Another chapter, long overdue, but what can I say other than sorry and here is something to read. Now onto the next part, the Ansur Arc is coming to a close soon, in about four chapters it will be over and I will try my damned hardest to get it out as quickly as possible. Because you all deserve to read how this all goes down.
Also I really want to get to the next arc soon and the others after that.
But some good news to my Transcendence fans out there, I kicked myself up the ass and decided to write a chapter. Nearly done, hope to get the second half done tomorrow for posting. That is right, I have half a chapter done and will have the other half done tomorrow. It has been a long time coming and I am happy to be back in the saddle with that story.
Now, onto the Hand of Suffering. Enjoy.
The Hand of Suffering
Chapter 22: Personal Feelings
Coast of Mayim Cho, Port City of Adeltraud
Things have taken an unexpected turn, or they had if he was to phrase it more correctly. Such a turn had utterly derailed their plans for Eostia, if not jeopardised this entire plot altogether. The loss of Feoh and the sudden appearance of a well equipped and large army had resulted in their only major foothold in the nation being lost but also the majority of their own forces.
Current estimates show that three quarters of the Black Dogs had been wiped out, the majority of which were seasoned veterans with many having decades of experience. That kind of loss could be compared to the Tragedy of Lorain, and he would say it was the case, but the real tragedy here is that only Vault escaped alive with only a handful of soldiers. Beasley would have preferred that any other officer in Vault's army coming out alive over him.
Considering the man lost the entire city within an hour of his departure Beasley cannot fathom how it was possible. The existence of this Hand of Suffering was a major anomaly to them, how they had gathered a force this large and so well equipped boggled the mind. Even more perplexing was that they had been marshalling in the Untouched Valley, right next door to Vault and those imbeciles at Zelindo.
"I am still struggling to understand how it is possible that Vault had no idea about an army of close to twenty thousand soldiers were marshalling right under his nose." Beasley said, looking at the crystal ball, he was speaking with his colleague in Ken.
"They were farmers, peasants! How was anyone suppose to know they were this well trained!" Grissom said, the portly priest was trying to deflect this failure away from himself.
Well trained didn't even cut it, these men from what he had gathered from what reports they had from Zelindo were experts. Having the caliber of some knights, and even standing above even the best soldiers Eostia could produce. In fact one of them had apparently bloodied Alicia Arcturus in a fist fight and actually bested her. A hoodlum Alicia was not, but to take on an armoured knight unarmed and win, especially some peasant girl, spoke volumes to him. Because it proved that they were not as they seemed, they were actually more than some rabble of rioting commoners.
These people had the misfortune to be nestled between Vault, Zelindo and Ansur, all three becoming the perfect trinity of stupidity, desperation and idleness. Where most would have been annihilated, they thrived, it had spawned the wrong kind of trouble for them. This entire matter had spiralled out of control because Vault had the brightest of ideas that selling out tens of thousands of people to orcs would somehow gain the allegiance.
It started with that man doing something without thinking of the consequences. But even Beasley could not have imagined that Vault's actions could have led to the creation of a literal army of people competent and resourceful enough to topple Feoh and be on their way to doing in the rest of Eostia. But considering the kinds of people that live in that long stretch of verdant grassland, you wouldn't be surprised they raised an army out of simple farmers.
"Along with former Knights, Nobles, Commanders, and even former mercenaries, a good number of those people in the Hand likely are from the disgraced Knights of Ur." Beasley said, he read the report they gained from Zelindo, a name of commanders and leaders in the Wolf Cult. He knew a lot of those name, was familiar with many of then, having met some and heard of others.
From what he had gathered the majority of the Hand was composed of seasoned military officers that have a chip on their shoulder. The reason for their hatred towards Eostia as a whole was mostly because of the actions of his coconspirators. Who had either exiled said people there, stripped them of their privileges and honour, or even outright usurping them. Not only that, they had incited the people to rebel by oppressing them.
The Untouched Valley had been given the needed requirements to make it into the breeding ground for a rebellion.
It was all he could do to vent his irritation at the buffoon that had caused all this chaos in the first place, and he wasn't just thinking about Vault in that matter. The Cardinal had been just as useless during this whole ordeal. He was meant to make sure that nothing exposed them regarding their action in Ansur, and from what he had heard the man put in charge of the operations had failed to mention this to anyone.
Mandeville was a crafty man but he was too proud to ask for help. Now look where they were. Beasley thought he was the only man that was taking this matter seriously, for all his planning the one thing he didn't account for was his accomplices lack of intelligence and inability to share with him.
"Five years, you have been keeping much from me Grissom." Beasley stated, glaring at the orb and the nervous priest within. "Your stupidity along with Mandeville's may have doomed us all."
Honestly, he had only heard about the Untouched Valley incident a few weeks before they dispatched the Crusade to purge the region. Even then he had no idea on the true scope of what had gone down there until the Untouched Crusade returned with news of what was discovered. The only saving grace out of all of that debacle was that it uprooted the Alliance, causing it to fracture. It was a miracle that Alicia Arcturus didn't pursue the evidence found there, had her pride not held out than he likely would not have escaped with his life.
Vaults actions and poor attempts to hide his attempts to purge the Untouched Valley had nearly resulted in their entire operation being ruined. The fact they had all come out of this alive following the discovery was a miracle, but even he struggled to contain this mess after the fact. Thank the gods for small minded fools, at least the ones who didn't cause this mess mind you.
But that ruin was nothing compared to the problems before them.
"Regardless, what is done is done, focusing on the past will not change anything. We need to consider our next move carefully, this Hand of Suffering has proven to be a major threat to our operations in Eostia." Beasley said, turning to look out over the sea and trying to take in the scenery while ignoring the hollering that assaulted his ears.
The Hand of Suffering had inflicted such heavy casualties on them in only a two battles. Both instances destroyed the majority of Vault's army and cost them both Feoh and Geoff, it was a resounding defeat for them. It was near unrecoverable, even if they could rebuilt the Black Dog's numbers from Ansur and what allies they had around this nation it would still be a loss in the end. For it had been the loss of their veterans and leaders that had truly cripples them, officers and commanders he personally had slipped into Vaults ranks.
