Chapter 54 - Screening

I had been in my tent trying out the new circles for the Array, when Damun came to me. He was in a joyous mood and I assumed he had successfully done the task.

So I casually asked "Casualty Count".

Then Damun had that cat like grin and said to me "Guess Commander".

I knew right then and there that the casualty count was low, extremely low enough to make Damun jittery and bubbly. So I said what came to mind "About a few dozen".

Damun's smile never went away and it ticked me off, "If you don't want to answer, do know I still have Six more under me to ask".

It was a proclamation and even then Damun kept on smiling. So I threw him out my tent like somebody did to a cat on the streets, and called Kain.

But to my dissapointment, these two were conspiring together and he also kept a elderly smile to his face. "Well f.u.c.k you".

So I went to Sam and well she just harrumphed at me as if saying 'What kind of Commander doesn't know his own troops deeds'. This girl somehow makes me want to punch her.

The talkative Jane would answer me, so I went to her and said "Jane, report me the casualty count".

I regretted talking to her, she was all smiley, giggly, and droned in for hours without actually touching the topic. You know when women reach a certain age, mens woes aren't their jobs but a women's silence. In my case the opposite held true.

"None ?"

To ascertain my thoughts Zake also went "None !".

Then my commanders came together and shouted at me "Surprise !!!!!!!".

I held my stoic face, "I already knew that". I didn't, but no one needs to know that. Looking at their grins, I could tell they didn't believe me either.

The logistics and administrative leaders looked at Zake griveously as if saying 'Why Zake Why, at least let the commander talk to us first'.

Okay I felt a little guilty, because I had been neglecting them. So I asked for their names and turns out, even men can shed tears at will. They bit their handkerchief and like dogs who had been abandoned w.h.i.n.ed out their names.

Hart was the Logistics divisions leader and was an old fella. Gurd was the Administrative divisions leader and another old fella.

With the way they were talking to me, it felt like I had two grandpa's. Anyway to be fair I was quite surprised at the Zero casualty count.

But looking at the plans in their hands which ranged from A to K. I think 'Improvisation' was the key here. Then under my order the camp began moving and we stood just near the Fort. To the captives it was mind boggling to see the entire camp walk under my order.

Soon we reached the Fort, the gates were damaged and their were signs of wreckages and dead bodies were littered here and there. The infrastructure suffered little to no damage, it could be said to be one of the most successful capture in history.

It was going to take a while to clean, repair and start on the next step of Plans. So I stopped everyone in front of me and tore of my sleeves.

The captives gasped when they saw my Alchemy Circles and quite many glared at me. But not looking back I said "Gather all the names of every man, woman, elderly, children who have died while they were under me. You can scratch out the ones who were against me".

Then my Circle shined and in an instant walls were repaired, homes were moved and the entire Fort was no longer a Fort but a neatly planned City.

The walls had become castling tall, roads had been cobblestoned, drainage was optimal, and the sewer line was extensive, the bodies digested to become nutrients, farmlands appeared out of nowhere, a castle had appeared. In a short ten minutes, I had built an entire kingdom out of scratch.

All it took me was the heat from the upper part of the atmosphere and soon in conjunction to my actions it rained. It washed away all the dust and grime the new city was covered in and wiped it clean.

The captives had knelt down, only in such majesty did they realise just how near sighted their thoughts were on Alchemy. But their faith did not make them marvel at this, it only made them fear me even more.

So I went ahead and said "Grandpa Hart, begin the Second Phase, Grandpa Gurd, screen these captives".

Gurd was tasked with screening and giving them education, facilitise them and also put them in workposts. I looked at the teenagers and gave out the order, 'No teenager from the Captive group is allowed to enlist, until they have passed the minimum education or shed down their resentment'.

It was the feel of a majesty, no one could refute my claim to be the leader. They clearly felt it, they may deny many aspects, but they would agree at one thing, they had felt awe when they had gazed at my back.

The Second Phase of my plans was creating our own weaponry and arming my troops. For a long time I had felt burdened looking at my troops weaponry, ones that were looted from Bandits, different soldiers and many convoys.

It was even more hateful that ammunition was always in a state of fluctuation and we had to keep track on the amount. It did not mean that they weren't given a surplus, it just meant that this had to be calculated by me to ensure no one would die due to having no Ammo.

But before any of that I gave Damun a order that I had never given before "Damun, host a celebration at the castle, my gift for your first Independently won victory".

His eyes held shock and he immediately ran to announce it to everyone. The Castle was huge and under Damun's guidance a huge party was held.

Everyone was welcome, though alcohol was only for a.d.u.l.ts, which is why I was banned from it. But they clearly forgot one thing, I can create my own alcohol and it was even higher concentrated than theirs, though it looked more like champagne.

So after the party, with peacefulness in the atmosphere, the problems began to crop up, the captives who were freed were beginning to make a ruckus. They deliberately said that they wanted to be screened by me, the Commander.

