Burdened by Legacy: Chapter 2 – The Good Kind of Troublemaking

Chapter 2 – The Good Kind of Troublemaking

Some of my fondest memories are those from my youngest years when I would play pranks on my family and the servants by hiding myself and things. Even though Quon would always complain about it, especially when I hid things from him, my father didn’t mind as much. He saw my sneakiness and ability to turn into a small or human-sized rat as a blessing despite the fact that people who turn into rats aren’t typically viewed as royal and my behavior isn’t helping that opinion, but I don’t need to behave for anyone other than God and my family. I am my father’s troublemaking princess and God’s shadow enacting His will in the dark. I am the leader of the Odollam, Draco’s own thieves guild, and today, I have another special assignment from father.

I am meeting my friend, Lian, today to check up on our ratmen and beastmen allies in the kingdom of Serpentis for some reconnaissance. The meeting place is one of the undertowns that they’ve built for us as part of our agreement with one another. Unlike the ratmen of old who built undercities underneath and near major cities and towns, the new ratmen build undertowns primarily near other settlements because the townspeople resent them for what happened not too long ago under the tyrant Vicar Sylvatic or because they want their own place to live. Regardless of their reasoning, we give these outcasts food and supplies from Draco while they let us know of the rumors that are circulating around the area. Lian and I meet these ratmen and beastmen in our bestial forms since they are most comfortable when we look like them. When I see Lian, I see him in his black and brown leather armor that is similar to mine and in his monkey form while I’m in my human-sized rat form.

“Min! It’s good to see you again. Congratulations on your victory in Constantinople,” Lian says.

“It’s all thanks to God and my father. I didn’t even participate in the battle for it,” I say.

“But you did give your father the information he needed to know what the enemy leaders were planning and which orcs to keep an eye on who claimed to be on our side.”

“True.”

“So, it’s your victory as well.”

“Hehehe! Stop buttering me up. Did your parents tell you to hit on me again?”

“No, but my siblings did, not that I’m taking their advice. Are you ready to see our informants?”

“Yeah. Father must know they have valuable information of the highest importance to send us to collect it.”

“Let’s go hear what it is then.”

Lian and I make our way through the tunnels that have many torches in them and signs that point to different things such as exits, inns, and the undertown we are looking for. The door to the town is a large circular door with a slit in the middle of it for the guards to see through. I knock on the door, tell the guards who we are, and they open the door for us. Inside the town are many ratmen and beastmen going about their daily business walking from one place to another. Since everything inside this tunnel is closed in, all the shops, homes, and storage areas are located within dug-out holes that are big enough to fit them. They even have chapels here where daily masses take place.

Going into one of the chapels, we find our contact, a ratman named Bejel who is dressed like your average civilian from Draco with moderately fine robes. Lian and I sit behind him and wait for him to notice us.

“Today’s another wonderful day, isn’t it?” Bejel asks.

“It is. God has let me live and I’m about to make it everyone’s problem,” I say.

Turning to us, Bejel smiles and says in a whispered voice, “It’s good to see you two again and you’re just in time for something to happen between thieves.”

“Such as?”

“Even though Odollam and St. Dismas are business partners, neither side expected the other to divulge all each other’s secrets, and with the taking of Constantinople leading to Draco becoming the biggest kingdom this side of the world, it’s made St. Dismas uneasy. They may be planning to do something unwise because of it. You may want to pay them a visit to convince them against their current course of action.”

“Do you know where we might find them?”

“The Sagrada Familia cathedral, in the city not too far from here. I hear it’s one of the best places to make new friends.”

“We will make many friends. I’m sure of it.  Hehehe! Thank you for your help as always, Bejel.”

“Anything for you two. You’re both God-sent angels who have made the lives of us outcasts and refugees easier.”

“And it’s going to get a bit easier for you,” Lian says.

A commotion outside of the chapel gets Bejel’s attention as many flock around the carts of supplies, weapons, and armor that come from Draco’s suppliers. Again, he thanks us and blesses us before we head out to the cathedral he mentioned. We don’t immediately turn into our human forms so we can slip through the cracks in the city’s walls and that no one knows we’re here. Once in the city, we stick to the shadows and make our way to another one of our contacts who runs a shop here. Contacts like these are how we have our footholds in each major town and city. We supply them with our goods and they sell them to the public and influence others to look upon our kingdom with favor and make them want to trade with us as well. In return, they’ll let us know of the goings on around here, give us exclusive trade deals, and allow us to use their carriages to get around the city undetected, the last of which we are taking advantage of now.

Our contact parks his carriage near an alleyway near the cathedral allowing us the easiest way to get in it. After thanking our contact, Lian and I make our way to the rooftops and scout out the cathedral. It doesn’t appear to be guarded and not too crowded, but those from St. Dismas are nothing if not subtle, so quickly grab our contact again and wear clothes that are normal to this kingdom over our regular outfit. I wear a bonnet hat and a plain black and brown dress while Lian wears a black leather hat, white suit, red tie, and black shoes. Entering the cathedral, we see priests, a few worshippers attending daily adoration, and a few of Serpentis’ capirote knights guarding it. Lian and I kneel down with our heads bowed and hands in prayer over our mouths in the back pews of the cathedral.

