The Pale Death Saga: The Fall Of Emprea

[Lucifer Blight]

(Closed)

“All right then. Gentlemen, let us draw our attention to the task before us.” A man with short blond hair and fierce green eyes said to the group that sat around the table with him. The man’s outfit was obviously expensive, his white shirt being made of the finest silk, as well as his black pants. The gold decorations across his shoulders only added to the importance the man seemed to radiate. Despite the man’s medium build, it was clear to all that this person was the one in charge. The man’s name was Ares Victus, and he was obviously not one to be trifled with.

To his right sat a man with long brown hair and much cooler looking blue eyes. His outfit was not as expensive as the one worn by Ares, but still far out of reach to the common man. His blue silk robe had no gold decorations lacing it, but the outfit was still fine enough to be admired by most people. That man would be Trabant Magone, and although he did not pulse with authority like Ares, his figure still commanded respect.

To Ares left sat a man in full steel plate armor, save for the helmet that lay on the table. The armor was immaculate, not a scratch or dent could be seen. If the sun could somehow pierce the interior of the tent covering the group, there was no doubt that the armor would gleam with the sun’s bright rays. The man had a shaved patch of blond hair covering his large head, along with a rather large moustache to cover his chin. His blazing blue eyes were the type that commanded obedience. His name was Macbeth Zaine, and only a fool or man of great power would cross him. All three men were men of power and prestige.

And Lucifer Blight hated them all.

Lucifer Blight, the fourth man who sat across from Ares, despised those who shared the table with him. To him, they were nothing but a bunch of lackeys, following a fool who sat upon a throne. A throne, that at least in Lucifer’s mind, should be long to Lucifer Blight. But, that throne was forever beyond Lucifer’s reach. All in all, it would be fair to say that Lucifer had enough problems simply keeping his emotions under control most of the time.

Lucifer’s outfit was the least stunning of the three. He wore a loose long sleeve shirt that was a dark silver color, and his pants were of the same shade of color. Unlike both Ares and Trabant, Lucifer’s clothes were made of a fine cloth rather than silk (silk was far too delicate in Lucifer’s opinion). Although there was no gold on his shoulders, a dark blue cape did hang over the well-made wooden chair that he sat on. He was also the only one who had a sword sheathed at his side, which was a testament to either his warrior prowess or perhaps his violent attitude. In any case, that was how Lucifer looked as he sat with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, surrounded by three people he hated. He wondered at times if they even knew how he felt about them.

“Now gentlemen, if you will look at the map, you will see the obstacle we face. It is the castle of Emprea, and it is formidable. It has two layers of walls surrounding its keep, both of which have but one gate. Naturally, both walls have ample spots for archers to be placed along the top, and it goes without saying that they will greatly hinder any assault. Yet, King Victus has declared that this castle must fall, and so it must be done.”

Oh yes. King Victus. I was so caught up in my hate of you three that I had almost forgotten about the slime that sits upon my throne. If I hate the three of you with all my rage, the surely my hate for him must be something out of this world. Thought Lucifer as began to tap his left foot. Ares was known for giving long speeches even when a few simple sentences would do. In Lucifer’s opinion, all he had to say was “here’s the castle; let’s find a way to crush it.”

“It is true that our enemy has a formidable castle, Prince Victus, but it is also true that we outnumber them at least three to one. The price may be high, but just give the word and I will personally lead the assault against the castle walls. Our men shall lay down their lives by the thousands to breach that gate!” Macbeth nearly shouted as he slammed his fist into the table to signify his dedication. It was well known that King Agares of Carthage was very fond of Macbeth for a reason. The man was unflinching loyal to the king and his sons. Lucifer often thought of Macbeth as a sort of dog, who anxiously nips at the heels of a master who moves far too slowly.

“I do not doubt your sincerity General Macbeth, but let us not hasten to waste our resources. Surely, a frontal attack should not be the first option we leap to. Let us study the information before us, and then come up with a suitable plan.” Said Trabant in a soft voice, to which Ares nodded. And when Ares nodded, Macbeth immediately nodded as well. It was just like clockwork. One head nods, then another, then another, and so on until the clock broke. Lucifer could not wait for the day when the clock not only broke, but it was torn to bits and pieces and then set on fire.

“Brother, do you have anything to add?” Asked Ares, motioning at Lucifer who still sat with his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently. Lucifer had been looking up at the dull brown tent cover above them, but when he heard Ares speak he immediately snapped back into focus. Not out of respect or fear, but rather out of anger. We’re not brothers! Just because your daddy took the throne after my father was killed does not make us brothers! We have different last names for a reason! Lucifer nearly screamed, but instead kept his peace.

“What ever happened to that town we marched by on the way here?” Lucifer asked as he blankly stared at the map before him. It was rather actually detailed. It accurately depicted both layers of the castle walls, the gate on each wall, as well as what looked to be multiple connecting buildings within the second wall. One of them must have been the keep, another most likely the armory and storage area. Another had to be the barracks. It was a shame the spies hadn’t informed them of the rest.

“The one about two miles or so back? We left a group of soldiers there to survey the area. No interesting reports so far.” Trabant responded, causing Lucifer to nod his head. For a moment longer he stared at the map of the castle, while the other three men wondered just what exactly was going on in his head. Lucifer was famous throughout the kingdom for being secretive. It seemed he was not going to change his habits now.

“Fine. I’ll have that gate opened at tomorrow’s sunrise.” Lucifer muttered as he stood up and prepared to leave. He flung his cape over his shoulder with an irritated expression upon his face as he headed for the flap that doubled as the tent’s door. Unfortunately, he found himself detained a while longer when Macbeth shot up out of his seat, sending the wooden chair flying backwards into the tents wall.

“Are you saying you’ll have the first gate breached in a day? Did you acquire some sort of power while you were away?” Asked Macbeth in his usual loud voice. It was doubtful that Macbeth knew the meaning of the term inside voice, for Lucifer found him almost always shouting at something or someone. If I had acquired enough power to do what you say, do you think I’d be only a prince? Lucifer thought but knew better than to say.

“Nothing of the sort. I never said I could breach the gate. I said I could get it open. I’ll leave the actual breaching of the gate to you and those soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the glory of Carthage.” Lucifer responded, causing Macbeth to clench his fists in irritation. Macbeth may be strong, but when it came to tactics and tricks, the man most certainly did not graduate first in his class. But then again, Lucifer did so much enjoy that look of exasperation on Macbeth’s face.

“Relax Macbeth. I’ll need only a small group of cavalry to accomplish the task. That way, if I fail, we won’t have lost much and you’ll still have plenty of men to throw against the big stone wall.” Lucifer said, making sure to get in just a hint of sarcasm at the end. Macbeth seemed to be smart enough to realize the insult, for his face turned a bright shade of red. Ares, who had been listening quietly all this time, finally rose up to speak. Instantly all attention gravitated back towards him, except for Lucifer who turned his attention towards the door. He really wanted to get away from these people.

“Very well. Lucifer, take as many men as you need. Macbeth, organize the rest of the men. Make sure they’re prepared for a full-scale assault tomorrow. Trabant, why don’t you see if our engineers are finished putting together those catapults. I’ve a feeling we’ll need them tomorrow.”

Both Trabant and Macbeth bowed in response while Lucifer gave a short nod. Yet even nodding to Ares was something that drove Lucifer mad, he couldn’t imagine having to actually bow to the scum. But, on the bright side, Lucifer was finally free to leave the tent and do what he did best, which was wage war. It was a trait that seemed to be absent from the Victus bloodline, judging from the worried faces he saw whenever anyone of that family dared to set foot on the field of battle.

Relax Victus. I’ll show you how to wage a war.

[Viola Conda]

Duty….a sense of honor…pride….

To Active Chief Counselor of the Emprean army, Viola Conda, duty pride and honor were among the most note worthy thoughts in her head. Her duty was her pride, and her honor was showcased by her impressive record. She was a gem to the Emprean army, a rare valuable jewel that was not easily found or forged. She was a woman who asked for little but trust and respect, and in turn she gave everything she had back.

So why she was sitting in a kneeling position, locked inside a steel pillory with her face and arms stuck out in a very uncomfortable position was to be anyone’s guess. It was just high enough that her body was forced to hang unless she sat upon her knees, which now ached along with her head, which was racked with questions she could never find an answer to.

Had she done something wrong she would gladly accept her fate. But this was not a simple punishment. This was absolute torture pure and simple. The questions flooded her head like a tidal wave, never ending as the waves crashed one into another, intensifying her growing head ache.

“She hasn’t even said a word…” a whisper broke out. “She doesn’t move much either…”

“So is it really her? Our teacher General Conda is being locked up in a pillory of sleeplessness?” a curios voiced whispered back.

“Shut up you dolt! Nobody is supposed to know of her name or anything! Just forget it. She never existed.” The whisper response from the first person was in a higher pitch, and it caused Viola to let off a small silent sigh.

She remembered the last month so vividly after she saw her king and was led to the lower dungeon. She was told she was going to protect an Emprea treasure, but instead she was jumped by fifteen of her most loyalists students and friends, forced into exile. People she held dear to her and trusted with her personal feelings and thoughts. She was taken and left for dead after they beat the living tar out of her, their taunts ringing in her ears like a small alarm clock that never could shut off. They told her that her name was to be forgotten, every scroll already eliminating her name from history. She would disappear from Emprea, replaced some new guy. And as far as Emprea was concerned Viola Conda never existed.

She would cry if she could figure out which emotion would cause her to. She was angry, confused, shattered, broken, humiliated, and worst of all a new feeling she had never known haunted her heart and brain.

Duty was a feeling Viola Conda knew so well she felt like it was a brother. Betrayal was a feeling she was just now getting acquainted to.

