Suddenly the marching noises stop.
A voice shouts,
"ON BEHALF OF THE SANDY AS FUK DUNGEON CITY, WE, THE MIGHTY STATE OF GEROMICA, HAVE COME TO ASSIST THEM WITH THEIR DUNGEON FLOOD. IN RETURN WE SHALL ACQUIRE THE CARCASSES OF MONSTERS FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED DUNGEON FLOOD. IF YOU ACCEPT, OPEN THE GATES. THERE SHALL BE NO COMPROMISE. TO ACCEPT OR NOT, YOU HAVE 6 HOURS TO DECIDE."
"It's Sandiasfulk, you ignoramus!", someone shouts,
and shortly after, a 'BANG!' can be heard.
Huh? They have guns in this world?
While wondering how they had guns but not mechanical plumbing, some muttering can be heard coming from the crowd.
"Why have they come after us? Isn't what we supply them enough?"
As the crowd facing us parts to reveal an old man, a mane of white hair and wrinkles adorns his head. He wears colourful long robes as per the local fashion.
"Are you hostile?", his tired voice says.
"Us? No, of course not. In fact, we have come to discuss a potentially, very profitable deal. Profitable not just for us, but this whole region as well.", I quickly replied, wanting to get rid of this misunderstanding as soon as possible.
"Oh? Profitable? Go on.", the old man's eyes gleam at the mention of money. Though at the start, he seemed rather distracted and terrified but now that the conversation had shifted into his field of expertise, he became visibly less tense.
"Sure. But first, take me to your leader."1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_me_to_your_leader_(phrase), I replied, not trusting a middleman to not rip us off.
"Oh, but I am the leader of this Dungeon City.", replied the old man, the wrinkles on his face shifted, communicating slight mirth at the misunderstanding.
He seems to be proud of the position he holds.
"In that case, firstly. As you can see, we have these spider-human hybrids totally under control, so you can ease your guards. This is not a dungeon flood. And secondly, they wish to be allowed to provide services and sell their wares. These, we shall discuss in detail later. As right now I doubt telling the army camped outside the city to 'shove off' is a good idea."
"Hmmm... Understood. However, how can we take your word that they are not going to attack?", the old man now seems suspicious, though relieved at the same time.
"We have a psychic as a teammate, she is able to communicate with the spiders and hence, how we have come to an agreement.", I said, thinking that it is not a good idea to reveal she is their Queen.
"Very well, we shall trust you, for now. Please request your horde of spiders to return from whence they came till the details of this deal have been sorted out. We shall discuss the details at my office in the city hall after these harrowing 6 hours are over." replies the old man, looking relieved that the matter with us has been settled peacefully.
"Noted. We look forward to working with you.", I say, with a pleasant smile while gladly ending the negotiations.
While the elderly man went off somewhere, I presume to diplomatically diffuse the situation, it allowed us the time to introduce the city to Inumi, as well as get her some clothes.
"And this here is a potaetwo. Have you seen this? It is probably the most versatile vegetable ever discovered, able to blend in with any other ingredient, or if you decided to, make it the star of the meal.", I said as I described what the potaetwo is capable of to Inumi, who has never seen or tasted any fresh produce since birth.
"What an odd name, Potaetwo, Twotaepo2Reference: Inugami Korone, hotate, tetaho, https://youtu.be/kWPQyCIKTtk", she remarks, rolling the word around her tongue, while attentively listening.
While sitting around the table eating lunch, we were discussing the merits of introducing tomaetwos into a dish, with me trying to convince the rest of my party on why, unless it's in a pizza, it is an abomination. With Yuki, sitting opposite me, firing back stating, "sliced tomaetwos in eggus are a perfectly valid and delicious dish.". Zanko was shivering while eating, afraid of being dragged into the conflict. And Inumi sat on the last available seat of our square wooden table, contently eating her food with a cute smile, ignoring the brewing epicurean war between me and Yuki, as she did not have the necessary qualifications to join.
Suddenly, a loud 'BANG' can be heard, and a short while later, the bell at the centre of the city chimes 4 times, each time with a resounding 'DONG!'.
With each 'DONG', the atmosphere of, not only the eatery we are in but in the street as well, tenses up noticeably.
At the fourth 'DONG', the city erupts into panic.
Of course, with us just arriving, we had no clue what the chimes signalled.
And as any person would do in a time of need,
I beseech God for answers, and as expected of a knowledgable higher entity, he replied vaguely.
Dear God, what is with this madness?
"Oh? Dost thou only consult me in thine time of greatest need? How uncouth. Regardless, being the forgiving being I am, I suppose I shalt tell thee... What were we talking about again?"
The reason for the city erupting in panic?
