Xue heard the distant screams of the crown prince as she sat next to her younger sister on a log just outside of the tent that had held the cages they had been trapped in for the past nine months. She ate on some type of sandwich the short man who had rescued her from her prison had given her and her sister. She wasn’t sure what it was but after eating nothing but scraps for months she wouldn’t care what they fed her so long as she and her sister got fed. After they both had finished their sandwiches a younger looking dwarf with his helmet off and held under his arm, the first thing she noticed about him was that he had a nasty scar across his face on the bridge of his nose. When he had seen that they were done he walked over to them stopping a respectful distance away when Xue tensed up. With a sad knowing smile the dwarf said. “My lady’s, my name is 1st lieutenant Regmin Stormblade of the 46th Legion of Nadir, I was tasked to ensure your safety and wellbeing until my lord Champion decides what will be done with you.” as Regmin finished his sentence Xue heard another long scream which brought a small bit of happiness to Xue’s face when she realized he was getting what he deserved. “Thank you Lord Stormblade. My name is Xue. This is my younger sister Nia, thank you for freeing us from that prison.” Xue responded with a rare genuine smile. Regmin gave her a grandfatherly smile before he pulled something from a small pouch on the armored boar next to him and handed Xue a large drinking horn filled with water, as well as a few more sandwiches. “Here, you must be hungry and thirsty after all you have been through, our messengers to commander Conrad should return shortly to tell us how the battle went, but my guess with how easily we cut through their left flank we should have won if not already then soon. Until then, eat, drink, and relax. You both are safe now.” After another reassuring smile Regmin remounted his Boar and began to turn after a moment he got a confused look on his face, Xue followed the lieutenants eyes to see over two dozen people atop horses with golden armored surrounding an opulent carriage pulled by a massive turtle with a black shell, she looked at the massive turtle like creature with fear and confusion as to what the beast was before she returned her eyes to the people surrounding the Carriage and the single man driving the carriage. The knights or legionnaires she guessed who guarded the carriage where wearing full plate armor of golden mithril Scarlet capes flowing behind them, with closed faced helmets with some sort of golden crest atop them, they held a Kite shield in their left hands with the crest of the dead mother, with a sword at each hip and held long spears in their right hands on the spears sat the banner of the dead mother. After a few breaths to calm down at the force she noticed the man driving the Carriage who was different from everyone else Xue noted absently. He was older, much older than anyone she had seen before yet he moved and surveyed the surroundings like someone much younger, the old man with short styled white hair and a mustache, he wore a perfectly tailored black suit with a red vest and black tie, Xue didn’t see anymore as the man took notice of her watching them, after a brief survey he gave her a soft smile and dip of his head, before she looked away focusing on anything besides the man. He gave her a sense of danger she hadn’t ever truly felt before.
Deklan stood with a satisfied smile on his face. The prince had lasted longer than he expected for being a Royal, those of more royal blood normally didn’t last so long. Although information wasn’t his goal the prince still gave him quite a bit of information about the Rakar kingdom and their movements, some of which wasn’t interesting while some parts were of interest. Dekland gave one final satisfied look at the bloody, butchered body of the crown prince of Rakar, well now ex crown prince Dekland reflected as he grabbed one of the short blades that was sunk into one of the prince’s thighs with the tip of the thin blade sticking out of the man’s calf. When the blade was removed, blood started gushing from the hole in the calf down to the floor. After he had removed the blade Dekland placed the edge of the blade on the back of the prince's slumped head, he raised the sword about a foot then he struck down with one swift motion as he beheaded the prince. Dekland then reinserted the blade into the spinal column so deep that the only thing left of the blade was the hilt.
As Dekland walked out of the tent with his helmet under his arm he noticed the two guards posted at the entrance, they weren't legionnaires of the 46th or any other legion be had brought with him, no they were legionnaires of the 1st legion of Nadir, commonly called The Champion’s Chosen due to them being the first ever legion created and trained from birth by Dekland and the best instructors the Champion could find. They normally acted as a bodyguard unit for the champion himself, although Dekland had ordered them to stay at their cult’s temple and Capital city to protect the saintess of nadir. Violet, a commoner girl of 19 years of age, someone Dekland and his priest’s had spent years searching for after the dead mother told her Champion about her desire for him to find a suitable candidate for a saintess to help him. As he stepped past the two guards in golden mythril armor, their cloaks and banners softly flowing in the crisp morning air he glanced off to the left of the tents entrance and found the two girls sitting on logs around what once had been a campfire, the younger and meeker one had her head down and was slowly eating a sandwich with a drinking horn near her legs leaning against the log. While the other girl met his eyes before she glanced away. As Dekland looked away from the two he wondered what he was gonna do about them, he had slightly forgotten about them during his, session. He figured he could pawn them off on the priest and order them to set the girls up with a house and job or something and that would be that. After he had finished pondering he saw a man walking towards him, dressed like the other legionnaires in golden armor with the exception of his deep black crest upon his helmet which the man currently held under his arm. Dekland didn’t say anything and examined the man as he approached, he then knelt on one knee, face turned towards the ground as he reached his lord, not daring to meet his lord's eyes.
