Chapter 16

The clashing of sword and shield woke the entire city. The citizens watched from a far as fires had been set by the opposing knights within the fort. 

What should I do? Should I go back? The fight rages on and all I could do was stand there. The mist had gone away than. The fight had not stopped after we breached it. I look up at the ladder. The fort of the wall was higher than what I thought.

The thought of them fighting while I'm down here. It infuriates me so much. Looking up at the wall it was a sign to me. Climbing over it would change me forever. But the fear I have is doubting my resolve. 

Fear is the most important factor to being brave. Showing me is not a weakness. With out fear how can you call yourself a person. I never was treated as one before. 

Shit. I grab hold of the ladder. I hesitated but I climbed anyway. My whole-body was warm. Probably because of how nervous I was. After getting over the top, I fell on some bodies. My first instinct was to draw my weapon.

"Need to get to the rest of the group." The fort was in chaos. People were dropping like flies. Hen and his men were being pushed back by the knights with large shields. They were bigger than the slova shields.

"There trying to box them into the corners." There putting up a better fight than I thought. Above them was watch tower. "That can work." I make my way to the tower with the fear of getting killed. I'm in this now and I can't turn back.

The tower war made of wood so pushing it over wouldn't be a problem. It was like tipping over a rock. The display of my strength shocked me. I feel way stronger than before. Was all that sword training with Terra helpful for me?

The tower tips over the cavalier within the fort. The tower crushed the enemy knight's formation. Hen did not hesitate for a charge attack. The front assault finally broke through the gate with their battering ram.

"Stop there!" seven knights had appeared behind me. I drew my axe ready to fight. "You filthy half breed! How dare you attack humans!"

In my head this man might have a family. Do I really have to take his life? With out hesitation I deflect his sword and spun my axe into his head. The strength of my beat-men side had completely cut through his head.

The rest charged at me. I was unpolished with my fighting. All I could do was dodged and used my strength to kill them. One of them I swung over my shoulder and into a wall. Just by looking at him his entire structure within his body was broken. 

More knights appeared out like ants. All of sudden a dozen knights were on me. I fought them the best I could. But a swarm of knights is pretty hard for some as inexperience as me. One of them had got a good stab in my abdomen.

"Shit!" There's to many of them! While I leaned on the edge of where I dropped the tower. I heard running on the side of the walls. I turn to look down where the main fight was. Terra was running up the walls. 

Her hands and sword had caught fire and took a leap in the air. "Aerial hell!" Terra shoots down like cannon on fire. Completely killing and disorienting the knights that were attacking me. Her speed and sword attacks were fast and flawless.

She killed them as quickly as possible. "Here." She tossed me a healing potion. "Thank you." I pour the potion on to my wound. The bleeding stopped and closed the wound. "You're doing. Don't go off on your own or things like this will happen. We aren't invincible."

The sword did not completely go through my body with was maybe a few inches. "What now?" "Now. We capture the knight captain."

Terra head into the fort with me behind her. We battle some knights while we make our way to the quarters of the knight captain. We the slova break in the fort buildings as well. We were winning the battle.

We make our way to the quarters. But he was not there. It was empty. Hen had also shown up. "Where the hell did, he go?" 

"I'm not sure general." "Damn it. Surround the fort. He must not escape." What that smell.... wait. I know this smell. 

"Terra. Do you smell that?" Terra takes a whiff of the air. "What is that?" "It's Teto." "Teto?" you can't wash it off. It will take a few days for it to wash away from your skin. And I can smell and see it." 

A dark green smoke. It was the captain scent and the teto combined. It led under the bed. "The bed." They knock over the bed reveling a secret door.

"There's another smell too." The two knight captains that served Mia arrived just in time. "Let's go." underneath were stairs. As we made our way down the smell of feces and rot was everywhere. We made our way the end of the stairs to find chained up beast men.

"My god." The scene was the same from my childhood. I remember chains and torture. I tune out the entire thing. I need to focus. I need to find him. The scent of that bastard was appearing again I run with all my strength to find him. 

"Ivalyo!" Terra had followed after me. He was not too far. He was getting onto a small boat there were a few knights with him. "Stop him!" 

Something came over me. I was never the type to be brutal, but the sight of the half dead and dead beast-men changed me. I have seen that sight so many types and I never acted before. With one swipe from my hand their faces and necks where tore off.

"No! Stay away!" He reached for his sword, but I had grabbed onto his arms forcing to stay to his sides. "I...I..I am an important person to this kingdom! You can't kill me!"

This disgusting bastard! I through him off the boat and repeatedly beat him. "I'll kill!" His right hand was crushed from my repeated stomping. I began to punch him in the face afterwards. Terra had to stop me.

My hand was soaked with blood. It had also gotten on my face too. "Ivalyo! We were told to keep alive!" "No! That bastard needs to be sent to hell!" "I know! But he must answer for his crimes first! I promise you!"

