Divine System: Land of the Abominations

The word, Purge, sounded suspiciously ominous.

His thoughts raced back to the Wandering Spirit's Journal.

"Everyone will die. A field of corpses."

"Was this what it had meant?" Nero thought to himself.

Were the Templars planning to slaughter all the refugees?

No. That couldn't possibly be, right? The Templars pillars meant to protect humanity. They were its shield and sword. And while you could argue that their methods could generally be seen as cruel, Nero didn't believe they had what it took to annhilate so many people at once.

There had to be a better explanation for it.

But then why those words? And if that is truly what was meant, why the casual way they discussed it, as if it were simply another task to complete? Almost as though this was not the first time.

The man in white chuckled softly, the sound unnervingly light given the context,

"Now, now. There's no need to go that far quite yet."

He tapped his scepter against the ground twice, the golden cross catching the light,

"We simply need to wait a few days longer for a directive from the capital. Patience, Commander Strut."

The Templar with the star, Commander Strut, remained silent. The others did as well.

Nero pressed himself further into the corner, his heart pounding so loudly he was certain they would hear it. He forced himself to breathe slowly to calm himself as he tried to remain perfectly still.

The man in white gestured toward the map with his free hand. "Now then, shall we continue? There are more pressing matters to discuss."

The Commander shifted his stance slightly, turning his attention back to the table. "The scout reports from the Garden?"

One of the flanking Templars stepped forward, pointing to a cluster of black figures on the map. "Abomination density is increasing in sectors seven through twelve. Grade E and F primarily, but we've confirmed at least several dozen Grade D entities in sector nine."

Nero frowned. What were these sectors they spoke of?

His eyes scanned the map again, but he truly couldn't make out most of what he was seeing. This map was far more complicated, with way too many lines and figures he didn't understand. And so, he gave up on that entirely.

The Commander frowned,

"What are the casualties looking like?"

"Not good. But we can keep them minimal if we maintain current formations. The grunts from squad 6 reported encountering several packs of Crawlers but they were eliminated before we could verify what kind. Handling that kind of danger without losses will be impossible, Commander "

The Commander nodded. "And what about those rounding up the mundanes?"

"They are on schedule. Squads 7, 12, and 13 have secured routes to the outlying settlements. We estimate another two thousand refugees will arrive within the next forty-eight hours."

Nero listened intently, his fear momentarily pushed aside by the need to gather information.

"Two thousand more refugees. That would bring the total to well over a hundred thousand people gathered outside Liedenstorm's walls."

The discussion continued, voices overlapping as they detailed movements, formations, and tactical assessments.

The man in white suddenly raised a hand, silencing them.

"How many of the Crimson Crucible do we have deployed across the region currently?"

The Commander answered immediately. "Just over ten thousand, scattered between Malady's Garden, the northern forests, and the evacuation routes leading to the southern towns and cities."

Ten thousand.

Nero's mind reeled at the number.

Now that? That was huge and impressive.

It was practically a small army. An entire legion of powerful warriors moulded and shaped to battle the horrors of this world, all mobilized for this operation.

The man in white frowned, "Then why is the response time so terrible? Strut, are your men sleeping with the Abominations instead of performing their duties?"

The Commander was silent. Then his words came through, albeit sounding a bit forced,

"It might be slower than anticipated," the Commander admitted.

"But the directive came through late. That is why the execution was delayed. Several towns on the empire's fringes were lost before we could reach them because of this."

A dark air settled above the White Prophet,

"Areyou saying it is the fault of us seers?"

The Commander shrugged, "I'm saying we all have a part to play here."

Nero's fists clenched.

Gor.

They were talking about Gor.

The man in white remained silent.

Then he huffed,

"Indeed we do. Then this outcome is unfortunate," the man in white said, though his tone suggested he found it anything but. "Still, we've saved far more than we've lost. The Church will be pleased with our efforts."

Saved.

Nero clenched his fists.

They spoke of salvation while Nero's friends, his neighbors, everyone he had ever known, had been torn apart by Abominations, turned to carrion and feasted upon before their souls were ferried to the underworld by enormous flies.

He wanted to scream out in rage. To draw his blade and—

No

A bucket of cold water washed down his head.

He forced the anger down, burying it beneath layers of cold shsdows. Losing control here would mean death. No, a fate far worse than death.

He needed to listen carefully, absorbing every single word he heard instead.

The discussion continued, each word adding another piece to the puzzle Nero was desperately trying to assemble.

The Commander shifted his weight, his armored hand moving across the map to indicate several positions marked with red figures. "Squads 3, 2, and 4 are maintaining perimeter security around the primary evacuation zones. They've reported increased Abomination activity after sundown, but nothing beyond expected parameters."

"Expected parameters," one of the flanking Templars repeated. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

The Commander's helmet turned slightly toward him. "Do you have a concern, Brother Markus?"

The Templar, Markus, hesitated before responding. "No Commander. Only that the parameters keep changing. Last week, a Grade D sighting was cause for alarm. Now we seem to be treating them as routine obstacles."

"That is because the situation is evolving," the man in white interjected smoothly. "We adapt accordingly. That is the strength of the Church and its Templars."

The other Templars fell silent. The Commander shifted a little,

"It is indeed as you say, Sir Gilleon." He said, though Nero detected something in his posture.

The Commander continued as if the exchange hadn't occurred. "Squad 14 encountered resistance near the town of Nieb. Heavy Abomination presence forced them to reroute the civilians through alternate paths. Estimated delay of six hours."

"That was foreseen," the man in white said. "And Caensar?"

"It is secured. The walls there are holding, and local forces have established defensive positions. We've stationed three companies to assist with crowd control and Abomination suppression."

Nero's attention sharpened. Caensar was one of the major cities mentioned in passing before. If it was secured, that meant...

"What about the outlying villages?" the other flanking Templar asked. "The ones beyond the current operational arm?"

A long pause.

Nothing else was needed to be said.

"How many?"

"Anywhere between fifteen to thirty settlements. Population ranging from fifty to five hundred each."

Nero did the math in his head. Thousands of people. Thousands condemned to die because the Templars couldn't reach them in time.