Before heading out, Samantha cast a healing spell on the bandit who was to bring him to their leader.
'We can't be meeting this leader while showing off that we injured one of his men... heh heh... well, we might end up injuring all of them... but Trevor has that look in his eyes again... that look that says that he is planning something big... I wonder what he intends to have everyone do with even this group of mercenaries watching us....'
The bandit who was awake led the antiheroes and the mercenaries down a long cave system, which opened up into a large area that was more like a city than a hideout.
They passed a number of supply warehouses and other treasure storage areas, and many bandits on the way who seemed to be hard at work.
They all seemed to be young people who were working hard at what they were doing- transporting of goods, and coordinating with each other well. If one ignored the fact that they were in a cave, it would have seemed like a small community of people all working and living together. Most of the people wore hooded robes to cover themselves, however Trevor did catch a glimpse of some of the people's faces.
They were all so young and innocent. It seemed that what the bandit had said was true- they weren't just a group of bandits. They were a small scale resistance. There weren't too many of them, and they didn't seem to be paying any attention to the fact that another group had arrived in their midst.
'A new set of people who want to join the resistance? That would be great... eight people too, and they all look strong... I guess word is getting around about us...'
'Whoa... who are those people with Mory? Are they new members? But... why does Mory look so... terrified? Is everything really alright?'
'They look crazily powerful... especially those elves... maybe they are enemies of the senator? I don't see any other reason why people like that would be hear...'
Samantha listened in to what everyone around her was thinking about them, and discovered that they were being thought of as new members of this 'resistance'. She almost laughed at the horribly incorrect perception these people had of them.
'We aren't here to join your silly resistance and support your foolish plea for justice in a corrupt world... we are here for something much larger than that... these pathetic cockroaches can't see the bigger picture.... but WE are the bigger picture. We are the real resistance... the resistance to this very world and it's order... it is not this insignificant group who will change anything... but us... heh heh....'
She felt a demonic side of her continuing to corrupt her thoughts, however... Samantha felt no reason to go against this demonic side of her.
While Claire was actively fighting against the demonic piece of her, Samantha started out as a deceptive woman to begin with, and as such the demon which was taking over her mind was met with no resistance. The thoughts she had were her own, but they were simply amplified and sought out by the demonic part of her which now controlled her. Even so, Samantha was able to make far more logical decisions than she ever had been before she came to this world... as a result of her constant exposure to the logical decision making of her comrades.
The group continued through the cave system, however looking around and using his perceptive skills, Trevor took notice of something. Aside from two people, every single person present within this cave system were currently in this area working.
The eight walked through the resistance. Charlotte and Lance were a bit relieved at seeing that most of the people didn't seem overly aggressive.
'Maybe we can reason with them...'
'If we could convince them all to turn themselves in, then things would be a lot easier...'
Pierre and Melody however, were tense and concerned- suspicious of the people around them- and suspicious of the antiheroes. They were concerned that they made the wrong decision in trusting them, and they had nobody they could trust but themselves.
'I don't know what they're thinking... unless they really are in line with these bandits... I can't think of any other explanation for them negotiating with them.', Melody thought.
"Halt.", Trevor ordered the bandit, who stopped immediately as if he was frozen stiff.
"Is there... something wrong?"
"I'd like all the members of the resistance to be present for this meeting with the leader... I wish this discussion and it's contents to be broadcasted to all who are involved.
Pierre tried to understand what Trevor was doing, but no matter what he thought of, he couldn't wrap his mind around it.
'This guy... even if he does plan to kill everyone here.... why would he order that everyone be present for the meeting? If we were to take on these bandits one at a time, that would be one thing,.. but taking them all on at once? Even the eight of us would have a really tough time taking on 30 opponents at once... no, 28 based on what Theo said... but still... why did he even risk coming to speak with the leader in the first place? We should have just captured a few of them and came back later when it was safe... Does he not plan on fighting them? Or perhaps they really are in line with them... I don't think that is true, however they didn't kill any of the bandits back at the entrance, so I can't rule that out... most importantly, however... does he actually believe that they are a resistance force? I don't even know... just looking around, it seems to be true... these aren't your typical bandits... but could that all be just a trick to rope people in? I have no idea...'
