บท 23: The Brutality of War
"Move those lazy asses. Do you think we are here for a picnic?" The cavalry officers shouted the order as they charged towards the city, "Vanguard cavalry is already engaging the garrison. The city is in view and you people are walking like a tortoise, while your brothers are dying…" And it was quite effective, the soldiers fired up with fighting spirit. Some even started to run towards the city.
Kinoya's troop was also burning up with the fighting spirit, itching to go in the battlefield, but didn't dare to move without orders. 'They have heard that Kinoya was always the one who dives in the fight first.' But Kinoya's mood was different. He was walking as nothing happened.
"Permission to talk captain" Chanakya who was little forward, came back at the side of Kinoya. "Why are we not engaging?"
Kinoya was little impressed with this one, the one with his own thought. He is 14 years old and has the drive to learn. What impressed him most that he tried to incorporate the 'Rhombus formation' in the cavalry squad. After trial and error, he was able to do it.
"You tell me why?"
"Because it would be easier to defend a city with the high wall than open the door and fight outside."
"Why are they not doing that?"
Chanakya thought for a moment and said, "There can be many reasons."
"What if they don't have enough manpower"
"No, Palsa." It was chanakya who responded first, "If that was the case then it would have been better to defend the city behind the wall."
'Well, he has the basic idea.' Kinoya was quite happy with the performance of Chanakya. The other boy was Palsa who was quite energetic. Though he was little impulsive if trained well he will be a great asset to the form.
"There are two main reasons, either they don't have enough food so they have abandoned the city or it must be a trap." Chanakaya's words shocked everyone and they looked towards Kinoya for confirmation.
But Kinoya responded with another question, "Which one of you want to fall into the trap?"
Everybody turned silent, nobody spoke. Nobody wanted to fall into the trap. Well, almost nobody.
"I want to."Kinoya expected this kind of behaviour from Palsa.
"It wouldn't be a trap if we know it's a trap. I will go to." Soon the other followed the suit.
"Knowing one and breaking one is a different thing. Do you know how many enemies are there, what type of weapon they are going to use? Do you ever fought in the city?" Hearing his words everybody turned silent. Kinoya shook his head and continued, "It's not a bad thing to be cautious. Army should be consist of the opposite type, so they can complement each other when needed, like offensive & defensive, a cautious and daring one."
'Is the captain really 12 years old? If he is why he acts like an old man from time to time?' It was not the first those thoughts appeared in their mind, but none dared to ask.
Kinoya smiled at their expression before continuing, "There are two rules you should follow when you are under me. Never kill the innocent and never rape. If any of you dare to do that…"At the last sentence, the aura around Kinoya changed for a moment. Kinoya excluded some of the black smoke and blue flame appeared in his right eye hole.
[Skill check: [Extrasensory Vision] activated.]
It was his innate talent. When utilized a blue flame appeared in his vacant right eyehole. With multiple uses, it had upgraded to level 2. With it, Kinoya could see even with closed eyes. It was like an infrared vision, it was not clear but enough to fight. Most of them are afraid of it except people like Chanakya and Palsa.
While talking they had already reached the city. The fight at the gate had already died down, there were a pile of dead bodies scrambled across the gate. The paved road didn't absorb any of the blood, creating a puddle of blood here and there. With a frown on his face, he entered the city.
There was a different world inside the city. The first thing that hit their nose was a stench. The wind didn't blow swiftly inside the wall, so the stench remained. The city was decorated with burning houses, beheaded mutilated bodies. Naked and half-naked women could be seen all over the city, howling in pain, died with eyes full of grief. Not even the child had been spared. Some of them died with a smashed head.
'Was there any need of such brutality?' He had heard about the effect of war on the life of civilians, but no matter how strong-willed he was about earning fame and glory on the battlefield it was his first time seeing such scenes. And the feeling wasn't a good one.
"Captain, look." The voice of Chanakya woke him up from the trans. Walking by the paved road they had already reached the city centre. Kinoya took a deep breath and concentrated on the view in front of him. Kinoya's eye was like of a child who saw something he loves. It was hard to take his eye off.
"If I remember correctly this is called 'Chararch'. A building with four arches. This thing can be seen each and every city of the Torria. It is always built right at the centre of the city. It will be better to say Chararch is built first and then the whole city is constructed. The noble always conduct the court here. With four arches on four sides, everybody can see everything. According to the King, the country should be open with their administration. If the country is hiding something then they are doing something wrong."
"Wow, that is some king Torria have." Kinoya felt the words couldn't be truer.
Chanakya shook his head, "That was the last king of the previous dynasty and was executed in the civil war."
" You certainly know a lot about it." To that Chanakya didn't answer. While moving around the Chararch Kinoya realised all 100 of his troop was still following him.
"You don't have to come with me. Just remember the rule."
With the order, the whole troop disperse in a blink of an eye. All expect Chanakya. "Why didn't you go?"
"I have no interest in looting," Chanakya said while following Kinoya. He was looking at the Chararch. Though it was beautiful at first, it had its ugly sides. The other three sides of it were decorated with heads of the garrison soldier. Kinoya sneered. He moved along the road further into the city. No matter where he went, the mark of brutality could be observed everywhere.
"Don't… No… please help me." Chanakya wanted something but an incoherent cry of a child foiled his plan. Chanakya felt Kinoya was looking for something but he never asked.
The place was a little remote. There were 4 people present, along with their horses. There were one lieutenant and 3 soldiers. Two of them already on a woman, one was holding the woman down when the other one satisfying his lust.
The Lieutenant had a lusty smile on his face, "Lad you are so lucky, to get a virgin to pop the cherry. Quick do it, I don't know how much longer I will be able to hold myself in." He was holding on a small girl, not even 10 years old. She was crying her snort out in fear. The reality hit her hard, before she could understand what was happening she was already under control them, and her mother...
"No, not my child, she is just a baby. Do it to me. I won't resist, leave my baby alone. I will..." Without thinking about her own position she was screaming but all her words went to the deaf ears.
"Sweetheart, don't worry I am enough to satisfy your need." The one holding the woman down said with a lustful voice. The other one was ramming her without the care. The woman trying her best to free herself but all was in vain.
"Don't worry woman. This boy here is a virgin too. He will be the best suitor for your girl. And after he is done she will be in my experience care. I will let her enjoy the whole thing. Don't worry about it." The officer was becoming impatient, " What are you waiting for, do it."
The boy looked at the girl in front of him. His burning desire was corroding away his conviction. The building lust was making it harder to control. He jumped on the girl and dipped his lips on her. She neither had any experience nor any will, she resisted till the bitter end. The rejection infuriated the boy, He slapped. His full forced slap stunned the girl for a moment before she busted into tears.
The helplessness further fanned the flame inside the boy, he had torn off the dress of the little child, revealing the undeveloped body with light brown skin underneath it. He was struggling to free his little soldier before someone spoke, "If you want to live, leave them now."
All of them turned toward the owner of the voice, all except the one doing it with the mother of the girl. He didn't stop. Only the slapping sound of his family jewel was ringing in the middle of the silence. It was an awkward moment. The one holding the woman down was trying hard to hold the smile in. But in a blink of an eye, the one humping was thrown in the air with a kick on his chest. He coughed out a mouth full of blood as he fell on the ground and fainted. The next punch broke the front row of the one holding down.
Without anyone stopping her, she was freed from constraints and ran towards her child without any care of her own situation.
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