All the Dust that Falls

Chapter 311: The Road Less Traveled

I didn't partake in the feast that night. Well, unless you call cleaning up the occasional crumb "partaking." Still, I did enjoy my time hanging around and cleaning up any minor messes from the tables. They were relatively well-mannered for humans, which meant there was even less for me to do, but it was the little things. Even purifying the air as I hung out under the table made me feel useful.

Beatrice had a lot to tell, especially after our journeys to the other cities. She hasn't gotten into the specifics and more sensitive matters with Mary, Trent, and the others yet. But that would probably happen later tonight if she hadn't already taken care of it.

Instead, she got to her feet at the head of the table and gathered everyone's attention. She held a spoon to a glass goblet of wine, probably intending for the noise to draw everyone's eyes to her, but it wasn't necessary. Everyone was already looking.

"Ahem" She cleared her throat and set down the glass. "I want to thank you all so much for your hard work and dedication in maintaining this most sacred place while I have been away," Beatrice said. There were polite claps, and Trent let out a low whistle. Beatrice let the slight commotion die down before continuing.

"When I last visited, I told you of the kingdom. How the armies that came to strike at us and our way of life were consorting with demons but felled by Lord Void." Another scattering of cheers sounded.

"Now, I come with more news. The kingdom we have made our own is under Void's care, and as such we are working to repair it and the damage done by its previous leadership. For the past eight months, we have been working tirelessly to ensure that this country shall not know the same strife that plagues the world beyond."

"Like cleaning, it is a job that is never complete. But already, 80% of the kingdom's borders have been restored and are now patrolled for the safety of its citizens. Twenty of the largest cities have now re-sworn allegiance to the kingdom. But this is no kingdom, for there is no king. Nor am I a queen; I am a mouthpiece for Void."

She wasn't a queen? That was news to me. I'd kind of assumed she was, with how important she seemed in all of this. And it wasn't like I had given her a whole lot of direction about running the kingdom, either. Most of this was a result of her and her advisers planning things out.

Still, I didn't interrupt to correct her. Beatrice really seemed to be getting the hang of this public speaking thing, and the last thing I wanted to do was throw her off.

Beatrice continued with her speech. "I will not be able to stay long. There's still much to be done. But while we are away, soon I will need you, my brothers and sisters. I will need your help."

Huh. That piqued my interest. What was she going to ask for? I don't think I remembered this part of the plan...

"Most faithful followers of the Church of the Cleansing Void... we need to think of a name." She paused. "The country once known as 'The Kingdom' is no more. We cannot let the failures of the past taint the present and future. And so, we need a new name for this country. One that reflects well on its true ruler."

That sent waves of mumbles and excited chatter through the crowd. Of course. That made sense. I kind of assumed that we'd just keep calling it "The Kingdom," even though the name was admittedly a bit uninspired. This was a great idea!

I began running through possibilities in my own processors but stopped quickly after. I didn't want to take this away from the humans. They seemed to really enjoy naming things. However, I did notice Trent and Tony sharing particularly delighted grins.

It only took a moment for people to start shouting out suggestions with excitement. Things like 'The Void Theocracy,' 'The Holy Kingdom,' 'The Clean Country.' I even heard one of the Nighty Knights suggest 'Kingdom McKingdomface.'

Bee waved for silence. "I'll be happy to hear your suggestions. Later. But also, I want to address another thing: connecting this place to the rest of the country." She gestured widely. "So far, we've kept to ourselves here as a collective worshiping our god. And I believe that the castle itself should continue to be kept separate. It should remain a private, quiet place for those of the faith to live and study our short but important history and continue the scholarship of magic in the divine.

"However, that does not mean that we can be completely cut off from the world. We want to ensure the castle is open to those who want to come here and safe for those who wish to leave. There should be no danger in coming here, just time. Time and effort.

"And to that end, Void and I will take a slower route back." Beatrice looked around, probably for me, but I was hiding under the table. Whoops. "We will make a proper road leading out of the valley. It will be small but large enough for two wagons to pass abreast. We will continue to rebuild the town of Greg, and then we shall connect that as a major city to the rest of the kingdom. This entire area will become repopulated and thriving once more.

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"With this road, Tony will no longer need to escort groups between here and the capital. It'll be regularly patrolled and kept safe. Bandits will be cleared out, and monsters will be chased off. The Adventurer's Guild will protect us from many of the common threats, and the Army will patrol to make sure that nothing truly dangerous comes. Not to mention our other volunteers."

