Volume 3, Chapter 3: Setting up Defenses

{54 Days Remaining}

Two weeks later after days of slow riding and marching, I arrived at Milgard Outpost. Eden, Efari, Kiara, and Gold Knight Commander Lana were riding beside me. And behind our group were the twelve thousand soldiers, the long supply trains we had to drag along, and the supporters such as cooks, blacksmiths, scribes, etc.

The order of command was relatively simple; Silver Knight Commanders were directly below Lana and I, then there were the Bronze Knight Commanders, and further below that were knight captains, knights, and normal soldiers. Needless to say, the soldiers were also divided into four divisions: cavalry, spears, archers, and various sword-wielding infantry.

I formed a small mental sigh in my mind as the familiar scene barged into my sight.

Even from a distance, Milgard Outpost looked familiar to me with its three observation towers spread out evenly and its intimidating walls made of heavy stone and reinforced with metal. The walls were about ten feet tall and their thickness surpassed five feet, some areas having a thickness even more than seven feet.

The outpost was huge, having a population of more than five thousand, half of this population being devoted entirely to soldiers guarding the borders. So combined with the twelve thousand soldiers and the two thousand here, I now commanded 14,000 soldiers. The other five hundred soldiers of the outpost were not suited for battles. Instead, they worked in the logistic division.

A rider had also been dispatched from the central region, saying that the remaining six thousand soldiers would arrive in about two weeks, and the assigned battalions of mages would arrive in a week.

I sneaked a small, inconspicuous glance toward the three females riding together. They were in the middle of a conversation and seemed to be getting along quite well. It was almost mind-boggling for me to see that.

If I had to translate the dampened feelings I had right now—I suppose it would be equal to having a sword shoved down your throat.

The three favors they asked after the fire incident, by the way, were also troublesome.

Eden had asked for the Dragon's Duel of Dominance after we returned back home. Her reason was simple: to prove her dominance over me. (A pain in the ass, if I may blunt).

Kiara only let out a gentle smile and feigned shyness, saying that she had not decided yet; her smile was somewhat unnerving, and I was beginning to think she was a good actress. (Another pain in the ass, if I may also be blunt, though this pain was more mysterious).

As for Efari, she had asked to be brought along wherever I would go, throughout times of suffering, times of joy, and whether in life or death.

Her words sounded rather like a proposal, but there was some hint of sadness in her eyes as she said those words. Her expression was still the usual cool demeanor, but nonetheless, it somehow seemed as if she had left some words unsaid.

In the end, I accepted her proposal. I wasn't sure myself why I would do such a troublesome thing (I was suddenly feeling quite nervous as to the future meeting with Navra, the eldest of my clan).

Still, perhaps she was beginning to grow on me, or perhaps I was beginning to be affected by the bond between Efari and I.

These days, I wasn't too sure of my mentality. Perhaps I was pretending too much, or perhaps my other self was ever so slowly, yet imperceptibly, creeping up from behind.

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“Greetings, General Verath!” the man in charge of Milgard Outpost said in a loud, but controlled voice. He wore a heavy, full-bodied silver armor, a tabard to denote his military rank, and looked to be past his middle twenties. “I am Silver Knight Commander Bora, of the noble family Lionae. My men and I shall be glad to serve under you for the protection of our glorious Shail Kingdom.”

Silver Knight Commander Bora greeted me with the side of his fist pressed to his chest, near his heart. Behind him, there were two thousand men and women consisting of some knights and normal infantry soldiers. They were split into two orderly lines, one thousand soldiers on each side of the gate, and left just enough gap for a party of men to go through.

I returned his greeting from atop my horse, and raised my hand to call for a halt. My signal was seen from the Knight Commanders further behind me, and the signal was relayed further down. I was glad to see my signal being relayed quickly. It took only a short while before the twelve thousand soldiers behind me came to a stop, the cavalry and the other soldiers on horses, also instantly forming up.

