The CHINK... CHINK... CHINK was different now.
Gone was the defiant rhythm of the night before, the sound of faith used as a weapon against the silence. This was a slow, deliberate, heavy rhythm. It was the sound of what happens after a major mourning event for communities. It is well known when a loved one, or an acquaintance, passes away.
Seiko carved the last letter into the stone. He had added a new section to the Wall of Memory, just below the word ARCEUS and separated from the Celestica story. It was a simple list.
ORAN | ERIA | MAKO | TOR
Four names. Four pillars of their fledgling community, ripped away. Four lives sacrificed, not for tradition or blind faith, but for the tribe's progress and survival. For the smoke of their own forge.
Seiko rested his forehead against the cold stone. The metal of his chisel was warm in his hand. He could feel the exhaustion down to his bones, a fatigue that wasn't just physical from the sleepless night, but mental. He had calculated the rock trajectories, the acid concentration. But he hadn't calculated this. The weight of lives lost under his command. The weight of the wives of the children who will have to carry the fear of not hating him for what happened.
'They were miners,' he thought, guilt like a bitter taste. 'I put them in the path of an avalanche.'
"You put them behind an avalanche you designed," said Iris's soft voice beside him.
Seiko straightened up, startled. He hadn't heard her approach. She and Tyla were standing there, their faces pale and stained with dried tears.
"If it weren't for that avalanche," Iris continued, "The bronze soldiers would have come up that path and slaughtered us all in our beds. You saved dozens."
"I lost four," Seiko replied, his voice raspy.
"No," said Tyla, her usually bright voice now dull. "The mountain lost them. The war lost them. Oran... he was a warrior. He died protecting Kael's path. And Eria, Mako, and Tor..." She wiped away a furious tear. "They died securing the rocks to protect their families. They died saving the lives of those of us living now."
Seiko looked at his young apprentice. The fire of battle had hardened her.
"Seiko," said Iris, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The people are waiting. The prisoners are secured. The wounded are being tended to. But the dead..." She gestured toward the bodies, now respectfully covered with blankets. "They need your guidance. The Law of the Mountain says we must burn them before noon."
Seiko nodded, putting away the chisel and hammer. The Prophet had done his job; now the Leader had to finish it. "Prepare the pyre. Use the wood we cut for charcoal. Let their last journey feed the fire they defended."
While Iris and Tyla went to give the orders, Kael approached. His face was a granite mask, but his eyes were red with grief and contained anger.
"The prisoners are in the west mine," he reported curtly. "Twenty men. Two of them wounded, but they'll walk. The Commander is separated, as you ordered. My men are guarding, but they are tired. They are grieving."
"You are grieving," said Seiko. Oran had been Kael's second.
"I will bury my friend later," Kael grunted. "Now, what do we do with these... workers? They want food. They want water. And I want to put my spear through every single one of their throats."
"They will have food and water after we have eaten," said Seiko, repeating his pact. "But first, you and I will speak with the Commander. I need to know what we are fighting."
"We fought bronze soldiers," said Kael. "And we won."
"We won a skirmish," Seiko corrected him. "But they serve a 'Legion'. They have Steel Pokémon. They have discipline. And now they have four of my iron spears stuck in their dead soldiers. They will come back, Kael. And next time, they won't bring a few dozen men, I fear they will bring an amount beyond hundreds."
The answer chilled Kael's anger.
Leaving Acies guarding the clearing, Seiko and Kael walked toward the west mine. Kael carried his spear, while Seiko carried nothing.
The Commander was sitting against the cave wall, bound but not gagged. When he saw Seiko, his eyes showed a mix of fear and hatred.
"What do you know about the green smoke?" asked Seiko without preamble.
The Commander remained silent.
"Your people are eating our breakfast leftovers right now," said Seiko. "If you cooperate, your ration will be the same as theirs. If not, you will feed on whatever roots you can find in this cave. It is your choice."
The Commander clenched his jaw. "It is... it is a sign. From the smelter. When bronze is poured correctly, the White Hero's Fire blesses it with a green flame."
'Phosphorus,' thought Seiko instantly. 'Or arsenic. They are making arsenical bronze. It is harder than pure tin bronze, but the fumes... the green smoke... is poison. They are poisoning their own smiths without knowing it.'
"And the Klinklangs?" asked Seiko.
"You mean our beasts? The White Hero considers them sacred gears. Only Legion Commanders can handle them."
"How many commanders are there?"
Silence.
Kael stepped forward, the tip of his spear gleaming. "Answer Seiko."
"Dozens!" snapped the Commander. "The Legion is vast. We control the lowlands. We follow the Truth of Reshiram. We seek to unify the continent, to free the savages from their ignorance."
"Like us. Right?" said Seiko.
"You are Demons!" shouted the Commander. "You used acid against our beasts. That is Witchcraft. You didn't fight with honor (honour)."
"Honor (Honour) is a tool for rulers to send men like you to die," said Seiko coldly. "I used what I know. And it works better." He turned around. "Keep talking. Kael, I want to know the location of their main fortress, their supply routes, and how many Steel Pokémon they have."
"And if I refuse?" said the Commander.
"Then Kael will leave you here. And when the rest of your men have paid their labor debt, they will be free to go. But you," said Seiko, "Will stay in this cave. Alone. With your honor (honour)."
Seiko walked out of the mine, leaving Kael with the prisoner. The threat of isolation was, for a soldier accustomed to a legion, worse than death. Kael would get his answers.
Seiko returned to the clearing, where Tyla was waiting for him. The grief in her eyes had been replaced by a feverish curiosity.
"Seiko," she said, "The Klinklangs... are silent. The acid... I think it killed them."
"I don't think they 'live' like other Pokémon," murmured Seiko. He approached the nearest neutralized machine. The Pokémon's body was covered in a black, sticky crust. Its gears were completely jammed.
"This isn't witchcraft, Tyla," said Seiko, scratching the crust with his fingernail. "It is a reaction. Tannic acid. Corrosive. And this..." he pointed to the sticky liquid, "Is the berry sap, concentrated by boiling. A natural glue."
"How did you know it would work?"
"Because they are Steel-type. And steel rusts," said Seiko. 'And because I read it in a game guide a lifetime ago.'
He knelt, examining the Klinklang's construction. It was an engineering marvel. Interlocking gears, an electromagnetic core in the center (centre)... and all powered by a small red gear on top that seemed to pulse with a faint light.
"They are jammed, not dead," said Seiko. "Tyla, bring levers. The strongest ones. And water. Lots of water. And then... bring my tools."
"What are we going to do?"
"You and I," said Seiko, his eyes shining with the light of an engineer seeing a new engine for the first time, "Are going to perform an autopsy. We are going to dismantle this Bronze God. And when we finish... we are going to build a better one."
He would honor (honour) his dead by building a future they could never have imagined. And he would use his enemies' own technology to do it.
[A/N: I took a few days off for some rest and vacation, so sorry for not updating. I'll be posting more chapters right now. Since I've been away for several days, I'll be uploading 11 chapters in a row this time. But on Patreon, I'll keep the usual 10 chapter advance, just like I originally planned. You're all welcome to check it out. I hope you have a wonderful day, afternoon, or night. patreon.com/Nemryz]