Harpiscon itself sat on top of the largest river in the region. Tributary rivers from Anceston and the nearby foothills joined together to the east and ran through the town. Despite the town’s relatively small size, a massive stone bridge split it in two. Watermills sat on both sides of the river, powering sawmills, grain-mills, textile production, and other hydraulically powered means of production.
In short, Harpiscon was important to the region. An industrial powerhouse that supported the nearby farming villages. A strategically important military outpost given its walls and placement on the river. It was also the last major defensive outpost that Compagnon held other than its capital, Aretiers.
“They look busy,” Fara said. She kneeled atop a tree, her blue eyes glowing as she monitored the enemy.
“They must know that Grigor attacked the other strike force,” Rys replied.
They’d received word from Grigor that his attack was underway. Given what they saw here, Rys had been right to anticipate an immediate counterattack by Compagnon.
Fara jumped down and approached him. The other infernals were moving into position nearby, preparing to launch an ambush or deal with any scouts. Less than half-a-mile lay between them and the outer wall of the town.
“What would you have done if you were still trapped inside the mansion?” Fara asked.
“Summoned more infernals. I told you,” he said. “The power I’m using right now could have been used for that.”
“Would it have been enough?” she asked.
He stroked his chin. “It depends on how many infernals I would be willing to risk. Most likely, I would have summoned another demon prince like Grigor.”
Fara stared at him. “Another one?”
“I know a few.” One, really. But he was big enough to count as several demon princes, in Rys’s mind. “Not as strong as Grigor, but he would have gotten the job done.”
“Why wait, then?” Fara laughed. “Or did you want to leave the castle that badly?”
“That was on my mind. But the longer I put this off, the harder it might become. There’ll be a problem that only I can solve, and I won’t be able to mess around for a day to find out how to leave the mansion,” he explained.
“Fair. It’s nice to know this wasn’t some crazy plan of yours. It felt a little desperate,” she said.
Compagnon’s mercenaries continued running around in front of the town. They didn’t appear ready to move anytime soon.
Rys assessed the situation with a critical eye.
Most of the civilians remained in the town, but the people loading the wagons looked like innocents. Hurting too many of them or burning down the town would hurt his image of a “savior” who was driving Compagnon out of the region.
If he went in hard, he’d be doing Compagnon’s work for them. They’d scream about his infernals and turn public opinion against him.
Archers and mages stood on the walls, along with what appeared to be town guards. Although the guards were complicit with Compagnon, Rys assumed they’d surrender. Otherwise, they’d be collateral damage. Someone who took up a weapon wasn’t an innocent.
The keep appeared to be occupied solely by mercenaries. Several heavily armored knights controlled access through the external gatehouse, and his Malakin reported that the commander was giving orders from the courtyard.
Most of Compagnon’s soldiers gathered outside, however. Dozens clustered in front of the wagons, wearing plate armor as they sharpened their weapons. They appeared to be veteran soldiers.
“If Compagnon can buy soldiers this good, why haven’t they conquered the region sooner?” Fara asked.
“The same reason I’m not sending Grigor around to tell everybody that I’m in charge,” Rys said drily. “Taking land by force creates rebellion. Killing soldiers leaves behind children that want revenge. Stealing the land from nobles means you have influential and intelligent enemies who can escape to other nations.”
“You don’t seem worried about that,” Fara pointed out.
“There’s a reason I’m asking you and Grigor to kill or capture everybody that opposes me.” Rys looked at her.
Fara grimaced and looked away. “Right. We… need to have a conversation about that later.”
“I expected a more vitriolic reaction from you.”
“I’ve had more time to think about what I’m doing. And about you.” She sighed. “Anyway, if we kill every mercenary here, they’ll still have children who oppose us, won’t they? You can’t stop that.”
“No, I can’t. But you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, and you can’t conquer someone or something without making enemies. That’s life,” Rys said.
“Only you’d compare violent conquest to cooking.” Fara raised an eyebrow as she watched more soldiers mass in front of the wagons. “Do you cook, by the way?”
“I can make an omelet.” He smiled when she looked at him.
“Please don’t tell me that was some sort of violent joke…” Fara trailed off. “It was, wasn’t it?”
He winked at her, then raised a hand. “I have some cooking to do here.”
“You’re the worst.” But Fara smiled as she shook her head. “A frontal assault?”
“No, there are too many mages on the walls. And I want to minimize damage to the town. I think we can lure them out if we bombard them from afar. We’ll have the range advantage if we lob hellfire at them from here, and you can summon barriers, can’t you?” Rys asked.
“I can. I’ll let Margrim know and move everybody into position,” Fara said.
Within a few short minutes, everything was ready.
Rys stepped out of the forest. The mercenaries didn’t notice him.
Then he began casting an infernal ritual. A circle of red light lit up the night, and every eye in the clearing turned to him.
“The demons!” a mage called from the walls. “Now!”
That response gave the impression that they were prepared for Rys to attack. When arrows and spells rained down on him within seconds, disappointment welled up within him.
He’d hoped for a trap or some sort of impressive ritual. Instead, they just threw all of their firepower at him.