Those men had turned that bumbling simpleton into the leader and commander he was today, had he half a brain he would have realised that the ones who did all the work were his own men. With them dead the Black Dogs were left to the devices of a fool who couldn't find his way out of a maze even if the rats helped him.
"The Hand at the moment hasn't shown its true strength, if they had only taken Feoh with half their numbers, the other half is in waiting. As of now they are a threat that surpasses the Alliance at its height." Beasley stated. "The Black Dogs cannot hope to defeat them with their strength and skill alone, we have no choice but to use the Alliance against them as well."
Easier said than done, allying with the Alliance will never happen for obvious reason. The Shields were not stupid enough to consider allying with the Black Dogs to defeat the Hand. On the other hand they had proven to be quite proud in resisting any form of cooperation with the Hand, Grissom had shown that the Hand has been trying to force the Alliance to serve them. What details he could gain from the Cardinal and his other spies is that the Hand wants complete control over the Alliance.
For what reason he could not fathom, their motives and that of their leaders still eluded them. What he had heard about the recent summit had given him little to no clue about their goals, but he suspected that their demands were nothing but a delaying tactic.
The demand for Olga becoming a Shield was an obvious insult, meant to antagonise and create friction. It was obvious because she had made that werewolf lead it, which on account of Grissom had done nothing but throw insults towards the opposite party.
Likely Olga was flaunting her superiority, believing herself to be in an advantageous position, it wasn't like she wasn't ahead of everyone else. But Beasley had doubts that the demand to become a Shield was simply an insult. Current information on her was not adding up, what was known about Olga at the moment was contradicting everything they had compiled over the decades.
It was especially true when their spies reported on the state of Feoh and Geoff, what reached his ears had surprised him. She seemed to have Feoh on her side and was working exclusively with humans, even those previously aligned with the Arcturus family. The city guard and a good number of nobles seem to have joined her side following their conquest of the city, and it didn't appear to be forced.
'That is interesting…'
The Royal Family never had the support of their nation, many hated them for their arrogance and supremacist attitudes. Yet somehow the very woman that caused untold strife and chaos to that nation and its people are more widely accepted than their former leaders. A part of him scoffed at that, having served Eos for so many years he didn't find it surprising that witch was more appealing that that fool.
Still… it made him think on how she did it. Along with why… Perhaps their information on her opinion towards humans was not entirely accurate as they believed.
"I have been moving the Alliance towards fighting the Hand, but it has proven difficult." Grissom said, drawing him from his musing.
"I can imagine." Beasley replied. "As much as Celestine does not wish to treat with the Hand she has been attempting to level the playing field between the Alliance and them so they can have a better bargaining position during future negotiations."
It wouldn't work, the Hand had too much power and with how Grissom was handling the situation the Alliance would never muster the strength needed to challenge them. That might need to change however, if Alliance did not begin pushing back the Hand they might be running the risk of facing them alone. That could not happen, as they were now and how fast the Hand was moving they had little to no time to prepare their forces, they had to take the pressure off themselves.
"I presume that she has stopped all talks about facing the Hand?" Beasley asked, having heard of Celestine's recent outburst, he had hoped that maybe she would have marshalled the army to attack but instead she is pushing them towards the Black Dogs.
"She has forestalled all such attempts, only wishing to focus on fighting against the Black Dogs. I have done all I can to slow them down from marching towards Ansur." Grissom said.
It truly is strange how she is acting, usually in this state she is much more volatile and prone to outbursts of rage. He recalled Alicia even speaking of the time before the Untouched Crusade where she was like a wrathful god ready to smite them for speaking against her word. But the strangest thing was that the one thing that had spurred her to this rage was Olga, not long after her capture and then escape, causing a shift that changed her opinion on nonviolence against the Valley.
Maybe this was a repeat of those events, if they could spur her enough maybe they could force her to attack Olga out of blind rage. She was the focus of her anger, when she was captured Celestine was in a mood for many days and after her escape immediately soldiers were marshalled to attack the Valley. It didn't take much thought to see that Olga was their best hope of causing a conflict between the Alliance and Ken.
It was a gamble, but it was one they might need to take in order to succeed. Olga at the moment was gaining too much power and her influence was spreading fast enough to become concerning.
The rumours and slander against Olga Discordia have been proven to be complete fabrications. She wasn't shaping up as some power hungry, mad, human hating, witch that bathed in blood and had demons at her beck and call. No, she had proven herself to be a far worse adversary, she was a manipulative and cunning ruler, one he could almost respect in spite of her race. And in spite of that hindrance she had gained the kind of support in this nation not even the most respected and lauded of rulers could gain.
Being able to convert the people Untouched Valley to her side in spite of the orcs being sent to slaughter them. That alone was surprising, although he believed they had been enscrolled, considering that he had heard that the soldiers of the Hand have no emotions – or so it is said.
But the true surprise came when he learned about the way Olga had gained the allegiance of Feoh, in spite of the blood spectacles and slaughter perpetrated at the foot of the palace. Acts of savagery committed by the very people themselves, then corralling these weak willed and despairing individuals towards her. Truly when he heard the details he was shocked, that she could commit such an act of evil and yet become beloved by the people. Maybe it was fear that compelled them to obey, who knows, but she had done it.
He has theorised that she has been planning this out for years, having plans laid out in advance and having many more for the future. From the moment the orcs began raiding the Untouched Valley and up to the conquering of Feoh she had been instigating and using these events for her benefit.
…Or so he has come the believe.
Another part of his mind drifts somewhere else, dragged towards something that he cannot properly identify. For all his calculations and theorising he feels that his theorem is not only incomplete, but wrong.
"How is Ansur by the way? I have not heard from anyone there is some time." Beasley asked, moving the conversation along, he did not have time to doubt himself. The conundrum that rattled on in his brain was not easily solved and he could not divert too much attention towards it.
For now they had to make up for the disgraceful failure that was Feoh, if they could take the City-State of Ansur and head south they could restock on supplies and fresh recruits. They needed all they could get, and from there it would be a straight run towards Ken.
"I am unaware of any change of recent, but last I heard was that Vault has taken the city and is ferrying in troops from the North to Seaside Hamlet." Grissom said.
