The young warrior took to battle like a bird to flight. While others toiled, Legosia once again proved his mettle, and fought in numerous battles for King Vernash.

The grip of sword and shield became so natural in his hands, that many proclaimed they saw him wielding them even in sleep.

-From the 2nd Chapter of “The Remont of Elneshe”

The cold should’ve dampened the spirits of the warriors in the battlefield. But looking at them that day, Dolish thought they were more fired up than ever. They lunged at each other with such ferocity, and blood mixed in with the snow to cast it all in a red light.

The bloodshed in front of him was his doing. Dolish commanded his soldiers with the precision of a knife, cutting them into squadrons to assault wherever he saw an opening. If the Phasgorians even split their forces slightly, Dolish would take the opening to divide their army.

His Afterburners pelted them with grenades, tar and Ravenfire alike, until screams rose from the crowd. What better compensation, for what they’d taken from Ravenishtan?

But looking at the carnage now, and hearing the voices that he did, Dolish began to feel sick with himself. Would Merin have wanted this? The young boy, though he’d engaged in battle, had never done so to be cruel. He only wanted what everyone else did. An end to the fighting, and a way for them to fend off Attackers.

Would he approve? Now that they were closer to the Spear and how to find its location? Or would he be disgusted with the number of troops that were thrown to avenge him.

It didn’t matter to Dolish. He would carry out the Armon’s will, and his will now was to cull the Phasgorian army as much as they could. No matter how closely their histories were linked, there was no room for words in this war any longer.

Dolish slit another soldier’s throat as he issued more orders to his squad.

Afterburner Squadron 1, resupply and drop more grenades on the left flank. They’re advancing too quickly.

He pulled back from a fire lance shot and kicked up snow at the enemy. That blinded them long enough for Dolish to land a punch, dislocating the soldier’s jaw and sending him to the ground.

He fought madly in the middle of the battlefield, barely noticing how weak and aching his body was becoming. A muscle twisted out of place and Dolish began cramping up. The Phasgorians noticed, as a Devourer began to rush towards him. Dolish cursed himself and sent a command to his honour guard.

A man jumped in between Dolish and the Devourer, tackling him to the ground. Beside the General, a green tinged portal opened up, leading further back in the ranks. Dolish walked through while healing his cramp, and met with Saeda.

“Good work, soldier,” Dolish complimented her, and she nodded in his direction.

“General, you shouldn’t be out fighting by yourself,” Saeda scolded him politely.

“Your job is to get me out of scenarios precisely like this, soldier. Consider this good practice.”

“And Alef?”

“The boy talks too much. He’ll learn better this way. Bring him out only if you think he’s truly in danger.”

Dolish let go of the hand he’d placed on his cramping arm, then twisted it around in its socket. How much longer till even that wouldn’t placate his ailing body? Phasgorians may claim themselves as children of Gods, but such a thing disproved it.

What kind of demigods faced an opponent such as old age?

Saeda looked out behind Dolish, back towards where Alef was engaging the Devourer. The young boy fought with ferocity, but would often overlook openings. He seemed almost afraid of getting close to his enemy, taking only cursory jabs and focusing on protecting himself.

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“Go assist him, Saeda. Then make sure Borne and Bark are properly sabotaging the artillery.”

Dolish walked off and focused on his Commander field. The power inside him told him of where his soldiers were. He took a hold of their spirits, rerouting them towards weak points and bunching up weaker divisions.

A few of the Bladeborn were ordered back, and they surrounded Dolish while he gave his commands. Enemy Afterburners failed to pierce the defences of the aged General, and Dolish felt the tide of emotion change.

He didn’t hear the command given out to the Phasgorians, but he could feel it in the relief and fear on their faces. They turned tail and began to run away quickly, dispersing their last fire lances as they retreated. Dolish then heaved a sigh.

Patch up the wounded and begin to depart. Our work here is done. He ordered to them. This new supply line would do Ravenishtan well.

