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Chapter 409: An End to the War

The earth itself trembled and threw every single man on the battlefield to the ground. When they rose to their feet, they saw a plume of muddy dirt rise in the air, together with an eardrum-shattering boom. The primitive and violent fireworks signaled, in essence, the end of the southern kingdom\'s civil war.

Once the fireworks had died down, the full extent of the damage became immediately obvious. Antila\'s solid outer wall, up until then an insurmountable obstacle for the attackers led by General Pahuac Villca, had now crumbled into pieces. With the foundations underneath removed, the stone just slid down like snow in an avalanche. Thus, the insurmountable obstacle had turned into a convenient ramp up towards the old inner wall.

For an hour or so, both sides ceased combat. Both were still in shock at first, and then busy trying to save those who had been injured in the blast. At the same time they did their best to reorganize their troops. In the end, the southern kingdom, with its stricter organizational structure and better communication between units, managed to return into formations first.

As soon as the assault troops around Pahuac Villca were ready, they began a relentless attack upon the weak point that had finally opened up in a city defenses which had proven so frustratingly tough up to that point. To stem the tide, the defenders could only throw away more and more of their men in response. As they steadily lost ground, they filled one hole after another with bodies.

By now, the end of the battle was truly in sight. Everyone who watched the storm that day knew that it would be at most, only a few days more until the defenders were fully driven out of the city. One way or another, the war would end by then. The only question was, what kind of ending would it be?

Heavy boots splashed up water and dirt as the warriors marched along the muddy road. Several crows took off from a fence built along the street and flew in the air, startled by the noise. With loud caws, the birds complained of the mistreatment that they had received at the hands of the retreating army. Although it was dreary, the image was still vivid, full of life. Even here, in the cold and nasty south of Medala, spring had finally arrived. It would have surely eased the transportation problems of Antila\'s army, if only it had still mattered.

At least spring has sped up the warriors\' march.

Loreius Ichilia leaned out of his palanquin and looked back at the small army that was following him. In the end, only a bit over a thousand men had left Antila with him, including the four personal guards who were carrying his palanquin. At first, he had thought that he had firm control over a third of Antila\'s troops. He thought it would have been enough to leave the city without problems. Thus, as soon as he had made the decision to retreat, he had acted immediately. Indeed, when he had called his men together, almost all of them had appeared.

However, just as he was about to reach the harbor, commandeer some ferries and cross over to the safety of the eastern shore, he had been ambushed by the remaining troops in the city. Apart from a handful of guards on the wall, almost everyone seemed to have come and make things difficult for Loreius.

Of course, that wouldn\'t have been a problem had his men only remained steadfast. Yet as soon as they faced the slightest adversity, more than half of his warriors immediately left him. Not that he had ever trusted these men who had already abandoned their old houses to follow him, but he had still been angered by their cowardice.

It had only been thanks to his swift tongue that he had managed to stabilize the remaining men and retain some semblance of a force. The over one thousand troops he had been left with weren\'t much compared to the entire army who had surrounded them, but they had still been enough to make some trouble.

If they were pushed to a corner, they could always fight back, thus weakening the main forces remaining in the city further. Worse, if the enemy army heard the fighting in the city, a simple charge at night would have been enough to storm the city immediately. Thus, the defending lords led by the beast Herak had no choice but to let him go in the end. Still, Loreius could hardly call his dingy escape a success.

Maybe, he thought, he had underestimated the other lords in the city. In the end he was at least glad that he hadn\'t gone through with his plan to capture them. Otherwise, it may have ended poorly for him. At least now, he still had enough men left over to put some pressure on Pachacutec, once he arrived back north, that was.

He planned to reach Port Ulta first, to resupply and gather more information about the happenings in the central kingdom. From there, he would hire ships to transport his men to the southern parts of eastern Medala, which was land nominally under control of the central kingdom.

With his army\'s sudden appearance in the estates of Pacha\'s subordinate lords, he could pressure the young king to halt his advance towards Huaylas. At the very least, his allies would no longer be willing to lend their warriors for Pacha\'s invasion of Huaylas if their own estates were in imminent danger.

Once the situation was temporarily stabilized, he could cross the mountains, enter Arguna, and then argue for his rights in front of the elders of the Ziggurat. For now, that seemed like the best course of action to retain his status as head of House Ichilia and Governor of the West, and his best way to retain his family\'s power and preserve a chance for revenge.

For now, the first step of the plan had almost been completed. When he looked through the curtains of his palanquin towards the front, he could already see Port Ulta in the distance.

The Port was a large city by the standards of the south, which made it look a bit quaint in Loreius\' eyes. Around the mouth of the Uskaylla River, the water had eaten away at the soft rock of the coastline, and had created one of the greatest natural harbors in Medala. Thus, the small city with the low stone walls and the tightly packed, miserable looking wooden huts had been placed here to serve as an anchor for ships. To the city\'s north were the extensive Ulta Caves, one of the great wonders of Medala, and in the past a hideout for the shameless pirates who had founded the city.

Already, Loreius could barely contain his excitement to see the great architecture that the high-born ancestors of this mighty city\'s people had left behind. However, before they reached the dingy pirate town, he saw another high-born group coming towards them. Their high status was easy to determine, since they also traveled across the landscape with a palanquin in tow.

