Chapter 406: Chapter XXVI: A Rainy Day

Chapter 406: Chapter XXVI: A Rainy Day



(Alor's POV)

A mere second passed as the startled group stared at my personal centurion construct before Janus Hassildor, still holding the bannered lance high, rode past it without a single care "Stop this squabble in the name of your Emperor!"

The guards wisely backed off, still keeping the semblance of their shieldwall but lowering their weapons, while the rebels were... less than cooperative.

The only one among their number who was either influential or wealthy enough to be equipped with a suit of chainmail over the same gambeson the rest wore, quickly waving for them to retreat but also to prepare for a battle as their hook-like spears were quickly pointed in our direction in addition to the confused guards.

'Those gambesons must be hell to wear in this rain.' I noted idly as I rode up to Hassildor's side, Anondor and his subordinates marching in behind me, their own weapons readied in a far more organized wall of halberds.

The rebel leader was not content to simply let us waltz in "Do not fear my friends!" He called out "We will not fall before these servants of the corrupt!"

He looked just about ready to start a full on charge, no doubt leading his entire group (close to a hundred as I noted quickly) to their imminent deaths.

And I had no patience for such idiocy.

Snapping my fingers while grasping on my silver spear, I felt my Magicka momentarily sizzle under the heavy rain before a ball of vibrant but not quite golden flame formed in my palm, the slightest nudge of my mind sending the bolt flying forward and bursting the idiot's head in an instant.

I retracted my outstretched hand, pausing just briefly enough for the rebels to realize exactly what their situation was, and then I spoke "I will give you all one chance to drop your weapons and surrender yourselves into imperial custody. Anyone not willing to see sense may step forward and join this idiot."

The helmet of the leader, sent flying up by my spell, falling atop his corpse with a muffled bang only served to add to the threat.

They wisely dropped their weapons then, only a few of them protesting as Hassildor's mercenaries stepped in to take the weapons and separate them so they couldn't suddenly change their minds.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Now." I spoke with a false smile "Will someone please tell me why the city is on fire?"

"Yes." Hassildor all but hissed "I too find myself curious" read: absolutely livid "About what led to all this." He waved his hand around.

Only a few moments passed before the guardsmen split their shields and what looked to be their leader, if the plumed helmet was any indication, stepped out "Sargent Tolus" He introduced himself with a salute "We aren't exactly sure what happened in truth but the Count was to hold a speech to the people at the old statue today, had us all increase readiness just in case something happened."

The soldier directed a rather scathing look at the rebels "An explosion of fire came from the north, exactly where the statue is at that. The only reason we aren't sure if the Count even lives is that this bastard" He spits on the ground near the steaming corpse "Kept shouting how his lordship ordered all of them killed and how they were fighting for their lives."

"A failed assassination then." I mutter with Hassildor giving an agreeing nod.

"Pardon the question, m'lords." The Sargent spoke on "But who exactly are you?"

"Janus Hassildor." The vampire answered before I could, he was the nominal leader of this mission.

The soldier immediately gawked at him "That is... a powerful name 'round these parts. This some kind of jest?"

"My father wished me named after my ancestor." The vampire lied easily, immediately earning the attention of almost every soldier and even the rebels.

"We are here under direct imperial orders." I cut in "I am Alor of House Dagoth, serving as representative of its honored lord." My words too earned a fair bit of attention but not nearly as much as Hassildor's.

"Now that we have that cleared up" I turned to the rebels "What exactly happened?"

Another mildly better armed rebel stepped forward, the two fighters next to him staring at him with weapons ready "We don't know exactly." The man said honestly "We was told to be ready as today was supposed to be the day we overthrew the Count but then everything went to shit."

He did not look even a bit apologetic about his language, an oddity south of Skyrim. "Right." I nodded "We seem to be wasting time here then." My eyes met the Sargent's "Can you keep these prisoners safe and contained here?"

He gave the looming centurion a nervous look before clearing his throat "Should be able to 'ole them up in the gatehouse, but it ain't going to be comfortable."

"I do not need them comfortable I need them out of the way." I point out and he nods, already getting his men, some of whom looked just about ready to murder some of the prisoners for no doubt having killed some of their comrades but that was not really my problem at this

moment.

"We should get moving." Hassildor spoke up "We do not have the manpower to outright pacify the city so cutting off the head of the snake seems to be the only option. We can gather guards on the way to bolster our numbers."

"What about convincing them?" I ask the immediately obvious question "We can't waste too much time with each group."

