The Soul Engine Ch. 30 (Original Fantasy) (Patreon)

A/N: What's up with this army, yo?

EDIT: Scheduling broke again, enjoy the chapter an hour early, lmao. Jfc Patreon.

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As soon as he and Bula have untangled themselves from one another and fixed their clothes, the four of them all rush out of the training room and to the tower’s closest balcony. Clinging to the railing, Mikael looks out into the distance… and indeed, there on the horizon is what can only be described as an army approaching the city. They’re coming down the main road in and out of Alether from within the Kingdom of Ocreatha. So it’s not an invasion force from Zuveria, at least.

… But that means its likely a peacekeeping force sent by Ocreatha, right? Except… isn’t this fast? Mikael is just some poor schmuck from Earth so what does he know, right? Is what he would say, if he didn’t have a bunch of dead soldiers in his head, confirming his unease. For an army the size of what he’s seeing to be approaching Alether, one of a few things had to be true. Either they’d started marching weeks ago… or they’d been very close by.

As more and more of the army fills the horizon, the large van slowly starting to spread out as they get closer and closer to the city itself, Mikael looks to his companions, trying to gauge their reactions. Avina looks stricken, Thayla looks like she’s trying to put on a brave face… and Bula looks excited. Not in a ‘oh she was actually a triple agent and is excited that reinforcements are about to arrive’ sort of way, but more in a ‘battle junkie, bloodlust’ sort of way.

… It said a lot about this new life he was apparently now living that Mikael could tell the difference in the half-orc’s facial expressions already, he supposed. Still.

“Isn’t this too soon? Where did this army even come from?”

Thayla nods, having clearly already thought about that herself. Bula frowns slightly, looking about as contemplative as she can possibly get as she takes his words into consideration. But Avina… Avina scowls.

“You’re right. And not just too soon… this army… it shouldn’t even exist.”

Mikael blinks at that, even Avina’s scowl becomes more and more pronounced.

“Ocreatha doesn’t have a standing army. It never has. For such a thing to exist, for there to be a Royal Army… it would be too much of a threat to the Council of Lords. So even when there was still a Royal Family, they didn’t have an army. Just a Royal Garrison. And after the Royal Family were all killed, well, the Council of Lords wouldn’t have let the Regent-Lord muster his own army. I don’t… this shouldn’t be possible. I don’t know where they even came from.”

Avina’s words ring with conviction. As the only Ocreathian Native among the four of them, they sort of have to take her word for it. That said…

“No army? But what if the Zuverian Empire were to invade?”

His Soul Mechanic shakes her head, but it’s Thayla who fields that one, speaking up from off to the side.

“Ah, that’s unlikely to happen, Sir Mikael. Even ignoring that relations between the Kingdom of Ocreatha and the Zuverian Empire are currently quite strong… the Empire has far more pressing matters to attend to. So long as the orcs of the Savage Lands that line Zuveria’s opposite border continue to encroach on Zuverian lands and force conflict, the Empire will remain tied up in defending against those monsters. Ah, no offense Bula…”

The half-orc shrugs her shoulders and snorts derisively.

“None taken. The Savage Lands are indeed filled with monsters. Both orcs and other things. Zuveria does well to stand against the onslaught. You should be proud of your people.”

Blinking, looking surprised by the brash, blunt compliment tossed her way, Thayla straightens up and smiles.

“I am. But… thank you.”

Bula just huffs and nods before turning her gaze back to the encroaching army, an air of expectation about her. Mikael, meanwhile, feels nothing but trepidation, even as Avina finally speaks up from the side.

“This is the Council of Lords. Has to be. One of them was probably speaking to Zadicus Quinn through that skull we saw him communicating with. While the Kingdom has no standing army, the Lords each have their own separate levees that they can call upon, as well as knights in their employ. This though… this is too much. Some group within the Council of Lords must have been planning this for quite some time. With an army this large, they could overthrow the Regent-Lord and the rest of the council and install one of their own as the new King.”

That made a terrible amount of sense. Ugh, politics. Mikael didn’t really think he had the head for it. He probably hadn’t had the head for it even before being yanked into this world. But he definitely didn’t have the head for politics now. Sure, he had a few good orators swimming around in his fractured psyche… or at least, he had a handful of memories of leaders on battlefields giving speeches right before the battles themselves went underway.

Though, there was one thing that didn’t make as much sense.

