As the sun began to set, I walked down the slope at the mouth of the plateau. This was my last opportunity to weaken the Ciel army before the Demons’ next assault. Unlike the night before, I could not afford to sit in the back and let my undead handle all the work. Tonight, I would be taking action personally. My target was the general of the Ciel Empire, the only real domain warrior among the troops. So long as he died, the rest would crumble.
Following me into the valley were not only the undead I had gathered for tonight’s attack but also my family and the new Immortal Guard. My dad bore a grim expression as he personally led the new recruits.
We proceeded on foot while the floating island of Dragon’s nest stayed back. There would be a moment when it would perform, but for now, it simply acted as an ominous threat that blocked out what little moonlight shone from the thin crescent overhead.
I grinned at the sight of the Ciel army in the distance. Countless rows of flickering torches pushed back the darkness of the night, lighting up the area around the encampment like the candles on a giant cake. The soldiers were already on full alert and I had not even done anything yet tonight. Even without being able to see their faces, I knew they were afraid.
As we moved closer to the encampment, our small force began to spread out. At my command, many of the less experienced in our immortal guard moved to stay in the back. They started wailing and screaming as if getting butchered, filling the role that some of my undead acted out the night before.
The moment the noise started echoing across the hills, I could see movement in the Ciel army. Soldiers marched into a formation at the edges of the encampment. They raised their shields in preparation or maybe fear as they stared out into the shadow beyond the torchlight.
The Demonkin that were sent there to protect the army were able to see better in the darkness than regular troops and immediately saw me and my group. They did not feel the fear as those around them did and with no Demon directly commanding them, they rushed out to rip us to shreds.
There were almost one hundred Demonkin on this side of the encampment. Their wild charge sounded like thunder as their footsteps shook the ground. Bloodthirsty roars and shrieks rose up into the air. In the darkness, all I could see approaching were countless sets of glowing red eyes.
“Shouldn’t we get ready to fight?” Charly asked nervously as he stared into the eyes of the stampeding creatures.
“Not yet, we have all night to enact our strategies. For now, let the beasts fight their own kind,” I replied with a wave of my hand.
In response to my wave, the undead Demonkin that followed me stepped forwards in unison. Their numbers almost matched the Demonkin charging us. I had prepared almost fifty undead Demonkin for tonight’s raid, not including the thirteen exceptional monsters that were now under my command.
Flesh and claws clashed agaisnt each other as the two forces met. The howls and roars were horrendous as flesh was ripped from the bone. The humans on both sides could only peer into the darkness and wonder what was happening but not me. I took direct control of one of the undead Alphas and saw the world through its eyes. The clash between the Demonkin and my undead was a brutal and visceral fight. Neither side worried about injuries as they heedlessly leapt at one another and tore into skin with teeth and talons. The major difference however was that my undead were still moving in formation. Without a Demon to lead them, the numbers advantage of the Demonkin actually became a hindrance. My undead moved in such a way that only a third of the Demonkin could ever attack at a time. When they finally engage with my undead, the Demonkin quickly found themselves surrounded and cut off from the others. Even without the mature Demonkin and the Alphas, I could have won this skirmish. With their help, the fight turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Within just a few minutes, all the charging Demonkin laid dead on the ground. I quickly relayed a command and all the roars and shouts coming from our camps suddenly stopped. In the distance, I could see the soldiers of the Ciel army looking around curiously. I let this continue for several minutes. I knew from experience, sometimes silence and uncertainty were more terrifying than the chaos of battle.
The silence was broken when my thirteen strongest undead burst into the Ciel palisades. Thick wooden spikes shattered into a shower of splinters as the Demonkin rushed past the defenses. A wall of defenders met their advance but it did little to stop my plans. My thirteen undead did not rampage deep into enemy forces. Even though they were strong enough to cause significant damage, numbers could still eventually overwhelm them. I did not want to risk losing such valuable undead just to tear apart normal soldiers.
Instead, I commended the undead to simply grab the nearest soldier the moment they entered the encampment and bring them back to me alive. The Ciel army was not able to react fast enough as thirteen soldiers were dragged, kicking and screaming, into the shadows beyond their torchlight. Three brave soldiers ran after their comrades but they were also grabbed by the Demonkin and added to the sacrifice.
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A few moments later, sixteen soldiers knelt in front of me. Their entire bodies shook with terror as the undead forcibly held them down on their knees.
“I am sorry about this,” I said softly as a green flame ignited in my hand, “but any who serve the Demons cannot be shown mercy.”
“No, please!” one of the soldiers shouted frantically, “I am willing to serve you. I will obey your every word. Just, please, don’t kill me.”
I shook my head and reached out to touch the man with the green fire. The soldier started blubbering incoherently as the flame sunk into his flesh. I looked away from the man as the flame started to burn away his soul.
