Accidentally Summoned To The Dark Throne

Chapter 7: The Starving Vanguard

The western river basin was supposed to be a valley. It was a place where the human empire could easily get water before pushing into the demonic territories. That was what the old military maps said. They were drawn by the crusaders centuries ago.. As the third infantry division of the Radiant Empire marched through the narrow canyon pass they found cracked mud and dried vines. The vines clung to the rock walls.

Sub-Commander Kaelen wiped dust from his forehead. His silver armor felt like a furnace in the afternoon sun. He was a veteran of border skirmishes. He had earned his position through blood and obedience to the church.. His throat was burning. His water skin had been empty since dawn.

Behind him two thousand foot soldiers marched in a formation. Their chainmail clinked. Their heavy boots thudded on the earth. It usually sounded like a machine of war. Today it sounded like a death march.

Sub-Commander, a voice called out. It was Lieutenant Thalia. Her face was pale and dirty. She rode her warhorse back toward him. The animal foamed at the mouth from dehydration. The scouts have returned from the northern ridge. The riverbed is dry. There has not been water here for months, years. The demons must have diverted the springs.

Kaelen cursed. He looked up at the cloudless sky. General Caelum said the Castra supply train would meet them at the basin entrance by midday. Where were the provision wagons?

We sent three messengers down the supply route Thalia replied. None of them have returned. The communication crystals are dead. It is not just interference, sir. The central sanctuary node in Castra is not broadcasting. We have no support, no divine blessings and no rations.

Kaelen gripped his horses reins tightly. General Caelum ordered this push because he thought the demon forces were retreating. The scouts saw demonic infantry fleeing into the basin two days ago. They dragged siege weapons and left discarded armor. It looked like a rout. It looked like a slaughter.

We cannot stop here Kaelen said. If we turn back now we lose ground. The General will have us executed for cowardice. We push forward. Zorions forces are over the next ridge. If they are hiding in this basin they must have a hidden water source. We will kill them. Take it.

Thalia did not look convinced. She. Turned her horse around to relay the orders. Kaelen watched her go. A cold knot of dread formed in his stomach. Something was wrong. The air felt heavy. The silence in the canyon was too absolute. It did not feel like they were hunting a fleeing enemy. It felt like they were walking into a cage.

Deep beneath the world in the halls of the Underworld throne room Evander stood before a glowing map. His eyes were fixed on blue dots moving through a deep groove.

System analysis Evander thought.

The system responded. Target group: Radiant Empire Third Infantry. Estimated numbers: Two thousand, one hundred and fourteen. Current status: dehydration, morale decreasing. Magical reserves: Depleted.

Evander reached out. He zoomed in on the map. He watched the human soldiers struggling to maintain their formation.

They are slower than I calculated Evander said. The human armor is too heavy for this terrain without stamina buffs.

Vespera stood beside him. Her dark robes rustled. She leaned closer to the projection. Her eyes were wide with fascination and disbelief. She traced a finger over the dots positioned high on the cliffs.

General Zorion has his archers and shadow-casters in position Vespera said. He sent a ping an hour ago. He said he has never seen human forces move with such a lack of coordination.

We do not fire yet Evander replied. If Zorion attacks them now the humans will form a shield wall. They are desperate and cornered men fight hard.

He tapped a point on the map. Let them walk another two miles Evander commanded. Let the sun beat down on their metal armor for another hour. Let them realize that the canyon is an end.

Vespera looked at him. A shiver ran down her spine. The demons were known for their brutality and dark magic.. This human standing next to her possessed a different kind of darkness. It was cold, calculated and based on logic.

You really are a monster Coordinator, Vespera murmured. I have read the texts about the heroes summoned by the church. They are supposed to be beacons of light, warriors who charge headfirst into danger. You are nothing like them.

I was not summoned to be a hero Evander reminded her. I was summoned to be a coordinator. A support class. The church thought my lack of magic made me useless.. They failed to understand that the most dangerous weapon on any battlefield is information.

