WAR Part II

The next day, the leaders of the Veldat Kingdom forces gave their orders. The regular army took several prisoners as merchandise. They would transport them to the border with the Orphen kingdom, where they would sell them as slaves. Many of them would end up smuggled through the Kingdom of the South, from where they would depart to the kingdoms of the west, on the other side of the sea, to be sold into the Nu Empire. The mercenaries received their orders and marched to the villages and small towns around Mennor and Farpas. They would not approach the citadel; they would simply terrorize the peasants, towns, and villages.

'Things are going to get ugly,' said Melna to his group. He got wind of the situation and of the great war that was about to erupt. Neither he nor his mercenaries had plans to participate in an event of such magnitude. The number of dead would climb to the sky; elite magicians, masters of small academies, and elite knights could join the battle; it was too dangerous.

'I will not participate in this,' said Xavier. 'I'm not a saint, but all this... for a dead noblewoman? Nah, I'm out.'

'I'm with the boy in this. We're not soldiers; we're mercenaries. We have no obligation to anyone except for the money,' Dorom added, while the others were in agreement.

'I do not want to participate either, but we do not have enough funds to start from scratch. If we deserted the Veldat army, we'd lose our guild base. I do not think the kingdom would be too tough with a gang of mercenaries that escaped the war, but at least they will seize our possessions,' Melna reminded them. These words changed everyone's view.

'I know where there is a low-ranking noble house. They have been exploiting the peasants of their village for years. I'm sure we can get a lot out of them. The problem is that it is far away; we have to pass through the vicinity of Farpas.' Xavier proposed an alternative. 'But we can do it; I know the area; I've done it before.'

Xavier shared his knowledge of the area around Farpas and Humol with the mercenary group. The unattended roads, the villages, and the location of their target in Humol. They would attack the mansion of Efrir de Exel. Xavier knew he was taking murderers and thieves to destroy everything he had known in his childhood, but he didn't care; they betrayed him first.

'It would be difficult. We don't have the numbers, and a magician is a lot of trouble. Efrir might be a mediocre magician, but he remains a magician, and a fire magician none the less.' Lina expressed her concerns.

'Even better, we will use the army,' said Melna with an evil smile.

Melna left his colleagues for a while and discussed his plan with one of the sergeants. Being able to pass Farpas and attack the nearby villages was a good way to score points with their superiors; besides that, they would not have competition for the looting. Hours later, some groups of mercenaries, members of the army, and some low-ranking magicians joined them. It was a good opportunity; they would be far from the operating area of other groups and could make some money. By the evening of that day, the troops of the kingdom had divided, and the citadel of Mennor was in flames. The dynasty would recover piles of debris and ashes instead of a citadel. A part of the troops would destroy the villages near Flam and small towns. A small group would pass by the border of the citadel of Farpas to attack the villages further south.

'The attack will begin in the villas. As the soldiers and other mercenaries ravage the villages, we will go directly to the town. If the guards and Efrir go out to defend the villas, we will have it easy,' said Melna.

The now reduced group of Kingdom soldiers was divided into even smaller units. Many mercenaries had left the army. Xavier and the others had no trouble crossing the villas. The preparation for the great battle, the noise, and the constant movement of Dynasty soldiers and refugees made it seem that all who traveled around Farpas were mercenaries who would face the invaders of the Kingdom at Mennor or people fleeing the conflict zone. It was already known to the public that the troops of the Kingdom of Veldat were ravaging the villages and towns around Mennor. No one imagined that they would advance beyond Farpas.

It was not difficult to get to the mansion of the lord of Humol. Efrir de Exel had marched to Farpas with most of the guards of the town and several peasants recruited at the request of the dynasty to form a large army. They were preparing for a large-scale counterattack.

'No witnesses,' Melna reminded them.

Everyone knew the rules of the game; this time they attacked a nobleman on their own initiative, creating a direct enemy. The plan was simple: to loot the mansion of the lowly nobleman and to make the kingdom's army bear the blame. For that, there could be no evidence of the Tide mercenary guild involvement; only they knew who was their target. Xavier found himself in the same situation that he had lived before with Vralia's gang; the plan was the same. Enter the mansion, kill the few remaining guards, and eliminate the servants, the housewife, and the children as well.

