Rise of the Supreme Necromancer-Chapter 80: Raze to the Ground

Twenty riders in black rode on undead horses, trampling just-harvested fields and sending clumps of soil flying from their hooves at each step. Ahead of them was a tiny farming village. In the early morning, its people had only just begun leaving their homes and leading their farm animals to pastures...

One of these cattle herders was the first to notice the riders. He was just a boy, but he still knew that riders like these could mean nothing good.

"Look out! There are people on horses!" he shouted, running back to the village and forgetting all about his goats. "They aren’t like royal soldiers!"

"What?!" his mother gasped, running from her house’s porch. "No... I thought we were safe on this side of the river! Hurry, son—get our goats... No, forget it—let’s just hide in the cellar!"

She ushered her son and her family into hiding. Nearby, other villagers were shouting in alarm and confusion. Most followed her example, while others grabbed pitchforks and other improvised weapons in sight.

They were still not ready when the riders charged down the village’s main street. Up close, they were even more terrifying, with their dead gray skin, black cloaks, and old wounds left on their horses.

Their leader rode first. When he saw a dozen men trying to make a spear wall with pitchforks, he only laughed.

"Fools! The king didn’t protect you, the Light didn’t protect you, and these pitchforks definitely won’t! Run for your lives while you can!"

His horse charged forward right at the pitchforks. One sunk deep in its chest, then its handle broke—but the horse was barely slowed down by this! Its hooves crushed the man in front of it, while its rider skewered the other farmer’s throat with his spear.

Behind their leader, other Black Riders just as easily crushed other resisting men.

"Go forward! Kill everyone who still thinks that the king and their noble lords care about them! When they understand their foolishness, they will join Master Fenn in life or in death!"

"Yes, sir!!"

"No! Please, mercy!"

"The Light has abandoned us!"

"Aaaagh!"

The Black Riders went through the village like a scourge, killing everybody who didn’t run and hide. Before they left, the leader of the squad picked up a pitchfork and stabbed it deep into the corpse of a woman lying on the ground.

Then he raised the pitchfork together with the corpse and, with the help of his soldiers, planted it in the soil. Now it was standing in front of the village like a grotesque banner.

Then, a Black Rider found a jar of cooking oil, poured it on the largest house, and set it on fire.

When the squad left—only an hour after coming to the village—there were only flaming houses and the scattered survivors cursing the names of both Aleric Fenn and their lords who didn’t protect them.

And all over the region, four other groups of Black Riders were doing the same thing, leaving behind a flaming trail.

***

The command tent, placed right on the desk of the king’s barge, was full of people as usual. Besides the usual scribes and representatives sent by nobles to listen in on what was going on, there was also the king himself and some of his closest advisers.

And the messenger of bad news, who simply stood near the map table with a glum expression.

King Rafael the Fourth slapped his eye over the map.

"They what?!"

"They have spread over the county like never before, Your Majesty," the messenger repeated. "And they are razing every village in sight, killing men, women, and children, and torching the food supplies together with the houses. The few guard patrols there were in the area could do nothing against them..."

"Yes, you just said that!" Rafael shouted. "The necromancer is too bold if he thinks he can just send his forces like that and not get punished."

Someone in the corner huffed.

"He had taken Diawale, and nobody punished him back then..."

Rafael sharply turned toward the source of the quiet remark, but there were several people standing in the corner. Now all of them lowered their eyes... But with a corner of his eye, Rafael saw several other people nodding in agreement.

He gritted his teeth.

"If I didn’t agree to follow the Church’s advice, the necromancer would’ve been crushed a month ago! And if the templars were more competent, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place," he said, glaring at Praetor Bosnor standing near. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Praetor bowed his head just a little and inwardly cursed the real source of the king’s ire—Garron. But the inquisitor wasn’t here.

"Our souls hurt at the thought of sacrifices made by our people, but we can’t simply give the necromancer even more soldiers. And the Church’s best agents work to undermine the necromancer even right now," Praetor said.

He wasn’t the most diplomatic of people, but at least, unlike Garron, he knew what diplomacy was!

"More of your excuses," Rafael said. "Enough of that! Marshal, dispatch our cavalry to catch these raiders at once! This will be the first taste of the royal wrath that will befall all undead in Aleshat."

The marshal glanced at the king, then at the praetor uneasily.

"Your Majesty, our cavalry is not suited for chasing some brigands through the countryside. It’s too armored and slow to move. Praetor’s templars are a much better choice."

"Either way, our travel will have to slow down. It will take some time to move the horses and people off the barges," Praetor said. "And undead don’t need to stop for rest. On horses, they will outmarch anyone we can send after them..."

The king grit his teeth and slammed the table again.

"Then send people to guard the region! I can’t simply do NOTHING!"

The flap leading to the command tent opened. Stabbing the boards below with every step and carrying a white raven on his shoulder, Garron walked in.

"You can, Your Majesty, and if you have any sense, then you will."