Evander shifted his focus. He connected his mind back to the proxy shell the iron sentinel standing still in a storage warehouse.

Through the eyes of the iron shell the world looked different. The warehouse was filled with dust and the smell of rotting wood. Evander could see the streets of the city.

The trap he had set with Guild Master Ovan was springing perfectly.

In the district of Castra, the grand sanctuary of the church was, in turmoil. The forged system logs Evander had provided had been delivered to the inquisitors. The documents were flawless detailing a conspiracy.

The High Priestess, Seraphina was. Furious. When the inquisitors presented her with the logs her anger boiled over. Paranoia took hold of her mind. She ordered the arrest of the Bishop and his inner circle.

Evander watched through a scrying mirror. The mirror showed the courtyard of the sanctuary. Armored inquisitors were dragging Bishop Malakar down the stone steps. The Bishop was screaming, pleading his innocence.

This is a mistake! The Bishop yelled. I am a servant of the light! The guild master is lying! The documents are forged!

Silence, heretic a tall inquisitor snapped. The High Priestess has decreed that the corruption ends today.

Evander watched the scene with satisfaction. The human military hierarchy was built on a balance of power. By removing the Bishop Evander had shattered that balance. The church was now focused on purging its ranks leaving the military supply lines neglected.

System Evander thought. Access local financial network.

The interface flashed, showing the economic status of the Castra district. As he had predicted Guild Master Ovan was moving fast. With the church unable to function because of its problems the guild had taken over distributing food and supplies.. Ovan was greedy. He was holding back eighty percent of the grain refusing to sell it to the military unless they paid five times the price.

The military quartermasters were terrified of General Caelums anger but couldn't contact him because the communication node was disabled. They had to pay. The military was losing a lot of gold to the guild.

Evander wasn't just watching. He was actively controlling the flow of that gold.

Using the iron sentinel he left the warehouse. Blended into the crowded lower district marketplace. His tall figure, wrapped in a dark wool cloak didn't attract attention today. People were too busy panicking about the rumors of a church purge and the sudden increase in food prices.

Evander walked to a heavily guarded counting house run by independent merchants. He showed a forged token of credit created using the system access he had stolen from the network. The token looked like a real church promissory note.

I am here to buy the stock of unrefined iron ore and heavy leather Evander said to the scared clerk behind the counter. His voice was deep and resonant. All of it.

The clerk swallowed hard looking at the glowing seal on the token. All of it? Sir that's material to supply the local blacksmiths for six months. We have existing contracts with the military for weapon repairs.

The military contracts are void because of the emergency decree of the High Priestess Evander lied easily sounding very authoritative. The church needs these materials for security. Load the crates onto the wagons in the alley. You have twenty minutes before I audit your guild ledger.

The threat of an audit from the church on a day when the Bishop was being arrested for treason was enough to make the clerk move quickly. Within fifteen minutes five large wagons loaded with iron ore and treated leather were rolling out of the counting house, driven by Evanders hired mercenaries.

Evander directed the wagons toward an abandoned smuggling tunnel that led into the deep cave systems below the city. Once the wagons were inside the tunnel he paid the mercenaries in silver. Dismissed them.

soon as he was alone Evander raised his metal hand.

System command: Inventory absorption.

A wave of energy washed over the wagons. The crates of iron and leather dissolved into particles sucked into the infinite storage space of the Abyssal Coordinator interface. The physical resources were gone, safely transferred to Evanders vault.

Back in the Underworld Evander opened his eyes a notification chiming in his head.

Resource acquisition complete. Iron reserves increased by four hundred percent. Leather reserves increased by three hundred percent. Blacksmithing modules in the demonic ring are now fully operational.

He looked at Vespera, who was still studying the map of the basin. We have the materials Evander said. Send a message to your masters in the obsidian depths. Tell them to begin producing heavy armor plating and reinforced weapons for our frontline infantry. The humans won't be able to repair a broken sword in Castra for the next three months. We've drained their market dry.

