Dimension System - Chapter 98

Crate after crate was set down in the staging area behind the troop lines. Though their contents were simply ordinary items transferred from the kingdom, each one was considered valuable and precious to the troops. A collapse in the supply line meant they’d be fighting without enough food, there wouldn’t be weapons and armor to replace damaged equipment, and a lack of medicine would turn ordinary infections into deadly consequences.

Conversely, having the majority of their supplies rushed in would have bolster the troops morale. The Iskarii camp was soon buzzing with chatter and rumors. Commanding officers barked out orders to their subordinates, hoping to capitalize on the surge of energy caused by the excitement. Snapping out of their minor stupor, the formerly shocked soldiers sprung into action, carrying the various crates’ contents to their respective destinations.

I watched as they rushed weapons and armor onto stands that had been placed under hastily erected tents. Food was consolidated to several temporary cooking stations that had been built on top of converted cart wagons. Emergency medication and basic potions were carefully gathered into specified tents that would soon be filled with the most heavily injured troops. The grim faced medical staff was thankful but maintained a stoic look.

Anyone who’d gone through, or even seen, a massive battle knew that the sheer amount of injured would easily be enough to fill the medical tents. It was inevitable that the beds would soon become occupied and the lesser injured troops would have to be piled in or around them. I supposed that the more veteran doctors and healers already knew the sad fact that, no matter how many beds were built, it would never be enough to safely house everyone.

When all the crates had been tallied and confirmed as received by the military attendant, he signed off on my receipt for the goods, that by now looked more like a small notebook than a page. He informed me that the general had humbly requested my presence. It wasn’t very surprising, given the size of my recent delivery. According to the attendant, he wanted to thank me personally for my contribution to the war effort.

Making my way to the center of the vast sea of tents, we finally reached a sturdier central tent that was fortified and raised above the others, giving it a commanders view of the nearby battlefield where the conflict would take place. The large soldiers guarding the front gave off the aura of elite troops, they bowed their heads in greeting and held open the entrance as we approached.

A large table dominated the sparsely decorated interior. Several soldiers in high quality armor bedecked with medals sat around the table which was filled with a large replica of the battlefield. An older warrior sat at the head of the table with his eyes closed. His brow was creased in concentration, as he listened to his senior commanders reports and summaries. The wizened old warrior must have seen many battles in his time, attested to by his greying facial hair that contained faint wisps of white.

Detecting our entrance into the tent, the general help up his hand while opening his eyes. The highly disciplined commanders quickly picked up on the nonverbal cue, halting their reports mid-sentence. Lowering his hand, the general rose from his seated position and called out to us. It wasn’t until he rose, that I noticed his chainmail armor differed from the others present, as it contained a strange blue coloration that shimmered oddly.

“You are the spatial mage who transferred our supplies?”

I answered the general’s direct question with a direct reply.

“Yes, I’ve got the receipt of transfer if proof is needed.”

His countenance softened slightly, in an almost imperceptible manner, as he replied.

“You may not know it but you’ve saved countless lives. The supply line is the heart of an army and you’ve given us valuable time to protect it. I, General Maximus, hereby declare that this young man be commended for his significant contribution to the war efforts. He is to be decorated with the Iskarii transport medal and shall be afforded the respect and accolades that it confers.”

One of the entrance guards was called in and soon returned with a simple wooden box. Upon opening, the box revealed a beautiful silver medallion that was finely etched with the Iskarii crest. The other side contained an image of cart that was overflowing with goods. Both sides had a phrase beneath the images that said ‘The bravery of some merchants cannot be measured, we are forever indebted to your sacrifice.’

Graciously, I accepted the honorary medal, pinning it to the front of my suit in a highly visible position. After the extremely short ceremony, the general apologized that he couldn’t continue our meeting.

“Forgive me for sending you off so quickly, I hope that this won’t affect our relationship. The main battle is set to take place tomorrow at dawn, so I’ve got to finish planning our strategy with my commanders. We’ve prepared a tent for you nearby. If you’re interested, we could use your services tomorrow to help retrieve the injured and deceased from the battlefield?”

I’d already been interested in observing the battle, so I agreed to the general’s proposition. Tomorrow, after the main conflict, I would assist the medical team with clearing the battlefield. Following my escort from the general’s tent, we reached a small private tent that had been setup for me to stay in. Before the guard left, I asked them more about the cleanup operation.

According to them, the injured and deceased troops needed to be gathered up after a battle, otherwise wild beasts and monsters from nearby would descend onto the already injured. If both sides didn’t move quickly, they’d risk suffering even more losses. With both sides slated to take heavy losses, I could make massive profits returning troops to each army.

That night passed uneventfully, without any surprise attacks. When dawn finally arrived, horns were sounded on both sides to wake the troops. A quick breakfast was prepared and issued to the troops, as massive formations started to take shape. Everything was slated for a massive battle to take place. This was easily the largest conflict that I’d seen since my arrival.