He had heard that the city had been occupied by the Hand some weeks ago, having gutted all of the criminal elements in the city before wrestling it away from Maia and her Company. After that he heard of how Vault had secured the from some rogue Rose Company soldiers. But nothing more had followed from that, for nine days things have been silent, what the hell was he doing? Beasley expected to hear that they were in the south and moving for Ken, instead he has heard nothing.
Only snippets from Grissom that they were still in Ansur.
Why was he wasting time like this? There was a port to the south in the Breadbasket, they should have gone there instead of stopping off into the city. He knew that securing Ansur was the best option as it bought the army time to flee to the south without the risk of being pursued. In all seriousness he wouldn't have even cared if he left the city to the orcs to control while he fled, it would have been the only good those beast served. As fodder to die.
It irked him to think that Vault's stupidity in allying with those orcs was going to be the thing that would save them in the long run. But the fact that fool was fortifying that damn city annoyed him, why was he wasting time and resources there?
That woman better not be involved.
A pulsing light drew his attention, he glanced to a second Crystal Ball. He had several in his collection of artefacts from the Old Ansur Regime, and he had shared them with several of his closest associates. One of them being a close agent in the Black Dogs, one that had been deep undercover since its formation decades ago.
"I will speak with you another time, I need to check up on our agent in the Black Dogs." Beasley said, not giving the Priest a chance to speak as he severed the connection.
Pressing his hand against the crystal ball he answered the call. As expected his agent answered, his usual cocky grin gone, a scowl marred his face along with a few freshly healed wounds.
"Hicks." Beasley said, leaning back into his chair and looking at the brown haired man. "Good of you to finally contact us, I expect some good news."
"Well, you can forget about it, things are not going well over here." Hicks said, letting out an annoyed huff. "We got a problem, a big one."
"Let me guess: Maia." Beasley said, his jaw clenching, it was always that damn woman.
"Bingo, that fucking idiot still has the hots for her." Hicks said. "The guy is staying here trying to win her over."
Beasley leaned back into his chair further, nearly sliding out of it as he pinched he bridge of his nose. This was a problem, a recurring problem mind you, he had thought this had been taken care of, how was it coming back? Now of all times? Honestly he regretted the day they didn't just have her killed off when the opportunity presented itself.
"I thought we were done with this?" Beasley said.
"So did I! I thought that he was going to kill her when he saw her! Instead the idiot caves in to her request to spare her soldiers and now he's got us working alongside them!" Hicks said.
What?
"Working alongside you? Are you telling me that the Rose Company hasn't been detained or killed?" Beasley asked, he actually felt some dread work its way into his chest, this could possibly be the worst case scenario for them.
As much as Maia was a fool for trusting Vault, although considering that the man was head over heels for her it made sense why she felt so at ease, it was the other woman they had to worry about. No one in the Rose Company trusts the Black Dogs or Vault, he knew for a fact that whatever alliance had been formed between the groups would crumble eventually. Especially if the leaders of said companies don't conform to the group.
"Yeah, and get this, he is keeping the orcs outside the city and fighting the Hand! He won't leave until he can convince her." Hicks said, disgust in his words. "And it gets even better, the asshole thinks he can convince her to join him in taking down Eostia."
Beasley took in several sharp and deep breaths, his nostrils were flaring and he felt his face heat up. He resisted the urge to lash out, that would be unbecoming of him, he would remain in control and not let his emotions run wild. But he wished so much that Aurora was here so he could beat her, something to alleviate this rising frustrations. No matter how long he has worked with Vault that bastard son of a whore never failed to infuriate him.
Of all the issues he had when controlling Vault, from his constant childish outbursts and lack of thought with whatever he did, it had been Maia that had been the most destructive elements when it came to controlling him. The damn fool didn't lust after her like a normal man, he didn't crave just her body and quim, no, what he had for her was much more dangerous.
Love.
Vault was in love with that girl, so much so that all thought and reason went out the damn window. Her presence had been a major issue, not only had she become a sort of moral compass to Vault and smoothed out some of his more destructive and vulgar tendencies but actually made him resistant to obeying them. Even the though of becoming King had become less interesting for him, the thought of glory and money disappearing.
It had been that distracting that their entire enterprise and the decades they worked on making him into a hero and legend were about to come crashing down all because of some random girl. That was how dangerous she was, how much of a threat she posed.
"I thought this was done, I put you in the Black Dogs to make sure things like this didn't happen." Beasley said.
Hicks was his best agent, having served him since he was ten, being an assassin, spy, and courier for him at a young age. Hicks was as manipulative and cunning as he was, the benefits of being trained by a politician should never be questioned, and honestly Beasley saw him as a potential successor. Although he had some tendencies that were rubbing off on him, hopefully when he dragged him away from Vault in the long run they can be corrected.
Still, he wasn't doing his job if Vault was back to fawning over Maia, after the first incident they had to make a lot of sacrifices just to get him to change his tune towards her. Considering that Maia had become a Shield and was now protected to the degree she couldn't be assassinated cleanly anymore made it clear that it wasn't the best long term solution.
"Do I look like I knew this was going to fucking happen?!" Hicks yelled.
"Obviously you have been too busy indulging yourself to pay attention." Beasley growled.
When Maia first appeared they had trouble dealing with her, mainly because Vault would not take lightly anyone touching something he cherished. He was a pawn they could not sacrifice, too many years had been put into forging him into the symbol of hope of this nation. As hard as it was, from paying off the nobles and even silencing witnesses to his heinous acts, they had put too much time and effort into him and the Black Dogs.
While Maia had improved his image slightly and curbed his less than stellar habits it also made him less controllable. She had him on a leash, and they couldn't do anything to wrestle him free from her control. Killing her wasn't an option nor was it viable to try and pay her off, if both cases failed they risked alienating Vault, so they had to try and sabotage this loving courtship.
Wasn't so hard when you thought about it, the only thing greater than his love for her was his own ego. One of the few things he inherited from his father was his own belief that a woman should never stand higher than a man. If he was challenged in any way, by a woman he loved no less, he would be heartbroken and vengeful. He had concocted a plan, one that worked perfectly, and in the end Vault hated her with a passion and Maia wasn't around him enough to be a terrible influence.
"We should have killed her back then." Beasley mused, even if they run the risk of losing Vault or causing a rift they might have been able to concoct something to keep him in line.
