TU19. Live for Another Day

"Marcus! Where are you?!" Daphia's boisterous greeting rang out across the crowded canteen.

"Daphia, stop right there!" another bearded man exclaimed, his hand chopping through the air.

Meanwhile, Aurora's party had reached the inner section of the vast room. She could feel the weight of all those eyes burning into the nape of her neck.

But as always, the dryad paid the guard no mind. "Marcus, this is Aurora!" she announced, gesturing with an open palm. Her motion was entirely casual.

A massive figure sat at the head of the long table. Marcus looked up, his jaw pausing mid-chew to study the approaching guests. His scowl was directed at the hapless guard instead of the interlopers.

"Well! I tried to stop her—come on, you know how she is!" the bearded guard blurted out defensively.

Marcus exhaled sharply. Half of his massive body was wrapped in blood-stained bandages. The injury didn't seem to bother the cyclops nearly as much as the interruption to his meal.

"Very well," he eventually rasped, waving the guard off. "What do you want, elf?" he demanded flatly, but not impolite.

"She said she's come to free you from your oppressors!" Daphia chimed in, leaving Aurora's mouth hanging agape in shock.

"Ahaha!" Marcus roared with laughter. He picked up a roasted drumstick and sank his teeth into the meat.

Taking a confident stride forward, Aurora recited the ludling engraved into the inner liner of the demon armour. Marcus's single eye widened with a mix of perplexity and amusement, the meat before him entirely forgotten.

When the guest finished the three lines of cant, Marcus clapped a heavy hand against his chest and bowed his head. "Why didn't you say so? We are allies, then!"

"Just like that?" Daphia asked, her emerald eyes going adorably wide.

"Aye, just like that," Marcus replied, wiping a streak of grease from his thick lips.

Daphia danced back and forth, still visibly confused by the strange, secret language they had just exchanged.

"Moreover, I've never seen an elf side with demons before," Marcus added. "If that's not enough, you vouched for her, did you not?"

When the cyclops eyed the dryad, she nodded her head aggressively.

"Come on, then! Take a seat. Even better, join me for this succulent meal!" Marcus offered, making a broad, encouraging wave of his hand.

A semblance of normality returned to the canteen as people resumed chatting and laughing. Aurora took an empty seat next to a female cyclops and a canine Wildren, while Daphia claimed the spot opposite her. It wasn't long before platters of meat and boiled vegetables were served in front of them. At the very least, it was a far cry from the tough, unyielding jerky the demon army usually rationed.

"Aurora, is it?" Marcus questioned, his tone suddenly unreadable. "Please, enjoy our meals. Today's feast is something we generally don't have access to."

The surrounding people chuckled along and raised their mugs for a modest toast. Marcus returned the sentiment, lifting his own drink.

Aurora stared at the hot platter. "I accept your courtesy, Forgemaster Marcus."

"Weren't you a knightess?" Marcus asked curiously, his single thick brow raising.

"Weren't?" Aurora narrowed her eyes.

"In your past life, I mean."

"I wasn't dead," Aurora admitted, her deadpan expression entirely sincere. "But, I am something of the sort. I protect what's good in my world."

"Oh… I'm in luck, then!" Marcus winked at his crew. "Told you that our cant would draw in someone useful, at the very least."

From the corner of her eye, Aurora noticed the incoming workers bringing out even more food and drinks. These revolutionists were eating through their supplies like there was no tomorrow. Her frown deepened.

"You look like a capable type," Marcus's voice brought her attention back. "Are you the one who blew up the forest in the north?"

"I did," Aurora conceded.

"Hm," he hummed, clearly considering whether it was a display of genuine power or merely a bluff.

"That's not important," she deflected gently. "I believe a clever cyclops like you would not just celebrate after defeating a demon. What's next?"

The Forgemaster grinned. "We aren't really free if the demons return tomorrow and beat us back into submission, are we?"

Daphia shook her head in agreement.

Simultaneously, Aurora finished chewing her bite of food. "From the look of it, you don't plan to stay."

"Why say so?" Marcus asked with a mock gasp.

