Ice Gate Valley, Moral Debt Internment Camp
Neia sat on her bed in her barracks and looked at the dozen new prisoners that were seated on the floor. Usually prisoners came alone or in pairs and as far as Eudico said this has never happened before. Neia looked at the young man sitting at the head of the group, he like the rest of the group had their heads lowered in fear. She could smell it, fear leaked from their bodies like a thick miasma. This was not new, the reputation of this camp was not the best. When she studied at the Paladin Fortress Monastery at Hoburns she had heard of the Fortuna Debt Internment Camp. The story went that this place was filled with the worst of the worst, a cess pit for the most profane of heretics. Naturally once you entered you would find this to be untrue. So far all she had seen were victims of association, the real heretics were all ash. This was where you threw their families, most of them didn't even know of their families supposed crimes until they were before the Judicator Court. This group however was different, the fear was stronger, almost as if they didn't even know why they were here.
"What's your name?" Neia asked the man at the head of the group.
The brown haired young man didn't say a word, he just flinched at the words. Neia could see his eyes flickering in their sockets, his eyelids fluttering and a thin sheen of sweat appearing on his overhead. He must be terrified, winter was coming and it was now so cold Neia could see the sweat turn to frost on his skin. Perhaps a different approach then.
"What do you think this place is?" Neia asked, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible.
Again silence, Neia furrowed her brows in annoyance, usually new inmates were a bit fearful, but this was getting ridiculous. What the hell happened to these people?
Olese looked up for a moment after he tried and failed to answer to the blonde girl with the pair of demonic eyes.
"Oi we don't have that many hours of rest time a day so how about you find your tongue and answer." the woman sitting on the blonde's right said.
"Olese…" Olese said shakily.
"Good, and the rest of you?" the woman asked.
From behind him Olese did not hear a single sound and he saw the woman's eyes narrow in annoyance.
"Eudico." the blonde said before the woman could speak, silencing her.
"My name is Neia, Neia of house Baraja. Some of you may know my father, Pavel Baraja the black of the nine colours." Neia said.
This caused the prisoners to look up in shock. There was not a commoner who did now know that name. Pavel Baraja was the only commoner to ever rise to nobility in a single generation. There were others but they had joined the paladin order and their families only gained noble status after generations of service. Pavel Baraja was the only one to rise to such heights in one lifetime, it was a testament to his skill and devotion to the people. It was then did Olese realise something, Pavel Baraja went by many monikers, Pavel the Black, the Captain of the Outrider Rangers and… the Mad Eyed Archer, the ranger with a demon's face. As he looked up and for the first time caught the girl's gaze he realised he was looking into the face of something that is not entirely human. The cold gaze of death itself, they say the eyes are the windows to the soul, never had Olese realised how true those words were.
"Realised it have you?" Eudico asked with a smirk.
"So, why are you here?" Neia asked, her voice cold and clinical.
"Desertion…" Olese muttered in reply.
"And the rest?" Neia asked.
"The same." Olese replied through gritted teeth.
"There's a pair of girls no older than ten summers behind you kid, or are you telling me the Holy Kingdom is using child soldiers now?" Eudico asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We aren't soldiers." Olese replied.
"You do understand what desertion is right? You can't be a deserter if you aren't a soldier, there is no post to desert." Eudico said.
"That was the charge…" Olese replied bitterly.
"Who charged you?" Neia asked leaning in. Something was wrong, Neia could feel it.
"The Judicator Court in Hoburns, they said we failed to defend our city, they said we should have fought to the last instead of saving ourselves." Olese replied.
"What city?" Neia pressed.
"Shurana…" Olese whispered, his voice trembling.
Eudico looked to Neia; she knew of the city but she wasn't aware of what purpose the city served. Every city in the Holy Kingdom had a purpose, Prart was the breadbasket of the North, Hoburns was the capital. The distinction between a town and city was the presence of walls. Only a location deemed of sufficient importance was granted the title of city and its associated benefits.
Eudico saw Neia's eyes narrow and her gaze glazed over as if she was deep in thought.
"Shurana, coastal port city, designation… maritime supply hub." Neia said as she struggled to recall all the monotonous facts she was forced to memorise as she was training to be a paladin.
"Port capacity twelve ships, main supply route… Ice Gate Valley…" Neia finished with a whisper as realization dawned on her.
"What happened to Shurana." Neia shot at Olese her voice rising with urgency.
"It's gone… red ships appeared out of the water, it fired spells destroying the city. I was on a supply convey holding a shipment of this year's harvest. They say the attack destroyed a quarter of the harvest." Olese muttered in reply.
"Wait what about the fleet? How did they get past the fleet?" Neia urged.
"I don't know…" Olese stammered.
Neia went silent and gazed at the group before her. If a quarter of the harvest is gone, there won't be enough to feed the people. What's more, in the past the Holy Kingdom often bought food from the Re-Estise Kingdom which had much more fertile soil. Neia doubted they were in a mood for trading with the impending war. Wait impending? If Shurana was destroyed then the war has already begun… maybe it was a surprise attack? It was then that Neia realised something, they weren't soldiers yet they were deserters?
"Hang on, so why are you here? You were charged for desertion for failing to defend the city when you aren't even soldiers?" Neia asked perplexed.
"They said we were cowards, they said it is the duty of every citizen to defend their home, so for the crime of failing we were thrown in here to serve as labour." Olese replied.
