"They’re retreating..." Vlad sighed deeply as he watched the Rat King finally back down.
His eyes quickly scanned the surrounding scene.
Bodies upon bodies of rats were scattered all across Shattered Sky, from the treetops to the bloodied rivers.
"Disgusting..." His face twisted in revulsion.
However, it wasn’t only the Rat King who had lost this battle—he and his people had as well.
His dead n had been reduced to mummies around him, their blood having been turned into a weapon by their leader during the fight.
Vlad couldn’t help but feel irritated. Both sides had suffered losses, and no one had gained anything.
It had been a aningless conflict.
"Cursed rat, even with a brain, it still thinks like an animal." Vlad slowly walked toward a throne made of stone and sat down.
The sun illuminated his pale figure after he had opened the mountain from the inside out.
The Rat King was a king in na only, yet he was an aspirant to true kingship—one who cared for his people.
"Bring a damage report. I want to know everything we lost," he ordered. A report was quickly handed to him.
"We lost around five hundred n. Our supplies were devoured by the rats along with any other resources. My lord, I regret to inform you that we lost everything except our lives. Even the tal and leather were eaten by the rats."
"He did this on purpose, just to irritate ." Vlad snorted angrily, clenching his fists and slamming them against the throne’s armrest before resting his head on his hand.
"We’ll have to move the schedule forward," he said flatly. "I know you’re tired, but I need the scouts to do their job. Otherwise, we’ll starve."
So of them nodded and imdiately dashed off toward the village where Kai was.
"The rest of you—sharpen your blades and repair your armor as best you can. Soon we’ll enter combat, and after that—gold, won, and good food and drink! Enough to forget the nightmares of Shattered Sky!"
He shouted, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Vlad laughed, amused at seeing his n eager to take the field, while he waited for the scouts to return—sothing that should have taken only a few hours.
However, his expression darkened after nearly a full day of waiting. His face twisted into a scowl.
His n had not returned as usual.
Sothing must have gone wrong. Perhaps the Rat King hunted them down in retaliation. Vlad imdiately called for a new group of scouts and sent them out.
Another day passed. This ti, Vlad pondered deeply, his gaze sharp.
’Sothing strange is going on... I’d better move instead of sacrificing more n in vain.’
With a sigh, he rose from the throne and walked toward the exit, drawing his people’s attention.
"Sotis a king must rember why he is king," Vlad chuckled, recalling a popular saying about lions.
"Wait here. I’ll return soon with good news."
His n nodded uneasily, unsure how to feel about it.
Vlad calmly crossed Shattered Sky, carefully observing his surroundings.
"They must have co this way," he said as he began tracking his n.
Without much difficulty, he found signs of a violent battle. The tracks led out of Shattered Sky and into a mist...
"Condor Mist in Axel? What’s going on?" He quickly noticed the dense fog and touched it carefully.
It felt like a mildly poisonous mist, very different from the true nightmares Condor could create.
"Too weak to affect or my n. I wonder if this is so desperate plan."
Vlad advanced anyway.
Soon, in the common misty woods of Axel, Vlad found the remains of his n—every one of them bearing claw cuts and burn marks across their bodies.
Vlad looked upon the scene with sorrow, sensing two eyes hidden within the fog watching him.
"You should retreat." Suddenly, Kai erged from the mist with black tears flowing from its seven orifices. "I know that you and your people are hungry, but here, only calamity awaits you."
Vlad laughed, amused.
"You’re right—Axel has always been a calamity." Vlad stared deeply at Kai. "You’ve always stolen our lands, destroyed our hos, and then called us primitive barbarians when we did the sa."
Kai remained unfazed.
Vlad burst into laughter, his eyes slowly tainted by the insanity cultivated over an entire lifeti.
"And if I don’t invade, what will we eat? Poison? Rats? Dirt? Call us whatever you want—raiders, barbarians, to hell with it! At least this way, we’ll survive."
Kai’s heart sank, but he didn’t show it.
"I’ve given my warning. I hope you’re wise enough not to lead your n to their deaths once again." Kai turned his back and walked toward the village.
Vlad clenched his teeth as he watched.
For years, his group had flown under the radar, disguising themselves as a common band of bandits.
For years, they had grown stronger and prepared for an attack on Axel.
For years, they had dread of reclaiming their territories.
And now, everything seed on the verge of collapse.
The natives, more than ever, faced the possibility of extinction.
With a sigh, he slowly made his way back, weighing his options.
Before he realized it, he was seated upon his throne once more.
His eyes scanned his n again.
’It’s sad to see this... the vast majority of them don’t even know life beyond cri.’
Vlad let out a dry laugh.
’Our people—reduced to raiders, confined to a poisonous land, and left to die.’
’If only it weren’t for that king...’
His hands gripped the throne tightly, nearly crushing it.
’I have no choice but to raid those lands.’
"n, it’s ti to fight!" he suddenly shouted, startling his soldiers—but they imdiately steadied themselves and rose, weapons in hand.
The crowd quickly marched across Shattered Sky with Vlad at the forefront, the ground trembling beneath their steps.
’First this village, then the neighboring ones. One after another, and then we’ll invade the nearby cities. It’ll be a busy day—but it’ll be worth it.’
Before long, Vlad reached the mist that blanketed the forest once again.
One more step, and he would be inside it.
"This is your last chance—turn back or face my wrath." Kai’s voice echoed through spells.
"That’s why I hate tigers," Vlad muttered before advancing once more.
His n soon entered the dense mist. The air was toxic, but their bodies handled it easily, drawing laughter.
"This is what we were supposed to fear?! So random fog?!" The n laughed as they marched and started singing.
"Just a little more, and the won will be mine for the night."
"Just a little more, and the n will scream as we kill their children."
"Just a little more, and the land will be bathed in blood, and we’ll finally be free from that cursed land."
Kai sighed.
"May the gods have rcy on your souls."
Kai then summoned his flas, and in the next instant...
"No!No!No!Retreat!Retreat!!!!" Vlad scread, his eyes penetrating the mist and understanding everything in the last mont.
But it was too late.
Vlad watched in horror and helplessness as the mist turned to fire at Kai’s ignition.
"Poor souls."
BOOOOOOOM
The entire forest erupted in flas.
Reviews
All reviews (0)