[Lucifer Blight]

The entire village had gathered in the center of the town, every single pair of eyes focused in one direction. Children huddled around their parents, wives around their husbands, all shuddering at fear of the unknown. Only moments ago, the small occupational force had up and completely deserted the town, leaving not a single Carthage soldier behind. At first, the townspeople had thought their luck had finally changed for good. They had hoped that their kingdom of Emprea had struck back and forced the invaders back to where they had come from. Yet, as hundreds of eyes stared up at the large grassy hill before the town, the townspeople knew that they had no such fortune.

The rising sun sent streaks of orange across the land, streaks which glistened off the steel armor worn by the soldiers surrounding the town. Each man sat upon a lightly armored horse lined up side-by-side, completely surrounding the town at all exits save for the one spot that Lucifer had ordered to be left open. Grinning sadistically at the town before him, Lucifer rode a few feet ahead of his men to look at the place that would soon be wiped from the face of the earth. Actually, it wasn’t just this town that would be wiped away; it was the entire kingdom that was destined to be turned to dust.

“Sir! All of our troops are in position. The preparations have been complete, all we need now is your order.” Shouted one of the soldiers as he galloped up next to Lucifer. The prince’s smile turned even more sadistic as he stroked the black hair of the horse he sat upon and gazed one last time at the town and the terrified villagers. Look at their faces! Look how they cower in fear! Too afraid to move! Too afraid to defend themselves! All they can do is cower pathetically like a beaten dog! They don’t deserve to live! Thought Lucifer as he rode back towards the line of men that patiently awaited his command. Power was such a great thing.

“Gentlemen. Light your torches!” Cried Lucifer as every single horseman reached behind them and produced a single torch. As one, the entire unit lit their torches, sending a large stream of black smoke up into the orange dawn above. Lucifer grabbed the sword strapped to his side and yanked it out of its sheath, sending a loud shrieking noise throughout the land. He quickly raised his sword upwards, the orange rays of the sun dancing off the steel blade as it soared upwards to the sky. Several screams erupted from the village as the frightened citizens of Emprea began to take flight.

“Let’s go! Take what you want and burn the rest! The country of Emprea doesn’t exist anymore! Their land, their wealth, and everything else belong to us!” Shouted Lucifer as the cavalry around him let out a single cry in unison. All at once the entire Carthage unit descended upon the small village, completely engulfing the place. Husbands were separated from their wives, children from their parents, pets from their caretakers. As the Carthage unit road into the city, the soldiers flung their torches onto the thatched roofs before them, instantly setting the village aflame. Soon enough, the village matched the color of the rising sun, as the flames began to rise higher and higher into the sky. To no avail the villagers cried out for mercy, receiving none from their assailants.

“Flee! Flee or face my blade you pitiful dogs! Hell, I don’t care if you do flee! I’ll cut you down all the same!” Screamed Lucifer as he galloped through the streets of the village, swinging his sword about as he rode. Resentment easily cleaved through the unprotected villagers before the prince, staining the streets red with their blood and filling the air with their death cries. Lucifer laughed as he slaughtered all before him, drenching himself and his blade in a coat of crimson. Some of the townsmen valiantly armed themselves with whatever they could find, trying their best to defend their loved ones. But pitchforks and hope are no match for cold steel and well-trained soldiers. The small village of Emprea was doomed the moment Lucifer raised his sword.

“As you planned my lord, all of the townspeople flee towards the one gap in our lines. Shall we cease the attack and regroup while we prepare for the second part of the plan?” Asked a nearby soldier (by the small ranking signs on his shoulder, Lucifer guessed the man ranked about a lieutenant). This particular soldier’s sword was bloodless, signifying that he did not approve of the slaughter of innocents. That was to be expected, not all people enjoyed carnage as much as Lucifer did. However, most soldiers also didn’t mind taking advantage of the chaos caused by the slaughter to enrich their own lives. After all, the army paid low wages, had poor housing, and offered very few benefits. Yet one of the major bonuses in any battle was that the property of the fallen quickly became the property of the victors. Lucifer had no intention of depriving his men of that right.

“No. We don’t stop until we’ve burnt this town to ash.” Lucifer said coldly as he turned his attention back to the flames before him. The bright flames danced before the prince’s brown eyes, imparting a flickering orange glow on Lucifer as he surveyed the carnage he wrought. Before him houses burned, people bled, and children wept. Carthage soldiers spread through the town; looting and pillaging anything they could get their hands on. Several men abandoned their horses so they could better reach the valuables that were dropped as the terrified citizens ran for their lives. It was a sight of pure horror and hate, a vision of just how black man’s heart could be. Lucifer loved it.

“As you wish my lord.” The lieutenant muttered as he slowly rode off, hunching his shoulders towards the ground as he did so. Obviously that man disapproved of Lucifer’s methods. Of course, the two men who had just come out of a burning house clutching a rather large chest obviously had different feelings on the matter. Lucifer watched the men carry away their booty until an old man let out a cry and leapt from a burning building nearby. The old man’s skin was burnt badly, the charred black marks easily visible in the light of the flames. If the man lived, he would probably have those marks for the rest of his life. Yet the man had obviously quit carrying about his own life, for in his old hands the man grasped a bloody pitchfork and charged straight towards Lucifer. Instantly Lucifer batted aside the untrained and feeble man’s attacking pitchfork, retaliating by thrusting Resentment into the man’s exposed throat.

“FATHER! DIE MURDERER!” Screamed a slightly younger man from behind Lucifer as the prince yanked his blade out of the old man, who fell to the ground clutching his fatally wounded throat. The prince quickly whipped his horse about as the younger man raised a small dagger in his right hand. Lucifer quickly kicked the sides of his horse, sending the horse into a mad dash down the street, straight towards the screaming villager. The villager flung his dagger just as Lucifer was upon him, managing to cut the prince’s shoulder. Lucifer’s sword, however, was far more accurate than the man’s dagger. As a small trickle of Lucifer’s own blood began to mix with fresh bloodstains on his shirt, Lucifer raised his sword and brought it down into the assailant’s skull. A crimson mist burst into the air as the sword cut into the man’s skull, drenching Lucifer’s face in a coat of blood. The villager didn’t even have time to scream as he fell next to his father, who had managed to crawl towards his son before his throat bled dry.

“BURN! BURN IT ALL! BURN THE KINGDOM OF EMPREA TO THE GROUND!” Shouted Lucifer as he waved his sword around in the air, sending the fresh blood into the sky. The prince’s voice raced through the town, whipping the remaining citizens into a full-fledged panic. Almost as one, the surviving villagers dropped whatever they were holding and began to run. They ran as far and as fast as they could, to the only place left for them. Their village was gone; the Carthage army would make sure of that. Only one place of salvation remained, and the citizens thanked the Gods that no enemy soldier could be seen on that path.

*~*~*~

“Good God sir! Look at that!” Cried one of the Emprea sentries from atop the outermost castle wall. A lean man in plate armor quickly rushed over to the sentry and looked in the direction of the sentry’s finger. In the distance, a cloud of black smoke scared the otherwise untouched sunrise. The commander’s mouth dropped open at the sight as several other guards began to make their way over towards the sight, eager to see just exactly what all the shouting was about. When they finally caught a glimpse of what the young sentry had been pointing at, numerous voices all began to shout out at once.

“Jesus Christ! My family lives in that village!”

“Those Carthage bastards! They’ve no honor!”

“My father lives there! He’s old…he can’t even walk! SHIT!”

A murmur of cries and curses began to fill the castle wall as more and more soldiers learned the fate of the nearby village. A village that they as soldiers were suppose to protect. But, instead of rescuing their fellow countrymen, they had been ordered to stand their ground and hold the castle. Whispers of a cowardly king began to find their way through the castle walls as the keen-eyed sentry spotted yet another sight.

“Sir! Sir! Look at that…it’s the villagers…” Cried the sentry as he pointed towards a mass of people running as fast as they could. Instantly a horde of soldiers scrambled about, each trying to get a good look at the fleeing survivors. The solders’ eyes scanned the mass of people, looking for those they cared about to no avail. There were far too many people scrambling to make out just who was who. The only way to figure out just who had survived the Carthage attack would be to open the gates and let in the fleeing villagers.

“Sir! If we don’t open the gates, the Carthage army will slaughter the survivors! We have to let those people in!” Cried out one of the soldiers as the villagers made their way to the closed gate of Emprea castle. The villagers only hope was that the soldiers would let them inside, or else they would be killed to the last man. The mad prince at the head of the Carthage army would see to that.

The commander quickly sent word to the king asking for instructions, but he knew there was not enough time. Shouts of the villagers begging to be let in rose upwards towards the ears of the castle soldiers, and those cries were soon mixed with the cries of the soldiers begging to save their fellow country men. The commander glanced at the black smoke in the air, then back at the main battle lines of Carthage. If he didn’t do something quick, he might have a riot on his hands. There was no telling what his men would do if they saw their own families butchered right in front of them.

“Okay men! Line up, side by side! Spear men to the front; march out just ahead of those survivors to cover them as we let them inside! Let’s get those gates open!”

*~*~*~*~

“Commander Ares! This is inexcusable! You’re brother has gone ahead and raided a town for spoils, nothing more! He is not fighting the enemy, he is slaughtering for fun and reaping pillaged wealth!” Cried Macbeth as he ran up to Ares, who was viewing the sight before them. The Carthage battle lines had already been prepared and the troops would charge when given the order. Only problem was, all Ares could attack at this moment was a group of helpless villagers huddling around a closed gate. Unlike his adopted brother, Ares found no joy in that.