“On the orders of King Balan and Baron Gustav, we are to hold this region of the Northern Grasslands from the Falinor invaders,” I said. “Though I am sure this message has already been delivered, judging from your previous words. It will be heartening to work with you, Commander Bora.”

I gestured a hand toward Lana, who looked entirely out of place on her enormous destrier mount, which was similar in color to mine. A dark black color. Upon seeing the thirty years old Gold Knight Commander, one could only think of a child playing a pretend war game, but Commander Bora only showed an earnest face.

That was good of Bora, since Lana had a frightening temper when her appearance was being mocked. Her nickname as the Red Temper, or the Small Monster, after all, wasn't for show.

“It will be a pleasure to work with you, Gold Knight Commander Lana!”

“Likewise,” Lana said in a neutral voice that masked any hint of emotions. It told me that she was most likely still somewhat upset.

“Very well, let us set up camps outside the outpost before the day becomes night. Then tomorrow, we shall set up defenses.”

I looked toward Lana, and she nodded back at me, before relaying my orders.

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Though Milgard Outpost was a medium-sized fort and the twelve thousand soldiers plus supporters could fit somewhat uncomfortably inside, the Knight Commanders and I had agreed upon setting up camps further out onto the Northern Grasslands.

It wasn't safe to hole up inside the outpost, since the enemy army could just go around us. The outpost, after all, were just designed to safeguard the borders from raiders and monsters, especially goblins, that sometime grouped up in bands. In addition, enemy mages could wreak havoc with their magic if we were all located in one place.

Thus, we set up camps and supply posts along just a distance to the north of Milgard Outpost. The camps were in orderly lines and divided into four divisions; cavalry, spears, archers, and various sword-wielding infantry. These divisions were then further divided into sections where each section belonged to Knight Commanders of Silver and Bronze.As for my camp, it was located in the middle.

Being the general, I had the largest tent and the largest of the Shail Kingdom's flags attached to the top of it. The flag was a simple one, its appearance having a blue and white checkered pattern with a golden crown in the middle. To the sides of my tent entrance, there were also two red banners denoting that this was the general's tent and camp.

As for Efari, Eden, and Kiara, I had made them stay at a distance away from my tent—it wouldn't do good for my reputation if they stayed inside my own tent. That would have incited blood lust among my men, a strategy I would use when the enemy came. Hah, just kidding.

That said, I was outside of my tent when Gold Knight Commander Lana called out to me. I had been looking at the night sky and the two twin moons, now in their crescent forms, shining like silver gems.

“A beautiful night, isn't it, General Verath?” Lana said from the shadows, which were somewhat illuminated by the bonfires of the camp. She looked up at the night sky and softly said, “The perpetual twin moons, Seli and Vali, are always out of reach, yet shining down upon us. It makes one feel tiny, does it not?”

“I wouldn't know since our perspectives are different,” I said, somewhat emphasizing the word “perspectives.” My emphasis was not missed.

“Hah. Tease me all you like. I have gotten better at controlling my temper ever since I met you. That, and I am tired of losing to you in duels. I can barely get a hit in.”

I turned my head toward Lana. Her form, in the darkness which was only illuminated by the camp bonfires, looked smaller than ever. “There is a story about these twin moons. It is a story about a pair of lovers, whose love was so strong that it became etched onto the night skies in the form of these two moons.”

I stopped my words then.

“That's it? What a teaser...At least say something more than that.” Lana let out a small sigh, shaking her head to and fro. “Anyway, General Verath. I only came here to say that there is dissatisfaction among the older Knight Commanders.”

“I guess they do not like a young, inexperienced general.”

Lana's pair of extremely light purplish eyes met my own pair of light green eyes. “I think you will do fine. Calina had her full trust in you, after all.” She formed a smirk and said, “And you have me as your adviser.”

Hearing that name, I felt some slight regret.

“Thanks for your confidence in me,” I said in a whispered voice.

