Chapter XVIII

Lucio traveled with the Savages from the West to the kingdom of Arx. They knew better than to pass through Inquisition land, everyone knew better than to go anywhere near Kolob, which meant that they had to take a long trip around in order to get to their destination. The trip was beyond miserable, with near constant rain in western Arx, and fog even when rain didn’t fall. What made it worse was that the Savages, though they worked together well in battle, were some of the most miserable company one could imagine.

There was a woman among them, pale and from the frozen mountains of Shadia, in the distant north, who never gave her real name, but rather would always introduce herself as “Atrocity.” She was initially accepted into the Savages not because of her skill but rather because of her willingness to do anything, no matter how heinous, for money. Other mercenaries might shy away from murdering the children or the disabled, but Atrocity did it with no hesitation and at no extra charge, and she never even seemed to be bothered by it. She claimed that this was because she had no soul, a claim which people found utterly ridiculous until they actually met her. Her voice was as uncaring as one could imagine, and she seemed to be completely devoid of most human feelings, such as joy, sorrow, or fear. The only emotion she ever displayed, and only when it was prudent to do so, was anger. She wore white cloth over her eyes. It was unclear if this meant that she was blind or if the cloth was thin enough for her to see through, but as the eyes are so often called “the window to the soul” it helped with her claim that she was truly soulless.

There was a man among them, tall and lithe with short black hair and always wearing a long, tan, leather coat, who was called “Angelo Bloodletter.” Angelo was from the city-state of Cattivo, and had earned the surname of “Bloodletter” because of his particular method of fighting. This was a man who almost refused to ever kill his enemies quickly in battle. When wielding his rapier or the many knives he kept on his person he would specifically aim for blood vessels and let them bleed out, and he did so because he found a twisted form of humor in it.

Also among them was a priest of Vaali, a god of vengeance in the traditional beliefs of the city-states. The priest's name was Eliseo, and he dressed in the typical vestments of a Vaali priest, which was to say that he wore blood-red armor with knives and daggers sheathed in every place easily in arms' reach. His beard was long and bushy, and he had capped his teeth with sharp metal, making them into artificial fangs. The only part of him that seemed nonthreatening was, ironically, the most threatening part of him. There was a large book on a chain attached to his belt. This book was the sacred text of the followers of Vaali, the Book of Retribution, and in it were a vast array of terrible spells designed to exact revenge upon those who wronged the priests of Vaali or their followers. Obviously such a man had no grasp of something so simple as forgiveness, so all of the other Savages tried their best to never wrong him, even accidentally, even in the slightest way, for fear that he would pay them back later.

Because he knew they wouldn't dare do anything to stop him Eliseo preached to them every night, as they made camp, the tale of Vaali. “Yram, the goddess of suffering, gave birth to two sons, Vaali and Delak. She told them that while it was her purpose to bring suffering to mortals so that they could better understand joy and pleasure it was up to them to find a purpose for that suffering. Delak observed that in the world there were wicked people, those who did wrong against others, and so Delak said, 'Those who do wrong deserve to suffer,' and thus Delak became the god of justice. Vaali also observed that there were wicked people who did wrong, but unlike his brother he saw not the wrong-doers but rather their victims. The victims suffered from the wrongs done against them, and Vaali took pity on them. Vaali said, 'Those who have been wronged need some kind of comfort. In order to relieve their pain I will inflict suffering upon those who have wronged them, any kind of suffering they wish, and the victims will feel better knowing that they have paid back those who would hurt them,' and so Vaali became the god of vengeance. Ever since then Yram has aided both of her sons in their endeavors to bring justice or vengeance to the world, but Vaali and Delak do not trust one another. Both often find themselves in conflict, and fight amongst themselves. It is Vaali, though, who cares most about your suffering, and wants to make those who do you wrong pay.”

There was also among them a very large man, Maximilian, a giant who stood two to three heads taller than the average man. He, like Atrocity, was from the cold northern mountains or Shadia. Maximilian had an obsession with proving his worth in battle, in part because he was of the belief that the only way a man could ever possibly have any form of life after death was in the stories people told of him. He fought not only valiantly and with tremendous strength and skill, but as outlandishly as he could, so that he would be sure to set up a legacy for himself. Sometimes he'd even sing childish songs during battle to stay in his enemies' memories. His obsession with his glory and his pride was, on a good day, only terribly obnoxious.

And this is just a small sample of the sorts of men and women who made up the Savages, a mercenary band with a great but terrible reputation. As you can imagine, such unpleasant personalities made the trip to Arx less than enjoyable for Lucio, and a part of him almost wished he had let one of his wives come along, though by the time he'd reached his destination he'd forgotten which of his wives it was who had even asked to come along. The fact that he was having trouble telling them apart in his memories was worrisome, it was a quick way to get caught and then lose one or more of them. He'd hate to lose even one because in his own way Lucio believed that he loved all of his wives, and he often flattered himself with the idea that perhaps his heart was just too big for just one woman to fill. To be fair, Lucio's capacity for love was far greater than that of nearly all of his comrades, so it is easy to see where such a delusion may have come from.

They had arrived at the castle of the Grand Duke of Arx, the very head of the Arxian military, a castle not two days' walk from Aius itself. The castle had no moat, but rather relied on a series of walls for its defense. As the Savages were brought in they saw the complex system of gates, traps, trapdoors, and tunnels that a besieging army would have to get through were they to attempt to storm the castle. The military presence there was, of course, enormous, and all of the soldiers were very well-equipped and obviously very well-trained.