“I wouldn’t be so sure Macbeth. Lucifer’s plan is cruel, but rather well thought out. If I’ve guessed it right, that gate will be opening very soon. Your majesty, I recommend giving the order to move forward.” Trabant said softly as he walked up to where Macbeth and Ares stood. Unlike the two other men before him, Trabant was skilled at strategies. The minute he had seen the smoke rise into the air Trabant had guessed Lucifer’s plan. All in all, the bastard prince was actually quite capable when it came to the battlefield.

“This is mindless slaughter! Your majesty, give me the order so I can put a stop to this senseless…” Macbeth forced himself to stop mid-sentence as all three men gazed at the closed gate before them. A loud creaking noise could be heard across the empty field, and the steel gates of Emprea castle finally began to open.

“All units! CHARGE!” Cried Ares, as the forces of Carthage rushed towards the open gates.

[Viola Conda]

The drips of water in the dungeon had become a slow irritancy that Viola paid close attention to only in extreme situations of boredom. She had no clue how long she had been imprisoned in the pillory but she could tell by the growling in her stomach it was quite a long while. She could never recall a time of when she was so hungry in her entire life, but then again a lot of new things had started surfacing for her as of late. She focused that hate and used it to concentrate on something else, and the pain of hunger would subside. But she knew eventually that stabbing knife would twist and her will would give out no matter how angry she was.

“Did you hear about the attack?” The first guard murmured. Viola’s ears began to tingle as she heard the word ‘attack’.

“Ya, that village just south of the main gate…torched. All those citizens got nowhere to run.”

“What do you think the king will do?” Viola could hear the metal armor shifting, a sure fire signal the guard was shrugging. “Well, he loves his people. He would open the doors for them.” Viola’s eyes grew hazy.

Something about this all seemed, easy. True nothing was easy about the homes of people being destroyed, but the attack was far too easy. It was done with only one simple solution, and that was to lead the villager’s right into the castle gates where the doors…

“LISTEN TO ME YOU BAFOONS!” Viola shouted for the first time in what seemed like ages. Immediately she regretted such a high tone for her throat ached as if on fire. She hadn’t spoken for a lot longer than she realized.

“Shut up in there!” the guard said angrily.

“Ya, if we wanted your advice you would still be sitting upon the council!” The men’s insults drive deep into her heart. Soon reality had caught up with her and placed a firm leash around her thoughts. No, no one would listen to Viola Conda anymore. She was in this place for a reason. Her services were rendered useless. Still, a nagging presence insisted upon her doing something.

“Please, Emprea is in danger, if we open those gates an army will charge in after the villagers!” Viola rasped out. “I know this stuff you fools, One of you has studied under me!”

“She does have a point…” One guard started to say defensively.

“Don’t listen to that which’s mind games, Daniel.” The other guard said. “From what I heard a lot people were taught under her, if you know what I mean.” Viola’s rage returned two fold. She was now having her dignity raped before her very ears.

“Really?” Daniel said.

“How else would she get so high up? She had to sleep her way to the top!” the guard stressed out the importance of his words. “And when the king found out she was trying to sleep with him so she could be queen, well you know where she is now.” Viola’s mouth how lung in shock.

“I NEVER DID SUCH A THING!” Viola’s rage caused her to try and rip free from her prison. While the snapping of wood was soon audible, the groaning of chains wasn’t, and she remained stuck where she was. She soon ran out of energy and her stomach grumbled in much disapproved anger at her attempt to work on an empty stomach.

“ENEMY!” A far off voice shouted. The two guards ran forward with their weapons, leaving Viola all to herself.

A single tear ran down her face as the curse of betrayal hummed over her. Like a demon spirit filling up a goblet to drink from, and her tears would be the wine of choice.

[Lucifer Blight]

The Carthage infantry quickly rushed across the open field as the Emprea spearman began to fan out in front of the castle. A sudden burst of arrows flew from the castle walls and towards the charging Carthage battle lines, managing to mow down several men before the battle had even really begun. However, a majority of the Carthage troops made it to the first of the two castle walls unhampered, forcing the small Emprea force to fight hand to hand.

The Emprea captain played his part well, his troops quickly surrounding the fleeing villagers. Armed with their spears, the Emprea forces were able to keep a majority of Carthage at bay while the archers on the castle walls picked off Carthage troops as quickly as they could. However Carthage had plenty of men to spare, and while the Emprea troops formation did not break, the Emprea troops were slowly beginning to be pushed together in one huddled mass.

The Emprea captain quickly looked back towards the civilians, whom by this time had managed to, for the most part, flee into the safety of the castle walls. All non-combatants left outside of the walls were now just the sick, elderly, and very young. Unfortunately, it was exactly that group of people that the captain wanted to protect the most. Sighing, he tightly grasped his shield and stabbed his short sword into the gut of a nearby foe. The Emprea loses were slowly on the rise and he had to pull his men back quickly.

“Sir, the Carthage is beginning to press the middle! Reports say it can’t hold out much longer!” Shouted a nearby soldier, covered in blood and holding a spear that had been broken in two. The captain shook his head and considered his options. Can’t fall back just yet. If I do, not only will the rest of the villagers die but Carthage could also rush through the gate. I’ve only one option.

“Tell the flanks to spread out! Surround the Carthage army!” Shouted the Captain as the soldier nodded and then quickly took off. It was a major gamble spreading his men thin, but if it worked the Captain knew that his men would have a huge advantage. If surrounded, only the Carthage troops on the sides would be able to fight. The Carthage troops in the middle would never be able to make it through the mass of bunched up Carthage soldiers.

The formation went off without a hitch, and slowly but surely the fighting grew less and less. Proudly, the Captain smiled as the last of the villagers managed to make it into the castle. He was about to give the order to retreat when a loud rumble reached the Captain’s ears. Turning quickly to his right, the Captain’s smile was quickly replaced with fear.

“Cavalry at our right flank!” Cried a soldier, far too late. The Captain’s daring maneuver had managed to stave off the majority of the Carthage troops, but this new threat was aimed directly at the thinned right flank of Emprea. It was not a massive amount of cavalry, but it would be enough. The Captain was about to give the order to concentrate all archer fire on the incoming threat, but the group moved too fast and soon broke through the Emprea right flank.

“Retreat! Full retreat! Fall back to the castle!” The Captain yelled as he began to move back while the Carthage cavalry quickly rode through the Emprea battle lines. The spears that Emprea had would have stopped the charge instantly, had the spearmen not been busy holding of the Carthage infantry. Not only that, but the cavalry was free from archer fire, for as good as Emprea archers were they could not hope to fire into the now chaotically huddled mass of horses and infantry and hope only to hit the enemy.

The unhindered left flank quickly pulled back, for that was the line that had the least to worry about. The front line, however, was caught directly in-between the cavalry and the Carthage infantry. The shattered right flank had absolutely no chance of retreating properly, for those troops had been completely scattered by the cavalry charge. The Captain glared at the rider at the front of the cavalry, a man covered in blood and wielding a large bastard sword. The rider was almost upon the captain, who with his small short sword and shield did not have a chance.

“Tell the archers to fire at the cavalry! It doesn’t matter if they hit our own troops, we’ve got to stop them here or else-” The captain never managed to finish his order, for a steel blade quickly buried itself into the man’s throat, causing no small amount of blood to gush forth onto the already stained ground below. The captain went down gurgling and screaming as Lucifer trampled over him with his horse.

~*~*~*~

“Not a chance you scum! Ride through the bastards! Don’t stop until we’ve cut a path straight through!” Lucifer shouted as he waved his sword about, urging his men onwards. The prince had waited for just the right time to enter the battle, and when Emprea had thinned their lines to surround the Carthage forces Lucifer knew it was the perfect time to attack. Spilling blood wherever they rode, Lucifer’s horsemen quickly cut through the now disorganized Emprea forces.

When Lucifer was almost through, he felt a sudden pain strike the left part of his chest. Lucifer jerked in agony as an arrow pierced into him, mixing the prince’s blood with his enemies. Cursing, Lucifer pressed his left hand against the wound as his men managed to burst through the last of the Emprea forces.

“Prince! You must retreat; you’re a prime target for the archers! We’ll handle the rest! You need treatment for that wound!” A horseman shouted as he rode up to the wounded prince. Lucifer scowled and glanced back at the main battle where the Carthage infantry had finally broken through the center and were at the very gates of the first wall of Emprea. Lucifer grinned sadistically and whipped his horse around, sending the blood on Lucifer flying through the air. Heh. Now it’s time for part two. Those Emprea dogs won’t know what hit them. I can’t wait to see the faces of those cowering in the castle when I shatter the second wall.

“The wound can wait! Tell our troops to break the first gate to bits and fall back! Everyone needs to fall back, not just my cavalry! Make sure you do it orderly; I don’t want to see a confused mass of soldiers running away with their tails tucked between their legs! If anyone complains, tell them I’ll execute them myself!” Shouted Lucifer as he galloped off to the rear lines of the Carthage troops. Lucifer had taken a small group of men and given them a special mission at the village, and now those men would prove to be very useful.

The fall of Emprea was close at hand.

[Viola Conda]

The loud echoing of horses and feet stampeding the castle rang throughout even the lowest dungeon levels like a loud war drum being beaten erratically by a battle crazed goblin. The echoing caused a few of the prisoners to stir to life, like sleeping dragons being awakened from a long nap, shouting profanity and pleas for help as if the loud rush of noise could hear their pleas. It would be only a matter of time before the stampede would be silenced and be replaced with the definitive sound of steel clashing against steel.

Viola Conda sat in her pillory prison pondering what she could do from her position. All she knew was according to the sounds she heard there were thousands of enemy soldiers coming for her kingdom, and the meager forces of Emprea would surly not be able to withstand the iron curtain their enemy was drawing around them.

