It has been a long time since this got updated, along with many of my other stories as well. Luckily I have a Transcendence chapter up as well.
This was a chore to get out. Life has been a struggle these last few months and recently I had to deal with Strep Throat, and before that I had to deal with extra work hours for the last few months. But most of all I am now a property owner, a proud owner of over a hundred acres in a very rural part of Australia. Lovely place actually.
But I won't waste anymore time, here is a new chapter. Enjoy.
The Hand of Suffering
Chapter 23: Truth
The camp was bustling with activity, near ten thousand soldiers had arrived in this forward base camp and were all preparing for the upcoming assault. From the meeting that had just finished it wouldn't be long, they would be attacking in less than an hour.
Olga truly marvelled at how efficient they could be, how quickly they moved their soldiers and how cohesive they were in their plans. Even her own people argued over trivial matters of state and battle, while the rest of Eostia passed the buck to Mercenaries and expected them to handle it. But not the Hand, they didn't argue, they were of one mind and when one spoke the rest followed along, it was sometimes disconcerting.
But right now it was horrifying, considering the plans that were being put into motion right now.
The Hand was many things, but the extremes they were willing to commit shocked her at times, especially towards innocent people. It made her wonder what was the point of all this, what was there to gain from senseless slaughter and suffering.
Although she didn't feel like she could call them out on their actions, it would be hypocritical, considering she sent monsters from the north to slaughter innocents. But here it was different, they were killing their fellow kin and doing it without batting an eye, despite knowing that they were doing wrong.
'The fact I am getting worked up over this is just as jarring.' Olga mused.
If this was a half a year ago she would not have given a damn about this civil war, or the chaos or slaughtered that was underway. She may have even been intrigued and beleaguered her servants to bring her news of the chaos just so she could revel in the Alliance's suffering. Perhaps she would even feel envy that she couldn't be there in person to see how thoroughly the Hand crushed the pride of the Alliance and their leaders with little effort.
Now, she was starting to feel unnerved by the actions they were committing as of late. No, not as of late, the realisation was late to come but she should have known that this is exactly what they are like.
But she cannot understand it, honestly she could not make heads or tails out of their motivations and the methods they employ to achieve their goals. Looking back on every event and battle she could not discern a clear picture of their goal. Because at times it seemed both benevolent and malicious.
They saved every single village in Feoh from attack, rescuing thousands of innocent villagers from the rampaging Black Dog and Orcs. But on the other hand they allowed for Geoff to turn into a bloody slaughter just so that they could quickly discern who was allied with the Black Dogs. That slaughter in turn resulted in the majority of the conscripts from the villages, the ones they had evacuated, being killed during the battle as well.
Then the city of Feoh, they allowed it to be attacked, allowed the Black Dogs to conquer it – although they claimed they intended to rescue Alicia at the time to foster comradely it never happened. They did still save the Iris Knights, a small fraction of them, but they left the entire city to be gutted. That was just the start, after conquering the city they installed her as the ruler, vilified the royal family and nobility, compelled the people to commit mass slaughter, and began herding people out of the city to gods know where.
Olga could not even begin to fathom all the schemes and plots that the Hand were acting on, it simply boggled the mind how they had so many in the works. But now she had to wonder if any of them were sane right now, if they were actually thinking straight. Their reasoning for doing any of this didn't stem from any sense of logic or emotion, it was far off the mark. They did this, committed all these acts, as a last act of righteousness before they died.
"I need to find Glan, maybe he could tell me more about this." Olga muttered, she needed to find him and her some answers.
The meeting had given her a clear picture on the mentality of the Hand, it was downright frightening how they all acted so emotionless. She suspected that maybe they weren't emotionless, perhaps they were hiding it, suppressing them so they could still function. Glan lost his cool for a moment and he was nearly weeping, looking ready to break down. Maybe they were just as fragile, maybe they were bottling it all up to keep themselves going, who knew.
But she was about to find out, she saw Glan near a brazier, next to him was Chloe. They seem to be talking, hushed whispers between them, and then something surprising happened. Chloe raised a hand and awkwardly placed it on Glan's shoulder, a reassuring gesture, one she had not thought her shadow would give to the man.
Chloe said something and quickly turned to leave. Olga could see her face now, a conflicted expression gracing her features, she was troubled. Perhaps Glan had told her something, it had to be quite something if it made her stalwart and aggressive aid actually show sympathy to him. Their relationship was one of one sided hostility, for her to show even an ounce of compassion was a surprise.
"Chloe, is Glan well?" Olga asked, stepping forward and gaining her shadows attention.
"Lady Olga. Not entirely… he is composed. Although he still dwells on his troubles." Chloe replied. "He is far from alright, he is definitely not well right now."
"What did you discuss?" Olga asked.
Then Chloe did something she had never thought she would do, she hesitated to speak, looking near unwilling to say another word. The way she shifted on her feet and the sympathetic expression she wore as she glanced back towards the man they were discussing.
"I will answer if you order me to do so, but this is not a matter for me to discuss in the open or without consent." Chloe responded.
Now that was definitely something she did not expect, Chloe was protecting his privacy and would not divulge anything unless she was ordered to do so. Olga of yesteryear would have ordered her to do so in a heartbeat, but now, she didn't feel right to hear of Glan's troubles from another.
"It is personal isn't it?" Olga asked.
"Yes, very personal, I ask that you do no press him for details, this is something he should tell you himself." Chloe replied. "It… is similar to my situation. So please do not pressure him for answers."
Olga had only an inkling of the troubled past Chloe had once endured, much of her time as a slave was not something anyone but herself knew. It was something that after forty years that had never been properly discussed, Olga did not pressure her, she had no right to ask such troubling questions. If Glan's situation was somehow similar, than she had no right to demand such answers.
"Would I still be able to talk with him? Even if not pertaining to… this delicate matter?"
"Yes, that should be fine." Chloe replied.
Olga moved forward, moving towards the brazier and standing beside Glan. She felt hesitant to speak, after hearing of his troubled state she did not wish to possibly startle him or bring up something terrible. It was truly hilarious how she was going out of her way to be accomodating for a human, as decent as Glan was, he was still part of the race that she despised to a great degree. But a part of her still worried about him, she wondered if he would be alright and if he would remain by her side as her guard.
"Are you alright?" Olga asked.
She wanted to berate herself for asking such a foolish question, it was obvious he wasn't.
