The price of madness vol.02 : Rebirth and Redemption

The Choice

          It had been seven years since the Ebony Wolves revolt began. The Ostenstan Empire had agreed to an uneasy truce with Dayand, but the conflict between the rebels and the War Sisters Order had the world on edge. Never had a conflict been so violent and deadly. Fortunately, the Wolves had found precious allies among the other races of the Asterian continent. Otherwise, they would have quickly been crushed and overwhelmed by the hundreds of thousands of Sisters who stood between them and their objective. The big advantage they also had was that Dayand sided with them. Without the support of Elka the Golden, the Order had almost no resources left and their maintenance was more complicated to manage. The matriarch had managed to continue the fight by plundering the beautiful land of Ambrios, bordering the Shipwreck Corridor. Now that the last lines of defenses of this country had fallen, all the resources of this one returned in the hands of the Order and it could concentrate its war effort on the rebellion.

Fuck ! Julie swore once in the meeting room.

          She swept her arm across the table, smashing whatever was on it against a wall. Lucia walked over and put a hand around her shoulders to calm her down.

M-Matriarch? Tempted the messenger.

           Julie's murderous gaze made the young Elf turn pale, and she thought she was throwing up her heart.

I'm not Matriarch... She said more gently.

           The petite blonde stepped between the two and looked up at the messenger.

Loss estimate?

Catastrophic, General... Answered the soldier, slightly intimidated.

Castrophic HOW? The wolf grew impatient.

            Keryll, a Nar' with coyote attributes and brown hair, as well as Julie's little sister, advanced towards the table to save the messenger. She had her little coyote ears down in discomfort.

My crows bring me no good news... The Ambrian forces have been decimated and the survivors will soon be moved near the Fardian border where they will be held prisoner. The city was almost entirely deserted by the population when the first catapults started firing... According to my information, the streets of the city are no more than a big mass grave.

           The more Keryll reported, the more Julie clenched her jaw, grating her fangs in a sinister din. The little sister continued her presentation, swallowing her saliva with difficulty.

The royal couple was kept alive for the moment but would have refused to surrender until the end. I think our enemy wants to use the remaining Ambrian forces as manpower to fortify their defenses.

          A silence fell in the room as everyone waited for Julie's reaction.

It's hell... She finally sighed.

           She stood up and surveyed the small assembly gathered around the table.

We can't allow the Ambrians to be enslaved. She concludes.

Unfortunately we don't have the means to help them... Grimaced Elka, the

            Nar' dressed entirely in gold and with snow panther attributes. The Sisters there have almost two infantry divisions... The bulk of our forces are on the Eastern front against Betorum and what remains of the Western defense must still be near the Maelstrom to return here. The navy is blocking access for the Order, but I don't know if we'll be able to maintain this war of attrition for much longer. The losses in the East are colossal-...

I know ! Julie cut her off. I know... Do we have any news from Wraith?

No... Keryll sighed. But you know her, she'll only give news to Sylph. In the meantime, we must reconsider our options. Restarted Keryll. If the troops stationed at Ambrios join the Eastern front against us, we won't hold out.