Chapter 139: Those Who Refused To Bow

The horn sounded for the second time. Another horn sounded from the east district. Then the sounds of hundreds of monsters wailing in agony could be heard. Tharven’s expression changed. ’They’ve started.’ Tanaka immediately dashed forward. A dark blue figure quickly ran down the ruined street, leaping and tumbling along the way before hitting the ground and shooting forward again. Behind him, Raishin, Razer, Raveana and Drakar were following, with the Greater Goblins, Orcs and Ogres chasing after them.

The east district was already in chaos. Wagons had been knocked over and dragged to the side of the road to block it, with great stones stacked behind them to form a barricade. Hundreds of Varkesh warriors stood behind it. Most were armed with weapons from the royal armory. And at the front stood Varok. The bulky commander wore a thick set of armor that had long since passed its prime, lacking one of his eye teeth. He held a great warhammer in his hands, the other gripping the hilt of his sword. Despite the state of his armor, he stood strong and resolute before his people. Tanaka stopped several meters away.

"So you’re Varok." Varok’s eyes scanned over him. "And you’re Tanaka." "Yes." Varok’s grip on his weapon tightened. "You killed Rhazek." "He attacked Eldoris." "You killed him." Tanaka said nothing. "Yes." The warriors behind Varok began to chant. ’Our king must be avenged!’ ’Varkesh will never bow!’ ’Drive them out!’ Tanaka listened to their voices. He could hear the pain. But also the grief.

Tharven stepped forward. "Varok, put down the weapon." Varok let out a bitter laugh. "You still give orders?" "I’m trying to prevent another massacre." "You surrendered to our king’s killer." "The battle was over." "You should have died with Rhazek." Tharven’s expression darkened. "And what would that have accomplished?" Varok said nothing.

"You want another field of blood?" Tharven pointed out the battlefield around them. "We already have one." Varok’s gaze fell upon Tanaka. "You don’t understand." Tanaka’s body tensed. "Then explain it." Varok’s expression tightened. "Rhazek wasn’t just our king." The commander’s voice grew weighty. "He was the reason Varkesh became what it is. Other kingdoms feared us because they feared him. Warriors followed him because they thought he was invincible." He turned to Tanaka. "Then you killed him." Tanaka said nothing. "So now you come and expect us to welcome you?"

"I didn’t come expecting anything." Varok frowned. "Then why are you here?" "Because your kingdom is killing itself." Tanaka looked over the barricade. "And you are helping it." Varok’s expression hardened. "We are defending it." "By killing your own people?" "They’re the ones betraying Varkesh!" His roar echoed across the street. "They want to kneel before the monster that killed Rhazek. I won’t allow it."

Tanaka studied him for several seconds. Then his small body lowered itself. "Then come." Varok looked surprised. Tanaka continued. "Show me what you’re protecting." Varok roared. "Attack!" The barricade exploded. Hundreds of warriors surged forward. Raveana took a step forward. Tanaka raised a pseudopod. "Stand down." Raveana smiled. "Sure." The first warrior charged Tanaka. Then Tanaka vanished. His speed was too great for the eyes of the beast to follow. A dark blue blur slammed into the warrior’s chest.

The monster was sent tumbling backwards, crashing into the barricade. Another rushed forward, coming from the side. Tanaka flattened himself to the ground. The blade slashed overhead, empty handed. As the warrior turned, Tanaka’s body compressed itself against the ground and snapped forward like a spring. He drove the monster’s legs from under him, causing the monster to flip end over end before landing with a thud.

Two more moved to attack. Tanaka split his body around the blade of the first, letting it pass harmlessly through the air. As the warrior reeled back in surprise, Tanaka’s body snapped back together and drove itself into the attacker’s torso, sending them sprawling to the ground. The second warrior tried to slash him from behind. Tanaka turned. The whole of his body crashed into the man’s, sending him hurtling backwards and crashing into a group of his fellow warriors. The formation fell.

Varok watched, his expression shifting to one of shock. "Don’t retreat!" Some of the warriors tried, but Tanaka was already driving through the mass of soldiers. He hit one, then another, then a third. Weapons flew through the air, and bodies fell. Some fell, clutching broken limbs, while others stumbled back, blinking in confusion. Tanaka hadn’t killed a single warrior. He didn’t have to. With just his body, he had the power of dozens of warriors. But it wasn’t enough for Varok.

The commander roared, and rushed forward. His warhammer was raised in both hands. Tanaka turned to meet him. The weapon came down upon him, and Tanaka’s own body compressed itself on impact. A shockwave rippled through the ground where the two stood. Varok pushed forward, and Tanaka held. The commander’s eyes widened. Tanaka’s body expanded slowly, forcing him to take a step back.