"I am sorry, I lost my cool back there, and did something stupid." Glan said, his words didn't carry much emotion but she saw that his way of talking had changed.
With most of the Hand they spoke almost uniformly, in manner of speech as well as volume, perhaps this was how he usually talked. Certainly was different from what she was used to.
"That is a given, I had not thought you capable of such raw emotion, it startled me for a moment." Olga said, trying to play it off as a joke, but regretted it as Glan didn't seem to respond.
For the next few minutes he was silent, chewing on his lip and gazing into the fire. It truly worried her how lost he looked, uncertain of what to say or do, he was actually struggling to stay composed.
"It is not easy for me to hold onto this. I know I am not the only one who feels this way, but sometimes I struggle to remain in control." Glan replied. "When I let it slip, it is usually impossible for me to put a lid back on it."
Olga really didn't like where this was going, she shouldn't have taken this lightly. This was serious, given the mentality of these people she should know that they were teetering on the edge of insanity. She had no doubt that these people were psychotic, bordering on having a mental breakdown, one bad day and they could all crack under the pressure.
"You do not have to worry about me asking, I just wanted to know about the Hand." Olga asked, for his sake as well as hers, she had no real way to engage him in a heart to heart so maybe this could lead into it. "They told me that they were all damned, that they couldn't escape from their sins. Do you actually believe that?"
Glan looked at her for a moment, then turned back to the flame. Another minute of silence passed between them, the crackling of the fire and the movement of the soldiers around them giving any sound to the quiet air.
"I am sure you noticed how the Hand is light on formalities and respect for the chain of command, most of the people refer to Reginald by name and only use 'Lord' or 'Master' when in the presence of those outside our order." Glan said, she did notice that, it was often something that made her titter at knowing this big secret to the werewolf's name.
But it wasn't that much of a secret, it wasn't some sort of morbid curse that should never be spoken, it was formalities really. Even then it still was hilarious to think that no one outside the Hand actually knows his name, not even Celestine.
"You treat each other as equal, the rankings in your order are more ceremonial than anything." Olga said, it was her suspicion that the ranking in the order was more for show than anything else.
"In part yes, while it is good to have experienced individual in place to lead, most of the different groups were formed around those currently leading them before the induction into the Hand. But formalities and adherence to a chain of command is something we have found to be both cumbersome and inefficient for our work." Glan replied.
Sounded like an oxymoron, it was important but then again not so, sometimes she could not understand the inner workings of these people. Although given what they had become she didn't want to even consider knowing about what goes on in their heads.
But having too many leaders at the head of an army often was a bad thing, if they didn't agree with each other than they fracture and don't cooperate. If that happens the army suffers and morale drops, if you could drop the morale of this bunch that is. Yet how it sounds makes it seem that they were leaders because they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or so to speak.
"So… what is the point then?" Olga inquired.
"It is mostly to help give structure and cohesion, everyone knows what they have to do regardless of their leaders telling them. In a way our leaders are just there to tell them what to do when the time comes." Glan replied.
Olga was confused for a moment, they knew what had to be done beforehand? How did that work? This was becoming a lot harder for her to understand.
"But that is besides the point of this discussion. What you want to know about is why we are like this, why we show little emotion and care little for the opinions of others." Glan said, facing her fully. "Why we see ourselves as damned souls."
"Yes, I want to know." Olga replied, facing him as well, a part of her was actually afraid to find out.
"We came from nothing, every single member of the Hand was nothing more than simple folk." Glan said, giving a shrug. "Farmers, herders, even a few petty criminals and disgraced individuals who fled to the Valley hoping to escape from their past. Or were left to rot there. Some came from prominence, former court magicians, protectors of the influential, even former enemies."
Olga was aware, she had learned quite a lot about the Untouched Valley, a haven for those looking for a fresh start away from conflict and strife. It was said to be the go-to place for getting rid of people you didn't want the rest of the world to find again. If you consider the histories of some of the Acolytes that make up the Hand of Suffering it was obvious many of them came from more prestige.
"When the orcs invaded and the people were left to fend for themselves many ragtag groups formed. Scattered militia up and down the valley, fighting off the orcs that came. Most of the leadership you see now were leaders of those same militia groups." Glan replied.
That wasn't surprising.
"But not everyone was a former general or Knight, in fact. Derrick Thatch, Reginald's right hand man and champion, he was a farm boy up north before the unrest came." Glan said.
Now that surprised her, she had seen that young man on several occasions. Often he was with Reginald and showed himself to be a shrewd person, nearly as cunning as her with how he proposed dealing with the nobles in Feoh and Geoff. From what she had come to learn he had found key methods in luring out dissenters in Feoh and bringing them to heel.
Apart from his skills in politics and manipulating it he was quite proficient with a sword, in a word he was good. Ludo himself had sparred with him on occasion and sang nothing but praise for his skill with the sword, even Chloe was forced to admit he was a master of the blade. To think a little over half a decade ago he was a farmer.
"How did he become a warrior?" Olga asked, she had to know.
"Because he pledged himself to Reginald, the day after our lord appeared in the Valley and saved Ulfraden from a orc horde Derrick had begged him for help. Pledging to serve him until his death, and Reginald took him up on that offer and turned him into a warrior. He was the first to choose to serve, but he would not be the last." Glan said.
"So, the training made him like that?" Olga asked. "Made all of you, like this?"
"No, in truth the means that made us what we are now did not come to pass until four years later. In the time of our Lords arrival and the creation of the Hand almost two dozen groups roamed the valley. Some fighting the orcs, some fighting each other, and some fighting the nobles. Some fighting everyone." Glan replied.
"I don't understand." Olga asked.
"Not everyone was on the same page, we all came from different stock. Just as Derrick was a farmer there were others from different walks of life. Mika Ramsey, she was the wife of the Magistrate who presided over Pretoria, and Solaina Prescott, she was a seamstress before she joined the militia as a conscript." Glan stated.
Olga was dumbfounded, she had seen those two and had personally talked with both of them. Mika Ramsey certainly had the air of a noble, but the wife of a magistrate was not what she expected, especially someone who would scout out enemy forces and launch surprise attacks against them. But that didn't even compare to Solaina, that woman was part of the vanguard, heavily infantry, they fought on the frontlines.
To think that the wife of an aristocrat along with a common seamstress could become warriors of their caliber. It boggled the mind.
"You are not joking with me now, are you?" Olga asked, she had to, the idea of them being anything but hardened warriors didn't seem to register to her.
