Chapter 59: 57 – Burden

POV - ???

What's even going on right now? That human just barged into our town and killed the General and his elites like they were nothing! And we were tricked? What have we been fighting for all these years? What was all of this for?

Get yourself together, Kiryl! There isn't time for this! Everyone is panicking and there isn't a single elf taking charge of this situation. Dammit! Why isn't anyone taking charge? 

Dammit! Fine! I'm not even a century old, so why am I even thinking about this? I'm just in charge of managing the quantity and distribution of supplies. We at least need to get this mess under control for when the Colonel returns. The three remaining lieutenants are all near me, seemingly in shock and at a loss of what to do as well. This is so stupid that I'm thinking about doing this!

"Everyone! Form up!" I yell. "We need that hole in the wall filled and bodies moved! You! Lieutenant! Get the remains of your platoon and get that hole closed! You! Take your own platoon and start moving bodies to be buried. You! Take yours and begin to get any non-combatants into their houses. Any loose soldiers without their superiors, absorb them into your ranks for the time being. We'll sort them out later."

The three of them stared at me for a few seconds.

"Move it!" I yell once again with authority I don't have.

"""Y-yes, Sir!""" They all salute and rush off.

That at least got them moving. Now that they're barking their own orders, people are starting to actually come to their senses. I'll start going around and shuffling people as well. 

Still. Why now of all times? For centuries, we haven't been able to pin down the royal faction. Even when we cast a large net, they just slipped through. This damn forest is so large and they always moved faster than our armored and supplied soldiers. 

Then, when the last deep spies were able to reach out for the first time in decades, we had them. They would just be sitting there in the ruins after receiving some oracle about a savior. The Colonel should have easily been able to handle their group now that we had them locked into a location. 

He should be coming back with the Godsword and the Princess' head any day, and we find out now that we don't need it? Is this a sick joke? What do we do after this? We can't stay here. Now that the humans know where we are, there could be another attack at any time. 

The man mentioned a vampire and their castle, but that's months of travel away. Plus, the vampires are dead. We know that better than most with how many of our grandparents and great-grandparents died in the war… But what if one survived? If what the human said was true, that one is making a place where all the races can go… Could we convince them to allow us in?

Wait. Could that have been the savior that the oracle talked about? If it really did come from the old gods, then are they real?

I never really bought into Sol, but what else could I do when everyone else was pushing for it? If the humans attacked us originally because of Sol, why would we want to follow Sol? Although, everyone else was, so there had to be a reason. I just never understood what that reason was and followed along.

The rest of the day was a blur as we all worked to get some semblance of normalcy back. For some reason, the lieutenants kept coming up to me for orders. Why, dammit! I just wanted you to get moving! Argh! I'll just be the temporary leader until the Colonel comes back, then. 

By the end of the next day, we were getting settled again. At some point, people started to refer to me as 'Commander.' So dumb, but if it keeps them moving, then that's fine. We got all of the dead buried. Roughly, we lost about one hundred soldiers in under ten minutes. Although, it felt so much longer than that. 

Thankfully that knight didn't enter the residential quarters or stay longer. Casualties would have been much higher. I'm still a bit perplexed as to why he left. Was he just bored and decided to attack us? If this was an extermination, they would've stayed or attacked with a larger force. 

If he was training to get stronger, then what type of monster is the vampire? There was always that silly old saying that one vampire is worth a thousand lives, but hardly anyone takes that seriously. Although… If even that knight couldn't do anything…

There's no use thinking about this any longer. What's done is done. The knight left, thank S— well now I just feel silly. It really doesn't sit right to thank Sol any longer. Then the old gods? Dammit. Might as well. The knight left, thank Chaos and Order.

By the next afternoon, we finally got some news.

A soldier rushes into the General's office that I'm now occupying. "Commander Kiryl! The Colonel's force is returning!"

"Finally!" I shout as I stand up from the desk.

