Black Hole: The Book of Iratus, Episode 18

Chapter 171

A minute passed before the mouse boy continued.

Iratus, "Ok, did you lead them here?"

Clamor, "I found they had a map of this area. They had other maps, as I found out later, but they were in fact heading over here; hell, the map even showed your tower. In other words, if I never met up with them, then they'd show up and most likely have searched the tower. I have stopped it."

Iratus, "Well, let me tell you, I would have been really mad at you for dragging a warband here."

Clamor, "I still disclosed your name, and I bet they could easily find out where you live with that map, so please be mad."

The four girls looked at each other for a second before they got back into the conversation.

Resonantia, "I still think this is not right."

Clamor, "What peace you must have lived in. I understand setting people up to be killed must sound barbaric to those who have never had raiders steal their children and women, but where I come from, if there is a threat, you kill the threat. None of you saw what I saw; these savages must be eliminated."

Victoria, "Wait a rice-picking minute, maps? There are maps of this place?"

Clamor, "Spoils of war against the gray masks. Another reason they are heading over here is because they suddenly stopped appearing when they crossed some sort of border."

Iratus, "What? Like on one side of a river, there are gray masks, and over on this side, there are none."

Clamor, "From what I understand, yes."

Ignis, "I still fail to understand the perfect execution of this plan of yours."

Clamor, "Don't worry, it will end with the army scattered or dead."

Aestus, "Do you guys have to kill people?"

Clamor, "Technically, just one, and I'm not letting Iratus kill anyone. I don't expect non-soldiers to kill and not break under it."

Iratus, "I don't feel comfortable with this."

Clamor, "Honestly, if you don't wish to come, that is fine. I only wanted someone to watch my back."

Resonantia, "Let me rephrase what she said. Must they die?"

Clamor, "They were coming here, and we must find a way to keep them away from all of you. Whether it was due to me or if I never left the tower, the answer would have been the same: war."

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Chapter 172

Iratus and Clamor visited the hot springs to wash up. Clamor explained that he needed to wash away all female smells. They returned to the tower to wish the girls well and headed off to the stone city.

Clamor, "Four wives is a pretty good start."

The smells and emotions at the tower were obvious, so Iratus wasn't shocked.

Iratus, "Uh, thanks. I'm not going to gather more, though. It seems almost too much for a family structure."

Clamor, "I myself had eight wives. It's fine."

Iratus, "Well, two to four was the norm where I'm from, and two was considered more moral."

Clamor, "Moral? You sound like raccoons or humans with that talk."

Iratus, "Just tell me the plan."

Clamor, "We will have to work with the army to clear out the metalheads; we get them setup and have the sickness take them out. Worse case scenario, I will take out Victorum myself."

Iratus, "Ok, how does any of this involve me, and do they know of metalhead sickness?"

Clamor, "Like I've stated, only if something goes wrong will I need you to cover for me. As for the sickness, I'm pretty sure they don't, and if they do, we have a great many threats around here, and killing off the troops will be easy enough. I've waged wars; trust me and know that everything will turn out fine."

Iratus, "Isn't Victorium also some sort of world conqueror?"

Clamor, "It doesn't matter as he does not have the resources or manpower to wage the war that I can. trust me."

Iratus, "Alright, let's see how this mess goes."

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Chapter 173

The stone city should be called the stone ruins, as nature had overtaken and crushed the city to rubble. The surrounding nature that once overtook the city was in the process of being drained away by a massive treeskin tree until the tree was now in flames, with a band of troops keeping the flames in check.

The troops welcomed Clamor back and had him and Iratus walk over to a nearby camp. Standing by a few pack mules getting ready to go. Victorium was a raccoon man of considerable bulk and height, similar to Gelus, and he wore metal armor smelted together from metal scrapes to create a decent-looking breastplate. Victorium had long black hair, near-black fur with darker streaks across his back, and black spots where his eyes were. At his side was a long sword that was slightly wider and shorter than Iratus's, and when the man looked over to Iratus and Clamor, he waved them over with almost a cheerful smile.

Victorium, "Ah, glad to see you return. I almost feared that you would leave without saying goodbye. Excuse me." He pointed to Iratus. "I was told you were a cat."

Iratus, "I am a cat." Iratus pointed to his eyes. "The original mousefolk were interbred to extinction."

Victorium, "Interesting. I can't say I've seen one of your kind around here. It is refreshing to see new things."

Iratus, "Sure."

Victorium, "Now then, Clamor, what about the castle?"

