NEW STUFF. see the dates for releases and if i haven't failed for some reason, it should give of a patern. This chapter will most likely change in the future but when i wrote this a few days ago i wanted to try out an action scene. I hope and think I have gotten better at it but for now please forgive this chapter and do continue with the rest that should be better.
I will try to get a chapter out every other day and at the latest 6 days. Bla, bla ,bla, my first "book" ever, bla,bla. you know the stuff. Suggestions are welcome and reviews even more so. if you think this is a reasonable length, please say so as the others were 2000 something words and this is more like 3500 words. I will also add the other 2 perspectives from the prologue here and there and they will eventually combine into Asen's world (who is also called Jurak because i find that name cooler but i don't want a too typical a name).
Enjoy.
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The Chapter of Jurak the Third
"Jurak, hurry up! It's almost time for the war lessons!" said Solhok.
After I went to active work on Solhok, he quickly became sentient. That was the intention after all.
The thing that wasn't intentional however was that he had the mentality of a 7 year old.
I wouldn't even know why he woke as such. I mean that the others didn't have this, not even similar.
Though the thing with their fires were that it was a more logical being and had less emotion that defined it than mine.
Some already had corruption or broken personalities. And all of them have impurities.
Those impurities have to be worked out, as they will block the magic, the emotions, its thought processes and if they are unlucky enough, even their memory.
Solhok had some but most I have already worked out of him by strengthening that part of his being or have him outgrow it.
But yeah, he woke up to sentience as a 7 year old. Mentally at least, as he had a lot of power for a child.
In magic, his affinity seems to lay in the destructive and offensive magics.
Aside from him I also created a jakil, something I myself invented.
It had a horse like body with a hound's long tail, paws with a claw at the heel, a sleek hounds head with long back pointing ears. It also had no mane and a ram’s horns.
I called it Firn, as an aberration of first.
I am planning to also make one for Solhok when he has aged, and also a few to further breed for Rexus and the rest of the main alliance.
When we get to the world, I am planning to populate wherever I am going to start up with them since they are stronger, faster and have more combat potential than horses.
On the topic of the alliance, we have accepted lower members.
We will protect them from other Houses or alliances and support them to a degree, and they will support us politically and with a tribute per decade.
We have decided to use those travelling lights or fires as currency, and they can be used many ways.
They also have to follow our rules.
They include: killing any corrupted lights, as they would then be corrupted by one of the forces and depending on the force, it can change them physically and or mentally.
We ourselves, the Pure gods, can't be corrupted by most if not all of the various forces; no killing of Pure Gods, since they can never be regained; wars, what are more like continuous fights between Houses,
must be politically announced; only encrypted or blank lights may be currency,
as we get those from the travelling lights but they are very hard to make ourselves since we automatically influence them; No destruction of realms to our own,
as they could belong to more people and it would destroy all their servants and lesser Lights that were there then, not to mention all that they build there since apparently that takes a long time.
We had made the rule about the corrupted because 3 decades ago, a Pure God had created twin Lights, which happens if the fire or light splits before it reaches sentience, and somehow they were both corrupted.
One by Life and the other by Light.
The corrupted one of Life consumed the life of its creator and killed another few Lights before being destroyed by a Pure God.
The Light one didn't care about most that happened but it got angry when we detained it, saying that We, Pure Gods, were beneath her.
The others immediately wanted to kill it but as I saw that she was seemingly changing, I told them to wait.
After a few years, it had apparently changed to an elemental being of fire.
I of course dissected it and I noted how to recreate it myself in my Book of Gifts, which I named thus because it was one given by Mars.
I was not the only one though as Rexus also go an artefact.
He got a sword which makes for easy portal creation, but we can only use it in this realm as we haven't ever left yet and since we have learned how to teleport ourselves within a realm in non-protected places, he doesn't use it that often.
"Jurak! If you aren't coming then I will go myself!" said Solhok.
I have managed to bring his mental age to 10 and a half years but this took around 50 years or so and it got harder every time.