“Master, I am deeply sorry for my failure to follow orders, as your trusted captain I should have found a way to follow them without fail.”
After another moment and with a slight unnoticeable sigh Dekland asked. “And why, pray tell Captain Hellswift, you couldn’t follow my one and only order for you to protect the saintess and keep her at Parandor?”
Captain Hellswift looked not afraid, but ashamed at himself more than anything. After a moment he looked up and met his lord champion's eyes.
“My lord champion, the saint said she must speak with you at once. While I am not sure what happened around two weeks ago she came to me and said she had got a vision from our lord god and needed to speak with you at once, I of course told her it would have to wait unless she wanted to send a messenger, and to that she said that it was too important to send a messenger. I figured that had settled it as she left but when she asked once more for us to lead her to you I refused and told her that my orders were to keep her there until you returned my lord. She of course didn’t take too kindly to that and plotted to escape our watch with the priests under her command. unfortunately We didn’t know she had gone until an hour after she left when my guards did their hourly check to try and ensure that she wouldn't leave. When I had learned she was gone I mobilized the entire legion to find her. When we had found her, she was surrounded by brigands and the dead corpse of priests. We dealt with the brigands easily enough before I made my displeasure clear. We returned to the city where me and her sat down and spoke about what she had seen, and well my lord while I can’t speak to what she saw, we set out within the fortnight for this place. Although of course ever since her escape, I kindly asked your personal attendant Zelen watch over her night and day.”
That stopped Dekland short, he hadn’t expected any of that to have occurred, he expected some resistance from the young girl due to her age but not to this level of stupidity and not about anything so important, which he was now grimly certain she must had seen something of importance as the captain he put in charge of the first legion all those years ago wouldn’t follow his orders to the letter if it wasn’t. Although it seemed that he would have to discuss things with the new saintess and inform her of how stupid and irresponsible her decisions had been but first he had to deal with this captain’s fuck up. “I understand, Captain. While you will not be let off freely for this, given the circumstances your punishment shall wait until a time when we can arrange a board of commanders to decide your Fate. Now it seems I have a saintess to speak with, Go, find Captain Brightblade and establish a better perimeter then whatever is in place now, we shall speak later.”
Captain Hellswift rose, taking the punishment as it was, after saluting to his lord he made a sharp turn and marched away to find Captain Brightblade. Looking after the retreating Captain Dekland looked around, finding the carriage he had made for the saintess surrounded by a circle of guards in golden armor. After spotting Zelen standing near the door of the carriage facing him, Dekland let out another soft sigh and wished he could just go back to fighting, after all fighting was so much easier compared to whatever this was.
As he passed the circle of Legionnaires he came face to face with Zelen, a monster from the realm of Glenshire. From what Dekland knew, Zelen had once been a minor beast from the lowest floors in the pits of glenshire, and after hundreds of years he achieved enough strength to reach the top floors where he fought against the ruler of the pits. He however lost after almost a week long battle, and although he lost he still gained the attention of the dead mother who offered the pit born beast a position of great import as a guide and servant to one of her chosen champions, that was how he had met Dekland. After Dekland had beat his competitors and had become the 19th Champion of Nadir, he was gifted with a few things, too start with he was given an immortal life span although he was told by Nadir that he could still be slain in battle, he just wouldn’t die from old age, sickness or anything else that wasn’t a Destroyed Heart and Brain, he was also given the ability to bless others with a much longer than normal life span a life span on the realms of thousands of years, he was given Abyss, while his weapons and armor were a gift by the best crafter in Glenshire to curry favor with their new champion, and finally he was gifted Zelen a guide and servant to help him achieve his goals.
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“My lord” Zelen spoke with a deep, respectful voice and a low bow, he didn’t look frightened or hesitant like those around him, he just stood there without a hint of emotion on his face.
