Akira and Aaron the second in command were kneeling on the ground in front of the king and the commanding officers. They had both just finished giving their detailed reports to the group.
There were low mummers as the officers talked amongst themselves.
Akira raised his hand to ask a question.
“What is it?“ asked the king.
“The demigod said he would be back but how can that be when he was killed?” asked the puzzled Akira.
“The reason why demigods are feared is not because of their fast-paced growth, which allows them to get as strong or stronger than those who have trained for many years in a fraction of the time. The true reason they are feared is that after 24 hours of being killed, they are revived back in the cities they first appeared in. No one knows if they can change the place they revive. Those are the main reasons why they are known as demigods,” answered Silias commander of the Elite guard.
“You’re sure you heard him say he was allied with the Osma kingdom, and that an army was on its way here?” asked the king.
“I give my word that what we have told you is the truth. You can ask any of the other soldiers who were present. We all heard it,” said Aaron.
“This is troubling. To think that the demigods would try and set up such a trap. Are we sure the ones following us are loyal?” asked the king.
“I know most of them from fighting in battles with them over the last few weeks. They do not harbor any ill will towards us,” replied one of the commanders.
“I demand justice,” shouted Brutus.
“Quiet, you fool. When all is said and done, you will have proper recompense,” said the king.
“Your majesty, I suggest you hold a meeting with the demigods currently here at camp and see where their loyalty lies,” Silias proposed.
“So be it,” said the king.
It only took a short time to gather the allied demigods of the army. They were all standing outside the tent which had the flap open so they could have a conversation with the people inside.
“We have called you here because some demigods have conspired to kill the king. We would like to know where your loyalty is. If you know any information about the plot then it would be beneficial to hear about it,” said Silias.
“I am the clan leader and speak for everyone gathered here,” said a demigod, walking forward a little ways from the rest of the group.
“Speak then,” said the king.
“Everyone here has no desire to harm you or your country. We are a party that fights together and have decided to help you and your people. But there was is a new member in our clan. I believe he is the one who gave away your information used for the assassination. It recently came to our attention that he was allied to the other kingdom. So as a sign of loyalty we took care of him for you,” said the demigod leader, as he put his hand over his heart and bowed to the king.
“The demigods that oppose us will be bringing an army from the kingdom of Osma. What will you do when they show up?” asked the king.
“We will fight alongside you. If there is any other task you need, we can do it. If need be we can come up with a plan to help you win the coming battle,” replied the demigod.
“Any help we can get will be welcome,” said the king.
“Then I will get back to you when we have figured out something,” said the demigod.
“You’re dismissed for now but be warned that you’re under watch, so don’t cause any problems,” said the king.
After the demigods left, the commanders started talking strategy for several hours.
“We all need a break so let’s call it a day. Brutus take care of your son’s remains before the Osma army gets here,” ordered the king.
“Thank you, sir, for allowing me the time to grieve,” replied Brutus.
The night was fast approaching them. Akira accompanied Brutus back to the tent they were staying in and where the body of Marc had been sent to rest until his funeral.
Brutus stared at his eldest son’s dead body, not speaking.
“Marc died only hours away from reaching the camp. He instructed me in his last words to tell you not to be mad. He wished you would understand that he had a duty to protect the king and he fulfilled it. His last request was for you would keep the swords and not sell them,” said Akira, breaking the silence.
“Get a pyre made for his body. Make sure it’s downwind and outside the camp,” ordered Brutus in a rough voice.
Rodger was standing next to his father, also looking at his brother, stunned and not saying a word.
Akira and several other servants were tasked with hauling the wood to a suitable open area away from the camp where they built the Pyre.
After it was completely built, Akira smashed a few jars of oil over the wood to make it burn more easily.
He returned to Brutus and reported that it was ready. On Brutus’s command, the servants picked up Marc’s body and began carrying it on a stretcher.
Drums began to beat as Brutus and Rodger walked in front, leading the body of Marc out of the camp and to the pyre.
Akira followed behind them while a large group of soldiers was drawn to the drum beats, following them and wondering what was happening.
The crowd of people stopped at the pyre where Brutus lifted his son’s body out of the stretcher and placed it on top of the oiled wood.
His body was calm and face was expressionless but tears were falling down his face. He cursed at the people staring at him.
It was the first time either Rodger or Akira had seen him cry. It only lasted for a few seconds.
Rodger gave a few farewell words and then stepped back.
Brutus took hold of a torch that had been brought to him and used it to light the wood in multiple places. The wood caught on fire quickly and started to burn fiercely, soon covering Marc’s body with flames.
The Pyre lit up the dark night and gave off a massive amount of heat.
“Why did you come back alive and not Marc?” Brutus asked Akira, who was next to him.
Before Akira could answer, he was interrupted, “All of you leave us, so I may grieve my son alone. That includes you too, Akira.” said Brutus.
Rodger and Brutus did not return to the tent until late in the night when the fire had finally died and there were only ashes left.
***
A day later, the army’s scouts confirmed that the army of the Osma Kingdom was on its way towards their position, leaving no doubt that they intended to do battle with them.
“Have the demigods offered up any sort of plan to help win the battle?” asked the king.