"I am not, every one of the Acolytes have a colourful past. Orlan Kendall was a pickpocket from Ken, before he became a Highway man. Brayan Melling was a merchant that travelled between the Valley and all the cities in Ansur. Khalid Holton was a Horsebreeder." Glan clarified.
Some of that she had no idea about, Brayan she knew was posing as a merchant to enter Ansur but she didn't know he was simply slipping back into his former profession. But the idea of allowing criminals into the Hand, a Highwayman no less, being part of the upper echelon, that didn't seem possible. Or feasible.
"As I said, we have more than just disgraced nobles and knight." Glan said, giving a small barely noticeable smirk. "Because of that, of all those differences, it was obvious that we wouldn't get along with one another."
"You said that you fought each other as much as the orcs, I assume that not everyone was on the same side here." Olga said.
"Correct. Beyond allegiances the main issue was the motivations of all the people fighting, along with their temperament." Glan clarified. "Tell me, what do you think of Valeska?"
Olga mused on the question for a moment, wondering why he would ask such a question. Then she realised what he meant, he wasn't actual in her for an answer but asking her if she noticed something.
"They were different. Who they are now is not who they used to be." Olga said.
"Correct. Valeska was a bitter woman during the conflict, she was angry over the loss of her Company to Maia and saw the conflict as a chance to win back her glory. Her intent was to raise a large force and not only beat back the orcs but also retake Ansur from Maia." Glan said.
The idea of the levelheaded woman going off and starting a small war did not sound right to Olga, she was too pragmatic and analytical to do something so reckless. In fact as far as Olga was aware Valeska had no interest in taking control of the Rose Company again or ruling over Ansur. Sure she was interested in wiping out the gangs that rule the city but beyond that she had little interest in ruling over anything.
In fact she was married, three kids, and even said she wanted to retire and live out her days somewhere with a river. She had met the husband as well, the man was pleasant enough, and did remiss a few times on when the two of them first met.
"Nathan Walsh was a bigot and racist, having little love for any race other than humans and even then he was a elitist to his core. But more than that he was against the idea of Celestine becoming High Queen, it only got worse when he was exiled for following her orders in the end." Glan continued. "Sonja Kadame and the majority of her people valued their own nation and culture over Eostia and attacked anyone who came close to her village. Fayanna had spent the last forty years fighting against the Hunter of Zelindo and raiding human settlements, her hatred for humans didn't dwindle even after she was saved by them. Faruk used the chaos in the valley to extort villages for protection money, often taking valuable possessions for himself and often not bothering the protect the people."
Olga was certainly getting a clear picture. All of these people came from somewhere different, having many diverging values and from the sounds of it would never work together. But how did they become like this, it had to be some sort of magic. There was no other way to get everyone together.
"The only thing uniting us was the orcs, and even then it was a tense and untrustworthy alliance." Glan stated. "What short time truces and alliances were formed often broke apart not long after, we were not a united force by any means. Not until he came, forcing us into line."
"So, Reginald forced you to follow."
"At first yes, but after a time we were forced to follow for the sake of survival, he was the only one that had the resources and means to keep us alive while fighting the orcs and Zelindo. And as time went on our numbers grew, but we never could overcome our differences, our flaws, our blind views." Glan said, shaking his head, looking almost shameful as he recalled those times.
"Then how did he do it?" Olga asked, she had to know, what was it that he did.
Looking back on what she knew everyone was almost of the same mind, there was literally no bickering or arguing within the ranks of the Hand. Nathan Walsh wasn't some racist, he worked with wildlings and dark elves, Fayanna herself was working with them as well and apparently had taken one as a lover. More than that their was Barnabas Hendricks who once led the same Hunters that harassed and murdered these people. Uuveld Xellel was a part of the Zelindo court and Shufu Xuiang served a Shrine Maiden of Rad, they all came from so many different places.
"It is known as the Path of Shadows." Glan clarified.
Olga had heard mention of this, only in passing and certainly not a full name, referred to as the 'Path' or the 'Wisdom of Shadows'. She thought it perhaps some form of philosophy or guiding principle, but it seems it was something else.
"This path is not for the light hearted, for what it gives in clarity it give tenfold in suffering." Glan stated. "Often to see truth one needs to be exposed to the darkness within themselves, and that is what the path shows you. It shows the darkest nature of oneself, forces you to confront it, experience it."
"So, it is a form of atonement? Perhaps a ritual that allows one to confront their past sins so they may be redeemed?" Olga asked, although she had her doubts that was the case.
Glan had actually laughed when she asked, the smile on his lips was far from humorous and lacked any jovial cheer. No, it was near mocking, as if her question was utterly stupid.
"You would be a fool to think that simply acknowledging ones sins is enough to cleanse one of their actions." Glan said. "No, we are not so fortunate, we are damned for good reason. For it is not only the actions we took that we are condemned for, but also the inactions and foolishness that led to the suffering of those around us."
Olga didn't understand, how could one be judge for inaction? Certainly she supposed that one could be found guilty of doing nothing when a crime or malicious act was committed when they could have stopped it. But doing nothing? Is it really to horrible?
"We all suffer differently, some are shown their past and forced to reflect on our choices. Others are forced to revel in their own inaction, and their willingness to turn a blind eye to injustice. Hubris is made humble, denial is forced to accept truth, and the blind are forced to see."
"See what?" Olga asked.
"All the pain we caused, all the suffering wrought by our actions, to see and feel all the pain and misery our mistakes and stupidity has caused. All the screams of helpless victims reaching our ears. Our eyes, unable to be closed, looking into the pain and tormented gazes of those we murdered, harmed, or simply ignored. Our flesh, feeling as they did, as they were raped, tortured and killed."
Olga actually felt some bile rising in her throat as she considered what she was being told, if what was said was true than these people had been force to experience the suffering of hundreds of people. Depending on who you were that pain would be exponentially larger, to go through that, it would break most people.
If not, you wouldn't be the same person as before.
"But most of all, it shows us where our actions will lead us. Giving us a vision of the world as it would be if we continue down our path, the misery that would be caused by our actions and all the chaos that would ensue from it." Glan said. "We all see mostly the same thing, feel the same pain, because in the end we are responsible in some way for that future."
"What do you see?" Olga asked.
