Chapter 411

Chapter 411

As the Defiled pour out of the tall grass and make ready to bring their weight of numbers down upon us, I already know things wont go as planned. Wishing I knew how to Send at a distance, I choke back a sigh and ask, Argat, Jochi, either of you around?

Yea boss.

Nearly jumping out of my skin because Jochi is closer than I expected, I swallow the rude remark I was about to make and instead say, Tell Dastan and Erkin not to engage. Lure their Defiled here and well engage them together. I didnt expect there to be this many.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Got it. Unlike his brother, Jochi keeps the conversation to a minimum when the stakes are high.

Unfortunately, neither Dastan nor Erkin have a Sender in their unit which means I wont get a response. I hope the message gets there in time, but its probably too late. Well-trained veterans that they are, Dastans people mustered up and set out much faster than Lang Yis, which can only be expected. Still, Dastans probably smart enough to know not to charge one or two thousand Defiled with only fifty riders, right? Once Jochi confirms my message has been Sent, I ask, Wheres your brother? Sure would be nice to Send two messages at once.

Probably still getting dressed. Hes not at his best in the mornings.

That and the lack of sleep is probably getting to him. While my retinue has four squads split into three shifts a night, Jochi and Argat have no one to split shifts with, which means theyre only getting four hours of sleep a day. Tenjin and Tursinai are the same, so I shouldnt push any of them too hard. Granted, I could fix this by sharing a room with Li Song, just to make things easier on our guards and nothing else... No. Stop it. Bad Rain. Theyre elite Sentinels, they can handle a little sleep deprivation. Besides, sharing a room wouldnt even solve anything, were still working separate shifts. Well, Ill be counting on you then. Have the scouts hang back and hold their fire until after the Defiled charge in. More clumped up targets to pick from. Also, tell Daxian to get his ass into gear and head out and support Dastan, because they might need it. I can already see it happening. Dastan has encountered Defiled. Dastan used Charge. Its not very effective. Mister Rustram is to take Squad two and muster south of this position, then either provide support to Dastan or circle around and hit the Defiled in the flank. Who should I put on the other side? Li Songs squad is ready now, but I think I need them here. Have Li Song and Squad three form up beside us, and send the Protectorate north to mirror Mister Rustram. At best, we pincer the Defiled in and at worst, the Protectorate have access to an open flank. A proper greeting, wouldnt you say? They travelled all this way to see us, so itd be a real shame if we let them leave early.

You said it boss.

Despite my confident tone and relaxed posture, Im feeling anything but. This is more for the benefit of my soldiers around us, because you cant underestimate the value of morale. Then again, these are probably scrub-tier like the other Defiled weve encountered, behaving more like beasts than humans as they charge in with reckless abandon. I dont understand why the Spectres are driving their hosts to the slaughter. I mean, I get that the Spectres are like the embodiment of negative emotions, but what do they get from all this death and bloodshed?

Shits and giggles, no doubt.

Putting my questions aside, I turn my attention back to the present. Ive no doubts we will see off this attack, because the only advantage the Defiled have is their numbers. My retinue exceeds them in every other relevant metric, but even if theyre Death Corps elites or former slaves hungry for vengeance, I worry they might be disheartened by the sheer size of the force arrayed against us.

A quick glance proves my worries unfounded.

Eager to begin the battle, Red One and Lang Yi both bear a similar bloodthirsty glint in their eyes, like hungry dogs staring at a juicy steak. Truth be told, I kind of regret putting Dastan, Lang Yi, and Red One in my squad. I thought theyd be the easiest to manage on account of their Oaths and free me from the most annoying obligations of leadership, but sadly, this hasnt been the case. Theres been a lot of tension in Dragon Squad due to a growing rivalry between the three groups which has quickly turned into reckless disregard for their safety once battle is underway. I like their enthusiasm, but its gotten them (and myself) in trouble more than once, but try as I might, I cant rein them in. I dont understand why theyre all so gung ho about proving themselves or something, as if desperate to show theyre worthy of the Dragon moniker. Hell, if I wasnt here to hold them in place, these two knuckle-headed leaders wouldve probably already ordered the charge.

All he cared about was looking out for himself, and that was enough.

While their work would never make them rich, it was enough to live a decent life and thats what they had until Big-Eyed Kang got it into his fat head to be more than just a bandit and smuggler. The muscle-bound idiot didnt realize it was better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion and convinced Yu to play along. Siyar shouldve cut and run when the two of them hitched the Syndicate to the Councils wagon, but he foolishly stuck around out of a misguided sense of camaraderie and companionship.