Now they are just making crimes up…
"Maybe it was just a misunderstanding?" Neia suggested both to everyone in the room and Noah.
"Not likely, most likely they need more labourers here and they can't afford to get any more people on payroll so they made up some crimes." Eudico said in disgust.
"Which means you probably aren't the last." Neia replied with a sigh.
"Yeah there's probably more on the way, I'm guessing the war isn't going too well." Eudico said.
"Eudico…" Neia said eyes still on the latest tenants of the Fortuna Moral Debt Internment Camp.
"Yes?" Eudico asked.
"Get our friends here settled in, you know the sleeping arrangements the best." Neia said.
"On it, come on you lot, let's find you a spot." Eudico said as she rose from her seat.
Olese mutely followed Eudico as she led them out of the barrack. He could sense those behind were spooked by that girl with the demonic eyes. The walk was short and soon they arrived at barrack with the number 7 crudely painted in white on the door. Olese was shivering and he felt a pang of worry for the pair of young siblings behind him. They were sisters, one of the few who survived Shurana, their parents were gone, their charred corpses probably lying under a pile of rubble somewhere. As of now they only had each other, he had no idea how they were going to survive in this boreal hellscape but he sure as hell was going to at least try to get them through it. The people here looked underfed but at least they weren't on the verge of death. Olese had somehow come into a sort of leadership role as the small group was dragged from location to location until they finally ended up here. Now for better or worse he felt a sense of responsibility to those behind him, especially towards the two younger ones.
As the door opened it revealed a brown haired woman in her mid thirties who had a motherly face and Olese noticed a small brown haired boy hiding behind her right leg. She looked questioningly at Eudico as she took in the group outside her door.
"This is Serene, she's something of a mom to the kids in this camp. There's a lot of space in this bunk still, so I suppose this is your home now. Come on in." Eudico said as she walked past the threshold.
"This is a rather large group, are they the family of some cult?" Serene asked.
"Nope, just some poor people who got the short end of the stick, they might be the most innocent people in this camp." Eudico replied with a shrug.
"Well that's saying something Eudi. Come on now, all of you must be cold." Serene said warmly as she ushered them into the barracks.
Olese took a seat on one of the bunks and noticed there were small blankets here made of patched fur. Some were fox fur judging by the color, which wasn't cheap from what he knew. How on earth did the prisoners get fox fur? He watched as the women went over to a corner of the room a retrieved wedge of cheese and a strange stone.
"I'm assuming you didn't eat for awhile, most prisoners don't get much food on the road." Serene said as she snapped off a few chunks of cheese. The cheese snapped easily due to them being so hard from the temperature. She pressed the stone to the cheese lumps and the stone glowed slightly and Olese watched as the frost on the cheese started to melt.
"A Dwarven heat stone, how did you get that?" Olese asked, surprised. Those weren't cheap either, the only way to get them was from the dwarven slaves. Most of them were given to those of high social standing.
"Our guardian angels, the outrider rangers. Bless their souls. They sneak us these things once in a while for the children." Serene said fondly as she handed a cheese that was now closer to body temperature to each of them. Olese took his lump of cheese and saw the two girls wolfing theirs down, they hadn't eaten in two days, traitorous filth doesn't get food after all. Olese feeling another pang on his conscience handed his cheese to the two girls. They took it gratefully, muttering a pair of quiet thank yous.
"The outriders rangers bring you Dwarven heat stones?" Olese asked incredulously as he watched Serene smile warmly at his gift to the girls.
"Many things..." Serene said as she walked away and came back with a pair of small fur blankets and wrapped down around the two girls.
"Lots of things like food, fur blankets, herbal medicine. The second in command Sir Reveil, hunts in the forest nearby. They take some of their rations, along with the meats and fur they hunt. The Heat stone came from Captain Baraja, he told Sir Reveil to give it to us, he was given one to heat his tea. Sir Reveil said the Captain hates tea anyway and he knew about the problem with the cheeses, some of the children cracked a tooth in the past. They throw the care packages over the fence at night every week." Serene said as she gently led the girls onto one of the bunks and wrapped them up in blankets. Olese noticed their trembling lessen and some colour returned to their blue lips.
"Won't the guards find it? Don't they search the barracks?" Olese asked.
"What's the point in that, to stop an insurrection? Neia can beat the whole garrison by herself with her bare hands." Eudico replied with a chuckle as she watched Olese's eyes widen.
"Oh yea, her eyes are the least scary parts of her. The guards are terrified of her, they won't go near her. You know she snapped a guards sword with her bare hands right in front of me? I eavesdropped from the guards that Neia snapped mithril chains and beat the crap out of Remedios Custodio. They call her the demon in human skin, you won't believe the stories they tell. They say when she's angry the white of her eyes go black and her pupils glow red." Eudico replied with another laugh as she saw Olese's face grow pale.
"It's not true kid, those big strong men need to give some excuse for being scared shitless by a teenage girl. I think if Neia actually killed Remedios they would say she can grow wings and sprout horns." Eudico added with a snort.
"She may look a bit scary but she has a softer side to her. In the past we didn't have these blankets, we had less food and the guards frequently abused us. That all stopped when Neia arrived, she is our protector, the one good thing in this godforsaken place." Serene said wistfully as she took a seat.
"Her dad Pavel Baraja is the only decent noble I've met. Well they say the apple doesn't fall from the tree, I guess it's as true as it gets when it comes to the Barajas." Eudico said with a shrug.
