Chapter 57: Fort of Sins and Virtues (Volas)

The walls of the Dragon Fort are covered in religious iconography. The symbols and faces of our Gods holding onto their shields, showing the world that this is a holy place. That none, except for those of the church, shall enter. With the words of the Empress, and an entourage of my own Pretorian Guard. I think it is safe to say that I can enter.
Lighting cannons point towards me as we get into view. The Pretorian Guards on the wall shout for us to halt, which we all humbly obey. This is still holy ground, and I dare not disrespect the faith. Nor is dying on my to-do list.
‘With the permission of the Empress herself. I have the right of passage!’ I announce as I hop out of my cart with the scroll of permission. ‘As General of the Army, I require the assistance of the Pretorian Guard, the Custodians of For Sinda. To comply with me during my stay.’
The senior guard approaches the wall. His silver armour with a golden insignia of a thilic eagle on his chest plate glares at me, only to have his expression soften when he notices the four Pretorian Guard escorting me.
‘And what purpose will that be?’ He says in a raspy, empowering voice.
I wave for him to come down. ‘The scroll will tell you everything you need to know. I do not wish to shout what is confidential.’
My reply is simple, but my tone conveys everything he needs to know. This isn’t a routine or casual exception. The soldiers escorting me are proof of that, but the secrecy shows that this is serious.
The senior guard heads down from the wall after ordering the gates to be opened so he can meet me in person. I hand him the scroll, and he scrutinises every word of the document to prove its authenticity. Though he is quiet, he mumbles treason under his breath with a hateful and bitter tone. Satisfied, he nods and hands me the scroll.
‘General Regali, I am Cardinal Debious. I will assist you with the apprehension and the detention of the crew of the Dragon Fleet and its leadership.’
‘I don’t want to disrespect our Gods, Debious.’ I say to him as I signal Huson and the Sergeant of the contingent to approach me. ‘My soldiers will be under your and your men’s command to assist with rounding up and detaining the crews of the fleet. Once the investigation is concluded, my soldiers will gladly assist with any cleanup duties. Or if necessary, assist with the defence of this holy fort.’
He frowns, his lips distort like he is uncomfortable with the idea. Yet, he doesn’t protest or object. With a simple nod, he heads back into the fort to relay his orders to arrest every crew member of the Dragon Fleet. The Sergeant orders my soldiers to assist with the guard. In truth, I know they are not necessary. I just want to rub it in to show that traitor that he has lost control and will need to answer for his crimes.
The inside of the fort isn’t as impressive as the walls. Strangely, the layout reminds me of Fort Phirehammer when I did basic training. The Dragon Fleet is the military arm of the church. I suspect them to have better quarters than basic wooden shacks, tents, and outhouses. Yet they look no different from the common infantry soldier that serves the flag of our Empire.
‘This place looks impressive.’ Huson chimes in as he walks beside me. ‘But something isn’t right about this place? I thought there would be more crew members of the fleet.’
Yeah, he is right. That is odd. Perhaps more are inside the vaults, but from a glance, they seem understaffed.
‘Let’s focus on the investigation. I want to make sure Wayne isn’t holding back any resources.’
Wayan isn’t hard to find. His voice is recognisable from his shouting and bursts of insults at the Pretorian Guard arresting everyone under his command. I bite my lip, doing everything in my power to hold back a smile. Asshole is going to get what he deserves.
Wayne notices me, his face turns red with rage at the sight of my black armour. ‘General Regali, I demand…’
‘You will demand nothing, Dragon Master.’ I cut him off. ‘You are under investigation for suspicion of treason for not supplying the Empire with the resources to fight the war against the Dogs. Everything you say will be used against you under the court of law, and refusal to cooperate will be proof that you are against the Empire’s interests.’ I let my words sink in. I want him to understand everything I say. ‘Do you understand the consequences?’
He wants to punch me. His knuckles crack as each hand forms a fist. Yet no matter what, he can’t lay a finger on me. All that idiot will do is just follow my orders, like a good lapdog.
