Zain’s recent actions have made it
clear to the tribes that make up the Kingdom of Lampada that he should be
stopped, so they send a small force against him. They arrive at where the ruins
of his tribe are to discover that it’s been built back up. What was once ash
and wreckage is now a small town with walls and houses made of stone. The flag of
his tribe waves proudly in the air above the walls. The soldiers enter the strangely
empty town while wondering where everyone is.
“Be careful, men. We may be walking
into a trap,” one of the captains of the groups says.
The soldiers don’t find anyone until
Zain shows himself on top of his house which lies in the center of the town.
Archers aim their bows at him while the knights ready their swords and shields.
“Surrender now, Zain, and we may
allow you a final confession before your death,” one of the captains say.
“How about we just talk instead? Everything
that I’ve built over the weeks is a result of me destroying our shared enemies
of God and His Church. Perhaps that earns me the right to be heard out.”
“You lost your chance when you
wiped out an allied tribe and tried to kidnap your ex-fiancée. We don’t want to
hear your excuses for why you did it. You will face justice for your crimes against
God and country!”
“If it’s going to be that way, then
let God’s will be done.”
At Zain’s signal, the undead ambush the forces outside of his town and drag them into the dirt. More undead appear
out of the ground and transform the living into the undead who turn against
their allies. The ones that try to run or go around the undead are ensnared in
traps that bind them and make them easy prey for Zain’s undead. With all the enemy
forces wiped out, Zain sighs in disappointment. The sky then brightens as the
angel that he’s been taking advice from comes down.
“Congratulations on another
glorious victory for God and true goodness,” the angel says.
“Still, I hoped they would’ve given
me a chance to convince them that they’re on the wrong side,” Zain says as he
leaves his house.
“Their pleasure in sin weakens
their intellect. It’s a tragedy that so many fall for their lies.”
“What do you think I should do
next?”
“They will send an army to attack
you since you’ve defeated this small force. It’s time for you to strike back at
them. If they won’t listen to you, then give them a reason to.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Destroying a tribe made them hate to
you, so taking another will make them fear you. I suggest going after the warrior
tribe. Once you strike them down and offer them the protection of your immortal
army, your forces will be stronger than theirs and you will strike a holy fear
into them that will force them to listen to you.”
“Is there really no other way? What
if I destroy more tribes and groups hostile to the kingdom?”
“There’s no use in appeasing these
people. You’ve already tried to do this, and you’ve seen how they repay you. No
matter what you do for them, they will always see you as their enemy unless you
reprimand them like the sinners they are. The citizens of the kingdom think
themselves holy just because the Church approves of them, when in reality, their
confessions are invalid, their ways are evil, and their morals perverse. You
are God’s instrument of correction. Do what you want to fulfill your role.”
“If that’s the way it is, then let
it be. I’ll do what has to be done.”
Before Zain goes out, he goes to
his parents. He’s dressed them up in their normal battle attire and colored
their skin, so they look similar to the way they looked when they were alive.
He’s done this to a couple other of his friends and close relatives, but the
coloring he uses has to be reapplied weekly since their undead skin can’t
support it.
“Mom, dad? We’re going to bring war
to the kingdom again. The angel told me it’s what we should do. I really hope it’s
the right thing. As much as I want to make the kingdom pay for its crimes, I
don’t want to hurt any of the good people there. Even the corrupt ones could be
saved if they repent, so hopefully, this works.”
Zain looks at his parents with a
confident look in his face until it starts to fade away.
“I pray every day and I hope I can
hear your wisdom in the silence. I don’t really have anyone telling me that I’m
doing the right thing besides the angel, but I guess that’s all that matters.
Still, I hope you’re proud of me and praying for me.”
Zain’s parents silently hug him,
and he hugs them back. He then heads out with his army close behind him. By the
time he makes it to the warrior tribe, the sun is beginning to set, the
businesses are starting to close, and people are going home. Since the streets
are emptying, Zain uses this opportunity to set up a sneak attack. He uses his
burrowing undead to set up traps in the city and makes them wait in key locations.
Once everything is set up, it’s nighttime. Zain begins his attack on the town starting
by blowing a horn that wakes up its inhabitants.
The guards are the first ones to
wake up and fall into the traps Zain’s undead set up along with those who go for
the armory. In minutes, Zain surrounds and overtakes the town. Those who still
have weapons are hesitant to use them because of the number of undead. They may
be warriors, but they know when they’re defeated.
“Noble warriors of the kingdom
Lampada, you may remember me as Zain from the tribe that was once its law enforcement.
I’m here to enforce the Divine Law and will appreciate your cooperation while I
draw out the corruption from this kingdom.”
“Who gave you that right?” one
person in the crowd asks.
“An angel from Heaven did. The
angel gave me back my tribe and allowed me to obtain justice for them.”
“You’ve slaughter hundreds of innocent
people!” another accuses.
“I’ve brought justice to the
evildoers who wronged me and others!”
Archers come out of the rooftops
and shoot Zain. Their arrows are blocked by armored undead with shields while Zain’s
archers shoot back at them and turn them to his side.
Zain continues, “If anyone else resists
with violence, then they will become undead like my army.”
The crowd remains silently against
Zain as they wonder what they should do.
“Send one of your messengers to
bring help to you and negotiators. I only want to remove my criminal status
and the corruption in the kingdom to an end.”
“You’re nothing but a devil!” a young
boy says as he charges at Zain with a sword.
The boy is Zain’s age and reminds
Zain of himself. An undead knight crushes the boy who becomes undead. Now, the
sorry boy can hardly stand as his broken undead body struggles to support him. People
start getting agitated over the death of the young boy and begin to raise their
weapons.
“You monster!” they say.
“How could you do that to a child?!”
“You’re no victim!”
“You should be ashamed of yourself!”
“You’re a disgrace to your tribe!”
Because of the young boy’s death, most
of the people in the town attack Zain’s army. The battle is short since the
undead can hardly be harmed by their weapons even though they’re the best in
the kingdom. When the dust settles, the remaining people surrender their
weapons in defeat. They then comply with Zain’s request and send out a messenger.
An army of soldiers along with a negotiator comes in the morning. Zain meets
them with his army behind him. He bows to them in respect while they stare at
him in disgust.
“Sirs, I hope you see now that I’m
serious about talking this out. I’m sure you will put your biases of me aside for the time being since I easily overtook the warrior tribe of the kingdom,” Zain
says.
“Fortunately for you, yes. What do
you want?” a negotiator asks.
“My criminal status revoked and a
chance to cleanse Lampada of corruption.”
“How do you plan to remove
corruption with an army of the undead?”
“They were given to me by an angel
of God. These will be our protectors and law enforcers just as my tribe was.”
“We’ll need more than their brute
force to root out corruption.”
“This army is a sign by God that
justice is falling upon us because of our actions. Surely, when people see them,
they will repent, or some will at least try to help force out the corrupt.”
The negotiators talk to themselves
for a few minutes before one says, “Alright. We see the advantages of having this
army at our disposal. You still have to prove your loyalty to the Kingdom of
Lampada by removing the external threats to us, if you want to be absolved as
your status as a criminal. While that is happening, we will look into the
corruption in the kingdom.”
Zain bows with a smile and says, “Thank
you, thank you so much! My army and I will be at your service.”
“We will send messengers with requests
to your tribe daily, so be ready to fight tomorrow.”
“We will! Thank you again for
hearing me out and understanding me. You will not regret this.”
Zain commands his army to leave the
warrior tribe’s town as they go back home. Meanwhile, the negotiators continue
to whisper to themselves.