“I recognize some of these people from St. Dismas,” I whisper.

“Yeah. I don’t think they’ll divulge their worries and plans if we walk up to them,” Lian says.

“More of their friends and records of their letters could be in the upper floors or the basement. Let’s split up and see what we can find. I’ll take the basement.”

“The upper floors are mine then. I’ll see you in this same spot once I find everything I can.”

Without another word, we split up and go our separate ways. I find a hidden place to take off these normal clothes and transform into a small rat. Sticking to the shadows and going through the vents of the cathedral, I make my way to the basement. Peeking through the grate, I see storage rooms for decorations for events and one for weapons and armor, neither of which stand out to me. None of the grates seem to lead to an exit, any rooms with people in them, or records as I crawl through the maze of vents. I think about giving up until I begin to hear talking behind the metal of the vent. Ah! So, the secret room doesn’t have a vent grate, probably to keep out nosy people like me, but my rat hearing allows me to hear them despite it.

“Hear anything from your friends in Odollam?” a man asks.

“Nothing other than them still being proud of themselves and their thriving kingdom,” a woman says.

“Their influence has been rapidly spreading throughout the land at a worrying rate ever since Vicar Sylvatic’s death.”

“Shouldn’t we worry about Bernhard more than them? They did just have a civil war with themselves and went on a slaughter across the continent after they discovered a plot against them.”

“I’m more worried about Draco since they’re more subtle in their ways. Bernhard will be upfront about their intentions and how they carry it out.”

“Hmm. You’re right. Should we go through with the plan then?”

“We will and we’re doing it now.”

“We’re not going to ask our doyens if we can?”

“They’ll probably think us crazy and kick us out of the guild. No, we move today.”

“Then I call dibs on the earrings and necklaces. I don’t have any jewelry from Draco yet and they’re too expensive for me to buy.”

“You’ll have to get them before anyone else does.”

“Ugh, fine.”

They’re going to attack and raid people from Draco? I knew St. Dismas has many ex-criminals in their ranks and it looks like not all of them have moved on from their old ways. After hearing the two people exit the room, I quickly go back, get dressed in normal clothes, and to the spot where Lian is already waiting for me.

Immediately, as I kneel, I ask, “What did you discover?”

“Maps of Draco trade routes and the wares that are typically carried. What did you find?” Lian says.

“I overheard thieves talking about attacking us, and since you mentioned seeing trade routes, that’s probably what they’re going after and they’re moving now!”

“Let’s get moving then!”

After leaving the cathedral and getting one of our contacts to give us horses, Lian and I catch up with the thieves of St. Dismas and follow them as they head to their location. We follow them until they stop to make camp in a location far away from any settlement. While hiding, Lian and I whisper to one another how we should go about dealing with these traitors.

“Perhaps we should just kill them here,” Lian suggests. “This is an optimal spot to do so.”

“Yeah, but they’re too close to one another and there’s eight of them, so we’ll have to fight, and you know how these men from Serpentis are. If you cut off their arms and legs, they’ll still fight you as if you scratched them.”

“Then we’ll just cut off their heads.”

“That’s harder to do when surrounded. No, I think we should ambush them when they ambush the merchants who are bound to have guards with them who can help us take these people alive for questioning.”

“Ah! That’s a great idea. You’re starting to sound like your father.”

“Hehehe!”

While watching our prey through the night, we hear them talking over dinner.

One of them mentions, “Do you think our friends in Phasianus will actually meet us?”

“Of course they will. They want us to complete this ambush more than we do,” another says.

“But do you know if they know we’re coming? I don’t want to go to the meeting point only to find that we went all the way out there for nothing.”

“They’ll be there. Even if they don’t know we’re coming now, they have spies and scouts in the area that will tell their friends of our arrival.”

“I sure hope so. I don’t want to end up traveling across the world for them.”

“Even so, it’ll be worth it.”

Allies in Phasianus, huh? This situation keeps getting more interesting. Despite Draco maintaining order in the Asiatic region and protecting it during the tyranny of Vicar Sylvatic, a few states including Phasianus have tried rebelling, so they wouldn’t be under the rule of some of our less reputable lords, but their rebellions have done nothing but hurt themselves and us. If they hadn’t been fighting against us, then we might’ve had a bigger hand in the Vicar’s death. Alas, there’s nothing we can do about it now, and exposing this plot may allow us to weed out more traitors.

Lian and I track our prey for the next several days while pulling a few pranks along the way. We steal their food and drink their water, dirty their weapons and armor, and sabotage the saddles on their horses so they fall off as soon as they try to ride away. What we’ve done manages to get the group to fight each other especially since we leave the eaten food and empty water canisters next to their allies to make it look like they’ve done it. Nevertheless, they chalk up what we’ve done as forest animals preying on them, but it’s obvious that they only half believe their explanation and are becoming mistrustful of one another. After days of traveling, they finally meet their allies who I can only assume are from Phasianus since their hooded robes and armor aren’t indicative of that region.

“You all look like you’ve been through a lot. Did you come across any trouble along the way?” one of their allies asks.

“No, not really besides some forest animals. They’ve been eating our food, drinking our water, and dirtying our clothes.”

