CHAPTER 2: THE PLAN TO PACIFY HEMELIN

***The Chamber of Time…***

Contrary to when its guardian was not at war, the Chamber of the Lady of Time resembled a ‘battlefield’ than a proper ‘storage’ of spinning wheels that represented the timelines of the existing worlds. Its walls were broken, revealing the different dimension from which it existed. Some of the little rooms were barricaded, with piles of holy spells cast by the various gods and goddesses that defended the place. Bowls of fire also illuminated the area, since their dark enemies blended well with the dark blue enclosures and floors.

“…”

Yet, for all the tense battle fought over that small chamber, there were no corpses. The Void creatures that would raid the place would vanish after they were killed. Nevertheless, the damage they did was permanent. The Lady of Time lost several worlds earlier this way.

Time was left in her chamber, shield in one hand, and a drawn sword in the other. Her chamber was pretty peaceful, though she never removed the fortifications that helped her defend her precious spinning wheels. The other deities had left her for the meantime, resting after fighting against the hordes of Void monsters, and the High King of the Gods Himself went back to heaven, after ensuring the place was secure. The repairs of her chamber would be done by His angels, who seemed to be taking their sweet time appearing at her doorstep.

“…”

As such, the Lady of Time never let her guard down. While many of the Void creatures seemed to be mindless, a few were dangerously intelligent. The Seductress was one, and there were more being ‘born’ with the ‘evils’ seeping from the worlds she guarded. So, it would be prudent of her to ‘scan’ the area even when the High King already assured that it was already safe.

Time then cast her magic to look around. As it was her place for a long time now, she knew every nook and cranny inside, and her spells worked well within its environment. The places the Lady of Time checked were finished quickly, including the barricaded rooms. However, her gut feelings prompted her to cast another scan of the area; upon going over one of the barricaded rooms…

“!!!” A small miasma, about the size of a small toy marble, finally revealed itself approaching the spinning wheels. Time rushed to open the door, throwing her shield in the process, so she could pass through the defenses; one touch of that ‘thing,’ and a poor spinning wheel would be devoured. As she broke through the entrance, the miasma dodged her attack, showing it to be the ‘intelligent ones’ she feared. Time, using her sword’s blade, tried in vain to destroy the miasma, yet her throw missed.

“Argh!” Never giving up, the lady followed up by lunging at it herself. However, the miasma—taking advantage of its small size—simply moved away, and Time crashed through the spinning wheels.

With its enemy stunned, the miasma then dived at the spinning wheels and vanished. Still reeling from her miscalculated move, the Lady of Time quickly pushed away the wheels, looking for the world that was infected by that miasma. However, she slowly realized that it simply disappeared; with no trace of Void infection in any of those wheels that fell on her.

“…” Seeing the spinning wheel where Kuro’s ‘Chersea’ existed was inside that room as well, Time quickly moved it away—intending to keep it safe beside her, lest the miasma infect it.

----------

**Kuro**

In its heyday, the dwarf capital city of Hemelin was a bustling metropolis made of many nearby mountain peaks, which were made into the ‘districts’ controlled by the central administration led by an official assigned by the Church of the Golden Hammer. See, the society of the dwarves differed from the other races I mingled with in that, while Chersea, Cherwind, Cherwoods and the Demons were divided into several ‘self-governing’ entities almost akin to a state, the dwarves were ‘interconnected’ through their guilds. I mean, for example, the miners’ guild won’t be able to sustain their populations if not for other guilds supporting their needs via trade, and those guilds sending their products to the miners’ guild depended on the latter, as well as other guilds, for their citizens’ demands.

But of course, with the industrial capabilities of the dwarves, such system of ‘barter’ trade wouldn’t be sustainable in the long run. This was where the central government in Hemelin would come in. Led by the Church of the Golden Hammer, the central government’s officials gave directives on the product and raw material quotas, which they distributed to other guilds who needed them, ensuring a proper trade flow and a ‘maintained’ price on all services and goods.

Think of the dwarves as a people who established a near-communist society.

Yet, that system was destroyed when Seirna uttered a curse against Hemelin. What was even more damaging was that, it was an abrupt loss, so there was no time to ‘prepare’ on the consequences of her actions.