“Rest well, general.”

“You too, Lana. You too,” I said.

But by then, my words were already too far away for the small, receding back of Gold Knight Commander Lana to hear.

Rest well, eh...I thought to myself with some amusement. Unlike these humans, I only needed an hour's worth of sleep. Instead of Lana saying those words to me, I should have been the one saying them, to Lana.

Bereft of her family at the age of six due to a fallout between two noble families, Lana was an orphan that had become a ward of the Serle family. Her life, from then on, was solely devoted to training and battles, as if the slash of a weapon could obliterate sadness, as if it could bleed out loneliness.

I thought some more.

Was it really wise of me to risk my life for these humans? I owed them nothing and a war which had no relations with me went against logic.

True, this place was my home kingdom, the place I was born in, the place my father and mother were born in. But to be honest, I had no deep attachments to this place.

A land was a land. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Thus, my decision was made underneath the moonlit, nightly skies while I stood alone in the darkness just beside my tent.

I would continue my lies until the end, if for no other reason than this place was my homeland and that I was a deceiver, a liar.

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{14 Days Remaining}

“Are you finished, Mage Captain Valha?” I asked the man wearing an immaculate white uniform with neat lines of buttons. He also wore black shoulder guards and had a black circular metal with wings sewn onto the right side of his uniform.

“They will only serve as a small hindrance, General Verath. Still, it should prove useful.”

I nodded at that. “Thank you for your work, mage captain. You and your men can go back now.”

“I shall take my leave then, general!”

The sounds of footfalls soon became distant noises as the mages left the vicinity to go back to the camps.

Somewhat alone, I observed what the 25th, 24th, and the 23th Earth Mage Battalions had created. For more than a month since their arrival, I had been ordering those sixty Earth mages to create obstacles and every kind of hindrances they could think off.

The result had been quite satisfying, to say the least.

Across a large stretch of the Northern Grasslands, I could see all kinds of walls, spears, mazes, and various other obstacles, all of them made out of earth. This area, however, was only one of seven regions the mages had placed these earthen obstacles.

Just like this region of the Northern Grasslands, the other six regions around Milgard Outpost were also filled with more than twenty feet tall walls, mazes, and various other hindrances. These seven regions spanned about a hundred and fifty miles distance around Milgard Outpost. And between these regions were forests and purposely made paths for the enemy to go through.

Basically, I had made the sixty Earth mages create natural formations and obstacles across a hundred mile distance near Milgard Outpost. It was somewhat amazing what sixty Earth mages could do in just a month when they combined all their magic.

Having looked at the finished results, I headed back to the camp on my horse. I had a lot of distance to cover, so it took a little less than half a day to return. Along the way, I had also caught up to the Earth mages who had went on ahead of me.

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It was late in the afternoon when I arrived back at the camps, which had grown considerably larger now that twenty thousand soldiers and supporters were living there.

As I was passing through the cavalry section, five female Air mages descended from the skies above me. They stopped in front of me, and some of the nearby soldiers gathered around, anticipation on their faces.

The five female Air mages were part of the 17th Air Mage Battalion and I had been sending them around for some weeks doing scouting work. All of them looked exhausted and their white uniform and black shoulder guards looked ragged and crumpled. The backpacks they wore on their backs also looked ragged and thin, most of the rations having been eaten.

“I trust your scouting trip was successful?”

“Yes, General Verath,” the leading Air mage said in a weak voice, while her fist went toward her chest in a salute. “The enemy forces have split up into three armies which look to be equal in numbers. Each of them, based on our estimations, seem to be around fifty thousand or sixty thousand.”

“As expected, one army is also heading to this front. Based on the path and distance they are currently at, I expect the army to most likely arrive in no more than two weeks. The army will most likely go through the fourth and fifth regional earthen defenses you set up, General Verath.”

“Dismissed, mage captain. And good work,” I said.