Behind him, Fara cast a barrier. An invisible wall of force blocked every arrow and spell flying toward him.
Rys continued to cast. As a dramatic flourish, he yawned.
More arrows rained down on him. The workers near the wagons ran for the walls as the soldiers formed ranks. A shimmering barrier of light appeared in front of them.
How cute. They thought he was going to throw hellfire at them.
When his ritual finished, Rys raised an arm into the air. He clenched his fist and flames burst around it.
A moment later, a pillar of flame incinerated every soldier that had formed up in front of the wagons. When the spell cleared, all that remained were a few motes of light.
Plus a few limbs and some equipment that had been on the edge of the flames. Rys made a note to tweak the spell for the future, as he hadn’t provided enough power. He was still adjusting to his current restrictions under the seal.
The rain of arrows and spells ceased. A lull fell over the clearing.
“If Harpiscon surrenders and hands over everybody working for Compagnon, I won’t need to do that again,” Rys called out.
The ritual lit up beneath him again for effect.
Screams erupted from the workers. They banged on the doors of the front gate, which was closed. Mages and archers flew into a panic, many running away. Some shouted after those that fled.
A roar came from the keep. It was joined by more shouting, and soon dozens of knights charged down the hill. More soldiers joined them, including a few of the town guards.
Rys didn’t stick around. He stepped back into the forest. Balls of hellfire exploded behind him, as Margrim and the Ashen bombarded the mercenaries.
The knights were sturdier than the other mercenaries, however. They barged into the forest, bat
tle cries escaping their lungs. Their enchanted armor glowed as they walked through the Ashen’s flames.
More soldiers followed them, although their screams of pain made it clear that their protection was far weaker.
The moment the knights got close enough, the demons burst out from the shadows. Some leaped from trees, others from behind shrubs. The result was the same.
A mass of demons met a company of knights.
Rys led them. His axe glowed red with infernal energies. The commander of the knights led the charge. His dark blue armor looked especially thick, and his halberd glowed with runes. Rys recognized the runes from his knowledge Gift. They were commonly used by humans in rune-crafting, and amongst the least powerful runic languages.
The commander’s halberd exploded into shards upon contact with Rys’s axe. Rys refused to let the commander regain his footing and blasted him with hellfire at point blank range. His armor ceased glowing within an instant as Rys’s raw power overwhelmed the enchantments. Not even a scream escaped the commander as his body disintegrated inside his armor.
Around Rys, the demons cleaved apart the other knights. Some demons went down, as these were dangerous foes. Fara crushed helmets with force blasts and twisted arms at impossible angles. The Lilim whisked away what demons they could from the rear, but were careful to avoid danger.
Within a few short minutes, the battle ceased.
Flames crackled nearby before the Ashen put them out. Bodies littered the clearing, some groaning in pain. The demons efficiently checked the wounded and finished off any that were too hurt to be easily healed by the Lilim. The rest were tied up to become prisoners.
Fara had already left and stood at the edge of the forest. Margrim stood next to her, hurling balls of hellfire at a few fleeing stragglers.
Not every mercenary had fallen, it seemed.
That meant the time for subtlety had passed. Compagnon knew he used demons. They’d called Rys one the moment he appeared. What they wanted was proof.
Odds were high that many of the mercenaries carried recording crystals. If even one of them escaped, they’d spread the recordings. Even without them, there’d be a huge growth in propaganda from survivors. Compagnon faced destruction now that both of their attacks had failed.
Rys stepped out from the forest, gesturing for Fara to follow him.
The gate stood open, allowing a few remaining workers to flee inside. The moment Rys appeared, it slammed shut. A man banged on the door, screaming to be let in.
Rys raised an arm, and it glowed bright red. He held it high for several long seconds. The mages and archers on the walls scattered, ducking out of sight.
The man banging on the door didn’t turn. He cried out for help.
“Oh for…” Rys cursed. “Fara, knock him out of the way or something.”
Fara batted the man to the side with a blast of force. A moment later, Rys blew the gate apart. Burning chunks of wood slowly turned into prismatic light while the guards watched on in terror.
Rys strode through the wreckage of the gate. Several town guards leveled spears at him, shaking as they did so.
He glanced at them, then raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
The noble demons assembled behind Rys and cracked their knuckles. Margrim lit up a cigarette. Fara tried not to look out of place.
Dropping their spears, the guards surrendered.
Rys twisted his head and addressed the noble demons, “Gather up all the mercenaries. Every mage and soldier that isn’t wearing a guard uniform.”
“What if they change clothes? Try to blend in?” one of the demons asked.
“A few will get away,” Rys said. “The guards will know better than to let them stay.”
The noble demons grinned and laughed, then barked orders at their weaker brethren. Soon they were wrangling the archers and mages outside of the town, and some were heading into the town itself.
“You,” Rys said, pointing at the closest guard. “You know where to find the town leaders? The mayor, any important merchants—you know, the people who think they run the place.”
“I do,” the guard stuttered. “Why?”
“You’re going to find them all, wake them up, and tell them to meet me in the keep as soon as possible.”
