Chapter 2001: Avaranth

Back at their inn in Sarthal, Quinlan found the Scarlet Lilies in the private dining room they’d arranged for the afternoon. Lilith had spread a map across one end of the table, leaving the other to Bronnya and the arriving dishes.

"You’re late."

"We got promoted."

"So did we." Lilith tapped the new badge beside her plate. "Did yours come with a speech about being more ambitious with your contracts? Because mine did."

"Perhaps they were worried you’d get bored."

"After making me start with weeds. How considerate."

Quinlan smirked as he closed the door behind his family. At his will, Synchra withdrew from his face, letting him enjoy the smell of roasted meat without a helmet between himself and lunch.

He let the rest of his armour soften into a loose shirt and trousers before taking his seat. Blossom immediately claimed the place on his left, while Aurora brought her notes to his right. Across the joined tables, Void was leaning against Scar with her eyes shut, apparently recovering from the exhausting experience of sitting in a chair.

Sera settled at the table’s end beside Scar. Serika stayed behind Quinlan, resting her hands on his shoulders while he brought a stack of Guild notices out of his ring.

"The Continent of Avaranth," Quinlan read from the map’s upper edge.

"And this little patch is everything we’ve seen of it." Lilith’s finger circled the port city-state of Sarthal and its surrounding roads on the western coast. The circle left most of the parchment untouched.

For a moment, his attention stayed on that enormous expanse beyond her hand.

They’d spent the week taking whatever worthwhile work Marielle’s badge could get them into, learning the roads while their prey taught them what lived beside them. It had been enjoyable. There was a particular pleasure in leaving the inn with his women and deciding which unfamiliar creature they wanted to find that day.

Yet all of it fitted beneath Lilith’s fingertips.

"We have plenty left to see, then."

"Damn right." Her grin widened. "Jallen bought this from a map seller. We’ve been asking the merchants which borders are worth crossing."

"We’ve been comparing their answers with the Guild’s contracts," Quinlan said, spreading the notices he’d collected during the week. "Some of the people complaining about a country are quite happy to send us there."

"For their cargo," Jallen agreed. "We noticed."

Aurora unfolded her own maps beside Lilith’s. Between jobs, Unbound had questioned traders, browsed the shops, and followed up on the places people kept mentioning. Her notes were crowded with names and corrections.

"This one seems to have moved an entire road to make room for the seller’s name."

"A visionary," Quinlan decided.

"A shameless nuisance."

Blossom leaned across Quinlan to inspect the offending road.

"We went around this hill. Blossom remembers scouting ahead."

"Exactly." Aurora marked the bend the dogkin indicated. "At least this part of Lilith’s map agrees with the ground."

"Let me." Quinlan was still smiling when Serika’s thumbs began working along the base of his neck. He tipped his head back to look at her and found the redhead grinning down at him, her ponytail falling over one sun-browned shoulder.

"You worked hard. Let me reward you."

"You worked just as hard as I have."

The tanned beauty smiled at that. "Then perhaps you can reward me later, too. But first..."

Her fingers slipped beneath his open collar, pressing into the thick muscle at the tops of his shoulders. That earned her a long, satisfied breath as he leaned back in his chair, giving her all the room she wanted.

"Ah... Perfect."

"Thought so."

The muscles in her bare arms shifted as she kneaded him, strong hands working with a care that made him want to close his eyes. She was far too good at this. He reached up to squeeze her wrist, and the tanned beauty smiled at him before bending to kiss his forehead.

"Let’s keep the meeting going."

"Naturally."

He relaxed beneath her hands while Lilith tapped the map south of Sarthal. The broad river basins belonged to the Empire of Nharum, a country ruled by the undead.

Naga lived in Nharum’s central provinces, while Fomorians and giants inhabited other parts of the empire.

"Nharum first, then?"

Blossom caught Quinlan’s sleeve before he could answer.

"Blossom heard most of this already, but Blossom is confused! Could Master please explain it again?"

"Of course."

"Why do their living farmers want to stay? Are they prisoners, or do they actually like having those rulers? Blossom finds it very weird!!"

Quinlan turned toward her while Serika continued working his shoulders. He indicated the broad river basins south of Sarthal on the map.

"They remind me of the Covenant of Eternity’s leaders, but these ones managed to create a whole damned empire. They seem a bit more reasonable and wise, too, going by the rumors."

"Speaking of... Still no word on the Blind Grave Oracle?" Lucille cut in.

