Tension.
A heavy air befell the room the moment Lord Mors appeared within the conference hall, with the Cult Leader walking a few steps behind him.
The moment he approached his seat, everyone rose to their feet and went on their knees—all within a second—to pay homage to him. He said nothing, instead seating majestically on his stone chair before finally speaking with the sleight of his hand.
"You may rise."
They all obeyed without hesitation.
"Sit."
They did that too.
Once everyone was settled in, they watched their Lord in silence as they waited for his opening words. No one dared speak before him in such a pertinent meeting.
"Why don't we get straight to the point?" His words were deep and heavy, causing even the air to vibrate. Slowly, he tilted his head to his right and looked at the person who sat closest to him. "Lili, share your report with everyone here."
"Right away, Lord Mors!"
The Cult Leader jumped on her feet and addressed everyone with sheer seriousness, not missing a single beat as she gave them the full rundown of the matter at hand.
"My Locator Spell has spotted a Cathar spying on us from afar. This Cathar is dressed lightly, so it is very possible that their forces are close."
Lili had set traps in many parts of the Dry Woods, making sure they surrounded their sanctuary. If anyone triggered the traps, she would be informed, and with that… a Locator Spell would be activated on the culprit so their precise location could be pinpointed.
"Since the trap was activated northwest of our position, it means their forces took the long route and circled around the thick dry woods so they could have a much better advantage in a clearing that serves as a plain field." She continued, her gaze traveling to the two other subordinates who listened attentively.
All of this had already been reported privately to the Lord of the Dead, so it was basically a retelling of the issue.
"My conclusion from all these observations is that the Cathars are finally getting ready to attack us, so we must also act accordingly."
Once she was done, Lili bowed her head and took her seat after a wave of confirmation by her Lord. Everyone nodded positively due to her succinct presentation and the valuable information she was able to provide.
As always, she was a capable Cult Leader.
'And, all of this brings us to a crossroad…' Lucius smiled wryly as he processed the information for the umpteenth time.
"We can either wait for them to attack… or go on the offensive."
Taking the fight to them meant they would end up battling in the plains, which in turn meant they wouldn't be able to activate any of the traps or use the familiar terrain they had to their advantage.
'That would be a waste… but having them attack us could also cause a lot of damage and loss to our premises.' He reasoned with a silent sigh.
Lucius didn't want that—particularly because the Cult had come a long way already in their construction efforts.
Lili was already done with all the preparations for the barrier, and it was now up and functional. This was probably the reason why the Cathars had to send someone to spy on them from such proximity since they would most likely be experiencing interference if they tried to survey them remotely.
Apart from the barrier, there was also a considerably tall wall that surrounded the Cult's premises. This was made out of soil and stone, rather than the dry trees that surrounded them. Apparently, the trees were too brittle to be used for serious construction.
That was why they weren't used for furniture… like his chair.
'Lili mentioned being able to enhance them with Spells, but the materials for that is exorbitant, and with the construction of the barrier already taking up most of the resources we have, it's best we postpone that for later.' Lucius added to his thoughts with a nod. 'Right now, making sure the Cult is as fortified as possible is the priority.'
Comfort could come later.
'Then, we are building a much bigger headquarters, so we will vacate this small space once construction is complete.'
By 'we', he was referring to his undying followers who would never tire in their service and devotion to him—their Lord of the Dead.
They worked day and night to harvest the materials, process them, and use them in their ongoing projects. Since this was the Middle Ages, and technology was at a rather dark place, most of these processes took a lot of time. As such, despite the Undead practically working all the time, not much progress had been made overall… especially in the grand scheme of things.
'I still have big plans for this place… but we'll have to settle for this for now.'
The most pertinent matter at hand was dealing with the Cathars, so he threw the question out to his subordinates to hear their thoughts on which path they should take in the crossroads.
Unurprisingly, they gave a unanimous answer.
"We can not let them taint our sacred land… so it's best we attack their camp."
"Agreed! We should take the initiative."
"I also agree!"
A smile crept on Lucius' face as he heard their comments. He already expected them to say this, and he was also perfectly fine with this plan.
After all…
"Looks like the time has finally come for me to take action."
… That meant he could finally leave the Dry Woods and stretch his legs a little.
Lucius rose at this point, raising both hands in a god-like manner, while watching his followers bow their heads and watch him in unfiltered awe.
Moments like these gave him goosebumps, but they were also necessary.
He was a god, after all.
"I will attack their camp with my undying army." He began, sensing no dissent from the ones who listened. "Lili, Luca, and the other ten who are yet to be transformed will remain here… in the headquarters."
Once again, there was no disagreement whatsoever.
Lili seemed a little forlorn by the words of her Lord, but she understood his reasoning enough not to complain about his decision. Besides, she was well aware of her place in situations like this, so she wouldn't dare think against her Lord's wishes.
"We leave tonight… so get ready."
Once Lucius said this, he left the conference room, the awe-filled of his followers stuck on his back. His caped cloak flapped behind him as he walked down the passage alone, his facade hidden from sight.
A certain feeling squirmed within him, one that wouldn't be evident on his stoic face.
Was it fear? Worry? What of guilt?
No… none of those paltry things.
Only one emotion burned the brightest in his mind at that point, and it was pure, unbridled excitement.
***********
"Huu…"
In the dark plains, right before the Dry Woods that stood imposingly in the distance like tall skeletal sentinels, the camp of the Cathars stood strong.
Five hundred well-armed men walked up and about the barricaded area, all of them prepared for the slaughter that they would soon be committing. For the sake of their God, under the direction of their capable Bishop… they would even storm the gates of hell.
Bishop Karl stood alone, hands behind him as he cast his calm gaze on the dry trees before him.
Fluttering with the wind was his dark gray hair, but his bishop attire remained still despite the loud whispers of the cold breeze. His two hands tightly clung to the walking stick that stood at the center of his body's visage as he maintained a soft, melancholic air around him.
A smile slowly crept on his face.
"Bishop… you called for us?" A rugged voice echoed in the air, instantly causing him to take his attention off the dry trees and focus it on the two Deacons who respectfully stood with him.
"James… Philip… " As he looked at the twins, his eyes sparkled and his lips curled upward even more.
For a moment after he said their names, there was silence.
Then—
"I have something to tell you two." The twins looked at each other curiously, and then at the Bishop. They waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts together, silent the whole time.
He spoke not very long after.
"There's been a slight change of plans."