48- THE STRENGTH OF SHADOW RED
The elders of Werks arrive in Torbel after a long journey, accompanied by the three explorers who guide them to their destination. As they approach St. Jack, one of the explorers, Kemos, stops. He sees a corpse near the open entrance, which is strange. He asks everyone to wait to make sure there is no danger nearby. He approaches alone and upon entering the village, he sees a slaughterhouse, half-eaten corpses, blood everywhere, and countless atrocities. He quickly turns back and finds the other companions, telling the elders to take shelter in the forest while they check the entire area.
The other explorers approach and witness this massacre, and one of them vomits immediately.
"How is this possible?" exclaims the enraged explorer, Esseres.
"Look! There is something written in the square," comments the explorer, Sodel.
"Let's go quickly," adds the explorer, Kemos.
After jumping over corpses and decay, they reach the center of the square and see the message written in blood, covered with blue flowers, which says:
"TOSLAN XI WILL NOT FORGIVE."
The explorers are dumbfounded, filled with hatred and a thirst for revenge after reading this.
"Did that bastard really do this?" says Esseres, filled with rage.
"He is sick, we have to do something," says Sodel.
"And now, what will we tell these elders?" Kemos asks.
A scream is heard from the entrance.
"Shit! No!" exclaims Esseres. "They can't see this!"
The scream comes from a child who was with the elders; it makes them move quickly to the entrance, where all the elders see the massacre in terror. Inevitably, they read what was written in the square and remain stunned. The old woman demands that the explorers take them immediately to their Captain.
They begin the search, heading towards Stela with great caution, and find him there.
"Welcome! Elders, I thought you would be in St. Jack at this time," Captain Shadow Red greets, pretending to be surprised.
"A terrible tragedy has occurred," says the elderly woman, Sayure Shin, tears streaming down her face. "The entire village was massacred! And I couldn't find any trace of my grandchildren."
"It can't be! Did Toslan deceive me?! What a monstrous man!" exclaims SombraRoja.
At that moment, SombraRoja calls several of his men to investigate what happened in St. Jack. The journey is quick, and upon arrival...
"Damn them! They will regret this!" says SombraRoja, full of fury. "How is it possible that they torment us in this way just for speaking out? I apologize to you for bringing you here to witness such a horrible scene, honorable elders. This is further proof that Toslan does not play games. I expect your full support to stop this massacre."
"He will have it, Captain, he will," says the elderly Sayure Shin firmly.
"There is no choice, we have to do something," comments the elder Oko Saen.
"Whatever it takes for peace to be achieved," concludes the elder Kure Ahoe.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We will soon turn this disaster around, rest assured," says SombraRoja. "Explorers, your mission is not yet over. Escort the elders immediately to the port to ensure that the news reaches Werks and Elisod as soon as possible. We cannot let this go unanswered."
"Right away, sir," respond the explorers.
Captain SombraRoja's plan had gone as expected. Now he would simply wait for reinforcements and, later on, infiltrate his men into Ambelon to destabilize and plunder everything in their path. Now he had the perfect excuse for invasion, but he had to resolve the conflicts in Torbel first. He had already secured possible new lands in Ambelon. He begins to prepare two battalions, one consisting only of Oslandese rebels who would wreak havoc in the villages, and the other would be responsible for defense and seizing control of the towns in Torbel.
Quickly, he assigns his Generals the new orders. He wanted to take on the role of General Captain of the rebels, and thanks to his tactics, he would begin to unite every rebel faction into one, having them all at his complete disposal.
He spreads this news throughout Torbel. The Oslandese rebels were already under his command. The Stelanese rebels were also subordinated by SombraRoja, as their former captain, PesteHierba, had lost influence after what happened in Shockstel. The southern rebels were going to start following him due to the massacre he caused. The only ones he might have problems with were the Mountain Rebels, who were still closely tied to the Group of Fifteen. However, with his increased number of men, he would force them to submit to him.
He takes matters into his own hands and prepares all his men to immediately impose the new orders in the Northeastern Torbel Mountains, seeking more recruits for his new campaigns against the kingdoms of Teresville and Sleevies. SombraRoja leads this huge army, and along the way, small groups of Teresvillean Guards are brutally murdered. Their heads are raised on stakes alongside Rebel banners. As they pass through each village, they recruit more and more men. Any interference with SombraRoja's campaign results in death. All the rebels are somewhat terrified but also motivated to have such an imposing leader. He continues with his huge number of men along the roads near Teresville, and the guards in the area quickly alert the city of a possible attack. A large line of guards positions themselves in front of the Teresvillean walls, and archers rush to the towers. The entire city takes refuge immediately, but this huge army passes by without attacking. The high leaders of Teresville are left with many questions. King Toslan decides to prepare a defense for a possible attack by the rebels, and the Prince is in total anguish. If these men who just passed in front of their walls were the ones holding Lad Cariz captive, he knew he would have very few opportunities to rescue her unless he paid the agreed sum. He knew his father would not allow him to spend such a large amount of money, so he decides to proceed with his plan once and for all and demand high taxes to be able to pay the ransom. However, this action generates more anger among the people of Teresville, who, after seeing such an army, increasingly consider desertion to avoid a gruesome death.