She strained one last time against her wooden holding, but again her weak system fell to the lack of proper nourishment and lack of sleep. Fatigue and restlessness all hit her like a rock to the back of the head, forcing her to feel emotions of different kinds before she was ready to feel them. Rage was at the top, pain was at the bottom.

She knew exactly what tactic had led to her precious kingdoms doom, but that mattered little now. All that mattered was that in a few moments time, perhaps two or so hours, Emprea would be a legend for children’s bed stories, and she would be executed along with the other prisoners by whatever army had come to engage her homeland. She felt like crying, but held it in.

~*~*~*~

“Your majesty, I ask you to please stay in your seat.” A stern voice ruffed out. “We have all fifty of your elite soldiers and all twelve of your highest ranked officials, including of course,” A large portion of pride filled the air. “Your Active Cheif Counselor Renald Victor. You will be safe with us.”

“Renald, I will feel safer when I feel competent in your skills. So far I just see the death of my people, and the savage slaughtering of my men as the Carthage army moves ever forward towards the castle gates. And what’s worse you fool is that you couldn’t see this attack coming. You have placed your king in danger. I really should kill you for this, but I already have her on my conscious.” Renald took two steps back and four helpings of humble pie before his fidgeting came to a stop.

“Your majesty, may I ask how you know who the enemy is?” Renald let off a soft laugh. “I mean, I talked with Carthage myself, the alliance we formed…” He was cut off by the king very quickly who raised a hand to slap his counselor. Renald retreated in cowardice. Instead the king grabbed Renalt by the hair and forced him to follow him to the window where he shoved his face against the glass and pointed.

“THAT’S WHY!” The king shouted in a furious rage. He was pointing two a few cavalry units with one crazed man wearing no armor. “See the Carthage banner? See the Carthage men recklessly killing everyone in my army!” Renald rubbed his nose while nodding, sending the king into another fit. He tossed Renald down to the ground. “I am half tempted to bring back her if your incompetence doesn’t disappear soon!” The king threatened sitting upon his thrown taking out a long Tetsubu with Jade spikes sticking out the stalky base. Upon the end of the hilt was the Emprean emblem forged into the tip and the smoked out sun still made the green of the jade stand out.

“My lord…” A general said stepping forward. “The Carthage army is falling back.” The king raised an eye-brow in suspicion.

“See my lord, Emprea will not be vanquished so easily.” Renald said getting up.

“No Chief Counselor,” The king said steadily. “Not so easily. But we will be Vanquished.” He said sadly. Renald turned his head to the side like a stupid confused dog.

“THE SECOND WALL IS FALLING!” A soldier shouted from outside the palace doors.

~*~*~*~

A single tear was joined by another.

[Lucifer Blight]

“Are we prepared on this end?” Muttered Lucifer as he rode towards the rear lines while the majority of the Carthage army began to fall back. Still bleeding from the arrow wound, Lucifer hopped off his horse while several Carthage soldiers scurried about, putting the final touches on Lucifer’s master plan.

“Yes sir! We’ve done as you asked.” Said one Carthage soldier as he saluted while multiple other soldiers began to form groups of three. Lucifer clutched his wound as he turned his attention back to the castle of Emprea. By now, most of the Carthage soldiers had fallen back a bit, leaving a clear path through the first shattered gate to the second still standing gate.

“Excellent. Begin the operation.” Lucifer said with a nod as the Carthage troops all shouted in agreement. Each group of soldiers produced a large rubber tube that had been designed in the shape of a circle. Exactly in the middle of the tube was a black piece of plastic where small circular objects could be placed. Lucifer smiled as makeshift brown packages were placed were quickly placed in each of the plastics.

“Brother. What are these…contraptions?” Ares asked as he walked up towards Lucifer. Unlike Lucifer, whose clothes and hair were drenched in blood, Ares battle gear was untouched. Irritated, but not very surprised, Lucifer realized that his brother had yet to even see the front line. His hatred of the man had just doubled.

“A child’s toy put to good use. Those contraptions are sling shots, very powerful ones to be exact. Those brown packages are filled with gunpowder I stole from that village. You didn’t think I was plundering just for fun, did you?” Lucifer said with a grin as Macbeth walked up to the two princes. Like Ares, Macbeth’s armor was completely devoid of any blood.

“And what of the other things you plundered? I hear your troops made off with a small fortune.” Snapped Macbeth as he confronted Lucifer. All Lucifer did was shrug at Macbeth while the soldiers yanked back their slingshots and let their hand-made bombs soar through the air. Soon enough, numerous explosions pounded against the second gate of Carthage.

“Soldiers will be soldiers. Winners in war have been taking the losers’ possessions for as long as I can remember. I have no intention of depriving our soldiers of that tradition. After all, I heard our king had his eyes on Emprea’s vast treasury.” Lucifer added at the last second in a sarcastic voice. Although he did not know the full story, the rumor in the castle court was that constant splurging by King Victus and the rest of the nobles had left the castle treasury quite bare. Although there was no real proof, Lucifer did not believe the rumor was far-fetched. His adopted sister was known to spend thousands of gold on clothing.

“I would think a prince of Carthage would know better than to listen to such unfounded rumors!” Barked Macbeth as Ares held his tongue. Several more explosions could be heard off in the distance as a Carthage soldier ran up to Lucifer to inform him that the there were no bombs left to fire at the gate. The small village had not provided a very large source of gunpowder. Still, looking at the Carthage gate that was now charred black, Lucifer was certain it would not take much to break it to pieces.

“Very well. Send a message to the front; tell them to begin another assault on the gate. Don’t stop till you’ve cut your way through the throne room. And the treasury.” Lucifer ordered as Macbeth nearly leapt out of his armor. The large man probably would have if it wasn’t for Ares placing his hand on Macbeth’s shoulder.

“Well, seems like Emprea is about to fall. Would either of you two like to lead the assault?” Lucifer asked as he turned his attention towards his adopted brother and Macbeth. Once again Macbeth was ready to leap at the opportunity, but Ares once again held the man in place.

“After all the work you’ve done it would be wrong of us to steal the victory. You’ll be at the front of the charge. After you treat your wound of course.” Ares said as he took Macbeth away from Lucifer. There was no doubt in his mind that the purpose of Ares putting Lucifer at the front was a way to hopefully kill off the reckless prince who was becoming more vocal about his hatred for the king each passing day. Don’t worry brother. Someday soon, I’ll find a way to put an end to your worries. Thought Lucifer as he clenched his fist and headed towards a nearby tent.

Several Minutes later…

“The arrow missed your vital organs my lord. You’ve the luck of the devil. Just a little standard healing tonic and you should be as good as new.” The medic told Lucifer as he impatiently sat on a small bed inside the medic’s tent. The minute the medic slapped on the tonic a sudden burst of heat coursed through Lucifer’s wound and then the wound quickly began to cool. When the temperature returned to normal, Lucifer was ready to charge into Emprea once more.

“Good. Thanks for your help. You’re excused.” Lucifer muttered as the doctor left the tent while Lucifer stood up and stretched his arms. As soon as he established that his arm was as good as new, Lucifer quickly snatched up his sword and latched it to his belt. Instantly after that Lucifer began to head off to the front, only to be stopped by Trabant before he managed to exit the tent.

“Off so soon my lord? You’ve only just recovered.” Said Trabant as he strolled into the tent carrying a steel chest plate in his hands. Lucifer simply glared at the strategist, somewhat irritated at the man. Although Trabant was far from the lackey that Macbeth was, Lucifer still had no love for any of his father’s men.

“Someone has to lead our forces. It seems my brother has elected me to the task.” Lucifer muttered as he motioned for Trabant to get out of his way. Nodding, Trabant stood aside while passing the steel piece of armor over towards Lucifer.

“I assumed as much. This time though, you should at least wear some armor. You’ll find this chest plate strong enough to cover your heart, but light enough to maneuver freely. I thought it would fit your style of combat.” Trabant said as Lucifer nodded and began to don the armor. Trabant didn’t have to say that Lucifer’s style of fighting involved moving quickly so he could butcher fleeing foes. That went without saying.

“Thanks Trabant. You’re not like my so-called brother and his lackey Macbeth, are you?” Lucifer asked as he headed for the tent’s door. Trabant simply shrugged in response.

“I don’t know what you mean my lord.” Was Trabant’s only response, which was enough of a response to cause Lucifer to wait around just a little longer. Smiling wickedly without turning to face Trabant, the prince opened the tent flap in front of him and stared at the now wrecked Emprea castle.

“Those two follow my old man blindly. Not you though, you’re a schemer. Where people die for honor, you’d gladly trade your honor for a prize, wouldn’t you? Stop me if I’m wrong.” Lucifer said in a low voice so that no passing guard had a chance of hearing the two men talk. Trabant simply bowed his head in response to Lucifer’s accusation.

“I simply serve to the best of my ability, however much that may be. Not everyone is meant for the front line, which is fine with me. Many people that are sent to the front don’t come back, if you understand my meaning.” Was Trabant’s response, clearly hinting at Lucifer’s current survival odds. The strategist was fully aware of why Ares had sent Lucifer to the front lines, as was Lucifer.

“I understand the meaning. Have fun while I’m gone.” Lucifer answered while walking off towards Emprea. Trabant, on the other hand, simply leaned back against a table and pondered for a little while. That young prince is smarter than the butcher I took him for. Now, I wonder what his plans are for after the battle… Thought Trabant as he began to carefully lay plans of his own.

Later at the front…

Calmly, and this time without having to cut his way through hundreds of enemies and peasants, Lucifer strolled down the stairs of one of the buildings in the Emprea courtyard. Upon his arrival, Lucifer had learned that most of the courtyard had been taken by Carthage troops, but there was a fierce pocket of resistance centered around the entrance to the main hall. It was such a fierce resistance that it had most Carthage troops staying put rather than risk death. While Lucifer could have ordered the charge anyway, he decided there was a better way to break into the main hall.

