Whispers of a Dead Empire - Chapter 108

“Sir, the Warmaster wants me to report to you that all of our communication lines are down. We are on our own.” The warrant officer cracked off a sharp salute. His sword dangled from his hip, and his uniform was as in good condition as it could possibly be.

Well, that was unfortunate. But we will hold. “Have we dispatched carrier pigeons, then?”

“Yes, sir. They are on their way to every relevant outpost, as well as to the praetorian stronghold.”

“Any word on Alessia?” I spun around and gazed out across the courtyard. My hands were firmly clasped behind my back as I took stock of the situation.

“No. But the scouts have reported heavy fighting in the northern woods. She must be giving them hell.”

I weighed his words and mentally scowled. I wouldn’t send any troops to aid her. I have a vow to defend the stronghold, no matter the cost. Even if that means I need to sacrifice somebody. Duty above all else. I’m sure Alessia would understand. “You are dismissed, Alectroc.” The sound of his uniform rustling as he snapped off his salute filled the room before the sound of striking bone stone filled the room as he wandered off. I stood there for a moment before I decided that it was time to join my troops.

I stared out across the courtyard. Lost in a sea of my own thoughts. I’ve done this before, haven’t I? I stood in there, fending off a wave of attackers. I stood at the front, standing shoulder to shoulder with all my troops. The memories swirled around, clouding my view for a moment before I cast them to the side. Now was not the time to get lost. No, I had to defend this stronghold. I had to defend the princess. Even if I must give my life.

“Sir, we have reports of movement just outside of the wall. Towards the gate.” Another warrant officer came up behind me and rattled off his report.

“Good. Let them come.” I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword. Octavian has graciously allowed me to handle the entire defense, and I will not let him down. Whoever it may be, they will only meet my blade.

The ground trembled, and loose stone rolled from the wall. But we all remained firm. Instead of fracturing and fighting as our squads, we will face this threat as one. We will be unified in the face of this threat. As one, the archers on the wall released a flurry of arrows. The sound of dozens upon dozens of strings twanging filled the air. Energy started to fill the air as mages cast their volley.

“Report?” My good hand rested gently on the hilt of my sword, ready to bring it to bear at a second’s notice.

“We have counted four parties of four each near the front of the gate. Each of them seems to be specialized in some sort of nature magic and are accompanied by some large walking trees.” One scout shouted through the ranks of the legion.

I took a step forward and spun around to face my legion. At its helm was my most trusted lieutenant. His brown eyes, once filled to the brim with joy, were replaced by a dark chasm that seemed to drink in all the light. Bones that had been withered by the ceaseless toll of time replaced his once lithe form. My heart broke as I regarded my legion. Once radiant colors and armor, now faded and sullied.

“As many of you may know, I’m not a fan of speeches. But hear this. Today, we defend the southern pass of Asteria. We don’t know from what, but that doesn’t matter. We once defended this pass in life, and now, we will do it in death. But not only do we defend this pass, but we defend the princess. Do not falter, and we will win this day.”

The legion rippled as they cheered. They knew what was at stake, and they would happily give their life to the Empress and her daughter. “Now that they have revealed themselves, we will march out to them. We will not let them lay a single foot inside the vaunted grounds of our stronghold. We will crush them before they could even consider it.” Once more, my legion cheered as the sounds of another volley of arrows and magic was let loose.

We could sit inside these walls and hammer away at them. But we will take the fight to them. With Octavian residing over the second legion, that will remain inside. At least until the praetorians arrived to help. “Open the gates!” My voice boomed out across the lines, and the two soldiers that operated the gate slowly pushed it open. Revealing the plains that lie just outside. Beyond that was a grouping of a few large tree-like monsters withering the arrows. “First legion. Move forward!” I grit my teeth as the legion moved forward to meet the threat with me in the front, just like the last time.

“So the accursed come to meet their fate..” A man clad in wood adorned with streaks of gold stepped forward from the tree line. His face was adorned with a helm with a set of wooden horns that stretched out from the top and reached for the sky.

“You trespass upon Asteria, and you have rejected the treaties that have governed our interactions. You will find your absolution on the edge of my blade.” Without an extra word, my legion rushed forward to meet those that would defile our lands.

“For Velcrest!” The front man yelled, and the lumbering tree monsters rushed forward from the forest line. Another volley of arrows tore from the walls and slammed into the ground. A vast majority missed, but those that didn’t punctured the wood that made up the monsters. A volley of various forms of magic tore through the air, leaving trails as they ventured forth. Magical barriers were erected at a moment’s notice, shrugging away a vast part of the damage.

“For Asteria!” As one, my legion fractured into smaller portions as they surged forth like a vengeful tide and crashed into the small party of the outsiders. With a dull roar, the giant trees took a lumbering step and swung their giant root-like arms, cutting through a few of my unlucky soldiers. “Mages, focus down the trees. Warriors, on me!” I belted out orders and drew my sword. With a flick of my wrist, I pointed the blade towards the sky, brought the hilt to my lips, and gave it a kiss before I flourished it once more.