The Grand Duke came out of the keep to greet the Savages in the courtyard, a little surprised that they had no specific uniform and were all, just dressed however they each individually felt best fit their personalities. For the most part their outfits seemed far more intimidating than practical. Some had antlers attached to their helmets, which could easily get caught in the branches of a tree during a cavalry charge. Some wore long cloaks that could easily get tangled between their legs and cause them to trip. Some wore no real armor at all, and some of them were almost completely naked and painted from head to foot in eerie-looking symbols.

“Good day,” the Grand Duke said, looking them all over. “Which one of you is Lucio?”

“That's me, G.D.” Lucio said with a wave.

“G.D.?”

“Grand Duke,” Lucio explained. The Grand Duke rolled his eyes. “And we are the Savages, sir, here to enter your employ for your war against the demon-conjurers.”

“I know who you are,” The Grand Duke said. “And please, do not talk to me in such a...familiar...crude fashion. I will not abide by being called 'G.D.' You will call me either 'sir' or 'Excellency.'”

“Touchy!” Lucio said with a laugh. “Alright, your most awesome Excellency, shall we discuss what you had in mind?”

“Not here,” the Grand Duke turned to the rest of the Savages. “The rest of you have space set aside in the barracks. You will mostly be reserves for now. I will discuss what I have planned with your leader, Lucio.”

As the Savages settled into their temporary living quarters Lucio followed the Grand Duke to his office and sat down across from the desk from him. “You're pretty generous, not to mention trusting, to let my people stay here,” Lucio said.

“What, you don't trust your comrades?” the Grand Duke asked.

“Of course I trust them! Every one of them! I just hate them, and who couldn't?” Lucio said. His hearty laugh after nearly everything he said was starting to grate on the Grand Duke’s nerves. “But you see, I've earned the right to trust them. I've fought alongside them, killed alongside them, and bled alongside them. Blood is thicker than water. I know you think that saying doesn't apply here, but let me explain what it means; you see, it means that the bond between those who shed blood together is thicker than the water of a mother's womb. The Savages and I? We're closer than brothers.”

“You said you hate them.”

“A lot of brothers hate each other. My point is that I can trust them because I'm their leader and their comrade, how can you trust them? Letting them stay in your castle is pretty risky.”

“I have more than enough forces present to deal with them should they choose to turn on me, but I must say, you're not making a very good first impression, Mr. Lucio.”

Again, Lucio laughed. “I think I am. In that I pointed out how dangerous my folk were I established a few things. First; that you can trust me, a man who means you harm won't make any suggestion that it might be so. He wants your mind to be as far from that possibility as can be. Second; that I am pragmatic. I pointed out an obvious threat that may have been less than obvious to you, your amazing Excellency. Third of all I established just how strong the bond between all of my people was. There was a philosopher long ago, I think his name was...Anonimus, who said that warriors would fight best when forced to fight next to their brothers, sisters, children, wives, husbands, and so on. We have a bond stronger even than brothers, forged in our own blood mixed with the blood of our enemies. Tell me, what brothers, no matter how cross with each other, would not rise to one another's defense and fight with the fury of a pride of lions? That is what we are, your incredible Excellency, sir.”

“Well-played, sirrah,” said the Grand Duke.

“So, I must ask, what do you have in mind for us beyond the obvious 'kill demon-worshippers' business?”

“I want you as part of my reserve force,” the Grand Duke said. “Open hostilities with Nihilus are only a matter of time, you see. If it were up to me I'd launch a preemptive strike on their lands, kill that monster of a king of theirs, and stop them before they have a chance to invade, but the King...has other ideas.”

“he wants to wait until they invade and then defend the home-front?”

“Indeed.”

“Sounds like a real idiot.”

“Mind your tongue, sirrah! he is the King!”

“Deepest, most sincerest apologies, your most amazing, awesome, wonderful Excellency.”

“Anyway, when Nihilus' invading force comes I will need to organize the bulk of our military forces in a counter-attack. Essentially, I won't be able to do anything until they are already in our lands, if they manage to get past the March of Muri. I want your forces to aid me when that time comes. They will more than likely head straight for the capital as soon as they can, and when they lay siege to it I want you and the Savages to be part of the force I bring in to flank them.”

“Why not send us to this...March of Muri, you called it?” asked Lucio

“Because neither the Marquise of Muri nor the young King would appreciate that I was hiring mercenaries of your brutal reputation. You must remain a secret until it's obvious that you are totally necessary, otherwise I may be declared a war criminal.”

Lucio laughed again. “Wow! You're really putting a lot on the line for people who are...shall we say less than grateful?”

“I'd do anything to defend my homeland. If I thought demons would help me defend Arx I'd summon them in a heartbeat.”

“Oh my word! What blasphemy!” Lucio exclaimed in an effeminate voice.

“Are you quite done? I'm not hiring you as a court jester!”

“No, you're hiring me for a war crime.”

“I'm hiring you,” the Grand Duke said, “Because like me you know what it takes to win wars. Sadly, our young king has no experience with real war and is far too soft to win one without my help.”

“From what I know of Arxian politics...aren't you one of the folk that selected him to be the King?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you select such a weak one?”

“Better than any of the alternatives.”

“Riiiiiight...But if you're title includes the word 'duke,' doesn't that mean you're a relative of the King? That you could have become King, perhaps?”

“In order to be head of the military and a member of the Council I needed to give up all claims to the throne,” the Grand Duke said. “I'm not sorry for that. I'm more suited to military leadership than being King. Being a king means making people like you, I'm terrible at that.”

“Maybe if you lightened up...”

“Shut it!”

“Alright.”

“Can you do as I asked? Keep your presence here quiet until the time comes to defend Arx?” The Grand Duke asked.

“It'll be boring as the Void for my comrades and I, but with the pay you were offering? Yes, I believe we can.”

“Good.”