“My Lord Lucifer! Is there something we can do for you?” Asked a Carthage soldier as Lucifer finished his walk down the stairs. While the air above had been thick with blood and sounds of fighting, the air down hear was musk and dank. Most dungeons usually were.

“The attack has been halted, I’ve come to fix that. Where are the main prisoner cells?” Asked Lucifer, and in response the guard quickly led him down a nearby hall. Lucifer ignored the foul smell that emanated from the rotting stonewalls and instead turned his focus towards the multiple prisoners being held in Emprea cells. It appeared that the long arm of Emprea law had grabbed many a person, which was all the better for Lucifer’s plan.

“Well gentlemen, it appears you have a bit of a choice. You see, I’ve come to offer you men a chance at salvation.” Lucifer said as he addressed the cells before him. One by one, the prisoners began to head towards their cell doors, interested to see what the man before them had to say. Once he had their attention, Lucifer began to speak loudly as he strolled down the hall, eyeing as many of the prisoners as he could. Most looked feeble and weak, most likely from their current environment. Not that it mattered; even as feeble as they were they would serve their purpose.

“I don’t know how much you know, so I’ll just give you the summary of the current events. We, Carthage, are here to crush Emprea. Political reasons and all that garbage aside, I assure you that Emprea shall fall. Now, the original plan is to take all the prisoners and make them stand trial, just as Emprea had planned. Our Commander is a sticker for justice.” Lucifer spoke as he walked back towards the halls entrance, running his hand across some of the prison bars just for effect. He needed to make sure the prisoners understood their current situation, which wasn’t all that bright.

“However, I’m a bit more of a realist. I don’t care what you did under Emprea rule, what matters to me is what you do under Carthage rule. So I’ll offer a deal to anyone willing to take it. Fight for me, and you’ll receive your pardon. Flee after the battles done, or stick around in our army. I really don’t give a damn what you do after the battle is fought. You could of course stay here and let my brother follow through his grand scheme of justice; it’s your call really. Any takers?” Not surprisingly, there was a whole throng of people eager to get out of their cells. Lucifer smirked as he turned his attention to the guard next to him.

“Get some weapons and additional men. Pass the weapons along to these recruits, and make sure you have enough men to control them incase they start to think they dislike Carthage rule. When you’ve armed them, send them to the front. Tell whoever’s up there that these men are for front line duty. I want them to be first to charge.” Lucifer ordered as the guard saluted and ran off to accomplish his task. Lucifer turned back around and surveyed his new rabble army. There were about a good hundred men down here or so, no doubt due to the present wartime conditions. War always had a way of raising the crime rate of a country. The chances of these hundred men surviving the first charge was slim, but better them than Carthage soldiers.

“And what have we here?” Lucifer asked as he left the main cells and instead focused on a solitary cell that was far away from any other cell. At the heavy iron door that blocked all viewing into the cell stood two Carthage soldiers, and at their feet stood to Emprea soldiers with the weapons cast aside and their hands tied.

“Were not sure sir. We were just questioning the guards when you arrived. Apparently this cell is used for holding very important or particularly dangerous criminals. Traitors and such would be the common use for this cell. It’s just a single cell, with only one person in it at a time.” Answered one of the guards as Lucifer’s eyes began to light up with interest. If there was someone so dangerous worthy of such precautions (the solid iron door before him looked like it would take quite a pounding to knock down), Lucifer simply had to know just who was inside.

“Hey, who’s in there? Or do you always leave this thing locked?” Lucifer asked one of the capture soldiers as he reached out and gave the door a hard tug. It appeared that Lucifer would need a key to open this door, for as strong as Lucifer thought he was he was also certain he couldn’t force his way through this door.

“Just a whore who tried to sleep her way to the top of our royalty.” Spat one of the guards at Lucifer. In response, Lucifer simply raised his eyebrows. Under normal circumstances Lucifer would have taught the man a lesson, but at the moment he really wanted to see who was inside.

“Your country is so afraid of a whore that you had to lock her up in this? No wonder you’re losing. Open the door.” Lucifer ordered. When no prisoner made a move, Lucifer simply sighed and yanked his sword out of his sheath. That proved to be more than enough motivation for the prisoners, since one of them quickly reached to his belt and took out a key ring. A Carthage soldier quickly snatched up the ring and stuck the key into the door, earning a loud clicking noise for his efforts. Nodding, Lucifer rested his sword on his shoulder as he swung the door open and walked inside.

The room itself was barren. The walls were stone, devoid even of common prison devices such as shackles. There wasn’t even a skeleton to testify to the former residents of this cell. The only thing that was in the room was a single steel pillory, and in that steel pillory did indeed lay trapped one sole woman.

“I’ll be damned. There actually is a woman in here! Hell, I was expecting some sort of demon with the way this cell looks. I can’t believe the guards were right when they said they use this cell to hold whores! God, this county is pathetic!” Laughed Lucifer, as the Carthage soldiers peeked their heads in. They too let out a laugh at the sight inside the cell.

Above the dungeon, the additional reinforcements that Lucifer had sent quickly rushed the Emprea main hall, and in return received a fierce volley of arrows that slaughtered half of the group instantly. The rest of Carthage, however, had no qualms about using the prisoner’s as meat shields as the charged towards the main hall and the king inside.

[Viola Conda]

The sounds of the fighting grew louder as the assault on Emprea continued. It wouldn’t be much longer before the enemy had taken over the castle, and the rest of the country would soon follow suit of the ill nature that would befall all of them. All these things ran through Viola’s mind, her heart broken as her beloved country abandoned her and then became swiftly defeated. Had she not been in the pillory, she would have been able to postpone, if not stop, the assault until their neighbors came to their aid. She wanted to be angry at her country, but it was now in ruins and her sense of duty wouldn’t allow the thoughts of rage to consume her. Yet she didn’t feel sad that her country was soon going to burn to ashes, because she was betrayed for the stupidest of reasons; reasons she still didn’t know.

The fighting was much louder, in fact in close quarters before it all abruptly ended. Viola’s ears picked up what could be no less than one of the enemy leaders making a stirring speech to insight the prisoners. He didn’t have to be so fancy with the words, the word kill would have sent more than enough prisoners to fight for his cause. She half expected to be left for dead, but the footsteps got closer. There was a quick exchange of steel before she knew the untrained guards had fallen. The voice returned, but said little only inquiring what was in the cell that Viola held. The word Whore was used again, and her thoughts of rage returned.

In a matter of moments Viola was once again in a room full of people, but the only person she paid any attention to was the taller man with the obvious wound. His voice was that which led the prisoners to revolt against their captors, and it was his voice who again took Viola’s dignity, and raped it before her. It was torture to hear her hard earned name be associated with a whore. And what hurt the most was that this man was not properly fearful of Viola’s reputation.

But then again…

“Do you know who I am?” Viola said bitterly as the man was just about to leave with his retinue closely behind. He stopped, but didn’t look at her. She knew he was grinning. “I may be on my knees, but you will look at me when I talk to you!” Viola shouted. The man didn’t move to face her so much out of obeying her, but in curiosity. To him, she was weak, pitiful, and most importantly, a locked up girl. How could she make assumptions and declare such bold statements.

“I know you are a whore!” the soldier to the leader’s right said jokingly. Viola’s eyes thinned as she glared at him.

“Than why would such a common whore be locked in a pillory? Why not just let her rot away with the rest of the prisoners? Why such special treatment for a whore? A weak little whore who, mind you,” She motioned to the two fallen Empyrean guards. “Is being guarded by at least two men at any given time?” The soldier’s expression turned to embarrassment, than turned to anger that he was embarrassed, than more embarrassment as the other soldiers laughed at him. The leader raised but a single hand, intrigued by the special guarded whore’s words. He drank them in, and found a hidden taste among them.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am Viola Conda. The Active Cheif Counselor of Emprea, and sworn holder of the master General’s duties. I have led victorious campaigns across this land, and all in the name of Emprea.” The pride in her tone returned, but it was an honored pride, instead of an arrogant one. She had continued to talk of her accomplishments until the leader rose a single hand to stop her.

“And all of this means what to me? In that position, you are no better fit to lead your country than wear a collar and bark. It must be obvious you are not as great as you claim if your country would lock you up and forget your name. Men, let this fool dream she is a warrior, we got things to burn.” As he left the rage in Viola dwindled down to embers. The emotions returned again, strong and harsh, but she remained calm until the door was shut.

She was once Viola Conda, honorific Legend who’s sworn duty was to protect Emprea.

She was now Viola Conda, a fantasy that never existed, who wanted to burn everything around her down.

[Lucifer Blight]

“What do you want us to do with her sir?” Asked one of the soldiers as he slammed the iron door shut, causing a loud clanging noise to echo throughout the almost empty dungeon. Lucifer simply shrugged as he watched the two Emprea guards sit back down under the Carthage soldiers’ careful watch.

“Whatever. Little girls who play war don’t concern me. You two stay here, I’ll see what’s going on above. The fighting has grown softer, wouldn’t you say?” Lucifer said as the soldiers saluted him on his way out. When Lucifer reached the courtyard he quickly noticed it was littered with dead bodies, an especially large amount belonging to his recently created prisoner army. However, Lucifer gazed onward and noticed that the door to the keep was wide open. That brought a smile to his face.

Making his way over the dead bodies and the blood soaked ground, Lucifer peered into the keep’s entrance. At first he saw the imposing double doors that lead to the castle’s throne room. The doors were huge, as were to be expected, towering over a good ten feet tall. Next Lucifer noted the group of Emprea soldiers standing before the shut doors, a group small in number but holding their ground nonetheless. Lastly, Lucifer noticed the large mass of Carthage soldiers, all too afraid to charge forward.

