…Southern Holy Kingdom…
Gustav Montagne was…happy. He'd captured two small keeps, plundered the wealth of the nobility and then bought the crops of the farmers that were supposed to be shipped north. His soldiers were eating a large amount of it because he simply had no way to ship it out, and the rest was given away to the peasants themselves in the form of feasts. They were more than happy to do that, war or no war, selling all your crops at inflated prices and then getting to eat what you've sold…is a very big win.
Still it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, both keeps had fallen to a force several times his size only a few days after being taken, costing him dozens of men each time, however with his smaller, lighter force, he was able to stay well out in front of the pursuers most of the time. A few ambushes against scouts had taught the enemy commander some harsh lessons.
Still, numbers aside, he wasn't without his advantages, his army had horses in abundance, undead mainly, and these powerful beasts could pull much greater weight and never tired, so pulling carts filled with soldiers meant he could outpace any army they sent to pursue him, and he led them on a merry chase. As he sent out his own scouts in turn to various villages, he found that some nobles who had remained behind and sent their army north, had sent messengers recalling them to the South to protect their estates against what had now come to be called 'Gustav's Raiders'.
It gave him a grin that let him forget the inevitable suffering he would have to endure when the war was over. He thought of his future torturer, the pretty demon girl, she'd called herself a Fury, when he lay awake at night, he wondered what she'd do with her fangs, her talons...he'd sensed so much…lust for pain from her…he was glad of the breaking of the dawn, and such was his fervor to forget the nights that he easily did two or three times the damage he was expected to, as if the fear was motivating him to ever more creative thought.
This morning he'd sent his men to several different villages and bought all the horses that he could and replaced the limitless undead mounts with the living counterparts, specifically he had attached them to the baggage train holding supplies, wounded men, and so on. Then he slowed his formation down.
The dust of his mounts on the unpaved road created a large cloud, obscuring his formation's size, but making it obvious that his baggage train was falling ever farther and farther behind.
Gustav gave his lieutenant a predatory smile. "How many are watching us Lieutenant Inta?"
They were still on their undead horses, but they were no longer rushing as he waited for his reports.
Lieutenant Inta returned that predatory smile, he flashed his vampire fangs. "My sister and my brothers counted two thousand three hundred."
"Not bad, we pull this off and they'll have to draw more from the northern campaign to deal with us here." Gustav said, unconsciously touching his sword.
"We've already pulled at least fifteen thousand." Inta replied, "If we kill another twenty-three hundred of them in one shot, well…Remedios will probably overreact."
"She's always been prone to that, so we'll play off of it right down to the moment we do get caught and wiped out." Gustav snorted, "Suicide mission, but a glorious one."
"Fair enough." Inta said, "The Sorcerer King promised my family and I a pardon if we ended our days of hiding and hunting in the Draconic Kingdom and answered his call to service when it came, he never promised the fight would be easily survivable." The vampire laughed beside Gustav, flashing naked fangs without even attempting to hide what he was, this was one of the many changes effected by the Sorcerer King, those beings which had been enemies of humanity, if they would live in accordance with his laws, would cease to be at odds with the world around them.
Gustav had ridden with Inta for weeks now, and he had proven himself a skilled fighter with a real sense for the flow of battle and when to give a command to maximize its effectiveness. More than that, he found Inta to be an amiable man around the campfire, he drank from several donors among the Black Justice converts who gave small quantities freely, and as strange as it seemed, Gustav found himself liking the man a great deal, quick with a joke and slow to anger, Inta's cool head under pressure made him a good man to have around, his black hair and red eyes were regular features as he checked with his subordinates as to how they fared and what they required, if anything. A good leader. It was not lost on Gustav that he was a better leader than Remedios Custodio, who was quick to deflect blame from herself and even quicker to claim credit for somebody else's work.
"How far should we let the baggage fall behind today? Another quarter mile?" Gustav asked.
"No, to much and they'll smell a trap, and the place we're looking for is two days away, call it an eighth of a mile, let them see it as something very gradual, plus we've already sent enough of our people ahead to make preparations. We don't want to risk ruining this." Lieutenant Inta said thoughtfully.
"Well as long as we're not riding hard enough to tire the undead," Gustav gave Inta a grin, and the vampire's red eyes rolled at the joke, "might as well fill the time, right?"
"I suppose." Inta said in his smooth bardic voice. "What did the vampire call the horseman?"
Gustav thought for a moment. "I don't know, what?"
"Fast food." Inta said with a smug grin and a chuckle that brought a groan from Gustav Montagne.
"What should you never ask a vampire at a restaurant?" Gustav asked.
"I don't know, what?" Inta replied, a thin smile already forming on his face.
"Wouldn't you like a steak?" Gustav laughed, and it was Inta's turn to groan.
