Yuther’s jaw clenched in frustrated rage. He stood in the meeting hall of his commandeered palace. A mere handful of words scrawled on a bit of parchment had invalidated months of painstaking work.
“Has all of this been verified, Trasana?” He asked the statuesque general whom had handed him the report, barely able to keep the quiver out of his voice.
“Yes, Paladin Yuther.” She answered. “I witnessed the abduction of your brother personally, and I trust the soldiers’ accounts of the boy.”
“You saw this man, this Gray?” He pressed, walking around the stone table between them. “Tell me without reservation, what was your impression of him?”
“Before I answer, my Paladin...” Trasana paused to gather her courage. “Did you know that Gilles was infecting children with White Cough intentionally?” The air in the hall thickened with tension as though storm clouds had suddenly filled the space.
“And what if I knew?” Yuther narrowed his gaze. His frustration was overwhelming the gentle facade he normally showed Trasana. “We needed local support to move freely. Your gifts require sacrifice. Some pebbles must crack when moving a mountain, my naive general.”
“So you really did know...” Her eyes welled as she whispered back. “What you said about the divine beast’s blood causing the illness was just another lie. You made a murderer of me.”
“You’re no more a murderer than the edge of my blade. You’re a tool for a purpose beyond your comprehension, nothing more. The deeds of this legion are on my hands alone.” His words were not meant to give comfort. They were delivered as cold, belittling jabs. “Now fall back in line, general. Your gifts are valuable, but I’m done coddling you. If you feel like rebelling, go ahead. I hear little Norana is progressing wonderfully. I’ve also heard she’s become quite popular with the men. Defy me, and I’ll throw your precious niece to them like meat to the wolves.” Yuther finished his vile threat without so much as a blink.
A chilling moment of silence followed. It was broken by the sound of Trasana’s sword tearing through the air. The blade hit the collar of Yuther’s armor, and an explosion of sparks indicated that the armor had repelled the vicious strike. The paladin leaped back defensively, ready to defend a second attack. A deep gouge marred his priceless platemail now. He began to shout but stopped, eyes widening as Trasana’s voice cut him off.
“Great Un’hana. She that is loved by the water and air...” Trasana began her prayer, and the impenetrable circle of runes that suddenly flared around her showed that her goddess was indeed listening.
Yuther was shocked. Trasana wouldn’t dare defy him!
“...Turn your wrath unto this swine costumed in the vestments of righteousness...” Her prayer continued.
Yuther summoned his blazing greatsword and attacked the golden force field, hoping to break her concentration.
“...let not the dove guide their helm...” The first prayer was answered, enemy teleportation magic was now blocked. She stared coldly into his eyes as she continued.
“You know this won’t finish me! You’re dead, and so is that little niece of yours. Oh I’ll make her scream, just like her whore mother!” Yuther’s rage played out impotently as Trasana raised her arms high.
“...and let every wicked lung fill.” Trasana paused for just a second as the magic built to a humming crescendo. “...Coral Tomb.”
The hall was suddenly replaced with cold, dim, murky saltwater. This was one of the ultimate offensive miracles that the sea goddess could bestow. Both of them had been transported to the bottom of the ocean in the nearby cove. Trasana was still dry within the field created by the magic circle. Yuther was already swimming toward the distant sunlight of the surface, and Trasana knew he would escape this spell, deadly though it was. It was a testament to the man’s incredible toughness that he could survive the sudden pressure put on his body.
She had planned for this, and was really only buying herself time. She activated the power that allowed a high priestess like herself to assume the form of a water spirit. She took one last look at the man she had so admired as she passed him like he was standing still.
A minute later, Trasana was back on land. She sprinted at a speed that would be difficult to even see for a normal person. There was very little time, and urgency drove her. The reddish stone walls of Tarishan loomed before her. She bypassed the gate entirely by leaping the twenty meter barrier as though it were a garden fence. Buildings flashed beneath her in a blur as she skipped along the rooftops. Her niece would be in the temple right now, accompanied by Yuther’s elite soldiers. She now understood why he had always insisted on keeping her so ‘safe’. She was nothing more than leverage against Trasana.
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Trasana spotted two of the so called honor guards at the temple entrance. It was a magnificent domed structure made from a rare type of pale blue granite quarried in the far north. Yuther would most likely be using That skill right now. Sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed by the translucent thread of golden energy barely visible extending from the helmet of each guard and disappearing into the sky above.
She didn’t slow her sprint at all as she approached faster than they could react. She dropped into a slide as she drew her weapon in a sweeping slash that trailed a bright golden light. Ornate spears stabbed the air harmlessly above her as her blade cleanly sheared through the chainmail gap between their leg armor and chest plates. Both men dropped to their knees in silent unison, innards and dark blood pooling between their legs.
She didn’t slow. Back on her feet, she sprinted toward the small chapel where Norana would be finishing her morning prayers. Behind her, she could hear the disemboweled guards already beginning pursuit. As long as Yuther lived, so to would any under the influence of his Legion skill. Not only were they essentially invulnerable, they were able to access most of the paladin’s abilities and nearly half of his strength. The position of honor guard applied only to those few dozen soldiers compatible with the skill, regardless of any other factor or competency. Thankfully, the skill didn’t confer the paladin’s battle experience or absurd talent with a sword.