Aurora's brow twitched. He was still deciding whether to trust her, hence this relentless testing. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"I noticed you aren't rationing. It means you're not expecting to outlast a siege. This brings me to only one conclusion. You're fleeing."

"Spot on…" Marcus closed his eye, a look of profound contentment washing over his rugged face.

Aurora swept her gaze around the room, noticing that a key demographic was missing. In their ludling, they referred to themselves as Hekatons and Cyclopses. Yet, she didn't see anyone with more than two arms — a racial perk the Hekatons famously possessed.

"Where are the Hekatons?" she asked.

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"Nice…!" Marcus sucked in a sharp breath before lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "They are working on the second stage of our plan."

"Let me guess—a flying warship?" Aurora guessed quietly.

The cyclops blinked several times in rapid succession. She had guessed it right on her first try.

"H-how?" His stuttering voice pitched into a soft shriek of disbelief.

"I have a friend who knew a two-headed cyclops, and they repair battlecruisers."

"Oh—a two-headed cyclops, you said?" Marcus completely dropped his meal. "Leon and Idas?" he blurted out.

"You know them? One has hair like a lion's mane, and the other has boar-like tusks."

"That's them! They're alive?!" Marcus cried out, a brilliant spark of sheer joy igniting in his eye.

"Yes. They are alive and well…" She glanced sidelong at Daphia, who was busy demolishing her plate, her cheeks splattered with savoury sauce. She drawled, "They are your friends, I see."

"My sworn brothers. This is delightful news! Oh, thank the gods!" Marcus exclaimed before turning back to her with sudden intensity. "You must tell me everything. Spare no details!"

And so Aurora did, while the Forgemaster listened with engrossed attention. He blinked fondly at the mention of his sworn brothers, visibly relieved to hear how well off they were.

The meal concluded an hour later, and the people slowly filed out to resume their work at the forge.

Shortly after, Marcus led Aurora and Daphia through the massive smithing village, akin to a factory in the Overworld she had left behind. It was brimming with metallic anvils, casting pots and weapons, and towering piles of raw ore.

Here, they utilised the magma drawn directly from the massive reservoir underneath Drakon Mountain. They strode past the complex, trench-like system designed to distribute the molten lava to the gigantic hearths scattered across the plain. Aurora watched in absolute awe; it was, by all means, a marvel of engineering.

It was exactly as the old saying went: never judge a the cover of a book alone. Despite his wild and barbaric appearance, the Forgemaster was sophisticated, thoughtful, and highly practical. He was also surprisingly talkative now that Aurora had gotten to know him, eagerly sharing and explaining the mechanics of the forge as they walked.

It was only when Thanatos materialised before them that the Forgemaster finally faltered. The massive cyclops dropped to one knee, bowing his head deeply.

"My—my lord," Marcus's voice was hoarse with sudden reverence.

"At ease, Marcus. It's been a while." Thanatos tucked his dark wings neatly behind his back. His posture was regal and dignified — every inch the magnificent god he was.

Marcus babbled slightly, overcome by the presence. "I didn't expect… has my time come this soon?"

"Relax. He's not here for you," Aurora intervened smoothly. "He's my companion. My innate essence."

Unsure, Marcus hesitated, waiting until Thanatos offered a curt nod of confirmation.

"Oh… It's not my place to question the will of Death."

"Rise, Marcus," the Grim Reaper commanded softly.

"Right away, my lord." Marcus snapped into position, his posture suddenly rigid and militaristic.

It was the exact same reaction Leon and Idas had displayed when her party first met them at the edge of the Meadows. That shared discipline spoke volumes of their past, Aurora noted inwardly.

"Hehehe, I've never seen someone switch up so fast," Daphia teased lightly.

"Ahem!" The cyclops cleared his throat, feigning nonchalance. "Anyway, we're here."

Before them stood what looked like another normal forge, yet the usual oppressive heat and radiation were entirely absent. The amber fire blazing within was just a projection — a fake light designed to mimic a real, working hearth.

Aurora strained her ears. Through the illusion, she could hear various overlapping noises; a massive crew was working busily inside the hidden space.

Marcus waved them over. "Come inside. This way."