“I am?” the guard asked, eyes wide. The other guards looked at him and stepped away.
Rys gestured. One of the Malakin stepped out from the shadow of a nearby building and stood next to the guard.
“Oh,” the guard said. He stared in terror at the black-clothed form of the Malakin.
“Let’s go,” Rys said, ignoring the guards.
The keep was tiny. An entrance hall, meeting room, and rooms for a lord and his lover to stay. Rys sat on the far side of a cheap wooden table and kicked his feet up.
Margrim smoked near the entrance, staring out of the holes in the wall that someone might generously describe as windows. Although Rys couldn’t see her, he knew that Fara was meditating behind him.
The town’s leaders arrived in less than forty-five minutes. Rys had enough time to deal with them, but he needed to teleport away shortly.
While he could push himself for another hour or two, this was his first journey outside of Castle Aion. Risking his life was foolish.
Only three people came with the guard. The guard stood at the entrance and appeared less terrified. Margrim offered him a cigarette, which he took.
Rys guessed the three representatives to be the mayor, the guard captain, and an important merchant of some sort.
“I’ll make this brief,” Rys said, keeping his feet up. “I’m your new ruler. Compagnon are gone, and they won’t be on Kavolara for much longer.”
“So, we replace one group of thugs with another, except he has demons,” the town mayor said, an elderly woman with a stern face. “I assume you want control of the watermills as well?”
“You misunderstand,” Rys said. “I don’t care about your mills. The three of you are going to Anceston tomorrow to speak with Lady Maria. After that, you’re going to help her bring Harpiscon and the surrounding villages into her plans to unify the region.”
None of them responded. They looked at each other, initially confused. Then comprehension dawned on them. They licked their lips and stared at Rys with a mixture of terror and hope.
“You’re Lady Maria’s backer,” the mayor said.
“I am. You’ll learn more about me in the coming weeks.” Rys smiled.
The three of them took deep breaths.
“What if we refuse?” one asked. The head of the guards, judging from his uniform.
“You can either work with me or stand down,” Rys said.
They blinked at his answer.
He continued before they regained their bearings, “What I want from you right now is simple. You’re going to tell me about any Compagnon agents in the town and nearby villages. You’ll work with Maria and keep the town running happily. I imagine you’ll fix the gate at some point. Sorry about that.”
“They’ll come back,” the guard captain said. “You’ve won today, but tomorrow—”
“No, they won’t,” Rys said quietly.
Silence.
Rys frowned. “Sorry, they will, actually. But they’ll die when they do. Just ask your guards what happened to Compagnon’s army here. And, as I said, soon Compagnon won’t be here at all.”
Nods. They seemed to understand now.
“Which leaves me with one last problem,” Rys said. He lowered his feet and leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. “Some of you might have financial connections to Compagnon. Maybe some of the townspeople do. I understand. But you won’t have any when the sun rises.”
The merchant of the trio looked uncertain, but refused to say anything.
Rys looked at the merchant. “Maybe you think I can’t find out. That might be true. For now. Maybe you’ll keep it secret today. And tomorrow. And for the next few months. But one day, I’ll find out. When I do, you’ll
regret not listening to me. Understand?”
“Yes, your lordship,” the three echoed.
With a wave of his hand, Rys sent them away into the night. They might end up being trouble, but that’s why he had Maria. Adversity was a good teacher, and some disobedient political leaders might be an easy way for Maria to learn some important lessons.
Fara slipped onto the table next to Rys. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” he asked, genuinely uncertain what she wanted to know about.
“Make them obey you so easily. Until the very end, you didn’t even threaten anybody directly. I expected more ‘Do what I say or die,’” she said.
He shrugged. “The threats are implicit. I invaded the town with a bunch of demons. By ordering them around after such a huge show of force, I don’t need to hold a sword to anybody’s throat. They get it.”
“Shouldn’t they have resisted? They asked one time and then backed down instantly.” Fara scowled. “I shouldn’t be saying this, but I’m disappointed they just let you roll over them.”
“I did that intentionally,” Rys said. “When they asked what I’d do if they refused to help me, I could have threatened them. Told them I’d chop their heads off or feed them to my demons. Maybe it would have worked. But it might have sparked resistance in them.”
“Why did they give up, then?”
Rys chuckled. “You know what a false dichotomy is?”
“When somebody pretends that there are only two options, when there more or both options are possible at the same time,” Fara said. “You’re not going to tell me you won them over with the mystical power of a logical fallacy?” She glared at him.
“No. But people focus on the options presented to them, rather than those they have to imagine themselves. I offered them the choice to work with me or walk away. Naturally, they could choose a third option and try to resist me. But I’d just offered them an easy way out and their minds were focused on the simple, effortless options in front of them,” Rys explained.
“That sounds far too simple,” Fara said. “Aren’t these people who run the town?”
“They’re still ordinary people. Specifically, ordinary people with power they don’t want to lose, and lives they want to keep. If I’d threatened them, things might have deteriorated, but appearing avoiding confrontation has an almost magical effect on people,” Rys said.
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