The Stratigos of Dark Magic

The desert heat bore down on the Remen party. They had been traveling through the desert for a long time, going all the way from Armana's capital to the Eastern border of the Remen Empire South of it. Then, they went a bit further South.

Adriadne was sick and tired of the desert. The endless sand, scorching heat, burning sunlight, all of it. After these weeks of travel through the Eastern provinces of the Remen Empire, she hoped that she'd never have to see a desert again after she returned to Kostaspolis.

However, there was a sight that impressed her.

Demetrius had stayed stoic throughout their travels. A feeling of pride flowed over Adriadne. Even most men she knew would not be able to stand strong like her brother had. There were still mixed emotions deep within her, but Adriadne was proud that Demetrius was her brother.

Ganzaya was filled with anxiety. He hoped that Demetrius' men in the Remen Empire could find his wife. He hadn't found her in Armana, and he wouldn't have a chance to look for her for a long time.

Images of his wife suffering flowed into Ganzaya's head. When he dreamed, he saw her crying face. She was screaming his name, begging for his help, and he couldn't reach her. It was all Ganzaya could do to not wake up screaming every morning, grabbing for his sword, and running off to find his wife.

But the Ulv knew that this wouldn't help anything. Demetrius was his best chance to find her. So, Ganzya would stick with him.

Then, after several more days of travel, Demetrius saw something up ahead. Relief flowed through the Stratigos as he rode forward. They'd get some shelter from the scorching heat soon enough.

Up ahead was a large Remen military camp. Patrols walked around its walls. Men in lamellar and gambesons rode around it. Water and food were brought in by supply caravans. Soldiers did work maintaining the camp.

"We're here at last," Demetrius said. "The samurai should have their own camp somewhere nearby."

"Yes. They're on that hill over there, despotēs," Tourmarchēs Khalid pointed.

Demetrius looked in the distance. He had to squint his eyes to see any details, but there was another camp on a hill. Its tents did not look like anything he had seen before. However, Demetrius was too far away to get a good view of it.

"Let's go into camp for now," Demetrius said, ushing his horse forward to the Remen Camp.

When they got closer, a group of men on horseback rode out to greet them. They were all clearly akritai, being equipped as horse archers. Their leader, a tall man with a thick black beard and no other hair, inclined his head to Demetrius when the Stratigos got close.

"It is good that you are here at last, despotēs," he said.

"Spare me the pleasantries, Tourmarchēs Rukn. We came here to do a job, and I intend to carry it out," Demetrius stated.

He rode his horse further in.

"I will also make a speech to the men. I will tell you when to gather them for it," Demetrius spoke before thinking, a hint of nervousness flowing through him. "I need to make more people hate me, and this is a good way to do it. I don't like having to disrespect soldiers of the Remen Empire, but I'm already too weak."

"Of course, despotēs," Tourmarchēs Rukn nodded.

"Now, lead me to my tent. We will speak more inside there."

The Tourmarchēs did as commanded. Soon, the group came to the camp's largest tent. Demetrius dismounted and let one of the soldiers take his horse. The other members of the party did the same as they stepped inside.

Relief flowed through everyone as they entered the shade of the tent. It was still blazing hot inside, but at least they were out of direct sunlight. Still, Demetrius did not just wait inside there.

"Give me a report, Tourmarchēs Rukn. First, how many men do we have relative to the samurai?" Demetrius asked.

"We have three times their number. If we can delay things a little longer, we could get four times," Rukn answered. "That will be more than enough to crush them if we have to, especially with your magic."

"Do they have any magicians?" Tourmarchēs Khalid questioned.

"They have none."

Demetrius nodded, hiding his true emotions.

"That's a relief. If they did, I'd have to rely on overwhelming the samurai with numbers. There's no way I can beat any other mage with my current strength," he thought before speaking. "Have the samurai made any aggressive movements?"

"They have made none. In truth, I do not think the samurai are going to attack us. They have been far too patient for that. Our scouts have found that they do not have reinforcements, and we can be certain that they noticed we have them," Tourmarchēs Rukn said.

"Good. If your speculation is right, the samurai are smart. For them to challenge the Remen Empire so far from their homeland would be the height of folly," Demetrius stated.

He then let a smile come out.

"Hopefully, they will make the intelligent decision and accept Basil's offer."

Tourmarchēs Rukn nodded.

"I saw them practice their archery. They are skilled warriors. The Remen Empire could use men like them," he said.

"Assuming they can be trusted," Tourmarchēs Khalid pointed out.

"Whether they can or cannot, Basil has a plan for them," Demetrius replied. "Now, tell me, what are their ranks, and who are their leaders?"

Tourmarchēs Rukn explained.

"There are several samurai clans among them, about 10 or so. There are also a number of samurai who are not part of any clan. They had many more men than their current numbers once, but most of them were lost on their trip over here. There are few left."

He then scratched his beard.

"Their most important clans are the Hirate, Hiraji, and Rokkaku. The heads of each of those clans are their leaders. They are Hirate Masahide, Hiraji Jirou, and Rokkaku Tomonori. However, these are not the leaders of the clans back in their homeland. They are relatively minor samurai who rose to power after they fled."

Then, Tourmarchēs Rukn grimaced.

"Well, they rose to power among their tiny group. I doubt many other people see them as anything more than a bunch of mercenaries. That could make them dangerous if they're getting desperate. From what they've told me, the samurai were in charge of their homeland," he said.

Demetrius kept his face stoic. However, a hint of sympathy flowed through his mind.