"I will go in an hour or so. Just tell Mars that I'm going over the blade design once more"
"Fine but don't take more than a few days okay? I don't want to have to search for you again. Oh and when we finish this class, may I ride the jakil again?"
"Yeah, yeah. It certainly won't become more than a week"
A week means nothing more to me than an hour once should have. It is a nice feeling, having all the time you wish.
A few days later I joined the class.
We only went to those we bothered to. I used to not go to the battle ones so often except for those that taught it in finesse or in mass destruction.
It helped to be able to do what you need to defend against and sometimes it was just plain fun.
But now that Solhok is here, I have to go supervise him whenever he goes to the offensive magic lessons. And he goes to ALL of those lessons!
Every one of them!
The only saving grace is that I took up enchanting and smithing.
Not in just creating them but actually making them by hand.
This makes them more powerful and diverse in options but it takes a really long time compared to doing it by creating it with raw power.
Luckily, that's my intent to go through these 'lessons'.
The first thing I heard when I arrived was Mars shouting.
"What are the easiest ways to incapacitate someone?"
Solhok immediately began shouting too. "Slicing of limbs, exploding their bodies, bind their fires to something, taking over their minds, turning them into stone or an animal"
"Good answers Solhok, now how would you for instance explode their bodies?"
"I would rip their mana out of them in all directions"
"While that may been highly efficient to living creatures, unanimated ones such as golems may be able to survive that or even sometimes the strong ones could walk it of. Our own world never had such active magic and creations but if the nine who will finish the world chooses so then it will be so"
"Master, since we all know how to make golems, can we maybe make an army of them and then square off against each other using only one method of incapacitation?" said Ison, who was a battle freak just like Solhok.
"That would be amusing. Good, but as to make it more worthy you all have to make one and fight at the same time. Asen, you have to join too. All the Pure Gods have control of the army while any Lights will take over the fighting itself, if they are present" added Mars. "And you are only allowed 100 golems and if you lose them, you yourself lose too"
This would be annoying but if I fought I would always prefer the strategist role so experience wouldn't harm.
"We are allowed to make whatever type of golem we want right?" I asked.
"Yes of course. But only wood or stone is allowed for the material of it" Mars stated.
"Everyone, choose your positions and pray to whatever gods you follow” He got a few chuckles from that.
Aside from this realm being made as a ridiculously big palace, with rooms or even mansions for several dozen big Houses to reside in, it also has a even bigger field of war or as Mars likes to call it, a small field of Mars.
There are a few mountains there spread over the whole field, a small desert at the west side with only one oasis, grassland in the middle with a big forest to the east, in the north there are hills with rivers going through it and the south is a peninsula with a sea surrounding it.
I think I will chose the mountains in the north and see if I can get the survivors rounded up to the south.
“Solhok, how are you planning on fighting?”
“May I please use that sword you made? I promise I won’t damage it!”
“The last weapon I let you borrow didn’t even see battle before you destroyed it. No, not the sword but you may use this battle axe. It’s nothing special, just very very hard to break” I summoned the axe from within my being.
Even mortals should be able to do this but then it will only be able to take in a few weapons or armor and a few hundred lights only at the very maximum.
We, gods, of course have infinite space but artefacts lose their strength within us so we can’t really do that.
“Thank you. Thank you, thank you! Jurak, I will name it ‘forever’ as in that it will never break, at least not when I’m using it”
“Solhok, why can’t you just call me Asen?”
“Because it seems weird to call you Asen when I know you are Jurak”
“Fine, whatever. Well, shall we go?”
When we arrived at a random mountain in the north, we first looked for a better place and then we, or rather I, went on to create those golems.
“Solhok, would you need any support golems?”
yrts“A steed would be nice and a stout rearguard to defend my flanks so I can destroy them all without any problems”
“Seems reasonable. Remember that you have to protect these golems too while you kill those of the opponent. If all our golems are dead then we have lost. When fighting a Pure God, try to avoid direct conflict as you are only yet a Light”
I then set to create 4 wooden with stone protection golems that were similar to my jakils.
