Champion: A Songs Of War Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty

Thalleous went to Pridiral's cell.

"Well, netheran, we still haven't decided what to do with you. You're currently under our charge, so you've been shunted from one war-torn base to the next."

Pridiral nodded.

"I need to ask you a few questions about your military."

Pridiral hardened his gaze and stood up.

"What did you just say to me?"

"I said, I want to ask a few questions about your military. Attack plans, organizational methods, the works."

"I may be willing to pay off my debt to Tygren, but that's it. He's safe now, the gossip around here has told me that!"

Pridiral clenched his fists.

"But I am not a traitor! I don't like this invasion any more than you do, but I won't give you the Nether's secrets!"

Thalleous observed Pridiral's reluctance to do more than help his immediate circle. It was a common trait in Netherans. Honor and duty were all that drove them.

"I recognize that, but innocent people are dying, Netheran-"

"Do you think I don't care?" Pridiral yelled. "I wanted you to shut off the portal I told you about so that fewer would die! But I can't betray my people, or else I'll still be harming innocents."

Thalleous pursed his lips. He could understand the Netheran's point.

'Please, just go," Pridiral said, sitting his his cell chair, head buried in his arms. "I don't want to tell you anything more."

Thalleous nodded. "Then I have nothing else to say to you."

He left the room.

Wrentorn tapped Sarrettus on the shoulder. "I need to speak with you and your platoon-lieutenants."

Sarrettus nodded. "Thalleous. Osivian. Find Criordian. Ghost Battalion is speaking with Major Wrentorn.

They quickly located the third and final lieutenant of Ghost Battalion, and reported to Sarrettus' immediate superior.

You four are all of the officers for our Battalion?" Wrentorn inquired. They responded, in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Standing at rigid positions of attention, Wrentorn looked them over. Old for an Ardoni, being 280, he was past the age that most soldiers would retire at.

"You and your men are going on a reconnaissance operation to the Nether."

" Recon, sir?"

"Yes, a scouting operation. Normally, a patrol company would handle this, but we are short on those. You'll proceed to a ruined portal, fill it, and scout out the surrounding 1000 block radius."

"Yes, sir." Sarrettus' time as a patrol sergeant before being Thalleous' platoon lieutenant would serve him well on this quest.

"Round up your troops. Carry on."

The four did a cohesive about-face and rounded up their troops. Standing in the waiting room, they saw Pridiral dragged out onto the speaker's stage in chains.

"This netheran will guide you," said Wrentorn.

"No, I won't!" Pridiral yelled defiantly.

"You will, or else you will be sent right back to your people. You may not think yourself a traitor, but you've given up several classified bits of information, some inadvertently. I don't think they'd be too happy to see you, would they?"

Pridiral stared Major Wrentorn in the eyes. "They understand I had a debt to Tygren, that I gave that information to keep him safe."

"But not the portal location," Wrentorn whispered. "Would you want to take a chance on that?"

Pridiral gulped, not realizing that the Ardoni had dozens of Netheran prisoners, and that he had only mentioned the portal, not given it away. Another prisoner had done that. However, his adolescent mind couldn't understand this, and he ceded.

"I betrayed them," he said. "My squad-mates, what do they think of me..."

He sank to his knees. His two guards stared at the back of his head, unfazed at Pridiral's undoing.

"The ruined portal has been unused for years. The Nether doesn't keep it logged. You'll have a safe entry."

The sixty-seven soldiers nodded their understanding.

"You'll scout a 1000-block radius. It'll take about thirty hours."

Everyone assented.

"One last thing," Wrentorn said.

The soldiers perked up.

"We'll be sending along Acchilean Nestoris and Aggrennall Kaltaris, as they both have extensive experience and knowledge of the Nether."

Three separate clans working together was no surprise. Everyone was dismissed and led to the portal by their future Nestoris and Kaltaris journey-mates without a hitch.

"Obsidian," Acchilean said. The black-and-purple blocks were passed up, and the frame repaired.

"Does anyone have a flint and steel?" Aggrennall asked. "Or anything that causes fire. This thing isn't picky."

Everyone chuckled at the joke, passed up the flint and steel, and the portal was lit, a swirling purple not unlike what a dark-magenta song might look like. The sixty-nine troopers and one prisoner walked through two-by-two and descended into hell.

Author's Note: Hello, everyone!

I will have chapter 21 published shortly. Chapter 22 will follow closely.

Nothing else to say today.

Godspeed,

-KOS