-34-
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As our forces prepared for war, many days passed by as a muddled mess of events.
In both eagerness to show their order could make headway and to keep me from worrying about the possibilities of more turncoats, the Crimson Seekers had swept through the populace of Tolin with breakneck speed.
Their inquisition to uproot any Renaultian collaborators resulted in the executions of seven divisionals and the imprisonment of twelve civilians. Eight of which had been within the Cahir refugee group.
This made their acceptance as a whole a big point of contention, and a major headache for me, for days.
A handful of villagers alongside Amelia, who served as a character witness since she’d known them all from her time as a waitress in the village tavern, petitioned for lesser sentences.
Taurus, our city’s resident Celestial in the permanent form of a house cat, refused my requests for further details of these specific members of his village. Apparently my failure to kill, or even capture, Hikita had annoyed him and my recent meeting with her hadn’t gone unnoticed by the strange God.
Ikuye believed he was just reluctant to get involved any further because of the Celestial’s pact of non-interference.
Ultimately, villagers had been released with a number of stipulations following a trial headed by the Church. After an extensive review of the charges and evidence provided by the Seekers, Karina had decided that, while these people were guilty of providing information to the treasonous soldiers working under Renault, they did so under threats of harm to their families or friends that remained within Axio.
So, the risk of our plans and movements being leaked had been removed.
Supplies had been gathered up and built up in mass.
Training for siege warfare and integration with the Aestori was nearly complete.
Our troops had been outfitted with the best equipment our smiths could provide.
And most importantly, I had solidified the positions of both the Order of the Scarlet Wing and Crimson Seekers to the Aestori and former-Republic nobles.
With both those orders and the backing of the Church, any declaration to actually move on Axio couldn’t be contested.
A knock came at the door to my office—a relatively new addition to the Crimson Seeker’s base of operation, the grand tower which lied close to the city’s center.
“It’s unlocked!” I called out as the door had already been opened halfway.
Julius stepped in with a bundle of papers held against his chest. He seemed out of sorts, shifting uncomfortably in a dress shirt and slacks, rather than his typical armored uniform.
“Your Majestic-ness, I’d like to complain about the amount of paperwork I’ve been doing lately. I thought I was commanding an army, not moonlighting as your Head Minister.”
I put down the reports I’d been reviewing, and motioned for him to approach while I adjusted myself to sit in a more comfortable position.
“You’re right. You are the commander of our integrated forces, and it’s Adellin who’s our acting Head Minister. If you’d like, we could have you two swap offices for a day.”
Julius frowned, “And why would I want to do that?”
“To see that his current administrative workload is ten times what you have. Perhaps one day in his shoes would stop your complaining.”
“Haah, nevermind. I don’t want to see more paperwork. I’ve been doing reports in my dreams.”
“Then I’ll probably have some great news for you this evening at tonight’s call-to-orders.” I held out my hand expectantly, and Julius handed me his stack of papers. He remained in my office, fidgeting on his feet. “Was there anything else?”
“Just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.”
“How I’m doing? I’m fine, Julius. I swamped with work and lately people treat me like I’m some sort of Goddess, but I’m fine.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but paused.
“What else?” I demanded.
“Particularly, how would you say you’re doing in regards to a certain relationship…”
Now it was my turn to frown.
“If you want to ask about Hailey, just ask about her. Quit being annoying about it. We’re fine.
“If that vicious expression you’re wearing is what you call fine, then I—”
“Enough about this. It’s gotten old—your poor attempts to subtly pry into my personal life. If you and Mei want details so badly, pester Hailey about it. She’s the one who’s still acting apprehensive.”
“I will consider your input—”
“Don’t consider it; conform to it.”
Julius backed off and left with a quick salute.
Haaah.
I sighed heavily, leaning back in my chair and tossing the papers Julius gave me into a bin on the left side of my desk.
I hope she likes the gift I sent her.
My thoughts drifted to a commission I’d submitted to an elven artisan to make for Hailey. A pure-white cloak with a crimson-red border and accents stitched into the fabric, and a stylized broach in the shape of the Vanixian crest, a phoenix with its wings outstretched, to pin the cloak in place.
It had been designed in mind to fit with her uniform. A little too showy for everyday use, but more than appropriate for ceremonies and the like.
It should have arrived this morning…
I’d sent it over with a note, asking her to wear it for tonight’s meeting. It’s not that I was positive she wouldn’t consider it, but I really wanted to show that our relationship wasn’t as dire as some people though.
Especially the noisy former-Republic nobles…
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I wrapped up my work in the office and headed out into the halls of the tower. Two attendants greeted me as soon as I stepped out and start fussing over my needs.
“Dell!” I shouted down the hall.
There was a crashing sound behind the wall to my right in response, followed by footstep. A door swung open and a man ran into the hall.
His blue hair was quite a mess and, while they were of high quality, his clothes were disheveled.
“Your Majesty!”
“Please get your henchmen outta my hair. It’s time for the last planning meeting, you ready to head to the Citadel?”
Adellin straightened out his shirt and overcoat.
“Yes!” He shouted so loud that both attendants flinched. “Ah, sorry. Yes. I’m ready.”