"You're saying that now? Didn't you want her to become a Shield so you could piss Vault off?" Hicks said.
The plan had actually been a bit more complicated than that, but in essence yes that had been the motive for it. With her becoming a Shield they played it off as if she had used the Black Dogs to elevate herself into becoming a Shield and a Queen of Mercenaries. Vault had become enraged at the thought and he was back in their hands.
Although they had worked it in to also remove Valeska from control over Ansur to allow the Slave Trade in Ansur to resume. Along with placing an inept leader in charge of that city and region, as much as the girl had good morals she wasn't exactly the brightest of individuals. That was proven when she didn't realise that the criminals were exerting more influence on the city and she did nothing about the Wildlings harassing the outer villages.
Ironically Maia and Vault were destined for each other, both of them were fools.
"There was more to it than that, and truth be told I had hoped that you would have kept the fire of hate burning after all these years." Beasley said.
"He is raping and pillaging like normal! How the fuck could I have seen this happen?" Hick yelled. "We have to kill her."
"Agreed, keeping her alive is no longer viable, even if she is a good bargaining chip we cannot use her if it interferes with keeping Vault compliant." Beasley said.
Maia would have been a valuable commodity, if they had captured her they could have used her as leverage against the Hand. They knew who her father was, and if they could have some control over him they could use it to their advantage. However that might prove to be a futile gesture, given how resourceful the Hand was it might be better to simply kill her and be done with it.
"How do you want me to do it?" Hicks asked.
"Convince Vault to do the deed, it is the only way to settle this completely." Beasley said. "Until the opportunity presents itself however I want you to move all forces outside the city and into the Breadbasket, make your way to Ken."
"Why the hell do we need to be subtle about this, enough of the sergeants are angry we are behaving around these bitches that they want to kill the guy. I can take over, let me do them both in and I will take command." Hicks said.
Beasley would have liked to agree but Vault still had an image, he held a certain presence and aura of strength that Hicks did not. Stories and tales of Vault still were well known by the people of Eostia, even with this treason he still had many who would come to serve him. It was shocking that this man had so much recruiting power in spite being a vindictive mongrel.
Given that they had moulded Vault into a leader, while he was far from the most cunning and intelligent of leaders, he was the best they had as a figurehead. Lose him and they lose whatever recruiting and rallying power they had, Vault was the symbol of this rebellion and if he fell than it would crumble along with him.
He has to stay alive, no matter how distasteful it was.
"No, we need him alive. At least for the time being, if he becomes too much of a hindrance I will give the order myself. But make sure he stays alive." Beasley said. "Just convince him to do away with Maia and leave the city."
"What about the Hand?" Hicks asked.
"That is what the orcs are there for isn't it? Leave them to fight the Hand." Beasley said. "Your priority is to get to Ken and aid Grissom in securing the city. Nothing else matters at this point."
They didn't have the numbers or resources to take on the Hand at the moment, their only choice was to take over Ken. Take the Goddess hostage, the entire city and use it to incite the people of Eostia to fight against the Hand. They already had a contingency in place to turn the people against the Goddess, and hopefully that would be enough of a rally cry to bring the people under their banner. It was the only way they would win, if they dominated the Alliance they could force them into fighting against the Hand.
"You have your orders, now do as you are told." Beasley said, swiping his hand and severing the connection.
Beasley stood up and walked to the Balcony, he couldn't remain stationary any longer, he had to think. Honestly he thought he had this all planned out, every contingency and threat assessed and prepared for. They were in the endgame now, which shouldn't have started for another two or three years, and it would have been another year after that before they would take over Ken.
Things were moving too fast, but they had no choice, when everything had been exposed and an avenue to Garan had been discovered they had to accelerate things. Yet surprisingly even after so many close calls and threats of being exposed they were proceeding almost without resistance. He thought it was a blessing from the gods, the conquest of Feoh had been a smooth and surprisingly easy affair.
Then they lost it all.
He was still reeling from the loss of the entire region, along with their army.
But a part of him felt uneasy, he was missing something. Whatever was going on with the Hand and Olga Discordia was not as it seemed. Things did not add up with her, he was missing crucial information and he needed to figure this out. If he waited too long and didn't discover the truth of the matter soon they might be doomed to fail.
Ansur Outskirts
The Black Dogs had pulled back their forces. All that was left were orcs, that wasn't so troubling, they had dealt with them more than humans. By comparison they were the easier to deal with. So easy in fact he wasn't even needed there to lead the troops, they had relegated the task to a few officers while the Acolytes gathered.
Nathan Walsh waited on the edge of their forward base, having secured several desolate villages along the edge of the peninsula. He was waiting for the rest of their forces to arrive, Valeska and the main cadre of her troops should be here soon. He along with Anuschka were sent ahead to provide some support to Fayanna and Khalid, they certainly needed it. The orcs and Black Dogs have been pressuring her forces for the last few days, made worse when she lost a chunk of her soldiers that had snuck into Ansur.
Although the direness of the situation did not affect him so, truthfully he did not think the current state of the battle was that disadvantageous. While their initial plans had been ruined certain events have given them a chance to make up for it, since the Black Dogs had not retreated the moment they took the city or slayed the Rose Company they were hoping to continue with their previous objective. All they had to do was wait for the Rose Company and their infiltrators start fighting the Black Dogs, and then the rest of the Hand could push their way into the city.
From a tactical standpoint things have been going well for them.
But, truthfully he had trouble being pragmatic about the current situation, mostly because of whom was nearby. Pestering him with thinly veiled insults and barb.
"How long are we going to stand here? I am tired of waiting for that woman." Anuschka said, leaning against the remains of a house, impatient as she waited.
"You can remain at the command tent, I will wait for them." Nathan replied.
"Nothing interesting is happening there, so I thought I would go for a walk, and then I found you here." Anuschka said, giving a smirk as she looked at him.
"Then prowl somewhere else, your presence is unnecessary and unwelcome." Nathan replied, not bothering to hide his displeasure with that woman.
This woman, this Wildling, had been a thorn in his side for years. She had raided his lands and slaughtered his people on a whim, doing it just for the fun of it sometimes. Anuschka was one of the few individuals that could spur him into a quiet rage. Even after he had been put through the Trial of Shadows.