"They say vampires are evil…but I say they've never encountered puns before." Inta laughed a bit at his own retort. "You know, a few years ago I never would have imagined humans as companions, but I have to admit, I like the change."
Gutav looked at him with a cockeyed expression, "Believe me, it is no less strange on my end, I wouldn't have imagined it at all until the things that happened at Kedyn. It was all…surreal, like something out of a myth, yet here we are, both of us."
"I probably wouldn't be, I'm fairly sure the Sorcerer King would have killed myself and my family except for our habit of targeting criminal elements, he seems to take his 'social contract' idea very seriously, and anyone who puts themselves outside of it is…almost fair game." Inta said, answering a lingering question Gustav had long wondered at.
"You know I admit I wondered how you'd managed to gain a pardon; the Sorcerer King is typically not kind to those who violate his…standards." Gustav said as their horses clopped along the road.
"As far as I know, we're the only ones that did, there were two other vampire clans that I knew of in the Draconic Kingdom and…well they're not around anymore. They were more than just hunters, they were predators targeting sheep. They'd take peasants, children, the elderly, anyone and everyone. I know some humans had tried to take them down, only to fail." Inta shrugged, "I don't want to say I was wiser than they, but to me it always seemed foolishly antagonistic, we had to live with humans, targeting those they're likely to protect seemed just…stupid, sooner or later they'd hire competent people to hunt you down, then what? Run? Hide? Move to a new kingdom and hope for better? I admit…I…liked the hunt, and I'm sorry if that bothers you, but we did a public service in taking those we did."
Gustav shook his head, "No, it doesn't bother me, remember I hunted vampires, undead, all manner of beings that were 'enemies of humanity' and didn't know any other way, its part of why I followed Remedios, because she was such a zealous defender of human life. I just couldn't imagine some way we could coexist, meeting Ulthis who had a human wife, finding out that there were defenders of humanity who were themselves not human, I had to change my mind."
"Well, that's the thing isn't it?" Inta asked rhetorically, drawing a look of curiosity from Gustav.
"We're not 'defenders of humanity' we are 'defenders of our communities'. Humans are part of it, orcs are part of it, snake men, vampires, werewolves, lizard men, elves, dwarves, quagoa, frog men, zern, frost giants and dragons, and numerous others…we've had our community expanded by the Sorcerer King to include those who are physically different in ways that defy imagination, and come together in common interest for the common good. The community of common interest binds us all together, each one depending on each other's strengths, compensating for one another's weaknesses. This war, when it is finally at its end, will have a kind of community that has never existed in the world before, and you and I Gustav, you and I and those like us, get to lay the foundations for it, and see a long future for it. I should say, I feel profoundly privileged." Lieutenant Inta said proudly.
Gustav gave a grim smile, "First we have to survive, then we get to change the world, but even if we survive, you'll get to see it, probably not me. Not after what I've done."
The vampire he had come to call friend looked at him with some concern. "Why are you so certain of that? We've won so far, there is no reason to think we can't keep winning while the north is settled, and the Theocracy occupied."
Gustav gave a shake of his head and a mournful sigh in answer, "Because I'm on borrowed time, I was the one who got Remedios Custodio out of prison before her execution, had I let her die, she wouldn't have an army, she wouldn't have lived to go completely off the deep end and kill everybody that she has, she may swing the blade, but the blood splashes on to me. I confessed my crime to Queen Calca and to the Sorcerer King, and my punishment was deferred to the end of the war, but after that, they'll probably hand me over for trial as an accessory to war crimes under the Draconic Accords, and then I'll be handed over to the Tisiphone Fury for punishment." He shuddered.
"What the hell is that?" Inta asked.
"A kind of demon, it can see guilt and lusts to punish those who are guilty of grave misdeeds, I met the one they'll probably give me to, I saw no mercy in her eyes, if I am given to her, I will not see the world again." Gustav said.
"They let you go anyway?" Inta asked.
"I am allowed to live to atone for what I've done by bringing her down, but after the war, well the check always comes at the end of the meal." Gustav said, "So mine is going to come due."
"Have they said what will happen to you?" Inta asked.
"No, I see it in my nightmares though." He said softly.
"Don't think about it then, you can make a big difference between now and then, and if you do well enough, maybe they'll mitigate your sentence some." He said hopefully.
"Well, I won't ask for it, we've seen enough of what she's done, so I'll accept whatever happens to me as a consequence, but until that day…" Gustav grabbed the pommel of his sword, "We've got a new world to make."
"That's the spirit!" Inta said enthusiastically.
As planned, the baggage and supplies for their military force lagged farther behind, and as a result, the less than cautious commander committed to its pursuit, with a few flying squadrons of cavalry daring to make a raid on the wagon farthest in the rear to try to stop it or at least slow the whole thing further. Gustav was happy to oblige, having his archers fend off the raiders while stretching his line thin, no doubt they would report their success back to their masters.
