Kaspian Bladeheart POV
“How are the men?” I asked as I cleaned the blood from my sword’s blade. I could feel my clothes wet with my own sweat and the blood of mana beasts. I could feel my body protest in pain and exertion but I had managed to aid in our troop’s retreat safely back to the wall for now.
“37 Injured with at least 41 men unaccounted for sir.” A deputy captain reported.
“Too many men.” I cursed under my breath. All because of that new mage that was put in charge here had led them straight into the maws of those creatures. And those numbers would only grow as more and more reports came in.
After the disbandment of the tri-union council we were luck the new king seemed to have some sense, but it would seem his subordinates were different, or perhaps we have judged our king a bit too hastily. Many soldiers, especially those who have fought alongside him, almost worshiped him as their savior god. While others still deemed him an usurper of the throne.
“Get these men to an emitter now.” I commanded.
“Right away sir!” He said as he ran off to do just that.
I began to walk to my own camp when a legion of warriors clad in shiny black armor marched past me. They moved with almost unnatural precision, each footstep matching each other. Never stopping to look around them or to even acknowledge their fellow soldiers.
While the emitters of this new army our king had introduced were more than enough in dealing with the injured they still didn’t sit right with many of the soldiers all around Dicathen. They seemed detached, too strict in their motions and words. If they spoke at all. They felt more akin to puppets of some sort obeying their master’s will.
Whatever they were, it didn't feel right. But I will give them one thing, they were more than proficient in holding their own against these mana beasts. They never seemed to panic and break formation. When given orders they followed them to the letter. Even acting selflessly to protect the weaker individuals.
I have seen it for myself, a wall of these black clad soldiers creating a protective barrier with their own bodies as wounded soldiers were carried away. I was still thinking when something flying this way caught my attention.
Mana danced at my fingertips as I prepared for another attack, only to see it was the masked mage that was stationed here not too long ago returning. While I couldn’t make out his face due to his mask from his whole demeanor he seemed dejected and angry. That one was a strange fellow. But I suppose most of the people working directly under King Grey are.
The masked mage landed in the center of the camp with a loud thud, cracking the stone floor beneath his feet. The other people near his landing site all were spooked as they gave him a wide berth.
And as he drew closer I could feel the fire type mana burning uncomfortably warm, like an open flame.
‘Certainly in a bad mood.’ I thought to myself. It is best I don’t provoke him. I allowed him to pass me, I could physically feel his anger manifest as flames as he did so. Everyone else took the cue and did as I did.
Heavy footsteps drew my attention as I turned to see an armored warrior. He wore similar armor to Grey’s personal army but it was decorated with golden accents. Not to mention he was far larger, at least 7 feet in height.
He trailed behind the masked mage, keeping some distance. In his hands he held a massive halberd that matched his armor. The only noise he made was his footsteps, the joints of his armor were completely silent as he moved. And the entire camp seemed to join in that silence as they passed.
The strange thing was that I couldn’t sense his presence at all. Nothing, not even a ripple in the surrounding atmospheric mana. It was as if he didn’t even exist, my eyes seemed to drift away from him naturally. The only reliable source to his existence was his physical appearance.
A cold shudder traveled up my spine as the giant warrior passed. From the way he carried himself to his presence I could tell this one was different from the other armored soldiers.
An elite division perhaps? That would explain his expensive looking equipment. A bodyguard of that masked mage perhaps? Or maybe acting as the King’s ears and eyes.
The tense silence was broken by a loud thundering roar. All of the soldiers jumped to action. Many of them brandished their weapons expecting another wave of mana beasts to charge at the Wall. Soldiers hurried to their battle stations as I followed in suit, quickly making my way all the way up to the main Wall.
“I want archers lining that wall!” I shouted commands as I discarded the dirty rag I was using to clean my blade.
“Go go go! Augmenters keep those beasts as a safe distance for our-” My commands were cut short as a large hand blocked my way.
I peered upwards to see that large golden warrior standing in front of me. His arm stretched to block me.
“What are you doing?” I asked through gritted teeth. I don’t know what these things were but I would be damned if I allowed them to walk all over the standard chain of command. Or worse, question the autonomy of the adventurers’ guild.
But the large warrior didn’t answer as he fell to his knees in a deep bow. “Huh?” I couldn’t stop such words from leaving my mouth as I looked around at my men who were just as confused as the other armored soldiers all did the same.
‘Just what are these things doing?’ I cursed in my head as I turned to urge my men to continue their preparations when a large gust of wind almost knocked me off my feet.
