106 Chapter 106: Moria

The cities of Moria resembled hive cities.

Just like the hive cities in the 41st millennium, the cities of Moria were encased inside mountains, with countless levels of urban or manufacturing districts. The lower districts, in particular, were reserved for residential houses, underhive gangs and other malcontents, while the higher districts were occupied by the rich. The middle levels were packed full of manufactories and industries, which drew their labor and workforce from the residents dwelling in the lower levels.

I would be surprised if the majority of dwarves ever got to leave the mountain and see the sky outside, but I hoped they weren't ruled by a tyrannical dictator whose only goal was to push out as much war material for the Imperium…Demon Alliance as possible.

"Look at this!"

Gunnery had gotten off his seat and was gaping at the pict-screen that showed the interior of the hive city that our armored convoy had just rolled into. I consulted my own visuals and was blown away by the shiny, advanced and sophisticated station and hangar that our tanks were pulling into. At the gestures and signals from worker-dwarves, we were instructed to park our tanks and APCs and alight. I told my men to obey, and exited the Purity of Faith after Jurgen pulled it to a halt in our allocated parking position. I could see the rest of my convoy pulling up beside my lead tank.

"Amazing!" I couldn't help but glance around at the clean, metallic platforms, crystalline pillars and sophisticated machinery. "To think they built all this in the heart of the mountain. This really looks like a hive city!"

"Hive city?"

"Never mind."

I forgot that neither Gunnery nor Jason played Warhammer 40,000.

"A combination of our secret technology, ancient magic and traditional crystal sculpting. I'm glad you like it."

A clatter and rumble, and my battalion suddenly found ourselves surrounded by short but massive dwarves in thick, bulky Terminator armor, armed with combi-bolters, power fists, storm shields, thunder hammers, plasma cannons, assault cannons, heavy flamers and an assortment of other lethal weapons.

"…!"

I quickly raised my hand and gestured for my soldiers to relax and to keep their hands away from their weapons.

The lead dwarf stomped forward, smoking a huge cigar under his wide-rimmed sombrero and resting his massive Thunder Hammer on his heavily armored shoulders. Gosh, but those pauldrons were bigger than his heads, but were still somehow…well, dwarfed by his sombrero. Leering at us, his glowing eyes narrowed into a murderous glare.

"Now…which one of you is Tomoyuki Tanaka?"

I stepped forward and bade for Marko to fall back. Then I met the lead dwarf's glare evenly, refusing to be cowed.

"Your majesty King Hedol. I am Major Tomoyuki Tanaka."

Boom!

Smashing his Thunder Hammer onto the ground, King Hedol bore down on me in an intimidating manner, his eyes glowing beneath the rim of his sombrero and the smoke from his cigarette giving him an ominous air.

"Leave."

"…"

Yeah. Since he didn't deny it, I was sure that this guy was King Hedol. There was no mistaking it. This was the king of Moria, and the ruler of the dwarves.

"I know why you're here. My sister, Donorea. You've come to steal her…and the ambrosia within her."

"HUH?!"

I couldn't help but yell at that.

"Why the fuck are you ripping off Shinju no Nectar?!" I hollered, forgetting to keep my composure in front of my men. "Ambrosia doesn't exist in Restia, and even if it does, it's not as if I can use it! Okay, I might count as a marebito or whatever, but I'm not here to suck women's ambrosia and form some sort of harem!"

"Oh, really? Then what are you here for, if you're not here for my sister? I heard how you've conquered the queen of Haemorage herself. If you're not here to seduce my sister and add her as your concubine, then…?"

"I'm an advocate of monogamy," I interrupted. "I will stay faithful to her highness, Queen Lilith, and Queen Lilith only. I have vowed never to take another wife or concubine, not as long as I'm married to her highness Queen Lilith. Sorry, but I find this harem thing bullshit. Besides, I think you've underestimated me a little."

"Oh, aye?"

I smirked and pushed my glasses up my nose.

"I'm not here for your sister. I'm here for Moria itself."

The dwarves all bristled at that and the atmosphere tensed, becoming saturated with violent killing intent.

Iin a single, fluid motion, King Hedol lifted up his master-crafted Thunder Hammer and swung it at me. Blue lightning crackled and exploded as it formed a destructive power field around the head of the hammer and pulverized the concrete ground, leaving a smoldering crater.

Simmering with rage, Hedol glared at me and gritted his teeth.

"You say…you've come to conquer?"

