Chapter 93
charclone
Well-known member
A.N. So, this is late... sorry. Had to get my ankle looked at, as I had twisted it over a week ago, but it wasn't healing right, so I got it X-Rayed.
Its now in a cast, and it took me quite some time to get that done, had to wait through the night.
So, yeah. Sorry about that, but it was out of my control.
Bouro was not in a good mood. As much had gone right as it had wrong.
Zorzal was in power but did not act like the fool puppet he was supposed to be, nor was he taking any of the bait meant to lead him or place a child of the tribe on the Throne. Worse, some of the purges had removed agents of his. These were necessary sacrifices, to be sure, but they weakened his hold on the Senate.
Molt was gone, as was his other son, and Pina had fled the city, but she had somehow gotten a large portion of the treasury out with her, alongside several of Molt's supporters. That had the potential to be a useful tool, a different sort of lure to send Zorzal after, since he was not pleased with his sister, but she was being supported by NATO.
The otherworlders were a complete mystery. His attempts to send infiltrators failed before they got much further than Alnus. Too vigilant, too well paid, and too tight-knit a community. The Warrior Bunnies there also made other types of agents non-viable.
But Zorzal was trusting him more. Granting him more and more authority in the shadows. He had already disposed of people that were not easy to manipulate. He had added names to be purged, ensuring that they were killed or that he had extra influence over them.
His reach outside the city, never strong, was fading, but his grip inside the city had grown. All in all, he was not dissatisfied with the situation… but he wanted more. Slinking in the shadows wasn't enough. Partial successes just left him hungry for more.
After a moment's thought, the chimeric creature gave orders to subordinates to spread rumours. He still had hooks in Zorzal. Rumours, slowly spreading, of the Emperor lacking a wife during the civil war would make things unsteady, but they would also apply pressure on Zorzal. Bouro would just need to make sure that he carefully curated the potential options.
Outside the Empire, however, Bouro was less sure of what to do. Armies were not his area of expertise, but he understood the Saderan Legions were the most disciplined in all Falmart, and that disciplined armies mattered more than numbers.
He chewed a lip.
The Empire was weakened by Pina. She needed to be removed, but with her being in Italica… that made reaching her difficult. He had some paid informants, but no assassins that could reach her. So, he would need to ensure the civil war happened, and Zorzal removed her. Or she moved closer to where his agents could reach her.
"You are certain?" Zorzal let the food fall to his plate from his hands.
"I am, Your Highness," Bouro said with false sincerity. "The records indicate payment to the poisoner."
Zorzal made a show of anger. Leaping from his chair to shout at Bouro.
"I want them! Have them arrested and send the Frumentarii to arrest their associates!"
Other displays of anger were made, shouts, threats, and a thrown silver cup. Eventually, he was alone, his subordinates scrambling from the ornate Imperial dining room to fulfil his orders,
Zorzal let the false anger fall from his face.
"Bouro chose them because they could escape, and were not trustworthy," He said quietly to himself.
"Of course he did," Sol confirmed. "The creature schemes in the shadows, because that is all he knows and cares for. He wants the civil war to happen, as much as the gods do, for different reasons."
"And apparently even gods gamble," Zorzal snorted to himself. "Isn't that what you told me?"
"It is… though I didn't phrase it as such… but I supposed, given how we must not interfere overtly in the war, I cannot disagree with that," Sol sounded amused. "For now… with the war almost set in stone, you will need to rally the people. Fill their hearts with religious fervour. Train your troops over the winter."
Zorzal said nothing in response to the advice, simply sitting down to pick up his half-finished meal. After an hour, the man he had chosen to lead the Frumentarii entered.
"Well?" Zorzal demanded as he poured himself some wine.
"They escaped. Most of their estates outside the city had been empty for the past week," The officer shrugged. "If they flee to your sister…"
"They will, and Pina won't give them up," Zorzal answered. "Not unless we gave her a large amount of evidence that they had broken laws. She wouldn't dare compromise on her ideals. And of course, there isn't any evidence, not any that wasn't fabricated, anyway."
The officer blinked.
"Your Highness?"
"Do you know why I chose you?" Zorzal asked. A lie, as it had been Sol's advice to select the man.
"No, sire," The officer shook his head. "I was surprised, given I had not earned your favour before, nor been of particularly high rank."
"You are uninvolved with any plots, not related to any major factions, and," Zorzal poured a second cup and offered it to the man. "You are unquestioningly loyal."
