Ep 194. Warmonger. (1)

  With another bottle of liquor emptied, the veteran soldier looked down from the ramparts – towards the stretg sands below.

  No one was there.

  …No one had been throughout his entire line of duty.

  “Frontlines…pfah.”

  Throughout the years, Sanchez had grown to care less and less for his duties.

  Located at the northeastern edge of Asuria, Kavir was the first line of defense his nation had against potential invasions from the east. If history was anything to go by, there were more than enough reasons to keep the town fortified.

  But at the same time, the town remained secluded in what ractically the middle of a desert.

  Tall mountains and lush forests separated Kavir from the rest of its nation. Their e was strai best, with supplies only arriving once a month or so – and even that was just barely enough to keep the pce afloat. The town served no purpose to the kingdom other than being an invasion scapegoat.

  And, as far as its soldiers were ed, it would always be this way.

  When Saurned his head, he saw a number of others emptying bottles of liquor, just like himself. Some had eve up gambling tables upon the ramparts; fewer still were apanied by their elven sves, serving to eain the soldiers until the day would pass.

  “You’d think they’d invade us.”

  Sanchez made a sly smile as he watched one of the sves beien underfoot by a group of soldiers – not for any particur reason, but simply to pass the time.

  A dog would be treated better, he thought.

  As, dogs were i; elves were not. At least not in this try.

  As the veteran soldier zily looked down from the ramparts, his eyes finally caught a glimpse of something iing: a scorpion was busily crawling across the sea of sands, sinking its tail into what seemed to be a lizard twice its size.

  “…”

  Without a sed thought, Saossed his emptied bottle below – again if only to pass the time.

  As it so happehe gss struck the scorpioly on point: its exoskeleton was quickly crushed underh the bottle bearing down on it, sinking into the soft flesh underh.

  The scorpion writhed in agony from its ued suffering; before long, the creature had fallen limp beside its own prey.

  Sanchez cracked out a bout of ughter at the sight.

  “Well, look at that. This marksman’s aim ain’t going nowhere.”

  The veteran soldier quickly turned around towards his squadron. He excitedly pointed down the ramparts, ready to boast his bizarre aplishment to the others.

  And he would have – if a wooden barrel hadn’t suddenly dropped from the skies to nd before his feet.

  “What the-“

  Saepped ba panic as the barrel smashed unto the ground, breaking apart in an instant.

  Bck, powder-like tents spilt forth, coating everyone in the nearby viity. Much of it sprayed onto Sanchez himself, as well as the soldiers and sves that were standing nearby.

  With the powder casg from their figure like grains of sand, the soldiers looked to the substan disgust.

  “…What is this?”

  “Ugh…hells if I know?”

  When the momentary panic had passed, everyone lowered their arms from their faces to examihe barrel’s tents. One soldier brushed his fingers against the bck powder on his chest, sniffing once before retg from the foul st.

  “Eugh, by the Twelve! What is this crap?! Smells like some rotten burher!”

  “…”

  While no one replied, Sanchez alone raised his gaze skyward – towards where the barrel had fallen from.

  They were atop Kavir’s ramparts. Above them should’ve been nothing but clouds and skies, or the occasional winged beasts.

  But today – far above where they stood – Sanchez could glimpse at an enormous grey streak, hiding amidst the puff of clouds.

  “Hey…what is that?”

  “Askin’ twice ain’t gonna make me knotain. I’m gonna go see who’s responsible for this bullshit prank-“

  “No, not the powder! Up above, you morons!”

  “? You drunk, captain?”

  Despite their snarky accusations, the soldiers began to raise their eyes skyward one by one.

  As the clouds began to drift, the structure became a little more visible: floating far above them was a ring of grey towers, encirg what seemed to be…

  “…A castle?”

  Though they couldn’t see very well from this dista didn’t take long for the soldiers to realize that the structure wasn’t anything natural.

  Unfortunately, the soldiers quickly found themselves at a loss; they’d been traio handle approag enemies, not castles floating above their heads. The group tio stare at the structure above them, pointlessly trying to figure out what it was.

