Reborn: Flames of War (6 page)

Hearing this, Ash silently cursed to himself before calling out to everyone else. “Everyone retreat,” Ash called loudly.

The knights that were left behind didn’t see the need to chase after Ash and the others and quickly followed their brethren out of the inn. Once he was at the top of the stairs, Ash quickly ran to one of the smaller windows and peeked outside.

The knights were reforming, but their ranks looked slightly more haggard and Ash could see more than a few who could no longer stand up straight due to wounds. Ash waited to see what they would do and breathed a sigh of relief when the knights left about twenty men to surround the inn while the rest marched down the street, most likely to report their failure to the king.”

“What are we going to do my lord?” one of the knights asked when Ash pulled away from the window and took a seat in one of the nearby chairs.

“For right now, we wait,” Ash said, his eyes looking far off into the distance. “There is still a small chance that the king will see reason, but if not, we must act carefully otherwise everything will end badly. We can’t let the world see us as the aggressors. If we could, this would be so much easier to handle. I could just turn Tolarea loose on the castle and it would fall within a day,” Ash said jokingly, trying to lighten the heavy mood that was hanging in the air.

“With as feebly as the knights’ fight, I could take on the whole country and have them bowing at your feet before noon,” Tolarea said, though with the tone of her voice it was hard for Ash to tell if she was joking or being serious. A quick look at her face didn’t tell him anything, but it did give him a slight confidence boost.

11-6

The sky darkened and Ash spent his time healing his wrist which still pained him slightly. At the same time he tried to understand what went wrong. In the end it was Tolarea who had the answer for him.

“Break guard moves the sword past a person’s guard while sunder is an overhead strike that is meant to ram through armor. The two abilities are not compatible and are not to be used in succession. So, your body took damage from trying to force the sword to stay straight while it tried to swing down. You must be careful when you are using more than one ability. There was once a young boy in our clan who ripped his own arm off doing something just as foolish. ”

“I will have to remember that,” Ash said, his face slightly turning white. He had used two abilities more than once together, but had never had a backlash before today’s incident.

Taking a seat next to the window, Ash looked down on the knights below as he called up his status screen and started looking through his different abilities. So if he used something like pounce and guard break there is a possibility to break a leg since pounce rushes him forward while guard break moves him to get under the opponent’s defenses. There were other combinations that could cause him some trouble and Ash quickly made a mental note of them. The last thing Ash wanted was to use a bad combination during a fight.

Ash continued to watch the street until he heard a low whistle coming from the corner of the room. With a face that barely hid his excitement, Ash turned around. “What have you found out Lath?” Ash asked in an indifferent tone.

“A lot more than I expected to tell the truth,” Lath said with a toothy grin. “The arrest was a quick decision by one of the lower officials after they received the letter requesting a meeting. It seems that he only saw your name and then ordered it. The king has had him thrown into the dungeon and is currently trying to think of how to handle this situation.”

“I would have thought that the king would be happy,” Ash said.

“He wants you dead sure enough,” Lath said with a short laugh. “He just wants you to die in a way that can’t point back to him. There are currently three ambassadors from other kingdoms within the capital and as soon as they heard of the attack they sent protests. Not out of any love for you, but it signified that their own freedom and life could be at risk.”

“Did you receive any news from the general?”

“Yes…Though you might not like it,” Lath said shaking his head. “It will take six days to get the troops here, or at least enough of them to do any real damage.”

“Everything should have been ready, we brought along enough mages to make a transport array.”

“That you did my lord,” Lath said. “The problem is that they can only transport fifty soldiers at a time with it and they can only use it a few times a day with their limited MP. They plan to bring over more mages first to help bring in other soldiers, but even then it will take time.”

“I thought that they could build an array that could bring over five hundred people at once?” Ash asked as he inwardly cursed.

“They could, but it would draw too much attention. They are situated too close to the capital and there are bound to be a few mages who could sense what we were doing.”

