AN: On we go, thanks for all the reviews! :)
...South of Yaksun...
The march to the place colloquially known as 'Chasm City', wasn't a hard one. The road had been all but emptied as citizens fled villages ahead of the rumored advance of nightmarishly brutal soldiers. "Convenient." General Musan said, sitting on his horse at the Queen's left hand.
"Agreed, but they're just trying to draw us deeper into the interior, they've got various fortifications there and plenty of soldiers, they know we're going in outnumbered." General Oma said from the Queen's right hand.
Draudillon herself was quiet during this exchange, she'd been quiet for the last few days, barely saying anything except giving the occasional order. The horses clip clop noise of hooves and the rhythmic sound of clinking armor over marching feet allowed her to enter an almost trance like state.
She looked up atop the banner that was carried nearby, the severed head was still there, preservation magic had been used to keep it 'fresh' for when they made their way to Kami Miyako.
"Majesty?" General Musan asked reluctantly.
She heard her title and snapped out of her thoughts to look at the old general. "Oh, yes?" She inquired, blinking away her surprise at the disturbance to her thoughts.
"Something wrong?" He asked with concern.
"Just thinking." Queen Draudillon replied wistfully.
"Thinking what?" General Oma asked curiously, nudging her horse a few inches closer to the Queen.
"About Dominic actually." She said with a casual tone as she focused her eyes ahead of her again.
"About what he'll do next?" General Musan probed.
Queen Draudillon shook her head, "Maybe just a little bit. I was actually just wondering if he was... how do I put this... stronger than I am."
"Well, he was a scripture but..." General Oma began to say, only to stop when the Queen closed her eyes as she looked down and shook her head.
"Not what I mean. Think back to the Beastman Invasion. Do I need to remind you who I was, how I was?" The Queen asked archly. The pair looked hesitant.
"Fine, I'll say it, I was a drunk. My citizens were being eaten by an advancing horde and all I could do was pay a pedophile and beg for help. My nobles were robbing the treasury blind, and I just kept drinking. My nation was a feast, and rather than face it, I climbed into a bottle. I did... try to find other solutions but... all that drinking got in the way." The Queen explained.
"I don't see the connection." General Musan replied in a lost tone of voice.
"Think about it. Dominic is 'the' chief architect of this war, more than any of the others, this was 'his' way to stop the Sorcerer King. The result, is that his country has been losing territory left and right. The Holy Kingdom won't last another week, the Re-Estize Kingdom is defeated and has switched sides, we've invaded, the Elf King is all that's left. Dominic's people are being slaughtered faster than ours were by the Beastmen." The Queen fidgeted with the reins of her horse as she spoke, but neither of her generals seemed to understand her point.
"But he's not descended to drink. Whatever the reports say, he works hard, he is focused and driven. He actively pursues solutions to his problems... with not much success, but still... he's not descended into personal debauchery." Queen Draudillon replied.
"I did." She added hatefully.
"He has his own 'drink'." General Oma said comfortingly.
The Queen looked at her quizzically, "What do you mean?" She asked.
"Majesty, you descended into a bottle because you understood the reality in front of you, that pain and loss, that sense of impending defeat. It was understanding the stark reality in front of you that brought you to that point. Dominic is not doing that, he's in denial, he refuses to believe he can't win. Everything we read about him says to me that he's convinced that the gods will show back up to save his nation. We could be at the very gates of Kami Miyako, break them down, and be charging towards his capital building... and he would still be shouting that the gods would give him victory." General Musan's words were thick with contempt and his face filled with bitterness.
"We know that isn't true. We, better than any humans now living, except maybe for those who lived through Jaldabaoth, know that no gods were going to save us." General Oma said with a stark shudder.
"One did." Queen Draudillon said fervently.
"You believe as Neia believes, then?" General Oma asked thoughtfully.
"I have come to see it so. Even more than I did. He creates life from the dead, he overturns whatever aspect of the world that displeases him and reshapes the very concept of justice and proper rule. If he is not a god, what is?" She asked her generals rhetorically. "When next I meet the pope, I will ask that she conducts a public ceremony drawing me into her faith." The Queen added with renewed confidence.