To be fair, I think all of us are surprised at what she did. While the event helped the Church of the Black God take a foothold in the land of the dwarves, it certainly hampered our efforts to minimize the ‘negative’ events to keep the Seductress weak.

“…”

Now, Hemelin was an ‘almost’ empty place. A shadow of its former self. High-rise buildings on the mountain peaks and sides were decrepit. Big factories that powered the dwarven economy were now full of cobwebs, and structures that were in danger of falling apart. Traffic lights swayed lifeless, swung by the powerful gales that blew through the city streets. The dwarven automobiles lie in the middle of roads, along with the cargoes, as the few survivors scoured for supplies.

The goods left by the previous inhabitants of Hemelin were plenty, and easily-accessible. If this happened in Chersea, we could feed the entire land for many days. However, I guess it was in the innate nature of the dwarves to hoard everything they laid their eyes on, and so competition ensued. The poor families were obviously no match for the armed and determined criminals, who moved to control the supply stashes and warehouses. But the former wouldn’t give up easily, so they’d try to fight back. The battles to gain access to food and other goods often destroyed the supply crates, creating an artificial shortage and more competition for the remaining goods.

So, the immediate solution by the dwarf cities, including Montserrant, was to send supplies to Hemelin. However, without a proper government, the goods they sent fell to whoever was strong enough to protect and keep those items to themselves and their allies…

…or through the Dwarf Saint’s Army of Stone.

The only sliver of civilization and order amidst the chaos could be found inside the four corners of the Grand Temple compound of the former Church of the Golden Hammer. Here, the life guards of the Dwarf Saint, the Army of Stone, had taken their residence, converting the holy building as their barracks and warehouse. According to the Lady Helgath, these dwarves would never leave the place—unless she would summon them, as the Grand Temple was technically the seat of the Dwarf Saint’s holy office; thus, this was an area they were duty-bound to protect.

However, though they ‘slept’ in stone for thousands of years, the dwarves of the Army of Stone were still mortals. And mortals needed food and water to survive, at least in this world and in mine. The economy of Hemelin was non-existent, and the supplies from sympathetic cities came at irregular schedules. With no one properly ruling in place, the Army of Stone formed an ‘unholy alliance’ with the criminal gangs that dominated Hemelin’s districts, so they could get food and their other needs. This arrangement gave a false sense of legitimacy for the leaders of the criminal gangs.

This is one of the problems Queen Paula wants to solve. For many dwarves, Hemelin was the ‘holy ground,’ something that was not easily replaced by Montserrant, and any other cities of Cherhom. The miner queen believed that for as long as the capital city was in the hands of unscrupulous people, the Church of the Black God would always be seen as an ‘usurping religion,’ and worse, an attempt of the other races to supplant the ‘prosperity’ brought forth by the Church of the Golden Hammer.

“…”

I agree to Queen Paula’s observation. The dwarves were extremely materialistic, and Hemelin for them was the symbol of their riches. Gaining control over it was necessary for me to claim legitimacy from the Church of the Golden Hammer, convincing its adherents that the latter’s mandate was already done. Not only that, the mighty factories of the capital city could contribute in advancing our cause, and replenish supplies throughout Cherhom, greatly expanding the influence of the Black God.

As the Lady Helgath says, the Church of the Golden Hammer gave the dwarves unprecedented riches. The Church of the Black God will ensure this prosperity will endure.

Besides, the matter at Hemelin was the easiest to solve in all the problems that arose in the aftermath of Montserrant-Hemelin conflict, with benefits I couldn’t ignore. But to do that, we had to find a friendly force powerful enough to contend against the various factions fighting over the capital city and its districts. So, we found ourselves back in the Grand Temple’s halls, as we negotiated with the captain of the Army of Stone, the Lady Lahg Ahri.

----------

Because of the prestigious command she held, Lady Ahri exerted considerable influence on everyone, in and around the area near the former Church of the Golden Hammer’s temple. With it, she kept peace with the gangs in the surrounding districts, creating a stable and orderly enclave that attracted the weaker survivors of Hemelin’s tragedy. Her army of determined and fanatical dwarves loyal to the Dwarf Saint ensured that no criminal would set foot inside the territory under their jurisdiction.

This is the reason the Lady Helgath left them there after they awakened. Hemelin would remain the holy city, and the efforts to rebuild it would begin inside the Grand Temple’s walls.

