"Why is that woman taking so long?" Kerosh clicked his tongue impatiently. Even if it had just been less than five minutes, he felt that, with his status, he shouldn't even wait a minute before the leader of the village comes over. This village really doesn't deserve being protected by Horbid.
"What if I just destroy this entire place and tell the Sovereign that they resisted?" A devious grin grew on Kerosh's face. It was evident that he had been doing such things for a very long time already, and that he does. From the expedition to the village of Kaldenoi, to the subjugation of one of the growing powers in Habascus, he had been involved with destroying resistance often in unscrupulous ways.
He could do that, but letting these gorgeous women die would be such a waste.
What if…
Suddenly, a sharp pain hit his temple, making him wince. The general also felt weak as fatigue washed over him. While wondering why he's feeling this way, he noticed that a lot of the men around him are experiencing the same thing. Realizing what was happening, Kerosh' face slowly turned pale, then contorted into a flame of rage.
Similar to his rage, however, the house that they were in began burning too.
"These bastards want to burn us alive!" Kerosh roared. Desperately trying to stand up despite his eyesight beginning to get blurry, he picked up anything he could and began bashing at the door. Those who could still move also went and helped Kerosh do what can be done for them to escape.
Looking from the outside as the door bulged together with a loud bang, Alexis and the men of Vinya stood silent. His cold gaze punched through even the sharpest of heat. He turned and looked at Epaminondas who was staying silent at the side and asked, "The Greeks are known for upholding their honor in battle and avoiding sly tricks to kill an enemy. Are you regretting your decision to trick the men of Horbid?"
Hearing the question, Epaminondas chuckled, "The Greeks did avoid cowardly tactics, but even the sly Odysseus had his kleos known throughout the land and seas. Also, being honorable won't let us survive. That kind of conversation can be talked about once Vinya is already a city-state of its own."
Alexis understood and nodded before returning his gaze to watch the flames.
As the minutes went by, the banging began slowly lessening, from hundreds of bangs every minute to a full-forced bashing every other minute. It seems that the Horbidians have begun tiring out, which would be their demise. After 10 minutes of no banging, Alexis finally heaved a sigh of relief. He was about to approach the house when suddenly…
Boom!
Another loud bang penetrated through the burning walls of the house, sending ashes, dust, and debris flying all around. When the dust settled, what appeared to him was a charred man, with some skin burning to the point of peeling off his skin.
"H-Heretics! Y-You will be r-ravaged b-by the S-Sover-sovereign's army!" A hoarse, howling scream sounded from the miraculously intact larynx. Raising a burnt wood, the man was about to charge, when suddenly…
Swoosh! Thwack!
An arrow flew into the forehead of the burnt man. When he saw the men who released the bow, the man realized something. "Y-You were t-the one w-who attacked us! Ahhh!!!" The man let out a lasting cry before falling to the ground, lifeless.
Looking from where the shot came from, Alexis and the others saw Ruze, the little determined kid, holding the bow in hand, with a cold but resolute face. After doing the killing, Ruze knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and muttered something inaudible to the rest of the men.
Truthfully, Alexis couldn't care less. As long as the current problem is dealt with. Right now, he needs to address what happened. Looking at the women, Alexis asked, "What happened inside? What's wrong with Nashali?" He addressed the name of the woman directly.
"I was harassed, My Lord. Pulled in order to serve them." The woman Nashali said with suppressed emotion in her voice. "If not for Lady Onka, I would've not been able to get out of that hell."
The old woman, Lady Onka, bowed and then responded, "I only did what Priestess Leisandra asked of me. To protect the ladies of Vinya from the lustful gnaws of Horbid." Hearing their explanations, those who were still unconvinced became even more livid. "These Horbidians need to know humility! They should just be wiped off the face of this world!"
"I also heard something!" One of the maidens interjected. With shaking hands, she added, "Before I got out, I heard that leader said that he wants to ravage all the women of Vinya, slaughter the men, and throw the children into slavery! I was so terrified by what they wanted to do, but fortunately, our king told us of the plan to eliminate the Horbidians. I was skeptical at first, but now, I can finally freely say what I heard!"
Collectively, the minds of the people shouted only one thing: "Down with the Horbidians!"
Having achieved his goal, Alexis felt relieved inside. He did not know how to convince the people living in Vinya how to unite in hatred of tyranny, and he knows he cannot sacrifice men to prove that Horbid is the enemy. Fortunately, Horbid sent the best example of a villain to represent them.
"People of Vinya, I ask of you. Do you wish for those things to happen to your loved ones? To your friends? To your neighbors? I highly wish that is not the case. For evil is rampant in this world, and I am given the opportunity by our goddess to tolerate it or put an end to it. I once again implore you, join us in the battle against tyranny! Resist Horbid!"
"Resist Horbid!"
"Resist tyranny!"
"Glory to justice!"
"All hail our king!"
Raising the torch in his hand, Alexis shouted, "Fight as one, Fight as citizens of Vinya!"
Hail, King of the City of Vinya!