"I saw the Black Dogs ruling over Eostia, woman are treated like animals, men become beasts and this land becomes a living cesspit of corruption and hedonism." Glan said, rage actually flashing in his eyes. "The path shows us our mistakes, makes us see what kind of people we are on the inside, and brings it to light so you can take a good hard look at yourself."
"What kind of man are you?" Olga asked.
Glan was silent for a moment, turning to look at her.
"I am a coward…" Glan said. "I was blinded by ambition and thoughts of glory, I believed in nothing but myself and my own blind logic. Had I been wiser, had I listened to her, I could have stopped all of this."
Olga had no idea who he was referring to, but the way his eyes shone with pain made it clear that this was the crux of his shame.
"I could have killed Vault years ago, I could have killed the man in Diohart years before the orcs attacked the Valley. I could have saved all those that died…" Glan continued. "I was a fool, I should have done something, I saw what kind of man he was and yet I thought him a man to look up to… I deserve to suffer… for all the lives that I did not save."
Olga felt her heart ache seeing him so vulnerable, he didn't deserve this, it was her belief that he didn't deserve this kind of suffering. To believe the way he did, but in a way she knew that the worst judge for ones past is often oneself.
"You cannot always know the depths of your actions, not until you have them forced upon you… I know that feeling." Olga said, hand tightening around her staff.
She had waged war against humanity for centuries, slaughtered hundreds of thousands in her mad bid for vengeance. Never did she care for who died, guilty or innocent, so long as a human life was taken in recompense for the loss of one of her own it was worth it.
The use of horrifying tactics, the creations of the orcs and the use of the Black Stone, the creation of the Badlands. There were no depths she was not unwilling to descend into, and in the end she had caused so much misery and pain. What she had unleashed upon this continent was evil, and she did it without a second thought.
Thinking on it now only made her shudder to think how well she would fare being exposed to such horrors.
"You are a better man than you give yourself credit for. Whoever you were before, whatever you had done, what mistakes you made in the past no longer matter. Right now, right here, you are someone I respect and I will never think otherwise." Olga said.
"You do not know who I am." Glan responded.
Maybe she didn't, not entirely, but the man she had come to know over these last few months had become someone she respected. To think of him as someone else, to judge him for his mistakes, it would be hypocritical, for is she too not guilty of just as many crimes. Worse ones?
"I know enough."
Olga turned back to the flame, looking into the crimson heat as she reflected on her own past, imagining what kind of horror she would see if she treaded down that path.
Ansur
"Why the hell are we down here?" Maia asked.
Not a moment later did she take a step and her boot sunk into something. It was squishy and foul, considering the stink that came after her foot broke through whatever membrane held in the odour, it didn't take much to guess what it was. She could barely make anything out in the tunnel, although the overpowering smell of shit and piss could not be so easily indistinguishable.
He sewers of Ansur were far from clean, which was expected, although more unexpected that they were this filthy considering how clogged the streets above were with the same crap that was down here. A part of her now wondered if it was because there a clog in the one or two drains that led down here, which brought up the question on why it was so filthy if there were so few entrances left to get down here.
A part of her wondered why she even bothered coming down here, if she wanted to walk through shit and other foul human excretions she could walk down the street. At least then she could see where she was going and know where not to stand lest she coat herself in things best left unmentioned.
Only reason she was here was because she was asked, specifically by one of the few people she was willing to crawl through shit for. At least, that was what she thought until a few days ago.
"I need you to see something." Veronica said, not turning as she led her though the sewers.
Maia was conflicted, she didn't know if she should be down here, her trust in her second in command had become shaky these last few days. After everything that has happened she couldn't bring herself to trust if Veronica wasn't going to sell her out to either the Alliance or the Hand. Either way she was kicking herself for actually following her down here.
If she attacked Maia had confidence she could fight her off, she was no slouch with a blade, but in such tight quarters she had a right to be concerned. Even more so if she was being led into an ambush, if a group came on her she would have little chance to fight back. Hence why she made sure of a few contingencies, just in case.
Lucky for her however, she had a few of her girls following close by, two of her officers were right behind her and another group was tailing them. If things went south she could call on them for some backup, and if the officers couldn't be trusted than she had backup behind them that would rescue her. She just hoped that the paranoia was just that, paranoia, otherwise the last few people she had any trust in were against her.
She made sure that no one was harmed, giving express orders all around that no harm was to befall any of her girls even if they crossed sword. Last thing she wanted was more of her people getting killed by their own comrades. Seeing Meredith and all those others being hanged wasn't something she could stomach, the idea of cutting down a member of the company was infinitely worse by comparison.
"If I am right this is underneath the main plaza." Gabriel whispered, coming in close to speak into her ear. "If things go bad we can get out and to the palace fast."
Maia was glad to hear that, if things did turn sour she could escape with her girls and not have to worry about a fight. After that she could get Vault and a few of his men to help round these girls up, last thing she wanted was a bloodbath in this shit hole.
"Hey, Veronica, what exactly did you want me to see?" Maia asked, stepping out into a large chamber and quickly noticing a lot of her people were down here.
She counted at least two hundred, the majority of her forces it seemed. Maia was taken aback, unable to process what was going on, until she looked back towards Veronica who had turned to her. Ushering her forward and through the crowd at the centre of this massive underground structure.
"I need you to hear this from her mouth." Veronica said, stepping through and coming before Margaret.
"Margaret?" Maia asked, surprised to see her here. "What are you doing here? I thought you were suppose to be in Seacliffe."
Margaret scowled when she heard that name, before she took a depth breath and walked right up to her.
"I was, I was there when Vault rocked up with his soldiers and those orcs, and I was there when he started killing everyone and raping the girls." Meredith said, her words seething. "Imagine my surprise when no rescue came and when I got here that you had shacked up with that bastard."
Maia was taken aback, this couldn't be happening, there was no way that what she was saying was true.
"You too? Are you here to try and slander Vault as well?" Maia growled, her fingers tightening into a fist. "Who put you up to this? Who did it!? Was it you Veronica!?"
"Unbelievable, you are actually ignoring what I say in favour of deluding yourself with some fantasy!" Margaret yelled, grabbing Maia by the arm and forcing her to look at her. "We were raped! Over and over again! We suffered for days at their hands! Begging for you to come and help us!"
Maia shook off the hand and stepped back.
"If that is the case how are you here? How did you miraculously escape?" Maia demanded, looking for the flaw in her claim.
"We rescued her."
