Into the Icy Darkness: The Great Demon War

[Emperor Valerian]

Yeah... lightning bolts happen to be Elenya’s favorite way of telling monsters and bad guys to buzz off..

Returning to the Manor... and Disturbing News

Same morning, further north

As soon as the first lights of morning dawn rose over the castle, the party was already packing its gear together, and quickly cleared out of the keep ruins... they wanted to leave this place of death and ruin as quickly as possible.

As the rowed with some haste, the swamp this day seemed quiet, and foreboding. The usual gnats and flying insects didn’t appear till later in the day than before, and everyone felt as if something ominous... such as the weight of the world falling on them, was about to happen.

It was under these tense circumstances that Shaun spotted something in the water ahead of the group... long and low along the water.

What? A horse’s head? Shaun thought to himself, confused. Couldn’t be...

“Hey... do you two see that over there?” he asked Tess and Siabrey. Siabrey growled about no time for sight seeing, while Tess craned over the edge of the boat, looking to where he pointed.

“What are you talking abou... what the heck is that?” Tess looked, and she saw it as well... the top of a horse’s head, peering just above the water, the eyes on the beast’s head glowing a feral red. Could it be...?

“Um... Steward?” Tess called, and pointed... her fears were confirmed when he recoiled and started screaming for the boat to change direction. “Kelpie!”

Grumki and Siabrey obliged by rowing hard to take the boat around, while Shaun and Tess discouraged the beast with a few well placed arrows. It immediately ducked under the water after the first pair of shots hit, and the party kept their bows at ready, fully expecting the beast to resurface next to them, or even underneath their skiff.

Five tense minutes passed by, before Shaun looked behind the boat by chance. There, far off in the distance, he saw the entire horse’s head of the kelpie surface, and move away... the shaft of two arrows coming from its shoulder blade.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the party enjoys a hot and merely uncomfortable trip back to the dock and the edge of the swamp, encountering no threats during the time. By dusk, they had tracked back to the now ownerless manor.

“Steward Theophilus,” Shaun mentioned as they drew close to the door, “you know your master and mistress’ fate means you are no longer bound here. I’d recommend getting to Irulas as soon as possible.”

“That is my full intention... and hopefully it will be the intention of the others,” the Steward said as he opened the main door for the party. “There is nothing left for us here... perhaps we can find new patrons and work in such a large city as Irulas.”

Siabrey, for her part, nervously fidgeted. She’d be concerned for the better part of the day since talking to Lucius. The army was on the move, and battle was expected soon. He’d told her vaguely what he expected to face, and had expressed nothing but confidence, but she still fretted.

You might be confident of victory Luke... but in victory even there is danger... she inwardly shuddered. It was still two days to the teleportation chamber in the castle manor, and from Irulas several days to where Luke’s army was. Her mind was slowly wrapping around the concept that he would likely see battle before she could arrive.

The Steward offered the party the opportunity to stay in the manor for the night, so they would have to spend only one night camped out on the road. In the meantime, he stated he’d approve their assistance in getting the 50 or so servants prepared for the trek. After some quizzing over armaments, the party found they were reasonably armed... and so long as they travelled together, there should be little issue.

It was much later that night when Siabrey got her first chance to check up on Lucius, and found an official reply that was full of the proper concern a general should have on the eve of battle.

However, the private note to just her concerned her greatly. It was plain underneath Lucius’ bravado phrases, (We are confident of victory, etc. ) there was the soul of a scared 17-year old who had never commanded before in active combat... and was unsure if his vaguely defined plan would work. Her heart’s pangs grew when she noticed the phrase at the end, Who am I decieving? I am scared Siabrey... I am frightened to death. I wish you were here to give me some of your courage!

“So, Siabrey, any news?” Shaun asked quietly, munching on a trail ration. His own mind was reflecting back to Elenya. He too held concern for his love, but was calmed in that she was supposedly in the rear... and as a spellcaster, she wouldn’t be directly in the front lines anyway... that gave him some solace at least.

