BXBX NOVEL Chapter 354 353: Occupying Goron (5)
Praetor's lay dead around the entryway, their bodies broken and bleeding from the powerful swings of her Gurz and the weapons of the troops.
Some clung desperately to life, murmuring painfully as we entered, their eyes hollow as they searched for escape.
Walking through the corpse filled hall, I took in the golden palace and the various velvet cushions, gemstone clad furniture and portraits, decorative weaponry, stained glass...
The entire palace oozed unwarranted opulence, moving from a display of wealth and power and instead being a temple to vanity and waste.
Now this palace of decadence was splattered with blood, and I couldn't help but smirk at the ease at which our Empire's Legions had subdued a major city of the Kingdoms.
Nudging a corpse with my booted foot, I muttered "Weaklings, all of them..." before continuing on, uncaring of the large swathes of lost life we were leaving behind.
I hadn't been alive long, and yet I couldn't imagine not having trained myself to be as strong as I possibly could be in order to protect myself and my family, but here these humans were, picking fights with those above them...
Very few could claim to be worthy of respect, and the primary one was dead, felled under Nirinia's Dadao mere weeks ago.
The Justiciar's were likely to either die with their country, throwing away their lives in a desperate attempt to take as many of us 'monsters' with them, or they would follow behind their forefathers and defect to the Empire, where they would be welcomed with 'open arms'.
Striding through the palace, I rested my great sword as I utilized my Light Discs to fell my enemies, controlling the golden mana and training myself as we journeyed down the main hall, cleaning up behind Lady Sker.
A man charged towards me with his halberd raised, only to gurgle as the Light Disc I had thrown sliced cleanly through his neck, leaving his head dangling from his body by mere threads of flesh.
Dropping down to the floor with a thud, he released his weapon and swiftly faded away, joining the hundreds of others that had died today.
Waving my fingers to the side, I guided the Light Disc towards another Praetor, this one chanting a prayer as he raised a staff, blue mana swirling around the orb lodged on its tip.
Chopping his staff in two, the mana he had begun to gather exploded, and he screamed in agony as the Water Mana seeped into his flesh and liquified it, before falling quiet as the Light Disc tore through his chest.
Spells burst in the air all around us, flying towards and past us as the legionaries combated the more magically attuned Praetors.
A sphere of flames splashed against Leone's hidden Mana Cloak, joining her own flames as she sent a barrage of arrows back towards the caster.
Anput cleaved through the spells sent her way with a long bladed spear, her skin a shifting silver as she practiced blocking and redirecting the spells sent her way.
Iaso walked around inside a sphere of water, focusing more on the legionaries as she healed and buffed anyone who needed it, while Liga utilized a wooden shield to block most attacks, before a staff she created directed thin wooden splinters towards the enemy, peppering them.
Nirinia made her ways forwards, charring past the spells and joining Lady Sker as they barreled into the large formation of Praetors assembled before a large pair of golden doors.
Bodies flew from the crowd, arcs of blood and dull green liquids spraying through the air as Lady Sker sent them flying.
Some of the Praetors returned to the door, wanting to bolster their defenses, while others were chased down as they tried to flee into the palace's many hallways.
Squads began to sweep those hallways, gathering together and slowly moving outwards, checking each room as they passed them.
Reaching the doors that lead towards the Council Hall, we joined Lady Sker and Nirinia as we butchered the remaining Praetors, soaking the marble floor in human blood before pushing the golden doors open.
Inside, a giant silver table surrounded by luxurious thrones awaited us, and we found the room empty save for four older humans.
Gray hairs, wrinkled skin, bloodshot, yellowish eyes, and pronounced skeletal structures made their age known quickly, and an older woman rose from her throne, her thin frame clad in a heavy mantle of deep scarlet and gold.
Her pale crimson eyes were filled with acceptance, and she sighed as she muttered "Two Knights... of course we failed..."
Looking towards Lady Sker, the woman sighed again as she said "Knight, I am Councilor Areeba, and I wish to surrender."
The others rose, repeating her words as they introduced themselves before surrendering, their expressions tired.
Tossing her Gurz on the table, Lady Sker grinned as they all jumped, startled by the loud noise.
Plopping into one of the thrones, the Scorpionkin placed her feet on the table as she scanned each of the Councilors, one of whom was frowning slightly.
"Surrendering already? Very well. Unlike you, we do abide by our own rules of war."
"Abide by them?! You massacred the city! How is that 'abiding' your ow-"
An elderly man stepped forwards, spittle flying from his lips as he shouted at Lady Sker, who stared at him in amusement.
"We didn't 'massacre' your city. Trust me, if we wanted to level this city and wipe it from the maps, we were more than capable of doing so. No, it's more accurate to call our actions a purge. We rid your city of those we deemed unworthy to live under the mantle of our Empire. Personally, I would have razed a majority of the city to the ground, uncaring of casualties... For that, be thankful that the Empress is a rather merciful woman. She gives you options, and each has consequences..."
The room fell quiet, and Areeba pushed the man back and glared at him, before returning her gaze to Lady Sker.
"Knight, thank you for following the merciful orders of your- no, 'our' Empress. We... wanted to feel out the potential outcomes before committing to any course of action, you see."
Chuckling, Lady Sker stared at the woman as she said "You mean to say you held hopes that your pitiful walls and weak soldiers could hold back the might of the Empire of Ash? Oh, I don't really care, Councilor Areeba. After all, as of current, we've suffered mere scratches compared to the hundreds, if not thousands of humans that died."
Another woman's eyes widened at that statement, disbelief and fear mixing well inside her soft brown eyes as she muttered "Impossible..!"
"Oh, it's very much possible, dear Councilor. See, the Empire - and its inhabitants - are actually rather strong, and our knowledge of the arcane deep. Now, that aside, let's discuss the... future relationship between this Council Hall and the Empire."