Nevertheless, the Dwarf Saint’s plan fell through even before it started. As the survivors settled in the area controlled by the Army of Stone, the demand for goods and services increased. The tenuous supply arrivals and the trade between Hemelin’s other districts weren’t enough to satisfy the needs of the population. Lady Ahri soon asked for help in dealing with the problem her forces faced.

However…

The room where we met with the leaders of the Army of Stone was the former throne room of the Golden Hammer. By then, it was converted into a ‘conference hall’ by its new owners, where they hung a huge painting of the Lady Helgath, flanked by two of her banners. However, even with the displays of reverence to her, I could still say that Lady Ahri was the one who controlled the tempo of the meeting.

“So let me just be clear. You wanted us to stop negotiating with the guild leaders in this city, and help you drive them away?” the dwarf captain asked, never bothering to hide her disbelief at our suggestion.

“Yes,” was the reply of her liege, the Lady Helgath herself. “First, these people are never members of any guild; as Her Holiness the Lady Seirna destroyed everyone in Hemelin, these people came from the lowest caves and caverns of Hemelin’s mountains to rule at what was left. While I have no qualms of this arrangement, their ways to consolidate their authority isn’t something I agree with. Call them for whatever they wanted to be called, but these are criminals.”

“I understand, milady,” the dwarf captain nodded. “However, as your saintly office is still about to recover from the heresy of the so-called ‘Church of the Golden Hammer,’ we still have to recover our strength. These ‘criminals’ you speak of are armed with the best weapons they looted in this place before we awakened. The peace you see right now is just held by the fact that these dwarves believed the saint we support will make a short work of them, should they decide to finally try to evict us. For now, our best option is to cooperate with these petty criminals, then overthrow them when we have the opportunity.”

“We will soon have that chance, Lady Ahri,” the Dwarf Saint declared, pointing to me.

“And he is?”

“My reign as the Dwarf Saint remain, though my authority is now subordinate under the Church of the Black God,” the Lady Helgath reiterated, throwing everyone’s attention to me. “This human is the Lord Kuro, the one who awakened us from our slumber beneath the caverns of Hemelin. And now, my allegiance is with him; he will be Cherhom’s future god, after the Lord Gaius.”

Tense silence then followed. Lady Ahri and her lieutenants stared at me, head to toe. I bet, just from looking at their faces, that they couldn’t believe a human like me would succeed their old god, and the master of their liege.

“Your Holiness,” the dwarf captain fiddled with her pen; she was uneasy. “Are you saying that another false religion has managed to cloud your eyes once more? This human, like the Lord Louis before him, is just toying with your fickle heart!”

Another awkward silence. Lily, Queen Paula and I were all shocked at the words of the Army of Stone’s captain. Certainly, we didn’t expect Lady Ahri’s familiarity with the Lady Helgath, and even more so, her knowledge about the saint and the Golden Hammer’s relationship that we didn’t know.

“A-Ahri…” the Dwarf Saint countered, though her red face told me that she was embarrassed. “Th-The Lord Louis loved me with all his heart, though because of the circumstances outside our control, it led to the sins of this land.”

“As your guardian and friend, I won’t allow you to be abused by another human!” Lady Ahri proclaimed, to which, Lily reacted. She pulled her gun, though Queen Paula was quick to stop her, lest the situation escalated out of our control. “I see that the friend of your human ‘friend’ is easily riled up, Your Holiness,” she taunted the Head Maid. “Such violent people.”

“Milady, I believe you’re jumping into conclusions,” Lily was indignant. “I won’t allow you to insult the Lord Kuro before me!”

Lady Ahri shot back, “If you claim that this human is so great, then why doesn’t he stand for himself? Surely, he has a mouth that we can see from here. Why stay silent at my words?”

Heh, the dwarf captain is really bent on discrediting me, huh? I guess the Lord Louis made a lasting negative impression on her for her distrust. I took hold of Lily’s hand, and squeezed it gently. At once, she knew that I was telling her to calm down, and let me take the lead. So, the Head Maid—outraged as she was—took the back seat.

“Lady Ahri, pardon my silence,” I began. “I just don’t think that responding to false allegations at this moment is proper.”

“Are you saying that our opinions don’t matter, human?”