“Lucius expects battle on the morrow,” Siabrey said quietly, closing the book. “And he...” she started, before halting suddenly. I shouldn’t worry Shaun... I won’t tell him how desperate the fight might be... besides, if it becomes bad, Elenya is smart, she’ll get out...

“He what?” Shaun looked up, and saw only the back of Siabrey’s head. As he moved forward in curiosity, the fighter was glad her facing gave her a few seconds to put on a mask of cheer.

“He said he wishes us well,” Siabrey’s face looked cheery for a few seconds, before her worry burrowed through, and water began to dance in her eyes. My Luke...

“Siabrey,” Shaun said calmly, “I wasn’t born yesterday. What did he really say?” Shaun asked, his own eyes showing worry. God, I hope nothing’s happened to Elenya!

“He... said t...that the fight tomorrow might be difficult... very difficult,” she said slowly and quietly, before a sniff came from her nose. “A... and I’m powerless!” she stood, tossing the book aside, tears now starting to course down her face. “I can’t help! I can’t protect him!” For a few seconds, her raw fear and frustration lay exposed, before she seized control of herself, and coughed, smearing her wet tears across her face.

“Siabrey, I...” Shaun started. No, I don’t understand really, he stopped himself before he finished his statement. Elenya is wily, Elenya is smart, and if she’s proven anything... she’s tough. I have no doubt if the army broke, she’d find a way to get out a live. Luke... he’s brave... which she fears will be his downfall...

“It must really be hard to not be able to watch and cover what you’ve watched and guarded so long,” Shaun finally found the right words, and to his surprise, Siabrey nodded. “But dearie, hey. Look me in the eye,” he held her head up. “Its alright to be worried, but you shouldn’t worry too much. I mean... for crying out loud, Siabrey! You trained him with that sword of his... thats damn impressive!” Shaun threw in a bravado smile, but saw Siabrey’s face only give the faintest of grins.

“Listen... you can actually help him... with that,” he pointed at the book. “Tell him your back at the manor okay, and that’ll set alot of his worries at ease.. allowing him to focus!”

Siabrey took in the rogue’s words, but not as he intended. Yes... I can use the books to help him... but how...

That fox-man from down in the dungeon knew alot... that’s how I can help him!

Siabrey suddenly pulled from Shaun’s grasp, and began buckling on her katana. The rogue rolled his eyes and moved to block the door.

“If you think you’re riding out in the dark like...” he started, before she pushed him aside.

“Follow me,” she said quietly. “I’m going to question our friend downstairs.”



“Ah... you again!” the fox faced man called, and rose from sitting in his cell. His hands and feet were still unbound. “What have you come to ask me for now?”

“How many march in the mongrel army to the south?” Siabrey asked flatly. The fox man raised a furried hand to his chin, and thought for a second.

“If you remember our arrangements from last time,” he started, baring his teeth in a smile, “I don’t give out information unless I get something in return... information, freedom... money?” he raised an eyebrow at the last one.

There is no time for foolishness, Siabrey groaned. She reached into her pack, and pulled out a pouch, filling it with 50 gold pieces. “How much will that buy me?” she tossed the gold into the cell. The man picked it up, and counted.

“57,000 mongrels march to the south, with demons and other creatures backing them up,” he looked up.

“What other creatures?” Siabrey pressed, and the mongrel merely held out a furry hand. The fighter groaned, and tossed another 50 gold into the cell.

“Bebiliths, Vrocks, about 5,000 dretches... and two very very powerful creatures....” he ended tantalizingly. This time, he did not need to hold his hand out, as another fifty gold found their way to the floor in front of him. “A Balor... and a Red Dragon... not full grown.”

Oh god... Siabrey’s mind quailed inwardly, as her outward self focused on the task at hand, and asked for more information. “Who leads them... and where are they headed?”

“Ah... the most important questions of all,” the fox man pocketed the money, “and that warrants more than money.”

The entire Shaun had been quietly standing behind Siabrey, but as the fox man came near, the rogue began to gauge his options. Such a slovenly fool! Selling out his friends for cash!

