59Here. More Brain meat. Enjoy the amped up production, found ways to better take care of myself is good.
The tunnels of Klad could be described as a massive underground ant colony, with paths dug by pickaxes in many directions, guided by the closest cluster of Originium ores before moving on to the next. Instead of tireless ants, what was moving were broken feet and overworked, calloused hands moving against their will, threatened by their Ursine overlords, their spirits chiseled and torn like the rock they picked through every day.
What fueled them to continue was the hope of escape and the mold-covered excuses of food they were forced to chew and swallow. Pale lamps and the natural, purple light of raw Originium were the only lights keeping the darkness away and guiding their path, letting them see the mine carts where they unloaded the heavy, hard, and sharp raw ores they mined before they returned to gather more ores.
The mines had no fresh air, only infectious Originium dust and the foul stench of decay from corpses and feces.
There was only one exit, and it was heavily guarded and secure, hyper-reinforced, superalloy gates that slide open by command code, flying helicopter drones that could shoot Originium-powered lasers, armed Ursine soldiers bedecked in a hybrid of a hazmat suit and heavy kevlar armor, gas masks equipped with specialized rebreathers to filter the Originium-laced air, and shock batons designed to motivate to enhance their performance.
It was estimated that the combination of very long working hours, harsh climatic and other working conditions, inadequate food, and summary executions killed thousands of Infected slaves each year. Long-lived survivors were scarce in these cases; if the working conditions wouldn't kill them, the black lottery would.
However, the black lottery to determine who shall live and die was delayed, which was the first time the Infected slaves encountered since their arrival.
Now, the slaves were sitting on their knees, lined up in rows, confused about why the Overseer didn't arrive with the stack of tickets.
"Strange. The lottery should have begun by now."
"Also, we are behind schedule. Is there a delay or something?"
"Our supervisor hasn't come back yet. He's already ten minutes late."
Among the Infected slaves was a former Ursine soldier who defended the far northern border of Ursus from the numerous attacks by the demons of the Endless Icefield.
His name was Ilya Murom. A son of a peasant, Ilya was born in the village of Karacharov. Generous and simple-minded but also temperamental. Though generous and devoted, Ilya was always independent and showed little of the deference of a vassal to the lord.
He was arrested for killing a noble officer who abandoned the Infected villagers to their fate at the hands of the demons. Considering that he lived in the far north, he was ignorant of Ursus' anti-infected policies.
At that time, he believed that defending the people of Ursus from the demons of the northlands was his sacred duty as a soldier of Ursus. However, that belief was shattered when he saw his superior abandon a frontier village filled with Infected, which led to its ruin.
His loyalty to Ursus had plummeted because of that incident.
This led him to his current situation, chained and malnourished, inhaling mineral dust every day in his hacking at the ore-rich walls of this accursed mine, waiting to die like a dog. Instead of giving his life for the glory of Ursus, he will die for nothing, like an animal... He should have died in the Northlands.
The slavers stood on the high ground at a high elevation. They built metal walls and doors decorated with the emblem of the Ursus Empire in the mines, windows for their abusers to look down on the operation from behind the secure walls of comfort.
Despite their superior numbers, they were in a position where they could be locked in, starved to submission behind the superalloy door. The number of infected slaves presented below the watchful guards was only half picked for the lottery, the other half either mining ores or resting in their 'quarters'.
Some Infected had developed their own Originium Arts, but the guards would kill them if they found out to prevent a revolt from happening. The only way up the elevation was a slope sandwiched between two staircases wide enough to fit the metal mine carts that they had to push up or the platform elevator to lift the especially heavy loads.
Ilya looked up, seeing that the guards were whispering amongst each other.
The kneeling Infected were also whispering among themselves.
"What's going on?" One of the Infected asked.
"I don't know, but it looks like the black lottery is on hold…. for now."
"Sure hope so. It's better if it was canceled."
"Don't get your hopes up. They never cancel the lottery, not even once. It's probably just a minor delay before our time runs out…"
The infected went silent, their eyes downcast, after hearing their fellow Infected say that the lottery could start soon despite the delay. Some of them even prayed that the lottery be postponed or canceled.
"Ilya, Are you still with us?"
"...Barely…. Don't worry about me... Focus on yourselves first."
"But still…" The worried Infected said.
Before Ilya could respond, he was struck hard in the face by a metal baton from one of the Infected Patrol Captains. He almost loses consciousness of the impact of the cold weapon.
"You filthy Infected! You all better keep your mouth shut or I'll beat you all the fuck up!"
The one that hit IIya was the Elite Infected Patrol Captain.
Unlike the other patrol captains, they were far greedier and cold-blooded. Since they were not part of the army, they were quite infamous for their brutality in attacking Infected civilians and were generally despised by Ursine soldiers and city officials alike.
Ilya's bloody face looked up at him, glaring in defiance at his oppressor.
"What's with that look? Do you want to die that badly? If you insist, then."
He raised his stun baton, preparing to hit the former Ursine soldier again.
As IIya was prepared to be hit again, one of his fellow Infected Patrol Captain stopped him.
"Oi, Quit it," His fellow patrol captain said. "If you kill that Infected right now, the Grand Duke and his guests will have our heads since he'll be fighting to the death against a campaign knight from Kazimierz. You will ruin their fun."
Besides the black lottery, there was also a death match between the infected and the fighting against foreign prisoners. There was no surrender, and the game must end with death or unconsciousness. Not fighting would lead to summary execution on both sides.
Ilya was one of the participants in this death match as one of the main events.
"Tsk.. This delay is making me impatient. Why is the lottery not starting yet?"
"I already sent my men to check on our superiors about this unexpected delay under the orders of the overseer, who is agitated right now. They'll be here shortly in a few minutes. Be prepared for their return."
"If you say so. I hope to hear good news from them soon. But first let me hit this unruly Infected for the last time before I'll be on my way." Elite patrol captain turned on his stun baton, generating electricity from it.
"Hmm. Suit yourself." He nonchalantly shrugged.
The elite patrol captain was about to strike Ilya once again when a loud blare and siren lights turned on, causing the patrol captain to halt his violent action on the defenseless Infected.
