Drunken Conquistador — Roleplayer Guild

GABRIEL DIGANI

En route to Silverwick
 
	Gabriel had barely stopped these last two weeks. Ever since leaving his men to die beneath Lanteran pikes, the former Thorn Captain, because as far as everyone else was concerned he had either died or deserted, had ridden Megathocles to his limit. First to escape the Lanteran outriders, which cost him essential travelling days as was forced to lose them in the Sirosan Heights. And then the hard ride south towards the ruined city of Silverwick. 

	The thought still made his stomach flutter and his spine tingle. "You knew this day would come from the moment I revealed myself to you. You must be ready for this. Only the Gods Below know what manner of individuals my fellow Legionnaires have managed to call upon. This first meeting will be vital in making a good first impression. My fellows will fall upon any perceived weakness like hungry wolves." Gabriel knew that yes, but knowing and actually being prepared were two different things. Sure, he trusted the Brass Prince and was truly intent on seeing the Dream made true. But the other Legionnaires were another matter, from what Agabyzus had shared of his fellow Lords, few if any shared their purpose. More interested in wanton destruction and senseless bloodshed than actually doing anything productive with their power. "It was this stupidity that led to our downfall. I can only imagine how much they may have decayed and what sort of people they have taken as their Chosen."

	Turning back was not an option, however. Gabriel's fate had been sealed the moment he picked the silver earrings from the sacked Rivaldi caravan. Now the only path forward was seeing this great enterprise through to the end. And that, he was more than willing to carry out. Onto victory or death. "Preferably the latter, I doubt we will get another shot at this.".

	And then silence. Even running over the same thoughts, plans and doubts again and again got tiresome after a while. Gabriel was exhausted, his limbs felt like lead after hours of riding without rest, even holding on to the reins was becoming too much. Megathocles wasn't much better, the horse was even more tired. A lesser beast would have already collapsed. But the black horse was no mere beast of burden, even if it still had its limits.

	Unwilling to push his horse further and not in any conditions to travel further this night, the Chosen guided his horse out of the beaten trail and into a thicket of thorny, dry bushes. Half stumbling out of the saddle. Wincing and tearing up a bit as his sore legs struggled and failed to support his weight. A nearby boulder helped him avoid a humiliating fall face first into the dusty ground of the wasteland as he used it to slid himself to the ground. Not bothering with much else. Megathocles would never flee, too trained for that. And judging by the sweat and his tired panting, it was not like he could go far. Not that Gabriel himself would be able to catch him in his current state. 

	A fireplace, Gabriel decided, would be more trouble than it was worth. The night was hot and the fire might alert others to his presence. Oh, and of course, he was so tired that even the rough stone at his back was lulling him into sleep. Though to be fair, he had slept in worse conditions. The smell of a single man and horse didn't even bothered him anymore. And the pain in his body was only another reason why he should let his eyes close and sleep it away. They were close now. Another hard ride and they could reach Silverwick tomorrow before lunch. So tired was Gabriel that he almost missed Alessandra landing atop the boulder.

GABRIEL DIGANI

WITHIN THE TERRITORY OF THE LANTERAN LEAGUE
 
	Beneath the beautiful snow capped summits of the Sirosan heights, the village of Lobremor burned. Gabriel Digani, or Agatho D'amere as he was known these days, watched with two set of eyes. With armored feet firmly planted on top of one of the snowy hills that surrounded the village, his body stands still as a marble statue. Watching as his men carry out their orders with eagerness. Meanwhile, high above in the sky, the Thorn Captain watched through the eyes of his beloved Alessandra. Feeling the wind rushing against her feathers as if they were his own, only half paying attention to the devastation below. More worried instead, about surveying the horizon. Always on the lookout for something. It had been weeks since they started their ravaging of these lands. But so far no sign of even a single Lanteran host. "But carelessness is death, and I made you smarter than that. They are coming. They can't afford not to."