He like all others within the Hand had tread the Path of Shadows, the experience was definitely a humbling experience for himself. In truth what he felt for her now was actually quite tamed to how he might have behaved in the past, a sword through the heart came to mind.
Now he actually felt some pity for her, for her people, having come to realise the cause and actions of why they fight the way they do. He had seen it, saw their pain, their misery and what drove them to become what they were. Sadly, he was also the cause of some of that pain, he was someone that had helped make her into what she was now.
But even so, in spite of the wisdom his trial brought him and what empathy he could conjure up for the Wildings, he disliked her all the same. He could take her barb and insults, but what he could not stand was this woman's presence within their ranks in spite of never truly taking the steps to become one of them. For unlike the many others in the Hand he once called enemy this woman remained as such simply because she was not part of their order.
The Wildlings, she and her kin never joined them, never took the path or assimilated into their collective. Always distant and aloof, arrogant to the point it nauseated almost every other member that marched under Reginald Blackgrave's banner. It had been a major point of division in their group, many divided on whether they should trust them or not, give them the benefit of the doubt and simply wait for them to join.
His own son was part of the latter factions.
"Why? Are you afraid of me old man?" Anuschka asked, smirking slightly, trying to rile him up. "Or is it Nathanial that has you worried?"
He took a deep breath, the mention of his son did little to quell his rising temper. He turned and looked at her, his gaze alone a warning not to press any further otherwise there would be trouble.
"My son is in your care, be wary of anything you do to him, because the moment you cross the line is the moment you will be dealing with the Hand. Even if Lord Blackgrave forbids it, I will still kill you." Nathan said.
Anuschka sneered at him, taking his threat with only some levity, but she knew when to back down.
"Since you know that he is under our care, and if you try anything against us, he dies." Anuschka replied, skulking down the road and out of sight.
He took in a calming breath and composed himself, better he not allow his emotions to get the better of him. After years of bitterness and hatred for his place in life he had finally come to find some semblance of peace in himself, last thing he wanted was to become like that man again. A man that was so blinded by his own sense of honour and justice, angry at it being stolen from him and desperate to have it reclaimed.
His time in the Untouched Valley had not been a calming one, the isolation had worn at his resolve and embittered him towards Ken and Ur after his expulsion. It had been hard losing everything he had as a Knight of Ur, especially since he and his fellow Knights were nothing but scapegoats. Publicly shamed and cast from the nation, it would leave any self respecting man angry.
That was before he took the Trial, and even after one confronts their own past and mistakes it is never easy to move forward, old habits die hard. He recalled all those innocents that died at his hand and those of his fellow knights, under orders from the same people that had labelled them criminals. But he knew what happened to him was a light punishment, he got off scot free compared to the people of Ansur he slaughtered during the Subjugation.
Now he saw thing clearly, knew the weight of his actions, and the fact he could never escape from them. He wanted to do better, leave something behind that wasn't a legacy of shame. But that is harder to do when the damnable fools from his past continue to provoke him into relapsing into the sorry state he was in before. But, those haunting visions are more than enough to remind him not to do anything foolish.
"Ignore her." Fayanna said, stepping out of a dark recess in the wall. "That woman is so consumed by her own anger and resentment even Olga Discordia would be shocked by her irrationality."
Nathan gave a huff, slightly amused, Anuschka was definitely in her own league with how she played the victim card. Every action she took and every excuse she made always came back to the suffering of her people and her own personal torment at the hands of the Ansur Nobility. After four decades you would think that she would have mellowed out and actually reflected on her past and let it go.
"How much longer must we deal with that woman?" Nathan asked, hoping to get his son out of that woman's clutches.
"Reginald says he has a plan for the future." Fayanna said.
He hoped it was soon, he could barely tolerate working with that woman at times and even the other Acolytes agree that she cannot be trusted. Reginald had made a mistake in bringing her into the fold, especially without her going through the Trial, and giving her people a major boon. Creating werebeasts and giving a great deal of leeway when it came to working with them.
"Have faith, he will save your son, and if we are fortunate do away with that woman and her kin." Fayanna said.
He hoped that was the case, considering the investment Reginald put into the Wildlings he would be surprised if he did away with them all without a care. They had only played a small part in this war, he had to wonder if he would kill them all without any restraint. Although considering the methods he has employed as of late and the random acts of kindness he has shown to some that may not be the case.
After all, originally he was meant to kill Vault at Garan, along with disposing of Olga after she served her purpose. Even Alicia technically was not meant to survive in the end along with most of her family, but things change apparently. He didn't question however, if there is one thing he knew is that Reginald saw things more pragmatically than most others. He was a realist, he didn't get bogged down by honour or personal feelings, everything he did was out of the necessity to achieving a goal.
Reginald likely didn't even see any of them as valuable to himself, not that Nathan cared, the only reason he joined was because he believed him. He saw the truth of the Alliance and himself when he became a member of the Hand of Suffering.
A truth that even Celestine was guilty of hiding, one that he was once complicate in.
"Let us hope that when this nightmare is finally over we all can live our lives." Nathan said.
This war wasn't meant to be something grand for them, they weren't fighting for honour or prestige, to regain what they had lost or what was stolen. Most who were here only wanted to return to the lives they left behind in that Valley or something more humble and simple. Even he wanted nothing more than to put away his sword, for after this war it would have no purpose beyond it, for his drive to fight beyond that point has left him.
Only one path lay before the Hand, it was their sole purpose.
"They are here." Fayanna said.
Nathan turned, looking down the road and see then, materialising out of the darkness was the Right Hand. Valeska Notleigh led from the front and behind her were the rest of the Acolytes, they were finally here, and now they could see about ending the business in Ansur.
The portal glowed with ethereal energies, the arcane arts were a powerful thing and had limitless prospects. This magic before her was an ancient and powerful one, creating portal to far away locations, it was something even her people had not developed in their millennia of being paragons of the magical arts.
Humanity had earned that respect, being able to create tears in space between two points to allow instantaneous travel. It was aggravating to allow humans to stand above her people in any form, because it would give validation to their own arrogant belief in their own supremacy. But a part of her truly did not care, in a way since the creators of this magic inevitably destroyed themselves because of their greed she thought it only poetic.
They reached too far and paid the price.