Guessing what was going on, Lucifer grabbed a nearby soldier by his collar and pulled him close. Lucifer barked an order to the young soldier, who looked to be no older than sixteen. Instantly the boy nodded and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him in order to deliver Lucifer’s message. He would be lying if Lucifer said he wasn’t fond of his power in this army.

“So, would someone tell me why you’re all cowering in front of the throne room? Usually, at this point soldiers are shouting loudly and grabbing whatever valuables they can find. Instead, you’re all standing here with dumb looks on your face as if you’re all a bunch of pre-pubescent teenagers who just saw a nude woman for the first time!” Shouted Lucifer, instantly snapping his entire army into attention. His insults had the desired affect, and everyone’s eyes were on the prince as he walked to the front of the line. The Emprea soldiers were ten feet or so away, but they glared and raised their weapons towards Lucifer anyway.

“It’s Emprea’s last line of defense sir. It’s rumored that these men are the best of the best, supposedly trained by a great warrior who long ago vanished from this country. Nothing is known about the person who trained them, but the skill of the warrior is evident.” Whispered a soldier to Lucifer, who glared at the resilient group of enemies before him. The evidence that the Carthage soldier had been talking about lay before Lucifer and all about the hall. The evidence was the dead bodies of numerous Carthage soldiers.

“I see. Very well.” Muttered Lucifer as he glanced about the hall, mostly in an effort to kill time. The Emprea soldiers couldn’t dare charge; to do so would be certain death. All they could do was hope to fend off the Carthage army for a time. In reality the Emprea soldiers were doomed to defeat, but Lucifer guessed that really didn’t bother them. It was enough to make Lucifer smile at the bravery of the soon to be dead men, if not their stupidity.

The hall was beautiful. The walls were made of ivory, as were the numerous pillars that adored the hall. The Emprea emblem lay draped over the entire course of the room, proudly still flying despite the Carthage assault. A red carpet raced down the hall and under the bodies of the dead towards the throne room, only to vanish under the massive double doors. It was a beautiful hall, and in a few minutes Lucifer was certain that it would be wrecked beyond belief as greedy soldiers took whatever they could and left the dead behind. War really was hell, which happened to be Lucifer’s element.

A commotion was heard at the rear line as several troops began to make their way forward and Lucifer realized that it was over for the Emprea elite group. Without even drawing his sword, Lucifer took several feet forward to address the men before him, all of which defiantly clutched their weapons at the massive amount of Carthage troops surrounding them.

“Gentlemen, as the person who raided your village, broke through both of your gates, and crushed that army you sent out to defend your citizens, let me be the first to congratulate you. I’m downright impressed.” Said Lucifer with a wicked smile as several men began to line up behind him. The entire room went silent except for Lucifer who began to clap sarcastically.

“You’ve held on when everyone else let go. You stood when everyone else fell. You fought when everyone else fled. You lived when everyone else died. But, I’m afraid that’s at an end. But, I wasn’t lying when I said I was impressed. I’ll make you a deal. Surrender and join the Carthage army, and I’ll let you live. Any takers?” As was to be expected, not a single enemy came forward. Lucifer was certain he would obtain this result, but had decided to ask anyway. He really felt like drilling in the futility of this fight to his foes at the current moment.

“You must be joking. We are Emprea’s finest. When all other soldiers have fallen, we shall still stand. We were trained by the best, and our Master’s skill is burned into our flesh. All of us will stand and fall together. We are the Defenders Of Carthage. We are the best, and we will prove that to you right now.” Shouted one enemy as he moved to the confront Lucifer. When he finished speaking, the entire Emprea group let out a loud yell and raised their weapons towards the heavens. So be it. Thought Lucifer to himself.

“You’re without a doubt the finest soldiers I’ve gone up against since I raised my blade against your country. You decision is an acceptable one; in fact, I knew you would say those bold words. So soldiers of Emprea, let me tell you how you will fall.” As he spoke, Lucifer walked to the side and motioned towards the several lines of men that had formed behind him. With a sick smile, Lucifer pointed at the group as his twisted voice echoed down the bloodstained halls.

“This is a Carthage heavy archer unit. The bows are made of yew, and are five feet long. The pull weight of these bows is ninety pounds. The arrows are steel tipped, and quite capable of piercing all but the strongest armor. A well-trained archer can fire about five well-aimed shots in a minute. Farewell, Defenders Of Carthage.” The entire hall grew silent as Lucifer finished. Neither Carthage nor Emprea made a single move as the entire group of archers drew back their bows.

Lucifer snapped his fingers, and all hell broke loose.

The arrows flew down the hall at incredible speed, a rain of death aimed straight at the group of Emprea soldiers. A sudden echo of screams shot through the hall as pools of blood began to flood the cold stone floor below. Those that did not fall in the first wave either made a desperate charge at the line of archers or struggled to help their wounded allies to their feet. No matter what the soldiers chose to do, the next volley of arrows stopped them dead in their tracks. The Carthage arrows easily pierced through the armor the men wore, slicing through flesh and tearing into the men’s vital organs. In but a time span of two minutes, the last of the Emprea soldiers fell to the ground dead.

No Carthage soldier dared to make a move as the archers rested their bows. The first man to do anything but stare at the fallen warriors was Lucifer, who coolly walked towards the massive throne room doors that were now stained with blood and covered with stray arrows. He let out a small chuckle as he drew his sword and pointed Resentment at the last barrier before him and the King of Emprea.

“Get that door open. It’s time to pay our respects to his majesty.”

[Viola Conda]

Cold sweat, heated breath, warm fingers, flaming temper. The mix of emotions inside Viola was uncanny; they began to drive her mad almost as she tried her best to rationalize the situation. But she couldn’t. How could anyone rationalize an entire country sending her into exile to be forgotten over time, and then watch that same country burn before them?

Her duty was her pride, but now her pride was compromised. She was a warrior who swore to defend her country, but did she have to defend it if it turned its back on her for a childish reason? Should she have been give an actual crime, she would have no questions, but the situation was far from being that easy.

The chance at redemption seemed almost tantalizing. Like a fine wine she could drink only once and savor every delicious drip. The chance to take up arms and fight the people who did this to her. What would she care now, Emprea was doomed.

Her pride jabbed her heart nearly causing her to cry in hysterics. The feelings iside her could not decide while she sat prone on her knees. She wanted to weep, but dared not to. She wanted to kill, but had none to.

~*~*~*~

The king looked as the bowmen made a swift attack that destroyed his men. Not just his men, but his finest men. All trained under Viola Conda, who now rotted in the dungeons because he couldn’t live with the fact she refused to marry him. It was his pride that caused his homeland to suffer, and it was his foolishness that led his eyes to gaze in the fiery gaze of the attacker who had to of been the leader of the operation. He still had a few soldiers left, along with the worthless chief advisor. Emprea would fight to the last hero if need be, and then fade into children’s story tales.

“Come on you fools!” Renald shouted to the other generals who were already in position to attack. Renald continued to shout, but the King blocked him out of his mind. He held his Tetsubu steady in front of him, the blunt end on the ground, his palms resting lazily on the hilt. The spikes all shone in the smoky orange glow, adding bits of green to the golden and silver hall. With a sigh and a nod the king stood up, dropping his royal robes to the ground and standing with the weapon now held lazily over his shoulder. His chest was bare, but despite what his original frail monk like appearance dictated, his chiseled, scar infested chest was complimented by was ripped arms. The emblem of Emprea, a lone flag with two shattered poles next to it, was tattooed across his chest.

The door was blasted open by no less than seven, very large ballista like arrows, larger than the ones used to kill his elite. The maniac General paced the back lines as soldiers ran in. The king’s generals all jumped out and attacked, taking down swathes of unaware guard, but soon a volley of yew bows splattered the skulls and ripped limps nearly off.

Two Cartahge soldiers came at the king, but to their surprise he did not move. They continued their charge, lowering their shields in confusion, a half second to late to raise them again as the King’s eye’s narrowed and he focused his rage. The Jade Tetsubu was swung much like a two handed club squashing the right soldier’s brains to oblivion and knocking his carcass into the left soldier. He twirled with his weapon and the rotation added more momentum as the swing hit the back of the remaining Carthage soldier in the back of the cranium exposing grey matter everywhere. Blood trickled down the Jade spikes as the King brought the weapon back to his right shoulder and he shouted loudly to the enemy leader,

“YOU COWARD! YOU USE YOUR ARTILLRY TO WIN AN ALREADY ASSURED VICTORY? WHY DON’T YOU STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR SHEEP AND TAKE ME ON! I SHALL SHOW ALL YOUR MEN BEFORE I DIE WHY EMPREA IS THE CITY OF LEGENDS! UNFORTUANETLY YOU WILL BE DEAD BEFORE YOU SEE EMPREA’S FINEST HOUR IN ITS DARKEST NIGHT!” Another Cartahge soldier ran forward, but the King took his weapon and smashed it down upon the ground and charged forward. The blow was easily dodged, but the mass of the king knocked over the soldier.

The king raised his Tetsubu over his head with both hands and dropped it with the force of vengeance for his fallen soldiers. The squish and cracking sounds made a few by-standing soldiers puke. The king just returned his weapon to the left shoulder and shouted again,

“WHAT SAY YOU, CARTHAGE BASTARD?!”

[Lucifer Blight]

“You’ve got a big mouth. Learn to shut it maggot.” Spat Lucifer as the king of Emprea mocked him despite the fact that Lucifer was about to slaughter what little defense Emprea had left. Even if it was true that Lucifer was indeed a bastard (both in the literal and the metaphorical sense), it was not something he was found of being reminded of it.

