71. Fortifying Divinatus
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Chapter 71: Fortifying Divinatus

 

It was the following week that Klauna figured out that the Ak’hims would not be able to repair Divinatus in time before the Alliance came for them. Despite now, having the manpower necessary for the job, progress proved to be slow. 

The deadline was closing in fast and she needed results. Thus, the first thing she did that dawn was called everyone for a meeting. It was to discuss how they would move forward and possibly the plan to fortify Divinatus in case they need to hold out for a siege.

And so, every officer and higher representative within the military attended the meeting. They were also joined by a select few Ak’hims from the civilian and merchant side. The representative of the people whom Klauna determined were needed for the meeting. These were the same four Merchants in the previous meeting, a representative of the mercenaries guild and a representative of the refugees living within the walls of Divinatus.

The meeting room they chose was the giant ballroom of the castle within Divinatus, right in the open where anyone could come and witness what’s going on. This was chosen for a few different reasons. One was that Klauna found no reason to hide this from the people, might as well be transparent. The second reason was that she needed to show to everyone that she was in charge, that any problems and they should come to her, not her subordinates. It was pretty much another show of force.

The generals and their officers seated around a circular table. On the table was a map of Divinatus that was filled with markers and outlines. The representative only stood by one of the seats. It wasn’t as flashy or big like the summit of Dragonsmourne but it was good enough.

“Yuupiecca, how’s the progress? What is our status right now?” Klauna asked Yuupiecca as the meeting started.

Yuupiecca folded his arms before replying. “Let’s just say we are pretty much halfway there. I’ve figured out the ancient mechanism that kept this city floating and moving. It’s… busted, lots of parts were worn out by the time we got here, though the core remains functional. We only need to replace the parts. Whether it can last or not… that’s another story. As crazy as it sounds, yes I can make this city sail, I just need more time.”

The halls were filled with murmurs from the common folks who were there to witness the meeting. Those that were not of the army started talking to each other, about what Yuupiecca said and the plan.

The rowdiness murmur was soon brought to order when Klauna stomped Indominatus to the ground. The area immediately went quiet as the people witnessed the person holding the relic of the Warriors.

“What of Aberanis and Parash? How much time do we have left?” Klana asked Blackmask and his group of scouts.

“If the reports that I am getting from General Aberanis are true, then we only have about three weeks left before the Alliance arrives at our doorstep. They say that they have a plan that could buy us one more week, but they cannot guarantee it," Blackmask explained to everyone in the room.

“Three weeks…"
“That’s too short. I thought we would get another month at least..”
“Can we really finish the job on time?”

More murmurs and silent talk came out from the civilians and the military alike. They really didn’t have much time left to prepare.

“What of the food and resources? Do we have enough?” Klauna asked another question.

“We are working on that. Farms are being built on ‘unused’ lands all over Divinatus. The soil, lumber and valuable resources are being mined out of Divinatus’ surroundings as we speak. There shouldn't be a problem,” Cera said.

Hearing this, Klauna nodded and went silent. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to her chin in a thinking motion. She stayed like that for quite a while. Everyone else just remained silent, occasionally looking at the map in order to brush up on things. The civilians stayed quiet as well, though there are a few voices here and there that asked what was going on.

"Blackmask… How many Alliance soldiers are coming here right now?” Harbin broke the silence and asked a question.

Blackmask was hesitant to answer the question. Looking around the room and debating if it was the right choice to disclose such information. He was one of the few who disagreed to even hold a meeting like this in public as he feared that their enemy may get hold of their plans. 

“Tell us,” it was Kazakiel's words that made Blackmask finally relent.

“About two hundred thousand if reports from Aberanis are to be believed.” 

This time, the room didn’t just fall into murmurs, it went into a loud uproar. Citizens and armies alike were discussing with each other about the enemy's number— it was rather unbelievable of a story. Their soldiers number almost half of the surviving Ak’hims within Divinatus itself. The news of the numbers itself was enough to bring everyone’s morale down.

Everyone except Klauna who finally opened her eyes. She slammed the table in front of her and once again silenced the whole room immediately. “Yuupiecca, your deadline still stays.”

“Lord Klauna… I don’t even know if I could make it in time,"  Yuupiecca said to her. He was doubtful of the prospect.

“You have no other choice, Yuupiecca. If you need time then we will buy time. We fortify Divinatus. Now,” Klauna replied.

“Fortify?” This is already a fortified city no? How much more can we fortify?”

“Everything. We fortify it with everything we have. I want every single able-bodied man or woman in this city to either help with the restoration or the fortification of the city.” 

Her statement was again followed by another uproar. How could she order them like that? Even the officers themselves were rather surprised at her orders. Though that uproar did not last long as she implored the same tactic she used in the previous meeting. 

A burst of red aura flared around her before filling the whole place. Everyone fell silent once again, though this time, they were unable to talk back. The only ones that were truly alright were the officers and high profile men around the table.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Anybody who goes against me is free to travel outside the walls to meet that two hundred thousand strong army,” Klauna said.

The citizens have no other choice but to keep quiet and agree to her words under the immense pressure.

“...Agreed. It’s time we took charge for once, I guess. It’s probably something Big Sister will do if she is here, ” Samiyadare was the first out of everyone to agree to Klauna’s decision.

“I got no problem with that.”
“Understood.”
“I’m in agreement as well.”

The statement was followed by the agreement of all the other officers around the table. The civilian representative? They couldn’t answer, but they have no say in it in the first place. 

Hearing the agreement of the others, Klauna then pointed at the map of Divinatus before marking a circle around it. Her aura never stopped bursting out of her, the map waved up and down by the irregular winds from her blast of aura. It was probably the first time she let it out like that in full display. The other time she let out her burst in recent times was when she lost her anger during her confrontation with Harbin. The other times had just been the silent invisible one.