Maia turned, and immediately tensed when she noticed the Hand soldier stepping through the crowd and into view. She recognised him, he was one of those Acolytes, the top dogs within the order. His name elude her but she knows he is a threat, drawing her swords she gets ready for a fight but stops when none of her people make a move.
"What the hell are you doing? Why are you just standing there?" Maia yelled.
"You need to wake up Maia, this cannot go on any longer." Veronica said, stepping forward, standing between her and the only way out. "Vault is a traitor, he is not our ally, he is using us and you to get what he wants. You have to see that, after hearing this, you have to see it is true."
Maia stepped back, shaking her head, it couldn't be true. She knew Vault, for years, fought and bled with him through every battle, there was no way he could be what they say he is. The Alliance was lying, the Hand was lying, and they were deceiving everyone, even her own Company.
"How can all of you forget are the pain and suffering we went through to get where we are? We made a name for ourselves! We fought beside the Black Dogs and took over this city and the Rose Company and become what we are now! We are what we are because of Vault, because of the Black Dogs!" Maia yelled.
They weren't given their position because they popped out of the cunt of some noblewoman, they earned everything they had because they deserved it. They fought in more battles, earned more fame, and became legends from nothing. They were not pampered Princesses with delusions of grandeur or some glorified sentry riding on the coattails of some old fossil that was great back in the day.
"Maia, the Black Dogs have always been like this, you know that. We heard the rumours for years, from villagers, from our own damn people, even when we were the Bitches, we heard, felt and saw it. You can't keep lying to yourself anymore." Veronica said. "Please, listen to us for once, let go of this affection and actually look at the bigger picture."
"And what? What would you do if I listened? Would you make me fight against them?" Maia asked.
"Maia the Dogs are working with the orcs, if they survive to keep fighting thousands of people will die and be made into slaves. Women will become playthings to them, we have to drive them out of the city and destroy them. It is the only way to secure peace." Veronica said.
Maia shook her head, fist tightening around the handle of her blade as she raised it up towards her second. Those around her tensed, all of them reaching for their swords, but they did not draw their blades as Veronica raised a hand.
"They are all with me, all the officers and their girls too. We are telling everyone what happened to them in Seacliffe, more join us every moment." Veronica said, gesturing behind her.
Maia looked, seeing Gabriel and Ursa, her trusted officers, having not drawn their swords and looking at her pleadingly.
"Traitors… you are all traitors!" Maia yelled, nearly in tears, why were they doing this? Why were they doubting her?
"Maia, everyone is following me on this, in the next hour we will be driving the Black Dogs from the city, with or without you. Do not force us to leave you behind, because if it comes down to it, we will not help you if you decide to side with them." Veronica said, her words firm as she made the declaration.
Maia stood there, unable to say anything, everyone was betraying her. After all she had done to protect them and make names for themselves they would turn on her like this. She snarled, they were like all the rest, ungrateful and always wanting to put everyone down. Turning she swung her sword wide and forced those close to scurry back, she took off running as they stumbled, pushing through the crowd and to the exit. She had to warn Vault, they were in danger, everyone was out to get them.
"Maia! Stop!" Veronica yelled, seeing her disappear down the tunnel. "After her! I want her captured!"
"Do not bother, that will not resolve anything." Khalid stated.
"You can't be serious! She is going to Vault, if she tells him our plans will be ruined and once he realises that this is done he will take to Maia!" Veronica yelled, she couldn't let that happen to her, it was a fate she didn't deserve.
"I know, that is the plan." Khalid stated.
"What?" Veronica asked.
"It is the only way she will understand. After all she needs to see the truth for herself, what better way than to see the monster unveil itself right in front of her." Khalid stated, emotionlessly, she was hurried to hear the words leave his mouth.
"She'll suffer." Veronica seethed.
"After all the pain and misery she has caused for her blind devotion, it is about time she received some punishment." Khalid said, some heat in his words. "We will collect her before any serious harm comes her way, there are people who want her to survive you know, and that includes those in the Hand."
Veronica didn't know who he was talking about but it didn't matter, this was going to be something that would break Maia. If she was willing to go this far for Vault, the moment she is betrayed would be the moment she would break.
"Get the men ready, on the signal we attack." Khalid ordered.
Maia rushed through the plaza, swords still in hand and rushing headlong to the palace. She shouted to the soldiers nearby to get ready for battle, that the enemy was inside the city and they would be coming soon.
She was thankful they didn't stammer, they were quick to get to work on preparing the defences. They had most of them already prepared, all that was left to do was get them action ready and wait for the attack.
Taking to the stairs three steps at a time she slammed into the door and pushed her way through. The guards on the other side stumbles in response, drawing their swords quickly but going lax when they noticed her.
"Where's Vault?" She shouted to the nearest man.
"In the war room, what's going on?"
"The Hand is in the city, they have taken most of the Rose Company with them!" Maia yelled, charging off. "Get the men ready to fight!"
She charged through the estate, nearly missing several turns as she tried to remember which hallway led to which place. But she found it quickly, bursting through the doors and finding Vault alongside most of his routine present. They were standing around the table, a few mugs of ale and some food, more like a feast than a battle strategy but there was no time to complain.
"Vault! We have a problem! The Hand is inside the city! My Captains have turned on me and are helping them!" Maia shouted, rushing forward and putting her blades on the table. "We don't have much time, they could attack at any minute."
"What?" Vault hissed. "How the hell did they get in?"
"They are in the sewers, if we can block some of the entryways we might be able to bottleneck them." Maia suggested.
"Alright, get to it then! I want my boys on all exits to those shit holes!" Vault yelled.
The men didn't move, only looking around anxiously. What the hell where they standing around for? They were about to be attacked, the attack could be underway right now since she escaped, they had to hurry.
"What are you waiting for? Get your swords and get ready for a fight!" Vault barked.
"Boss, they slaughtered everyone at Feoh, you got away but what about the rest of us?" Faun said, many of the other officers around them nodding in affirmation.
Vault looked furious, not that she could blame him, these bastards were all wanting to turn tail and run rather than face these guys. They were the proud Black Dogs, the meanest and most powerful Mercenary company in Eostia, they ran from no one. Especially not from some upstart farmers who through that killing some orcs made them tough.
"What the hell is this?! You are Black Dogs! Why the hell are you shitting yourselves over some assholes like this?" Maia yelled.
That seemed to get them in the mood, they looked angry, if that took the fear away than all the better. But they still didn't move, standing there and seething.