“If all of that is true, then why come here to Alether? Why bring such an army to a border city, rather than whatever Ocreatha’s Capital is?”

That brings Avina up short for a moment, her face scrunched up almost cutely in thought. Then, the freckled young woman’s eyes come alight with understanding.

“It’s a test run. Alether is without a Lord right now, and thus without any easy way to contact the rest of the Council of Lords. They can use their army to stamp out the rebellion here in the city while at the same time giving their army some much needed experience. And then they can turn it on the rest of the Kingdom. No one will see it coming.”

Mikael’s eyes widen at that. Thayla’s do as well, before the Knight of the Rose scowls angrily, her brow furrowing.

“What? After everything Zadicus Quinn put the people of this city through? They’re just going to sweep it all under the rug and crush the people here, just as they’ve finally freed themselves?! Surely not!”

Sighing, Avina nods.

“Zadicus operated with the approval of the Council of Lords. I’m not saying they all knew what he was getting up to here, but whoever was on the other end of that skull definitely did. And they approved of it. All of it.”

Thayla grimaces at that, falling silent as she grips down hard on the railing, looking out at the approaching army. More and more details can be seen at this point. Each soldier is wearing the same set of shiny armor. And they’re marching in lockstep too, in a way that Mikael’s experiences tell him means they’re quite disciplined at the very least.

Though… something niggles at his mind. An idea that has him turning to Avina.

“They think there’s no Lord here, right? Because they somehow sensed Zadicus’ death. But you have the Lord’s Ring. You could contact the Council of Lords and let them know what’s happening here, right?”

Avina’s eyes flicker down to the ring she’s wearing, the ring that’s allowed her to keep them safe behind the Lord’s Tower these past several days as the city around them descended into anarchy and mob justice. She hesitates for a moment before shaking her head.

“That’s not a good idea. We have no clue which of the Council of Lords is complicit in all of this, after all. And even if I were to contact them… they’d be expecting Zadicus, not me. They wouldn’t give me the time of day. No, we only have one choice at this point. We need to run. Flee the city before the army begins their attack. We’ll have to flee into Zuveria, but it’s our only chance.”

Thayla suddenly looks interested in that idea, but she’s also torn enough that she doesn’t immediately speak up against it. Bula, on the other hand…

“What?! And miss such a glorious battle?! We should stay and fight!”

Avina gawks at the half-orc for a moment before letting out a laugh of disbelief.

“Us and what army, Bula?! Look, you might be a half-orc warrior and have more than enough strength to take on a dozen human men, but that’s not a dozen! That’s THOUSANDS! Maybe even tens of thousands!”

Mikael stiffens, ready to step in if Bula takes offense to his freckled Soul Mechanic all but laughing in her face and questioning her combat prowess. But far from being offended, Bula just snorts again and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Hmph. The people of the city have had a taste of freedom now. They will fight for it.”

Rolling her eyes, Avina shakes her head.

“They’ll die for it, you mean.”

But Bula just grins a savage grin.

“Yes. And while their deaths distract this army, while they fight their way through the streets of the city… Mikael grows stronger. Each kill fuels his power, yes? This is how he overwhelmed me in the arena. So long as they do not know to gang up on him, Mikael could slay that army. With our help.”

… Savage. Mikael has to keep reminding himself that Bula is not a ‘good person’ by his Earth sensibilities. She’s not just a fighter, she’s a warrior. A bloodthirsty one at that.

When silence falls, Mikael can hardly believe it. Thayla at least has the good grace to look a little sick at the thought but doesn’t raise any protest. Avina, meanwhile, looks as though she’s contemplating it! Never mind that Bula’s plan involves letting most of Alether sacrifice themselves as a distraction! It also involves Mikael killing thousands upon thousands of people! Soldiers, yes… but they’re still people!

He opens his mouth to shut it down himself before Avina can agree with Bula… however, he doesn’t get the words out in time before something else happens. All of their attention is suddenly torn away from each other as a massive illusionary projection suddenly rises from the ground outside of Alether until its towering over the city.

No… rather, HE towers over the city. An elderly statesman with white hair and a white beard, wearing very important-looking robes, suddenly looms over Alether. There’s a surprisingly kindly smile on his face, even as he reaches up to adjust the small spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose.

“Greetings, People of Alether. For those who do not recognize me, I am Foss Sangrey, Regent-Lord of Ocreatha.”