I should steal the money right off of him and give it back to Siabrey! There’s no reason she should have to pay such a lost soul as this one! He decided that striking through the grates would be too obvious... at least at this juncture.

“What will that information require?” Siabrey asked with a huff. The game was getting old.

“Two things... my freedom for telling you where the leader is, and the location of Lord and Lady Charles... while I have no qualms about going home now, some of my friends would wish to speak with them about important matters,” he smiled... which caused Siabrey’s back to shiver.

“Lord Charles is...” Shaun started before Siabrey’s withering gaze made him stop. She cleared her throat.

“Lord Charles and Lady Keshalya are hiding in the swamp,” and she proceeded to give him directions to the skiff, as well as directions as best she could remember to the ruined keep. She saw no point it lying... she just didn’t inform him that they were dead.

“As for your freedom,” she looked at the lock on the cell door, and raised her foot. A powerful kick and screech of iron grating iron later, and the cell door came open. “Granted. Now. Your part of the bargain.”

“Ah...” the fox man smiled as he left the cell, stretching his arms. “Oh... I see you have one of our blades,” he pointed to her side, where the two swords she had taken off of the badly burned and now dead fox man several nights before were strapped alongside Kelir.
Both were covered in black steel, with what appeared to be a motif of a black dragon in brass as part of their hilt.

“Yes... from a comrade of yours that was not as honorable as yourself,” Siabrey smiled coldly, and the fox man chuckled.

“Well then... my part of the bargain,” he began. “They march for Irulas... and intend to burn the city down as Imperial interference in our own affairs has made many of our cities burn. The balor, whose name is long and has many x’s in it, is the leader of the army. Pleased?” He did not notice Shaun slipping behind him, reaching slowly for the belt that the three pouches hung on.

“Yes,” Siabrey said in a deadpan. “And if I may advise you of one thing, sir... don’t become a mercenary... you don’t know for sure who is actually filling your pocket.” You never know... it could easily be demons that want to destroy the world that are paying you...

“At least my pockets are being filled... and my family back home in Ascabion is eating... which is my main concern,” he said. Shaun, just about to complete his snatch, got a silly look on his face, and lowered his head, pulling back from the man’s money.

Escorted by the two, the fox man was taken upstairs, and told he could leave at first light when the party left. He agreed, and even spent the night in one of the guest rooms upstairs.

The next morning, the sun arose a deep crimson, almost blood red... a sight that made Siabrey’s heart shudder. The fox man, whom they never had a chance to attach a name to, left as the party did. He trotted off to the north, opposite from the direction the party was headed...

“Shaun, Siabrey?” Tess asked quietly, noticing Shaun’s face was grim, while Siabrey had the distant, ‘don’t bother me’ look on it. “What’s wrong?” She’d been asleep when they had read the books.

“Lucius is in battle,” Shaun said quietly, “somewhere thataway,” he pointed south, before looking at Tess. “That’s why she looks like that. Can’t blame her... Elenya’s there too...” he said quietly, before looking straight ahead himself.

 

[Emperor Valerian]

The Battle... Part One

Same day... further south...
The Inerman River, even at this point, barely 150 miles upstream of its mountainous source, was already coursing nearly a quarter mile wide, its form gently rolling by, slow... even sluggish. During the midsummer, one could wade some 200 feet out into it and still have one’s head above water... the snowmelt had already happened, and the river now lazily coursed until winter’s cold bound it in place and spring’s thaw set it loose again as a tyrant nearly double its size.

When the river coursed this wide, all bridges that traversed its width were controlled and maintained by the nobility... in this case, the Counts of Holstean, and extensive magic were used in their construction. Now, in the area just outside of Chandriol, three massive stone bridges crossed an area a half mile in width... the widest the river had ever gotten during hte spring floods, and now a large Imperial army, under the command of the bridges’ titular master, trundled across all three.

The cavalry was in the lead... 8,000 strong. A quarter of those were knights... minor nobles coming from the levies of the great nobles in the region. They were clad in a bevy of colors, mostly their family crests combined in some manner with the colors of their titular lords; whites, maroons, golds, blues. Upon their helms shone a riot of headgear, some plain, some fanciful in the extreme. While Lord Holgren’s vassals for the most part had simple war helms, Lord Holgren himself had a large griffon standing rampant on his, its wings outstreched and lightly gilt to a perfect golden shine.