The officer seemed to be in a state of shock as he accepted the cup.
"You followed orders without question, but not blindly," Zorzal continued before he took a drought from his cup. "You are ruthless and efficient. So, I needed you to command my enforcers."
"What else does the Crown Prince require of me?" The man found his nerve, locking eyes with Zorzal.
"My spymaster," The Crown Prince smiled. "I do not trust him. Do you have the people to watch him, quietly? To monitor his actions and the orders he gives?"
"It will be done," The officer saluted. "But… may I make a request?"
"Gold? Women? Land?" Zorzal guessed. "Name it."
"My Praefectus, Dulles, is a sadistic coward and an idiot. He will order the deaths of any who are needed to die, but he couldn't use a sword to do it himself unless the target was blind, unconscious, and already bound," The officer replied. "I need him replaced or sent off to die."
Zorzal hummed. Dulles had served with him against the Warrior Bunnies. But he didn't recall the man having done anything of particular note.
"He, and several other officers in his chain of command, lazed around and sent others to die for them, and spent time torturing prisoners they could have sold. Cowards and fools. Loyal, but useless," Sol's voice advised.
"I'll send him with a cohort to demand the surrender of some nobles Pina is harbouring," Zorzal shrugged. "Oh, and what rank are you at the moment?"
"Legion Legate, sire."
"I am promoting you to general and expanding the Frumentarii. Oversee the expansion, and I want detachments in every legion we control."
"As you command!"
Dulles shivered as the cold wind swept through the Italica plains. Weeks of marching with his troops, carrying the Emperor's favour (Zorzal wasn't the Emperor yet, but it was only a matter of time) to bring cowards and traitors back.
Part of him was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to treat them as traitors deserved, but perhaps he would be rewarded with the chance to prove his loyalty further by extracting confessions from the traitors. Or maybe the traitor Princess and her so-called knights would pull something stupid, and he'd get to haul them back as prisoners.
Dulles let himself dream images of fortune and glory as he huddled around the fire prepared before his tent as he waited for a messenger to Italica proper to return.
Finally, after hours of waiting, a messenger did return, but not the one he expected.
A flutter of anticipation burst in his breast as he caught sight of one of the Order of the Rose knights leading the Italica party. Was this his chance at glory?
"I see Her Highness has chosen not to come herself," He called out to them, mockingly. "Is she too scared of the cold?"
"The princess is meeting with more important individuals, such as Rory the Reaper," The knight replied, her gold hair flowing in the wind. "If you wish to risk interrupting, you are welcome to try."
Dulles' mouth snapped shut. He had heard rumours that Emroy's demigod was in the area, but meeting with Princess Pina…? That either boded well or very ill.
"I see," He grunted after a moment as the knight dismounted her horse. "Well, with whom do I speak?"
"I am Bozes Co Palesti," The woman drew her sword as she approached.
Dulles' eyes widened as she came closer, his soldiers stepping back. Her name rang in his head. Palesti was an equestrian family, holding the title of marquis, was not powerful but well connected… and were married to the family he had been sent to demand the surrender of.
Pina wouldn't dare, would she?
The blade was levelled with his face as he stood in surprise.
"You have orders to arrest all relatives of your targets, do you not?" The niece of his target asked.
Dulles' mouth went dry. He was loyal. He was sadistic. He was lazy. He was a coward. But he was not stupid. The sound of his men walking away was the final nail in the coffin.
"… please don't kill me," He whined. "I… I was only ordered to arrest them…"
"Lies. And you knew those charges were false," Bozes spat. "Worse, the evidence was false."
"I… I…" Dulles choked and stammered. "I… please don't kill me!"
"Spineless coward!" Bozes scowled. She shifted her blade's grip as the cold wind howled.
Darkness claimed Dulles.
"So, he didn't even die properly?" Zorzal scoffed as snow drifted down on Sadera. "What a coward."
"No, but your sister is now a traitor," The Frumentarii general said. "It was… gracious of you to give her the winter to change her mind and surrender."
"Practical, you mean," Zorzal snorted. "I need more time to properly equip my troops with the ignia pilum, as some have started calling it. So, he's a prisoner at Italica?"
"Took his own life, after they captured him," The new general replied. "His troops fell back in good order and are ready for the spring."