The Infected and Ursine guards alike were startled by the sudden siren blaring.
The Ursine officer in charge realized the alarming sound and immediately took action.
"Men, assemble at the door immediately! Move! Move! Move!"
The guards rushed into action and assembled at the metal door for any attacks. The crossbowmen aimed at the door, and drones powered up their lasers while Infected Patrol companies formed a line before the door, preparing for battle to come.
When they assembled near the gate, several loud screams and sounds of battle could be heard behind the metal door, and they were getting even louder by the minute.
"W-What is happening? Are we really under attack?"
"I think we are. Can't believe it's happening again."
"Another Infected uprising? I thought we made sure that this doesn't happen again!"
"Well it looks like we overlook something. Somehow it happened again."
The Infected became hopeful as they heard the sound of fighting behind those steel gates. Some of the more cynical ones did not expect the uprising to succeed, and they were not expecting the mining administrative forces to suppress them immediately. Even if they succeeded, Ursus would retaliate with their army to crush them.
The screams of battle slowly died down and the underground tunnel went into deadly silence.
A minute passed by, the guards were beginning to get unnerved by the complete silence.
"If this dirty Infected wanted to save their lowly friends. They're welcome to try."
The Ursine captain motioned one of his men and gave them a malicious order.
"Use those Infected here as human shields to discourage them from attacking us. Let's see if they are bold enough to kill their own. I prefer if you all choose the women and children."
Ilya couldn't believe what he had heard that they were using their own people as a human shield! Infected or not, this had gone too far. This violated their sacred duty to protect the people of Ursus.
The Ursine guards forcefully take some of the Infected as hostages and violently drag them behind the Infected Patrol companies.
Some of the Infected tried to resist while others tried to protect their loved ones from being taken, but they were restrained and beaten up by the guards as retaliation for their resistance.
This was unforgivable and Ilya would not tolerate this any further.
He tried to get up, only to be electrocuted by the stun baton of the same Elite patrol captain.
"Stay down, you filthy Infected! Or you will be joining them very soon after this."
As Ilya ground his teeth, he heard a huge battering ram come from the gates. It was heavy, loud… it sounded less like something from an explosive and more blunt, like a giant pounding on the door in comparison. The guards raised their weapons again, aiming at the gates.
The unknown battering ram slammed against the door from the other side again and again. The sounds of the metal creaked an unsettling din. Based on these battering sounds, Ilya was more convinced that it was not an Infected on the other side of the door.
The sound was too violent, too much brute force.
Whatever was behind that gate wasn't human. He hoped he was wrong.
"They're trying to break in!" Ursine guard exclaimed.
"Calm yourselves!" The Ursine officer shouted. "You are soldiers of Ursus. No matter what comes through that door you will stand your ground!"
The guards managed to calm down themselves and stayed in their positions.
"They're quite desperate to save their own rotten kind."
The battering stopped and silence descended once again in the tunnels.
"Did they finally give up…?" One of the guards asked.
"Quite pathetic. Looks like they cannot even breach the metal door."
"At least this gives us more time before reinforcement arrives here."
"Or reinforcement is already here and put down the uprising."
Many of the Ursine guards laughed, thinking that the Infected uprising was already crushed by the mining administrative forces arrival.
As expected some of the Infected guessed correctly that the uprising would be dealt with immediately. Many Infected despair of this premature outcome and their hope shattered before them.
The silence ends again, this time instead of a loud banging, the supermetal gate suddenly opened, steam hissing from the hydraulics as the lock unlatched with a loud, heavy clank, the double-sided superalloy door sliding open.
"Did they just find the code to open the gate!?"
"It doesn't matter. Stand your ground!" Ursine officer ordered.
As they prepared to defend their position from the supposed incoming Infected attacks.
A loud battle roar vibrated the air in the entrance of the underground tunnel.
At first, the Ursine soldiers thought that they saw a wall blocking the entrance, black and eroded.
Then they realize that the wall was actually a giant shield.
As the Ursine guards were struggling to comprehend their situation, a horrifying being showed itself from behind the shield. Something in black armor with crimson eyes full of anathemic malice.
"Wh-what the heck is that?" One of the crossbowmen asked as his hands was trembling.
Ilya had never seen anything like this before. They seemed to be wearing black armor over their entire bodies, but there was definitely something different about them.
In their right hands, they carried wavy swords, and in their left, massive shields.
The dark armored figures let out a battle cry. Even at this distance, the rumbling in the air made Ilya's hairs stand on end and his blood run cold. It elicited the same feeling as the demons of the northlands! He dreaded the thought that the demons of the northlands had finally managed to break through the northern border defense and finally reached Klad.
Worse, the two armored demons weren't alone.
They came like a flood of rotting flesh and decayed bones spilling through the gates.
Shocked in a way that made their hairs stand on end, the guards were assailed by the urge to flee in the face of what they knew to be a futile and horrifying fight. They never imagined facing something like this. The monster before them was more than enough to shatter their courage.
All hell breaks loose when the swarm of zombies charged at them.
Some of the Infected patrolmen started to flee, breaking their defense formation.
"R-Run away!" One of the guards shouted.
"Ruuun! Run for your lives!"
"Stand your ground!"
When the armored creature moved forward to close the space between them, another of the same type of being came into view. And then—
"I said stand your gro-"
The ones who turned to look at what happened saw their fellow soldiers including their captain losing their heads by the monster's blade. They were definitely dead. But their hands groped for something to hold onto. All they could think was that the corpses had begun to move.
It was a nightmarish scene that they witnessed and was horrifying.
The two armored figures walked forward, their unusual swords flamberges held high as the zombies rushed towards them in a maddening, wild sprint for their lives.
The drones started shooting their lasers at the two armored monsters. Some of the drones got hit in mid-air by its massive shield, like a mere fly crashing down into one of the group of guards, killing some of them. The other armored monster stabbed a nearby zombie and threw it at the drones. The zombie wasn't even perturbed by the betrayal, it clawed and caught two drones and dragged them down to the ground as the rest swarmed at the drone and tore it apart, from the rotary blades to the laser gun.
