Independence Pact
"If the enemy tower is faltering and you can strike at it's foundation, pummel it into dust."
"Duke Norton, I, Serihanem, pay my utmost respect as the representative of Chikdor. I hope you will always be with good health and that things go according to your will," said Serihanem as he saluted respectfully.
"No need courtesy, Young Master Serihanem. You and I are old acquaintances; we can skip the pleasantries. I've always appreciated your talent. It's a shame you caused me quite a bit of trouble in the Battle of Cape Romani. The things that followed made me regret being unable to come to an agreement with you. I believe that if you had been by my side, you would've checked for loopholes in my security so people would not have escaped like that." smiled Lorist.
"I have embarrassed myself, Lord Duke. I did my best but couldn't change the outcome. In the end, I couldn't help but escape. The war has worn us down and we could not have afforded my ransom. I had a duty to avoid putting my guild in that position. I survived thanks only to your benevolence. Thank you for your grace."
"Haha, you're pretty good with words," Lorist smiled again, "Alright, let's talk business. Is Chikdor interested in breaking off from the Trade Union?"
"To be frank, Chikdor does want to break off. But we are one of the big seven. Our survival depends on the Union. Everyone knows we specialize in naval trade, and your ban keeps us from applying our only trade. Land trade is neither our specialty, nor in our hands. The Union controls it. Our largest market is also within the Union. Without our fleet, we can't trade, without the Union's market, we can't trade, and our domain cannot sustain us as it is now. We wish more than anything that we could take you up on your offer, but it would be signing our own funeral slips."
Lorist snickered to Charade and stretched out a hand, opening his palm. Charade unwillingly took out a gold Forde and handed it to the duke.
Serihanem gazed at the exchange, perplexed.
"What is this?"
"Nothing. I just won a bet. He thought you would agree in principle but put forth many conditions. I thought you would turn me down because of your difficulties."
"Uhh..."
Had this happened anywhere else, it would be a gross offense. But he couldn't get on his horse in front of this swordsaint duke. He had no choice, Chikdor was at a disadvantage; he had to endure.
Lorist tossed the coin in the air before returning it to Charade.
"Let's not play games. Charade should've won. The fact that you came to Morante shows Chikdor is interested. You are smart and I'm sure you can tell the old Union is beyond salvation. Your forces wouldn't have raided Wessia's dominion if you could not. You know what this means for the Union. Treason.
"To me, you are part of the Union, one of its claws, if you will, and our foe. We remember your aggressions along the Golden Coast. Our ban is in response to that. This is your only chance to make up for that mistake. It's really simple. Break from the Union, declare your independence.
"I'm not trying to trouble you, but there will be no games. You either do as we say, or there is no deal and you will continue to be our enemy -- with all that entails. And the Union will be wiped out. I have tried many times to negotiate, but they have refused, so I have no choice but to end them.
"You are no fool. What are your demands. Be quick and concise. If they are reasonable, I will consider them."
Serihanem blushed.
"You speak the truth. We have pushed countless times to end the war, but the other guilds will have none of it. We lost Invincible, which lost us our right to raise our voices during the meetings.
"We have no desire to stay in a country in which we have no voice. But it's not that simple. Especially not considering the history we have with you. Many don't trust you. They believe you will go back on your word and wipe us out the moment we secede from the Union.
"I am here to understand your intentions and make the final decision. We are weak, so we cannot stand on our own if the Union comes after us. We will only take up your offer if you will back our independence and defend us against any reprisals from the Union."
Lorist nodded.
"That's more like it. We are willing to guarantee your independence. Don't worry; I do not break my word. Sort out the details with Charade and we can get things rolling."
Charade returned two days later.
"This is the agreement. I believe they have more ambition than just gaining independence."
"And?"
Charade got to the map on the wall and pointed at the guild's territory.
"Chikdor doesn't want their original dominion when they declare independence. They want the land here. The land used to belong to the Duchy of Lauderta and the Kingdom of Engislun. If they get that, they'll possess seven provinces' worth of land. They'll be able to stand with the empire as an equal.
"When I asked why, Serihanem said that their dominion has little potential for growth. It's mountainous and has little surface area fit for farming, forestry, or any other economic activity. They will only have a good prospect of a bright future if they have lands with open, flat plains. I have acquiesced and made that territory part of their kingdom in our guarantee."
Lorist smirked.
"Having ambition is fine. I would be wary if they did not demand more territory. Everything around them is Union territory, and everything they want is Union territory, so I don't care what or how much they want. The more they demand, the greater the damage to the Union, and the better for us. Besides, they'll only get to keep what they can defend anyway. I actually think they're being a little meek with their demands."
"I don't understand why you're willing to help them," Charade griped, "They are our enemy. They've cause us much pain and suffering. Now, however, not only are you not getting back at them, you're rewarding them? This does not feel right."
"I understand, Charade. I have no choice. Look at the map. Morante and Chikdor areseparated by 500 kilometers of mountains. Their land is almost entirely mountains. They cannot stand with the land they have and I have no intention of putting my men on their soil, not as an ally, and certainly not as an enemy.
"We know what Serihanem hasn't said. You saw Tarkel's reports. Their dominion used to be the Duchy of Urubaha and the people are mostly poor and foolhardy. Apart from those enlisted in Duke Urubaha's rental armies, most became pirates. 'Seven of a pirate's fingers are Urubahan' as the saying goes.
"Chikdor brought down the piracy and put most of them in their navy. Now they no longer have a navy, however. Everyone is back to piracy. If we do not curb this, our trade with the south will become very costly.
"If we can get them to keep the peace in the south, then we have no issue. And that's only part of it. We can also use Chikdor against the Union. If Chikdor leaves with the lands they want, the Union will collapse. They cannot survive a blow like this, not in the state they're in already."
Charade nodded helplessly.
"Is this 'choosing the lesser two evils', and 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'? Whatever, you don't have to mind me. Look at this. Everything we can do is signed. I can't guarantee they won't be threatened by the windstorm swordsaint in the future though..."
"No issue. I'll write them a letter they can show the old man. He will give me face and stay out of their business."
"Alright then, Your Grace. There are these as well. I've agreed to let them reform their trading fleet as long as they abide by our rules. They've agreed. I've also given them a similar exclusivity deal to the one we gave Mermaid.
"The other thing is… Serihanem asked that we strike the Union and damage them enough to give Chikdor cover to declare
"Alright, I have no problem with that," Lorist answered, "It's natural to have doubts. We have little ground for trust right now, so it's understandable. The legions will be here in a few more days. Set up a meeting with the Free Union council."
Debate
"Jindoz, aren't you daring? You actually dare solicit Els to leave House Norton?! Are you taking us for granted?" yelled Lorist as he entered the council chambers.
Jindoz shrugged helplessly. Charlando whistled and glared.
"What? Can't I get my nephew to come back to help his brothers? Locke, my boy, don't think you're some kind of bigshot just because you're a duke and a swordsaint. If you're really that capable, why wouldn't you let Els come home? The guilds have left and his brother controls much of the Union. What ought Els do other than come back?"
Jindoz looked at Charlando, smiling bitterly. Lorist instantly understood the geezer was probably the one behind it all. He remembered one night the previous year when he invited all the Dawn Academy alumni who had joined Lorist to the Red Grace Inn for a reunion. Els and Reidy were there too. Charlando nagged on about Els and Reidy leaving home without giving the slightest care about their uncle. He wanted the two to come back home.
Both suggested Charlando go north with them instead, but the old man was stubborn and refused to leave. When Lorist and Charade tried to convince him, he, somewhat drunk, said he would never become a subject. He was a proud, independent, free Morantian. He would never be someone else's slave.
Lorist gave up at that point and left.
He thought that would be the last of such talk, but now the old geezer was going after his disciples and followers!
Lorist smiled furiously.
"Old Char, stop messing around. People have different goals and paths. Els and Reidy are doing great with me. Els has a family, and Reidy has a bastard and a woman he loves, though he has yet to marry. Els will also soon be made a count and get more land. What can you give him if he stays here, huh? Els was Jindoz's boss before he left, it would be inappropriate for him to be his subordinate, especially given how high he's risen in the aristocracy."
Charlando was the two's senior, but he was just a commoner. Hierarchy and social standing didn't impede his serving Jindoz, but Else was different. He was a minor noble, he would, in fact, soon be a major noble. He could not serve under a commoner. He also still had great prospects with Lorist, he had little future with Jindoz even if he didn't mind being under a commoner. He also had a family back north, his wife certainly wouldn't accept having to give up her title as Baroness - soon to be Countess to be a commoner and a foreigner here.
"What's the problem? They're brothers! It doesn't matter who's on top or at the bottom!" insisted the old man. He acted like he was still a mercenary, taking up the burden of band leader and looking out for his comrades. "What's the big deal with count? It doesn't matter how much land he gets, it'll be in that shithole of a place called the Northlands! Look at Morante! It couldn't be more prosperous!
