PtM 18 - Chapter 27: Kingdom of Rust and Ruin

2/2 this week!

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The entrance to through the Dragon Vein Mountains ran deep underground, through a tunnel that burrowed metal and stone and rivers of magma. It was a veritable labyrinth that provided much needed protection to the fledgling Dragon Vein Kingdom.

When Cha Ming asked Serrendil about the effectiveness of the maze, she laughed and pointed out a few shadowy locations. “See those creatures over there? It’s not the maze people need to worry about, but them.” A pair of tier 13 monstrous demons were lurking in that location, and Cha Ming could sense many other powerful signatures.

“They’re not so powerful, but they could definitely tire out intruders if they use those artifacts you’ve embedded in the labyrinth walls,” said Cha Ming.

“Those aren’t our artifacts, but remnant pieces of a formation,” said Serrendil. “They form a massive ring that surrounds the entire Dragon Vein Kingdom.”

And a kingdom it was. They encountered underground farms where Clockwork Clansmen cultivated crops of mushrooms and other underground fungus. There were also greenhouses that contained artificial suns.

Special monstrous demons were raised as livestock here. Most of them were subterranean by nature, but some were raised under the same artificial suns used to grow fresh produce. Overall, it seemed to be a self-sustaining arrangement.

The scattered pieces of farmland were linked together via villages. There were hundreds of them, according to Serrendil, and each one was protected by the grand formation. These people lived simple lives and survived by trading with the capital, Clockwork City. Cha Ming had high expectations for the city of dragons, but knowing the plight of Serrendil’s people, he kept these thoughts to himself.

“Here’s the entrance to the city,” Serrendil said, pointing at a shimmering golden barrier composed of floating artifacts. “It’s impossible for anyone to enter this place without a member of the Clockwork Clan.” She let out a low hum. A bubble of sonic energy appeared around them, and with its help, they were able to bypass the powerful barrier without any issue.

The Clockwork Clan’s skills in artifice and architecture were legendary, but Cha Ming’s hopes were crushed were crushed when he saw the dilapidated stone buildings standing amidst the ruins of much larger, grander buildings that had long succumbed to the ravages of time.

There was a deathly stillness to Clockwork City. This included the newly constructed area at the center of the city, where a once-grand palace had been cleared away to accommodate its fledgling replacement.

Most the inhabitants in the city were Clockwork Clansmen, but there were many Iridescent Clansmen and Runebound Clansmen. The latter two wore grim but determined expressions on their faces, while their former looked gaunt and malnourished.

Serrendil let out a sigh of relief. “It appears that we arrived just in time. Clear Sky, can you release my people? There’s much to be done down here.” Cha Ming did as request and opened a gate to the Clear Sky World. Thousands of former prisoners entered the ruined city. “Quickly check in on your families, then meet me at the command center,” she instructed them. They acknowledged her commands and stomped off in various direction.

“I understand that your people need dragon metals, but could you not have torn off pieces of the grand formation to sustain them?” Cha Ming asked. The entire thing was almost entirely built of high-grade dragon metals.

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible, because the formation is an immortal formation,” Serrendil explained. “It is very difficult to dismantle, and taking off random pieces would risk disabling the entire formation. But don’t get me wrong, it has been discussed in the past. Had I not returned in time, they would likely have made an attempt with or without my blessing.”

“About that segment of Starry Road…” Silverfish said, but Cha Ming elbowed him before he could continue.

“Is there any way we could alleviate your people’s situation?” Cha Ming asked. “I mentioned before that I should be able to help you excavate dragon metals.”

“In time, I will request your aid in this matter, but for now, I must address some internal problems,” said Serrendil. “Keppiar?”

“Yes?” answered one of the Clockwork Clansmen that hadn’t dispersed earlier.

“Please arrange for accommodations for these two,” said Serrendil. “They should be treated as guests of honor. As for the rest of you, follow me. I highly suspect that underhanded dealings were behind our disastrous loss to Cao Wenluan.”

Her people were a disciplined lot. Keppiar immediately ushered Cha Ming and Silverfish over to one of the more colorful sectors of the city.