Their marching boots echoed sharply against the hard stone floor as the party walked past the giant magical lens projecting the fake amber light to the outside world. Soon, the cavernous space opened up completely, the ground sloping downward into a massive set of stairways.

There, anchored in the excavated stone floor, sat a hundred-metre-long battlecruiser.

Bamboo scaffolding and sturdy metal platforms surrounded the ship's massive flanks. Workers were stationed all over the hull, labouring eagerly on the exterior armour plating.

"There they are, the Hekatons. They are a handful, aren't they?" Marcus pointed out fondly.

The Hekatons, towering giants boasting varying sets of arms, could be spotted across the upper platforms. They wore strange, open-armed tunics stained dark with soot. Their spines and torsos were unnaturally elongated compared to the cyclopses to accommodate the extra limbs, and their massive, muscular arms were currently being utilised to hoist heavy metal panels into place so the welding crews could secure them to the vessel's wall.

"It's not finished yet," Daphia mumbled, stating the obvious as she poked at her lower lip.

"Well…" The Forgemaster scratched his cheek sheepishly. "We were on the brink of despair. Hope seemed entirely lost among my people. That was, until the demon wardens pulled out and left only a skeleton crew behind, still thinking they could rein us in." He gritted his teeth bitterly, but the flash of anger passed as quickly as it came.

"Morale springs to life again, I see," Aurora added, her tone soft with admiration. "Getting people to rise up again when they've been beaten down… It's either die trying or just accept the loss."

"Exactly what she said!" Marcus pointed a thick finger at her and grinned widely. "You possess the mind of a great leader, Knightess."

Thanatos looked at her. His dark eyes were filled with a quiet bewilderment, a questioning look gnawing at his stoic features, though he chose not to press the issue.

"At this rate, the battlecruiser will be finished very soon. It could even take to the air right now if I had to say so myself!" A great, undeniable pride swelled in the Forgemaster's heart as he watched his people work.

Marcus stepped over to study the scattered drawings and diagrams on a nearby board, ensuring the production was aligning with the schematics. Stepping close, Aurora joined his side, watching the hive of activity. From up here, the workers looked like industrious ants swarming over the metallic hull.

"You mentioned you destroyed a majority of the war camps, right? That must be the reason why the demon wardens abandoned the Forged Mountain in such a rush," Marcus deduced.

"Mm," she hummed affirmatively. "As far as I know, the three war camps that clashed with me were all but destroyed."

"Ah, that's great to hear," Marcus sighed, closing his eye in relief. "What about the warheads?"

Aurora found herself smiling, albeit faintly. "They appeared to unleash their entire payload during the opening volley… The only reason they stopped firing is likely because they ran out."

"I see." Marcus chuckled warmly. "Well, we'll need to mine the components for warhead powders soon enough." He rubbed his square chin contemplatively. "But let's leave that for another day. I need my crew to focus solely on finishing the vessel first."

Surrounded by the busy hearth and the echoing chatter of a liberated people, Aurora and her party continued to watch Marcus's crew work for a while longer. Before they knew it, night drew in, signalling the end of a long, productive shift.

Another round of hearty food was served across the work camps. Tents were pitched, and small campfires roared to life, scattering warm light across the flat ground. Joyful chatter and rich laughter reverberated through the cavern as the workers talked about their day. For a fleeting moment, genuine liveliness had returned to these former slaves.

The night soon grew quiet as the last of the workers retired to their tents. Aurora sat idly atop an ancient stone roof. The warm updraft caught her hair, splaying the silver strands behind her like a majestic tapestry.

She rested her arms on one drawn-up knee, her expression solemn. An almost melancholic air swirled around her. Just an arm's length away, Thanatos stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixated on the smouldering embers below. As always, his presence was a quiet, grounding comfort.

Was I really a great leader? The words Marcus had spoken still lingered heavily in her mind.

Her fingers curled into a tight fist. She hated to admit it, but in this quiet reflection, she wasn't entirely sure if she was. Yet, as she looked out over the slumbering camp, she knew she had at least learned one profound truth today.

Even in the deepest, darkest pits of Tartarus, hope could always begin anew.