Vespera looked up her eyes shining with admiration. You are starving their army in the field tearing apart their leadership from the inside and stealing their weapons before they are even forged. You are fighting a war on three fronts and you haven't even drawn a blade.

Evander turned his attention back to the three- map. The battle is an equation he said softly. You just have to know which variables to change.

On the map the blue dots representing the infantry had finally stopped moving. They had reached the end of the canyon encountering a sheer wall of solid rock that blocked their path completely.

In the world of the western basin Sub-Commander Kaelen stared at the dead end his heart pounding in his chest. There was no passage. There was no demon camp. There was no water source. There was solid stone, baking in the heat.

It is a trap Kaelen whispered, the realization hitting him hard. The retreat... It was a fake. They drew us in.

He turned his horse around drawing his silver sword. Formation! he screamed, his voice raw and raspy. Shield wall! Face the ridges!

His soldiers were too exhausted. They moved slowly their shields dragging on the ground as they tried to form a defensive line. They bumped into each other, confusion and panic spreading through the ranks like a disease. The discipline of the Radiant Empire was breaking down.

Before they could even interlock their shields the sky above the canyon darkened.

It was not a cloud. It was a volley of black arrows launched from the high ridges on both sides of the basin. The demonic archers, hidden and fully rested unleashed a storm of iron and dark magic upon the trapped humans below.

The arrows rained down with precision finding the gaps in the human armor piercing through chainmail and leather. The sound of tearing metal and screaming men echoed off the canyon walls a symphony of slaughter.

Hold the line! Kaelen roared, deflecting an arrow with his sword. The command was useless. The soldiers were breaking, dropping their shields and running toward the canyon entrance desperate to escape the killing zone.

The entrance was no longer open.

From the shadows of the rocks near the canyon mouth massive figures emerged. Demonic heavy infantry, clad in dark armor forged in the deep fires of the underworld. They carried tower shields and long jagged spears forming an impenetrable wall of steel and muscle across the only exit.

General Zorion, a towering demon with skin and massive curved horns stepped to the front of the blockade. He held a battleaxe in one hand resting it casually on his shoulder. He looked at the panicking soldiers running toward him a cruel smile revealing rows of sharp pointed teeth.

The coordinators plan was perfect Zorion rumbled, his voice carrying across the battlefield. They are weak. They are tired.. They are completely without hope.

He raised his battleaxe pointing it directly at Sub-Commander Kaelen, who was charging forward on his horse in a desperate suicidal attempt to break the line.

Kill them all Zorion commanded. Leave none to tell the tale.

The demonic infantry slammed their spears against their shields, a rhythmic sound that drowned out the screams of the dying humans. Then they marched forward a unstoppable tide of darkness moving to consume the broken light.

In the throne room Evander watched the dots on the map rapidly disappearing, replaced by the overwhelming numbers of red. He did not smile. He did not celebrate. He simply watched the data process analyzing the efficiency of the ambush calculating the moment when the human division would be completely wiped out.

it will be over in ten minutes Evander said, closing the map interface with a thought. The projection faded, plunging the throne room back into its dim atmospheric lighting.

Vespera walked up the steps of the dais standing closely in front of him. She reached out her cool fingers lightly touching the side of his face. You have given me my true victory in years Evander. My generals will sing your praises tonight. They will fear you. They will respect you.

* They will fear the mask I wear Evander corrected her stepping back slightly to maintain a distance. They must never know that I am human. If they discover my nature your authority will crumble and this entire alliance will fall apart. We must maintain the illusion of the Abyssal Tyrant.

Vespera dropped her hand nodding slowly. I know.. Between us... In this room... I know who you are. You are the architect of my empires salvation.

Evander looked at her his expression unreadable. I am just surviving, Vespera. The humans threw me away. I am simply making sure they regret that decision until the day their empire collapses into dust. Now we need to plan the phase. When General Caelum realizes his third division has vanished without a trace he will panic. We need to be ready to exploit that panic.

He turned away from the throne his mind already racing with calculations new supply line disruptions and new political traps to set in the city of Castra. The war had truly. Evander was firmly, in control of the board.