Trevor then looked around and turned to Samantha.
"Could you get the attention of everyone for me?"
"Not an issue."
Samantha turned to all the people and shouted out with a kind and energetic voice.
"Excuse me, everyone!! Can I get all of your attention please!?"
Most of the working members of the resistance stopped their work in order to pay attention to Samantha. They all were completely captivated by her charm, and it was as if their eyes were glued to her.
"My companion here has an announcement to make! Please turn your attention to him!!"
Everyone turned to Trevor, who took the lead.
"Everyone, I have a large announcement to make, regarding the future of this resistance... I would first like everyone to gather into a meeting area if possible... and of course, I wish for the leader to be present."
Trevor turned to the bandit who was guiding them and asked "Do you have any area like that?"
"Ah, we do have a dining hall area that could be used for a large meeting."
"Then, everyone please meet up in the dining hall! You- go and tell your leader to come there as well... and we will follow the rest to the dining hall. I will be awaiting the arrival of your leader."
"O-of cou-course..."
The bandit ran off in the direction that Trevor sensed two other presences, and the group followed the crowd. Everyone had dropped their work at the drop of a dime in order to listen to Trevor's orders.
'Samantha's charm is something else... to be able to captivate a bunch of working people so easily, and make it so that I can order them around without so much as a single complaint or person asking who I am... it certainly is nice to have a reliable woman like her around...'
The antiheroes were led to a cafeteria like area with wooden tables and a connected kitchen area for the people, and everyone started taking their seats. Trevor and his group made their way to the front, where they all sat at the end of a long table.
"If everyone could gather at this table for the meeting, then please do so."
The long table filled with people, and Trevor sat at the end of the table- in what would have been the head position if this were a business meeting.
Soon, the bandit came back with two people- the one who must have been the leader, along with a man in his 50's who's hands were nothing more than nubs.
They all sat at the opposite end of the table. There were a total of 36 people- the leaders of each party at each end, and 17 people on each side.
The leader was glaring daggers at Trevor, but he sat down calmly and analyzed the situation.
"I have been informed that some intruders have figured out how to get into our hideout... and that you all defeated the guards at the front... not only that, but you allowed them to live, and you said that you wish to have a discussion with me after finding out who we are? Let me begin the discussion with a question- who are you, and how did you get in here?"
Trevor folded his hands from the opposite side of the table, and smiled from ear to ear as if he was prepared for the question.
"My name... is Theo.... or at least, that is the name I am using right now. However, you asked 2 questions, no? I will answer the first one, but in order to get the answer to the second one, you will have to answer one of mine."
The leader, Troy, nodded in agreement, and Trevor continued.
"To the mercenaries who have decided to follow us... this may come as a surprise to you all... however we are actually the leaders of a country."
"What!?", someone shouted.
"Leaders of a country!?!?"
"Impossible!!"
"What would the leaders of another country be doing here in the Empire!! And in this run down cave of bandits?!"
"Don't lie through your teeth!!"
Pierre and Melody were looking at the antiheroes with confusion, and Lance seemed to be shocked. Charlotte was completely dumbfounded, looking back and forth between everyone- unsure what to say or think.
"But it is true... we are the leaders of a country which has been newly formed, and has escaped the discovery of even the nearby nations due to it's particular location. Do you have a map of the world? I can show you the location of my country."
The leader was staring right at Trevor.
'I have no idea who these elves are, and what their goal is... the mercenaries they came with seem just as surprised and confused as my men...'
"Bring a map.", Troy stated.
A map was quickly fetched and brought by a subordinate, and given to Trevor, who took out a pen from his inventory and marked the location of the dictatorship before sliding the map across the table.
"Right there... I am sure as soon as you see the location, and take into account the fact that my country is newly made... surely you will understand why nobody has ever heard about this country."
"This is-!"
Troy grabbed the map and stared at the location. He once more glared back at Trevor.
"You mean to tell me that you've created a country within the monster realm?"
"Precisely."
"And you mean for me to take your word for it?"