“Huh. That’s pretty peculiar behavior for mere forest animals. Did you happen to catch them in the act?”

“No, but we did find the small footprints of rats and monkeys around the camp.”

“Hmm. Those footprints could belong to Odollam spies from Draco.”

“What do you mean?”

“They can transform into rats and monkeys depending on the year they were born and the family they were born into.”

“Are you serious?”

A couple of the traitors talk among themselves now worried about our possible presence with some even choosing to immediately leave to not risk getting caught. They are the smart ones while the dumb ones settle down and decide to move forward with their plan with caution. Their plans are to kidnap and rob a prolific merchant and his friends to influence the rest of his allies to spy on the goings-on of Draco and shift the focus of the markets onto the other kingdoms. I’m honestly surprised they came up with a similar plan to what we’re doing now, but at least we’re less amoral about it. Lian and I continue to follow them until they get in a position to wait for their target.

As soon as they attack the merchant, we attack them with a surprise ambush of our own. We cut off the limbs of the Serpentis traitors to take them alive and try to take the Phasianus traitors alive too who have revealed their kingdom of origin without a doubt by transforming their body parts into shields, weapons, armor, and crossbows. It also doesn’t help that the traitors from Phasianus try killing themselves after it becomes obvious that they’re beaten. Despite this, we’re able to bring a few of them alive along with the others from Serpentis. The merchants and their guards thank us for our help and help us by tying up the traitors and transporting them to the nearest settlement to be put in jail.

Once the interrogators have their way with the traitors after threatening them with torturous public execution, the traitors confess their crimes and reveal who their associates are who are also in this scheme of theirs, all of which will be hunted down and face swift justice from Odollam and justice department of Draco. With a job well done, I head back home to Constantinople and tell father what happened and what is being done about the traitors.

He smiles at me and then says, “Good job, Min. I knew I could trust you with this task and you went above and beyond with it.”

I smile and then leap at my father like I used to when I was a kid and give him a big hug.

“Hehe, as if there was any doubt that I’d disappoint you,” I say while not letting go.

The servants around us tell me not to act so childish.

“It’s okay. My daughter will always be my little girl, my troublemaking princess,” my father says as he carries me and lets me hang on to him a bit longer.

I’m glad to make my father proud. He’s my inspiration and what I would call a perfect father. There’s no one else like him in the world and I hope and pray to be the perfect daughter to him and my mother and to be a good sister to my brother even though I get on his nerves a lot. Hehehe!

Burdened by Legacy: Chapter 1 – Ambition Incarnate

Chapter 1 – Ambition Incarnate

Transforming into a dragon, I fly to the uppermost floor of the castle where the king of the orcs awaits. I revert to my human form, land on the balcony where he is, and immediately cut his head off with my jian sword before he can bring his two-handed hammer onto mine. The king’s body lifelessly falls backward while his subjects cower in fear, so much for the boundless bravery of the orcs. I allow the cowards to run away and those who still want to face me rally themselves before charging at me. One by one they fall in a single cut just as their leader did with their heads coming off or being cut in half.

Moving into the hallway, ten or so elite guards see me exit the room and charge me all at once. I transform into my dragon form to quickly clear the room by swiping at them with my tail and crushing and cutting at them with my four arms. Once the room is clear, I revert into my human form and continue cutting my way through the orcs, transforming into a dragon when necessary until I reach the barred front door of the castle that I break open as a dragon before reverting. Outside the castle are a horde of allied orcs and my knights behind them. The orc commander, Helmut, leading them from the front looks at me in amazement and the many dead orcs behind me.

“Is he dead?” Helmut asks.

“Yes. I wouldn’t be here if he weren’t,” I say.

My allies and forces cheer for our victory here today. They spread out throughout the city cleaning up the bodies, caring for the wounded, and sweeping away the destruction caused by the conflict.

“How did he die? Did he have any last words?” Helmut asks me while we walk out of the courtyard of the castle and through the ruined streets of the city.

“He died in a single cut and didn’t say anything,” I say.

“Good. That piece of trash didn’t deserve an honorable duel to the death or a final word.”

“Can you be a bit more respectful toward your king?”

“King Kurt was not respectful towards his people, the Church, and especially towards God, so he doesn’t deserve it. All he’ll get are minuscule prayers for his soul before he’s buried and forgotten about.”

“Since I won our competition, I trust that you’re fine with me having this city and a share of the cities I’ve helped you conquer?”

“Yes, of course. An orc never goes back on his promise. Speaking of our competition, will we still have a yearly competition sparring in this city with the winner of three years claiming control over it? It is the Holy City of Constantinople after all. You’ll still have a home here and your people won’t be forced to move out if Bernhard manages to win.”

“Yes, we’ll have that competition, and Draco will win every year.”

“Haha! We’ll see if that happens, friend. Bernhard will bring their best. Oh, and one more word on competition. Will you be supporting me in my fight to be the next king?”

“I will and you’ll receive the armor you asked for in your sparring matches against the other possible kings.”

“Yes! I’ve always wanted to try the armor that’s made in your kingdom, especially after seeing it transform along with you when your people turn into your bestial forms. Will you be joining the men and me for drinks and our celebration?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Understandable. Well, thank you again, Emperor Jianyu. It’s been an honor fighting with you.”

