IDWTBTHQ Chapter 102 - Present from the Past

It was a beautiful late autumn day. The sun was shining brightly on the red and yellow leaves of the trees of the Caligare Forest, but the air was chilly and an icy wind was blowing from north, heralding the arrival of winter.

The two men flying on a Wyvern Drone high in the sky were really thankful for the sunny weather, because otherwise the cold would have been utterly unbearable. Even now they were shivering despite the many layers of heavy clothing they wore, and really wished they could fly closer to the ground, where the air wouldn’t be quite as icy. However they didn’t dare getting any lower, as the tale of how the oni had eaten their colleagues in the Ashwood Hills was fresh in their memories.

Better endure some cold than staying warm in the belly of some beast.

As they approached the location they were heading to, the man guiding the wyvern saw something and started fumbling through his clothes to take something out. After a few seconds he produced a spyglass and, after taking a look through it, he passed it to the one behind him, pointing at the spot he had just examined. The man also looked at that spot through the spyglass and saw a crowd of hulking, greenish figures moving through a clearing.

Orcs. Hundreds of them.

The telemancer inspected the woods below him more carefully and quickly saw more groups like that crossing the forest. They were mostly hidden by the trees, but there had to be thousands of orcs, all heading towards a specific location at the foot of the Ashen Mountains.

With a grim expression on his face —which was hidden by the scarf rolled around it— the man passed the spyglass back to the one in front of him and took a twinstone out of his pockets, preparing to report to the marquis that the orcs were indeed heading to Fendel's Mines.

Back in Klara's house, everyone was looking at Hoggs since he had received a call from the scouts that Eisen had sent to Fendel's Mines. The telemancer remained silent for about a minute, silently communicating with his colleague, and then raised his head.

“It seems to be as Arag told us, milord.” He said to the marquis. “They have seen several thousand orcs heading towards Fendel's Mines. They also ask for further instructions. Do they have to keep flying till they arrive over the entrance of the mines or do they head back?”

The nobleman hesitated for a moment, looking towards Trakk, but the Goblin General shook his head.

“It'd be prudent to have them come back.” He said. “They already confirmed the orc presence at Fendel's Mines and the risk of the Blue Terror capturing them and absorbing their memories is far too great.”

“Very well.” Eisen nodded. “Tell them to come back, Hoggs.”

“Yes milord.” The old man replied, and once again focused on the twinstone.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at that exchange. In his opinion, the marquis seemed a bit too reliant on the goblin's advice as of late, to the point that it felt rather suspicious. He thought about voicing his concerns, but after a moment he decided against it. Even someone as diplomatically inept as him could tell that publicly questioning a nobleman's authority in front of his subjects wasn't a good idea. So, instead, he went with another question, one that was possibly even more pressing.

“So, what do we do now?”

This time Eisen put on a stern face and replied without hesitation.

“First, we warn both Yasen and Lord Grimdale.” He said. “And then we march out to their help.”

Most men in the room started murmuring in agreement, but a few people, Marcus and Klara included, didn't seem to be entirely convinced.

“What about the orcs that are attacking us here?” The Vex Queen asked.

“We're going to leave a suitable garrison to defend the province.” The nobleman reassured him. “A third of the goblin forces should suffice. The rest of them, under Trakk command, will march to Grimdale together with you and your Vex.”

“Wouldn't it be better for me to stay here?” The Vex Queen said. “I mean, if I go away I won't be able to guide our soldiers.”

“They'll manage.” The marquis replied. “With enough reinforcements, they should have no problem dealing with a few unorganized raiders.”

“Fair enough.” Marcus nodded. “But if we leave that many people behind will we be able to actually take on the orcs?”

That question caused the marquis to give him a weird look, as if he was trying to understand whether he was joking or not, while Trakk outright started chuckling.

“Sir Marcus, you have fifty thousands Vex warriors under your command.” The goblin said in an amused voice. “Not only that's almost twice the enemy's numbers, but if they are anything like the ones that fought us during the siege of Brettholz, then they are even more than the orcs, pound for pound.”

Marcus considered that information for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“It’d be nice if it was like that.” He said. “But the orcs have the Oni leading them. And anyone capable of killing a dragon is not someone I’d wish to face in battle.”

