Chapter 137: The Choice Of The Defeated

Varkesh had fallen silent. The ultimatum issued by Tanaka still loomed over the kingdom but, despite this, no one answered. The monsters looked at each other, unsure as to if they should speak. Finally, Tharven stepped forward.

"Give us time." Tanaka looked at him. "We must discuss this amongst ourselves before making any decisions." Tanaka studied the ruined streets around him before giving a short nod. "Take all the time you need." A number of monsters were surprised. "You are not going to make us make a decision right now?" "No." Tanaka turned away. "If you want to make a decision regarding the future of your kingdom, I would assume that you would at least give them enough time to think it over." Tharven bowed his head. "Thank you."

Tanaka began to walk away, Raishin, Razer, Raveana and Drakar following in his wake, the Greater Goblins, Orcs and Ogres bringing up the rear. They did not return to Varkesh. Instead, they travelled deeper into the kingdom, the damage only getting worse with every street. Some streets had been completely abandoned, their doors and windows barred and covered, the monsters who took notice of Tanaka simply vanishing into their homes. None were willing to make eye contact with him. Some even feared him. Others, were angry. Tanaka did not blame either of them. Their king had been slain by the monster that currently walked those streets.

It was not long before Tanaka realised why so many doors were still shut. Some of them were concealing something. Hidden themselves. Varkesh was a broken kingdom. The civil war had left families in such fear that they locked themselves inside their homes and armed groups of warriors patrolled street corners, only stopping once someone passed by. Some streets were left blocked off by overturned carts and boulders. Tanaka stopped when he heard a noise. A soft noise, metal scraping against stone. He followed the sound to a building that stood near the edge of the city. The door was locked. Tanaka forced it open and the scent hit him before he could take in the sight of the room. Blood.

Inside the building were a number of humans, their bodies bound to the wall, their skin pale and their eyes barely open. Some could not even muster the effort to raise their heads. Attached to a number of the humans were mana draining devices. Tanaka frowned. "Human prisoners." Razer stepped forward. "They must have been taken here during the corruption operation." Tanaka studied the chains. Some of the humans were barely breathing.

"How many?" "Twenty-three." A Greater Goblin immediately stepped forward, beginning to untie the restraints. Tanaka looked at one of the humans. The man flinched away from his gaze. "Don’t." Tanaka knelt down. "I mean you no harm." The human looked at him with fear in his eyes. Tanaka knew why. He wore the aura of both a Monster Lord and a Demon Lord, and to the captives here, that probably made little difference to either of them.

Tanaka turned to the others. "Get them out." The Greater Goblins carefully removed the prisoners, one of the humans whispering something to Tanaka as Raishin’s face darkened. "Please... Don’t send us back." Tanaka’s expression tightened. "You are not going back." He stood and as the prisoners were led outside, Tanaka looked one last time all around the room.

This was the Varkesh he had seen with his own eyes. A land where monsters were imprisoned next to monsters waging wars against each other and humans were the tools of resources to be used. Tanaka resumed his walk, three streets later, something moved. Fast. From within an alley, three figures of darkness emerged. At once, the monsters of Varkesh knew they were different to the others. Demons. They looked to Tanaka, one of them grinning.

"So Rhazek’s killer has come himself." Another stepped forward. "We should kill him." Tanaka barely had time to react before the demons charged. Raishin was the first to react, his voice ringing out. "Blaze." A wave of overwhelming fire roared forth, consuming the demons. Their screams were lost as they were instantly vapourised, only for Raveana to watch as the last of the fire died down. "They really attacked him?" Razer snorted. "Clearly they weren’t the best of judges." Tanaka looked at the charred remains of the alley. There was nothing left of the demons. No bodies, no blood, only small specs of darkness fading away.

Something else was happening. The darkness gathered itself together, and, over the ground, three faint shapes could be seen rising. Souls. The bodies of the demons were gone, but not their souls. The three spirits twisted and cried out before being sucked up into something that was not visible, one vanishing, then another.

Tanaka watched as the last one stared directly at him before it too was gone. "They escaped." Raishin nodded. "Demons don’t die that easily." "So they went back to the Demon Realm?" Tanaka asked. "Yes." Raishin replied. Tanaka looked around at the empty street. "Unless a being powerful enough to kill them is waiting for them, they will return." Raishin concluded. Tanaka knew that. Demons were not like the other monsters. They could survive the loss of a body, and there were few beings capable of slaying them completely. True Dragons were one such creature. Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. "So even here, it is not over." No one replied.

Tanaka continued along the road, more doors closing as he passed, more monsters hiding. Everywhere he looked, there was another casualty. Burned buildings, abandoned weapons, bodies that would not be buried and a family surrounding the body of a fallen warrior. A group of soldiers standing guard in a street that could no longer protect them. Varkesh still lived, but barely. Tanaka eventually came to a halt in the middle of one of the roads, the others gathering around him.

"We have seen enough." Raveana looked around at the buildings that surrounded them. "Do you think they will choose to join us?" Tanaka shook his head. "I do not know." Razer crossed his arms. "They would be fools to refuse." Drakar looked around the ruined streets. "They may not care about being logical anymore." Tanaka said nothing. He knew that. Defeated people seldom made logical decisions. They did not make them out of reason, but rather, out of emotion. Varkesh had lost something that it could not replace. Now it would make a decision based on that loss, and what that meant.

Tanaka looked up toward the fortress. "They asked for time." Raishin moved to stand beside him. "And you are giving it." "Yes." Tanaka turned to the road that lead to the middle of the city. "We will wait." The sun climbed higher in the sky. The monsters of Varkesh remained inside their homes. Then, late in the afternoon, distant footsteps could be heard approaching. A large group.

Tanaka looked up as Tharven came into view. Behind him, warriors and commanders as well as representatives from every region of Varkesh. Some were angry, some fearful and others were too tired to feel either. They stopped several meters away, Tharven stepping forward. Tanaka waited. The commander knelt to one knee and the others followed suit. Then, Tharven spoke.

"King Tanaka." Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. "We have come with our choice."