The next day they reached their destination, to the right was a hill with a commanding view of the terrain, to the left was a forest that was utterly impossible for cavalry to pass through, the trees were thick and close set, very old growth, it would take a dedicated team in great numbers to clear a way through there.
The baggage train was now stretched out over two miles.
"OK Lieutenant Inta, take the first group out." Gustav said.
"Alright, I'll see you after." The vampire officer said with the toothy grin that only a vampire can manage, and he stuck out his hand, Gustav met the grip and they tightened the handshake firmly. He called out a command and rushed his forces ahead, one thousand horsemen strong. Gustav watched them go with a disbelieving shake of his head. As hard as it was for him to believe all this was real, as he looked backwards into the distance, he knew just beyond the reach of his eyes there were orders being relayed up a chain of command, an eager commander who was hungry to impress his superiors by sending news not only of his victory over the Southern Expedition, but also by sending along all the supplies Gustav had gained through his actions, food that would have fed the joint forces of Remedios & the Slane Theocracy and allowed their continued operation for some time.
Every meal that was deprived to every soldier weakened them further, forced them to scavenge harder on the land, and most of the northern holy kingdom was against them, they needed a victory, and depriving them of food made victory that much harder to achieve.
The prize was tempting, and as Gustav Montagne's thirty five-hundred-man force went around the hill, he enacted the next step. Soldiers dismounted from their horses and briefly cut long and leafy branches for themselves, then rushed back to their mounts and began riding them around in a frenzy, turning up great clouds of dust to disguise their numbers and hide their movements…and giving the illusion that they were still moving away in a mass. Twenty-five hundred went around the hill, while the remaining one thousand slowly dragged branches behind them to keep the dust up. Gustav circled the hill and went to the peak of it. He lay on his stomach and looked back, the wagons loaded with food and other vital supplies would be hitting the hill soon, and by now his enemies would have mustered up every horse they could put a man on and rushed after those vital goods.
A smile traced its way over Gustav's face, the infantry of the opposition would be slow in coming, but the cavalry would be there soon. He kept his eyes open, and soon he saw them in the distance, they were angry, they were eager, they were hungry for glory and revenge, and probably hungry to get a bite out of his supplies before they could go north to support their allies. He wondered what they ate for breakfast that morning, whatever it was, he intended to ensure it was their last meal. The wagon train leadership did their part, they moved a quarter mile beyond the hill, then stopped as if unable to go farther. The opposing cavalry were one mile away.
A half mile away.
A quarter mile away.
There! Right at the center between the hill and the woods, he blew his signal, and his cavalry rode around from the rear, circling from the hidden side of the hill to the back of the cavalry, on fearless undead mounts. He blew the horn again, and scrambled out of the way to make room, Lieutenant Inta's undead cavalry went over the top of the hill and charged down the hill from above, striking the cavalry in the flank as it wheeled around, Inta had formed his unit into a triangle, turning them into a spear made of many men, and striking the opposing unit broadside. Gustav blew the horn again, and those who had been playing the role of the 'front' wheeled around and charged back the way they came, striking the opposing cavalry in the back, struck from three sides, they were doomed from the start. Gustav leaped to his feet and rushed to his horse, he flung himself over the saddle and charged down to join the fight.
A spear was thrown at him, he made an excellent target, being a lone figure charging belatedly down the hill, but the accuracy was poor, he avoided the throw and drew his sword, he sounded his battle cry and charged into the fray, he found one among the enemy, before that one could find him, and his sword thrust through the man's neck and drew out. For one brief moment, Gustav saw the look of surprise and confusion on the man's face, as if he were saying, "What just happened? Where did you come from?" but he did not live to gain an answer. He fell backwards and his terrified mount bucked and kicked his corpse once before fleeing into the dust.
The dust, damned be the dust, it choked his throat and clouded his eyes and clogged his nose, however not all were equal in their consternation, the vampire family was having a field day, he caught a glimpse of Inta opening a throat, while his sister gouged out both eyes from another figure who went down from their horse, screaming and clutching at her own face before a horse knocked the now blinded female warrior on her back, and she was trampled to death as two others came to blows just where her blind screaming body was laying, when Gustav's man died, the blind woman had stopped screaming, and the victor among the southern forces sought a new target, and found it in Gustav himself. They clashed fiercely, the man was well taught, he used all the classic movements of a well taught noble, but Gustav was not that, he fought dirty. Fair fights are for suckers, he used his greater size and his martial arts to render advantage, increasing his speed, his strength, and still the nobleman kept up, yet Gustav would do what others would not, and when he saw he could not gain an advantage, he struck the man's mount, cutting the horse and the neck and spilling the nobleman to the ground. Gustav used that moment to jump from his own as the noble was rolling over. For just a moment he thought he heard the noble say, "Hey! That wasn't F-" …before Gustav's fist struck his face, sending him onto his back again, and before he could rise, Gustav's sword thrust into the gap where thigh and midsection joined, opening his artery. The young man had a moment of pain and panic, he stared disbelievingly at the wound and at Gustav, before the former paladin kicked him in the face and sent him completely to his back again, he did not get back up after that.