Trasana dispatched the honor guard woman outside the chapel door with a vicious sneak attack that caved in her golden helm and dropped her like a stone. The injury should be fatal, but Trasana knew the woman would be back on her feet in minutes. She burst into the chapel to find Norana wide eyed with fear at the sudden commotion. One look at the girl, who was barely more than a child reignited the anger Trasana felt. How could Yuther threaten such a pure and innocent soul with something so unspeakably evil?
“We’re leaving, Norana.” Trasana told her. “I’ll explain later.”
“You hurt lady Shasa!?” Norana looked past her to the collapsed knight, aghast. “Why!?”
“She will heal.” Trasana promised. “No more questions, we must flee now!” She didn’t wait for a response and picked Norana up as though she weighed nothing. She muttered a prayer, and with her free hand slashed the granite wall that led outside to a narrow alleyway.
She ignored Norana’s protests and feeble thrashing as she ran through the city toward the northwest gate. Within a few minutes, her feet were skipping across the open sand that was already growing hot under the climbing sun.
A desperate flight across the Rakashi desert was a practical death sentence, but Trasana had prepared for this before her confrontation with Yuther. She found her hidden cache of preserved food and protective garments a mile or so outside of the city, and took a moment to speak with her terrified niece.
“Yuther has turned on us, Norana.” She said, not holding back her own tears of frustration and genuine grief. It truly felt like the death of a loved one in her heart. “Someday I will tell you the full story, but for right now you need to trust your auntie.”
Norana fell silent, overwhelmed. The only family she had ever known was falling apart. She couldn’t defy Trasana as a High Priestess and the closest thing she had left to a mother, but her doubts were clear on her face.
Trasana shouldered the bulging pack and picked Norana up. She would need to cover ground far too fast to allow the child to move at her own pace. Even running at full speed, she wasn’t certain she would make it to her destination before Yuther overtook them. She prayed that her instincts were correct, and that the enigmatic usurper might be their salvation.
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Yuther sent out his Honor Guards in pursuit of the traitorous Trasana with orders to capture if possible, and kill if necessary. He then issued orders to the entire Golden Legion. It was time to stop pretending. He knew where the object of his search was, and there was no longer a need to pander to the masses.
The orders were simple, and terrible. This was war. Every fit citizen of Rakashi was ordered to report to their local Golden Legion officer where most would be drafted immediately. Any that refused to report would be enslaved by force. All production was seized, and shifted to wartime provisions.
The propaganda machine went into overdrive. A ruthless and evil conqueror had shattered the kingdom and now ruled its remains as a tyrant. Lies mixed with truth, and the Night of Screaming Skies took center stage as an example of what would come if the usurper was left unchallenged by the righteous people of Rakashi. In the altered version of the story, widows and children replaced the soldiers falling from the sky.
Many took the bait, and zealously signed up over the following two days. Faith in the knights was high, and the stories from the north had already painted the usurper in a wicked light.
Some, however saw through the propaganda. A trio of beastkin, whom had once stood in defiance of the knights weren’t convinced. They had been biding their time since that day when their village had surrendered to Yuther’s occupation. They now met in their hideout, a hidden cave near the foothills of the Sea of Stone. There was the tiger-kin named Saultan, the bear-kin woman named Ursula, and her husband fox-kin named Reynard. They were joined by two male tengu scouts, both agents of lord Gray.
“So they finally show themselves.” Growled Saultan, flexing his claws as though he wished to put them to use then and there.
“Sooner than expected.” Added Reynard in his typical soft tone.
Ursula remained silent, but nodded.
“Ariel’s Gate is prepared to take on three thousand refugees immediately. Lady Raj is working with the Gault kingdom to find a place for at least ten times that many.” The taller of the two tengu agents announced.
“Your efforts on our behalf have been invaluable. Our leaders would like to reward you in person.” The shorter and more muscular tengu added. “We’ll escort you to the Grandring Gate as soon as you’ve prepared yourselves.”
The sound of running feet approaching the cave caused them all to tense momentarily. They relaxed when the small rat-kin scout entered.
“News from Tarishan.” He reported quickly. “General Trasana has been labeled a traitor and kidnapped priestess Norana. She is believed to be fleeing north.”
“Fantastic.” The tall tengu grinned. “Brother Horus. Can I leave the escort mission with you? I’d like to make certain the general finds her way safely.”
“Certainly, brother Gryphon.” The one called Horus replied. “She will likely have pursuers. Shall I request support for you when we reach EDEN?”
“I believe only a Cambion could respond fast enough, given the distances. If lady Leifa can spare anyone, I would be very grateful.” Gryphon answered.
With that, the group separated. Gryphon took to the sky, flying fast to the northeast. Horus led the beast kin rebels up and out of the desert and into the Sea of Stone where several other Tengu waited to carry them safely the remaining distance to the dwarven capital and the persistent Blood Gate connected to EDEN.