Marco and I had done the right thing by killing those two. At least, I kept telling myself as we sat waiting for our trial in that wretched horse stall. I had said before I left Hillcrest I would not be going down to the level of human sacrifice. After killing 77, though, I felt nothing more than if he had been an insect.
“You are still thinking about it, aren’t you?” Marco enquired.
“I don’t understand how you are not, especially with your power,” I sighed. “Don’t the screams of them still within you terrify you?”
“Not really. I can tune them out with little effort. Besides, this was not my first time killing someone, and it won’t be our last. They will still find a use for murders inside the army.” Marco smiled at that. It was true even the two men we had killed had jested about killing their comrades while on a mission.
Not long before the guards came back to take us out of our cell and into the central courtyard. Where 82 and a few other elderly demonic users waited for us.
“I would say you two are lucky, but where you are going might be worse than here,” 82 snorted at us. “Both of you are to be out of this fort today. Your assignment is on the western border to reinforce a fallen outpost. By order of his majesty and the general of the inquisitors. It looks like you 468 have made quite a mess everywhere you go.”
“Sounds like an important mission. Are you sure you don’t want to come along? I wouldn’t mind adding you to the collection after the horse stall treatment,” Marco growled.
“Simmer down, boy. There will be enough violence to aim where you are going,” 18 remarked. 18 took back control of the situation as soon as he arrived. “And you 82, I told you I would handle this manner personally. You two listen to me, and I mean this with all due respect. Don’t go killing any more citizens of Nucrestria. That will include your assigned guards. Am I clear?”
“Yes,” both Marco and I said in agreement.
“Good, now both of you go through the gate. You will find that your detachment has all the required items and is awaiting you.”
Marco and I took a deep breath before exiting the fort of the demonic affinity users. I first gave my ox golem the order to follow me and not to intervene unless Marco or I were in danger.
One thing I would notice about that fort was that stupid gate. The feeling of falling unconscious and doing so of my free will left me sick. Walking into it with that fate left me wondering what kind of person thought the design up. The only way forward through my time at the fort had ended, and my adventures were only starting. I prayed to whatever gods were still listening that my first adventure would not also be my last.
I awoke inside the back of an open cart with Marco still unconscious next to me. Sitting on a bench across from us was an all too familiar silhouette. It looked like our inquisitor's guard would be Tiger. Next to her was my pack of stuff. I quickly grabbed it from her side and checked its contents. Thankfully everything was in there.
“Long time no see,” I said to Tiger.
“471, you know better than that. Prisoners do not talk when they have not been instructed to do so,” replied Tiger. She paused for a moment and continued, “Actually, it’s fine if you speak. The four of us have gotten ourselves into a fool’s errand. Which I suspect you and your friend may not end up living through. The man guiding your ox goes by Mouse, but I believe you have already met.”
I looked over and saw a plump man holding the reins on my golem, which was being used to pull our cart. “What’s with the kindness?” I asked, not knowing if I would get an answer.
“Hopefully, it dissuades you two from killing. Mouse and I would like to keep our lives if the two of you decide to run off into the mountains,” Tiger replied. “I may be a part of the inquisitors, but I am not stupid.”
“You think niceties are what we want from you,” Marco sneered, coming back into the land of the living, “You people….”
“Stop, 468,” Tiger said, putting her hand up. “I know what my comrades did. For that, you have my eternal apologies.” As Tiger said this to us, she lowered her head. I could see the dark black of her hair as she did. The only part of her was visible through the dark uniform that all inquisitors wore. The uniform was simple, like most military attire, leaving much of the woman’s form to the imagination. From what I could tell, she was slender but built like an athlete. It made me think that Marco and I would not be enough to stop her if it came to a physical altercation. Marco and I did not share her athletic build. We both were no more athletes than any other child of a baker.
“Whatever, I don’t need your apologies. You did not kill my dad,” Marco said. “If Devin is okay with you, I am fine as well. Also, please call us by our names. I am Marco.”
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“Very well, Marco and Devin, that’s fine with me.”
“So, what is the mission, if you don’t mind me asking?” I interjected. “We were told we would claim an outpost in the mountains. I don’t understand why they only sent the four of us.”
“Because the two of you have five deaths on your hands within a month of gaining your powers. So, they chose an elite officer to act as your handler. At least, that’s the message the general gave me. Before he sent me out the door,” Tiger said. “Regarding the outpost, our scouts have said a tribe of orcs has occupied it. The dwarves who attacked the outpost have gone back into their caverns. They use the orcs as a buffer to keep our soldiers from invading. Our job is to take the outpost back from the orcs by any means and prepare for an assault on the dwarves.”