"And then there's that whole nobility thing! Slavery by another name! All you do is scheme against each other and plot how to steal more money from your poor slaves! Els is an honest boy, he doesn't belong in such a degenerate place! So what if he's a general? You're only using him! You'll throw him away like an old napkin once you're done with him! Don't take it personally, Locke, even if you can take care of Els for his whole life, what about your son, or your grandson? Can you guarantee they'll have the same temperament and beliefs as you? How will they treat his descendents? If they're greedy and scheming they'll have the power and authority to take everything for him or his descendants! Here that can never happen! This is where he belongs and where he can live the best life!"
Lorist didn't know how to respond. He couldn't help but be amazed at his imagination.
"You're letting your imagine go again, old man. I'm a swordsaint, I will live for hundreds of years, but of course I can't guarantee what my descendents will do. But you can't guarantee what the people who will rule after Jindoz will do either. Morante might turn into the old Union again in half a century, then what? The north is neither as desolate nor as chaotic as you think. Nor the aristocracy as lawless. Every system has its bad eggs, yes, but our are no more than yours. I'd even say ours are less than yours.
"I'm disappointed with you, old man. You know nothing about the rest of the world. My lands house three million people. At least three times what Morante has. Els's dominion is in Delamock as well, the empire's breadbasket. He and Reidy don't have to oppress their subjects. Their tax income is over ten thousand gold Fordes a year."
"They dominions each have around 13 thousand serfs and their personal retinues are no less than a hundred men each. Els has three knights under him, pledged to him personally, and Reidy is training two squires. They levy just a one-half tax on their lands' produce and only have to give one-fifth of their taxes to me. Then they also earn a good salary for being in the military and have a lot of other benefits. Altogether they earn at least 20 thousand a year.
"When they retire, they'll go home and focus on their dominions. They won't have to worry about anything. Hell, even if their dominions earned them nothing they'll have enough money to live lavishy for the rest of their lives. Their children will get the best education on the continent, the same as my children. Hell, they'll at some point probably be in the same class as some of mine. They'll attend both Nico and later Dawn Academy. If they have the skills they'll go on to serve in the military or administration of the house just like their fathers. So even those that don't inherit their father's title and land will have a rich live. I might even take one or two as my disciples, or my disciples might take them themselves if they're good enough."
"Hold on. Just one-half tax?!" Jindoz interjected. That must be the lowest tax on the continent. It was normally six- or seven-tenths, and that was if the lord was feeling generous. The average was eight-tenths, leaving just barely enough for the people to survive, sometimes not. The Free Union's tax was six-tenths. The old Union's tax had been eight-tenths.
"Yes, I only take one-half of the produce, and only allow my vassals to take up to six-tenths from their land. My other taxes are at most one-tenth on things like trade and factory production. And I also run a lot of programmes that reduce taxes as subsidies. Only luxury goods are taxed at more than one-tenth."
Lorist had wanted to set the crop tax at just one-third, but Charade wouldn't allow it. They could go beneath the average a little, but if they deviated from the norm too much, rocked the boat too much, they'd be ostracised.
"Why?" asked Jindoz curiously.
"Simple. The more loose money the people have, the more they can buy. They will be happy and live better and the moving money will let businesses do better. The better the businesses do the more money can be taxed, and the more they will pay their workers, which we can tax as well, which gives the workers more money to spend again, and it all starts over."
"You're just playing fancy with words! Even if you're a benevolent lord, what of your descendants? It takes just one bad heir to undo everything because he will have absolute power! The people will suffer the most and won't be able to do anything about it. Only by making sure that everyone is equal, and we give as little power to any one person as possible, can we protect ourselves from those kinds of people, can we live truly free," mocked Charlando.
Lorist smacked his forehead. Charlando was a staunch believer in freedom and liberty, as were most of the people in the city. That was why Lorist didn't want anyone from here to become his subjects and move to the north. They would only be trouble. Even worse, they were blind to the reality of the old Union. They were slaves in all but name to the big seven and their crony guilds as well.
There was no true freedom in the world. Lorist didn't even believe it was a goal worth pursuing, a dream to have, a wish to desire, to begin with. The Grindia's history was mostly talk of the of the dark ages after the end of the magical era. There were no more swordgods or swordsaints made by magi and the humans constantly struggled against magic beasts. People only barely began recovering after they rediscovered how to cultivate battleforce. The first people to do so obviously became kings and their vassals.
After the dark ages the nobles fought to establish the new hierarchy. From a certain point of view, it could be argued that these nobles brought war and suffering to the people. But on the other hand, they also brought order and development. In the following millennium, the nobles even established strict chivalric customs.
"Char," Lorist said as he shook his head and sighed, "I don't know how you managed to get the prejudice you hold against nobles. The noble code and customs no longer allow lieges to command their vassals or exploit them as they will since a thousand years ago. A liege also can't simply threaten the safety of the lives or wealth of their vassals. Unless the vassal commits an unforgivable crime or if there's proof of rebellious intent that has to be verified by other vassal nobles, only then can a liege punish the offending noble.
"In some sense, nobles are their own watchdogs. We also hope for peace and order to be maintained. An anarchy benefits nobody. Also, have you so-called believers in freedom forgot about the days when the merchant guilds ruled over you before our house came to Hidegold Bay and conquered Morante? Do you think that rationing system is what freedom looks like?
"I believe that freedom can only come from orderly governance. That way, everyone's rights can be ensured. For example, the rules and regulations of the Free Union can protect the freedom of its citizens. That is not too different from the regulations we nobles use. If the nobles are kind, their subjects will be no different than free citizens. If the nobles are cruel, they will be akin to the Trade Union. No matter how much you boast about your freedom, you're still beholden to those who rule. No matter whether you have a noble ruling you or not, it's all semantics. In the end, you're just a subject like everyone else."
Charlando no longer argued. Even though Lorist was straightforward with his arguments, they still made sense. Jindoz, on the other hand, had a question. "Brother Locke, there's something that has always been on my mind. Even though the formation of the Free Union hasn't posed any problems yet, would a repeat of what happened to the Trade Union occur again when the rich and powerful are no longer satisfied with the privileges that they already enjoy and start demanding for more?"
Lorist laughed and understood why Jindoz brought the question up. "Of course, there's a huge possibility for that to happen. But that is something that will only show up in many years ahead. To solve it, it's simple. Simply implement a nobility system."
"A nobility system?" Jindoz said anxiously, "Isn't that exactly what the Trade Union did?"
"No, the kind of nobility system I'm referring to is different from what the Trade Union implemented," Lorist said with a dismissive wave, "The Trade Union implemented a landed nobility system, and that proved to be the downfall of Morante and the nation as a whole. What I'm suggesting is an honors system. The noble titles given will be a symbol for their status. For example, each title will come with a set annual income and those who bear the titles will have special manors to live in. The treatment afforded by different titles vary. Apart from not having a fief, there's not much difference between an honorary noble like that and a landed noble. That way, you can avoid the fragmentation of power and resources to the different fiefs like what happened with the Trade Union. You'll also be able to motivate people to strive harder and contribute to the Free Union to be awarded those honors."
Jindoz looked like he was both enlightened and confused. He muttered in deep thought, "Is that really possible?"
"Just find someone to discuss it when you get back. Get their thoughts on the matter. I was only suggesting it casually."
At that moment, Jinolio entered the rom and reminded, "Your Grace, it's time. Please head to the meeting room with the other two sirs. The council will begin soon."
War Council
Baron Malek was hosting the war council, he was the Deputy Minister of War. He had yet to let Lorist down in the two years they had worked together. He managed his forces incredibly well and even restructured the garrisons based on their new military standards, with the ministry at the very top.
This time, Lorist was going to use war to pressure the Trade Union even more. He wanted to beat their stubborn asses for good so they would never pose a threat to the Free Union again. Malek had been called in from the Northlands to lead the charge himself. Lorist wanted him to be promoted to Minister of War.
Lorist, Jindoz, and Charlando were the last to arrive. The council chambers were filled with knights and commanding officers from Tigersoar, Jaeger, the sentry legion, and the Free Union's military. Even Whitelion's general, Sybek, and five imperial knights were present. Everyone was seated and waiting for the meeting to start.
Malek walked to the map with a small stick. He tapped the table a few times and turned around.
"Silence, the meeting will now begin. Please do not make any noise. If anyone has a question, please ask it after the briefing."
Malek waited expressionlessly for the hall to quiet down before he continued, "Our primary objective is to topple the old Union so they will never be a threat again. We will launch a large invasion and finish the Union off. We will target primarily Casirota, Tenelik, Feldunba, and Sylugnika.
"Please turn your attention to the map. You'll notice the old Union's territory form a 'T'. If we don't include Falik Plains, it looks more like an overturned 'L'. Our targets sit in that corner of the 'L'. If we take those provinces, we split the Union in two.
"This here is the territory the Union took from the Alliance. That arm at the top was taken during the War of Glass. The territory we are targeting is old Union territory, they've controlled it for years. Right now Twinhead Dragon, Peterson, and a number of smaller guilds reside there.