"Oh no, not at all... I only wish for you all to listen to my story, and make a decision on your own."
'If this is true... if these elves have really and truly formed a country within the monster realm... how could they have done it?! They must have snuck in, defeated the monsters around the area, and established a city with a massive force quickly... is that what the Alliance has been up to these days!? We haven't been maintaining relations with them recently, but to think they had such a major endeavor completely escape the eyes of the entire world... I may be a bandit who is cut off from the world... but as the leader of this resistance, I should be ashamed that I didn't have information on this. Either way, it certainly isn't common knowledge...'
Charlotte then spoke up.
"Um... I don't mean to intrude on your meeting, but i also have some questions for both of you. May I ask them?"
Trevor nodded before looking to Troy to confirm that he was alright with it, and Troy turned his attention to Charlotte.
"Um... well... where even to begin? You all are rulers of an entire country? Is this some sort of joke? No... you all seemed a bit too... otherworldly when we first met for it to be a joke... I thought you were just a group of mercenaries with a valiant set of ideals... however now that I know this... well, first off, how are you even able to do something so reckless such as becoming mercenaries here in the Empire? If you truly do rule over a country, then wouldn't it be unthinkable to simply abandon your subjects in order to come and perform surveillance here? Wouldn't you order your subjects to do something like that? And another thing- was what you told us earlier about waking up in a dungeon all a lie?! If you are all from the Alliance and performed a colonial expedition to create a nation within the monster realm.... does that mean that you never lost your memories in the first place?"
Trevor sat up. He already had expected these questions, and had prepared a number of explanations.
"Good questions. For the first, worry not about our domain. We left a talented set of subjects in charge during our absence, and so there will be no issues while we are gone. As for why we came here ourselves as opposed to sending them... it is simply a matter of prudence. In order to make decisions and gather the full amount of information, I have decided that it is best to see the situation for ourselves. This may seem... strange, from the perspective of a standard ruler, however we are not your typical rulers."
Trevor pushed up his glasses and smirked.
"We are dictators."
"D- dictators!?!?!", almost everyone sitting at the table simultaneously shouted- both the mercenaries, the members of the resistance, and Troy alike.
"But of course. A country cannot be properly ruled without an iron fist. Even your country has an Emperor, no? Does the Emperor not hold absolute power? The only difference between our dictatorship and your Empire is the connotation of the leaders."
"I... I suppose..."
"Now then... regarding your second question... we did not lie about waking up in a dungeon. And we have no ties with the Alliance. We woke up in a dungeon in the monster realm, and from there we managed to survive- building up our strength and reputations with others that we met, until we built a flourishing domain filled with around 50-60 inhabitants as of this day."
"That certainly is a small country... is there actually much merit for a resistance group like us to conduct these negotiations with you?", Troy asked.
"That is for you to decide, but after revealing so much to you... certainly you would understand that I cannot afford to leave here empty handed."
Troy felt a menacing chill as Trevor said this. He felt intimidated, as if he was playing right into the hands of this man with every statement he made.
"Hold up! How did you even obtain 60 people as subjects of your country in the monster realm in the first place? If you have no ties with the alliance, then I find it hard to believe that there were 60 people just exploring the monster realm that you happened to recruit into your domain!", Pierre shouted.
"There are plenty of people living in the monster realm. Many people of the Empire may not know, since they haven't gone deep in enough to notice...or perhaps they are simply to blind to comprehend that our subjects can be considered to be people.... but our subjects came from among those who were already living in the monster realm."
"That's a fishy story!! I've never heard of people living in the monster realm!"
"Believe what you will."
Lance then spoke up.
"Now that we have asked questions about you all... while I am still very confused about who you actually are or what you actually are trying to accomplish... I would like to ask a few questions to the leader of this so called 'resistance... you all mentioned something about a corrupt senator... I would like to hear the full story behind this. If corruption is truly happening within the Empire... then as mercenaries it is our duty to fight this injustice."
The old man who had nubs as hands began to speak.
"I will explain then."