I whipped my head around, only to be met with a giant dragon. The creature of legends and myth, with scales darker than I could have thought possible. Its massive bat-like wings flapped in the wind as it hovered. Shining yellow eyes seemed to directly peer into my soul as it just hung in the air.
But the more remarkable thing was the man the dragon carried on its back. King Grey, dressed in similar armor to his warriors, stood upon the back of the dragon. His long blonde hair seemingly dancing in the wind. His eyes subtly glowing in a matching color with his dragon.
But without even blinking he disappeared and reappeared directly in front of me. Small tendrils of purple lightning danced around his skin as he seemingly teleported. The dragon let off a loud huff from its nose as it became shrouded in a golden light.
I covered my eyes as the light became overwhelming, and when it dyed down a small girl, no older than ten hovered in the air where the dragon was and gently floated down next to Grey.
The only thing that gave away her otherworldliness was the large obsidian horns that grew out from her head. I had heard rumors that asuras were capable of taking on multiple forms but this was my first time seeing it first hand. There were still certain features that were shared between the two forms but still.
And seeing Grey with his dragon next to each other like this really gave off the image of a sibling pair. Many of their features seemed like a mirror reflection.
+Rise+ Grey spoke, but… but his mouth didn’t move. And a painful splitting sensation gripped both sides of my head as I staggered backwards.
I could hardly register the armored soldiers all rising to their feet in unison as I felt my insides churning.
I was saved from falling directly to my death by a pair of sturdy hands.
“Woah there, I can’t have you dying yet.” Grey said, his deep voice were mere rumblings of bass-like noise as my mind was still in shock. It took a couple of seconds before I could fully regain my stance.
King Grey and his bond seemed to talk to the large golden warrior in the meantime. I couldn’t fully make sense of their conversation but I heard small snippets. Something about the boy and the Dicathen defense.
After they were done the golden warrior moved along, floating gently down to the ground floor as Grey turned his attention towards me.
“Mr. Bladeheart, sorry about that. I keep forgetting the effect my Will can have on lessers.” He said with a small smile on his face. It was strange to think that this young man, the same young man who was registering to become an adventurer a couple of years ago, is now the king of this continent.
He couldn’t be any older than twenty. But the force and attention he seemed to command was unlike any young person I have ever met. I’ve had dealings with him before, mostly with a discussion and agreement that the Adventurer’s guild would be allowed to act independently from his rule. Even then, the respect he commanded and the way he held himself seemed too experienced for a person of his age.
Sometimes it appeared as if an older man was trapped in this younger body. And his physical prowess was scarier. Even when he was a new adventurer I felt it during our test duel. There was something special within this boy. And perhaps that was how he had risen so high.
“No, it’s alright.” I reassured him as I shook his outreached hand. Even from this small touch I could feel the strange power flowing within him like a tempest. Almost as if keeping the power he wielded in control was taking more effort.
“How is the Adventurer’s guild doing these days?” He asked as he slowly walked over to the edge of the wall. He overlooked the Beast Glades. Or at least what was left of it, with many of the trees being burned for hundreds of feet, leaving a sizable patch of barren wasteland that was an advantage as much as it was a rough spot for us, leaving such a wide area completely open.
I pondered if I could try to mask the truth, but I deemed it unnecessary, this new king of ours has made it abundantly clear that he had the resources needed to collect such information should he require it.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Many of our adventurers are spread thin throughout the continent, your majesty. While various commissions come pouring in from more… influential noble families.” I answered as I joined Grey by this side overlooking the Beast Glades.
If it weren’t for the dangers such a forest imposed on all of us, it would have been a nice sight. The far stretching greenery going all the way into the horizon and meeting the clouds. But the reality of the situation came back to me as the wind picked up smells of burning ash and blood. While the attack may have stopped for now there was no telling just what those Alacryans were doing deep within the Beast Glades.
“Commissions for bodyguard or personal army work I presume.” He answered without taking his eyes off the distant horizon.
“Indeed, your majesty.” I answered curtly. While many of the lower class citizens of Dicathen were more than welcoming to Grey’s policies. Many more of the higher class noble houses weren’t as happy. Imposing heavy tax on their family business as well as taking away many of their benefits under the guise of war time prep work. King Grey has on more than one occasion made his dislike for nobles who do nothing for their own continent apparent.
And with king Grey showing the force he commanded it made sense that some nobles would begin to feel uneasy. To the point of trying to muster up their own personal army to save their skins when the time came.
Harsh winds blew past us, making Grey’s long blonde hair tied in a loose tail flutter in the wind.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Grey.” I said in such a tone that only he could hear.
