"First rank of all formations, advance twenty paces forward!"
The Marines stood tall, marching forward with their rifles at the ready.
With the perimeter expanded, Klaus directed the other marines to examine the bodies.
The soldiers marched forward, their rifles lowered as they looked over the bodies.
It wasn't long before the reports started coming back.
"Got two wounded ones!"
"One here!"
"Got another, missing a hand!"
Klaus sighed, "Execute the survivors!"
"No, no, no…"
A commanding voice filled the night.
"…I want the survivors alive."r
Klaus turned to see Alexander emerging from his tent.
Not a single hair on his head was ruffled.
"But sir, we don't have the amenities for POWs right now."
Davout emerged from his tent, chuckling.
"Getting sentimental, are you? What happened to the 'kill them all!' Mindset."
Alexander rolled his eyes as Davout stepped to his side.
"It wasn't my idea, it was inés'."
As Alexander called her name—she emerged from his tent, adjusting her uniform.
"Chances are, if they're attacking like this, they've laid traps deeper in the forest. Our clearing teams could be ambushed. So why risk losing them when the demons will suffice?"
Davout blinked. "You've certainly adopted your commander's brutal approach rather quickly."
Inés walked past him. "It's efficient."
Klaus sighed. "New orders! Round up the wounded and burn the dead!"
— — —
From a distance, a few scouts had watched the events unfold with wide eyes.
A hundred warriors—gone in an instant.
<"H-how? How can this be? It was supposed to be… a surprise.">
The other scout held the sides of his head in disbelief.
<"This isn't a battle,.. It's a cleansing. He slaughtered them all.">
The scout grabbed his panicking comrade by the shoulders, shaking him.
<"We still have a thousand of the strongest warriors in this land, they will not have this victory for long, brother. Trust in our chief.">
<"i… I don't think even he knows what's coming, brother.">
— — —
The next day Alexander and his men were on the march.
Except this time, there was a group of 19 demons marching in single file leading the march.
Chained together by their necks, they kept their heads low and eyes closed.
Shame was all they felt.
Well, that was until the lead demon fell into a pit trap.
It happened in an instant.
There was no screaming, no yelling, no shouting…
Just quiet silence as blood oozed from his black skin.
Wooden pikes jammed through his legs, chest, and arms…
"Another one down."
A pathfinder spoke with cold clarity.
Planks were laid over the hole as the demon choked on his blood beneath them.
She then broke the chain and pushed the next demon forward.
<"Keep going.">
She ordered in their tongue.
The demons continued their march with little resistance or complaints.
Davout watched with an unreadable expression, stroking his chin as his donkey carried him forward.
"This is so uncivilized…"
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
"So am I to assume you care more about the lives of demons than my marines?"
Davout scoffed, sliding a hand in his coat.
"I said no such thing, it's not as if I care for them. But for you to apply this tactic so easily, it makes the mind wonder…"
Alexander chuckled. "You're asking if I'd do this to people? Ones we consider… civilized?"
Davout gave a subtle nod.
"In a heartbeat." Alexander answered, "our enemies never treated us with dignity. I've heard the stories of how imperial soldiers slaughtered our men and used the women they found. Many Amburian soldiers were reported to have refused to enter liberated villages because of the stench… of death. You know this, don't you?"
Davout sighed.
The Western Empire had not been kind to the Fallen kingdom when they breached its defenses.
Luckily the breach was quickly neutralized, but only because the empire pulled back its mages in a strange maneuver.
Just a week after they were deployed…
But in that week, there were reports of upwards of 24 thousand civilian casualties.
Goddess only knows what would've happened had they had longer.
"What's worse was that I was on the frontlines when they were breached."
Alexander frowned, "That was the last time I saw my father or my first lover. The rest of my family has been lost to me ever since."
He then chuckled.
"But the empire will have its day, I will string up their soldiers on crosses and plant them for all to see. The children will be used as fodder, and women… oh the women… hahahah…"
Davout felt a shiver run down his spine, gripping his reins tight.
"I've had enough of this conversation."
Alexander didn't bother responding, closing his eyes as he hummed quietly.
By late noon the dense forest began to thin, revealing the base of the mountain range.
Alexander craned his neck as he looked up at the jagged mountains.
The valleys were low and dense, the paths were narrow and broken. The whole thing screamed 'meat grinder'.
Alexander sighed, gesturing to his men.
"Clear the perimeter and set up the concertainer barriers! I want our position secured tonight!"
"Sir!"
The concertainer barriers were unloaded from their wagons, wire meshes with heavy fabric liners covered in tar.
"Get shovels! Fill them with earth! Be careful with that barbed wire! It's to slow the enemy, not you!"
Marines scrambled, deploying the barriers and shoveling earth into them.
They worked well into the night setting their base–and surprisingly, the demons didn't bother with another ambush.
By the time the sun rose again, a perimeter wall of steel and earth stood five feet high.
Towers were erected at the four corners and manned with snipers.
Trenches and barbed wire protected the outer walls.
In the base's interior, wagons were parked and tents set up.
And in the center of the base, three observation balloons sat in waiting.
Their pilots were debriefed by Inés and Alexander.
"Each observation balloon is equipped with a spark gap transmitter. I know we went over this before but it cannot be stressed enough. They are not radios, you have to unspool the wire the further you go. And be careful that the wire isn't caught on anything! Otherwise, we'll be stuck with light signals until the next shipment, understand?"
The pilots, dressed in thick leather jackets and goggles, nodded eagerly.
Alexander sighed, turning to the spotters who would accompany the pilots.
"One of you spots the target, the other reports it. Every miscommunication between you two, wastes valuable resources and time. If you can't do your job I will replace you, understand?"
The woman nodded, saluting.
"Sir!"
Alexander nodded, pointing towards the sky.
"I want a balloon in the sky, to test out our new equipment before we go all in."
Ground crews rushed to work on the burner.
The massive canvas envelope began to swell, rising sluggishly.
Inés watched with narrowed eyes as the three crew members climbed into their basket.
This was it.
The beginning of the end for the Gual'torah.