"Many of the children will survive this winter, we didn't use to have that luxury." Serene said as she tucked the two girls in.
"So what happens now?" Olese asked.
"Now you rest up, you look fit so you're going to be with me as we clear the quota. Ever used a pick axe before?" Eudico asked.
"No." Olese replied.
"Well you'll get plenty of practice here." Eudico said as she stood up straight.
"I'll leave them in your hands Serene, get them settled in. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Eudico said turning to Serene.
"Of course Eudi, get some rest." Serene replied with a nod.
Olese watched Eudico give the group one last wink as she opened the door and stepped out into the howling winds.
A week later
Pavel rode towards the camp with Reveil by his side. Pavel had been getting some concerning reports over the past few weeks, some of his scout teams were disappearing. Those that ventured far did not return; he was sure the enemy was on the move. Most likely they were already past the border and the Holy Kingdom was completely blind just a few kilometers away from camp. They had no way to observe and scout the enemy, the only thing they knew was that if you ventured too far you didn't return. What's more when the priests attempted using observation spells all they got was a wave of static when they attempted to peer outwards, something was jamming their magic. Whatever or whoever was doing it was good, very good, their information was almost nonexistent thanks to them. They don't know the opposing army composition, they don't know their numbers and they don't even know if the army was even there. The only comfort was that their position was unflankable thanks to the terrain. Well he supposed they could hike over the mountains but they would lose half their numbers to attrition.
There was something else as well, he was getting increasingly locked out of tactical discussion. He had a feeling he was being followed around camp as well, there always seemed to be a paladin in sight of him at all times. It seems his loyalty was being questioned and what tactical discussion he did receive was not comforting. It seems Remedios wanted to use the Outriders as skirmishers to whittle down the enemy before the fight started. Usually their missions were dangerous and borderline suicidal. But this… this was completely suicidal, in a battlefield dominated by magic to send lightly armoured scout cavalry out first was just insanity.
He had told his men of the plan of course and naturally they weren't happy. They were brave and patriots, they did not fear dying but to so carelessly throw their lives away was something else entirely. There were many mutterings and Reveil told him he overheard whispers of defection. Some thought they could get a better deal on the enemies side, the only reason the rest were not joining in was because they had families in the Holy Kingdom. As for those that wanted to turn traitor the only thing holding them off was Pavel himself. Remedios has been giving suicidal orders asking the scouts to not return until they sighted the enemy. This was an order and the soldiers had to obey. Pavel on the other hand had told them in private to scout out to his ordered distance and just say that they encountered enemy scouts. They would say they ran into black clad soldiers and say they made a hasty retreat to return whatever intel they could.
Remedios eventually lost her patience and suspected they were lying. So she tasked one of her senior paladins to follow on a scouting mission. It was then that Reveil offered to go on the mission, Pavel knew that glint in his eye. It was a look he wore when he was about to kill a man. Sure enough the patrol returned without that paladin. Reveil said grimly that they were ambushed and the paladin fell in battle. When accused by Remedios for foul play, Reveil calmly replied paladin armor made a lot of noise when on horseback and it was the sound that probably gave them away. Reveil was also wounded and a slash ran across his right cheek, the other members were also covered in slashes on their arms and legs. In the end Gustav Montagne stepped in and said it would hurt morale if they started accusing each other now. After that no more paladins joined in the patrols. However, privately Pavel noted that the slashes were all made by short blades, similar to the ones that the outriders carried and also Reveil was missing a single arrow from his quiver.
However, that was not the worse thing, last night he had been visited by a shadowy figure. The figure who identified herself as Vorazun told him the soldiers weren't lying when they were sent out on the scouting missions. They had in fact ran into enemy scouts but they were let go. His men were preparing to defect when the battle began, arrangements were already made for the front line to open and allow the outriders to ride into safety. Pavel naturally denied her claims but she said she had something that would make him change his mind. Then from her black cloak she pulled out a roll of parchment and handed it to him. When Pavel opened it his blood ran cold, it was an order from the queen. The orders were simply to get the outriders killed and those that survived would be executed for treason when the war is over. At first Pavel tried to deny it but as he examined the parchment he realised that if this was a fake then it was a perfect one. It even had the queen's seal perfect down to every last detail. In the end based on the past behaviour of Remedios he had little choice but to accept the truth.
Then the figure told him his men have been feeding the forces of the 41 information. She then recited information only a spy could give, their numbers, their army composition, their battle plans, everything. It was at that moment the mysterious figure gave him an offer, she said she could save Neia. She explained that her masters knew what she was and also the associated dangers. She told him if Neia was left as is, she would eventually lose control of her powers. So the offer was this, he would defect with the rest of his unit and help them persuade Neia beforehand to cooperate with her rescue. The figure said her masters were concerned with her loyalty to the Holy Kingdom. They wanted his help in breaking that loyalty.
Pavel at the time told the figure he needed time to consider. So Pavel thought and thought and with every cycle of his mind he came to the same conclusion. The 41 were already in a position where they would win this war, their food supply was gutted, they were outclassed in terms of equipment with the dwarves now on the side of their enemies. The Holy Kingdom is effectively surrounded, they hold no control of the sea and the forces of the 41 can land troops with impunity all along their coast. Not to mention the tactical assessments showed that they were probably outnumbered 3 to 1, if the Argland Council State joined in then that would make it a 4.5 to 1. Their only saving grace was that the Ice Gate Valley was a natural choke point allowing them to even the odds. However, he had a feeling this valley would not save them, it would be their graves if they fought it out. After all this tactical assessment was based on the existing nations, it didn't even take into account the Ordo Malleus who apparently defeated the eastern beastmen. The Ordo Malleus who was led by an ancient high elf, the same beings who brought the mighty dragons to their knees. The legends say the High Elves held magic that could sunder the sky itself and cause its stars to rain onto the earth in a fiery hail.