Solhok and I could use these as steeds, especially when one is destroyed. 4 out of 100.
I added 22 humanoid golems with a big shield as one arm and a short sword as the other so that it had more control over it. 26 out of 100.
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30 wooden archer golems that with some mana of mine can each create 50 stone arrows and they all have an interwoven stone and wooden bow that can actually fire those arrows.
Their arms and a few other places are reinforced with stone to make them able to handle all of that, and that they are mostly made of wood is so that they are mobile. 56 out of 100.
8 lieutenants that I can control directly to give orders and the rest are simple golems small and strong golems with a mix of axes, maces and halberds to break the enemy minions. 100 out of 100.
The extra steeds stay near me, 2 lieutenants go with Solhok, 2 with the archers in groups of 15 and 4 with the 36 infantry in groups of 9.
--- The Battle of Solhok ---
Jurak has finally finished the golems.
I am so very exited and I can’t wait to smash some lowly golems that don’t belong to my House.
I shift ‘Forever’ in my hands again.
It feels so very good in my hands and I can’t wait to see how much it can endure.
I know I told Jurak I wouldn’t break his weapons anymore but if they can’t handle my use then they aren’t worthy of me.
The same goes for all my opponents, if they can’t defeat me then they aren’t worthy of challenging me and should be killed then.
I walk over to my steed and I can certainly see the resemblance to Firn.
I also hope to test my mettle with one of the Pure Gods but I would still have to protect our golems so I would have to do it again one of these decades for a fair fight. Not to mention I was only a Light and not a god yet.
The moment I was seated on my steed my army moved.
I was already cloaking our presence but if Jurak hadn’t been helping me, it would have been useless.
The moment I sensed someone I told one of the lieutenants who were directly controlled by Jurak who was at the back of the army while I was with the vanguard.
The army suddenly shifted to the right and got into position to ambush the coming golem army that we can now see coming on a mountain road.
n“Jurak, have the archers set up position before and behind the army and shoot when they are directly in front of us”
The golem tried to nod. “Solhok, I will also have one infantry group protecting the archers up front while you attack them at the front rear. When they either try to retreat or continue with a frontal attack, we’ll have two other groups flank them from behind with the last unit in reserve up the cliff in case they try to flank us themselves” “Sounds good, lets get into position”
The army once more moved but his time into precise locations.
The enemy golem army seemed to contain 67 simple golems with swords which don’t do that well against stone.
The missing golems probably meant that they had already been in a fight.
Then our archers fired simultaneously. The enemy must have lost at least a dozen golems but the Pure God commanding them immediately shouted orders.
Roughly two thirds of her army went ahead with herself to attack the archers there while the others went to the archers behind them.
Sadly for her we had a bigger force of common golems that were better equipped than hers defending the second group of archers.
Trusting Jurak to deal with the golems attacking the second group, I sprung my trap.
My initial jump took out 3 golems with one swing while the archers fired at the same moment. The Pure God managed to evade every arrow so I would have to confront her to stop her.
When my guard trickled in I started our fight in earnest since I wouldn’t have to take out any of his golems anymore. I swung ‘Forever’ at her legs before jumping and trying to divide her chest in two.
I saw that Solhok had engaged with Vadira’s group of golems. Taking advantage of this I had my archers volley at the same time.
I also saw Vadira turn the legs of one of my golems into sand after getting scraped by her blade. They would regenerate but only after the battle by holding the legs of other broken golems to the stumps.
Then I felt a few of my archers breaking and when I turned my attention to them I saw that Vadira had 23 golems following from a distance behind her, thus ambushing us from behind.
All the archers that weren’t engaged immediately fled to a safe distance to pick them off.
The reserve unit was sent to them but they wouldn’t get in time so I also sent the other three steed golems. I recalled Solhok’s just before he foolishly jumped into the enemy army. And so I saved its live as he already lost 8 of his unit.