“Yes, the Blue Terror himself is indeed a terrifying enemy.” Trakk nodded in agreement. “And it's a good thing that you're not underestimating him. Still, no matter how strong, he’s just one single enemy. He can’t be everywhere at the same time, and as I said I believe your troops to be superior to his.” He smirked and turned to Eisen. “Besides, we are not going to fight the orcs alone. Is that right, milord?”

“You're right.” The marquis replied. “Yasen and his Royal Knights are already in Grimdale, and they have already been alerted to the possible threat of the ogres. And then there is a rather large garrison stationed at the city of Treval, not to mention any militia that Duke Grimdale might raise up for this emergency. In total, I think there should be at least three thousand men currently in Grimdale, most of which should be veterans and professional soldiers.” He paused and then added, in a rather more somber tone. “However, while they are going to be a great boon to our forces, they can’t hold back the orcs on their own.”

“That's all the more reason to hurry then, isn't it?” Marcus asked, feeling a bit reassured knowing that Yasen would be there.

“Indeed.” Eisen said. “I've ordered my men to make preparations for our departure two hours ago, and Trakk did the same for his goblins. We should be on the road in about an hour from now, if your Vex are also ready, of course.”

“My drones don’t need to prepare.” Marcus replied, a bit smugly. “They could depart at this very moment if needed.” He paused for a second, realized that Eisen had included himself in the list of those who were departing and asked, in a surprised voice: “Wait, you're coming too?”

“Yes.” The nobleman confirmed. “Mostly for... diplomatic reasons.” He made a contrite expression. “No offense, but some of the more impressionable Grimdale residents could be a little spooked by your Vex and Trakk's goblins. My presence should prevent any misunderstanding from slowing us down.”

“Fair enough.” The Vex Queen said, thinking that yes, an army of monsters marching through your courtyard would make anyone a tiny bit anxious.

“With that said, we should really start packing up.” Eisen said, turning towards everyone else. “We’ve got a lot of road ahead of us, and precious little time.”

After that, everyone walked out of the dining room to make their own preparations. Marcus was no different, and he headed to the room he and Klara shared —an accomodation made because of the lack of space and the fact that they were technically both females— to pack his own belongings. Klara also followed him, with a pensive expression on her face.

“Let's see... a change of undergarment is absolutely needed.” The Vex Queen muttered to himself. “Probably two or three if we're going to be on the road for a while. Then my toothbrush, a comb, another set of clothes and that's probably going to be it.”

“You should also take a nightgown with you.” Klara chimed in from behind him.

“I don't really like nightgowns.” The Vex Queen replied. “I'd rather sleep like I always do.”

“In your underwear.” The girl said and Marcus nodded. She then added in a sarcastic tone: “Well, you’re free to do as you like. Personally, I’d rather not be half naked in the middle of an army camp, where dozens of people could see me.”

For the briefest of moments, the Vex Queen was about to reply “Who'd care about seeing a half naked dude?” before the awareness of his current appearance kicked in, causing him to grimace.

He definitely didn’t want to be eyed by anyone.

“You're right.” He said. “But I don't have a nightgown with me right now.”

“I have some old ones from when I was a child.” Klara reassured him. “There should be at least one that fits you.”

“Thanks.” Marcus said with a grateful nod.

The two reached their room and started packing up. As they were doing so, the Vex Queen could pick up a hint of worry coming from the girl and he felt pretty sure that she was thinking about Felix. After about a minute, his suspicions were confirmed.

“Marcus.” Klara said all of a sudden. “I've got a favor to ask you.”

“Ask away.” He replied.

“Could you ask Felix to accompany you in Grimdale as your bodyguard?”

“Sure, I can do that.” The Vex Queen replied, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “But why would you want me to? In case you haven't paid attention, I'm about to head towards a massive army of orcs. If you want to keep Felix safe, wouldn't it be better if he stays here?”

“If Felix stays here, he’s going to want to keep hunting down the raiders.” The girl explained. “However, if he's going to serve as your bodyguard he'd have to stay at your side... which means that he'd be watching the battle from the rear rather than fighting on the frontlines.”

“I see.” Marcus nodded. “I've got no objections then. However, I can't force Felix to come if he wants to stay here.”