"If we don't include the five empty provinces next to the plains, Chikdor's territory, and the Duchy of Magrut, the old Union only has 23 provinces. Our goal is this split. We need to cut the Union in half. It'll cut the majority of the Union off from any decent supply lines.
"What is worth paying attention to here is that Feldunba, one of our targets, is within the dominion of Mayflower. Sylugnika used to be the Duchy of Zikdor. Zikdor produced fine gold and silverware. It still has two gold mines and five silver mines. Mayflower paid for the territory with the glass recipe.
"Mayflower's forces suffered heavily in our last confrontation, but a dead camel is still larger than a horse. Mayflower is a huge guild with a long history. They've already formed a new legion. It now also contains a division of heavily armored troops. The guild appears to be opposing Duke Cobleit, there are a number of rumors claiming the guild's president is scheming to take over Cobleit's position and the Union's leader.
"I don't care why they aren't surrendering. We will kill them all since they insist on opposing us. Wessia, Forde, and Riwald are landless. They are demanding the Union take back their land and are thus refusing to let the Union come to the table. Mayflower and the rest are pro-war as well, but unlike the former, they want Ducke Cobleit to resign. Peterson has stayed on the sideline of the debate and Chikdor is abandoning them altogether.
"We've singled out Mayflower because they're one of the strongest. If we take them out, we'll not only cripple the Union even further, we'll also send a clear message to the rest that they best not mess with us ever again. Chikdor will declare its independence and ally with us once we've split the Union in two. It should be the final nail in the Union's coffin."
Malek drew a red line through the five provinces around Chikdor.
"Chikdor's forces will occupy this area before declaring their independence. It'll half the Union's territory in the south. I don't think the Alliance will let this opportunity pass, so we can expect them to take the rest."
"Lord Malek, a question," General Sybek interjected, "Why don't we just push all the way and wipe the Union out for good?"
"We considered this originally, but the price would be too big and the Free Union would be saddled with more territory than you can control. It'll make you a prime target for other's ambition at a time when you cannot afford war."
"The land has four million people. Peterson and Twinhead have invested everything they have there. If this war drags on any longer than is absolutely necessary, they'll bog us down in a second Falik Plains.
"Not to mention that he's fortified it immensely. We'll lose half a million men if a complete push goes well, and up to as much as two million if this goes badly. Can you afford that kind of loss?"
"How?" Sybek argued, "Doesn't House Norton have those amazing cannons? What kind of fortification can withstand a bombardment from them? Just blast through their forts."
"The cannons aren't infallible," Lorist interrupted, "Don't place all your hopes in them. We've used up all our gunpowder. We have no reserves, so they are useless until we get our reserves back. We've built up a small stockpile, but, even if we are ridiculously frugal, we'll till use everything up to take the land we've already planned for. We just don't have the supplies to push any further. The rest will have to be won with blood, and I, for one, will not bleed so much for the Union's land."
Sybek lowered his head.
"I apologize, Lord Duke. I didn't know. Please forgive me."
"Don't worry. I can see you're only anxious to end the Union's threat. If they refuse to surrender after this as well, we'll keep then in check for two more years. We'll have enough gunpowder then for that final push. At worst we'll attack in wave, taking a province or two each year until there's nothing left."
"Understood, Your Grace."
Jindoz was next.
"Lord Malek, a question. We won't be raiding the four provinces clean like last time, right?"
It was to be expected for Jindoz to be anxious about that. He was to inherit rule of the land, he certainly wouldn't want to get nothing but more wasteland. The current state of the Union could barely support the people it already had, if they got another influx from those provinces, it would be the Free Union that would collapse, not the Trade Union.
"Don't worry," Malek acknowledged, "Sir Tarkel has gone to the Alliance to find the heirs to the duchies that used to be there. We'll reform the countries that used to be there. They'll no doubt rejoin the Alliance, which will put a buffer between the two Unions."
Jindoz breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing as nobody else had questions, Malek pointed at the map and continued the briefing.
"Next, is deployments. We will attack from Gudlink. The Union had fortified the empty provinces with ten divisions, so we can't march through there, not to mention it would be a nightmare for our supply lines. That said, we have to maintain a force on our side of that border so they don't roll into the plains once we begin or attack and hit us in the rear. Jaeger will have that responsibility. It has to keep the enemy there occupied. Don't give them a chance to build up for an attack. Everyone else will be part of the invasion. Remember, our goal is to take the land as quickly as possible. Don't get bogged down in sieges, if the settlement or castle won't be a quick conquest, leave a token force to keep up the siege and move on. They'll all surrender once we end the war."
"Understood," answered Freiyar.
"Tigersoar will clean Gudlink again before we deploy" Malek continued.
The main participants of the attack from Gudlink included House Norton's sentry legion and the Free Union's own legion. Feldunba and Tenelik had mostly mountainous terrain and the Trade Union had stationed four divisions there and fortified the area. So, house Norton would deploy two artillery brigades. Tigersoar would join the fray after the two provinces were taken. The remaining provinces of Casirota and Sylugnika covered mostly steppes and it was perfect for cavalry.
General Sybek was really unhappy that his men would not be on the front but instead had o be logistics. They had earned a huge haul when they raided the five provinces and were hoping to make more profit. In the end, Lorist said he would let Whitelion and Tigersoar pick one province each after Feldunba and Tenelik was conquered.
Mountain Path
"This freaking weather... It's so damn hot even though it's only the 6th month. Who can even stand it?" complained Carmen weakly. He was drenched in sweat and used his mithril spear as a walking stick. His helmet hung on his back. He couldn't wait to strip off his armor.
"Have the scouts not found any water yet? We're dying here! Carmen, give me some from your water," said Bell, sticking his spear into the ground in the shade of the tree. He looked even more haggard than Carmen.
"No. It's your fault for sipping yours non-stop. I gave you half of my water already. I don't even have enough left for me."
"We grew up together. We help each other out. I even stood up for you a number of times. Can't you give me a few mouthfuls?"
"Fine, fine... You always bring this up. Don't you ever get bored? And it's not like your help made us win the fights. You'd just end up getting beaten with me. If you didn't join the fights, they might've beaten me less. They only hit so hard because you're so huge... Only two mouthfuls. Open your trap," said Carmen as he carefully poured a set amount of water into Bell's mouth.
Bell immediately looked better. He soon stood up again and leaned against the tree. The two watched the other men trudge up the hill.
"I thought we would charge into battle courageously. That's everyone here's dream too. But all we've been doing for months now is marching. Those Nortons scared everyone away. The closest we get to battle is scouring the battlefield, gathering the corpses and sorting the loot." complained Bell.
"Fool, don't involve others in your deathwishes. Don't think you'll survive a battle. Fool like you are usually the first to die. And why are you always half-jogging? I thought something happened to you when I lost sight of you," said a bearded middle-aged man.
"Uncle Good," Carman and Bell greeted.
The man was their commanding officer, a lieutenant named Good. He was in his late forties and an experienced two-star silver mercenary. He quit when the mercenary guild was dissolved. But when the new Free Union issued a call to arms, he picked up his sword again.
"Make space, I need a rest," Good said as he wiped the sweat off his face, "I'm getting old and useless. Hills like this were nothing to me ten years ago, but now? I'm pooped after just half a day's march."
Carmen and Bell moved aside and gave the old man some space between them.
"Come, Uncle Good, sit here. It's cool and the breeze blows from time to time. It's real good," Carmen said, trying to curry favor, "Did you come to pick us up?"
"Yes. Who else would I look for? Your parents asked me to look after you two monkeys when you enlisted. Who asked you two to be my neighbors?"
Good took a few gulps of water from his canteen. Bell stared at him jealously but he didn't dare ask for some. Good noticed, however, and handed his canteen to the man when he finished, who almost swallowed the canteen whole.
"So why did you charge off like you were chasing something? If you were goofing around I'll cane you when we set up camp!"
"Bell forgot to refill his canteen this morning. He's already drunk half of mine. We were hoping to get to the next stream quicker, but no luck yet," explained Carmen hurriedly.
"Idiot, why didn't you tell me?" Good said as he knocked the two on their heads, "I've walked this path many times. We won't reach a stream before nightfall. I doubt we'll camp there, though. Our schedule's too tight. I've got two buckets of water on the ass. There's enough for a hundred people, so stop worrying."
"What do we do now? Head back?"
"Rest here for now. They have to come by us anyway."
A sudden boom blasted in from the distance.
"Are their cannons really that amazing?" Carmen eventually asked, "The fort was in shambles. I don't understand why they had us come along if they're so strong. They could've won everything on their own. It's not like we've been used in battle or anything. We could've just stayed home and kept on training."
Good laughed.
"Foolish child. They dragged us along so you greenhorns can get a taste of what war is like. Training won't teach you that. We might just be marching, but even that is important. You're learning what it's like to be on the campaign trail in enemy territory. I heard we'll finally get our chance tomorrow, anyway. They're going to have us take the fort after they're done bombarding it."
