V9: Chapter 12

…

Man, I sure am glad that I planned on backstabbing the Wardens the moment I met them.

Having plans and procedures for a surprise attack helped that surprise attack come together much better.

My transport hit the staging area, and I found Khanrow waiting for me there already.

“What’s the situation?” The sound of beating wings and horse hooves were behind me, as the transport and the steeds that pulled it were taken away. A constant stream of transports was coming into the airfield. People were hard at work clearing landings, cleaning up droppings, and strengthening the ground with magic so that no ankles or axels broke with ground that was too soft fucking up landings. “Are our patsies on the move?”

“Yes. A general uprising is starting. It’s early, so they’re few in numbers, but they know the stakes and they have a few churches. We hope that they attract more attention and people.” Khanrow was disguised, his head and face covered by full armor. The only symbol of his station was on his lapel. A star right above my nation’s sigil. A general, and if anyone questioned it, he had a seal on his person with my signature beside it. This was how he could operate in plain sight. “I doubt that they’ll last long, regardless. We’ve heard movements from the Forgers and Merchants, but nothing from the Guardians.”

“They’re probably busy keeping their new realm together. What about the Forgers and Merchants? Any armies coming in to take advantage of the situation?”

“The Forgers are moving. They’re eager to seize the Goddess for themselves. As for the Merchants, a lot of mercenary bands have taken up arms for our incursion, but there’s also some other voices joining in to make a mess of things.” Khanrow looked at me through the visor of his helm. “If the Wardens survive this with their Citadel, they’ll have grievances, and they will wage war endlessly.”

“They’ll do that even without their Citadel and their revival areas. They are fanatics, always have been, and the only way forward is to send them to their Paradise.” They lived in tunnels for most of their race’s existence. They fought monsters down there after freeing themselves from Undead monsters. On the surface, they’re licentious creatures with little modesty. Beneath that exotic, erotic surface was a fanatical race that followed a death cult and prepared their whole lives to kill or be killed. A child’s first gift is a knife. “Some we can spare if they can be convinced to follow their creed after we face the threats of the past, but I have some hope for the common folk. Hm. Are the interment areas completed?”

“Yes, and they are according to your specifications.” I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. I’m building internment camps for the Dark Elves. Now, before you state the obvious, allow me to explain. If we kill them, they just revive. Taking them alive, making sure that they don’t kill themselves, is the only way to deplete their manpower. “Are you sure that we should play our hand with the Goddess so casually?”

We were going to do that through a power that the Nature Goddess had called “Harmony.” In-game, it made it so that neutral/hostile mobs no longer spawned via event in your territory. If Harmony was active, and you had neutral mobs in your territory, that basically meant someone was sending in mercenaries without uniforms and identifiers into your realm. But that’s beside the point. Harmony worked by putting monsters into forced hibernation, their lives sustained, until they could be moved into enclosures and reservations where they could live in peace.

If you decide to kill them after Harmony is used, your favorability with the Goddess of Nature goes down by 1 point.

Out of a hundred.

You could overcome that by donating a hundred gold pieces to the temple. One time payment only, too. I mean, that’s the upkeep cost of a whole unit of a thousand riflemen for four months, but that’s kinda cheap for using her to finish them all off.

But I wasn’t about to do that.

“I’m hoping that we can put them to sleep in her presence. I mean, it worked on Sarala and Riegert when we told them to relax and lower their defenses, and over a thousand of her faithful fell to it.” The Mark on my hand acknowledged seemed to allow me to give the Goddess of Nature some orders, even though she was still mostly asleep and still gathering power. Given that it took months and months of investment and time to get the Goddess this strong, I hoped that the Death Goddess would also be far too weak. Hell, I hoped that Khalai didn’t receive the mark yet. “They only have one standing army of ten thousand, and their strategy revolves around them dying, returning, and being re-equipped to be sent off again when facing a superior force. We need to take away as many of their professional soldiers as possible.”