"Good," Zorzal smiled. "Drill your troops, expand their ranks. Pina lacks the spine for real war and the gods are on our side… we will win with ease. Then we can start looking at reclaiming sacred Alnus."
Its now in a cast, and it took me quite some time to get that done, had to wait through the night.
So, yeah. Sorry about that, but it was out of my control.
Bouro was not in a good mood. As much had gone right as it had wrong.
Zorzal was in power but did not act like the fool puppet he was supposed to be, nor was he taking any of the bait meant to lead him or place a child of the tribe on the Throne. Worse, some of the purges had removed agents of his. These were necessary sacrifices, to be sure, but they weakened his hold on the Senate.
Molt was gone, as was his other son, and Pina had fled the city, but she had somehow gotten a large portion of the treasury out with her, alongside several of Molt's supporters. That had the potential to be a useful tool, a different sort of lure to send Zorzal after, since he was not pleased with his sister, but she was being supported by NATO.
The otherworlders were a complete mystery. His attempts to send infiltrators failed before they got much further than Alnus. Too vigilant, too well paid, and too tight-knit a community. The Warrior Bunnies there also made other types of agents non-viable.
But Zorzal was trusting him more. Granting him more and more authority in the shadows. He had already disposed of people that were not easy to manipulate. He had added names to be purged, ensuring that they were killed or that he had extra influence over them.
His reach outside the city, never strong, was fading, but his grip inside the city had grown. All in all, he was not dissatisfied with the situation… but he wanted more. Slinking in the shadows wasn't enough. Partial successes just left him hungry for more.
After a moment's thought, the chimeric creature gave orders to subordinates to spread rumours. He still had hooks in Zorzal. Rumours, slowly spreading, of the Emperor lacking a wife during the civil war would make things unsteady, but they would also apply pressure on Zorzal. Bouro would just need to make sure that he carefully curated the potential options.
Outside the Empire, however, Bouro was less sure of what to do. Armies were not his area of expertise, but he understood the Saderan Legions were the most disciplined in all Falmart, and that disciplined armies mattered more than numbers.
He chewed a lip.
The Empire was weakened by Pina. She needed to be removed, but with her being in Italica… that made reaching her difficult. He had some paid informants, but no assassins that could reach her. So, he would need to ensure the civil war happened, and Zorzal removed her. Or she moved closer to where his agents could reach her.
"You are certain?" Zorzal let the food fall to his plate from his hands.
"I am, Your Highness," Bouro said with false sincerity. "The records indicate payment to the poisoner."
Zorzal made a show of anger. Leaping from his chair to shout at Bouro.
"I want them! Have them arrested and send the Frumentarii to arrest their associates!"
Other displays of anger were made, shouts, threats, and a thrown silver cup. Eventually, he was alone, his subordinates scrambling from the ornate Imperial dining room to fulfil his orders,
Zorzal let the false anger fall from his face.
"Bouro chose them because they could escape, and were not trustworthy," He said quietly to himself.
"Of course he did," Sol confirmed. "The creature schemes in the shadows, because that is all he knows and cares for. He wants the civil war to happen, as much as the gods do, for different reasons."
"And apparently even gods gamble," Zorzal snorted to himself. "Isn't that what you told me?"
"It is… though I didn't phrase it as such… but I supposed, given how we must not interfere overtly in the war, I cannot disagree with that," Sol sounded amused. "For now… with the war almost set in stone, you will need to rally the people. Fill their hearts with religious fervour. Train your troops over the winter."
Zorzal said nothing in response to the advice, simply sitting down to pick up his half-finished meal. After an hour, the man he had chosen to lead the Frumentarii entered.
"Well?" Zorzal demanded as he poured himself some wine.
"They escaped. Most of their estates outside the city had been empty for the past week," The officer shrugged. "If they flee to your sister…"
"They will, and Pina won't give them up," Zorzal answered. "Not unless we gave her a large amount of evidence that they had broken laws. She wouldn't dare compromise on her ideals. And of course, there isn't any evidence, not any that wasn't fabricated, anyway."
The officer blinked.
"Your Highness?"
"Do you know why I chose you?" Zorzal asked. A lie, as it had been Sol's advice to select the man.
"No, sire," The officer shook his head. "I was surprised, given I had not earned your favour before, nor been of particularly high rank."
"You are uninvolved with any plots, not related to any major factions, and," Zorzal poured a second cup and offered it to the man. "You are unquestioningly loyal."
The officer seemed to be in a state of shock as he accepted the cup.