“Six days,” Ash repeated, his shoulders slumping slightly. “In that amount of time this will either be resolved or we will be forced to flee.”

“I might have a way to buy you enough time,” Lath suggested.

Ash’s face instantly brightened. “What do you have in mind?”

“Right now we have already brought over a hundred troops. It is not enough to wage war against the capital since we believe them to have in excess of twenty thousand troops, but it should be enough to attack some of the smaller holdings. We can also have the soldiers who stayed back in the Hawkwing lands start to push forward. I think this will put pressure on the king and limit his actions.”

“I don’t want to look too aggressive,” Ash said biting one of his fingernails.

“It should be fine,” Lath said. “We have been monitoring the ambassadors and they seem to think it is surprising that you have stayed at all instead of declaring war on the foolish king and leaving. There is always the chance the other kingdoms will band together, but I think that is really out of your control now. We have sent our representatives, but it will be days before we can hope to get any kind of response from them.”

When the knights rushed the inn, Ash wanted nothing more than to start a war, but now that he had time to think it over, he still wanted a peaceful end to this since it would be the common people who paid the biggest price in a war. It was starting to look like things had moved out of his control. If he didn’t act now, he would only be putting more of his own people at risk. “Relay the message to start attacking. We are going to war,” Ash said, though his voice held no merriment to the declaration.

“At once my lord,” Lath said before bowing.

Once Lath was gone, Ash turned to the people who were staring at him as if he had grown a second head. None of them knew that Ash had been in contact with Lath or any of the others who belonged to what the sage called the special demon unit. They were the troops that were directly under the demon lord’s command instead of being part of a clan. They were comprised of demons who had what they considered unique skills.  Since demons were created using monsters as a base, every now and then, just like monsters, a demon with unique abilities would appear. Those that had abilities that would be of use for spying and other hidden works were assigned to the special demon unit, the rest of the unit was made up of talented demons from various clans.

Due to the nature of the special demon unit, only Ash and the sage were aware of how many were really in the unit and what their names were. It was one of the reasons that Ash had not told the others about it.

“I am sure that you all heard, but will are now officially at war with Heluria,” Ash said.

“Then we should leave the capital as soon as we can,” Seia said, her fingers running along her bowstring as if she were stroking a pet.

“No,” Ash said confidently. “I am hoping to force the king into a meeting currently. Even if we go to war, we still need to do as much as we can to insure that the other human kingdoms stay out of it.”

“You are going to give me a heart attack,” Seia said, holding her hand to her ample chest and feigning as if she was hurting.

“I am sure that you will survive,” Ash said in a mocking tone. “Right now, we need to make sure that the knights can’t get to us if they decide on a second attack. Any ideas?”

“Well we could use nature magic to strengthen the inside walls. The outside has already been done,” Mia suggested brightly.

“The windows are a weak point. Even if they are enchanted to be as hard as steel, there is a chance that the knights could use them as an entry point in some of the unused rooms on the lower floors. We also need to talk with the innkeeper,” one of the knights said.

“Understood,” Ash said turning toward Celina. “Celina, you talk to the innkeeper. I will take care of the windows.”

Once the decision was made, Ash started on the top floor. Using mana manipulation, earth essence, and infuse earth, Ash closed in all the windows except for a small portion in the center about the side of a large gold coin so that it could be used as a peephole if needed. Even with his large store of MP, he had to rest twice and drink MP recovery potions to finish it by nightfall.

While Ash was working on the windows, Mia worked on the walls and floor strengthening the wood, much the way he did walls. Since the wood was already in place, she didn’t have to expand as much MP, but it would take days to finish the entire top floor because of its size.

It was not hard for Celina to find the innkeeper who was worriedly pacing in his office on the first floor. She gave him five platinum coins to cover any damage and also inquired about any hidden ways into the inn. It turned out that there was a small tunnel that once ran between one of the noble homes and the inn, but had long since been bricked up and was currently being used as a wine cellar. Celina checked out the tunnel but found that it was still very strong so it was unlikely that the knights could come in that way.

