“I don’t know. There’s no choice, but to go down this way. Maybe we’ll end up at a crossroad and fix this whole mess, maybe not” he said. “As of now, we have screwed everything up and squandered every opportunity. When I wanted to give up, you pushed me forward. Now, I won’t waste this hope you’ve given me. Not everything is lost. Not until you face Guardian.”

Once Hound made his demand clear and smashed Melodra into a wall, the chamber of diplomacy came to an agreement in minutes. No matter how arrogant and self righteous they were, no one wanted to die. The change in the leaders’ personalities was so drastic, it was almost like another entity came into their minds.

Devina gave Tillon a half smile.

In the distance, through the crowd of townsfolk in maroon vestments, a pair of messengers returned. On horseback, they carried scrolls with some of the most important orders ever sent out.

Hound didn’t tell anyone why he needed an army of hundreds of thousands, but Tillon guessed it wasn’t for a small argument.

Something godly and beyond massive was at play. Something that required an army whose footsteps could shake the earth miles and miles away.

The lady took a step towards the power and whispered something into his ear.

“Ah, we didn’t get to catch up, but indeed, go,” Hound said

The lady bowed and hurried down the stairs of the Indigo mansion’s entrance. She reached the gates to the murmurs and quiet applause of her followers. As she stepped out, she gestured something with her hands. The townsfolk all looked at one another, disappointment in their shadowy faces, and an even louder round of murmurs went around. Then, the sea of red dissipated, all the madmen going into the shadows or after the lady.

Through the now open road, the two messengers rode to entrance of the mansion and handed out six scrolls. Tillon shared looks with Devina and Melodra. The dwarf nodded while the silver haired girl rolled her eyes, clutching her wounds.

Tillon opened the scroll.

“Curious. The fact that Hefferi first sent out the army to Ixorono all as a way to get the leaders of the continent into one room is incredible. I wholeheartedly believed that it would be Third. Although that doesn’t matter anymore,” he read Guardians words. “That bastard Hound has something big up his sleeves. It must’ve taken him years of saving his weak power in the prairie to appear in this world for so long. I don’t know what to do. I need a lot of time we don’t have to think. I trust you to do the right decision. Do what you want or what you can. Your dream to become a general has come true, even if the circumstances are less than preferable, hasn’t it?”

“You see it?” Melodra spoke. “He’s doing it all to become a general. He screwed everything up for himself.”

“And what? I’m doing this to become greater than Guardian or all the other bastards! What do you see wrong with having a personal motivation?!” Devina snapped at Melodra for the first time in her life.

“It’s not the personal motivation. It’s Tillon--”

“Just because what Guardian did to you as a kid doesn't mean Tillon is evil. Nor is Arnold. Or any of them. It’s Guardian and only Guardian. He’s is the greatest piece of shit this world has ever seen.”

Devina went quiet as everyone around started paying attention to her.

Melodra shook her head, growled and became even smaller, covering her face completely.

“It is alright,” Tillon said. “Please, don’t make this mess even worse.”

Hound walked like a human once in a while, but prefered floating like a god. He levitated down the mansion’s stairs and started speaking.

“The ones intent on leading your armies, get on your horses. The others, who brought your armies, but have no intent on seeing the end, have a good existence.”

Hefferi bolted away without looking back. In fact, he must not have looked anywhere. He tripped down the stairs and--with a crunch--crushed his nose. Stumbling, he got up, pushed on a stream of blood coming from his face and walked away, actually looking where he stepped this time.

Everyone else went to fetch horses for themselves. Tillon, Devina, Melodra and Steelgordon all had arrived on steeds while Catherine had to unchain an animal from her carriage. She struggled. Her entourage came to help, but she pushed them away, cracked her knuckles and continued. After a minute, the chains and metal binds came loose from the horse. Catherine chased the animal for a few feet then jumped atop it near Third who gunned down a poor rider and commandeered their horse.

While that took place, no one spoke a single word. Seemingly, nobody could wrap their heads around what was happening. It didn’t seem real. They were all supposed to have a heated negotiation, Tillon was supposed to come in and sway the whole talk into a standstill. I

White remained without a horse, instead waving her wand. A dozen slick figures in suits started appearing from the shadows of the streets. The servants, Tillon presumed. They stopped around her. Emerald smoke swirled in their eyeholes, started growing and formed a net. White moved into the net of green smoke. The thing, with her inside it, began levitating. She waved her wand and the servants started walking, the smoke following like an obedient dog.

Tillon pulled on the reins and the horse took a step back. That’s incredible, he thought. I’ve never seen sorcery like this in my whole life.

***

With every gallop, more soldiers joined in. Every group had different shields, armors and banners, yet all had one thing in common -- the men had disbelief in their faces. They got to face past foes without having to raise their weapon, leaders miles above them in rank and a god.

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“How many soldiers are here?”

“Two hundred and fifty thousand,” Melodra cut in before Tillon could utter a word.

“How?”

“I think what we experienced at the Indigo mansion explain that pretty well.”

“How you figured it out? Was it a guess?” Tillon said.

“I did-- what are you looking like at me like that? Don’t tell me you all just think about nothing when you ride!”

Even in the face of unknown terror ahead, the company could share a laugh.

A large group of soldiers in green joined the massive horde. They’d been garrisoned in Ixorono in case the battle would occur, but set out towards Villered once Tillon sent the scroll to Company’s Heart

He rode towards the men and approached a familiar face.

“What, in the name of the powers that be, is going on?” Finn asked. He grinned seeing Tillon, but the overwhelming depression of the situation made it drop immediately.

