Chương 6: [b1] 006 - Put it to a vote

Fermi found her eyes darting left and right, a nervous energy coming over her as they approached the village.

"Does something feel off to anyone else?"

"It's a Sunday, right? Shouldn't Rikard be pounding away on his anvil? You can always hear that thing from across the village," Grace said. They reached the fence that surrounded the village and found it unattended.

"Okay, I'm seriously starting to worry," Fermi said. There was always someone at the fence line.

"Maybe there's a meeting?" Laura asked.

"When was the last time the Elders called an all village meeting, rather than just voting themselves?" Silo asked.

"Would the Guardians abandon the fence line for anything else? Like a large threat?" Fermi asked, but Laura shook her head.

"No, there's always someone stationed here, no matter what." Through the fence, they made their way to the village square, still not seeing anyone. Grace hopped up the stairs to the communal dining building and yanked open the doors.

"Thank the Goddess," Fermi said under her breath, her whole body sagging as she took in the entire village sitting in the building. The group did their best to slip inside unnoticed, but several people turned their heads to stare. Fermi and Silo went to sit with the foragers, while Laura and Grace went to the group of Guardians sitting near the front. Fermi glanced around the room, taking a mental head count as she did. The room felt emptier than it should, but everyone was there. 372 people.

There had been a time when the village barely fit in this building, now it felt hollow. Elder Perun, a short and peckish woman, stood at the front.

"Atlas, as the leader of the Guardians, what do you think?" Atlas stood, wincing as he did. He rolled his shoulders back and lifted his chin, the same posture Laura always carried herself with.

"Ignore it. Pretend it doesn't exist." The crowd erupted in hushed whispers and murmurs. Fermi turned to one of the foragers next to her and asked "ignore what?"

"The dungeon. We're voting on whether or not to delve." Fermi glanced at Silo, a deep fear settling in her stomach. He was fidgeting beside her, clearly working up the courage to say something stupid. She put a hand on his arm.

"Don't. Just wait." Elder Perun raised her hand for silence and gestured for Atlas to elaborate. He worked his jaw side to side and a memory, hot and laced with frustration, ran through her mind. The answer is no, Fermi. Your father wouldn't have wanted you to join the Guardians.

"Most of you are too young to remember, but I'm not, we aren't—" he gestured to the gathered Elders next to him at the front of the room "—we remember. If the dungeon grows in strength, the Tress will come for it. We will not survive."

"We crossed the seas to get here! They won't make that journey," someone from the crafting group said over the murmurs. Atlas's scowl silenced him and the rest of the crowd.

"They destroyed our village. Killed our young. All to steal our dungeon core. An ocean alone will not stop them."

"What's to stop them from coming for this one even if we leave it alone?" someone else asked. Silo added his support for the question and Fermi squeezed his arm.

"Now is not the time, Silo." He jerked his arm away but she grabbed it again.

"I'm serious. Do you know how much—how serious this is?" He rocked his jaw back and forth, fuming, but didn't push it. Fermi missed Atlas's answer to the question, but it was followed up by Rikard, the blacksmith.

"But we could benefit from the dungeon. Grow stronger. Fight back. Take their core." Atlas huffed and crossed his arms over his wide chest.

"We were stronger back then than we could ever hope to be now. Still, they conquered us. Now they've had decades to grow in power. There will be no winning that fight." Another Elder spoke, Elder Florence.

"We also can't afford the distraction. We need everyone working with full effort to prepare for the coming winter. Losing the Guardians from hunting duties now means we won't have enough food." The crowd murmured and Fermi's stomach joined in, growling.

"Doesn't the dungeon give out System Coins? We could buy food with them, right?" Rikard asked.

"System Coins are fleetingly rare. The more you enter the dungeon, the stronger it gets. The stronger it gets, the stronger the Guardians need to be to get anything from it. That takes the few System Coins we'd get. The only benefit from the dungeon is preparing for a war we won't win, so we shouldn't tempt one," Atlas said. Elder Perun nodded to herself, then thanked Atlas for his words.

