V5: Chapter 11 (Patreon)

V5: Chapter 11

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Interlude: Celia

…

The plight of the conquerors reached me, and but a few weeks later, the King of Wisdom unveiled his latest accomplishment.

There it was in bold font across the front of the paper: “Conquerors form Alliance with the King of Wisdom!”

I handed it away to Justinia and shook my head.

“As always, he’s always present when the opportunity arises.” Clad in armor, I stalked forward in the battlefield with my retinue in tow. Our territory in the former lands of the Academy was under siege. Monsters and their ilk were gathering in great numbers and swelling into enormous swarms. Such was the case all over the Academy’s former territory. All who had territory felt the pressure from the tide. “Have you heard news from his settlement here? And the Conqueror’s fortress?”

“Both are holding strong. The Conquerors rallied with the news and the supplies the King of Wisdom sent. As for his own territory, there’s no sign of them wavering in their defense.” Justinia aspired to be immortal. Unlike all my other guards, she remained mortal. Her hair was a dull crimson and was tied like a braid over her shoulder. Her armor was black, and a ruby was set on the gorget that protected her neck. One of the first Champions that we have trained ourselves. “I’m afraid there’s no way that man will falter, my lady. He’s simply too prepared… and with assets that surpass us completely.”

“And, he will continue to surpass us. The Conquerors will link their Citadel with his and their boons will increase further.” I took a deep breath and directed those under my control to fire upon the creatures charging from the distance. The giant spiders screeched and howled as their carapaces failed to protect them against the guns wielded by my skeletal troops. Hundreds of terrifying creatures died in minutes, yet it was far weaker than what mere militia could do in the King of Wisdom’s lands. Those men could fire thrice as fast. “We cannot fight him. We have others we must fight now.”

“The Merchants and the Forgers?”

“Aye.” I had declared myself his rival years ago when we first met. However, I refused to entertain such delusions any longer. For the sake of my people, I couldn’t rush blindly after him and try to do the same as he did. In that path lay only disaster and death for my people. “But, think of the present rather than them. These monsters can kill our people and imperil our lands just as well as the Merchants and the Forgers can.”

“Of course.” Justinia nodded and looked upon the battlefield. In but a moment, her hand was stretched outward, and flame began to fall upon the foes of our people. Her head was covered in a helmet, but I knew her brow was furrowed in concentration behind her visor. I waited for her assault to end, resulting in a great many dead monsters and an opening for our Undead forces to exploit.

Then, I spoke to her again, while the skeletons pressed the advantage.

“Unlike the King of Wisdom, foes such as these are still problems for us. He and his people will find little issue with them.” It was a simple matter of scale. I worked with my advisors and determined the changes between a Citadel with link against one with two, after we linked together with the Wardens for the benefits and broke away from one another after. Jack had two Citadels linked together for many years. The benefits we see now from one Citadel is half of what he had, until he gained a third, and now a fourth. “He is beyond this. He is beyond us. The best we can do now is find allies and enemies. Enemies to take from, and allies to reach him.”

We could ally with the Wardens and take the remaining two Citadels in the possession of the Merchants and the Forgers. Four Citadels against four, but even that had problems. He received the benefits of controlling four now, at this very instant, while we would only reach it after years of campaigning and battle. Not only that, but the Wardens were allies with Jack first. It was more likely that they’d join him than us, if the opportunity presented itself. Although, given how much effort the Wardens have made to better relations with us… there was a certain possibility, especially if Khalai wished to retain the independence of his people.

But I set those thoughts aside, as a horse arrived close to me.

A messenger.

“My lady, the swarms are ready.”

“Good. I will set about controlling them immediately. Call upon all our forces to my position to protect me.”

“As you wish!”

The lightly-armored man galloped away to relay orders, while I took a seat and stretched out my senses, and found my people’s greatest weapon. Once, we had created it simply to act against defense against the King of Wisdom’s fearsome flying forces. While it has yet to be deployed against flying creatures, the Undead Hives proved themselves against ground targets. I took control of a dozen of the hives and through them I felt the queries of hundreds of smaller Undead waiting for orders.