"They're just looking down on us!" Bell complained, "What's so amazing about them? It's all just the cannons. I could kill five of them if we fought fair and square."
Good flicked a finger at Bell's head.
"What are you saying, dumbass? You and Carmen are three-star iron ranks at just 23. But you'll die the moment the fight begins. Battles are nothing like fights in the streets, or even small skirmishes between mercenaries. You don't win with above average strength if you're fighting ten thousand enemies. It's all about teamwork! The average Norton soldier is nothing special, but put ten thousand of them in a line and they'll beat anything you can throw at them. The can take the Free Union five times over with just their infantry alone. Did you already forget how many of the old Union's legions they took out without cannons?"
"But didn't Colonel Husk say we shouldn't have joined House Norton? He said we broke away from the old Union to get rid of nobles, but now we're fighting alongside one. We should be against the Nortons. They don't believe in freedom and liberty. We should be working with the old Union to drive them out," said Carmen.
Good's face turned red.
"Didn't I tell you not to listen to that madman?! He's sick in the head. The Nortons are aristocrats, but the Trade Union is as well! They put us through three years of suffering because they wanted to be nobles too!
"Use your brains. Why were your parents so against you joining the army when the guilds were recruiting, but were fine with it when it was the new Union? Even an old guy near fifty like me wants to join. It's simple. The Free Union protects our freedom and liberty. We made it and we rule it. In its army, we aren't just cannon fodder for someone else's ambition.
"I am an old mercenary. I've lived in Morante for thirty years. I've seen everything and know this clearly. We think we're so proud and free, but in the old Union we were slaves by another name. Think about those last three years. Is that something a free man should have to go through? They restricted even what we could eat and we had to work more than 12 hours a day! You call that freedom? I'd rather not work and have my whole family starve to death if that were the case.
"Stop listening to that fool. Think about this: if it weren't for the Nortons, you two would still be hunting rats in the sewers. Why should we chase the Nortons away? Did they take anything from us? No. Not only did they not hurt us, they even gave us free food and brought new products to us and loaned us money. They rebuilt Morante and put us back in our golden age. And they're not even trying to rule over us in return!
"We must know gratitude and tolerance. So what if the Nortons are nobles? They've been nothing but good to us and haven't forced their system on us. We would still be under the guilds' heels if not for them. Why should we make enemies of them? Just because their political system is different? They haven't taken our lands, and they didn't take our money. Exactly the opposite. They're making us rich and helping us take care of the old Union. Is chasing away our benefactors something a sensible person should
"Only fools would say something like 'make peace with the Trade Union'. I am certain that if we do as they say, we will suffer the greatest loss. The old Union would still treat us as traitors and if Morante is ever returned to them, they will kill us all. Best case, we will be made into slaves and sent into the mines to work until we die.
"Seriously, I wonder how a fool like Husk made it into the military. Is he trying to cause trouble? Carmen, Bell, tell me when Husk said that. What else did he say? was there anyone else when he said it?"
Seeing how anxious Good was acting, Carmen and Bell looked panicked.
"It isn't that serious, right, Uncle?" Carmen muttered, "It happened the night before last. When Bell and I were on night duty and Cad was leading the patrol, we complained how tough the marching was. Ten Colonel Husk passed us and told us that, as well as a lot of other things that mocked the Nortons, mostly jokes about how nobles got toyed with by their subjects. We were only releasing stress, nothing serious."
"You're overreacting, Uncle. Colonel Hask doesn't mean ill. He's just a little loose-mouthed when he rants and doesn't think about what he says. Didn't you evaluate him back then?" Bell said, "His parents died on the battlefield during the last Krissen invasion and he was raised by his grandparents. That's why he hates everyone from the empire so much.
"Everyone knows how much he hates all northerners, the Nortons included. Also, Colonel Husk is only mouthing off. I bet he doesn't have the gall to actually go against them."
Good sighed.
"Whatever. I won't say anything else. Just don't spend too much time around him. If he continues what he's doing, he's bound to be killed, best not associate with him. The Nortons and their duke must not be crossed lightly. Think about it. Many of the duke's top subordinates are old Morantians, that's why they're so good to us."
"How can you know? Tell us!"
"No, I don't know the duke's subordinates very well, but I know the duke. He spent the last half of his childhood in Morante, and was a mercenary and instructor at Dawn Academy for many years. He lost contact with his family because of the empire's civil war and pretty much became one of us before he went back. Those bags you're carrying, the duke designed them himself. I was the first guy to buy one of them from him before he left."
A regiment passing by greeted them. Good picked up his stuff and prepared to leave.
"Come, the boys are here. Time to go. I'll tell you more stories about the duke as we march. I'm sure you know the name Iron Locke, Silver Undefeated..."
Sandbag
"And another one bites the dust!" ~ Forde Trade Union chant when enemy cannonfire hits sandbags
Howard appeared troubled. Though the artillery brigade he led was in the vanguard, he had been trapped in the area for more than three days. He had not expected this to happen. His brigade and the sentry legion had marched at the forefront since entering Feldunba. They never once encountered a fort that could weather their attack. The enemies ran in fear and most o the time after the first cannon shell hit.
The Trade Union had long been prepared for their attack, but they didn't know where it would happen. They thought it would most likely start in the south. Given that those areas were only recently conquered, not many nobles had moved in.
They'd also been severely depopulated by recruitment drives during the war. Most of the agricultural produce was also confiscated to fund the war. The area was severely destabilized. If not for the depopulation, the revolts might have been large enough to kick the Union out.
They believed the Nortons would march through the area and charge straight into the Union's heartland. They planned to let them march deep into their own territory before cutting off their supply lines and letting them starve.
Lorist attacked Mayflower's Feldunba instead. The Union scrambled to reposition their forces, but it was a little late. Clearly the enemy wasn't aiming to take land, but to destroy the guilds.
Duke Cobleit, however, breathed a sigh of relief rather than stressing. The territory had been ruled for just five years, but it was already covered in forts. It would become a wall against which House Norton would smash itself to pieces.
The duke didn't think they could push through the province, even with their cannons. He'd let the two sides duke it out while his faction just provided logistical support. With Mayflower weakened, his position within the Union would be secure again. Mayflower and its allies, however, put severe pressure on him and he was forced to deploy troops as well.
...
The thunderous booms bounced through the mountains.
Howard stared at the fort's walls but they just wouldn't collapse.
"How long 'till Ovidis arrives?" he asked between thunder strikes.
"Thunderbolt Brigade was deployed in the rear. It'll take them four days to get here," his subordinate shouted, "Sir Ovidis himself should arrive tomorrow."
"Sigh, I should've stopped His Grace from releasing those damned sailors," complained Howard.
He signalled for the bombardment to and and descended the hill.
"Sir, are we not continuing the bombardment?"
"Best save our gunpowder. Those walls aren't going to give. We'll have to wait for Ovidis. Only his catapults can get us inside now."
"I doubt he'll have any more luck than us, Sir. With the way the walls tower over the terrains outside, we'll have to be within their firing range to get things over the walls. Our cannons are already on the edge of being in range."
Howard stroked his chin frustratedly.
"We've no choice, commander. You saw yourself. They've lined the walls with sandbags. We don't have the firepower to blast through them and the walls quickly. It's those damned sailors! They must have told them about the tactics they used when we last fought them.
"We're just wasting gunpowder. Our only hope is lobbing sacks over the walls, which our cannons can't do. Any better ideas?"
The men kept quiet. There was indeed no other option. They couldn't go around the fort, the cliffs and marshes wouldn't let them, and the fort was on top of a big rocky mound which meant they had to fire up at it. They just had no options.
They couldn't charge in for a standard assault because the walls were littered with catapults and ballista. They could still take the fort, but with unacceptable casualties.
The fort was a crucial chokepoint, they could only push through into the rest of the province through here, otherwise they'd have to go a long way around to attack from the south, but both the delay and the new location were unacceptable.
Their approach was also severely limited by the cliffs. They had to approach the main gate via a thing outcrop which made their massive number advantage null and void.
"They're turtles!" shouted Lorist when he got the report.
While the Union didn't own a cannon or anything similar, they had learned how to deal with it quite effectively. There was no decent counter to this yet. There were only two options. Either make the cannons bigger, which current metalworking technology didn't allow, and which would use to much gunpowder anyway, or develope howitzers and mortars, but they were years away from anything even resembling something like that.
The Union's main tactic to deal with cannons was to charge in a team of elite soldiers, mostly gold ranks and one or two blademasters, to take out the crews. Lorist was prepared for this, however. Reidy and Shuss always stood guard when the cannons were deployed in battle. The Union tried their tactic several times, but stopped after a whole team was wiped out, including a blademaster and three gold ranks.