"A land ruled by mercenaries? Even among barbarian lands, that must be hellish," the Stratigos thought before speaking. "When I go to the samurai camp, put more men on patrol duty."

"Yes, despotēs," Tourmarchēs Rukn nodded.

Demetrius turned to his party. Despite now being out of the Sun, Adriadne was sweating buckets. The rest of them were somewhat tired too. While he hid it well, Demetrius' body was filling with fatigue.

"I don't want to fight in these conditions. I probably won't have to, but I might end up in a battle," Demetrius thought.

"I will go to the samurai camp tomorrow," he said. "In the meantime, I will rest here. Tourmarchēs Rukn, gather the men for my speech tomorrow morning."

"Yes, despotēs," Tourmarchēs Rukn gave him a bow before leaving the tent.

Tourmarchēs Khalid and the rest of the men followed him. Demetrius was left with Ganzaya and Adriadne. The Stratigos suppressed a sigh before sitting down in a chair.

"There still is more business to take care of," Demetrius thought before speaking. "Adriadne, have you memorized Basil's demands?"

Her eye twitched with annoyance.

"Of course, I have. Why would you doubt that? And why do I need to anyway? You're going to hand it to them in writing. And they wouldn't have made it this far if they didn't have a translator," she pointed out.

"Because we might need someone to do some convincing, and I am a terrible person for that," Demetrius said. "We just have to hope that the samurai are fine with talking to a woman about this."

Adriadne nodded.

"I honestly don't expect to do any convincing because of that. Most aristocrat women who aren't spellcasters stay out of political life, and some men think that even magician women shouldn't be involved in politics. These barbarians might not even think as well of women as most Remen noblemen do," she stated.

"If Basil was adamant about recruiting the samurai, he wouldn't have sent Adriadne at all. Some barbarians would be fine with noblewomen being in politics, but we don't know enough about the samurai to say if they are or aren't," Demetrius thought.

Then, an expression of concern crossed Demetrius' face. Sorrow clouded his eyes. He quickly turned to Ganzaya. Then, the Stratigos spoke.

"Ganzaya, I believe that now is a good time for you to look for your wife in the camp."

"There is next to no chance that Khailun is here, but it seems that Demetrius wants to be alone with his sister," the Ulv thought before speaking. "I will. Thank you, despotēs."

With that, Ganzaya left the tent. Then, Demetrius' concerned gaze came to Adriadne. She shifted nervously, worry for her brother flowing through her.

"Is something wrong?" Adriadne asked.

"Do you regret it?" Demetrius questioned.

Confusion flowed through the girl.

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"Do you regret Father finding out that you exist?" Demetrius said.

Despite the scorching heat, the interior of the tent suddenly felt ice cold.

"I do not pretend to know what it's like to be a prostitute's daughter, but things can't have been easy for you after that," Demetrius stated. "You might not be a dark magician..."

The faintest hint of bitterness entered his voice when he spoke.

"...but you're still a witch and a member of the Kallergis family. You are expected to do things that women shouldn't have to do. You deal with political nonsense and you might even end up going to war. You'd probably be better off if you were part of a normal aristocratic family. Then, you could just get married, stay at home, and only have to worry about your duties as a wife. You wouldn't have all the stress of a nobleman in your life and you wouldn't have men complaining that you're doing things women aren't supposed to do. Even if magician women should do them."

Silence passed throughout the tent. Adriadne clenched her fists so hard they turned white. Demetrius shivered, suppressing his anxiety as best as he could. He was prepared to deal with her anger, regret, sadness, or whatever else came his way. The important thing to Demetrius was that Adriadne was his sister, and he wanted to be there for her.

Adriadne's thoughts were different.

"Demetrius is wondering if I'm regretting being part of his family? I can't blame him for that. I've been very cold to him ever since Father brought me in, even though Demetrius doesn't deserve it. It's no wonder he thinks I regret everything. And just when we're starting to get along better too."

Sadness welled up in Adriadne's soul. Fear joined it. She remembered that skirmish in the desert, the fear she felt when she saw her brother in danger.

"I almost lost him then. And Demetrius' job is to fight battles much larger than that. I could lose him at any time," she thought.

Determination welled up in Adriadne.

"Whether I lose him or not, I want to be closer to Demetrius. I have to make it clear that I don't regret being part of his family."

Then, Adriadne spoke.

"I understand that, as a witch of the Kallergis family, I do things that women shouldn't have to do. I also understand that you do not know what being a prostitute's daughter is like. But know this: if my manly activities are the cost of the life I have now, I fully accept that price. If an arranged marriage and being trapped in my house where I can only raise children was the cost, I would accept that price. I live a very good life, Demetrius, and I'm aware of that. Most Remens do not enjoy the same luxuries I do. I might not act like it always, but I'm truly grateful for what have."

Adriadne took a deep breath. She looked Demetrius right in the eyes.

"And you would not be my brother if I was born from another family or was never found by Father," she said.

Demetrius' heart sank. A pit formed in his stomach. The Stratigos felt like throwing up as his mind was thrown into a void of sadness.

"I understand. Adriadne considers dealing with me one of the prices of her good life. And here I thought we were getting closer because our bond level was rising. I guess that was just delusion on my part. And I can't blame her for thinking that way. I'm a dark magician. Even if I have to make people hate me to serve the Remen Empire, that doesn't excuse it, no matter how many Remen lives I save with my actions. I am..."

Demetrius turned away from Adriadne. He would not let his sister see his tears.

"...a horrible person."