The hives took power from the surroundings, and limited the amount of sensory overload that came with controlling thousands of lesser undead creatures, such as reanimated bats, birds, and the like. They were meant to be easily usable by town mages, so that they could protect the sky against airborne troops, by deploying thick swarms of Undead, wreathing them in pale flame, and use them as flying projectiles against my people’s enemies.

While none attacked us from the air, the hives proved themselves against monsters and brigands.

Each hive contained five hundred bodies of small, flying creatures. They were quick, and even if they could do no harm without the pale flames and could only do so once, they remained a powerful tool. Many monsters and bandits burned by attacks made with the hives by merely adequate mages.

In my hands, with all my control over Undead through talent and training, I could call upon thousands whilst protected.

And, so I did.

I willed them to fly forth and the skies above soon darkened with the flying shapes of Undead birds and bats. They cast a fragmented shadow upon the ground, as they became a huge flock of nearly three thousand high in the air, and once they formed a swarm they bid me for orders through the hive… and I gave it to them.

Search and destroy.

Almost like one, the small, lesser Undead swarm surged towards the monsters we fought against. With spectral forms that held their bones in place, they tried to peck at the eyes of my enemies, claw at them, or find any measure to harm.

But, in truth, they could hardly do more than distract with such tactics.

The only way that they can harm is through sacrifice at my command.

And, I gave that command.

In an instant, all the monsters died in a massive conflagration along with the ‘munitions’ we used against them.

I can only hope that weapons like these would tip the balance in our favor in the coming wars.

…

“Morgan.”

“My lord, you’re supposed to be resting.”

“Coming up with strategies and working helps me sleep better at night. Besides, I don’t go past my quota.” I was getting on in years. Almost nineteen. In a decade, I’ll have lived longer here than I did back in my original world. Naturally, I was making sure to commit everything I knew, just in case. Scarring my brain up with thousands of hours of play time hasn’t failed me yet, but having a backup was always nice. “What brings you around here? Ayah’s shift isn’t ending any time soon.”

Ayah dipped her head towards Morgan in greeting when she entered my tent.

The rest of the army was in high spirits as we made our way back.

Every town we entered on the way back had celebrations ready for us. Memorials were set up for the fallen in the classic style. Those who died and even those who got hurt were inscribed in stone and placed on a pedestal in tasteful gardens. I made speeches. These men died so we may live. They fought against horrors that would kill us all and do terrible things. The price of liberty and freedom is the blood of patriots.

The usual lines, which people ate up, drove up recruitment, especially since I allocated some of the funds we saved from the faster-than-anticipated campaign as bonuses for everyone involved.

I could’ve had medals made, or some sort of combat ribbon, but I just handed people off letters of thanks and three months of salary tax-free.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the move would work out, but I the initial reactions were favorable and a lot of the younger kids looked at them with awe.

Join up when you’re adults, children!

We kinda need anyone who can hold a gun!

But that was beside the point at the moment, since Morgan had other ideas in in mind.

“When you spoke to Crusher that day, you said something along the lines of getting everything that you want, since you already paid the price. What did you mean by that?” Morgan must’ve realized that I didn’t understand what she was talking about thanks to my tactical deployment of a head tilt. Is it overexaggerated and weird? Yeah, but I’m rich and powerful, so it’s called being eccentric and loveable. Look at me, I’m a kooky little tyrant, tee-hee pero. “You refused his offer to give his life to us through the Kingslaying rite of the Conquerors. Your reasoning for that was sound. The people who would’ve enforced it were dead or gravely wounded. However, then, though he did not say so… he offered fealty to you in completion. All of them under your banner. Why not take that offer?”

I didn’t bother mincing words.