Once night fell, everyone once again gathered in Ash’s room to talk about what was happening and what might be happening in the coming days. Unlike before, they were now at war with the kingdom, though the country was most likely not aware of that fact just yet since it would take time for his troops to start the attacks and even longer for the king to receive the news. At most within two days the king will receive the news from the attacks from the nearby areas.

Though a lot had happened, the room was mostly silent while they ate. It seemed as if everyone was worried that if they spoke too loudly this short peaceful time would end.

Once Ash finished his meal, he walked back to the window and looked through the small hole to notice that the knights were still present. He had hoped that with the king’s displeasure at the action they would be recalled, but it looked like he was hoping for too much.

Sighing, Ash laid down on his bed when Li came over and took her place beside him. “It will be ok my lord,” She said in a gentle and reassuring voice.

“I hope so,” Ash said though his voice didn’t hold any conviction.   

11-7

Just as Ash expected, it wasn’t until the evening two days later when he received a response from the king. Currently standing before him was a young knight named Allan whose face looked anything but pleased to be the one to deliver the message.

“Forten, the great king of Heluria bids you to come to the castle. He promises that no harm will come to you or yours.”

“When does he wish us?” Ash asked as Tolarea continued to glare at the young knight.

“As soon as it is convenient for you my lord,” the knight said blanching slightly.

“Let Forten know that we will arrive in two hours’ time,” Ash said after a few short seconds. When the knight heard Ash’s words, his face turned red in anger. Not because Ash was delaying his meeting with the king, but because Ash had refused to use any honorifics when mentioning the king and instead referred to him simply by name. “We were about to eat so if you would, please take your leave.”

The corners of the knight’s mouth twitched slightly, but he held his tongue and slightly nodded his head. “I will be awaiting my lord outside so that we can escort him to the palace…To make sure that nothing were to happen to you of course.”

“Of course,” Ash said, waving the knight off as if he was shooing away a fly.

“Do you think it is wise to go to the palace since we are currently at war?” Eun asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to meet somewhere else within the capital?”

“I doubt there is a place within the capital that it would be completely safe, but within the palace, there are at least a few people who can aid us of there is a need. If we force them to choose somewhere else, then we might find ourselves in more trouble.”

“It is regrettable, but it seems that we must go,” Seia said, her face showing her displeasure.

Ash didn’t hurry himself and seemed intent on making the king wait as he slowly enjoyed his meal. Once it was finished Ash, Li, Tolarea, and Seia gathered their gear, though they had to place their weapons in Ash’s inventory. Ash had worked hard to level up his port ability, but even now it was not strong enough to be of much use. Thankfully he had his inventory which couldn’t be inspected.

The item box that Ash had been given when he came to this world was the one thing he had that was completely unique. At first, he had not given it much thought, but the longer he lived in the new world, the more it caught his eye. Ash had asked the sage about it, but not even the sage had ever heard of anyone with an ability like it. Ash couldn’t tell him that it wasn’t even an ability. At least it wasn’t in the traditional way since he didn’t have anything in his status that mentioned it.

Once the four were completely ready, they walked down the stairs and outside and under the open sky where the contingent of knights were waiting on them. “My lord, we were expecting that it would just be you meeting with the king,” Allan said, moving to the front of the group.

“Are you saying that after everything that has happened, you expect me to go into the lion’s den not only unarmed, but alone?” Ash asked in a ridiculing tone. “From the moment I entered your country I have been subject to nothing but displeasure so you have two choices. One take us to meet with your king or two leave and we will return to our room.” 

“As you will,” Allan said, turning about before his face could display the anger that was starting to boil inside of him.

As they marched through the town, Ash almost felt like a person being led to his death. Currently they were surrounded by over twenty knights and the atmosphere around them was anything but pleasant. The commoners would stop and watch them as they passed and just like when they entered the town, none of the faces looked happy to see them.

