by Michael Sisa
“Let go, bastard!”
While supervising the creation of the tower, a commotion broke out nearby. Several defeated soldiers, their hands cuffed and their bodies battered, were being dragged by the Third Army toward the dungeons of the Lord’s Castle, where hundreds of defeated soldiers were currently being held.
“Damn barbarians! Don’t you know who I am? I’m a captain of the—”
“—Shut the fuck up!” One of the soldiers kicked the defeated soldier in the stomach, effectively making him shut his mouth. He saw that their commander, Lark Marcus, was nearby and staring at their direction. He bowed his head in apology before dragging away the rest of the captives.
Anandra, who had been standing quietly next to Lark, spoke, “My Lord, what do you plan to do with the captured soldiers?”
Lark had been deliberating what to do with them for now. Surprisingly, the number of soldiers who surrendered was high. Thus, there were currently over five hundred soldiers locked up underground.
“Half a piece of bread per day, five sips of water. Give them just the bare minimum to survive. They will be useful later on for negotiations with the Empire.”
Living under such a state for weeks would surely sap the strength of anyone, even trained knights. There was no shackle more effective than that for these captives. As for those capable of magic, and the very few knights they encountered, Lark decided to kill them right away.
Lark did not want to risk even a very slim chance of a break out.
He called out the leader of the supplies team. For some reason, she was nearby and immediately answered his summons. He inquired about the storage room located in the basement of the Lord’s Castle, right next to the dungeon.
“Commander,” she said, holding a stack of documents in her hand, “we haven’t finished combing through the entire storage room, but based on what we’ve seen, there should be enough food stocked in there to last us one additional week.”
“Good work.”
It was good news. With this, they’d have more leeway in their plans. But there was also the First, Marcus, and Yorkshaire Army to take into consideration. If those three armies gathered here in this city, their current supply wouldn’t even last them a month. Hopefully, the Baron and the other commanders had managed to secure enough rations for their own armies.
Now that he thought about it, he had been unable to contact the Baron. He was still able to send telepathic messages, so the artifact should be working fine. The only possible conclusion was that the Baron was currently in a situation where he was unable to use any magic, or use the artifact for some reason. Had he lost consciousness? Or worst-case scenario, was he dead?
Unfortunately, Lark had no way of finding out.
A voice broke Lark out of his thoughts.
“Is that… a magic tower?”
The leader of the supplies team asked, her voice filled with curiosity. Her eyes were gawking at the sight, as though this was the first time she had seen several men working to construct a building.
“You have keen eyes.” Lark looked at her suspiciously. “I haven’t told anyone yet what we’re making. How did you know that it’s a magic tower?”
She was clearly flustered upon hearing the question. With stuttering voice, she replied, “I-I’ve seen the towers at Lion City! T-They look really… similar. So I assumed that we’re building those same things here, Sir.”
There were several differences, but it did look similar to the towers constructed in Lion City. Lark decided to accept her reasoning for now. But just to be sure, he would let the two assistant leaders of the supplies team continue to keep an eye on her.
Lark could not feel any hostility and malicious intent toward her, and she was very capable of managing the supplies, but she was arousing his suspicion. If needed, Lark would strip her of her position in a heartbeat. But for now, he needed her skills. There was a limit on what he could do on his own, after all.
“That’s right. It’s a magic tower,” Lark admitted.
The woman’s eyes widened for a moment.
“Tell me, what do you know about them? I heard that aside from the City of Magic, no other place has been able to develop them,” said Lark.
The woman’s face turned serious. “I read about them back when I was still a student.”
“Oh, you’ve studied in an academy before?” said Lark.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Based on the books, magic towers are relics of the past era. From an Empire more than a thousand years ago. An Empire capable of turning the entire continent upside-down. An Empire of Magic capable of waging war with dragons. But the Cataclysm happened, followed by the Descent, leaving the entire continent devastated in its wake. Even the Magic Empire was unable to survive the two calamities that befell this land. Unfortunately, the towers and the method of creating them was lost along with the fall of the Empire.”
Lark suppressed an incredulous look from showing on his face. He had not expected to hear something which he failed to find in the library in Lion City.
“If it’s been lost, then how did Wizzert City manage to create those things?”
The woman shrugged, as though it was none of her concern. “I don’t know.”
Silence fell for several seconds.
Lark looked up to the sky. It was almost dusk. He still had a lot of things he wanted to do and prioritize, but he decided they could probably wait for a few hours. He really wanted to know more. To know what happened to the Empire he served, in his previous life.
“This Cataclysm and Descent you spoke of,” he said. “can you tell me more about them? In detail?”
***
[Yorkshaire City]
Inside his room in the Lord’s Castle, General Rizel received the report of the appearance of a large army crossing over Tagana River, just before the Highland Plains. Based on the report, the army was almost twenty thousand strong.
“A legion.” He frowned. “And just right when that damn old man went missing too.”