So it was with a heavy heart and troubled mind did he halt his horse halfway on the trail. He heard Reveil stop behind him.
"Reveil…" Pavel said grimly.
"Yes captain?" Reveil asked calmly. Pavel could feel the tension, but he sensed Reveil was calm and unguarded.
"What happened to Paladin Loren?" Pavel asked.
"We got ambushed." Reveil replied.
"The truth Reveil." Pavel snapped.
"He got ambushed." Reveil replied again.
"The whole truth." Pavel said heavily.
"Why are you asking me this now? It's been days." Reveil asked.
"Someone visited me last night, it was a being cloaked in shadow and it spoke of troubling things. I need to know the truth or we are all doomed." Pavel replied as he turned and looked at Reveil.
Reveil looked into the eyes of his old friend, a man who he called brother, a man who he would die for without hesitation. Reveil knew Pavel to be many things but a coward he was not. Now within his eyes Reveil saw doubt and fear, he saw a man beaten down by the life he has lived. A man burdened with so much but more than anything else he bore the burden of only one life.
Heavier than any armor, was the weight of only one life. The thought of what would become of everyone if he should pass too early. What would happen to Neia? Reveil knew these thoughts tormented his old friend and in truth it tormented him too. Reveil never married and had no siblings, his parents passed when he was just a boy leaving him to live with his distant relatives. So he loved Pavel like a brother and he loved Neia like a daughter. Afterall Reveil was Neia's godfather, he had watched her grow up. From a small child terrifying her parents with her monstrous strength, to her signing up with the paladins. Reveil felt such pride when he saw her take her oath before the queen, she had grown up into a fine young woman.
Yet… in the back of his mind he knew Neia would not be happy in her service. Neia was a copy of Yara in appearance except for her eyes which were Pavel's. It was almost poetic as Neia was Pavel within and it is through the windows of her eyes that she sees the world. Pavel always chafed at the pretentiousness and vanity of the courts. The courts were a place where men and women put their own desires ahead of the people, but it is also the same place where power resides. Neia was never good at pretending and acting, she was direct and some would even say tactless. Reveil knew this was her dream but she would also find the courts not at all what she imagined. In the end her dream was shattered but not in the way he expected. He knew of Neia's… sibling and he actually held a conversation with him before, it was a strange thing to see something else talk through Neia's body. It was almost surreal as even though the voice was the same the tone was completely different.
Noah told him that nothing would ever harm Neia and Reveil believed him. He also learned Neia's superhuman strength was not hers, it was borrowed from Noah. Noah gives her only a small portion of his power for her body is still human. If he gave her too much strength it would shatter bone and rend muscles. However, that did not explain why when he took control he could channel so much more power. Noah didn't elaborate and Reveil suspected he didn't know either, it's not like anyone had any idea what exactly he was. They said he was a demon but honestly no one has a clue. All they know is Noah had glowing red eyes, is freakishly strong and freakishly fast.
Reveil had an idea who Pavel met last night. He had a run in with the same person previously, it was a strange grey skinned female humanoid called Vorazun. She had told him they were all on death row and once the war was over they were going to kill Neia. How they are going to manage that he had no idea but he sure as hell was not going to roll over and die, leaving Neia to fight alone. When Reveil first learned of this the first thing he wanted to do was tell Pavel but Vorazun told him to wait. He would know when the time is right… it seems the time was at hand.
"Who was she?" Reveil asked.
"I don't know, some grey skinned humanoid, she…" Pavel paused, realising what Reveil had said.
"How did you know it's a she?" Pavel asked softly.
"Who was she?" Reveil shot back.
"You knew?" Pavel asked.
"What is her name?" Reveil replied evenly.
"Vorazun." Pavel said, as he said this he noticed Reveil relax. His eyes softened and his shoulders slumped.
"Then you know what our lords have in store for us and Neia. I've already made my choice, what's yours?" Reveil asked.
"What happened when you left with Loren?" Pavel asked.
A few days ago
Reveil rode hard to the maximum scouting distance, he didn't know what the Ordo Hereticus would do when he arrived with Loren. He could only trust they caught on quickly and not think he was betraying them. They sped through the forest Loren was struggling to keep up, Paladins knew how to ride horses on open fields in neat formations. In the forest however, the outriders were far their superior, he turned to see the three outriders dance their horses around the trees while Loren made abrupt turns and yanked fiercely on the reigns.
"Oi if you want to keep an eye on us you might need to keep up. This is enemy territory if we're slow they'll kill us." Reveil shouted back.
"If there is even anyone there." Loren growled in response.
"Hmph oh we'll meet them, try not to die. We don't have the luxury to return your body for your grand funeral if you depart this mortal coil." Reveil replied with a snort and he spurred his horse onward.
It wasn't long before he reached the meet up point. Reveil stopped his horse and dismounted along with the rest of the outriders.
"What are you doing?" Loren demanded.
"You think we can get close enough to the enemy camp galloping around on horses? We're sneaking on foot from here on out. I suggest you remove your armour, a clanker won't last long in these woods." Reveil said.
