CHAPTER 6: THE FIFTH COLUMN

***Konka’s fortress-village, Wessen Mountains***

A lone member of the Insetus tribe was running through the main street of the village, the end of which led to Konka’s hut. The Insetus girl’s face displayed both fear and excitement, as she went past through the sentries without even being checked. When she barged in the room where Konka and the leaders of her army held a conference, she immediately kneeled and presented her report…

“Y-Your Holiness,” she said in-between her breaths, “Lord Banu’s men, they say that the armies of the Human king had finally moved south.”

Konka and her generals exchanged glances. One of them then asked, “Who’s left in-charge of the Outer Walls?”

“No one, milord, according to the spies.”

“No one?” the general raised his eyebrows, “The feared and sly Human King left the Outer Walls virtually undefended? This must be a trap!”

“Milord, the spies did say that there is a sizeable garrison of human and beastmen warriors manning the enemy’s defenses. However, only the Beastman Queen, and the Beastman Saint remained in Malvette.”

“So you’re saying that the walls are defended by a leaderless rabble?”

The Insetus-girl nodded.

“Then by all means,” Konka rose from her seat and addressed her men, “we should set out for Malvette at once.”

“Milady!” one of her generals countered, “We should exercise caution. For all we know about the enemy, the Human king won’t be that careless, leaving the defenses of his ‘kingdom’ wide open.”

“Yes, we are aware of how crafty the Human king can be,” said another general, “but then, passing off this opportunity just because we’re afraid of his tricks is a mortal sin! What if he did commit a mistake this time? We let the enemy escape without even trying!”

A brief, yet fierce argument then broke out between them as one side urged an all-out attack against the Kingdom of the Beastmen, while another championed prudence. The debate got so heated that Konka herself had to order them to cease their talk, which they promptly did.

“Yes, I am aware of the risks…” the Insetus-woman told them, “…for the Human king is no simple enemy. If we let our guard down, he would soon come biting off us. However, just as some of us are advocating here, we shouldn’t let the opportunity to defeat him pass by. We march for Malvette as soon as possible!”

“But milady, this must be the Human king’s trap!” the cautious general pleaded, “We’re walking directly unto it!”

Konka paused for a bit and gave him a smirk, “Indeed. However, I got a few tricks up my sleeves as well…”

----------

***Netevren, a town several leagues north of Malvette***

With considerable numbers of both beastmen and human population living side by side, the town of Netevren could be called a ‘melting pot’ of the two races’ culture…one among the many similar cities and towns within the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of the Beastmen. Adding to that was the fact that it was a fairly prosperous place, brought about by its geographical position as the ‘final stop’ or ‘first destination’ of trade caravans venturing out of the Outer Walls, even in the days of the old ‘Enclave’ colony. Because of these, Netevren was designated as the seat of the regional government, after the reorganization of the kingdom’s territories under the King and Queen of the Beastmen.

Its first governor, a member of the Avinus Ravens named Salaz, was a shrewd and cautious—if not outright paranoid—person. Appointed by His Majesty the King himself, Governor Salaz knew the precarious situation of the region he was entrusted with, for Netevren’s northern borders were at the part of the Outer Walls closest to the Wessen mountains, infamous as the rebels’ stronghold. If the beastmen armies of Lady Konka would attack, it’s obvious that his territory would take the brunt of their offensive.

As such, Governor Salaz never missed an opportunity to raise a local militia to augment the Black Feathers garrison at the walls. And, when the news about the king’s southern expedition became a reality, he grew even more insecure…

“Lord Governor, the training of the last batch of the militia had just concluded,” his human secretary informed him. “They are now ready to reinforce the town’s security forces.”

“How many men is it?”

“About a hundred, Sire. All capable of at least using a spear and a shield in battle.”

“Good. Send half of them to the walls,” the governor ordered.

“B-But milord,” the secretary countered, “the garrison at the walls are now more than sufficient to defend it from an attack! If we send more men, our town’s security might be jeopardized.”

“I don’t care about that!” Governor Salaz slammed his hands on the table, “The moment Lady Konka’s rebels got through our defenses, Netevren’s peace and order would be the last thing in our minds.”

“Then, I propose we send a quarter—”

“No,” the governor caught his secretary by the collar and whispered, “the king trusted me with this region, and I won’t let it fall easily. Do what I say, or I’ll send you packing, understand?”