“Well Zelen, care to explain why you are here?” Dekland asked the monster in Human form, he had been told why Zelen was here but he wanted the man's opinion of it all. “My lord, I am here due to the fact that your saintess has had a vision that could risk your plans for this realm and she needed someone capable of ensuring she could share her vision with you.”
Dekland and Zelen held each other's gaze for a long moment before Dekland sighed and stepped in front of the door to the carriage, he stopped with his hand on the door handle as he turned slightly and gave Zelen an order. “Zelen, go find Command Conrad and High Priest Lela and ensure everyone is ready to move, also ensure that the battle is truly over. oh and also inform them that any survivors are to be sent back to Parandor in chains, I assume whatever is going to happen we will still need workers for the mines and the fields.” Before he could receive an answer Dekland opened the door and stepped through and into the Carriage.
Dekland looked around the inside of the Carriage. It was much larger on the inside than the outside due to the Spatial enchantments that were engraved along the inside of the carriage during its construction. The inside of the carriage was the size of a large house. The only entrance to the carriage the door Dekland had just entered though, led into a sitting area that held two plush scarlet red couches facing each other split by a low wooden table, sitting at one of the couches with her back towards him was the Saintess. A young woman with Deep red hair flowing down her back, she wore an ornate set of deep red and golden robes. As he closed the door she sat down the tea cup in her hands and spoke and a soft commanding young voice. “Champion, please sit.” Dekland found that funny, normally he would be that one who commanded her and others and for the few years that he had known her she was always immature and prone to bad decisions. For example coming to a battle field on enemy lands where she could be captured and used against him to end this war. As he crossed the wooden floor to the second couch, he gestured for the lone servant who stood against one of the far walls “you get me something to drink, then leave us”
“Right away, my lord” the servant spoke swifty before silently walking towards an unadorned wooden door between two full bookshelves and opening the door to slightly reveal a kitchen. As Dekland sat across from the Priestess he sat his helm on the table before looking at the girl, he couldn’t help be notice the tenseness she held in her shoulders that sat on her petite frame, as he looked into the Saintess’ scarlet colored eyes he saw fear in them, as he held her fearful gaze for a few minutes without a word from either. The servant returned, setting a tea cup in front of him and filling it with a dark colored tea that held an aroma of wild flowers and refilling the Saintess’ tea before the servant set the teapot down and left back towards the kitchen leaving the two alone once more. After he took a small sip, he placed it back down looking back at the saintess as she too took a drink and then he spoke with slight anger in his voice. “Well, my dear, what do you have to tell me that is so important as to risk not only your life but hundreds of lives as well?” Violet flinched at his words as he had never been angry at her before and she still held fear in her eyes but it wasn’t fear of him Dekland noticed after a moment it was fear of something else, something she had seen Dekland surmised. “I'm so sorry Dekland, I didn’t want to come but the vision Nadir gave me was just. I just couldn’t sit in Parandor without at least trying to tell you.” the words tumbled out of her like a flood gate had opened and she held tears at the corners of her eyes. That caused Dekland to think for a moment before he took another sip of his tea before he spoke again “well Violet, I am not angry I am just upset that you would put yourself in this kind of danger. Now child tell me about this vision in as much detail as possible and well see if we can figure this out together, okay” he tried his best to look supporting and helpful to the child he had become a surrogate father for after they had found her dying of hunger alone in one of the villages near Parandor around 5 or 6 years ago. Violet gave him a look that he wasn’t sure he understood, maybe it was hope, or gratitude he wasn’t sure. She stood there thinking for a few moments before she spoke.
