Two and a Half Months Later
A loyal shadow retainer of a Hydarian noble was their right arm and most vital organ. The most trusted individual a noble house patriarch or matriarch utilized, even more than their own family. A shadow family walked underneath their master's radiance. They performed duties that would stain their master's boots and they would stab themselves if it meant their master could live one more day. At least, that was the ideal of a shadow retainer, a special class of Hydarian citizens that dated back their family trees to the inception of the kingdom. For their undying service, they would receive the incredible honour of their master's surname on their names but with the suffix 'un', a signifier of their loyalty and eternal servitude to their master. For a Hydarian noble, only a house leader and their heirs would personally receive a shadow retainer.
Lydia un'Fazquez was the shadow retainer for Gavrin q'Fazquez, the previous heir of the family and now Baron of Fazquez after the king stripped away the position of his father. Lydia was a dignified woman nearing her middle years, albeit one would be hard-pressed to call her such. Her wisdom was vast and she had been trained for her position ever since she was in her infancy. For Gavrin, who lost his mother when he was young, Lydia was the closest thing he could call to a mother figure. A kind, caring woman who loved him and took care of him during his coming-of-age. Lydia could be solely attributed to the reason why despite the corrupted nature of Baron Alana q'Fazquez, Gavrin still upheld a noble prestige that demanded kindness and respect instead of greed and power.
The shadow retainer of the Fazquez house was currently not where one expected her to be, within the confines of the Fazquez mansion. On the contrary, she was somewhere one could not imagine sending an important retainer to; the great forbidden forest which separated the Hydarian kingdom from their previous colony, the Osma reaches. Lydia was accompanied by ten members of her Fazquez shadow retainer family, a lineage which had sworn to be forever bound to the border town of Hydaria. They and Lydia were Gavrin's most trusted individuals that could be left to venture out on this important mission of sending goods to the newly founded and secretive Osma nation. They carried one cart pulled by a Kelpie, a horse-like creature seemingly made out of wood, roots and leaves. They were animals of burden that were the most adept in handling the natural environment and the forbidden forest.
Winter had arrived and the forest had gotten colder. This was not a region that would snow heavily, but some snow piled up on the road. The party were on the only road to the Osma Reaches, a road built that was directly connected to the Hydarian fortress in the Osma reaches. In the past, it would have taken the Hydarian army two weeks to reach the Osma reaches, but with the establishment of the road which cut through the forest, that journey would only take an army regiment carrying cargo for around six days. The shadow retainers were now almost halfway along this road between their home and the abandoned fortress.
"We are close, no? Lydia?" A middle-aged man asked.
Lydia was a blonde-haired woman who wore a red high-collared outfit with two shoulder guards. She fashioned white gloves, pants and boots. A rather noble appearance. The rest of her party wore similar clothing yet none could match her brilliance. She turned to look at the person who spoke with her.
"According to the map, yes, we were told that we would be picked up soon to be taken to the secret location..." Lydia replied with a strong voice.
"Can we trust them? Those Laputans?" A woman spoke. "I know it's Master Gavrin's orders, but this is ludicrous."
"I must say I agree. Our house is already in hot waters after Baron Alana's exile. Now our new master is colluding with the enemy..." The previous old man said.
Lydia's eyes turned fierce. "Such is the wont of shadow retainers. Our loyalty lies with our master, not with the kingdom. You must all do well to remember that. And you are all familiar with the young master's character, he would not do this without reason. Our mission is to bring our house's customary gifts and formally establish the secret trading route. That is what we must do." She replied firmly.
"But the Hydarian army would be marching next week!" Another person said from the back. "Surely those savages could not hope to defeat them. What good is a trading route with a soon-to-be colonized nation? Do not misunderstand, like you said, Lydia, our master's desire is our command. But perhaps as retainers, it is our duty to advise our masters of the correct path."
Lydia sighed. "I am not arguing that I, too, doubt the veracity of the young master's stories of these Osmanians. But I must repeat that it is our duty—" Her words were cut off prematurely. Everyone turned their attention to the road ahead of them. They suddenly sensed danger. Not of man, but beasts.
Suddenly, the howls of foul creatures were audible. From the depth of the forest, beasts of dreams emerged. Canine creatures with grey fur, glowing red eyes and a yellow glow surrounding their body. The yellow light swirled around their bodies like tentacles that acted as parasites to their hosts. It was immediately evident that they hunted in packs, and they found their next prey.
"A Galast! They can wield aether!" A retainer shouted.
Nine of the retainers unsheathed their swords and crossbows and readied themselves for combat. Lydia, however, was empty-handed. She weaved the air around her and from the ground, balls of fire made out of the soil that she stepped on were created. The fireballs floated around her like planets orbiting a sun.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"I will take care of as many as I can. Reserve your energy until I say so." Lydia stepped forward and faced the Galasts.
