The relief that came with knowing that we now had soldiers, real soldiers, was immense. A few of the undead were also former officers, those buried with honor and now rising to serve once again. The officers were given some more attention and magic to them so they could better communicate. Mostly this meant carving their bones with runes that would return to them the ability of speech. Their skills and knowledge in the art of warfare would be invaluable, and they would need to be able to give orders and directions to operate effectively.
While I would have liked to give all the undead with us the ability to speak, Malery had managed to bring just over a thousand individuals with her, so spending the time to personally augment every single one of them was impossible at this moment. Still, I did create a lot more charms that would fill that gap well enough, allowing them to be passed around as was needed.
Training the former villagers turned conscripts was also progressing much more steadily with the aid of the new soldiers. They were running drills, showing them how to fight with their improvised weapons, and teaching them the basics of following orders while remaining in formation. We were starting to look like an actual force to be reckoned with.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The influx of numerous undead also placed a strain on the relationship between them and the living. Many who weren’t comfortable just with the handful that I had brought with me were now acting downright paranoid while having a literal army surrounding them. Those who still lived traveled in very insular groups, keeping themselves separated from the army at large as if they were wary that they would come under attack at any minute. I couldn’t understand that logic. They were already outnumbered ten to one, if the undead were hostile then they would have already attacked by now.
No use trying to rationalize it, I just had to get them used to the presence of these new arrivals so we could all work together. Easier said than done. Even when taking steps towards unity by encouraging the formation of groups that included at least one undead member with a talisman that allows them to speak. While I was doing my best, there was still a frigid divide between the two sides.
I couldn’t spend all my time trying to get them to view each other in a friendly light, there was still a war to plan after all. There was a little concern that Malery’s forces had drawn some unwanted attention to us. She had assured me that they took all the precautions that they could, staying off the main roads and using the mostly untraveled trails and paths through the wild. Still, with a force that size, they could have been spotted and not even realized it.
I was planning to move out sooner rather than later anyway. The other villages that we had spread the news to had sent what they could in terms of supplies and volunteers. That was certainly a strange situation to navigate, with the new arrivals being quite shocked at the sight of a swarm of the undead that had taken residence around the village. Even the villagers that were from here arrived with rather astonished looks at all the things that they missed in their absence.
With everyone who was willing to fight now in one place, we could decide where we would go first. I called upon everyone of importance to join for a meeting in the alderman’s house. Of those present I could count Malery, Liliana, the alderman Mathew, and two captains of the undead army that had been helping me organize our forces.
Before we even got started, Malery was giving Liliana a dirty look before voicing her displeasure. “What is she doing here? This is a strategy meeting and she’s one of them.”
I could see Liliana’s brow dip a little bit, showing that she took offense to the words, but still maintained her composure. “I do not affiliate myself with those who are responsible for this and condemn their actions just the same as you.”
“I bet that’s what you want us to believe huh?” Malery’s voice dripped with spite. “Get us all relaxed and trusting of you just so you can stab us in the back at the first chance you get.”
Liliana opened her mouth to retort, but I injected myself before they got out of hand. “Enough, both of you! Malery, Liliana hasn’t even been part of the followers for more than a month. She was lied to, just as we all were. Her insights into the way the followers run things could be invaluable to any plans that we have. You don’t have to like each other, but you’re damn well going to work with one another because we can’t afford to be picky about our allies. She wants to help, and that’s good enough a reason to let her.”
Malery grumbled a little while Liliana looked satisfied with my defense of her presence. I could only sigh and move on to what this meeting was about. “Let’s get this meeting started then. So, we have our forces, we have general supplies, and we have the motivation. I don’t see any reason for us to continue to stay here. The way I see it, the longer we loiter around the more likely it is that our position, and thus our element of surprise, is compromised. Anyone have a differing opinion?”
What I got in response was a bunch of shaking heads and silence, so I continued. Laying out a map on the table for everyone to see, I started going over ideas in my head. “Liliana, do you know anything about the bishops of your order? Where they live, where they work, who they are?”
She nodded. “Yes, part of the training that all initiates must undergo is to know who the current leaders and important heads of the church are.”
“Good, now, can you point out on the map where the closest bishop to our current position is?”
She looked at the map for a moment before pointing to a town. The town in question was a fairly large one that was a little over three days march from us. “Bishop Corvin operates out of this town. If he isn’t away on business, he should still be there.”
“I can work with that.” I said before pausing to contemplate for a moment. “What I want to do is get a hold of this bishop and make him tell us where they are producing the poisons. After we know that, we can stop at least part of the production. While we are at it, we can secure more territory, perhaps the town itself so we have a stronger foothold to operate out of.”
Just then, one of the undead captains stepped forward and signaled that he wished permission to speak. “If you have something to add, go ahead.” I allowed.