I bow my head and return my thanks before wandering the streets to find my son, Quon. Looking for him amongst the crowd, I see him helping the wounded who are being carried off to be cared for. My men around us move aside and bow their heads as I make my way toward Quon who notices me after seeing what the other men are doing. It is said that my son is the spitting image of me since we both have long black hair, thin mustaches, our deep voices sound similar, and a stern face though we differ in that I have a fuller mustache than Quon and he wears a long ponytail. We also differ in that I have red and black eyes while he has blue and black and he can transform into an ox.

There isn’t a single scratch on Quon nor is there any kind of mark on his grey armor and skull helmet other than the faint stain of blood. He looks up at me expectingly and the noise around us has ceased.

“I expected to see you when I exited the castle,” I say.

“The men outside of the city and the citizens within it needed help, so I protected them as they were escorted out of the city, and by the time I secured their safety, I heard that we had won, so I thought there was nothing more for me to do than to help out around here,” Quon explains. “Excuse me for saying that. I have no excuse for not acting completely according to plan.”

After considering Quon’s words for a few seconds, I say, “You have nothing to be ashamed of. Keep in mind next time that you’re a frontline soldier and not one of the medics.”

“I will, father.”

“Walk with me. Men, resume your duties.” My men do as they are told while Quon walks with me. “Have you done as I have asked?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. That task you asked me to do has been completed. I still do not know why you had me do it. I’m not as sneaky as Min or her friends.”

“You must learn some subtly if you wish to succeed me and accomplish your personal goals while helping others at the same time. My predecessor, Emperor Guo, had no subtly about him, paid for it with his life, and made us pay for it to this day.”

“I know.”

“And remember it again. Repeating history’s lessons in your mind is how we stop repeating past mistakes.”

“Yes, father.”

A week and a half passes and thanks to the help of the orcs and my people, Constantinople is mostly repaired and cleaned and my people and family move in. The neighborhoods are divided between orcs, their brethren from the fiery kingdom of Canis, other kingdoms, and my own with each area of the city being distinct with each kingdom decorating their neighborhoods in their own way. My family moves into the primary castle in the city and today, during dinner, we plan our next moves. My wife, Daiyu, a jade beauty with long black hair, black and green eyes, a green right arm, and a long black and green dress happily sits beside me on my right while Quon and my daughter, Min, sit beside me on my left and are talking about their recent deployments and their personal competitions.

“How is your progress with the ratmen, beastmen, and refugees, Min?” I ask.

“It’s going well! They have our trust and thanks for everything we’ve done for them,” Min says in her usual cheerful tone.

“What of the St. Dismas guild?”

“They still don’t trust us completely, but they aren’t distrustful of us either. Regarding their skills, they’re decent thieves and assassins, but nothing compared to our Odollam.”

“Quon?”

“The orcs trust me as if I were one of their fellow soldiers, especially since I’m blatantly honest with them. As for the knights from the other kingdoms, they’ll trust me more once we’re deployed together for more fights,” Quon says.

“I’ll see to it then.”

“We are in good standing with the elves of the Holy Land and our closest allies in Phasianus,” Daiyu says. “Our requests going through the proper channels, however, they are slowing down a bit too much for my liking.”

“Good. Intervene only when you suspect it is going skeptically slow and hints of foul play.”

“I’ll give them foul play if that’s the case. We shall know soon enough. Oh, and I haven’t heard anything new from our allies in the United Kingdoms of the Americas nor in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.”

“Those fish people who live on those wreckage ships in the Atlantic and Pacific are so boring. None of them fight nor are there fights or conflicts happening out at sea and the only interesting thing that happens out there is the appearance of the big sea monsters that pop up every now and then,” Min says. “Why do we even bother with them?”

“They can be a source of valuable knowledge since they know of most ships passing from here and Europe to the Far West and we can use their floating cities as safehouses. Do the St. Dismas guild know of them?” I say.

“They know less than we do, but to be fair, there’s not much to know about them. The men I have stationed out there treat it as a vacation rather than the scouting assignment that it is.”

“Remind them to take it seriously or reassign men who will.”

“Yes, father.”

“What of the unease in the other Asiatic states and Phasianus who want more independence? Will we be doing anything about them?” Quon asks.

“They have as much independence as they need, but I will listen to their concerns. Why? Have you heard any news of more riots?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Quon’s face seems to darken as if remembering his experiences when I sent him to quell the riots in Phasianus and Asiatic states. I don’t blame him since killing revolutionary civilians is different than killing bandits and traitors.

“I’ll keep an eye on it while you keep your mind on your next deployment. Politics is my and your mother’s realm while yours is the battlefield anyways.”

“Yes, father. I will.”

“So, what’s my realm then?” Min asks.

“Troublemaking,” Quon says.

“Hehe! It’s the good kind, right, father?”

“Yes, Min. It is.”

