"To my one true friend, my light at the end of the tunnel, and the one I've given so much sacrificed. I bid thee live thy life to the fullest"
Anonymous Diary.
Once, when William stood up against the bullies who had beaten his friends he felt this unnatural focus. It was as if his mind was working at its limit together with his body.
A perfect machine, resolute and full of conviction as he broke their legs, ruining his father's football game and setting in motion the events for his exile to upstate NY. For two years he lived in this perpetual fogged of mind state, sure the games and training in martial arts helped him break free from it, like a deep diver finding a pocket of air in an underwater cave.
And now, at the edge of battle, he found himself in that state of mind once again. The world around him was sharper, the noises crispier as he could overhear multiple conversations around him. Take stock of each one and file them away as needed. His heart and soul burning not with righteous fury and conviction but a lust for battle and carnage.
His two Greater war Blessings burning in tandem with the Rage-that-Dwells were doing wonders for his "Condition".
"Lady Lucrezia, Imperial and Raider's troops are at the platforms together with our men and the Magi-Tech Vanguard. The enemy is moving on a single column through the Forgotten Vale as we speak" Sigrún spoke, her voice ringing inside of William's mind like a myriad of songs he and Lucrezia knew.
His stare held a little too long, as the woman coughed and smiled to bring him back to reality.
"It gets easier with age Lady Lucrezia, but please remember I'm together with Erwin now" she gave him a wink and walked off. Bloody Succubi! William thought, of course, she could sense his inner desires now, he was broadcasting the damn thing to anyone who was a follower of Saal'Xhir. Lucrezia's "plan" to tone it down was off the table for now, as William was still squeamish about it.
Much to his chagrin as Lucrezia's deeper connection with him meant the woman had reached memories he kept or at least tried to keep locked away. And he was being, to put in Teran terms as she was found to. "Kinkshamed"
William shook his head, now was not the time to ruminate on the many ramifications of his Blessing of Saal'Xhir. He gathered mana and ran, jumping as a platform of ice formed and launched him forward as he flew off to the soon-to-be frontlines. As he flew he saw his shiny new armored train chugging along with the snow as massive quantities of ammunition were being taken along the many bunkers and Battery placements.
Sadly William and Idun didn't have enough followers to make the fully automatic cannons, meaning they had to train people the right way to load, unload and fire the damn weapon. It wasn't that hard but far from ideal according to Idun who prided himself on making everything as simple as possible, and a team of 4 men working with something was not simple.
His words at the very least.
William arrived at the command center in the trenches where Serkj was barking orders to his subordinates, he briefly saw that one guard who he couldn't recall the name being chewed alive by the man and run off to somewhere before Serkj turned to him and saluted.
"Lady Lucrezia! I'm just off the line with Commander Erwin and we are of a mind to start this dance" he pulled a map and pointed to the aforementioned vale "But there's new intel on the wire, Galius brought siege towers and engineers with him, So I contacted First Maid Saa'ryu and asked her if there would be a way for her people to do their thing if you know what I mean" He finished and stared at William.
"The poison won't work until Wilson gives the command... and we can't risk it using it early lest they find out" William pondered "My attack will have no doubt raised the alarm but The Owl's agents aren't ones to shy away from a hard mission" He nodded and spoke to the Captian of the Guard "Give her the order, I want these siege towers burning and the head of those engineers"
The man gave him a broad smile "I'm pleased that you agree with me Lady Lucrezia, Now why don't we give the prince a warm welcome with those fancy new cannons of yours?"
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Three Batteries, that was the power he had managed to rush job for the combat. With long-range bombardments open as a viable tactic Lucrezia asked him why not just nuke the prince from the safety of the walls?
The answer was a simple one, whatever dark force helping the man would without a doubt pull him back if William unleashed the full fury of his canons right away. No, he had to play a game of cat and mouse with the prince and the lives of his people would be the ones paying for such a game.
"Wouldn't such a force do it in the middle of the battle as well?" she asked but William knew he would dare call it with so many gods watching them as they were. Thanks to Velkarius's blessing he could faintly see the many eyes on the skies watching now. Their divine essence makes a droning sound akin to CRT TV's white noise and static from old radios.
But giving the man a scare wouldn't trigger that fail-safe. So William called Idun and both went off to the first Battery.
The dwarf was dressed in the newly tailored robes for the Magi-Tech church. Excitement burned in his eyes as he walked into the battery, the men and women working like a well-oiled machine. Ready for the orders of engagement. Their eyes also burned, but William could feel the fear in them. For many were but simple civilians before even if hardened by Lucrezia's parent's despotic rule.
"I caught that stray thought of yours William your parents huh?" Lucrezia spoke to him as he facepalmed. Another side effect of the deeper melding was his thought pattern slipping into disassociating himself. Most likely the intended effect as they were supposed to merge as a single gestalt entity instead of this wonky combo they were in at the moment.
It allowed him to have a deeper bond with the people he swore to protect yes but as always the fear of losing himself was ever-present, Its teeth gaining at William's heels at every turn. Yet he had to push that fear down. For now, was not the time to crack under its pressure, he had people to kill and blood to shed. In the glory of combat, William knew all his self-doubt would vanish and he would be truly alive!
Idun finished the prayer and gave William the heads up, He nodded to his dwarven friend and flew up watching the other two batteries placements.
"FIRE!" His voice empowered by Divine might ring clear and true and after a second delay, William heard the noise.
Boom, Boom, Boom. In that singular moment, he felt a shift. A click inside of his soul as the moment was made immortal in a single instance. Then a flood of images and sounds hit him, a thousand hundred voices crying, screaming, and snarling in rage then quiet.
"Was that a..." Lucrezia couldn't finish, the sheer weight of the realization hitting the young woman.
"A Sphere of Power Shifted, breaking through the deadlock and becoming something more. Now we usher a new age of warfare upon this planet. Woe upon all of my enemies for they will meet steel and fire, arcane and crystal on my fields of battle!"
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William watched from the skies as the carnage unleashed by the bombardment was made clear to his eyes.
A great number of shells went straight for the mercenaries' encampment. The men and women hired by the First Prince cried in horror and pain as the skies rained death upon them, begging for the sweet release of death and welcoming the Long Queue.
