General Lacrimae removed his helmet to look down on Stopingham from Cardinal Hill. He had received notice from the spies within the town that the Crusaders had settled in for the night. The sight of this alone made his palms itch, begging for a chance to kill them in their beds. He knew he had barely ten thousand men to fight off this invasion with.

“Shall we build a fort here, sir? I imagine it would give them quite a fright,” his lieutenant joked, glancing momentarily at the tear-like streaks scarring the old general's face.

“No, we are just here to get eyes on them.”

“Still, Sir, why won’t Lord Envy let us deploy more of the legions?”

“Because he suspects this force is too big a force, to begin with.”

“Too big?” the lieutenant repeated. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t follow.”

“The scholars at the Academy, through all their information networks, report this invasion is merely a feint.”

“So they are holding up the other legions because-?”

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“Yes. Our reports speak of how actively the damned Angel Vespasia is in battles. Is it not odd she would let a mere Bishop lead a Crusade and not lead it herself?”

“I suppose.” The lieutenant nodded. “Regardless, there are two Cardinals hidden amongst the forces down there?”

“Yes, Lady Ludo Umbra, the Cardinal of Purity and Lord Rikia D’bene, the Cardinal of Piety. Both have been ordered to hide their ranks and aid the Bishop in his maiden campaign.”

“‘The Shadow’ and ‘The Crucifier,’“ the lieutenant muttered with a small shiver. “And Envy still maintains this is a bluff? Even with the hundred thousand down there?”

“It is what Lord Sloth’s spies report. Whether it is the truth matters little, we have our orders.”

“To make their lives miserable,” the Lieutenant replied with a sinister smirk revealing a row of fangs.

“Yes, we will shred them as they continue. We have some new faces that are exceptionally skilled on each leg of the spider. I dare say this Crusade will be not only the most interesting one in generations but also the most weird.”

“Weird, sir?”

“A number of those blocking the pathways through the web are just eccentric as can be.”

“I suppose our conventional fortress hopping scheme won’t be used as often this time?”

“No, I have given them as much free reign as I dare. So long as they cause chaos and slaughter, I care little for how it's done.”

“Well, sir… we shall see.”