Jeremiah Aslo
Another month and another village to visit and collect taxes from. The Duchy of Avantine covers enough land that if you were to walk from one end to another it would likely take you three months. The land is divided between three counts and Duke Avantine himself. Remire, the next village for me to collect both Count Silos and Duke Avantines dues, is at the northern edge of Avantine. Beyond that edge is a forest that will likely see trespassers slain by the foul beasts within, as a result Count Silos has made no colonization attempts to expand his territory.
I look at my escort, two dozen magic knights, a dozen mages and 50 militia. The County of Silos had a bandit problem that started when a village was unable to pay its tax. My predecessor and elder brother Alphonse was slain by the newly turned bandits. It took quite some time to hunt all those rats down, but ever since Silos has made sure that every village is properly intimidated and won't dare to raise any sort of rebellion or devolve into banditry.
To be quite honest, I'm grateful. Thanks to those bandits I'm the heir to house Aslo and have a position under the count that befits my baron title. I also don't have the same occupational hazards that my brother had. Truly when it comes to life, I'm winning.
I shudder to think what could have been were I not born a Aslo. Silos has the citizens dangerously on the edge. Only a couple villages weren't able to pay their taxes recently, but any more pressure and he'll end up with most of his territory empty and creating a city of people who hate him. Now, I understand why Silos desires a city rather than the spread out villages that make up our county. A city can produce far more economic power than a bunch of separate villages, he could force the remaining villages to be focused on food production while a city produces activity that will bring him wealth and power. Its also an opportunity to advance, as great minds spread throughout the county conglomerate into one location.
Of course, most people would refuse to uproot their way of life and phrasing it as a punishment for failure is one way to keep the masses unaware of the deliberate attempt to relocate them. The city of course, has far better living conditions and lesser taxes and soon the villagers begin to wonder if there situation is actually to there benefit. The key to all of this is timing, you can't have to many villages fail at once or they'll band together in hatred before you can coax them into doing what you want.
The Duke, his territory now possesses four proper cities. More than the other three counts put together. Count Silos and Count Job have each managed to create one, Silos has made the glorious city of Cistine and Job the pristine city of Gats, meanwhile Count Noel has failed to create any. It seems he has no desire to follow the footsteps of the other lords of Avantine and has not forced out a harsh tax on his village citizenry. If he's content to be the weakest politically and in the future open up his county to be taken by the others then all the better. If Silos's rivals are weak, he'll become strong and I as his subordinate will become even stronger.
We're about a week away from Remire now. I look at my traveling companions. None are more than colleagues, communication is kept simple and to the point. The militia are almost entirely composed of relocated citizenry and the magic knights as well as mages are second, third and fourth sons and daughters who have no real claim to power or worth bargaining in a marriage. I have nothing in common with any of them. I wonder if Remire will be the next village to be relocated. Its population is high and will be a large boost to Silos consolidating his power. Well, regardless its only a matter of time.
Leopold Gorontheon
As I sit and brood in the dark night, gazing upon the sleeping troops, my mind evokes one particular thought. The militia are tired. I have sees it in their faces, they maintain the pace that Jeremiah demands, because they fear punishment that could be enacted onto them, as well as their families back in Cistine. The magic knights and mages that serve under me are fine physically, but I can tell that morale wise they're fed up. I overheard one of them complaining about how their studies and achievement of Grade 3 Mages and Grade 3 Knights is smeared by their role as guards.
Fools. Thinking that you'd live luxuriously in Cistine just for being a Grade 3. The Academy of Sorcery back in Sovengrad, the royal capital of Milos has 9 potential years worth of study. At the end of each year you're evaluated and if you come up to short as either a magic knight or a mage you graduate early. To be a grade 3 and graduate in third year may feel like an achievement with how grueling the academy is, but in the grand scheme of things, when compared to the real upper echelon of the school, its really nothing. I graduated as a Grade 4 Magic Knight and was rated as a Grade 3 Mage during my final assessment. That awarded me the right to lead squadrons of lower grade mages and magic knights, but the experienced humbled me. Fourth year was hell, there were times my mind felt overloaded and others my body felt like it would die. To know that it only gets more intense from there...
