by Elian Tars
“You’re right... My connection to you is strong. But my connection with Tiara is no weaker.”
“I don’t care about her!” she exclaimed fervently, but stopped short and looked around. “I don’t care about her,” she repeated quietly, having made sure that no one could hear her. “I just... want to be with you, Ken.” She took my hand tenderly. “Just once before the final battle. You’re not against it, are you? We deserve each other, Ken. We can spend some time together and...”
“No,” I answered, taking another step back and freeing my hand.
“But why?” she asked in astonishment. “Am I that disgusting to you? It really hurts to hear that after I’ve opened my heart to you.”
“I’m sorry,” I said calmly. “I don’t think you’re disgusting, but I can’t accept your offer. At least, not now.”
“Not now?” Una narrowed her eyes.
“I’m not interested in a one-night stand,” I clarified. “And I surely don’t have time for something more”.
“That so?” she said gloomily. “So you happened to marry that broad, and you’re all right with that?”
“Yes.” I decided not to argue.
“And after?”
“I don’t want to talk about it now. I’m interested in reassembling Zurtarn. Nothing else.”
“You may not get another chance, Ken,” she said sadly and slowly walked over to me. “I get it... Thanks for being honest with me... You and your dear wife should rest.” Pecking me on the cheek, she quickly strode off.
Damn it, what the hell is the matter with her? And why has “Synchronization” gone up?
Utterly confused and struggling to make head or tail out of this, I set off toward my tent. The same thing happened at the Ogroids’ settlement. I still couldn’t tell if Una was being honest with me — did she really want to be with me or was she just trying to use me? Was Bon really such a righteous man that the mere thought of a one-night stand was so repulsive to him? Or maybe he was just jealous? He did know Una before I had appeared and he could’ve been in love with her. Perhaps he still was...
“Has something happened, my dearest husband?” Tiara asked worriedly when I entered the tent.
“What? Oh no, everything’s fine,” I assured her with a smile, “just thinking about tomorrow...”
Graciously getting up from the bed, she walked over to me. Embracing me, she kissed me on the lips.
“What’s there to think about?” she whispered in my ear. “There’s only happiness waiting for us ahead.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. We’ll win! Because you’re with us. And then we’ll defeat the Decay. And the world will become bright and kind, and you and I will live like a baron and a baroness. Or maybe like a count and a countess? Or... In any case, there’ll be changes on the political scene, so maybe even like a duke and a duchess?”
“Maybe like a king and a queen?” I chuckled, holding her tighter.
“Maybe,” she said seriously. “You’ve already proved that nothing’s impossible for you. So I could really become a queen. If you don’t leave me that is.”
“You think I’d leave you?”
“Why else would that bitch’s perfume be on you?”
I stared at her in confusion. “I told you that I think of her as a friend,” I answered calmly. “Nothing’s changed. And I can do nothing about the fact that she might want more.”
“Oh, she does.” Tiara glared at me but then her face softened. “So you did nothing? You were gone for quite a while, you had time...”
“I didn’t do anything.” I chuckled, suddenly realizing that our accidental marriage was becoming very much like a real one. And what was even stranger was that I was more than happy with such a state of things.
“You know, there’s an easy way to check that,” Tiara said languidly. Grabbing me by the hand, she got out of the embrace and dragged me toward the bed.
“Oh, is there now?” I smiled.
“My dearest husband,” she replied with a playful reproach in her voice. “I know you so well that I can tell whether you’ve busted a nut or not.”
“And where have you heard such words?” I asked in astonishment, observing her as she unfastened my cloak.
“In books, of course. In a book about a married duchess and a peasant.”
Chapter 30
The Capital
Snuggled up with my dear under the warm hides, I watched her fall asleep with a smile on her face... when I heard the drawling voice in my head.
We need to talk.
I almost cursed from surprise, but managed to contain myself. Carefully, not wishing to wake her, I tried to crawl out of Tiara’s embrace. No such luck — her pretty head was resting on my shoulder, and her arms and legs were hugging my entire my body, coiled around it like ivy.
“Where are you going, my dearest husband?” she murmured in surprise.
“Work, honey,” I replied. “My patron’s calling me. Go back to sleep.”
Tiara nodded and immediately rolled to the side, letting me go. I somehow doubted that she’d go back to sleep.
I took a chair out of the tent and, watching the stars, had a twenty-minute long talk with the Old Man, who told me more about my mission, about what they would be doing at that moment, and about what I would have to do afterward.
Here, take it. A palm woven out of black smoke appeared in front of me, holding a simple-looking ring of gold-plated wire.
“No description again?” I sighed quietly, taking it and turning it in my hands. A powerful thing, I continued, feeling the energy of the ring. Whose is it?
Glozeysk’s. It’s his beacon, he replied.
Like Noriduel’s ring that Horn wears?
Precisely.
I scratched the back of my head thoughtfully. As expected, Glozeysk decided to take part in the upcoming battle. While his Followers helped us by supplying our troops, he was playing his own game with the Gods. This war was being waged on two levels — human and divine. I had partial access to the latter. Only a few could boast having something like that.