“I cannot thank you all enough for rescuing us from Crystal City’s prisons,” said Keppiar. “Some of our people supported the notion of surrendering to Cao Wenluan, but I did not.”

“Some would argue that life is paramount, and that it is best to bear with humiliation temporarily,” Cha Ming answered.

Keppiar smiled. “Life under forced servitude is no life at all. I for one am very pleased with the leader’s decision.”

She led them to a short and squat building. It was more luxurious than the other buildings around it but did not house any guests. “Manager, I’ve brought some foreign dignitaries over!” she shouted as the entered. “Boss’s orders!”

A balding man wearing thick spectacles walked out from the back. He blinked upon seeing them and cleaned his glasses before answering. “Keppiar, weren’t you taken prisoner? And did you say… did you say the boss?!”

“That’s right,” said Keppiar. “The boss is back, and you have your first bit of business in a long while. Best treatment for the two of them. Maybe you could round up a few musicians?”

The manager grimaced. “I’m afraid the musicians have taken ill, and music has been declared a frivolous waste of dragon metals.”

“Drat,” said Keppiar. “What about mundane musicians. There must be a few kicking around? Maybe one or two of our people could hum along or something?”

The manager hesitated but nodded. “You said the boss is back, Keppiar? If Serrendil is in town, I should be able to make something happen.”

“There’s no need to go through the trouble,” Cha Ming said. “Food is all we need.”

“Nonsense!” said Keppiar. “You two saved our boss and thousands of our clansmen. How can we not entertain you properly?”

“Saved the boss? Saved our clansmen?” the manager exclaimed. “That changes everything. I’ll have a quartet assembled within the hour.”

The manager rushed off without even assigning them a room. Fortunately, his daughter was also present. She led them to a room before running off to fetch food. “You should be well taken care of from this point on,” said Keppiar. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to run off and help the boss. There could be fighting. Or worse. Dancing.”

Cha Ming and Silverfish exchanged a look as Keppiar ran off. “Dancing?” Cha Ming said. “Did I mishear her?”

“No you did not,” said Silverfish, hopping onto a divan. “The Clockwork Clan produces deadly musicians, and their voices are potent weapons, but… you don’t know they’re serious until they start dancing.”

Cha Ming eyed him dubiously. “I don’t see how dancing is something to take seriously.”

“I’m sure we’ll see a bit of dancing by the time this is over,” said Silverfish. “You can judge after you see it, and telling me whether or not I was exaggerating.”

***

The accommodations simple and elegant, and the refreshments were made of top-quality goods from the best farms near Clockwork City. They spent most of their time healing and continued to do so as a quartet of Clockwork Clansmen entered for a recital.

Cha Ming was overjoyed to discover that the Clockwork Clan’s music could accelerate his recovery. Thanks to their music, it took three days to heal a crack on the Sky Propping Pillar instead of seven. By then, the quartet of Clockwork Musicians was completely exhausted.

He would have asked them to continue, if not for the fact that the thin and malnourished dragons were on the verge of fainting and would need months to recover their energies. He compensated them with various treasures, but could not provide them with what they needed most: dragon metals.

Keppiar came to fetch them an hour after the musicians left, and she did not look pleased. “I heard you exhausted them nearly to death,” she said. “And you don’t look much better than when they started!”

“They should be grateful for the opportunity,” said Silverfish. “After all, we did save their boss.”

“What my companion means,” Cha Ming said, interposing himself between Keppiar and Silverfish, “Is that we’re grateful to receive their timely aid despite their trying circumstances. It is only thanks to them that I was able to heal from some of the injuries I suffered facing Cao Wenluan.”

Keppiar’s expression eased slightly. “It’s good that they were able to be of help. I’ll ensure that they receive a double ration of dragon metals for the next few days to accelerate their recovery. And what about you? Feeling better?”

“I was never injured, thanks for asking,” said Silverfish. “Demigod Violet Eye is an investigation type demigod. He has a strong body, but very few combat abilities.”