  And had it not been for their captain, they may as well have stood their for the rest of the day.

  “WAKE UP!!”

  Hearing Sanchez’s sudden yelling, the soldiers abruptly lowered their heads to look to their leader.

  “Niels, ring the arm and alert the other squadrons; Boris, you go find out what the hell this bck powder is. Do not stop moving until we know what that is in the sky!”

  It was the first time sihey’d been statiohat something unordinary had actually happened; it was their first opportunity to carry out their roles as soldiers. And for the first time, Sanchez expected to see was a wave of salutes, apanied by a r affirmation from his squadron.

  But instead, a distant explosion robbed Sanchez and his soldiers of their attention.

  Not far from the ramparts, one of Kavir’s districts seemed to erupt in fmes: pilrs of fire swallowed the buildings, st through the town’s streets to raze through its inhabitants.

  Panicked screams followed the explosions; explosions followed the panicked screams. With fires and voices drowning each other alike, the district was quickly swallowed in chaos.

  And when another series of explosions followed elsewhere, the soldiers darted their heads once more.

  Another district would follow suit.

  And another.

  A another.

  In just under a few minutes, storms of fire had swallowed every nook and y of Kavir.

  “…What’s…happening…”

  As more and more districts became alit beh the ramparts, Sanchez once again looked to the powder that coated him and the ramparts; when he would raise his hands, streaks of the bck substance escaped through his fingers like grains of sand.

  ‘…Is this…?’

  With a bewildered look, the veteran soldier raised his gaze – this time towards the elvehat were with them.

  Slowly, the veteran shook his head in denial.

  “…That ’t be.”

  The powder hadn’t discrimis targets. It was coating him, his soldiers, and the elves all alike.

  ‘There’s at least a hundred elves in Kavir alohey wouldn’t-‘

  A momentary thought.

  That was all Sanchez could manage – until his eyes caught a fme-lit orb, slowly desding to his feet.

  Time seemed to slow as Sanchez’s puzzled thoughts rapidly fell in pce.

  In the ers of his eyes, the veteran could still see his dumbfounded soldiers standing in pce; only their sves seemed panicked by what was going on, struggling against their shackles in vain.

  In fact, many were braver than his own soldiers, mustering the ce to jump off the ramparts.

  But when the orb finally touched the rampart’s powder-coated stohe wake of fmes that followed were no more fiving towards the brave.

  The wake of another firestorm filled Sanchez’s dying vision.

  R fmes she victims of their dying gasps; fleshless bodies colpsed to the stones in unison. s of explosions chased after every victim the powder had mao touch, spreading to them the inferno that had swallowed Kavir.

  Soldier and civilian alike vao dust; trails of fire chased after the fleeing to ighem afme. The few that had mao survive the initial bst were trapped amidst their burning homes, soon to be buried beh the crumbling pilrs.

  And, from far above – amidst the clouds, within the safety of their skyward fortress – an elf was grinning down at their bizarre aplishment.

  “…Rest in peace. May you all find freedom ierlife.”

  After at the burning speck down below for a while lohe elf expetly looked around the open skies.

  Anytime now, she thought.

  In just a few seds, Death would appear to punish her for her antics. He’d brio heel, murder her subjects, and force her lifelong parto destroy this fortress whole.

  In mere moments, she’d be reminded of her pce as a lowly sve. Much like the huhers she’d just murdered.

  “…”

  “…”

  “…”

  Nothing.

  She still stood aloop her skyward fortress.

  When she spread her arms, she could feel the winds freely brushing past her skin; when she closed her eyes, she could hear an eagle screeg in the distance.

  Much like the passing winds – much like the birds, s in the distance – she, too, was free to do as she wished.

  With a crooked smile, the elf slowly csped her hands together.

  A solemn prayer would follow the gesture: prayers for her dear brethren that had supposedly passed away.

  …She’d never see them again.

  And she’d never have to see them again.

  ‘I hope you stay dead. Forever.’

  Praybird