“Sir.” His voice was deep and echoed out with an ethereal edge to his words born from the magical means by which he communicated. “This city appears to be fortified, if I am not mistaken.” He directed that last part to Liliana who nodded in confirmation. “Since that is the case, it will be a problem to secure through brute force. While we might eventually take it if we persevere enough, the cost to our own forces will be steep.” He cast a quick glance down at his rusted armor. “Our equipment is old, ancient for some. It’s more likely to fall apart during a sustained battle than carry through to the end. If we commit to a siege, not only will members of our forces be lost, but equipment would be destroyed. For a safe estimation, I would say around half of what’s left of us would be without weaponry by the end.”
I didn’t think that the equipment they had was in such poor condition as that. This proved to be an obstacle, one that not only denies us a few options currently, but would plague us in the future as well if it was not remedied. So, a straightforward engagement wouldn’t work, at least not well at any rate. I suppose I was already used to the idea that we wouldn’t be able to simply march wherever we pleased and overpower the forces there. We had to take a different approach to this then.
“I see, then we will have to think of another method. Besides, I don’t like the idea of sieging a place without knowing if our intended target is there.” The ghostly features of the captain seemed to show some relief at my acknowledgment of his input. Perhaps he had to deal with commanders in the past that made poor decisions out of stubbornness. “Maybe a quieter approach would be best for this situation.”
While I was thinking about possible plans, my eyes eventually wandered over to Liliana again before an idea struck me. “Liliana,” She perked up at the mentioning of her name. “I think I have an idea, but it would require your help.”
“What did you have in mind?” She asked.
“We could possibly use your status as a member of the followers of light to gain access to the town, and more importantly, the church that the bishop works out of. Maybe we can set up a meeting, claiming to have a message or knowledge of something important enough to gain the attention of the bishop. If we can manage that, then we might be able to question the bastard without committing to a drawn-out fight.”
She looked a little hesitant at the idea. “I don’t know, I'm not exactly in a position of influence. And what about you? How do we explain your presence there?”
“Well, while I do feel a little bad about using the guild’s name in this manner, I’ll simply pose as a hired adventurer to see you safely to your destination. Regarding your status, it won’t matter all that much so long as we press the importance of the message and the need to get it to the bishop in person.”
She took a slow, deep breath while she contemplated the plan I had proposed. “It could work, but it would have to be a very compelling message.”
“We can think of one later, but as long as you think it might work, that’s better than nothing.”
Malery suddenly spoke up. “Uhm, I have an objection. How can we trust that she won’t just betray us and turn you in as soon as she’s home free?”
Liliana turned towards her, an outraged look plain on her face. “Why must I defend my resolve at every turn against you? I have already stated my vehement disapproval of what they are doing to you all. I joined the followers because I thought that we would save people, give those who are less fortunate another chance and lead the lost out of the darkest pits. That is why I joined the followers. What they are doing here is a perversion of that goal and cannot be allowed to continue.”
“Is that what they told you to say if you’re questioned? You lot have been lying to us for centuries so why...”
Again, I had to jump into the middle of the conversation. “Malery, please, just...” I let out a heavy sigh. “Just stop. Look, I know it’s hard to trust her, but I believe that she is on our side in this matter. So, if you can’t trust her, then trust me instead.”
She looked torn between decisions for a moment before she yielded with a slight nod of the head and a downwards glance. Her trust issues were understandable, but it would quickly become detrimental if they couldn’t reconcile with one another. It wasn’t like I hadn’t considered the possibility in what she was saying, but all the evidence that I had right now made the chances of that coming to pass insignificant. There would have to be a discussion later, but for now I just moved on.
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“Alderman Mathew, what is the situation with your people and the other villagers that joined us? Would they be ready to leave soon?”
He bowed his head a little to me before answering. “Champion, the supplies and equipment that we have are ready for transport at a moment's notice.”
“Very good. Now, once this meeting is done, I would like you to gather all those who answer to you for a meeting. If we want to avoid a siege at the end of this, then I will need some people who are willing to enter the town with me and wait for the right moment to strike. We would simply need to keep the gates open so that the rest of our forces can flood in and establish control before they can mount an effective defense.”
“It will be done sir.”
“Alright, so, if no one has anything else to add, then we will leave tomorrow morning.” Nobody spoke up or said anything, so I took that as my cue to bring the meeting to a close. “Let’s get to it then!” With a small bang of my fist on the table to punctuate the statement, they all went into motion to get everyone prepared for deployment.
I watched them all leave while I remained behind for a moment. I found that it helped with stress to simply have a moment of quiet and calm every now and then. Just the ability to stand still, stop thinking so much, and breathe were rejuvenating to the senses. How I wished I could remain in that state for hours, but the world was calling me back to it with all its problems that still needed solving. With a slow inhale and exhale, I readied myself to face the daunting task before me with the determination to win.
