V5: Chapter 3

…

Interlude: Rita

…

Ill news arrived with the riders clad in black.

Ilych turned to listen, as I read the news, while she stood atop the back of a Manticore with her blade embedded in its last, remaining brain. Behind her an encampment of monsters burned, their final attempt to survive dead at her feet.

"The Deliverer is dead, Conquest is at Tradestown, and Crusher along with many others of the Conqueror's highest caste have become corrupted." I summarized the later, and Ilych peered at me silently through the slight slit in her all-black helm. "Ayah and Khanrow's granddaughter are with our king. They're investigating the matter. We've been told to head north, to the lands of the Guardians, then sweep east along the Conqueror's borders. Riders have already been sent for them to gather an army."

My comrade in arms was silent, her cloak flaring as she leapt from the large creature and slowing her descent. Her armored form hit the ground without making a hint of noise. At night, in her all-black armor that supped on blood and grew stronger with every kill, she could kill and destroy our foes unhindered by anything.

"The winds urge me to make haste and do as he bid. We can leave him with Ayah and Morgan for now." Since our battle to take the Scholars, she's begun to train herself in speaking and leadership. Celia had led us then, but our king had followed to support. If we had not needed his orders and support, then he could've returned to safety after lifting us in to complete our mission. As such, she now trained and spoke to ensure his life was not risked again. "Let us go now."

She spoke, and such was her command.

But, still, the soldiers looked to me.

Commands were not enough, they needed to be conveyed, planned for, and broken down into lesser pieces for our force.

"Klyne, head to the nearest outpost and request fresh horses from the region. We will make our way there." I could not fault her for her commands. It was her duty to go into the thickest of battles and lead from the front and kill all who opposed our king. To take time to explain would limit her effectiveness and lessen her purpose. I knew this, so I grew along with her and became the link between her and the officers. We commanded a band of a hundred and fifty soldiers with another hundred supporting us in a trailing encampment. "Janice, gather the reserves and loot the encampment and find anything that these monsters brought to the surface with them. Rudolph, you and your men will take the carriages and rest while we move."

They gave me all their agreement and left my presence.

Then, I spoke to Ilych once more.

"What do the winds say about the tidings in the Conqueror's lands?"

Ilych's connection with whatever magic in her mind was growing stronger and stronger and granting her greater boons and gifts.

I worried, though, that it would overtake her.

For now, though, it has served us in our duties.

"The winds say that we should look into the projects that Jack has in progress at the Citadel of Scholar's Fall." Ilych staggered at the words, and I caught her swiftly. It only took a moment for her to recover, but this form of prescience was something that she could not do in battle. She took off her helm and her nose was bloody and eyes bloodshot. I offered her a cloth and she accepted it with a nod. The bleeding had already ceased, the armor assisting her healing by drinking from the beast she slew, and once again she spoke. "The Winds spoke to me of a grave and terrible threat, but we are prepared for it due to Jack's foresight. There are weapons in the Citadel that can be used to arm the army that we will raise."

It was a magnificent, powerful gift, but time and time against it only gave us insight into the depths of our king's mind.

"Then, we will go and do that. However, you will be in our personal carriage and rest." Ilych tried to argue, but I shook my head and supported more of her weight. She was heavy, but that was a good thing. I feared the day that I would raise her up, and she'd be lighter than I thought. With her constant charges, and her reputation spreading across the land, she was becoming more and more of a target with every passing day. "Allow me to at least do my duty as an adjutant, fool."

That earned me a faint smile and a chuckle from my dear friend, then she nodded and closed her eyes.

Almost causing me to drop her as she fell asleep on command.

"You damned imbecile! I said fall asleep in the wagon!"

Ilych let loose a single chuckle before letting her feet retake her weight, and I grumbled all the way to the wagon which held all the artifacts we gathered. It had space within it for a cot that could hold a body in stasis for prolonged periods, for either her use or my own in the event of an emergency, but when not functional it worked as a bed for her. I preferred a hammock on the side of the carriage myself, but Ilych used the cot often.

As I supported her, she suddenly broke the companionable silence that we shared.

"Rita, do you know where the Shroud of Undeath is?" I stilled at her words. The Artifact which gave me life from a corpse. I retained the skill, talent, and potential of 'Tira' of the Children of the Elm, and none of her hatred and rage against all life not of her people. "The Winds said to keep it close in the coming days. In case I—

"No. I don't know where it is. And, if I did, I wouldn't take it. You're not dying, Ilych."

"I would return with the Shroud."

"Not as yourself. Never yourself."

I shook my head and my friend was silent for a while before nodding.

"It was a precautionary question. Nothing more. I don't intend to die, my friend."

"You better not."

I won't let her.

I've let too many people die already.

…

By the time Conquest was able to talk, Ayah, Morgan, and myself had pieced things together.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Or, rather, after I supplied some lore to the two of them, they figured it out while thinking that I contributed.