My soldiers listened to my orders without question and quickly organized themselves. Gouts of fire and darkness rushed forward at close range as spells were slung without hesitation. Chaos quickly spread across the battleground, yet I marched on. I completely trusted my troops. They knew what had to be done.

The ground trembled as the gigantic creatures lumbered their way across it, swinging their arms in rhythmic motions of death, trying to cut my troops down like chafe. From the forest line, a bunch of smaller humanoid trees broke through. Their wooden faces locked in a rictus of agony as they ran. The ground beneath them was twisted and churned as their roots attempted to bog them down.

The first one covered the ground faster than I thought and ran straight towards me. It swung a hand filled with gnarled branches towards my face. With but a flick of my wrist, I severed its hand before bringing my blade back through the rest of its body.

“Do not give in. Do not yield. Defend the motherland. Defend the princess.” My words rolled from my tongue as I pushed forward. The surrounding darkness ebbed and flowed, tainting the already dead ground with its presence. It clung to my blade like a long-lost lover and dripped from it like the thickest of ambrosia. Each swing of my blade marked the end of all those that stood before me. My movements, though rough, still had the years of muscle memory that I had built.

A gregarious laugh filled the air, drowning out even the roars of the trees, followed shortly by the cracking of wood. Flint must be having fun. Good. Make them pay. I locked eyes with the man who had given me his speech. His face was obscured by his helm. He held a long slender sword that was crafted with inhuman perfection. Its hilt clad in the finest of golds, yet it seemed to thirst for more.

“You are an abomination of nature. I will purge you from this world.” He yelled, yet the sounds of death that filled the air drowned his voice out.

“Do you think I chose this?” I yelled back, though I knew he couldn’t understand me. “Do you think I want this?” I punctuated my words by cutting down another monster that tried to block my path. “I detest living like this.” I blocked a wild swing and stepped to the side. The surrounding darkness formed dozens of small balls that shot out like a cannon towards the tree, tearing through its bark like wet paper.

I hated this. I hated knowing what I was. But I couldn’t stop, and I couldn’t give in. Not yet. I gritted my teeth and finally came close to the strange man. “Worry not foul undead. I’ll purge you, and then that wretched abomination that you call an empress.”

At his words, a spark lit in my chest that quickly turned into an unbearable conflagration. “You will do no such thing.” I launched forward, the tip of my blade aiming towards his throat. In a flash of light, my sword was blocked, and a clean strike punctured through my chest plate. I disengaged, tearing the sword free with a meaty sound.

“You taint this world and deny its natural order. Your very presence is a blight on nature.” He flicked his blade free of my dried, coagulated blood. Long vine-like tendrils rose from the ground around him and quickly traveled towards me.

I cut through the first and second one, but the third broke my guard and smashed into my chest plate, sending me through the air. My vision spun as I was launched like a rag doll. But it will take a lot more than that to stop me. I forced my body to stand and flourished my blade once more. “None of us chose this life. We raged against it, yet it still came for us.” I spat at the man and lunged once more. My good hand lacked strength, yet I fought on. I’ve already died once; I’m not afraid of it.

We traded blow after blow, yet I was pushed back. My body was broken; it was corrupted. It lacked the strength that I once had. But above all else, there was a sense of soul-crushing exhaustion. No, this was far more than that. This was the weight of ennui. I was dead, yet I was brought back. My soul yearned for its rest. The only thing that kept me going was duty. Duty to Asteria, and duty to my Empress. I pushed on, growing more aware that my body was crumbling. At least until a vine pierced my stomach and threw me to the ground.

My vision faded as darkness overtook me. For the first time, I could feel the biting cold as it spread from my limbs. My mind welcomed it. I was so tired. I wanted to rest. Please. Just let me die. The more delicate emotions that had long since died rose like a crashing crescendo in my chest. I could feel it. My limbs ached, and my muscles screamed. My mind was weary of living far past my time. It all pressed into me. My soul begged for me to just let go. But I couldn’t. Not yet. I would not embrace the great sleep just yet.

The coldness that had spread met the conflagration roared in my chest as I focused on my sense of purpose. The inferno roared even harder as something within me broke. Fire rushed through me like a tsunami as I opened my eyes and stared into the sky. The sun had faded from the warm yellow into a harsh, sanguine red. Lightning split the sky like the claws of an angry god. A sense of anger welled within my chest as I reached up and gripped the vine that impaled me to the ground. Darkness rushed from my hands, quickly withering it away.

They will all pay. I rolled onto my stomach and placed my good hand against my broken arm, and with a single smooth motion, I forced it back into place. Darkness drenched the ground as I stood up and grabbed my sword with my dominant arm. The man that had done this was but a few meters away battling Aaron. The two were close to being evenly matched, with Aaron throwing out stone-shattering punches and kicks, yet it was clear that if the battle went on any longer, he would lose.

