Log inOf Fates And Fetters Ch 12
Good afternoon! I'm done somewhat early thanks to having Friday off. Whooo!
I can use this to try and get ahead on next weekend's chapter!
I'mma go do that, hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Lemme know in a comment. Or don't, I'm not your boss.
Stay safe out there, hope y'all are having a good weekend.
=][=
The journey to Hoax was a long and arduous one. Made worse by being forced to ride atop the blasted monstrous beasts that thirsted for my blood and wished for my brains to be dashed against a rock on the road.
But, after days of hardship and terror, I walked through the thick gates of a towering wall, into…a town, not really sure what I had been expecting in all honesty.
The buildings were made mostly of stone, though people had boarded up the windows of the buildings, I could see that the wall had been hastily expanded, to the point that at least a couple of homes had been incorporated into it rather than taking the time to demolish them and build up from the foundations…which really didn’t bode well for the coming endeavor.
Lavitz got off his horse with a groan, handing the reins to a stable hand that walked up to meet us. “Let’s go to the headquarters first, Kaiser of the Eighth Knighthood should be there.”
Kaiser huh, interesting choice for a name. Seriously what kind of naming convention did the anime I was in have? Kaiser, Dart, Claire, Shana, Lavitz, names were all over the place, not to mention a town named Neet.
Speaking of towns. “You know, Hoax strikes me as an unfortunate name.” I said after Shana got off her horse and I waved at her to follow us.
“Why?” Lavitz asked. “It’s named after General Hoax, a national hero, he founded the town.”
I opened and closed my mouth before sighing. “Consider my comment redacted.”
“This really doesn’t look like a town.” Shana said, looking around nervously. “It looks like a fortress.”
I grunted. “They’ve clearly done their best to fortify the place. But as a fortress it is severely lacking.”
Lavitz grunted. “It couldn’t be avoided; the war has made many demands of Serdians as a people. Let us not dwell on that, we’re here.”
‘Here’ was clearly the town tavern repurposed as an HQ. The room inside was no longer cozy and inviting. The bar had spears and other equipment leaning against it, the walls plastered with hand-drawn maps, soldiers were clustered around a table. Among them a man with the fanciest armor I’d ever seen, which immediately marked him out as someone important.
“Kaiser!” Lavitz said in a boisterous tone, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. “Been a while!”
The man’s bearded face broke out into a wide smile. “Lavitz! You’re a sight for sore eyes! Have you brought the First Knighthood with you?”
Lavitz blinked. “I had expected to meet up with them here.”
Kaiser scowled and looked at the maps. “Something must have happened. Perhaps a rockslide has closed the roads…No matter, it is good to know that reinforcements are coming.”
Lavitz grunted. “A shame, but we will have to do without until they arrive. If this battle requires me to be but a soldier in the line, then that’s what I’ll be. I have two companions with me, Dart Feld and Shana Seles, they’ll be of use in the coming hardship.”
Kaiser’s face lit up in recognition at the names. “Oh! You must be the man who rescued Lavitz from Hellena!” He stood at attention. “Kaiser, Captain of the Eight Knightood of Basil! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!”
I gave him a lazy salute as I stepped up to the table and looked at the map and several wooden figurines on it. “Dart Feld, entirely ordinary mercenary. What’s the current situation?”
Kaiser gestured to the figurines. The town of Hoax had one block of wood painted blue, several more blocks on the roads leading to Hoax, and in the forest surrounding the town, were five blocks painted red, and one with a crudely drawn reptile on one of its faces. “We are still preparing for a raid by the Sandorans. We suspect they are aware that there are reinforcements coming, and so will attack soon in order to maintain numerical advantage.”
I grunted. “The old adage that one needs at least three times as many men to take a fortification is, I have no doubt, in the forefront of their minds.”
“Exactly. We’ve done what we can to further fortify the town. Not to mention, the quality of our equipment and men are on the whole greater than the Sandorans can bring to bear. I am considering sallying out and attacking their camps before retreating behind the walls.”
Lavitz shook his head. “You must have heard that the Sandorans use a Dragon.”
Kaiser grunted. “Indeed, though I thought them rumors.”
“Well, they aren’t merely rumors.” Lavitz said gravely. “We have confirmation that they have some way of directing a Dragon, perhaps crudely, but they can at the very least point it in a direction and set it loose. If your men sally out and encounter the Dragon? They’ll be wiped out, and we cannot afford to lose any numbers if we wish to hold Hoax.”
“If they attack…it’ll depend on how soon we can spot them coming.” I murmured. “The threat of that damn dragon is denying us some of the biggest advantages of holding a fort. Clever of them.”
Kaiser sighed. “Very well, I will trust your judgement on this, Lavitz. That does leave me with where to place you.”
“Wherever you have a shortage.” Lavitz said. “Due to my Knighthood not being present, in this battle I shall be merely a knight, not a Captain.”
“Then, would you be opposed to guarding the south wall at night? That will allow me to free up the men for other duties.”
“Certainly.” Lavitz said.
