On either side of the Indus River, two hastily-assembled armies were arrayed against each other. On the west side, bestial demons set up camp and raided human farming villages along the river. On the east, the Coalition of Eastern Heavens was assembled, the combined power of every Domain still left in Asia. As the one most experienced with leadership, the High Emperor of the Chinese Domain had assumed the mantle of the Coalition’s leader.
Worried by the demon army dwarfing his own, the emperor had called for negotiations with their mysterious leader. Nobody had yet seen the master of this demon army, which had appeared nigh overnight a week prior. The emperor sat down in the middle of his tent levitating above the river, his attendants laying out refreshments.
The Emperor stared through the open tent flap at the darkened sky. Normally it would be late afternoon, the setting sun warming his face. But these days, there were nothing but clouds and ash in the sky, a potentially worrying omen for things to come. As the scheduled time for the meeting approached, the Emperor donned his ceremonial robes and headdress.
The exact moment the time the Emperor had scheduled the meeting to begin had passed, the sound of an intimidating manly choir appeared out of nowhere. A few seconds later, a large, menacing figure rose atop a cushion of swirling sand, with scarlet robes and a sadistic look in his glowing red eyes. The person stepped inside the tent, ducking to fit his frame through the entrance, and stood staring down at the Emperor. He pressed a button on a device hanging from his hip to silence the choir, then his face broke into a slightly unnerving grin.
“HE! Great to finally meet you! It’s an honour, really.” Thel stepped into the middle of the tent. “Nice place. What did you think of my entrance? Could it use some polish? One to ten, how would you rate it?”
The Emperor scowled. “Please do not abbreviate my title. It is unprofessional. I assume, then, that you are the leader of the demonic army scouring the continent?”
“In the flesh.” Thel sat down. “Ooh, I feel so important!” He stifled a squeal. “So tell me, Mister Emperor, why’d you summon little ol’ me to talk?”
The emperor composed himself. “That army of yours is threatening the balance of the world and causing untold destruction. The Asian Domains have united to halt your eastward advance, and I am here to negotiate on the continent’s behalf.”
Thel took a cup from one of the attendants. “Right, yeah, of course. If you must know, I’m just a Primus trying to make his way through the world. See, I was recently put at a bit of an advantage, and I’m intending to press it. If my plans hold up, the world will crumble before my might, and I’ll be the supreme ruler of all existence by the end of the year. I guess I could be persuaded to talk, though. Tell me, what do you hope to discuss with me in this lovely tent of yours? Also, do you have scones?”
The Emperor snapped his fingers and a plate of scones appeared between the two, As Thel dug in, the Emperor did not so much look at the food. “As you can imagine, we would rather avoid such a conflict. May I ask where exactly you come from? You referred to yourself as a Primus, and you look like no demon I am familiar with.”
Thel gasped through a mouthful of scone. “Mm, whrm-“ He paused to swallow. “Where are my manners?”
The Emperor brushed a crumb off his robes. “Very far away, it would seem.”
“I’ll let that one slide. Name’s Thel, brand-new Pharaoh of Egypt. If you want to include my newly conquered territories, I’m also ruler of the Sahara, Middle East, Caucasus, and Macedon. But let’s not get into semantics, you can just call me Thel.”
“Egyptian, then. While I am surprised that a Primus from a Domain as weak as yours would be able to muster an army of that size, I recognize that the details are largely irrelevant at this stage. Hopefully, you can realize that your army of animals with sharp sticks has little hope of faring against the wrath of two powerful Domains.”
Thel looked the Emperor up and down. “Oh, sure. I know you guys are plenty strong. But the thing about you guys is, you’re already at full power. What you’ve got now is all you have. But me? I’m getting thousands of new minions a day. If you completely annihilate what I’ve got now, I’ll just wait another week and try again. I’m Egyptian. I’ve waited a long, long time for this, and I can wait for however much longer I need. I’ve only blitzed through half the planet already to cut everyone off and stop all the Domains from fully uniting against me. If I feel like it, I can just hold my minions on my side of the river for a few more months and wait until we’ve dwarfed your side, then roll right over you. You’ve always got the option to surrender, of course.”
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The Emperor mulled over his options for a moment. “And then what? Even if you defeat our Coalition, you’ll have three other sets of furious immortals after your head. No amount of bravado will save you in the end, there will always be yet more to oppose you.”
“Pfft. You think Asia’s the only place I’ve been thinking about? I’ve practically already won. I’ve usurped the Egyptians. My other forces have surrounded Greece. The Aztecs haven’t been able to do anything for centuries. The Norse are too oblivious to even notice what’s going on down here. Your little ‘Coalition’ is the biggest obstacle in the way of my endless horde of demons, and I’ve got you quaking in your boots.” Thel stood up. “So, seriously. Don’t make this too much of a hassle for me.”
The Emperor stood up in turn, taking a step back so as to not be utterly dwarfed by Thel’s stature. “Where did you even find an army this large? We would have seen it decades ago.”
Thel smiled evilly. “Let’s say it’s a little present from that nephew of yours and leave it at that.”
The Emperor gasped. “Erlani! What did you do to him? Are you the one who abducted him?”
“Oh, nobody abducted ol’ Earl. He left your little court all on his own, and now he’s my faithful number two. Isn’t it fun how everything always turns out so wonderfully for me?”
The Emperor stifled a growl. “You have turned my greatest general and own nephew on me, and you continue to threaten my rule? You will not make it out of this conflict with your head attached to your neck, Pharaoh. I guarantee it.”
“Tut, tut, tut. Don’t lose your cool there, Emperor.” Thel leaned down and grinned smugly at the emperor. “It’s unprofessional.”
The emperor was slowly wreathed by a glowing golden aura. “Do not mock your betters, Pharaoh. You will be put swiftly in your place if you continue in such a manner.”
Thel looked around as the tent’s attendants stood back in fear, huddling against the fringes of the tent. “Man, and here I thought I was the impolite one. Look at you! Causing a scene, scaring your own minions. For shame, Emperor.”
The emperor’s glow did not subside, but the Primus regained his composure. “If you expect me to strike first, you are mistaken. I have been a monarch for a long time, and I have seen every tactic you can think of. You act as if you are somehow better than me, but I see your plan as clear as day. You are a weak, inexperienced ruler attempting to scare his opponents into submission via the pretence of dominance. Well, I have stood down foes stronger than you, and I have no intention of letting you intimidate me, Pharaoh. Now please, kindly run back to Egypt and let us resolve this situation.”
Thel’s smug expression crumbled in an instant. He stood up straight and looked the emperor dead in the eye. “You know that power boost I mentioned obtaining a little while back? See, it’s not an exact science, what it can end up doing for you. In fact, I still don’t know the full extent of my abilities!”
He grabbed the Emperor’s arm and engulfed himself in chaotic energy, filling the room with the raging might of a crackling, scarlet inferno. The Emperor shrank back, but was held in place by Thel’s searing grip. When Thel spoke again, his booming voice carried the malice of one whose very essence had been slighted.
“CARE TO RUN ANOTHER TEST?”
-
As the demons and minor Primoi glared at each other from across the river, both sides were caught off guard by a sudden explosion from above them. The armies looked up to see the negotiation tent engulfed in chaotic energy and burn to a crisp. After a few seconds of the roiling ball of chaos floating above the river, the conflagration petered out. All that was left of the tent was Thel, hovering in place and looking out over the Coalition army.
Thel turned to his own army and gestured at the Coalition. “Go get ‘em. I need to lie down.” He teleported away as the tide of demons surged upon the defending Primoi.