The clanging of bells breaks the silence of the night. Camps are burning. Howls and screams fill the air. We knew they would come, but the battle is fiercer than anyone could have imagined. So these are vampires, huh?
“Captain! Captain Zakkow! There are more coming from the west!”
“Got it! More oil to that side! Kick over the watch-fires!” I shout, turning towards the source of bloodlust and excitement, spear in hand.
“Fire is our ally! We are fire! Men, douse them in oil!”
Vaulting over the blazing wall of fire, I miss my landing and stumble spear-first into a vampire illuminated by the flames. I stab, stab, and stab it some more. All I can do is pierce him. Meanwhile, some young soldiers run up behind me and cleave its head off with an ax, fang necklace and all.
“Yes! We did it, Captain Zakkow!”
“Good! That’s the way! But it’s too early to celebrate!”
“Yes, sir!”
“And just call me Captain! You’re a corporal, aren’t you? A good one at that!”
“Is that so, sir!”
They’re still volunteer soldiers at heart, even if they’ve been promoted, but they’re all heroic men, every last one of them.
Suddenly, a bestial howl comes from the side. About thirty vampires are charging at us. Judging from their movements, they must be thunder mages. Shit, magic!
“Fall back! Into the fire!”
I throw myself towards the closest bonfire and its roaring, surging flames. I close my eyes. Immediately, I hear the sound of something bursting. Heat singes my skin; thunder pierces my ears; screams rend my heart. How many died? Who died? Oh, the corporal... And right after his heroic deed, too. Some soldiers are still breathing. Their bodies are numb, they struggle to wield their spears. I will not abandon them. I will not let this continue.
Unexpectedly, something flies through the air, and a flash catches the corner of my eye. Oh! It’s them! The rabbits! Wielding their sword-like horns as weapons, our comrades leap towards the vampires. They aim for the feet, the fingers, and even the neck if the chance presents itself. The vampires are taken aback for a bit.
“Now! Press forward!” I command while charging in. The night air slices at my stinging cheeks. Before me is a confused vampire brushing off the corpse of a militant rabbit—I drive my spear into his face. With a swift movement, I pull back and stab again. This time, the spearhead gets stuck in his crotch. It won’t come out.
“Rahhhhhh!”
I draw my hatchet and leap towards another vampire. His arm is wrapped tightly around someone’s spear—I sever it. His other arm whips around, but I jump away as he scrapes my helm. I won’t be caught.
Hmph, it’s hot. Well, I took a bath of fire earlier.
“Dieee!” I scream with all of my might.
I drive my hatchet into the enemy’s throat. Black, smelly blood spurts everywhere. No, there’s also animal fat mixed in there as well. Did someone throw a vial of oil at him? The flames burn even hotter.
“Grahhh!” I roar.
With rabbits at my back and surrounded by spears sticking out of the ground, I engage the vampires in combat. This is a flame-soaked, hand-to-hand combat. It’s so hot. Hot. The heat takes over, moves my body. I swing my hatchet like there’s no tomorrow.
Fools. Stupid vampires.
The commander often called them blood-sucking beasts that would even leap into fire. Well, everything is on fire here; there is no night or darkness. No water, wind, or clouds can exist in this land. The earth is covered in flames... This is now a battlefield for those of us who live and breathe fire.
Behold, vampires! This is the power of our fire resistance magic! As fire-fighting soldiers, we put our all into learning this spell. It all started from God’s blessing, which kept us from receiving simple burns. At present, we can live in an exhilarating, refreshing flame bath. We fight on a battlefield of flames.
“Stab them! Overwhelm them! Burn the vampires to death!”
Once we’ve managed to withstand their initial attack, the rest is easy. The standoff lasted three days, so our fire traps are fully prepared.
From the other side of the flames, I can hear the clopping of horse hooves. I am in awe at Marius’s excellent leadership. He doesn’t try to intercept the vampires’ invasion, but instead cuts it off completely. Then he destroys their coordination, holding back just enough to keep them from scattering everywhere... it’s beautiful.
Oh, the sound of the bells has changed. No more vampires are coming, eh? Just as the commander predicted, this night raid was just a slight bit of foreplay.
“All right, men! Keep up the oil! Don’t let the flames die!” I bark my orders and strike at any vampires I see.
Steadily, I make my way through the camp, killing vampires and watching my comrades being killed, I fight on. I stab, stab, and stab some more. My spear and I are one.
Before the sun even begins to rise, the noise of battle fades. The flames, too, lose their intensity.
A new bell sound... the enemy is withdrawing. For the moment, we’ve won.
“All platoons, roll-call! Odd-numbered platoons are on perimeter patrol! Even-numbered platoons are to gather up the injured and draw a circle! Don’t forget your fire preparations!”
