It was almost dawn when Arsha finally got to see Kartambo. A human man, roughly Arsha\u2019s skin tone, was dragged in by Irmalii. He arched an eyebrow at seeing Arsha on the throne with Domesta and Dumarith\u2019s bottle on the armrest. \u201cAh, Mr. Kartambo!\u201d greeted Arsha. \u201cI see Irmalii found you! Good! You\u2019re looking healthier than I remember, got yourself cured of your bone disease?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy bones have never been stronger, Your Highness,\u201d replied Kartambo. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here? Last I checked, that was your father\u2019s seat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere, exactly, was that statement when Skain polluted the throne? Did your own ambitions and Dr. Borg\u2019s goals get in the way?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Well, that answers my private question about you being an illusion. Only the real Arsha Royana would pry into someone\u2019s private business. So, you really ARE alive and back. I take it your parents are here too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re in Daddy\u2019s office, going over the situation reports so they can fix this mess. I\u2019m simply helping them take care of the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean? What in the Depths is going on, Your Highness?\u201d Arsha got up and walked to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSkain initially built the wall to keep the citizens of Largandra as his prisoners. He allowed Dr. Borg\u2019s robots to live there so the people would live in fear of the outside world. \u2026Skain\u2019s assets are being seized and liquidated before his execution so the funds would be used to rebuild the homes the wall destroyed in its construction, but it\u2019s not enough. We still need to tear that ugly thing down, so I\u2019m giving you a choice. You can fund the remainder willingly as the wall falls, or we take every single asset of yours and liquidate it while you languish in the dungeons for the rest of your life. Let me assure you, there won\u2019t be any execution for you, nor will you kill yourself if you refuse to help.\u201d Kartambo smirked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLargandra has a population of fifty million. Only two percent of it are fighters. Dr. Borg\u2019s personal edict is that the Empire does not attack a population of ten percent fighters unless provoked. The wall stays, one way or another.\u201d Arsha looked long and hard at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026You\u2019re afraid, aren\u2019t you?\u201d she guessed. \u201cYou\u2019re afraid of failing Dr. Borg as much as she fears losing to us.\u201d She then snapped her fingers as if she remembered something. \u201cSpeaking of the Empire, we need to ensure that we can talk privately. \u2026Don\u2019t move. Mr. Markulak, if you please.\u201d Markulak then sprang from behind the throne and swung his sword near Kartambo\u2019s neck on each side. He actually took the heads of two humanoid robots that were invisible until their deaths. He then sheathed his sword as the bottle flashed. Arsha rubbed it and released Domesta and Dumarith. \u201cFine work, Mr. Markulak,\u201d praised Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPart of my job description, Your Highness,\u201d replied Markulak. \u201cI\u2019ll clean it up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no need,\u201d assured Domesta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWE\u2019LL take care of the mess,\u201d supplied Dumarith. \u201cYour Highness, if you please?\u201d Arsha then took up the bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wish for the robot corpses and their spilled fluids,\u201d she declared, \u201cto be removed from this castle.\u201d The two Genies snapped their fingers and the mess disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have to tell the Telmath Forge in the north end of town about their sudden increase in materials,\u201d advised Domesta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWill do,\u201d replied Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re insane!\u201d growled Kartambo. Arsha glowered at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn any other day, Mr. Kartambo, you\u2019d be wrong. Today, though, after what the reports said about your activities? Today is a VERY different day! One last time; assist in the destruction of the wall or be reduced to utter destitution!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo on both counts. Despite what you think of what or who I fear, you DON\u2019T frighten me. No Royana does. If you attack the wall, you\u2019ll lose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, the weapons dotting the wall are very impressive against targets in the air and on the ground, but at this moment, they\u2019re pointed outside the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe external perimeter, yes. But that wall has weapons concealed within the inner wall, ready to quell any uprisings. So, what are you gonna do? Blow up the wall?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the idea, yes.