It seems like they have forgotten the fear they felt, when I built a city out of a Fort. But the ones who were truly angry were the ones who had gone the mile with me. In such a way before my kingdom could even be established, Civil unrest had begun.

Even if those under me were angry, I did something no one expected. I announced a public screening and it was gladly accepted by the captives.

They were divided in two groups, one held all the women and children, two held the teenagers and middle aged men.

One was tranquil like the pond and two was fierce as the tempest of a storm.

I looked at them and said "Send your representatives".

The first to come was a woman, and she pleaded "We want nothing more than just a place to live in peace, so we plead for passage".

They were clearly divided in interests, one wanted to live in Order while two was a lost cause.

But this woman made me wonder if I was being too heavyhanded at these captives. I wanted to publicly end all opinions the captives held for me. So I was thinking of taking an aggressive stance, but talking to her made me feel like hitting at soft cotton.

The Second representative was a middle aged man and he clearly held a disgusting amount of malice towards me and everyone under me. He was not even called when he shouted out "Are you all going to serve under the Devil ?".

Hahahahahaha.

Seeing me laugh had struck down his momentum, wheezing out I said "Ahhh its been so long since someone called me a Devil".

The middle aged man did not waver and said out "Under Ishval's eyes everyone will see the ligghhg..."

Bang.

I had shot the man down, and it was even a headshot. A teenager cried out and ran at me and Bang, another had fallen.

The entire group flinched , those under me were long accustomed to it. They knew I hated these kinds of people more than Alchemists or the rumoured Cultivators.

With them as the precedent everyone backed away. Not because I was holding a gun, but because they were gazed at by two dozen guns.

"Hmmmm pray tell does anyone know what was on his mind".

They gulped in fear and I continued on "I want answers in five seconds. For every five second you waste, I will kill one of you".

They shouted out "Monster!!!".

"Thats new and its cute,

so I can only say, please die".

Bang and another man fell down lifeless and then they clearly recognized the amount of danger they were in.

They were horrified, group one was belching out and group two were shaking, they were no good as well. Clearly the second group had been more thoughtless.

They were aggrieved but that feeling wasn't directed towards me but their supposedly elders. It seems they were promised something, I had to know.

So I said "Hmmm what did they promise you little things, that you stood by them eh". The playfulness in my voice made them realise, they were no threat.

Just like mice were no more than food to cats, they were no more than dirty children in my eyes.

One voice finally broke down and said "We were promised revenge". It was a teenager and his face held anguish.

He clearly projected all his hate of Alchemists and poured it out on me, he could not harm true Alchemists, but what about one that saves his life, clearly he can trouble him and feel happy about it.

Sigh such is human nature, kick the ones you can and gaze at the ones you can't.

It was a very righteous thing in his eyes, but who cares what he thinks, if he thinks he can take a tiger cub infront of the cubs mother and spout out rubbish like 'Its for your childs good, clearly someday you will be hunted and die, so might as well leave your child for me to take care of'.

That guy will be eaten until there are no bones left.

"Hmmm was it because I didn't allow you to wield arms". It was a knowing gaze and they could only nod.

Then my entire visage took a raging look, a force so vast, a will so mighty it shook them to the core. It left them breathless and gasping for air, they were left on their knees, nearly dying.

Until I took it all back in, and the entire group was filled with ragged breathing. They tried lifting their heads to look at me and they fell down to their knees again.

This time I agree I was being heavyhanded, but it was for their own good. An army cannot hold this kind of people, ones who have such a huge resentment, they will and I certainly know break protocols for their petty vendetta and I could not agree to let them cause trouble, it could lead to deaths within my troops.

Even if they might learn from the mistakes, it would be a price too steep for me to agree. So I had planned to let them have a basic education, to at the least not be ignorant of the cause and effects their deeds could accomplish.

Only then would I let them have responsibility. But the fact that it did not take more than a promise to move them was such a shame.

These kinds of people are the reason why power corrupts can keep on moving around unchecked, because they hold their own goals higher and loftier than others. No matter the suffering they cause, they will just ask for forgiveness, but no amount of guilt or words would bring the dead back.

To me, my troops were far more precious than this bunch of renegades. So I did not let them raise their heads "I want to know why does your group not have any elderly people".

This question widened their eyes and I spat out "Hypocrites".

The elderly most probably either sacrificed themselves or were pushed forward for their own survival.

Then I ordered, my rage never subsiding and without heeding their thoughts I proclaimed, "The teenagers will be pardoned but they will not hold a position or a weapon until they can figure out why their views were wrong. As for the A.d.u.l.ts who caused this scenario, round everyone up and execute them".

I stood off my seat and while I walked away, I said "Never raise your heads in front of me, for the moment you do, death will be but a mercy".

I left, and heeding my orders every a.d.u.l.t male from the group of Captives was executed. This terrified the entire group of captives, it left them shivering.

Though the teenagers were spared they were unable to even raise thier heads anymore at my sight, at least until they figured out why they were wrong.

That was my will and the only chance I would ever give them.