Progress for the day went apace. Information was spread about the plan of action, meetings were held, mission volunteers were selected, and supplies were loaded up into carts and prepared for travel. Families of those men who decided to go to war with us made ready to seek asylum with friends or relatives in other locations. This village would probably be investigated soon enough, and it wouldn’t be smart for any of them to remain here only to be questioned or possibly tortured for information about what happened.
Everyone turned in early at the end of the day, having worked hard to make sure the final preparations were finished. I collapsed onto the borrowed bed I was provided, both ready and all too hesitant to go to sleep. After all, tomorrow was the start of it, our march towards war. The element of surprise would not last forever, and we had to be careful not to give it up early lest we find our endeavors even more difficult.
The morning was met with the clamorous noise of a literal army in motion. Anything even remotely useful that wasn’t nailed to the floor was picked up and placed in a cart, on the back of a beast of burden, or simply carried by the many undead soldiers who could transport things. Even with the combined resources of several villages that agreed to supply us, I was glad that the undead had no need for mortal necessities. If we had to feed an army of over a thousand, then that would be impossible with the current supplies we have. These little details that I didn’t have to worry about all that much made it much easier for me to get things done and I was thankful for them.
With the village picked clean, it was time to say farewell to the villagers’ homes and our temporary shelter. The families and those who didn’t volunteer went in one direction in search of safety, while the army, the prisoners, and me started our long walk towards the inevitable bloodshed ahead of us. It almost didn’t feel real, like I was seeing a story play out from someone else’s eyes. But no matter how ethereal the whole situation felt, the cold reality was that I was currently heading an army of the undead right into a war with most of the world as I knew it.
Just the thought of that was enough for me to ruminate on for hours. Conflict on the scale that we were about to begin hadn’t been heard of in centuries at least. The last time any significant war had taken place was when the dwarves and the orcs fought over territorial rights in a border land between their two territories. Such a thing was well before my time, but discussion about it still takes place today among the longer-lived races.
That was another thing to consider. Thus far, our targets have been elven holds for the most part. Their religion was the primary offender in this horrid situation, so perhaps it was possible that some of the other races could be convinced not to join in the war. I knew that it was highly unlikely that the orcs would stay out of this, they always leapt at a chance for a fight. The dwarves would be up in the air as to if they would remain neutral. They may have been logically minded people, but this situation was far from rational. The goblins would most likely make themselves a problem as well. I didn’t expect them to commit actual forces so long as we didn’t threaten any of their territories, but spies, assassins, and saboteurs would undoubtedly pop their ugly heads up. It didn’t even have to be government sanctioned intervention as private mercenaries would probably throw their hat into the ring for a healthy coin purse.
Those were situations and questions that would be answered eventually, but first I had to get to that point alive. The army was moving in a more casual manner than I'm sure that they were used to. Marching creates a lot of noise after all, so an off-tempo step was better for now. Traveling across the countryside in such large numbers was difficult to do while remaining hidden. We had to stick to the off roads and sometimes trailblaze through the wilderness. The wisps served as a great warning system for any travelers or wandering eyes that should be avoided on our path, it was just frustrating how slow it felt sometimes.
I overestimated the ability for an army to move slightly, turning three days of travel into nearly four that were filled with stress, boredom, and exhaustion, but we were nearing our destination at long last. There had been a few close calls along the way, but we managed to make it unseen as far as we could tell. The town would be in our sights soon enough, now it was just a matter of executing the plan as close to flawless as possible. It would all start tomorrow morning after we had a chance to rest.
At first light the next day those who would enter the city prepared themselves to make the approach. Liliana and I would enter first, then the villagers who volunteered to help us hold the gate afterward would follow a few minutes later. They would also be holding my sword for me as weapons were not allowed in the church, though I did plan to hide my knife so it could be used if needed. I went over to check on Liliana, make sure she was ready for everything.
She looked nervous, fiddling with her hands and walking in small circles. I put on a comforting smile as I approached. “If you keep walking in circles like that, you’ll wear a path into the ground.”
She snapped out of her head, realizing what she was doing. Her hands went down to her side again as she tried to collect herself. “Sorry, I'm just... I’ve never done anything like this before.”
I nodded my head sagely. “That’s perfectly normal, I'm feeling a bit nervous myself.”
“You certainly don’t look like it.”
“Adventurer, remember. I've been in dangerous situations with my life on the line before. There’s never not that feeling of a nervous pit in your stomach, you just get better at dealing with it.”
A small smile graced her face. “That does make me feel a little better. Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. I know how bad it can get if you fall into a panic, and it usually happens at the worst of times. Breathe, relax, the worst thing you can do is freak out when a cool head can see you through the situation easily. Just pretend that it's like any other day for you.
