43. The Garb of Victory
Hereward marched and took Oest and marched down south to Castra. He had used Asur troops to do it, keeping hostages of many to keep the peace in the countryside. Despite Hereward’s best efforts much of the countryside still had rebel priests shooting lightning bolts at them. Nonetheless Mendek had annexed Asur and was marching on Peria, not bothering too much with the wastes north of Asur. Spendius likewise marched his now 10,000 heavy cavalry army toward Perun the capital of Peria. Spendius’s empire spanned many leagues and many cities, its might was tremendous.
“I wonder what the royal family of Peria taste like,” Spendius laughed aloud.
“Sir?”
“Hereward should be punished for killing the family of the king of Asur, cunt.”
“He conquered the territory sir?” An officer exasperatedly explained.
“I don’t like the way he did it,” he said.
This isn’t morals is it? He’s just upset that the women were killed. Perhaps Hereward did them a mercy. Or not who knows. This lecher, goodness me.
The officer shrugged and continued riding down the roads.
“When we conquer Peria, we will sit and feast on Moru province, those lands are rich, and will be ours,” Spendius smirked, “Mercurius must be found and killed to make an example to to the others.”
Definitely not a moral concern. The officer thought, smirking.
“Of course sir, we will make sure he is found and killed.”
The others laughed, forcing themselves and being cajoled by the group into acquiescence. Spendius spotted a Perian army ahead of him, and put his hand up.
“Get ready for battle boys! Time to end a kingdom.”
He rode ahead, his troops not even organised for a fight yet. Spendius took out the commander of the 15,000 force ahead of him, he then laid waste to the lightning priests and then completely bathed in blood, he then proceeded to begin slaughtering the army in front of him with reckless abandon. His army finally joined him after five minutes, smashing into the Perian army and scattering them. He captured the baggage train and splurged the coins on bribes for his soldiers and to purchase 2000 infantry from nearby towns. With these men he marched on another capital once more.
It would be two days and Hereward would come upon Castra. His troops siphoned off into 10,000, leaving many as garrisons he marched on Castra with ferocious speed. He took the gatehouse and took the gatekeepers, 5000 regular infantry rushed through the gatehouse and took many Perian soldiers prisoner. Lightning mages attempted to strike the evangel, but he moved too quickly and began to butcher them. The streets ran red with the blood of the defenders, but Hereward’s heroism quickly subdued many. The duke had run away, rushing out by horse, but he was caught by Hereward’s men who hacked him to death. Such a gruesome fate was seen by everyone and was a reminder to not mess with the general.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Take the treasury and expand the forces!” Hereward said, “anyone who opposes Mendek will die! I will kill them!” He shouted, laughing and giggling.
His red eyes were like that of a lunatic and further made people acquiesce. He ranted to the city of Castra for an hour, and people listened for an hour, terrified out of their wits. The Perian resistance shot lightning bolts at him, and he dodged and began collective punishment. Killing children and men, nailing people to pieces of wood.
The inhumanity. This is Mendek. A man thought, and nearly said.
A person shot a crossbow and killed one of Hereward’s soldiers.
“Yerek will liberate the world!”
Hereward turned around like a mannequin, his head fixed in place, his eyes bulging with rage.
“Kill that motherfucker!” He screamed, “kill anyone like him!”
While Hereward marched on the capital, Spendius marched closer to Perun. Lightning bolts came for his men, soldiers rushing at him from all sides.
“These pricks…” Spendius seethed, “nail up anyone you catch doing this shit.”
He rushed into the brush, so quickly that he found exactly where the assailers were, driving a nail into one head and into their hands. The screams of anguish were heard and felt even by his own men who winced at the macabre torture. He killed 20 Church of Order priests, and many random skirmishers. Spendius soon reached the capital of Peria, its most important city. Lightning bolts descended to try and kill the Mendek army, but Spendius surged forward as he always did.
“Does it not get boring for you sir?” One officer asked.
“Boring?” He laughed, “the only thing I will be boring is an enemy’s skull,” he said to a few laughs and a lot of internal wincing.
He took the gatehouse, and the flag of Mendek was soon fluttering over the battlements, the army rode in smashing the defenders who came to prevent the Mendek take over.
“For the king!” Someone shouted.
King Sebastian himself came brandishing lightning bolts at the attackers, much to the shock of everyone involved.
“We fight for god and country!” He shouted.
A most regal figure brandished lightning bolts at Spendius. Spendius was shocked for a few seconds, all the kings before hid behind their men, but Sebastian kept throwing lightning bolts that knocked off horsemen. Nonetheless Spendius sped along the ground and killed lieutenant after lieutenant in order to advance his conquest. The King created a lightning field around him, shocking Spendius further.
“I’ve never seen anyone do that before…” he muttered.
Spendius threw a knife and the King slumped to his knees.
Everyone has a weakness. Even a powerful man like that.
The entire royal family had fled, Spendius looked for them, but found an empty palace, where exactly the princes had run to, was not known. The stone palace was not as illustrious as some of the other ones he had looted, but it was far more ornate inside than outside. Meanwhile loyalists to Peria fought him in the streets but Spendius and his army crushed them.
“Anyone resisting Mendek will be nailed to wood and made an example of!” Spendius proclaimed.
3000 of his heavy cavalry had died, killed by lightning bolts and the occasional missile fire. Perun a population centre of 100,000 was captured, the royal treasury firmly in the grasp of Mendek. The rich citizens were looted, and mercenaries hired to replenish the army.
“Mendek will rule!” Spendius said.
Approximately 20,000 of the population would convert at the sheer awe of the Mendek victory. For how could such military victory happen without the grace of god?
While Mendek obliterated Peria, the Republic already had investments in Nova and the Portus of Peria. Mercurius was freeing the slaves there, readying for the war with Mendek on this front.
Total war with Mendek. To think one lunatic could do this to the world. I thought the Church of Light were the worst of it. They have been taken down in several countries, but now a much worse threat has come. Much worse.
Mercurius was perhaps not quick enough in his investments, for Mendek would surely come barrelling down south from their newly acquired possessions, Spendius’s hunger was for the whole world and the Republic was now going to find out just how hungry they were for it.