So, unlike his “Followers,” Glozeysk will be fighting?
Yes. Thanks to that, you’ll have a chance to get a “Part” and a “Shard.”
And then he explained why.
I came back to the tent filled with new knowledge. As expected, Tiara couldn’t fall asleep, so she was waiting for me.
“Have you been told about Glozeysk, too?” she asked almost at once, smiling enigmatically. This wasn’t surprising. She and her patron were pretty close, too.
After exchanging and discussing info, we went to sleep. Not immediately, however — it looked like Tiara had really missed me.
***
“Damn it! We’re gonna sit here and fry in the sun while others have fun again!” Horn whined, observing the beginning of the assault from the top of a lonely green hill situated a little bit further away from the city walls and our troops.
“Stop whining already!” Una chuckled. “How does Tilda put up with you? Not only are you dead, but you’re also a whiner!”
“Apparently, I have something worth the effort.” He chuckled, drinking from his wineskin. “Maybe it’s my big... level?” He pointed his index finger at the empty space above his head. His stats appeared as if on request.
“Please, stop worrying, Mister Horn.” Tiara smiled to him kindly. “You know we have a special mission. If you perform well, you’ll gain more fame than you would during the assault. Not to mention that you’ll be fighting more serious enemies than common soldiers.”
Horn grinned with satisfaction. “That’s why I’m here.”
“I can’t describe with words how glad we are that you are,” Una threw in her two cents.
I paid almost no attention to their banter, staring at the fabulous city of Longera that looked even more impressive up close. The area around it looked like nature had specially prepared it for the future capital of the kingdom, having made the hil
ls taller in certain places so that Longera could tower over the entire world. Our hill was like an anthill next to a mountain compared to it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Rheingeit had truly prepared this place for himself. I supposed that he didn’t mind stressing his own importance through his Followers — who were all kings. Something told me that other capitals were no less pompous although I hadn’t seen any of them. They probably stood out from the other cities by the size and the beauty of their walls. I couldn’t see much from where I stood, but Longera’s walls looked absolutely new and were even shining in the sunlight. And speaking of which — the sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, which was odd since the weather had been gloomy for the most part of our journey. It was especially nice to watch the endless terraced gardens that adorned the castle and other tall buildings of the city.
I felt a little sad that all this magnificence would be stained with blood today. That the water in the countless fountains and man-made waterfalls about which Tiara had told me so much about, would turn from crystal clear to crimson. On the other hand, it’d a greater tragedy if the whole world rotted away under the Decay. So even if the beautiful Longera crumbles to dust today, it was a sacrifice we were willing to make for a greater cause.
“What’s with you, Ken?” Una asked, a little worried.
“My dearest husband, are you all right?”
I nodded. “Just lost in thought... Now, listen to me,” I said firmly, “don’t have any doubts! It doesn’t matter how many people die today if that means that we can stop the Decay from spreading. Even if all of our soldiers die, the world will be saved. A lot of people and beings who won’t participate in this battle depend on its outcome.”
I don’t know why I gave that speech. Perhaps to convince myself and rise my own morale. Everyone looked at me in confusion, not having expected a speech either.
“We don’t have doubts.” Horn chuckled. “But it’d be good if most survive this mess, don’t you think?”
“I hope that that’s how it’ll be.” I smiled, feeling my anxiety melt away. I thought that I had got used to Zurtane and its gloominess and medieval cruelty. But, on rare occasions, the twenty-first century man from Earth manifested himself. On the other hand, the locals were no strangers to compassion. And maybe that’s why they were fighting so desperately in the name of the God of Darkness for a brighter future.
Synchronization with the body: 90 %
Bon? You again? Are you also ready to fight for a brighter future? Good on you. And although I was glad, this scared me. I should really tackle this problem once we’ve collected the “Zurtarn.” Really press the Old Man and bombard him with questions until he answers me. Otherwise...
That’s a good idea, replied the Old Man. Forget all of that for now and concentrate on the matter at hand. The troops have started to move. Your time to act draws near.
The Bat on my shoulder stirred the moment the Old Man fell silent.
“As... expected...” it wheezed, “the dukes... are coming... from the left flank...”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t talking about our dukes. But about the dukes of Algert and Mirier. The lands of the former were situated in the south of the kingdom and, as far as I knew, were free of the Decay. When our campaign was only beginning, the duke of Algert, Jense Algey, and his army were fighting in the Great Steppe. We thought that he wouldn’t be able to come back in time for the battle for Longera. As for the latter — the duke of Mirier, Lin Mirye, owned the coastal lands. One of the counties of his duchy, the most northern one, was almost completely consumed by the Decay. The central one, Donte County, which had long ago lost its count, who ran from the deadly adversity, was also succumbing to its influence. Only the southern county, the count’s hometown, remained. Lin Mirye would never fight in our war — that’s what Caer thought at least, saying that he wouldn’t have time to protect the king when he had to defend his own lands.