One raid, however, was both very successful and catastrophic at the same time. One team, a blademaster and three gold ranks, caught a camp unprotected. They wiped out the crews and destroyed the cannons, but then discovered the gunpowder kegs. They carried torches since the attack was performed at night. As one of the gold ranks leaned over the open keg to look at the strange black powder inside, a spark fell from the torch into the barrel. None of the four were found thereafter. In fact, no one ever knew it was an attack that killed the brigade. Everyone thought some nitwit in the unit decided to have a smoke in the tent housing the gunpowder and blew everyone to kingdom come.
The Union didn't have unlimited elites. The Battle of Bluwek had already cost them half their number, and Mayflower's loss was salt in the wound. But Lorist only had forty cannons after the ten in the camp were destroyed.
Mayflower never launched another raid with their elites and the forts continued to fall. That all stopped, however, with Fort Linston, where sandbags were used on land for the first time.
Duke Nikolas
"Never be blindly loyal to your superior. He is using you for his benefit, so use him for your benefit."
In terms of appearance, Duke Nikolas, Mayflower's president, could be considered the ugliest among the presidents. He had a long, horse-like face and two small eyes which he liked to squint at others. It made it appear that he was always scheming. Everyone called him 'old snake' behind his back as a result.
His eyes had, in fact, lost him the position as the Union's premier. Duke Cobleit had the look of an upstanding old man. That damned goody-two-shoes-looking bastard.
Those that knew Nikolas, however, knew his looks belayed his true personality. He was sincere and gentle, and treated servant and noble alike respectfully. He never discriminated based on status. Among the guilds, Mayflower had the most loyal staff and anyone who interacted with the duke would disregard his appearance and be drawn in by his charisma.
Currently, Nikolas was subsumed with the map on his desk. He closed his eyes from time to time, falling into a kind of catatonic state of deep thought. House Norton had suddenly picked his lands as its target. He wondered whether their aim was to sweep through his territory or something else. Perhaps they were trying to push the Union into another stalemate to delay its recovery. Or were they just intent on pillaging some riches? HIs land was rich with gold and silver and they had concentrated their attack on the mining hotspots in Feldunba.
Captain of the Guard, Cyros, entered quietly, two letters in his hands.
"Your Grace, I have a report from Fort Linston. The front-lines have been quiet since the last assault. It looks like they've given up. They haven't fired a single cannon shot in three days.
"I also have a message from Morante. Our informant says Duke Norton is heading to the front-
"Oh?" Nikolas raised his brow curiously and read the two letters.
His gaze returned to the map, which he surveyed for a few moments, before his eyes widened.
"Start the migration plan immediately! I want everyone ready to leave in three days!"
"But the front-lines are stable, my lord?"
This plan would see them abandon Feldunba entirely. But was there a need if things were stable? They'd given up so much to get the region, and then invested even more to develop it.
"The quiet front-lines mean nothing good. Just do it. We won't get to leave at all if we don't do it now."
"Understood, my lord."
Cyros immediately left. He was a loyal man. He obeyed his lord's orders even when they weren't understood.
However, Mayflower's vice-president, Count Abraham, soon barged into the room.
"What's going on, brother? You think the situation is bad?"
Nikolas nodded tiredly.
"Duke Cobleit just ask us to hold the Nortons back for half a month? Everything's stabilized and the front is quiet. We can just sit tight until the reinforcements arrive."
"It's not that simple," Nikolas countered, "That geezer isn't going to do us any good. Think about it: he knew about the sandbag trick before this invasion even started, but he waited until we were about to crumble to tell us. We have only Fort Linston left. Once that fort falls they have a clear charge into the open plains and we'll never stop them. They'll wipe us out overnight before we can even get our pants on."
"Didn't the duke say we can still dig trenches to slow them down? We just have to hold on until reinforcements arrive," insisted Abraham anxiously.
Nikolas sighed.
"Brother, I understand your feelings. But, whether you want to accept it or not, that bastard won't send in his reinforcements until we've been sufficiently weakened. He wants to grind us into dust using House Norton as the grindstone so we won't be a threat to his rule."
"But... Fort Linston won't fall that easily! We're doing just fine against their cannons, aren't we? And they won't try to brute force it with numbers, it'll be a bloodbath even they can't afford. I'm sure they'll grow impatient and move on and be someone else's problem soon."
"You've forgotten that they have a swordsaint. Fort Linston can defend against cannons, but it stands no chance against a swordsaint. It would have been fine if the duke had stayed in Morante, but I just got news that he's heading for the front. He's coming to take out Fort Linston himself. I also doubt he'd have come if they were just interested in a little pillaging."
"That... that can't be," Abraham gasped, "Duke Norton is a swordsaint! How can he get involved in a war between normal people?! Master Magrut would never lower himself like that!"
"People are different, so are swordsaints," Nikolas smiled bitterly, "Can the Magrut really compare to Duke Norton? Can any of the swordsaints really be used to judge Duke Norton? They're all only associated with kingdoms and empires for the benefits. They have no reason to get involved in wars like this. If their kingdom or empire is destroyed, they can just attach themselves to someone else. Duke Norton is different. He is a noble with land to his name and a noble reputation to uphold. He has a vested interest in seeing his side win all the time. And he's a tenacious one, just look at how he clawed his way to swordsaint and duke from iron rank and baron on the brink of losing his land and his title.
"And now that fool Cobleit went and gave Magrut a title and land at the other end of the country. Do you really think Magrut will ever leave his territory again? Do you think he'll ever take to the field against Duke Norton as long as the duke doesn't threaten his territory directly?
"Other swordsaints might want to stay aloof because actual fighting is rarely beneficial for them, but Duke Norton is different. He's always led his men from the front, he's always been the first one to charge into the enemy formations, and now he has every incentive to continue doing that. If this were before the War of Glass, we might have had the option of wearing him down and killing him in exchange for dozens of blademasters and one or two hundred gold ranks, but we don't have the numbers for that anymore. I doubt we have more than two dozen blademasters altogether, if even that, and our gold rank numbers are similarly abysmal."
Abraham stood sadly. There was no way he was going to change Duke Nikolas's mind. It stung badly. He had been responsible for Feldunba's development and had invested the better part of fifteen years into it. It could even be considered his life's work. But he trusted his older brother's judgement implicitly, so he didn't make a fuss.
"Where will we go? Even if we manage to get everyone out and no one scatters and leaves us, Cobleit will blame us and won't let us settle somewhere else. He'll probably take our army and leave us to rot."
"You think we've going to that old bastard?" Nikolas asked as he stared at the map intensely, "We'll go south."
"South?"
"Yes, south. You remember the letter Duke Chikdor sent us last month? He said he was going to declare independence at the end of the year. I thought the letter was sent to provoke us, but then I started thinking. If that were his goal, then why send the letter to me and not Duke Cobleit?
"I finally understood his intent when the Nortons started pouring across the border. He's offering us a chance at peace. If we pack up and head south, and make sure to cut ties with the Union, Duke Norton will leave us alone. It's good for both of us. We get a new domain, so we get to continue existing, and Duke Chikdor gets a much needed ally. He wants us to seceded from the union and found a kingdom alongside him."
Abraham stared at his brother blankly, his mouth agape.
"No way... You got all that from that letter?"
Nikolas nodded.
"Once we're finished with the preparations, you'll take the men to Casirota. If anyone asks what you're doing, tell them you're clearing out a piece of land so the young, the elderly, and the women can hide there until the war is over. It should be obvious to everyone that the Nortons will target Tenelik and Sylugnika once they break through Fort Linston. They want to cut the Union in half and that's the best way to do it. We have to go to Sylugnika immediately and send an ambassador to Duke Norton. We're ask for a short truce and negotiate our withdrawal from the region and the conflict. I don't think the duke will have a problem letting us go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I wouldn't be willing to make a move this daring otherwise. Duke Norton doesn't care about the south at all. He just wants to cut the Union off from its trade routes. Getting us to back out so they don't have to fight us, while adding another obstacle to the Union's recovery will be a welcome development for him."
Abraham bowed respectfully.
"I understand. I'll get everything ready."
...
The men were in the dumps when Lorist arrived. Ovidis had arrived two days earlier and, based on his experience and some experiments with some trebuchets constructed on the fly, it wasn't practical to fling gunpowder sacks into the fortress. The largest obstacle was the fort's location on elevated ground. They had to be within 200 meters of the fortress to get the sacks over the wall, but that would expose them to too much counter fire.
"We cannot push through without taking the fort, Your Grace, and we can't do that without heavy casualties."
Howard described the situation on the sand table. Lorist couldn't help but admire the expert placement and design of the enemy fort. It was the greatest use of a fort he had ever seen. Even with his cannons, it was still a near impossible task to take it.
"I will take charge."
If he couldn't take it with cannons, or blow it up with gunpowder sacks, then he would just barge in himself and slaughter his way through. What use was being a swordsaint if he couldn't flex his muscles to solve sticky situations like this? His men refused vehemently, however. Their self-esteem would not let them allow their lord, a swordsaint no less, take the field because of their inadequacy.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to risk my life alone. Reidy, Els, pick out a few capable knights. We'll take a few gunpowder sacks as well. After we get on the enemy walls, we will destroy their weapons. Howard will then roll the cannons up the hill and blast his way through the main gate."