Ash didn’t know why the atmosphere in the kingdom’s capital was so different from the rest of the kingdom. They had went through a number of small and large villages and while there were a number of unfriendly eyes turned on them, there was just as many or more who looked on them kindly, but Ash had not felt a friendly gaze since entering the capital.

The palace was located at the far end of the capital at the end of the noble district. The closer they came to the palace, the larger the surrounding nobles houses and lands became until one had to strain their eyes to even see the house since it was so far away. 

Emelia’s house was far larger than the others within her city and she had a large garden, but the house itself was placed close to the front, making it easy for her people to look upon it. It gave the impression that she valued and trusted her people, but the king seemed as if he wanted to distance himself. At that is how it felt to Ash when they neared the gates of the palace since he could not even see the palace.

Eight well-armed guards waited for them at the gates and only let them through after thoroughly searching them for weapons. Ash held his tongue when he caught one of the guards smiling lecherously as he moved his hands over Li’s petite frame, but he was ready to act if the man tried anything.

Once the guards were assured that Ash and the others held no weapons, the gates were opened and they, along with ten of their knightly escorts were allowed inside the palace grounds. From there, it took almost a quarter of an hour for them to reach the steps leading up into the palace itself.

They were taken to a small room and told to wait until the king could receive them, though they were not left alone. Two knights stood at each door to the room while the rest waited just on the other side. Once the majority of the guards, left Ash turned to his wives. “Are you three ok?”

“These humans dare to touch me,” Tolarea said, her face turning slightly red. “When we take the palace, we should make sure to cut the hands off anyone wearing the king’s colors.”

The corners of Ash’s lips twitched at Tolarea’s words and the two knights in his field of vision faces showed a great deal of displeasure.

“I must agree,” Li said, her voice much stronger than Ash had ever heard it before. Looking at her Ash noticed that her normal angelic face was pinched in what he could only believe was anger. “How could they treat the Maoh as if he were some lesser noble. It is inexcusable.”

“I don’t think they really understand my position with the demon kingdom, nor how strong or large we really are,” Ash said, trying to calm the two women down. Thankfully Celina had kept her composure and didn’t seem affected by the days’ events. “That is one of the reasons we came here today. It is the demon’s debut as we reenter the world.”

Surprisingly they were not left to wait long. Less than a quarter of an hour after they had been brought to the waiting room, Allan returned and announced that the king was ready for them. Like before, they were surrounded by knights when they left the room. The only difference was the level of the knights had changed.

Ash had used analyze on the knights when they walked down the street from the inn and found that most of the knights were in the high twenties, but the current knights were in their early to mid-forties while the one at the lead was high enough that Ash couldn’t see his status.

Even though they were within the palace, it felt almost like they were walking the streets of a small town given how wide the hallways were and the number of eyes on them. Ash and the others were led to a massive set of double doors that could easy allow a frost giant to enter without them having to duck.

When the doors to the throne room opened, it was like entering a different world. The floors were made of marble and large pillars rose into the air, lined in silver and gold while large statues lined the walls. The king was much younger than Ash had expected, looking to be only in his early twenties. He had a clean shaven face and though it was hard to tell since he was currently sitting, Ash guessed that he would only stand slightly under six foot tall with a mostly lean body. His hair was cut short and only a small bit of its light brown color peaked out from under the king’s crown.

After being led to the center of the room, the knights took their place, with the leader taking his place at the king’s side while the others moved to stand in different places in the room. 

Ash took a step forward and slightly nodded his head. “King Forten of Heluria,” Ash said in a heavy tone. “I am the demon Maoh Ash Hawkwing.”

“Why have you come before us today?” The king asked his eyes narrowing.

“Originally I had come to your land in order to stop a war between the lands of the Hawkwing kingdom, the demon kingdom, and your kingdom, but now that doesn’t seem possible,” Ash said honestly. “Here and now, I the Maoh of the demons and the consort of the queen of the Hawkwing lands declare war on the kingdom of
Heluria.”