"Clanker?" Loren replied, his tone changing at the insult.
"You think the Holy Kingdom is the only nation who has scouts with ears. Your armour makes so much noise I can shoot you in the dark. Look up at the trees, can you even see the top of the canopy?" Reveil said as he gestured upwards at the pitch black canopy of trees.
"Anyone could be hiding up there and let me tell you, their scouts are good, a well placed arrow in your neck would kill you in a single moment. Or are the brave Paladins nothing without their shiny armor?" Reveil said, crossing his arms.
Reveil watched as Loren disgruntedly removed his chest plate and pauldrons, only leaving his greaves and gauntlets on.
"Alright let's go." Reveil said after they tied their horses to a nearby tree stump and began walking. Reveil took the lead with the other outriders and Loren followed behind. He could feel the paladins gaze burrowing into the back of his head.
Reveil sensed faint movement above him, usually he couldn't sense them but it seems they were letting him know they were there. That was a good sign, you do not reveal yourself to the enemy if you wanted to live.
As he walked he wondered how they were going to handle their uninvited guest. Reveil didn't have to wait long however and soon he heard someone land hard on the snow a few metres behind them. The group spun around with weapons drawn and saw a lone figure dressed in black. It was one of the Ordo Hereticus operatives that were holding the security net.
"We have an unexpected guest." the operative said calmly.
"It seems you weren't lying." Loren grunted as he held his sword and shield, his back now to Reveil.
"No I wasn't." Reveil said as he drew his bow and shot an arrow into the back of Loren's neck. He watched as Loren staggered onto his knees clutching at his neck. Reveil had intentionally missed his windpipe only severing a main artery. It would take awhile for him to die with an arrow still lodged in his neck.
"They were getting suspicious." Reveil said calmly as he sheathed his bow along with the rest of the outriders.
"Trai...tors…" Loren gurgled as he knelt on the ground, blood streaming down his neck, his sword lying in the snow.
"I warned you, a well placed arrow in your neck can end you in an instant." Reveil said coldly.
"And the information?" the operative said. As he spoke numerous black clad operatives materialized around them.
"Him, he's a senior paladin I am sure he has many songs to sing." Reveil said, gesturing to Loren.
"Hmm, very well." the operative said as he calmly walked towards Loren. He drew a dagger and stabbed Loren in the spine near the waist. Loren slumped as he lost all sensation from the waist down. The operative then ripped the arrow free and cast a quick healing spell. The wound on his neck closed but his spine couldn't heal due to the dagger still being lodged in between the vertebrae.
"You filthy traitors, six take you!" Loren roared as he regained his voice, now sprawled on the ground holding himself up by his arms.
"Silence." the operative said as he viciously kicked Loren in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.
"The captain will defeat you. She will drag all of you to the stake." Loren gasped out.
"Tough one aren't you? Good, it's usually the tough ones that know the most." the operative said with a laugh.
"You'll get nothing from me." Loren growled.
"Oh you'll sing, we have ways of making you sing don't you worry." the operative said as he dragged Loren up by the hair.
"When will your side let the captain know?" Reveil asked.
"I don't know, the Ordo Hereticus operates on a need to know basis, that way if we are captured nothing is lost. I am sure Lady Vorazun and Lord Von Carstein will find a good time to do it. Nothing they do is without intent." the operative replied.
"There is a specific set of instructions for you however." the operative said suddenly as he dumped Loren over the back of his own horse like a sack of luggage.
"That is?" Reveil asked, furrowing his brow.
"Why so tense Lieutenant?" the operative said with a smile in his voice.
"What do you want us to do?" Reveil asked again crisply.
"Wound yourself, make it look like you were ambushed." the operative replied.
"Then shouldn't you do it? They may notice the wounds are done by our blades." Reveil replied.
"Yes, I want the captain to know the attack is a fake and I want you to keep what happened here hidden from him. Also don't shoot any more arrows make sure you return with only one less arrow among the three of you." the operative said.
"That's a bold move that can end quite badly if any of the paladins isn't a complete dullard. Why do you want us to do this?" Reveil asked.
"Need to know basis. You have your instructions Lieutenant." the operative said as he mounted Loren's horse and prepared to drag him off to who knows where.
"Fine." Reveil replied coldly as he drew his knife and dragged a long slash across his cheek. Reveil didn't like this one bit, he couldn't tell what was going on with them. He had this feeling that he was just dancing on their strings like a puppet and he wondered what would happen when he became a puppet whose strings had been cut…
Present Day
"That's the story." Reveil said.
"How long have you known?" Pavel asked.
"About a week ago, they came to me first. Remember when we were losing every scout team we sent out? I ended up going out on the next one and the disappearances stopped? I was approached by Vorazun and she told me the truth. She told you too didn't she?" Reveil said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Pavel demanded.
"I was told not to." Reveil replied.
"So what? You're just their puppet?" Pavel shot back.
"We have always been puppets, Pavel. We are tools to be used and discarded by the crown. Look at what they want us to do, ride up to the enemy and fight them, alone. If we somehow do survive they want to kill us for treason. We are just pawns in some great game, the 41 and the Six. The gods make war so they send us to fight and die for them. Sometimes I don't even know why we are called the Outrider Rangers, at this point we might as well be called the Expendables." Reveil shot back.
"Then why betray the Holy Kingdom? What's the point?" Pavel replied.
