Gemmen

The Order’s sigil flapped over the battlements of the city of Gemmen, a golden sun on a white field. Smoke rose from within the city walls, and I hoped that it wasn’t from civilian residences or shops. Doubtless something had gone amiss, reports from Vexala were vague, but the city had been taken.

I marched my forces to the city gates. I brought with me a small company of fifty men, mainly priests or acolytes with prior combat experience. The battered wooden gates creaked upwards, revealing tight stone streets lined by wooden houses. Dead combatants littered the streets, though thankfully none of the dead appeared to be civilians. The houses around us appeared to have been damaged very little, and I made a mental note to thank Vexala for not sacking the city after their victory.

As we continued farther into the city, the signs of struggle intensified. Collapsed blockades became more common as we approached the tall temple in the center of the city. Bodies piled higher and higher as we went.

“The resistance must have been stiff.” Father Alton commented, “I’ve seen nearly as many troops as our intelligence reported were in the city.”

“They fought to the last.” Vexala said, walking up to us from the steps outside the church, “We had to kill every last one just to secure victory.”

“How unfortunate.” I responded, “We had to expect resistance, but you’ve done a good job in sparing the civilians. I’m grateful.”

“Sure.” She said, “You’re payin’ for it.”

Vexala led us to the church’s spire. From there, we had a clear view of the northern side of the city and the lands beyond, where the Inquisitor Legion was to be hammered between the two companies of mercenaries.

“Any sign of our foe?” I asked.

“None thus far, but word is good.” Vexala informed me, “They should be here within the day. Minimal casualties to both sides, but word of Gemmen’s fall has not reached the Church of the Great Father yet. The Inquisitors retreat with haste, thinking they will find sanctuary behind its walls.”

“Good.” I responded. Things were going well. With any luck, this war would be over before it had even begun.

You’ll mess it up. Atlas’s voice rang in my head. You’re not a hero, you’re not a divine prophet, you’re a man who’s in way over his head. The tiger had not come with me on this excursion, stating that he would not be assisting with anything unless it involved a way to return home. I hadn’t pressed the issue. There would be two mercenary companies and fifty of my own men to defend me when the battle began, Atlas’ presence would not be necessary. Still, his words rang in my head, filling my mind with doubts.

“Something wrong?” Father Alton asked, “By all accounts, this is good news.”

“It’s nothing.” I responded, “Just a feeling.”

Vexala grunted. “Swallow it. Your men will see your concern and hesitate. A lack of conviction can turn a winning fight into a definite loss.”

“She’s not without the right of it.” Father Alton agreed, “Believe in the strength of your allies and the strength of our plan. We will win the battle this day.”

“So I hope.” I said, and leaned against the railing to watch.

Hours passed. The sun sat high in the sky when we first glimpsed the Inquisitor Legion. Their retreat faltered when they saw the sigil of the Order above the gates of Gemmen, but it was far too late for them. They were trapped.

The northern side of the city was an open plain. The Inquisitors were trapped between the Crimson Vanguard’s advance from the north and the volley of arrows fired from the walls of Gemmen. They formed up and held firm just outside the range of the Sisters’ arrows, repealing the first wave of attacks from the Vanguard. It was then that Vexala descended from our nest in the church’s spire to command her frontline force, establishing a second front against the Inquisitor forces.

“They don’t stand a chance.” I said.

“No, they don’t.” Father Alton agreed, “I hope for their sake they surrender. If not, a great many lives will be lost without reason.”

“A great many lives have already been lost without reason.” I reminded him, “We gave them every chance to avoid this war. Now, they will realize their mistake.”

We watched in silence as the Sisters of Saulan struck the enemy force. The lines buckled, but held firm. The Crimson Vanguard advanced again from the opposite side. The Inquisitor Legion wavered. Panic among the ranks was visible even from our vantage and what appeared to be the first attempted deserters were cut down by their higher-ups.

