Chapter 26
The Baron jerked awake, nearly falling off of the cot he was on. He felt acid rising in his throat and leaned over the side, splattering the nurse’s shoes with dark red vomit. She screamed and yelled for Geidpfeld while the Baron sat up in his cot.
“Apologies, ma’am-I-I-I’ll get you a new pair.”
She didn’t pay attention to him at all.
“Sir! The Baron just threw up blood!”
Geidpfled’s head shot over towards the noise and, as soon as he was finished with his patient, he nearly sprinted over.
“Baron! Sit the fuck down! You almost died! Again! If she had impaled you less than half an inch over you would’ve bled out before we got to you!”
The Baron leaned back on his palms, closing his eyes and turning his face towards the ceiling.
“I feel…not great. In a different way than usual.”
He gagged slightly.
“I feel like throwing up more.”
He leaned forward and let loose a torrent of red vomit. Geidpfeld immediately touched a glowing hand to the Baron’s temple.
“There, you should start feeling better soon.”
The Baron threw up again, covering Geidpfeld’s shirt with bloody vomit.
“I-I don’t! Why don’t I-”
The Baron began to claw at his chestplate.
“My chest! It-it burns! It burns really fucking bad!”
They took off his armor and shirt and found his chest red and irritated. It almost looked like a particularly intense sunburn.
“What the hell happened to you?”
The Baron threw up some more, his shoulders heaving as he tried to suck in air.
“I-I-I dont…wait, she pointed some s-s-sstick at me. It glowed blue, but nothing happened.”
Geidpfeld looked confused.
“Blue? Like water magic?”
The Baron shook his head.
“N-no, it was too light. Almost a cyan blue.”
Geidpfeld squinted his eyes.
“I’ve never heard of cyan blue magic before.”
The Baron shook his head.
“It didn’t feel like magic, I didn’t feel anything…magicky, really. Only the activation.”
“Well then what do you think it-”
Geidpfeld was cut off by another torrent of red vomit. The Baron leaned over and dry heaved.
“I..don’t care what-wha-what the fuck it is. I just want to stop fucking-”
More red puke splat against the floor, and Geidpfeld began to grow increasingly nervous.
“…puking!”
Geidpfeld did what he could, and after nearly twenty minutes of failure, he had finally managed to get the Baron’s nausea down. The Baron stood up, hunching over slightly as his stomach continued to gurgle and send sharp pangs coursed through his nervous system.
He turned to speak to the nurse when something caught his eye. It was someone’s long, flowing blonde hair sticking out from under a white sheet. The body under it looked quite large, and it had a very strong build as well. He stumbled over to the sheet, breathing harder as he approached, and tore off the sheet.
Udo lay there, still, gray, lifeless. Horrific injuries covered his entire body, and he had a massive, gaping hole where his right eye should be. The Baron stared at the body, unable to fully process what he was looking at.
“Baron! I’m glad you’re finally awake!”
Someone ran over next to the Baron.
“What are you looking…”
The voice trailed off, and the two simply stood in complete silence for what felt like an eternity, people rushing around them, but not daring to ask either man to move. Finally, the Baron turned his head to see who he was with, and the horrified face of Ludwin Albrecht locked eyes with him.
“...”
“...”
The two men had no words for what they were looking at, and after staring at each other for a while longer, tears began to trail down their cheeks. The Baron collapsed to his knees, gripping the white cloth as hard as he could. His shoulders heaved, and he let out a deafening, mournful cry.
Geidpfeld walked over and shook his head.
“He…died valiantly, insofar as such a death exists.”
The Baron continued to stare at Udo’s lifeless body, tears streaming down his face.
“How? How did he die?”
“He died protecting his men. They were hit by magical airburst rounds.”
He walked over and touched the Baron’s shoulder.
“He kept four companies away from his men alone. By the time we found him he was surrounded by nearly a hundred dead Imperials, and only fifteen of his own. He died saving the lives of his men.”
Ludwin nodded and spoke, his voice nearly breaking.
“It’s…how he would’ve wanted to go.”
The Baron slowly and solemnly nodded.
“Yes…either that, or being smothered by a jilted lover.”
Geidpfeld snickered.
“What a fascinating man.”
Ludwin nodded, wiping the tears off his face as he smiled.