“They want me then because of my power to create soldiers. They will let Marco act in guerrilla warfare if that tactic doesn't work. Hoping that he dwindles their numbers until he is powerful enough to kill them. Am I close, at least?”
“Excellent, Devin. You seem to have a better education than that of a normal child of a baker.”
“When your only friend is the rich kid in town, but he never has the time, you read through his library. At least that’s the route I took.”
“You are partly wrong in your plan, though. I plan to communicate with the orcs. So, be prepared for that when we arrive at the outpost. You better get some rest. It will be a few days until we get there. Although I expect your golem may make the trip quicker since it doesn’t rest.”
As we continued on our way, a cart approached the horizon. Men on horseback flanked the cart on either side. With each passing moment, the cart became more and more visible to our eyes. I could make out weapons at their sides. However, they did not have the crest of the military branches, at least the ones that I knew of. They brought their horses and cart to a sudden halt in a clearing of trees. The clearing looked to be a wayside station of sorts. It had large wooden posts driven into the ground to tie the beast of burden off when stopping for the night. The clearing had large spots where vegetation had all but died. To me, these looked like places where either the animals rested or the carts they were pulling.
When we got closer, Tiger whispered, “Stay quiet and let me do the talking.”
“Only if you let me do the fighting,” Marco retorted. Tiger glanced at him to let him know she was not having any of his attitudes today.
“Why hello there, friends,” came the voice of one of the men.
“Good day to you,” Tiger replied as she attempted to steer the golem around the stopped men. As she did, their intentions became quickly known to us. The men on horses quickly surrounded our cart with weapons drawn. From the tree line, we could hear crossbows loading.
“What is happening here? Don’t you see we are members of the king's army?” spat Mouse.
“They already know that. Now be quiet!” Tiger scolded.
“Your commander is right! We already know who you are. Why do you think we stopped you? Now let us execute those two in the back, and we will be on our way,” the man clearly in charge said.
“And why pray tell would we let you do that?” Tiger asked.
“We aren’t asking, dear. We need to kill them for the sake of this country! Our king has let these monsters serve for too long. They have done nothing except fuel his lust for war. Call us revolutionaries if you would like, but we serve the people of this land even when the king will not!” the man, no, the revolutionary cried.
“So, why kill these two kids then?” Tiger asked.
“Because they are demonic affinity users! If we want to route the evil from the king’s command, we must start with soldiers like them.”
I sent my mind and senses out to the men lining the woods. There was no way for Tiger to talk this man down. So, Marco and I would need to devise a plan quickly. I had initially theorized a way to use my necrotic powers on people directly. But I didn’t think I was strong enough yet to use my necrotic powers on all those men. However, their weapons were another story. I first closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and pictured each bolt loaded in the crossbows turning back into dust. Then as I opened my eyes and jumped out of the cart, I screamed, “Now, Marco!”
My impulsive action startled the horseback riders, and their horses reared up at me. As they did, sounds of men cursing in the wood rang out. My plan had worked! As I charged one man in the woods, I realized this was the end of my plans.
“Taste my flames, you rebel scum,” Marco cried out as he covered the horsemen in flames. Tiger also used the distraction to withdraw her sword and behead the leader. I slammed into a man who was in the middle of reloading his crossbow. He reached for the dagger at his side, but as he did, I was already pushing my necrotic affinity into him. He turned to dust in my hands.
With their leader dead and two demonic affinity users running rampant, the others lost their nerves and fled. “Let them go,” Tiger shouted. “After all, they are still citizens of this kingdom, and killing them here may lead to more issues.”
“Fine,” Marco said. “We had promised 18 that we wouldn’t kill more citizens of this country. It looks like we broke that promise before arriving at our destination.”
“We had no other choice Marco,” I said.
“Devin is right. They didn’t want to talk this through with me,” Tiger stated.
“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t feel anything for killing them. I only regret we couldn’t have kept 18’s promise for longer,” Marco said.
With the fight being done, I scooped the dust of the fallen revolutionary. I then moved over to my ox and began feeding it the dust. I don’t know why I had decided on this way to add his soul into the ox golem, but it felt right.
“Another soul added,” I said.
“Same. I have a few more trapped in my flames. I can feel the power strengthening within me,” Marco replied.