He got another glance at the young noble's dying and weakening face as he moved on in search of another opponent, there was no fear in his eyes, even as his body drained of both blood and color, he held no fear, only regret, unspoken regret that this was where it was ending for him. The young man was not even into his mid-twenties, yet the unknown warrior had skill well beyond his years and courage to match. A well of regret rose up in Gustav, that someone like that should be lost at the turning of the world, that his life was forfeit in the birthing pains of tomorrow's world. Gustav had many regrets in his life, this was one more of them, he could live with it…but it would never be gone.
He killed two more before the sounds of fighting began to die down, the sound of clashing steel and cries of pain, victory, and challenge, were slowly replaced by the sound of thousands of soldiers breathing hard…and the unending cries of the wounded. The dust had begun to settle with the violence, as the battle between earth and air came to an end once more and Gustav could see around him for more than a foot or two in every direction. His soldiers had won, and at first glance, the victory was overwhelming. He raised his sword in a cry of victory. "Victory! Victory! Victory!" This call was echoed by his soldiers.
"Now, treat the wounded of both sides! We take no prisoners, instead bind those who will live and leave them here, we travel light! Then mount your horses and resume the march, we have other villages to get to today that have…lots of crops to sell!" He laughed at the joke, and his soldiers echoed the humor.
He was getting death stares from many of the captives, they did not all see the significance of having been permitted to keep their lives. Others however, seemed to be very much relieved, Gustav ignored both as Lieutenant Inta approached and slapped out his hand to clasp it with Gustav's and then clapped him on the shoulder with his other hand and with a warm vampiric smile and dancing blood red eyes he said, "I told you I'd see you after! Well executed, there must be several thousand of them dead on that road now, they'll have to send to either the Slane Theocracy or to Remedios for backup. We didn't just kill four or five thousand, we may have taken another ten thousand or more out of the fight at Prart. And that is if the nobles don't outright pull their forces and come back to protect their estates!" He laughed heartily.
"Well executed, my friend." The vampire said with great satisfaction evident in his voice.
"Thank you, though I still find it in myself to regret the losses, victories like these will decrease the suffering that would otherwise happen later. "Gustav turned a thought to the promising young life he'd ended just minutes ago and shook his head. "I am glad we've won, but I can't dance on their graves, most of these people aren't bad, they aren't evil, they haven't done nearly what I have…they're just on the wrong side."
Lieutenant Inta nodded along at what Gustav was saying, "You may be right, but they chose to make a fight out of it, not us, you can ease your conscience with the knowledge that, right or wrong, they die doing what they thought was right, and there are worse ways to go than that." His voice carried the weight of his words, and he slapped Gustav's shoulder one more time, "I'll get to the count of the lost, you form up the army again, and lets race the hell out of here with this loss of cavalry, they won't be able to chase us worth a damn, and we should be able to take down many noble estates before they can get more."
"Alright, I'm on it." Gustav replied and they walked away from each other, ignoring the sullen looks they got.
"Remedios will kill you!" One of the defeated ones said as he was hog tied. "She'll kill you!" He shouted again, practically frothing at the mouth with rage, "She won't let you betray the gods and get away with it you vile undead worshipper! Hey! Do you hear me, traitor?! Do you hear me?!" He shouted on and struggled in his bonds enough to rock him back and forth.
Gustav had planned on ignoring the hog-tied soldier, but he thought better of it and turned around to look at him. He laid the eyes of a man filled with blood rage and regret, deadly precision and unflagging discipline on the defeated prisoner who had fallen into a rage at his own defeat and turned his anger on the victor. Silence hung between them like the dust of the air before it to settled and Gustav drew his sword and put the tip beneath the man's chin and forced his head to arch up to meet eye to eye. Then he said to that most unhappy fellow, "If she does, it will be after I've already killed twenty thousand of hers first, and that my boy, would make the score twenty thousand to one in my favor, who is the real winner there?" Then he sheathed his blade and walked back to his horse.
AN: Well, there we have the next chapter in 'God Rising'. I thought it was time for a look south to see how Gustav and company were doing, and to reintroduce the vampire clan that was living in the Draconic Kingdom that hasn't been seen in forever. This was a fun one to write, but took longer than it should have, odd hours lately have thrown off my usual sleep patterns, and that has made it harder to write than it usually is. But, here you go and I trust you're happy with it.
Note: Minor bug fix, referred to the forest as being on the 'right' when it should have read 'left'
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