Chapter 27.6: The Two Weeks Journey Home - Pursuit and Finally Going Home
Personal System Calendar: Year 0009, Days 1-14 Month IX: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6854, 9th month, 1st to 14th Day
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The Fleeing Cowards
The enemy commanders may have thought they had fled to a significant distance, congratulating themselves on their timely tactical withdrawal. But what they didn't know was that there were watchers during that entire battle who had been keeping track not only of the combat itself but of everyone who was in the broader area. These observers weren't looking merely at the board with pieces moving across it. They were watching those who moved these pieces onto the board in the first place.
They were agents of the Imperial Intelligence Division, who had positioned themselves strategically near the area well before the siege began. They were providing carefully measured clues to the pursuers, but not so much information that it would lead directly to immediate capture of the enemy commanders. That wasn't their mission. What they wanted was to observe where the wounded animals would run back to, to find their safe havens and bolt-holes. Because those locations would be the bigger prizes. Discovering them would mean penetrating to the deepest parts of this entire operation, revealing those who had begun this rebel group and, more importantly, those who were funding it.
But that calculated restraint didn't mean they would let the rank-and-file rebels escape unscathed. The expendable soldiers, the drugged cannon fodder, the low-level fighters with no actual command authority would all be systematically eliminated. The commanders, however, would be allowed to slip through the net intentionally, like fish being herded toward a larger trap.
Meanwhile, the active pursuers led by Commander Ira Kayman and her 2,000 Kaiman riders followed the retreating enemy at a measured pace. Her forces were somewhat slower than traditional cavalry because their Kaiman beasts were water-dwelling creatures rather than pure land animals, which made them less suited for extended ground pursuit. Still, they maintained steady pressure on the fleeing rebels.
Commander Kayman's force had been joined by approximately 3,000 defenders from Fort Aulexus who hadn't been injured in the assault. Among them were thirty of the fifty-one Dragonguards who had been initially deployed to protect August and his companions. The remaining Dragonguards stayed at the fort, but this wasn't a concern because communications directly from the Capital Command had indicated that replacements from the 20th Cohort were already en route.
These pursuing forces had also been briefed on the Intelligence Division's strategic plan through secure magical communication channels. Commander Kayman needed to be informed about the intentional gaps being left in the pursuit cordon, and the various nearby reinforcement groups who had already placed the entire region under effective lockdown needed to coordinate their efforts carefully.
Border security throughout Region 5 had been dramatically tightened. Entry points were being scrutinized with far more intensity than their usual routine procedures. Every traveler was being questioned, every cargo shipment inspected, every magical signature analyzed.
In the broader scope beyond this single battlefield, the empire was already moving against known rebel supporters and sympathizers outside the capital region. Death warrants had been issued by the imperial court to hunt down and eliminate this nefarious group and everyone who supported them, whether through funding, supplies, or safe harbor.
Those who were caught by imperial forces throughout the region had tried to resist, fighting to the bitter end while shouting proclamations of glory to the Fresco League of Kingdoms and calling for the death of the empire. Their fanaticism was genuine, even if misguided.
They were killed nonetheless. A death warrant meant something fundamentally different from a normal arrest warrant where you had a chance to be tried in a fair court with legal representation. A death warrant sealed your fate if you resisted even slightly. It was brutal and could seem unfair to those who didn't understand how the empire enacted their "justice." Tyrannical at best, some critics claimed.
But the empire didn't particularly care what its enemies thought of its justice system. Those who wished to challenge imperial authority should make their objections known through proper legal channels before resorting to violence and rebellion. Then maybe they would have been granted a chance to stand and be heard in the courts of law.
The death warrant system also had pragmatic advantages that its defenders were quick to point out. It skipped the long queues of imperial courtrooms and didn't waste everyone's time on what would inevitably be theatrical criminal trials with predetermined outcomes. It didn't cause the empire to expend resources on incarcerating dangerous individuals who had demonstrated they would never be rehabilitated.
Because sometimes justice was barbaric and may appear ancient and brutal to the eyes of many, but what it delivered and executed was justice nonetheless. Swift and brutal, especially to those who tried to attack the empire and harm its citizens and interests. The empire's philosophy was simple: you could oppose it through legal means, through political discourse, through cultural resistance. But the moment you took up arms against imperial citizens or infrastructure, you forfeited your right to a lengthy judicial process.
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Recovery and Assistance
Meanwhile, August and his companions were still at Fort Aulexus, helping with recovery efforts. They helped in moving debris that were blocking important accessways, assisted in healing the injured, and generally made themselves useful wherever they were needed. They did this not to gain favor with the empire or curry political advantage, but because it was simply the right thing to do. This was a genuine, heartfelt effort to help others in need, especially those they had fought and bled beside during the desperate defense.
There were, of course, deaths among the garrison forces. The initial tally indicated that approximately 3% of the active combat personnel and support groups had lost their lives in the defense. That translated to roughly 2,250 casualties from the total 75,000 personnel at the fort. There were still injured soldiers being treated, some personnel unaccounted for in the chaos, and reports coming in from trapped civilians who had arrived seeking refuge before the portal was shut down for security.