“Y-Yes milord,” the poor human had no other choice but to agree, “it shall be done at once!”

----------

And so, the town’s internal security was in that sorry state when Banu’s spies made their move. With only a handful of guards patrolling the streets of Netevren, it was easy for them to go around and recruit disgruntled Beastmen to their cause.

“Hey friend, is that a forced slave mark?”

“It is, but my former master freed me before, so it has no more effect on me. Why do you ask?”

“It has no effect, yet the mark remains. Don’t you wish to get back at them for doing that to you?”

“I wish I could, but the king forbids it.”

“Well, if you join us, we can promise you that you can get the justice you deserve. You in this, my friend?”

Once their potential recruit agreed, that person would be let in a conspiracy about a general revolt across the entire kingdom, with no way to back out if ever the beastman decided against it, on the pain of death. But then again, there were only a few instances of their new members abandoning the cause, for the revolt’s aim of ‘punishing the humans and the beastmen that sided with them’ was attractive to the former beastmen slaves seeking revenge on their former masters. In this way, the rebel cells inside the Kingdom of the Beastmen grew in strength in a matter of days.

Maintaining a large ‘secret’ army was no ordinary feat. However, Banu’s experience as one of the ‘ringleaders’ back in the ‘Telessaria Rebellion’ came into play. Creating weapons out of mundane items, hiding those lethal implements in seemingly innocuous boxes, barrels, and even tunnels, and transporting men under the noses of the local militia and the kingdom’s soldiers, the bear-man from the East Ursus made sure that it was all prepared for when the time they would launch the revolt.

And that opportunity came when the Lord Kuro finally left Malvette with his armies for the southern expedition against Lady Telis and her supporters. With the Black Feather regiments spread out, and the Human king busy elsewhere, Banu decided to make his move…

After all, though the Human king is his friend, his loyalty still lies with Lady Konka and her cause.

----------

***The Black Tower, in the city of Malvette***

Ursura never took her eyes off the heavens as she waited for news about their invasion of the Cauldron. The gentle wind blew softly over the parapets of the Black Tower castle, as the clouds would occasionally block the light from the sky.

“You’re secretly wishing that you came with Kuro on his expedition?”

“…”

“Come on, you don’t have to be always on guard around me, Ursura. You saved me—your enemy, after all. At least I won’t kill the person who gave me another chance at life.”

“Yes, Your Holiness,” the Beastman Queen turned to Ruro, who appeared beside her, “it’s quite boring back here, honestly. Ever since I became a queen, I always have to deal with mundane matters, and I really miss being part of the action.”

“I can understand that,” the Beastman Saint told her. “However, knowing Kuro, I’m sure he has something in mind for leaving you here.”

“True. He did tell me to lead the armies that remained.”

“If so, then I guess you should. You know the guy; you can’t simply outwit him.”

“Well, you tricked him once, and ended up kidnapping him; I think he is always on guard since then. You made Kuro the way he is now.”

Ruro only replied to Ursura’s bluntness with an uncomfortable chuckle, and then, a round of silence. Neither of them wanted to say anything to the other for the moment, and it certainly did cause an awkward air between them. Ursura herself didn’t know whether or not she should have brought another topic; however, it was Ruro who eventually broke the ice for her.

“Hey…”

“What?”

“I…uh…you know, I just want to apologize.”

“For all that you did to Kuro?”

“That, and also to you…” Ruro’s eyes turned to Cherwind’s skies, “as well as to the people of this land. I shouldn’t have been the saint, you know? I did tell Lady Cassandra that I’m not worthy to be one, but she insisted and gave me the ability to use magic. Heh, now looking back, I really wish I didn’t let myself be convinced; my hands got a lot of blood on it than what I can bear.”

The bear-woman was just silent as the Beastman Saint poured her heart out. Honestly, Ursura’s feelings about what she was hearing were mixed. Considering her painful experiences, and the people that she lost because of the person beside her, it felt like she won’t be forgiving Lady Ruro for too soon. However, there’s also that little voice in her heart pushing her to pity this wolf-girl, at least…

“Nah, I don’t want you to pity me, Your Majesty,” Ruro read her thoughts. “If anything, I’d be comfortable if you get mad at me instead.”

