Chapter 21 Vagabond War Plains

Day 49 continues……..

“What just happened? Did it drain some of my soul essence after all?” King Shuzzon experienced a snag in his plan for supremacy. He didn’t get a chance to wield the holy sword’s power due to a sudden temperature increase which was too unbearable for him to keep grasp of its sharpness. He then questioned the elder twins to find out if they had any ideas.

“My lord, I don’t think the celestial blade’s target was your soul.”

“Explain yourself, Saflou.”

“Yes, my lord. Based on what General Windum had told us, once an unworthy warrior has grasped the celestial blade's edges they won’t be able to withdraw their grasp until all of their essences has been sucked dry. I think instead of draining your essence the sword was sourcing its fuel from the undying man’s corpse.”

“Yes, that would explain the strange steam, my lord. After observing the undying corpse I think my brother’s theory is quite plausible. The corpse has been drained of a lot of blood, moreover, the scent of the steam it gave off mixed with the pinkish colour is quite comparable. This has to be what caused the sudden overheating. The blood is the essence of our corporeal realm after all.”

“Oh, then for me to properly wield this celestial blade’s strength the undying corpse must not overheat and to prevent that from happening it must be supplied with fresh stock of blood essence?”

“I think that might be the logical point, my lord.”

“Alright then. Let’s test it out shall we?” King Shuzzon called his servants who were standing by outside the room and told them to bring him a barrel of fresh blood from the prisoners who were being held inside his dungeon.

“Right away, my king.” The servants dashed out of the room apace which proved that they had assented to their master’s order.

I was startled when I heard King Shuzzon’s proposal for solving the issue of my corpse's overheating. He wanted to sustain my blood essence by connecting my main arteries to a barrel that he plans on filling with the blood of the prisoners who were being held in his dungeon. At first, I thought that this was a ridiculous idea that would never succeed but my opinion was proven wrong an hour later.

The servants came back into the repulsive art gallery with a huge barrel replete with blood! The number of humans it took to fill that thing up was alarming. All of the prisoners in King Shuzzon's dungeon must have contributed their lives in filling up that big barrel. The servants placed the barrel on a counter which was set up beside my corpse then leave the room straight away.

“Shall we begin?”

“Yes, my lord.” The twin surgeons answered King Shuzzon’s enquiry in unison.

I witnessed the three of them commence their diabolical operation on my undying body. They made lots of small incisions across my corpse then inserted thin tubes into the formed apertures. The blood leading from the barrel travelled through the multiple tubes that were attached to my vascular system and continually fuelled me with essence. I could feel endless strength brimming within me.

At that moment, my body possessed the strength of 19-men! This was an exhilarating feeling, albeit, at that time, I couldn’t control the movement of my body without my head being attached. After the diabolical trio finished hooking up my corpse to the barrel's blood essence, I saw King Shuzzon grabbed up the holy blade again using my attached left arm. This time my body didn’t start overheating until 3 hours later when the barrel’s blood essence was entirely drained.

During that time, I witnessed King Shuzzon made a slight swing with the holy sword. [Boom!] The power of the blade was so devastating, he unintentionally cut apart the walls of his precious art gallery which almost destroyed his treasured head collection.

“Wo-ho-ho-ho! Finally, I’ve figured out a workaround for this celestial sword. With just a tiny swing it caused this much damage to my gallery? I wonder what would happen if I let loose on the battlefield?”

“There is no doubt in our minds that you would emerge victorious, my lord.”

“Yes, Saflou. I would definitely triumph. Go inform General Windum. Tell him to prepare his troops for battle. We will set out towards the Vagabond War Plain in 2 days. I can’t wait any longer to test out the full capacity of this celestial weapon.” King Shuzzon placed the holy sword down on the counter then left the gallery hastily to prepare himself for war.

Usually, a king wouldn’t be present on the battlefield's frontlines. They would often let their minions do the dirty work for them. Louch B. Shuzzon was of this calibre of king. However, due to the holy store’s irresistible influence, he wanted to taste the flavour of flesh being cut to pieces

Day 51 ……

Now we’ve caught back up to where I had started telling the story of my bizarre life’s journey. My severed head was still uncomfortably sitting on the wooden spike being held tightly between the smooth fingers of the iniquitous king of Brilmah. He was present atop a hill which overlooked the Vagabond War Plain. General Windum and his army of 5,000 cavalries were stationary behind him.

King Shuzzon was donned in resplendent armour that coincided with his bulky noble steed’s vestment. The spike which my head was stationary on was in his right hand. In his left hand which originally belonged to me, held the sheathed holy sword.

King Shuzzon had instructed his personal blacksmiths to build a suitable sheath for the holy sword before he had left for the Vagabond War Plain. The blacksmiths had to work tirelessly overnight to get it done as soon as they could. The sheath was made from white gold and a variation of crimson amethyst. It had a semi-reflective surface that could broaden a person’s horizon of sight.