With these also rode the mounted men at arms... the lesser cavalry levy, which numbered another quarter of the called cavalry. Clad in chain shirts or breastplates at best, these were the light cavalry, armed not with the lances of the noble’s horse, but with javelins. Instead of noble longswords, they held shortswords, axes, rapiers, whatever they could find as melee. Unlike their noble cousins, they did not disdain bows, and all had at least a shortbow, if not a longbow, strapped to their back. Most were dully colored, with small, utilitarian round shields instead of the large, pompously colored steel shields of the knights.

Finally, the remaining half of the cavalry was the Imperial horse... 4,200 strong in all. They were clad the same, depending on their organized battalion; heavy chainmail armor, large white shields with the Imperial family crest, a golden dragon rampant emblazoned. By their sides were large longswords, and their simple helms had a dragon’s head etched into each side. They carried lances long enough they were almost pikes, though they were trained to fight mounted, or dismounted, with lance, pike, sword, spear, and axe. All also had longbows strapped to their horses’ side, and while they were not rapid mounted archers, they were fast enough that they would form a deadly surprise for the unwary.

Lucius rode in the midst of this motley advance guard, much against Xanadu’s wishes. To his front were the small riding contingent (only 15) of Santac and the Mephys troops, which despite their poor armament compared to the heavy horse surrounding him, Lucius had taken as his person headquarters guard. Many of the young men and women in the small outfit recognized the red haired boy that had been on the parapets of the city’s palisade the last night the ice monsters attacked, and peppered him with questions as they rode. Normally Luke would have found that annoying, but today, it was a wanted distraction.

Behind him rode the lead unit of the Imperial cavalry itself... the Kubalia Horse Guards, the leading part of the Imperial Guard contigent with his army, and arguably some of the most feared cavalry in the world. They were all at minimum Lucius’ height (6’), and clad in heavy, white plate mail, dragons emblazoned on its front in gold. In addition to their massive lances were their massive swords, bastard sword length, which they were able to wield one handed. A bevy of colorful shields also complimented the guard, crimson backgrounds with the same golden dragon. Rumor had it the crimson for the shields came from the blood of those the unit had trampled underfoot...

Xanadu, in half elf form, trotted alongside on a bay mare, looking at Lucius in a rather grumpy manner. Lucius took in the wizard’s eyes, and sighed.

“Xanny, stop it. You aren’t going to get me to change my opinion,” Luke said plainly, not even looking at the dragon but instead ahead... to the shore, and off to the left... towards a low rise with trees..

“Luke, its a...”

“There! I want you posted there, Xanny!” Luke pointed to the copse, several hundred feet long and wide. “Stay in dragon form in there!” I have another idea, Xanny...

“And why would I curl my massive frame like a whining pup in a forest?” Xanadu said, his voice changing towards angry, “I’m not a cur that needs...”

“Xanny, listen!” Lucius looked at him harshly, as the noise of hooves on stone continued to rumble, “You’ll be close enough to the line there to intervene, and provide some magic wards. Meanwhile, you’ll be hidden within view... they’ll likely assume you are just a normal but rather powerful wizard in the far reserve. If you have to come out as a dragon, I’d rather they hadn’t had several hours of knowing you were there...”

Xanadu stopped in mid-rant, as Lucius’ ideas echoed in his mind. For a few minutes there was silence, as Xanadu stared at the trees, and likely the mental image of a battlefield covered the hills in front of him. He suddenly snapped his head back towards Luicus.

“Luke... by the end of this night I will either be calling you a genius or cursing your recklessness...”




Sir Santac grumbled as his horses’ hooves touched the stone of the great bridge for the first time, at the lead of his Mephys contingent of 600, now with another 20 Imperial centuries, nearly 2,000 foot altogether, augmenting his force. In return, he’d given up his cavalry to Lucius, and if he craned his massive frame he could see Lord Lucius, on his white charger, leading the motely bays and roans of his small, ill armed group off the bridge nearly a half mile away.