“Hmm…I’m afraid I can’t do that anymore, Your Holiness.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, come to think of it,” Ursura smiled, “while we certainly experienced shit because of your actions, I guess we won’t end up here if not for those. What I’m saying is, the humans and beastmen are now at peace, for example. I met Kuro, as well as those orphan kids, and I also got the things I wished for when I was young and foolish…” She gave the Beastman Saint a pat at the back, “Your Holiness, just like what that idiot is always saying, if you’re really repentant, then you should waste your time and energy in righting the wrongs you did, instead of dwelling in the past.”

“Ah, those are really Kuro’s words…” the Wolf-saint laughed. “He’s changing everyone around him without even knowing it!”

Another round of silence. The atmosphere between them did improve, though. A few moments later, it was Ursura’s turn to break the ice.

“So, uh…Your Holiness, speaking of that guy…”

“If you wanted to ask me about Kuro’s decision to leave once everything is over,” the Beastman Saint sighed, “you know I don’t want him to go back to Chersea. But, as you’re currently aware by now, I’m just a powerless saint with god-powers. In fact, everyone else wants a piece of me, that I’m forced to hide in my enemy’s castle.”

“Your Holiness, are you saying that we forget about him once he crosses back?”

“You’re asking for the impossible, Beastman Queen,” Ruro chuckled. “You don’t know Maddie, the Human Saint. She can bend everyone to her will, and if she keeps Kuro back at Chersea, I’m sure no one can tell her otherwise…including her fellow saints.”

“Sounds like that human girl’s one big pain in the neck.”

“You bet she is, and even her ancestors,” the Beastman Saint laughed and winked at her. “I think it runs in their blood.”

“Well, in any case, I—”

Their idle talk was interrupted when a Falcon tribesman flew in circles above them and then landed before Ursura. After giving his respects for the Queen and the Saint, the Falcon-man presented his report.

“Y-Your Majesty, Your Holiness…” he began, “…the rebels have moved down from the mountains! With their marching pace, we estimate they will appear before the Outer Walls within two days.”

Ursura and Ruro exchanged glances.

“Looks like that bitch, Konka, has finally decided to give battle.”

“Yes, just as Kuro predicted.”

“Good. Now I can get back to her for what she did to Telis.”

“You’re still concerned about that traitorous guard of yours, eh?”

“Of course,” the Beastman Saint smirked, “if there’s anyone who’s going to kick that fox-girl’s ass, it should be her former liege, me. After all, getting my beautiful body hacked with her sword was painful, you know?”

----------

***Netevren***

Waiting in their positions at the forests outside the town, Banu was soon approached by one of his men.

“Milord, the Beastman Queen has finally left Malvette and is heading towards the walls. Lady Ruro is with her.”

Acknowledging the information he received, the bear-man then made a final check with his leaders, “The messengers to the other cities are ready?”

“Yes, milord.”

“Alright. Then send the word that we’re starting our revolt,” Banu took a deep breath, uttered a short prayer, and said to his men, “Everyone to their positions!”

At once, the rebels took their respective starting points and laid low. Netevren was protected by a stone wall manned by a couple of town militia members, and if they were not careful, the sentries would detect them and alert everyone inside, thus losing the element of surprise and making it harder for them to take over. A few moments of tense waiting then ensued. The rebels never looked away from where Banu was, for it was him who would give the signal.

“!!!”

The bear-man then went out and deliberately exposed himself to the town sentries. With a single blow from his war-horn and a wave of his hand, Banu gave his thunderous order…

“Attack!”

“Raaargh!”

From the forest surged the army of rebels, and they converged towards the town like a flood. The plan was fairly-simple: once the armies of the kingdom were gone fighting elsewhere, the rebels would ‘rise up’ and take control of the major cities and towns of their enemy, or distract the local security forces long enough for Lady Konka’s men to arrive. In Netevren, the under-manned militia was quickly overwhelmed, and its remnants soon conducted a fighting retreat towards the governor’s house, where most of the surviving human and beastmen ‘traitors’ sought shelter.

“Burn every human house! Kill every human in sight!”

The battle-cry of the rebels, reminiscent of their victory at Telessaria, rung out in the air and drowned the screams of terror and pain. The streets ran red with the blood of their victims, and the sky above Netevren was blackened by the smoke rising from every burning building of the town.