The guards in front of the gates were completely overwhelmed by the horde of zombies, devouring them in the rampage. Like a human tidal wave, engulfed them within the tunnels.
Ilya witnessed an unwanted horror flooding into reality. The guards that planned to use them as hostages immediately abandoned them, some pushing the Infected towards the rushing wave of undead.
Ilya was one of them as he was pushed to the ground.
"S-Screw this! Let's get the hell out of here!"
"You disgraceful cowards!" Ilya roared at them before turning to see the rush of the corpses.
His breathing grew heavy as the world seemingly slowed in his adrenaline. His eyes could make out the rotten features of the Undead demons - rotting skin and exposed yellow-brown muscles barely hanging onto bone, some with barely a strip of meat on their skeletons, others purely of Calcium puppeteered by malevolent forces.
Ilya looked around for any weapon to use to defend himself with. As the undead demons were closing in on his vicinity and having no time to spare. He hurriedly picked a rock on the ground. If only it was a pickaxe or shovel that he should have used since the mining equipment was far from his reach as well as not being in good conditions to get there.
The other Infected panicked, some tried to get up to run, but half of them tripped on their feet in their escape. Some embraced each other, preparing for the undead swarm to devour them.
"Come at me, you monsters!" Ilya roared at the swarm of undead bodies as they ran closer at a breakneck speed.
He raised his rock, ready to die, at least with honor to defend his fellow prisoners.
A hagged zombie with flesh so tightly wound to its bones that it was more skeleton wearing rotten skin ran towards him.
With a warcry, he swung his rock, ready to die.
He missed.
The ghoul ran past him as his rock hit nothing but air as the rest of the swarm ran past him, rotten meat and bones brushing against his shoulders and the rest of the Infected.
The sight of many horrifying things running past him, treated as an obstacle of the road to avoid rather than… food… was a new sensation that Ilya could only describe as death brushing by his shoulders.
Then the screams resounded behind him.
The undead demons caught up to the fleeing bastards pretending to be true sons of the Empire.
"Get off of me! Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
He grimaces when a zombie ferociously bites into the neck of the one that pushed him, the officer struggling to pry the zombie off… before the zombie snapped his neck… and tore his head off the body.
It was a terrible scene from hell, and he alongside the slaves watched in stunned trepidation as they took in the bloody massacre with their eyes.
"W-What… Ilya… am I dreaming?" An Infected asked.
Ilya did not answer. What was happening? Why were the undead demons ignoring them?
Zoloblok couldn't believe what happened after so many years managing Klad as its overseer.
A nightmare of moving corpses swarming through the gate and tearing apart his men, the esteemed nobles most likely dead since the undead hordes arrived from their direction.
"S-Sir! Where are you running to?!" An Imperial Striker shouted at the retreating officer, bedecked in standard Ursine uniform, noble and with a leather jacket worn over it.
The lanky, bear-eared man grit his teeth with frustration at the question.
"Where else?! Anywhere but here!"
"B-But, sir, what about the Grand Duke and the other nobles? Should we at least attempt to save them?" An Infected Patrol soldier that was lucky enough to follow him asked.
There were around a group of seven, excluding the Overseer of Klad.
One Imperial Striker, Two Shieldguarders and Four Infected Patrolmen.
"They're already dead by now! We have to focus on saving ourselves first!"
It wasn't men or an enemy faction, but the living dead. The dead could not be negotiated or coerced, threatened with hostages, Zoloblok wasn't built to deal with something he could not condescend. He wasn't a general, he was just a manager of an Originium mining site in the tundra.
"How, sir?!" The Striker asked.
"I'll show you, stop talking!"
He shouted, wanting silence to calm his nerves.
The facility built into Klad barely stretched deeper into the mountain than necessary. Hidden within the facility was a secret the Grand Duke and his followers kept from the eyes of the Emperor and state council.
Funds.
Hidden funds the nobles embezzled from all over Ursus in Ursine currency and treasures.
The embezzlement of funds from the Ursine Treasury were kept hidden in one of the Infected mines and used for rebuilding their military strength without the Ursine imperial government's knowledge.
Funds that would fuel a second rebellion to overthrow the current Emperor of Ursus.
It was one of their greatest secrets, a major reason why Grand Duke Baikal and his allies desperately fought against the Emperor's reform in shutting down the Infected Mines; their secret would be discovered if the Emperor took over the mines from their hands.
Klad was their largest hidden depository.
And only the Overseer and the Grand Duke knows the code to enter the vault.
How they managed to get it built in the facility was a secret before the current Emperor ascended to the throne, one that Duke Kashchey managed to hide.
Zoloblok and his men were heading there for safe refuge. He planned to lock themselves in the vault and wait for reinforcement to come. Worse-case scenario if reinforcement didn't come. They would be trapped in the vault for life and stave to death.
He basically had no choice, his safety was his main priority.
Their footsteps thumped against the metal alloy floors of the metallic hallway.
More footsteps followed, more numbers and more erratic.
They looked back, seeing a detachment of the undead following them ravenously.
"Sir!" The Striker pointed at their direction.
"Fire you idiots!" Zoloblok shrieked at the highest pitch he could muster.
While running, Infected Patrol soldiers fired their crossbows at the rampaging undead monsters, trying to slow them down as much as possible, but as expected, the arrow-bolts did not slow them down despite piercing through their flesh, now nothing more than decoration for the zombies.
The bolts bounced off the skeletons like ping pong balls.
An elevator was in front of them.
Zoloblok turned to the emergency staircase and pushed through the door.
Their feet nearly tripped in their hasty descent down the spiral staircase.
The swarm clustered the narrow stairs.
But in their frantic sprint, they saw some of the zombies falling off the stairs.
Zoloblok looked up. He cursed in his language when he saw that some of the undead jumped off the rails to get down faster. Some managed to catch the railings of the level below them in their path, trying to pincer them.
And that did not account the undead that failed to latch on either fell to the bottom floor or the handrails further below.
"Fuck!" The overseer cursed.