Grey only seemed to smirk. “You believe I can’t deal with some unruly nobles?”
I lightly shook my head. “You are poking a sleeping bear. It might begin with them, but be careful where you tread. It may end with the others.”
Grey began to speak but stopped. His mouth halted as it tried to form new words as a dark purple mass that appeared to be made of pure shadows emerged from his body.
Instinctively I drew my sword, only to be met with Grey with his hands on my blade telling me to put it away.
The mass of purple-black shadows changed form, as it took on a shape that resembled some wolf-like creature. Except this wolf has a mane and tail of violet flames. A pair of horns above its glowing yellow eyes gently curved upwards and ended in points as sharp as any well-kept sword.
The creature, despite its monstrous appearance seemed to stretch its back and forelimbs, very much like some domesticated pet would. Its mouth opened wide displaying a row of small put sharp teeth that caught the sun’s light.
“Man, it gets tiring being stuck in there.” The shadow creature spoke. Spoke?
“And who said you could come out?” Grey asked his… companion?
“Come on. I have rights too, you know.” The shadow wolf complained as if it was a child being scolded by its parent.
The humanoid dragon walked over to the wolf’s side and began to scratch its fire-like mane. I couldn’t help but stare a bit dumbfounded. Grey seemingly seeing surprise written on my face reassured me.
“They are my companions I guess you could say. Although they are more close to family than anything else.” He said, which only raised more questions in my mind. This shadow wolf thing was one thing. But to call a dragon, a creature of legend and a member of the asuran race a family member?
Eventually I just gave up trying to understand this strange new king we got. Best to thank whatever high powers that he was on our side for now.
“Anyways, I do suppose it is time I move out myself.” Grey said as two more of those golden warriors materialized from thin air. Each of them holding a massive halberd in one hand and a shield in another.
“Where are you going exactly?” I asked, trying to hide the shock in my voice. Something about these golden warriors was unsettling, even more than those other armored soldiers.
Grey turned back to face me. On his face was a confident smile. He sure was a looker, that’s for sure. I am sure there will be many noble families trying to win his hand in marriage soon enough. But Grey didn’t strike me as a man who would fall for such tricks.
“A king must lead by example should he not? If he won’t even stand by his own principles then why follow such a man.” Grey said. “Would you like to join me on my excursion?” He asked as he turned to me.
I pondered this invitation for a moment. I haven’t directly seen Grey fight since or duel, and even then I doubt he was taking me on seriously. So this could be a good opportunity to gauge his prowess.
I sternly nodded and in return Grey spoke. “We are leaving in five, have your men ready.”
Grey POV
“Do we really have to take them along?” Sylvie asked as we were flying across the Beast Glades.
“Imma need to second her on this one chief.” Regis chimed in from within my core.
Keeping my focus on Realmheart in order to lessen the air resistance as we flew I could feel the Sealing Tesseract Neoth gave me that held Kaspian and his men weighing heavy within my storage ruin. I had figured that would be the best way to transport them all in a timely fashion. Although they didn’t seem 100 percent comfortable with the idea.
“There are still many within Dicathen that doubt me. We can’t win this war by ourselves, and even if we could I still need to rule over this land.” I answered. The wind whipping around my long hair as we were closing in on our destination.
The custodian I had sent to the Wall, Achillian had already done his due diligence and mapped most of the notable areas within the Beast Glades. And his scans had revealed several points of interest that gave off little to no mana signatures. It was subtle, almost undetectable but these custodians and their ways weren’t anything ordinary.
If we had to guess it could be from some sort of artifact or spellform used to mask mana signatures. Some sort of Alacryan hideout of sorts within the Beast Glades. That would explain how they were able to produce seemingly endless hordes of corrupted mana beast to besiege our borders.
“Still, don’t you think they will be dead weight for us?” Sylvie said as her eyes quickly flicked over to the two custodians that were following us. She certainly felt the deep seated hatred any of the Djinn held for any dragon. And I don’t doubt they would demand a good explanation as to why she was still alive, or at least not used as leverage when they learn that she is of Indrath royalty.
And these custodians were more than enough in subduing Sylvie if they deemed it necessary. I could feel my companions' emotions seeping into my own mind.
“Don’t worry, I won’t actually allow them to be in direct danger.” I reassured Sylvie.
“So what? They are just your audience to show off your powers?” Regis jabbed.
I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong, and I needed to cement my power and rule over Dicathen as much as I could. While there were certain groups that have started worshiping me as some sort of savior deity there were others that held great dislike for me. I didn’t need more problems to deal with, much less any sort of rebellion or betrayal.
