Aztec Eternals

On the shore of Texcoco's lake, under the burning sunset, Shulot calmly looked forward. Behind him, dozens of elite warriors followed, and hundreds of craftsmen and peasants were busy.

The warrior commander remained motionless, silently guarding. The old warrior Etalik looked at the boy, took a few steps forward silently, bowed his head with a smile in greeting.

"Your Highness, do you have any instructions for burning charcoal, bricks and precious stones here? Follow your will! I am willing to spur the craftsmen for you and guard the sun's new life until dawn covers the earth!"

Hearing the old warrior's straightforward heart, Shulot was a little surprised. The young man looked at Etalik carefully, looked at the same flame in his eyes, and fell silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"Etalik, what do you think of this place?"

The old warrior put away the smile on his face, and answered seriously and decisively.

"Your Highness, the civilians are just burning charcoal, maintaining the operation of the alliance. The warriors are hard clay bricks, defending the greatness of the alliance. Only you, the crystal clear gem, bears the will of the Lord God and guides the alliance. Alliance forward!"

Facing such an answer, Xiulot was surprised. He stared into the eyes of the old warrior, and then nodded slowly.

"Very good! Etalik, you are very useful!"

Hearing this, the old warrior bowed his head again, a smile flashed from his face.

The water of the lake passed quietly, and the days passed in a flash. This morning, facing the first ray of sunrise in February, Xiulot went out dressed up. He carried the little golden eagle looking around, and went again to Montezuma's palace. Immediately, he received an unexpected and well-prepared message from the north.

"What? The elders postponed the New Year's sacrifice for another two weeks? The city of Hirotepec has finally been captured?!" The boy's eyes widened and his tone rose.

Avit nodded. He touched the soft feathers of the little golden eagle, and flicked his little head habitually. Then, he smiled, handed out the shivering cute eagle, and handed it to his expectant daughter.

Alyssa happily hugged little Avelot, pressed it against her chest, and smiled innocently. Then, the girl gently stroked the neck of the little golden eagle, and then it poked its head out comfortably, and proudly yelled "Yo Yo" at Avet.

"Here is the news of the night. It is brought by the swiftest warriors rowing day and night: Seven days ago, there was a lack of food and civil strife in Xirotpec. Hundreds of Otomi warriors opened the city gates in the night and led the alliance army into the city. The northern town fell immediately. When the messenger set out, only the temple pyramid in the center was still resisting, so it must have been pacified by now!"

Gilliam reported solemnly, with a straight body. Shulot looked at the scarred wounds on his ears, and at the trembling shoulders of the intelligence officer, feeling a little puzzled.

"Your Highness, you have made great achievements again!" The intelligence officer smiled slightly, and then looked at the boy.

"It was the suggestion of the camp garrison officer, Baramo, that Commander Othello sent the Otomi warriors you recruited to surrender. They sneaked into the city secretly, persuaded the garrisoned civilian warrior battalion, and launched a rebellion to surrender!"

Hearing the intelligence officer's approval, Shulot shook his head calmly.

"The second siege lasted for more than four months, and Xilotepec has run out of food and grass. Even if there is no internal response, it will only last for another month. How will the alliance deal with it?"

Avit pondered for a moment. Thinking of the past, he stretched out his hand and stroked the boy's hair affectionately.

"Sholot, don't be soft-hearted! The elder's New Year sacrifice has been waiting for a long time. The alliance needs a grand ceremony to appease the shaken nobles and deter the vassals who need to pay tribute."

After a while, Shulot nodded slightly with a calm expression. Forged mercilessly by time, his heart is as hard as iron, soft and deeply buried.

At the same time, in the important town in the far north, the sun rose again. The brilliant golden light shone on the burning temple, turning the past sanctity and belief into scorched earth, and also illuminating the dim central square.

More than 20,000 civilians were driven to the left side of the square, including many young and strong militiamen. They were skinny, full of traces of hunger, kneeling and crawling weakly, and even lost the strength to cry. On the right side of the square, there are more than 4,000 Otomi warriors who have just surrendered. They were unarmed, thin, and looked good, but their faces were ashen, and they had lost the faith and courage to fight.

In the center of the square, there are two or three hundred Otomi priests of different ranks. Wearing black and white priestly clothes, with their hands bound by sisal ropes, they knelt down toward the burning temple, crying their last bitter tears.

On the square, tens of thousands of Otomi people were either dazed and silent, or crying with their heads in their hands, worrying about their future fate. On the outside, there are tens of thousands of Mexica royal warriors. They were full of murderous looks, armed with batons and shields dripping with blood, and surrounded the square in full armor, waiting for the next choice of the Otomi people.