“Not really, but I don’t intend to be rude while you speak. I will hear your accusations and respond to each one once I am given a chance.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Here’s your chance!”

The legendary bluntness of the dwarves was on full display, huh? Still, I’d choose the diplomatic route. “I guess we misunderstood each other, but let me begin by introducing myself. I am Kuro, known in Chersea as the Duke of Maverny, in Cherwind as the Eternal King, in the Demon Republic as the Special Lord Scholar, and in Cherwoods as the Great Adviser…also, I believe, as the next god after the Lord Gaius.”

“Such impressive titles won’t faze me, human,” Lady Ahri declared. “Let’s cut to the chase. What are you doing in our lands? The Lord Louis, another human before you, brought unprecedented prosperity to our people, yet his ways corrupted us. Now that we are awake once again, we’ve learned from our mistakes. We won’t allow you to corrupt us further.”

“What a coincidence,” I flashed my business smile. “We are thinking the same. I’m here to fix what has become wrong with the reign of the Golden Hammer, and to start with, I aim to bring back order to Hemelin. This is why we’re here; we’re asking for your help in removing the criminals that has ruled this place since the fall of the city.”

“I think you already know our answer to your proposal. We got to consider the circumstances of my forces, the people inside our territory, and the enemies lurking outside our borders.”

“Yes, and I won’t hold you responsible for that decision,” I replied. “It’s perfectly understandable for you to suspect my intentions, even though I didn’t ask to succeed the Lord Gaius in the first place. In any case, Cherhom is in chaos, and we plan to bring back the unity of your people; we will do it with, or without your help, milady. You can watch us on the sidelines.”

Lady Ahri said nothing, but from her face, I could tell she was provoked by my words, which I calculated to have the same effect before we came here. After all, the Lady Helgath gave me hints on how to gain the Army of Stone’s cooperation.

I stood up, followed by Lily, the Lady Helgath, and Queen Paula. “Thank you for your time, milady,” I bowed. “It’s just a pity that your liege would have to turn to other races to pacify her subjects.”

“Wait! I did not say we’re not going to cooperate! Are you twisting the situation to provoke us, Lord Kuro?”

“I am just stating the obvious, milady. I never twisted anything,” was my answer. “Besides, since you said you’ll have to consider other things, whatever and whoever would lend help to Her Holiness doesn’t concern you, because you already made up your decision, right?”

“Yes.”

“See you later, then.”

“Wait, Lord Kuro!”

“Is there anything you need from us, whom you’ve turned away?”

“Don’t twist my word, human!” Lady Ahri countered. “I may be suspicious of you, but the Lady Helgath is our liege, and my friend.”

“And so? What about it?”

“Bring back Hemelin under her authority.”

“What is this? Even without your demands, we will certainly do that.”

“N-No,” the dwarf captain turned to her lieutenants, and they all nodded in unison. “Bring back Hemelin under Her Holiness’ authority, and we will side with you.”

I said nothing to that condition she presented us. But, just to show that I understood her challenge, I replied with a nod, and left the conference room. Nevertheless, we were happy that Lady Ahri played just like how we expected her to. And now that we have the potential to ‘recruit’ the Army of Stone, we set our plans to pacify Hemelin in motion.

----------

The criminal gangs that ruled Hemelin were the violent ones out to avenge the alleged ‘injustice’ they suffered at the hands of the long-dead dwarves of the pre-conflict capital city. They were the social ‘rejects’ driven underground, just like the poorest dwarves, for their crimes were a blot in the ‘sanitized’ society of Hemelin, the ‘crown achievement’ of the dwarven civilization.

Of course, it was easy to solve this problem through a military solution. Gather the armies of Montserrant and their allies, then attack Hemelin and bring everyone under the authority of the Dwarf Saint. However, there were things I believe we should consider first before going to a military expedition.

First, the dwarf population was severely decimated by Seirna’s curse, as Hemelin and its surrounding districts had the bulk of Cherhom’s people. Going on the offensive and killing more dwarves would put the already unstable demographics of these people at risk. Second, another bloodbath was unnecessary, especially when the threat of the Seductress loomed. And third, while the ringleaders of these criminal gangs may be held responsible for the situation, many of their underlings were only forced to criminality because of the circumstances. Many of them would probably turn away from their current lives if given a chance.

And I plan not to become a god of punishment, but a god that rewards his people.

