A few hours later, Robert is already in the Lorean camp up on Vaudevale Hills. The hill is a very strategic place with access to the plains, water and roads all around it. Lumien Forest is East, Alceste is South, Leddingsford is North and the woods is West. This place has never been used in battle before because no enemy ever attacked from the East Coast before.
Still, Robert and Rael’charon set up the camp here. Now both of them, along with Kyflynn, Agustina, Desmond and the Knights of the Order of Lions are conferring about strategy.
‘Well, I hope your tactic to burn Lumien Forest will drive them back to Arcadia, Counselor. I know you never approved to that considering how elves love trees so much – like their own sons,’ says Sir Mallard, leader of the Order.
Rael’charon replies calmly, ‘Well, it was a worthy sacrifice. As a High Elf, I’d rather see trees burned than innocent people got killed. Still, we have tried to negotiate with them and they charged anyway, so we got to stop them, demoralize them.’
Lady Irene of Everglades speaks up, ‘But, are you sure the Arcadian Emperor will withdraw his troops and go back to Arcadia? We didn’t give them maximum damage back there.’
Agustina, the sorceress with few words gives a straight answer, ‘Impossible.’
Robert completes the answer with, ‘I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty chance. The Emperor won’t be that stupid or mad to march to Vaudevale with that broken army – in normal situations. However, judging to my last talk with him, he is not his normal self now. Rage and vengeance has possessed him. His armor seems dark and dull, and his sword can’t stop vibrating on his hand.’
To that, Rael concludes, ‘In that case, we still must prepare for battle. Now let’s talk about tactics, ladies and gentlemen..’
Suddenly, a soldier comes with a salute. Sir Vincent the Raging Bull scolds him at once.
‘Soldier! We’re in the middle of a meeting here! Stay outside until we’re finished!’
The soldier answers timidly, ‘With all due respect, S-Sir Vincent, this is ur-urgent! An Arcadian soldier came in peace and he wanted to see Commander Robert!’
‘Really?’ says Robert. ‘Did he tell you his purpose?’
‘Yes, Sire. He said he bears a gift that you will like. He said he won’t leave this camp until you come and see it.’
‘Very well, then. Take me to him.’
Robert, followed by Rael and the other knights go out from the tent. The Arcadian soldier waits just outside, and he bows very low. When Robert comes to him, saying, ‘What gift do you bear, soldier?’
The soldier puts a roughly-made wooden crate in front of the Commander, saying, ‘Here it is, Sir. I hope you’ll like it.’
Robert opens the crate lid and gets horrorstruck to see what’s inside.
It’s a head. A head with a familiar face.
The dwarf priest, Andreas Marvellini’s head.
Robert is most shaken. His partner, his spiritual mentor, the well-experienced healer who liked to help people in need. A hero. A Paladin. The second of twelve to fall.
Wasted. As a casualty of war.
Rage, grief and curiosity explode within Robert, and he tries to suppress them, saying, ‘Who killed Father Andreas? ANSWER ME!’
The soldier doesn’t expect such reaction, and stutters, ‘I-it was me, S-sire! I killed him. Here,’ He takes out Andreas’ healing staff-axe Gloria Vadis from his back, unwraps it and puts it before Rob. ‘I also brought his weapon along.’
‘WHY?’ The Commander looks furious now.
‘Er-euh... Because... Because I want to switch sides, Sir. And to do so, given the opportunity, I must slay an enemy general to buy my way in and save myself. I thought this present will be beneficial for your army, and prove my loyalty to Lore.’
‘Tell me how... This Paladin... die.’
‘Uh- well... An arrow got my arm and I barely escaped from the forest. I lost lots of blood and almost passed out when suddenly...’
==oOo==
‘Hang in there, young man.’
A priest came next to me. I was too weak to move a muscle, so I only looked him on his face. It was Andreas Marvellini, all right.
As I’m helpless, I let him work on me with a healing spell. Warmth spread all over my body, I fell asleep.
I woke up in a cave and saw Andreas was still hear me. He just sat silently like a hermit, with his eyes closed. I thought he must be either sleeping or praying. Plans and thoughts zoomed in my head, and a definite one popped out when I saw my spear next to me.
The next thing that happened was, I sprang and thrusted my spear into the fat priest’s belly, all the way to his back.
Andreas said, ‘Why? I just saved your life. Why?’
I gave him the same reason as the one I’ve given you, plus, ‘Sorry, Father Andreas. You might’ve saved my life now, but for how long? We’re in a battle here, and the Loreans will kill me anyway. So, I came up with this great idea. Why didn’t I switch sides and give them something convincing, like an enemy general’s head. And you gave me a perfect opportunity. Your protection field is down, and you always trust the one whose life you saved. And I took it, by my bones, I took it. I had to do it, so I took your life.’
Hearing that, the priest calmed down, and with his last breath he said, ‘I can save lots of lives if I’m alive. Poor kid, killing me, betraying me won’t save you. Understand this: Treachery is more lethal than any weapon and magic in the world. Understand this, and I’ll die with no regrets. Uli... Eni... Ivor... fare... well...’ And he was no more.
==oOo==
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Posted By Andry Chang to FireHeart - Exploring Worlds of Fantasy at 10/09/2010 06:17:00 PM
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