Now I can be rid of this position I have no business being in! He'll take charge and sort this all out. Then I can go back to my accounting. 

Many others heard the news and a buzz went through the town. By the time I got to the gate, there was a sizeable amount of us around, waiting for their arrival. Even if the princess is dead, we can still move forward.

For some stupid reason, the lieutenants all formed up behind me. Stop that! This farce is temporary and coming to an end soon!

At last, the gates opened. However, what we expected to be a triumphant return looked more akin to a death march. Dejected faces, all half happy to come back, but their appearance and attitude raised many questions.

Three elves I recognized as sergeants are looking around. They notice us and approach. "Sirs. Where is the General or the elites? We have news to report of the failed expedition."

Failed? Wait. Where's the Colonel and the three elites? Why are the sergeants reporting? Where are their lieutenants? Glancing back, the lieutenants from camp are all staring at me. Dammit, you bastards!

I sighed internally. "I'm acting as the temporary leader. Let's go back to the mission room and report both of our circumstances."

"""Yes, Sir."""

While the seven of us go to the room, I see the returning soldiers mixing with the non-combatants. There are plenty shocked faces and a lot of crying. What in the world happened out there? 

We arrive and gather around the table. I start. "Alright. As I mentioned, I'm Kiryl, acting as temporary commander. Two days ago, we were attacked by a single human knight. He easily killed approximately one hundred of our soldiers, including the General and seven elites, before just turning around and leaving. 

"From the little we were able to gather, we're under the impression that he was searching for strong opponents in order to level up. Once the strongest here were killed, it's assumed he became bored and left.

"However, he did leave information. According to the knight, who laughed when asked about it, the humans lied about the royals and the Godsword. He said it was a trap to have us turn on each other. Apparently, the reason he is training is to one day launch an assault on a vampire castle. If we take the words of the human as truth, then a vampire survived the war, has created a walled fortress city that is open to all races, and that not even the humans were able to breach.

"As we couldn't have a conversation with him, all of this is speculation and dependent on the truth of his words. Now, what is your report?"

"That… Yes, Commander," one of the sergeants said. "We set out and the Colonel made camp away from the ruins. We were ready to launch an attack as soon as the moles reported about the supposed 'savior' they mentioned in the priestess' oracle.

"As we were waiting for the spies, we were attacked by a fire-breathing hippogryph. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it, but it descended in the night, right on the command tent. Within seconds, the elites and lieutenants in the tent were dead, and it began breathing fire on the surrounding tents.

"We mobilized as fast as we could, and a few men stuck it with arrows before it retreated. The Colonel survived since he never liked to share a tent. His tent had caught fire and collapsed on top of him, but we were able to retrieve him and heal his wounds. He began to reorganize camp, but the next night, he passed away in his sleep. There was no sign of a struggle, wounds, poison, or anything out of the ordinary. The medics said he died of internal bleeding, which must have been missed during his initial healing. We're still unsure of what exactly happened, but we’re certain we missed the chance to treat him properly.

"The three of us began to take control over the group. We even sent scouts to the ruins since we hadn't heard from the spies, but nobody was there. There were signs they moved north, so we packed up and marched to the ruins to begin pursuit the next day.

"That night, the hippogryph returned. It killed the guards around camp, and as we were mobilizing and began to march to kill it, it fell on the camp again and breathed more fire on our tents before flying away as fast as it came.

"As we waited for the next strike through the night, the men were worn out the next morning. We decided to move everything we could inside of the ruins and take a day to rest and regroup. The only thing that we couldn't take inside were the supplies.

"So, we hid them under brush away from camp and had a single guard hiding by them. We were prepared inside the castle for the attack when we heard the guard scream. The hippogryph was at the supplies and burned them all, flying away before we could engage. 

"When we tried to put the fires out, it was too late. We presume that the hippogryph has made a nest by the ruins and is defending the area. At that point the decision was made to return here since we failed all of our objectives, lost our leadership, and lost our supplies. The chances of catching up to the royals was slim to none."