"Assuming this works and we live." General Musan raised a finger as he added that pair of conditions.
"Yes, assuming that." Queen Draudillon smirked a little.
The Queen's mood picked up considerably, and it held a positive outlook well into the next day when they found themselves approaching their target.
The walls were thick, but not exceedingly high. A glance told them why. "So... that is a very big canyon." Queen Draudillon said dryly.
At the left and running behind the city was just what she said, a very large, very wide canyon, too large for a normal person to throw a stone from one side to the other. The rock was a pale tan and dust blew along the top and down into the bottom below. It clearly ran all the way to the mountain range to the south "I've never seen anything like it..." The Queen said in a hushed voice.
"The world is an impressive place, Your Majesty." General Musan said thoughtfully, clearly awestruck himself.
"A thought occurs, but first... I want to see something." The Queen said, then turned behind her to their aides, "Get the line of attack ready. General Musan, General Oma, you're with me."
"Majesty." They said crisply, and she immediately kicked her horse into a gallop, the city was responding to their arrival, soldiers lined the walls, but when they saw what she was doing, they clearly relaxed. She and her pair of generals approached the opposite side of the canyon to look down. It was a common sight for the dwellers of the city named for this feature. Nobody could resist it.
When they reached the edge she looked down, it was a steep drop, as if some great giant had ripped the rock away in a long distant age, multicolored stones painted the sides, and great pillars of stone rose at various heights, far down below, there was a large river coming from under the rock and sweeping along the base of the gorge like an arrow in flight. Queen Draudillon's inner child emerged and she shouted down into the great open beauty, "Hellooooo!" And laughed as her voice was carried back to her.
As if to tease her in return, those who stood along the wall and shouted 'Helloooo!' in return, with enough noise that it too hit the canyon walls and rebounded around, until silence fell between the two sides again.
She looked across the great gorge and with her superior eyes, beheld the faces of the soldiers along the wall, they were obviously frightened, their spears moving with the shaking of their bodies, the moment of childlike common ground at her passionate embrace of the great beauty of nature in front of her, had faded away. She felt her shoulders slump. "I don't want to kill them all."
"Majesty...?" General Musan said quietly.
"No, I have a better way. The Sorcerer King sent a message to us before remember, saying that 'the gloves were off'. I've withheld asking for his help out of pride, but I will not let my pride cost people their lives!" She said with sharp passion in her voice as she wheeled her horse around and trotted back to their lines.
"You have an idea then?" General Oma asked.
"Yes, one that grants immortal fame to the courage of our nation, and sees to minimal losses. The last plan was a good one, but now I believe sterner, but also more merciful measures are called for." The Queen replied.
"General Musan, go and gather the following scrolls given to us by his majesty and meet me in my tent." The Queen said and she wrote off a quick list with the quill and paper she perpetually carried.
"General Oma, find one hundred volunteers ready to die. We will quell this city with terror and awe." The Queen replied confidently.
"Majesty!" They said and dashed off to undertake their given tasks.
A few minutes later, General Oma had one hundred infantry in two ranks fifty deep.
And a message to the Sorcerer King saw, to her delight, an immediate response.
The gate opened, and the Queen stepped through, awed as she ever was, and found herself at the base of the steps leading up to his throne. She knelt immediately and cast her eyes down.
"You request my aid, Queen Draudillon?" He asked curiously, striking Undead Pose number three with his hand outstretched and palm turned up.
"I do, Your Majesty. I seek to break the city without destroying it. Wars are won in the will, and I have a means to break their will to resist, it involves two steps, the first I can do on my own, the other... requires the use of potent and extremely powerful earth magic." She explained.
Ainz laughed... 'Was that the right response?' He wondered, 'It is so damned bothersome that they turn their faces to the floor, how am I supposed to read them if I can't see them?!' He thought with annoyance, fortunately her need was an easy one.
"I will send Mare to you with instructions to carry out your request to the letter." Ainz said, glad he could meet one request with ease.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." She said, which should have meant she would stand and bow to go, especially as the gate opened behind her, but she did not move.
"Is there something else, Queen of the Draconic Kingdom?" He asked.