“You look nervous and exhausted,” Cha Ming said to Keppiar. “Your emotions are also a mess. Why don’t you tell us what’s bothering you while you take us to Serrendil?”

Keppiar immediately led the way towards the headquarters at the heart of the fledgling city. “It’s nothing but the same old arguments, but they’re getting exhausted,” she explained. “Some of us think we should surrender to a powerful and financially able faction to permanently solve our problems, and others – that’s us – think that’s just asking a tiger for its skin.”

“Judging from your expression, it’s the former that are currently winning,” Cha Ming commented.

Keppiar sighed. “Just follow me and you’ll see the problem soon enough.”

Cha Ming hadn’t spent much time in Clockwork City, but it didn’t take a genius to discover that it had a problem. There was an aura of corrosion in the air, and its source was none other than the hungry clockwork clansmen rising in the city.

The consequences of this were as one might imagine. Any metals weaker than law-stitching grade and not physically bound to a demon would rust away within weeks – regardless of whether or not they were kept inside or outside a storage treasure. Even storage treasures couldn’t stand the corrosion, which meant that the city could only be built of stone, wood, and cloth.

The command center was a simple building that would make any engineer jump for joy and architects cry in despair. There were no curves its structure save for the building’s curved roof. It was a fortress, built with efficiency and practicality in mind.

They entered through an iron oak drawbridge supported by steel hemp rope. The entrance was littered with tiny holes ideal for shooting poisoned needles.

The building mostly served as a meeting place for high level commanders, but it housed a significant number of high-level troops. It had a treasury, a mess hall, and most importantly, the Dance Hall, where political issues were discussed.

“They don’t actually dance in there, do they?” Cha Ming asked Keppiar.

“I should hope not,” said Keppiar. “That would be major political incident, the likes of which haven’t been seen in three decades.”

“I think I’m starting to buy what you’re selling, Silverfish,” Cha Ming said to his companion.

“It’s best if you see it with your own eyes,” Silverfish replied. “Descriptions don’t do it justice.”

The Dance Hall consisted of three groups of tiered seats, separated by a wide floor with more than enough room to accommodate the individuals present. Each group of seats was led by a different faction. The two largest groups mainly consisted of members of the Clockwork Clan, while the third and smallest group contained mostly members of the Iridescent Clan, the Runebound Clan, and other demon minorities within the city.

“There. They’ve finally come,” came a loud voice from the left side. By the numbers, it was the largest faction in the room. “The idiots who wounded Cao Wenluan and broke the emperor’s peace by rescuing prisoners of war.”

“Have you no shame, Verdimeer?” said Serrendil. “You’re calling heroes villains and without even blushing. Do you have any idea how many people they saved? How many core military officers they rescued? And it’s not just ours they saved, but members of both factions. I don’t think they’d take kindly to your vicious words, so retract them now, while you still have the chance.”

“I admit that my words were a little over-the-top,” said Verdimeer. “I therefore retract my comments and issue a formal apology to these ‘heroes’. I would like to note, however, that the issues that plagued us still remain, and have only worsened since the return of our comrades. So forgive me for not organizing a proper welcome for our war heroes and their saviors.”

The two continued exchanging verbal insults. Each time a party spoke, a humming sound filled the room. Their words were literally fighting on a level akin to planar laws. According to Keppiar, their battle was subtle and subdued due to the dragon metal shortage. This point was accentuated by the fact that not a single member of the Clockwork Clan present had a full set of demon armor.

The members of Serrendil’s faction were worst off. Some of the older and more powerful dragons were extremely weak, and their auras contaminated. It was to the point that some of them couldn’t walk without crutches or a wheelchair.

“We could go on all day,” Verdimeer said. “But it remains that a solution is needed, and it is needed now. The esteemed elders of your faction are but one example. Developing children are starving, and they cannot wait.”

“I am fully aware of the severity of the situation,” said Serrendil. The air around her began to distort and hum. “We require a solution, and not petty words. Will you help me, or will you continue wasting time? If so, I’ll gladly accompany you for a dance.”