Later in the day, my family and I head out to see Helmut in his sparring matches to be the next king of Bernhard. Many of the competitors are too old, too young, or too ambitious for their own good. The lack of good fighters is due to the fact that most of them died in the battle taking Constantinople. This was Quon’s secret mission. He convinced the most experienced and deadliest orcs to attack the most well-defended parts of the city. It wasn’t too hard to convince them to do this since the glory hounds trusted Quon because they fought with him for so long and because they wanted the challenge and glory that would’ve come with overcoming the defenses that could’ve been used to convince the superiors in Bernhard that they were worthy of being king.

Those who died were also the least likely to give us some of the land we helped win and exclusive discounts in trade. Even if they didn’t die on the battlefield, I had other methods of weakening them before the fight to become king or just making them too sick to fight to begin with, but I like to save the less moral options for last. As a result of our plans, Helmut wins the fight and the crown as king of the orcs, none the wiser that we helped him win with more than just the armor we gave him. We are also guaranteed the land that we helped win and now control forty-five percent of Eastern Europe or Unser Sieg, as the orcs call it. We are on the same level of relations with Bernhard as their close brother kingdom of Canis and have exclusive access to the materials in this region that can be used to further enhance our weaponry and armor.

This victory is something that my predecessors could only dream of as Draco has now become the largest kingdom in this region of the world and the most powerful, the thought of which puts a smile on my face. Now, we can better enact our plans for the world. Thank you, God, for this victory, and may we do Your will on Earth as it is in Heaven and let Draco’s reign bring peace and harmony to the world.

My latest book is done and available for free!

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While hunting for traitors, Gunther's unit is wiped out except for a woman named Matilda. The two quickly fall in love with each other as orcs do and find themselves in a situation bigger than themselves as they find a conspiracy that involves many influential people in many kingdoms working against them rather than just mere traitors.

Love Found Amdist Violence: Chapter 4 – A Just Massacre

Chapter 4 – A Just Massacre

Our Schlachten envelops every kingdom in the world with our allied kingdoms allowing us to dispense justice without resistance while those even in our allied kingdoms uselessly try to stop us from getting to our prey. Matilda and I are deployed to the Draco kingdom which is currently giving us the most resistance. So far, we’ve managed to easily carve our way through the kingdom because of the knights and guards we have in it and we’re currently in the kingdom’s capital where Emperor Guo is said to be personally defending our prey. Currently, our catapults have peppered the walls and targeted the buildings of our prey with constant fire while our guards protect them. We’ve also been making use of the cannons that we got from the spoils of the war with Vicar Sylvatic to add to our bombardment.

From our vantage point, Matilda and I see King Keule rallying the soldiers just as the final bombardment breaks down several areas of the walls giving the army an easy way in. Before charging into battle, Matilda and I kiss and then join our fellow soldiers in this glorious battle. We cut our way through the streets careful not to hit any fleeing civilians or our allies from other kingdoms and those from Draco who are aiding us. Matilda and I make sure to watch each other’s back while also not focusing solely on each other so we can help our allies. King Keule and our leading officers lead our charge as we push back the enemy until we reach the gates of the central castle, which have already been breached thanks to our catapults and allied mages. Beyond the walls and rubble, we see Emperor Guo and the rest of his army standing behind him.

“Stand out of our way, emperor, unless you want to die like the rest of the trash,” King Keule says.

“I know that your kind honor duels like my people do. If I slay you in a one-on-one duel, will your men retreat from the city?” Emperor Guo says.

“If you know my kind, then you know that we don’t follow rules or our superiors that well if we think it goes against what we think is right.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say, you savage.” Emperor Guo transforms into a large golden dragon dressed in his royal armor. “You’re so predictable, and yet, that was what I was counting on, so I could kill you and your men without holding back.”

“Heh, and you say we’re the savages.”

Charging at Emperor Guo’s men who transform into beastmen, our forces clash in one big battle of blood, blades, and magic. In this sort of battle, no amount of skill can save a man. The chaos blinds him as he can only concentrate on saving himself first and those around him second. Everyone from the rookies to the veterans is at risk of dying an immediate and unexpected death from a spell fired from a mage out of sight or a knight cutting their head off from behind. It’s times like these that remind men of war and battle that your life is truly in God’s hands in every moment of life and that it can be taken away before you know it, and by God’s graces, we’ve won.

We may have lost many men, but the majority of us are alive and the enemy lays dead at our feet. King Keule stands above the dragon body of Emperor Guo whose head he cut off, raises his axes to the sky, and we yell out in victory and praise God for it. Running over to Matilda, I pick her up in my arms as we embrace and kiss. I then watch as his hands shake spastically before clasping together in prayer. Seeing this makes the cheering die down until it is quiet again.

“It…it is right to pray for our enemies even if they fought for an unjust cause so that they may have a chance at Heaven and we may not become the savages that they think we are,” King Keule says as the rest of us do as he does.

After our prayers, we allow the dead to be properly cared for by both sides. During this process, a legion of elves aided by men from Draco and Phasianus approach the city bearing arms. They race into the city seeing the damage that we did and are horrified by it.

One of their leaders, a high elf, approaches King Keule and says, “This…all this…I hope you’re happy with this atrocity you have committed because you will soon pay for it. You and your men.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” King Keule asks. “Look around you. You know that if you want to fight then you’ll lose. You’re more outnumbered than you think and even if you manage to survive there are orcs spread throughout the world who will hunt you down till the day you die.”