It makes sense why the Grade 5 Mage in Silos's employ gets to stay in Cistine as Silos's bodyguard while the rest of us have to march and do nothing else other than look suitably intimidating to the average peasant.
Then again, its not like I don't share their frustration to some degree. Graduates may retake their graduation exam after at least three years from graduation to try and regain entrance to the academy. I want to get stronger, I feel like I was so close and after all my efforts, failing the exam has become a negative mark on me.
Get stronger, become a Grade five magic knight. I can't do that if I'm stuck here playing sitter. However, I have obligations to my house. Even if I'm a fourth son I can't do work below my status or I'd be insulting my family who got me into the academy and the title of Grade 4 Magic Knight.
Sunrise comes and I sigh, I have to figure out how to raise morale before we march off or this week will be as torturous for me as its been for everyone else. An angry army will cause trouble for their commander...
Jeremiah Aslo
What is this? My eyes, see it, but I refuse to accept it.
Remire is empty!
Not a soul in sight. How? Why? Where?! Questions begin and end within my brain, I push them to the side. I need to show that I'm better than my brother, I can't report back without some sort of information.
"Leopold, organize the soldiers and search the village for clues, tear it down if you need to, I need to find out what happened here." I bark out with a suitable amount of authority in my voice. Just enough to remind him whose his better.
"Right away sir!" Leopold doesn't even react to my provocation. I hate the man, to focused on the job. I did originally attempt to befriend him, but his nature drove me away. He lacks substantial and relatable character, plus he has to much pride for a mere 4th son.
Leopold Gorontheon
The mages in my command are all of an elemental affinity. Ice, fire, lightning, wind. While together it creates a powerful artillery force they're not of much help in this situation, none of them have utility spells to help with searching.
The magic knights aren't much better, there enhanced strength and speed will let them search around town more efficiently, but its not as if they are going to notice something a militia wouldn't.
I myself am also a elemental affinity of lightning. I can use my Jin as effectively as any of the lightning mages under my control but more importantly with my Rert, I can use it to enhance my perception and speed up my thoughts faster than any mere arcane enhancement spell. Lightning thoughts. This was the key to me passing my third year test, a utility spell that aids in combat and has use out of it. It shows short-sightedness as either a Magic Knight or mage, if the thought never comes to your mind to create something that could be used for more than just combat.
I look around the village, activating lightning thoughts every time I enter a new room within a building or a new area of the village. I gain what feels like an eternity to examine every nook and cranny within my vision. Not allowing a single detail to pass by me. Its only because of this spell that a search that should have taken hours to find a clue instead took five minutes.
Tracks, covered ones. It was a perfectly executed cover, but the limited time they had and the haste they must have needed to perform this with meant that my Lightning Thoughts allowed me to find the flaws within the covered tracks. The individual who made these must have saw us coming and retreated into the forbidden forest. They must be behind what's happened to Remire.
I return and report my findings to Jeremiah.
"The forbidden forest, huh. Well, we have enough military strength to defeat one enemy." Jeremiahs arrogance slips though his well spoken mask. I bristle at the thought of going in.
"With all due respect, Lord Aslo we lose the advantage that our mages have should we enter the forest. There a unit of ranged attackers, who would prefer to have clear line of sight of the enemy while they rain down the spells. The forest is a place that holds not just the enemy, but monsters. The militia would be ineffective against them and the mages would have difficulty within the terrain." I advise Jeremiah to the best of my ability, though this is mostly just a show. Jeremiah will tell us to go in, but the troops would lack trust in me if I failed to voice their obvious concerns.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Leopold." the sneer was unmistakable. "I relent that the militia won't be effective, they can stay behind with me, however you, the magic knights and the mages are commanded to apprehend whoever is responsible for this. Now go!" Jeremiahs words brooked no argument. Amusingly, he even made it seem like to the militia that he listened to me and cared about them, when really he just wants protection incase something goes wrong while we do the dirty work. Craven scum. Well, to be frank, i'm not entirely unhappy about this situation. The loss of life is tragic and genuinely does sadden me, but the subjugation of monsters and capture of whoever is responsible, is exactly the kind of training opportunity I was looking for. I don't need my Lightning Thoughts to notice that the mages and magic knights are experiencing the same conflicted emotions.