'Dorom, get the wife. Aleum and John, take care of the children. Lelin, Lina, and I will handle the servants.' Melna assigned the tasks.

'It is a waste of time,' replied Xavier. 'I can take care of the kid alone. Lelin should go directly to look for the secret stash in the office or the master bedroom. The nobles usually have a small stash hidden somewhere; I don't think Efrir is different.' Xavier knew what he was talking about; he had experience.

'Very well.' After looking at him for a few seconds, Melna accepted the proposal. Xavier was young, but during the time he had been with the mercenaries, he had shown himself to be ruthless and cold while doing his job.

It was night. There was a curfew; everyone had gone to bed. The mercenaries took advantage of the darkness to get into action. They discreetly killed the guards and hid them in the small garden of the mansion. Opening the doors was even simpler; Lelin and Xavier had the necessary skills. Inside the mansion, Lelin headed to the office while the others went to get their targets. They were already beginning the massacre when the other groups of mercenaries and Kingdom soldiers launched their surprise attack on the villages, attracting the attention of the scarce guards and the security left in the town.

Efrir had a daughter, a girl about seven years old. Xavier entered the room with the skill and secrecy of a cat. From the inner pocket of his leather jacket, he took out a small bag. Inside, there were several vials. He took one of them and slowly covered the girl's nose, which woke up and opened her mouth to breathe. Xavier poured out the liquid from the vial and covered her mouth, silencing her and forcing her to swallow. The girl fought back a little, but the drug took effect quickly.

'I'm sorry, little girl,' said Xavier, taking out his dagger as the girl fell asleep and her eyes closed. Xavier cut off the little girl's ear, hung it on his neck with a cord, covered the girl's wound with powder to stop the bleeding, and left the room.

Xavier went out to the hallway and went to the master bedroom. Dorom was raping and strangling the woman. He had taken his time; his hatred for the nobility was not a secret. Opening the door, both looked at each other for a second. Dorom didn't stop; Xavier made a discrete face disgust, but continued to walk towards the closets and the rest of the furniture. Dorom continued his activity, while Xavier took out the jewelry and valuables.

'For God's sake, even the worthless nobles have a lot of jewelry,' he said, collecting a decent amount of spoils.

By the time Xavier had begun to tear out the cabinets and closets in search of secret compartments, Dorom was finally done. He grabbed the woman's body by one leg and pulled as if it were a doll. The body fell from the bed, and the head made a heavy noise when it hit the ground.

Xavier and Dorom devoted themselves to opening and inspecting the mattresses, pillows, cushions, etc. They crushed the bed in search of hidden objects. They found nothing.

'Are you guys ready?' asked Juan. He entered the room along with Lina and Melna.

Xavier and Dorom assented. Everyone went to the office. Lelin was lying dead on the floor. He had found a secret compartment in one of the closets, but it had a trap. A crossbow arrow had perforated his chest and killed him in the spot.

'Damn it. This complicates things,' Melna worried. 'Check the cabinets, but be careful; there may be more traps.'

To save time, Dorom simply pulled the cabinets out of the walls with his brutal strength. On another bookshelf, there was a compartment that also had a trap. This time, when it was activated, it didn't hurt anyone. They found some bags with a few silver coins and some valuables in the closet. The seal of the family was made in gold; it was a good acquisition, although before selling, it had to melt. Selling the stolen seal of a nobleman was suicide.

'It is less than I expected,' complained Melna.

Unfortunately for them, Efrir had taken most of the taxes collected to Farpas as an offering to the high-class nobles. With the excuse of contributing to the expenses of the war, he could get on the good side of the high-class nobility.

'This will give us some coins,' said Xavier, showing what he had found in the master bedroom.