	And as he watched as his men finally set fire to the temple of Miramis, he also recalled the orders he had received before setting out on this endeavor. And how close to desperation Commander Lorenzo Manzini sounded: "Leave no field unburnt, no maiden unspoiled, no house standing. Make them fear us more than the Orcs." Raiding wasn't an uncommon tactic in the Free Cities, but for Commander Manzini's plan to work, for the Company of the Rose to have any chance to make out of this alive, then Lobrenor and many other villages did burn. And thousands of peasants did die. No big loss on the grand scheme of things. There would always be more filthy farmers and simple minded shepherdesses somewhere else. "An easy sacrifice to see our dream made true.". It was impossible not to agree. He had seen it so many times in his dreams over the years. A land that shone in prosperity, with loyal and obedient people inhabiting glorious cities. Where petty squabbles were put aside for the greater good. Where law and justice flowed not from distant and uncaring Gods but from a wise and benevolent ruler, a God-King made flesh who sometimes was Gabriel, sometimes the Brazen Prince himself with Gabriel at his side and sometimes even a glorious amalgam of the two.

"Gotta give it to ya. This all actually makes up for that merry trek over tha mountains." Gabriel didn't even bother to keep the scowl or turn his face to look at the interloper as he trudged through the snow to reach his hill. Captain Amarro, of the Silver Spurs, one of the lesser companies assigned to this task. "A man like him has his uses. But I also despire him."

"You should not have doubted me." Was all that he spoke, still somewhat distant and lethargic as he made Alessandra swoop down and claw out the eyes of a girl that had managed to escape the cordon. Lobrenor would die, all of it. There was no true host in this region capable to stand up to them. But even a single survivor could warn the surrounding villages. And while Gabriel's host could easily crush whatever rabble the locals gathered. But why risk taking the attrition? They would need every soldier they could if they were to tie down the armies of the Lanteran League.

"And here I hoped another victory would get that stick out of yer ass" Amarro mocked as he settled down by Gabriel's side."Figured ya woulda at least be enjoiyn' tha spoils."

"This barely counted as a skirmish. We've yet to face anything else than desperate farmers with pitchforks." Gabriel snorted, mind now fully back in his own body. "And I am not so destitute to need to take whatever shabby trinkets there may be hidden in those hovels." There was no glory here, no great treasures or rewards. Just a bloody task. Sneak through snow covered mountains and butcher villages until someone shows up to stop you because the fat oligarchs employing them had overreached and made enemies of all their neighbors. "Even with the Lanterans coming for us, the others still have more than enough force to crush the Wise Masters. They were foolish in starting this war and even greater fools in not striking first before their enemies mustered their forces."

"Suit yerself, cunt." Amarro grumbled as he stood up to leave, mood soured and in search of something better to do among the looters. 

	Gabriel suppressed a frustrated sigh. He trusted the Prince, he really did. The specter was the only one the Thorn Captain really trusted. But he couldn't help but feel angry at the endless waiting. This job was beneath him. He was supposed to be tearing down the old order and bringing about the perfect state. Agabyzus had been drilling that on his mind for well over a decade years now. But so far he was forbidden from taking any real action towards that goal. It was all preparation, learning aetheric disciplines, setting up the occasional safehouse and stashes for future use. But nothing else, no alliances, no real efforts to build an army or power base. Gabriel didn't want to doubt Agabyzus, but unlike the Prince, the mortal man wasn't getting any younger.

"The time for action is coming soon, I feel it in my very soul. But I think we have enough of a window to finish this little diversion. We gave our word after all, didn't we?"

	He once again sought Alessandra with his thoughts. Flying always helped to clear his mind and settle his thoughts. Gabriel felt himself being thrown across a great distance. But that lasted a mere moment and soon he was once again watching the world from the eyes of one of Avalon's mightiest birds of prey.

	And that was when he saw it in the distance. Almost unseen in the horizon. A cacophony of banners, spears and sounds that signified a marching army. Willing the eagle to dart in the direction of the army, powerful wings flapping as the Sybarite Eagle flew over the army of the Lanteran League. Back in his own body, Gabriel smiled. Battle was finally upon them and they probably had less than two days to prepare for it.

"Win or lose, the time has come to abandon the Rose. Fight your battle if you must, but we must make haste to Silverwick regardless of the result."

	The shock passed in a moment. Replaced by elation that turned Gabriel's smile into a vicious grin.