As was was customary in Medala, the two troops slowed down when they came close to each other. After all, it would have been rude to avoid a conversation if two men of status met in the wild like this. Since the other side only had a small delegation of a few dozen people, Loreius wasn\'t worried about any dirty tricks. Thus, he ordered his men to slowly move closer to the opposite palanquin. When the two were next to each other, he opened the curtains to his side, and waited. Right away, the other side opened his curtains as well, and revealed his identity.

"Lord Padrava," Loreius said. "What fortunate meeting on this spring day."

"Likewise, Governor Ichilia," Padrava replied.

Margrave Hakon of Padrava was the representative of the other arcavian country that had cheated its way into medalan affairs with money and trickery. Thus, the margrave\'s status was considered equal to Herak. However, Padrava had been a lot less aggressive compared to his arcavian compatriot.

While the beast had been busy fighting in one local war after another, Padrava had mostly just attended the banquets of various lords and quietly made money through trade. Thus, Loreius was shocked to see the foreign lord travel towards the combat zone that was Antila, especially with such a small delegation.

As Loreius was still thinking about Padrava\'s goals for his trip, the foreigner had already continued the conversation.

"Governor and his men have not come from Antila, have they?" he asked.

"Indeed we have, Lord Padrava. There seems little point in continuing the fight, so this governor has decided to retreat early and spend his time in a more productive manner."

Of course he wouldn\'t tell the foreigner about the imminent danger Huaylas was in. There was a good chance that Padrava knew already, since he had just come from Port Ulta and news would travel to the ports first. Though if he knew, at least he had the tact to not say anything.

"In that case, could Governor inform me about the state of battle in the city?" Padrava asked instead

"The state of battle..." Loreius thought for a second, before he guessed the foreigner\'s intentions. "Lord Padrava should not plan to travel to Antila, correct?"

"Yes, that is exactly where we are headed." Padrava replied, a frown on his face. "This time I have come to end this pointless and expensive war, to the benefit of both sides."

"Is that so? In that case, this governor wishes Lord Padrava all the best. However, it seems doubtful whether such a mission could succeed." Bitterness spread in the young governor\'s mouth as he spoke, reminded of his own failings once more. Over the past moons, he himself had tried for peace many times. Not once had he even been heard, let along succeeded in brokering a deal.

"Oh, and why is that?" Padrava asked.

"The southern king is too stubborn, and too greedy for success. At the same time, Antila was about to fall when this Governor\'s men left the city. Why would King Corcopaca agree to end a war when he can already see victory? Not to mention, Lord Herak has shown singular focus on victory. This Governor doubts if Lord Herak would ever consider peace in the first place. Oh, Lord Herak controls most of the soldiers by this point," Loreius added. He looked forward to seeing a troubled face, but instead, Padrava looked relieved.

"In that case, a peaceful resolution should not be a problem. I have come with sufficient weight behind me. I am sure that the young king will at least listen to our improved conditions. In fact, we have even brought some additional gifts to sweeten the deal, and to pressure the king\'s allies."

As he spoke, Padrava gestured behind him with a smug grin on his unhealthy, pale face. When Loreius leaned out of his palanquin and looked towards the end of Padrava\'s delegation, he spotted a young man in chains with a miserable scowl on his face. Although he wasn\'t too familiar with Sachay\'s politics, Loreius still recognized him as someone of great identity.

"Epunamo Villca?" he wondered.

The oldest son of House Villca and rightful heir of Cashan, the man who had been protected by the Arcavians in Port Ulta all this time, was now given up just like this? Without having to ask further, Padrava answered the young governor\'s concerns.

"Yes, indeed. Now that it appears as if the entire south will fall into the hands of the southern king, there is little chance of regaining control over Cashan. This chess piece has lost its value as a result. However, it can still be played to pressure the king\'s allies. I am certain that the Villcas within the southern kingdom\'s army would be glad to end the war in exchange for this man. Without strong support from the Villcas, the king\'s army will be weakened. Not to mention that their supplies are routed through Cashan. Thus, the king\'s position in subsequent negotiations would weaken as well."

"Again, if Lord Padrava can get your Lord Herak to agree," Loreius replied, still not convinced that this pale-faced foreigner could do what even he had failed at.

"That, in fact, should be the least of our problems," the smug foreigner said, and held high a letter sealed with red wax, marked with a seal Loreius had never seen before.

"This time, King Tolmar of Borna has personally sent correspondence," Padrava explained. "The king has been worried about his brother Herak. It seems that in the duke\'s absence over the past years, the king has carefully maneuvered within his domain, and has finally managed to restore his brother\'s honorable status among Borna\'s nobility. Though the details elude me, there is no longer any excuse to uphold Duke Herak of Balit\'s exile. Surely, the duke would be happy to return home immediately, rather than being forced to continue this pointless war in foreign lands."

Hidden by the curtain, Loreius clenched his fist in annoyance, but when he replied, his voice was still calm.

"It seems Lord has considered everything carefully," he said. "In that case, we shall no longer hold Lord Padrava here. This Governor wishes Lord a successful negotiation."

"Thank you, Governor Ichilia. A good journey to you as well."

Once the palanquin was closed up again - and once more made its way towards Port Ulta - Loreius closed his eyes. Immediately, the manic eyes of Herak entered his mind, and just wouldn\'t leave him. Finally, the beast would no longer be here to maraud around Medala as he pleased . However, with how far the creature\'s mental state had deteriorated over the course of the siege, he wondered if Padrava would still be in time to save him.

If he was honest, Loreius Ichilia hoped the smug foreigner would be too late, so that he too could taste the defeat they had all become so familiar with.