The Change of the Tides
"Strike while the iron's hot."
Lorist started designing handmade grenades. They were simple porcelain containers with gunpowder pellets inside and an ignition fuse. The explosive force of a gunpowder sack was huge, but they were too big for easy use on the go. They were also vulnerable to premature ignition, especially in siege situations where fire sources were abundant.
Lorist came upon a satisfactory design after a few trial runs and ordered their production. They were very destructive against buildings, but they could clear out a room very effectively. They were slightly unsafe, though. The fuses were unreliable, but they were good enough for a first design. Els's eyes practically glowed when he saw the small balls of death and immediately demanded his sentry legion be the first armed with them.
Lorist couldn't fulfill his request, however. Gunpowder was still at a premium and Northsea and the artillery brigade could not be under-supplied, so he could only make a small cache for specialist use.
Els almost cried when his dream was crushed.
"Please leave Fort Linston to me. It will be an easy victory with these bottles. Your Grace need not expose yourself," Reidy asked.
But Lorist shook his head.
"Occupying Fort Linston isn't about blowing people up. This is just a distraction. Our aim is to destroy the ranged weapons so our cannons can get close enough to do damage. You'll be in trouble if they have a couple of top blademasters in the fort. I have to go to keep them off your back."
Reality played out as Lorist expected. Reidy, Els, and six other strong and agile knights each carrying 20 grenades scaled the walls in the black of night. The enemy blademasters were nowhere to be seen. Only the common troops were left to try and repel them.
Lorist took out the projectiles as they entered his domain, keeping the pressure of the others as they went about destroying the weapons. They ran down the corridors on the inside of the wall, tossing a grenade into each room as they passed. The explosions echoed up and down the wall, soon drowned out by agonised
The cannons moved up during this chaos and the first volley was rattling the gates of the main entrance by the time Lorist and his companions were descending the walls to clear out the catapults in the bailey. The remaining defenders realized it was only a matter of time until the fort fell, so they charged out of the eastern gate, abandoning the fort.
Lorist went to the commander's quarters and slept for the whole morning, leaving everything to his subordinates. When he woke up, he felt more energetic than ever before. He activated his domain, suspecting something had changed, to see it a meter larger than it had been before.
So I just have to use the domain and then rest to make it bigger?
It was unfortunate this had not come up during his last meeting with the windstorm swordsaint. He suddenly realised he knew little about training and improving in the swordsaint realm, and he couldn't just go find the old man for advice now. The two had agreed on a truce so he couldn't meet him until after he was out of the Union, which was not likely to be very soon.
Malek's arrival snapped Lorist out of his stupor. The general reported Fort Linston's capture. The retreating enemy tried to burn the fort down, but the men reacted quickly enough to save it. Only a few food storehouses and the armory were lost.
"I've put you in charge of this operation, it's up to you to decide what to do," said Lorist when the general asked permission to press the attack.
Malek took it to heart and pushed Tigersoar and Whitelion into Sylugnika. He'd learned from a few captives that the Union was massing two legions to push against them and it would be best to take them out before they finished mustering.
The sentry legion and the Free Union's army continued their attack on Feldunba. The remaining provinces of Casirota and Tenelik could be dealt with after Feldunba and Sylugnika were conquered.
Malek returned to Lorist with a report, grave faced. Word was that most of Fedunba and Sylugnika was abandoned. The villages, forts, towns, and cities were empty. The guild had packed up and left the region entirely. As such, this latest offensive turned into a marching exercise.
Mayflower fled?
This was completely unexpected. After a short discussion with Malek, Lorist decided Els would march his legion on Tenelik to seal off Mayflower's escape route.
The four provinces being targeted were shaped roughly like a rhombus. North of the occupied Feldunba were Sylugnika and Tenelik, and south was Casirota. Lorist thought Mayflower was trying to retreat through Tenelik and return to the Union. He believed the guild would head north to huddle up with the other guilds. There was nothing for them in the south and thus no reason to go there.
With Sylugnika being conquered, Mayflower would naturally not head there, leaving Tenelik as the only path northward. A few days later, however, he learned that the guild had indeed gone south. They had last been seen entering Casirota. When his men finally got there, they were gone from there as well. Where to, no one knew.
Tigersoar reported the enemy legions destruction a few days thereafter. Sylugnika was now completely conquered.
Lorist and his forces spend the next two months cleaning out the provinces. Mayflower was the only guild to escape. But, just as Duke Nikolas had predicted, Lorist couldn't pursue them so far south. The guild was safe.
The Union turned to the tried and tested strategy of trench warfare to stop House Norton's advance. They had not expected Lorist to move that fast, however. Lorist declared the Kingdom of Mokby's restoration a month after conquering the four provinces, a few days later the Duchy of Cabasy was reformed, and within the next week so, too, were the Duchies of Samarita and Zikdor. They immediately joined the Alliance and its mutual defense pact.
The Trade Union felt like it had been knocked hard on the back of its head. It had antagonized House Norton and Andinaq, and now it suddenly had another adversary in the Alliance. Even worse, Lorist withdrew his forces immediately after the new countries were founded, giving the Union little excuse to charge in without starting a war with the Alliance.
On the 1st day of the 10th month, Chikdor declared its secession from the Union. It sent out two legions to take over the five remaining Union provinces in the region. Ten days later, on the 10th of the 10th, Mayflower declared its independence and founded the Kingdom of Mayflower. Surprisingly, the now Duke and Swordsaint, Magrut, declared his guardianship over the two new kingdoms.
The two new kingdoms immediately signed a mutual defence pact and sent ambassadors to the Free Union and the Alliance's member nations to establish diplomatic relations.
Knight Wecksas
There was a saying, 'die of boredom or perish from work'. Lorist was far too free. His forces had occupied the four provinces and Grindia was once again in turmoil. He'd restored four nations in one fell swoop. And he could not be said to be uninvolved in the founding of Chikdor and Mayflower. He was shaping up to be the most influential and consequential noble, even person, in the history of the entire continent. Despite that, he was not directly involved in any of it, so he had nothing to do.
Charade, Malek, Reidy, Els, Howard, and all his other subordinates, however, were perishing from work. Charade often went one or two nights without sleep and got only four hours at the best of times. He was constantly embroiled in negotiations with ambassadors from other nations. He drunk excessively to cope with the stress, but that kept him up at night as he vomited all over the nearest lavatory. It didn't help that most of the ambassadors he hosted were heavy drinkers as well.
Even Ironface Malek, one of the greatest bear bags Charade knew, had vomited a couple of times in the last month.
Lorist was even willing to get involved with the negotiations to relieve his boredom, but he couldn't. He was a swordsaint. People didn't think of him as a mortal; everyone put him on a pedestal. As such, nobody was willing to negotiate when he was involved.
Jindoz, however, envied Lorist's freedom. It couldn't be helped, unfortunately. Nobles greatly regarded status. Lorist did not have to, nay, couldn't get involved in the negotiations unless a king showed up. Charade also would not let him get involved; 'a swordsaint should be aloof and scarce,' he always insisted.
Lorist was bored to death as a result. Putting up airs was truly a soul-killing job. It was so bad he started to relish the occasional reception of nobles he did. He would personally receive one or two nobles, greet them, accept their gifts, and see them off to Charade for the negotiations. It didn't help that Charade had a very traditional outlook on what Lorist should do to keep busy. Nobles played with young women when they had free time, so he kept sending the daughters of nobles and other minor noble related ladies to entertain Lorist, despite his lack of interest.
Lorist would have been too happy to enjoy his toys were he still the bachelor mercenary from years ago, but now he was getting old, not to mention being married and having a number of concubines and mistresses already. Lorist was in his fifth decade, his lower body was beginning to hibernate and his mood was sobering.
Women were nice for company, but they always came with strings attached. He already had enough strings. Why did he want more women? He at times didn't even want the women he already had. He had few children, but unlike nobles native to their role, he had no inhibitions when it came to bastards, so he had enough gnomes running around. And with his hibernating lower body, he had little need of physical release. If anything, having so many women in his life had made him somewhat cynical.
After signing the Treaty of Misouthern Grindia, a renewal of the old Alliance's mutual defence pact, Lorist returned to Brinn Hills in Morante with his army. He married the women sent to him off to officers with the most achievements during the campaign as a reward, before leaving. The women weren't given a choice in the matter, they were literally asked to go somewhere, only to find a husband waiting for them.
Lorist was dragged into a meeting the moment he arrived in the city.
"His Majesty is back in the capital," reported Tarkel.
Auguslo's marriage happened in eleventh month of the previous year in Fisablen's dominion. Apparently he'd lined up every young girl in his house fourteen years or older, and let the king take his pick. He would adopt whomever the king picked and they would be wedded within the week.