“…”

So, with the military solution being the last thing in our minds, we set out to return Hemelin to the Lady Helgath’s control through a series of plots. And nothing was more potent in setting up plots against criminal gangs other than their fellow criminals. Luckily, we knew someone who could match that…

“It’s quite strange that the leader of the Church of the Black God is coming to me to ask for my help,” was Albrecht’s greeting to me when I came to our rendezvous somewhere in the city of Temun. “Aren’t you worried that we might be seen together, and your religion discredited even before it spreads?”

“The situation demands that I act on the problem as soon as I can than let it linger,” I explained to him. “Besides, it’s not like we’re strangers; Lady Martelle can always bail you out, while I can defend my actions.”

“Heh, impressive as always,” Albrecht lit a cigarette. “Where’s Big Sis, anyway?”

“She’s…” The scene where the unconscious body of the golem named ‘Lady Martelle’ flashed through my mind, and it was difficult to create a lie when I knew that Albrecht’s ‘Big Sis’ was ‘sleeping’ deep beneath the caverns of Hemelin. “She’s back…in Montserrant, busy with things.”

“Alright then, what do you need from me?”

“It’s about Hemelin. Criminal gangs have taken over the place, and is creating hardships for the survivors. Can you do something about it? Like subdue everyone and force them under you?”

“You want me to take over the criminal activities in Hemelin?” Albrecht balked when I suggested him the idea. “Basically, you’re letting me—a petty criminal—to replace the hoodlums there?”

“Well, the concept I have in mind is to control them, and then destroy the gangs from within,” I added. “Yes, from the outside, it seems like you’re just replacing them. However, since you are ‘allied’ with us, you’ll have to destroy their operations.”

“Can’t you just gather your supporters and launch a military attack? You can remove everyone that stands your way in the shortest possible time.”

“We need many dwarves alive; with the destruction of the people of Hemelin, we can’t afford to kill people. Criminal or not, they will be useful for the subsequent rebuilding efforts, hence we are avoiding a military solution to the matter. And, Lady Martelle recommended you to me, so my guess is that you are an ‘expert’ enough to do something about this.”

Albrecht fell silent, obviously weighing on his options. Then, after a few moments of deep thought, the dwarf sighed and said, “It can be done, you know? However, you’re aware of how we talk; what is our compensation for this? Taking over the gangs of Hemelin is a difficult and dangerous task, see?”

“What do you want, then?”

“Money, of course. And the privilege of retiring to a comfortable life after everything is over. And don’t forget my dwarves; we’re all in this together because of our stupid circumstances, see?”

“Understood. But are you sure that’s all?”

“What are you implying?”

“Are you sure you don’t need a position in the future government of the city?”

“Milord, what are you taking me for?” the dwarf chuckled. “You know I’m a criminal, though you and I are acquainted through Big Sis. Even if we get along, I’m still someone who should be underground, rather than leading people. Government is something I don’t want, though the temptation for power and influence is there, I admit.”

I just gave him a long stare that Albrecht soon became awkward.

“W-What was that for?” he asked.

“Somehow, I’m impressed with you,” I admitted. “I think you’re more of an honorable person than those who claim they are honorable, including those ‘leaders; I have back in my land. In any case, consider our deal done.”

“Great. Now, about the operation itself…”

“What do you need?”

“Weapons, of course. Money, too.”

“It’s a given, but please minimize the killings if you can.”

“We’ll try. And also, I need people.”

“Aren’t you got a gang of your own?”

“Hemelin is a big city, milord,” Albrecht pulled out a map from his pockets and showed it to me. “From this map alone, you can tell how extensive the territory you’re asking us to control. We’ll need everyone you can spare me.”

“Even from other races?”

“Well, it will be nice if we have dwarves, but at this point, I don’t think I can choose.”

“Ashren’s group can help you,” I extended my hand for a shake. “So, do we have terms?”

Albrecht smiled and took my hand. “Yeah, I’ll take them.”

Well, that was one problem off my chest.

Author's Note: Hello again! Well, I just rewrote the ending for my novel series, and added a new volume between Book 19 and Book 20, which will become Book 21 after a few edits. This is the new Book 20, and I hope this gives a proper closure to Kuro's adventures in Cherhom. Thank you for dropping a visit!