Why am I crying? Why is this happening again? "Why can't I ever...damn it." A few minutes later the rest had shown up. They saw the blooded knight captain. "Do you have no honor! Look at him! How are we supposed to send a message to the people that were still trustworthy!? They will see us a nothing but brutes now!"

He looked at me once. "Ah." The blood in my eyes scared him enough to stop talking to me. "I never seen something like this." 

"Its trade chamber." "A what?" 

"Its a place of illegal trade. Countries like Isabella that ban slavery tend to have hubs for these things. Much like the black market. They use the teto to sedate them, so they won't run away. But also do what they want with them."

"How did we not know of this." 

"It's not a commoner thing. It's a noble's thing. Nobility like I said in countries like Isabella can't have slaves. So, in secret they make sure the leaders of this country never find out. Forts and mountains or black markets tend to have one."

A night had shown up to report. "General." "What is?" He seems sick and hesitant. "Well...We...sign....We found something." He leads us to the small den of young children. "What is this?"

"Ivalyo?" 

"They look at us as animals...like livestock. I... can't be for sure who was taken away." One of the children walk to me trying to say words but only the sounds of a baby. "AAhh...wahh."

Terra also realizes they are half breeds. She soon realized what this is. She vomits. "They...call this a business tactic. Most of the beast-men are in the southern kingdom so it's hard to find any...but there is a way to get more."

"What do you mean?" Terra walks out from the den in disgust. "Birthing." The group was shocked and understood what I meant. They step out than. I stayed in the den to watch the children. Their minds had not developed much. They played around and some even approached me. 

"Are you here to save us." One of them was able to speak. "Your able to speak?" "I was taken away from my mother. She taught me."

I kneel down to assure her that I was here to save her. "I am... I'm here to save you little one." But it was too late. The teto sedative had taken a toll on her. Her demeanor was destroyed by it. It effects people differently. She can't move her legs anymore.

"I'm sorry I was late." 

Afterwards we contain those who surrendered. Look at them, some of them must be the fathers of the children down there. Hen makes a speech the captured knights. "You are no longer a knight nor are you men. I cannot be the judge of you all, but you have lost the right to be human. You are all dogs and wolves that need to be put down. But that is the decision of the princess. And she will hear of this...may the gods ride you of your own sins."

Luckly the imperials did not attacked the castle. Alie saw the state I was in. It was the same one I had when we were in Servins domain. She gently hugs me. "Ivalyo."

Afterwards they had informed the princess of their findings in the fort. "..." "Princess?" Suddenly the room got cold and ice form around the chairs and tables. "General...I want to see the dog who was in charge of it."

They brought on knight captain of the fort to her. He was beaten up already. "Princess...is this how you treat such a person?"

"You're not a person." "Princess...it's not a huge deal. It's a common thing in the word. I didn't hurt anyone." "Didn't hurt anyone!?"

"Well yes. They...were all just beast-men." The words had baffled us. Does he think he'll live after saying this. "Princess. If you kill me, you will be in huge trouble with the southern kingdom."

"What?

"I have deals with a lot of nobles in the empire and they are expecting the delivery of their beast-men. They have already given us their money. It could cause a lot of international conflict."

"You've been doing business with empire's nobles." "A war is coming princess. We need the funds and weapons. It could save our country."

"Do not talk about this like a noble cause! You have lowered yourself to the nobles of the southern empire! You have lost the right to call yourself a citizen of Isabella!" 

"Princess. You will bring down this country if you act with rationality." 

"I will win this war. You have given a reason to win this war. So, people like you don't ever exist in my kingdom."

The other two knights try to show her reason as well. But she told to shut up. "General." "Yes princess." 

"I do not need scum in my kingdom or in my fight against Lazare. Make sure they never see another shred of life tomorrow. Hold a public execution."

"Princess! Wait!" "Take him. Strip him and tie him outside! Make feel what those lost souls felt." Hen drags him out of the hall while he pleads to Mia.

"Princess this could either gain the favor of the people or could paint you as a tyrant." "I know captain. But this is also show them how lost a kingdom we are and the people. I also hope it shows you how lost we are. We allowed this happen...I allowed this to happen."

The next day. They began the execution. Before they did though. Princess Mia wanted to make a speech.

"People of Isabella. We have lost ourselves in the greed of the rest of the world. We have let the beliefs of the world to poison our kingdom. We were a people of acceptance once. We never judge or tried to make them understand them. I know I have not done my part in taking care of you. I am sorry. These monsters here have done something I believe is a sign that we have lost our way."

She than brings out a few half-breed children we found to show them. "We have found a trade chamber within our city." 

"What is this?" "How can someone." "My god." There at least disgusted by it.

"We can only survive if we understand each other. This is what we have become, and this is what our kingdom is now. Tell me! People of Isabella! Do follow the will of the world or carve out a new path for our kingdom!"

Cheers and shouts begun. They hurled insults at knights. "Let their deaths be a message to the imperial dogs and to our enemies! Send them to the depths of hell!"

That day 800 were executed and piled a few miles for the Lazare kingdom to see and show we are ready for a war. And that if you come to us, we will make sure they never see their families again.