He ran towards the nearest floor, slamming through the doors. They did not reach the floor of the secret vault, but they ended up at the maintenance level.
The overseer looked back.
Outside the door, an Imperial Striker was caught by a falling zombie.
"Get off me! Get off me!"
The large Imperial Striker, the elite of Ursus, was caught by another falling zombie.
Before long, more undead caught onto the legs of the undead latching onto the Imperial Striker.
Zoloblok heard his screams as they dragged him off the handrails, his cries echoing briefly before being silenced by several falling zombies that followed.
"Overseer!"
The rest of the soldiers cried for his help, for his commands.
Zoloblok panickedly ran away instead, abandoning his men to the zombies.
He doesn't want to die in this forsaken mine in the middle of the frozen tundra. He wanted to live at all costs! He doesn't care if all these soldiers died as long as he lived rather than being eaten alive by those monstrous zombies.
He saw the bathroom ahead.
Without question, he ran towards the door and opened it, slamming it behind him and locked the door.
His breath was heavy as all of the adrenaline he accumulated slowly bled out his brain.
He slowly backed to the toilet seat and fell on it. He didn't care if the toilet lid wasn't down.
"Ah… ahhhh…"
He held his head as the reality of the situation slowly settled in. He couldn't believe it, Klad, the largest of Ursus' source of Originium, had fallen… overrun by new demons spawned from the North.
Tears already streamed down his face with snot down his nose as he started to weep uncontrollably. Why? Why was this happening to him? He doesn't want this.
"Ursus…" He continued sobbing.
"By Yurodstvo… Please… Help me… save me from these demons…"
Suddenly, something sharp and metallic plunged through the lock.
Zoloblok held his breath as the metallic thing slid back.
The door gently opened as soft footsteps entered.
"...You…" Zoloblok couldn't believe his eyes.
That face, he knew that face.
That calm, stoic, arrogant face of a young woman that ruined everything. That ash-blonde hair, those four black horns, that sword Duke Kashchey personally bestowed upon her… despite all of her years running from the might of Ursus, she looked… clean.
She did not look filthy at all.
"You…" Rage replaced the despair instantly at the sight as he gnashed his teeth.
"...I pity the soldiers that had to listen to your orders." Talulah shook her head with disappointment, mocking to his ears. "Look at yourself. You paid for your life with the lives of your men… just to end up like this?"
As Zoloblok was about to respond to her, he was forcefully dragged out from the bathroom by the Draco heir and thrown him on the floor.
Zoloblok grit his teeth as he looked up, his indignation died when he saw them.
Cloaked in dark, jagged robes, he saw the blackened skulls looking down on him.
In each of their right hands was a black onyx dagger.
"I feel sorry for him for overplanning this… Hah. It is time we put this to an end."
"No… no!" Zoloblok shouted as one of the robed black skeletons grabbed his hair.
"No! Let go of me! You! I hope Kaschley tears the skin off your hide in the afterlife! A thousand curses on you! Talulah!" He cursed at her while being forcefully dragged somewhere.
He was enraged. Finally, realizing what was happening.
She was responsible for this! She called upon dark, wicked powers to raid this facility!
It wasn't long before he was dragged back to the highest floor, back in the mineshaft.
This time, he was thrown to the spot where the group of Infected slaves gathered, facing the metal door leading to the exit atop the slope sandwiched between two flights of stairs.
And looking down on him from atop the elevation were the Infected slaves looking at him, while the… undead were being led by foreign faces.
Those under Talulah.
The zombies were moving completely differently compared to their previous behavior. They were not rushing to tear them limb to limb, they were carrying boxes labeled by the Ursus Empire's insignia, their property, and the food stored in the warehouse outside of this mine, behaving like worker bees in a sense carrying menial duties.
The Infected were being treated like refugees, warm clothes reserved for the soldiers given to them by the zombies, though the Infected looked confused yet grateful…
"O-Overseer…"
Zoloblok was not alone, he was thrown with the rest of the leaders of the mining administration, like the Elite Infected Patrol Captains and the others of higher ministration.
"What kind of witchcraft did the She-Dragon uncover to control these demons?" Another asked a good question.
Zoloblok grit his teeth, if Ursus learned the secret of such power, they would've dominated the world by now.
They were watched over by the same black-robed skeletons and the hulking black knights covered in spikes alongside the… Shieldguards?
"...Buldrokkas'tee…" He recognized this man.
That wendigo-skull helmet, that foldable metal riot shield, that double-blade gun spear weapon…
He couldn't believe that this legendary Sarkaz warrior that fought the demons in the North had sided with Talulah of all people.
He had so many questions right now, but he couldn't find the strength or the courage to speak them out. He knew that their lives were being held in the center of this while the Infected were being gathered from all over the mines, led by those wearing heavy ice-blue colored winter coats, especially the children that were born in these mines.
He could hear conversations of confusion mixed with elation. He cursed at the Infected staring at him with jubilation at his miserable situation.
"...What is going to happen to us?" Another patrol captain asked.
"...If this isn't an invasion but a rescue… Knowing Talulah's nature, she will keep us alive." Zoloblok concluded with a calculated mind.
He remembered that the late Duke Kashchey personally taught her many subjects regarding Ursus like military strategies and politics. He also remembered that Kashchey's heir was quite rebellious and refused to be educated by the late Duke.
Can't believe it led to this…
The fear of an undead invasion was just a fluke, this was a rescue operation! It was a brilliant play, to scatter their forces from ever thinking of using the Infected as hostages!
"I cannot believe that She-Dragon found a way to control the dead…" Another commented.
"Just wait. If we manage to escape and report this, we will bring down the might of Ursus upon her." Zoloblok advised the survivors.
"I think we will soon see the secret of Talulah's newfound power."
Although Zoloblok had a few questions that must be answered… he didn't take the girl as a ghoul since she was a Draco who had powerful fire arts. How many corpses did this accursed girl collect to raise such high numbers? Or was it a biological weapon she stumbled upon?
"Attention. Attention."
The sound of metal clanging on the metallic floor rang throughout the area.
This voice drew Zoloblok's attention.