“Yes… but I’m unsure if it will work as planned. They want to be allowed to leave the camp the night before the enemy attacks, so they can take care of the Osma kingdom’s commanders,” replied Silias.
“What if that is just a trick, and they intend to join up with the enemy? What would we do then? It would be extremely difficult to win the coming battle, maybe even impossible,” said a short man who was in command of the scouts.
“What other plans do we have? Our men are worn out from constant fighting over the last few weeks. They are resting now but the enemy’s army is fresh and most likely have more men then we do,” retorted another commander.
The debate continued for over an hour before the king slammed his fist on the table, silencing them.
“I have listened to both sides of your arguments and have decided we will take the risky gamble and trust that they will do as they say. If they are successful then we will have an easier time battling the Osma kingdom if the commanders are dead. That is my final verdict,” commanded the king.
“Very well, sir. I will send someone to inform them that they are to go ahead as planned,” replied Silias.
He quickly wrote down the orders on a piece of paper, sealed it with wax and stamped it with the king’s crest. He then left the tent for a moment and came back after handing the orders to a messenger.
“The enemy’s army should reach us in one to two days. Have the engineers strengthen the camp’s defenses and then let the soldiers rest until the enemy shows up,” ordered the king.
The camp was in a frenzy as they prepared for Osma’s army. They would be marching out to meet them. If they needed to, they would fall back to the camp’s fortifications.
The following day, after noon had passed, they could see in the distance of the open field that the enemy army had arrived and was setting up their own campsite.
When night fell, the demigods quietly slipped out of the camp as per the orders of the king and quietly went to the enemy’s camp.
The king and his commanders waited impatiently in the command tent. They quietly talked to each other, making final strategies for the battle to come in the morning.
As the hours passed, they nervously waited, wondering what the outcome would be. A few hours past midnight, a messenger ran to the tent with to inform them that the demigods had returned.
A few minutes later, the demigod’s clan leader appeared with three bloody bags in his hands.
“What have you brought us?” asked the king.
Without a word, the bags were thrown onto the table. Silias opened them, each contained a head, one of the heads was from an older man while the other two were younger males.
A few curses came out of the shocked commanders’ mouths. They all knew who the heads belonged to.
“The plan was even more successful than we planned. Who knew the king of Osma and his sons would be staying with their army. Now you are all but assured to be victorious in the morning’s battle,” said the demigod with a bow.
“You help will not go unnoticed,” replied the King with a sour expression on his face.
“My thanks,” said the demigod before he left the tent.
“To kill a king and his sons and act like it was nothing. These demigods are not people to take lightly,” said Silias.
“I intend not to anger them and have them as allies as long as they are useful,” said the king.
***
During the night, a rumor had spread in the enemy’s camp that the king and his sons had died.
In the early morning, the army of Osma was woken early and placed into formation for battle. When they were ready, the army moved forward when the sun had just started to rise, lighting up the grassy plains that would become the battlefield.
The enemy’s army was waiting for them just outside of their own camp.
As they came closer, they noticed that the army was not even a tenth of what it was only half a day ago. The camp looked empty, leaving many to guess that the soldiers had deserted after hearing of the king and his sons’ death.
They were still cautious for a trap and kept a wary eye out just in case the enemy had something fishy planed.
When the two armies met, the battle was over in less than an hour. The demigods took care of the remaining demigods still helping the enemy army. It was a total victory for the troops of Beorin.
Scouts were sent to the enemy camp to check if there was anything suspicious, or anyone hiding inside. They came back and reported that the camp was empty.
The troops of Beorin had won the battle with hardly any loss on their side.
They looted all the items worth any value in the camp and went back to their own camp.
After hearing of the success, the king ordered the army to break camp and march to the capital city of Osma.
They reached the capital city after a week of traveling. Word had already reached the city of their king’s death along with his two sons.
They fully accepted the king and pledged fealty. Thus the kingdom of Osma ceased to exist, as it merged with the kingdom of Beorin.
With this, the third great war that was started again by the demigods meddling was over.
The Demon race was pushed out of the kingdom. The majority that had escaped were forced to travel deep into the south country where no humans lived due to the crappy environment.
The ones that managed to evade the army, not wanting to leave the country went and hid in the mountains, creating new cities. Some made villages deep in the Forest while others made dungeons underground to live in.
The king awarded Brutus with the job of commanding all the forts and castle along the new border with the mountains and the Freeopia kingdom of free cities.
The demigods stayed longer than the two previous times in history. They spent most of their time growing stronger by hunting monsters and on the rare occasion the demon race.
While a small number went out and explored the world, traveling to other countries, even fewer acted as merchants, traveling from one kingdom to another to trade items.
But just like before they all started to disappear after three months had passed. Before leaving they bestowed powerful and rare artifacts to each of the four kingdoms that had survived the third great war.
They were told there were most likely more items like them to be discovered in the dungeons that appeared.
After the last of the demigods left, the four kingdoms held a meeting, sending delegates to work out a nonaggression pact. The contents stated that even if the demigods came back and tried to start trouble they would not bend to their will and would refuse them.
All four delegates agreed and signed it.