Sorry, it's not actual knowledge, just me scarring my brain with the in-game encyclopedia for so long that it's present in the next life.

"As you rested, we took the liberty of gathering information from your troops and reconstructing the entirety of your incident. It goes as follows." Morgan changed clothes after a short rest in the house we requisitioned. Her whole wardrobe was exactly the same with this set of clothes being a baggy shirt, with some baggy pants, and a baggy jacket. Her massive glasses were also the same. The only difference with this outfit and the last was that she decided to put an academic's hat on for the presentation. She was regretting it, and her cheeks were pink as she spoke. Just take it off. I can't watch without getting flashbacks… oh, god why did I wear a full three-piece suit to a highschool presentation, they were all laughing at me— "You returned from your latest effort to alleviate the harm of the famine in the surrounding lands, then found the your capital city under peril. You encountered a series of defenses and last stands, until you found the Deliverer and his guards dead, and their killers at the base of the Citadel… who was your father and various elites of your people."

"Correct." Conquest nodded, and in that brief moment, Morgan took off the beret-looking thing she'd sported on her head and stuffed it inside one of the large pockets of her cloak. Good sleight of hand there, buddy. Conquest probably noticed, but won't mention it. "My men also told you of the corruption we faced?"

"They did and none of your troops seemed to be corrupted. The precautions you took before battle seemed to have worked. We are sending missives to every nation now with your findings." Morgan stated and looked at Ayah. The Ancient Administrator nodded and ceded her portion to speak. "We have also discerned that it's likely that the people trapped in the Citadel number in the low ten thousands. Can you verify that? We have no idea of your people's exact numbers."

"Forty thousand lived in the capital." Conquest closed her eyes and a tightness clung to them when she opened them. "I counted two thousand bodies on our path from the outskirts to the Citadel."

Ayah stepped forward at those words.

"How many were corrupted?"

"There were no more than a hundred trying to bring the gate of the Citadel down with a military ram. Our sole ram fitted to bring down the walls of a Citadel." Ah, I had wondered why a ram was such a big deal. I couldn't imagine a wooden block suspended on some iron chains with a roof and wheels bringing down a Citadel's door. If it was the siege unit of the Conqueror's, though, I could see it. Those seige engines took a turn to destroy a Citadel's gate and open it up. It could be shorter than 1 turn, though, since that was just a game engine limitation. "Our tests estimated three weeks to destroy a Citadel wall with the weapon. They may be rebuilding it now and with their greater strength, they may bring the gate low sooner."

Conquest inferred the next question that Ayah was ready to ask.

"I believe that many of my people left to the countryside, however, much of the home guard was destroyed there. We have our border guards and patrols, but they number no more than a few hundred. Barely enough to bring my force to full strength." Conquest shook her head. "I must ask for your aid in retaking the Capital and saving my people, King of Wisdom. Know that my people will forever be in your debt—

I didn't hesitate to jump on the opportunity.

"At the very least, I want the Scholar's Citadel in exchange for my help." I was ready to reason, to tell her that I couldn't give it to her people with their military gone, but I received her answer before I could explain.

"Done. That Citadel shall be yours in exchange for your aid in this battle to retake our capital and free those who are in the Citadel. As of this moment, my goal is to see my people survive. The future of the nation shall wait until later." Oh. Goody. Conquest is far higher on the Lawful Good scale than I thought. That makes her a lot easier to manipulate… but, I won't press on this too much. Honestly, I thought that I'd get five more years with the Citadel at most. "But, if you cannot, I will take all my people to the lands of the Scholars and claim it all for them as another home."

That statement was so insane that I had to tell her, even if in-game you switch to another Citadel as your capital if you lose your first one.

That feature just doesn't fucking work in reality.

"A Citadel from a set of three in what remains of the Conquerors will be tantamount to slow suicide. You will all die, as others will try to take it for themselves. I will subjugate your people before I let you do something so foolhardy." I looked at the behemoth of muscle and power, already healed in a day after being nearly bisected, and matched her fury-filled gaze. Conquest sat up from her bed, the white linen wrapped around her midsection staining red from broken stitches, but neither of us broke our gazes. "Do you understand, Conquest? Win this battle. Do not think of losing the homeland you have now and consigning your people to oblivion. I will have you killed and make your people mine the moment you consider it."

For a long time, Conquest was silent at my words, bleeding into her bandages and saying nothing as we met each other's glares.

Thankfully, she blinked first and grunted as she laid herself down.

"I will do what I must for my people."

"Yes, Conquest. Your people. Not your nation."

I refuted her words as best as I could, but heard no reply from the wounded Champion, so I elected to leave.

Damn, I know that she's grieving, but hearing a suicidal plan like that just made me angry.

Planning for a loss isn't bad, but planning to fucking die to just uphold a principle after you lose is!