“How dare you,” an older man with thinning black hair and a long beard with more than a few slivers of silver hair said moving from his position behind the throne. “You said that you came for peace when just yesterday we got a report that demons have attacked two villages, only a dozen miles from the palace.”

“Yes, you will also receive a report saying that the main demon army has started its march from its location in the Hawkwing lands,” Ash said in a bored tone.

“You think your small army can match the might of the great kingdom of Heluria?” the wizened old man asked his voice tinted in anger making Ash laugh.

“At most your kingdom has an army of twenty thousand, if you enlisted every person who could hold a weapon, you might gather a hundred thousand for a full scale war. The Hawking lands might not be able to stand up to such a force, but I think you have a misunderstanding about demons. Within our whole kingdom, we have just over a hundred and twenty thousand people, but unlike humans, every one of those people are built for war. Right now, forty thousand soldiers are marching and they will tear your feeble country to bits.”

“How?” The man asked, his knees going weak after hearing Ash’s words. “It takes months if not years to assemble such a large force.

“For human’s maybe. You have your forces spread out and have to call for them from your nobles. You must gather food and weapons, but when I order the demons to march, there is no one who will not heed the call. While we took our time reaching your capital, my people were amassing and preparing for war.”

“Then your words of seeking peace were nothing but lies,” the old man retorted angrily.

“Peace was my true intention, but I was not so foolish as not prepare for the alternative,” Ash retorted. “I am glad I did. “I was not only attacked by the king’s forces on my travels, but twice. I could have over looked that, but once I was within the capital, you even tried to have me arrested as if I was a lowly human commoner. Did you really think that you could treat the demon Maoh in such a way without any consequences?”

The old man began to retort again but the king held up his hand to silence him. “You must forgive our ignorance, but we have never head of a Maoh before.”

“It is the name given to the king of the demons by the goddess Altina. It means demon lord in the language of the gods,” Ash explained.

The king’s calm façade started to falter. It was bad enough that he ordered his knights to assault a noble of a different land, but to assault its king was far worse.

“What are your demands?” Forten asked shamelessly.

“Majesty,” the older man said, his face going white.

“Enough Galten. From the reports of the last battle with the demons, a force half our size completely destroyed our army. If a number equaling them is marching, then even if we win we will be left devastated and any of the other kingdoms could easily take of our lands.”

Ash hadn’t thought that it would be this easy to make the king of Heluria surrender, but he had given a great deal of thought to what demands he should make.

“We demand the lands of the Dukedom Roth as well as a thousand platinum coins in restitution,” Ash replied calmly.

“The coins are easily enough to supply but I cannot easily give up the Doth Dukedom. How about the Tigur County?”

“I don’t think you understand,” Ash said shaking his head. The Roth Dukedom was one of the three lands that was positioned next to Hawkwing and while not the largest, it was also not the smallest. The reason Ash had chosen it was because it was known to have a great farmland, but also a great deal of open land that could also be used as a buffer between the two countries. The Tigur County on the other hand was only a small part of the Roth Dukedom and it was not even the most desirable portion of it. “You will give up the Roth Dukedom or we will take it,” Ash declared.

“Foolish,” the king said standing up. “I was willing to give you some face and even a portion of my great land, but you refuse to see what is in front of you,” the king said practically spitting. “Let us see how well the demons fight when their Maoh is stuck within my dungeon.”

As soon as the king spoke, the knights that were spread across the room began to move as well as the old man who was now standing beside the king. Ash just laughed as he pulled everyone’s weapons from his storage.

“Watch out, he can use spatial magic,” Galten yelled.

“Ash just laughed as Tolarea cut one of the knights in half as if he was made of paper. As blood sprayed across the floor, the three women each took a hold of Ash’s arm as he activated dimension door and walked through. The four exited in front of the palace doors and began to run toward the palace gates. Ash could just use dimension door to move again, but he didn’t see the need to waste his MP just yet. There was no telling what would be happening over the next few hours.