Languished Life
Page 9
“The cavalry is coming!” An archer shouts on top of the wall.
“Cease fire! Let them handle the enemy archers!” The officer smiles.
Once the cavalry arrives, “Sir, they stopped!”
“What!?”
“They are sitting ducks out there! They were caught by surprise and can only retreat to East!”
“Damn it!” Is that it? The end of his career? The end of his life? “You there!” The officer points at a group of footmen. “Follow me! We will drive back the swines! Absolutely do not take any hostages! Slaughter them all!”
“““For glory!”””
The commanding officer leads the rest of the footmen to intercept the enemy force. Just what kind of a devil is it that leads the swines? Upon thinking about a devil, the officer remembers there’s been a rumor of the Red Demon fighting alongside with the kingdom. It’s an old folklore. Once upon a time, there was a Demon who emerged from the world of Cerphet, the Afterlife world, who bathed in the blood of mortals. If it is the Red Demon leading the infiltrators, most likely they won’t live to tell the tale.
However, it’s not a mythological being that has devised the scenario, though the officer doesn’t know that. The one behind the attack is a young girl, first female knight recorded in the history of Phyr.
As the commanding officer of the empire leads his men to fight off the swines, a messenger appears from the corner of a house, breathing heavily as if exhausted from running. “Sir, two buildings have been set in flames! They are aiming to burn down our supply!”
“Curse it! Protect the storage house at all costs!”
“““Yes Sir!”””
Before long, the soldiers of the empire clash with the guerilla unit right in front of the building that has the supply stored within. They have less than twenty knights infiltrating the town, yet they are mowing down the empire’s men with ease despite the numerical disadvantage, turning the guards into fertilizer one after another. It’s all thanks to the one leading them. The figure of their commander is small in comparison to the others.
“Amonei!” The kingdom’s commander yells.
“Inai u reas!” Another knight shouts.
The empire’s commander is enticed by the enemy commander who swings her blade with such alacrity it terrifies him. Only now he realizes that it’s a girl leading them, a young girl.
“Kill the girl! She is possessed by a Demon!” It’s the only conclusion the officer comes to. He believes that girl is the Red Demon, but he keeps it to himself, fearing he may lower the morale of his men if he blurts it.
Without any hesitation, the Red Demon ripostes after parrying, taking the life of a young soldier, using only one arm, as her other arm is wounded. She then sidesteps to dodge a strike, only to bring her sword at the man’s throat, and the head of the soldier is sent flying. Her comrades are inspired by the recklessness, whereas the men of Valoria are terrorized.
I won’t lose to a female swine! The officer aims to cut the head of the snake. He clashes swords with the enemy commander: Tenil. To his surprise, the fierce female knight backs away. As if I’m letting you get away! The officer of the empire lunges after her, determined to kill her.
“Die you swine!” He brings down his sword with deadly speed. As he does, he can see the mocking expression of his adversary. You are already dead, that’s the impression he is getting from her glare.
The officer’s sword clashes with Tenil’s, and immediately after that, he is pierced from both sides, struck down by the other knights. I... I fell for a childish provocation? The ‘female swine’ has lured him out of the fray deep into her own ranks.
The town of Renyil is thus infiltrated successfully, the storage house burned down, and half the soldiers killed, with only eight knights killed. Also, the surviving soldiers of the empire name the devil of the kingdom Ghost of Renyil. They don’t know that the Red Demon is the very same person, hence the name.
***
Tenil leads her platoon North. Her plan was a success, the plan B. At first, they were going to rush the Eastern gate while the enemy was confused, but thanks to a certain footman with keen eyes, they saw that the guards had spotted them already. They were clearly alarmed, but feigning the ignorance. Thus Tenil came up with an alternative plan. She ordered the archers to stay under the cover of trees by the road on the Northern side. In the meantime, Tenil led the footmen to the Western gate as subtly as she could.