Iratus, "Can we really not see it from here? Guess a hill is in the way."

Clamor, "Can Let's get this over with as soon as possible. Follow me."

Once the temporary camp was packed up, the army of 38 plus Clamor and Iratus headed off to the bridge, went across the river, and went all the way to the old Japanese city with the castle built up on a series of hills.

Victorium, "I say it would have still been possible to find this without you."

Clamor, "Considering you told me you were never going off the road, it would be doubtful you'd continue all the way up here."

Victorium, "It would have been a ridiculous blunder, to be sure."

Once the metalheads of the once Japanese population, among others, arrived, Victorium ordered his men to circle around and find an area to setup camp.

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Chapter 174

On the other side of the city and forest was a massive valley filled with plains. As the camp was getting setup, Victorium gave out orders, and Iratus got paired up with one of the younger soldiers. This wolf man had an adult body but was smaller than most adult males he had seen, Heinrich excluded. He was a white wolf with short black hair, wore several layers of cloth to add some padding, and wielded a nicely crafted spear.

Laqueus, "Hey, I'm Laqueus, and I overheard your name is Iratus, right?"

Iratus, "Yeah."

Laqueus, "Sweet, sweet. We've got flanking duty on the second line. So we need to follow those guys."

Iratus spotted Clamor and three other men moving out.

Iratus, "Alright. I'm the new guy, so lead on."

There were several groups that spread out and surrounded a section of the city as the main group drew out metalheads. As Clamor's group went on without him, he spoke.

Clamor, "Sorry kid, I didn't think they'd force you to join in on this. Just stay alive and don't be reckless."

Iratus, "Don't worry about it."

Clamor was off to his destination, while Laqueus continued.

Laqueus, "Are you guys permanent members or something? Clamor had a fit about how we ran things."

Iratus, "No, and I didn't think you could say no because Clamor made it sound like you just press-gang people into service."

Laqueus, "Oh no, we just make sure others are not a threat, and we just want them to prove it. It is like a trail of sorts because we've had random people come around and attack us for no reason. We are just defending ourselves."

Iratus, "Ok, but do you force people to work for you?"

Laqueus, "We pay them for their service. Look, it's a tough world out there, and we protect these people in our care, so if we have to forcibly hire them to make sure we and them are safe, then that's the way it has to be. Like I said, this army is tired of being attacked and sucker-punched. This is the best idea we have."

Iratus, "Ok, well, Clamor told me about how you guys killed other groups."

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Chapter 175

Laqueus, "Oh, uh, that is a bit complicated. He saw some of the worst situations we've been in. Clamor saw us battle with another army that didn't give any warning; they just opened fire, and we had to systematically attack and destroy them. Then there were these farmers who refused to give us food. We were all starving, and none of us wanted to starve to death, so..." He took a pause.

A few metalheads moved to the perimeter and were taken out by the front flanking group, with Clamor giving it all.

Laqueus, "Look, I'm sure you agree that someone with plenty of food who doesn't share it to save lives is no loss compared to their victims."

Iratus, "I'm a religious person. While I was not there, generally, I'm not going to kill the innocent. If that means I starve to death, then so be it."

Laqueus, "What, the actual abyss? What the blackened is wrong with all of these religious crazies? Oh, uh, no offense."

Iratus frowned.

Laqueus, "Ok, you religious people... A lot of problems come from religious people. There was one more group Clamor saw us interact with, and the more zealous among us had some serious problems with the group, and people died. Victorium even punished those guys, so it's not our fault."

Iratus, "For a lack of discipline or for the deaths?"

Laqueus, "If someone in our group does something bad, we take care of it."

Iratus, "I've noticed that you are all dudes. Are there any females in your group?"

A surge came about for the wolf man—a physical change that folk like Iratus could sense. The two stared at each other for a moment, with Laqueus taking a few seconds to think.

Laqueus, "There are a lot of female-starved guys. Sometimes they get aggressive, and females usually refuse to take it. This is why they are not around us, so we are an army without women because we drive women away."

Iratus, "Anyway, I will be staying in my little hovel, and you guys can have everything across the river."

Laqueus, "You really should join us. You know Clamor is a religious freak, right? Because we are not evil or whatever lies he is telling you."

Iratus, "I've been with him long enough to trust him."

Laqueus, "His views blind him to the trust of what he has witnessed. You'll see, we are the new nation, the only one in this place, and only together will we all survive it."

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Chapter 176

The day would grow darker, and the army pulled out and went back to camp. Iratus and Laqueus killed a few metalheads during their time together and would leave on positive terms.