Wexus then took the stage, and told his stories of his time in the military, and the countless times that he witnessed the soldiers under the senator do horrible things to the poor, and the Senator himself extorting others. The four mercenaries listened in shock, however the antiheroes seemed unphased- as if they couldn't care less.
"That's horrible!!!", Lance shouted.
"I can't believe such corruption exists within the capital! And right under the nose of the Emperor!", Charlotte exclaimed.
Pierre then turned to Trevor.
"Punishers... I understand that we said before that we would like to accompany you in the upcoming war... but with all this information coming out here... there is something else I would like to do first.... and I think my teammates are with me on this."
"Speak your mind, by all means.", Trevor responded.
"I would like to join this resistance force and fight against the corruption of Senator Brutus."
"I deeply apologize for breaking things off after such a short time, but I too wish to further investigate on this manner... and given that you all are leaders of another country... it is certain that staying with you all would only hold you back...", Melody apologized.
Lance and Charlotte nodded.
Trevor smiled.
"That actually furthers our motives... very well... please do so."
Trevor then turned back to Troy.
"Now then... since we are free of interruptions... I have answered your first question. My question to you is this: Explain to me the current situation of this so called resistance. Depending on how this discussion goes, I may want to use you all as pawns to serve the needs of our country."
Trevor said this with a devious smile, completely admitting that he would be using them.
'He says that in such a horrible tone because he can... if he truly is the leader of a country, then regardless of how little power his country has... allying with them could further our claim to remove Senator Brutus from his standing... he understands that, and is taking such a tone with me...we can't allow this opportunity to escape us...'
The female elf on the other side of the table seemed to smirk in a victorious fashion, as if she understood something at the moment Troy thought this.
'They are quite perceptive.. they seem to be reading me like a book...'
"Our resistance... we have been slowly and surely growing over the past few years, and I admit that we haven't made much progress. Aside from gathering a few members... that's' it. We have performed raids on the convoys carrying the senator's goods, and have spread rumors to decrease public opinion of him, but we are in no position to actually overthrow him in the current state."
"Lieutenant! Is it really alright to be revealing all that!?"
"This is my decision as the leader of the resistance... I will take the consequences of whatever happens on myself."
"You're a good leader... you care about your people... very well. Since you answered my question truthfully... and I do assume he answered truthfully?"
The beautiful elf nodded before the elf who was taking charge continued.
"I will now answer your other question... how did we get in? Simple. We walked right in the front door. Isn't that right?"
"That... that's right...", Lance said.
"How did you get past the ravine? Did you break through the door? It must have taken someone insanely powerful to destroy stone as thick as that."
"While that would have been a simple matter for our mage here, it was actually easier than that. Ally, would you care to explain?"
"With pleasure... well, based on the energy I could sense from the keypad... I could tell exactly which keys had been pressed often, and which ones were pressed the most recently... all I had to do was hit them in the order backwards of the most recently pressed keys, and I was able to figure it out."
"That's... to be able to sense the energy remaining on the keypad... are you really human?" (Note: Elves and Dwarves are indeed humanoids, and so can be considered 'human' from a liberal application of the word.)
"Hahaha.... I suppose not..."
Troy felt a chill down his spine as this creepy elven girl made this statement. He felt as if she could eat him alive at any moment.
"Then... since it has been established that you all are the leaders of a country, why exactly have you all come here?"
"I thought you'd never ask. Long story short, we have disguised ourselves as mercenaries within this country, and were simply performing a request to bond with our newfound allies here... however... what a 'mistake' on my part, but it seems that our little secret has been spilled... never-mind that though, because there is a much bigger fish to fry... when I found out about your little resistance, I smelled an opportunity... listen up, everyone! I want you all to become my pawns... feed me information about your nation, and your little resistance force will become backed by my country. A good deal, no?"
"How could we just accept something like that!?"
"We don't even know who you are, and you come in here with this crazy story expecting us to believe you!?!?"
"Do you take us for idiots!?!?!"
Troy held up his hand to calm Troy's subordinates who were shouting.
"What would happen to us if we were to refuse?", Troy asked with suspicion.
Garett and Ashley smiled devilishly when they heard this, and Trevor gave them a twisted glance.
"Why don't you show them?"