"Safe travels my lady." Clarissa said, giving a bow as she bid her Queen farewell.
"I shall return within a fortnight, take care of matters here while we clean up Ansur." Olga replied, turning away from her vizier and to her escorts. "Shall we?"
She looked to Glan and Chloe, both standing off to the side, with a cohort of soldiers waiting behind them. Usually it was only Glan that would accompany her, sometimes a small group of guards, but instead it was the entire company. Glan had requested from her to bring his Company along, the request itself was strange as he usually reported to Reginald but this time he didn't. That made her curious, while she could simply brush it off as him being protective of his charge or simply because he couldn't find Reginald or didn't wish to bother with a simple request.
But she knew better than that.
Glan never asked her for anything, not a reward or permission to do something, that meant he was using her authority to give him access where he shouldn't. The idea that he was going behind Reginald's back made her very interested in Glan's motives. The Hand of Suffering and all its Acolytes were completely devoted to their leader and his mission, to go subvert his authority was something she did not expect.
The idea had tickled her enough that she had decided to pry Glan for answers, she had actually joked that he was going behind his master's back, that perhaps her charm had finally won sway over him. It was meant to be funny for her, something to laugh about, and she even expected a witty retort. Instead he had made the request again, several times in fact, and then he asked her to order him and his company to Ansur.
When he had done that she realised that something had changed, he wasn't acting the way he usually did. Usually he behaved quite melancholic, not so different from many others in the Hand, although he was not above some humour when the mood struck him. Now? He appeared quite bellicose, the seething glare he held looked onwards to some unseen adversary. A part of her was interested in knowing why he wanted to go, but she did not pry, only fulfilling his request.
Glan had some personal business in Ansur, he wanted to be there, and have his men with him.
Olga turned back towards Reginald, the werewolf was in front of the portal, waiting for them. Silent as usual although she could almost sense his gaze falling on Glan more often than not, judging him. He had been like that when she had arrived and told him that she and Glan would be departing to Ansur.
There was tension here, a quarrel between Reginald and Glan over some unspoken matter.
"Who am I saving this time?" Olga asked, deciding to try and defuse the situation and maybe get back to business. Gods know that this oppressive atmosphere was choking all the life from the room, even the stoic soldiers in Glan's company were oddly serious – their own way of being concerned as she had come to learn.
"Ansur." Reginald replied, turning and stepping through the portal.
He really wasn't in a good mood. The idea of being hailed a hero by the people or simply laughing in Vault's face didn't appeal to her anymore. With a sigh she moved for the portal, Chloe and Glan right behind her.
Stepping through the threshold she was blinded by a bright light before her vision was consumed by darkness, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She was standing on a small hill, giving a clear view of the area and the many ruins that littered the grey grass that ran all the way towards the mountains in the distance.
Ahead of her she could see the several companies of the Hand of Suffering, thousands of soldiers spread out across a series of desolate and destroyed villages. They were definitely part of Valeksa's contingent, the Right Hand.
"Welcome to Ansur."
Olga turned to the speaker, finding a Dark Elf with long silver hair and emerald green eyes. Fayanna Smythe, one of her former soldiers, and a resident of Lorain before it was destroyed forty years ago. Olga remembered her, having met her sixty years before, she was a promising warrior and an actual disciple of Ludo. Their reunion had been both a shock to the senses along with a painful churning in the gut.
"This way, the rest are waiting." Fayanna said, her eyes only on Reginald as she spoke, not even looking at her as she guided them through the camp and towards the meeting. She could hear Chloe muttering a few curses under her breath towards the former Captain, not taking lightly on the disrespect.
A part of her might have said Fayanna was being discourteous to the queen she chose to serve till her death, another part said it wasn't a surprise that she broke that oath.
Olga had recalled her first meeting with Fayanna and Lacene Crowder, two elven brethren that had escaped from Lorain following its collapse. It had been a difficult retelling for her to endure, listening to them explain the harrowing events of the cities capture and the formation of the Badlands. Fayanna said that they were lucky, having been transported southwards when the effects of the Badlands had begun to take hold.
She escaped with some hundred of their people and fled into Ansur. For the next forty years they had survived in the wilderness, raiding villages and roaming the forests. Olga had asked how they had joined the Hand, why they would work with the very humans that they once fought against. Fayanna had surprised her then, speaking on their worthiness of their loyalty, and the respect that they had earned.
Even more surprising that she had a lover now. There was much consternation with her cadre, Ludo expressing disapproval of her alliance with the humans along with being taken to bed by human scum. Clarissa even trying to dissuade her that such romances often ended with the lesser race passing, and that it would only be painful for the woman. Chloe saying outright that he was likely raping her.
Fayanna didn't seem to take their words lightly, in fact she seemed more irritated than anything. Sad to say that had created an ever greater divide between them in the end.
Olga had at one point tried to recruit her along with the rest of her people, gain more support and possibly an ally that could help them escape from Reginald and his forces. But that had failed the moment it left her lips. Fayanna said in no small amount of words that she was loyal to the hand, and not her, that Olga sacrificed them in the end. Ludo had tried to reprimand her, but she had remained firm under her former teachers shouts and said she had new purpose and one that doesn't involve working with monsters for the gratification of murdering innocents.
'In spite of that she didn't hold any hatred towards me.'
Fayanna had said there was no ill will between them, that she had let go of what happened at Loraine and rationalised that is needed to be done. But affirmed she is no longer the Captain of the Guard of Lorain, she was there leader of The Vengeful Dark, a company of over seven hundred warriors, human and Dark Elf, and she was not going to abandon them so she can continue her bid to murder humans.
Despite their blatant change in loyalty Olga couldn't fault any of her former kin on not wishing to join her, not after what she had done. Sacrificing them and any survivors in Lorain and the surrounding wilderness just to kill the majority of the human army. Along with destroying most of their homeland and creating these demonic beasts that had no qualms about raping and pillaging all that they could see.
She was surprised they didn't hate her, not unlike that Grace Campbell, it would have likely been welcome than the cold indifference she met from her kin. Even calling it a necessary action, having that said to her by these people, who have such questionable methods, it didn't make her feel better. Made her remember the butchering in Feoh's square, if that was a necessary action, than she wondered if she had been perpetrating such carnage while sitting pretty on her Throne in Garan.