Well, lets make the best of it. I organize the men and together we enter the forbidden forest.
Raderius
Early on, I decided that to divide and conquer was the strategy I wanted to go with. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise, that only the magic knights and mages would enter the forest. I had skeletons of several wolves posted about a days travel away from the village, they were given a simple order at the first sight of a living person return to the outskirts of Remire where my detect corpses spell would notice them. As soon as they arrived I hid with a coffin and buried myself by utilizing animated corpses. Then I directly manipulated a skeleton, good old Adam, to create those tracks into the forest that were so swiftly found and followed. The one who found them will likely be the most difficult opposition, whether to save him for last or demoralize the other mages and magic knights by slaying him first was a tough decision.
Regardless, the first step of my strategy has been executed flawlessly. I continue to wait and hide, to let the enemy get deeper into the forest. After all, I don't want them to overhear any screams and come rushing back to the assistance of their allies.
Detect life. A reversion of the fundamentals of my detect corpses spell is how I followed the movements of the Counts lackeys without being able to see them.
Hours passed. Nightfall had arrived. Now was the time. I emerged from my coffin, spear in hand. I saw the pair of militia on watch while the others slept.
I rushed them, the shock of a sudden blur of motion slowed their reaction by a second, that second was all I needed I used curse of years, placing a highly concentrated amount of my aura into the spell.
They didn't have time to scream before they were already bones. I manipulated the bones to fall gently so as not to alert the others. This was no battle, it was a massacre. A display of overwhelming power that no non magical being could hope to overcome. I raised those I slew, tethering their soul to their bones and adding them to my own new army. Within a minute I had annihilated the soldiers sleeping within my village all that was left the taxman.
I opened up the entrance to the building he slept in, the former mayors home.
Leopold Gorontheon
I was tired. After an unusually quiet first hour within the forest attacks became a constant threat. Cyclops, werewolves, wolves, bears even the damn birds. They harried our forces, unrelenting waves of attacks and withdrawals. After repelling the first attack from these forces, the magic knights, mages and I made a realization.
They were already dead. Dead before we had even struck any blows against them.
A necromancer? A legendary affinity? Magic that violates the soul and forces the dead into servitude. My expression, normally reserved and calm could not hide the pure contempt and disgust that I felt. Whoever raised these beasts likely has violated the villagers of Remire as well.
Foul necromancer, I'm onto your tracks you can keep running, but we will reach you and we will slay you!
I drive my men forward, we will fight through our exhaustion and not allow this evil to escape!
Raderius
"Wake up." I thrust my spear into the taxmans leg and was greeted with a melody of his agony.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!" The man yelled and looked around frantically. "Soldiers, intruder, save me!" he shouted in panic.
"They're already dead." I sneered as I twisted my spear in his leg. You'll be joining them soon, but first answer my questions.
"Spare me, please. I'll tell you anything you want, i'll serve you! Please, please don't kill me!" realizing the enormity of the situation and with death staring him in the face, the man revealed his true nature, a craven and became a sobbing mess.
"I accept your servitude." the edges of my mouth revealed a hint of a smile, the taxman seemed to think I was enjoying dominating him, rather than having a good laugh at the true meaning of his soon to be servitude under me. I withdraw my spear and am met with more of the music of his screams.
"Thank you, master, thank you. Master, how can I help you?" he grovelled, on his ruined leg.
"Tell me the affinities and strength of the mages and knights under your command." I laugh as I ask the question, reveling in my power and finding joy in using it to destroy the pride of the wicked.
The taxman went in detail about the mages and magic knights. The mages had basic elemental affinities and could use them to destroy their foes. Individually they didn't amount to much but as a group they made for a solid artillery unit. Desperation and arrogance made the man give up this advantage he told me.
The magic knights possessed elemental types, such as the leader of the squadron as well as a nature type who seemed to have adopted the same regenerative strategy that I have. There were a couple whose only affinity was for arcane, but had pushed that affinity to its limit and turned enhancement spells into "works of art" according to him.
Not a challenge among them. Their leader should at least be a interesting fight, but the rest of them didn't amount to much. The taxmans description of them bores me enough to wonder if our power difference is as vast as a canyon and would allow for me to use curse of years effectively on them. I won't count on it, but the thought amuses me.