The elf is visibly even more nervous as he swallows and struggles to utter a word.

“Leave this place. Our Schlachten is coming to an end and peace will be restored to the world and I suggest not giving us a reason to turn our wrath onto you and your friends.”

After a few seconds, the high elf turns away and commands his legion to do the same. We don’t even cheer over this victory and instead laugh about it. Once we care for the dead and our forces have confirmed that all of our targets are dead, we all head home to celebrate, however, Matilda and I go our own way to be married by Pope Landsknecht. While we wait outside the Vatican for everything to get set up, we look up at the eternal night star-filled sky of Noctua in silence.

“The events that surrounded our meeting and marriage have been eventful, to say the least,” Matilda says.

“That’s how you know it was meant to be,” I say.

“Gunther, do you think we’ll always be fighting or will there ever be a lasting peace?”

“I don’t think there’ll be true peace until Christ’s second coming. People will continue to wage war and fight because they love God or themselves. We can only create a more peaceful world through our actions and continue to maintain it through the legacy we leave.”

“Then let’s do it. We’ll fight as our ancestors have and raise the next generation to be just as noble if not more.”

Matilda offers her hand to me. I take it, kiss it, and hold it as I say, “We will. Our war is just getting started. May God help us and have mercy on our enemies.”

“Because we sure won’t.”

I laugh with Matilda and continue looking up at the sky with her with the hopes of a better future in my mind and heart.

 

The End

Love Found Amidst Violence: Chapter 3 – Judgement and Execution

Chapter 3 – Judgement and Execution

Since we’ve been traveling for a while, Matilda, Grimgothica, and I have decided to set up camp for dinner to rest for a bit before continuing on. Grimgothica takes out various pieces of seasoned meat from the poaches on her horses that we cook over a fire. Once we take a bite, both Matilda and I look at each other in surprise and continue to dig in eating each piece of shared meal as fast as possible.

“Do you like it that much?” Grimgothica asks.

“Well, it’s just that I’m hungry and it tastes better than the usual rationed meat we get,” I admit.

“I guess my superiors were treating me better than I thought and I never realized it, but I guess I should have since they’ve always done that ever since I was born.”

“You must’ve not had a normal childhood because of being the kind of half-breed that you are,” Matilda says.

“I was. Men and women from all races complimented or disdained me from looking differently than a normal orc. Some thought I was pretty and elegant while others called me an abomination of nature.”

“Speaking of elegance, how do you fight so well in that dress?”

“It’s not as cumbersome as it may seem and it does provide some protection as if it were light armor and the materials that it’s made of that come from Unser Sieg, Polypus, and Canis make it immune to my fire and ice spells. It’s also a gift from my superiors that I trained under, who are masters of combat from Bernhard, Polypus, and Canis.”

“I can’t imagine wearing that even if I will get married.”

“Speaking of that, you two seem to be close. How long have you known each other?”

“I don’t know. We’ve known of each other ever since we were put in the same unit, but never got to know each other until now.”

I nod in agreement and then say, “It’s God’s Providence. I assume He didn’t give us the idea to talk to one another while we were focused on missions. Couples who fight together are usually distracted by each other’s presence and will focus on protecting their lover over saving their friends and completing the mission, and it’s a good thing we weren’t distracted during the missions we were on.”

“Do tell me about them.”

“There was one where we were in the fiery lands of Canis jumping on rocks trying to avoid the lava coming from an active volcano and going after traitors from that region. I envy our brothers in Canis who can walk across the lava and aren’t harmed by it. That was probably the most dangerous mission we were on.”

“We had to wear lighter armor for that mission so we wouldn’t sweat to death, but I thought the one time we cleared an undercity of ratmen was more dangerous because of the many traps and ambushes that there were, and let’s not forget the city, walls, and ceiling falling on us at the end,” Matilda says.

“I recall having to save you several times during that chaotic battle.”

“I think you mistaken me for someone else in that pitch-black environment. If you want to talk about saving someone, I remember having to save you during our mission in Corvus against those undead bandits and skeletal animals.”

We laugh and share more stories of battle along with Grimgothica who shares some of her own.

Looking up at the sickly sky of Unser Sieg, Grimgothica says, “For all the luxuries I’ve been given, I have to say that I wish I had simple pleasures like these. I must admit I feel jealous for not having normal lives like you’ve had.”

“I wouldn’t say my life has been normal,” Matilda says. “I’ve been competing with my eleven other siblings to be as tough and heroic as our father who fought in the war against Vicar Sylvatic.”

“I have a legacy to live up to as well,” I say. “My family is comprised of knights, guards, and blacksmiths, however, there were some who defected and became traitors and mercenaries, not all of which repented from their ways.”

“I see. Still, I wished I saw other people than business acquaintances, military leaders, and family. I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy their company. I just wish I had…friends to spend time with and talk to about things I can’t say to anyone else.”

I look at Matilda who also looks at me and smiles.

“We can be your friends,” Matilda says.

“Yeah. After this, we can grab drinks at a taverna and you can complain all you want about whatever is bothering you. I know one really nice place in Munster that has the best meats and beer from all over the world,” I say.