In other parts of the city, there are scattered squads of Mexica warriors hunting. With bulging pockets, they escorted thousands of noble men and women in gorgeous costumes, and gradually gathered from all directions to the central main road, bringing the weeping captives outside the city to gather. These people have lost the opportunity to choose.

Going against the flow of captives, Baramour, the poet warrior, pulled a young Otomi warrior with a downcast look, and whispered kindly.

"Natali, my friend, don't hesitate later! After killing the priest of Otomi according to the order, he knelt down to the priest of Mexica to convert, and sang the name of the sun god loudly! Anyway, the sun god also Your god of war is also to be sung on weekdays."

Hearing the words of the poet warrior, Natalie was still in a trance. He pulled his hair in pain, he didn't want to look at the burning temple, and he didn't want to look at the noble men and women who left the city. Ever since he was betrayed by the city-state of Ottopan, he felt hopeless and at a loss. He didn't last long, and he and his brothers surrendered to the Mexica army one after another.

Afterwards, they were stationed in a mountain camp in the west, under the custody of Mexica warriors, and received instruction from war priests for two full months. Then, one thousand Otomi soldiers were completely dismantled and distributed into different armies. And he was assigned to Baramo, the bard warrior and garrison officer of the mountain camp.

Paramo treated Otomi's troops very well. He is frank and easy-going, brave and good at fighting, and can recite poems fearlessly on the battlefield. He is the perfect example of warrior and poet, and he won everyone's hearts in a short time.

During the siege, looking at the hungry villagers, Natalie offered to surrender. Then, he ventured into Hirotepec and persuaded his former partner, the commander of the civilian battalion stationed at the north gate, to surrender. However, at this moment, when the city fell as expected, he couldn't forgive himself. Thousands of sorrows flowed in his heart, and thousands of thoughts flew unspeakably.

Seeing the shaken expression of his new subordinate, Palamo shook his head inwardly.

"It's really a fragile flower. It can't accept the baptism of the cold wind! But the flower is beautiful after all, and it belongs to my garden. Let me plant it and cultivate it diligently, as a future help!"

Thinking of this, the warrior poet smiled melancholy, put his arms around Natalie's shoulders affectionately, and whispered persuasion.

"Nataly, my friend, look at these passing nobles!"

Paramo pointed to the gorgeously dressed team.

"After two years of siege, nearly half of the civilians in the city starved to death, and tens of thousands of people turned into skeletons! These nobles still have nothing to worry about, and their faces are rosy. They are high-ranking Keke, why did they take you weeds into their hearts?"

Natalie was taken aback. He raised his head and looked at the long line of escorts, taking a closer look for the first time. Indeed, although these men and women in fine clothes looked miserable, their cheeks were full and there was no sign of hunger. Thinking of the hunger, cold and death of the villagers, starving and dying everywhere, a strange anger rose in his heart, and the guilt and sorrow instantly subsided a lot.

The warrior poet watched Natalie's expression, smiled slightly, and continued to speak with a deep magnetic voice.

"Natali, those noble priests have never pretended to you civilian warriors. They have guarded the city for so long, and they prayed for the gods and nobles day and night. How many of them have really led the way for the common people to the Kingdom of God?"

These words pierced into the heart of the young Otomi warrior like an awl. His expression gradually changed, as if he had a reason to convince himself, turning the self who loathed and rejected him into a confident and approved one again.

"This war was caused by these greedy nobles and stupid priests! If it wasn't for the nobles' refusal to pay tribute, how could they be attacked by the alliance? If it wasn't for the priests' repeated agitation, how could they have rebelled needlessly, making last autumn's harvest a waste ?If it weren't for the priests and nobles who refused to surrender, how could they be executed by the Alliance Trial?

They brought war and bloodshed the warriors. They ate and slept peacefully, causing countless civilians to die of hunger and cold! Now is the time for them to repay all this! Seeing this scene, what can you blame yourself? The city of Xilotepec will eventually fall, and more people will starve to death. So, Natalie, you did nothing wrong, you are the savior here! "

Palamo's persuasion suddenly flowed into Natalie's heart like a clear spring.

The young Otomi warrior stood blankly for a long time. After a while, he murmured.

"All the deaths, all the faults, and all the hatred are caused by these people in front of us!"

The poet warrior listened carefully, then smiled with satisfaction, and hugged Natalie's shoulders even harder.

"Go, Natalie, my friend. Use the weapons in your hands to execute the real sinners! Pray to the Sun God, the Lord God will forgive all your sins and lead the lost souls to heaven. "

"I'm not wrong, it's them who are wrong! God of War will illuminate everything!"