"Ah, yes. The negotiator3https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ah-yes-the-negotiator. The negotiations were short4https://me.me/embed/i/f51f5f669fac4a9b9c4f3cc7c87e9202. Or rather, the negotiator was shot."
Huh? Isn't shooting a diplomat a war crime of some sort? Are they provoking a war with not only the Sandiasfulk Dungeon city, but the spider hybrids?
"Who knows what goes on in the minds of thy mortals and thine petty politics.", said God, sounding rather dismissive.
Ah great. Good talk. Thanks for the heads-up. Got to prepare for war now.
As God's prequel quoting as an explanation is beyond inadequate, we rush to the city hall, hoping to look for the elderly man to explain the scenario. On the way there, it can clearly be seen that the city has been thrown into chaos by whatever the bells signified. People were running everywhere, not caring if they stomped over their fellow citizens. Shops were either closed or spilling with desperate customers.
Reaching the city hall, we barged into the old man's office, demanding answers, hoping to receive a thorough explanation for the incident.
"The diplomat was shot." says the old man, with the comedic timing and delivery of a professional deadpan comedian.
"Souka. I see."5Meme: https://youtu.be/EIhPh2kCGMk... wait no I don't. I was just given a 4-word response to a problem that likely has extremely large political implications, considering how a state had attacked a city.
Replying with an equally deadpan and unamused face, I said, "Care to elaborate?"
"Oh right, you all came from afar right? I forgot adventurers are always roaming around, the only ones that do settle down are the old, the infirmed and the amputated. You know, back in my days...", said the old man as his eyes seemed to wander off into his past.
"Ahm. The circumstances of your city?", I said, dragging the old man's attention back to the present.
"Ah yes, the city was built by adventurers, for adventurers, in a desert no nation was willing to claim. And our only and closest neighbour is the state of Geromica, the country leading in magical technology or magitech. As a result of their constant development, they need many specialised materials and parts, and to make most of the parts and materials, require the spider oil that our city provides them. Though, due to the nature of its production, we sell it at limited quantities and at high prices. These problems, we hope to solve with your help. And while we tried to explain the situation to Geromica, they seem to not want to listen, going as far as to shoot our diplomat.", the elderly man says, shaking his head in disappointment, while slightly winded from his long explanation.
"A city independent of any stronger forces was always bound to be invaded. Was there no contingency prepared for this eventuality?", asked Yuki.
"There was. Geromica was our contingency. We even have a deal with them, calling for their army for aid during troubling times, and in return, they receive a discount in the oil we provide them. They have always been fast friends with us... there was no indication of betrayal. I wonder what caused the sudden change?...", pondered the old man, sounding slightly bitter.
"Whatever the case, we can only choose to fight. The spiders and the army of Geromica fighting in this city would no doubt result in casualties. And since the spiders would no doubt not want to leave, knowing the result is most likely slavery or death, the only option is to keep the army out of the city." I replied.
"Not saying that it is unappreciated, but, why are you interfering?" asked the old man
"Ahm... I, uh, sort of glossed over a point when introducing our party... She... is sort of their Queen..." I said, reintroducing Inumi to the old man, "And since this war concerns the spiders, it will also concern their Queen, and by extension, us. And since abandoning our new party member is not an option. We are fighting... right?", I asked, turning around asking my party members. The other two members nodded, giving me a sense of relief, glad that they agreed with my rash decision.
"Hmmm... Fair enough. Back to the point, I agree with your earlier idea. It would be bad if they got into the city and the spiders resisted. And honestly, it is understandable why they would resist.", the old man says with a pondering expression.
Flipping through a few notes on his desk, and quickly scanning through the ones he selected from the pile, he seems to ponder something, muttering, "Geromica has magic weapons like tubes that shoot magic projectiles extremely quickly, as well as explosives that do not require incantations to cast. These easily cause unintended damage and casualties to anyone and anything caught in the crossfire.", he thinks for a while before turning his attention to Inumi and asks, "Can we convince the spiders to help defend the city walls?"
Inumi, relieved that her minions are not going to be sacrificed without a fight, replies, "Yes! I'm sure that my minions will be motivated to fight. If your soldiers do not mind fighting alongside them."
And thus, begins our long discussions on how best to defend the city.
Since none of the members on our team are experts in siege defence, the only thing we could provide was information on the abilities and capabilities of the spiders. Time slowly ticked down as the soldiers on either side and the spiders on our side got into position. Inumi took her position beside the bell on the bell tower.
Silence permeated the air and tension congealed it.
The trumpets of Sandiasfulk blew and magical devices of Geromica lit up with commands.
The war to decide the fate of all spider-hybrid kind begins.