He watched as their backline exploded into chaos as his troops were deployed from the tunnels underground. Shielded by Ardarite as they were no divination made by conventional magic would help them. And William knew they didn't have Uumaries's priests or Paladins with them.
The Imperium Legion and his Magi-Tech Vanguard were the very pictures of discipline. Swiftly and Effective against the chaotic backline of the mercenary horde, the spearmen of the Imperium sang a somber tune while cutting down wave after wave of the enemy as the Vanguard smashed any efforts from them to group up and organize themselves. The snow was wet with blood and viscera as they swept their landing zone.
The Northern Raiders on the other hand wreck havoc and chaos among the wounded and those trying to mount a pushback against the first wave of attacks. William watched in grim terror as its shamans conjured great ice shards from the ground to impale those who were trying to give orders as the rest pushed forward slashing and dicing feeble opposition.
A shrill sound broke the screams as a miniature star bloomed in the skies, William sounded the retreat and his men followed it. As soon as the platforms went down the star exploded and nearly caught him with its aftershock. He saw two figures flying after him but they stopped once he reached the safety of his men, William also saw smoke from the flames going up.
He arrived at the command center. Seeing the train unload countless troops to the trenches made him lick his lips in anticipation. Their new bolt action Magi-Tech rifles pointed at the horizon where the enemy was drawing ever near. Key bunkers with his cannons loaded with grapeshot rounds that had Mana Crystal embedded on them for maximum carnage when the eventual Calvary charges were ordered by the prince. As it was a popular tactic by the Vermilion Nobility.
Saa'ryu dropped from the skies her face wet with blood. In her hip was a sack dripping blood, the maid bowed and presented the sack for William.
"They won't be building those siege towers anymore. Lucrezia those "batteries" of yours was a little too effective, Commanders were scrambling to send men to the frontlines now and I'm afraid the Prince will launch a premature assault on us now. The mercenaries have these armored horsemen coming in first followed by massive infantry" Saa'ryu pointed to the map and said "Thanks to the druids they are being funneled straight into the line of fire of our weapons but they do have mages with them" she finished saying and saluted.
"No matter, Ardarite will punch through any mage barrier, and the smoke rounds with will be able to stop any large scale ritual they even think of setting up in this juncture," William said "How many men are we talking?" he asked Saa'ryu.
"A Thousand? And at the very least 60 Knights and their commanders. There might be more mercs but I wouldn't know" Saa'ryu responded as she marked the map "It is very disorganized, I reckon the Prince will give the order and let these mercenaries run wild"
William took time to think, in the game Galius was found to be very hands-off on anything that bored him. And he had hired the best from the best when it came to mercenary companies... Which meant one thing, to draw the man out he would need to inflict massive loss to his enemies. So big he would need to personally come and raise morale and lead the broken army.
Erwin arrived alone and saluted "Lady Lucrezia! The men are ready for the charge, just give the word" William nodded at the Commander and said "We will have to rout out their riders first. Use the tunnels and crash their wings and anyone that survives the first wave" William pointed to the places where Galius's infantry was nesting "If Galius is smart he will try to circle the trenches and hit our rear with the horsemen then press on with the brunt of his forces" he then pointed to the little elven miniatures on the map "That's when our druid friends enter with their magic. A few well-placed traps and that charge will meet its end" William finished
"Can't we turn the batteries towards them? just to be sure?" Saa'ryu asked "The rear has fewer bunkers last I recalled" William nodded and called for a message, sending the orders to turn two of the batteries towards the Killzone the druids had set up, he also sent Erwin and his Elite Knights to shore up the train tracks that went through that section of the battlefield.
Erwin was more than happy to oblige as he went away. With the first bout now over the young man waited like a coiled spring, ready to the enemy's movement.
The battle of the Forgotten Vale had started in earnest.
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Captain Jiang Xie was a proud mercenary of the Xie dynasty. His company of 200 horsemen had fought in every war the new world had known in the past 100 years. From the wars of Vermilion against the Mad King of Grannarius to territorial disputes in his home nation. Aiding Warlords in the Shogunate and even hunting Sea Elves with the orcs, the Elven man was a veritable veteran of war.
Thus when the First Prince hired him to fight against an insurrection in the north he thought nothing of it. Sure the Vermilion folk of the north were hardy and good fighters but nothing he and his fellows couldn't crush. Not that they would even need to do that anyway, from what he read in the contract it was a show of force to restore order rather than actual combat, maybe skirmishes here and there.
The Ultima Company, his Company was to lead other Mercenaries Companies the prince had hired as their cavalry. While he was the largest many others like the Red Talon, Cataphrac Raiders and Diamond Dusters had come to the sweet call of gold coins. He knew them all since they often fought side by side or even against each other and so a day before they reached the enemy position the other Leaders enacted him to spearhead the assault.
His horsemen were all heavily armored, perfect to hit the Duchess in Wulfgrem's supply lines and rear. The scouts had reported a strange metal beast going along tracks in the snow, unloading both men and supplies to the enemy. Jiang called the entire Blazing Indigo Mage Company to accompany him as the scouts also reported heavy wards on both the tracks and the beast itself.
Ki and Arcane together as a hammer of justice. A tactic many employed but only the Mercenaries of Xie had perfected! And yet something about this was bothering Jiang, the scout's movement into the rear was without a hint of combat, the woods around the vale eerie quiet as one of the scouts he knew told him, the woman was an elf and with druid roots in her blood.
"No forest is this quiet Captain, I don't like this, not one bit," She said to him.
Of course, her warnings were all but forgotten when the day came and fire rained from the skies.
Ardarite, one of the rarest metals known to men and able to pierce magical constructs like a hot knife in soft butter, Jiang knew the smell of it as the elven madmen of Grannarius were found of using the blasted thing against Vermilion mages, only they would even dare to throw away something so precious as arrowheads and spear tips!
And so Jiang watched as 3 Mage Companies' worth of wards and shields were pierced by it, unloading Crystal Fire into the barely ready infantry. 150 men out of their 1000s burned to cinders and ash in less than an hour begging to be put down as their very souls were consumed by it, to deploy such a weapon meant one thing and only thing only. The Duchess in Wulfgrem wasn't fucking around.