What in the world is going on? Then... this is it? This is all we have left?

One of the lieutenants turns to me. "Commander, what's our next move?"

Don't ask me! Dammit! Why did I ever have to speak up back then? If we stay here, we just run the risk of the humans attacking again. There's no point to the war with the royals, but I doubt they'll ever reconcile with us after we hunted them for so long. What are our choices then? Move somewhere else? If we're already moving we might as well investigate what the knight said. If we run into the royal faction, we may have to fight them to defend ourselves. Additionally, if a hippogryph has claimed the ruins, we can't go near there without risking more men.

"Then I propose we gather all we can from here and begin to march north to the monster lands," I say with more conviction than I feel. "It'll be a long and hard march, clearing brush for the carts, but we can't stay here. If the hippogryph has a nest, we would lose too many trying to take the ruins. If we are traveling, we can check out the validity of the knight's words about a remaining vampire city."

"I would agree," a lieutenant says. "That's the best option we have."

"Me as well. I'll support you," another said.

"Me too, Commander. Lead our march north," the third lieutenant said with a salute.

Dammit, why the hell am I leading it? 

"Alright. Then, as acting temporary commander, you three sergeants are promoted lieutenants. Work with these three to divide and organize the soldiers and inform everyone to begin packing. We'll head north in five days."

"""Yes, Sir!"""

Why me?

After it was announced we were moving north, a majority of the people decided to come along. Just over a hundred decided to either stay or go deeper into the forest to hide. Many of the elves not coming had lost their remaining family in the last week to the hippogryph or the knight and wanted to mourn in solitude. Overall, we have almost thirteen hundred joining us for the march. 

It was a hard journey. Clearing the way for carts was a constant job. As was trying to hunt and gather enough food to support everyone. For two months we've been rationing. Finally, after just over two months, we finally reached the border of the monster lands. How many decades has it been since I last came here to train as a young elf? ... Dammit, Kiryl! What am I doing. I'm not even that old, but I sound like I'm reminiscing about something six hundred years ago! 

We made camp that evening at the border. I called the six lieutenants together, and I began explaining my idea to them. 

"Alright. Because we have no idea where we're going in the monster lands, I propose we make a semi-permanent camp here. Beginning tomorrow, we send out scouts in various directions looking for any signs of people. All scouts are to return after a certain amount of time."

"That may be best," a lieutenant says. "We're still shallow so the monsters are still weak. It would make defending easier if we made a base here."

I nodded. "Then if there's nothing more to add, each of you prepare a squad that will scout for a week, and have soldiers begin creating a basic palisade around the perimeter."

"""Yes, Sir!"""

Falling asleep that night, I didn't expect what was going to happen before sunrise. I woke up to shouts and screams, and then a booming female voice that was heard by the entire camp. Everyone instantly woke up.

"ELVES OF THE FOREST, YOU ARE ENTERING MY LANDS! HAVE YOUR LEADERS COME FORTH AND STATE YOUR INTENTIONS!"

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Dammit! What am I getting into? I rushed out of my tent and stopped for a moment. All around us, completely surrounding the camp, were pillars of fire at least twenty feet high. The wall of flames completely encircled us, except for one opening, in which a figure could be seen standing.

Well, I guess this is as far as I go. I had a decent run, but I'm almost certain of my death here. Might as well get it over with.

"I am the leader of the elves here!" I yelled to the figure in the distance.

"Come forth!" she yelled back.

As all eyes of the camp turned towards me and the figure completely trapping us. I could only do as she asked, and walked forward on shaky legs to meet my fate. I'm still shirtless and in a pair of pants, but thankfully the lieutenants must have also accepted their end, as they fell into line behind me. They were in the same state as me and only two of us had  a weapon. 