My spear is done for, the shaft is completely broken. I’ll have to borrow yours, my fallen brother. I won’t forget your spirit. I’ll take this hatchet, too. I won’t forget your bravery, either.
Oh, God. God of fire, war, and us humans. Please, grant these warriors’ souls rest... Deus Ex.
“Hey, Zakkow! Burning nicely, I see,” the commander jokes. For someone whose crotch is injured, he’s sure got a spring in his step. He has no intention of running away, does he?
“Your guard is lacking, sir. At least bring fifty soldiers with you.”
“If things get hairy, I’ll jump into the midst of the soldiers. More importantly, tell me about the rabbits. How reliable are they?”
“Quite reliable, sir. They don’t have the strength to finish off an enemy, but they are good for sowing chaos.”
“I see. Perhaps we can use them to deal with the vampires’ black wolves.” Now that he mentions it, I begin to wonder. Where were the black wolves? I didn’t see a single one. It would have been a slightly more difficult battle with them in the mix. “A rough count would put tonight’s raid at about four to five hundred vampires. An okay number, but most likely the selfish actions of the more reckless ones. The lack of familiars speaks to this.”
The commander picks up a rabbit that scampers over to his feet. The damned man looks so happy as he strokes its back.
“You little ones aren’t divine vassals, oh no. You serve God directly and pray to Him in your own way... you have a unique way of doing things,” he speaks while addressing the rabbit.
“Wolves value the pack, and will not disobey their leader. The black wolves are no different.”
“Exactly. Thanks to Marius, we discerned a bit of the enemy’s plan, but now I’m sure.” In nights previous, Marius repeatedly harassed the enemy camp... but the vampires never attacked his horse’s exposed sides as he rounded the battlefield. “Whoever their leader is, they’re akin to an Apostle and they wish to fight here for as long as possible.”
“Then they don’t understand their own army. Their leadership is naive.”
“I’ve seen this sort of thing many times in the Church and the Capital. When there is an imbalance between achievements and status, one tends to be isolated. Disproportionate power compared to authority creates chaos. When the two are combined, it creates a self-righteous nuisance. They seek the reason for their failures outside of themselves. It only ends in frustration.”
“So if we leave them alone, they’ll self-destruct?”
“If only... but the Demon God is not so naive. Their sudden declaration of a final battle is a testament to that. And with such a deity’s authority behind them, this mysterious new leader is planning something...” Hmph. The commander’s eyes narrow as he gazes toward the enemy forces, or possibly even further. He’s observing something beyond the bounds of our vision... Perhaps even beyond the bounds of time. What that might be, I have no idea. What I do know is that this man is a schemer—the sort of warmonger that stinks of blood more than anyone.
“The place of Golden’s death is so close, yet we are here,” he continues. “If they feared Ten Thousand Bells, then surely we would be fighting much further out, yet here we are. An extended battle in this land... for what purpose? Their own designs? God’s will?”
No matter what happens, I can’t let this man die. Warriors like me and Marius can be trained, but he is irreplaceable. He can’t fool me, either—I see that he wishes to die.
“Would it be possible to evacuate the citizens to the Frontier now?” I ask.
He can take command of that operation. If it’s just fighting, and not winning that is the focus here, we can make do.
“No, we should do the opposite: tomorrow, we shall mount an offensive.” What is he saying? No, what is he seeing? “I have a bad feeling about this—a very bad feeling. As long as we don’t know our enemy’s goal, I think it is a bad idea to prolong this any more. Perhaps focusing on this extended battle is the true trap.”
A trap. I doubt it’s out of paranoia that he repeatedly insists on that. And there are only two things that I can think of that would unsettle this man: threats to Lady Kuroi, and the annihilation of our species. Depending on the situation, both might be possible.
Silently, I listen to the damage report. Tonight’s dead: fifty-eight. Injured soldiers requiring transport to the city: a hundred and ten. All together, almost two hundred casualties. Despite our fire traps, we lost ten percent of our forces. Dozens of rabbits probably died as well. This is the reality of engaging in battle with the vampires.
“Can we win?” I ask. It’s a pointless question. It’s not like we can run away.
“If we are to win, then tomorrow morning would be our only opportunity. Press the attack while they’re still reeling from their failed raid.”
“A full-scale assault, then? How manly.”
“If we do not succeed, then there is no future for us. Of that, I am sure.”
Damn. His callous remarks make me want to sigh in defeat. One of his greatest shortcomings is that he tends to give up on life easily at decisive moments. This is the danger of those who have survived a brush with death.
I’ll show him. I’ll fight and fight, all to make sure he and Marius survive. If I am to entrust my spirit to the men that will be instrumental in future battles, well... I could ask for no better fortune.
I order my men to perform maintenance to their weapons and get some rest, then wait for the morning glow. I refuse to sleep as I await the crimson rays that shall decorate my grave.