The recovery effort was well underway when, within the next day following the battle, a new batch of reinforcements arrived. Five hundred members of the 20th Dragonguard Cohort came through the reactivated portal. They had already split from a larger force, with another 1,000 Dragonguards who had joined the active pursuit of the fleeing rebels.
Among those who arrived at Fort Aulexus was a familiar face. The first Dragonguard Captain Commander that August and his companions had met at the village and when they initially arrived at the fort was also part of this detachment of 500. However, this time he wasn't the leader of the force. Someone of significantly higher rank had accompanied them.
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The Imperial Military Authority
To understand the significance of this, the ranks and hierarchy of the Imperial Military needed to be understood:
Supreme Command:
- Emperor Janus: Commander General of the Imperial Military (Highest Authority)
General Staff:
- Generals of both regular and specialized branches: Imperial Royal Army, Navy, Marines, Auxiliary Forces, Magic Corps, Dragoon Units, Elms Wardens, Golden Winged Dragon Riders, Arcane Inquisitors (Second Highest Rank)
Standard Military Hierarchy:
- Commander General (Third Highest Rank)
- Colonel
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- Lieutenant
Dragonguard Specific Ranks:
- Head Master of the Dragon Cohorts (equivalent to General rank, commands one of the twenty cohorts)
- Captain Commander (special rank for operational leaders within the Dragonguard)
The Dragonguards maintained their own parallel rank structure that superseded equivalent standard military ranks due to their unique prestige and position as the Emperor's personal elite forces, distinct from even the Regular Imperial Royal Guards who protected the palace.
Currently standing before them at Fort Aulexus was someone who superseded even Commander General Roger's authority. He was the Head Master of the 20th Dragon Cohort: Kaizer Draconis the 15th, bearer of a noble lineage passed down through fourteen previous generations since the inception of their noble purpose.
He walked with the authority of the Emperor himself. Everything about him felt more draconic than human. August's recently restored Personal System, which had returned with new capabilities and power after its prolonged absence, detected something fundamentally different about this man's nature. He might not be entirely human anymore, at least not in the conventional sense.
The Head Master was a man of few, curt words. He was direct to the point of bluntness and delivered messages exactly as they had been given to him, word for word, with no embellishment or softening.
"August Finn." His voice carried the weight of absolute authority. "By order of Emperor Janus, I will escort you and your party home."
He produced a sealed envelope bearing the imperial crest. "As thanks for your service to the empire, though you were under no obligation to render such service, the Emperor bestows upon you this seal." He handed the envelope to August with mechanical precision. "This seal, once opened, may be used only once. Use it very carefully and consider thoroughly what you wish upon it. The Emperor and the Empire, with all its resources, will grant you this wish as long as it falls within the bounds of what we are capable of achieving."
He then produced a small but ornate magical pouch. "This is also yours. Examine its contents at your leisure." The way he said it made clear this wasn't an invitation for immediate inspection but a dismissal of the topic.
"Now that I have delivered what I was instructed to deliver, we must make haste and proceed through the portal. Gather your belongings immediately."
It felt rushed, almost rudely so, but this was clearly a man who would not be argued with or questioned. He wasn't flexible in his interpretations or execution of orders. Even his own subordinate Dragonguards flinched at his harsh tone. They felt it was unnecessarily stern given the circumstances, but arguing with the Head Master would only result in brutal punishment later, especially during training sessions where he was known to be merciless.
They could only follow his commands without complaint. August and his companions found themselves scrambling to gather their belongings, collect their mounts, and prepare for immediate departure. They felt this inflexible man, who couldn't or wouldn't distinguish between fresh troops and exhausted defenders, would push himself to the point of death if necessary to ensure the Emperor's commands were followed precisely and completely.
They didn't complain vocally, though privately they compared him to August during his most intense training phases back at the village. But even then, August had been tempered and corrected by the adults of the village, learning empathy alongside discipline. This Head Master seemed to have missed those lessons entirely, or perhaps had deliberately discarded them as unnecessary weakness.
He was like what August might have become if his harsh training mentality had never been balanced by the warmth and wisdom of Uncle Andy, Marcus, and the others. A terrifying thought.
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Departure and Intimidation
Within an hour, they had assembled at the portal gate. Head Master Kaizer produced a special authorization key that bypassed the normal gate keeper protocols. The civilian gate keepers had been evacuated earlier during the siege and would take time to return to their posts, but this emergency access was reserved for highest-priority imperial business.
Some of the civilians, tourists, merchants and lower-ranking soldiers (bodyguards) who were still trapped at the fort, waiting for normal portal operations to resume, tried to argue that they should be allowed through as well. They had been waiting longer, they had families to return to, surely their needs were just as important.
One look from Head Master Kaizer silenced all protests immediately. The man's gaze was utterly empty of compassion or empathy. It wasn't cruel exactly, just completely devoid of human warmth. Those who had been about to argue felt their courage literally evaporate, their complaints dying in their throats. Some actually trembled under that inhuman stare.