———————-

Another glorious sunrise greeted us, as we prepared to move on from the small town of Woodford and continue our journey. Winston, his employees, and even a few of the Tea House patrons had gathered at the edge of town to see us off. Everyone was thankful for the soil that I’d supplied, which would ensure that the supply of tea would not be affected by the impending war between empires.

We resumed our journey onward, riding the armored carriage through the winding and scenic road. With a large contingent of sun guard and converted bandits, we passed by several groups of bandits, who either remained hidden or voluntarily moved aside. Those who choose to let us pass amicably were rewarded with some of the sun guard’s rations. The dried and preserved food had lost it’s appeal, now that they’d been receiving plenty of fresh and amazing meals.

The last group we encountered had warned us of danger farther along the road. According to their scouts, a large group of orcs had set camp and were extracting a toll from passing merchant groups. After that, we didn’t encounter any more groups of bandits. Even the number of animals in the forest seemed to thin out, causing the guards to slow down our journey and take extra caution. A small group of scouts were sent out to locate the rumored orc camp ahead.

A half hour later, the scouts returned and informed us that there was no sign of the orc encampment yet. However, they did find the initial signs and marking of orc scouting parties in the forest, which confirmed their presence farther up the road. They also reported findings of a small meadow in the forest that they thought may be of interest to me. Devoid of any trees, the meadow was filled with a multitude of colored flowers and strange flying insects.

Proceeding in the direction that they’d reported, we soon entered the aforementioned clearing, which was indeed a tranquil meadow. Flowers of varying sizes, shapes, and colors filled the entire area. Large insects buzzed lazily between the various flowers and a sizable hive-like structure that was hanging from the trees at the edge of the meadow. I almost had to do a double-take when I looked closer at the strange bees!

Their size was the first thing I noticed, as they were easily as large as a grown man’s head. The second, more stunning, thing that I noticed was their distinct features. Their carapace was covered with scales that were deep purple in color, which went all the way up to their jaw-like protrusions. Two tiny arms, ending in miniature claws, were sometimes unfolded to manipulate the flowers they pollinated.

Cautiously, our group continued to observe these draconian-looking bees. After filling themselves with pollen, the creatures would fly back to their hive, occasionally spewing out tiny wisps of purple flames on their way back. After a few minutes, they would emerge from the hive, with the process repeating itself over again. I asked the men if they knew what these strange creatures were, as they certainly weren’t something I was familiar with.

“Does anyone know what those creatures are?”

Bishop Krenalis answered with his best guess.

“If I recall correctly, those are called Dragon Bees. They’re bees who’re rumored to descend from an ancient and forgotten lineage of dragons. Thankfully, they’re herbivores who use their fierce features to scare off other creatures. While the teeth and claws are vestigial, they are still capable of swarming any who stray too close to the nest.”

Ordering the group to stay behind, I moved slowly to approach one of the Dragon Bees on the outskirts of the meadow. Depending on their level of intelligence, I may be able to absorb them directly into the spatial world. I was still lacking a species that could help with pollination. When I got close enough, I brought out my holy dragon hand and watched the Dragon Bee for a reaction.

When the Dragon Bee noticed a large dragon-like figure appearing, it stopped extracting pollen and flew around the figure buzzing excitedly. Unexpectedly, it flew directly into the mouth and put up no resistance to the absorption process. After that, I retreated back to the group and checked the system prompt.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Dragon Bee

Type: Animal/Monster (Hybrid)

Rating: Level 4

Description: Dragon Bees are the result of a lustful dragon mating with a giant bee many millennia ago. Due to faint traces of draconian bloodline, they retain vestigial claws, a minor flame-breathing ability, and the ability to sense magical energy nearby. These herbivores are excellent pollinators, preferring pollen from flowers rich in magic energy, which they use to produce a magic-laden honey in their large hive-like homes.]

Ah, if they could sense magical energy, then it was no wonder the Dragon Bee reacted so strongly to my holy dragon hand. The algae used to project the image of a dragon was magical in nature and had been enhanced even further by the system. It would lure them in by tempting their senses. I was hesitant to take the entire swarm of Dragon Bees, not wanting to upset the ecological balance of this meadow.

I made my way towards the hive, under the cover of my holy dragon hand. The large queen emerged upon sensing it’s magical presence. After absorbing her and the rest of the bees, I was able to converse with them in a manner, using the system’s ability. The queen had a higher intellect and was capable of rough, primitive communication through thought.

Primal images and memories were conveyed to me. A sense of shock and anger, as the hive was destroyed by orcs. After that came a sense of loss and grief, with the swarm relocating to a nearby field. Through the remaining memories, I was able to piece together that the Dragon Bees had created this meadow over a few short weeks. It would be fine after they left and a few elder bees would stay behind to start their own swarm.