Iratus and Clamor stayed at the tower, but the girls were playful, pretending to be sad when Iratus said they couldn't leave their female stench on him. Iratus and Clamor told the girls what was going on and that they would continue the day. The next day arrived with everyone getting up early, with the males doing a quick washup before heading back to the army camp.

The day and the next few days would be a break to build up fortifications, further build the camp, and gather more resources. Iratus took time to talk to and understand the people in this army. Most were young lads, and all of them were bloodforged. They seemed nice most of the time, with the older ones having a chip on their shoulder. Iratus learned some stories about these people's lives.

A young shark man described the near-death lifestyle of trying to survive in a chaotic city full of ashborn and other subspecies such as concrete-born and rubber-born.

An older otterfolk talked about being stuck on an island alone with some sort of cannibal hunter that hunted him relentlessly until Victorium's scout party rescued the old man and even slew the cannibal in the process.

There were many in the army who dedicated themselves to Victorium's gods after the man saved them from certain doom. When the 69th day came, tensions began as the camp finally set up a shrine to Victorium's deities.

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Chapter 177

Many men came to pray to the idols of the three gods. The left one was a female named Manducans Mortuos, eater of the dead. The right one was a male named Integram Agricolae, the farmer. Then there was the center one, which disturbingly shared a similar visage to Victorium and was named Dominans, the dominator.

There was a ceremony for two of the soldiers, who seemed to be new recruits, now swearing fealty to the gods and to Victorium's rule. Victorium had Clamor and Iratus brought up.

Victorium, "Anyone who is part of my army must swear to the true gods. You two must also kneel before them, for if you wish to be trusted, then you must be one of us. Now pray."

Iratus, "...No."

Iratus walked away from the shrine, or rather, as much as he could before being blocked off.

Clamor, "I too must decline."

Victorium in an almost cheerful tone, "Oh Clamor, you honestly don't have too. I'd never assert my faith in you, like you tried with me. Just as honestly as I say, there is nothing more that I desire than to see you apostasy. You do that, and I am more than willing to just leave. I don't want your or your kid's service or loyalty; I don't want this castle, and if you apostasy, we will leave from here if you wish. I would travel as far away from here as you desire because I want to forsake your God and kneel before mine."

Clamor, "I will not."

Victorium, "And that's the point. All the world I offer, but you'd rather have your faith, your ideas, your ideology, over peace and over reason. Maybe now you can understand how you made me suffer? Once we take and defile this city's gods, we will erect our gods in their temples, and you will be asked again to kneel, or we will force you from this region."

Iratus, "And here I thought everyone had to join or die."

Victorium, "Clamor, what lies have you been telling? No, my dear boy, we only tell those who refuse to join to flee as far as they can, as we will not risk harm from them. If one of my men wishes to leave, they may. The bad part is that everyone who has attempted to leave stole from us before they left. Food, arms, and beasts of burden should mean something to you."

Victorium gave a scowl.

Victorium, "Get ready with the rest of the men; we are going into the city proper."

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Chapter 178

Everyone was gearing up when a sergeant paired Clamor and Iratus up with Laqueus and gave them their orders. The man told Laqueus the formation they were using and followed behind Victorium's squad and left them at the armory, where Clamor left his great sword behind for a regular two-handed longsword. Clamor also picked up a metal helmet for himself and a helmet made of leather plates for Iratus.

Laqueus, "Are you going to pay for that?"

Clamor, "No, and I'd like to see anyone stop me."

Laqueus raised his arms and backed away.

Iratus, "Are you not going to take your big two-hander?"

Clamor, "I need a real weapon of war."

Iratus, "You didn't take a spear, though."

Clamor, "There will be a lot of close combat, and I need a personal weapon."

Iratus, "Fair enough."

As they got into the formation, Iratus saw five men stay behind to guard the camp as Victorium gave the signal to march into the city.

Laqueus, "Hey, uh, why didn't you guys say you'd swear to Victorium's gods? Like, you didn't even have to mean it because you could just lie or fake it."

Iratus, "Somethings are just more important. My faith gives me strength, and I also refuse to give up my integrity and identity."

Laqueus, "But it's just pretend. Say yes, and...you know."

Clamor, "We cannot. Our faith demands that we not deny God."

Laqueus, "I'm sure he would be fine if it was to keep you alive. Like, you guys being alive is better for your god, right?"

Clamor stopped and paused for a few seconds.

Clamor, "Perhaps. Regardless, I will never deny God."

