The rest of the day past quickly, with Dom, Subutai and Xun You headed back through the tunnel to Nakbe and above ground, seeing natural light again, rather than the glow from the glow stones that covered the inside of the mountain. By the time they had arrived in Nakbe, the sun was beginning to make it's decent and Dom intended to spend the night in Mountview Fort before heading back to Riverside the following day.
Nakbe was an interesting place, currently full of Warriors from Riverside who were piling up enemy bodies, dealing with the wounded or plundering the Town of anything of value before they allowed the wild of the Silver Forest to take it back. The Limestone temple was an impressive sight, however the steps and stones that made it, were currently covered in the slick flow of blood from the hundreds of corpses that laid across it. Atop the Temple, Hoplite's and Civilians could be seen passing bodies to one another as they cleaned the building.
There were multiple empty cages around the small Town, that seemed to have originally been home to several hundred inhabitants, with homes spread across the southern and eastern edges of the Town. Dom imagined it would have been a peaceful place to live before the arrival of the Type 3's. They hadn't found a Warriors Hall, but they had found plenty of club like weapons that had stone spikes across them in a small warehouse to the south. The assumption was that any of the Warrior like Villagers had been killed early in the skirmish, clearly outnumbered by the Army of the Type 3's. Dom did think it was a shame, as another Warriors Hall would have been helpful, but he accepted that he had made enough gains from the expedition.
In the centre of Nakbe was a water fountain, that brought water from an underground source. Dom wondered if the tunnelling had continued from the Type 3's if they would have found the source themselves and potentially drowned themselves, saving everyone in the North of Dom's area from their arrival. As Dom headed towards where his Generals were gathered, a notification appeared.
[Congratulations on Conquering the Town of Nakbe. Rewards have been placed in Personal Chest.]
Dom had wanted to see Tomoe, but she had departed back towards Riverside soon after the battle with a small unit, having been ordered by Tomyris to seek a medical check up before relaxing, her battling having been fierce. Lu Fang had also departed to Mountview Fort with the survivors of Nakbe, getting them dispatched on one of the returned Trireme to Riverside. The only commanders currently in Nakbe were Sun Ce, Gan Ning and Tomyris who were busy doing their different tasks.
"I will depart back to the North East with my Unit shortly." Sun Ce explained as they all sat around a table near the fountain that had been pulled from one of the larger houses that hadn't been ruined by the Type 3's. "I'll sure to be in Riverside in four days as planned."
"I am not sure what the Mission will be, but I am sure your help will be key." Dom replied with a smile, happy to see that all of his Generals present were unharmed from the battle and in positive moods.
"I'm just excited that I finally get the chance to do one!" Tomyris added with a grin. "I think I'll spend the next few nights here, there is a lot to do and I want to make sure that this place is made safe. We can convert part of it in to a Hunting and Logging Base in the Silver Forest. If anyone goes exploring, hunting or even if we continue this quarry here, it gives those who are here somewhere to sleep for the night."
"That's a good idea." Gan Ning agreed, "We should cut a path from Riverside to here, and then from here to Mountview. It can become a travel stop on the way. Eventually when the Kingdom grows and so does the population, who knows this may become a vibrant town again."
"That would be nice." Xun You stated. "There has been a lot of loss here, it would be nice if it could become a place of hope in the future."
"It has been a rewarding day." Subutai interrupted, "We have gained two new Towns and everything that remains within them, as well as eliminating a foe and discovering the underground network. The North is ours and now we just need to prioritise the south."
"I'll head back to Riverside in the morning, hopefully between Guo Sheng in the Underground Cavern and Tomyris here, we can have a full understanding of everything that has been gained by mid afternoon.
"I should have ninety percent complete by the evening, the men are all busy." Tomyris agreed, "However I will have a rider dispatched in the morning with a full breakdown of everything. I am sure that the Civilian Branches will want the information for future planning."
"I don't doubt it." Subutai agreed as the small group of them chatted for a while longer.
.....
Dom arrived back in Riverside the following afternoon. After spending time travelling back to Mountview Fort with Gan Ning, Subutai and Xun You, and then sleeping at the Fort overnight. In the morning he took a Trireme at first light back towards Riverside, with Gan Ning and Xun You returning with him. Subutai had decided to take the land route and bring the update from Tomyris and Guo Sheng with him, whilst Sun Ce had returned to the North East.
Guo Sheng had agreed to clear out the Underground City and had based himself there. The Legionaries had built some temporary accommodation, not wanting to stay in any of the buildings until a full dismantle had taken place. Most of the Captives that could be moved had been transported throughout the night from the Underground City, to Nakbe and then to Mountview. They had all lay across a Merchant Ship that had dispatched alongside the Trireme that Dom was on. Across the two locations, they had rescued nearly two hundred people, with a hope that a large number of them would survive.