Her face snapped up to meet his own, "Yes, my Lord. I wanted to tell you... after this is all over, I want to request a public ceremony to induct me into your faith!" The other guardians around the room let out low murmurs of approval as Mare strolled away from his place in the hall. Her voice was loud enough to echo, but no sooner than the sound faded than she said more.
"I am the descendant of a powerful dragon lord... as such I never much cared about gods, I only knew what worked and what didn't, and the old gods did not save my people. You did. If saving humanity is why the old gods were called gods... then I must acknowledge you as well. With your permission, I will commission a temple to you in my capital that would rival any in the world, and there I will kneel to your pope, and her faith will become mine, before the eyes of all my people." Draudillon said all that with an almost urgent voice, one filled with pride and with humility, her noble feminine voice carried to every ear and every wall, and only when it too faded as her previous words, did Ainz reply.
"I doubt Neia will care to have you kneel to her, it is not her way, but I am sure she will embrace the rest as I do, you have my permission, now go and see your task completed." Ainz replied with patient, almost paternal understanding.
"Yes, your majesty!" The Queen replied and shot to her feet, she bowed low, and went through the gate.
When she returned with the little elf boy, her generals looked at her with silent curiosity.
"Did you take down all the names of the hundred?" She asked General Oma.
"Yes, Your Majesty." She said uncertainly.
"Good, come with me." She said to them, then got onto her horse. She hesitated, then looked down at the nervous looking little elf boy in a skirt. "Ah, would you like to ride with me?" She asked.
Mare's face shifted as he bit his lip, "Ah, well, if-if you don't mind. I-I think L-Lord Ainz would get mad if I walked while you rode, lady." He said in his anxious voice.
She held her hand down and he clasped it with strength that belied his form, and pulled him up into the horse so that he was riding in front of her.
"S-So what do you want to do?" Mare asked as he fidgeted with his staff.
Draudillon smiled, the little elf was so diminutive, small, nervous sounding, it was easy to forget what she'd heard he was capable of.
She leaned forward and whispered to him. "Uh-Uh huh, I can do that." He nodded nervously as they rode in front of the hundred volunteers.
"Forward, March!" rang out, and the hundred moved in lockstep, the city was keeping a close eye on the goings on. True to form, the massed ranks on the wall, increased further in response to the movement of the small force. 'Good, I want as many of them as possible to see this.' She thought resolutely.
Finally she was in front of the great gorge, "I am Queen Draudillon of the Draconic Kingdom! I command you to open your gates, that I may give you the gift of mercy!" The words echoed loud over the gorge, it was impossible not to have heard her.
"I know that you believe you must fight, but I tell you that if you do, you will die to no purpose and no cause! I can feel your fear, you do not wish to die, and I do not wish to kill you! But if I must, know that no power can save you from that end! Behold the courage of my kingdom!" She spoke slowly, allowing time for every echo to fade before the next, and the ranks on the wall looked at her doubtfully.
When the last word faded, she shouted, to their abject horror, "Forward, March!" And the two ranks of fifty men, with halberds pointed up ramrod straight and shining with the light of the sun being cast down on them, stepped forward. They did not break step, they did not make a sound, they only walked forward, and two by two they walked straight over the side to fall to their deaths.
One hundred men had ended their lives in a grand display of discipline that quailed the hearts of the defenders. "Now that you have seen how far my soldiers will go, behold the futility of your walls!" She called out, and looked down at Mare in front of her. "OK, Lord Mare. Please do your work."
"Oh-Okay!" He said and got down from the horse, he stepped in front, and for a moment nothing happened as he raised his staff, doubt would take hold in a moment more, but doubt did not have that moment to form. A rumbling began that became a terrible roar, the entire city shook and both on the wall and beyond, people screamed in fear.
But none screamed more than those who looked on in horror as the canyon itself began to close up over the entire length of that side of the wall. Earth tore and rocks broke, as if the stone itself longed to protect the city, but had not the power to do it. Inch by terrible inch the gap faded away, buildings and segments of the wall began to collapse, denial sprang from countless lips, but denial did not change the truth.