"I think we've heard enough. Still, this needs to be a group decision, not one made by just the Elders. All in favor of sending the Guardians into the dungeon?" Silo's horn burned a bright red as he voted yes. Fermi's head swiveled, watching several others vote yes as well. She locked eyes with Grace and Laura, both of their horns stayed dim, not voting yes. Something in their expression seemed to plead with her. To do what, she wasn't quite sure.

She didn't understand why they weren't speaking up about the System Coins they'd all gotten. She decided to trust them, they clearly had a reason for their vote. Silo turned to face her, staring up at her dimmed horn.

"Seriously?" he whispered. She shot him an exasperated look, and kept her horn dimmed.

"And all those who vote no," Elder Perun said. All the Guardians, Laura and Grace included, brightened their horns in a "no" vote. Silo's jaw went slack and Fermi swore she saw him choke back a tear as he watched Laura's vote get cast. Fermi squeezed his hand tight as she cast her "no" vote and he pulled away. Elder Perun nodded, tapping her forefingers together.

"The no's have it. We will not be entering the dungeon." Fermi reached for Silo but he pushed her away, storming out of the hall. Fermi started heading for the Meadery, then changed her mind. if Silo was going to be anywhere after what just happened, it'd be Rikard's. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She heard the pounding of hammers against metal before she even turned onto the street.

"Hey Fermi, he's 'round back," Rikard said. Fermi thanked him and wandered through the back of the shop and out into the junkyard. Silo was shirtless, pounding a mallet against tempered metal.

"What are you making?" He ignored her, hammering harder.

"Come on, Silo. Just talk to me. Let's fight. Have it out. Yell at me, I know you want to." He ignored her, continuing his hammering. Fermi's ears rang with each slam of the mallet. She threw up her arms, frustration biting through what little calm she had left after the day they'd had.

"You know, Laura also—" He turned, dropping the mallet on the ground and shoved his finger in her face.

"She's a Guardian. She has to—" he put the word in air quotes "—vote with Atlas. They all did. But you. You're out there every day. You see how close we are—how one bad harvest could—" he cut himself off, lip trembling and fists balled. He turned his back to her as he sucked in shaky breaths. Fermi stood still, paralyzed. She'd only ever seen him cry twice. Once, when his mother passed, leaving him and his younger brother Elwin all alone. Then again a few years later, with Fermi after she…

She didn't want to think about that. Her hand landed gently on his shoulder, fingers curling and pulling him ever so slightly back toward her. He shuffled back, letting her pull him into a hug.

"Elwin is so small," he said between muffled tears in a painfully small voice that made her heart ache.

"I know, Silo. I know. I'm scared too. But the Elders have a plan for the winter. It'll work." He shook his head, breaking free from the hug and turning to face her as he sat on ground, leaning his back against the anvil.

"Whatever. At least we got these coins." He pulled them out of his inventory, and Fermi did the same, sitting across from him. It was clearly a distraction, but Silo was never good at talking about his feelings. She pulled up the System Shop interface and started scrolling through things she could spend her two coins on. System Shop ► Enchanted Hearty Loaf of Bread (50 count) - this bread keeps you full for an entire day, providing all the energy and nourishment your body demands.

► Potion of Heightened Sight (10 count) - this potion improves your perception, granting you an increased chance to find what you're looking for. Only applies to common level items and materials. ► Boon of the Skilled Goddess (2 count) - this item grants you a choice from one of four random skills, chosen for you by your Goddess. Someone cleared their throat and Silo groaned, "not now, Rikard. We're busy."

Fermi dismissed her screen, eyes wide as Burke, the second in command of the Guardians, stood over the pair of them.

"Fermi? Silo?" Fermi nodded, slipping the System Coins back into her inventory. They were clasped in her hands and she was pretty sure he didn't see her holding them, hopefully.

"Laura said I'd find you two here. Come on, I need to speak to you in private." Fermi and Silo shared a look.

"We're good, thanks. Like I said we're very busy," Silo said, not getting up. Burke pressed his lips thin in an attempt at a smile.