With a sigh, he nods, his hands unclenching as he accepts defeat. ‘I understand.’ He mumbles.
Good. Now all I need to do is just walk into the fort, look at the fleet, and declare him a traitor. Nothing more than standard procedure, but I can’t deny that I am excited to walk inside. To walk in the halls, to step foot in the gift our Gods gave us that brought peace to the world. No, I need to contain my excitement for now. I should focus on the task at hand.
‘Warrant Officer Huson. I want you to secure the area while I inspect the fort. Our presence weakened the defences of this facility, so I want some soldiers to man the walls and the Outriders to patrol the perimeter.’
Huson salutes me before walking off to relay my orders.
‘Debious,’ I turn to face the old praetorian guard. ‘I like to enter the fort, please.’
He slams his left fist onto his chest plate, their version of a salute, before he ushers me and Wayne to the entrance of the fort with five Pretorian Guards. There is no need to exchange words.
The entrance of the fort is a colossal black iron door built into the side of a cliff face. Smooth and void of art. It has no handle or opening mechanism from the outside. From where I am standing, it is as tall as three two-story houses tacked onto each other and as wide as five houses.
One of the guards heads inside a shed next to the door. The shed’s design makes it stick out of place compared to something ancient from a bygone era. After a few seconds of what I assume is prayer, the great black iron door hisses and shutters. With an ear-piercing screech and scraping of metal, heavy machinery clanks and buckles as it moves. It is clear that the door needs proper care after over a thousand years of neglect. Yet it still pushes on, serving its rightful owners and global custodians. I have to fight against the urge to cover my ears as the door slides open. With a bang, the doors clunk into place when it is fully open.
The entrance looks… empty? I remember reading in my old history textbook about when we first found the fort and opened the doors. Our people were welcomed with the sight of weapons that can slay dragons. Yet here I stand. The only welcome I am granted is how deep the tunnel goes. A dark pit that has been untouched for so long.
Debious lectures us about how holy the place is and how we should all respect the Gods that have given us before kneeling in front of the entrance to pray. I didn’t pay attention to him, my mind racing and wondering where the rest of the fleet is. I know some are overseas defending our colonies, and some were destroyed over the years, but where are the rest? What happened to them?
The moment we set foot inside, the entire tunnel lights up as blue magical flames burn to life. Illuminating our way with a haunting glow of a dead world. I always dream of being inside places like this, to admire the beauty of the Forgotten Era. However, this feels empty, depressing even.
Throughout my childhood, my mind wandered about what the Dragon Fort held, what secrets survived after the Collapse. But with every footstep echoing through the tunnel acts as a reminder of what this place is. It is a wound of a dead world. One empty and forgotten.
With every step, with no sight of an airship. My heart sinks. There are airships broken down and stripped for spare parts, but none that are docked and even remotely ready for combat. Metres into the underground tunnel, and there is nothing. Like this place is ransacked of everything valuable. I turn to glance at Wayne to him smirking.
I fucked up… and he knows it.
Shit! This is a disaster waiting to happen. Not only did I accuse him of treason without basis, but now I have given him the means to make him argue that I am incompetent for the role of General. Damn it! I know he will do it. I just know he will do everything to make me lose my position.
Okay, I need to think of something. Gods, I need to think of something fast! I can’t argue to the council about my innocence, and I doubt the Empress will support me after I have been proven wrong. Since this also involves a sacred place, he and the church can argue that I have desecrated this holy fort. He has too much political pull for me to go against, which leaves me with one option. He needs to die.
It makes sense. I can still hold him in my custody. I will take him outside of the fort and make it look like he attacked me, which forces me to act in self-defence, which leads to his death. It isn’t the most foolproof plan, but it is all I have at the moment. If I can’t prove he is a traitor, I can find a way to make him at least look guilty.
At the end of the tunnel is another black iron door. Three times smaller than the one at the entrance, but still an impressive size. ‘Open the door.’ I demand. Deep down, I pray there is something behind the door that the Empire can use.
‘Go ahead, General.’ Wayne chimes in.