A mysterious figure approached the center while banging the floor with his staff… this one drew his undivided attention.
That staff of his looked so exquisite, a golden staff, a casting staff made of gold maybe? Zoloblok couldn't believe there was someone out there with the resources to craft such a staff.
His appearance was like a black sheep amongst the white, royal black robes with gold lines, as if he was wearing the dark heavens. A red orb was embedded in his silver spaulders, a mask was on his face, a standard mask made to cover his entire face with a wide black-tinted glass visor for sight.
"The leader of the Reunion Movement is about to make an announcement! Please gather around!"
It was an excellent operation, although he admits that he might have overdone it.
The original plan involved making Patriot, Talulah, and Frostnova invisible with his spells as they ran ahead of the zombie swarm rush to locate and track down the leaders of the mines, buffing them even with [Greater Haste] and other spells to ensure complete success.
There were other instructions such as assassination of leader figures in case any one of them was secretly capable or had the funny idea of sacrificing Infected as meat shields or something along the lines.
He even summoned some Death Assassins as insurance, making them invisible as well to join Talulah and the others, though he used the corpses of the slain Infected Patrols as a medium. He was curious about this phenomena, wanting to see what it would do.
Right now, his undead were being led by the forces of the Reunion, his simple zombies and skeletons reused as a labor force to transport food and clothes under the guidance of the intelligent, living members, which was the main reason why he brought them here.
"Are you ready, Talulah? This is the biggest moment of your career," Momonga talked with Talulah.
They were standing at a far corner away from the others.
Talulah sighed, "Please don't treat this as a job interview for me…"
Talulah looked nervous.
Momonga could tell that Talulah never expected to take down one of Ursus' largest mining operations and liberate so many Infected slaves at once.
"This is important. First impressions are everything, Talulah. Ah, why not let the corporate slaves… I mean, former slaves execute their former masters? It will empower them and create a mighty image of you."
This suggestion came from Momonga's dream of wanting to kill his former boss who always abusively scolded him for no reason and getting away with it. However, in reality his former boss was apprehended by the newly reestablished civil authorities during and after the world revolution.
He vividly remembered in his previous world about the revolution of 2138.
It began months ago after YGGDRASIL game server was shut down when a worldwide revolution happened that led to the mega-corporate governments being overthrown when their dirty secret was leaked to the world by an anonymous source.
The world was shocked at this revelation that the one behind the environmental destruction in the first place were the megacorporations themselves and the civil governments were used as scapegoats. The megacorps tried to deny it but the damage was already done. This led to a series of anti-megacorporation protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the world.
The result was the ending of the Megacorp era and the restoration of civil authority.
Well at least his real life was getting better and found a decent job.
"I… your suggestion is a little extreme," Talulah grimaced.
"Think of it as catharsis for them. It will help them heal … and it might help us figure out which amongst them are best suited to join Reunion. Besides, they are scheduled to die, we have no need for them. You already killed a Duke of this nation, anyways. Look at them."
Momonga pointed at the Infected refugees, gaunt and malnourished, pale and thin, skin scarred by years of unchecked abuse.
Considering that some of the Infected slave miners were actual criminals so they need to recruit carefully. They don't want criminals in their movement since this could damage their reputation.
"They need to do something to avenge themselves at least."
"I understand your argument, but I don't want innocent people to be tainted by bloodlust," Talulaha argued as she doesn't want to encourage mass killing of the non-Infected.
If she decided to go ahead with his suggestion, this could send the wrong message.
The Infected would mistakenly think that using violence to solve the discrimination and oppression by the non-Infected was something that Talulah wanted to avoid. That wasn't the movement's goal.
"A savior can do this kind of thing from time to time. A little bloodlust might be what they need," Momonga rebuked back.
"What are you doing over there whispering to each other like secret lovebirds?"
Frostnova butted in, one hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised.
"Erk…" Momonga didn't expect her.
"You know you stand out, right? Especially you, tall and covered in black, towering over our beloved leader, talking quietly and stuff."
The snow rabbit girl remarked with a cheshire grin on her face, breaking her usually emotionless mask.
"Frostnova, please spare me. This isn't the time," Talulah looked away with a small blush.
"Oh come on, it would be fun gossip between the boys and girls. Momonga, a skeleton in a tragic romance with our beloved leader, a relationship of life and undeath doomed to fail," Frostnova giggled.
"Hah… is there something you want to complain to me about?" Momonga asked.
During his months getting to know the leaders of the movement, he found out that Frostnova was a fan of funny things, mostly pranking new recruits and her Snow Yetis. Sometimes, she tricked her victims into eating the spicy candy Talulah made for her to help with her hypothermia symptoms as an example.
She tried this on him, but got backfired quickly. He did entertain her by biting into the candy. She reminded him of Luci Fer, his guildmate. He was quite a troublemaker who had the tendency to stir up problems in the guild. Momonga would recall several instances where he had given him trouble at some point in time.
Frostnova was miffed upon finding out that he cannot taste nor consume food, so she decided to make his life more funnily difficult.
Like spreading false gossip such as 'potential relationships'.
At least she wasn't overly passionate about her prank.
"Yes, I do. You barely gave me anything to do. How dare you, assigning me and the boys to manual labor? Even daddy and his Shieldguards did more than me."
Frostnova pouted at Momonga as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
"...My apologies." Momonga apologized. "I was just advising Talulah some important matters. Honestly, I expected much fierce resistance. I had my share of invading fortresses in my time, so I performed based on my experience with cunning foes."
"You never told us that you were a siegemaster, though," Frostnova remarked.
"...Indeed. You did not regale such tales of your past," Talulah added.
"True. We were, however, prudent with our resources at the time… How are our VIP prisoners? Are they secure?" Momonga asked, changing the subject.
"Secure, bound, gagged, limbs broken. Everything is set for the interrogation."
"Good. I need to get to work. Send two Snow Yetis to the interrogation to help me record their confessions. Talulah, I'll set the opening stage. Gather yourself. This will mark the turning point of the Reunion… and Ursus as a whole."
Talulah closed her eyes and inhaled.