"I wasn't really asking. Come on, it's important. We need to have a chat before you go and spend your new found wealth on something stupid." He eyed Silo's hands, the coins still in his palm. Understanding dawned on Fermi and she grabbed Silo, pulling him to his feet and following after Burke. They met in a small house deep in the Guardian section of the village. Fermi had only ever been to this part of the village once before, when she pleaded her case to join the Guardians. That felt like a lifetime ago.

In the house they were met by Laura and Grace, plus seven other Guardians Fermi didn't know. Grace waved them over and Fermi sat next to her, Silo sitting down next to Laura but ignoring her greeting. He clearly wasn't over the voting thing.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like to begin with stating that this meeting never happened. If you bring it up, or anything we discuss here tonight, I will deny it outright. Does everyone understand me?" Burke looked at each and everyone person, waiting for a confirming nod.

"Good. You're here because I believe out of everyone in the village, you're the most agreeable to this idea. I think we can all agree that the vote tonight was…disappointing." Fermi glanced at Grace who just smiled encouragingly.

"Because of that, I've decided to take matters into my own hands. We can stand to benefit immensely from the dungeon. We just need to be strategic. Careful. We need to work together while going unnoticed, something we're all damn good at." Someone off to the side raised their hand.

"Love the energy, Sir. But uh, no offense, why are two of the forager crew here? We're already pretty sure where the dungeon is. Not like we need them to help find it or anything." Fermi's horn burned, but she tried to keep her face neutral. Burke gestured to Laura and said, "perhaps Laura can explain that." Laura smiled, standing and facing the gathered group.

"Six hours ago, Grace and I, under orders from Burke, went into the dungeon to gain intelligence about it. Learn its biome, what type of monsters it has, anything actionable that would help the Elders vote the way we needed them to."

"Then what—" Silo started but Laura glared at him and he quieted down.

"Unfortunately, Atlas didn't want to hear any of it."

"You're telling me the two of you went in there alone? Dungeons are a four person undertaking," the guy from before said. Laura shot him a patient but annoyed smile.

"We weren't alone. Fermi and Silo joined us, and were instrumental in our survival." He scoffed, cocking a brow at Fermi.

"He's just dumb enough to maybe do something useful. But her? No offense, but come on. They're foragers."

"I assure you, they're more than that," Burke said, coming to Laura's aid. How he knew anything about her, Fermi had no idea. Still, she was thankful that someone was speaking up for her.

"The plan is simple," Burke said, waving his hand and trying to get things back on track.

"We work in groups of four, rotating when we can to always have a group in the dungeon. Collect loot and bring it back to me to distribute through the appropriate channels." Hesitation rippled through Fermi. She worried her bottom lip, then decided to ignore her fear and speak up.

"How are you going to distribute loot to the village without being noticed?" Burke gave her a tired grin.

"We aren't alone in our displeasure of the vote, trust me. Leave the distribution up to me, you all handle surviving the dungeon."

"So we need to donate our off-time to go delving?" the same person from before said. Laura rolled her eyes, "are you seriously complaining about getting to go delve? That's our entire purpose."

"No, I just wanted to confirm," he backpedaled.

"What about upgrades? It was pretty tough when we went in there," Grace said.

"That will be part of the distribution. It's just like any other Guardian initiative. We'll distribute loot in the best way to benefit the mission. If your team needs to be stronger, then we'll make you stronger. If the village needs food, we'll get them food. The end goal is make sure our village survives the coming winter." Fermi found herself at the edge of her seat, agreeing with Burke more than she would have expected. Was she really going through with this?

Being a Guardian had been her dream ever since she was a kid. But that dream had been thoroughly squashed by everyone around her. Then, she got her first chance at a dungeon and came out rattled and scared. Maybe everyone had been right. Maybe she wasn't cut out for it. As she sat there taking in the debate happening around her, her stomach ached with hunger and her resolve hardened.

"Now that we're all on the same page, I want Laura's team to walk us through everything that happened. We're going back to the dungeon tomorrow, and I want us as prepared as we can be."