The sun was slowly setting in the east, casting the last of its fiery red light on the barren mountainside as a large group of armoured knights, riding magnificent war horses, galloped up a narrow path. In the distance behind the knights, the imposing city of Alzor, the pride of all humanity, stood out in stark contrast to the land around it, its grey stone walls and majestic towers reaching hundreds of feet into the air.

All of the soldiers were wearing similar, ornate silver armour with vibrant red cloaks, adorned with the figure of a man holding a silver spear in one hand and a glowing golden sun in the other, except for the two stationed in the middle of the group. One of the figures was a giant of a  man, dressed in black armour with a matching heavy sword strapped to his back. Next to him was a much slimmer but no less intimidating figure, the golden crown circling his helmet glinting in the dying light.

“General Rynheart, we will be arriving soon,” one of the riders called back, causing the man in black armour to shake his head and spit on the floor through the small gap in his helmet. “Why don't you yell it a bit louder and let everyone know? Fucking moron.”

The man who had called out visibly shrank his saddle in a vain attempt to make himself less noticeable. The crowned figure next to Rynheart raised his visor and gave the general a look of sympathy. “Don't be too hard on them; they were forced into this position to try and gain favour for their families. They haven't been on the front lines like you have.”

“Pfft,” snorted Rynheart. “You have not been king a month, and already those corrupt, backstabbing aristocrats are swarming around you like flies over dung.”

King Harken laughed, although anyone who knew him well, could tell it was strained. “Comparing your new king to shit already? I thought you would have at least given me time to get the throne warm.”

General Rynheart sighed noisily, removing his helmet with one hand. “Why should I when you’re so desperate to get yourself killed? Risking your life for no other reason than stubbornness and an idiotic sense of justice is beyond foolhardy. Why can't you just stay in the citadel and do king stuff and leave the dangerous stuff to professionals?”

"The first lesson my father taught me, was that a good king must always take responsibility for his actions, even if they are for the benefit of the people. Putting my responsibilities aside, what man would I be if I condemned these thirty-two souls to the abyss without even having the courage to look them in the eye?"

“A normal one,” muttered Rynheart respectfully, knowing full well that he could not change his king's mind. "Especially when dealing with the scum of society, so despicable that not even their own mothers would miss them.”

Harken ignored the comment and shifted in his saddle. "Is everything in place?"

"The Masons Guild completed the preparations a few days ago, giving the Royal Magicians enough time to engrave the runes and run as many tests as they could without contaminating the site," said Rynheart in a matter of fact tone. "We received the 'materials' from the... brokers yesterday, and everything should be in place by the time we arrive. If everything goes according to plan, we should be finished by early morning."

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"Brokers?" Harken thought for a moment before frowning. "I take it the Sun Council aren't gracing us with their presence."

"I would have thought you knew better than that. Those bastards never get their hands dirty." A bitter smile crept up Rynheart's face. "They have provided enough crystals for a teleportation array to be set up for forty people. They say that the road back is too perilous for such cargo... and our king."

Harkens head snapped towards Rynheart. "What? Why was I not informed of this?"

"Because someone needs to make sure this doesn't all go to hell, and notifying you would have done nothing but cause trouble," grumbled the general. "I have the entire Royal Guard and have mobilised the 1st division at the portal's exit. The Magicians Guild has set up formations to ensure that it cannot be tampered with, and we have already tested it both ways and also..." He paused for a moment before pulling out a dark green crystal, throwing it to Harken who grabbed it easily. "If anything goes wrong you will be using this. Otherwise, you will be returning with me. Like hell am I going to let you use something that god damned organisation has set up."

Harken's eyebrows rose at the extremely expensive crystal in his palm. "You're really against this aren't you?" 

"Of course I am, but I can't fault your judgement or your reasons. Before we got 'help', the kingdom was on the verge of civil war. In less than two weeks, the main culprits have either gone missing or done heaven-defying u-turns and are now actively trying to bridge the gap between races.”

The sun had almost completely set, making it easy to spot the hundred or so torches that littered the mountainside ahead, each held by a dismounted knight.

In the centre of them, a small rectangular opening barely wide enough for one man was illuminated as it dug into the mountain, disappearing deep into the earth.

"I thought I told you to be inconspicuous?" said Harken, his eyes traversing the area, making a note of the few trees and many large boulders littering the mountainside.

"I thought I told you to stay where it is safe and leave it to me. Who do you think they are here to protect? That boulder over there?" goaded the General. "You try hiding over a hundred armoured men with no cover. I also take it you didn't notice the five hundred that we have passed, ensuring your route was safe... your majesty."

Harken waved off his general's whinging. "Yes, yes, you're an outstanding general and loyal to a fault. Let's get on with this. The sooner we get this over with, the better I will feel." 

"First smart thing you have said all day," huffed Rynheart as they dismounted and were saluted by the surrounding guards as they approached the small entrance.

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Having withdrawal symptoms for not posting for so long, so decided to do an early release. :D

Thanks for reading.

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