The steeds barrelled over the enemy golems and transported a few of the intact archers to where the others were going. I had them volley once more into the enemy golems before the reserve unit arrived.
Since they were tied down and were no longer a threat as the archers fired into both groups, diminishing them until we would win, I turned my attention to Solhok’s fight once more.
He was staring to absorb a lot of energy for some reason from all around him. He had even completely drained the damaged golems already. Yet he was still clearly losing since he was only a Light compared to the god before him. I wouldn’t interfere but I will aid him by providing mana and energy if he needs it.
I WILL NOT LOSE.
How dare these golems even interfere when they can see that I am fighting!
It matters not; they can provide me their strength as repayment.
This is a very tough fight and I could all the power there is. I will need it all. Our damaged golems are useless; I can take all of their power too.
I made a feint to the left and actually followed up on it which surprised the god. She can’t afford it now. I let go of the axe with my right hand and twisted the handle with my left one before retaking it and bringing it down on her once more as I jumped towards her.
All of this happened in an instant using all the power I can. Every fight is a serious one and every fight should be fought to the utmost and won.
Defeat is incompetence. Defeat is shame. Defeat is not something that will mar MY HOUSE.
After that one super fast adjustment, he slowed again but now he his average speed is going up with every blow he takes and deals.
This axe is not strong enough yet to handle this, but it can’t break!
Solhok once more used most of the power that he had to attune the axe to him and strengthening it.
He made it so much sharper in the process too.
Right blow, left feint, upper block, lower block.
Many golems just fell apart from being near Solhok while he was fighting by being drained of that what animated them.
This wasn’t a corruption of Life; rather it was due to his affinity in war. Even Vadira was getting taxed by this pressure Solhok gave out.
Solhok was a Light or otherwise known as an immortal sentient being that was weaker than a Great Light and stronger than a Lesser Light. The difference is also in the capitals.
Also, this classification only mattered if the being wasn’t blank, which we use as currency here.
Solhok was a creation of Asen, or otherwise known as Jurak by any light, great light, Light or Great Light, so he would always be unique compared to others.
He was near Great Light level since he awoke and all the battles he had done since only increased this.
Great Lights are classified as Gods.
As the battle raged on between Solhok and Vadira, Solhok increased the strength of his current body so his blows could shatter the earth itself if not the golem he aimed for.
As all the enemy golems and his own were destroyed, he took power from the archers that were further away but still in the battle.
When they broke he took it from the other groups as his fight was nearing equality between both fighters as opposed to the previous evasive fight.
When there was no one left at all, he knew he had to make a decisive move.
He threw Forever to just behind Vadira and picked up several of the fallen golems weapons.
As he ran forward he threw these weapons to make a path to his axe and obscure were he was going.
When he threw them all he slid down and after a few meters jumped to where his axe was behind Vadira and put all his strength into this last blow.
But when he made the finishing move, Vadira wasn’t to be seen and suddenly struck him down from above.
She had won.
“Well done. You deserve this win”
Win? I had just lost, hadn’t I? I saw Jurak coming towards us on his steed with another in tow.
“Solhok! Well done, we won!”
“Huh? How?”
“Do you not see that Vadira doesn’t have any golems left? We still do! It would have been way more if you hadn’t destroyed them all but no matter. These two are enough to count this a win. Doesn’t seem like we can continue on though, so I guess we will have to redraw from any further fights. Vadira, you did quite well with that contingency plan. How would you like to visit one of our meetings? If everyone agrees, we may allow you to join. I even think I may change our hierarchy a bit to allow a few generals. Interested? We will see you again, I hope”
Vadira nodded to us.
“It would be my pleasure to see if it is worthy. I shall consider it. Bye and Solhok, once more, you did very well. Can’t wait for our next match”
She then vanished. Jurak destroyed the steeds and we both returned to our mansion inside the palace. When we were back, Jurak immediately went back to work on something other than that sword.
Apparently, I'm going to get a sister.
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This is by the way my drawing of a jakil. I think i will draw more for other creatures and races i myself imagine.
Drawing of a jakil