Today is going to be a hard day, the grizzled fighter, just past his fiftieth birthday reflected. Likely the hardest in my years as a soldier... thirty five years...

He glanced behind himself for reassurance... and the Mephys villagers, hardened by war and loss over the past two months, gave him a rousing cheer. They were clad in a mismatch of armor... whatever they could find, and armed with simply made long pikes and whatever melee weapon they could dig up. They were rough, but they were his... and their cheer gave him strength.



“Elenya,” Lady Remnova asked quietly, “could you hand me the distilled alcohol? Yeah, the one there,” she said after Elenya pointed questioningly in the rocking cart. “I want to recount our supplies,” she said somberly.

The mood of the nurses, especially Lady Remnova, had improved significantly since the lightning incident. They treated her with far more respect... perhaps even fear. And Elenya relished the fact she had become de facto commander of the hospital unit.

”Here you go,” Elenya handed the bottle to her, catching a whiff of its smell, which reminded her of her uncle’s tavern... and Shaun. That stuff is probably too strong for him, she laughed, remembering his antics with dwarven ale, I don’t think he could handle any of it. Remnova gave a sudden, sharp laugh.

“Ha! We’re overstocked!” she chuckled, “just as I suspected! Should we just keep the extra bottle, Elenya?”

Hmm... Elenya thought for a second, before leaning forward. “Take a whiff of that, Remnova. Tell me what you smell.” The noble’s daughter daintily removed the cork holding in the contents of hte bottle, and leaned over to lightly whiff, before yanking her head away in disgust.

“Strong strong alcohol!” Remnova replied, quickly covering the bottle of liquid. “Too strong for the soldiers I expect!” She waved her hand in front of her face to drive away the odor, as her other hand thrust the bottle towards Elenya. The barmaid turned wizard laughed... on the surface it was contempt, but underneath it was something else... fear.

“Give it here,” Elenya grabbed the bottle, and held it up to the light examining it. “Yes... it is strong alcohol.... look! For example, you know how your wines and champagnes and the like are colored? That means they are weak... this... this is almost as clear as the purest water. Damn strong stuff. Here’s what I do to strong alcohol.” With that, in a single fluid motion she pulled out the stopper, and proceeded to down the contents of the bottle in three gulps. The alcohol burned down her throat and hit her stomach with a noticeable thud, but she didn’t wince or betray anything. Remnova looked on in shock, and a mix of... was that awe? The look gave Elenya a smile... her dominant status was now cemented, and her mind definatly challenged her fear.

”If you won’t want them there... finish the rest,” she gave her challenge as the cart rumbled onto the stone bridge. Her eyes flashed the flame of a challenge until in her mind... until the disapproving face of Shaun came into her view. ”The baby?” voice said, rather late. Suddenly sullen, she turned and looked directly ahead, chucking the bottle over the edge of the bridge into the dried earth to the side. Why did I do that?

I’m sorry Shaun. I didn’t think... she apologized about forgetting her promise to him way back in the desert. She looked forlornly at hte bottle now lying broken in the ground some 15 feet below, and drifting behind the still moving cart, It won’t happen again, I swear!



As Lucius and the cavalry exited the bridge, he took them hard to the right. A massive set of woods, seemingly too thick for organized troops, stretched for miles in that direction... large enough it could hide an unorganized mass of 8,000 troops and their horses... at least for a while.

The army deployed in the base of a half bowl formed by the terrain, the three local bridges behind it. The ground rose up the gentle heights to their front and sides for nearly a half mile, before one reached the crest of the ridge. The slope then went downhill gently for what appeared to be two miles. Lucius himself rode just under the crest of the ridge on his troops side, and noted with happiness that except for people just short of the crest, the other side of the hill could not be seen. His plan’s permutations changed subtly, as he also noted that between the crest and where his army was setting up a hundred yards past the base, there was more than enough ground for a massive host to form battleranks. As he spurred his horse over the crest for some more reconniasance, he could see the battle already developing in his mind...

