The Kakos Realm: Grinden Proselyte

Chapter 11

Pinchôt paced in the midst of his new appointment. The members who ranked as leadership in the Narsh Barbarian Sect surrounded him. While he stood in stark contrast by physical appearance, they were akin in many other ways. Whereas Pinchôt stood smaller in stature than most of the bulky and heavy handed barbarians, they had the same heart: a desire for personal glory and triumph by overcoming and spilling the blood of their foes. Pinchôt greatly desired blood.

"What we have here," Pinchôt said, "Is an odd situation. One of the reasons that I have been brought over to lead the Narsh Barbarian Sect is because of the problems in the Rangers—they lack the gall to do certain jobs: ones that the King has an utmost need to be performed at this present time. In years past, the previous two kings each preferred Rogis' Rangers, which I came out of, to aid in keeping the peace on the eastern front."

Many groans came when he mentioned the Rangers. A rivalry had endured between them for decades. Grirrg, Pinchôt's second in command from the Barbarians, summed up the group's feelings; Grirrg squeezed a porcelain stein filled with mead until the cup broke, splashing the brew all over.

"Let me say this, before I go on. I feel that I have made a good switch. King Rutheir needs us; he knows that the Rangers have waxed impotent for his purposes. He can foresee how the Rangers 'ethics' will impede progress. So, now we are the favored mercenary group under the crown.

"Rutheir has long been a lover of combat. He has been a powerful warlord since he was young. For too long he watched the Rangers' courage dwindle as they feared to meet battle head on. With the way things are set to heat up in the city, King Rutheir will rely on our skills."

"What's in it for us?" one barbarian piped up.

"Glory, battle, the opportunity to wield your weapon under a banner of the most powerful warlord of this lifetime—he will undoubtedly look towards expansion, and soon. Ultimately, you get your normal pay and plunder along with the ability to make your name known and qualify for rank with the king. What more could you want?"

"You think we really have a king with enough courage to expand his empire? Are you saying that we might have opportunities for large scale battle in the near-lands?"

"That is where the most glory lies, is it not? It is my desire to do so. I believe that it is what the king wishes. Of course, because of political reasons this is not an official statement and should be kept low-key.

"Right now, we have a dangerous internal threat. You may have heard of the krist-chin group that has formed in the city. They are viewed as an extremely dangerous cult and even has the demonic Gathering scrambling to bring about its destruction. We can't, unfortunately, just walk in and slaughter them all; there're politics and such to observe.

"I am sure that most of you are aware that the former hero, Rashnir, formerly of the Rogis' Rangers, is among their number, plus two unknown beings that appear to be Sons of Anak. We can assume, then, that these heretics have come from as far as the western edge of Briganik. Though our information brokers should be able to find information on two wayward anakim, we are still unsure of their origins."

"I heard that they have wings," one man called. "You ever heard of an anakim with wings?"

"Yes, I too have heard that," Pinchôt said, "But it hasn't been confirmed."

"I overheard some people in the brothels the other night saying that they looked like high Luciferian beings. Said it looked like Lucifer himself, all shimmering and glorious."

"I overheard that you drink too much," Grirrg jibbed, eliciting several bursts of laughter.

Pinchôt clarified the position, "The Luciferian Order says that these beings are not aligned with the church. They have been officially labeled as extreme threats to the Order, which is now affiliated with the rule of the kingdom. These beings are only here to destroy the way of life that we are paid to fight and protect. You might be religious, you might not, but it will be a glorious kill should you bring down any of this cult's leadership."