“I want all the camps outside dismantled and a large moat surrounding the entirety of Divinatus.”

“A moat you say?" Kazakiel commented.

“I want defensive towers as well at these points.” Klauna pointed at several points of the map, just right behind the proposed moat.

After that Klauna marked the forest nearby Divinatus and the harbour. “I also want every single tree around here chopped down and those ships we stole dismantled for parts. That lumber to be stored within Divinatus or used for fortification. Blackmask, I want you to plant bombs within the proximity of the entire area. Nobody gets in and out of the city. Inform the Second and Third army of this. Get them to find another way to the city when they have done their jobs.”

“Noted," Blackmask saluted.

Done with telling the plan, Klauna suddenly climbed the table and waved her banner around—  the symbol of the Seventh Army for all to see. With a strong voice, she yelled out. “Everyone! It’s either we work together or we die together. That is all. I expect all of you to do your part in this. If you wish to challenge my authority then face me now. If not then I will accept your silence as agreement.”

With that, she then stopped bursting out her aura and the atmosphere of the place went back to normal. Although, nobody spoke out to her. Either they did so because they agreed with Klauna or because they feared her, it matters not. She had wished the people were cooperative from the start. They were literally in the same boat after all. Yet they still decided to just stay around and do nothing, expecting some sort of salvation, some even hindered them outright. 

Well, those things end now. Klauna will force them to work if she had to. For if they want salvation then they have to earn it.

 

* * * * *

 

Klauna walked through the outskirts of Divinatus. She was followed closely by Kazakiel who walked with her with a stern expression. All over her, they could see Ak’him citizens working on the walls and the moat that she ordered them to dig. Klauna did nothing but just observed and occasionally waved her banner around. 

It was her job basically to just patrol around and look at things. With the previous meeting, she successfully cemented herself as the ‘tyrant’ that orders them around. All that’s left for her to do was to act the part. Walking all over Divinatus and waving her flag around. Sometimes things got so rough that she had to quell dissent from the people and sometimes even punish them.

There were some people who actually tried assaulting her as she made her rounds, though they never really stood a chance against her. She was leagues above whatever fighter they could throw at her and the people soon figured it out. Now, they all just stayed out of her way, everyone staring at her as she passed by.

Though it wasn’t all that bad. To begin with, Klauna wasn’t a mean person. So when she saw that the work needed some help in forms of heavy lifting or even just quarrel between two groups of people, Klauna was there to help. Her appearance alone was enough to get productivity back into high gear again. There was a plus to doing the rounds as well. Overseeing everything meant that she got a good idea of everyone’s progress and was able to manage the situation better.

As she walked by, a rough-looking ball came onto her path. The ball was made from cheap cloth and rubber, made from the sap of plants, sewn together to give the shape of a sphere. It reminded her of the game she used to play when she was young. 

A game called dodge and throwing; where one throws a ball to hit the enemies while one dodges the incoming ball from the opposing side. It was how Klauna learned how to throw and dodge— something that she often played with her father before he died. Sometimes she would play it against Shia as well, though she never could win against her.

Curious about the object, Klauna bent down and held the ball in her hands— looking at it from various angles while giving out a soft smile as she recalled the fun she used to have with it. It was then that a small girl came out in front of her. She had rather short hair and was wearing a dirty robe of sorts. Klauna could tell it used to be white, but now it was all muddy and dirty. The girl didn’t have any special features about her, only her red crimson eyes that seemed to be slightly diluted in colour. It appeared more orange than red. Klauna deduced her as an Analyst.

She was looking at Klauna with amazement and wonder. It was like the girl had found a gem. Her eyes sparkled as she stood there with her mouth agape, staring at Klauna. 

'A child…' Klauna thought to herself.

Children were a special thing for the Ak'hims. Children being a rare sight that can be considered sacred among things. Being a long-lived race, the Ak'hims do not find the need to breed or procreate so often. This naturally led to there being very few children running around. 

Figuring that the ball belonged to the girl in front of her, Klauna gave the ball back before giving off a kind-hearted smile— a rarity of someone who was supposed to act tough and menacing. The girl saw this and slowly took the ball away from her. She then gave out a big smile and a small giggle towards Klauna. 

For some reason, the girl in front of her reminded Klauna of Harbin when they first met. Though unlike Harbin who had been an angry cat from the beginning, the girl in front of her was more… bright, as if hope radiated from her. Seeing her smile melt Klauna's cold heart. Klauna brought her arm out in an attempt to pat the girl in the head.

But before she could do so, the young girl was grabbed by a woman— a Succour. She wore the same kind of robe as the small girl, dirty and torn and held the small girl tightly with an embrace and looked towards Klauna with hints of fear and disgust, though that expression didn’t last long as she too looked towards Klauna as if she found a gem. She seemed to be the girl’s guardian. Slowly, she gained composure and gave Klauna a respectful bow before running off with the girl into the distance. 

The event left quite the sour taste in Klauna’s mouth. “Kazakiel,” She called out, still bent down on the ground.

“Yes, Lord Klauna?”

“Do you think me an evil person?” Klauna asked, not even making eye contact with Kazakiel.

It took Kazakiel a short pause to think of the question. He then let out a small laugh. “No. I would have done the same in your shoes. We are soldiers. We need to do what needs to be done.“

“I see,” Klauna replied, satisfied with his answer.

“Though I must admit your ways are quite tyrannical at times, Lord Klauna.”

“I see…” Klauna replied, no longer feeling satisfied.

 

 

Thanks for reading! Next chapter will on  Wednesday 27th of May. 

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