The mongels come over the crest, and assume it will be an easy kill... the march down, form themselves into ranks, and launch themselves into our defensive lines. Luke closed his eyes, and the ranks upon ranks of the strange enemy, swords upraised, marched by perfectly in his mind.

Our spellcasters, with their superior power, lob offensive spells at them while keeping our soldiers defending, stretching their magic users, till all are at the front, straining to hold our magic... The ranks of the invisible army, now became a bevy of colors... some fire, some ice, some acid. The enemy slowed to a halt, struggling to advance, their lead ranks decimated by fireballs, cones of cold and sheer magical energy...

My cav comes out of the woods, Casalad Rangers and other snipers taking out those that remain on this side. We form on these plains, and charge down the hill towards the rear of the mongrel army, trapping it between our lances and our infantry... In his mind he saw the ground shaking... the mongrels turning to look back, up the hill they had just so recently marched down, and seeing the bright steelpoints of thousands of horsemen, charging down the hill, directly in their rear. The confusion, the panic, the fact that there was no where to run... they all would be pinned, between his foot down below and hte cavalry coming from above...

The plan was beautiful and brilliant... and frought with peril...



Dammit, Xanadu grumbled... as a deep, basso growl escaped his draconic lips. As Lucius had asked, he had slipped into the forest on the left, and had curled up... his 200 foot frame smaller, waiting, as an alter self spell for the moment covered his bright, silvery scales with greenish and black tint. Nonetheless, he’d raised his head so his eyes were just above the tops of the trees, his frill pressed down to hide his nature.

His original first clue to the presence of the mongrels had been the slight shudder the ground had given underfoot, the same release the earth gives when thousands of feet impact it rhythmically. Then, a dense, dark line appeared on the horizon, below the crest of the ridge that Xanadu could see both sides of. Them he began to make them out.

A seething, roiling mass in dark steel or black armor... most were human sized, clad in strange armors and wielding strange weapons. These, undoubtedly the mongrels themselves, came in disciplined ranks, dark with battlecalls in a tongue even Xanadu did not understand.

Behind them were dark black mounds, frought with red.... and Xanadu recognized in ten of them the feared and menacing forms of bebiliths, deep spiders of the Abyss. On the back of each was a vulture headed vrock... each undoubtedly one of the commanders of this force.

Finally, Xanadu spotted two forms that combined made his blood chill. One’s smell he easily picked up, and registered immediately... draconic. It was a red dragon, looked to be a young adult at oldest, perhaps 70 feet long, walking forward almost arrogantly behind the army. He had about it a mixed air... contempt for those he was about to face, and a barely controlled fury. The dragon’s head suddenly swiveled, and he glanced in Xanadu’s direction.

If I remain still, he will not detect me, Xanadu thought, focusing on pure stillness. While the dragon was of his species, he undoubtedly was not as experienced, and he sniffed the edge of the trees for only a few minutes before giving the draconic equivalent of a shrug, and bounding back into the mongrel ranks.

The figure beside him did cause a rise of fear... standing 25 feet tall, his form enormous, red, and bloated... a balor. A living, breathing balor. His eyes were a feral red, his wings spread an easy 30 feet wide behind him, rhythmically opening and closing. In one of his hands he carried a sword so massive it put the gargantuan blade Ananias had wielded to shame... the blade itself was clearly 15 feet long at least, and bathed in a flaming glow. He gave a snarl, and pushed ahead, roughly pushing bebiliths aside and almost crushing mongrels before he loomed over the crest of the hill.

His laughter, deep and roaring, echoed along the banks of the River Inerman.



“Steady! Steady!” Lucius hissed, holding his steed Lightning in place. The horse shied away from the monstrous laughter even more, before Lucius, with a mixture of cool words and sharp tugs at the reins, kept her in place. I know, girl, you want to run. Believe me, I would join you if I could. “Don’t be afraid... he’s mortal,” Lucius said quietly, with some false bravado as he saw the troops around him from the Mephys troops edging away as well. Lucius jumped off his horse, and walked over to where he saw Quin whittling away on a branch quietly. He touched his bodyguard’s shoulder, and Quin looked up... fear in his eyes. The same fear that was in most of the soldier’s eyes.