"Vault, we need to move, the longer we delay the more damage will be done." Hicks said, stepping forward and looking a lot less afraid than everyone else. "If these guys are as deadly as we think they are we need to run and get south. Reinforcements won't be coming from Seacliffe, our only choice is to head south and secure one of the coastal villages."
"We can't run, we need to stay here and fight back! If we lose Ansur they will corner us! We will have everyone after us. Ansur is the only place where we are still strong." Maia shouted.
Ansur was the only places in Eostia that they had a stable power base, she may have lost the Rose Company and the Untouched Valley might be occupied by those Wolf Cult bastards but in this city and the surrounding regions they still had a hold. If they fled south they would be in Alliance territory, and as much as she knew the Dawn Templar and Samurai of Rad were fucking jokes the Halflings were a legitimate threat.
"This does not concern you." Hick said, glaring at her before looking back at Vault.
Maia actually felt herself go numb there, what the hell was that? Where did that hate come from?
"She's part of the crew Hicks, watch yourself." Vault said.
"No, she is not." Hicks replies, stepping forward and getting close to Vault. "This isn't going to work Vault, we are out of time and you cannot keep this shit up anymore. We are not having it."
What the hell was he talking about. She looked around the room and saw the way they were looking at them, it reminded her of the looks her own people were giving her. What the hell? Why the hell was this happening?
"I told you…" Vault started, pointing at Hicks, his words appearing defensive.
"She isn't part of this! She never was and never will be!" Hicks yelled, turning and pointing right at her. "Tell her! Tell her everything you have done! All those little scary things you are too afraid to tell her!"
Vault looked angry, she had seen him like that so many times before, when he was disrespected or his authority was questioned. He got angry and then he showed them who was in charge, Hicks was never stupid enough to do that, he knew he couldn't beat the man in a fight.
"You watch yourself Hicks, I will kill you if you fucking say another word." Vault warned, probably the only mercy he had ever given a man who was disrespecting him.
"Better listen Hicks, anything else and he could kill you for treason." Maia said, deciding to give the guy a last 'friendly' warning before Vault murdered him.
"You think you know everything don't you? You don't know shit about the Black Dogs and what we have done, what he hasn't told you." Hicks said, looking at her mockingly.
"I'm warning you Hicks!" Vault yelled, storming up top him, but the skinny man met him half way.
"Tell her, we are not sticking around and dying because you can't figure out how to get her on your side." Hick replied, unafraid of the coming confrontation. "Tell her, or we leave, without you. You want her on our side then stay! Or you can fucking man up and say what it is that we are all about, that you boasted about after every victory since we took over Garan."
Vault looked around, seeing the everyone seemed to agree with his words, the fear now showing determination in wake of Hicks' firm stance. These bastards were all traitors, they were turning on Vault no differently than her girls had, the filthy cowards probably just wanted to survive.
"Have you no shame! You would abandon the one man who has kept you alive all these years just so you can run away!?" Maia yelled.
"He is betraying us!" Hicks yelled. "He is betraying us by keeping you around, everything he has taught us and told us is being challenges simply because of your presence! You are a blight on the Black Dogs, on our honour, on our purpose! And we will not let you rob us of that again!"
Vault reached forward and grabbed Hicks by the collar, lifting him up and slamming him down on the table, first drawn back and ready to pulverise the man's skull. Vault hesitated for a moment, his clenched fist shaking, before he threw let out a roar and threw aside Hicks.
"Dammit!" Vault yelled, kicking aside the table and scattering its contents on the floor. "Fuck!"
He raged and cursed, for a few moments, before he took in a deep breath and then looked at her. Fresh pain was on his face, along with some anger, he turned away without saying a word. Vault went still and quiet, he sagged forward, he looked so vulnerable right now. Whatever he was thinking was something that he was struggling to find the answer to.
"Vault. Talk to me, what does he mean?" Maia asked.
If this could be resolve with a few words than she would, if she had to accept some truths she would. Nothing would change her opinion of the man she loved, he was known to her and there was nothing that would change how she felt about him.
"Maia… you know what kind of nation this is right?" Vault said, turning to her, being slow and cautious with his words. "This is the kind of nation that tramples on the weak, that doesn't appreciate strength or ability, look at us, we are looked down upon because of where we come from, that we are commoners."
Maia knew this well, even as a Shield Knight she has looked down for her past and the fact she was a mercenary. Almost every single person that wasn't of noble birth or human had nothing in this country, she knew that well. Even for all her achievements and ability she was seen as lesser than those who deserved far less praise like Alicia or Kaguyu.
"I have fought for years to get to this point, struggled and pushed against those who would go against us." Vault said.
"You don't need to tell me that, we both had to fight against those bastards that wanted to keep us under their boots. I had to fight to get where I am now, and I am where I am today not because I am some nobles daughter, or because I paid my way or because I had some goddess' endorsement. I am here today because of you." Maia said.
A flash of emotions worked their way across his face, but where it started with pride and joy it ended with what looked like bitterness.
"I know, I know that." Vault said, he rubbed his hands down as he spoke. "I have fought for twenty years to become the leader of the best mercenary company in Eostia. I had to crawl out of Zelindo and take over Diohart to become powerful enough where I could resist the Nobles attempts to push me back down into the mud."
"I never got anywhere fast, I was still playing second fiddle to them for as long as I could remember, but then you turned up and I thought to myself it didn't matter. I thought maybe what I had made had been enough." Vault continued. "The Bitches had been a good addition to our group and we meshed well."
"We did, we were strong together." Maia said.
"Yeah… so when you left and became a Shield Princess for the Goddess… I had a bit of a crisis on my hands. Didn't know what to do, but after a bit of convincing I decided that it was right to continue down the path I was on originally. To keep moving up the ladder, not unlike how you did, but I wouldn't get myself some fancy title with no real substance, I would carve it out and make my own." Vault replied. "I did everything in my power and with every means at my disposal to not just to make myself a leader of these men, but a leader of all men in this nation."
What? Maia was surprised, what he was suggesting right now was that he wasn't satisfied with being a prominent figure who earned his place. He wanted to become the one who ruled over it. She had no idea that was his goal, not one that seemed to have had a long history.
"You… want to be King?" Maia asked.