Vaxala and Astmon began tightening the noose, wrapping around the Inquisitor’s flanks with men from their reserves in an attempt to encase the followers of the Great Father. The commanding High Inquisitor must have noticed this, for he pulled together his troops into a westerly movement designed to thrust through while the mercenaries' lines were still forming. I grimaced. Such a play was risky. It left his flanks too exposed, all for the gamble of a potential escape. It would have been a far safer game to surrender. A struggle like this would only cost lives.

I looked out towards the west, in the direction of the Inquisitor’s planned escape. Nothing but sunken plains awaited in that direction, hundreds of miles of mire and swamps that stretched to the southwest until they were finally broken by the looming Unthelk Mountains. Even if they managed to flee, there would be nowhere for them to run. I shook my head.

“Why can’t they just accept defeat?” I asked.

“Put yourself in their place.” Father Alton responded, “Would you see reason?”

I sighed, knowing he was right. I would have fought until the last just to spite my foe. That is what the Inquisitors were doing. In their story, they were the valiant heroes facing down impossible odds, ready to do or die for their god and his glory. I might have respected them, had we been on the same side.

“How can we stand against it?” I asked, “When every side is righteous, no peace will ever come to this land. The plague of war will perpetuate forever, built on the backs of preconception and revenge.”

“In times like these, we must stay the course.” Father Alton said, “Our enemies will never compromise, and neither will our allies. We must close this chapter by domination, and open the next with what lessons we’ve learned. Coexistence can be achieved, but first we must control the landscape to properly allow for it. We must force our enemy to accept defeat, so that they might see peace as a favorable option.”

I frowned. There may have been an element of truth to his words, though I found I could not agree with him entirely. Perhaps that was my naivety, I wondered, or perhaps the old man had been stuck in his ways for far too long. Maybe, I considered, we were merely two flawed beings cursed with imperfect understanding of reality, witnessing a slaughter of our own design and trying to justify its cost.

A horn sounded over the horizon. It was deeper and more terrible than any I had heard before, shaking the earth itself with its hideous tenor. My eyes snapped to the western plains and widened at the sight of what they found there. Rising from the mire marched an army of demons, larger than I had thought possible. Riding high on the winds above them flapped banners. Just below the top of the masts flapped ragged scraps of black cloth marked by a pair of green tusks, and above them a sight that filled my veins with rage.

The red skull of Spineripper grinned down at us from a plain white field, rippling in the wind.

The ongoing battle devolved into chaos at the sight of that new, bloody host. Lines broke, men fled, officers were trampled by their men in an attempt to escape. The demons surged forward over the plain, faster than any man could run. They would be upon our soldiers before they had the chance to retreat.

“We have to keep the road to the city gates clear.” I told Father Alton, “Gather our men and prepare for a siege. We need to get those people inside of the city walls.”

“Ser Erik already has command. He’s massing them near the north gate now.”

“Good.” I said, “We’ll take the truck and catch up with them.”

I thought about the mercenaries on the field, how it was my plan that now had them stranded out there at the mercy of the demon army. I thought about the Inquisitor Legion, too, and their bravery in the field, their undying courage in the face of danger.

“We’ll need them too.” I said.

“The Inquisitors?” Father Alton asked.

“The demons are the enemy of all mankind.” I responded, “And right now we could use a little of their do or die.”

We made it down the church’s steps and into the courtyard below. It seemed abandoned. All of the remaining mercenaries had gone to man the city’s walls, the people of the town hiding within their residences. I hopped up into my truck.

Father Alton slid into my passenger seat. “Buckle your seatbelt.” I told him.

The old man regarded me with suspicion as I showed him how to do so. “I’m beginning to feel as though I’d be better on foot.”

“Relax.” I said, “Ser Erik is a good commander. He’ll do his job. Besides, don’t you want revenge for what Spineripper did to your town?”

He chuckled, then pulled a long dagger from beneath his priest’s robes. “As you say, Divine Speaker. We serve only in your radiance.”

We thundered down the streets. The men manning the walls opened the gates for us, and we shot beyond them and into the storm.