We arrived quickly, taking one of the carriages that had been prepared for the Seekers. Adellin split off and went ahead, to get the command room ready for my arrival.
My participation in Citadel hosted events had become a sort of rarity these days.
Upon entering the massive stronghold, I was set upon by a whole unit of armored knights, sporting black armor and red uniforms—the new standard for the Scarlet Wing.
“We greet the Brilliant Sun of the Empire!”
They called out as they stopped before me, snapping into salute.
I returned their gesture, and called them to ease.
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They were all smiles as they escorted me through the halls of the Citadel.
Julius greeted me as we reached High Command and dismissed the knights.
All expected parties had arrived.
Though most of our forces had integrated by now, the leadership was still clearly divided, and didn’t mingle regarding their roles and responsibilities.
Hanna was the representative for the Crimson Seekers.
Matriarch Aisling and Archmagus Sara were here for the Aestori Divisional Core. Overseeing the Astral Knights and Astral Mages, respectively.
Primarch Karina was here for the Church.
Julius was here for the Scarlet Wing, of course.
And the last person to arrive was our High-Commander and head over all the military orders, Hailey.
Hailey arrived last, only a few minutes behind Karina. She entered the room with a bit of flourish, as the regular divisional knights escorting her had cleared the center walkway just before her arrival.
Her crimson uniform with golden embellishments was polished, shining bright in the magi-tool lit room.
We made eye contact, and she smiled faintly. Her right hand rose slowly and touched a golden broach pinned near her shoulder.
As she stepped into the room, a bright-white cloak billowed behind her with every step.
Ah! I’m glad she wore it.
“Let’s get this call-to-order started!” Julius clapped from behind.
I was already in my spot, at the head of the room, so I motioned for everyone to get seated.
“I have good news, great news, and bad news. Great news first, your days of sitting around waiting for our campaign against Axio are at an end. After today’s meeting concludes, every unit will get their deployment orders and begin packing up their gear to mobilize.”
I hushed the few attendees who didn’t already know that particular piece of news. Mostly the core of junior officers.
“Bad news next. Julius has come up with a plan that, while I think it’s great, kinda sucks.” A round of laughs made their way through the group. “Unfortunately for us, Axio’s geographic location makes it difficult to approach. Julius and I both had the same plan, so it’s either a really good one—”
“Or it’s that we’re both idiots.” Julius quipped from within the group.
“Could be.” I agreed. “So, bad news is that there is only one real way into Axio’s territory. And it’s gonna make the next few months suck.”
Aisling perked her head up with a dumbfounded look, “Huh? What do you mean there is only one way to Axio? There are multiple gateways to each district. We’ve been over the schematics dozens of times now.”
“Into the city itself, sure.” Julius leaned back in his seat and waved a dismissive hand, “But we’re talking about the route to the city from the Commonlands. The terrain around Axio form a slew of natural borders. The western bank of the upper peninsula is divided by a small mountain range. On one side is a practically untraversable marshland, and the other is blocked by two tributary streams that feed the Larian River—ah, thanks.”
One of Julius’ men brought out a large map of the Axian Peninsula and laid across a table behind me.
The entire meeting shifted from the rows of seats to crowd around this one table in an instant.
“So if you take a look here.” Julius started, placing a marker down on the map, “Marching our armies straight to Axio is problematic, to say the least. So finding a way in by circumventing the terrain would be our main concern. The Renaultians have the advantage, and they know it. We’ve had scouts confirm they’ve already made progress fortifying the only roadway across the Larian River, right here.”
Another marker went down on the map where the only bridge existed to cross the river. Julius let the group scan over the map, and began placing a handful of wooden chips all about the map.
Aisling frowned, her eyes focused on the map. “Traversing the boggy wastelands on the western side would be too difficult for the entire army We’d waste the majority of our supplies for sure. And if we try to enter anywhere on the east aside from the highway, we’d have to cross the Larian—impeding progress severely. We’d never get our siege equipment through a marsh, let alone across a river that wide.”
A dejected sigh escaped her lips and she muttered a few words before stepping back slightly.
Julius and I shared a look, his stupid grin making me laugh.
I brought out a set of metal tokens, and placed two of them down on the map.
“This is where the good news comes into play. We’ve only got an option. We may only have the one route through, but it doesn’t mean we have to charge bullheaded into a disadvantageous situation.”
The two tokens I’d placed had distinct emblems etched into their faces, one for the Order of the Scarlet Wing, and the other for the Crimson Seekers.
“The Renaultians will know our main force’s position the minute we enter the Commonlands—as I intend to follow through with the plans submitted by Hailey to liberate all the villages on our way to Axio. So, with that in mind, while the main force heads north in their conquest, we’ll send smaller groups ahead through the impassable marshlands. They’ll stay out of sight while Renault focuses on the rest of us.”
I tapped the OSW token, and slid it across the marsh towards the northern plains.
“Under Mei’s command, groups of waystriders and Aestori knights with striding skills will cross the marsh and attempt to take the town of Elyssia. Even if they aren’t completely successful, it’ll cause a stir in the Renaultian ranks.”