The larger group of Clockwork Clansmen hesitated. Despite their strength of numbers, Serrendil was still the strongest individual in the clan, and her music the loudest. This exerted a formless pressure on Verdimeer, forcing him to grit his teeth and capitulate.

“We can accept the need to move forward, but require an explanation,” said Verdimeer. “Also, these two cannot remain, as they broke the Crystal Emperor’s taboo.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” said Serrendil. “We require their help if we are to continue excavating the Dragon Metal Realm.”

“Have you lost your mind?” asked Verdimeer. “We nearly lost you last time! We may have our differences, but you are the hope of our people.”

“He’s right,” said the leader of the neutral faction. She was an Iridescent Clanswoman called Iridescent Smile. “You are our most precious asset, and we can’t risk losing you again.”

“It’s so nice to see that you’re finally concerned for my wellbeing,” said Serrendil said sarcastically. “You have a funny way of showing it, insulting my saviors, who happen to be old friends from home. Come to think of it, this is the second time they’ve saved our people, yet all they get in return is insults and scorn.”

“Perhaps I could have worded it less rudely,” said Verdimeer. “But the facts remain. They need to go. We cannot keep them.”

“And they will go, as soon as they help us out with this small issue,” said Serrendil.

“Perhaps we could take a step back and greet our two friends?” suggested Iridescent Smile. “What’s done is done. Cao Wenluan has been wounded, but not killed. It is difficult to say if he will remain in power, but judging the emperor’s past actions, he will likely lose favor. We might become the target of economic sanctions, which will make it even more difficult for us to obtain external dragon metals, but ultimately, the rules of the empire remain. Competition is everything. Verdimeer, have our envoys to the demon lands returned?”

“We’ve received no word from them,” Verdimeer said. “It’s only thanks to their life slips we know they are still alive.”

“Then we have no choice but to proceed with Serrendil’s suggestion, since bridges have already been burned, and enmity has already been sewn,” said Iridescent Smile. She turned to Cha Ming. “Daoist Clear Sky. It is a familiar name to our people. I was young and powerless back when you saved our city.”

“You’re from Shimmerwing City?” Cha Ming asked. “I don’t know if we can use the word ‘saving’ given how many demons perished while we fled the Burning Lake Prefecture.”

“Indeed,” said Iridescent Smile. “It is a difficult business, saving, much like leading is. So I hope you’ll forgive Verdimeer – he only has the best interest of his clansmen in mind.”

“I’ll do so for Serrendil’s sake,” said Cha Ming.

“I am relieved,” said Iridescent Smile. “Now to proper business. I am told you are both powerful cultivators and have offered to help secure dragon metals?”

“It’s a simple exchange,” Cha Ming explained. “My friend Silverfish requires access to the fragment of Starry Road linking this city to the Inky Sea Sect’s west branch. It is my understanding that we’ll need to go deep into enemy territory to access this road. Since this is the case, there is no reason why we shouldn’t mine dragon metals while we’re at it. Enough to last decades, if not centuries.”

“Decades? Centuries?” said Verdimeer. “You think mining these materials is a joke?”

“Calm yourself, Verdimeer,” said Iridescent Smile. “Your help is most appreciated, but we are hesitant to let Serrendil explore the Dragon Metal Realm, given its current condition. Is there anything you can do to set our mind at ease?”

“As a matter a fact, there is,” said Cha Ming. He turned to the elderly clockwork clansmen located at the back of Serrendil’s faction. “Elders, I’ll need your assistance.”

“I’m not sure what assistance we could possible provide,” said a crippled old dragon in a wheelchair. “We can barely speak and a eat, let alone stand.”

“There’s no need to worry yourself over us,” said a clockwork clanswoman with a missing leg. “We suffered these injuries trying to retrieve dragon metals in Serrendil’s absence. We took risks and paid the price of our foolishness.”

“Just shut up and let the man do his thing,” came a booming voice form the ceiling.

Cha Ming looked up and was surprised to see that a golden dragon had peeled itself off from the ceiling.

