50. Betrayal

Utbah hero of the Republic languished in Wersh, such a great man who had done so much to preserve and stop the enemies of Yerek. Utbah commanded great loyalty of the tribes of Wersh, and now he was given an offer that was tantalising, the God of Battle offered him to be an evangel and Utbah accepted. Evangels of the God of Trade fought the war as it progressed. Mercurius had made significant progress in Van as had Symachus in Cilica, thousands of new converts hiding in the shadows of their cities. In the west Hippalus and Nichomachus contended with Hereward and Spendius defending their cities from slow sieges. Mercurius’s intrigue seemed to be working, until Utbah declared what he did. Zelra and Ethra reported the extraordinary news. Wersh fell to Mendek, many of its tribes switching sides in honour of their most legendary hero Utbah. Many citizens refused to convert to the God of Battle and barricaded themselves in the city of Wersh.

“How could you betray the revolution!” A shout was heard, “I am loyal to Wersh not Utbah!”

“Utbah is a hero! He protected this city not Mercurius!” A voice was heard saying.

Mercurius soon returned, flabbergasted that someone like Utbah would turn.

I knew it was a possibility, we all thought he might think too much of himself and betray the revolution. But to do it like this! This man. To think we would have to rid ourselves of the hero Utbah. Mercurius thought.

Wersh descended into civil war, and the city soon became a battlefield between those loyal to Utbah and those loyal to the Republic. Salutius and Mercurius soon came into the city, shaking their heads with utter revulsion at the state of affairs.

“This fair city is a city of the Republic to be given away because of the whim of some general is despicable!” Mercurius said chastising the crowd, “this is Yerek and always shall be!”

Utbah rode in with 15,000 camel warriors, sizing up the two evangels, senior evangels to the God of Trade.

“The God of Trade is weak, and needed me to defend its lands. We made great sacrifices and for what? The sacrifices are endless, many have lost loved ones. I swear allegiance to Mendek a country that is founded on battle.”

Mercurius stared at the man he had so much respect for.

How can a man change so much? Was he always like this? Did he become like this now?

“Did we not pay you enough?” Salutius chastised him.

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Utbah came in for the kill, and the two God of Trade evangels teleported on top of nearby buildings.

“Utbah cease this madness!” Mercurius pleaded.

“You do not give me orders anymore!” Utbah said.

“We must get Nichomachus back here, he can talk to these tribes!” Salutius said, “I am not qualified to deal with this madness.”

Symachus switched to the western front, dealing with the city of Portus of Peria, holding off attacks by Spendius while Nichomachus dealt with the southern tribes. He tried his best to persuade the herders of the superiority of Yerek.

“The Republic is giving you free feed and food, we do not want to infringe on your rights and we don’t want to burden you. Mendek is a country of looters whose first evangel to the God of Battle taxes his citizens to the brim to pay for armies. We abolished slavery, they use it to pay for many things!” Nichomachus said.

The local herders liked what they heard. Most stayed loyal offering their camel riders to the Republic.

“Utbah is powerful…” an old man said, “he was a powerful commander even without God Powers.”

“We evangels will try our best to deal with him!” Nichomachus said, “we have already lost Mardonius in fighting this Mendek.”

“May the God of Trade bless his soul,” the old man and many others whispered.

Mercurius and Salutius successfully threw knives at Utbah chasing him out from the city walls, his camel riders being shot and picked off by the locals of Wersh. Nonetheless some locals armed with pikes carried the banners of Mendek into the central square.

“Utbah rules here! Not Yerek!” A man said, “Utbah is ruler!”

Crossbowmen shot at him, shouting their damnations at the traitor.

“How could you!” They shouted.

Utbah had already looted many villages still loyal to the Republic, and now the loyalists would get some revenge. Rider after rider fell off, shot in the neck or head. Utbah watched as his elite troops were slowly being whittled away.

“None of us wanted this!” Mercurius said, “how did it come to this?”

“The Republic is not fit for purpose!” Utbah exclaimed, “I will be Mendek’s governor in the south.”

“Greed has infected you!” Salutius shouted.

Salutius and Mercurius did their best to keep Utbah at bay, he surged forward with military speed, nearly taking Salutius’s head off. Mercurius slinging a knife into the man’s heel.

“Damn you!” Utbah said, throwing a knife of his own before surging for Mercurius’s neck.

Mercurius teleported out of the way several times, this time Salutius tailing the fast evangel to the God of Battle. All the while Utbah’s men were being shot at, knocked off their camels. The city of Wersh had swelled to 30,000, and many of these villagers who had come to settle there were loyal to the Republic. The evangel to Farming and Water urging many to go out and fight. Men with spears and swords tried to storm streets loyal to the Republic, leaving piles of corpses behind.

“Look at what you have done!” Mercurius chastised the man, “you have done this!”

“And you haven’t?” Utbah said, “you could have surrendered and all this could be avoided.”

“Surrender to tyranny?” Mercurius said, “do you not know anything about the Republic?”

“I fought the Church of Light, not the Republic!”

4000 camel riders were dead, as well as 5000 Mendek supporters in the city, with 4000 loyalists likewise dead. The torrent of crossbow bolts chased Utbah out of the city, but he was still alive.

“What a mess…” Salutius whispered, “we need to chase him out of the entire world.”

Utbah ran to Amoreb, heading away from Wersh toward the city of Jitun in Jira, a conquest he would take for himself. Mendek had failed to subvert Wersh province, but had left devastation in their wake. The war was not over, it would be a long process.