Today marked the fated day when I suspected that hell would break loose upon the lands of man. The heavy downpour bursting out of the tyrannical clouds above transformed the once sturdy ground into a muddy terrain, making it harder for the infantries and carveries to move about on the battlefield. From my high vantage point, I perceived innumerable warriors spread across the vast Vagabond War Plain. They were risking their lives for their opposing beliefs, in the brutal war of slaughter.

The Vagabonds army outnumbered the Brilmah’s militia by 40,000 to 25,000 men respectively. Thus the Vagabonds were dominating the war on their home turf. This war started 4 months ago by King Shuzzon’s decree for expanding his kingdom’s territory. The Vagabond War Plain consisted mostly of the southern lands of Bethlia. The kingdom of Brilmah was a neighbouring country with lesser land space. They already conquered most of the smaller settlements which lied between their borders. Now they were aiming to dominate the greater section of the Vagabond War Plain to expand their influence across the vast lands of Bethlia.

[Gallop! Gallop!] As my eye continued painting the gruesome imagery of countless warriors getting slaughtered, moreover, listening to their horrendous cries, I spotted General Windum riding his horse closer to King Shuzzon’s side then spoke wary words.

“My lord, our first and second infantry unit of 10,000 men are already on the brink of collapsing due to the Vagabonds unstoppable momentum. Even under the conditions of this bad climate, their advance isn’t slowing down one bit. Our right flank has already suffered major losses of 4,000 men. The Vagabonds main cavalry unit of 12,000 men have already broken through Commander Debbu’s Bone Formation. It is only a matter of time now before our enemies claim his head. When that happens a vital part of our army will be in disarray. It isn’t safe for you to be this close to the frontlines, my lord. I am well aware that you now possess the celestial sword but I’m not certain that it could change much in this course of events. Please retreat to Brilmah’s main city, my lord. My army will personally escort you back.”

“Wo-ho-ho. General Windum.” King Shuzzon gave his underling a sinister grin and said: “You want me to fall back to the city when they’re so many subjects down there to test my newfound powers on? General Windum if you don’t want me to cut off your head and add it to my collection I suggest you don’t mention such drivel in front of me ever again.”

“S-sorry my lord! I was out of line.” General Windum hurriedly gave his apologies to his king then took a cursory glance my way. By his frightened gaze, I could tell that he didn’t want his head to join mine on the wooden spike. He never said another word but retreated to the forefront of his army.

“Wo-ho-ho. Look at all these Vagabonds acting all cocky within my noble presence. I shall make them taste the might of a celestial adversary. Though these lands are already stained with bloody guts and shit, I will drench it with even more feculence. Before I had departed for this battlefield I made sure to prepare 3 barrels of blood essence for the undying corpse. With that many sustenance, my imminent rampage should last for 9 hours. Supreme Commander Kratus! Come hither at once!” King Shuzzon called over the person who was in charge of the 25,000 men who were waging war against the vagabonds.

[Gallop! Gallop!] A very large steed which was almost as bulky as an elephant was riding closer towards King Shuzzon proximity. Sitting astride that mammoth-like mount was a muscular man who could contend with his horse bulkiness. His chest was almost a metre wide. He carried a huge battle axe over his right shoulder, his robust face was carved with battle scars and the resplendent armour that he was wearing covered most of his vital body parts saved for his joints.

[Thud! Thud!] “You called for me, my lord?”

“Yes, Supreme Commander Kratus. I have a favour to ask of you.”

“Please enlightened me, my king.”

“As you wish. I want you to sound the gangs of retreat. Tell all of your men to fall back from the Vagabond War Plains and wait along the hillside.”

“What’s with these ludicrous orders, my king? Is it because our forces are being pushed back? Don’t worry my king. As soon as this rain eases up my men will surely overpower those disgusting Vagabonds. I know the numbers aren’t in our favour but our best strategist has already come up with a brilliant tactic to even our numbers with that of our enemies.”

“That doesn’t matter, Supreme Commander Kratus. Tell all the armies to withdraw towards the hillside. I will personally handle those Vagabonds.”

“You can’t be serious my lord! Are you perhaps seeking death?” Supreme Commander Kratus was bemused after listening to King Shuzzon’s braggadocious demands even I was a bit startled when I heard it.

King Shuzzon didn’t want to cut down his allies when he unleashed the sharpness of the holy sword, hence the reason why he was so adamant about his army’s retreat. He only wielded the holy blade’s power for a brief interval back at his meat gallery and now he thinks that he could take on an entire army of 30,000 men all by his lonesome? His unbridled hubris would be the inducement of his future downfall.

“Please reconsider, my lord.” Supreme Commander Kratus wanted to argue with King Shuzzon’s decree but he eventually zipped his mouth and complied with his sovereign’s orders.

[Bang! Bang! Bang!] The gangs for the Brilmah’s army retreat began sounding all around the battlefield. For a time I could tell that the Brilmah’s warriors were confused but they later complied with their superior’s orders and began their withdrawal from the battlefield.

The Vagabonds were startled to see the Brilmah’s dogs fleeing the battlefield with their tail between their legs. They began celebrating their victory while mocking their fleeing adversaries. However, their war cries were short-lived after recognizing a lone horseman coming to the centre of the battlefield from where the scared army had just retreated.