Chapter XXXIII

There is no good way to deliver news to a king that his kingdom is being invaded. There's no way to soften the blow, no way to make it sound like it's not so terrible, that he need not despair. This is especially true when the news also includes reports on the deaths of his subjects. It would have taken a truly brave man to tell him these words out loud. The messenger was not so brave, and so simply wrote everything down in a letter and handed it to the Hadar before running off as quickly as he could, hoping he'd not even have to hear the King's reaction.

“Your Royal Majesty,

“This humble servant brings you most ill news, you may wish to be sitting down when you read this report, for the contents of this letter will shock and horrify you undoubtedly. The army of Nihilus, which has long sought the utter destruction of our land, has crossed our borders, and now is attacking the March of Muri. The army is said to number anywhere between 200,000 and 1,000,000 strong, and has already destroyed various rural villages. The casualty reports place the number of commoners slain by the Nihilites at somewhere around 500. Fortunately, they have made no formal attack upon the castle of the Marquise, so the refugees who fled there are safe for the time being. Marquise Zoe has ridden out to meet this threat on the battlefield, and hopefully will have some luck in weakening their forces.

“You have this humble messenger's sincerest condolences.”

Even though the messenger was far down the hall, away from the King, he still heard Hadar cry out in sorrow at the loss of so many of his people. Reading that the Marquise's castle hadn't been threatened was no comfort to him. However many civilians were safe didn't seem to matter considering that five-hundred at least were dead. Kamal, Omar, and Grigori all heard the King's cries, and all rushed to his side to see what was wrong.

Upon reading the letter Kamal said. “Well, then, we can't allow these atrocities to continue, can we? You must meet with the Grand Duke, organize with him a strategy to fight them off.”

“Is there truly any hope?” Hadar asked. “If their army truly numbers at one-million soldiers there's nothing we can do to stop them any more! We'll all die!”

“It's an exaggeration,” Grigori said. “I'm sure of it. The Nihilites may be spreading the rumor that their forces number that many to make us lose hope. Don't grant them that victory, my...my King.” In private Grigori had taken to calling Hadar “my love.” Obviously in front of an audience he could not do so.

“That's right,” Omar said. “The very fact that they're targeting non-combatants rather than enemy soldiers tells you the sort of war they're trying to fight. It's a psychological war as much as a physical one.”

“In any event, sire,” Kamal said. “This kingdom needs you strong, it needs you to be ready to lead the defense. Meet with the Grand Duke as soon as you can.”

“You're right, Kamal...” Hadar sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes. “You're right. When I accepted this crown I swore I'd lead our military into battle, match their courage if need be. It's my duty to do what I can to protect the land, whether it's hopeless or not. I want all of you to come with me.”

The letter informing the Grand Duke that Hadar would be coming to speak with him barely arrived before Hadar did. He barely even had time to order the Savages to hide so that Hadar wouldn't discover that he'd hired such heartless mercenaries.

“My good friend Grand Duke Eyal,

“The worst has happened and Nihilus has invaded our lands. I must meet with you soon to discuss our defensive strategies. I will be coming to your castle to talk about our tactics soon.

“Sincerely,

“King Hadar”

Less than an hour after he'd read the letter the Grand Duke was told that King Hadar was at his gates, and he gave the order for the King to be allowed in. The Grand Duke came out to greet him. “So, cousin, Nihilus has finally decided to stop their sabotage and subterfuge, have they?”

“Unlikely,” Hadar said. “But they have elected to no longer purely rely on such methods.”

“True. How many of our people have died by now?”

“The only casualty report I received spoke of the commoners they've massacred, and estimates say around five-hundred.”

“Many deaths that could have been avoided had we launched a preemptive strike.”

“You seriously want to gloat about this?” Hadar said in disgust. “You want to point out that you were right and I was wrong at a time like this?”

“Not for the reason you think,” the Grand Duke said. “I merely point out that I was right in hopes that you will listen to me a little better this time around, and maybe take my opinion more seriously. I can only save lives if you will let me, Sire.”

“Forgive me,” Hadar said. “The harsh news has just been...rather weighty.”

“It is.”

“We must discuss plans for defending Arx immediately.”

“I agree, but not here, and not in front of him.” The Grand Duke pointed at Grigori.

“What's wrong with bringing Grigori along?”