Rumble and roar did not fade, though those who managed to control their fear enough to watch, prayed fervently to the gods of their fathers and mothers that each inch forward was the last, each one instead only laid the foundation for the next to be eaten up by the encroaching ground. A few stable minds called for soldiers to regain sense and form up to receive an attack, but over the roar of the canyon, the collapses within, and the screams of fear, nothing seemed sufficient to bring order to the madness that consumed the countless minds.
Pillars of stone that had stood for thousands of years at the base of the canyon, snapped like toothpicks as the wall of stone on the opposite side continued to close in. Finally the great canyon was left, on that side of the wall, as nothing more than one very long crack no wider than the finger of a newborn baby.
The wall there, carefully constructed by the forethought of a mind that left nothing to chance, centuries ago, was now reduced to a pile of rubble.
Both armies stood aghast at what they saw, though to her dying day Draudillon would always insist that... while neither side's response to the miraculous power was 'wrong', her side was always the most appropriate, as they went down to their knees and bowed their heads in reverence to the power His Majesty had extended, that they not die needlessly.
"Now we march forward! Anyone still bearing arms will be assumed to be hostile. If you yield, kneel!" She shouted, there was no echo this time, the echo of her actions was enough, her army began to march, wheeling their line to march to the utterly shattered side.
Weapons were cast down in such numbers that for one brief moment, the echo of steel on stone was greater than the roar of the closing canyon itself. Then the only sound was the clip clop noise and marching feet. Draudillon waited as her army entered the city, she listened carefully for the sound of combat, the telltale screams of the angry or dying. She heard none.
She smiled sweetly down at Mare. "Thank you, My Lord. Is there any way I can show my thanks to you?"
Mare thought it over, "I like plants, if-if you have any r-rare ones, when you come back next time, b-bring me those." He said hopefully.
"I will send a letter to see it done for you by the time I return home." She said happily.
The next few hours were busy ones as they secured the city, despite there being no battle, there were many casualties as homes and buildings collapsed on their occupants, defenders on the walls fell to their deaths when the stone crumbled under them, the chain of command was completely disrupted, and left to their own minds that had already given over to fear, there was nothing to do but surrender or flee, and with surrender an option, most chose to do that. A few took off running out a gate, and those perished in short order as they lost all reason, driven mad by the impossible, none of those crazed deserters saw their city again since, as a general rule, the mad do not take proper care of themselves.
Draudillon rode into the city immediately after Mare's departure, mass ranks of soldiers were brought to the remains of the city center, a great pavillion, and there under the watchful eyes of her soldiers, they knelt when she entered and ascended a set of stairs from the central government building. She looked out over them all, they had eyes downcast, many were shaking, not a few were openly weeping at the utter loss of courage. At either side of her, her trusted generals took position, she swept her cloak back and threw her shoulders back. Gazing down on them all, she said in a loud, commanding voice, "Raise your heads!"
They did, slowly, hesitantly, but they did. "I am now in command, this city is claimed in the name of the Draconic Kingdom. Your lives, those of you who still have them, will be preserved. Be grateful, were I 'some' of my allies, you might not be given such a gift. But I am merciful, and will give mercy where I can. Your city will be inspected, and we will seek the dark places, to see if there are any houses like those of Wenmark or Yaksun here. If there are, 'only' those responsible will be punished. For the rest of you, your lives will go on as normal, save the priests of the new god will be permitted to speak on all corners, and a building will be set aside for them to worship. Any slaves are to be brought to the administration building immediately. Any who try to withhold their slaves from being turned in will be found, arrested, and..." She paused for a moment, she had been planning to say 'punished' but a glimpse at a propaganda poster showing a demonic-like representation of Neia Baraja, gave her new inspiration.
"...Will be turned over to Neia Baraja." She finished her sentence, just barely restraining her laugh when gasps of abject horror met her statement.
"If I have trouble here, I will call for the aid of the Black Paladin, if I have peace, I will grant peace. Now, will I have trouble... or peace?" She asked gently, folding her hands in front of her in a motherly sort of way and putting a hopeful inflection into her voice.
"Peace." Was the only word she heard, and that was when she allowed herself to smile. But as she did, and she looked more closely at the soldiers and those citizens she could see clearly, she noticed something unexpected. Though they should have been hale, hearty, and well fed, as she cast her eyes around, she saw many a sallow cheeked face, the sort one sees on someone who has not eaten a full meal in some time.