This wasn't going to be a stroll in the metaphorical park. Immediately Jiang grabbed a horn he had for when the situation turned grim and he blew it as his life depended on it. Every merc who hailed from Xie knew that sound, for it was the selfsame sound the very first Emperor made when their walls were breached by the Mad King of Grannarius ages ago.
Jiang went to the command tent where the prince and his Elite Knights were, the place was on a razor's edge. The man himself was giving orders to everyone there as Jiang entered the tent.
Before he could even speak about the plans of hitting the rear another horn blew in the camp, a sharp sound that sliced the skies.
Fire.
The Knights exploded into action, their Ki's flaring Crimson and Jiang did the same, his Golden and Black as they ran towards the fire only to see specters finishing off the Siege Engineers! Jiang grabbed his saber and jumped towards the enemy but the damn thing became mist. A sharp laugh filled the air as the heads of the poor men were torn off from them and their bodies fell like puppets having their strings cut.
After that, the prince didn't even need to listen to Jiang's explanation for the attack, the man gave his order and so Jiang went with his horsemen to the fields of battle. The strategy was a simple one, soften the anemic defenses of the rear with the speed of the less armored bowsmen in horses, move the infantry into it to smash their line then move in with the heavy cavalry and mage support to out them by their roots.
And so the man sounded the horn and he went to war, to avenge his fellows' brothers and arms who were mercilessly slaughtered without knowing the glory of combat, and for the increased gold reward, the prince promised after the attack. The forest was like the scout had told him, too quiet and too eerie. He had the mages cast divinations and wards every 30 minutes just in case.
As soon as they broke free from the woods the soil shifted and horrible plants rose from behind and front. The ones in the front threw themselves at the riders and began devouring both the horses and the horsemen. Mages from the sides and back began unleashing spell after spell as the Infantry burned their Ki to push back the greenery menace that was tearing through them.
"Form Up! Let the beasts burn!" Screamed the commander of the mage line who unleashed a huge fireball right in the face of a huge plant that had swallowed nearly 20 horses already. Not to say the men around it
Jiang saw as the plants tore through the left of the line and began killing his infantry, spells and Ki slashes flying at it as he watched the same elven scout be slashed into two halves by the plant monster.
After nearly 30 minutes of combat, they finally broke through the Killzone, with no light bowsmen to harass the flank and rear of the enemy He would need to change tactics. Jiang called the Mage leader and asked if they could open with a strong enough salvo so that his heavy cavalry could smash the supply line while the rest of the surviving infantry strikes
The man watched as strange fortifications dotted the landscape, the iron tracks in the soil a clear target as long as they could go over the trenches where men with strange spear-like weapons aimed at them. It was a harrowing sight as the men were dead quiet even after watching their enemies break from the treeline into the open field, such silence didn't last long as Jiang and his people picked a faint song being hummed in the trenches that soon escalated into singing.
Extinction or eternal redemption, thou must choose
Behold the wrath of Lucrezia Sommer Wulfgrem eternal
Extinction or eternal redemption, thou must choose
Or we shall melt thy flesh and see thy bones to ash
Wills unbending
Faith unending
Stone defending
Now our steel shall sing
To their trespass
We are witness
Here to pass this
Final sentence
No forgiveness
Guide us, O mighty Fury
No deliverance
Only justice
Only vengeance
No forgiveness
Guide us to victory!
No deliverance
Only justice
Only vengeance
Jiang felt in his very bones the stone-cold conviction of the men he was ready to fight. It had shaken him and no doubt shook his men and he knew as a commander that bad morale could break the spirits of any army. And so he gathered Ki in his lungs and roared a mighty warcry. The singing only grew stronger to match his voice as Jiang's men also did the same.
He pulled his saber once again and gave the order, mage fire blossomed above the trenches as his horses circled to hit the tracks, they were so close! he could see the dull glimmer of iron in the ground when the music rose again defeating the war cries.
GUIDE US, O MIGHTY FURY!
GUIDE US TO VICTORY!
Jiang saw as the world slowed down to a crawl as the Ardarite shells flew towards the mages blowing them up and burning the poor bastards alive. He gathered more Ki and bellowed for to his men.
"FOWARD MEN OF XIE, LET THESE SAVAGES TASTE OUR STE-" His words were cut short as the weird fortifications and the men on the trenches fired upon them, small pellets of mana crystals and steel halted their charge dead on the spot as Jiang felt his arm, leg and half his side be blown backward as he flew off from his steed. The poor animal barely had a chance to whine as the ammunition exploded him dead on the spot.
He dragged himself from the scene of carnage as he heard the pleas of his men and women begging for the sweet release of death. It felt like ages but he eventually made past the corpses as he watched the Infantry be torn to shreds like nothing by the Ardarite, the mages were long dead at this point, such carnage was too much for him as the mercenaries he had fought together for years was cut down like nothing without even tasting steel from the enemy who hid in those godsdamned trenches.
Crystal Fire began burning the bodies and souls of his people as he watched the few survivors retreat with haste. Jiang was still crawling through the Infantry line as he saw a silver streak across the skies. A young woman of unparallel beauty and ice-cold azure eyes descended into the battlefield alone as a Goddess of Death and Destruction. She threw herself at the remaining troops who were trying to build fortifications for themselves with magic and Ki against another salvo from the enemy.
Her dragonbone ax tore them to shreds as she called them names and screamed like a mad beast. When a few mages joined the fray she began weaving magic spells as well as miracles. She cried for more men to slaughter as the numbers thinned out and the rest ran away, Jiang then felt his blood or what remained of it go cold as the mad beast turned her azure eyes towards him. She licked her lips ready to butcher him as a golden light appeared around him.
His vision went black as he waited to meet his brothers-in-arms in the Long Queue, their defeat a bitter reminder for all of eternity. Alas, it was not to be as he opened his eyes after an unknown amount of time had passed. Jiang saw as the Knights the prince brought and in the middle of them, there were two younger individuals. The young man holding a stand with a golden flag on it, its symbol of a mighty crystal staff embedded in it.