Swords clashed, fists flew, spears thrown and shields bashed together; the fighting went fierce as both the militia and the rebels never backed down. The two sides knew that the only way to stop the bloodletting was to annihilate the other, for they were certain of death once they surrendered. Some of the private citizens even joined the battle, bringing in whatever weapon they had, or making one out of the debris that littered the town.

“Telessaria! Telessaria!” the desperate defenders cried out the memory of that human city destroyed by the beastmen rebels in the past. Though they tried evoking that horrible tragedy to encourage everyone to fight and avoid a similar fate, it was obvious to all that with their current numbers, the human-beastmen side would surely lose.

Governor Salaz watched from the most fortified part of his house as the rebels destroyed everything and killed everyone they caught in their rapid advance. His secretary stood beside him—along with some of the militia commanders, silent yet shivering at what they were witnessing.

“Lord Governor, we should call for help now!” he urged his liege.

The raven-man, swamped with uneasiness, never responded to his secretary’s pleas. However, he kept on looking at his hourglass, as if waiting for something.

“Milord, our town’s defenders would be defeated if we don’t take action,” the militia commander added his opinion to the matter. “Let’s ask for some men from the wall garrisons to reinforce us.”

Governor Salaz, however, was stubborn. He simply ignored every advice for him to get help; if there’s any order that he gave that moment, it was to fortify the barricades of his residence, as well as the parts of Netevren that hadn’t fallen to the rebels yet.

----------

***The main camp of the Red Feathers, just outside the city of Malvette***

As the leader of the kingdom’s air forces, Chief Malu of the Owls was left by His Majesty the King from going with the southern expedition, in order to oversee the scouting missions of her falcons across the entire land. She was also given the authority to send the ‘wings’ to whatever part of the kingdom she wished, should the need for it arose.

“…”

And that necessity came just before lunch.

“Lady Malu,” one of the falcon scouts rushed to her, “the rebels of Lady Konka have finally begun to move down the Wessen mountains!”

The chief of the Red Feathers had barely touched her food. However, when she learned of the report, her hunger immediately disappeared. She stood up from her table, and after gulping down wine, she gave her order…

“Send the No. 2 Falcon Wing and bomb those guys to oblivion.”

Just as the scout was about to leave carrying her instructions, another one came in and presented his report. Contrary to the first, the new arrival had a pale face, and he had difficulty in telling her his news.

“Calm down,” Chief Malu massaged his back gently as the first scout offered him water. “Take a deep breath and relax.”

But the second scout was in no mood to relax. Once he got his air and voice, he blurted out, “L-Lady M-Malu! The re-re-rebels…”

“Yes, we already knew that they are on the move.”

“N-No!” the falcon shook his head, “The rebels! The-They’re attacking the cities!”

“What?” Chief Malu couldn’t hide her surprised expression. She inadvertently stared at the first scout, “Did they breach the Outer Walls?”

The first scout answered her with a confused look, as the second scout continued, “N-No, mi-milady! B-But I think it’s a d-different group!”

The leader of the Red Feathers then turned back to the first scout, “Confirm what’s happening around the cities and towns. Also, send the No. 2 and No. 4 Falcon Wings to the skies; I want them ready to strike as soon as possible.”

----------

***The airspace above the Kingdom of the Beastmen***

Thirty minutes after Chief Malu learned of the dire events around the kingdom, the No. 2 and 4 Falcon Wings of the Red Feathers were scrambled in the air. No. 2, in particular, was given the charge of protecting the eastern side, which included the town of Netevren to its north. While the bombing of Konka’s rebels moving down the mountains was their main concern, the worsening situation about the rebel revolts forced them to change plans and head to the settlements to help in repelling the enemy.

“Falcon leader to 2nd Squadron, rebel forces have concentrated around the governor’s residence to the west of the town of Netevren. Your orders are to bomb those guys to smithereens, before heading to the next town. Be careful with your targets; there are friendly militias fighting them. Understood?”

The falcon members of the 2nd Squadron saluted their commander and immediately swooped down the settlement to make their bombing runs. Each of them was armed with two wooden barrels filled with explosives, with magic incantations wrapped around that sets it off once it fell to the ground. Adding to their armaments were their muskets and swords; the former was for shooting at their targets from above, while the latter was for dive-attacks designed to lop off the heads of their enemies.

“2nd Squadron, bombing formation. Target is up ahead. Dropping bombs in 3, 2, 1…”

“!!!”