"That is true." The vampire frowns and turns to the Sargent "Soldier, can you spare us a few of your men?"

The man turned back a bit surprised but quickly calmed himself and looked around a moment "I can spare three, any more and the prisoners might start getting ideas."

"It will have to do." Hassildor nods and the soldier immediately picks out a trio of his subordinates "We have wasted enough time here" He mutters and raises his lance just a bit higher "Forward!"

I would have preferred we made a bit more of a plan but I suppose just following the fighting works as well.

Waving my hand and tapping on my ring, I have Anondor relay the same order, our column swiftly being headed by my centurion.

Knowing my lord he will probably give me the automaton outright if I do well so I may as well come up with a name...

(Ceix's POV)

"JUST DIE YOU BASTARD!" Ferontius screams at me as he forces me back with wild furious strikes, every single part of his mind and body focused only on killing me.

I want to curse back at him, ask him how it feels to have his family killed in front of him, but his attacks are too many and too powerful for me to have the time or the focus as I am made to take a step after retreating step.

The puddles of water made by the torrential rain not helping me were not helping in that endeavor but my enemy suffered much the same thankfully, his movements far too furious for him to actually care about getting stuck in the mud as the sudden misalignment of his slashes saved my life more than once.

force of heavily armored horsemen crashed through them, their leader impaling the leader of

the formation on a shining lance, rising it high a moment later as if it wasn't weighed down by the armored form of the corpse.

The shining banner fluttering from it slew my slowly rising sense of triumph far faster than

the death toll ever could.

For instead of the banner of Skingrad Ferontius had been desecrating for decades there swung the banner of the Empire itself, tall and proud and inevitably declaring our deaths. 'Aloncius promissed they would not know!' My eyes narrowed but I could do nothing. Before I could reorganize my men into some kind of fighting force I once more heard the

massive footsteps. Lorain stilled, turned to me with a fierce look in his eyes that said far more than words ever could... and charged.

Far faster than I could ever imagine, a massive form of a metal giant burst beside the mounted lancer, its hammer-like hand swinging at Lorain and striking him in the blink of an

eye.

The orc tried blocking but all that did was transfer the force into his hands before it travelled into his body, cracking every single bone he had above the pelvis and turning his upper body into chunks of meat a moment later.

My people did not fare better as heavily armored infantry struck into our northern flank, quickly joined by the remnants of Ferontius' elite guard, while our south was struck by what I could only guess were elven warriors all wielding enchanted weapons and armor.

I could barely manage to raise the remnant hilt of my dagger as they were slaughtered before

my very eyes.

A mere minute later, I was still barely standing, my form shaking from either rage or despair

as two riders closed in on me.

The lancer and a snow-pale elf, both of them glaring at me with pure hatred in their eyes.

"Worm." The elf spoke, the words somehow feeling foreign on his lips "Where are the

saboteurs and the vampire?"

'What vampire?'

He did not even wait for me to refuse him before I was struck with a blast of lightning sparks.

(Alor's POV)

The little bastard thought he could hesitate in answering, my crackling fingers proved him

wrong. We had managed to piece together most of what had happened from some of the guards and imprisoned rebels and the image was... less than ideal.

The reasoning behind the rebellion was sound, the Count was incompetent and the people

had the right to fight for themselves if it ever came to such things, such were the thoughts of my lord and he had far more experience in ruling than I.

They could have gone the legal route but such was not always possible as I was taught, but to

go 'full retard' as Lord Dagoth often put it and try and overthrow the entire system? That was

just taking things too far, doubly so since he failed to even take his own city without spilling a river of blood.

But what drew most of my attention were the rumors of another group helping them, a

certain clown fitting the description of my lord's target and a seeming apprentice of his.

That was not an opportunity I would ever allow myself to miss. My annoyance with this whole very preventable situation, seems to have made me channel just

a bit too much of my disgust into the spell, outright knocking the fool out and burning off a good chunk of his skin.

Without waiting for Hassildor to reprimand me, as he rightfully should, I immediately called out "Paladin, see to him."

Anondor did not wait, merely giving me a slightly concerned look before stepping forward and shoving a regeneration potion syringe into the idiot's throat, waiting only a moment before slapping him awake.

"Now." I spoke with a bit of a chill in my voice as the terrified man stared at me with wide, fearful eyes "I will ask you again, where are the saboteurs and the vampire?"

It merely took me knocking him out another six times before I got my answers.

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