And yet, both were here. Yesterday, thanks to the Followers of Glozeysk and their information, we found out that they’d participate in the battle. We just didn’t know if Mirye decided to answer the king’s call on his own in the hopes that he’d get new territory, or if he was forced to do so by his patron. Not that his motives mattered, I was just curious. As for the other duke, he managed to be in two places at once — part of his army was still fighting in the Great Steppe, so he brought only the cavalry with him. He wouldn’t have been able to come to the battle in time otherwise.
Separated or united, they posed no particular threat to us. What did worry me, however, was the fact that we’d have to fight them while being under the fire of Longera’s defenders. We could’ve attacked the dukes before the battle had begun, but we didn’t know where they were hiding. Not to mention that we could’ve been ambushed while looking for them.
So that’s why we decided to attack and scout the area around the city at the same time. We were ready to fight off an attack from the flanks at any moment, which was exactly what was happening right now.
“It’s beautiful. Decay damn them,” Una muttered quietly, looking at the battle that was raging below.
“I agree,” I managed to say before either Horn or Tiara started arguing with her.
It truly was an impressive sight to behold — thousands of people endowed with various “magical” skills were tirelessly attacking each other. From where we stood, the battlefield looked like a rave due to colorful visualization of skills. There was black smoke, lilac sand, jade arrows...
Despite having a role, I still felt uncomfortable standing aside and watching as if I was at a concert, relaxing and enjoying the show, or a football match, rooting for my favorite team, or even a boxers’ fight, in which I had bet all of my money on the victory of one of the fighters. No. This was war. People were dying. The future of the entire world depended on the result of this massacre. How could anyone feel relaxed here?
Standing idly was both nerve wrecking and extremely tiresome. I would’ve felt much better if I was fighting alongside my men. Instead of waiting for the others to realize our goals, it’d be much easier for me to participate in their realization. I wasn’t bloodthirsty. It just felt wrong to use others to do all the dirty work.
That’s why waiting was so agonizing for me. Time seemed to be moving painfully slowly. An eternity seemed to have passed since the beginning of the battle. It felt like a turtle could’ve traveled the entire Longera in the time that it took our cavalry to fend off the opposing armies, our attackers to get to the gates and our demolition crew to blast them open.
“The fight... is getting... to the next... stage...” the Bat wheezed with an effort.
“Losses?” I asked composedly.
“Within... the expected... amount...”
The Bat fell silent. Watching the main part of our troops storm the city, we were in no hurry to break the silence. To get into the territory of the castle, you had to get through five gates. We were only at the beginning.
“Decay take them!” Omarh cursed and turned to Horn. “I understand you, sir! Waiting is unbearable...”
But we had to wait. Another eternity seemed to have passed when the Bat announced that the second gate had fallen.
“Finally!” Horn exclaimed at once. A little more and he would’ve rushed into the thick of it, unable to hold it anymore.
“Let’s move!” I shouted without delay, not wanting to give Horn a chance to act upon his instinct.
Vella set off at maximum speed. As her canine friends were fighting, she, too, wanted to join the battle as soon as possible.
The enemy troops had finally retreated. The outer walls had already been cleared of the defenders, so no enemy stood in our way.
So much blood had covered the grass, making it slippery and forcing Vella slow down to keep her balance. Going round the mutilated bodies and jumping over them, she had to watch where she put her paws, lest she risked falling into a hole left behind from an explosion or spell.
We rushed into the city. The first thing we saw were buildings, some destroyed, some splattered with blood, and cobbled streets littered with corpses of people, horses and Wolves. There were drains along the roads everywhere in Longera, and it wasn’t rainwater that was running through them now.
“Let’s hurry!” I said even though there was no need to rush. We had enough time before the next stage.
We heard the sound of the battle ahead. I wondered whether we should go there or not.
“Kane?” I poked the “sleeping” Bat, and sent a little bit of my energy into it. The Bat perked up and its eyes cleared. “How are things?”
“Fights... between the first... and... the second... rings... The main... battle... between the second... and... the third...”
I wished Kane wasn’t so much against using Horn for communication as he’d be able to give us a more detailed and coherent report through him. Though, it was possible that he was uncomfortable with controlling human beings like that. I was sure that Horn was grateful to him for that.
“Losses?”
“Within... the expected amount... For now... Turn... left...”
For now? Not liking what I was hearing, I turned left. The others followed. The Bat reluctantly soared into the air and was now showing us a way around the fighting groups. Glancing at the corpses and peering ahead, I thought about how good our plan was. Just crushing one gate after another would’ve never led us to the king. Each wall had archers, and there were a lot of enemy soldiers guarding the streets. And our enemy grew more and more powerful the closer we got to the center of the city.
“We knew what we signed up for, Ken,” Una said out of nowhere, riding to the left of me. “Death and all.”
“I doubt that the peasants fully understood what attacking a capital is all about,” I said, seeing familiar faces among the dead.