Several of the beasts charged forward to kill her. Lydia stayed calm and unbothered, she flicked her fingers and one by one, the fireballs moved like arrows and struck those charging creatures and killing them instantly. Realising some of their own were killed, the rest of them howled and ran towards her simultaneously. The shadow retainer did not stay in her position but rather moved forward to greet the beasts. She fired some of the fireballs and killed more, and by kicking the ground, she created fire pillars made out of rocks and flames that stabbed through the hides of the animals. With such impeccable technique, she felled more than ten.
"Alright, now!" Lydia shouted. The rest of her party joined the battle against the horde of Galasts.
The retainers displayed training far beyond what a simple Hydarian knight could achieve. Shadow retainers of nobles were some of the strongest individuals in their territory, more than the knights. They were their master's bodyguards and most talented combatants, should the nobles require representatives for duels guarding their honour. The Galasts wielded aether to control the yellow glowing aetherial tentacles in their bodies to act as extra limbs that gave them an edge in battle. Each retainer relentlessly blocked the strikes of not only fangs and claws, but those aetherial tentacles. The party of retainers defeated waves and waves of Galasts, but they noticed that not only were there more coming, but they were also attracting other Galast packs and beasts as well.
"Lydia! This is not good!" The old man said.
"We should retreat!" The woman shouted.
"And leave the goods we were sent to protect and make sure to arrive safely? Over my dead body!" Lydia shouted. Despite her incredible battle performance, her aether was not limitless and she was starting to feel aching and exhausted.
With no warning, the sounds of firecrackers rang through the forest. Yellow lights formed lines that traced through the air pierced through the forest and into the bodies of the beasts. Despite the Galasts withstanding several hits from those yellow lights, the sheer ferocity and number of light traces that pierced them were too plentiful for them to survive. One by one, the beasts fell. The retainers could only stand there as their foes were defeated faster than they could blink.
"Who's there!? Show yourselves!" A retainer shouted.
"You saved us! Are you the Osmanians!? We were sent by House Fazquez!" Another chimed in.
From behind the trees, bushes and even from beneath the ground itself, ghosts emerged. These ghosts wore strange armour that wrapped around their bodies like they were naked and each of them carried intricately-designed stick-like tools that they constantly aimed in front of them. In disciplined formations, two squads of these soldiers surrounded the party.
Lydia quickly deduced that the items they were carrying in their hands were the cause of such mass destruction. She could feel it. The aetherial signature near the barrels of the tools these strange men were carrying was red and hot. Lydia took the initiative and raised both her arms to the air as she saw those weapons aimed at her. Being the leader of the group, the other confused retainers also followed her lead.
"We were sent by Baron Gavrin q'Fazquez. We have a delivery for the Aksha and the Osma nation." Lydia said calmly.
The Osma soldiers looked at each other and nodded.
One Osma soldier stepped forward and said something in Osmanian. Surprisingly, from the choker that he was wearing, a monotone voice could be heard translating his words into Hydarian. "We have confirmed your identity. Please follow us in an orderly manner. We will escort you." The translated voice said.
All the retainers were surprised at such a device that could translate their words into their spoken language with ease. The continent and indeed, the world, was diverse and divided. The cultures and languages of people had served as constant reminders of the divide between men. The painstaking effort needed to be made if one were to learn another language, with the limited resources available and lack of tutors who spoke those languages outside of academies.
"Will you lead us to the Aksha?" Lydia said, almost testing if they could truly understand her.
There was a brief five-second pause before the Osmanian replied in his native language, which was translated as. "Yes. These are his orders. We cannot answer more questions. Follow us."
Lydia and the retainers looked at each other puzzled. But they all nodded and complied with the instruction.
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The Fazquez retainers were escorted deep into the forest. They were instructed to be silent and not converse with one another as the soldiers escorted them. It took them around an hour of trudging through the forest before they arrived at their destination. What they saw confounded their eyes and beliefs.
"It cannot be...what is this..." The eldest of the group muttered.
"This is preposterous. Did that empire aid the Osmanians? How?"
In an open field which had seemingly been carved out of the forest, metallic walls surrounded a great fortress of Osmanian making. It was a miniaturized town by itself, with each building serving specific purposes for the soldiers. The main building was shaped almost like a pyramid, with traditional Osmanian engravings etched onto the walls. It was a sight beyond what any of the Hydarians could imagine. The gates were opened and they were escorted inside. As Lydia and her party stepped foot inside, a man was waiting for him.
Or rather, she thought it was a man, but she could not tell. It was a man wearing an all-black outfit of strange fashion, with a cowl that draped his entire body and a hood and helmet which hid his face. She recognised the man immediately from her young master's description. She performed a deep bow and the rest of the retainers were so trained that they instantaneously did the same.
"I am Lydia un'Fazquez, the shadow retainer of the Fazquez family," Lydia said as she bowed.
"We are the retainers of the Fazquez family." The rest said as they bowed deeply as well.
"We greet the Aksha of Osma." They all said in unison.
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ART
Lydia un'Fazquez
[https://i.imgur.com/IYj3adx.png]
Kelpie
[https://i.imgur.com/nG0CVVr.png]
Galast
[https://i.imgur.com/7X4eVIX.png]