With a grinding noise, Varok’s hammer was wrenched from his grasp. Tanaka tossed it away, and it crashed through the side of a building. Varok’s expression changed. No longer wielding a weapon, the commander lunged forward with his bare hands. The first blow came from the left. Tanaka moved out of the way. The second came from the right, and Tanaka backed up. Varok charged, and Tanaka accelerated forward.

The change in speed sent the commander off balance. Tanaka hit him, and Varok flew backwards, crashing through the barricade and rolling across the street. The warriors behind him scattered. Varok forced himself to his knees. Blood dripped from his lip. He looked up at Tanaka. Then he charged again. Tanaka prepared himself. When Varok’s attack came, the young monster darted underneath it, driving his entire body into the commander’s stomach. Varok left the ground. Tanaka followed, and hit him again before he could recover, sending him crashing down onto the road. Varok rolled across the ground, and forced himself to his feet. His legs trembled, and he looked up at Tanaka.

"You’re stronger than I expected." Tanaka said nothing. Varok growled. "That won’t matter." He charged once more. Tanaka waited until the last second, then slipped underneath his attack and drove his body into the commander’s gut. Varok was sent flying, and Tanaka followed, landing a second blow that sent the man tumbling end over end across the street. Varok’s body rolled to a stop, and he forced himself upright. His breathing was ragged and uneven.

Tanaka moved forward. "You’ve exhausted yourself." Varok spat blood onto the ground. "No." He forced himself to stand. Tanaka studied him. "You know you can’t win." "I know." "You know Varkesh can’t survive another war." "I know." "You know Rhazek is dead." Varok’s expression tightened. "I know." Tanaka paused. "Why are you still fighting?" Varok’s breathing grew heavier. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he looked past Tanaka, towards the fortress. "Because I refuse to accept it."

Tanaka said nothing. Varok looked down at the ground. "When I close my eyes, I can still see him." His voice was quieter. "Rhazek, standing at the head of our army. The warriors behind him, all without doubt in their hearts." The commander clenched his fists. "I followed him for years." He turned to Tanaka. "I watched him destroy enemies that even our allies feared. I believed that while Rhazek stood, Varkesh would never fall." His voice was breaking.

"And you took that from us." Tanaka remained silent. Varok’s eyes darkened. "Now you want me to stand here and watch his kingdom bow to you?" Tanaka finally moved closer. "I don’t want you to bow." Varok looked him in the eye. "I want you to stop slaughtering Varkesh." Varok turned away. His warriors weren’t attacking anymore. Some of them had lowered their weapons, while others looked on in horror at the carnage in the street. Varok saw it too. Tanaka said softly, "You said that you followed Rhazek because he believed Varkesh to be strong." Varok said nothing. "Then look at what you’re doing to it." Varok’s gaze swept over the battlefield. Tanaka continued, "You’re not protecting his kingdom." A pause. "You’re destroying it."

Varok’s breathing slowed. One of the warriors behind him finally dropped his spear. Another lowered his axe, and a third looked over their shoulder at the bodies lying in the street. Varok turned. "What are you doing?" A young Orc swallowed. "We’ve lost enough already." Another warrior shook her head. "I won’t fight Eldoris." A third looked over their shoulder. "I only want to go home." Varok’s face twisted in rage. "Traitors!" Tharven moved forward.

"They’re not traitors." Varok looked at him. "They’re tired." Tharven looked around the battlefield. "Just like the rest of us." Varok stood for several seconds, then he looked down at his empty hands. His hammer lay in the street behind him, and for the first time, the commander turned away from it. "I still refuse to bow." Tanaka nodded. "Then I won’t expect you to." Varok looked back at him. "You don’t have to bow to me."

Tanaka glanced at the warriors behind him. "But you’ll stop fighting." Varok didn’t answer. Slowly, one of the warriors behind him lowered his weapon. Then another. The rest followed, the sound of metal on stone filling the air. Varok closed his eyes. For the first time since Tanaka had arrived, the commander’s fight had ended. Tanaka turned away, and Tharven followed. The east district grew quiet around them, the rebellion crushed. But as they moved on to the next street, Raishin suddenly stopped.

"Lord Tanaka." Tanaka turned. "What is it?" Raishin’s eyes narrowed at the edge of Varkesh. "I sense something." Tanaka looked where the warrior was staring. Something was in the city. Something dark, something foreign, and most importantly, something not related to Varok’s rebellion. His expression changed. The civil war may have ended, but something new had entered Varkesh.