“Count to 600, then start shooting,” Tenil told to Eloy who was in charge of the archers for the time of her absence.
Two archers were sent to East to start a wildfire near the road where the enemy patrol was riding to and fro. The idea was that they wanted to distract the cavalry. The extra minute they managed to buy with it was more than enough. They shot down most of the archers on the wall before the cavalry could arrive. When the riders came, they became easy targets for the archers because of the torches they held. They had no ranged weapons and the line of trees was too thick for a cavalry to charge through, hence the advantage.
Tenil had Lerrot with her, the sole archer in the infiltration squad. He shot down the confused guards on the wall. From there on, it was an easy climb. Eight footmen were killed during the infiltration, but otherwise, it was a successful offense. The enemy soldiers were unorganized, so they never had to clash with a big group of soldiers, not until the house where the supplies were located. First, they set two buildings on fire. The idea was that they wanted the guards to realize that they were aiming for the supply house, just so that they’d literally reveal the location for them by gathering around it. And that is exactly what happened. It was a bloody clash where eight knights were killed, but in the end, they broke through the formation and took out the commanding officer. After that, they used the lamps and torches to burn down the house. As they began to retreat, they left behind a red flag, painted with the blood of the empire’s men.
Right now, Tenil’s platoon has only one chance for survival, and that is to cross the border swiftly. Some of the riders escaped the ambush, so it’s only natural that they’re riding East to report about the guerilla attack. If they aren’t fast enough—Tenil and her unit—their escape path will be blocked by countless search parties. The only advantage they have is that rallying the men for such a mission takes half a day, if the trip to Teckton is included.
Once they’ve fled half a mile to North, they change their course to Northeast. They’re aiming to cross the border through a mountain pass. The empire’s men are at a huge disadvantage on a mountain side, for there is no person in the kingdom who hasn’t scaled a mountain even once. It’s a land of mountains and rivers, after all.
The biggest disadvantage Knights in Red have is fatigue. They haven’t had a chance to rest for long and are thus extremely exhausted. They can’t afford to clash with the enemy for longer than what a surprise attack from their side may take.
Several hours after the dawn, they actually reach the mountain range. They scale the mountain side until they get to the pass some sixty yards above ground. Up there, they stop to rest. Two knights are keeping watch, and the rest are sleeping under the daylight beside a pond in the mountain pass.
Six hours later, Knights in Red are alarmed. “To arms! The empire is hunting us!”
The knights wake up at once, and Tenil asks the reporting footman about the situation. “How many?”
“Two units, ten in each.”
“Only twenty? They must have more behind them. Everyone, you have ten seconds to pack your things! We are not stopping until we get back home!”
“““Yes, sir!”””
In a minute, the unit is up and ready to march. Both sentries have left their post. Knights in Red start fleeing at once. Barking of hounds can be heard from behind. Because of the threat of hounds, the footmen are on the rear. They have a higher chance of killing the swift animals than the archers, given that the terrain isn’t ideal for shooting.
Chapter Seven
“Demonspawn, what do you think of your life now?”
The voice of the evil speaks to her. She is starting to believe that entity is real. It’s too vivid to be an imagined entity. The surrounding scene is clearly but a dream, but not the voice. She is on her knees again, but not on the battlefield. She is in an empty space where time seems to have stopped.
“I’m not a Demon!”
“Correct. You are worse than a Demon.”
“N-no!”
The color of her skin is changing. She is becoming pale, white as the pure snow of a winter, and the blood vessels visible to eye aren’t blueish like they should be, but black as if demonic substance was flowing within. There is something wrong with the dream, but she can’t tell what it is. She can usually reshape her dreams if she is self conscious. Right now, despite her utmost effort, she can’t bring anything to the empty space with her own imagination.
“What are you!?”
“...”
The mysterious voice in the dark doesn’t say a word. Rather, it shows her its appearance. The void around her is beginning to look like a real place. Stars spawn all around her, the Sun and Moon are both in the view. But there is no land, like she was floating in an empty space, yet it is not void this time. Nay, she would call it a void, if not for the massive creature in front of her.