Natalie murmured repeatedly. Thinking of this explanation, he was like grabbing a piece of driftwood in the deep Tampen River, and suddenly he had strength in his hand. The more he thought in this direction, the more he settled down, until he reached the central square.

Seeing the arrival of a thousand Otomi soldiers, the priests accompanying the Mexica army stepped into the square. They built the altar of the sun god, lit a raging holy fire, and sang in unison under the flame. Soon, the surrounding Mexica warriors also sang. They tapped their shields with their batons, roaring timidly. Then the sound of chanting rose suddenly, covering the sky and the sun, with the terrifying howling of tigers and the crowing of eagles!

Seeing the start of the grand sacrifice, the Otomi civilians fell to the ground in fear, and the Otomi warriors on the other side were also pale and shocked. Only the Otomi priests in the middle suddenly became angry, roaring and shouting loudly, and then were drowned in more intense howling.

In the middle of the crowd of Mexica warriors, Commander Othello listened for a moment with satisfaction. Immediately, he swung his big hand forward forcefully, and the low drumbeat sounded. In the Nahua language, Othelor means jaguar, swift beast, and elite warrior. This noble name is also only passed down to the royal family of Mexica.

Hearing the sudden sound of drums, Paramo quickly patted Natalie on the shoulder, handed him a long obsidian dagger, and pushed him forward violently.

Natalie staggered two steps, and was the first to rush out of Otomi's soldiers. Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of civilians and warriors, he staggered towards the priests in the middle.

At this moment, the young Otomi warrior seemed to be walking on clouds, and was in a trance like a dream. For more than twenty years, the fear of gods suddenly came to my mind. Looking at the holy and supreme priest, his footsteps hesitated slightly. Immediately, Palamo's deep words flowed in his heart again, as if possessing a strange magic power.

"They. Guilty to kill. Me. Innocence to save"

Rubbling in a low voice and hurriedly, Natalie finally walked to the head priest at the front. The other party's god-like face was looking at him angrily and roaring at this moment.

"Sinner who betrayed the original god! You will forever fall into uh.ah."

With a puff, Natalie thrust out the dagger with all his strength and penetrated into the chest of the priest leader. His hands trembled, this time he missed the vital point of his heart, and the other party fell down screaming miserably. He drew his weapon and stabbed again, the tip of the blade deflected, but still not fatal. In the end, the young Otomi samurai's eyes were red, and he cut across the long dagger, cutting the neck above the chest, and finally gave the opponent a relief.

This full-strength slash broke through the flesh, and also cut through the last obstacle in Natalie's heart, bleeding blood, and taking away all the guilt in his heart. He finally got a new life.

Natalie's face was twisted, and his eyes swept across the square fiercely, until he saw the Mexica priest beside the holy fire. He just woke up slightly, threw the dagger tremblingly, ran a few steps towards the light in his heart, and knelt down in front of the priest with a bang.

"Vizilopochtli, Vitzilopochtli! Vitzilopochtli!!!"

Natalie let out a pious cry, prostrated herself on the ground, put her face on the ground, and murmured the last three words.

".save me."

"Okay, very good!" Commander Othelor laughed heartily, and swung his baton violently, bringing the sound of howling wind.

He looked at Natalie with great satisfaction. This Otomi soldier rushed out first, and in front of tens of thousands of Otomi people, he beheaded the chief priest in the city without hesitation, completely breaking with the past. He is fierce and decisive, with a firm will, and he believes in the sun god so devoutly!

"Remember the name of this Otomi warrior! I want to promote him as a new hereditary nobleman, betroth his noble daughter of the Mexica, and give him a battalion of one thousand Otomi warriors!"

Othelor ordered the guards majestically, this will be a model for all Otomi, the most loyal servants of the alliance.

Not far away, the poet and warrior Palamo stared at the scene in front of him in a daze.

"God, the flower in the garden has just been planted, and it has grown into a big tree in a blink of an eye? Am I blinded by my eyes, or is the world blinded by my heart?!"

The holy fire is burning brightly. The thousand Otomi warriors who had surrendered for a long time were finally inspired, broke free from the last shackles, and never had any scruples again. Howling, they rushed forward, and soon, the chanting of Otomi priests, like their blood, sank into the deep soil. Not far away is the burning temple, which is almost exhausted.

At the forefront, Natalie is still prostrating devoutly in front of the holy flame. He murmured silently, devoting himself to his imagination, feeling the complete light and warmth. And behind him, more Otomi warriors quickly knelt down, dozens, hundreds, thousands, until the future of the north was determined!