“Is that you, Clockwork Ancestor?” Cha Ming exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were… I assumed you’d…”

“A single inheritance would hardly exhaust all my strength,” scoffed the Clockwork Ancestor. “Now tell me, child – what is it that I’m missing? Why can’t I save these elders of my clan?”

She floated out one of the least wounded, the woman with the missing leg. She did not wear demon armor, and Cha Ming suspected that this was because he no longer had demon armor. She’d eaten it all to resist her injuries.

Cha Ming’s eyes flashed with a crystal-jade light as he calculated the likelihood of his conjecture. Images flashed across his mind, of a battle between dragons and insects.

Walls were crumbling. Pieces of ore were exploding before they could lay their hands on it. The earth bulged as a swarm of insects burst out of the ground and devoured the elder’s leg. Out of a group of twelve, there were only five survivors.

“The insects,” Cha Ming said. “I assume you pulled them out of their wounds to stall the corruption?”

“I scanned them myself,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “But unfortunately, the corruption persists despite the absence of insects.”

“That’s because the insects are no longer infecting their wounds,” said Cha Ming. “They’ve migrated into their blood and are using their host body to shield their presence.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “I believe I would have noticed giant insects crammed into their blood streams. I’m quite familiar with the clockwork clan’s anatomy. I am its founder, after all.”

“These aren’t any giant insects but smaller ones,” said Cha Ming. “Microscopic ones.”

He summoned a projection that displayed what his eyes could see, right down to the most microscopic details. Complex metal-aligned cells were rusted over in several locations. And one of these regions contained tiny creatures that were slowly consuming the cells to increase their number.

“These creatures are so small they barely give off an energy signature,” Cha Ming said. Moreover, the laws they draw on re laws of anti-metal. One could say that no creature is better suited to avoiding your detection than these microscopic invaders.”

“Amazing!” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “How did you discover this?”

“My own laws are fairly comprehensive,” Cha Ming said. “I sensed the active corrosion and foreign life forms the moment I entered this room.”

“Then could you…”

“Absolutely,” Cha Ming said. He summoned his Crumbling Canvas Domain at low intensity and focused on the elders first. These creatures were small and almost defenseless. It only took a few seconds to completely clear the creatures out of the elder’s system.

“I’m healed!” exclaimed the elder. “I can feel my energies recovering instead of diminishing!”

“So can I!” said another wounded elder. “Daoist Clear Sky, did you perhaps heal all of us at the same time?”

“I destroyed your contamination, as well as the contamination born by all other demons in this room,” said Cha Ming. It appears they can latch onto any form of metal to use as a carrier. And I’m afraid demon armor counts.”

“Has our city already been contaminated, then?”

“By excavating dragon metals, we’ve doomed everyone!”

“I knew we should have surrendered instead of establishing a kingdom. What fools we were.”

“As Moderator, I believe it’s best if we quiet down and discuss this another time,” said Iridescent Smile. “Verdimeer, you expressed your desire to speak?”

The aged clockwork clansman grimaced. “First of all, I’d like to thank Daoist Clear Sky for saving our elderly clansmen,” he said. “They are the pillars of our clan, and we do not know what we would do without them.”

“It was no problem,” said Cha Ming.

“I’d also like to apologise for my earlier words,” said Verdimeer. “I sincerely hope that you’ll assist Serrendil in harvesting dragon metals.”

Cha Ming was surprised by the sudden turn of events, but his doubts were clarified by the Clockwork Ancestor. “The corruption you’ve cured is the single greatest obstacle to exploring the Dragon Metal Realm. With your help, success is an inevitability.”

“I thought for sure they’d start dancing,” Silverfish whispered. “Too bad Verdimeer is a pragmatic dragon.”

“You keep mentioning dragon dances, but I still haven’t seen one,” said Cha Ming.

“This is both fortunate and unfortunate,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “A dragon dance is a beautiful thing indeed. Perhaps Serrendil could show you in private?”

“Ancestor, if you keep acting this way, don’t blame me for locking you up and losing the key,” said Serrendil with a toothy smile.

“That’s inuendo, Cha Ming,” Silverfish whispered. “They’re talking about this mating ritual where – argh!”