First of all, its size is that of a mountain. It has two heads, and, with all its otherworldly features, it looks like a human with bizarre tentacles spewing from all over its body. Although it’s a naked creature, it has no genitals whatsoever, and its skin color is gray, save its two heads. The right head is white, even radiant, but the other is black, obscure.
Neither head has a mouth, nose, or ears. Eyes they have, eyes that are gazing at her. The bright head has blue, keen eyes, while the dark one has red, bloodshot eyes. Also, the color of the tentacles slithering around in the space is according to the body part. If they derive from the dark head, they are black, if from the torso, then gray.
“What the...?”
***
Four days after the infiltration of Renyil, Tenil and her men have been named as the elites of the Royal Army. Not just that, she has been promoted to staff sergeant, Lerrot, Eloy, and a footman named Ruick to corporals. Not just that, the marshal has appointed more men to her unit. She now commands 200 knights, 90 archers, 110 footmen, which is split into four platoons. The whole Knights in Red is now a company, not a mere platoon. Four sergeants were appointed to the company to help Tenil to maintain the chain of command.
She has also been awarded the badge of honor known as the Silver Hawk. Only a few earn it, as the requirements are extreme. The colonel who thought she’d die out there hasn’t had a pleased face since the day she returned from the mission. Oreon and the others are also showing their disrespect whenever they can.
Tenil has had a chat with her father finally. She asked about her parentage, and apparently her mother’s ancestors were Bladanians.
“It’s not a big deal,” her father said.
After thinking about it, Tenil agrees with that. It’s not like the Bladanian blood would’ve affected her daily life. Her parents haven’t been hiding that fact from her for a reason. They just never happened to mention it, and that’s all.
Right now, Tenil is welcoming her new knights on the platform of the citadel of Tungon. Standing in front of the men, she gives her speech.
“Welcome to the company known as Knights in Red. I am Staff Sergeant Tenil, your commander. I may look like a boy, but I am a girl, in fact. If any of you wants to protest, then raise your hand! I will kick you out of my unit in no time,” Tenil speaks with the voice of authority. She is wearing the heavy plate armor of a footman, three stripes painted on the shoulders, and the badge attached to her belt.
Since no one raises their hand, Tenil resumes her speech. “Marvelous. You will all be part of the elite unit, Knights in Red, from this day on. As you can see, I have been awarded the Silver Hawk, and thus am bound to be tasked with dangerous missions. Most of you won’t see the end of this war, but that is a given, no matter which regiment you are part of. Also, if any of you starts complaining or behaving inappropriately during a battle, I will execute you on the spot, unless you have a good reason for the complaint. Dismissed.”
Tenil’s arm hasn’t gotten much better yet. She hasn’t told about it to her army superiors. If she did, they may replace her temporarily. She doesn’t want to be separated from her unit, fearing that she may be appointed to a unit where no one sees her as a knight. For now, she pretends she is alright.
An hour later, Tenil is dining in the canteen. Sitting alone, she hopes no one will notice her limp arm. The bandages are well hidden under the sleeves of her uniform. Yes, she now has an official uniform instead of her own clothes. For the most part, it’s black with white parts here and there, like the three stripes on her shoulders. She is wearing an armor, however, so the uniform is only partly visible.
“Oh? Look who it is!” Someone says behind Tenil’s back.
“Could it be...? My! It is her!” Another exclaims.
“Tenil the Guardian of the Gate!” Yet another fills in.
She turns around, only to be greeted by the sight of the worst trio she can think of: Oreon, Rikyl, Yuth. Her expression speaks of her contempt. She decides to ignore them.
“Silent treatment, huh?” Oreon speaks. “I’ve been thinking, what’s wrong with your arm? Ever since you returned from the mission, your left arm has been limp, eh? Could it be you got wounded?” His tone of voice is as mocking as it can get.