\u201d Kartambo chuckled softly to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you conduct a material analysis of the wall\u2019s bricks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was told that the same clay that makes up Dr. Borg\u2019s Golems was used to make the bricks, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMeaning that, even if you DID set up explosives, you couldn\u2019t send a signal to the det-packs. So, what can you do, hope that there\u2019s a robot stupid enough to press the button?\u201d Arsha sighed to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Mr. Markulak, tell Trosalga that he can press the button.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Yes, Your Highness.\u201d Markulak\u2019s eyes flashed as Kartambo realized that there was another rebellious robot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNO!\u201d he wailed. The guards grabbed him before he could get any closer. Explosions reached everyone\u2019s ears and the castle rocked from the tremors. The shaking lasted for a minute before everything settled down. A call then came through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe wall is gone,\u201d came Temnasia\u2019s voice. \u201c\u2026As is Trosalga.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe died to save us,\u201d sighed Arsha. \u201cLet us continue to win in his name.\u201d She turned to Kartambo. \u201cMr. Markulak\u2019s defection inspired other robots to rebel against Dr. Borg. They evacuated the area near the wall during the night. I wanted to meet every member of the Robot Liberation Front. I had hoped you would be reasonable so I could see Trosalga, but\u2026here we are.\u201d She turned to the guards. \u201cTake him to the dungeon. Make sure he stays alive. Seize his lands and assets and liquidate them. Put it towards the reconstruction of the homes on Largandra\u2019s borders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, Your Highness,\u201d replied a guard. He and his partner then hauled Kartambo to the dungeon. He resisted long enough to shout at Arsha as she sat on the throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYOU JUST MADE A BIG MISTAKE, ARSHA ROYANA! EVEN IF WE LOST LARGANDRA, THE REALM TRINITY EMPIRE HAS ALLIES! WE\u2019LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN ALL THE REALMS PAY THE PRICE FOR WHAT YOU\u2019VE DONE TODAY!\u201d The group rounded a corner and his protests vanished. The sun finally peeked over the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019ve done?\u201d Arsha asked herself. \u201cWhen it comes to Dr. Borg, I haven\u2019t even started.\u201d Elgrad then entered the throne room. Arsha stood back up. \u201cThat\u2019s enough of that throne for me right now! You can have it back!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStill, a very fine command of the situation,\u201d praised Elgrad. \u201cYou rose to the challenge and knew when to step back so others can act. That\u2019s what a good ruler does.\u201d He sat on the throne. \u201c\u2026Tell me, how comfy is it for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA little TOO comfy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the correct answer. You\u2019ll be a fine Queen when your mother and I step down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you, Daddy. Now, I better go help out Rokanth. Those ships need to be relocated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood luck, Sweetie!\u201d replied Elgrad. Arsha pecked Elgrad on the cheek and headed out of the throne room. Elgrad then turned to Markulak. \u201cMr. Markulak, how would you like to be an advisor?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll have to leave the position once we have the Mid to Under Realmgate working,\u201d replied Markulak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery well. Until then, log yourself into the appointments database. Use 7-1-4-6 for the password.\u201d Markulak connected to the database and logged in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m in, Your Majesty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s first on the docket?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe woman that met with Skain last night is requesting an audience with you on the subject of obtaining food for her family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs she still on castle grounds?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s just gotten up from her bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTell her to come to the throne room at her earliest convenience. She may obtain the necessary food for her family from our storehouses.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was almost dawn when Arsha finally got to see Kartambo. A human man, roughly Arsha\u2019s skin tone, was dragged in by Irmalii. He arched an eyebrow at seeing Arsha on the throne with Domesta and Dumarith\u2019s bottle on the armrest. \u201cAh, Mr. Kartambo!\u201d greeted Arsha. \u201cI see Irmalii found you! Good! You\u2019re looking healthier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,238],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-5257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-5-the-final-fight","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5257"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5258,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5257\/revisions\/5258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}