“Oh!” Aisling exclaimed loudly, “That’s a clever trick. They’ll know our main army is still on the southern side of the border, but have to peel away some forces to investigate and retake the town.”
“And with Lira’s assistance, Rias and her have boosted the effective range on their communication runes. We’ll be able to keep in contact with Mei the whole time. While she’s busy with that distraction,” I tapped the other token and moved it just above the marshlands, “Another group will be making its move. A division of elite Martia operatives will stage a base behind the Renaultian line.”
A wave of confusion washed over the assembly.
Only a handful of people in attendance were fully aware of SI-Martia, the Crimson Seeker’s counter intelligence operative group that Luke had trained himself. They had been fundamental in the last month for planning our attack on Axio, by physically scouting many villages and defensive positions.
Hanna silently appeared by my side and studied the placements of all the markers that Julius and I had arranged across the map. Her delicate fingers moved the markers from southern end that indicated our main army towards the river crossing, and then moved the Seeker’s marker in from behind.
“You mean to apply pressure at the Larian as a diversion, so the Seekers can infiltrate undetected and strike around the rear.”
“Exactly.” I smiled proudly, “While the enemy’s attention is drawn between Mei’s forces in the rear and Julius pushing from the front, it’s unlikely they’ll expect a third force from the within their camp.”
Hanna smiled, pleased with her own intuition.
Julius walked around the table and the room quieted. “Knight-Captain Mitchell will be dispatched along with the Seeker’s group with a dozen guardian-specialized knights. They’ll be able to provide much needed defense support while in the thick of the Renaultian encampment.”
Luke snapped to attention, “I’ve already prepared the perfect team, sir!”
Julius continued, “Divisional Core officers, you’ll be forming standard raid teams of forty. If you believe that you need additional specialized members based on your orders you can submit a requisition to Aisling’s adjutant, Champion Varla. The Knights have plenty of skilled Initiators, Operators, and Field Monitors.”
Hanna’s sharp voice called out next to me, preemptively reprimanding her soldiers in a huff. “We need balanced parties. If I catch one of you numbskulls with an entire team of warrior specializations I’ll fast track a court-martial and you’ll be plowing fields outside Tolin till your hands bleed. This is the time to get serious. Dismissed!”
The mass of officers flooded out from High Command, and I said a prayer for the enlisted soldiers whose lives were about to become very busy.
All we can do now is be just as busy.
“Alright then.” I said with a clap of my hands. “Let’s start packing. Oh and, make sure we keep this map handy.”
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Two days flew by in a blur of nonstop labor, stacks of paperwork, and severe lack of sleep.
All division leaders followed their orders perfectly, and our forces were set to deploy a day earlier than we expected.
We’d allocated just about every resource in Tolin for the war effort. Only a little over one-hundred knights from the Aestori Core would remain in the city with Head Minister Adellin, the civilians who didn’t volunteer to support the military, and the Crimson Seeker’s band of covert city watch operatives—SI-Minervia.
Both Rias and Akari refused to stay behind, much to my dismay, which made me step in personally to design up a defensive unit to focus on protecting those civilian members and the girls.
I dismantled a raid group of vetted OSW knights under a junior officer and assigned them to permanent camp defense.
On the morning of departure, every member of the deployment force was gathering in the main hall of the Citadel so one final rousing could be had before we began our march on Axio.
I was holed up in the command room with my closest advisors, namely Sara and Adellin.
We were waiting for someone to come let us know that the troops were ready.
“Nervous?” The Archmagus asked.
“I’m always nervous these days.” I responded with a wry grin.
“There’s no need to be so emotionally invested in this. Most rulers of the past who had the greatest conquests disassociated the connection between people and soldiers.”
Adellin and I shared a look of disbelief. He was about to respond when I disarmed him with a wave of my hand.
“I couldn’t possibly let myself think like that. I’d be no worse than Renault—and you just said most. Meaning there were some great leaders who didn’t have to be emotionally unattached.”
Sara smiled with a knowing grin.
“There was really just the one. And it’d be hard to consider him someone who achieved great conquest in his final years, but he cared for the people of the Empire so greatly he sent his only son away to be safe when war came.”
“Haaah,” I sighed, “You’re talking about my grandfather again. Aren’t you?”
Sara laughed, covering her face with a black hand-fan.
A knock at the door interrupted her attempt at lightening the mood and a messenger informed us that the main hall was ready for me.
I sped through the Citadel with Sara and Dell trailing behind me.
Horns sounded as I approached the top of the imperial staircase that marked the head of the main hall.
The clacking noise of boots coming together and the shuffle of bodies filled the hall as a few thousand people presented at attention and saluted.
“Champions of the Empire, hear my call to action.” I called out, returning their salute, “I have one message for those who would see us exterminated from this world: Better be ready for war!”
Cries of ‘Hoorah’ and ‘Caelestia ab vult!’ filled the hall.
“May our Goddesses watch over us. Let our enemies know the cold sting of death.”
I unsheathed the Crimson Blade and raised it over the sea of crimson-red armor.
Its savage flames erupted from the blade with a roar that all but muted the shouts of the soldiers below me.
“We march on Axio City. To war!”
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