Mikael’s eyes widen and he shoots a glance at Avina, who is just as wide-eyed. Though she at least spares a moment to give a mute nod in confirmation that this is indeed Foss Sangrey, as far as she knows. But then… how did that change their theories? How did the Council of Lords’ puppet ruler wind up here at the head of an army?!

Spreading his arms wide, Regent-Lord Sangrey lets out a rumbling sigh, looking like a well-dressed disapproving Santa Claus as he shakes his head.

“I and the Council of Lords have been informed of the situation here in Alether. A situation caused by the monster Zadicus Quinn. Traitor to our Kingdom, criminal and slaver, I can assure you, the Council of Lords does not condone his actions. They were reprehensible one and all. It is good that he has faced justice and been executed for his crimes.”

Wait, what?

“In light of Zadicus Quinn’s widespread evil, it is the decision of the Council and myself as your Regent-Lord that nobody within the bounds of Alether shall be held responsible for their actions in the last week. I offer you all a blanket pardon so long as you lay down your arms and do not fight the soldiers under my command. This army is not here to add to your grief… but Alether must be put to rights. Please… allow me the chance to make things right.”

It all happens so fast from there. The city gates are thrown open and Mikael honestly has no clue if it was the remaining City Guard or the rebels who did it. Either way, the Regent-Lord’s army flows into the city… and from the balcony where they stand atop the Lord’s Tower, Mikael can see people setting down their arms, returning to their homes, and effectively surrendering on the spot.

No fighting erupts, causing Bula to grumble at Mikael’s side. Even the battle-hungry half-orc realizes that they can’t fight an army that large with just the four of them. Without Alether’s population to provide a distraction, her incredibly bloody plan was nixed before it could even begin. Mikael feels a bit relieved that he doesn’t have to be the one to rain on her parade. That said…

“Avina? Didn’t you say Foss Sangrey was a decent man? That the Council of Lords were just using him?”

Grey eyes wide as the pale, freckled Soul Mechanic stares down at the army still pouring into the city, Avina hesitates for a second before nodding.

“I… yes. Before he was Regent-Lord, he was the Royal Family’s closest ally, a staple in the King’s Court. He was… he was always a kindly sort of man. Or at least, that’s what I heard. Maybe… maybe it’s okay? Maybe everything is fine?”

Mikael’s eyes narrow at that. There’s a lot of little things that he’s ignored since they met, but it’s becoming harder and harder to just pretend they aren’t there. Like just now, when Avina had to tack on ‘or at least that’s what I heard’ after describing Foss Sangrey as a kindly sort of man in a fashion that almost spoke of… personal experience.

He’d told Avina that he would give her time to fully come clean, but this…

Before Mikael can decide what to do, the choice is taken out of his hands. Out of Avina’s too. On the balcony railing right in front of them all, a much smaller illusionary projection of Foss Sangrey appears. The Royal Santa Claus lookalike shimmers into view, causing all four of them to immediately pull back in surprise. Then… he looks at them. Right at them, clearly able to see them all as he fiddles with his spectacles some more.

In the end, the Regent-Lord’s eyes focus on Avina in particular, even as she freezes in place.

“Ah, Princess. You have no clue how happy I was to find out you were still alive. Not to worry, I’ll be with you very shortly. The retaking of the city seems like it won’t take very long at all. Oh, and I see you’ve already used your Royal Bloodline to attune to the Lord’s Ring! Wonderful, simply wonderful. Please prepare for my arrival. We’ll have tea within the hour, just like the old days!”

And then, just as quickly as he appeared, the little illusionary projection disappears, vanishing with a faint pop. The larger projection remains in place but seems to be some sort of recording at this point, because he doesn’t speak any longer. He just smiles down at the city in a grandfatherly, kindly way, watching as his army takes Alether without a single drop of spilt blood.

Mikael, on the other hand, only has eyes for Avina. But then to be fair, so do Thayla and Bula. The newly identified Princess blushes and bites her lower lip under their intense stares.

“I… I can explain.”

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A/N: See you all on Monday! :D

... and to make sure you don't all lynch me for another weekend cliffhanger, I'll let you know this much; Monday is going to be the first different POV of this fic. Specifically, it's going to be an Avina POV!

Leave a Like if you enjoyed please, and be sure to let me know what you think!

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