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William had finished killing the enemy soldiers that survived the first cannon salvo when he found the leader of the charge. His Blood Lust sang to him the most orgasmic of tunes as he tore the people in front of him limb from limb with ax and magic. The Sigil of Saa'Xhir pulsating in his womb giving him waves upon waves of pleasure so pure, so intense he lost himself on it.
O sing to me that I have chained down and buried down for so long!
Sing your tune Our tune! Let no men or women forget we are the apex predator in these fields of combat!
SING FOR ME TO US! SING!
Yet when the heat rose to its climax William felt a bucket of ice-cold water being thrown at him. Lucrezia was screaming in his ear as the enemy leader was sequestered via a golden light. He knew that spell! it was a one-person teleportation spell very few mages could cast.
"Accursed Terran! Did you forget the lessons my Knight Commander taught you?! What an unsightly display is this?! Do not lose yourself in the very first bout with the enemy for All-Father's sake!" William felt the woman punch the Monolith! waves of actual pain flowed through it as both he and Lucrezia yelped in soul pain. He flew back to the command center and sat down.
"All right I get it! geez Lucrezia I'm sorry! No need to punch the goddamn soul construct we don't know jack about you crazy woman!"
Lucrezia gasped "Oh the godsdamned Audacity! Call me crazy again and I will break your goddamn legs when you come down here, you infant! I..." She lost steam as both William and she were beset by Magical Fatigue, he had called several High-Level spells today, and even with such a huge mana reserve, he had now thanks to the blessing he was burning through it faster than what was recommended by Wilson.
"Forgive me Lucrezia, I didn't mean to... Lose myself there" William told her.
Lucrezia sighed and spoke in his mind, her tone a bit more mellow now "I...It is my fault as well, we are more connected than I thought, it runs deeper now and those emotions you felt weren't solely ours, They were mine as well and I decided to act like a kid to hide them from you, and I guess myself. At any rate, I also ask forgiveness, William"
"Water under the bridge then," William said, as soon as they put this under the better "So the shift, how long do you think it will take for the rest of the world to come up with countermeasures now that it happened?" A blunt way to change the topic but it would work.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Lucrezia hummed "The effects of this battle will be felt across decades if not centuries. We destroyed mercenaries that had no small amount of experience under their belts, with the shift in place the mages and warrior gods will have some base knowledge of our new weapons and will no doubt want for more. As their knowledge deepens so will the countermeasures against it" She tsked "Then again you know how the All-Father is fond of Bureaucracy. It will take a long time to get such changes approved and ready for dispersal for the mortals, unless we push them hard enough that is..."
William nodded "And we do a repeat of the food magic and the agricultural and merchant gods actually uniting themselves for once and putting their differences aside to petition against it. Forcing All-Father's hand, and both I and you don't want to be under the scrutiny of the lord and ruler of this universe as he will no doubt find out about my roots" William took a pause and continued "But If I need to bring the hammer down to defend my land and my people so be it, Even if my soul is throw in the hells or utterly destroyed I will not back down from this fight"
Lucrezia went silent only speaking after a good minute had gone by "Using Crystal fire to burn their souls was a bad move William, you are lucky they still go to the Long Queue but the very thought of doing it is tantamount of war crime! Know this, our actions today will be judged for the rest of history even if it was deployed against sellswords, Mercenaries they may be but they are still people"
William eyed the charred remains and spoke, Conviction bleeding into his thoughts "Galius will not come out if we don't force his hand, now he will and I will stop at nothing to avenge Viviene"
"Promise me this then Terran, do not use this ghastly weapon against our Knights. Followers, they may be but they are only here because their Nobles sent them. If they are to die then kill them with honor in the fields of battle as is the duty of any Vermilion Knight"
William nodded "Yes"
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Erwin watched as his Duchess flew away from the carnage. He saw her losing to the Battle Lust and could only shake his head, he would have to increase the regime lest Lucrezia went deep and never came back.
Sigrún watched as the summer wind carried the ashes from the enemy and spoke "Did we need to use that horrible weapon, Erwin?"
The Knight Commander cast a forlong look at the fields and spoke "Lady Lucrezia was right on one thing, the Prince while smart is a prideful man, this crushing defeat will spur him into doing a mistake... Could we have done it more humanely? Yes but at the cost of many men and women who can't fight as well as seasoned mercenaries. Even with the new weapons tearing the enemy as they did the sheer numbers of this assault would spell doom to our supply line"
He shook his head "It is a bitter pill to swallow, using tactics from the enemy but we all remember the battle of the three sisters Sigrún, the Duke before losing his wits to whatever dark magicks he and the duchess had were not one to shy away from more...Extreme methods to swiftly win decisive battles"
Sigrún sighed. That was one of the bloodiest battles against the Mad King and his armies. the Duke had been called by the royals to push back Granarius forces along three rivers made when a family of nymphs died eons ago. These "sisters" then became an important source of farmland for Granarius and her people. Strong forts all cross the river length made it so Vermilion had to fight inch by inch.
It was a godsdamned mess. Royal Knights died trying to take that cursed place. So came the duke with a plan to take the whole region without losing so much as a speck of blood of the forces of the Kingdom.
Queen Malphas said yes, and thus the man called upon The Sword. The ancient Winter Spirit came in the dead of the night and froze civilian and combatant alike, their lifeforce and mana used as fuel for the Spirit to cause untold devastation upon the elves. Came morning the whole region was dead, increased in their icy coffins, Later Sigrún learned the ritual that makes such spell possible took the sacrifice of an untold number of prisoners of war.
Sigrún watched as for the first time since he took the mantle of Commander Erwin felt sick to the stomach, it wasn't like the elves and their Mad King hadn't done worse but to fall to their level? and his lord at that? And yet he pressed on. He had a duty to uphold and a war to win. For this important victory, the Duke was awarded the highest of honors by the Queen Herself who Erwin caught saying "It was a smart plan, gods forgive me but it was a bloody smart plan"
Sigrún spoke "Instead of Ice it was by infernal fire. The Duchess may have sullied her hands with the blood of her parents but some things never go away do they?"