Someone might need to take that guy down... he’s undoubtedly their commander. I... I can’t show I’m with them on this... I can’t show I’m afraid...

“Quin,” Lucius said quietly, “I have something I need you to do.” Tess’ brother stood slowly, though by the rock in his stance, Lucius knew fear was quaking his legs.

“If, during the charge, I should need to break off, you’ll take the point. Ok? I’ll give the order, and the troops will follow you in... got it?” Quin nodded, and Lucius looked him hard in the eyes. “You will then be the spearhead, the point of the wedge. Ride on for their army, regardless of what happens to me... understood?” Don’t come chasing after... I might have something that I need to handle... someone needs to guide the others into the rear of the enemy if that happens.

“Y... ye... yes sir,” Quin saluted shakily, and Lucius gave him a smile and a pat, before heading back to his horse and his ‘Dragonwing Riders,’ as he had taken to calling his Mephys contingent.

“Dragonwings,” he said quietly, noting that most of them still blushed a little at the title... they thought it was overpraise, “I want you to promise me something,” he continued. They nodded, and came closer.

“Promise me that if I have to break off, you will follow me... even if it takes us straight at the balor,” he pointed towards the monstrousity they could barely see through the trees. “I will need stout blades backing me up... can I count on you?”

The Mephys soldiers looked at each other for a minute or two, before slowly a reply was achieved... “Yes.... yes you can count on us.”

”Good,” Lucius remounted. Siabrey, pray to Hieroneous to watch over your husband this day... For likely, his blade shall dance with a demon...



Santac watched with some degree of relief as the spellcasters around him, sprinkled among the army, all began to raise their hands, and chants for various protections, wards, and dispellments rose into the sky, the magic growing thick enough that the air in front of the army seemed to waver and flutter, as the air above a blistering rock on a hot day.

“Hold up, folks!” Santac called, seeing the frightened looks in eyes of his Mephys troops. Even though they were in reserve, he still didn’t want them deciding to run home this late. “That monster is mortal! All of them are mortal! You... any one of you, might be able to say ten, thirty, fifty years from now, ‘on this day I killed a demon!’” he roared, holding his bastard sword aloft. His long beard, flowing gently in the magic breeze, coupled with his mottled plate mail and his massive warhorse, made for an imposing figure. He saw the fear in his Mephys follower’s eyes abate some, but some remained.

’Tis good... for when a man does not fear death... he has truly lost his mind, Santac thought, his eyes sweeping to his front. 1,500 Imperial soldiers were on the front line, their pikes in hand, shields ready, and he saw nary a sign of fear on any of their faces. They feared, to be sure, but they were not willing to show it.

Behind them were more troops, clad in armor and armed with composite longbows, with three quivers of arrows at the ready... quivers that possibly would end hte day empty.

The mongrel army to his front was already arranging itself in lines of battle... thick and deep. Its infantry seemed as numerous as the sea, though to his surprise, Santac saw its cavalry lining up in front... 15,000 horse in garish, distinctive armor, most with the same screaming face as their facial armor, wicked looking polearms at their sides.

What are they up to? Surely... he thought, before the air was split with first a loud shout from the tall, winged monstrousity that was clearly their commander, still sitting high on the ridge above his forces. The air seemed to crack again as a shout rumbled from the soldiers of the mongrel army, rolling down the hill as a tidal wave of sound... an acknowledgement of the will one one by the voices of all.

And, seeming in unison, the lines of mounted horse plunged down the hill, thier polearms above their heads, their wooden faces echoing the same battle screams that came from their real ones. As the ground shuddered, and then rocked underfoot, Santac’s eyes watched with a soldier’s eye for beauty.

They come at us in straight... perfect ranks... a feat for a mass of horse. Weapon’s high above their heads... a gorgeous painting if I ever saw one...

Too bad we shall have to spoil the green of the grass with the red of their blood...