Grimgothica looks astonished at us before smiling and rubbing her face as if holding back tears.

“Thank you, both of you,” she says teary-eyed.

Once we’re done resting, we head back out but are almost immediately covered in an unusually dark fog.

“Be on your guard,” Grimgothica says while slowing us down.

Before we know it, we see dark elves manifesting themselves from the fog in an attempt to easily kill us, however, we’re quick enough to kill them, but not quick enough to effectively dodge the rain of fire that comes at us, causing us to be knocked down from our horses. Once the dark fog clears, we see that our attackers are dragons, wood elves, and other traitors from Bernhard, Canis, and Draco.

“I figured there’d be more of them,” Grimgothica says as she readies her fire and ice spells.

“Give up what you have and we may let you live, orcs,” one of the dragons says.

“I only have one thing to give you and that’s your death!”

Grimgothica spews fireballs and ice spears from her hands that impale the enemies in front of us, some of which dodge her attack while others perish. Leading their charge are soldiers from Phasianus, the only other Asian kingdom that’s more of a servant kingdom than an independent one. Its soldiers turn their bodies from solid steel shields back into their human form but now morph parts of their arms and faces to have blades, shields, and bows. Matilda and I meet their charge with our own while Grimgothica continues using her ranged spells to pick off our enemies from a distance and throw them off their guard. I crush and cut the arms, heads, and torsos off many of them while Matilda weaves through them like a deadly dancer as she avoids their blows while impaling them through the chest or cutting their heads off with her counterattack.

Even though we’re carving through their numbers, we’re still outnumbered, however, backup suddenly arrives comprised of orcs in heavy armor and those who can use spells similar to Grimgothica. With them, we’re able to fight off our attackers and kill them all.

“Are those friends of yours?” I ask.

“Yeah, I did say that I figured there’d be more of them. These people are too important to not keep secure and the bodies of the people we killed will be used to link them to their conspirators,” Grimgothica says.

“Why didn’t you have these people with you to begin with?” Matilda asks.

“Moving with a group doesn’t exactly lend itself to subtlety. That, and they’re supposed to be a backup since I can handle myself as you’ve seen.”

Our allies take the bodies of our enemies that we just killed and Grimgothica directs them toward the town that we were just at to collect those bodies as well. We go back home and are rewarded richly by our and Grimgothica’s superiors with extra payment, an increase in rank, special armor and weapons, and a place at Grimgothica’s side as her guards, all of which we gratefully accept. During the days we wait for our superiors’ decision on what to do and their investigation of the bodies, Matilda and I take Grimgothica out on the day we promised to give her the taste of a normal life. It’s also during these days that I propose to Matilda and we plan the day of our wedding. For the most part, the planning goes smoothly except for the typical arguing over how many children we should have and what or who they should be named after that happens between orc families. I’m fine with the typical ten children, that’s an average for orcs though some in Matilda’s family argue that it should be around twenty, which is the maximum amount in the average.

The day for our superiors’ decision comes and Grimgothica invites us to be a part of it to witness history and be her personal guards. Many royals and guards from all kingdoms come to the Vatican to see and be a part of the event. Tensions are high as people take sides and murmur among themselves obviously nervous or tense to see what happens. Once the opening prayers and introductions are done, the king of Bernhard, Keule, who is dressed in royal garbs and wearing his gold and black spiky armor immediately steps forward without being called by anyone to speak.

He slams his hands down on the railing in front of him and then says, “We demand justice for the many innocent people and honorable guards and soldiers that defended them who have died in Unser Sieg. You all have the names of the people who have hired and allied themselves with the scum who carried out these attacks and their co-conspirators. Bring these co-conspirators to us for immediate execution for their crimes against God and neighbor.”

All the orcs, including Matilda, Grimgothica, and I yell out in agreement and we don’t quiet down until our superiors tell us to.

“You will get your justice in due time,” the emperor of Draco, Guo, says as he stands up. He is dressed in dragon armor that is colored red and gold and carries two spears on his back. “We only ask that you honor due process so that the people you accused of this crime may defend themselves.”

“We’ve already gone through due process. The evidence is all here, even the bodies of those who attacked my knights. Would you like to see them in the basement?”

“I see you’ve written names and stories paper and piled hundreds of mangled bodies for everyone to see, but do you have more proof? What of your witnesses that connect the conspirators and their allies to the crimes you accuse them of?”

“We have witnesses from my allies and agents and knights of my own who are here today to give further testimony if needed.”

“Yes, orcs are trustworthy people, aren’t they?” a wood elf from the group of elves says as he stands up.

“Excuse me?” Keule says.

A dark elf stands up and says, “Your sort are hardly different from Vicar Sylvatic’s ratmen who reproduced like rabbits and spread your kind over all the kingdoms.”

“Don’t be jealous because orc knights are preferred over those from other kingdoms. No offense to anyone in the room.”

“There’s also the matter of your kind preferring violence over negotiation and peace such as now since you’re making demands rather than stating your case so it can be approved by the Pope, bishops, and other kingdoms,” a high elf says.

“What more else do you want of us? I also think it’s funny that you speak of going by the rules when you have spoken when your king has not. Evander. What do you have to say?”