Momonga was right, this was her moment… in truth, Talulah owes the skeleton Alina brought everything, for he had accomplished and reorganized the Reunion movement into a formidable force. Although the strategies and tactics Momonga used were against her creed, they were important, raiding military compounds, killing and torturing Infected Patrol members for information on the command structure and key locations… Those were actions Talulah would never consider.
But she learned much from Momonga along the way in terms of management and the importance of resources, the importance of making hard decisions for the sake of her people. He struck her as a commander more than a guildmaster from the way he assigned the positions of the Reunion's fighting force.
At this moment, Momonga could truly be considered her second-in-command…
When she opened her eyes, she saw Momonga already leaving to prepare for her debut.
"...So… you sure you're not into the skeleton?" Frostnova asked Talulah.
"As much as it pains you to hear this, please… wait at least when we return. I am sure Momonga will indulge in your company as compensation," Talulah pleaded against her friend's antics.
She knew that Frostnova was bored this time, which was rare before Momonga joined. Her Reunion became more lively with Momonga, even though he had some concerning flaws.
"Alright, alright. Go get them. Make us proud." Frostnova bumped her fist into Talulah's shoulder.
Talulah smiled as she nodded, hearing Momonga making an announcement to prepare the stage.
It was time for her to make her debut as she stepped forward in front of the many infected that she saved from this hellish mine. Her movement's greatest achievement in liberating thousands of Infected in these frozen prison mines.
"I present to you the leader of our forces, the founder of our glorious Reunion! Talulah!"
Momonga pointed his golden, jeweled staff towards her.
Talulah stepped forward, arriving at the center of attention.
She could feel their eyes, the young, the sickly, eyes filled with anticipation, hope, or caution.
She could also feel the eyes of disdain from the captured soldiers.
"...I am Talulah. We… are the Reunion."
Talulah paused to regain her breath.
"...For too long, Ursus has suffered a cancer that our terminal illness can't compare to."
Talulah spent some time practicing and discussing the state of Ursus with Momonga while entertaining his curiosity about the Ursus Empire. Her speech was influenced by his point of view on Ursus, a heretical empire built on trampling the weak and using them as scapegoats to distract the public from Ursus' military failures and the ongoing power struggle within the country.
Addicted to the exploitation of others.
"You have heard it. Glory to Ursus; those who contribute to the empire will have a place there. Through war will the Empire be brought back to its former glory. They hide their true nature behind those words, their propaganda. In these mines, they reveal their true nature… What runs this empire are not true sons and daughters of Ursus, but cowards and monsters wearing masks made from the skins of others, willing to expend the future for the sake of a dead past."
Talulah could hear murmuring among the Infected crowds as she continued.
"They call us the Infected. Whether we were loyal to Ursus or its enemies, they did not discriminate with their evil. They threw us into these mines to work, and for what purpose?! They treat us like we are nothing more than the snow they trample under their heels; they throw us here… to uplift a lie. The glory of Ursus they envision is nothing but a Devil's dream, an era where they build on the exploitations of anyone they see is beneath them!"
The Infected were roused, and mutters grew into clamors as they threw glancing glares at the captured mining administration.
"Whether or not we are Infected is just an excuse. They see those living in Ursus as nothing more than livestock! Our condition is the perfect alibi to throw us here so they can squeeze us of our labor, our worth, to feed the real traitors of Ursus! This isn't a war between the Infected and the non-infected. This is a war between ideals, those in the ruling class who want to maintain their power above all else, and those who truly believe in the dream, even if they have to sell the soul of Ursus to keep it! You've all seen their true faces behind the gas masks they wear!"
This one was what she liked the most during their practice sessions together with Momonga.
"'Infected' is a slogan to incite fear and paranoia! Our war is against the division between us, those afflicted and those afraid of enduring the same curse! This is our goal, to bring an end to this senseless bias against us and bring an end to this unjust tyranny!"
All the Infected crowds clamored at Talulah, praising her for that inspiring speech.
"Enough is enough. I am sorry that we did not come here sooner… We were not strong enough. No, it is my shortcomings that are the reason. But… I think none of you expected to be saved by a horde of undead minions."
Her humor was a ploy to calm them down. It worked. The Infected looked at the working, docile zombies and skeletons, and some of them smiled a little at her little jest.
"I bet you have questions, but I assure you. We did not exhume the corpses from their graves. I apologize for scaring you, but we did it with the best intentions. To avoid anyone being taken hostage."
She could see that they accepted her reasoning. They were most likely taken hostage before Talulah punched the code to open the door as Momonga expected.
"I know that some of you do not belong to Ursus, victims of a war you never started." Talulah addressed the foreign war prisoners among them. "If you wish to return to your country, I will do everything to ensure your trip back home is safe. But I will warn you, this division isn't limited to Ursus. Outside the borders of this sick empire, the Infected are similarly mistreated; the social divide between us is too great. However, I am not sure if it is as bad as here. But I have rambled for too long."
Talulah had made a consensus with her friends - they would split up, Talulah and Momonga would lead the noncombatants into the land she never knew, Victoria, to help them raise the children and prepare a land where the Infected were welcome while Frostnova and Patriot would lead the combatants to continue their crusade in Ursus.
Talulah inhaled.
"I invite you all to the Reunion Movement! To fight against the evils of Ursus, liberate the Infected, and create a place for us in this world!" Talulah drew her sword and raised it overhead. "We will not hold it against you if you wish to leave! Anyone who wants to join us, please step forward! If you have questions, you may ask them now!"
Talulah waited for the Infected to answer.
One of them stepped forward, a gaunt miner suffering from malnutrition and abuse.
"...I am a former soldier of Ursus… I thank you for saving us and putting these bastards in their place. But… this isn't something that Ursus will ignore. Are you planning to go to war with Ursus?"
The mention of war against Ursus triggered loud muttering among the Infected. The sounds of anxiety and worry flooded within their thoughts. They still feared the mighty armies of Ursus would come for them if they decided to incite a rebellion.
Talulah paused, remembering what Momoga said to her.
'You have been at war since the day you fled from this Black Snake.'