“He's an inquisitor.”

“Former inquisitor,” Hadar said. “He's left their order.”

“A convenient conversion. Or perhaps a trick to get you to trust him.”

“One of the Inquisition's own killers came after him.”

“Then a very clever ruse. I discuss nothing in front of him.”

“How dare you...”

“It's okay, Hadar,” Grigori interrupted. “I wouldn't be much help in planning out the defense of the kingdom anyway. I know very little of war and tactics.”

Hadar sighed. “Fine, have it your way. We'll discuss tactics without Grigori.”

“You're seeing reason,” the Grand Duke said. “Good. Follow me.”

The Grand Duke met with Hadar, Kamal, and Omar in his study and rolled out a map of Arx across the desk. “The March of Muri may already be lost.”

“How can you say that? We must send aid!” Hadar protested.

“At this point there's nothing left of Muri to aid,” the Grand Duke said. “Certainly not by the time we could put together enough soldiers to make a difference. They'll be coming for the capital once they're done there, I'm sure of it, so we have to focus on stopping them from reaching this place. Between the March of Muri and Aius province there's the County of Xane, ruled by Countess Ezra. Because of the crisis that occurred within her castle, the crisis you so graciously rescued her from, her military has been very weak. Without our aid the Nihilites will rush through Xane unopposed. She simply doesn't have the soldiers left to stop such an army.”

“So we have to send troops immediately,” Hadar said.

“Aye, but we have to be careful about where we place them, and about how many we send.” The Grand Duke pointed out three bridges on the map, bridges built over a river that ran from the north right along Xane's border. “They'll need to cross these bridges in order to get through Xane and eventually to the capital. That being said, we can start fortifying the bridges, gather our soldiers there...”

“And keep them from crossing! Brilliant!” Hadar interrupted.

“Not so fast,” the Grand Duke said. “They're bound to get through eventually, or otherwise find a way across. Holding the bridges is not about stopping the war then and there, it's about wearing them down, causing as many enemy casualties as we can. We cannot fight them in open fields, they're numbers are too great, and that's the kind of terrain they're familiar with, but Arx's landscape makes it like a fortress, in places, and that we can use to our advantage. The next gathering of troops will be in Dead-River Pass, in the mountain range between Xane and the capital province. It's not as narrow as some of the passes they must have taken in order to get into Arx in the first place, but we can still wear them down. We'll gather a large army there and fight to hold the pass as long as we can. In the mean time any remnants from our battles at the bridges will come up from the other side and attack the Nihilite army from behind. It's possible that at Dead-River Pass we may finally end the war, but if not we have to be ready for what comes next.”

“Defending the capital?”

“Indeed,” the Grand Duke said. “I will send my own troops to small encampments and outposts not far from Aius to help defend it from the outside, should the Nihilite army get that far.”

“Understood. Where do you need me to be?” Hadar asked.

“Your help would be most appreciated at Dead-River Pass. With your presence there, we might very well make that the final battle of the war. If you cannot hold the pass, though, you must flee immediately to the capital. Gather your forces there.”

“I understand. What should we do about all of the commoners in Xane? In Muri the Nihilites showed that they targeted common-folk.”

“We'll have messenger riding to every village and town in Xane ordering them to evacuate. They will be advised to head either north or south. Some may wish to flee to the capital, being that it is the most defensible city in Arx, but we must discourage them from this. The capital city is the Nihilites' target. If people flee there they'll just get caught up in the fighting.”

“Hopefully the war won't get that far,” Hadar said. “And if they flee north or south don't you think it's possible the Nihilite army might chase them?”

“They won't want a lengthy campaign,” the Grand Duke said. “They started this invasion in summer, which gives them less than six months to win the war, otherwise winter will settle in, and the cold will make it much harder for their soldiers to keep fighting. Trying to wage a war in winter is suicide.”

“Point taken.”

“Is that all, then? Do you have any more questions?”

“What about the Arch-Bishop's golem army? Might they be useful?”

“We don't want them defending the bridge. Just having all of them walking on those bridges...with how heavy those stone bodies are...that would be a disaster. But we can make use of them at Dead-River Pass and at the capital.”

“I was just thinking...why not destroy the bridges and keep the Nihilites from crossing. Rather than fighting them at every turn, trying to wipe them out, why not just make it impossible for them to cross at all?”