"Yes! Because this nation is weak, filled with brownnoses who are more concerned with dressing up than wielding real power! I want to topple this fucking nation to the ground and remake it into something that is strong and would last a thousand years! I want to make this nation strong again, and to do that it needs a strong leader. Those Shields, the Goddess and those fucking nobles, all of them, they only want to hoard their power and use it as they see fit. To keep things the same and keep everyone down." Vault chanted. "They deserve to know what it is like to be trodden on, to be made to have their faces planted into the ground and fucked over for everything they worked for is taken by those who are better than them."
Maia was shocked with how manic he was becoming, but the idea was something that did appeal, who wouldn't want that. But there was something about the way he said it, gone was the passion and charismatic demeanour that had won many to his side, now there was something more primal and dangerous to his words.
"I will chain them up, make them into animals and playthings, they don't deserve to be part of my new world." Vault continued. "The strong rule, that is the only law that is right the only one that is true, and those weak sons of bitches deserve to be chained up and made to suffer."
Maia wanted to ask what he meant but Hicks spoke up first.
"We had to do a lot didn't we, so many plans we had to employ. But what we are doing now is but the beginning of what our nation is about to become." Hicks said, laughing as he pushed Vault along, Maia knew that kind of tone.
"Damn right! We had to fight tooth and nail to get where we were, even making deals with the Nobles. We had to pay them off, give them gold and slaves just so they could help us, maybe even killing off a few enemies. But in time we even had them working for us. Fuck sake we had to keep the Untouched Valley in check most of the time, had that werewolf not shown up everyone there would be dead!" Vault shouted, earning a laugh from the men around him.
"Hard to do that ourselves too! When they started rebelling we had to find a way to put them down We needed help, pretty smart of you getting help from them huh?" Hicks said.
"The orcs are idiots, I made a promise or two and they fell in line, hell Guzzmag was fucking easy to convince, just give him a few Dark Elves and some slaves and he was all for joining us take over Eostia." Vault laughed. "I have him free access to the Valley and he was eating out of the palm of my hands, I even made him the new supreme warlord of all orcs and he is still my bitch!"
People were laughing more.
"See Maia, that's the truth there, that's the genius of the new King of Eostia here." Hicks said, turning to look at her.
Maia stood there motionless, unable to form words, only look on and stare off into nothing as all that Vault admitted hit her in one fell swoop. It was small things that hit her the most, small things that reminded her of so many things told to her in the past.
Alicia speaking on the Black Dog's involvement with the slavery charges in Ansur.
The werewolf telling of the alliance with the orc warlord know as Guzzmag.
All those warnings Veronica had tried to tell her, along with everyone else.
There was so many small little things coming back to her now, things making sense to her for the first time. All those years she served with him and the Black Dogs, some of the best and most important years of her life, were looking so horrifyingly different than how she remembered. Like a veil had been lifted and the monstrous visage of what lay beneath was revealed.
All those stories she heard, about the rapes and violence that the Black Dogs perpetrated across the frontier, even against her girls. All the crimes that had been levelled against them over the last few months, the slavery and murders they perpetrated. Even the crimes made by the Untouched Valley and Wolf Cult, they tried to murder everyone in the valley and use orcs to do it.
'Oh god…' Maia mused, hand coming to her mouth.
He has been doing this for years… for so long and she didn't see… why… why didn't she see this sooner? It couldn't possibly be true, this couldn't be the truth, how could it be?
"Maia." Vault said, offering a hand to her, his confident smile in place. "Come with us, back at our side, we were good back in the day. The Black Dogs and the Bitches, we were the best. Lets be that again."
Maia would have jumped into his arms at the offer, not a single ounce of doubt would have gone through her mind.
Now…
She couldn't so much as touch the hand of the man who had committed so much evil, who had perpetrated all this horror for reasons she could not fathom.
"Everything they said about you… it's true." Maia said. "The rapes, the murders… what you did in Feoh. That's all true?"
"This is war, we can't show mercy to those people. They look down on us and we showed them what it feels like to be stepped on and make to look weak." Vault replied.
It was all true then, all the horrible things he had done.
She stumbled back, unable to say anything, how could she say yes to a man who had admitted to her that he was going pillage, rape and burn the country to ash and bring back some of the worst things to ever exist in this nations history. But it would be worse, he would have demons at his side doing it, he would make a country into a living nightmare with him on a throne.
It made her sick, that she couldn't have seen this.
"Where are you going?" Vault said, looking at her critically.
Maia only looked at him for a moment, stumbling as she turned, before looking back to the door. Several men blocked her way, she was trapped, only now did she realise the danger she was in right now.
"Are you… are you turning your back on me? Again!" Vault hissed.
"Why are you doing this?" Maia rasped, frantically looking at him and all the others. "What made you do this? What happened to all of you? Why… why did you become like this?"
Someone grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back and then someone grabbed her other arm. She was restrained before she could do anything, trapped with no hope of escape or ability to fight back, she was in the wolf's den with no hope.
"Why? Why? Why are you doing this?" Maia asked.
"I told you, I am making this country great again." Vault hissed.
"No… this is insane, you can't do this, you are better than this!" Maia said.
"I am better! Better than anyone else, and I don't need some traitor telling me what to do!" Vault roared. "Get her to my chambers!"
She was dragged through the door, down the hallways, past anyone nearby and hearing the jeering of dozens of people she only a few minutes ago were her allies. It continued to sink deeper, the knowledge she had ignored over the last few years, that she was in love with a madman. But there had to be a reason, something she was missing, something that proved that he was the same man she remembered.
"You bitch. You fucking bitch!" Vault growled, enraged and looking ready to murder her on the spot. "You fucked with me all over again. Like all the others!"
Maia was brought to the bed chamber and forced face down into the bed.
"I should have killed you when I got here, taken all your soldiers and put them in pens to be fucked by my boys and those orcs." Vault growled.
"What happened to you?! What made you like this?!" Maia shouted, unable to understand what could have made him into this kind of monster, what had she missed, what had she not seen.
"You caused this! When you betrayed me all those years ago!" Vault yelled. "You, who sided with the Shield Knights, with Celestine! Taking Ansur so you could become the Queen of mercenaries and use me and my company as a stepping stone to make yourself like them."
He glared down at her, hate filled eye and teeth clenched tight, he was furious. But she didn't understand, how had she betrayed him, she did that for him, she elevated herself to make him great as well. All she did was to make him strong, to stop them from trying to tear him down, it was the only way.