THE NEXT DAY 

	To say that the mercenaries weren't happy would be an understatement. Weeks of easy life killing, raping and stealing from defenseless villagers had apparently been enough to make them forget the true purpose of their mission. Not that it mattered to Gabriel anymore. He finally had a goal, Silverwick. The Legion would be reborn in the very place it was destroyed. "Seems fitting don't you think? I'm rather eager to see just what sort of people my fellows have brought up as their Chosen. Though knowing them, we shouldn't be holding much hope of anything worth our Dream."

	Gabriel for his part, was busy riding along the hastily assembled battle lines placed directly before one of the river Saerin's fords. The only place within marching distance where they could make a stand and nullify the Lanteran numerical superiority. The Thorn Captain wasn't really invested into winning the battle for the Wise Masters, Manzini or the Rose. It would simply be easier to sneak away if his army didn't collapse at the first charge.

	Bringing Megathocles to a stop above the hill that rose behind the right flank of his army, Gabriel dismounted and drew the longbow from its quiver in the saddle. "Is it really worth the effort?". Of course it was. With Alessandra flying over the opposing army and the Prince's command of the winds, Gabriel would be able to land impossible shots upon the Lanteran ranks. Slay officers and force them to charge through the ford. They had done it before, "Agatho" was renowned as the best archer within the Rose. And it wasn't only because he favored the weapon since his youth.

	[color=GOLD]"The men are exhausted, surly and outnumbered. We could certainly win this. But it's not worth the effort or attention it would draw to us." Gabriel ignored him and drew an arrow even as he also saw with Alessandra's eyes, hovering above the enemy lines looking for a suitable target.

	The Thorn Captain loosed the arrow and smiled beneath his helmet as it kept flying longer than it had any right to be. Until it eventually fell among the Lanteran troops. From Alessandra's eyes, he saw a officer fall from his horse with an arrow lodged in his visor. And so he did it again, again and again. Until the front ranks of the enemy force took up into a run, while the rest rushed to catch up after a moment of indecision. As they got closer, the Rose's own archers loosed their own arrows. Their barrage felling more men as they reached the ford, but not nearly enough

	The two lines clashed. Pikes, spears and polearms thrusting from both sides of the brawl as the Lanterans, more numerous and fresher, pushed on from their inferior position. With water up to their knees and their own archers now starting to form up at the opposite bank. Gabriel watched, frown deepening and forehead sweating under the sun, as his lines started to buckle. "Took them long enough"

"Send Amarro with the reserve to the center!"Gabriel barked to one of his aides. Fighting off the slight soreness that crept into his arms whenever the Prince allowed him to use his arrow trick. It used to be worse, but it seems even years of practice can't really make him fully immune to its effects.

	By this point Alessandra had already returned to him, digging her sharp talons on his right shoulder guard as both watched the battle on the ford. The river runs red as clumps of bodies flow downstream. But even then the men under Gabriel's command are faltering. The Lanterans have a foothold on their bank and his reserves are spent. They are still going to hold out for a while yet, if morale doesn't crumbles now. But there's no way they can win this. Not that surrender is an option either. After everything his mercenaries did, Gabriel doubts the Lanterans will be in the mood for mercy.

	Time to put the escape plan into motion. The hill turned command post was somewhat removed from the host. And now that the entire mercenary force has thrown itself into holding the ford this distance has only increased. Which makes this next step easier. Gabriel mounts Megathocles again, turning his horse and riding down the hill on the opposite side. If any of his men were looking back, they would see their commander apparently abandoning them. That would be enough to end the battle right there. Without anyone else able to rally the men, they would crumble and route. But mere moments after he disappears, the Thorn Captain crests the hill again, on foot. Now shouting encouragements to his men as he waves the Rose banner over his head.

	Meanwhile, Gabriel spurs Megathocles faster. He's not even sure the ruse may hold. And even then that still wouldn't mean shit if the Lanterans still broke through the weakening battle line. So all he could do was ride faster and hope that he had gotten enough distance between him and the Lanterans by the time they finally crushed the mercenaries. It was an unfortunate sacrifice to sacrifice his closest followers like that. It had taken over a decade of subtle influencing and exhausting channeling of Agabyzus' power to get those men to the level of blind loyalty that made them agree immediately to die for him and cover his flight. "Good pawns are hard to come by, yes. But even the best pawn is expendable. Think no more of it, we have a long journey to Silverwick. Just be glad no one else caught us while we packed our things last night."

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