“Yes…he really was. And he gave his life for liberty. For that, we should be forever grateful.”
Ludwin looked around the tent.
“Where is Helmut? He needs to know. As well as Gaius and Jean.”
He found Jean learning first aid as he worked alongside the nurses.
“Jean…Udo has perished.”
Jean jerked to a halt momentary as he patched up a man’s gaping shoulder wound before continuing, never looking up from his work.
“...’ow did ‘e go?”
Ludwin sniffled before smiling brightly.
“Exactly how he would've wanted, valiantly saving the lives of his men.”
Jean finished patching up the man and shook his head.
“So ‘e died an ‘ero…A man like 'im couldn’t ask for much more.”
Ludwin nodded solemnly.
“Yes…have you seen Helmut?”
Jean shook his head.
“No, I looked around for ‘im at the artillery emplacements and ‘e was not there. ‘Is men say he simply walked into the Dunkwald, though none of them saw anything.”
Ludwin furrowed his brow.
“Wait so…we don’t know where he is?”
Jean shook his head and got to work on the next man, crying silently as he held his guts inside his body.
“Ce n'est pas bon-Geidpfeld! I need a professional for this man!”
Ludwin decided to leave Jean to his work. Now there was another very troubling happening. Helmut had disappeared.
He ran through the camp until he found Gaius laughing with his men, flamboyantly telling stories of his time in the Bvarian/Grössenstadt mountain range.
“Gaius! I need to speak with you. In private, please.”
Gaius stopped in the middle of his story and apologized to his men before following Ludwin to a secluded area, or at least as secluded an area could get in a camp meant for over two hundred thousand men.
“Gaius, two things. First: Have you seen Helmut around?”
Gaius nodded.
“Sic. I saw him walking away from the camp. He seemed to be focusing heavily on something in the forest, so I let him be.”
Ludwin looked shocked.
“You say he just…wandered away from camp?”
Gaius crossed his arms and nodded again.
“Into the forest.”
“And you didn’t…think that was strange at all?”
Gaius shook his head.
“I figured it was some strange Imperial religious thing so I did not want to bother him.”
Ludwin stared at Gaius, completely dumbfounded.
“Right…well, then I suppose I shall move on to the next thing.”
He took a deep breath to compose himself.
“Udo has passed. He died defending his men, exactly how he would’ve wanted to go.”
Gaius nodded.
“Sic, I am aware. I am the one who discovered him.”
Ludwin looked shocked.
“Don’t you feel…sad?”
Gaius nodded.
“Of course I feel sad, and angry, but a warrior should not dwell on someone else’s glorious death. Only their own.”
Gaius smiled.
“He died a hero and will be remembered as such, that is enough to sooth my white hot rage and aching heart.”
Gaius pointed back from where he came from.
“That and the joy of carousing with my men, which I would like to get back to. I hope you find Helmut safe and sound.”
Gaius walked away, leaving Ludwin at a loss for words.
I will never understand him.
Someone tapped Ludwin’s shoulder, and when he turned he was greeted by the Baron, looking somewhat sickly, and almost sunburnt.
“Ludwin, come, you need to address the people of Grössenburg.”
Ludwin looked confused.
“Why me?”
The Baron smiled.
“Because you are the general who took Grössenburg. Your strategy is what we used, and your strategy is what carried us to victory. It is your orders that could turn this into a sacking, or even razing, of the city. People are scared, and they need someone to guide them.”’
The Baron punched Ludwin’s arm.
“Plus, you’re great at public speaking. You’re gonna kill it.”
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November 1st, 1683. Bickenstadt city.
Corks flew through the air as Siegersbrauen from Weinstadt was opened in celebration.
“Congratulations! The National Liberation Party has won in a landslide!”
Men in suits threw their arms around another suited man with long, flowing blonde hair, each one with wine glasses filled with a yellow, bubbling liquid.
“Sixty four percent! Can you believe it!”
A short man with auburn hair and traditional Orkney clothing hugged the man everyone was focused on, giving him a peck on the cheek.
“I told ya Ludwin would win! I told ya didn’t I?! I never had any doubts!”
Ludwin hugged the short man tight.
“I know you didn’t have any doubts, but I certainly did. Thanks for sticking with me, Fergus.”
Fergus smiled.