Dom had discussed with Subutai and Xun You throughout the night on their plans for the Underground City. They had agreed that it was a key location for their future plans in to the west, but they would dismantle all of the current buildings, taking the Tokens from what was there. They would then rebuild everything fresh. The only building they agreed to not dismantle was the Palace, which would become the new Headquarters for their Western Campaigns in the future.
Dom disembarked the Trireme as it docked in Riverside, the medical teams under the command of Doctor Phoebe were helping to disembark the Merchant Ship with the injured Captives whilst Dom, Gan Ning and Xun You headed directly towards the centre of Riverside.
Xun You headed directly to the Town Centre to meet up with the Civilian Heroes, such as Shang Yang, Lucius and Xun Yu to explain everything that had happened so planning could begin. Whilst Gan Ning headed towards the Clinic to check on Tomoe and make sure she had gotten some rest, as per Subutai and Tomyris's order.
Dom headed directly to the Palace to let Meritamen know what had happened. He paced through Riverside in his black armour, with his Slaying Spear in his hands and both the Harpe and the Zhan Lu strapped to his waist. Behind him were his four Batavi Guards, with a proudly bruised Actumerus leading them. The Hoplite Guards of Gregorios, Hector, Trojan and Homer were dismissed to go and recover and the Batavi Guards would hopefully join them soon.
He headed through the Palace doors and was told by one of the staff that Meritamen was upstairs with Chanda and Ban Jieyu. He wondered what mischief the three would be up to and headed to meet them.
"I'll speak with Hua Tou and get some advice." Dom heard Chanda say as he entered the room. They all paused talking when they saw him, returning victoriously once again.
"You look very handsome!" Meritamen grinned as she stood up and walked towards him, she embraced him, before stepping back and squinting her eyes. "But you don't smell it."
"I need to Bathe and have my armour washed." Dom replied with a laugh, "I have spent a lot of time underground and the air isn't as good there. The bath I took last night obviously wasn't enough."
"She is just teasing you!" Ban Jieyu laughed, before standing from her chair. "We shall leave the two of you be!"
"Is everything ok?" Dom asked as the two ladies stood up, "I heard mention of Hua Tou."
"I have been a bit unwell, but I think we are getting there." Meritamen replied honestly, much to the relief of the other two. As they began to make their way past, Ban Jieyu stopped.
"Lord Lazarus, where did you get this sword?" She asked as she looked at the sheathed sword on his waist.
"This one?" Dom replied as he unfastened the sheath from his waist and placed it on a nearby table, before drawing the blade and showing it to her. Her eyes opened wide as she looked at it, before she traced her fingers down the engravings in the centre of it.
"My life started as a maid, before I married the Emperor and became Consort Ban, but I am now a scholar and a poet." She explained as she stroked it, "There are many poems of the Zhan Lu Jian, a sword with no murderous aura, yet is invincible in battle. A benevolent blade that will only serve a righteous and true person. A Master piece of Master Sword Smith Ou Yezi."
"It is an impressive sword." Meritamen agreed as she looked at the sword with impressed eyes.
"He will be happy to see his work again." Ban Jieyu continued, before turning back to Dom. "This is the Zhan Lu isn't it?"
"It is." He replied honestly, surprised by her actions. She then took a step back and bowed to him.
"This sword proves what I already believed, the future of Riverside is going to be grand. Thank you for bringing me here to join you on this journey." She stated with gratitude.
Dom told her not to bow and that he appreciated her words. He explained to Ban Jieyu and Chanda that he was happy that they were both here in Riverside, not only as friends to Meritamen but for the wider impacts they were having day to day. Unlike the other Scholars that were mainly at the Library discussing or pushing ideas forwards, Ban Jieyu, similar to Sostratus, was involved in day to day tasks.
Dom asked them to sit, and was open with them about everything that had happened at both Nakbe and the Underground City that they had discovered. They all had an understanding of slavery, but all still showed looks of shock at the levels of suffering they had gone through. Ban Jieyu asked if she could join the group that would investigate the place, especially that the Zhan Lu had come from there, where as Chanda offered to create a group who could support the women that were rescued with having a fresh life. Dom was grateful for both of their opinions and thanked them, before they departed and left Dom with Meritamen.
"It sounds like it has been a tough battle, I heard Tomoe returned yesterday and had gone straight to sleep. The messengers only explained Victory but we weren't aware of anything else other than that those that returned from Nakbe last night were rescued and needed care." Meritamen explained, "For now I will get the servants to make you a bath, as you need to bathe before you meet with the Civil Officials, we can talk more later. You also need rest, so please don't spend the evening discussing late in to the night."