Talulah did not want to come to terms with this horrible truth… but… right now she felt that she must face reality and the dire consequences of her actions. It was time for her head to be held high and face the many obstacles blocking her way.
"We are already at war, whether I like it or not. The moment we struck this mine, we were already deemed enemies of the nation. But we will not let the corrupt rule this nation any longer."
Another stepped forward.
It was a mother and a child, a girl, both with bear ears.
"...We have nowhere to go…" The mother looked concerned, her eyes filled with worry. "Is there a place for us? People who… don't want to fight?"
Talulah smiled.
"Yes." She nodded at the woman. "Man, woman, child, we will accept them all. The Reunion isn't entirely a military organization. We welcome anyone who is willing to take up arms against Ursus, but we will not shun away those in need."
She shot a quick glance at the right direction where Momonga was. He was no longer here, already busy with interrogating their prized prisoners.
The next one to come forward were some foreign prisoners.
Looking at them. These prisoners were all Kuranta, a trait of equines.
"...We, the Knights of Kazimierz, express our gratitude for your actions. We accept your offer to escort us home. We need to return home to lessen the worries of our families."
She noticed that the Kuranta wasn't Infected since he lacks Originium crystal on his body and had no sign of Oripathy symptoms anywhere. That possibility they were newly arrived prisoners in Klad. Consider that Infected and non-Infected prisoners were separated and did different tasks.
The Kuranta spoke about themselves being knights. He was likely a campaign knight from knightly orders from Kazimierz.
"I will. I guarantee your safety in returning to your country."
"I thank you," the Kuranta prisoner said. "You've chosen a difficult path. This is far greater than a knight's vow. It will be quite a formidable challenge if you ask me."
"Someone needs to stand up against the injustices within Ursus. Either inaction or to fight against it. Something needs to change."
"You have a noble soul. May we one day repay your kindness after we return home."
Another raised his hand.
"...What are we going to do about them?"
He pointed at the captured leaders of Klad.
She looked around and saw the faces of the Infected. In their eyes, some wanted to beat them up while most… wanted to kill them by their own hands because of the extreme mistreatment of the Infected.
Talulah closed her eyes.
She was thinking the unthinkable. Something she never considered doing.
"They will be executed. Their sins are too great to be spared."
This will be the first time that she decided to execute someone without the Black Snake's influence on her. And she was doing it on her own free will.
…She could not find an excuse to spare them. If Momonga were here, he would probably find a reason, most likely one that suited his needs, but that was too much, even though he agreed that they had to die.
Keeping them alive would only incite risks and vengeance from the army since the mines were controlled by the Ursine military.
And they did plan to use the Infected as hostages as Momonga suspected.
Their sins were too great to be spared. She should not make excuses to spare them when she had lives to look after as well.
The Grand Duke stared at the robed caster, tied to a chair, suffering from the agony of broken bones, staring at the robed caster's true face behind the mask as he shivered in his bindings.
One look at the being's fleshless skull was enough to know that the mastermind behind the undead was this demon, this unliving demon.
No, the definition of demon was a weak word to describe him.
The fear of death manifested itself.
"Let us begin."
The skeleton grabbed his head. It was a hard, cold hand, devoid of warmth, no life, and Vaikal was terrified.
His trembling eyes darted around for any hope of escape… he saw the Snow Yetis, the heavily clothed subordinates of Talulah in winter jackets watching in the background, one holding a recorder and the other was holding a pen and a notepad.
"W-What are you going to do to me?" Vaikal asked, his lips quivering. He wanted to escape by any means, even if he had to kill himself.
"You'll find out. Now…"
Vaikal felt something taking a hold of his mind.
"Tell me everything, everything you know that will put you and your faction at a crippling disadvantage, no, political collapse. Anything that we can use to destroy the world you see is correct, anything that comes to your mind without question."
Seeing that he did something to prevent him from killing himself and unable to control his own body. There was a possibility he would do something to someone else or anyone.
His mind began to cloud as he started speaking all of the sudden.
"W-We believe that the current corruption of Ursus is because the country has forgotten its true nature as a nation of war; because in time of peace, we have no common enemy to, and because we have no common enemy, we will fight each other."
Ursus was the last remaining Terran nation where all political power was centralized to the Emperor and nobility. However, the empire suffered from a severe political struggle between and within the nobility and military who were constantly fighting each other and trying to gain the Emperor's favor which has led to a negative view amongst its people.
Many noble factions within the empire wanted to bring Ursus back to the militarist path, believing that only war would strengthen the empire. Without a common enemy, many Ursine nobles began seeing each other as enemies.
The Great Rebellion was the prime example of that.
The old nobility, especially Grand Duke Vaikal saw the new nobles as a plague who only value business over imperial tradition, causing further strain on Ursus' already volatile internal politics.
While the new nobility saw the old nobles as too ultra-conservative and their old belief that the strength of the military of Ursus was bad for their business if they focused on the military sectors of the country. The old nobility continue to disrupt their hard work business and attempt to take their assets to feed their military ambitions.
The Emperor of Ursus enacted several internal reforms to the Ursus State Council which the new nobles supported despite some of them having questionable loyalty to the emperor and empire while the old nobles were opposed to it, seeing it as undermining the military strength of Ursus.
"His Majesty is being foolish of himself and likely got corrupted by these so-called new nobles. We believe that their existence is the main source of the corruption which led to Ursus military decline. That's why we tried to bring some of them down."
"...Excuse me?"
"His so-called reform is diminishing the military might of Ursus. Just because he opposes his predecessor's warmongering policies and the rampant corruption within this great empire. He also wants better treatment for the Infected. I can't believe what I'm hearing when he said that to the state council. Such absurdity!"
Death turned to the other two Snow Yetis.
"Are you getting this?"
"Yes, Commander Bones."
"I am writing this down, but I cannot believe my ears, Commander Skeleton."
Both Snow Yetis nodded frantically, the one holding the notepad scribbling with his pen fast. And they were using funny nicknames, most likely Frostnova's orders to Momonga's amusement.
Considering that he was bad at naming things.