"Men like us are doomed, the only thing there is for us is to die for something worthwhile. I'm done fighting for a cause, for a country, for some absentee gods that demand our worship on the virtue of their existence. I'm done fighting for that, there is just one thing left for the two of us to fight and die for." Reveil said as his voice wavering at the end.
"Neia…" Pavel muttered in reply.
"She deserves better Pavel, we raised her together. She doesn't deserve to be treated like some monster. I mean honestly what do we have to lose?" Reveil said, his shoulders slumping defeated.
"If we ride out against the 41, they kill us all. If we survive and return to the Holy Kingdom the Paladins arrest us… AND KILL US ALL! What do we have to lose? If we continue following that stupid blonde in Hoburns, we die, our families die, Neia dies. That's it, that's what we get for crawling through the freezing mud for years just so the paladins can sleep in warmth at the bloody wall. I don't even think they'll be kind enough to give us the noose, they'll probably just burn us!" Reveil shouted.
Reveil looked at his silent friend whose head was lowered. They were a pair of fools, playing the games of the nobility when they knew where they stood, pretending they didn't know how it would end. He thought Yara was good when she and Pavel got married, but he saw her true colours when she found out about Noah. All Neia's life he had watched her try and try to win Yara's affections. Top grades in school, best squire the Paladin order has ever seen. Good and righteous to a fault, always doing things the right way no matter how hard it was. All that and in the end all Yara saw was a demon.
Reveil tried to fill the void left by Yara, he remembers when Neia came home one day in tears. She had told a boy she liked him and the boy had promptly screamed and ran. Neia never had friends, her eyes made sure of that. When she returned that day he remembered him and Pavel trying their best to soothe Neia. Yara however couldn't even be bothered to speak to her own daughter. Oh how he hated her the only reason Reveil even spoke to her was that she was married to Pavel. They were all the same, with Bessarez being the worst among them, how he hated that golden cow sitting on her golden chair in Hoburns. Sitting there looking down on all before her with that smug smile on her face, her nose was so high up in the clouds it was a wonder she could even see where she was going. This kingdom was rotten to the core, let it burn, he won't mourn it. Their queen has forgotten one thing, there is no king without a kingdom and the kingdom is the people. They weren't slaves to serve her vanity, she has forgotten where power truly lies, soon he will remind her.
"So? What is your choice?" Reveil asked.
Reveil watched as Pavel paused and looked in the direction of the army camp.
"What about the men?" Pavel asked.
"They all know, they all made their choice, you taught them to always strive to survive. You taught them to struggle to the bitter end, to never go quietly, to stand when you can no longer walk, to crawl when you can no longer walk and when you can't even crawl... spit in the face of death. That old phrase you always say to new recruits…"
Do not greet death as an old friend
Do not go gentle into that good night
Rage, rage against the dying of the light
"You taught them that, do you really think they would just roll over and die because someone like Remedios demands it?" Reveil asked, arching an eyebrow.
"What about their families?" Pavel asked.
"What about them? Tell me, what version of events could possibly save them? At this point we either die as accused traitors or actual traitors. They die no matter what, the only difference is whether we can make their lives mean something." Reveil replied.
Pavel locked his gaze with Reveil and Reveil saw the old fire start to burn once again in his old friends eyes. Pavel turned his horse back in the direction of the camp.
"Come on we shouldn't keep Neia waiting." Pavel said.
"Aye Captain." Reveil said with a smile as they galloped down the road.
"That reminds me where did you get that phrase from anyway?" Reveil asked
"I read it in a book I found in a demi-human camp in the Albelion Hills." Pavel replied.
"Really? That phrase came from the 41? No wonder you never told me before now." Reveil said with a laugh.
"Yeah, well maybe our fates are really written in a book somewhere, seems almost ironic now." Pavel jokingly replied.
Tell me about it…
Ice Gate Valley, Moral Debt Internment Camp
Neia ran and threw herself into the arms of her father and she felt him pull her into a tight hug. She smiled happily and let out a laugh as she caught a playful wink from her godfather standing behind. Neia was always looking forward to their visits, they never told her anything about the war but they always spent time talking and joking with her.
"I have something for you little fox." Pavel said warmly as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a jar filled with cookies.
"What? How?" Neia asked.
"They have an oven to bake bread in the camp, I got my hands on some milk, honey and sugar. Well it has been years since I made it, I wonder if it'll be as good as you remember." Pavel replied.
"Where did you get the sugar? I don't think luxuries like that are available in an army camp." Neia asked.
"I borrowed some from Remedios. She likes sugar with her tea." Reveil said with a wink.
"Uncle you didn't… she would have noticed…" Neia replied hesitantly.
"Remedios can barely count, she won't notice a bit of sugar missing." Reveil said with a snort.
"Uncle!" Neia replied.
"Just kidding little fox. Go on try them." Reveil said with a smirk.
Neia took a cookie and bit into them, as she took in the familiar sweet taste she was struck by a sense of melancholy. Neia hugged Pavel and felt her eyes grow hot. Pavel looked down and heard the small sniffling emanating from his chest. He smiled bitterly and pulled his dear daughter closer. Pavel looked at Reveil and saw the bittersweet look in his eye and he was sure he shared the same look. When they separated, Pavel knelt down and locked Neia in his gaze.
"Neia listen to me, we will get you out of here. You understand me?" Pavel said. Neia's eyes widened as she took in his words.