What? Is he trying to waste my time, make me look more like an idiot? ‘Open the door.’ I ordered again. Debious nods and proceeds to a strange metal table at one end.
On it is a black glass that shines and glows with symbols once he presses a red square thing at the centre, making an odd clicking sound. The door opening is smooth, gliding open like it wants to reveal to me the truth inside.
Zzip!
Bright light hundreds of metres above illuminates the vast room, and the ship, one single airship. My face turns white at the sight of it, the sheer size of it. The airships in the Dragon Fleet are the same size as a typical corvette. But this… this thing. It is the size of an entire fort.
This behemoth is star-shaped, each point having multiple weapons attached to every end. A massive weapon, similar to the Concussion Cannon, sits at the bottom of the air fort. It has to be the length of an entire street! I dread to imagine what damage that thing can inflict. Yet, its most striking feature is the name proudly displayed on the outer hall. “Yagamire”.
‘Where are the airships? Where is the Dragon Fleet?’ I face Wayne, furious at what I have witnessed.
He cracks a smile and chuckles to himself. ‘What do you mean? This is the Dragon Fleet.’
‘We should have hundreds of ships under our command. We should be battle-ready and capable of defending our island. Not… that!’ I point at the Yagamire. The more I look at it, the more I hate it. It must require a thousand crew members to even operate that thing. Dear Gods, what is that thing? I know the Dragon Fleet can decimate towns and annihilate armies. But that thing, the Yagamire, is a weapon of genocide! It must be made to destroy entire cities.
Wayne shrugs at my response. ‘Destroyed, gone, or on the other side of the world defending our territories.’
‘They don’t matter if they are needed here!’
Wayne scoffs, like he is talking down to a child. ‘Volas, you idiot. That isn’t how things work.’ He takes a step towards me while he firmly puts his hands in his pockets. ‘The fleet, our great weapons. I am the reason we even have an Empire. I am the only one keeping our colonies in line and making sure our enemies don’t even think about setting foot on our lands without permission. One airship can deter a conflict from breaking out and prevent an all-out war. It is also the reason why our world has endured centuries of peace.’ Wayne turns to the Pretorian Guard and laughs to himself. ‘But no, the young General wants more! He wants to weaken our Empire even further so his inadequate army can fight some slaves. How pathetic.’
‘You and I both know they are not just slaves. Not when they took down one of our airships.’
‘My airship,’ Wayne corrects me. ‘And even more of a reason to not give you any. We can’t lose our ace in the hole for a vague notion of victory over a petty war. You will only weaken us.’
‘Don’t tell me you will allow our island to die just so our colonies can survive?’
‘I am willing to keep our Empire alive! You have those colonists as your personal guard; you should know they are important to our survival. But you should also know that those fools will break free from our benevolent control once they sense weakness or they figure out that we don’t have the means to defend them. The fleet is needed elsewhere so we can show the world we have everything under control.’
I frown, deep down, he is correct. We do need a way to show the world that we are capable and that our colonies are still under our protection.
‘But here you are,’ Wayne mocks, shaking his head in sheer disappointment. ‘Wanting to prove treason when there aren’t any. The Empress should’ve executed you when you returned to the capital. Instead, I have to deal with a moron who is willing to change our Empire and make it weaker for short-term gains.’ He walks past me, gesturing to the Pretorian Guards that it is time to leave. ‘See you back at the capital, General Regali. I’ll put you on trial for conspiracy and laying eyes on our national secret without the proper authorisation of the church. I hope to see you hang for it.’
‘Halt!’ I shout before he heads off. ‘You are still under investigation, Dragon Master Wayne. I will bring you back to the capital in chains.’
‘That won’t be necessary…’
‘I am afraid it will be.’ I gesture to the Yagamire. ‘You have followed my instructions and encouraged me to open the doors to this super weapon without trying to stop me or warn me of the consequences. As the Dragon Master, you know what is behind that door. Instead, you allowed me to lay eyes on what is holy and what should be kept secret even from me, the General of her Empire’s Army. Not just making you a traitor, but also proving yourself unfit for duty.’ I turn to Debious. ‘Cardinal, have you witnessed this treasonous act? And did you hear him warn me of the consequences?’