A low growl escaped from my lips as the anger twisted and churned inside of me, causing the man to spin around. “Aaron. He’s mine.” I flicked my wrist, and darkness shot out in a crescent. Quickly the man dodged, but just barely. The scything arc shot past him and dug a meter into the ground. How dare they come into my home? How dare they violate what I hold dear? Thoughts that were not my own seeped in like poison as I raged. I lurched forward and smashed into the man before me. My sword quickly smashed his aside, and I delivered a backhand that sent him flying in one direction, with his helm going in the other.

He hit the ground with a thud and rolled back to his feet. He gazed at me with such disdain it was palpable. A thin trickle of blood ran down his face, mixing with the sweat that ran freely from him. “Impossible. I killed you.”

“I will not die. Not until you pay for what you have done.” I stepped forward in a flash and swung my blade in a deadly arc. Now we begin our dance once more. He parried it as he stepped back, clearly worried about how easily the tides had changed.

“I don’t understand.” He hissed as he blocked another flurry of blows. “Why won’t you die?”

“Because I fight for the Empress. I will not turn my back on the vows that I made.” I pressed on, dancing around his guard, landing blow after blow. My strength returning to me, the strength that I once had in life, flowed through my veins. Yet, it also ate away at me.

“Why? She is nothing more than a foul necromancer.” The man hissed through his teeth as we exchanged more blows, yet he slowed down.

“She is no such thing. She is our guiding light. Our light at the end of the tunnel.” I pushed on, slipped through his guard, and plunged my sword deep into the man’s chest. The shadows rushed from my blade and seeped through his flesh, spreading its corrupting touch.

The man gasped as my blade pierced him. “This doesn’t make sense.” His words grew weaker as his hands scrambled against my face and clawed against me. For the first time in a long time, I felt the faint sensation of flesh against my own.

“Shhhh. Rest now. Perhaps you will find the answers you seek.” I pushed him off of my blade and watched as he fell back. His struggles weakened as his amber eyes faded into the lifeless blue of the recently deceased.

“Flint,” I called out, fighting the urge to fall over.

“Captain.” His voice sounded in my ear, yet it felt like my vision was slowly fading.

“How goes the battle?” I felt my knees buckle as I fell to the side, only to be caught by him.

“The squads are still fighting. Though it seems you have killed the strongest of them.”

I felt my head list to the side, and I saw Aaron. Half of his face was locked in the face I have always known. A man filled to the brim with self-confidence. One who loved to fight and my best friend. The other half was what we had become. The very thing that we fought against. “Good.” I choked out. Twinges of white fiery agony danced across my flesh, something that I had long since forgotten. Exhaustion seeped in, threatening to drag me under once more.

“Captain?” He lowered me gently, his face flickering in and out, bouncing between undead and life. Though the meaning was lost on me now.

I reached up and gave him a pat on his shoulder. The very act of speaking was growing more difficult with each passing second. “This is just like déjà vu, huh? It only seems like yesterday that we were in this same position.” Memories drifted listlessly through my mind, yet they seemed to have ended just like this one did.

“Don’t die on me, captain. We need you.” His face neared mine, and I stared at it as I felt my body normalize. Feeling coursed through me, I felt a strange pump in my chest. Though in my last few moments, everything made sense. At the very moment that death claimed us, we were the most alive.

“Thank you, Aaron.” I tried to give him a smile. I felt my grip slacken as my eyes drifted to the sky. I still fought as I lay there. I couldn’t die. Not yet. I still had a job to do. My body refused to listen to me as I stared into the blood-red sky. I can’t go like this.

“Oh, captain.” A feminine voice danced around my mind. One filled with sadness. One that I recognized.

The clouds twisted and churned in the sky as the surrounding light fell away, leaving me adrift in a void. The clouds coalesced into a mask. A mask that I recognized. Lines twisted and swirled around, forming impossible geometric shapes that seemed to stretch into eternity. Behind it was two brilliant emerald eyes that raged with power. “Empress.” I felt my sinus throb as power assailed my senses. My mind struggled to understand precisely what I was seeing.

“Oh, my sweet child.” The mask grew nearer, and I felt a hand caress my face, much like a mother would. “It pains me to see you like this.”

As her hand brushed my face, I felt all the pain fall away. The exhaustion that had hounded me vanished. All that I could feel was serenity and peace. Yet, I clung to the duty that was prescribed to me. “Please, Empress. I can’t die here. I need to keep going. Not yet. I haven’t done enough yet.” For the first time in a long time. I wept. I wept as I stared at my Empress. No, not just my Empress. I was staring at my goddess.

“You have given so much to me. You have earned your rest, Captain Rikard.” Her voice hammered into my soul, luring me in.

“I can do more. Please let me.” I begged as I wept. I can’t give in. Yet here I was, laying in the void, my soul aching for its long-earned rest, yet my mind commanding me to carry out my duty. Oh, how fate could be so cruel.