"One day soon, me and you are going to walk out of this place. But there is something I need you to promise me." Pavel said seriously.
"What?" Neia asked suddenly unnerved, she didn't show it but she could sense Noah stirring. The siblings felt something was different this time, they had never seen this look in their father's eyes.
"You wait for me, you do not leave this place unless you are with me. I don't care who comes for you, Remdios, Gustav, even the Queen herself. You don't leave until I'm here." Pavel said as he grasped Neia's shoulders.
"Wha… but if the queen commands it…" Neia sputtered.
"Promise me Neia." Pavel said forcefully.
"I… ok… " Neia replied softly.
"Good. I'll hold you to that." Pavel said with a smile as he pulled her into another hug.
Can I talk to father?
"Sure Noah." Neia replied mentally.
Pavel felt Neia body jerk and he sensed shock from Reveil. He pulled away and saw the white's of Neia eyes were now pitch black. Her irises now glowed with an ominous red glow and black veins radiated from her eyes.
"Hi dad." Noah said, though the voice was Neia's it sounded heavier.
"Hi son, how are you?" Pavel said with a smile.
Noah stiffened as he heard Pavel's gentle tone. He wasn't used to being talked to like that, in the past even though his father still acknowledged him as his son, he could still sense the fear. It was the same for everyone else, there was a stiffness to everyone's voice when they talked to him. To Noah everyone was like a pane of glass, he could see through them and the more they tried to hide it the more they polished that glass, letting him see more. Spending your entire life locked away without a body and only able to observe the world around you gave a person a lot of practice when it comes to reading people. Life was like a stage play, he didn't truly live in this life, it was like watching a show. The characters and the acting arrayed before him, all there for him to dissect and understand. In truth he liked it this way, or perhaps he was so used to this that he couldn't imagine another way of living. Living, truly living was scary, your actions had consequences, consequences you had to live with. Still there are moments like now where he feels compelled to act.
"Fine, prisoners are coming in here in droves, I take it the war isn't going well." Noah said.
"Well… not particularly. But don't think about that, I'll come for both of you when the time is right." Pavel replied.
"Well I take it the invasion didn't go well." Noah stated, to a stunned Pavel.
"How… did you know about the invasion?" Pavel replied stunned.
Noah knew the plan to free Neia would involve his father. Vorazun had told him as much, even though Neia was still none the wiser, perhaps this was for the best. Father and he can persuade Neia after they get her to safety.
"I've never done this before, but I can try to show you." Noah said as he extended Neia's hand. Pavel hesitated as he looked at the outstretched hand.
"Can you show me too?" Reveil asked, stepping forward.
"Sure uncle, so dad you want to see?" Noah asked, his tone implied a challenge. Pavel steeled himself and reached out to take his hand. He saw Reveil place his hand on top of his.
Then Pavel felt reality fall away and he found himself in a pitch black world. It was strange for even though it was pitch black he could see Reveil standing next to him clear as day.
"Where are we?" Reveil muttered.
"My memories." he heard a male voice say from behind him.
Pavel spun around and saw a black shadowy figure with glowing red eyes standing behind him. It was being of wispy black smoke, it was then did Pavel realise something.
"I've never heard your voice before…" Pavel said softly.
"Well thus far you are the third to have heard of my voice." Noah replied.
"Third?" Pavel asked.
"Watch." Noah said.
Pavel then caught sight of Noah, or another Noah emerged from the shadows. In his hand he held small orbs that glowed with a faint blue light. As he peered at the orbs he realised they were memories and once he focused on them he saw the plans for the invasion, laid out on the table in the command tent.
"How?" Pavel asked.
"When I grabbed Remedios in the cell, I did more than slap her around a bit. I… borrowed some of her memories." Noah explained as the group watched as past Noah cycled through memories.
"So that's how you know." Reveil replied.
"That's not all, watch… also brace yourself." Noah said.
"Huh? " Reveil asked.
It was then the group felt a great pressure ram down onto them. Pavel and Reveil slammed onto their knees from the all consuming weight. Pavel strained his head up and saw past Noah was on his knees as well and from the darkness emerged something that made Pavel's blood turn to ice. From the darkness emerged a titanic being with a pair of glowing red suns for eyes. The whole world was dyed red from the glow of those eyes.
Pavel watched as Noah spoke with the creature and revealed that the being was none other than Momonga the god of death. The oldest and most powerful of the old gods, the being who existed before all things, older than light and older than time. The first of the forty one, the first of the old gods.
Pavel watched as his son bargained with death itself for Neia's safety, he watched as Noah handed the invasion plans to the god of death. At first he was horrified, Pavel held a good impression of Alahan, viewing him as one of the few genuinely good and responsible commanders in the Holy Kingdom. Now he was a prisoner of the Ordo Malleus separated from his wife and unborn child. Then he realised, would Noah have done this if he still held hope for the justice of the Holy Kingdom? Far from a comforting presence, Momonga could be described in one word, terrifying. How desperate would one have to be to bargain with death itself? Well it seems he traded tens of thousands of lives for one, no wonder the god of death accepted.
As he thought of this he considered his own circumstances, he wouldn't have even considered betraying the Holy Kingdom if they hadn't pushed him into a corner. Now he was prepared to sell out his nation for Neia, not so much different from Noah. Maybe if Noah hadn't betrayed the Holy Kingdom then they might have won this war. But honestly Pavel doubted it would have made a difference, mortal flesh cannot defy the divine. Mortal flesh is but chaff before the wind in the face of divine beings. The stories said the 41 created the world, the six only managed to defeat their followers, the so called Six Great Gods only managed to defeat mortals. He doubted they would do very well against the 41. Now it was revealed that the 41 were very much alive and they wished the destruction of the Holy Kingdom.