Erwin nodded "Come, the girl will probably have come out of her battle high by now, let us talk with her" Sigrún followed Erwin while saying "I could feel my Blessing singing together with her's Erwin. The lust was that strong! I'm afraid you will need to put her through another set of exercises"
As they walked through the trenches both noticed the morale and mood was at an all-time high, the realization of the sheer destruction and death still yet to hit the footmen and regulars. Erwin himself feared an onset of more people falling for the Silent's Curse but that was part and parcel of war. It would take years to remedy those who fell for it and he was going to petition Lucrezia to reach out for the Gods in charge of it.
Erwin spoke, "I'm afraid those have reached their limits on her Sigrún, I hate to ask but-"
Sigrún nodded in disapproval "If I could anything? Nay, I'm not a fully-fledged Succubi Erwin. Her's only a High Succubi can cure, or the Goddess herself if we must go down that route"
The Knight cursed inwards and kept moving. They reached the command center where Lucrezia was standing taking a rest, likely restoring her mana reserves. Saa'ryu was there as well as the leaders of the foreign armies and Idun. Serkj could be seen below in the trenches talking with his men giving them orders as another load of ammo was unloaded from the train into the hands of the soldiers there.
When they all reconvened and Lucrezia was ready to give another order a horn blew across the fields. Erwin snapped his towards the sound's direction as he knew it came not from a foreign mercenary but a Vermilion Knight! likely a commander. He watched as numerous flags appeared on the horizon. He knew the houses as they were old allies of the duchy and later the Prince's.
To fight against brothers and sisters of the path was a bitter evil thing Erwin thought. Yet bitter still was the loss of his family, the near destruction of his home, and the fact the one who delivered justice to him had to go so far as to get her hands wet with the blood of her closest of kin. And so the Knight Commander made peace with himself at that moment. Come what may his Conviction in Lucrezia would remain sacrosanct. His oath he made so long ago to her unchanged and strong as steel.
"The enemy nears, under the flag of parley and...Fucking Goddamn it!" Lucrezia exploded as she flew upwards.
"It's the fucking children of the Arch-Mage! Goddamn, it all not now! Fuck Fuck Fuck!" She screamed in the air. Erwin had seen this happen before with young nobles trusted into combat, something or other make them lose it and was a shift downfall to lose if he didn't snap her out of it.
The man gathered his Ki and formed an aura red as blood around him. He honed his Ki into her form and spoke in a way only Lucrezia could hear.
"LUCREZIA WULFGREM! ENOUGH! GET DOWN HERE AND GIVE ME 100 PUSH-UPS NOW!" The effect was immediate. The girl snapped out of it and flew down looking like she had stolen the last cookie in the jar. Erwin nodded to her as she coughed and pressed her armor red in the face with shame. Everyone stood waiting as she looked around and after a long sigh launched into an explanation.
"The kids, the kids of the Arch-Mage have a magical construct on them. If we do so much as hurt their pinky finger it sends a signal to their parents saying their kids are in danger, They won't even blink about destroying us all as their mom is obsessive with the "security" of her children" Lucrezia sighed again and spoke "We must incapacitate both and lock them away, then we can deal with Galius"
Erwin nodded "I have seen the pair in combat before. Make no mistake on our Lady's words. If the Arch-Mages come we will lose and die"
Saa'ryu spoke" Hurting their kids would be enough for those two breaks this neutrality they have with the Arch-Duke and the Royals I'm pretty sure. So how do we capture them without hurting them too much Lucrezia?"
Idun spoke "Their forces are in disarray and morale is low. If we can charge with my Magi-Tech horses and bombard the air with the Ardarite dust rounds it would be enough to get in, incapacitate the bastards and get out. Now I know what you are thinking "How we can do that without hurting them" That my friends can be done with this!" He pulled a grenade from his person and spoke.
"Together with the druids I was working on a potent Magi-Tech tool that could induce sleep, a few of my workers can't sleep that well anymore and we arrived at this beauty of Druidcraft and Magi-Tech. As long you don't get hit by the gas it should knock out those mages in no time. Of course, you still need to cut a path through their entire infantry line but with the Magi-Tech horses and the armor, nothing those mercenaries can throw at you will stop the charge"
"Erwin?" Lucrezia asked.
"It is true my lady, While our Dire Horses are unparalleled in charging against enemies, the sheer number the prince still has would be nothing short of suicide. Not to say the man has Knights of him own who would no doubt seize the change to come at us. I have tested Master Idun's horses and as long we can punch through the infantry fast enough to catch their Knights flatfooted this plan of Master Idun should work.
"And if we can Kill the Prince we can avoid further bloodshed. To kill foreign mercenaries is one thing, to have Vermilion's Knights blood in my hands is another" Lucrezia said as she stared at the battlefield.
"Now, let us greet the Prince" she flew towards the Prince and his people.
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Galius saw as the madwoman of the north flew in the skies. His eyes caught the blood in her armor. She came alone to the parlay.
He was growing increasingly angry by the hour. His Patron deity had already pressed him twice for the blood of this whore and what was supposed to be a brilliant maneuver against her rear and supply lines ended up being a massacre on the level of the war against Grannarius. The mercenary commander told him and his people the horror as Crystal Fire was deployed on the battlefield.
Crystal fucking fire! The gall of this mad whore!
Galius had plenty of reason to Kill Lucrezia. Her being a War Criminal was just a new one for him.
She landed in the snow with a thump, Her ashen blonde hair tied neatly in a ponytail as her cold azure eyes stared dead center at him. He needed no blessing or mastery of Ki and Mana to see the woman who wanted him dead. Him and his friends.
Such bloodlust, rage, and outright fury poured from her like the current of a mighty river! Yes, Galius knew what this was, rotten luck! she was also touched by the Rage-That-Dwells!
Not as strong as his mother thank the stars! But if it came to a fight he would be hard-pressed to fend her off alone, together with his friends and the pets maybe. The Knights would be meat shields for her big attacks as well. But fighting one with the Rage was always a dance and one Galius had a little training on it, as his mom was found of sparring with him and his father.
