Dimension System - Chapter 79

Raul ordered the workers to move back and clear some room. Everyone stepped back to give Zanir some space. Using his abilities he began converting one of the nearby warehouses. After clearing out the ground floor he sealed off the entrance.

Releasing his ghouls into the lower room, he soon filled it up with a variety of the ravenous creatures. Safe from prying eyes, they could consume the raw materials and absorb them into his world.

The plan would work as long as the materials could be reassembled inside the space. All of the bulk materials coming in easily fit this category. The only remaining issue was his low number of ghouls. He had only created a few of them and needed more.

Luckily he had plenty of points due to all of the recent trading success. He took a quick review of the creatures that he had available. Finally, after making his decision, several fat flame hogs joined Goro and the rest of the ghouls.

Now that there were enough undead, he proceeded onto the second part of the plan. Distribution of materials! A gently sloping ramp was constructed, allowing the Rangers to dump material directly into the building.

Now all they had to do was push the materials down the ramp and his ghouls would take care of the rest. Emerging from the darkness below, he explained his idea to Raul and the nearby Rangers. Curiously, the workers pushed some material down the ramp.

Various cuts of wood and pieces of stone slid down the ramp, seeming to vanish into the darkness itself. It didn’t take long for the workers to establish a rhythm. Working in tandem they sent bags, boxes, crates, and raw materials down the ramp.

As the area cleared up his men started bringing in the wagons containing the Rangers ordered goods. Everyone was eager to see if the merchandise lived up to the rumors. As they uncovered the wagons they came to the moment of truth.

Everything was beyond expectation.

High quality clothing that was slash and stab resistant, footwear that was comfortable and even helped reduce noise, produce so vibrant that it looked fake at first glance, and beautiful weapons that were sturdier than anything previously seen.

Beyond that there were strange tools and devices as well. New ideas that had never been seen before, as well as new concepts that inspired the Rangers. Everything, from training and scouting, to map-making and missions would be impacted by these new changes.

Even Raul had to admire the weapons and armor. Having personally inspected the equipment and confirmed it’s high-quality construction. In fact, they would hard pressed to find anything stronger that was made of the same common materials.

In the midst of the inspection and unloading of goods, the sound of several horned instruments went off. Zanir had a sinking feeling in his stomach when he noticed it came from the entrance. It didn’t help that every single Ranger began moving towards the entrance.

Confused at what was happening, he looked over to see Raul ordering all nearby troops to gate. Looking over he motioned Zanir for follow him. He took the opportunity to explain the situation on the way.

“That alarm means an army is approaching the valley. We need to take up defensive positions right away. You need to get your men inside before anything happens.”

Fishing out the relay shell, Zanir communicated to his employees who were outside at the bazaar. It seems the army was discovered by a returning Ranger party and was still a ways off. He ordered his employees to pack up the tents and come inside.

Raul had been speaking to several other people on his own relay fish. He motioned Zanir to follow as they made their way over to gate. Arriving at the scene they split up to take care of their respective groups.

Now that he knew his employees were safe, he assisted in helping them pack quickly. Soon all of the tents, merchandise, and even employees were stored away into the spatial world. Using a telescope allowed him to survey the approaching army.

Rows upon rows of knights on horseback were steadily marching forward. The armor that they wore was extremely shiny and pristine. The uniform structure they marched in showed great discipline. It wasn’t difficult to guess who’s men these were.

Both ends of the column had flag-bearers who bore large regal looking flags. The bright purple color and crown symbol were restricted to members of the ruling class. Only kings could use such symbols freely.

“What in the hell is the Kingsguard doing here?”

A rider was sent out ahead to greet the incoming party. Soon the Ranger returned and reported to Raul. He quickly relayed the information to Zanir before returning to prepare his men. Apparently they were on an investigation into the disappearance of the local baron and tax collector.

He remembered absorbing those two after they had made an attempt of his parents’ lives. They were still working in his mine for now. He wasn’t sure how they found him but it was going to be difficult for them to really prove anything.

There were about 150 knights approaching, being lead by a large soldier in golden colored armor. Both his size and stature sold him out as the leader right away. Beside him was a blonde woman who couldn’t look anymore like a stereotypical mage.

She was wearing a long flowing blue robe that was covered in moons and stars. A matching pointy hat helped round out the magical ensemble. To top it all off she was carrying a huge staff that resembled a gnarled walking stick.

As the group approached the entrance gate, the leader and mage rode forward, calling out to Raul.

“Hail Ranger, we’re tracking the disappearance of kingdom employees. We have reason to believe that the culprit is in the area.”

“We’ll help in any way we can. Please come in so we can discuss this further.”

Motioning his men to open the gates, the knights were allowed into the valley. The leader thanked Raul and turned to the nearby mage. Instructing her to begin the tracking magic so that they could locate who was responsible.

Divination magic was rare and could track objects, places, and influences through time and space. As she begun chanting strange syllables and making hand gestures, arcane symbols flashed in and out of existence.

After calming down, she opened her eyes and turned directly at Zanir.

“That man knows something about the missing people.”

“Alright, let’s take him in.”

As the leader gave his order, he unsheathed his sword. A slight tension filled the air as the other knights also unsheathed their swords.

“Easy now, remember where you are lad.”

That tension racked up a notch as Raul responded, removing his sword from it’s sheath. More and more weapons could be heard as the nearby Rangers took their weapons out. The click of several crossbows being loaded up was also heard.

More and more Rangers were pouring out from the valley. Silhouettes could be seen on either side of the cliff as Rangers peered over with loaded crossbows. Twigs and sticks snapped behind the group, letting them know they’d also been surrounded.