These bastards… Thanks for dying along with me. At the very least none of them abandoned me. Not like it matters. What could we do against someone who can wall us in with fire out of nowhere? As we approached, the gap in the wall closed, completely sealing us in. Then the figure nonchalantly walked through the flames and continued walking towards us while their armor was on fire. 

If that didn't surprise me enough, as we took another step, the ground below our feet liquified and we sunk down to our shins before the ground hardened. Right before we panicked, through the flames, a large monster stepped out. No, not just a monster. This is Death. The monster opened its wings wide, rose onto its hind legs, and roared louder than I've ever heard, while releasing a large flame from its mouth.

"GROEWEEEEEEEL!"

As some in the camp begin moving towards the flames, preferring their chances of burning than facing this monster, explosions rung out all along their retreat path before they could reach the flames.

"YOU WILL ALL REMAIN HERE UNTIL OUR TALKS CONCLUDE!" the figure yelled and was heard throughout camp.

It wasn't a request. It wasn't even a statement. That just became the law. Most of the elves were still stunned with legs not working after the roar, but now those that tried to run were also frozen. I really should've asked that girl in accounting on a date. Welp, it's too late now.

"Smart choice," the reaper masquerading as the armored woman in front of us, said. "Now, let us begin."

With that sentence, multiple things happened simultaneously. The wall of flames shot up and was extinguished instantly by a large amount of water only appearing where the fires were. This sent steam to the sky all around us. 

In front of us, the armored figure was gone. In her place was a raised stone dais with a magnificent throne on top. Sitting with the pre-sunrise light at the back of the throne, was an enchantingly beautiful woman. 

We were close enough to make out her red eyes, pointed ears, and sharp canines from where we were still solidly stuck in place. On her head was a crown, and in her right hand was a sword with a blue and silver color  that I only heard told in our legends. A type of sword we've been searching for. A Godsword. And she was holding it as if it were as light as a feather as she lazily lolled it back and forth.

The Monster of Death was sitting on the dais next to her, staring daggers through us with its orange eyes. Normally, I would use that as a simple phrase. However, as I looked into those eyes, I could swear my heart was stabbed. Inside of me was a primordial and instinctual fear of this beast. I knew in my gut that meeting this monster was akin to meeting your own demise. If I was not rooted in place, I would've run for all my pitiful life was worth.

The Reaper on the throne then speaks once more as the other elves look on. "I am Dalia Midnight, Queen of the Vampires. This is my dear friend, the young dragon Mitena. I will only ask you this once more. 

"Elves of the forest. Perfidious elves that joined in on the extermination of my kind. Traitorous elves that have hunted your own people for centuries. Unscrupulous, dishonorable, contemptible, and reprehensible elves! What are your intentions in coming to my lands? And why should I not strike you down where you stand?"

She didn't speak in a loud voice, yet it was heard clearly through the entire camp, and her disgust and blood-lust were clear. What the knight said was true. There really exists the Vampire Queen, and she is a hundred times more frightening than the knight was.

That old saying I never thought was true? I still don't think it's true. Only because it would take many more than a thousand lives to kill this vampire. There were no questions in what she asked. They were ultimatums, that should they not be answered, our lives that were currently at her mercy would be forfeit.

Without even looking, I know my lieutenants behind me are going to make me talk and die first. Bastards. I can smell their piss from here. The only reason any of us are still standing, even though our legs have lost strength, is from the stone we're trapped in. 

I composed myself enough to at least die with a shred of useless dignity. "Your Majesty, Queen Midnight. We come to your lands seeking safety."

"Oh? Safety?" she said in an amused tone that sent shivers down my spine. "The last time the elves ventured into these lands en masse was to kill my kind. And now, after slaughtering my race, you come seeking safety? Do tell, Elf, why on Erald should I provide it?"

There isn't anything I can say to that. It's true. The elves did kill the vampires, and now we're seeking shelter from one.