He and his fellows stared as Lucrezia stared at the Arch-Mage's kids, there was something strange in the way she watched them but nothing Galius could capitalize on. Since it was clear the woman wasn't going to speak he decided to do so, from at top of his mighty horse he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. When all eyes were centered on him he began.
"Ahem! Lady Lucrzia Wulfgrem! I'm first prince Galius Shatter-Spear! It is by royal decree that I command ye! Lay down thy weapons and surrender thyself for the royal court! The crimes of Kinslaying and Heresy against one of our most important Goddesses weigh heavily on the fair people of the north! Come in peace and this...Bout shall be forgotten and not tallied against your person in court!"
Galius continued.
"Of course your lands will fall under my command while you are in the capital. As Acting Viceroy of the Royal Family, I promise you and the men and women of the north that I shall rule fairly and with an open heart towards Wulfgrem and her people!" Galius was cut by an ice-cold wind that began forming around him. He saw faint forms in the skies as he gasped
Godsdamned Winter Spirits! He knew very well what that meant. The Spirits of the land didn't want him near the throne, he always figured those ancient plagues had a nack to sniff out the Gods from beyond the stars and this proved his theory. That was when he heard a roar echoing from the mountains to the north. Of course, the bloody Dragoness was also paying attention to this.
He then noticed Lucrezia smile as Divine Energy gathered around her. The Knights closed in to defend him as a mighty spear of ancient elven origin made itself manifest on the mad woman's hand. Its tip was rusted and wet with blood. The wood was black as the darkest of nights and a single motif of a crow was at the very center of it. Galius needed no explanation for who gave Lucrezia such a weapon.
Velkarius herself.
He felt his blood going cold, The woman knew. Somehow she knew and the crow fucker had chosen her to kill him!
"There won't be no surrender. No laying down of arms" Lucrezia spoke as she pointed her spear to him "You and your people have committed the gravest of sins and by Divine Mandate, I will see that by the end of this day your head is bolted to the walls of my city as is the ones of your friends"
"I am Jury, Judge, and Executioner, I will wet the ground with your blood and your death will right the wrong you have committed, Come Prince of Lies! YOUR RECKONING HAS COME!"
Lucrezia exploded upwards and flew back to her trenches. Galius stood still for a second before sounding the retreat and ordering the men to fortify their current base. He took Lucrezia's words to heart and would be ready when she came for him, for his patron god was watching, and on this day he would defeat the whore and claim her land for him! her people the first step on ushering the one true god onto this universe!
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Seeing Kaine's face terrified of him made William sad, the Arch-Mage's son was one of his favorite characters and a great boon to the player as he could easily teach you new magicks and such.
Progress far enough in his questline where you help the young mage escape from his sister's shadow and one is rewarded with the most powerful mage in the game, as he unlocks the ultra-rare Time Goddess Blessing, even letting the player character respec on stats. And yet all William could see was him shaking his legs as he delivered his ultimatum to Galius.
Seeing that...Man in real life made William burn with a rage so strong, so deep he nearly lost himself. It is one thing to read about a horrible act in a text box, another to see it being played out on a computer screen. But to stare at the culprit? in the flesh? It clicked to him then and then how much all of this was Real Viviene wasn't some NPC a collection of pixels given form by code and voice acting.
She was a real person! stolen of her future and life by this mad dog! Oh, how the rage singed for William, a sound as sweet as lust demanding him to Kill the prince right there and there. But he knew the daughter of the Arch-Mage plus the Knights would get him.
Those Knights... William knew every one of the commanders. They were NPCs that rained the player in the game, they had quests and cutscenes. Full of life and love for their country, their families, and fellow Knights. All being used by Galius as meat-shield!
William would have to kill them. Once again wet his hands with blood only this time...this time they weren't villains or cultists. This time he knew they were good people blind to the truth and only following orders from their houses. He couldn't even plea to them, he knew their characters knew that they fully believed in the cause and would balk at someone even implying Galius was a madman who had defiled the Arch-Duke's daughter and was in league with the Terror from beyond the Stars.
"Wynather, Uu'Kal-Vaar, Var'yr Ether. Please forgive me" William spoke while he flew, he felt tears in his eyes but couldn't understand why he was crying. Lucrezia was silent and this once William knew why. These Knights were from the houses the heirs were her friends, and when they met again in the Academy next year it would fall for William to explain to those girls how he butchered their Loyal Knights.
William arrived at the place where the Magi-Tech horses were being prepared. 100 Knights stood by silent as a grave. Erwin already had told them they were about to fight against their brothers and sisters after breaking through the Mercenary Infantry no doubt. They all saluted William as he landed and in a quiet unknown to the field of combat, he walked towards his Knight Commander.
Erwin Knelled and said "I've told the men, Mark my words Lady Lucrezia, every one of them gathered here will not hesitate, will not falter. Sinners we may be for killing our fellow brethren of the path but we will fight every enemy of Wulfgrem!"
William spoke "Raise your head Commander, for we lead the charge in 30 minutes"
He saluted and went away.
William steeled himself and started to meditate feeling the mana current flow throughout his body and soul. Lucrezia started doing the same as both of them synched and felt the divine blessings also flow intertwined. On top of all of this, the power from the Rage-That-Dwells swirled and bubbled like an angry god ready for the killing. William's mind went towards the men and women who sang one of the songs he had composed a few days ago.
He felt pride and sadness. Myriad emotions all flow as one inside of him. William and Lucrezia feared not a deeper merge for both could feel a sort of chokehold on the whole process. So they went deeper in this synched meditative state as her emotions became his and his hers. Time halted to a crawl for his senses and everything he had done, and everything Lucrezia had done meshed together in a single united front.
Often both heard of the fulcrum, that singular moment in the battlefield that turned the tide. That brought unparalleled victory to the one who sized first and thanks to his new blessings William knew. Deep inside of him, he knew that this was it, He would seize the Arch-Mage's kids and kill Galius and his goons. His men would die, innocent knights from the enemy side would also die but he would do it.
Deep within his shared soul, Lucrezia began to sing, and so he mirrored her song. It was after all a favorite of his.