Lorist could have attended, since he had been in the Northlands at the time, but since he was in the North secretly, and since he was there to be with his wife and concubine during their births, he laid low. He sent Potterfang and Kedan to attend the wedding in his stead.
"The king relieved Wecksas of his position and left Ripleid in charge. I have something else, but there's no definite information. The new queen is apparently pregnant already. Apparently she got pregnant practically the very night of the wedding."
"It seems our king is working hard. If it's a boy, his bastard will be in trouble. Best case scenario, he'll be exiled to some distant fief as a minor noble," laughed Lorist.
Wecksas was bringing ruin to himself. After Camorra turned him down, he actually moved the royal guard on the city. He sent a hundred men to Jillin. They must have thought no little noble would dare take action against them since their backer was the king's bastard, but they forgot who the little noble was.
They were quickly encircled and beat to a pulp. Everybody was deaf to their cries. They were stripped naked and sent back to the capital on foot. Everybody noticed the hundred naked bodies walking into the city and lined the streets to watch the parade. The women were most enthusiastic and a few well-practiced ladies took to critiquing the size and shape of their genitalia.
Predictably, Wecksas exploded.
Ridiculous! That little noble actually dared cross the heir apparent? The future king?! This was an affront to the entire kingdom! Swordsaint or not, the duke could not do something like that. He would have to pay dearly for this affront.
Nobody knew where he'd gotten the idea that swordsaints had to bend the knee to their king like any normal noble.
If the royal guard wasn't enough, then he'd just send the entire army. He sent out summons… and nothing happened. It was like the wind blew his letters away on the way to their destination.
Positively fuming, he marched to the army's headquarters and personally ordered Ripleid to mobilize the army. Ripleid completely ignored him. He told him to calm down and wait for his father to come back and deal with it personally. He may be the heir apparent, but he was not yet king.
Wecksas lost it completely and accused the general of treason. He stormed back to the palace, took out a letter of command from his father, and marched back to the general to punish him. When he opened the letter, however, it didn't say what he thought it did. It said Ripleid was only to keep an eye on Wecksas and could punish him if he stepped out of bounds.
Wecksas was completely flabbergasted. This was not a letter of command! It was a damn letter of limitations!
Ripleid knew Auguslo had hope for his bastard, but knew his limitations. He decided to advise the man instead of punishing him. He told him that the king had given Lorist authority over the port city personally, so he had a plan with it. Wecksas should not interfere with his father's plans. He did not have the authority to make and break agreements and treaties, he was only responsible for ensuring they were discharged properly.
Wecksas returned to the palace, still crimson-faced. He stopped making trouble for the Nortons, but refused to reinstate the food deals. Baron Camorra didn't make a fuss, though. It wasn't a loss for House Norton, they barely made any profit from it anyway.
The kingdom's treasury was running dry by the start of the 6th month. The biggest issue was the annual bonus they were supposed to give their military personnel. They had more than anough food, but they couldn't give food as a bonus. Auguslo didn't meddle much in internal affairs apart from matters of war, and without his aid the economy had been slow to recover. All the large-scale trade in the kingdom was done with House Kenmays.
It didn't help that the kingdom could not mint more money, since it didn't use its own currency. It could only get more money by trading out its produce. And the only large deal that gave the kingdom money, was the deal Wecksas had stopped.
Wecksas was quick to send men to Jillin once the money ran out, but now it was Camorra's turn to play hard ball. Well, it wasn't really like he was playing hard ball. The trade was set for the 6th month, but it was not the 8th. The ships were no longer in the harbor, so there was no one to whom to sell the food.
Wecksas was forced to change food for money in his men's salary as a result.
Auguslo's messengers arrived in the rest of the kingdom in the 9th month to tell everyone about his impending return with his new queen. The letter he sent to Wecksas and Ripleid informed them of Wecksas relieval. Ripleid received an additional letter which told him to arrest Wecksas's conspirators.
Count Mireitas
"When heaven gives you a chance, do bloody well take it!" ~ Count Mireitas
Duke Peterson looked distraught. The decision he was about to make would decide his guild's survival. He never imagined he would be pushed into such a corner, even less that the one pushing him would be an ex-Dawn Academy instructor. The man was now both a swordsaint and a duke. At the time they'd been worlds apart, but thanks to the duke's penchant for treating everyone with a friendly grace, they had been on friendly, if not close, terms. No one would have thought such a minor figure would blossom into the continent's most influential and consequential man in just a decade and a half.
He stood at his office's window, staring out at the home he had built for himself, his family, and his guild, a letter from this ex-instructor clutched in his hand. It contained just three words, written in his by now iconic simple handwriting: 'You are next.'
Sweat poured out of his forehead at such a rate that it threatened to overflow his eyebrows and flood his eyes. He swore he could feel the swordsaint's murderous intent stabbing at him from the straight-lined characters. It left him with just two options, either walk the same path as Chikdor and Mayflower, or charge full-speed into the dead-end at the end of the road on which he was currently. He wanted to comfort himself with the dozens of fortresses he had built and the hundreds of kilometers of trenches he had dug, but he couldn't. A small, nagging voice at the back of his head kept screaming, 'it isn't enough!'
His regret stabbed him constantly. If only he had pushed for peace with Duke Cobleit and the other guild leaders, if only he'd been stubborn in his insistence that they capitulate, this would not have come to pass.
But he had not.
The choice might seem obvious at first, death of kingship, but life was never that simple. If he stayed with the Union he had little doubt he would be a head on a stake in no more than two, maybe three, years. But he had no certainty that he could successfully secede from the Union either. His dominion was in the heart of Union territory, right next to Twinhead Dragon. He would be wiped out the moment he declared independence.
He couldn't stand it. When had his guild become a pawn in others' schemes? When had it lost its glory, its pride?
Duke Norton had moved his forces into Mauvlin, the perfect place from which to invade his territory. His territory occupied Chalbuk, a province-sized piece of land right next to Twinhead Dragon's land, Leolika.
Peterson had to defend Jerotan as well now. Cobleit put him in charge of the province, which stood between Peterson's territory and the land now occupied by Duke Norton.
Peterson was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. His scouts told him the duke's forces were building up at a rate that suggested they would attack in a year's time. The knowledge did little for him though. The Union could have all the knowledge in the world, but they could not act on it. They barely had the men and the money to man their defenses, much less walk out onto the battlefield in any significant number. Their only hope was that, by some miracle, the duke lost interest in them or just forgot to give to order to attack, failing that, they could only hope their fortresses would drag the conflict on long enough that the man got tired of it and decided to go home.
Peterson didn't put much stock in that hope. He knew the man too well to be that naïve. The duke was not easily provoked into action, but once he was, he always, always, saw things through to the end. It didn't help that he had the force to end them six times over either. He had single-handedly all but wiped out the greatest nation Grindia had ever known - save the ancient magi empires, of course.
It didn't matter whether the strategy worked on not either. They would not tire the duke out before Chalbuk, and with it Peterson's guild, his life's work, was conquered and destroyed. And with the hatred the continent had for everyone associated with the Union, if he was forced to start over from scratch, he would never stand back up again. No one would let him.
And it wasn't like one choice would ruin him and the other would save him. If he stood with the Union, he would most certainly be wiped out, but betraying it had only a slightly smaller chance of leading to his destruction.
A knock on the door woke the duke from his rueful silence.
"Enter."
A spindly servant stepped into his office.
"Count Mireitas is here, my lord."
"Send him in."
The servant bowed and disappeared again.
House Mireitas was a reputable house in the Union. They concerned themselves primarily with the hospitality business; a rare voice for peace. The wars and sanctions that resulted therefrom had ruined their industry. They had been forced to close most of their inns and taverns, and were hanging on by the skin of their teeth. They were most furious about losing their pride and joy, the jewel in their proverbial crown, Dauslyke, the famous Morantian hotel.
Mireitas stomped into the study grumpily.
"Why didn't you turn down Cobleit's suggestion to merge the dominions? That bastard has nothing but his own profit in mind. Do you really want to lose what little you have left, Zack?"
Ah, how nostalgic. Few of the people who called Peterson by his nickname were still alive. Hearing his childhood nickname had become a sad rarity. Mireitas was the only one he still saw with some sense of regularity that used that name. They practically grew up together.
"Sigh, you have a bad temper these days." Peterson complained, "Cobleit was forced into this position by the war. We have just seven provinces left. We can't afford to have our economy and governance as fractured and dispersed as it is now. Everything has to be directed by a single, unified vision."
"Who do you think you're fooling? Do you really think we stand a chance?" Mireitas snorted, "We've done nothing but lose, men and land alike, since this started. We had 37 provinces before the war, now we have 7, and who knows for how long that'll hold? Your pride, and that bastard and everyone else like him's pride is destroying us. Chikdor and Mayflower seceded because you are all blinded by your arrogance and refuse to do the sensible thing! We lost our newest forces to a man as well! How many more people need to die; how many more fortresses need to burn; how much more land needs to be lost before you fools will finally wake up?!"