“We'll never make it impossible,” the Grand Duke said. “If they find they cannot cross in the County of Xane they'll go through one of the other counties, or they'll build bridges of their own. If we force them to use our bridges, though, we can lure them into a trap.”

“Then we destroy all of the bridges in Xane except one, that way you can still fight them over it.”

“And if they see the bridges destroyed, assume that all are gone, and find another way to cross?”

“We'll have cavaliers watching the river, patrolling up and down it banks, just waiting for them to cross.”

“Very well, sire.”

Marquise Zoe and her cavaliers were waiting for the Nihilite army near the village of Pike's Eye. Meriel knew this, and in her desire to kill the Marquise herself had chosen to ride with the Nihilite cavalry. She fantasized, silently, about knocking the Marquise off her horse, cutting her head off, and holding it up for all to see. Her twisted mind relished the idea of the terror she'd cause once she'd killed the Marquise, the way enemy morale would crumble once they saw their beloved leader slain.

A Nihilite horse-back banner-bearer was sent over the hill first, and as she peered down the hill she could see the Arxian cavalry below, just outside Pike's Eye, waiting for them. She waved her banner high, the signal for the rest of the cavalry to follow. Meriel answered the call first, followed by countless other Nihilite cavaliers, who lined the hill and the ground surrounding it. Three perfect lines, stretched out across the horizon before the Marquise's soldiers. They made sure to spread out in such a way as too look far more numerous, exaggerate just how greatly outnumbered the Arxians were.

“Charge straight for the middle,” Marquise Zoe ordered. “Kill the general. Without her leadership they'll fall into disarray. FORMATION DELTA!” At her order her cavaliers formed themselves into a triangular formation, with the point of that triangle aimed directly at the Nihilite lines. Marquise Zoe was close to the front, but not at the very front. In front of her was one cavalier, and to either side she had two more. “NOW, CHARGE!” The Arxians roared as they spurred their horses and began their charge up the hill at the Nihilites.

In turn the Nihilite cavaliers charged as well, but they did not keep the formation they'd formed on the cliff. The ones in the middle delayed a little, while those on the sides charged immediately. The slight differences in speed allowed them to change those three lines into a three-layered circle around the Arxian cavaliers. Meriel smiled as she saw everything falling into place. The Marquise had fallen for her trap.

But this tactic was obvious to Marquise Zoe, it was why she'd picked the particular formation she did, “SPLIT OFF!” she called out. Horses suddenly were pulled off in new directions, kicking up dirt and dust as the triangle formation Zoe's troops had formed split into three pieces, one still heading the direction it had been, and the other two moving outward. There was just enough time for them to pick up momentum and for all three parts of Zoe's cavalry to break through the Nihilites' formation. The soldiers on the sides weren't expecting the sudden turn-around, and so were hit by surprise, thrown from their horses and sent scattering. Meriel's cavalry was instantly in disarray. Each of the Nihilite cavaliers were just riding around, chaotically, without order. There was no teamwork once the formations had been broken, only madness.

“TURN AND CIRCLE!” Zoe shouted. Her cavaliers, having passed through the Nihilite ranks completely, turned around and formed a circle around the Nihilite cavalry and charged inward. The Nihilite cavalry still drastically outnumbered them, but the chaos gave the Arxians an advantage beyond simple numbers.

In fury Meriel rode at Zoe, her lance in hand. She didn't bother to give orders to her men, she was far too blinded by rage at this point that the battle had gone so poorly. Zoe saw Meriel charging her and gave one of her cavaliers the signal to hit Meriel from the side while she took her head-on. When both finally closed the distance between them, Meriel's lance took Zoe off her horse and sent her crashing to the ground on her back. Meriel barely had time to notice her victory before she felt a war-hammer from her left smash her shield arm, breaking it at the shoulder, and she toppled off of her horse as well.