"Nope." I raised my hands and shook my head.

To be honest, I had anticipated Hedol to hit me with his Thunder Hammer. Not because I was a masochist who was a glutton for punishment, but because he wouldn't be able to break through the twelve defensive layers of my Redwood jacket, even with that master-crafted Thunder Hammer. Its power was fearsome, but I was literally clad in plot armor.

Well, this was a plus. It meant Hedol was still willing to talk, so I waited a second for him to calm down before speaking again.

"I am here to represent Helsfort. Your majesty, as you know, Helsfort and Moria are staunch allies, even among the closely associated domains in the Demonic Alliance. As the human kingdoms are drawing near to invade your realm, his majesty Emperor Regis has commanded me and my battalion to honor our brotherly bonds and defend Moria with our lives. We are but a fraction of the full fighting force that Emperor Regis has brought to bear in defense of your realm. In the next few days, more men from Helsfort and other demon kingdoms will be arriving to drive the human invaders away."

"I will be frank with you."

Hedol was looming over me in an intimidating manner, his sombrero casting a dark shadow over me and my men.

"We dwarves have been molded in war and forged in fiery lava. The humans cannot overcome our vaunted defenses. We'll fortify Moria and repel them, even without your help. If necessary, Moria will stand and fight alone, even without the aid of the Demonic Alliance and we will still prevail victorious. Our technology is unrivaled in all of Restia."

"It might be as you say," I conceded. "But at least accept our assistance as a token of our friendship, and as a bonus service for allowing us to purchase your technologies, weapons and vehicles. We might not be able to contribute much to the war effort, but we would like to at least repay you for fairly conducting businesses with us, and to also express our friendship. Otherwise, what sort of Demonic Alliance would we be if we do not at least put on a show of offering our help when a member is under attack from a common enemy? The Demonic Alliance would be a laughing stock. So please, I implore you to at least allow us to maintain some modicum of dignity by accepting our assistance, regardless of how insignificant it is."

"…"

Hedol regarded me fiercely for a few moments, then lifted his hammer from the smoldering ground.

"Fuck!" he wore. "I've never had the patience nor the finesse to engage in verbal debate with you cunning Helfortians…"

Resting his Thunder Hammer on his shoulder, he made to turn away, but continued to keep his glowering eyes on me.

"…so I'll only say this much. Whatever reasons you may have come to Moria for, I'll ensure that you'll return empty-handed."

"That is fine," I replied. "We have no intention of obtaining anything from Moria. The only reason we came here is to fight. The only thing we wish to return with is victory over the so-called Emperor of Humanity and his armies."

"Hmph!"

Hedol scoffed as he swung his left hand flippantly at me.

"Just don't get in the way of our fighting. I don't care if you're the rumored Hero Slayer or whatever. You'll only drag us down when the war comes."

"We'll do our best to stay out of the dwarven firing lines," I promised. "And if you really are that bothered, I do not mind if you make the decision on where to post us or which bastion to assign us to, as long as we bear some brunt of the fighting."

He then stalked off without another word, his elite Terminator bodyguards parting to allow him to leave the station. All of them glared at us, their glowing gazes murderous underneath their sombreros. After a few steps, Hedol suddenly stopped.

"Ah…but I think I might know where to post you and your battalion, Major Tomoyuki."

Abruptly turning back to face us, Hedol smiled sinisterly.

"It'll be the best place to make use of the tanks and weapons we've armed your battalion with through our friendly trade."

"…"

I watched the dwarf king depart silently, unease creeping up in my heart.

*

The barracks we found ourselves in turned out to be luxurious and extravagant, with electric chandeliers, silk lining, soft beds and vast chambers – even for the grunts of my battalion. My soldiers looked around in disbelief, unaccustomed to having such comfortable quarters, especially in the middle of a war.

"The king sounded like the angriest dwarf in the world…but he sure as hell gave us the best barracks in Moria!"

Gunnery was muttering in disbelief. Lieutenant Gio Vanni folded his arms as he considered the weird turn of events.

"Hospitality is very important to dwarves," he explained. "It's not merely their way of taking care of their guests, but also an opportunity for them to show off their wealth, power and pride."

"It's pretty different from Japan's concept of omotenashi, huh?" I murmured under my breath. Gio turned to me, perplexed.

"What did you say, sir?"

"Oh, nothing. Just recalling something from my home country."

I shrugged it off and sighed before turning our attention back to the matter at hand.