"The Holy Kingdom is so fucked…" Reveil muttered from the side as they watched the god take the plans.
Pavel agreed, death itself was coming for them and he had better choose the right side. As the memory faded Pavel found himself being pulled back to reality.
As the dark world faded away, Noah caught a glimpse of Pavel's memories and he saw something that he didn't expect. He saw a pair of glowing green eyes on a grey skinned face. In his shock he didn't have time to latch on to that memory and he found himself standing back in the snow.
"Wait… you met her, Vorazun." Noah said as soon as he returned to reality. Pavel stiffened as he heard those words.
"You know her?" Pavel asked.
"Yes, she is part of that bargain. She mentioned she was a caretaker of sorts… I'm not really sure what she wants, what they want. The first time she met me she took a lock of Neia's hair, for what ends I don't know. In truth I don't know anything about them, just that they are powerful and they serve the old gods." Noah replied.
"Caretaker…" Pavel muttered, so that was her mission. Then why help him? Vorazun should easily be able to spirit her away from here. So why go through all the trouble? Unless it wasn't as simple as getting her physically out of here…
Unless it has something to do with what Vorazun mentioned, she had said that Neia was in danger of losing control, but then what about Noah? Isn't he the one holding the powers back? Something wasn't adding up, there must be some greater overarching plan pushing events and they were trapped right in the middle of it. Pavel could almost feel the strings being pulled, he was like a marionette dancing to the tune of some greater power.
"Did she say anything else?" Reveil asked.
"She said she was old, very old, like thousands of years old. She also called us the younger races as if her race came before us." Noah replied.
"You mean her race is older than humans?" Reveil asked.
"Yes… but that's not all, the way she said it, it sounded like she was implying that her race came before most of the races as if they were one of the first to exist. She called her race the Khalai and she was part of the Templars. Does the words Templar mean anything to you?" Noah asked.
"Templar… the Ordo Malleus…" Reveil muttered.
"The Ordo Malleus? Aren't they extinct?" Noah asked remembering the history lessons Neia took in Hoburns.
"The ones native to the continent are gone, but it seems what the six managed to destroy was just a small garrison. The real Ordo Malleus lies beyond the great impasse, they have managed to cross it and now they are arrayed against the Holy Kingdom." Pavel replied with a sigh.
"One more thing, Vorazun mentioned that my name is important. I don't remember very clearly but… why did you even give me a name?" Noah asked.
At those words Pavel sighed, he still remembers Neia and Noah's childhood clear as day. It was a veritable nightmare in those first few years. The fear, the uncertainty, he and Yara had no idea what Neia was.
"When the two were first born, well let's just say you two were a handful. When Neia was first born she was like well... any normal baby girl except for the fact that she managed to break my finger when I put it into her hands. The two of you managed to scare away every nursing maid that we found. I lost count of the amount of milk bottles you two broke and well your mother was terrified when it came to nursing you. Then one day when you were a few months old Neia lost her temper at something, I don't remember what but Yara lost her temper as well after you two broke half the furniture in the living room. Yara made to hit Neia and that was when you appeared. Let's just say it's lucky that your mother is paladin and we have wood walls that aren't that hard when someone is thrown through them." Pavel said wearily.
"I threw mother through a wall?" Noah asked, surprised.
"It was a thin wall. Anyway, we found out eventually that as long as Neia didn't feel threatened, you didn't appear. When you two were almost a year old, I was teaching Neia about words with some picture book and she pointed at the word, brother. I still remember it now, her first words were her own name you see, she said Neia, then she pointed at the word brother and then pointed at her heart. I didn't understand at first but then she did it again but this time as she pointed at herself you emerged. I'm not going to lie, when I saw Neia's eyes go black I froze, then I realised you were calm. You pointed at the word sister and said Neia, then you pointed at yourself. I realised then that you wanted a name, I realised you were not some demon hiding in my daughter. You looked so calm in my lap, previously all we saw was rage and anger. I realised you were just protecting Neia all those times you emerged. So I gave you the name we would have given Neia if she was a boy, Noah. It was the moment I realised you were my son too." Pavel said as he gently reached out and cupped Neia's cheek.
"I failed the two of you, I just let the system roll over me. I let those priests chain my children. I should have taken you and fled. I wanted to flee many times once I found out how Yara viewed the two of you. Your mother and I wanted to have a few children, but nothing came after you two. For ten years we shared a bed but we never even touched each other. Your mother was afraid to make another monster. The only blessing in all this was that the shame kept her silence." Pavel finished as he felt his eyes grow hot.
"You did your best dad, both us know that we were a handful." Noah joked sadly.
"I should have done better, I'm sorry son." Pavel replied.
"Well we make do with what we have right? Never give up on family." Noah said.
Yeah, Never give up on family…
Author's Notes:
Hey guys exams are over and this one was supposed to come out three days ago but I got a writers block for the ending of this chapter. So hence the delay. This is the first chapter that is fully dedicated to the Neia/Noah Arc so hope you enjoyed it.
So once again leave a review if you liked it, every review is appreciated and is motivation to write. See you guys in the next chapter!