“As long as Ascalon stands, our invasion will never break past The Castrum’s walls. The Monarch’s Aura… it is truly a terrifying power, but it is not without weakness. We must force him to leave the capital and isolate him from the rest of his citizens before we can launch our assault. However, Ascalon is intelligent. Weak and emotional, yes, but intelligence nonetheless. No matter how much I’ve attempted to lure him these past years, he has never left his marble cage. We need something greater. Something to crack his stoic shell. Just what will bring that winged rat out of hiding…”

Grand General Xeros, Ruler of Nox Caelum

———

Ascalon

“You stupid, brainless fossil!” Annalay roars amongst the throne room. “Has a single coherent thought ever passed through that empty cavern of a brain you have in there!?”

“Madam Annalay, pardon my language, but you are a dull-witted buffoon!” the chancellor snaps back. “Thy ignorance is astounding! It pains me so that your moronic stature is allowed to corrupt this noble kingdom!”

“The feelings mutual you cantankerous bastard! What do you know of the battlefield? How dare you lecture me about deployment and strategy!”

“Of course I must lecture you! You deny our formations solely because of your vapid ‘gut feeling’. How does having a gut feeling take priority over countless hours of reconnaissance? You approved of this deployment before, so why does thou now reject with such vehement?”

“Gadriel, I have served many years on the battlefield. Many. Many. Years. I may not have as much experience against Xeros as Lorelai does, but the most important lesson I’ve learned over the years is to adapt on the spot. Yes, I approved of the deployment to the Outer Strait, but now there’s sinister brewing over there, something ominous, and you know how crafty that damned corvid is. We can’t put our knights in such danger when we need to move with speed if we want to overwhelm The Grand General!”

“But that is precisely the reason why we must deploy the troops to the Outer Strait! You vocalized it yourself. We must move with great speed in order for this invasion to bear fruit, and this route bestows us with the opportunity to avoid the front lines and attack directly at the fortress!”

“I already said why we can’t go through that path you absolute moron! Are the lives of our knights that expendable to you?”

“There has been no indication of any danger whatsoever presenting itself on the route. The scouts approve of it, the magi approve of it, and our beloved King approves it. Thy gut feeling is baseless. You are but a paranoid wretch cowering before thy feeble nature!”

“Oh, go choke on your wine you old relic.”

“Hah! You will sooner suffocate from your endless merry-going of mead and woman before I ever leave this court.”

Ascalon is tired. Very tired. He brings his hands up to his face as the court bickers around him. Such occurrences have been the norm as of late, and rarely is any progress made when the atmosphere becomes this hostile.

“Gadriel. Annalay,” he exasperates. “Please calm yourselves; this conflict only serves to slow our progress. We must be amenable to each other if we are to organize this invasion.”

The two officials look at each other with contempt before begrudgingly setting themselves back down into their seats. The throne room is filled with various legal officers and knight captains who surround a giant war table. They bicker aggressively in a disorientated, chaotic matter while The King sits exhausted upon his throne.

Lorelai enters the room amidst the divided court and Ascalon beams at her comforting presence. Her appearance calms him down greatly, and the fire of motivation once again ignites within him.

The court lightens up at her entrance and the tense atmosphere begins to dissipate. Annalay waves at her and beckons her to sit by her side, eager to fill her in about their current situation. Lorelai obliges and seats herself upon the court, her radiant aura a much-needed boon among the tired officials.

“You’ve arrived just in time,” Ascalon says with solace. “We’re in the middle of discussing our war plan for the invasion against The Nox. You may not remember our geographical circumstance, so we’ll brief you along as we progress further.”

“Thank you, Ascalon,” her honeyed voice echoes. “I’ll try to absorb as much as I can.”

Ascalon breathes a sigh of relief and walks towards the middle of the room. A large map of the continent is sprawled out on the war table and multiple ceramic figures dot the area, representing the Polus troops, war fronts, and multiple fortresses.

“Everyone, we must be united as one. We cannot let our pride get in the way of cooperation. Remember our cause and for whom we fight for. Please, at least tolerate each while we are gathered in this room. For me, for Lorelai, and for the countless citizens that rely on our leadership.”

The officials quiet down in awkward shame and reinvigorate themselves with newfound purpose. They have all gathered here today in Lorelai’s name, united under the banner of vengeance. The Nox can not be allowed to go unpunished for their transgressions. They must pay, and only Xeros’s head will soothe the ravenous court.

“Then we are of one mind, body, and soul. Let us start from scratch and make our way forward from there.

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“Currently, the capital is situated northeast of The Æternum so we have no need to worry about an attack from our rear. To the east of us lies the northern border of The Augurium while Nox Caelum resides in the south. A large fortress called The Magnus Murus blocks the path to The Nox capital, and the terrain surrounding the sides are impassable for all except The Seraph. Our front lines are currently blocking The Middle Strait, which leads to a straight path towards our capital, and the conflict there is currently at a standstill. We could move along the southwest, near the border of The Æternum, but Xeros has multiple scouts and logistic points situated along that area, so traversing through would forgo our element of surprise.”

“Why must we prioritize a hidden attack like so?” one of the legal officials asks. “Xeros has already withdrawn a number of his forces from the area, so breaking through will prove a much easier method of invasion.”

