Chapter 603
The Emperor raised a hand, cutting off Vellok’s sharp retort. His voice, though still calm, held an edge of urgency. "Enough, Vellok. Kaelen, we did not come here to dissect your recent actions. The demon lord Zarvok presses forward, his army unchecked while our own forces are consumed by internal conflict. Our previous strategies, while well-intended, have proven insufficient against his peculiar advance."
He stepped closer, his veiled face radiating an undeniable gravity. "We need your unique insights, Kaelen. Your unparalleled experience on the front lines, and yes, your recent, shall we say, re-engagement with the ogre generals. This war cannot be won if our own house is divided. How do you propose we rectify this, brother? How do we unify our forces and turn the tide?"
"We are unified," Kaelen began, his voice soft, almost a whisper, yet it commanded attention in the hushed hall. "But if we want this bond to be stronger, I will need full authority over the Ogre forces and their people. That means my name as the King of Ogres will finally mean something; it would be recognized as a position of power within the Empire."
Vellok shifted, a protest forming on his lips, but Kaelen continued smoothly, his gaze unwavering. "Another thing I would like is full command over the Ratfolk and their people." He paused just long enough for Vellok to clench his jaw, then pressed on. "I know of your plans to bring down the number of the Ratfolk, and I will no longer stand against you on that. But as a warrior, and out of respect for the Ratfolk that fought with me, if they are to meet their end, they should meet it with a sense of recognition and fulfillment, of having accomplished something. A sense of accomplishment which you two cannot provide for them, and I can."
Kaelen leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming. "If you need further conviction, you should have noticed the instability within our army and the soldiers donning the abyssal armor. I have a simple and effective way of solving that." With that, Kaelen sat back down, giving both the Emperor and Vellok time to consider his words and proposal.
Vellok’s jaw was clenched so tight his teeth might shatter. "Full authority?" he rasped, his voice barely a whisper, yet laced with venom. "Over the Ratfolk? You speak of respect while dismantling the very chain of command we rely on for the war effort!"
Kaelen merely held his gaze, a subtle, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips. He let Vellok’s words hang in the air, allowing the Emperor to feel the full weight of their desperate situation.
The Emperor raised a hand, silencing Vellok’s simmering protest. His veiled face was unreadable, but his shoulders seemed to slump with the burden of his decision. "The lives of our people, the very fate of the Empire, hang by a thread, Vellok," he stated, his voice devoid of its usual power, reduced to a weary admission. He turned back to Kaelen. "Your proposal for the abyssal armor... explain it"
"I take it you agree to my terms then, brother?" Kaelen said, a happy, almost gleeful note in his voice.
"The abyssal armor issue can be solved in a simple, but truly barbaric way. You made the mistake of seeing our current soldiers as normal, reasonable men, which they are now far from, due to the corrosive taint of the Abyss."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial, almost chilling whisper. "You have to learn from the demons, brothers. My way is to have warriors under you go free and battle as they want, to their heart’s desire. Give them time to fall fully into their state of madness. Let the Abyss consume their individual will. That is when you interfere – not when they are merely struggling, but when their minds are completely fractured, when they are nothing but raw, undirected rage."
Kaelen paused, letting the implications sink in. "Then, in a swift and overwhelming show of absolute control, you don’t merely kill a few. You shatter them".