Another of the soldiers caught my eye. Unlike the others, this man did not look afraid. Instead, he glared at me with intense hatred. He did not even blink as the green flame floated towards his head.
“You may kill me but you will never rule this continent again, Calamity,” the man said as he spat on the ground.
“Is that what they told you I was after?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, “And you actually believed them to the point that you think it is better if this realm is swallowed by the Demons rather than fall into my hands again?” I shook my head with a sigh. My bad reputation was once again causing me problems. It was likely that every soldier in the Ciel army was told they were fighting for their country’s survival against the former empress and the nations loyal to her. The common soldier would likely not understand the threat that siding with the Demons represented to the realm. If there were more fanatical soldiers like this one within the ranks of the Ciel forces, it would be troublesome. My fear tactics were probably only fueling their determination to resist me. Still, whether it was fear or righteous fury, both would keep them awake through the night. An exhausted army that had not slept in over two days would not be as dangerous when the assault came on the third day.
As much as I wanted to look away, I forced myself to watch as the green flame consumed the sixteen soldiers. They may have been my enemies and I could not give them mercy but they at least deserved to be acknowledged. I clasped my hands together as I was reminded of a time when I was little. As just Wren, when I had been sick, a priest had once come to visit me and said a prayer over me.
“May the lights of the realms watch over you as you sleep,” I said as the flame consumed the last of the soldiers’ consciousness.
The eyes of sixteen soldiers began to glow green as their life faded away. The men stood, removed their helmets, and turned back towards the Ciel encampment they had been taken from. Screams of remorse and fear rose from the camp as the sixteen soldiers marched into view of the torchlight with their weapons drawn.
The sixteen soldiers spoke in unison as they brandished their weapons towards their former allies. “This is the fate of all that side with the Demons.”
As the sixteen soldiers spoke, I repeated their words. A blue inferno ignited around me before gathering in my throat. “This is the fate of all that side with the Demons!” I shouted with all the force I could muster.
Like a ripple in a pond, my voice traveled across the many soldiers. They all stared at the sixteen undead with pure terror. Men and women clutched their heads as they screamed in horror. Anyone that heard my voice was stricken with dread that was only amplified by the fear they already felt. Many fell to the ground as they froze in panic while others shoved their companions out of the way in a desperate attempt to escape.
My throat burned. I shook away the dizziness in my head as I clutched a bright yellow crystal in my hand. The energy from Cyra’s fire flowed into my body and I could feel my muscles spasm in protest. Using my talent on so many people at once was exhausting but I could not argue with the results. Even after the effect of the flame faded, these men and women would not forget my warning.
“Is all this really necessary?” Charly whispered as he watched the panic in the Ciel encampment.
“Every enemy we force to desert the Ciel Empire is one less we have to kill and one less that can kill our allies. My methods might be cruel, but if fewer people die as a result, then I consider it a success.”
Charly nodded reluctantly. “I understand that… it is just… did you use this tactic often in the past?”
“No blue flame back then but yes. Undead are naturally terrifying, especially when they were people you knew a few minutes before. It is an easy way to diffuse conflict.”
“I think I am finally starting to understand why everyone hated you so much when you ruled your empire,” Charly mumbled.
I shrugged in a false show of nonchalance. “If it works, then there is no reason to change it now. Let’s go. I want to repeat this tactic in different locations at least ten more times before we start stage two.”
Charly and my undead followed me as we moved to the other side of the encampment. With over two hundred thousand soldiers in the Ciel army, there was no way I could use my talent to affect all of them but each time I used this tactic, the blue flame was able to affect at least five or six hundred. Those affected would then tell others what happened and the fear would continue to spread.
I had only managed to repeat the process five times before unexpected movement came from within the Ciel army. The soldiers abandoned the defenses around the edge of the encampment as every soldier suddenly moved into a single formation. I could hear the distant shouts of the officers as they relayed their orders.
“March now. Attack the empress’s allies. Force her out of the shadows.”
“Now that is an interesting choice,” I mumbled as I watched the army prepare to attack the mouth of the plateau.
Additionally, I heard the roar of countless Demonkin leaving the blood mist in the south. It seemed the Demons were not content letting me pick on their ally and started their second assault early.
“What should we do?” Charly asked as he pivoted to look at the unexpected march, “Should we return to the plateau and help?”
“No,” I replied firmly, “We follow the plan, only with a few minor adjustments. The general of the Ciel army is more naïve than I expected. While this tactic may give the soldiers a way to vent their fear by giving them an enemy to fight, we are now positioned perfectly to attack the rear of the Ciel forces. We were just planning to assassinate the General, now we can accomplish far more than that.”