Cha Ming stomped on Silverfish’s foot. “And here I thought he’d lost his sense of humor. I’m happy to see that this isn’t the case.”

Since current matters had been resolved, Iridescent Smile dismissed the dance. The floor cleared out in minutes, leaving only six individuals in the room, including Cha Ming and Silverfish.

“Since this is the best chance we’re going to get, our group of six will be proceeding into the Dragon Metal Realm,” said Iridescent Smile. “Unless Serrendil objects?”

“No,” said Serrendil. “Six is plenty enough.”

“One for each element, and myself as wild-card,” muttered Cha Ming.

“I will be going as well,” said the Clockwork Ancestor.

“You can’t!” exclaimed Serrendil. “Your will is almost completely exhausted.”

“Then all the more reason I should go,” said the Clockwork Ancestor.

Cha Ming’s eyes shifted from Iridescent Smile and a Clockwork Clanswoman, who stood in for fire and earth, to Silverfish and Serrendil who stood for water and metal, and finally, to a small, dwarf-like creature with wrinkled skin. “I take it you’re wood?”

“You’re wood!” said the creature. “Your whole family is wood!”

“Don’t call him wood,” Serrendil said. “He hates it when people call him that.”

“You would too if people kept making wood jokes at your expense,” said the creature. “And no, I’m not a demon. I’m an elemental. A stump elemental. I was born from nature, out of the finest tree of life that was ever chopped down by human hands.”

Cha Ming was skeptical about the creature. “Will wood even be useful mining dragon metals?” he asked Serrendil.

“Probably not,” said Serrendil. “But it’s customary to bring someone from each element.”

“Bringing a well-rounded team is a good habit,” said Iridescent Smile. “I see no reason to chance this habit, since the survival of our kingdom is at stake.”

“I never said I was against it,” Cha Ming said.

“Well you have a funny way of showing it,” said the stump elemental.

“Since that’s settled, I only have one thing I wish to clear up,” said Iridescent Smile. “Silverfish, is it? You are half human and half…”

“Inkwell Clansman,” said Silverfish.

The stump elemental hissed. “Seriously? Who brought him here?”

“I thought so,” said Iridescent smile. All happiness had faded from her face. “Serrendil, what in the seven hells were you thinking, bringing him here?”

“Everyone should calm down,” said the Runebound Clan’s representative. “I sense a powerful seal on his body.”

“Right, I see it now,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. She floated up to Silverfish and placed a claw on his armored chest. “Have you been feeling restless or hopeless? Or have you been feeling that your judgement is compromised?”

“No to all of the above,” Silverfish said. “And please get out of my face. My master sealed my bloodline., and I’m fine.”

“And whom might your master be?” pressed the Clockwork Ancestor. “He should be an individual with a reputation, to manage such a feat.”

“His master is the West Sea Guardian,” Cha Ming said. “And I’ve confirmed that he’s mostly uninfluenced. Which means we might have the only free-thinking Inkwell Clansman on the plane accompanying us.”

“It could most certainly come in handy, if things are as you say,” the Clockwork Ancestor replied skeptically. “If west sea is his master, there shouldn’t be any issues…”

“Trust me, I’m very sensitive to Melody’s aura,” Cha Ming said. “I would know it if she were here.”

The Clockwork Ancestor sighed.  “That you know the name means that you know her nature. But you must by no means underestimate her.  Inkwell was always the most deeply hidden of my sisters, as well as the most emotional. That includes Iridescent, who would weep entire rivers at the loss of a minor friend. As for that… thing born of her negative emotions…  I’m certain that it retains these basic traits.”

“Are we done nitpicking, or shall we get going?” asked Serrendil. “Last I checked, our children were starving. The earlier we get this done, the better.”

“If the Clockwork Ancestor doesn’t object, I shan’t either,” said Iridescent Smile.

“And neither will I,” said the Clockwork Ancestor.

“I’m just a stump,” said the stump elemental. “I’ll do whatever everyone else wants. But grumpily.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Serrendil. “We don’t have a minute to waste.”