'I need to think of something else. This is just getting depressing.'
A short trek later and they were entering a burned out inn, the sign still hung above the doorway, the charred wood had only fleck of paint peeling for it and left no trace of this buildings name. Stepping inside all the Acolytes were present, along with a few Rose Company Mercenaries, they were likely from Seaside Hamlet, surprising to see so many on their feet after such a horrible experience.
But what caught her attention was the looks Glan was getting from his fellow Acolytes, they were obviously not expecting his presence here. The moment it landed on him it then moved towards Reginald, there was a question that they wished to ask without saying, and that was 'why was Glan here?'.
Olga was out of the loop once more, and the worst thing was that it was someone she was suppose to be close to compared to anyone else in the Hand. Something must have happened while she wasn't looking, which she doubted as Glan has had almost no interaction with the Right Hand since he became her guardian. This was something else…
"Let's begin." Valeska said, breaking the awkward silence. "The current situation is this: We have secured Seaside Hamlet and blocked off any possible reinforcement to the Black Dogs in Ansur. With Tortlewaters captured as well we have also deprived the Black Dogs of any port their ships can retreat towards as well. Their only option is to beach their ships or sail southwards into the Breadbasket."
Olga had heard about this not so long ago, the Black Dogs had used an old abandoned fishing village off the coast of the Ansur region to bypass their forces. It had taken them all by surprise, or at least they did not expect them to be able to take over Ansur so easily.
"Where did they get the ships?" Reginald asked.
"The ships are of Yushu design, likely they have an ally or two in Kaguya's court." Shufu Xuiang said. "It is likely Shamuhaza's doing. He might have used what authority he has left to get these ships for the Black Dogs."
She had heard about him, some sorcerer that was once in the service of Kaguya, apparently he had gone mad after discovering some horrific relic. Whatever the case it would seem that the Shrine Priestess had people who were not so loyal to herself.
"Thanks to that oversight the Black Dogs got ahead of us before we could move forces in to counter them." Fayanna said.
"Worse still, the Rose Company didn't offer much resistance, subterfuge or not the Rose Company was captured near immediately following the Black Dogs revealing their presence." Nathan Walsh said, shaking his head. "What we know is that the Rose Company soldiers loyal to us have been captured and detained, while those still loyal to Maia have been aiding the Black Dogs. Due to their alliance they are firmly entrenched now, and unwilling to move."
"Current situation within the city?" Reginald asked.
"We have people in the city, Khalid is currently rallying the Rose Company and civilians to fight against the Black Dogs. From what we know the Rose Company is starting to turn from Maia, rumours are spreading about the Hamlet, along with other unsavoury things. Once the fighting breaks out we can move in." Valeska said, although she let out a breath. "Problem is that causing a conflict is difficult, current information shows that not only is the Rose Company divided but also the Black Dogs."
"Maia" Reginald said, narrowing his eyes.
"Correct. Vault and Maia are cooperating, and appear to be copulating at any given opportunity. It is causing some division in the troops."
Olga actually raised a brow at that, was that idiot of a woman actually laying with that man willingly? What was wrong with that fool? She had thought it was ignorance that prevented her from seeing the truth, and that seeing the man and all his foul deeds with her own eyes would be the revelation needed to break that façade. But if she was actually laying with him in spite of this it made her question the girls sanity, along with her loyalties.
"Is it possible she is actually allied with him?" Olga asked.
"Not likely, based on what we have heard she is unaware of Seaside Hamlet or Vault's alliance with the orcs." Fayanna said. "But it is without a doubt plausible that the reason he is remaining in Ansur to try and bring her to his side. That is his only tether to the city, the only thing stopping him from fleeing to the south."
They looked disgruntled by this fact. That didn't sound right to her, did they actually want him to escape to the south?
"Yes, Vault has proven himself to be both a boon and major issue to our plans." Reginald said, his gaze narrowing. "His laziness is putting us in a difficult position. Future prospects are being put in jeopardy because he cannot make a decision."
Wait. Was Vault part of some major plan of theirs? Did he serve some major role in their strategy for winning this war? Olga had no idea what was going on right now, how the hell is letting him live a good idea. He would rape and pillage his way through the south, were they actually going to let that happen?
"Exactly what were you expecting to happen when he captured Ansur?" Olga asked, looking to Valeska, who in turn looked to Reginald and received a nod.
"Our expectations were that he would openly attack the Rose Company as soon as he invaded, in that time we could have provided aid in repelling Vault from the city. Even with the additions of the ships that brought him from the north it simply expedited the same situation. Vault would be expelled from the city and forced into the South." Valeska said.
"That was the plan?" Olga asked, shocked, there may be no love lost between her and the humans of Eostia but sending those monsters into the south was just insane. They would be condemning thousands to enslavement and death.
"It was, but now we have to force this plan into motion, while the original plan has not changed the outcome will be a lot less bloody than it needs to be. Given the Black Dogs delay it has allowed us to move pieces into place to prevent extensive loss of life. We can use this to gain support from the south along with pulling away another Shield from the Alliance." Valeska said.
They had something in mind then for the South, and more than that they also seemed to have something planned for Luu-Luu. The suspense was killing her. But still the idea that they were willingly sending the Dogs into the south to run rampant shocked her. They could easily capture him here and now, but they were going to let him escape.
"Send word to the South, while that happens we need to force the Black Dogs out of the city." Reginald said.
"Khalid is working on it, last we heard he has most of the Rose Company backing him, all that is left is to force Maia to confront Vault." Fayanna said. "We just need to wait until they start fighting back against the Black Dogs. Then we can join them. If we do this correctly we can achieve the same results as before and continue with the next phase of the plan."
"Perhaps it would be better to change our long term plans since we have the opportunity, we should simply finish the Black Dogs here along with their leader." Glan spoke up. "That was the original plans was it not? Kill them all and sort the rest out."
Olga looked to him, her guardians was looking very intently at Reginald when he said that. She didn't need to think very hard on what was going to happen if they succeeded, if their plans worked than Vault will get into the South and have near free reign to do whatever he wanted. Who knows what would happen to the people there, even she was not so callous to think that they deserved to suffer like that.