"You followed orders without question, but not blindly," Zorzal continued before he took a drought from his cup. "You are ruthless and efficient. So, I needed you to command my enforcers."
"What else does the Crown Prince require of me?" The man found his nerve, locking eyes with Zorzal.
"My spymaster," The Crown Prince smiled. "I do not trust him. Do you have the people to watch him, quietly? To monitor his actions and the orders he gives?"
"It will be done," The officer saluted. "But… may I make a request?"
"Gold? Women? Land?" Zorzal guessed. "Name it."
"My Praefectus, Dulles, is a sadistic coward and an idiot. He will order the deaths of any who are needed to die, but he couldn't use a sword to do it himself unless the target was blind, unconscious, and already bound," The officer replied. "I need him replaced or sent off to die."
Zorzal hummed. Dulles had served with him against the Warrior Bunnies. But he didn't recall the man having done anything of particular note.
"He, and several other officers in his chain of command, lazed around and sent others to die for them, and spent time torturing prisoners they could have sold. Cowards and fools. Loyal, but useless," Sol's voice advised.
"I'll send him with a cohort to demand the surrender of some nobles Pina is harbouring," Zorzal shrugged. "Oh, and what rank are you at the moment?"
"Legion Legate, sire."
"I am promoting you to general and expanding the Frumentarii. Oversee the expansion, and I want detachments in every legion we control."
"As you command!"
Dulles shivered as the cold wind swept through the Italica plains. Weeks of marching with his troops, carrying the Emperor's favour (Zorzal wasn't the Emperor yet, but it was only a matter of time) to bring cowards and traitors back.
Part of him was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to treat them as traitors deserved, but perhaps he would be rewarded with the chance to prove his loyalty further by extracting confessions from the traitors. Or maybe the traitor Princess and her so-called knights would pull something stupid, and he'd get to haul them back as prisoners.
Dulles let himself dream images of fortune and glory as he huddled around the fire prepared before his tent as he waited for a messenger to Italica proper to return.
Finally, after hours of waiting, a messenger did return, but not the one he expected.
A flutter of anticipation burst in his breast as he caught sight of one of the Order of the Rose knights leading the Italica party. Was this his chance at glory?
"I see Her Highness has chosen not to come herself," He called out to them, mockingly. "Is she too scared of the cold?"
"The princess is meeting with more important individuals, such as Rory the Reaper," The knight replied, her gold hair flowing in the wind. "If you wish to risk interrupting, you are welcome to try."
Dulles' mouth snapped shut. He had heard rumours that Emroy's demigod was in the area, but meeting with Princess Pina…? That either boded well or very ill.
"I see," He grunted after a moment as the knight dismounted her horse. "Well, with whom do I speak?"
"I am Bozes Co Palesti," The woman drew her sword as she approached.
Dulles' eyes widened as she came closer, his soldiers stepping back. Her name rang in his head. Palesti was an equestrian family, holding the title of marquis, was not powerful but well connected… and were married to the family he had been sent to demand the surrender of.
Pina wouldn't dare, would she?
The blade was levelled with his face as he stood in surprise.
"You have orders to arrest all relatives of your targets, do you not?" The niece of his target asked.
Dulles' mouth went dry. He was loyal. He was sadistic. He was lazy. He was a coward. But he was not stupid. The sound of his men walking away was the final nail in the coffin.
"… please don't kill me," He whined. "I… I was only ordered to arrest them…"
"Lies. And you knew those charges were false," Bozes spat. "Worse, the evidence was false."
"I… I…" Dulles choked and stammered. "I… please don't kill me!"
"Spineless coward!" Bozes scowled. She shifted her blade's grip as the cold wind howled.
Darkness claimed Dulles.
"So, he didn't even die properly?" Zorzal scoffed as snow drifted down on Sadera. "What a coward."
"No, but your sister is now a traitor," The Frumentarii general said. "It was… gracious of you to give her the winter to change her mind and surrender."
"Practical, you mean," Zorzal snorted. "I need more time to properly equip my troops with the ignia pilum, as some have started calling it. So, he's a prisoner at Italica?"
"Took his own life, after they captured him," The new general replied. "His troops fell back in good order and are ready for the spring."
"Good," Zorzal smiled. "Drill your troops, expand their ranks. Pina lacks the spine for real war and the gods are on our side… we will win with ease. Then we can start looking at reclaiming sacred Alnus."