“He will definitely come if you ask him.” Klara said with a smirk. “He’s going to feel obligated to protect you. And me as well.”

“What?” The Vex Queen asked. “You? What do you mean? You’re not going to come as well, are you?”

“Of course I am.” She replied calmly. “Not only, as a person of rank, you should have at least a servant accompanying you, but you also need someone you can trust to tell you how to behave. There are still a lot of things you don’t know about our customs.” She smiled and added: “Besides, it shouldn’t be too risky since you’re going to command your troops from the rear. And we’ll also have Felix to keep us safe.”

Having no way to dispute these points, Marcus just gave up on it, especially because he would like to be accompanied by them. So, instead, he moved on to the next thing to do.

“Fine.” He said. “We should tell the marquis about this then. I'm not an expert on military matters, but I believe that we should at least inform him that we’re going to bring Felix with us.”

“That would be sensible.” Klara agreed, and then asked: “By the way, you haven't told him about you coming from a different world yet, have you?”

“No.” The Vex Queen shook his head. “I didn't have the time.”

“Then we can do that too.” The girl said. “There is no telling if we'll have another occasion to do it later on.”

“Yeah... you're right.” Marcus said hesitantly. Despite his dislike for keeping secrets, for some reason he felt sort of reluctant to talk about his past right now. However, as his knowledge of his previous world could potentially prove useful and save lives, he had no excuse for keeping it from Eisen. So he just sighed and tried to mentally prepare on how to deliver that news to the nobleman.

“I’ll go to inform him right now.” He said.

“Excellent.” Klara nodded. “I’ll wait for you here then, and I’ll prepare both of our luggages.”

Eisen was changing in his room when Marcus came knocking, and he quickly hurried buttoning up his shirt before letting him in.

“Sir Marcus.” He saluted him. “Sorry if I made you wait, but I had to make myself presentable first.” He looked at them quizzically. “What can I do for you?”

“I'd like to speak with you for a moment.” Marcus said, and then looked poignantly at the marquis's bodyguard, who was standing behind his master. “In private, if it's possible. I've got something important to tell you.”

“Sure.” The nobleman nodded and turned to the bodyguard. “Luther, could you please wait outside?”

The man nodded and marched out of the room, closing the door after him, and the marquis then turned to Marcus.

“Time is short, but I can spare a few minutes for you.” He said. “What do you want to tell me? Did you see something through your drones?”

“No.” The Vex Queen shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary, at least. I'm still guiding our teams against the raiders.” He paused for a moment, thinking of Klara’s request, and added: “Speaking of which... I wanted to ask you if I could bring Felix along as my bodyguard.”

“The young sorcerer?” The nobleman asked. “Sure. There should be no problem. Just tell him to take a horse and reach us on our way to Grimdale.”

“Actually, I kinda planned on sending a Wyvern to take both him and my copy.” Marcus corrected him. “That would rule horses out, since neither me nor my drones can ride on one. They seem to be spooked by us.”

“Fine.” The marquis said. “It shouldn't be a problem, since we currently have seven Wyverns on standby.”

“Thank you, milord.” Marcus said, bowing his head slightly.

“You're welcome, sir Marcus.” Eisen returned the bow. “Was that all?”

“Actually no.” The Vex Queen said, his face turning more serious. “I've got another important thing to tell you.” He looked the nobleman straight in the eyes. “Did Hoggs tell you that I was a human in my past life?”

“Yes, he did.” The marquis replied.

“Good.” Marcus nodded. “Well, there is something else about my previous life that I didn't mention to him.” He paused, took a deep breath and finally said: “I was indeed a human, but the world I lived in back then is not this world. Or at least I don't think so.”

“What?” Eisen asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“My world had just one white moon, it was inhabited only by humans and we had no magic to speak of... only science and technology.” The Vex Queen continued. “I’d say those are enough differences to say that this is a different world altogether.” He paused and made a contrite face. “I'm sorry I haven't told you this earlier, but honestly I didn't think that it mattered at the time.”

He then stopped talking, silently waiting to see Eisen's reaction to this revelation. After a few moments, the marquis smiled.

“Well, that certainly explains a few things.” He said. “Like why I never found out where this America place was, despite looking at all the maps I had.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I can hardly fault you for not wanting to share everything about your past with me. We all have our little secrets after all. However, if I may ask, why are you telling me about it now?”