Iratus , "And we would do so even if it meant we would die."

Laqueus, "Uh, ok then."

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Chapter 179

Five of the soldiers stayed behind while the other soldiers launched their precise incision into the city, with disciplined squads shoring up any gaps and stopping any surprise pop-ins from the enemy. Iratus's three-man squad was responsible for cleaning up any messes the front squads made and being the eyes for the rear guard.

The three didn't have to work too hard, with only a few metalheads failing to be fully slain. Once they appeared in front of an unopened house, Laqueus got excited and went inside.

Laqueus, "You guys want some of the free loot?"

Iratus, "We have to keep a watch for metalheads."

Laqueus, "Ah right. I'll grab some stuff for you then."

Once the wolf boy went inside, Iratus and Clamor whispered to each other.

Iratus, "Any signs of the sickness?"

Clamor, "I guess the camp isn't close enough. These expeditions into the city will have to do the job."

Iratus, "Yeah, but we are part of these things. Any day now we are going to run into a wall and get eaten."

Clamor, "We will have to change our plans. After today, I'm going to see if we can get a different duty."

Iratus, "You know, I've talked to a lot of these people, and most of them seem like good enough people. Do we really need to see them die?"

Clamor, "Victorium is very clever to the point I didn't detect any deceit from him, but his men often say more than they should. I know you've picked up on several things."

Iratus nodded.

Clamor, "I bet these are nice people, and I bet they'd make great friends. None of that means that they can't do bad things, as bad people have a heart, have friends, and partake in good causes. The only real question is whether or not they see their evil deeds as wrong and seek redemption and to do better. Well, do they?"

Iratus, "I don't know. These people refuse to elaborate on their sins, or maybe they just can't see them as sins."

Not long after, Laqueus came out with a backpack full of random things. From a tattered kimono to a bottle of sake, the ladder got Laqueus really excited.

Laqueus, "Considering the rice fields next to the hills, I'm betting this is rice wine. This is the stuff my people would make, and I love it."

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Chapter 180

There came a point when the front line began to back up and eventually went into retreat. Iratus's group backed into the rear guard to give them the report and then retreated with everyone else. Ten soldiers, the rear guard, stayed to lead the metalheads away from the camp while everyone else would end up at the camp.

The camp was a mess—not destroyed or damaged, but many things were out of place or knocked over. All the animals used to carry stuff were gone, along with the five bodies of the guards thrown around the campsite, all of which drove Victorium into anger. He yelled to repair the camp and for the scouts to follow the blood trails.

Victorium yelling, "Find whoever did this, folk or monster, and we will make them suffer as much as possible!"

Clamor was looking over the bodies, with Iratus standing nearby.

Iratus, "See something?"

Clamor, "I'll admit examining bodies isn't my thing. If there is a way to figure out what did this, it would help."

One of the soldiers, a hyenafolk named Fractura, was also examining the bodies.

Fractura, "Looks like blunt force trauma for most of them." Walking to another body. "Some sort of hook, maybe a harpoon. Also, the puncture looks like a spear wound, no, an arrow, but I don't understand how."

He looked over the drawn weapons.

Fractura, "Heavy use, no dullness, which means they cut into flesh or something soft, but without any blood stains, I can't make any confirmations."

Clamor, "We will be heading back home. Tomorrow will be another day, I suppose."

After saying that, the rear guard came back, but they were missing one man.

Victorium, "Nine? What happened?"

The soldiers looked among themselves before one of them spoke.

Squad Leader, "Huh, he was here just a second ago. I...I'm having trouble remembering, but I swear he was just here."

Victorium, "I'm going back in."

He gathered several troops to search for the missing man while Iratus and Clamor went back home. As they reached the tower, Clamor spoke up.

Clamor, "I think the sickness is taking effect. Since we cannot go back into that city, it may be time to finish off the army."

Iratus, "You can't fight thirty-two soldiers."

Clamor, "They are not seasoned soldiers; monster killers maybe, but I've not seen war in their eyes. Trust me, I can kill."

Iratus, "Thirty-two!"

Clamor, "In life, I condemned non-believers by ordering my people to shun them, and when they still didn't convert, I imprisoned them because any lifestyle that was not fully committed to the Lord was deemed dangerous. I realized in death that this would only ensure non-believers would never convert, and so I tried to extol the virtues of following the Lord, only to drive people away yet again. I thought silence and passiveness would bring people to the Lord, but then I found silence was also a sin. I failed God, and I cannot save people; it just isn't in my ability to help others to the Lord. However, the Lord did give me one skill that I have used to serve him."

