after packing my things and forcibly shackling the soldiers of fire in steel handcuffs — I could have made them myself, especially after everything that had happened, but there were already shackles on the ship — we set off for the sandy fortress. The peaceful inhabitants walked ahead, and the prisoners, surrounded by Kioshi's warriors, trailed behind. The crowd was noticed even as we approached the fortress. The sight of it brought a pleasant smile to my face, even though the entire castle had been significantly altered, or rather modernised, to suit the needs of the locals. The walls had been thickened, there were more watchtowers, and the castle grounds had been expanded by about half. Apparently, they really liked this place.
However, as we got closer, we did not elicit the most positive emotions from the locals.
"Who are you?" The guards standing at the gate stared suspiciously at the crowd gathered in front of the castle. The residents looked as poor as possible and did not pose any danger, but the prisoners made everyone whisper. The guards looked so tense that they were already preparing to throw stones. Moreover, because of our numbers, a lot of soldiers had gathered at the gate." "How did you get past the traps that were on the way?"
Nevertheless, there was no incentive to communicate. Looking up, I almost instantly recognised the guard who had refused to let me into Shen Guan. Yes, the very same one who had sent me to hell! Exhaling, I spoke as relaxed and calmly as possible, with no idea what I would do if they didn't let me through again:
"Open up," but everyone around me shuddered and took a step back. Suyuki, standing to my right, smiled crookedly and rubbed her sweaty forehead. Maybe it was fatigue, or maybe it was the familiar face of the gatekeeper, but I scared everyone.
"Enemies again? Oh, it's Dagoth! At that moment, a female figure peered out from behind the walls, and the soldiers tried to stop her with their muscular arms. Nimbly dodging the guards, the lady smiled sincerely, "Open up, he's on our side. Have you heard of the sand mage?
"Lady, come back, you can't climb the walls in a situation like this, what if a stray arrow hits you?
"What arrow, you fools, he's my friend! The kindest and most honest man you could ever meet.
There was commotion on the walls, and the soldiers began discussing something with the girl who had recognised me, while Suyuki, standing nearby, tilted her head in interest:
"Is that the owner of this giant castle? You have good connections.
"How can I put it... I built the castle, but without her, nothing would have been possible.
Making Suyuki blink rapidly, the gates opened at that moment, and a brightly smiling girl came out, accompanied by several soldiers and her toad-like monitor lizard, Obzorika. From her rich attire and attitude towards Lia, it was clear that her life had definitely improved. The Architect who had helped me, who had taught me how to build strong structures, was in all his glory. She stopped a metre away and put her hands behind her back.
It was difficult to say whether they would have let me in. After all, coming alone and flaunting my status was one thing, but bringing such a crowd of soldiers to the gates without being a member of the Earth King's army was a little unsafe. They could have thought a lot of things. But this time, thanks to Leah, I really managed to get inside.
"Yo. Obzorik, say hello to your friend.
The greeting was pleasant — even though we hadn't had time to miss each other, we were happy to shake hands. Obzhorik, under threat of getting hit on the head, was forced to give up the idea of licking me, but I greeted him in a friendly manner, checking at the same time how well the old burn had healed. Nevertheless, I still had to explain who these people were and where the prisoners had come from.
"Kyoshi warriors?" Suyuki asked, blinking at Ria. "I've heard something about them, like in history class. I didn't really pay attention. Okay, come in. Maybe you're hungry? The kitchen you built is big enough for everyone. You can execute the prisoners outside the city. Honestly, I'm incredibly glad to see you. You've arrived just in time.
Once inside, the people following us opened their mouths in sincere amazement. The most they had ever seen was the maze and castle I had created, but not a lived-in fortress filled with workers, soldiers, and stables with lots of animals. The latter were along all the walls, giant monitor lizards resembling Obzorik, which had become the dominant fauna of the area. But at that moment, I noticed something strange: a couple of mages were repairing one of the inner walls, which was covered in ash; ordinary workers were dragging debris from the entrance to the castle, and a suspicious number of doctors in white uniforms were rushing into the local hospital, built in the most protected place. And if you looked closely, there were a lot of soldiers. Something strange was going on.
"Stop, we weren't going to execute them, on the contrary, they need to be taken to Omasha," he stopped Leah, who had given some kind of signal to her soldiers, and the gates slammed shut, and the prisoners were almost immediately led away.
"Hm? Dagoth, after we trained together, I gained enough skills to defend myself against any fiery attack. I was made chief architect after repelling a couple of attacks, which means I know better than anyone else how to defend the territory, and I understand perfectly well that the fewer fire fanatics there are, the safer the base will be," Lya waved her hair, looking at me with a completely uncomprehending look. As if I should have understood her perfectly.
Turning my head, I saw the fire soldiers looking around tensely, their hearts beating faster with every step they took. The people whose lives I had stubbornly protected for almost a week were looking at me for salvation...
"I won't raise my voice. Stop the soldiers," I said quietly, bowing my head and looking closely into Leah's eyes, causing a new wave of goosebumps. Somehow, my exhausted state frightened people more than an angry look and a promise to kill them. I could tell by the beating of her heart that Leah was scared, bit her lip, and shouted a new order to the guards in a slightly trembling voice. At that moment, I sensed her despair. "You used to be fine with me letting the soldiers live.
"Before... let's talk inside. The rest will be taken to eat and hidden deeper in the fortress. Who knows when the next attack will begin," Lya said suspiciously seriously, waving to the simple workers who were leading away the civilians and Kioshi's soldiers. Suyuki and I followed Lya to her office, located directly in the main tower of my castle, at the highest point, offering a breathtaking view of the entire surrounding area. Once inside, I wasn't too surprised by the changed interior. Leia had arranged everything to her liking, even changing a few corners — I remembered perfectly how this place was supposed to look, as I had memorised the tower's blueprints. It felt somehow bigger... more armoured, if you will.
While I sat down on a comfortable sofa and Suyuki stared in shock out the open window, admiring the view, Lya sat down at her desk and took on a very serious expression.
"What's going on here?" I asked bluntly, seeing her face tense up. She hadn't been like this since we were pelted with burning stones from catapults and Obzorik was injured. And her attitude towards the prisoners was now more practical, which she hadn't cared about before. "The fortress looks magnificent from the outside, but inside... It's as if everything has been blown up. I recognise this soot, like from dynamite, and the destruction is like that of an explosion.
Lia nodded slowly, with no trace of the former joy at seeing me. Instead, there was only hope for help.
"It's complicated, Dagoth... If the situation were normal, you would have been allowed into the fortress without any problems or suspicion, even with prisoners. However, the problem is now much more serious than a few ships with catapults on board. I'm afraid that the simple methods of defence we are used to will not protect us. Even you and your armour, which have managed to destroy entire platoons of enemies, are unlikely to be of any help.
"It sounds like you're being bombarded non-stop," said Suyuki, turning around and making Lia gather her hands under her chin. She twitched her leg, her heart beating faster.
"That's right. Recently, a three-eyed fire monster has been bombarding the walls of our fortress. Shen Guan has already fallen... all the residents there have moved here.
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