Borne and Bark appeared soon after, with Saeda and Alef not too far behind. The young Devourer had blood all over his clothing, yet his body was unblemished. He saluted Dolish when he noticed him.

“You were slow out there, Alef. I know you’re better in a fight than most Devourers, so why?” Dolish admonished him.

“I… hesitated, sir.”

“Hesitated for what reason? Did the enemy threaten you in some way?” Dolish asked.

“What if they were a dual Bladeborn, sir? Or had some hidden trick? It felt like I was being led into an ambush! Or maybe that’s what he wanted me to think so I’d l-”

“Alef,” Dolish stated.

“Yes, General?”

“Hesitation is defeat. The worst mistake a soldier can commit is think when its time to fight, and fight when it’s time to think.”

Dolish left the young man with his words while he moved over to his Afteburners.

“Did you find the Baron?” Dolish asked.

“No such luck, Dolish,” Borne shook his head. Another avenue of information lost.

“Did you capture any nobles we could investigate?” Dolish asked them.

“Just a few Counts, General. The nobles barricaded themselves behind Afterburners as soon as we appeared,” Bark explained.

Typical of them. Cowards who hid behind the wealth of their forefathers, without the courage those same men and women possessed. The day’s battle was a failure, Dolish knew, and so he left without further query.

On the trek back to the camps, the snowfall intensified. It chilled the soldiers down to the bone, with some wailing about the cold and shivering as they walked. Dolish tried his best to maintain his powers throughout, dampening the fear and exhaustion they felt and bolstering their confidence and hope.

It was the most he could do for his people now. Winter wasn’t something a Bladeborn could overcome, no matter how many of them there were. There would always be more people who would be left to suffer its icy grasp.

He had the cavalrymen lead the elephants back into their pens. He tried to soothe the large creatures’ emotions as well. Though they might not have been as complex as humans, they too had emotions evident to his powers.

Dolish walked past and saw a figure he could scarcely care about. Lieutenant General Yennel was passing out rations to the different tents, ordering around his soldiers as if they were some sort of charitable organization. There’s no time for this. His Sharpness wouldn’t listen to him about Yennel. Truth be told, even Dolish didn’t much care for the attempt on his life.

He’d get retribution someday, but not when Yennel was still useful to His Sharpness. Instead, he walked on forward past the Lieutenant General, who only glanced momentarily in his direction. On the path to his office, he heard whimpers and more wailing, which attracted his gaze.

Dolish approached the open field where the voices congregated, and found bare Phasgorians strung up on posts. A crowd of people gathered around their almost naked bodies, picking up stones and snowballs to pelt the prisoners. Dolish even recognized some of them, having seen them upon his visit to the jail.

For a moment, sympathy rose in Dolish’s heart before he quelled it. Disgust took its place. They’d tricked him all this time. Made him think they were not dissimilar, and maybe the two nations could even find peace. First it was their unwavering king, and then his men who had made Dolish fall for their act.

No, he didn’t care what was happening, even when he found Elann strung up beside the prisoners. One of his eyes was closed and bruised, and he looked at Dolish, begging. A stone hit his face and the General turned away from them, only being reminded more of Merin every time he glanced backwards.

Vaness waited for him at his offices, as always. His building itself had been infiltrated before, and Dolish wanted nothing more than to sentence the people responsible to death. They’d taken a precious confidant of his, and a member of his honour guard.

He kept watch of every corner and every soul that entered or left the building, flaring his Commander aura from time to time to check. Vaness flinched as he activated it upon entering, and he muttered an apology.

“General, we have news from the farms down south. We should expect the grain shipments to slow down heavily for the next few months,” Vaness told him. More problems for the General to solve. Wasn’t this an issue that should be brought to the Ministers, instead? But many of them had died as well, and Dolish knew that he’d have more than his fair share to take up in the future.

Sitting down near his office table, Dolish took a deep breath. He’d come back from battle and yet, there was no rest to be found.