And I believe having a notable guild leader like Kaspian vouch for me would be a smart move. I have purposefully left the Adventurer’s Guild mostly alone for now as I worried stepping in too directly would only step on other’s toes. I needed to gain their support by their own free will. And if I could manage that many of the adventurers who rely on the guild will eventually soften up to me.
“We’re here.” Sylvie said as she stopped midair.
With Realmheart fully active I could see that the area below us had a thinner atmosphere of mana then the rest of the Glades. Not by much, but if you knew what you were looking for you could see it. But other than that there was nothing that gave this area away. Tall dense trees covered the ground from the air as the sounds of the forest’s wildlife filled our ears.
Sylvie in a flash of golden mana turned back into her humanoid form as we slowly descended into the forest. Making sure to land a couple hundred meters away from the area of interest. The tree covering was so dense that below the treelines it was as dark as night down here. I could smell the scent of wet grass as we touched down.
Making sure there was nobody around I retrieved the Sealing Tesseract from my dimensional storage and with a small application of aether Kaspian and his men appeared before us.
Most of them seemed dazed, as if they had just woken up as their heads darted around to their new changed environment. Kaspian was rubbing his temples as he approached me. His usual formal wear was replaced by a simple yet elegant silvery battle armor that perfectly matched his usual fashion with his family crest etched onto his left breastplate.
“Sorry about that, that was the only real way to move all of us at once.” I apologized.
“It’s alright. Just a bit jarring, I’m sure my men will be fine.” He reassured me as he stretched his muscles. And looking at them now I could see he wasn’t lying. I recognized some of them, many were at least A-ranked adventurers or above. From the weapons they carried to how they carried themselves I could tell that these mages were experienced in fighting.
Turning back towards the two custodians I gave them a small nod as they nodded in return. A cloak of aether shimmered around them as they vanished from sight. The aether acting as a mirror of sorts to completely mask them from any outside observer.
Pushing aether out of my core to surround all of the others I applied the same armor of aether around all of us as we all went invisible. Some of the mages let out small sounds before quickly hushing themselves as I began to speak directly into their minds.
+I have given you a small measure of my own powers. You should be able to faintly see each other. Rest assured that others cannot. Now, follow me.+
I motioned them to follow as we drew closer and closer to the area of interest the custodian pointed out. Brushing past foliage we eventually were led to small clearing. Still shrouded in the darkness of the forest canopy there was a small dungeon entrance jutting out from the ground. One of the older outposts the Adventurer’s Guild operated I would presume from its rundown appearance.
+Stay here.+ I said as Godstep carried me the distance to the entrance. The entrance reminded me of an old mindshaft of sorts. Made with a combination of wood and stone with moss growing on it. The wood looked decayed, and probably wouldn’t withstand a firm hit.
‘So this is what Agrona has resorted to after the carnage we have caused within his camps huh?’ Regis remarked.
‘Still an efficient use don’t you think? Turning our own tools against us.’ I said back. I may not give that Basilisk much credit but he was a crafty son of a bitch.
I placed my hand lightly on the mossy stone of the dungeon entrance as I closed my eyes. I could feel Godstep, Realmheart, and King’s Gambit glow warm on my back as I pushed around the atmospheric mana and aether, taking my mind’s eyes into the depths of the abandoned dungeon.
Through Realmheart I could feel the presence of a strong aetheric signature deep below as I ventured down. The once large cavernous interior was redone, with large pylons of wood supporting the ceiling as long tunnels winded downwards. Eventually leading to a large opening with a domed ceiling with several connected rooms. I could feel the mana signatures of the Alacryan soldiers as they worked away.
And in the far end of that large room was the source of the aether I had sensed. A vast portal network, no doubt a mode of transporting troops as well as resources from Alacrya. The portal seemed to have been older than the surrounding structures. Perhaps of Djinn make and design, which would explain why they were able to travel between the two continents.
I kept searching around, gently probing around the mana and aether when I eventually stumbled upon a certain mana signature. I could feel Regis tense up as we both realized who it was. Even though Regis was still in his incorporeal form I could sense a wicked smile form on his nonexistent face.
Deactivating my Godrunes I returned to my group. They all looked expectantly at me, well, most of them looked at me strangely. Which I couldn’t blame, from their perspective I was standing there with my hand on the stone like some crazed lunatic.
But this will be a good opportunity to show these soldiers why I am the King of Dicathen in such times.
I nodded towards the custodians as they drew their own weapons. Sylvie hopped off the small rock that she was sitting on as she joined me by my side. Turning to face Kaspian and his men I spoke directly to their minds.
+We are moving out.+