Kaiser’s eyes flicked to Shana before coming back to Lavitz. “That said…the battlefield is no place for a young woman.”
“She won’t be joining the battle.” I said, I could feel Shana’s stare boring into the back of my head. “Any open spots on logistics or support? She’s an amazingly good medic.”
Kaiser’s smile returned. “Thank Soa! Yes, one can never have enough medics!”
“Uhh sir? What about the meals? The cooks have been complaining that they lack help.” Said one of the other men at the table who had been quiet up to now.
I shrugged. “She’s a good cook too. She’ll help there as well, at least until the fighting starts.”
“I have some concerns.” Lavitz said, crossing his arms.
“What!?” Shana intervened for the first time. “Your mother complimented my cooking!”
“It’ll probably be edible.” Lavitz said, turning his head to hide a smile from Shana.
“I don’t like what Lavitz said.” Shana said with a pout.
I blew a raspberry. “Don’t let him get you down Shana. I’ll eat anything, just make a lot of it.”
Her pout intensified. “I don’t like what you said either, Dart.”
Kaiser barked a laugh. “Taste is unimportant to a soldier! It just needs to be edible! With enough salt anything is palatable!”
Shana’s shoulders drooped. “Even Mr. Kaiser.”
“Kaiser, how could you?” Lavitz demanded in mock offense.
“I know right, he has no consideration for a lady’s heart.” I said with a mock scowl.
“I was trying to reassure her!” Kaiser defended.
As Shana stood there with a little cloud raining on her, I leaned forward. “Okay, joking aside and now that that’s settled. I’ll go take a look around Hoax, familiarize myself with the place.”
Kaiser nodded. “Right, it’s important for the night watchman to know the town he’ll be guarding. Lavitz, please stay, I’d like to hear your thoughts on some of our plans.”
Lavitz nodded and turned to me. “Go ahead, I’ll do my own walk around later.”
I gave him a thumbs up and made my way to the door, Shana at my heels.
“You lied to me.” She said the moment we had a small measure of privacy.
“I did not.” I refuted as I walked. “I said that if I thought you weren’t ready for a large battle, you wouldn’t be joining it. That remains true.” I turned to her, making her recoil and clutch at her chest. “There are things you can do to help that don’t involve fighting. So you’ll do those.”
“But I held my own at Hellena, and killing the big animals while traveling.” Shana insisted.
I sighed. “Yes, yes you did, Shana. But what is essentially a duel is a very different thing from fighting in a battle. In battle you can do everything right, and still get hurt or killed. Please, just trust me on this one. If you insist on fighting, then I will personally train you so you can take part in battle, but not this one. It’s too soon, and you cannot and must not go into a battle without the right training.”
“So…it’s not because you think I’m weak?” Shana asked.
I sighed. “Shana, I’m weak.” At her incredulous look, I continued. “I am far too weak to make certain you come out of a large battle alive, let alone without permanent injury. I’ll have my hands full looking after myself, and not having to worry that you might get hurt in the middle of a skirmish will allow me to focus. So please, Shana, this once, just act in a supporting role.”
Shana worked her jaw, then sighed. “Okay.”
I let out a quiet sigh of my own and ruffled her hair. “Thanks boogers.”
“Don’t call me boogers.” She grumbled, leaning into the touch.
“Come along then, let’s look at what the town has to offer.” I said, gently ruffling her hair one final time before letting go.
As it turned out, not a lot. A good number of people had left the town as it became a garrison, those that remained were the ones who were far too stubborn to leave, or the ones who lacked the means to simply pick up and fuck off, or the ones who were far too old to give a fuck, and were too infirm to survive an arduous journey elsewhere.
It made for a dour tour, though admittedly the baker made some amazing bread, as he’d been making bread for the better part of thirty years.
We ended up making our way to the local church, situated near the center of town. The size of the building surprised me, I would have expected a small edifice for a border town that only recently found itself becoming strategically significant.
The church was not on the level that I would call it a cathedral, but it could comfortably fit a couple hundred people, and uncomfortably pack in at least twice that number.
The ones currently inhabiting it were a few children, women, likely the wives of the men who stayed and joined the militia, and the elderly. A priest was at the front, holding mass as if nothing untoward was happening, saying something or other about Zoa and the Tree of Life.
Shana utilized her Hidden Moon Princess Powers and befriended the locals with ease, chatting with the women, calming down scared children, and patiently listening to the elders ramble about ‘back in their day.’
At least until we reached a sharp-eyed old woman who said. “You don’t look like you’re in need of my services, not yet at least.”
“Pardon?” I asked.
“A midwife, son.” She said, her voice a startling combination of feeble and strong. “One of the best in the kingdom, if you don’t mind my bragging. When are you expecting?”
I blinked. “Ah, I see, well, there has been a bit of a misunde—guh!”
I leaned down and wheezed, Shana’s sharp elbow knocking the air out of my lungs as she knelt in front of the woman sitting at the pew. “Oh my, thank you! Yes, we’ll be needing your services.” Her face turned red. “Not as of yet but…”
“Well, when you do, you contact me deary. Dare I say the two of you will make beautiful babies.” She said. “I should know, I’ve seen couples of every walk of life. I delivered King Albert I’ll have you know, why, must’ve been twenty-five years ago now.”