'By god, even if they hadn't surrendered, how long could they have lasted?' She thought sadly. 'Well, nothing a full meal won't cure, and that'll do wonders for keeping order I should think.' She made a mental note to inquire about the supply situation, and turned to General Oma. "General, see to the disposition here, General Musan and I will see to the rest."
"As you wish, Your Majesty." She said proudly, "It will be as you say."
"Yes, it will." Queen Draudillon replied with a little laugh as she went up the stairs and opened the door.
...Crossroads...
Petyr woke up in Eire's bed quite happily. He'd found his way to her the night before and after drinking at her bar for awhile they'd pawed each other into nakedness as one of the enormous rocks of General Enri's mangonels landed somewhere outside. Thrust into passion by the proximity of death, they entwined themselves into passionate embrace with such vigor that they did not sleep until their bodies had become slick with sweat and they were too exhausted both mentally and physically to do more than moan before they fell into a restful sleep. When dawn broke and Petyr slipped out of bed and stretched out, he heard Eire whisper something behind him.
"What was that?" He asked as he dressed and looked back over his shoulder.
To his surprise, the pale, carefree face of the reckless redhead had an expression of fear in place of the sultry smile and bawdy humor he'd come to know. She sat up in bed and looked at him, then said more clearly, "Will you come back tonight?"
"Ah, yes, of course, if you like. Why do you say it like that?" He asked as he put his shirt on over his head.
"Because... you've heard the bombardments, they're getting worse at this wall lately... if... if those monsters, and the heretics break through..." Eire said with a quivering voice and pulled her knees up to her chest.
"What, that's what you're worried about?" Petyr asked in surprise.
She nodded furtively. "The priests tell us all about their atrocities... what they do to prisoners... to women, to... well monsters have to come from somewhere. I don't want to let them take me but if they break through the wall, I don't know that I can... go through with it. If you're with me though, when they do, please... don't let me get taken. Please."
Petyr sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Eire, we barely know one another, but... can you trust me with what I say next, no matter how crazy it sounds?"
She looked at him quizzically as he sat with his back to her. "I... get a good feeling about you, you're a good one, you remind me of my dah. So... yes, if you're asking me to believe you, I will."
"Whatever atrocity you're afraid of, you don't have to fear. Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise." Petyr reached out with his meaty, scarred up hand and covered her small one completely over the mattress. "I've... seen what is out there, and the stories you're hearing are just to scare you, you don't have to be afraid of anything."
She sniffled a little, "You're right, that is crazy. We can always trust the priests, they serve the gods, they'd never lie to us." She gave him a crooked smile. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better... but if you really want to... then tell me... tell me you won't let me be taken, alright?"
He turned his body and leaned over to her, touching her cheek with his left hand as his right hand still covered hers on the mattress, he kissed her gently on the lips. "Alright, alright, if that will make you feel better. I promise, I will not let anything befall you, no matter what happens here. No... captive's chains, will ever grace your wrists while I live." He said boldly.
She smiled when the kiss broke and pressed her forehead to his, "So very valiant you are, but can you raise your sword one more time for me?" She smiled wickedly at him, the bold and bawdy redhead was herself again as she reached down and took his 'sword' in hand.
"Woman, you will slay me." He said as her hands deftly undid the pants he'd just put on.
"Isn't this how every man would want to go?" She smugly asked.
"Can't argue with that." He said and let her work as he pulled his shirt back off with a roll of his eyes.
In the end, when he did finally show up at the blacksmith shop to collect his pay and see if Cormeum needed any additional assistance, he was much, much later than he'd planned to be. He was laughing to himself as he fairly strutted toward the place, preparing to wow the lad with another story of his enjoyable evening with the pretty redheaded bar owner, when he froze in midstep.
Several guards were holding a very, very familiar head and speaking to Cormeum. 'Why do they have Mananak's head... oh shit, Cormeum would have seen me speaking with him, no, no... this is bad...' He thought furtively and spun on his heel to walk back the way he came.
He rushed as much as he could without running and drawing attention to himself, he went straight back to the inn. He went upstairs and saw Owl, Moira, and Rascal in conversation.