The streets and buildings surrounding Governor Salaz’ residence soon blew into bits, along with anyone caught in the blasts. Blood and body parts, along with stones and wooden debris scattered and hit some of the defenders, causing some minor injuries as well as screams of horror and disgust. The falcons of the 2nd Squadron then took the air for another bombing run.

“We hit them too near,” the leader of the squadron told his men. “Let’s try dropping the other bombs a few distances away.”

Once everyone agreed, the falcons descended the skies for their last attack.

“Kill those traitors!” But then, some of the rebels tried to fight back by shooting at the skies with their arrows. The falcons simply went higher and dropped their ordnances for their answer.

“!!!”

Another set of explosions tore through the rebel ranks as the exhausted militia remnants cheered the falcons. With that display of firepower, the defenders’ vigor was renewed, and they resumed their push against the enemy, who were decimated by the attacks. The rebels—witnessing how their comrades died, fell into a disorganized retreat, and Banu was forced to call off the assault on the governor’s residence to regroup.

“Whoo!” the members of the 2nd Squadron celebrated as they leisurely took pot-shots at their enemies from the skies. “We got them fair and square, captain!”

“No time to celebrate guys!” their leader told them, “2nd Squadron, head back to base and rearm. We got a long day ahead of us.”

“…”

Meanwhile, from the roof of his house, Governor Salaz watched with relief as the falcons departed. Clutching the hourglass in his hand, he could only utter a silent gratitude to the king, who taught the Red Feathers those bombing runs.

----------

**Kuro**

“…”

“Ei, you’ve been repeatedly throwing a glance towards that hourglass since earlier. Do you find its shape too sexy for your eyes?”

“Nah…” I turned to Sir Loin, who was sitting on the other side of the table inside the ship’s cabin. “I’m just wondering if something is already happening back in the mainland.”

“Hoh…are we talking about the bear-man and his boys? What’s his name again? I think it’s something like Bamu or similar.”

“Banu of the East Ursus,” I answered. “A good friend of mine and a loyal follower of Konka.”

“Yes, the leader of those enemy spies that you purposefully let in to infiltrate our cities and towns.”

“Don’t say that way,” I poured some wine on a glass in front of me, before offering the bottle to Sir Loin. “I prefer to use the word ‘welcomed’.”

“What for? Isn’t it dangerous? They’re bound to become our fifth column, you know?”

“I’m telling you, they will be our fifth column.”

The parka guy stared at me as if I said the most ridiculous thing he heard, “Aren’t you playing with fire here, Kuro mah boy? I told you before, we should’ve arrested those infiltrators and this affair would be less dangerous than our current situation.”

“Well, if you forgot already, I just said earlier that Banu is my good friend.”

“But he’s also a loyal follower of your enemy.”

“True.”

“So by that logic, he’s your enemy.”

“You can say that. He is Konka’s right-hand guy, after all; though we got no ill-thoughts against each other.”

“Your relationship sounds complicated, eh?”

“Oh well…it’s a matter of ‘Beastman Loyalty’, that’s why.”

The parka guy just chuckled as he shared a drink with me. Then he looked at my face for a while and smirked.

“What?” I asked.

“Heh, Kuro mah boy, I know that look. Tell me, what’s going on your mind.”

“Well, it’s simple,” I took another glass of wine. “Banu’s revolt—which is part of Konka’s plans—was already defeated even before it started.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. See, the so-called ‘Beastman Loyalty’, while it’s fundamentally different from the ‘loyalty’ of humans, is practically the same in application. You’ve seen it yourself, right? Back in that incident where the Isidus tried to block our fleet…”

Sir Loin’s lips then drew another smile, “You’re telling me you’re just letting that Banu guy to run amok, so he can’t be branded as ‘unfaithful’ to his liege?”

“Well, if that’s what it would take to convince him to our cause, then I’m willing to dirty my hands so this fucking war would end quickly. And when a key member of the revolt is already on our side, what’s left is to wrap things up, like defeating Konka and Telis separately.”

“You damned sly fox…”

“Nah, I’m just a normal human,” I chuckled. “A human who is a friend of my enemy’s right-hand man…”

Author's Notes:  About the Title...

The 'Fifth Column' is a term that gained popularity during the early days of the Spanish Civil War. It refers to a group of people who undermines a larger group of people or nation from within. It can mean espionage, sabotage, disinformation, or simply influencing the people to favor the goals of their enemies.