“Xeros’s troops are lesser in number because his guard is down ya dolt,” a knight captain replies. “He thinks we’re in mourning over Lorelai’s death, so he’s more focused on the search for The Comet and defending his eastern side from The Arch Magus. If we suddenly launch an attack, then he’ll be much more alert against us, and going for his head will become a lot harder. We have to break through quickly and efficiently if we want to slice his neck.”

“It is as they say,” Ascalon says. “The truth of Lorelai’s current state is our biggest strength, and Xeros’s reallocation of Libevich to his eastern front shows that he believes we’re crippled. The surprise invasion will shock him greatly, but we will already be upon his doorstep before he has the chance to react.

“Disregarding the southwest route, the remaining paths we’re able to traverse are The Outer Straight, the contested area situated to the southeast, or The Highlands which is between The Middle Strait and The Outer Strait. Travel alongside The Outer Strait is much more preferred, as The Highlands are more perilous, but I trust Annalay’s gut. No matter how she is perceived amongst this room, her exploits and years of service to this kingdom are not small in number, and I value her input highly despite how she may act at times.”

“Oh, um. Thanks?” Annalay says, confused at the veiled insult.

“That leaves only The Highlands left. Although this route does allow our troops to reach the fortress more quickly, it is also more dangerous. The twisting caverns and sharp geography will exhaust the troops before we’re even able to assault The Magnus Murus. I will not allow our knights to confront The Nox in a weakened state, so we are now stuck at an impasse.”

The court falls silent, unable to proceed any further. Each route presents their own troubles, and there are no definitive paths for Polus to invade through. An awkward stillness fills the room as no one is able to provide a reasonable alternative.

All except for one person.

“Are there any paths underground that we can possibly go through?” Lorelai asks amidst the stumped court.

“Un-Underground?” Gadriel stammers. “Thy would have our winged personnel be confined underneath the… wait. Yes, tha-that could work!”

“Lorelai!?” Annalay gasps. “Su-Surely you won’t force that upon us? That claustrophobic tightness. That maddening darkness. There is no freedom under there… just a cold kingdom of muck and filth, trapped by a ceiling of impenetrable soil. You’re asking our knights to experience their greatest fear, a primal terror that envelops all of us who soar through the sky.”

“Be that as it may, it's the best lead we have at the moment,” the leader of the scouts division states. “There's a bunch of underground caverns and pathways scattered throughout our domain. Although we haven’t fully explored them yet, there's a good chance one pf them will lead to the fortress. I can send out some of our finest scouts and magi to investigate the safety of the routes.”

“Yes… I believe that Lorelai’s proposition is our best course of action,” Ascalon encourages. “I shudder at the mere thought of being forced to traverse those underground trails… but it is precisely because it scares us so that Xeros will expect it to be the last place we’ll come from.

“However, I cannot force The Seraph to traverse those passageways; I know better than anyone how terrifying the underground can be. If the captains don’t agree to the proposal, then we shall find another way. What say you?”

The knight captains linger in silence for a moment. The underground is a truly terrifying place to them, but there is one thing that overrides that fear.

Duty.

“… I was only a mere child when our relations with Nox Caelum began to break down,” one of the captains begins. “All I remember during that time was fear. Fearful of the constant attacks and sieges. Fearful for my father who went off to protect our kingdom. Fearful of our future when he never returned. I manifested these wings so that none among our walls should ever feel the same fear that I did. If I must conquer my terror to bring about a brighter tomorrow, then I will gladly be confined beneath the hollow earth.”

The captains nod their heads in agreement and begin to rise before their Ruler. Conviction buries itself within their eyes, and righteous zealotry fills their whole being.

“We will suffer through any tribulation!” they recite in unison. “Whether we soar through the heavens or crawl upon the earthly dirt, all shall be for the prosperity of our nation, the safety of our citizens, and our dreams for a world where we may experience freedom above The Stars themselves!”

Ascalon breaks out into a wide grin and raises The Mattatron up high. Its radiant sky blue aura fills the room and shines in triumphant celebration.

“I hear you, o’ sons and daughters of Polus! Our blades shall fly with smoldering courage, and soon we shall free this kingdom from Xeros’s baleful gaze once and for all!”

The room erupts into joyous applause. For once in a very long time, the court is completely united in one singular purpose. Only a single person is despondent in their seat.

Annalay remains silent as uncertainty trembles in her eyes; she can’t bear to watch the others revel in their patriotism. Unlike the other Seraph, she can’t overcome that terror. She can’t.

“Ascalon…” Annalay says meekly. “I-I can’t. I can’t go below the earth. Not again. I’m sorry. I… I’m so sorry.”

Ascalon has never seen Annalay so vulnerable. She has always been a rowdy companion to him, always smiling no matter the situation, so to see her in such a state saddens him to his very core.

He descends the throne and wraps Annalay in an encompassing hug. Despite the frustration and stress she inflicts upon him from time to time, she is still one of his dearest friends. A comrade that he can rely on no matter what.

“It’s ok Annalay,” he soothes. “If you can’t go, then I shall respect your wish. Besides, I have another duty for you, and only you, that must be completed. You are the only one I can entrust this to, so I hope you will accept my plea.”

“What do you mean?”

“You shall protect the capital in my stead.”

“In your stead? Wha-” she stammers. “Wait. You can’t mean?”

Ascalon returns back to his throne and gazes at the bustling city outside. The people are restless. Afraid. The once sparkling capital of his youth is gone, and as long as Xeros remains alive, it will never return.

“Yes,” he confirms. His eyes burn with purpose and the air trembles at his decree. “I will personally lead the advance against The Nox.”