Stealing My Truck Back

The mob marched back into Daletopia around midnight. Father Alton greeted us at the doors to the church. He raised an eyebrow at me when he saw the sheer number I’d gathered. In total, there were close to a hundred mercenaries, adventurers and wanderers. More than a few of them were peasants who’d been swept up with the mob on our way south, fueled by their desire for revenge against the demons.

“I thought you were gathering a defense force.” He said.

“Offense is the best defense.” I said, “We’re going to destroy the demons, then the town will have been defended.”

“I see. And how much did all that behind you cost?” He asked ruefully.

“Their weight in gold. After the deed.” I responded.

“And do you intend on paying them?”

“Of course, Father.” I said, “What kind of man do you take me for? The ones that remain when the fighting is through will receive their payment.”

Father Alton sighed and scanned the mob. A look of resignation settled over his features.

“There’s not enough room for everyone inside. We’ll host as many as we can, but some of these gentlemen will have to sleep outdoors.”

“That’s fine.” I said, “I’ll sleep out here with them.”

“No.” He said firmly, “You will come with me. Gather a few men from your group who are widely respected, men who the rest will listen to, and meet me in my chambers behind the altar. We need to discuss your plan of attack. Afterwards, you will comfort Lynessa and you will apologize for leaving her in her time of need.”

“Wait a minute!” I shouted, “You signed off on this plan! Now you’re saying I abandoned her?”

“I signed off on you recruiting some guards to defend the village.” Father Alton spoke in a tone that brokered no argument, “You promised that girl that you’d stay by her side tomorrow. I don’t know how you plan on doing that while also launching an attack on that demon army, so you are going to sit by her side tonight and comfort her while she is still in her state of trauma. You will apologize to her profusely for lying to her and you will do everything I have instructed you to or I will withdraw my offer of hospitality. Am I understood?”

“Yes.” I said through gritted teeth.

“Now, gather those men and meet me in my chambers. If you’re going to launch a raid on the demons, you’d best have a solid plan of attack.” Father Alton said, before turning and walking back inside the church. Rage pounded in my skull. How dare he tell me what to do? Just who did he think that he was?

I turned back towards the mob I’d gathered. They stared back at me expectantly.

“Elect among yourselves four representatives. Those four will come with me.” I ordered, “The rest of you will wait here until we can establish housing arrangements for the night. Erect hasty fortifications while you wait and be on alert. Rest in shifts if you must. Our revenge begins tomorrow!”

The mob clamoured as they broke apart. Four representatives were decided upon rather quickly. One was the eyepatch mercenary I’d met in the tavern, his name was Mikhail and he had been by far the most vocal among the mob. The others selected were a retired knight in his fifties by the name of Ser Helmer Egis, a trapper named Dalf and the bartender, a ruddy-faced dwarf who went by Mort. I led them back into the priest’s quarters.

Father Alton’s quarters were simple and cramped, especially with the five of us standing inside. The priest himself stood beside a small table, atop which laid a hand-drawn map of the surrounding area. Seeing him standing there, back straight, eyes sharp, with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, I couldn’t help but feel that he might seem better dressed in an officer’s uniform than in the robes of a priest.

“Reminiscing, Father?” I asked.

“A man leaves behind his past when he takes the vows of priesthood.” Father Alton reminded me. He addressed the four men I’d brought. “You the lot, eh? Well, I’ve seen worse. Gather around. There’s much to discuss.”

He pointed to a spot on the map. “We’re not entirely certain where the demons are, but to field an army of that size we’re looking for a large, open area within a half-day’s march of here. Preferably with access to fresh water. Demons they might be, but they still need to eat and drink as men do. The demons fled west, which limits their options significantly. Do any of you know where Herron’s Hill is?”

“I do.” Said Dalf, “I’ve been trekking over those hills since I was a boy.”

“Good.” Said Father Alton, “Organize three or four of your best scouts. Have them scout out the hill. Try Lokam’s Hollow if they are not camped there. We need an estimate of their numbers and their encampment’s layout, if they have not already moved on.”

“Right.” Said Dalf. He was off, rushing to gather his men.

“The rest of you will each take a quarter of the remaining men, that includes you, Dale.” Father Alton said, “You, with the eyepatch, your men will be on the left flank, dwarf, yours will be on the right. Ser Egis, you have the vanguard. We need you to keep these lines from breaking.”

Ser Egis saluted. “Pleasure to serve alongside you again, General.”

“Cram it, Helmer. That’s Father Alton to you and I’ll hear you address me as nothing else.” He turned to me, “Dale, you’re commanding the reserve. Hang back, distribute your men where they’re needed.”

“What?” I demanded, “You’re putting me in the back?”

“Quit your whining, boy. With your lack of combat skills I ought to throw you out of this operation entirely.” He stared me down, his gaze as cold as ice. “Like it or not, you’re the figure of morale for those men. If you go down they’ll lose their nerve, so you’ll sit back and let others handle the fighting. That, and you have a secondary mission. You will recover that truck before Spineripper has a chance to utilize its power.”

I nodded. As much as I hated to admit it, that made sense.

“Fine.” I said.

“Now, go.” Father Alton said, “The four of us will wait for the scouts’ report. You, I believe, have an apology to make.”

Lynessa was exactly where I’d left her. She lay on the cot, eyes wide open. It looked like she hadn’t slept a wink.

“You’re back!” She said, sitting up.

“Yeah,” I said, feeling slightly embarrassed. The manic rage that had overtaken me earlier had faded by multitudes, leaving behind a pounding headache. “Sorry about earlier. I just… boiled over. Watching what happened to Arthur and being able to do nothing, well, it made me go a little insane.”

“It was horrifying.” Lynessa added, “One minute he was there, speaking to me. I was telling him how we were going to make it, how everything would be alright, and the next…” She trailed off, her eyes adopting a faraway look.

“Spineripper will pay.” I said. I hoped I sounded confident. “When I left I managed to gather a small army. A hundred men or thereabouts. We’re going to take revenge for what he did to us, what he did to Arthur.”

Lynessa gasped. She grabbed my arm.

“You can’t do that.” She said, “You’ll die!”

“And are you going to stop me?” I asked. When she didn’t respond, I said, “We need to do this. Spineripper has an interest in my truck. I think he knows more than we do, and I don’t want him to succeed at whatever he’s planning. This is why you summoned me, right? To defeat the demons?”

She nodded, resigned.

“Then let me do my job.” I said. “Give me a chance to be the hero everyone thinks I am.”

Lynessa opened her mouth at that, but the words died, unspoken. I looked her in the eyes. Betrayal was plain in her expression.

“I’m sorry.” I said.

We spent the rest of the night in silence.