Several wounded Emprea generals struggled to rise to their feet despite the wounds they had received only to be cut down by the numerous Carthage soldiers that streamed into the throne room. Confidently Lucifer walked to the front of the line, ready to answer the king’s challenge. But it wasn’t going to be the answer the king expected.

“You call me a coward? I broke your walls to the ground! I burned your town to ashes! I cut your men down like dogs! You sit on that throne, far away from combat, and dare to call me a coward?” Shouted Lucifer angrily as he tightly clutched his bloodstained sword in his right hand. Lucifer had a short temper to begin with as well as a hatred of any king, and to be mocked by one quickly sent him spiraling into rage.

“A wolf doesn’t fight its prey. It kills it. Drown in a sea of your own blood.” Lucifer shouted as he turned towards his trusty bowmen. With a flick of his wrist the bows were drawn back and aimed at the king, and in the next instant the throne of Emprea would be empty. If Lucifer was the honorable type, he would have instantly accepted the king’s challenge, but Lucifer was not the honorable type. He was the sadistic type.

“WAIT!” Screamed an Emprea general, who happened to be the only unwounded one, as he held up his arms and ran towards Lucifer. Irritated, Lucifer glared at the man sniveling man before him. The king simply shook his head at the incompetence of that particular general.

“Just who the hell are you suppose to be?” Shot Lucifer as he glared at the man before him. The man drew a deep breath before speaking, as if to emphasize his own importance despite his current situation. Lucifer would have cut the man down, but he was far too amused at the man’s stupidity.

“I am Renald Victor. The Active Chief Counselor of Emprea, and sworn holder of the master General’s duties. I have led victorious campaigns across this land, and all in the name of Emprea. I would like a word with you.” Said the man with no small amount of pride in his voice. Lucifer raised his eyebrows at the man before him, mildly amused at the current events.

“Active Chief Counselor you say? Must not be a very important position. You’re the second person today to call that title their own. Of course, the other person didn’t look very chiefly from where she was kneeling.” A look of shock crossed Renald’s face as the king shook his head in shame. Lucifer couldn’t possibly have known the story of Viola Conda and her fall.

“That, um, really isn’t important. What is important is how we end this war. I would like to come to a diplomatic solution.” Renald said with a pale voice. It was apparent to Lucifer that he did not like the mentioning of the other Active Chief Counselor of Emprea.

“Diplomacy isn’t my strong suit, but I’m pretty sure it involves a trade of some sort. You don’t seem to have much to offer.” Answered Lucifer as he impatiently tapped his foot. He was willing to give Renald thirty more seconds to make his point, and then it was off with the man’s head.

“How about this? The key to our treasury is all yours, if you’ll leave the land of Emprea.” Replied Renald as he held out a single golden key. Lucifer crossed his arms with interest as the king, who had until this point remained silent, shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Renald you incompetent fool! Do not give that Carthage bastard anything! You are relieved of your post!” Bellowed the king as he stamped his foot with anger as Lucifer’s eyes flickered with hatred. Lucifer may have accepted the offer (or at least pulled his own men back) had the king not said those words. Now it was time for agony to engulf the lands of Emprea.

“Guess that means you don’t really speak for Emprea anymore.” Said Lucifer coolly as a look of pain appeared on Renald’s face. Lucifer grinned as Renald’s blood began to pour down Resentment, which was at this point impaled in the man’s stomach. With a sneer Lucifer quickly tossed aside the horrified Renald and picked up the key to Emprea’s treasury.

“That’s Carthage diplomacy. Time to die your majesty. Archers, turn that man into a pin cushion.” Muttered Lucifer as Renald lay bleeding and sniveling in a corner. Lucifer figured the man would remain alive for quite some time until his blood ran dry. Maybe, if the man was really lucky, a soldier would tend to his wounds. At the very least, the man would get to see his king die.

“Belay that order!” Shouted Ares as he and Macbeth walked into the throne room. Although slightly hesitant, the Carthage bowmen had no choice but to follow Ares over Lucifer. Most of the soldiers even dropped to their knees to bow to Ares as he walked up to Lucifer, who at this point was furious.

“What did you say?” Lucifer shouted as his face turned red. Lucifer had no idea why his brother was interfering with the death of the king, for Lucifer knew that the King Of Emprea had to die. The King Of Carthage had ordered it.

“I said belay that order. What do you think you are doing brother?” Ares asked coolly as Macbeth began to smile. Something was up, and Lucifer knew that whatever it was it was not going to end well for him.

“I’m finishing this war! Why possible objection could you have to that?” Screamed Lucifer as Ares pointed a finger at the king, who stood silently by and watched the brothers’ feud. By all logic the king knew he should have been dead a while ago.

“That man challenged you to a duel. Your honor demands you accept.” Ares stated as Lucifer tightly clutched his blade in his right hand. At this point he wanted nothing more than to send his arrogant brother to the next world in the most painful way possible.

“Let me worry about my own honor! You haven’t done anything so far, why change now? You said you’d leave his death to me so keep your damn word and leave me be!” Screamed Lucifer at the top of his lungs. The Carthage army quickly backed away in fear of what was happening. It seemed that one prince of Carthage had finally reached his breaking point.

“Your own honor is your own business. If you want to ruin it, that’s fine by me. But a duel is also a challenge against your family’s honor. I cannot allow you to ruin our family’s name.”

“YOU’RE NOT MY FAMILY!”

The instant Lucifer shouted those words the entire room fell silent. Even Ares found himself speechless at Lucifer’s words of defiance. It was only Macbeth who summoned up some spine as he charged towards Lucifer.

“Respect your commanding officer Prince!” Shouted Macbeth as Lucifer’s gaze turned towards the man charging at him. The prince was in no mood for games.

“BACK OFF PEON!” Screamed Lucifer as he shoved Macbeth back towards Ares. Macbeth stumbled slightly, but managed to keep his balance despite the heavy armor he wore. Angry and with no small amount of red in his face Macbeth reached for his sword as Lucifer raised his own, but both men were quickly stopped by Ares, who knew he had to regain control of the situation.

“ENOUGH! Lucifer, you will accept his challenge this instant or you will be in defiance of a direct order and I will have you executed this instant! Am I understood?” Ares screamed, hoping that Lucifer would give Ares a reason to kill him here and now. However, despite how angry Lucifer was, he would do no such thing.

“As you wish sir.” Spat Lucifer as he marched towards the king who at this point had a huge smile on his face. The man had certainly not expected such a show before he was killed.

“Good help is so hard to find these days, isn’t?” Said the king in a soft voice as Lucifer merely spat at the bloody ground near his feet. The prince then flung the treasury key at his brother, who quickly reached his hand out and caught the golden object.

“You’ll need that to get into the treasury. I would hate for you to go home empty handed.” Muttered Lucifer as Ares informed the men that not a single one of them was allowed to help Lucifer should the tide turn against him. He was, for all intensive purposes, alone.

“Let’s go, your majesty.” Said Lucifer as both warriors tightly gripped their weapons. In his mind, however, Lucifer said something entirely different.

You’re a dead man Ares.

[Viola Conda]

The King of Emprea eyed his opponent carefully, not daring to let a bit of Lucifer Blight out of his line of sight. The man was a trickster, using underhanded tactics to win the battles he fought. Only with proper training and field experience did the King of Emprea know full well how to fight competently. Emprea was the city Legends, which in itself gave him much pride in upholding. He knew it was futile to even conceive he had a chance of winning this day, but he would go down like those soldiers who bravely fought for him. Standing with a weapon in hand, and taking every last Carthage bastard with him.

The two warriors paced liked caged lions, neither striking first knowing the others training would easily counter the assault and begin the counter attack. The King was a very brutal man when it came to fighting, but brutal did not necessarily mean barbaric. Some of the finest men in all the land trained him, and years on the battlefield had honed those lessons into pure raw experience that could never be replaced or improvised. He was confident those years of training would show through as he looked deep into Lucifer’s eyes.

~*~*~*~

Deep below on the dungeon levels, in the darkest part of the furthest chambers sat Viola Conda. She was tired, cold, and emotionally torn to shreds all the while keeping a neutral face despite the rivers of tears that poured down her sweet face. She said nothing anymore, thought nothing. No more plots of revenge, theories of what she had done wrong to deserve this torture. She was done complaining, done yelling, done whining. She now just sat forward, waiting to die.

She heard nothing save her own breath, and blocked out the footsteps that grew closer and closer. She saw a man in a robe, but inside of her mind she saw nobody there. She cared not for anything anymore. She just wanted to be put to rest. Her legacy was torn away from her, her mark on society tainted and corrupted. She was reduced to a common whore now, and nothing she could do could change that. So whatever this person was saying to her fell upon deaf ears.

The only sound that instantly took her out of her dead-like trance was the clicking of the locks being released, and her body immediately becoming rigid and stiff as it was no longer held into a kneeling position.

“I have a proposition for you young lady…” the voice said seductively. Viola fell to her side, her muscles almost in a spasm of inactivity. She was in immense pain and tears began to swell her eyes.

“I’m….listening…,” she mumbled through sobs of pain.

~*~*~

The king’s body rippled with excitement before a tingling feeling of fear and doubt fell over him. The once dusty smoked filled orange sky became almost completely dark as if a dark omen had struck the land.

Without thinking he struck first, his tetsubu flying forwards in a small vertical drift upwards towards the chest of Lucifer, afraid to even comprehend what was going on outside the battle.

[Lucifer Blight]

Lucifer slowly paced around the bloodstained floor below him, keeping the king in his eyes at all time. If everything had gone according to plan, the foolish king of Emprea would be dead by now and his palace would be burning to the ground. Unfortunately, Lucifer’s brother had significantly messed up those plans. No matter. I’ll just come up with a new plan. One that ends with the death of that foolish brother of mine. But for now, I must teach yet another dog of Emprea just who exactly is in charge here.