"I… I did that… to help you. You needed someone to vouch for you… I did that to help you." Maia tried to speak, but he wasn't listening anymore.
"I took pity on you, after everything I did for you, you went and used that against me to get what you want. You fucking bitch!" Vault roared. "I protected you! I saved you and this is how you repay me! By stealing my glory! Stealing my title! Thinking you can one up me and get away with it!"
He grabbed her hair and reefed it hard, glaring balefully at her as his eyes seemed to bulge and turn red.
"I only wanted to be like you… I did everything for you!" Maia said. "When did you become like this? Please! Whatever it was, please tell me what changed!"
Vault snorted and let her go, stepping back and looking down at her with disdain.
"What changed? It's obvious, it was you. I got ahead of myself and started fancying you when I should have just handed you over to Zelindo." Vault said. "I knew you were some soft spoken girl that didn't have it in her to handle the hard shit, maybe that was why I liked you. Just some love stuck girl who didn't know how the fucking world worked, so I had to play nice when you were around, got a bit to committed for my own good."
Maia felt tears well in her eyes, he did love her, he had changed because of her. But… the man she loved wasn't who this man truly was, he had tricked her, played with her.
"I fucking nearly gave all of it up, you filled my head with lies and tried to make me see things from your point of view and that would have ruined everything. Thank fuck I still had enough whits about me not to tell you anything or let you fuck my head over anymore than you did, I probably would have killed myself out of shame after you were done lying to me." Vault growled. "Gotta admit, I never expect you to betray me, who would have thought a nun's daughter was such a good liar."
Maia froze, looking up at him. How did he know that… how did he know she was a nun. She never told anyone, about her mother and what she was.
"Oh. You still haven't figured that out yet huh?" Vault said, smirking as if he discovered the answer to some funny joke. "Your mother was very important to those nobles in Zelindo, they wanted her bad, and after she ran away I had to job of finding her, along with that little bitch she gave birth too. Which I did…"
Maia felt her heart clench, tears filling her eyes, this couldn't be true.
"When I met you I knew you were the kid I was looking for, all I had to do was get close and just wait for you to show me where your mom was. And you did, you most certainly did." Vault said. "So after I got you all to myself I decided to hold onto you, but I had to give those assholes in Zelindo something so I thought maybe just the mother would do."
She took in a gasp of air, tears spilling from her eyes, she begged to any god out there to wake her from this nightmare. This couldn't be happening, this was a hell that she did not wish to be real.
"We took turns on her, one after the other, bitch hadn't had dick in years and she felt nice and tight!" Vault said. "But every time she begged me she didn't even ask for me to stop, she only wanted me to not touch her little girl."
Maia choked on her tears, unable to fight back the sobs.
"But I did, I had you all to myself to use whenever I wanted." Vault said. "As for her, sent your good ol' mom to Zelindo. You know those warehouses you let me investigate? We threw her in one, and she stayed there getting fucked day after day until she finally dropped dead."
"No… no…" Maia rasped.
"Funny thing is. Had you actually listened to that fucking Knight all those years ago and come to investigate, you might have actually been able to save her. She died like… a year before this whole shit started anyways." Vault mocked. "But who cares, not like you wanted to see that bitch ever again right?"
The wail she let out was wrenching, all her misery let loose in a loud and ear piercing cry. Everything she knew was wrong, the man she loved was the cause of all her pain, the woman she had hated for so long had been right. Everything she thought she knew was wrong, she was an idiot, and it was all her fault.
"Take her, fuck her like you did her mother, and burn the bitch. I ain't leaving her to fuck me over again." Vault said, turning on his heels and storming from the room.
"Well, that was easier than expected." Hicks muttered, turning to the men before exiting with Vault. "Make this quick, we need to get out of her fast."
Maia knew what was coming, she expected it long before they dragged her into this room, but she could do nothing but scream as the revelations fell on her. Everything she knew was a lie, all she fought for and had dedicated herself towards was a lie, and it was all her fault.
She felt the man on top of her, ripping at her cloths and grasping her flesh, what was to come would be agonising but it would be nothing compared to what she was feeling right now. All she could focus on was the soul wrenching pain that was tearing her apart right now.
The breaking of glass caught her attention, if only slightly, she could see a dark robed figure out of the corner of her eye cut down two men in short order. Several more appears around the room, killing the men that had her restrained, she knew who they were but she didn't care. They would probably kill her in a moment, a large part of her welcomed it.
But they grabbed her, pulled her up and over ones shoulder, before leaping out of the window. They sailed down a series of ropes, and touched the stone pavers of the plaza. All around she could see the bodies of dead Black Dogs, the battle was underway and already it was in the Hand of Suffering's favour.
She was carried away from the palace, as she did Maia could see the main force of the Hand and the Rose Company charging forward. Many faces she recognised, people she had thrown into cells thinking them traitors, friends she had abandoned out of misguided love, and enemies that had more right to kill her than to save her.
Eventually she was put down, she fell to her knees and couldn't do anything but cry into her hands, not even looking up at the thing that was in front of her.
She glanced at its feet, the wolffish paws were easy to identify and revealed the identity of who was before her. Glancing upwards confirmed her guess, the horrific pulsing eyes that glared down at her reproachably, she could only hope he was going to kill her. She wished for it.
But he only sniffed dismissively and stepped past her, leaving her kneeling on the ground, to wallowing in her mistakes and failures. A fitting punishment, considering how much she had tried to deny all of it, she didn't deserve a quick death, she wasn't that innocent. It didn't make her feel better, she doubted that anything would feel the same again, that only made it more painful.
Probably not the most actioned packed but you learned a little something I suppose.
Now someone has asked why Reginald hasn't banged anyone. I can give you three main reasons.
1. He is an undead, their sex drive is very much dulled.
2. He is a psychopathic murder machine that would get more pleasure out of torturing someone that fucking them.
3. What love he might have in him and attraction are directed towards someone else, and he has no desire to betray that person with something baseless as sex with some random woman.
Beyond those points the reason there is little romance going on is because I am still building up to that, and in this chapter you might have noticed some feelings being expressed a little here and there. And I don't mean Vault and Maia. Romance for me is a slow process, I believe that unless you are willing to commit after building a repertoire with someone you need a solid foundation. Most relationships I build in stories tend to be long drawn out affairs that have characters mingle and interact so that they deeply connect with one another and something blossoms from it.
I have several of these in mind. Some are already in place as well. So just wait and see.