Turns out, grown-ass men can be stupid too, but this time, Siyar had learned from his mistakes.

When he spotted the Defiled attack coming in the morning gloom, a plan came together in his head. More out of habit than anything else, he already picked out several hiding spots nearby, and one suited his purposes perfectly. All he had to do was keep his head down and stay put until the battle was over and the bossman left, then Siyar would be free and clear with no one the wiser. Everyoned assume he was killed or taken away by the Defiled, so they wouldnt even bother looking for a corpse. It was the perfect opportunity to get away, because sooner or later, soldiering would be the death of him. It wasnt personal, he just thought it would be best to leave while leaving was still an option, and what better opportunity than this?

After firing off the signal arrow, Siyar sent his quin away and brought his water-skin, crossbow, and Spiritual Weapon with him as he bolted for the crevice. Dug into the westward side of a half-buried boulder, there was just enough room for Siyar to lie prone inside so long as he hugged his sword and crossbow to his chest. Carefully sweeping away the evidence of his passing, Siyar slid into the dark, earthy pocket, placed a layer of grassy sod over the opening like a blanket, and plunged his hiding space into complete darkness. While optimistically confident his presence would go unnoticed, the ground rumbled with the footsteps of thousands of running Defiled, a sound which filled him with concern as he prayed his efforts were enough.

If not, his sword would prove small protection against the horde of Defiled rampaging nearby.

Closing his eyes, Siyar forced himself to breathe and calm down. Staying hidden was 90% preparation, 9% mental fortitude, and 1% luck. Hed made the preparations, and so long as his luck held, then all he had to do was sit tight until the coast was clear. Not an easy task as his instincts demanded he flee or fight, but reason prevailed and he remained still as a corpse. The thunder of hooves, the crash of steel, the screams of the dead and dying, Siyar parsed through the pandemonium to find out what was going on around him. Dastans cavalry was nearby, that much was clear, but after the initial charge, Siyar didnt hear hoof beats fading into the distance like hed expected. Not a good sign seeing as there were only fifty odd horsemen against maybe twenty times that number of Defiled. In a situation like this, the heavy cavalry should hit hard and fade away, so why was Dastan intent on fighting fair? Fucking nobles were a curious bunch, but Siyar had thought a low-born scrapper like Dastan wouldve known better. Was the bossman and his Death Corps infantry on their way? If so, then theyd better hurry or else...

Seconds passed by but still there was no change. The din of battle continued to sound out and Siyar imagined a landscape littered with his dead comrades, and it occurred to him that hed assumed the bossman would emerge victorious from this battle. What would happen if the bossman lost? The Defiled would probably stick around for a week or two, celebrating their victory with a bit of cannibalism and torture while Siyar slowly starved to death.

Maybe it was time to rethink things through...

Clutching his crossbow and sword, Siyar experienced a pang of guilt over abandoning the bossman in his time of need. Hell, he even felt bad about leaving his comrades in the lurch. Bulat and Ravil could drop dead for all he cared, but most of the others werent too bad, like Jinoe and Ronga who were always good for a laugh, or tasty Kimi who liked to get drunk and jump him for angry sex, or Awdar who owed him fifty two coppers and counting. Hell, even Jorani wasnt a bad sort. Sure, the lanky rat killed Big-Eyed Kang, but the dumb bastard deserved it. Strutting around with a banner behind him like he was hot shit just because he had a big sword and an Aura, its like Kang was asking to get shot. More importantly, both times when Siyar went to the winery, Jorani had his back. The pinched-faced swindler was utter shit at sneaking and not much better in a fight, but he put on a brave face and looked out for his own, which was more than Siyar could say about most.

By the Fathers Syphilitic Cock... When did he become so... sentimental?

Repressing a sigh, Siyar opened his eyes to the darkness of his hideaway. Hed never forgive himself if he stayed here, so he might as well head out and die with the rest. Shifting the sod away ever so slightly, he let his eyes slowly adjust to the moonlight. Quietly sliding out of the crevice, he allowed himself a small smile as he checked his surroundings and manually loaded his crossbow. Sunrise was still an hour away, and while the Defiled had better night-vision than most, Siyar was confident they wouldnt see him coming.

For the darkness had always been his ally.

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