"Let me and my Company finish this. We can end him before anymore harm can come to the people. Stop him before he can escape the city and reach the south." Glan said, pushing for Reginald to give the order.
Olga knew that the hierarchy in the Hand was not overly strict but there was respect between each of the Acolytes, even outright devotion to their leader. So what Glan was doing now, it was obviously going against what she knew to be the norm in the Hand. What drove every member of the Hand was different, but they were united in their desire to see the Black Dogs and this corrupt nation cleansed by any means necessary.
"We cannot change our course now, we must stay true to it, it is the only way." Valeska said, her words peculiarly soothing as she tried to reason with Glan. "We have no choice now, there is no time to consider things, if we kill him here and now it will make things harder. In the scope of things, the amount of suffering and death will be lessened if he remains alive until the appointed time."
"How can causing more suffering be better than ending this threat here and now?" Glan asked. "What we plan to do will see innocents never touched by this war harmed. More than that, one of our fellow Acolytes is putting a loved one in harms way through this gambit. He knows what will happen if we continue down this path, we all do, how can we stomach allowing that to happen to her?"
The other Acolytes seemed to sympathise with him, likely they agreed in some ways with his reasoning. There was more going on here than she realised, let it be known she had always found their methods and motives to be highly questionable. They allowed people to die when they could be saved, they allow tragedy to befall entire cities and people and even allow people to partake in wholesale slaughter.
They allowed Feoh and Geoff to be taken, although in a way she could understand from a certain standpoint it was outside their control to stop. But now they were organising events which pushed the Black Dogs into areas that was wholly unprepared to fight back.
"Glan." Reginald spoke up. "You want to kill him for your own sake, for your own reasons, this isn't about your personal vendetta against Vault. If we kill him now all that we wish to achieve will fail, that man is the only means we have to end this war and root out all the traitors within this nation in one fell swoop. He must live, for now."
Olga watched as Glan's fingers curled into a fist, he was angry.
"I know the importance of what must be done, but we always strived to protect those who did not deserve to suffer. We made an oath to do right by the people harmed by our negligence and apathy. I cannot… cannot bare to see them suffer while we have the power to stop it." Glan said.
Olga could feel the pain in his words, they were clear to all and it took her by surprise seeing him express such an emotion. Her stoic defender had never been so open with anyone, and to see him speaking like this, it certainly pulled on the heart.
"That pain will never disappear, never lesson, killing him will not undo all your failures… all those times when you could have done right to his victims." Reginald said, those cold words seemed to actually cause Glan pain, his shoulder quaked as he seemed to hold back on uttering a noise. "I will permit your company to take part in the battle, and should you face Vault, you will not kill him. Only drive him from the city. You will obey this order. Understood?"
Glan was still shaking, but he was able to offer a reply.
"Very well."
The resignation in his words actually made her cringe, he sounded so defeated.
"Leave now, reflect on this." Reginald ordered.
Glan turned on his heels and marched out of the room, he was quick in his departure that Olga barely had time to register he was out the door. She looked towards Chloe and gestured to the door, her shadow seemed reluctant to do so but she made it clear to do as she was told, and with a annoyed huff followed after Glan.
"Do you plan on telling me what that was about?" Olga asked, looking towards Reginald.
Reginald only glanced at her.
"Desperation to alleviate himself of his own guilt, I reminded him that he cannot shake of his sins so easily." Reginald replied.
Olga had not the faintest clue at what he was talking about, but the way he said it, as if chastising the man for attempting to do right made her scowl. Glan had made a valid argument in her opinion, he wanted to find the path that brought about less suffering to the people and he was victimised for it.
Reginald was a brutal and cold bastard when he wanted to be, and while she tolerated it she felt less tolerable when it came to those she knew. Despite Glan being assigned to her and human no less she did not like how he was treated just now. He looked to be in deep pain, visibly shaking as he was denied killing a man that deserved death a thousand times over. Even worse, he was being ordered to not kill the man if they faced one another.
She didn't know if she could do that, hold back like that. After what Vault had done to her people and the suffering they went through even she could barely resist the urge to kill him when the opportunity presented itself. She could have blown him apart in Feoh if she wanted, ended the war then and there, but instead she had been told to simply draw his attention.
Besides, the idea of humiliating him and making him suffer appealed to her more than killing him at the time. But right now, the one suffering was someone who had become a close confidant to herself, and possibly a friend.
"You make it sound like he doesn't deserve to redeem himself for whatever crimes he seems to be suffering through." Olga said, she doubted that they could be so heinous, or perhaps she hoped they were not.
"Not everyone deserves forgiveness, we are all damned in some way or another. All that is left for us is to make up for it by undoing as much of the damage as we can." Reginald replied.
She had no idea how to respond to that, for a moment she had to wonder what it was that Glan had done to warrant such strong emotions from him. None of the Hand's soldiers have ever expressed themselves like that, what made Glan so different?
Looking around she could see the resigned faces of those around her, as if those words just now expressed perfectly how they all felt.
'By the gods.'
Did all of them think that they were undeserving of even a crumb of lenience? Had they resolved themselves to simply doing this because it didn't matter anymore? It made her skill crawl as she realised these people perpetrated these acts and fought with such hollow expressions not because they believed in the necessity of it, but because they just didn't care anymore.
Their fates were decided.
Damned souls fighting to try and make peace with the world before they passed. Desperate to do some good before the end. Clinging to hope for salvation. With none to be had.
That scared her, because she knew if these people had nothing left to lose it made them all the more dangerous. They weren't fighting for glory or something tangible or philosophical, they were fighting simply to achieve a goal they believed would be the most beneficial for the world. They were a force of nature, uncaring about the carnage they incurred on the world or the misery they wrought.
If it wiped the world clean, it didn't matter how many were caught up in the story. Only that all that was unclean was washed away.
This took a while and was tricky to do, had to really think hard on expressing these characters and showing off how they operated. I also had to hide a little bit about the Path of Shadows, I want that to be a surprise for later and while most of you might have a theory on what it is I can assure you that there is more to it than you realise.
While nothing major happened this chapter I felt it was important as it showed off a bit of the Hands mentality and also how other forces in the world were acting. Especially Beasley, he is a major big bad for the story after all. Technically he is the Big Bad.
Enjoy and let me know what you think.