Cometh the Hour of our Reckoning, we will be ready
Cometh the Man who will Fight beside me and be steady
Cometh the Angel, the messenger from Hell we dreaded
Cometh the Devil's disciples, so we must be ready
My heart is strong, my faith goes on, but if my world is threatened,
I'll fight the fight, they'll pay the price, their blood will flow with vengeance!
The dogs of war will rip apart hostility unbounded,
And to the end, our guns will roar until the enemy is
Crushed
To the point of no return
Beg for mercy, scum of Satan
Lucifer's a corpse in waiting!
Cometh the Hour of our Reckoning, we will be ready
Cometh the Man who will Fight beside me and be steady
Cometh the Angel, the messenger from Hell we dreaded
Cometh the Devil's disciples, so we must be ready
My heart is strong, my faith goes on, but if my world is threatened,
I'll fight the fight, they'll pay the price, their blood will flow with vengeance!
The dogs of war will rip apart hostility unbounded,
And to the end, our guns will roar until the enemy is
Crushed
To the point of no return
Beg for mercy, scum of Satan
Lucifer's a corpse in waiting!
A lull came as William recalled the second part of the song, this time he lead while Lucrezia Followed from the recess of their shared souls.
A wake of devastation will not be tolerated
A threat without a foundation will be eradicated
Defend our existence from evil's pure persistence
And if our spirits falter we face the devils alter
Gods of darkness, heed my words of warning
When the worlds collide and skies fall down
In a pit of hell, we'll be
In Damnation, crucified and tortured
Our spirits guide us through the fear of our immortality
Spirits guide us through the fear of our immortality
William opened his eyes. The silence of the trenches greeted him as the people stared at him and his somber tune. He got up and inhaled the ashes in the air. Walking towards Idun who was readying his Magi-Tech horse. The thing was huge and looked like it was made to break walls. It would do wonders to crush the remainder of Galius's infantry.
Idun coughed and spoke "My Lady, the constructs are ready and waiting. Saa'ryu came just a few minutes ago saying the Prince's men have begun building defensive infrastructure and most are still shaking on their boots after the attack. Their morale won't pose an issue. Here are the grenades, I've given a dozen to every Knight who will ride with you so in the worst-case scenario you can blanket the field with the gas.
William mounted on the Magi-Tech Horse and gave it a few runs around the place. Finding his balance was easy as he saw the men and women who had sworn their lives to defend his lands mount their horses. Erwin came about and told him it was time to strike. With a final goodbye to both Idun and Serkj who came at the very last minute to give good luck William went together with Erwin.
A part of him knew it was foolish, to ride at the tip of the spear towards the enemy. But Galius was his and his alone to kill and he would do it, even should he fall in battle he would be the one to end that wretched man's life. So he told that part of him to shut the fuck up and get with the program already.
As they left the trenches Willaim said.
"Forward Knights of Wulfgrem, Forward for our last battle and final Victory!"
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Margareth Antewood was tending to a wounded mercenary when Turius called for her. Her healing magic was subpar she had to admit but after losing more than half the mages that Galius had hired they were short in healers and so the love of her life sent her to the frontlines. The medical ones at the very least.
Her brother was by her side aiding as well, his was even worse than hers but that was common, Kaine was older but she was the one who got the good magical genes as her mother was fond of saying. Margareth was honestly annoyed by the endless competitive nature of her mom. She liked her brother and saw that the young man was hurt by it, avoiding the family like a thief avoids the police in those Imperium novels.
She couldn't believe it still, in her mind this sojourn to the north was to be a nice vacation. Once she had met Lucrezia and the girl was just another spoiled noble brat, endlessly chatting with her friends and making gossip about the Royals.
This Lucrezia on the other hand was a stone-cold killer. Hellbent on revenge against whatever slight Galius had done to her, which was insane as the First Prince's reputation was spotless! even his break up with the Arch-Duek's daughter was handled perfectly even if Viviene had retreated from the Nobility's social life after the fact. Margareth couldn't blame the girl, it would be hard not to mingle with her ex-fiancee.
Margareth Also noticed that Lucrezia burned with a huge amount of divine energy. A skill her father insisted his kids learn at a young age, seven godsdamned Greater Blessings! It was no wonder she could fight after that huge lightning strike she did on the first day! Still, Margareth wasn't worried, both she and her brother had a hidden ward in their rings that if they took a certain amount of damage. Mom and dad dearest would come in for the rescue.
And no amount of blessings would stop the rampage of two Arch-Mages.
Time seemed to slow down as Margareth and Kaine tended to the wounded. Then a mighty horn was blown and the guards by the tent looked in panic as the horn blew again five more times.
"What does that mean?" Kaine asked the guard who was trembling. He turned to them and said "E-enemy a-attack! run! seek shelter!" he ran to the front even as his hands were shaking.
Kaine and Margareth for the command tent when they saw Galius and his people, her beloved included mounting their horses. Turius screamed "Oh Margareth thank the gods! Quick get on a horse! Lucrezia is charging at us with her Knights!" Kaine bolted for the nearest horse as she did the same, after mounting she asked Turius "But she would have to plow through the defenses and infantry! has Lucrezia gone mad?"
Galius spoke from his horse, his armor crimson and gold beaming in the sunlight "Aye, she went mad long ago Young Mistress. Now get ready for you and your brother's magic will be needed" Margareth nodded happily. She was the best mage in training in the Kingdom and she honestly doubted this "Ardarite" could stop her magicks from working. and so they rode to battle.
That was when the sky burned with metal.
Loud explosions shook the earth as a cloud of fine ruby dust rained from above. Margareth was about to ask what was that when Galius screamed "Ardarite dust! Mages to the rear! KI users to the front!" Kaine whelped as she tried to cast a simple magic missile and nothing happened. She tried again and again but nothing was happening! she could already feel the headache behind her eyes forming as Turius spoke to her.
"Save it Margareth, You and Kaine behind me!" she snarled in rage but moved her horse as her brother did the same. Margareth hated being seen as a damsel in distress! she could command the arcane better than mages who lived their entire lives! Blind with rage she vowed to hurt Lucrezia for making her suffer such humiliation in front of the love of her life!