“I told you this already. I want all their power and strength and ability. Short-term, it’d be swell if they just joined without a fuss and get taken over by us and get propped up, but they’d lose their identity.” We left the Conquerors behind with our excess of supplies, new supplies, and more, while giving Crusher sub-access to the newly-improved Citadel. All of that was good, but with their task of rebuilding, it was a fraction of what they needed. A substantial fraction, but not even half. “They’d just be a bunch of tougher soldiers manning our wall, holding bigger pikes, and casting the same spells. Maybe, stronger laborers and stuff like that. Just another citizen that produces a bit more or a soldier that can take on a bit more of a challenge. They’d lose their culture, their identity, and most importantly, their strengths.”

“We could have kept that by keeping their military officers and creating districts for them. They shouldn’t have their own separate command, even if it is under yours. It invites duplicity and power struggles in the future.” Ah, that was the main issue. Morgan had the concerns of a person of this world. I was keeping the Conquerors as a nation inside a nation. Or, maybe, it was best to see them as a ‘state’ in part of a union. My laws and edicts go over their own, but they could keep things as is. Prop them up, make them strong and prosperous, and link them with us inextricably through trade, laws, and other things of that nature. A very normal approach from my world. Not much here. “I understand that they have the strength and power that you desire, and I agree that they are powerful… but I feel you are allowing them too much power.”

It's best that I address her concerns.

“If they misuse my trust, I’ll have anyone older than twenty killed. Those between ten and twenty will earn freedom through military service.”  I inked out the decree a night or two after my last talk with Crusher. I had to. Civil wars events were a thing in the game. The best solution to them was singular, brutal, unforgiving, and horrifying, but it was what stopped neutral armies from jeopardizing victory over the rest of the planet and all the horrific designs the rest of the world had for us. “The rest will be raised the remaining in education camps where they’ll learn only what I want them to, and wipe away all memory of them from history.”

It was complete cultural genocide coupled with near-eradication of the enemy faction/race that starts the civil war.

I’d written it down and signed off on it now, just in case a caught a bad case of ‘empathy,’ ‘understanding,’ and ‘common decency,’ in the future and lost sight of the fact that losing meant an eternity of suffering.

Sorry, future-me and all my possible future-friends, but I’d rather have moral dilemmas at a ripe, old age in peaceful retirement than the alternative.

Which is to silently scream into the void, incapable of growing mad or ever finding a moment of rest, as a hybrid between furniture and blood bag.

Yeah.

Sorry, guys, gotta sign off on this decree, just in case!

Morgan blinked several times as I offered her the paper, but soon enough she took it and pushed up her massive glasses. With how her head was craned down, the light passed through the lenses and made them clear, rather than clouding them over. Her eyes were a dark and deep blue. Strange to think that in the future they’ll be glowing blood red and casting spells that’ll make non-champions explode. Honestly, I wouldn’t believe it, if not for the name, all the nonstop successes, and being talented at everything and anything.

Man, why did she have to be the Demon Lord?

I’d love to give her an army and just have her go around cracking heads, but giving her a starting army that she’d keep alive and raise up and who might introduce sleeper agents into the rest of my armies… was stupid.

Why can’t you be a normal Champion?

Anyway, she handed me back my decree, which I resealed into the letter for future use, and she seemed deep in thought.

I moved to get back to work on putting down strategies on how to put down naval invasions when Morgan spoke again.

With a very deep bow, and a big, wide smile filled with… relief?

Huh, now that I think about it, she’s always had a bit of a furrow in her brow until now.

“Well, then. That’s handled as well as it can be!” Morgan seemed chipper now. The way she talked seemed to have a pop to it. Spirit. Like she went from being a soda without bubbles to one  bursting with them, if that made any sense. Nope. It didn’t. “Well, I’m a bit pooped, so I’ll go take a long, long rest! I’m going to sleep like a log, heh! You wouldn’t mind if I take one of the spare chairs here, right?”

“No. It’s fine.” The hell is going on? Am I being gaslighted? I have so many bad feelings about this that it’s not even funny. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks, Jackie! See you tomorrow!”

And, like that, she’s snoring away in a spare chair in my tent like she’s just finished fighting a whole war by herself.

The fuck?