With her body beaten and bruised, her arm broken, and her army in disarray, Meriel still managed to force herself to her feet with a painful groan. She pulled out her one-handed ax and limped towards Zoe, with her shield arm dangling at her side. Zoe's whole body was wracked with pain from the force of her body hitting the hard ground. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurred, but even as disoriented as she was she still saw Meriel approaching, a horrible scowl across her face and rage in her eyes. Zoe tried to force herself to her feet, but found that her legs were broken and she couldn't stand on them. In desperation she grabbed the shaft of a spear and thrust it upwards, stabbing into Meriel's already broken shoulder. Meriel groaned in pain, but cut through the shaft of the spear with her ax and collapsed onto the ground next to Zoe. Zoe grabbed a dagger from the ground and rolled over, trying to bring the blade down onto Meriel's face, but Meriel caught her arm with her one good hand, dropping her ax in the process, and twisted Zoe's wrist. There was a loud pop as Zoe's wrist broke along with many of the small bones in her hand. While Zoe still reeled from her wrist being snapped, Meriel punched her in the face and knocked her onto her back again. Meriel then grabbed hold of the broken shaft of the spear still lodged into her broken shoulder and with a twisting motion pulled it out, spilling her own blood onto the battlefield. Seeing this barbaric woman approaching her with a spear-point in hand, Zoe barely had time to pick up a shield from one of the dead cavaliers nearby with her one good hand and raise it in the way as the spear came down at her. More of the shaft broke in Meriel's hand and she screamed in fury. Zoe swung the shield out and caught Meriel's knees with the edges of it. She knocked them backward and breaking both of her legs.

All the while as these two broken women fought, one desperately trying to achieve what she'd consider a victory, the other just fighting to live, the battle between the two cavalries raged on, but now neither side had a leader. The Nihilite's numbers were beginning to matter more and more. The Arxian cavalry was dwindling, the Nihilites were quickly gaining the upper hand.

Meriel picked up her ax again and crawled on her broken knees, crying out in rage and pain the entire time. She struck at Zoe over and over, her howling like that of some sort of wild animal or unholy beast. The ax wasn't sharp for much longer, as it struck Zoe's shield again and again, but the shield was also suffering major dents, and each jolt throughout the shield hurt Zoe's arm more and more. Zoe swung the shield out again. This time she hit Meriel in the face and broke her nose. As the blood poured down Meriel's face, over her lips and chin, she screamed at Zoe again and broke her ax against the shield before collapsing on top of her.

What was left of the Arxian cavalry soon retreated, realizing that they had lost the advantage gained in the initial chaos, and at the end of that battle the two broken women who'd fought so desperately in the dirt died not from their wounds, but from sheer exhaustion. Both of their hearts had failed them. The two were found lying together, both dead, but appearing almost as if they were comforting each other as they slept.

Meriel's soldiers didn't bother with their usual tradition of defiling the body of the enemy leader, they're own leader was dead, and that was all they could think about. They brought her broken body back to the camp to tell everyone the bad news, and to properly cremate her. The woman who'd led them to so many victories, who'd taught them how to destroy enemy morale and use terror to their advantage was now gone, and there was no glory in her final moments. Seeing her cremated was so much better for them than seeing her so broken. Tears were shed for this general who had led them to so many victories.

As all sat in silence, watching the funeral pyre, Cory saw an opportunity. Last time he'd been present when a general died he took that general's army, and, as far as he knew, managed to successfully gain their support by talking to them about avenging the leader they so loved. This seemed the perfect time for him to seize the power he felt he was destined for.

“General Meriel was a great leader. During the brief time I knew her she taught me much about what it takes to win a war, and she knew in her heart the kind of brutality we must bring to the table to achieve victory. She was more than a general, she WAS war! Everything about her was driven to war and victory. Now that she's dead, she's not truly gone.” Cory touched his chest. “She's here. We carry her spirit in our hearts, and we shall have our vengeance upon the Arxians for this outrage! Follow me, countrymen! In Meriel's place I shall lead you to victory! We shall wield our swords in the name of Prunikos, with Malkira at our backs, and woe to those who would dare oppose us! Let us show these idolatrous blaggards that death is coming for them all! And once all of the Arxians are gone we'll make Meriel's dream come true and rip open the Firmament so wide that daemons will destroy this prison and free us all!”

When Cory had delivered his first speech to a group of soldiers over whom he was taking charge many of them suspected him of treachery or questioned why he, of all people, should be the one leading them. This time around it was obvious there was no treachery, and since Cory had been there for the whole campaign so far as a trusted general, the Nihilites cheered and shouted in agreement. Cory now had control of two-thirds of the Nihilite army, plus the legions he could conjure from the Void.