A Rattling Monster - Chapter 127：A Talking Blue Ball
After that, and since he was convinced that I won’t backstab them, he ordered me to deploy my spirits to different locations. Apparently, it is the probable tunnels that the ratmen will take to attack the Heart of the Mountain. He quickly explained the current situation, since I would have been lost in the future without that. The dwarf kingdom or the Grey Mountain Kingdom was composed of five huge mountains. Between those five, of course, there are some small peaks or summits, but they are not as developed as the five big mountains. The position of each mountain is a little weird. There is the center, the Heart of the Mountain. It cuts the kingdom in half. South-West, there is Deep Mountain and South-East, nearby the elven forest, there is the Gold Summit.
Fundamentally, before, some tunnels were created bypassing the capital and directly connecting the North and the South of the kingdom. But after the Portal War, everything was sealed, and except if those ratmen can dig more than 10 kilometers of destroyed tunnels, they won’t be able to join the northern side. And that’s if they find the right tunnel in the first place. It’s a true maze apparently, especially from the side of the Deep Mountain. It was the biggest mine, and it goes to some places that no living should have gone. There is something down there, that I a threat to everything, and that’s why no one is worried about that part. With some bad luck, the ratmen can even awake the thing sleeping in the deepest part of the mine, and that would be extremely good.
To the North of the capital, there is the Everlasting Peak. It is a thorn in the foot of the dwarves for a very long time. On top of it, live the Frost Wyverns and Frost Dragons, menacing to breach inside the mountain at any moment. But, they haven’t managed to do so and right now, they have slow down their assault. Thongril told me that it happened after I destroyed the ritual of Salazar, located in the Sand Empire. After that, the dragons stopped attacking the dwarves and retreated to their nest.
North of this peak infested with dragons, there is the final mountain. The Iron Wall. It was called like that because it is the fortress defending the dwarves from the orcs and goblins coming from the North. It is in a state of permanent war because a mine of mithril is located right outside of this mountain. Inside the territory of the orcs. Of course, they are too stupid to mine it without destroying it, but they have no problem raiding the miners coming and leaving. And the worst part, it is truly the highest quality of mithril, and it even looks endless. So, the Grey Mountain Kingdom had to fight for it for thousands of years.
After hearing all of this, I realize how prepared the dwarves are. The shape of an inverted Y is a huge help. They have already destroyed all the connections with the other mountains, leaving only one accessible. And, they have probably put so many defenses between the Deep Mountain and the Heart of the Mountain that the ratmen will have a hard time reaching the capital. And, with the support of my spirits, they can even know exactly which tunnels are infested with ratmen, and in which tunnels the ratmen are just baiting a reaction. But, after ordering the spirits to reach the position indicated by Thongril, I can’t help but think of a little problem.
-General Thongril, how my spirits are supposed to communicate with you?
I guess that he didn’t think about that. Because he is looking at me with surprised eyes. I guess he thought that since my spirits don’t have eyes but can see, they can talk without a mouth. And that’s true, but that’s telepathically with me. That gives me an idea, number one try to speak to Thongril. With your mind only. I watch the situation, but Thongril is still thinking. Number one, you said what?
-I am trying to speak to you because my master ordered it. Was it good enough, master?
Yes, very good. But he didn’t react at all, I guess that’s not working. I should propose something.
-General Thongril, my wraith tried to talk with you in a mental conversation, did you hear anything strange, sleek?
He looks at me like I am telling him something new, he definitely didn’t hear anything.
-No, ghost Sleek. I didn’t hear anything, are you saying that your undead talk with you with their minds? Damn, that could have been great. Allowing your spirits to directly transmit the news to the commandant nearby. Besides that, do you have anything that can allow us to hear what your spirits are saying? Because, if you are the only one hearing them, the news will be too slow to reach the frontline.
Well, I have something, but I don’t have any idea if you are going to like it. I think that you will hate it, I don’t want to say that.
-There is a way. But, it will be a little strange to ask you that, sleek.
-Just tell me, if it is only strange. What can it possibly be?
-Make one of my wraiths follow you.
Yes, he is definitely not enjoying this. Just the look on his face, he is looking at me as if I was saying that I will slaughter his wife. I know it is unusual, and a little weird. But that’s the only way, I know that number one is capable of talking directly to him. And I know that my spirits and my undead are all capable of exchanging information. So, having the grim reaper follow the dwarf general is the only way.
-Just let me explain it. You see, my wraiths are capable of talking to you directly, with their own voices. For example, number one, sleek. Say hello to the dwarf.
-Greetings, master dwarf.
-You see, you heard it right, sleek?
-Yes, ghost. I heard something talking to me, and it was coming from that wraith over there. And you are saying that they can transmit the information that your spirits have? Why didn’t you directly create a spirit capable of that?
-Because I …
Why haven’t I done that?
(Because you didn’t need to. You were all alone, or just with me, but we both didn’t need the spirits to talk. I suggest that you start saying irrelevant things, to excuse yourself. Because, the way I see it, that dwarf can think about two things. One, you truly didn’t create a spirit capable of talking, that’s possible. He was greatly surprised when he first saw one, and you can say that you concentrated so much on his invisibility, that you neglected a lot of things. It’s very close to the truth anyway. The other way of seeing this, is you, trying to implant an assassin near a very important member of the dwarf army. And that will certainly meet the king or many other generals. After seeing your spirits, he knows that he can’t expect you to not spy on him. But your wraith? That’s a killer, not a spy.)
I see I should create a spirit just for talking to him. I suppose I can’t let my wraith follow him, even under the ground. That makes sense, we are just temporary allies, not true friends. I can’t expect him to trust me like that.
-Ok, general, give me a second, sleek.
After saying this, I begin to think of a spirit similar as the previous one, but capable of talking. I have enough mana to do this small invocation, and I realize that the cost was barely five additional mana. I guess that the System doesn’t really care about talking like a normal person and talking mentally. Now, another blue ball is floating around us, and I order it to say hello to the dwarf.
-BIBIBIBI BO BIP! BIBIBI BOP BIBIP BIBOP!
I and Thongril both look into each other eyes, and I see some disappointment. Seriously, blue ball, can you just talk normally. Number one, give him a quick course about language. I raise my hands in the international, and probably interplanetary, sign of wait a minute. Shortly after, I hear number one saying that the talking ball is ready once more. I ask him the same request, to see if he had learned something.
-Greetings master dwarf.
Yes, that’s working. Thongril sight, probably happy that he doesn’t have to travel with a menacing wraith behind him. And the newly created spirit is as transparent as the previous one. So that resolves the information problems and everything related. Now, the dwarves will have a better vision of the position of the ratmen, and they will need to thank who? ME! Now, I just want to talk about something else.
-General Thongril, about my army of undead? Can I create it? What do you really need?