Relieved that there wouldn’t be any ecological complications, I absorbed a few samples of the various colorful flowers to take them with me. The Dragon Bees would pollinate them over time and bring beautiful meadows to life inside the spatial world. Just as I finished up, an orc scouting party entered the clearing and engaged our troops.

The sounds of open combat rang out as a battle begun.

———————-

With the Black Dagger pirates eliminated, it was open season on their base. Normally, the crew would be tearing the base apart and ransacking anything valuable. However, with my unique ability to absorb things, we were able to proceed with taking the entire fortified bay, fortress and all!

Per my orders, the former villagers dragged out anything that could be considered treasure. A few meager chests and trunks full of coins of various mintage, the contents of a sub-par armory, and even the larders were all raided. The villagers were surprised when I fairly distributed the gains we’d received. Most pirate captains were known for taking a large cut of the goods. Little did they know, I already had plenty of wealth via the system.

The corpses of the Black Dagger pirates were enough to fully staff two more galleons. All of the survivors, including the turncoat captain who led us here, were pressed into service. My crew and fleet had now grown to four galleons, an ocean liner, and several sloop ships for scouting. We spent the next two days feasting and absorbing their base of operations.

After adding the fortified cove to my growing collection of islands, we set sail once again. With a large and powerful fleet, we were free to head anywhere we pleased. My sloop ships had been sent out to scout the nearby area during the two days we’d spent absorbing the bay. Their reports had indicated an unexpected presence about a day away. A naval base had been constructed outside of a massive tide pool.

Ships were observed in the form of massive blockade, which prevented anyone from getting close to the large island containing the tide pool. Even more curious, was the fact that the base and it’s ships all bore the familiar flag of the Rangers. We set sail for the base at once, curious to find out more about the area they were protecting.

Evening arrived by the time we reached them. The approach of a large pirate fleet sent their base into high alert, as several ships maneuvered into a defensive formation. I couldn’t blame them for having a knee-jerk reaction, as pirates usually meant bad news. A small vessel was sent out as a messenger, to gauge our intentions and ascertain our identity.

Taking a small rowboat from the galleon, we approached while my fleet stayed back and dropped anchor. I could almost see the relief on the ranger’s face, when he noticed that we weren’t immediately hostile. After a few minutes, we were close enough to converse.

“Ahoy matey! This area is under the jurisdiction of the Rangers. The tide pool beyond is home to a fearsome beast who destroys any fleet that approaches.”

As I responded to the ranger, I retrieved the badge that I’d been given previously.

“Well met, good Ranger! Dread lord Devil Blackhand at your service. We’d like permission to come aboard the base?”

Upon witnessing the badge from headquarters, the ranger’s disposition immediately improved. He quickly agreed to escort us to the nearby base, which was constructed on a series of anchored platforms. We returned to the main galleon and gathered the rest of the fleet to head over.

The ranger was able to quickly explain the situation to his superiors, who cleared our ships to drop anchor at the docks. We were well-received due to the prestige of badge, with several high ranking officials welcoming us. After being directed to the main building, we met with the base commander.

He explained that the nearby island contained a tide pool containing an unknown beast. None of the scouts or ships who entered ever returned. Eventually, the Rangers had constructed a base around the area and blocked it off with ships. They’d hoped to prevent further loss and contain the mysterious creature. So far, it appeared to be working.

With their permission, I released a single emerald green crab to attempt to scout out the tide pool. Everything went fine as it approached the area. However, upon reaching the tide pool itself, a massive whirlpool emerged and sucked the crab inside. The last thing I’d sensed from the crab was an eerie child-like laughter. Then the connection was severed, as the crab was completely crushed.

While their shells were tough, the emerald green crabs specialized in speed, especially when underwater. Any creature that could generate such a fierce whirlpool was powerful and dangerous. Luckily, the Rangers had never had an instance of the creature leaving it’s lair. Whatever it was, it kept to itself and didn’t care much for travel.

Relaying the information I’d gleaned over to the Rangers, we decided to stay with them for the time being. I wanted to know more about this curious creature. If I could absorb it into system somehow, it would be a valuable addition. From what little information was available, they surmised that it lived in the recesses on the tidal pool.

Since the creature attacked with a whirlpool, I wanted to send something to scout from the island side. Any further attempts to approach from the water would probably end in disaster. The Rangers agreed to allow me to scout out the island tomorrow, warning me to stay cautious, as their previous scouts had also disappeared doing that.

Hopefully, the journey tomorrow would prove much more successful. In the meantime, I prepared a pot roast dinner with carrots, potatoes, and gravy. Cornbread and salad made the perfect accompaniments to round out a hearty meal. Cold beer and water were set out to wash it all down with.

I wondered what kind of monster I would face tomorrow as nodded off into slumber.