The man was terrifying in ways that went beyond physical intimidation. It was his absolute inflexibility, his complete lack of empathy for how others felt or what they needed. He was a beast walking in human form. A human dragon, perhaps, more reptilian than mammalian in his psychology.
Master Ben, who had been preparing to accompany them, paused and studied Head Master Kaizer with the experienced eye of someone who had lived for centuries. After a moment, he leaned slightly toward August and whispered, "That one has consumed a dragon's heart and drank of its blood in the ancient rituals. His humanity is being slowly replaced by draconic essence. In another century, he may not be recognizable as human at all."
August glanced at his mentor in surprise, then back at the Head Master with new understanding and a touch of horror. The empire's elite achieved their power through methods that came with terrible costs.
The portal activated with a shimmer of magical energy. Head Master Kaizer gestured curtly for them to proceed. "Move. Now."
They moved.
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The Pursuits Conclusion
For the pursuers still in the field, the hunt had reached its conclusion. They had successfully encircled the approximately 70,000 rebels who had escaped the initial slaughter at Fort Aulexus. The noose consisted of multiple forces: soldiers from the Kingdom of Perlah, regular imperial troops from various nearby garrisons, and the Dragonguards who had pursued most aggressively.
The rank-and-file rebels, the drugged soldiers and low-level fighters, had their lives forfeited within a few brutal hours. There were little to no casualties among the pursuers during the final confrontation, injuries from desperate last stands and chemically-enhanced berserker charges, but remarkably there were no deaths on the imperial side. Only among the rebel scum and remnants of the fallen Fresco League.
The Dragonguards made absolutely certain each rebel was dead, literally dismembering corpses to prevent any possibility of resurrection magic or playing dead. They had learned that lesson in previous campaigns. When fighting enemies with access to necromancy and healing magic, you didn't take chances.
The commanders, however, were deliberately allowed to slip through gaps in the encirclement. Intelligence Division agents tracked them carefully, noting which directions they fled, which safe houses they sought, which contacts they attempted to reach. These threads would be pulled carefully over the coming weeks and months, unraveling the entire network of support that had made this rebellion possible.
Commander Ira Kayman, once she understood the strategy, had mixed feelings about letting the masterminds escape. Her warrior's instinct demanded she pursue and eliminate all threats immediately. But her strategic mind recognized the value in patience, perhaps this is a test for her by the Emperor who she secretly worshiped like a god. Better to capture the head of the snake than merely its fangs.
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An Empire Wide Response
This particular battle might have concluded, but elsewhere throughout the western subcontinent and even in the central subcontinent of Arkanus, the empire's response continued with ruthless efficiency.
Thousands of dead rebels littered the aftermath of coordinated strikes. Sympathizers who had taken up arms when imperial forces came to arrest them discovered too late that resistance was futile. The empire had simultaneously hit every known rebel base, sympathizer safe house, and support network all at once.
The operation had clearly been planned well in advance, with intelligence gathering that stretched back months or even years. The rebels' attack on Fort Aulexus had merely triggered a response that was already prepared and in waiting. In a sense, they had played directly into the empire's hands, giving justification for a purge that might have been politically difficult to execute otherwise.
It was a brutal and efficient demonstration of imperial justice against those who had wronged it. The message was clear: you could oppose the empire through legal means, but the moment you resorted to violence and terrorism, you had sealed not only your own fate but the fate of everyone connected to you.
Critics in other kingdoms and territories watched these events with growing unease. The Imperium of Elms-Arkanus was demonstrating exactly why it had become the hegemonic power of the three subcontinents. Not through diplomatic charm or cultural influence, but through the calculated application of overwhelming force whenever its authority was challenged.
Some whispered that this was tyranny. Others argued it was necessary strength. But everyone agreed on one thing: the empire would not tolerate threats to its citizens or infrastructure, and it had both the capability and will to enforce that intolerance with extreme prejudice.
The rebel group calling itself Fresco's Revenge had sought to light a beacon for resistance against imperial rule. Instead, they had provided the empire with the justification to eliminate the resistance networks that might have festered for years. In trying to start a war, they had merely accelerated their own destruction.
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The Journey Continues
As August and his companions emerged from the portal into a different region entirely (Town of Bob), leaving Fort Aulexus and its recent horrors behind, he clutched the sealed envelope from the Emperor and the mysterious magical pouch. Questions swirled in his mind.
What wish could be worth using such a valuable token? What was in the pouch? Why had the Emperor personally taken an interest in their group? What would happen when they finally reached home?
But those questions would have to wait. Head Master Kaizer was already striding forward with the expectation that they would follow immediately. No rest, no time to process what they had experienced, just onwards toward their destination.
August shared a glance with his companions. They were exhausted, emotionally drained, and still processing the fact that they had survived a siege that had killed thousands. But they fell into step behind the intimidating Head Master anyway.
Their two-week journey home had become far more complicated than any of them had anticipated. But at least they were still alive to see it through.
The war might be over for them, but its consequences were only beginning to unfold throughout the Empire and even to its allies.