As I contemplated the revenge I would take on Shana, she made small talk with the surprisingly famous midwife for a while. I tuned most of it out.
A good while later, having seen most of what the small and formerly sleepy town had to offer, we made our way back to the tavern-turned-HQ, where Shana went off to prepare medical supplies and Lavitz walked me through our assignment.
I then did the same walkthrough I’d already done, but this time discussing hard points, fallback locations, kill zones, and other such things.
For the first time in a long while. I felt at home.
=][=
I listened to the sounds of the forest at night. The owls hooting, the crickets chirping, the occasional howl of a wolf.
All the nocturnal things screaming a combination of ‘I’m hungry!’ ‘I’m in danger!’ or ‘someone please have sex with me!’ into the dark.
Marvelous.
Yep, the trees were not cut back nearly far enough. I’d suggested prioritizing that over further reinforcement of the walls, but I had been politely ignored.
“I’ve at times been resentful of the greatest moon.” Lavitz said, staring into the trees. “But thanks to its light, we stand some chance of seeing the enemy coming.”
I grunted. Yeah, the huge moon in the sky reflecting the light from the sun resulted in a decent enough view of the tree line, but I’d feel better with some searchlights.
The problem being, I’d need to invent searchlights, and I had no fucking idea how those were made.
“The waiting is what I dislike the most.” Lavitz said, tapping the butt of his spear against the stone floor.
“I can agree with that.” I grunted. “The fighting and the killing is bad enough, but being forced to sit and wait for it makes it so that when it finally happens, it’s almost a relief.”
“Indeed.” He turned his head, his neck popping loudly in the twilight.
“Well, while the lack of light will be an issue.” I said, stretching. “At least we have an early warning system.”
“How do you mean?”
I waved at the darkness. “All the animals. They’re doing their thing, which means they’re not afraid. The moment they go quiet is when shit will go down.”
Lavitz stared out into the darkness. “I hope you’re right.”
“Anyways, I’mma get some grub. Want me to grab you anything?”
“You shouldn’t worry so much about Shana.” Lavitz said, bringing me up short. “She is safe.”
“That obvious, huh?”
Lavitz shook his head. “Only to someone who has spent enough time with you. Give her my regards.”
I waved and made my way to the mess, where Shana was happy to hand me two bowls of soup of the day and some bread. I didn’t stick around to chat, that’d have to wait for after my shift was over, but I felt better seeing that she was settling in well.
Back with Lavitz we ate quickly before going back to staring at the treeline.
After a long while of listening to crickets chirping, Lavitz said. “In all honesty, while I tire of this war, I know not what I’ll do once it’s over. It has been a part of my life since I was a teenager.” He shook his head. “So much senseless death, and for what?”
I grunted. “What else? Taxes.”
Lavitz looked at me, flabbergasted.
I snorted and spat over the edge of the wall. “Lavitz, I traveled all over, this included taking the occasional odd job in the Sandoran side of the conflict. The lands there have a lower standard of living when compared to the Basil territories, and while the twenty years of cold civil war certainly didn’t do anyone any favors, most of everyone agrees that Doel is a harsh but just ruler, the elderly among them singing his praises over ‘that bastard Carlo.’”
“Carlo was loved by the people! And Doel’s imperial aspirations have caused the deaths of hundreds of Serdians!” Lavitz hissed.
“Indeed.” My easy agreement brough him up short, though his expression darkened as I continued. “But in Sandora, Carlo is remembered for ruinous taxation, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the common man under the yoke of corrupt officials, and allowing bandits to run rampant throughout the south of Serdio. Doel? When I was there, Sandoran roads were better policed than Basil’s, Sandoran towns and cities had very little crime, a noble who was found embezzling funds had all of his assets seized and his wealth distributed to the people he had exploited, before being publicly hung like a common criminal. Hell, his farmers were very happy, he’s championed and pioneered technological advancement throughout his kingdom leading to his farmers being more productive than before with less backbreaking labor.” I spat over the side of the wall again. “Honestly, I’d have nothing against the guy if he hadn’t attacked my hometown.”
His mouth flapped open and closed a few times like a fish out of water, before he rallied and snarled. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you!”
I sighed. “Look, Lavitz, I didn’t mean to upset you. But there are always at least two sides to any story. An—” I blinked and looked around in the quiet night.
“Upset is putting it lightly!” Lavitz growled.
“Wait, shut up.” I said, bringing my hand up.
“How dare you—!?”
“INCOMING!” I shouted. “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”
My sudden shout brought Lavitz up short, dousing some of his anger. “What are you—?”
My arm whipped out, grabbing him by the gorget and dragging him down with me, an arrow hissing through the space his head had occupied a moment earlier, soaring into the town to hopefully land somewhere harmless.
Well…that’s one way to get out of an awkward conversation.