Based on her information, I would need to move the army toward the fourth and fifth regional earthen defense. But the enemy forces were still too far away to tell. For now, it was best to stay based near Milgard Outpost at the second regional earthen defense.

As I started riding toward the central camp, I heard whispers among the soldiers who had gathered around.

“So the enemy forces will arrive in two weeks, huh.”

“Hah. Best to savor life right now then. I am going to drink till I crap my pants, and before the leaders set up a drinking prohibition. ”

“I would have liked to die peacefully on my deathbed, but I guess that is not possible.”

“If it was me, I would have liked to die in a woman's embrace.”

On top of my horse, I turned around at the group of talking soldiers and said, “As for me, I would like to die with a sword in my hand.” Then my lips formed a small curve.

The group of soldiers froze at my words. They had not realized I had overheard them.

“We were just joking, General Verath! Our dreams are the same as yours! WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO DIE WITH A SWORD IN OUR HANDS!” one of the soldiers shouted.

Another one then took up the cheer, and soon the whole group was cheering.

“That's nice to hear,” I simply commented before nudging my horse forward.

I was somewhat chuckling inside my mind at their reactions. Most of the soldiers were now somewhat cautious around me and a few even feared me after than one action I had took against a Knight Commander who had been objecting to my every action.

What was the action, you ask?

Just a simple one, really.

I simply cut off the Silver Knight Commander's arm and then tore off the fingers of that severed arm with my mouth. Then I handed the sword he had pointed at me and had “accidentally” dropped back into his other hand, his non-sword arm.

Afterward, I proceeded to wipe my mouth with a white cloth, while ignoring his screaming. Then I left the screaming commander lying on the ground. Of course, I couldn't just leave the commander lying on the ground and bleeding, so I went toward a nearby knight and told him to call for a mage healer.

A simple action, really, though I confess I had been a little irritated by the troubles the three female monsters who called themselves my “wives,” had been causing around the camps. It was just not fun having balls of fire explode near your face.

So you see, I had been lying when I had told you that these twenty thousand men worshiped the ground I walked on. In truth, they were only cautious of the ground I walked on. Their caution, however, felt as if they were seeing a god walking among the mortals.

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Back at the central camp, I found Gold Knight Commander Lana waiting for me.

“While you had been gone, General Verath, we received messages from dispatched riders that most of our kingdom's armies have taken up positions along the other six fronts, excluding this front.”

“I see. How about General Ochram and General Lavok?”

“They have taken up positions on the third front and fourth front,” Lana said. “Furthermore, the generals of King Balan have also arrived, along with the king himself and other major nobles. They will be leading most of the 70,000 soldiers they brought, along with hired mercenaries and fighting men.”

“So now we play the waiting game,” I said softly.

“Care to share a drink with me for the night,” Lana asked in a casual tone.

“Although I believe in early independence for children, I don't think children should drink at such a young age yet.”

“You vex me, Verath.” “You should just shut up sometime and accept a lady's invitation.”

“A lady, huh? I suppose one can see it that way.”

“This lady will soon run out of patience and ask for a duel, even if you are this lady's general,” Lana said in a controlled voice, an angry vein becoming distinct on her forehead.

“Lead the way, then.”

Lana, however, did not lead the way. Instead, she was looking at me with her eyebrows raised. When I didn't respond, she only let out a sigh. “Should you not escort this lady in a proper fashion?”

I hesitantly held out an elbow, to which Lana quickly latched onto with her hands. I never knew when Efari would pop out from a place, even though I could sense her through the bond I had with her. That, and the other two female dragons were probably busy sightseeing again. “Pitying the Weak Human Mortals,” they had said.

I started walking, and asked in casual voice, “Even if that lady is twelve odd years older than me?”

“Even then,” Lana replied with confidence. “And don't you know? Age does not matter between...friends.”

“So it is.”

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After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at the designated campsite where soldiers were drinking and laughing loudly in a companionable atmosphere. In the center of this place, there was a big camp fire blazing and illuminating the scene.