“It’s time for the last hero of Emprea to fade into history. For after your majesty falls, Emprea will be no more.” Lucifer sneered as he tore of a piece of cloth from a fallen Emprea soldier and used it to clean his blade. When all the blood was removed and Lucifer could once again see his reflection in the cold steel, he glared at his final adversary.

“This blade of mine just wasn’t meant to be clean. Come on, when next I look into the steel of my sword, I expect my reflection to be bathed in royal blood!” Shouted Lucifer as he twirled his sword and marched towards the king.

The tetsubu the king wielded was no more than a fancy name for a giant metal club with a multitude of spikes on it. Most of the time the spikes were made of the same medal that the shaft of the club was, but in this particular case the spikes were made of dark green jade. All in all, Lucifer knew what little armor he wore would not be enough to stop a direct hit from such a powerful weapon.

The King struck first, leaping forward while swinging his giant weapon upwards towards Lucifer’s chest. Reacting quickly, Lucifer leapt back in order to create enough distance between himself and the jade tetsubu. The large weapon flew upwards, barely missing Lucifer’s chest and head. Lucifer grunted as the weapon flew past as he gripped his sword with both his hands.

“I’ve never killed a king before. Let’s see how you bleed!” Lucifer shouted as he plunged his sword forward, aiming to take the head of Emprea’s king in one smooth stroke. It probably wouldn’t be that easy, but it was worth a shot.

Elsewhere…


“My lord, why do you let that man insult you so? He should be punished for his disobedience!” Macbeth nearly shouted as he and Ares made their way towards an empty section of Emprea’s castle. What little guards had remained here had been quickly dispatched; although most of them had been summoned to the throne room where they had meet their death at the hands of Lucifer and his archer brigade.

“Because Macbeth, as much as I hate to admit it, that man is royalty. Not only that, but he’s also quite skilled when it comes to battle. If he was an inept fool or of non-royal blood, he would be easy to take care of. Unfortunately, a person who is a skilled, although barbaric, general and of royal blood is somewhat harder to dispose of. If it was possible, father would have disposed of him years ago.” Ares answered as the two men came upon a large door. Were it normal times, he was sure that Emprea would have had numerous guards posted around this area, but it was far from normal times.

“But not to worry. Every outburst my brother makes brings him one step closer to his doom. I’m certain that the last outburst will be enough for my father to have a valid reason to at least remove Lucifer from his post of general. Something we’ve been wanting to do for quite sometime.” Ares said as Macbeth walked up to the large door and inserted the key Lucifer had given him. Several seconds later, the large doors swung open and Ares smiled with glee.

“Simply marvelous isn’t it? Gather some loyal troops and pack it up. Our majesty will be very pleased with our discovery. And by the way, where is Trabant? I haven’t see him in a while.” Ordered Ares as he motioned towards the vast piles of gold that lay within the vaults of Emprea. Without a doubt, the amount of treasure the two had found would be more than enough to refill the currently empty coffers of Carthage.

“I’m afraid I haven’t seen Trabant either. I shall go send for a messenger to look for him, as well as several men to secure our prize.” Responded Macbeth as he strolled out towards the outer walls of Emprea, smiling at both his victory over Emprea as well as Lucifer Blight.

In The Depths Of Emprea’s Dungeon…

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Trabant Magone. Your enemy. I’m a strategist in the Carthage army. That makes me sound important, but I’m afraid that the person who brought your country to its knees was a man by the name of Lucifer Blight.” As he spoke, Trabant calmly paced about the cell until he decided that there was no remotely comfortable spot to sit down, and resigned himself to leaning against the cold stonewall.

“Now, onto the subject of Lucifer. I believe that his career in this army is almost over, and he doesn’t even have a political career to speak of. While I don’t think he really cares about any of that, one thing I’m sure of is that he will not sit quietly on this matter. I’m sure that he’s already plotting some sort of trick to settle the score, but as cunning as he is, I don’t think he can do it on his own.” Trabant coolly looked at the broken women at his feet and dropped his voice to a low whisper.

“I’m a realistic man, Active Chief Counselor Viola Conda, and I know that my options are limited in under the current king’s rule. Our current king loves to play favorites, and suffice to say that I’m not one of them. I’ve gone about as far as I can go under his rule, and it’s not enough to satisfy me.” Trabant got up, and slowly walked over towards the sole exit towards the room and stood by the large steel door.

“Now, I’m not a strong man, but I like to think that I’m a smart man. Your list of accomplishments is a very long one, worthy of a recognition. But of course that isn’t what you received. Instead you waste away down her, forgotten and alone. That isn’t very fair if you ask me.” Trabant choose his words carefully, doing his best to coax the woman before him into doing just what he wanted. Although, to be honest, it didn’t exactly look like she had a lot to lose.

“Don’t you think they deserve punishment? Don’t you think it’s only fair to avenge yourself? Don’t you think it is your right, no your duty, to have your vengeance? Serve Prince Blight, and you’ll have all that and more!” As he finished the last of his honey-dripped words, he slowly reached into his robes and produced a sheathed sword.

“I found this while I was searching what remains of the castle above. It’s your old sword isn’t? Unlike what they’ve done to you, it seems that the people you swore loyalty to treated your sword with respect. So, Viola Conda, will you choose to sit here and cry or will you right this wrong? Make your choice.”

As he held out the sword, Trabant knew this could end one of two ways. Either she listened to his words and he gained Lucifer a valuable ally, or she grabbed her sword and ran him through. However, Trabant knew that making Lucifer more powerful would not only benefit the prince, but also Lucifer would surely repay Trabant for his loyalty. Lucifer was a cold and sadistic killer, but the man also knew how to reward those who helped him.

Getting ahead in life often requires a few risks. I just hope this one’s worth it.

[Viola Conda]

Lucifer's retaliation was swifter than the king was ready for. A small feint and half quarter turn almost decapitated the king of Emprea in moments. However the king was a born fighter, and such a useless end would not befit him. He rolled in the direction of the swing, as the sword passed harmlessly over him he sprang back up and grabbed the obnoxious bastardized prince by the neck. He focused all his hatred as he lifted him with one hand and tossed him overhead to his left.

Lucifer's body may have violently bounced upon the ground, but the throw was not even remotely lethal. With sword still clutched in hand Lucifer got back up easily, even taking time to dust himself off.

"Very good your majesty," Lucifer taunted. "You successfully threw a temper tantrum." The king narrowed his eyes and focused upon Lucifer's eyes, but to his shock he found no simple malice in them. What he saw chilled his nerves as he slowly began to circle Lucifer. Those eyes were filled with fire forged from pure hatred. Whatever that spat between the Carthage nobles was about, it was more than enough to set Lucifer into a rage.

"You won't like me when I throw a tantrum, I assure you that." The king replied. Before the moment gave enough time for his opponent to recover the king took his tetsubo and began to swing it left and right in long violent arcs. He spun to keep his momentum as he moved toward Prince Blight who began to back peddle. The king was slightly annoyed that Lucifer was not a common fighter, for if he was he would have in self defense placed his sword to defend, but alas Lucifer was a warrior who new that had he done just that his sword would have been easily knocked out of his hands. The king continued his flurry as he they apprached a pillar by the wall. Lucifer took a quick take of his surroundings and grinned as he stopped moving. The king closed the gap quickly and as his jade weapon nearly struck the head of its target a sudden shock wave erupted in the kings body. He dropped his weapon as his hands quaked with tremors. He nearly dropped to a knee as he screamed in frustration.

"NOW EMPREA FALLS!" Lucifer shouted lifting his sword for a final blow.

~*~*~*~

There it was. Those emotions and feelings all returning. Three words that meant so much to her were now gone. Duty was a joke. Pride? She no longer had any in this place. Honor was no longer even in her mind. She felt cold, lonely and unfulfilled.

There it was. Those feelings of anger, rage, and betrayal. She was now mortified by the thought her kingdom left her for dead. Bt more horrified they let her rot when they needed her the most.

There it was. The answer to her questions. A solution to the problem. It was all before as if laid out on a table in a small white room with no walls. Nothing around her mattered anymore. Her gut and heart felt nothing. She truly had no cares anymore.

There it was. The sword she had swung in he name of a kingdom she originally would have died for. All she had to do was refuse it and she could die with her country, alone, undignified, forgotten. All she had to do was take it, and stab this fool in the heart and go to fight for her country again and restore her honor and title as she died next to her king fighting off the enemy side by side with her men in glorious combat! Or,.....All she had to was take it and get revenge for the crimes against her. Right the wrongs she felt inside and quell the hunger for satisfaction and justice.

Viola Conda, the depraved, frail, and forgotten warrior?

Viola Conda, the last and greatest General of her kingdom?

Or Viola Conda, whose name will be remembered through history?

She took the sword from the man who had offered it.

~*~*~*~

The King knew it was over. He even knew now why he had dropped his weapon. Lucifer was a man who could calculate odds very quickly, and while he knew the king was strong he also knew the king could never knock down a pillar. With a small side step to the north west the king's tetsubo did no more than fan off Lucifer's anger and obliterate the side of the marble pillar, but the shock of such an impact collision answered what would happen if the unstoppable object met the unmovable object. And it was an explosion and shock waves felt by all who were in involved.

The king's body still ached from the blow and he had no more energy to try and fight. His body was paralized by the shock for a mere second. But a mere second on the battlefield can mean only one thing.

With a crack of thunder the sword cleaved off the head of the last King of Emprea.

~*~*~

"I am Viola Conda," She nearly shouted as her tone rose. A new sense of duty and pride filled her as she twirled the sword in her hand and lifted it in a killing blow "and with your offer I plan to forge my name in history!" She shouted thrusting the blade through the Emprean guard who had tried to kill Trabant.