"We have a problem." Petyr announced bluntly. "Where are the others?"
"Ham hasn't come back, I don't know where he is, but as for our other two colleagues... "Dead." Rascal said with utter finality. "Romare and Nagi were killed last night, they got the target, but didn't escape."
Petyr sat in stunned silence on the bed. "Three out of the eight of us gone in... god, no time." He shook his head vigorously, "Ugh, no time, listen, we've gotta get out of here."
"Why?" Moira asked with surprise at the sudden statement.
"Because I just saw guards holding Mananak's head, and they were at the blacksmith shop I've been helping at. Cormeum saw Mananak stop to talk to me. They'll trace us back to this place, and we've all been seen here. They'll know all our faces soon, we've got to get somewhere safe." Petyr said with a voice thick with urgency.
It was not lost on the others.
"What about Ham... He's not back yet." Moira asked, her eyes wide with concern.
"We leave word for him to meet us in the warrens, but we've got a good chance of us all being caught if we stay here." Rascal said confidently, "It's like when you got us out before, some you just couldn't get to."
"You're right, OK, leave word for him when we go." She said with resignation. They quickly threw their few goods together and filed out of the inn. Owl pausing at the desk to request that their companion be informed of the need to meet in the same place as the previous evening.
A silver coin atop the cost of the room ensured the delivery of the message, and then they were gone.
An hour later Ham swaggered through, thick muscles and all, and went to the bar to buy a bottle. He felt a chill sweep over him when he saw guards enter holding Nagi's head. He swallowed hard, it wasn't difficult to understand why they were there. He covered his face with a hood and bought several more bottles, then moved surreptitiously around the room as the guards asked if anyone recognized the head or knew who he spent time with. He managed to slip around them the long way and almost went out the door, when he heard the sound of guards outside acknowledging orders.
'So this is how it is.' He thought as he rushed up the stairs. He heard the grimy woman at the desk talking to a guard, it wouldn't be long before they had a good description of everyone. 'Only one real option to 'maybe' prevent that.' He thought as he popped a cork and began to pour the contents over the filthy floor.
He then tossed that bottle against the wall, shattering it and scattering the last few drops, after that he repeated the process all the way to where their rooms had been. He checked both, his comrades were gone. 'I guess you got out when you got word... well damn.' He thought with annoyance as he emptied the bottles along the walls and the floor, when they were all empty, save one, he went to where his pack was kept and took out a candle, some flint, and a mace. He swiftly lit the flame, and let the candle burn while he tore a shred of fabric from his shirt and stuck it into the bottle. He took the soaked tip out, and then pulled it free and reversed it.
He then lit the candle to the soaked tip, and waited.
"Well, someone talked." He said with resigned sarcasm as he thought about the greedy grimy bitch downstairs and the sound of rapidly stomping feet reached his ears. A door was kicked in, he smirked. "Come and get me you sons of bitches." He said quietly to himself and took a battle stance.
Even though they hadn't heard the challenge, they responded to it, kicking in the door and forcing their way in, seeing him there, ready to fight, they wasted no effort, and neither did he. He threw the bottle, hard, and it shattered against the face of one of the soldiers.
He screamed, and Ham charged in with his mace, swinging wildly and cursing all the while, the burning soldier then, unfortunately fell, and fire leapt up from the floor. The guard's screams were echoed by his companions. Ham swung his mace over and over again as cuts and stab wounds piled up, he did not last long, but the fire spread rapidly along the path he laid, it spread to the walls, to the beds, to the cheap mattresses stuffed with stale hay, the dry untreated wood went up in smoke, and other residents rushed out of their rooms, the soldiers and citizens all got in the way of each other and their colleagues, down below, the shouting was heard before the danger was recognized.
Finally someone shouted, 'fire' but by then it was too late, part of the floor above collapsed and crashed into the bar, with alcohol everywhere, bottles broke, tipped, smashed, and only a single spark was needed where a conflagration already was.
People screamed and stormed for the crowded exit as the smoke filled the building, those who fell were trampled while the flames went wild. As if to aid the invaders outside, it spread to nearby buildings, and the panic became worse.