“I will save time and say: a god needs the biggest army the world has seen for his evil plan,” Tillon said then pointed at Hound, levitating in the middle of the sea of men.

Finn squinted. “That’s a thing I thought I’d never see.”

“Me neither. Exactly how many of you did Guardian put in Ixorono?”

“One thousand six hundred in the best defended fortress I’ve seen. Another four hundred were finishing a… dirty matter.”

“Guardian really believed that I could defuse this situation...”

“Now, what the hell is this evil plan we’re a part of? Where we going?”

“Hound can do things I cannot imagine. He didn’t tell us what he needed the army for, but he showed a tiny glimpse of his power. No one wants to see it again nor be on the other end of it. So, we follow his orders and hope to survive.”

“What else can I expect, eh? That’s been our whole lives.”

“If you want, you can leave,” Tillon said. “Guardian put me in charge. You can save yourself, but I must stay. I cannot waste this opportunity and… I can’t stop myself -- I have to see how this ends, no matter where it takes me.”

“I won’t run -- to late for an old ass like me,” Finn spoke. “You came alone into this mess? Or with your usual squad?”

“Guardian made me bring Devina and Melodra. We do not work well together. Pretty sure they just made everything worse.”

“Don’t be so sure. Alone, any man in a situation like this is bound to lose his mind. At least you had them and had someone help you stand straight.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Tell me what you want and return to your squad. Trust me.”

Tillon thought for a short moment. “Follow where Hound leads, make the men stick together and don’t get lost in the fray.”

“Understood.” Finn gestured.

Tillon rode back to Devina and Melodra, thinking -- commanding someone who’d commanded him was an odd experience.

The army reached a massive valley with dense forests far to the left and to the right.

The soldiers stopped following their formations. Well, all apart from one green squad in the middle. All in all, the horde was like a group of flowers in a field about to face an unpredictable storm.

“If I ever make it to having children, this will be the story I keep telling over and over,” Tillon said, trying to lift spirits. He spent a while trying to understand why Finn recommended returning to his little company. The realization came to him bit by bit, but finished by smacking him in the face.

I didn’t see that they didn’t help me because I was more self-centered than Hound. People have morale, feelings and needs. I can’t treat them like nothing, yet expect a return.

“Can’t have children. Can’t risk making the same mistakes my parents made,” Melodra spoke. Her words came as a little surprise, but also made Tillon grin in satisfaction.

“You realize those mistakes exist and that means you already are better,” he said. “That was the most important lesson I learnt in training. Without it, I would’ve kept falling into the same traps and never reached where I am now.”

“Here you go with that ‘I’m so good’ bullshit. Not one of us is better than the other. You got strengths and you got weaknesses.”

“I just said I improved by understanding my flaws. Have I ever said ‘I’m so good?’ “

“Many times. Many, many.”

“I’d be worried about telling stories to children and sharing life lessons after we do something to fix right now,” Devina spoke from in front. She repeatedly tapped her foot, making her steed go faster

“Or after we run away,” Melodra said.

“Neither I nor Tillon will do that.”

“Sometimes you have to accept your losses and retreat to prevent from getting anymore.”

“That’s why we’ll do all we can to stop us from losing!”

“That’s the spirit.” Tillon grinned. “Now, use it and make a plan to save our asses from this unexplainable mess.”

“I got it!” Melodra jumped, her hood falling off. “I have a plan!”

***

“If you’re a god, why do you need an army?” Tillon’s voice shook as he asked.

“Come closer.” Hound gestured at himself.

Tillon petted his horse and led it right beside the power. The steed heistated and tried to move away, but Tillon held the reins tightly and repeated soft words into the animal’s ear.

“I never see myself as a god, but you humans do. In fact, if I returned to the days when I was one of you, I’d say the same too. We always called ourselves the strongest beings on this planet, but today, that’s not true as well.”

“What do you need an army for?” Tillon repeated his question.

“Have you ever stumbled upon a haunted house?”

I… I have, Tillon nodded.

“You could say my house was haunted and I had to run from it. My family thought of getting a holy person to drive out the invaders, but I decided to do it myself. Indeed, years ago, I sided with them, but a recent turn of events, which is happening right under our feet made me realize that they’re wrong,” Hound spoke. “For every second we let the invader ravage our home, we become weaker.”

You were right, Melodra, Tillon thought. This plan… it will work…

He nodded and rode away from Hound, his steed neighing in relief.

Tension engulfed the entire valley in waves.

He reached Finn right in time, before anything awful could go down.

“There’ll be a battle,” Tillon said. “A nasty one. Right as it starts, all your men will attack Hound and then flee to Company’s Heart.”

Finn chuckled. “I’ve done some things for the Guardian, but fighting a damn god?”

“He’s a weak god. If we can stop him from doing what he wants to do, if we can restrain him just in time, we can stop two hundred thousand men from dying!”

“They’re soldiers. Most of them would die no matter what. But I’ll do as you say.”

Tillon turned his horse around. As much as he wanted to be a hero, defeat every foe with his hand, and as much as Devina wanted to prove everyone wrong, they had to come to terms with the fact that they couldn’t. They’d rather save people and be heroes that way than repeat Guardian’s mistake and be heroes in a field of death.

As Tillon neared Melodra and Devina, the massive sea of soldiers started slowing down and another painful wave of tension washed over. Tillon boosted his horse and kicked men out of the way. He arrived by Melodra staring into the distance.

“Never had this experience before,” Melodra said, “of guessing something wrong.”