He funnily remembered when he decided to name their guild as "Heteromorphic Zoo" in which all his guildmates laughed at his joke until he officially named their guild as Ainz Ooal Gown.
"...Your extremely, morally and logistically inefficient ideology aside…"
Honestly, Momonga was tempted to crush his face with his bare hand when he heard such moronic spiel, but his undead nature quelled the rage. Hell, he wanted to kill him on the spot if this Duke's value didn't skyrocket. Every word that came out of this man's mouth made him completely and utterly irredeemable, a monster so utterly in his delusions and removed from the terrible sufferings of reality that he believed that everything he did was for the people.
They were holding execution galleries! For fun!
At this rate, he would have to torture the other guy, this Viscount Kerque that was still gagged and bound on a chair beside the Grand Duke, watching the scene with eyes that spoke great fear.
"...Are you telling me that the current working government of this nation is actually on the side of the Infected and the people? And the reason why Ursus is going downhill is because of your ultra-conservative belief?"
"It's not only us, the people see the Infected as the enemies of Ursus. The late Duke Kashchey believed that humans by nature are violent creatures. He believed that by targeting all of Ursus' aggressions towards the Infected, we could move closer to our ideal dream."
"That name again… I asked Talulah about this Duke before. From what I heard, he is a monstrous black snake that spends the lives of Ursus like the money in his pocket and manipulates the country's affairs."
Momonga managed to coax some information from Talulah about her past. She was reluctant and very sensitive to it, but after two weeks of successful military raids and drastic reorganization of the Reunion movement, he received some information from Talulah's past.
Imagine his surprise that she was the niece of a wealthy mayor of a moving city who was actually a member of the Yan imperial family, then 'adopted' by a Ursine Duke who invaded Lungmen and threatened her relatives to make a hard choice.
Only to be raised as his personal heir and bloody assassin.
"Tell me everything about him from your perspective. I know that he raised Talulah to assassinate political opponents that might give the Duke trouble, but went too far."
Momonga wanted to know more about Duke Kashchey after hearing so much about him. He wouldn't bother Talulah for more information, it was nothing but bad memories of a bloody past she wished to cut off completely.
"Duke Kashchey was a member of the old guard aristocracy. He believes that conflict is the nature of Terra and the ends justify the means. Claiming himself to be the personification of Ursus, he 'loves' Ursus and its citizens whether they are nobles, peasants, Infected or not, and he strives to restore the empire's former glory no matter what it takes… But I found it unsettling despite him being absolutely patriotic to the empire…"
"Interesting… Unsettling how?" Momonga was starting to get more curious about him.
"He was creepily obsessed with Ursus like a mother not letting go of his child…I can't describe it with words… I can't comprehend what he said since I didn't continue the discussion… but in Duke Kashchey's opinion, all it matters is that war brings people together and they have no choice but to exert their utmost effort to survive. What remains in the end are the most valiant, powerful, intelligent, and wise ones."
Momonga rubbed his chin… he obtained a better picture of this Duke, obsessive almost on the level of fanaticism and horribly wasteful and misguided.
"...I believe that the man is someone who does not know how to communicate or connect with people, believing that it is better to cull than to nurture… Only he has no line to stop himself. That and he views people as disposable resources without even knowing it…" Momonga muttered to himself.
"Why is this man called the Deathless Black Snake, anyways? I am curious about that title. Talulah said the title stemmed from a folklore that he is an immortal being that cannot die, but she killed him, no?"
He asked because he wanted to confirm if Originium could allow second lives, resurrection and similar matters. Also, the possibility of some immortal beings that could counter his death spells.
"That… is a difficult question." The Grand Duke did not know why he was telling everything without deception. He could not hold the truth in, but in this case, he was more like confessing something he wanted to get out here.
"I… do not know much. He is part of a group of immortals called the Ageless. Beings that are said to be immune to age and death… Duke Kashchey has been around for hundreds of years, possibly during Ursus' glory days. We haven't seen him die once. But when we talked, there was a sense of fathomless age about him like he was as old as the land itself… We were surprised when Talulah killed him. We expected him to come back, but… she cremated his remains…"
So the rumors were a lie? Momonga needed to double-check just in case, a method of obtaining immortality was crucial for his survival.
"Intriguing analysis. On another note before we finish it off for today. Why bother with the black lotteries? Is there a valid reason why you will not resort to industrializing the mining process, relying solely on manual labor to harvest your infectious minerals?"
"Oh that's just for entertainment for our own leisure and amusement and nothing else. However, inside this mining are funds that were embezzled from the Ursus Treasury to fund our military strength without His Majesty and state council knowing. If His Majesty continues to enact internal reforms like closing the Infected mines… our hidden funds will be uncovered."
"...Funds?" Momonga asked as he heard something crucial.
Viscount Kerque screamed against the gag in his mouth, trying to scream some sense into his comrade most likely, but that was impossible, this one was too weak to resist his spells. The viscount was even squirming against his binds.
"Funds for our second rebellion against His Majesty and the state council as a last resort… Consider that some of us believe that it was too risky to openly rebel against the emperor until his imperial power was completely weakened and the people of Ursus see him as a tyrant. Once the people side with the military, we will attack."
The Snow Yeti scribbled faster at the mention of funds and the secret of rebellion, political revolution.
"I didn't know this…" The Snow Yeti holding the activated recorder muttered with shock.
"I think I understand why Skeleton keeps emphasising on lack of communication…" The one holding the notepad and pen agreed.
"Interesting… To think that the failure to communicate long distances would be this severe that we do not know the current political climate. I am amazed. Congratulations. I decided not to kill you. You will live for another day, my golden goose." Momonga clapped his bony hands in applause. "But not before I extract everything of worth out of you. We have so much to work on."
Momonga chuckled.
He originally intended to murder the Emperor of Ursus in his home, but this presented an opportunity he could exploit. It looks like the emperor wasn't a tyrant after all as he initially imagined. Not to mention, he was attempting to help the Infected and planning to close the mines for good.
There was hope for this nation after all, a light at the end of this tunnel.
But first, he must know every secret and trick these noble bastards have in their skulls. Now, to acquire details on their military and political machinations.