"Nope. She, Yoruha, and Celeste seem to have left Iskaris as soon as the Suppression was destroyed," Quinlan sighed. "I tried locating them using my powers and Rosie’s root network, but no luck whatsoever."

"Hmm... Sorry for interrupting, baby. It’s just been on my mind a lot... Please continue."

"Nothing to apologize for." He turned towards Blossom, whose tail began wagging instinctively. Merely having his attention was more than enough. "So these undead. They have ordinary living subjects, with towns, shops, and farms. The farmers in particular can make a good living there."

Blossom followed his finger over the southern lands.

"Do the farmers own their undead workers?"

"They rent their work crews from Corpse Animators," Vex explained. "The farmers decide what to grow and supervise the work. Preparing and maintaining the undead still costs money, but try competing with their grain prices anywhere on this continent. You’d be wasting your time."

The dogkin leaned back in her chair, considering that. "Hmm... Blossom understands that... But... Still weird!!" Beside her, Quinlan let out a pleased breath as Serika worked her thumbs along the muscles beside his shoulder blades.

"That’s why their grain trade interests me," he continued. "Their living citizens eat part of the harvest. They sell the rest abroad, cheaply enough that merchants all over this region buy from them."

"Including our innkeeper," Kitsara said, glancing at Bronnya’s plate. "He buys flour from the undead empire. You’re eating it~"

Bronnya looked down at the loaf she’d already demolished most of.

"Huh. The dead make good bread."

"The baker is alive," Lilith told her. "The skellies only do the most braindead of tasks."

"...Oh."

Quinlan chuckled, but Blossom was still studying the empire’s lands. Supplying all those farms with undead labour would take a great many bodies.

"Where do they get all the bodies, Master?"

Quinlan brought his notes out from his storage ring, flipping to the relevant page. "From their citizens, for a start. When a living citizen dies, the empire claims their body and puts it into service. That’s an obligation of living under its rule."

"All their living citizens? Even people who never rented any skeletons?"

"Yes. Renting workers is a business arrangement. The claim on people’s remains comes with being an imperial citizen."

At the far end of the table, Bronnya scratched her cheek.

"I’d be pretty fucking annoyed if I finally died and someone handed me a shovel."

Jallen gave her a wry look. "You’d be dead, Bronnya."

"I’d still be annoyed."

Lilith barked a laugh. Blossom waited for it to subside before looking up at Quinlan again.

"And the living people agree to this?"

"Quite a few seem content with the bargain," Sera said. "The empire protects them, there’s work, and food is cheap. Their minds go to the Goddess while their bodies enter service after death, and their families keep benefiting from the labour. They can have a good life there while they’re alive."

"That’s what we’re meant to believe, anyway~" Kitsara rested her chin on her hand. "Maybe it’s just undead propaganda."

"Propaganda is definitely a part of it, but it’s not pure oppression either." Sera looked back at Blossom. "We asked what happens if a family wants to burn their relative’s remains. The traders got much less enthusiastic about that."

"Because the empire wants the body?" Blossom asked.

"It considers the body owed for all the trouble their leaders go through to provide for the living subjects," Vex said. "The family doesn’t get to destroy something the government intends to use."

The dogkin frowned at the map. She could understand why someone would want the protection and cheap food. Having their family’s dead taken away whether they liked it or not sounded far less pleasant.

"And good luck getting promoted in their government," Lilith chuckled. "We heard plenty of complaints about that. Some important bastard becomes undead and keeps his position forever."

"I’m honestly surprised the church hasn’t decimated them all, going by their behavior on Iskaris..." Seraphiel muttered.

"They seem a bit more relaxed out here," Ayame said, nodding to Sera. "But perhaps it’s because of the Sacred Custodianship of Orathis, too..."

"Or they’ve become so powerful that spouting such hypocrisy and launching crusades is no longer worthwhile," Vex purred.

Quinlan squeezed Blossom’s hand as her attention moved from the empire’s rivers to the lands beyond its borders.

"So if they take another country, they get its living people too. And all their bodies later..."

"Exactly. More farms, more subjects, and more workers as the years pass. They have plenty of reasons to want a conquered country healthy and productive."

He traced the roads leading north toward Sarthal.

"Narethi told us how badly Sarthal’s neighbours want this port. Nharum already uses it to sell its grain. Owning it would be even better for them."

"Their merchants certainly like the harbour," Lilith agreed. "I’d imagine their rulers would enjoy owning it."

"I’d like to see those farms."

"Planning to borrow a few ideas?" Ayame grinned.