"But I'm puzzled. I would think that the dwarves of Moria would be happy to see us and receive reinforcements, especially since they know the human kingdoms are marching upon them. Yet they seem pretty hostile to our presence, especially for allies who are supposed to be part of the Demonic Alliance."

"Well, to be fair, Moria is among the strongest demon domains. They're probably the 10th most powerful domain, slightly behind the Big Nine, but way ahead of the others because of their advanced technology."

Gio sighed, a bead of perspiration rolling down his cheek as a sign of his frustration.

"Furthermore, it's not as if Moria actually needs allies. As you saw each dwarf is a fearsome warrior, and among the strongest of demons. Well, they might lack in magic, but their physical prowess is formidable, and trust me, you do not want to go up against a line of armored dwarves who armed to the teeth with magical weaponry."

I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…"

"Fortunately for us, dwarves are less interested in war and are far more interested in construction and trade. Otherwise they would have conquered much of Morten."

"Yeah, but do you think they'll be able to withstand the overwhelming numbers of the human kingdoms, especially with Evelyn's Chosen leading the charge?"

I wasn't too sure about that.

"Yeah. We've to work fast and convince the king that we're valuable allies, and that we'll contribute significantly to the war effort if given a chance."

"About that…"

I walked to the extravagant-looking windows, placed my hands on the intricately sculpted frames and looked outside.

"This is a great fortress."

"Huh?"

I turned back to Gio and smiled.

"Lieutenant, get the layout of this place mapped out, and call our officers for a meeting. I want the commanders to assign a squad to sentry points, bastions, hardpoints, and man this fortress. When the enemy hits here, we'll be ready to hold them off with just a single battalion."

"Huh? Major, do you seriously think the enemy will strike here? It's pretty remote from Moria! We're practically in the middle of nowhere, posted to one of the most insignificant mountains that's far away from any of the hive cities or manufactories!"

"Call it a hunch," I replied with a smile. "But I'm certain the enemy will attack here…because there's something in this mountain. Why else do you think they build an outpost here? Earlier, I saw a convoy of trucks ferrying ores into the foot of this mountain…and it certainly wasn't to this barracks. Knowing Kobayashi and Evelyn's Chosen, I wouldn't be surprised if they've already obtained intelligence on this place."

"…really?"

Gio was staring at me in disbelief. I waved my hand at him.

"Come on, Gio. Have I ever let you down before? Just call the commanders. We'll commence the strategic meeting in fifteen."

*

From the western border, a ragged line of human zealots marched across the blizzard, oblivious to the snow and wind. Countless soldiers had already succumbed to hypothermia and the cold, but the loyal devotees to Kobayashi's cause continued to march on regardless, heedless of the devastating toll it was taking on their forces.

For them, Kobayashi's word was law, and they would gladly offer their lives to serve him and his tyrannical ambitions. Having lost their individual will, they were enslaved to his desires through the activation of Kingly Disposition.

The commander of the human forces turned around to yell at them.

"Once we've crossed this mountain range…we'll be in Moria proper!"

Clad in a fur coat, with thick gloves and winter gear, the commander gestured wildly to encourage his soldiers to maintain their progress.

"Do not stop moving, men!"

As the men marched forward, a single armored vehicle rumbled across the snow, kicking up white puffs of powder.

"…"

One of the heroes turned to glare at the vehicle, lowering his hood to expose his handsome, determined face. Beside him, a girl with long, auburn hair and a beautiful face concealed underneath her fur hood and her lithe body wrapped inside a huge coat, turned around in concern.

"Shigeo-kun?"

Umezu Shigeo shook his head and put his hood back on, turning away to continue the march along the bitterly cold mountain range.

"It's nothing."

His girlfriend, Kido Mayumi, stared at him, unconvinced. Having known him for years, she knew her boyfriend was troubled by something.

"Something about that ugly tank just bothered me," Umezu finally admitted as he turned his back on the squat, black tank, which was now white from the snow.

Its treads continued to kick up huge clouds of snow with a deafening rumble while its turret weapon lazily traversed about, aiming at nothing in particular.

It was a tank – a different class from the Malthas tank, but still a tank nonetheless.

Umezu and Kido still couldn't believe that such things existed in what, seven months prior to this invasion, seemed like a medieval fantasy world.

*

"What to do…?"

Alone in my room, I lay down on the massive, comfortable bed, and stared at the ceiling. Sighing, I allowed my thoughts to wander.