The king of the elves stands up with his bodyguards beside him. One is a normal-looking woman with black and red hair while the other two are a high elf who seems to be a half-breed and a dark elf beside her. The two elves seem to be a couple since I’ve seen them hold each other’s hands, kiss, and catch a glimpse of rings on their fingers. Evander is dressed in a black and gold robe with gold roses decorating it.

“I say that you’ve done all you need to, King Keule,” Evander says with a smile and a bow. “You should be given what you’re asking for, especially since the blood of many innocent people has been shed. You will see no argument or resistance to your will from me.”

The elves appear astonished by Evander’s decision except for those closest to him. To be honest, I didn’t think Evander would agree with us given his secretive reputation. I guess the oldest living man alive is as wise as he seems. Now it’s the elves who have to be told to calm down as the rest of the kingdoms let their thoughts known. Leo, Equus, and Serpentis are in support of us as was to be expected since they’re in our debt for defeating Vicar Sylvatic and his ratmen in Unser Sieg, which is a toxic region that “normal” humans like them can’t enter without quickly getting sick and dying. As for Canis, Corvus, and Polypus, they agree to support us as well. Canis was a no-brainer given how they’re our closest ally and the neutral kingdoms of Corvus and Polypus who don’t usually bother with anyone agree with us given how our wants don’t involve them since none of the conspirators who are still living come from there.

I’m also surprised to see support from the independent ratmen and beastmen and some of the bishops. Before the Pope can even decide, the commotion that’s been building reaches its boiling point resulting in a break period where the kings, queens, and royals talk to their own to finalize their decisions and their supporters let their thoughts and grievances be known.

“How could you all support these barbarians?” a voice says in the crowds. “They can’t even control their own people. Many of the bandits and traitors out there are orcs for a reason.”

“Look at what they’ve done to us by making us argue like this,” another voice says.

After the break is over and the discussion is resumed, certain people in other kingdoms who agree with us have second thoughts. The majority still support us, but that majority is about half now. What happened during the break that changed their mind? I don’t think that the chaos itself is the reason for it. While the arguing was happening, I think I saw people sneak into each kingdom’s group and whisper something to them. Were they being bribed or threatened by those people? What is going on?

“It looks like we may soon come to a stalemate,” Emperor Guo says.

Keule slams his hands down on the railing in front of him as he stands up and says, “That’s not going to happen. Do you know why? It’s because some of the guilty we seek are in this room. Their names are written down on your papers, and my men know who they are and what they look like. They’re going to die today whether you all agree to it or not.”

“There it is ladies and gentlemen. The savage king shows us that he doesn’t care for laws and is going to kill and act on his own in our kingdoms without our permission.”

“This doesn’t have to end in undue bloodshed. Those who don’t get in our way won’t face our wrath, however, those who do will die since you are defending murderers and manipulators.”

“Enough!” the Pope says as he slams his papal staff down and stands.

His Holiness stands from his chair of honor at the front of the room and all eyes are on him now. He’s dressed in royal papal robes and armor that are colored black, red, and gold, and an orc, though not the first orc to be the Pope with the first couple dying in battle. Despite his race, he’s been impartial in making decisions when it comes to Bernhard and has given the other kingdoms what they want even if they go against our wishes, so we’re all waited with bated breath to hear what he says.

Looking up at the light that’s coming out from the windows, Pope Landsknecht says, “My people and all those caught in the crossfire because of the vendettas held against have gone too long without justice for the crimes committed against them. Politics, fears produced by prejudices, and greed for land have clouded the minds of many and killed many more. Tell me, why should we have these laws when they prevent God’s justice from being carried out? As such, by my rule, Bernhard will be allowed to avenge the innocent and execute the guilty and those who dare to defend them.”

Chaos erupts in the room louder than before as the knights and leaders of Bernhard yell out in victory and unsheathe their weapons ready to kill those in the room we know who are guilty.

“We refuse to recognize this decision!” Emperor Guo says. “It isn’t done in the terms that was agreed between kingdoms and the Church!”

Many people from the other kingdoms agree with Emperor Guo’s choice but our allies decry his decision as turning his back on God and the Church.

“His Holiness has spoken and we will carry out God’s will. As stated before, we will not harm you if you get in our way, but if you do, we will declare a short war on your kingdom until justice has been satisfied,” King Keule says.

Now, more people have taken out their weapons as they prepare to face us or fight on our side with both sides telling the other to stand down.

King Keule continues, “Excuse me for my lack of etiquette with my words. It will not be a short war. It will instead be what we like to call in Bernhard, a Schlachten.”

The men of Bernhard and I chant the words Schlachten or slaughter over and over again until a fight starts to break out with both sides going at each other’s throats with very leaving, or at least trying to. Even Pope Landsknecht is actively participating in the fighting as he uses his serpentine papal staff as a pseudo-two-handed mace to crush bones and skulls alike. By the end of it, the room and the surrounding area outside is a bloody mess with us and our allies standing victorious over the traitors. Some escaped while others are still hiding in our kingdoms. Knowing this, King Keule commands us to spread out and kill them wherever they may be, a command to which we cheer as we head out on our hunt, or rather, to slaughter.