I lowered my head. "That's true. We were tricked—" 

"SILENCE!"

"GROEWEEEEL!"

With a yell and a roar, my eyes opened wide and my heart nearly flew out of my chest as my legs involuntarily began to try to pull themselves out of the stone. The wall of flames returned and the elves in camp all cowered.

"ELF!" She spits the word as if it's rotten as her scornful gaze locked onto me. "You will NOT make excuses with me! Your people made a decision. They could have declined. They could have said no. They could have used their brains and THOUGHT! They CHOSE to march against the vampires of old! That is a FACT! Just like you current backstabbing elves CHOSE to hunt your own royalty and kill your own kind. That is also a FACT! 

"Your sickening attempts to make excuses and pitiful endeavors to justify your actions are laughable. No matter the reasons, your actions are what your lives will be judged by! 

"Are you going to smile at me, call me a friend, then suddenly drive a dagger into my gut? After I bleed out, will you  justify it by saying someone else told you to do it? Tricked you into doing it? You still held the dagger! You still chose to continue walking the path you were on! So. Elf. Do NOT try to make excuses. Own your mistakes, for they are yours to bear."

There isn't anything I can say to that. Oh, how the noose tightens around my neck.

"T-that is true, Your Majesty, Queen Midnight. W-we hunted the vampires. And now we seek safety from them."

"Much better." The flames all disappeared. "Then what do you seek safety from?"

"We were attacked by a human knight at our camp. He killed our previous leaders, and our home is no longer safe," I said.

"But how did you hear of me? I'm certain I've never encountered any of you. And any Mitena met and didn't like would be in her stomach," she said while looking at the dragon fondly and caressing its head for a moment.

"T-that… the knight said that there was a city that was accepting of all of the races. That a vampire defended it against him and the forces of the humans."

"A knight said that?... Oh! Did he have a very odd sounding voice and used an impractically large sword?"

"He did. It did sound odd, and he indeed used a very large sword," I said, a bit confused at how she knew that.

"Hahaha!" She began laughing on her throne. "So that child still lived! Yes, those fools attacked once, but I killed all but him before they even got to my walls. In fact I'm not even sure my citizens knew. It would take many more soldiers of a much higher level than the trash they sent to ever reach my walls and disturb my citizens. Regardless, it was over too quickly to be called a fight and that kid was one that I sent back with a message. Ha! Maybe I'll see him again sometime and clear the board of him.

"Let me ask you this, Elf. Do the sins of the father carry onto the son? Should the son be blamed for the incompetence of the father?"

I think for a moment. "I… No. I believe they should be judged as individuals."

"Me as well," she nodded. "But you know? There is an argument for the latter. It can be argued that if what the father did was so terrible, that his life alone wouldn't balance the scales. There is an argument that can be made, that the elven king of old made multiple, terrible, mistakes that cost the lives of tens of thousands of elves. There is an argument to be made that after he all but doomed your race, he and his family should be killed. 

"You could make a case for that. And that as long as his blood still flows in the veins of a descendent, that the scales are not equal." She balances her Godsword horizontally across her finger before allowing it to fall tip first, catching it before it hits the ground. "But as you said. A child should not be judged for their parents' mistakes. Thus, do you want to know what is really disappointing?

"That when the elves chose to hunt their own kind. To kill their own royalty. That it wasn't because they were balancing the scales. It was because their own ENEMY, who had lied to them multiple times already, ASKED you to kill them!

"What possible argument can you create to justify the words of an enemy during a war?! Especially if they have already deceived you. There isn't one! That's what makes this entire elven civil war so utterly absurd, senseless, and asinine! You killed for your own enemy! What in the world does that make you? Whose side are all of you on? Will you help the humans again if they ask nicely? If they promised you something?"

She paused. This entire war has been so utterly pointless. We had all come to that conclusion during our march. How much blood have we spilled? And for what? Having reality thrust in my face with no way to deflect it, hurts. 

