Kyalo cursed his bad luck. Of the five twenty-man squad leader, he had drawn the short straw. He was tasked with delivering Jim's message to the Zithilite King. He looked at the special package he had on the cart he was dragging and turned his nose away.
As he continued on, he finally got to Zithile. The temperature was much hotter than he was used to, and the air was drier.
However, he did not stop to look at the sights, as there were none. It was a plain. From one side, he could almost see everything within the horizon, and he even saw the various settlements.
The Zithilites were mostly pastoralists and nomads, never settling in one place. As such, they did not build elaborate palaces, all their shelters and settlements were temporary.
However, Kyalo noticed a difference. The settlement at the center looked different, as though it was more permanent. It also had more structures, and even roads and other infrastructure. This was the first sign of a city in this barbaric land. This was Kyalo's destination.
At the very center stood a massive building, overlooking the entire plain. This was the famous palace of Zithile.
The moment he announced who he was, he was met with hostility. Several guards surrounded him, demanding him to put down his weapons. He was quite armed, but the things they recognized were the bow and arrows, as well as the sword and dagger hanging from his belt.
More than that, Kyalo had a handgun, which he used as a decoration. He also had an assault rifle hidden within the cart he was dragging. There were also a few other hidden surprises under his belt.
Kyalo wasn't foolhardy, so he complied, putting down the bow, the quiver, the sword and the dagger. Seeing him comply, the guards let down their guard a little.
"What's inside the cart?" One of the guards demanded.
"Have a look, but I've got to warn you, it's meant for the King," Kyalo replied. The guards hesitated, but eventually, they decided to check it out. What if it was harmful? Wouldn't they be exposing their King to danger?
One thing they noticed even before they got close was how deep the stench was. Even Kyalo hadn't noticed it until they pointed it out. They still proceeded to open it.
Once they did, they were first shocked, wondering what it was they were looking at. The slowly, it dawned on them. With realization came horror. They understood exactly what it was they were looking at.
As they were looking on, shocked and breathless, Kyalo pulled out the hidden assault rifle and started firing, running as he did. Before anyone noticed it, the guards were down, bleeding from various holes.
Kyalo did not tally, immediately running at full speed. He had just kicked the hornets' nest, and he would be in deep trouble.
The next few minutes were a rush. Kyalo doing everything he could to put distance between him and the settlement. By now, guards had already begun to organize. Looking back, Kyalo realized there were several people running after him.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled out a hand grenade and tossed it back. The enemy did not even know what it was they were facing. One minute they were running, the next, they were in a middle of an explosion.
Once Kyalo was far enough, he met up with his back up, and they all disappeared into the highlands. They would soon reconnect with the group several days later.
"What did he leave behind?" The King asked.
The group looked at each other, scared. They were horrified when they saw what was sent, and now they feared telling their King.
"Show me then!" The King stated as he walked forward.
Immediately, a chest on a cart was wheeled before him, and the lid opened. He first saw the weird looking things, noting they were made of flesh. They seemed to have some blood on them.
Then he understood, and his eyes nearly popped out.
"Noses," He muttered under his breath, "human noses."
The guards who had not understood shuddered. Never would they have expected such a thing. They thought they might be heads, or some other thing, but these were noses, thousands of them.
That is to mean, these were the noses of the warriors that fell in battle.
"Who did he say he is?" The King demanded.
"He said he is an emissary of James Caarson, Great General of the armies of Asis," Hearing this, the King was incensed. However, instead of reacting with violence, he had a creepy smile on his face. Seconds later, he let out a laugh.
"What a statement! Well played," he shouted, "very well played."
His laughter continued to echo throughout the palace. As expected, James Caarson was known throughout the camp of the Zithilites, and by nightfall, his name had begun to spread far and wide.
Somewhere else, a Queen who was taking camp for the night could not help laughing to her heart's content. At first, she had been disgusted by the gore nature of the event. She could not imagine cutting of the noses of fallen bodies. Personally, she would never give such an order.
However, once Jim had explained the purpose, she understood the need for it. Soon afterwards, she saw the humor of it. Just imagining the look on the King, who was so arrogant that he demanded her hand in marriage.
Jim had several reasons for the action, the first being to announce his name. This was his first victory, and he wanted a special way to mark it. Of course, he had deeper reasons.
The Queen was facing severe pressure, and with her absence from the palace, the enemies might get anxious. While he still accounted for that, he needed to delay that for a while longer.
Prowess in battle, excellence in armory, all these must accompany propaganda, and what better way to build infamy upon his name than to announce it in such a brutal way. This was a tried and tested method.
With this, his name would spread, and he would also get a better claim to the throne, when the time comes. He already had the woman, time to get the Kingdom. He announced himself to be a warrior king, with the will and ability to protect his people.
"Why did you have us come then, if you had the means and the ability to end the fight," The Queen asked, once she was done laughing, she was still chuckling though.
"It's not about this fight, but the next fight," Jim noticed her confusion, so he elaborated, "What do you think will be the Zithilite King's reaction to the taunt?"
Suddenly, it clicked. Jim was preparing for the reaction of the King, and whatever war that would come after this encounter. What's more, he had been preparing for a while, which is why he had her set off.
"Hurry your men over, we need to do much training," Jim said. The two went on to have a long conversation talking about all manner of things. Sleep carried the Queen off to dreamland, where she dreamt of a Great Kingdom and a Great man beside her.
Meanwhile, Jim and his men had to pile up the dead bodies and burn them, clearing off the battlefield. This was not another act of fore, but an accepted practice. To prevent spreading of disease and curses, it was prudent to burn the bodies whenever one encountered them.
As for Jim, he needed to finalize his plans. He had already had the factories running nonstop in his underground bunker until all the resources were depleted. By now, he had a stockpile of bullets, guns, grenades, and a few other surprises he had not introduced in battle.
...
On a certain planet, in an elevated castle overlooking a green forest, a man was standing, fanning himself. He was deep in thought when someone came running.
"Sir, you need to see this," The message had a communicator with him.
"What is this?" He demanded, looking at the message on the tablet.
"The human we've been promoting on that planet, he's requesting our assistance," the messenger answered.
The other man smiled contemplatively. He had a dark look on his face as he thought things through. "The variable is causing ripples. What does he want?"
"He seeks permission to use the secret regiment we've been training for them," the messenger answered, reading the report.
"Greedy bastard. Fine, I'll allow it but let him know that we expect much from this," The man on the tower answered, and watched the messenger run off to repeat the message.
Deep down, he was wondering what the other side would react, seeing all this. He had previously been betting on the Zithilite Prince, but now, his allegiances were shifting.
He had to test the new arrival first and see what mettle of a man he was.