Clamor had a serious face and looked at Iratus.

Clamor, "I am really good at killing people."

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EPISDOE 18: END

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Episode 18 End Character Sheet
Name: Iratus Lionheart
Species: Mousefolk
Age: 14
Coverings: blonde fur, white gambeson (many repairs, some leather patchwork, minor damage), leather gloves, tactical vest, tailorcraft backpack, leather plate helmet
Weapons: Long Sword, 3x Knifes, Short Sword
Equipment: belt, belt bag, water skin, leathercraft backpack, 2 bags, 33 oval copper coins, 7 small silver bricks, 6 gemstones, 20 fine silver coins,20 fine gold coins

Wounds: None

Community Stash: a fire starter, whetstone, several leather items, a lot of animal bones, some animal hide, 3 glass jar, 1 fish net, primitive sewing kit, trowel, woodcutting axe, a bunch of small wooden figures, wooden dice, some of sheets, metal scrap, lots of rusted metal, several small fish nets, box of unknown ammo, some medical supplies, semi-automatic rifle (no ammo), a strange device (Gameboy-like device), lots of wooden planks and boards, wood glue, sandpaper, compass, sextant, some bedrolls, a tent, lots of rope, a large barrel, some ink, 7 papyrus paper, 5 hide paper (parchments), 80 cloaks and other clothing materials, some alcohol, some primitive medicine, some fabrics

Armory: 10 wooden spears, 23 short swords, 40 knifes, 22 daggers, 2 hand bombs, 18 rusted weapons, many armor pieces, ruined metal armor

Treasure: 40 oval copper coins, 44 ancient metal coins, 40 fine silver coins, 44 fine gold coins, 23 fine copper coins, a tarnished silver brooch, a small ornamental figurine, a handful of sparkling glass beads, a small wooden trinket box, a collection of delicate, hand-painted porcelain charms, a few antfolk tapestries, some antfolk art, 155 copper lion coins, 35 silver lion coins, 11 gold lion coins

Home Base, Tower: Large Storage Area (many crates and clay pots), Basic Workshop Area (lots of tools, woodcarving tools), Kitchen Area (many tools, many cutlery items, pots&pans, makeshift grill), Library, Armory, Infirmary Room (surgery tools), Guest Quarters, Master Bedroom, Six Bedrooms

Outside Base: Butchering Hut (few tools, smoking rack), Tannery Hut, Underground Storage Area, Garden Area (fenced in)

Books: 3x woodworking books, weathered leather-bound journal, war game booklet

Year 0, Day 69

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(Extra Stories)

Extra Story 1

(A very long time ago) The military force gathered at the shore with Clamor, who was a young man at this point, rallying the troops to him as well as another man, Cavillatio, who was a light brown rabbitfolk with short black hair.

Cavillatio, "Lord Clamor Cold Iron, I am glad to have you with us. I appreciate a member of the royal family finally taking interest in this new island chain."

Clamor, "General Cavillatio." They shook each other's arms. "Though, you shouldn't call me part of the royal family. I'm from the branch family Amethyst, so I won't be inheriting the nation as I'm as far back as one can be for the throne."

Cavillatio, "Sorry, I am just happy to see someone of royal blood grace us with their presence."

They both gave a chuckle. This was a small army of three hundred men, all wearing padded armor with mail over it, redundantly called chain mail, with most soldiers having breastplates as well.

Clamor, "Right, tell me about this Red Rain Empire."

Cavillatio gestured for another rabbitfolk to come forward. This young man was a pure white-furred boy with silky black hair. He barely wore anything but primitive clothing and bone jewelry.

Ulula, "Hello, my name is Ulula, and I will be your translator, my lord."

Clamor, "Ah, one of the northerners."

(Some time later)

Clamor looked around from his horse to see the city of huts and thatch. There were no towering buildings, and each hut was uniquely made. Many aromas could be smelled, from spices to breads, and despite the primitive technology, they somehow created an advanced aqueduct system. These people didn't have the best tools to work with and were barely able to make metal weapons, with most of their soldiers using clubs or other wooden weapons.

The people here were pure black-furred rabbitfolk, and all of them were gawking at the horses and strange rabbit men in armor, but no one got as much attention as the few sharkfolk that were also part of Clamor's forces.

At the capital building, a large stone structure of rough-cut stones, the group was met with the leader of the Empire, King Cruor Ironblood. During their time at the capital, Clamor had a positive relationship with the king, with the king being cordial and Clamor responding kindly, though with an air of patronizing.