“Because of what the spider goblin said.” Marcus replied. “He told us that the oni, the arachne and the piraca were also humans that came from another world, remember?”

“Yes.” The nobleman muttered, narrowing his eyes in a thoughtful expression while caressing his chin.

“Well, I thought that maybe we all came from the same world.” The Vex Queen said. “I mean, he told us that they were also humans in their past lives, and my world does have humans. And if that’s the case, I might know something that could be useful against the oni.” He smirked sardonically. “I don't know what that something might be though, since I wasn't a soldier or anything like that. Anyway, feel free to ask me any question you want. I'll answer to the best of my ability.”

He then waited for Eisen to speak, but the marquis seemed too lost in his thoughts to talk, resulting in a long, rather awkward silence. However, just as Marcus was about to break the silence and ask if everything was alright, the nobleman finally started speaking.

“That's a lot to think about, for sure.” He said. “Thank you for telling me this, sir Marcus. I greatly appreciate it.” He grimaced. “However, I'm afraid that I'm not really an expert on military matters either, so I wouldn't know what to ask you.” He made a small pause and then added with a smile: “However, I do know someone who does.”

“Who?” The Vex Queen asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

“Trakk.” The marquis replied, confirming Marcus's suspicions. “He has proven to be an excellent tactician and commander... not to mention a devilish chess and poker player. If there is anyone capable of getting some insight on the oni from the information you possess, that's him.”

The Vex Queen hesitated for a moment. Telling Eisen about his past was one thing, but sharing those things with the goblin general was something else entirely.

In the end, Marcus decided not to hide his reservations. Better avoid any misunderstanding from the start.

“I don’t really like the thought of sharing my past with him.” He said. “I don’t trust him.”

“That's perfectly understandable.” The marquis agreed. “I don't completely trust him myself.”

“If that's the case it doesn't really show.” Marcus instinctively replied in a sarcastic tone. “Since you seem to be so buddy-buddy with Trakk.”

Eisen looked at him with surprise, and the Vex Queen realized that maybe he had gone too far. However, before he could apologize or do anything else, the nobleman started laughing.

“That seems to be the case, doesn't it?” He said, still chuckling lightly. “Well, sir Marcus, it may sound incredible for someone as honest and straightforward as you, but it's possible to be on friendly terms with someone you don't trust completely.” He smiled. “I admit I do personally like Trakk. He's friendly, educated, well mannered and we share a lot of interests. He's also the most skilled commander currently in my service, which is why I decided to make use of his skills in this war.” He looked Marcus straight in the eyes. “That, however, doesn't mean that I trust him blindly. I have my officers analyze everything he suggests before putting it into action, and in case you didn’t notice I always have a bodyguard behind me when I'm with him.” He gestured towards the door. “I wouldn't allow him to be alone in a room with me like I'm doing with you.”

Marcus nodded, realizing that the marquis was implicitly saying that he did trust him.

“Well, that's good to know.” He said after a moment. “But... I still don't really like telling the goblin about my past. I wouldn't want him to use it against me in the future.”

“Unless there is something truly horrifying about the world you come from, I don't think that he could do that even if he wanted to.” Eisen reassured him. “And if I may be honest, having that information about your past become common knowledge may actually be for the best.”

“How so?”

“Well, it'd take the focus away from other, rather more unnerving traits of yours.” The man said, a bit hesitant. “No offense, but your powers and your servants could be a tad scary for some people. Having something else to distract people from them can only help your reputation.”

“None taken.” The Vex Queen nodded. “And... well, I'll trust your judgement, milord. I'll answer Trakk questions about my past.”

“Excellent.” The nobleman nodded. He then looked at the window and said: “And now, if you don't mind, I'd really need to finish changing myself. After all, I was the one who insisted on getting on the road within one hour, and it'd be rather ironic if I was late.” He paused and added: “We can resume our conversation while we’re on our way, if you want.”

“Of course.” Marcus said, bowing slightly and headed towards the door. “I'll leave you alone then. We'll see each other on the road.”

“That's fine.” The nobleman replied. “See you later, sir Marcus.”

“Later, milord”