I
The campaign had been arduous. Years away from home had begun to take their toll. Mental exhaustion, low morale, desertion all had played their part in almost driving his army into anarchy, but here they were, the final battle. The concluding moments, making the journey worth it, fingertips grasping at glory. Of the thousand he had led out of the famed red gate of Thallum, only four hundred thirty-two remained.
He carried all of the fallen with him in his mind. He had committed each casualty report to memory. All names burned into his brain to never be forgotten and when he had the chance, he would honor them all appropriately, even the deserters. He couldn’t blame them; it was his first real command. He made mistakes, he thought they were invincible, and his men and women had paid dearly the first few months. They had left ill-equipped, a short war they were led to believe. The reports were wrong.
Setback after setback plagued the onset of the war march almost immediately. The ambush at Barren Ridge, the skirmish at Fang Reach, the utter failure at Witch’s Bog in which dozens of his troops were left to die trapped in a swampy hellscape while the enemy tore them asunder. Those losses of life were his doing. He had been reckless, overeager, too ambitious and had forgotten what got him there in the first place. Finally, on that nameless open field they had their turning point. The enemy had been routed that day, he knew they would regroup, but for that fleeting moment could celebrate. These men and women were wholly committed to him now.
Graven pushed the past from his memory as he swung the broken quarterstaff downward and caved in the skull of the Undyn before him. Sprays of black gore splattered his armor, sliding into deep gouges left by the talons of the enemy. He tossed what was once a spear to the side and drew his sword. He smashed the chest of the next beast with his shield and sent it flying into two more behind it. The next creature came from his left, a quick slash separated the top quarter of the skull from the rest of the body. Death squawks escaped the Undyn’s mouth almost as if the dying creature didn’t believe what was happening. The Undyn fell face first onto the rocky ground as wobbly legs gave way to gravity. He scanned the chaos around him.
His army had forced the enemy into a gorge, surrounded on all sides, with no way out other than through him. It was time to end this war. “Shield Wall!” he shouted over the rings of battle. Instantly those in his vicinity turned to him, shields extended in front of them in a solid line of wood and steel. Almost as one the Undyn knew this was their final moments. They surged forwards in a wave of flesh, teeth, and claws. Their fragile frames smashed into the line doing whatever they could to claw and render at the men and women behind them. “Hold!” Graven shouted over the roar of the beasts. Knees began to shake and nerves began to buckle. A claw of one Undyn found the throat of a soldier down the line opening his esophagus wide. Blood sprayed the air and covered several wall brothers around him. Instantly a wall sister stepped in to take his place, screaming in the face of the Undyn and thrusting her spear into it’s eye socket. “HOLD!” he shouted again. The line was strong. He became selfish just for a moment, embracing what was to unfold before him. A slight almost undetectable smile crept across his face, “Archers! LOOSE!”
II
“Oy, Oy! Graven you bastard! Well done!” Jax shouted. “Never thought we’d make it home alive after this one.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Jax. You know, I was kind of hoping you weren’t going to make it out of this one”, Graven said resting on a large flat rock.
“The Omnissiah would never let a warrior like me fall! It would take a gift from the heavens for that to happen”, Jax exclaimed flexing his right bicep and bringing his war hammer to a rest on his left shoulder. “Besides who would save your skinny arse from battle?”
“I think he’s well capable of saving himself Jax,” a slim figure interjected. “And besides, if he can’t, well that’s what he has me for.”
“Ah didn’t see you there Adeen. Was wondering where you were hiding. Didn’t see you prancing around the battlefield. Thought you might’ve run off.”
Adeen smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth, “You know I never run from a fight Jax”. She leaned her head forward to remove her helmet. She whipped her head back shaking loose her short golden ponytail. She laughed to herself for a second then locked her ice blue eyes on Jax. “Your head was so far up Jax’s ass back there I’m not surprised you couldn’t see me.”
“Ha! Always a pleasure Adeen”. Jax turned to start walking away “I’ll let you two get started on your….what do you call this little meeting again?”
“Debrief.” The other two answered simultaneously.
“Right debrief, that’s what you call your private time”, Jax shouted over his shoulder winking back at Graven.
“You know you’re a leader Jax why won’t you stay? The soldiers adore you!” Graven yelled after him.
“I’m a simple soldier Graven, you’re the one with the big brain. Besides,” he stopped and looked down at his feet, “there’s cleanup to do”. Jax brought his hammer down on the skull of a fading Undyn, “lots of cleanup!”
Adeen turned to Graven, “Wherever did you find that big oaf?”
Graven chortled, “That’s a story for another time. How many?”
“Graven do you really need to know this right now. I mean take –“
“How. Many?”
“Twenty Three dead, another sixteen wounded. Four may not survive the injuries.”
“I will need the report soon. I must have a complete list when we return to Thallum.”
“Graven,” she said grabbing his youthful face and locking his brunet eyes with hers, “Take a minute, breathe. We’ve won. This was the biggest Undyn threat the kingdom has ever seen and you smite it with the strength of the Omissiah. Allow yourself to enjoy this moment. You have earned the right to”.
“All those lost. How –“
“Here you stand, the scourge of the Undyn, and you can’t get past the fact you lost troops. Soldiers die on the battlefield. You can’t save everyone, even with a perfect plan. They signed up for this. You’ve honored them all by winning.”
“But if I had done better in the beg-“
Her right hand contacted his face quicker than heavens light leaving the clouds. “Enough. There will be a time for mourning, and when that time comes, we will mourn them properly, but now is a time for celebration. You don’t have to like it; you just have to act like you like it.”
Graven rubbed the pink hand print now marked on his face. He had forgotten how much strength her slender frame concealed, “I suppose you’re right.”