“I’m with ya til the end. And beyond.”
A man wearing traditional Imperial puff and slash hobbled over to the pair, leaning hard on a cane. The handle was made from red coral, and the staff had a blue background with white waves on it. He stuck out like a sore thumb, as everyone else around was wearing dark colored suits.
He spoke, his voice hoarse and scratchy.
“Ludwin, good work. Who’da thought a highly respected war hero would do so well in politics?”
Ludwin smiled brightly
“Baron! I wasn’t expecting to see you here! Aren’t you supposed to be convalescing in Bvarian?”
The Baron chuckled and shook his head.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Plus, recovery isn’t going well anyways, I figure staying active will help far more than whatever the quacks in Bvarian have going on.”
He smirked.
“Also, just call me Johan now. I haven’t been a baron for over a little decade, let alone the Baron.”
He softly elbowed Ludwin’s arm.
“Plus, as Prime Minister you technically outrank me now.”
The Moral War had ended fourteen years ago. The Imperial Republic had just wrapped up its third national election, with Ludwin’s party winning in a landslide. His party had decided that he would be their candidate for prime minister, as he was a widely beloved war hero, and that strategy seemed to have worked quite well.
Even though they had a very small proportion of the Grössenstadt, Jagstadt, and Ebenenstadt vote, the rest of the provinces more than made up for their dislike of him, a famous progressive and elven rights advocate, as well as general of the Bickenstadt Liberation Forces.
The public entered his party, as it was open to everyone old enough to vote, seventeen and up. Ludwin knew he would have to mingle with the partygoers soon, so he wanted to catch up with everyone before they came over to him.
“Johan, where is Wolfgang? Has he come as well?”
Johan nodded.
“Ah, yes, I think he’s somewhere around here. Probably wrangling those sons of his. You know they’re already thirteen and fourteen respectively? I can hardly believe it!”
Fergus laughed.
“I hear they take after their grandfather.”
The Baron smiled.
“For better or for worse.”
He leaned in conspiratorially.
“Probably for the worst.”
The group all shared a laugh before trailing off. Ludwin’s smile almost faltered as he asked his next question.
“So…have you found any information on Helmut yet?”
The Baron shook his head solemnly.
“No…he’s still gone. Haven’t been able to find a single Goddamned piece of-”
The Baron coughed heavily, continuing for a good five seconds.
“Oh great heavens, my apologies. You know how sickly I have been since the siege-whatever! Let us talk about nicer things! You’ve won the election! This should be a night of celebration!”
The group smiled and Ludwin spoke.
“Yes, well, I suppose I should go greet the voters now. It’s been nice seeing you, Johan.”
Johan gave Ludwin a small salute.
“Good seeing you two as well, and happy to see that you’re still going strong.”
Fergus smiled brightly and gave Ludwin another peck on the cheek.
“Nearly twenty years now!”
“My my! That’s an incredible achievement! I wish you both the best.”
Ludwin took Johan’s hand and squeezed it tight.
“Thank you, Johan, I’m sure we have many bright years ahead of us!”
Ludwin raised a wine glass.
“To the Imperial Republic!”
The Baron bowed his head in agreement. In the past few years he had given up drinking. Ever since the siege of Grössenburg it just made him throw up.
“To the Republic.”
He pulled out a timepiece and flicked it open.
“Well, it’s about time I get going. Good luck, Ludwin, Fergus, I’m counting on you to continue my vision.”
Ludwin and Fergus gave Johan a crisp salute.
“Yes sir! We will!”
As soon as Johan turned around he was greeted by another friendly face.
“Ah! Jean! And Alana, how good to see you both!”
Jean hung off of Alana's arm, both smiling brightly.
“Sir! It has been far too long!”
Johan waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh please, no need to call me sir. I’m just a doddering old fool now.”
“I will always call you sir, sir! You’ve earned it.”
Johan smirked.
“Well, I appreciate it. What have you two been up to lately?”
Alana shrugged.
“Oh you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”
Jean smiled brightly.
“She’s the head of the College of Engineers in Bickenstadt now!”
“Wow! That’s quite the prestigious appointment! And you?”
“I’m her assistant!”
“A wonderful appointment. I-”
The Baron was cut off by a nasty, extended cough. He put a handkerchief to his mouth as he spoke.