Violent had found herself in a dream, no a vision she reminded herself, dreams were different, they didn’t hold the small sense of divinity that these visions held. She stood in what seemed to be a burning city of stone and wood. In Front of her stood a massive man, Violet guessed he was eight or nine feet tall. He had a massive set of deep black antlers and skin a dark red. He wore little to nothing, with only a Kilt around his waist made of what looked like hides and skins of different animals with a few small pouches and what looked to be a leather whip. In his hands he held a massive two handed sword. Behind the monster stood hundreds if not thousands of others, all in different shades of colors with smaller antlers than the first monster with weapons of different designs. She wasn’t sure what any of them were but they looked like they were weapons. The massive man and his army didn’t look at her, they looked at something past her their faces full of rage, disgust, and she thought she saw excitement on a few of their faces. As she turned around she saw what they were looking at and it stopped her heart. In Front of her, facing the massive man and his army. Stood a massive pyramid off in the distance beyond hundreds of buildings and behind a large stone wall. She knew that pyramid, its distinct cap of black adamantine and walls of white marble, it was the first temple, the headquarters of the cult of Nadir, her home. She looked down at the street in front of her, and there stood another army facing the monster's army, at its lead was a large man in full black and gold adamantine armor with two distinct twin swords that Violet almost instantly recognized, the man who lifted her up, the man who saved her life and gave her a new divine purpose, a man she would do anything for, the Champion of Nadir, Dekland Mot. Behind the Champion stood hundreds, most of them in full golden mitral armor with weapons of their own. On the walls behind them stood hundreds more lining the walls, all of them archers wearing the black armor of their legions. As Violet looked around, no one moved as the two forces faced each other. After a few tense moments the two leaders stepped forward and moved until they had met at the halfway point between the two army’s. Just a few feet from Violet stood two massive monsters, one whom she loved deeply and the other who filled her with disgust. They stared at each other, not speaking a word Dekland having to slightly look up while the monster looked down. The first one to speak was the Champion of Nadir. “You have made a grave mistake attacking my home, a mistake not even your god can save you from.” his voice held a tone of authority and near divinity, that made his words seem a statement not an opinion.
“Dekland Mot, 19th Champion of Nadir” the monster spoke those words with hatred and disgust in a deep demonic voice that held the same tone of authority but not the divinity of the Champions words as he spat on the ground at the Champions feet. After a moment the monster continued “our gods are at war. and I have been tasked to conquer this world for his holiness, Enos The one true god of war.” they faced off a moment longer before Dekland laughed and spoke loudly. “Your god has chosen a fight he has no chance of winning, and has given you a task that you will fail in. I will wear your horns as a crown and use your bones as a whip for when I take your kind as slaves and offerings to the Dead Mother.” The monster bristled with rage at those words and screamed in rage as he charged. “THEY ARE ANTLERS NOT HORNS.” they clashed in mid air, two swords meeting one. As their swords connected everything froze the two Champions floating in mid air with the sparks from the three swords meeting frozen the same as the two Champions. A woman appeared next to Violet. The Woman was the definition of Beautiful, she was perfect in every way, not a single deep black hair out of place. She wore a tight fitting robe of deep black with her hand tucked behind her back, with a crown of bones upon her head. The pressure the women emitted was enough for Violet to know immediately who the woman was and Violet took one knee in respect to her god, The Dead Mother. Her god spoke with a strong Aura of divinity, and with a soft voice “My child, Rise. we have much to discuss." After a few moments Violet rose unsteadily as she took an involuntary look into the deep purple eyes of her god and forgot where she was. “What– what is this?” Violet asked after the few moments it took for her to get control of herself again. “This is the future.” Nadir spoke simply, after a moment more she laughed, a laugh a pure joy then she continued. “I know that is not what you meant, but that is what this vision is.” Violet didn’t know what to say, she wasn't prepared for this. After a moment more of her mind racing she set herself and asked the question Dekland would ask. “How long?” Nadir gave Violet a grandmother smile at the question. “Good it seems my champion is doing well in teaching you. This is a future that will happen in a few decades when the cunt of a god, Enos decides he wants to try and move up in the universe and believes that since I am not one of the gods of war he has a chance. But let me tell you this child, something that some god can't even understand. You do not have to be a god of war, to win wars. There is a greater difference than they believe between a rank 10 god and a rank 1 primordial despite being only one rank in between them.” The god continued to spout meaner and harsher things as Violet thought she barely understood what the god was even talking about, gods, primordials, she was lost and only understood that this would come within the next few decades she assumed. Nadir apparently sensed the confusion in Violet and stopped before continuing again “sorry, Child. There is much history between us, but that is not for you to worry about. I give you this vision to inform you Champion, that he only has two decades. Twenty years and a few months before this is to come to pass. He should have the entire world claimed under my banner before this is to pass to have a chance to win, also inform him that he must focus more on the magical abilities and authority that were granted to him. The gods' forces will attack on the day of the new year twenty years from now. Begone now child and inform your Champion of my will.” Before Violet could say anymore words she was gone from that vision. She shot up from her finely decorated bed in one of the highest rooms in the Pyramid of Nadir as she looked around she calmed herself before she got out of bed and stood in front of one of the windows in the room looking out over the vast city of Parandor, A city of stone and wood. She looked at the darkness-covered walls that surrounded the Pyramid and its surrounding temples, buildings and training ground. She saw the few lights that were atop the wall with a handful of guards near each one. She looked past the walls and towards the surrounding city and the sea beyond, before she set her jaw and made a plan.