This scene was soon shattered when all of the soldiers, both males and females, turned to look at Lana when she took out a bottle of wine from the supply camp, which was manned by a few logistic accountants.

I watched as all of the soldiers, who had been so cheerful before, ran away from the campsite and headed toward other places. They had somewhat fearful looks on their faces.

“Oh, where did my men go off too?” Lana asked with a wine bottle in one hand and two small mugs in the other hand.

“They left...” I paused a bit, thinking whether or not I should add the words “after seeing you,” to my sentence. I decided not to.

In a cheerful voice, Lana said, “Ah well, silence is the best under a darkening sky such as this.”

“True,” I said, taking the mug she handed out to me. We both sat down on the grass and Lana poured out some wine, filling half of my mug and filling her own to the brim.

Her eyes gleamed as she turned toward me. “Shall we do a drinking contest? I will even give you a handicap the first round.”

I could only chuckle at that. The Gold Knight Commander was sorely mistaken if she thought I could not hold in my alcohol. I suppose her mistake was only natural, since she had never seen me drink. She did not know of my countenance.

I formed a small grin. “Be careful of who you go against, Lana. It is always a good idea to know who your opponents are first. That said, I accept your challenge.”

Lana smiled back, and held up her mug. “To the future.”

I guess I could agree with her words. My future, back then, after all, had been full of uncertainties.

“To the future,” I said.

At that, we both gulped down the wine.

Lana let out a huge sigh of satisfaction and a wicked grin came over her face, which had turned slightly red. “Heh...hehehehe...hahahahah....HAHAHAHA”

Her laughs turned louder and louder, and she wiped her mouth with a hand. She poured some more wine into her mug to the brim and quickly finished that. “You know, bitch. I feel like going for some blood.”

Saying that, Lana stood up and drew out the longsword she always strapped behind her back. “Fight me!”

“Wa—”

Lana did not waited to hear my words before she slashed down at me. In my sitting position, I rolled to my left and quickly dodged the incoming blade. Then I stood up and started running away from the campsite.

Lana gave chase with her sword held out wildly in her right hand and with a wine bottle in her left hand.

I turned back a little to check up on her again and saw her drinking from the wine bottle directly. She had an insane grin on her face and her tongue was licking her bottom lips in a lecherous manner. “Come drink and play with me,” she shouted in a sing-song voice.

Seeing the demon from hell chasing after me, I ran toward the nearest campsite. There were group of soldiers, both male and female, loudly exchanging cheerful words.

I ran past them and one of them started asking in a drunken shout.

“Why are you running, General Verath?”

“Oh shit, run! It's the Red Temper!” a male soldier shouted.

“Ashes! She looks drunk!”

I looked behind and saw all of the soldiers and knights fleeing in all directions. Lana, however, paid no mind to them. She only continued chasing me. A too-drunk male soldier had not heard the shouts his friends were making and only continued sitting. He gave a thumbs-up toward his group of friends who were still shouting at him to run.

The male soldier waved at them, and was then sent flying when Lana slapped him with the back of her hand. He had gotten in her way.

Thus, the sounds of screams resounded throughout the Gold Knight Commander's camp as her men ran away in terror. It was on the night of two full moons that the red demon from hell put the stuff of nightmares into hundreds of men.

And the screams continued before I finally put a stop to the demon with a choke-hold.

Hah. I am merely joking.

The night didn't turn that bad.

I only started to play with her by drawing my own enchanted, black longsword. It took a while to subdue her, but when I finally did, I sat down on top of her small body.

Some minutes passed as she struggled underneath, before finally passing out.

The Red Temper was thus slain.

And I was also thus slain when Efari and Eden saw the scene of me sitting on top of Lana.

Monsters, I tell you. Never take home one with you or befriend one. Even a small monster.

Volume 3 (Chapter 4)

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AN: As usual, hope you enjoyed the chapter.