It had been more than a week since General Alvaren chased after an army at the northwest of the Kingdom, and General Rizel hadn’t heard from him since then. Judging by the old man’s personality, it would take some time before he came back. Not until he had hunted down his pitiable prey.
“What about the scouts?” he asked.
The soldier shook his head. “We’ve lost contact with them, sir.”
General Rizel tapped his finger on the table. He looked at the map spread before him. This map was the culmination of all the intelligence they had gathered from the Kingdom, and it should be the most accurate map they could currently find. Based on the map, it should have been impossible to reach Highland Plains without alerting the tight net they’d spread around the nearby cities in the west.
Surely, the scouts should have reported sightings of the enemies before they even reached Napam Hills. Even if the scouts had been killed, the commander of the small army stationed there had a way of contacting the nearby armies using the sigil.
But there’s not even a single message.
General Rizel could not help but arrive at a single conclusion: Their enemies had a way of bypassing the sentries they’d placed all over the region.
“The flag?”
“We believe it’s an army from the capital, sir.”
General Rizel leaned back on his chair. Finally, the capital had sent out their forces. He had been expecting them to be at least forty thousand strong, just like what was stated in the reports from spies in the Capital. But for some reason, only a little less than twenty thousand had come to take back Yorkshaire from the Empire.
“Arrogant little pricks.” He grinned.
Living this long, he’d always abided by the same rule: Crush the enemy with your entire might. There was no need to hold back. A moment of carelessness would only come and bite you in the neck afterwards. This was how he’d managed to live this long, despite the constant strife in the Empire.
As he was const
ructing stratagems on how to deal with the unknown forces, three loud knocks were heard at the door. And, without waiting for the General to give his consent to come in, the man entered the room.
His entire face was covered with sweat as he huffed, as though he had ran all the way from the gate of the city. General Rizel would have reprimanded him under normal circumstances, but he could see the agitation in the man’s eyes. He decided to listen for now.
“What is it?” said the General, a bit annoyed that someone barged into his room just like that. If this man started spouting useless crap, he decided to behead him on the spot.
“General! T-The City of Akash…” the soldier huffed, “the city of Akash fell to the enemies’ hands! We’ve received reports that the flag of the Kingdom is currently flying above its walls right now!”
General Rizel abruptly stood up from his seat. “What?”
It shouldn’t have been even a full day since their enemies were sighted near Highland Plains. Although it was near the City of Akash, it should have been impossible to capture a walled city in the span of several hours.
Just what the hell was going on?
“Get me my horse.”
The soldiers in the room looked at him quizzically for a moment, before one of them saluted and responded with a yes.
General Rizel decided to see the state of Akash and gauge the strength of his enemies. Capturing a walled city in just a day was no simple feat. He did not survive this long in an age stricken with warfare by simply sitting in his room and awaiting his subordinates’ reports.
Surely, a veteran like him would see things his scouts were unable to.
He went out of the castle, rode his mount, and went toward the gates. Five knights and seven scouts accompanied him. The soldiers guarding the gate saluted the moment they saw him.
“Open the gates. Be on guard. Fortify our defenses. I’m going out for a bit.”
Although the soldiers were hesitant, they felt uncomfortable in letting the General leave the city with only a handful of guards, they complied. Three layers of metal gate were opened and the drawbridge was unfolded over the ravine.
General Rizel disabled his magic and the white fog enclosing the entire city dissipated, revealing the dark skies above and the bottomless ravine below them.
Without another word, the General slapped the reigns and his horse sped up, his guards closely following behind. Their group pushed their mounts to the limit, not bothering to stop to recuperate. As a result, by dawn, they’d already reached the City of Akash.
“What the hell is that?” one of his knights mumbled.
They were looking at the City of Akash from a safe distance. Dozens of soldiers, clad in full plate armor, were digging, creating trenches around the walls. Hundreds of soldiers in leather armor were also helping with the manual labor, but it was apparent that most of the heavy work was being done by the ones in plate armor. The sight was surreal, since knights were never tasked with menial tasks in the Empire.
General Rizel squinted. He saw the wooden gates being fortified with metal plates. A small bridge was also being constructed, probably similar to the one used in Yorkshaire.
“After capturing the city, the first thing their commander does is transform the city into a fortress?” said the General. “Interesting. Not all Lukasians are incompetent imbeciles, eh?”
It was a decent move, since this battle could potentially drag on for months, if not years. Having a fortress to retreat to would prove crucial to the battles later on.
As they continued to spy on their enemies, General Rizel felt that something was not right. It was not the archers stationed on the walls, the ballistae erected on the battlements, nor was it the gates being fortified with iron.
The knights.
Those soldiers wearing full plate armor.
A normal knight would probably fail to notice it, but Rizel could see that their movements were crude, as though there was something limiting their every move. They were not moving like a normal human should.