Debious nods. ‘Aye, General Regali, I lay witness and did not see him do what was expected of him.’ There is no doubt that he is aware of the Yagamire, or the consequences of my seeing what is inside. ‘What do you wish for me to do with him?’
‘Whatever you think is befitting of his crime, Cardinal.’ I respond with a wide smile, enjoying the sight of Wayne’s frustrated expression. Thank the Gods I don’t have to kill him, keeping him alive is better than senseless killing.
I’m aware I lack the means to play politics, but I am not stupid enough to fall for a simple trick and…
‘Understood.’ Debious responds before pulling out a curved stick from his pocket with a blade no bigger than my thumb at the end of it. In a flash, the side of Wayne’s head melts into a pool of blood as light shoots out of the small blade.
I jump back, gasping as Wayne’s body crashes to the ground with a loud thud. My hands shake, my body rigid as Debious walks over to Wayne’s corpse and shoots him again with his light dagger. A handheld version of a light spear.
Panting erratically, my eyes widen in terror as Debious gestures for the other guards to clean up the mess before he approaches me, resting his hand on my back as he escorts me out of the area.
‘Good thinking, I didn’t expect you to point that out.’
‘What… why did you do that?’ I stutter, still recovering from Wayne’s sudden execution.
‘You have pointed out that he is a traitor. You tell me what I should do with him and thus choose that he should be killed on the spot.’
‘He should have a trial!’
Debious shakes his head. ‘No, General. He doesn’t deserve one.’
I gulp as we stop in the middle of the tunnel. I eye his hand still gripping the light dagger.
‘What about me?’
‘You head back to the capital and report what happened. I will relay the message that the Dragon Master is dead, and a new one will be chosen by the church with the Empress’ oversight. Not by the war committee.’ He puts his light dagger away as he takes a step towards me. My back stiffens as he walks up to me. ‘You will have the Dragon Fleet to aid you. They will come here to retake our island. The Fleet will return home. Though it will take time before they arrive, I will ensure that the spare weaponry under the fleet’s command will suffice for now.’
I frown. There is something more that I don’t know. ‘What about the colonies?’
Debious adverts his eyes away from me, thinking of an appropriate answer or one that is acceptable. ‘The world is changing. We need them here more than ever. He is right, the Empire needs the fleet to survive into the future. But I don’t believe the world needs our Empire.’
No… oh no.
He must be working alongside the Inspectors. This has to be one of their plans, some sort of scheme to bring the fleet here. They used me! They tricked me into doing their bidding!
‘Come, I think you should know something.’ He gestures to me to follow him. ‘I know that face, the realisation. I just want to tell you on behalf of everyone that you are doing everything to help our people. Do not take this the wrong way, our interests are aligned, not opposed.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Let’s just say we both want what is best for this island and the people on it. Regardless of the sanctity of the Empire’s hegemony over the world.’ Debious takes a deep breath before he continues. ‘Don’t take offence, we couldn’t tell you our goals with this place before you arrive.’
I stop in my tracks, my gaze glued on the Pretorian Guard. His stance, the way he walks. He doesn’t carry a certain grace like he should. Each step looks heavy, like the armour weighs him down when he should be able to wear it like it is a second layer of skin. How did he manage to fool the other guards?
‘You’re not Debious.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘A warrior of the church doesn’t have plans with a place as holy as this. They only want to protect our relics and artefacts from the Forgotten Era.’ I reply, not wanting to reveal my reasoning in case I encounter more of them in the future.
The man looks at me and smiles, like he is intrigued that I can see through his facade. ‘A keen eye deserves the greatest of fortunes.’ He quotes our holy textbooks. Referring to when Rinda reveals herself to the prophet Ulain. He is telling me that he is impressed with my observation, and I believe he might personally take part in the war somehow. Other than that, I cannot tell.
Besides continuing, we both walk out of the fortress in silence. I will have the Dragon Fleet to fight in this war. But at what costs? What will the Inspectors do with this place?
What happened to the original Debious?