I wonder…was I mistaken? I did see the convoy of trucks ferrying ore to some secret place buried inside this mountain, but I was guessing about Kobayashi sending a force over to this place. He might not even know about this place…

After all, the Demonic Alliance had no intelligence regarding this particular mountain. The dwarves had done an excellent job keeping this mountain range completely under wraps. If Regis Gremory and his intelligence division didn't know of its existence, why would Kobayashi and the human kingdoms know about it?

Gio is right…

The barracks we were posted to was a remote mountain that was far away from the hive cities and manufactories of Moria, and were projected to not play an important role in the fighting. The brunt of the war would be borne by the dwarven king and his armies at the immediate vicinities of the hive cities and surrounding manufactories. I hoped he would treat Regis more respectfully and allow him to combine their forces to defend Moria, instead of sending the Demon Lord over to remote outposts like he did with my battalion.

I had contacted Regis, but shared with him my suspicions, so that the Demon Lord wouldn't be outraged at Hedol's treatment of me and my battalion. Everything would fall apart if the Demon Lord Gremory came to blows with his close ally, King Hedol of Moria.

But if I proved to be wrong, and Moria fell while my battalion was stationed here, too far away to contribute to any of the fighting, then…

Knock, knock.

A sudden noise cut into my thoughts and I hastily sat up, putting my glasses back on.

"Yes? Uh…Jurgen?"

I was half-expecting my aide to be carrying some sort of news from high command, or perhaps one of my officers – Ben, Daniel or Gio – to be confirming some last-minute thing from the strategy we developed in the meeting earlier.

The door creaked open and someone stepped inside the room, but she wasn't any of my subordinates.

"Major Tomoyuki…I'm sorry to bother you at this hour."

It was a lady, dressed in a white gown, and her face veiled by silk and linen.

"Is…is this room to your liking?"

"Uh…yeah. Definitely."

"I'm pleased to hear it."

I sighed, half-expecting her to strip right in front of me. But obviously she didn't. This wasn't some ecchi manga, after all.

"Um…who are you? Could you possibly be…your highness, Princess Donorea?"

"That is correct."

The lady nodded.

"I am King Hedol's sister. Please call me Donorea. You can dispense with formalities and the honorifics."

"Fine, Donorea-san. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"…I…I know this is improper, but this was the only way I have of directly approaching you. I need your help."

"For what? The war? That's why we're posted here, right? To defend your kingdom from the humans."

"I know of the unfair treatment my brother has given you, and I wish to apologize for that." Donorea bowed her head. "Even worse, my brother is planning to reject the assistance of Helsfort and the Demonic Alliance when they arrive tomorrow. His pride has blinded him to the crisis that is staring Moria in the face."

"So how can I help? I am a soldier, not a politician. If you're asking me to persuade your brother, I'm afraid I might not be able to do it."

"That's…"

Donorea hesitated for a moment, and then turned away.

"Below this outpost…inside this mountain, there is a factory."

"Oh, I know about that factory. I saw trucks ferrying ore to it today."

Donorea half-smiled, her lips barely visible behind the translucent veil.

"I guess it is difficult for us to conceal such an obvious thing from you."

"Well, I do have a question, though. What are they building here?"

"I do not know the details…but it appears to be some sort of weapon for war. A tank…but not just any tank. A tank to surpass all tanks. It is unfortunate, but they have run into…problems constructing this tank. At any rate, I do not think they'll make it in time before the human kingdoms invade. But that's not why I'm here."

"…okay." I cocked my head in bafflement. "Then why are you here, your highness? If it's to apologize for your brother, it really isn't necessary. I understand why he chose to treat my battalion the way he did. He is indeed a mighty warrior, and his pride is well-earned."

"Uh, thank you for your praise, but despite his prowess, my brother is not invincible. That's why, I want you to help him when the fighting hits. Please…I beg you."

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"I will, but…"

Donorea held up a hand to stop me, and then continued.

"The factory I told you about? It is linked to the other mountains through an underground passage. When the war begins, I want you to bring your men and tanks through that subterranean tunnel, and proceed to the hive cities. It will take you to Mount Aleron. That is the entrance to Moria from the west borders, and the most likely place the enemies will hit. My brother may be formidable in combat, but against countless hordes of humans and the Chosen of the goddess Evelyn herself, even he will find it hard-pressed to fight off all of them. I beg of you, please aid him."

"I will." A ghost of a smile flittered across my lips. "In return, I would like you to permit me access to this new tank of yours…and give me as many details about it as possible."