"Alright, I thank you for answering my questions, now its time to begin your service." I smile at the taxman and watch as the horror of my words dawn on him.
"Master Plea-" I cut him off with a thrust though his neck.
"Now, rise! Come unto me my servants" as I animated the taxman and the members of the militia I hadn't yet bothered to.
Leopold Gorontheon
Dawn breaks and before me is a skeleton. I've been tracking down a skeleton this whole time. My orders may have been reckless and my emotions blaring, but why did I issue my own reckless orders in response. We've chased the enemy deep into the forest and all that stands before me is a skeleton in priest clothes.
"I'm sorry" I say as much to my men as to the undead I put down.
This chase is a failure, the necromancer is toying with us. I lost two magic knights to unlucky strikes from the constant threat of the undead, all the mages and magic knights are exhausted. Retreat. We need to exit the forest, regroup and let the Count know whats happened.
"Lilly!" I shout out to the soldiers under my command. A magic knight, a girl with auburn hair and a beautiful figure, an individual whose motive in becoming a magic knight intrigued me. I needed her right now.
"Sir!" she saluted me.
"Did you finish developing that spell you described to me?" I asked her.
"Not fully, but its in a usable state, I can't change into anything yet and it also greatly drains my magic, a few hours in the form will render me useless. If you don't mind me asking; why? Sir? Its not a combat spell." she said matter of factly, as if out of concern for me, hiding her hesitation and doubtful nature expertly.
Fool, those spells can be the most useful and mastering this one will get you a opportunity to pass the grade 3 exam and become a grade 4 magic knight. That's what I think, but I don't tell her that. My every word has to be precise and with meaning, a moments hesitation could result in death. I need a fail safe.
"Use it, escape from here and make for Cistine and alert Count Silos. If things go well, we'll be joining you, but I can't guarantee the necromancer doesn't have a foul trick. Don't wait for us or Jeremiah, should tragedy befall us you are the hope of Silos. Now go!" I order her.
Lily nods and performs a quick gesture with her hands. I wonder if that parts necessary or if it just motivates her. Lily transforms into a mole, a flash of light the only indicator of the instantaneous change. It seems she cant turn into a bird yet, a shame. If she could I'd reconsider my strategy and use her to scout out the necromancer as well as the hiding positions of any undead ambushes.
Lily begins burrowing away, I gesture for the magic knights to form up. We need to support each other to make sure there are no further casualties.
The march back is long, less dangerous than the initial pursuit, perhaps the necromancer has run out of undead? We exit the forest and see the militia as well as Jeremiah. They're all at attention. He must be on a ego trip again. The fool.
In hindsight, the first sign something was wrong was how the militia were to perfect in their formation. They're undisciplined, and no matter how hard i've drilled them I can always find a flaw within it. Stamping one flaw out leads to the creation of a new one in a endless loop that leaves me wondering if they'll ever be properly trained. Yet, right now their formation is perfect and combat ready.
"Sir, I have my report ready." I gesture for my soldiers to sit and rest while I debriefed Jeremiah.
"I seeee, thank you sergeant."
The next sign was the way Jeremiah spoke, as if he was drunk. I dislike the man, but he's no idiot. He wouldn't let himself get drunk when the enemy could be near by.
Before I had time to process it, the militia were attacking my knights. Three mages and four knights were immediately slain. As I turned to face the crowd I felt a disturbance in the wind. I activated my lightning thoughts and avoided a piercing blow meant for my heart, instead feeling a throbbing pain in my shoulder.
"Hello, my name is Raderius. For the crime of serving villainy I sentence you and your squadron to death." A chilling voice from a pale, strong figure said as he withdrew his spear.
The necromancer. I couldn't command my knights in this battle. They would have to fend for themselves. Looking at this man, Raderius, if I withdrew my attention from him for even a moment it would be the death of me. That spear thrust was practiced and true. Jeremiah stood there dumbly as if nothing was wrong, its clear that Raderius had slain them all and risen them as zombies. How? Was I to hasty when I discovered the tracks. I should have insisted a withdrawal and reporting, that we gather a larger force. I should have...it doesn't matter what I should have done all that matters is what I do now.
I must slay the monster before me.