“God above-I am so sorry, I am not quite the man I used to be.”
Jean smiled.
“Well, you’re doing better than I would at your age."
He chuckled bashfully.
"A-at least the elven equivalent.”
The Baron laughed.
“Well, God willing you’ll be around long enough to find out. Good seeing you two, Jean, Frau Mechinque.”
Alana smirked.
“He took my name, actually. Jean Albrecht, married to Alana Albrecht.”
She smiled at Jean, kissing him on the cheek.
“I think it suits him.”
Jean nodded happily.
“Agreed!”
The Baron again checked his timepiece. He was late to another doctor’s appointment. Even with his timepiece he just couldn’t seem to keep track correctly.
“Well, go and enjoy the party! I must get going, Dr.Geidpfeld is going to pitch a fit again.”
Jean smiled.
“So he became accredited by the state? Good to hear!”
The Baron nodded.
“Yes, very good at his job-again sorry I must get going. Honestly, this party might end up being my last, though it won't if I have anything to say about it.”
“Oh, magnifique! Good luck with that!”
The Baron smiled and nodded his head.
“Of course. See you around, Herr Albrecht.”
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December 12th, 1683. Grindelburg, Bvarian mountain range.
Johan lay in a luxurious bed, surrounded by his friends and family. Everyone whom he cared about was here, everyone except for Helmut, who no one had seen since the siege of Grössenburg fourteen years ago.
Wolfgang held his father’s hand as the man lay in bed.
“Don’t worry, dad, I’m sure he will be here.”
Johan croaked out a reply.
“That poncy prick couldn’t be bothered! He didn’t even show up to your wedding, or Ludwin and Fergus’s. Or Jean and Alana’s!”
Johan coughed, and his son made a worried face. He smiled and chuckled under his breath.
“Don’t worry, I won’t die ‘til that platinum blonde fuck looks me in the eyes and tells me why he left.”
Wolfgang smiled.
“Sounds about right. I believe you could pull it off through sheer spite.”
Fergus smiled.
“Yeah, though honestly I’ve seen ya in worse shape.”
A voice came through the open window overlooking the breathtaking Bvarian mountain range. It was calm, measured, and beautiful.
“Personally, I disagree.”
Everyone looked over towards the sound. In the window was a man with long, wild silvery hair and piercing blue eyes, as well as a crown of flowers and vines. He wore a white poet’s shirt which was completely covered in dirt and grime under grape vines and various flowers draped over his shoulders. His skin was porcelain white and completely blemishless, and it almost seemed to create its own light as well.
“He looks horrible.”
Everyone in the room stared at the man. Ludwin dropped his drink, the glass thudding duly against the carpet, staining the beautiful white cloth with red wine.
“Hel…Helmut?”
Helmut smiled and entered through the window. They were very high up in the mountains, and there was nothing for him to stand on out there.
“Yes, it is I. It has been quite a while, has it not?”
The Baron coughed heavily.
“He-He-Helmut? What the hell man? You look…majestic.”
Helmut smiled genuinely and chuckled.
“Thank you.”
The room was silent for a moment before Johan spoke again.
“Where the fu…where have you been all these years?”
Helmut looked completely at peace.
“I have chosen to wander the wilds and the commune with the spirits.”
He set a tulip on Johan’s chest, seemingly materializing it out of thin air.
“I have become a druid, Baron.”
Johan nearly shed a tear. Helmut looked so at peace. He had never seen him like that. It was a far cry from how he was when he found him, and how he acted while working for him.
“...it’s just Johan now.”
Helmut smiled gently.
“Johan. I apologize for leaving so suddenly. I spotted a fairy and followed them home. That is how you become a druid.”
“You look so…peaceful.”
Helmut nodded.
“I have accepted who I am, and my place in the world. Did you know there is a fey empress? Her name is Erika von Altdorf, and she is a demigryph.”
He took Johan’s hands into his own.
“We were right about them, by the way, demigryphs are far more intelligent than the average man. And she is far more intelligent than I. It makes me shiver thinking about how wise the gods in which she serves are.”
Johan coughed and gestured for Helmut to slow down.
“Helmut, this is kind of a lot of information to drop on me.”
Helmut smiled gently.