Rikyl follows up, “You know, Colonel Harrol doesn’t like you. If it is true that your arm is screwed, then he will seize the opportunity to strip you of your unit. No woman—much less a girl—should be in the position of a commander.”
“Guys, we can tell the colonel about it after we’ve eaten. I’d like to eat the broiler while it’s still warm,” Yuth reminds.
“Sure. See you, Tenil,” Oreon says that as he starts walking away, smiling like the devil.
***
The following day is simple enough, or at least it should’ve been. Tenil’s unit has been patrolling outside the city. The empire has been extremely passive for the past week. Their supply line has been cut off temporarily, so they haven’t been able to advance.
On the contrary, the marshal has launched an offensive, not to retake Teckton, but to exterminate the enemy troops close to the plains of Ymingor. With the superior numbers, the kingdom is crushing the enemy defense line. However, reinforcements from Teckton are intercepting the kingdom’s army. Currently, the first, second, and third regiments of the royal battalion are engaged in battle, with fourth left to defend Tungon. The kingdom will set up a strong defense line and act defensively now that they have total control over the plains of Ymingor. Trenches are being dug, barricades are built. With such makeshift defense line, they ensure no cavalry can charge through there, and infantry will have hard time if they try to breach it.
In less than a week, the empire’s main body will recover and start advancing from Teckton. When that happens, the kingdom must pull the royal battalions away from Ymingor. If they can’t stop the enemy advance in the wilderness between Teckton and Tungon, the defense line at the border nigh Ymingor will be cut off from the royal division at Tungon. Currently, the general of Tror’s brigade from North is commanding the forces at the border. Once the empire’s offense begins, it will be Tror’s army that will hold the line alone while the royal battalion fights the main body of Valoria.
In short, the kingdom must repel the empire’s army as soon as they leave Teckton, lest Tror’s regiments will be cut off and eliminated and Tungon sieged. The plan hasn’t been put in motion just yet, but from what Tenil has heard, her unit will be serving as a special strike force. She hasn’t heard the specifics just yet due to the fact that the marshal is still devising the strategy.
When Knights in Red return from their
patrol duty, they head to the citadel right away. They are off duty for the rest of the evening, and thus are allowed to leave their equipment behind as they enjoy the evening. Eloy has been suggesting Tenil should try drinking, and that’s exactly what she’ll do. Usually the bartenders don’t sell alcoholics to young girls because of moral reasons, but with the military uniform, the stripes of a staff sergeant, and the Silver Hawk badge, she is guaranteed to be served.
Lerrot has promised to join her and Eloy. He won’t drink, but he’ll watch over Tenil instead. “I don’t like alcoholics,” he keeps saying. “But I’ll enjoy a nice meal while watching over you, Sir.”
“Sure. I don’t plan to drink too much, though. I’ll just taste some mild drink,” Tenil replies.
“Then beer it is!” Eloy exclaims.
They enter a tavern in the downtown, the saloon full of drunkards and travelers eating and drinking their fill. If the war continues for a year, it is likely that the customer base will decrease due to military fundings. But for now, it’s still lively.
The interior of the tavern is gorgeous. Tungon is the second largest city in Phyr, so it’s only natural that the owner is rich. There are a few competitors who are just as powerful in business terms. The chandelier in the middle of the saloon alone is enough to convince the customers to stay for a drink or meal. Some travelers might rent a room too. The tables are made of fine timber, dark brown. The floor is made of pale lumber only available in foreign countries to South.
“One beer for the lady, and one for me too,” Eloy says at the counter.
“I can pay my own share.”
“Sir, I don’t doubt that. Just let me pay the first round, ‘kay?”
“If you insist,” Tenil replies.
The bartender has a troubled face as he looks at Tenil. “Er, are you a military officer?”
“Aye. Staff Sergeant Tenil, nice to meet you.”