Beatrice went on for some time explaining other changes in policy, world news, and a few organizational changes. There were also some appointments, mostly of people who were back in the capital. People around here had their roles and responsibilities pretty well. However, some of the people to whom she did offer promotions and relocations were hesitant to accept. Why head to the capital when they could stay and live here?

But soon after the feast was done, she went to talk with more people behind closed doors. I, of course, was welcome to join, but I wanted to get a head start on that road that she had promised. We had talked about it, of course, and I had improved the formerly dirt path through the forest a couple of times throughout several months. But I hadn't turned it into the proper road I could now make with my various skills."

And so, I went about forming the best road I possibly could.

I spared no expense of time, materials, or effort. This wasn't just going to be a road. This was going to be a marvel. The capstone to my building achievements. Well, after the sewage systems, maybe. Still, over the course of the next several hours, I began work on the intricate path.

Normally, I just sloped the road so that water would roll off of it naturally. Simple and efficient. But this time, I dug deep, putting foundations twenty feet underground and turning many bits of the earth below into decorative and complicated patterns.

It took a lot more time than I'd planned for, and it delayed our trip home a bit. But after a lot of work, I managed to create something I was truly proud of. A path of pure white, prettier and more functional than anything else I'd ever built.

It was a road that would last as long as the castle had, something that could match the impressive builders that had created my first home here. I wanted to make sure that, in 10,000 years, they would both still be here.

***

A few weeks later, we were back in the capital. Beatrice and I soared up and over the walls into the sky and spotted what our scouts had reported. A large red speck on the horizon was coming towards us.

We zipped off over to meet our old friends. It had been months since they last reported in, and I was curious what the dragon and his rider had been up to. They had been monitoring the city where the demons had vanished along with many of the informants, as well as following up on other leads trying to locate those last Lieutenants.

When they saw us approaching, they dived down to a clearing where we could talk. We met them in the middle of a forest, a long way away from any civilization or road. Beatrice and Archibald hugged while Daedalus and I touched our claws together in something approximating a fist bump. The Nighty Knights had taught it to me.

Daedalus let out a huff. "No news. The city is infested for sure, but they're keeping a low enough profile that we haven't been able to locate them. The Lieutenants are not in there, but there are some low-level demon worshipers. Although there is something interesting.

Beatrice cocked her head to the side. "What?"

"Your white-robed friend has appeared there. He's started preaching again," Archibald said.

That got our attention. "Zeal?"

Archibald nodded. "Yeah! That's his name. I couldn't remember it at the time. He seems to be getting quite the following. I'm not sure how it's working with the demons, but I thought you would like to know."

I beeped in concern. I had explained Zeal was necessary, but if he was consorting with demons Then he clearly hadn't got the message. Now, though, Beatrice seemed to have the same concerns.

"Oh no, he's not preaching for the demons. He's calling for their cleansing, actually," he said.

"But um... huh?" Beatrice asked. "But the demons are leaving him alone?"

"I don't understand it either, but it's not the only city whose followers have appeared. Many of their major cities now have a small presence of white robes in them. They keep on multiplying like roaches," Archibald said.

That was troubling. We had exiled Zeal so that he wouldn't cause problems, but evidently, he had gone right back to making problems for someone else. That wasn't good.

Still, as long as he wasn't actually hurting anyone, maybe it was fine. It was a different country, after all, and we were busy enough here cleaning up these messes. Maybe if they wanted our help, they'd ask.

"What about the other leads?" Beatrice asked.

"Well," Daedalus rumbled. "I spoke with my little brother, and he pointed us towards Archimedes' cave. We go to talk with him and see what other magic he knows. But many of the leads have run cold or were simply diversions."

Beatrice rubbed her chin. "That's bad news. I'm not sure what to make of it.

"We'll keep looking, but I won't have any answers for you soon," Daedalus rumbled, and Archibald nodded his agreement. "But for now, we need a break. We're not getting anywhere spinning our wheels like this."

Beatrice nodded. "I think you do." She climbed back onto her carpet. "Let's go back to the capital and have a feast. It's been a while since people have seen a dragon."

"It has," Archibald said with a toothy grin. "Indeed it has! I'm going to enjoy this."

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