“You do not have much time left, I wish to impart as much information as I can before you pass. It will help your soul along to its next life.”
The Baron chuckled dryly, settling down more into his bed.
“I am going to heaven, sir.”
He tilted his head back on his pillow and nearly whispered as he closed his eyes.
“Well, likely purgatory first.”
Helmut chuckled as well.
“We shall see.”
He turned to address the rest of the room.
“Everyone, come pray to whatever god you believe in. He will pass within the next five minutes.”
After a moment of hesitation everyone crowded around Johan’s bed, praying whatever prayers they knew. Helmut began to pray as well.
“God, we thank you that you never leave us, that you never forsake us, but you love us. We trust you, and pray this in your name. Amen.”
He gave Johan a Christian prayer, because he knew that no one else would. None of them had converted like Johan.
After a few minutes of praying, Helmut stopped, placing his hand at Johan's neck, feeling for his pulse. He withdrew his hand and bowed his head in further prayer.
“May he rest in peace. He has earned it.”
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February 10th, 1745. Bickenstaat city.
A Mittelschule class was being led through a museum by a tour guide. It was Liberation Day, and the eighty second anniversary of the Moral War, which Liberation Day commemorated. A child made a sound of admiration and pointed at the main display in the center of the museum. A woman spoke to them, wearing the original puff and slash uniform of the Bickenstadt Liberation Forces. Their uniforms were different now, however, this was a museum dedicated to the Moral War.
“And this, children, is the armor and sword of Baron Johan Bleichröder von Bickenstadt, the founder of the Bickenstaat Republik. Notice the massive gouges in the chestplate, and the state of the sword!”
The class collectively stared in awe at the scratched yet beautiful armor and broken, coral hilted sword displayed before them.
“His famous saber was destroyed by Empress Reikspal during the First Siege of Grössenburg, the final battle of the Moral War, using her signature sword Steelslayer.”
The tour guide smiled brightly.
“Think about it, eighty two years ago today this sword was broken in the pursuit of liberty. This sword breaking ushered in an era of freedom and democracy for all! At least…”
She led the group over to the next exhibit.
At the center was a massive, black stone brick, humming with runes, and surrounding it were all sorts of weapons from another era. Some of them, however, were young enough for the tour guide to have used during her time conscripted in the Bickenstadt Liberation Forces.
“This brick was knocked out of the walls of Grössenburg during the third siege of Grössenburg, when the reactionary elements of the previous, Imperial society, undid all of that effort. They left our union, and created an autocracy that wants nothing more than to destroy our way of life and enslave as many elves as possible.”
The tour guide shook her head.
“The Nordreich is now the greatest threat to freedom in the world, and that is why we need strong men and women, just like you, to join the Bickenstadt Liberation Forces.”
She smiled.
“At least when you’re older.”
The students murmured to each other about how excited they were to join the army, and about how it was what they had dreamed of doing ever since they were little. In just one more year they would be eligible for the junior soldier program, and nearly the entire class had already enrolled.
“Now, let’s move on to the Nordreich rebellion…”
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Men and women rocked in their seats as the train carried them to the frontlines. They all wore the same uniform, dark blue, double breasted greatcoats with six brass buttons on either side, as well as dark red trousers tucked into black boots. On their heads were dark red Käppi, the same color as their pants.
On their backs were large, black canvas backpacks, and slung over their shoulders were brand new M.45 Vrijheidsgeweer, state-of-the-art bolt action rifles. They had an internal magazine that allowed for ten massive Vrijheid Kogel, more than enough to kill any man at a distance of 500 yards.
They were all excited to destroy the enemies of liberty, and they all joked around, played cards, or ate as much good train food as they could before they reached the front, where the food was far less opulent. On this train were two thousand brave men and women, and of these two thousand, only two hundred of them would return unharmed, even if they didn't know it yet.
Hundreds of other trains raced around the country, carrying similar amounts of men. They would also bring back a similar proportion of them unharmed. All throughout the Imperial Continent, as well as the world at large, millions of men would be moved around via train, and thousands of them would be killed every day, in the war to end all wars.
The Lighting of the Powder Kegs.
End of the Baron von Bickenstadt.
[Note: Lighting of the Powder Kegs has been postponed. The next series will be Napoleonic/Civil War era warfare and tech.]