She took a deep breath. “Okay, I think I can do that.”
“Good. We should be leaving in just a minute. Get everything you need in order before then.” I left her to organize her thoughts and supplies.
True to my word, about five minutes later everyone who was going to be entering the town reported that they were ready. We were still a few miles away from the city to prevent us from being discovered, but such a distance could be covered on foot relatively easily once we got back on the roads. Liliana and I gave our farewells to the army and were wished the best of luck on our departure.
The trip to the town was conducted in silent contemplation. Both of us were running scenarios through our head, considering what action we should take given the situations that we might encounter once we got there. If everything went to plan, we would be able to meet with the bishop and then it would be my turn to get some answers out of the bastard.
A little over a half hour later, the walls of the town came into view. There was nothing overly impressive about them. They were sturdy, well made, and looked formidable enough to hold off an army. Yeah, that pit in the gut is still there.
We approached the front gate, and I expected a bit of an inspection to take place before we were allowed to enter, but the guards there saw what she was wearing, bowed their heads slightly to her in deference, and allowed us to pass. Little benefits of one's station. Still, that was the easy part. The real challenge would come when we attempted to gain an audience at the church. Not only did it hinge on the possibility that bishop Corvin was not present in the city, but if he couldn’t be bothered with our message, no matter how convincing it may have been, then we would be left high and dry. I silently prayed that we would have some luck in this situation.
As we walked through the town, I looked around at the quality of the buildings. Everything was clean at least, the buildings were well maintained, no filth was on the street, and the people seemed content with their lot in life. It seemed almost a shame to shatter that peaceful veneer, but I was determined to see the truth brought to light.
The church we were destined for was impressive, though not as much as the one in the capital. It wasn’t made of mostly marble, but instead well-crafted and polished stone. A fair share of statues adorned the front, each with their own alcove in which to rest. A few priests were entering and exiting from the building while doing their daily tasks, and none of them gave us more than a passing glance before continuing with their work.
Simply walking through the front door felt a little weird to me, like we should have had to go through someone first, but no, we just walked right in. The church had a similar theme to the one in the capital, that being of many windows and a lot of light. Where it differed though was in its use of reflective surfaces to spread light elsewhere in the building. A clever little design to make up for the lack of funding needed to buy and install the same number of stained-glass windows that were present in the more affluent capital.
Liliana was now looking for someone with a bit more authority than her to talk to. We needed a person who had the ear of the bishop so that we might get the message through. It seemed like she had found one, as she suddenly turned and walked with purpose deeper in. Her intended target was quickly identified. This priest had some more elaborate robes than the typical garb of the order, denoting his apparent rank.
She approached and the head priest turned towards her once he had noticed. He gave a soft smile before starting the conversation. “Welcome sister, what brings you to our house?” He gave me a glance for a moment before returning to her. “And who might your friend be?”
Liliana bowed her head slightly. “Greetings great brother, I am heartened by your welcome, yet I am afraid that I bring dark tidings with me. As to my companion, I had to hire him to see me safely here and act as witness to what I have seen, because the things I learned have made me concerned for my well-being.”
“You are safe here sister. Now tell me what has happened.”
I had to give Liliana credit for playing the part of distressed priestess so well. Perhaps she was using her nervousness as a tool to make it more authentic. “Th... the bishop needs to know. We need his authority. Is he here?”
“He is, but he is a busy man. If this is something I can take care of myself, then I shall not bother him with it.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No! he needs to know there...” She stopped and looked around suspiciously before continuing in a quieter voice. “I have heard talk about a plan to assassinate the champion.”
The head priest’s eyes went wide for a moment as he registered the gravity of the claim she had just made. “You are certain of this?” Liliana nodded, and the head priest placed a knuckle against his chin in contemplation for a moment before deciding on a course of action. “I will inform the bishop of this; he will most likely wish to speak with you immediately. You said this human was witness to it as well?”
“Yes, I hired him for safety and to confirm that I was not misinterpreting the situation.”
“Then he must be present as well. Both of you, remain here for a moment and don’t speak of this to anyone else. I will return shortly.” He moved quickly, but not so much that he would attract unwanted attention.
Once he was out of sight, I flashed Liliana a quick smile before returning to a neutral expression. So far, the plan has gone exceedingly well, and we were now set up to meet with the bishop. It certainly seemed like our fabricated story was serious enough to warrant it.
I could feel the anticipation starting to build within me. The feral side of my mind was itching at a chance to get my hands on the bastard, to wring the truth out of him by any means necessary. This depravity had to be unearthed and brought into the light that they so venerated. They could try to dig as deep as they wanted to hide, but retribution would find them eventually, I swore it.