“A sound plan, but one that places our people at immense risk.” Khanrow reminded me, and we reached my command post, which was the same prefabricated villa as always. Just take it apart, and put it back together at one of four random locations at the new staging area. Until I could get enough Forger mages, so that I can get a command bunker in an instant, it’ll do. That’ll last until I could get a whole flying fortress suited specifically for command and control with a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. “I recommend taking prisoners only after battle. We have superior forces, but—

I raised my hand and shook my head.

“That is what I meant. I won’t risk more lives than I must. We will use artillery and our mages to their fullest extent. We take prisoner those who surrender and who survive, then place them in a deep sleep under strict guard.” Something must’ve been lost in translation, like they expected me to have my whole army go non-lethal against the Wardens. These guys are literally murder-machines that run a mach ‘fuck you’ and have unbreakable morale thanks to being fanatics. You put some bodysuits on them, cover their faces, look at them fight, and it’s obvious that the gave devs watched the new adaptation of a certain book involving a desert planet with giant worms. “Still, I want teams of elite soldiers dedicated to capturing generals and officers. We can’t capture them all, but the more that we do, the less their forces can look to for leadership.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Khanrow gave a nod that nearly turned into a bow, as we entered the villa. It was finished constructing. The Iterants were quick to get my cloak off and offer me some nice, cool water. Ayah moved on to test the contents, before giving me the glass. Always nice to have a poison-tester outside of the Citadels. The Iterants serving me always glowered at Ayah for doing it, though. Guess they felt it was a shot at their loyalty, even though it was just procedure.

I finished my drink and Khanrow his, then when moved into the war room to further discuss matters.

I didn’t expect to sleep much this evening, since even with all our pre-planning and efforts, everything was still going to be crazy.

…

Interlude: Conquest

…

Ducking beneath a small door, rested after traveling across the skies on the transports, I found myself in a room with three others.

Ilych, the Sword of Wisdom, reached my shoulder in height and was covered in more armor than warhorses. The scent of fresh blood clung to her and her ebony armor which radiated a faint ocher luster. Its malicious power was barely obscured by a coat that covered her. On her back was her unnamed blade, almost at tall as her, and incredibly heavy, despite the fact I had seen her throw it whilst infused with power to decapitate an immense creature.

She looked my way with a narrow and dull gaze, but nodded in my direction in acknowledgement.

Sitting across her was Rita, whose accolades have long been suppressed, and so she has gone through much effort to remain unknown. Still, paired with Ilych, she gained a few monikers. Wisdom’s Shadow was the most common, though some whispered of her past as a wholly other person who once aimed to kill the King of Wisdom. She was lightly armored and valued protecting her limbs with armor, while a coat covered her that seemed to melt with the shadows. At her sides were two daggers, but on her back an ancient bow that smelled of stormwinds, alongside a quiver filled with pure-white arrows forged from the Citadels.

They were two strong, stalwart warriors that I felt the only honor in standing and fighting beside. The three of us could be a force that ravaged cities and armies without err. A trio of powerful Champions that could scarcely be equaled.

Against the Sword Saintess Sirena, I could ask for no better companions.

But there was one another present at the table, leaning on it and pouring over a map, with innumerable curses and hate from the beyond wrapping around her like a warm cloak.

Morgan.

“You are beset by innumerable curses, General Morgan.”

“Hm? Those? Ah, I’ve been keeping them about. They’re a good buffer against many forms of miracles that the Wardens like to use. Armor, in a fashion.” Bespectacled and wearing a hooded greatcoat, she stood up and gave a bow in return, after I gave one to acknowledge her command. I only raised my head once she gave it. Her hair was short and prim, while her face unscarred and with fine features for those of Descendant nobility. I took note that she wore armor beneath the great-coat now. A full suit of light armor composed of Citadel alloy plates on a black bodysuit of thick fabric that I was unfamiliar with. “It’s an Ancient security force suit. Allows magic to be channeled, while protecting against flame, frost, electricity, heat, and more. Hard to bite through and slice through, and the plates provide more robust protection. It took quite the sum to get. Months of saving, really, but it’s worth it.”