"Do you want to hear something amusing, Elf?" she asked with a wry smile. "I have taken Princess Zahra Zarate under my protection and am grooming her to one day become the greatest Queen of the Elves imaginable. The priestess that was with her also received a second oracle. The God of Order and Goddess of Chaos said to expect you to come to me. Why else do you think we were flying around in the middle of nowhere?

"Here is the amusing part. I was coming here to kill all of you. As traitors already, you could just as easily turn on me should I leave a single one of you alive. Then something ludicrous happened.

"Princess Zahra. The child whose parents you killed. The elf you have hunted. The young girl you have stolen her childhood from. The innocent person you would have killed on sight. That same princess begged me to spare you. She pleaded with me to give you a chance. While on her knees, tears streaming down her face, implored me that you could become better. 

"She believes you can reconcile. She thinks that you can all come together once more." She pounds her fist on the arm of her throne, making us all flinch. "Even though she will never know the embrace of her mother that you murdered, she shed tears for you!  Even though you worked for the humans, she took your sins onto herself. Know this, elves. I will give you the safety you seek. I will feed, clothe, and house you just like I am with the other elves.

"You will be given a chance. In exchange for the heartfelt tears of a young princess, I will give you one chance to prove that sparing your miserable lives was not a mistake. You can live safely, never fearing monsters or men. And you owe Princess Zahra for this. You owe her for your lives. You have a debt to her for the safety you will receive. There is an obligation to her for the mercy you are being shown. A mercy you never showed her or her parents.

"And know this." Her speaking voice that has reached the ears of  everyone in camp continues to do so. "I am declaring that the elven civil war has ended! Should any of you wish to continue it, step forward so I can kill you. Attack me and let my sword taste your blood. This farce of a war is over, and you lost. You lost the war, and as the victor, Princess Zahra believes you can reconcile. Whatever reparations she demands, you will accept with joy.

"Should anyone not wish to do so, should any of you be so ungrateful to your princess that you spit in her tear-stained face, then  leave. That way, Mitena here can have some amusement hunting you. As you are living in my city, you will be treated as refugees and guests. You are going to work with the other elves, and live under the rule of Princess Zahra. I will turn her into a Queen recognized by the [system] and she will be the greatest elven ruler in your history. 

"You traitors survived my wrath today by the grace of Princess Zahra. Never forget that. Never forget to who you owe your worthless lives to. If you go a month in that direction, you will see the stone walls of Midnight. We will be waiting for you with everything you need, and you will recognize Princess Zahra as your ruler while signing an official document recognizing your unconditional surrender. 

"Or, you can die by my hands or Mitena's teeth." She smiled sadistically. "We're fine either way." Her face returned to looking at us with contempt. "As it always has been, the choice is yours. You live or die with whatever consequences come from your decisions. I will see you in a month. Be ready to come to terms with losing the war and serving under the woman you hunted. 

"Your princess demands your presence in the city of Midnight. All of you. Should any choose to avoid this summons, I will see you as enemies and hunt you to the last. You will all come, and you will all join with the other elves. I'll be watching you. I'll warn you now. Don't disappoint me or test my patience.

"Serve Princess Zahra well, and thank the God of Order and the Goddess of Chaos. Pray and give thanks that even though you abandoned them, they still care for you. One final thing. Don't you DARE think about starting trouble in my city."

With a burst of flame, the Vampire Queen was in her armor and the throne and dais disappeared. She mounted the incarnation of death and flew off. That was hands down the most terrifying meeting of my life.

"D-did… Did we survive?" I managed to eke out.

"I… Think we did, Commander... What now?"

I laughed derisively. "That choice was already decided for us. We march to the town of Midnight, and thank Princess Zahra for saving our lives while accepting unconditional surrender."

There isn't any other choice for us. We'll continue with the heading she gave us... As soon as we can get our legs out of this stone, and rinse ourselves off.

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