Furthermore, it did not make sense that those guys would dig the ground while wearing full plate armor. Something was definitely eerie, but the General was unable to pinpoint it. It felt like they weren’t human.
The General shook off his thoughts. This place was enemy territory. He decided to think about these things once he was back to safety.
Having decided that they’d stayed here long enough, General Rizel decided to go back to Yorkshaire and formulate a plan to destroy his enemies.
He had just mounted his horse when a volley of arrows rained toward them.
On reflex, he pulled out his sword and parried the arrows. His five knights did the same, successfully blocking each attack. Unfortunately, three of his seven scouts were shot dead from that initial strike. The remaining four were wounded, with several arrows sticking out of their bodies.
General Rizel did not hesitate to abandon them. Along with his five knights, he rode through the forest nearby. But to his dismay, dozens of enemies were already waiting there. Arrows flew everywhere as they tried to escape the encirclement.
As though the enemies knew exactly where they were, ambushers would pop up in the forest every now and then. Luckily, all of his guards were skilled and easily evaded the attacks just like him.
“Annoying flies.” The old General was finally fed up.
If they wouldn’t allow him to escape this forest, then he’d just butcher them all.
Thick white fog started forming around them and quickly spread through the entire forest. General Rizel felt the presence of everyone the fog touched.
Eighty-five people.
“Eighty-five of them,” he said to his knights. “Small fries. All of them. There are just over twenty of them waiting over there right now. You know what to do, right?”
His knights dismounted and unsheathed their swords. They nodded. “Of course, My Lord.”
The General grinned. “Let’s leave a nice little present for them.”
He dismounted and took out his sword. His body faded away and disappeared into the fog.
VOLUME 4: CHAPTER 8
The fog he had spread throughout the entire forest served as General Rizel’s eyes and limbs. He could see and feel the presence of everyone clearly, as though he was standing right next to them. Eighty-five people.
It was not a bad number, considering the fact that he only brought five knights with him. But these greenhorns gravely miscalculated one thing. They probably didn’t expect that one of the two generals himself would come here to observe the captured city.
Ambushes would prove useless against him, even if these people multiplied their numbers several times.
His five knights moved to where a large group of ambushers waited and started massacring them one by one.
General Rizel decided on his first prey. A group of ten soldiers hiding in the thickets. A wisp of smoke manifested itself before them, slowly assuming the figure of an old man with a missing arm. Just this alone was enough for the soldiers to realize who the person standing before them was.
The Ghost of the Empire.
One of the two commanders of the Empire in this war. General Rizel.
“S-Shit!” one of the soldiers cursed. His legs started to wobble.
The old man greeted them by sending the head of the soldier flying in an instant. His headless body knelt down and kissed the ground. Seeing this, the rest of his comrades screamed. They all took out their swords and bows, pointing them at the enemy.
It should have been obvious. They’ve been trying to ambush an old man with a missing arm. Why didn’t the thought that it could be General Rizel come to mind?
“Little pups.” The old man grinned. “Who’s the commander of this army?”
General Rizel waited for a few seconds and after receiving no answer, his sword flickered and another soldier’s head was cut. Blood spurted out of the headless corpse. The head hit and rolled on the ground. All color drained from the faces
of the rest of the soldiers. They couldn’t move a single muscle out of fear. The old man was smaller than them, but the pressure he emitted made them hold their breath.
“How did you guys capture Akash City in just a single day?”
Another question came.
No one answered and another soldier’s head was sent flying.
With the fog covering the entire forest, the General could tell that his knights were almost done killing the large group of ambushers nearby.
He sighed.
“Too hasty.” He clicked his tongue. “They should at least interrogate these guys before killing them, right?”
He knew that at this rate, his enemies would run out before he managed to wring them dry of any useful information.
General Rizel looked at the soldiers frozen before him. He flashed his kindest smile, which was utterly spine-chilling in the eyes of the Kingdom’s soldiers.
“Look, I’m a benevolent man,” he declared. “I’ll spare those of you who answers my question. Fair deal, right?”
The soldiers’ teeth chattered upon hearing those words. It felt like the devil making a deal with mortals, and they did not even have the option of refusing the offer.
“D-Damn… Damn you!”
One of the soldiers forced his body to move despite his fear and charged recklessly at the General. Seeing this, two more of them pounced forward. To their horror, their swords simply passed through the General’s body, as though everything was made of wisp and smoke. The old man did not even bother to evade their attacks as he simply stood there with an amused smile.
“So young.” The General clicked his tongue. “So foolish.”
His sword blurred and three heads were sent flying at the same time.
“Nooo!” A woman’s voice—an archer—rang out. She nocked her arrows and fired multiple times. But just like before, the arrows simply passed through the body of the General, doing no harm.
By this time, General Rizel was close to being fed up. These guys couldn’t even answer a simple question. Maybe, he should just move on to the next group.