After valuing the jewelry and the rest of the look, the job was worth it. Melna and the others looked at the small ear hanging on Xavier's neck with a little bit of disgust. They didn't know that he had such sadistic tastes; they even felt sorry for the little girl. The little ear had fulfilled its goal; Melna and the rest would not doubt that Xavier had completed his mission. Then everyone looked at Lelin's body. Xavier approached him and took away all his valuables. They were more or less of the same height, so he also took his boots. They took his weapons, and everything else was added to the spoil bag.

'We will burn the house,' said Melna. This caused a little discomfort for Xavier, but he could not afford to show it, only to pray for the girl to be rescued in time. Melna noticed some reactions in Xavier and misinterpreted him. 'Don't use magic; this is a noble's house. It could attract regulators. They can detect the use of magic and have ways to know who used it. They will identify you,' Melna warned as he used the oil lamps to start a fire in Efrir's office.

The books in the office burned quickly. The fire spread throughout the house a few minutes later. The residents of Humol came to extinguish the fire; some of the few knights and guards who remained entered the mansion and brought out the girl, the only survivor of the massacre. The security in the village was minimal; those who did not go to Farpas with Efrir of Exel had gone out to repel the attacks in the nearby villages. Xavier and the mercenaries took advantage of the crowd and confusion to escape. At dawn, they had already arrived at Battey, the village where he had lived his childhood. The kingdom's troops had begun their attack in the night. The houses had been looted and burned. Many of the inhabitants were murdered; Xavier recognized several bodies.

"Trina," Xavier thought as he saw her naked corpse near her house. You didn't have to be a genius to guess what happened. As he continued walking, he recognized the bodies of his former neighbors.

"Mom." The woman had tried to run out of the house; her body lay on the wall with several arrows on her back. She was thinner than he remembered. For a second, his eyes teared up. In the distance, he saw two men being beaten.

'The old man is cripped; he is worthless. Kill him. We could sell the young man at a good price,' said one of the members of the army.

'Aleum, where are you going?' Juan shouted when he saw Xavier approaching the soldiers.

The soldiers of the kingdom turned around and noticed his presence. The two men who were being abused looked at him.

'Xavier' Euraclius was surprised. A smile was drawn on his face. The soldiers looked at Euraclio and then at Xavier.

'Do you know these two? They have been screaming nonstop that they are nobles, the glorious house of the De Vonder,' said the soldiers, laughing and pointing to the miserable house in which they lived.

Xavier looked firmly into his father's eyes and then into his brother Ferol's, as he remembered how they had betrayed him and tried to sell him to the guards in order to gain the favor of the lord of Humol. He still resented them. Still, he felt sick. He knew what would happen next, but there was nothing he could do.

'No, I don't know them,' lied Xavier, turning around and walking towards his mercenary group.

"I'm sorry, but if they find out that I'm from the dynasty, they could kill me right here or sell me as a slave. You dug your own grave, Father." He thought as he walked away.

Euraclius' face became pale and then turned red as he was invaded by rage. 'You bastard!' he began to shout as he tried to rise from the ground to attack Xavier.

'Crazy old man,' said one of the soldiers. His sword stabbed Euraclius' back several times until he stopped moving. Ferol stood still on the ground in a fetal position, crying as he accepted his destiny while staring at his brother's back as he walked away.

A sense of oppression occupied Xavier's chest as he walked. He knew that his father and his brother were traitors and that they would not hesitate to sacrifice him if the situation were reversed; they had already done it once. However, what was happening to them, rather than making him happy, caused him discomfort; this reminded him of the past and opened old wounds.

"At the end of the day, I am no better than the soldiers or the mercenaries."

'What was all that about?' asked Melna.

'An old madman with delusions of greatness,' replied Xavier as he continued his walk. He passed in front of the bodies of his mother and Trina without looking back at them, as his heart was crushing in his chest. Of all of them, his mother's death was probably the one he mourned most, although she was not inocent either.

While the army was gathering the future slaves and all the stolen goods to send them to the kingdom, Xavier and the mercenaries entered the forest and disappeared. They had to be careful not to be seen by other mercenaries; they could realize they got their hands in something good and would hunt them. There is no honor among criminals.