That was when she saw the crystal glimmer in the distance, as 100 horses made out of metal and crystal charged at them. The screams of the infantry who could only watch as their friends were trampled alive beneath the horses as spear and sword, arrows and daggers found no purchase in the flesh of those beasts. It made her vomit as the stench of death and fear hit her in full force.
At the front the madwoman herself. Furiae of the North some of the Mercenaries called her now, Her ax chopped heads as if they were made of straw. When Lucrezia saw her she reached into her person and grabbed something round. Pulled a pin from it and threw it at Margareth and her brother. She heard a click and smoke started pouring in from the thing as the wind blew right at her.
The effect was fast, Margareth could barely keep her eyes open as the horse began to slow down, soon everything fell into darkness...
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William's Blood Lust sung yet again as he tore through the enemies in front of him, Oh how they screamed in terror and fury! Oh, how that fear made them run arms in hand to their doom!
Yet such bliss was tempered by the loss of his Knights. for every meter they carved through with steal and crystal the enemy claimed 2, 3, or even 5 of his men, making the push forward labor paid in blood.
He was not without wounds as well, arrows and spears knocked his arms and legs. And yet he pushed forward until the reason for this senseless massacre was made manifest in front of him. Galius rode with his Knights to meet his charge! William quickly threw his grenades as his Knights did the same. While the Arch-Mage's son and daughter were taken out first the Knights with their Ki managed to stave off the effect of the gas.
William got on top of his Magi-Tech horse and leaped forward, Immidealtky as he did so Wynather, Uu'Kal-Vaar, Var'yr Ether, and their Elite formed in front, William was forced to do the deed. Tapping into the Rage as to avoid second thoughts he saw the world around him turn red as the power flowed through his soul. With a mighty thunderbolt, he crashed into the Knights. Killing Wynather in the landing.
He saw the elven woman mutter words for her wife on the ground but paid her no mind as he began tearing through the Knights. His own now circling the Prince's men killing the rest in a ghastly display of skill.
More and more fell as William made his way past a pile of corpses to reach Galius and his goons. At the end of this journey he saw Uu'Kal-Vaar and Var'yr Ether form up and charge at him, Both men who William knew their backstories and were favorites of his from the game, their attacks found flesh as they bleed William with spear and sword both.
Yet William dared not falter, he stomped the ground and burned an incredible amount of mana on the spot. Molding the fallen's weapons into great steel spikes that impaled both Knights! as their bodies fell limp William screamed "Knights of Vermilion! Your commanders are DEAD! Surrender now and I show mercy!" as his Knights picked off those who refused to give up William heard the clatter of swords and shields being dropped on the ground.
A sea of steel parted before him, and at last, William saw them.
Galius, Krista, Turius and Elias.
"Mine is the spear of Death"
"Mine is the spear of the forgotten"
"Mine is the Spear of VENGEANCE!"
William chanted as dashed towards them, Galius roared in defense and pulled a sword, his friends doing the same.
William stomped the ground again, the remains of the Ardarite dust no longer blocking his magic. Spikes of steel came from the weapons around them binding the guilty to the ground. Willaim smacked their weapons out of their hands and kicked them in the legs. making them kiss the dirt.
"Kneel" He commanded with divine energy and they did as asked. Erwin came near him as did Gabriel the Master Druid and Saa'ryu. why the druid had come was something William would ask later. He lined Galius and his people up and said
"Die" William grabbed the bolt action rifle that was strapped in Idun's horse and shot Krista first. Turius began crying as Elias started talking fast "Come now, Duchess! sure we can work something out?! There's n-no need for k-killing us right?! Gally here is very rich you know he cou-" Another shot straight in the head. William pulled the bolt and shot again in Elias's heart.
"Margareth! You whore wake up!" Screamed Turius to the fallen mage. Be it divine intervention or something else the woman opened her eyes and gasped. William kicked Idun to the ground as time slowed down. He knew the spell the girl would cast at this moment; Wind Blade and it would kill or maim anyone caught in its path.
Erwin quickly threw another grenade but the spell had already left her lips, William saw as Saa'ryu eyes went wide as the Wind Blade came for her and in a dash of madness and enough mana to fly at high speeds, tackled the maid. He felt the spell connect with his right arm and the pain so strong he nearly black out, Margareth went down after huffing more gas together with a few Knights behind her.
Gabriel quickly turned into his phoenix form and cast a strong healing spell on William. He tried looking for his arm but the thing was shredded to minced meat! It took a good 5 minutes for the spell effect to finally end as William watched Turius scream in madness and fear.
"Take the mages away, gag em and shacked them with Ardarite carefully then throw both of them in the dungeon! Cells with Ardarite padding and bars are on the lowest level!" Idun screamed to the Knights who did as he commanded.
"Not to worry My Lady! We will forge a brand new arm for you! Magi-Tech won't fail our prophet!" The dwarf spoke, fear in his voice. Saa'ryu moved to apologize but William raised his hand to tell her to leave it for later, he turned to Erwin and said "Round up the survivors, if anyone resists kill them"
"Your Highness!"
William pulled his brand new pistol from his forgotten holster and aimed at Turius who screamed for forgiveness. A single shot to the head was enough to shut him up. Galius began to laugh like a manic and said "You can not stop us you whore! My one true God will come and destr-"
3 bullets were fired in rapid succession. The prince fell dead as William unloaded the rest of the magazine in his corpse, he kneeled next to him and whispered in his ear "That was for Viviene you scum. May your soul rot in the hells"
A murder of crows showed up in the skies. They descended into the land and out of them came out a tall elven woman. Velkarius had come to get her due.
"Ando so the Villian is defeated" she slashed the air and his head and that of his fellows came to her "Our mutual friend will want to see these with his own eyes I'm sure you know" A smile appeared on her lips "The pact is fulfilled Lucrezia. And now you enjoy the full benefits of our mutual agreement, do not worry about his mom or the rest of the royals. They will whine and complain but none shall raise their hand against you and yours. This I give you my word" The Goddess bowed and flew away.
The bodies without their heads burst into dark flames. William took a deep long sigh as he stared at the raven Velkarius had turned herself into. The bird wailed as it flew south towards the one who demanded blood for the sins committed against his kin.
"This is not over is it?" Lucrezia asked.
"No. No, it is not" William said out loud.