"People must have hope, Meed. We all know how unrealistic that hope is, but we need it. Besides, we're not out just yet. I'm busy recruiting more men and soon I'll have another legion ready for the war. The duke must be getting tired of this constant war. He's not been back home in years, he's not seen his wife or concubines, or any of his children in years. We just need to hold out a little longer. We held out against the empire's constant invasions for sixteen years. We still have a number to a go before we reach that point in this war."
"So you really do eat shit, huh? I didn't want to believe it, but it seems you gobble Cobleit's shit up like it's rosewater cake! Yes, we were the continent's largest nation, but for just three years, then we started digging our grave, and that bastard was the first to pick up a shovel! Have you taken a look at a map lately? Why did we hold out for 167 years against the empire, hmm? We had extensive trade networks across the rest of the continent to fund our war, and we sent our allies out to do the fighting.
"This time we have neither trade nor allies. Not to mention that we're not facing just one enemy, nor that our principle enemy this time is worth ten Krissen Empires, even without all the other champing at the bit to dig into us!"
"Ahhh..." Duke Peterson was speechless.
Indeed, they were completely surrounded, both by land and by enemies. They barely had the manpower to hold on, but it would have been okay if they had the supplies, but they didn't have that either.
"The only thing we have in some measure of sufficiency is salt. And that's what Cobleit is after with this merger of his. He wants to take your salt."
Peterson was taken aback.
"I am completely baffled by this stupidity of yours, Zack. You weren't this stupid when we were back in Morante."
With Chikdor and Mayflower's secession, and with the Alliance joining in on the Union dogpile, the Union had been completely cut off. There was no one to turn to, no nation they bordered that was not an enemy. There was no one with whom to trade. Their only option was becoming self-sufficient, and that was only possible by unifying under a single ruler.
The landless guilds had nothing to lose, so they were staunch supporters of the move, but the guilds with land were absolutely opposed to it. Cobleit only got them to agree after promising to pay them back one and a half times what they would lose after the war was over.
A few of the smaller landed guilds, however, were still furiously resisting the change, Count Mireitas and his house was one of them. He'd lost his entire hospitality business, all he had left was his land. His guild had made the complete transition from guild to house. But now, just as he was finally beginning to tread water again, his former friends and allies were going to take that away from him as well.
"Look at the bigger picture, Meed. House Norton is at our doorstep. If they attack, even if we successfully repel them, we'll either lose our territory, or it'll be so ruined that it won't be worth anything. Isn't it better, then, to get guaranteed compensation?" Peterson countered.
"Compensation my ass! You still trust that bastard? He'll only give us a five of our due now, the rest we can only get after the war. He'll no doubt conveniently forget about that once the war is over, if we're even still standing then.
"Have you completely lost it, Zack? Have you finally cracked? Tell me, if we keep fighting and somehow stay alive, how long will it be before this war ends, hmm? A decade, two, three, five? A century, maybe? Maybe two?" Mireitas slammed his fist on the desk.
Duke Norton's letter flapped open on the table.
"Oh, what's this? 'You are next'? Who wrote this? Lorist... Bloodblade Saint..."
"I have no time to worry about your concerns, Meed. This letter, Duke Norton, the Bloodblade Saint, wrote it. I am next on the chopping block!"
Mireitas burst out laughing. He had to clutch the chair's armrests to keep himself from falling off.
"So the gods haven't completely abandoned us! Wonderful! This is our chance!"
Duke Peterson's Demands
"Count Mireitas is Duke Peterson's representative. He says the duke is willing to secede from the Union, with our support. He wants us to move our forces in Mauvlin into Chalbuk in the second month and attack Quadro to cover his secession. Thereafter he wants us to keep the Union at bay until he has got his feet on the ground."
Charade pointed at the map as he spoke, "The secession will deprive the Union of three more provinces: Jerotan, Chalbuk and Aligmai. Aligmai belongs to Mireitas, and he's willing to secede with Duke Peterson.
"Aligmai used to belong to the Duchy of Teria. The duchy was split into two provinces after its conquest. The other province is Toscow. They're separated from one another by a river, and from the rest of the Union's territory by the Sunset mountain range. This means Aligmay doesn't have to worry about Union retaliation. Our main concern, thus, is Chalbuk and Quadro. If the Union really wants to strike back at the duke, they will strike through here.
"The duke has three demands. The first, that we send forces to defend him. The second, to smooth things over between him and the Alliance so he can join it. Thirdly, to help them reform their military.
"If we fulfill these demands, he will cleanse his territory of loyalists and secede. Count Mireitas will do the same. Their declarations will come after next year's rainy season. This will be the final nail in the Union's coffin.
"Count Mireitas also gave us a key piece of information. The Union is running out of all kinds of supplies, salt most severely. None of their lands produce any salt. Peterson has a store of it thanks to a raid of the Kingdom of Wakaya years ago. If the Union gets its hand on it, it can last them another four years. Mireitas suspects that's behind Duke Cobleit's move to merge all the domains under his rule. If we get Peterson to break away, then we cut off their last hope at holding out."
Lorist didn't reply immediately. He tapped on the desk lightly as he considered his options. They were all old foxes. He should have expected that the old man would scheme, even in his current situation. He'd put the duke in the worst possible position to see what he'd do. But the man had hit back by putting him in an equally detestable position.
Everything came down to how much aid the duke was demanding. The first two requests weren't much of an issue, the third was the problem. It was very vague and could technically mean anything.
Lorist humphed, dissatisfied. Peterson wanted his men to give their lives so he could live peacefully. In his dreams. Lorist had wanted him to become a Union pariah, instead he had been town into the oil himself. He could also not move forward unless the duke fell out with the Union completely. As long as the two sides weren't mortal enemies, he could not be certain they weren't playing him and would ambush him at a moment's notice.
"Mireitas sounds like a familiar name. Do you know his background?" he finally asked.
Charade nodded.
"Tarkel submitted a detailed report yesterday. He's an old acquaintance. He ran Dauslyke Hotel, along with many other all across the Union's territory, as well as in most of the Alliance's members."
"Ah, so it was him. No wonder the name sounded familiar."
Lorist slapped his forehead.
"He's one of the anti-war'ers."
"No wonder. They suffered the most when the Union and the Alliance fell out."
"Yet, Mireitas doesn't hate or blame the Alliance. He's one of Duke Cobleit strongest critics. His primary criticism appears to be that the duke has turned on the principles that underpinned the Union for so many years. He is also the only one that has never joined any of the campaigns the Union has had since the war with the old empire ended. Which is why he's only a count and has the desolate Aligmai as his territory.
"Turns out he's not just a merchant either. Noble blood runs in his veins. His ancestors some six generations ago were Romon nobles. A baron and close friend of the crown prince of the time. The power struggle that took place when the crown prince was supposed to ascend to the throne killed Mireitas's ancestor, however. The crown prince died soon after and his family was exiled. They came to the Union and started a guild. The rest is history.
"Mireitas is also related to Peterson. Duke Peterson's mother is Mireitas's aunt. The two had an affair after they met during his father's stay at one of the guild's taverns. House Mireitas refused to let the woman become his father's mistress since he was already married, but she ran away and gave birth to the duke soon after.
"His father's first wife died a few years later and he took his mistress as his wife. The relationship between the two guilds have recovered since. Peterson and Mireitas grew up together and are practically brothers. Mireitas has been kept out of harm's way because Peterson's been covering for him."
Lorist nodded.
"Seems Peterson is set on leaving the Union. He wouldn't send Mireitas here otherwise. Charade, ask the count to clarify what they mean by military aid. We can't agree to something so vague. If it's not excessive, we can see what we can do. Also, let's make it a contract rather than aid. They'll have to pay us for it, even if it is in installments for several years.
"It's not that we don't want to help them for free. But we cannot do so since the Free Union and our other allies will immediately demand the same treatment. We're here to end the Union, not to give charity."
Lorist had an agenda, but he wasn't lying. The front was that he going to war with a distant enemy like the Trade Union. But he was really here for profit. It started because he was worried he would be surrounded by enemies if the kingdom lost the war, but now it was all about making money and gaining influence.
Lorist had achieved every goal he'd come here for and thought of since arriving. He didn't need to chase the Union into oblivion, but why not? Especially since he could do it without actually fighting them. He had originally wanted to push Peterson into war with the rest of the Union so they could keep each other busy for a while and give him a chance to return home. But then Peterson sent his requests. Why should he help the old man for free? He had nothing with which to threaten him, after all. If he wanted help, he damn well had to be willing to pay it back several times over.
"But, Your Grace, Mireitas says the war has robbed them of all their wealth. They have nothing with which to pay us back," said Charade.
Lorist smiled wryly.
"Yes they do. He has all that salt, doesn't he? I'll help him smuggle the salt out and then selling it to the Trade Union at a sky high price on the black market. We'll decide how much is sold and at what price. Half of the profits will go to funding his new kingdom, and the rest to repaying his debt."