They reached the Kingdom of Veldat and passed through the border without problems. As mercenaries of the Kingdom, they did not have to hide. Melna used his contacts to sell the stolen items from Efrir's mansion. Soon, there would be a rumor that they were deserters. It would be better to sell everything in Veldat; in case they were associated with the crime, they would already be very far from there and could start anew somewhere else. It wasn't a bad booty. They managed to extract the equivalent of twelve gold coins. Without Lelin, they were now five. Each of the members of the group received two gold coins; Melna received four for being the leader. Xavier would have been paid less, but as it was his idea and he knew the area, they gave him an extra bonus. The mercenary group immediately departed for their new destination. It took them longer than usual to get to Orphen; they moved through the woods in order to avoid inhabited areas and checkpoints as much as possible.

'Your food and coffee are not as good as what Lelin made,' protested Dorom.

It was dawn, and they were in the woods on their way to the Kingdom of Orphen. In about two more days of walking, they would start a new life. Usually, Lelin and Xavier were in charge of the meals, but now that Lelin was not there, Xavier had to take care of everything. It wasn't the first time; it was one of his roles when he was in Vralia's gang. From butcher to cook, they made him prepare the hunting pieces and cook them when they were in the woods.

'Hey, Juan, I don't feel very well,' complained Lina, dropping the metal cup that she had in her hand. She lost her mobility, was pale, and was about to fall to the ground.

'What's wrong with...' The question was cut short. Xavier had just cut Juan's head from behind with one sword swing. His gaze was cold, while Juan's body spewed blood everywhere. Dorom and Melna tried to get up, but they fell to the ground. They had been drugged or poisoned. Xavier approached Dorom and pierced his heart. When the sword was pulled out, the heart was still beating, and a stream of blood came out at high pressure, reaching the fireplace. He repeated the same process with Lina.

'There is no honor among criminals,' said Xavier, looking straight into Melna's eyes. His gaze expressed pure hatred; if he could speak, he would curse Xavier.

'Don't be hypocritical,' Xavier said. 'You stole and killed men, women, and children. Sooner or later, we will all pay for our crimes.'

His words only filled Melna's gaze with fury. Xavier pushed the sword into his heart, giving him a quick death. Killing his companions was a necessity; sooner or later, the group could find out that he had let Efrir's daughter live. Since then, they would not trust him and would probably kill him. Xavier had hidden the fact that he knew something about poisons from the guild. He took care of poisoning everybody's coffee. Except for John's, who was very skilled, he would have noticed the poison and probably carried a lot of antidotes with him.

Xavier put out the fire, picked up all the valuables, and looked at the bodies of those who were his companions. In just a month, he had left a trail of death and destruction behind his steps that he would never have thought possible. He turned and left. Soon the smell of blood would attract all kinds of scavengers: wolves, insects, some monsters, and all sorts of critters. He didn't feel bad for leaving the bodies that way; they wouldn't have compassion for him if the situation were the other way around. He was sure of that.

It took him two days and one night to cross the rest of the forest and reach the Orphen Kingdom. Meanwhile, Melna's predictions had come true. While he was eating and drinking in the taverns, he listened to the rumors. The Poem dynasty had launched a massive attack against the troops of the Kingdom of Veldat. Not only that, after ending the troops invading the dynasty, they crossed the borders and attacked the kingdom directly. The kingdom had responded accordingly. There were thousands of dead, burned cities, caos, and destruction on both sides.

Xavier didn't care much; it wasn't his problem. He moved around frequently, jumping from one village to another. Slowly, he was gaining some recognition; at least they knew who he was. He accepted simple missions with some mercenary groups who needed some extra people or who had recently lost a member. He wasn't short on money. What he stole from his comrades made more than fifteen gold coins; it was a fortune, but if he lived only on his coins, the other merecenaries and lowlifes would find out that he had money, and they would attack him. Xavier did various jobs; however, he did not stay with any guild, band, or group for a long time. In the end, he was nicknamed "The Handiman" because he did a little bit of everything for anyone. His reputation was decent, but he was not a great mercenary, just someone useful for occasional use, and so he wanted to keep it that way.

After all, "there is no honor among criminals."