“I hope that it serves you well in the coming battles.” My earliest memory of her was her interrogating me after speaking to my troops. She stood behind the King of Wisdom, ascertaining his measure, while he spoke to me. Back then, she was like a monster constrained in the form of a Descendant. I thought that she was a Champion of immense power meant to cow us into submission, or perhaps she was the true leader of the nation of the Descendants, while the King of Wisdom was a puppet. Now, though, I realized that the truth was far more terrifying. “What is our aim in the coming campaign.”

Morgan’s smile was filled with teeth and wide, reminding me more of a monster’s smile while the rest of it was hidden in the darkness.

“Regicide.” The word left her lips like the purr of a great predator pleased with the task given to it by its master. My lieutenant stirred beside me, but I glanced his way and he went still. In the small room of the command villa, I took a seat across Morgan. My lieutenant joined the others sitting near the walls listening to our new directive. Our new directive is spoken by a storm in the shape of a mortal. One that would reshape the world according to the whims of the King of Wisdom. “The death of High Justiciar Khalai of the Wardens of the Caverns to be precise.”

The leader of the Wardens came to mind.

Beyond the form of a mere young man that constantly p-propositioned the King of Wisdom and led the Wardens, there was something more.

A being enrobed in miracles, that radiated light that was blinding to the senses, and who came with the scent of flame. The Warden’s great leader was a Champion of immense power, guarded by the Sword Saint, and the elites of fiercest fighters on the continent. When the Wardens fought, they became living weapons that ignored all pain, fear, and hate. They were nothing more than bodies meant to kill their opponents, uncaring of their own lives, and with hundreds of lives and deaths granting them experience and skill beyond measure.

“We are mighty, but this group is insufficient.” I told them the truth of the matter as I saw it. We will have to travel incessantly through enemy lands, intercept the High Justiciar before he reached his Citadel, while he was under heavy guard protecting the Divine Spirit created by the Ancients. He travels with his whole army, in his territory, and we do not control the skies, yet. I looked at the map and my fears were confirmed. It traced where High Justiciar Khalai met with the remains of his expedition outward to the rest of the world, which was on the very corners of our realm. Our spies contacted us, we moved, and two weeks passed, and the High Justiciar was already halfway to his Citadel. He will only be a week away from his Citadel. We were fortunate that the Forgers withheld sharing their brood of Transports with their alliance. “Unless the whole realm is in complete turmoil, he can even receive aid from his own Citadel.”

“Ah, but the whole realm is in complete chaos, Conquest. After all this time, you shall be brought into the fold completely.” Morgan’s too-wide smile seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face. She glanced over her shoulder, at a serving woman in a black dress and white apron, and lashed out at her. I stood and tried to intercept the blow, instead I found myself shocked as the seemingly normal servant avoided the blow with utmost ease. Suddenly, standing in the meeting room, I became aware of the dozens of servants present who I disregarded. The way it moved was too swift and too different. Machine-like. “Behold, our finest, hidden warriors and our greatest spies courtesy of the Ancients. Tens of thousands of them are across the land, and they are growing in number quite rapidly. The Iterants.”

Father had suspected some form of trickery, but not of this scale and magnitude.

“The King of Wisdom has a knife at the throat of every nation here. Why not attack?” I questioned after a moment, and Morgan smiled… an honest smile.

It was as though I repeated a question that she asked herself, and was given the perfect answer.

“Because our aim is not wars of destruction, Conquest, but to take everything and use it against the rest of the world coming to kill us.”

Those words were enough.

In my sudden bout of fear and concern, I forgot a simple fact.

The King of Wisdom led us, and he looked not at the next battle, nor at the next war, but at the only war that mattered.

The war for survival that we would have against the rest of the world.

We had need of the enemy’s strength, and their corpses will do us little good.