(Some time later)

King Cruor, "It's good to see all of you still here; now you can watch our rituals for our gods."

The translator was diligent in their job, and a priest that was part of Clamor's group had a displeased look.

King Cruor, "I'll admit, your one god is confusing, and your rituals are just as confounding, but I'm sure you will be pleased by our dedication and the power our gods give us through sacrifice."

Cavillatio, "You'll forgive that we are not believers in pagan gods."

King Cruor, "Yes, you say that often, and I accept that we all have views given to us by our gods."

Once they got to a ziggurat, there was already a crowd cheering as one of the pagan priests summoned up several people—prisoners of war, the group was told—and the prisoners struggled as they were forced on the alter as the priest said his prayer and drove a knife into the man and then proceeded to cut out his heart.

Clamor, General Cavillatiom, and all his men watched in horror as the priest continued this ritual by killing over a dozen people this way.

(Some time later)

Back in the palace, in their private room, the army was almost breaking down, including the general.

Cavillatio, "What in all the hell was that? These freaks are devil worshipers, I say, all of them!"

Clamor, "Stop yelling and calm down. You're freaking out your soldiers."

The Priest, "Nothing can stop these people. They just witnessed the most brutal murders that folkdom has ever seen."

Cavillatio, "Ok, ok. We've got to get out of here because who knows when they'll cut out our hearts?"

Clamor, "I don't see why they'd kill us; they seemed friendly enough."

Female Soldier looking at Ulula, "Why didn't you warn us about these savages?"

Ulula, "It never came up. I told you they were war mongers who attack our neighbors all the time."

Female Soldier, "And why didn't you mention that they did this to people?"

Ulula, "I thought you'd know because this is what the Red Rain Empire is known for."

Cavillatio, "Well, we didn't know, and if we did, we would have just declared war and ended this evil filth!"

Priest, "Seems a bit extreme."

Cavillatio, "They just cut out a bunch of people's hearts! What do you mean by extreme? How are you so calm? Didn't you see that?"

Priest, "Evil that has spread throughout a nation must be tackled carefully and slowly. Give the holy church time, and we can convert these infidels into true believers of the Lord."

Cavillatio, "Do you think we can convert these savages? Because I don't"

A soldier watching outside came back and mentioned that the king was coming.

Clamor, "Soldiers, put on a smile and don't cause a scene."

Cavillatio, "...You heard the royal; put a mask on, and let's get out of here as soon as possible."

The soldiers stifled their mental breakdowns and put on their best disciplined faces, just in time as Cruor entered.

King Cruor, "Ah, friends...ah, smells odd in here; did something happen?"

Clamor, "No, nothing is amiss. Your rituals just shocked us, that's all."

King Cruor, "Oh, I see. Well, I hope we don't offend you anymore then."

Cavillatio, "If I may ask, what happened to those people's nation?"

King Cruor, "Yes, the southerners are still recovering from our harvest, and we have to let them repopulate so that we can war against them again."

Clamor, "You didn't conquer their lands? You just, what, waged war to capture people to kill?"

King Cruor, "That is correct. Our gods demand many souls and much blood drooling on their temple's steps. They are also most thirsty for the hearts of children, babies, and the bodies of the unborn."

As the king continued, the female soldier from before snapped, and Clamor and the general saw it in her eyes as she approached the king with a dagger in her hands. She stabbed the king many times and screamed at him.

Female Soldier, "Die, die, die! Stupid, evil, abomination! Servant of the devil!"

After she had finished, Clamor looked at Cavillatio.

Clamor, "General, if we make it out of here, we are going to have a long discussion about your soldiers lack of discipline."

(Some time later)

The sun finally rose on a new day, its beams striking the capital of the Blood Rain Empire. The day revealed the wake of a bloody battle, with countless dead natives scattered around from the steps of the palace to the gates of the city. A thousand, or maybe even thousands, of their dead warriors bled the streets completely red. While outside the city, Clamor and the small army got their horses ready to depart.

Everyone of them had a dead look from sleep deprivation and exhaustion from the battle they just had.

Cavillatio, "The head count is complete; we lost ten men."

Ulula nearly in tears, "You did it; the empire is finally smashed. Thank you, strangers of the cold Iron lands. The island federation might now stand a chance against this vile nation, with their capital city devoid of life and their monarchy bloodline cut."

Clamor and most of the others now had an even more sad look on their faces.

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