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Battle Part Two


Santac stared at the onocming mongrel horde... the foam frothing from their mounts, the sneers in the faces of their helmets...

... and he sneered back.

“Front ranks! Shields, ho!” he barked, and the whump and crash of a thousand shields snapping together, the notches at the bottom of the pikemen’s shields locking together to form a wall of steel. The ground began to shudder, as the rumble of the thousands of hooves crashing down the hill turned into a roar.

450 yards... Santac thought as the cavalry roared closer and closer. More clangs and whumps came up and down the line, as the other pikemen locked their shields. When he thought the enemy cavalry was some 300 yards away, he called out his next orders.

“Archers... load!” His blade made a sliding, slithering noise, as it was unsheathed from its cover. They are charging straight at our pike ranks... that suicidal! We’ll just skewer them! “Defenders of Mephys!” he called to his own troops in the rear, “Ready your swords!” They need to be ready to plug a gap, in case this is a ruse of some kind...

The archers meanwhile, had moved one of their quivers to the ready position, drawn their bows, and quickly had an arrow notched. Their bows for now pointed down, as the eyes of each looked ahead, towards the oncoming mass of steel and flesh.

A few concussive blasts of fire exploded in the midst of the oncoming horde, incinerating horses and men alike. As the dull boom of several fireballs, maximized to full war power echoed over the land, Santac could only sit back in wonder that the enemy still charged, through the flames, through the smoke... with no spellcasting cover.

“Archers! Aim!” Santac called, and almost as one, five hundred bows rose, and arced skyward. There was a chorus creaks as the leather and hide of bowstrings creaked under pressure.

200 yards... Santac’s internal estimate continued. “Loose!” His blade flashed downward, and a rapid slash of air sailed high over his head as the sky temporarily darkened, over five hundred bolts slashing upward, before raining down ahead. The very ground seemed to scream, as arrows slashed all along the battleline, cutting down horses and men alike. “Reload!” Santac called.

Yet still they came.

“Pikes! Down!” Santac called. They can’t be this stupid... they must stop soon! his military mind thought. Yet they charged onward, as if they considered the 20 foot long steel points to be little more than nuisances. AS he watched, a load roar arose... the voices of thousands of men screaming before battle was joined. Some screamed for vengeance... some for bravery... some out of fear. Regardless, the noise that rose was frightening, as a massive, concussive crash echoed down the Imperial line as the mongrel horse crashed into the impenetrable Imperial shield wall...



Xanadu wanted to shake his head in disbelief. True, he might be a silver dragon, not a haughty cavalryman, but even he could have predicted the horrifically bloody results of the mongrels sending their horse headlong into row upon row of Imperial pikes. The survivors of that gallant, and ultimately stupid charge were even now trotting, cantering, or dragging themselves back up the hill, terror on their myriad of animal faces.

Its ironic Xanadu thought, Their idiocy now has given our troops cover. Even as he watched, the Imperial soldiers were piling the bodies of mongrel and horse alike, forming a grisly wall of flesh in front of their lines. This would be the most opportune time for me to leap out and shatter those survivors... Xanadu thought, until he looked further up the hill... Except those monstrousities are there... and we need to get those two focused enough to come down the hill... and let Lucius get into position...

As Xanadu watched, the mongrel line slowly reformed, as their cavalry set itself in motion yet again... and yet again they were shredded apart by the Imperial spears.

And then Xanadu figured out why...

H saw a richly dressed mongrel, undoubtedly the commander of the Ak Konylu forces, approach the massive balor... trembling. By the expressions on his badger face, it was apparent there was rage. They don’t want to be charging like that... its the balor that’s ordering them... A split second later, one of the balor’s powerful clawed hands swatted the man away, sending his broken form cartwheeling down the hill... broken nearly in two.

More bellowing calls came from the balor, and quickly the ranks of the mongrel infantry began forming themselves into long ranks... battlelines. Behind three of these long lines came the balor, the dragon, and the various vrocks mounted on bebiliths...

All acting as spellcasters, Xanadu realized, as several deep, long horns sounded over the hills and dales, and the entire mass began to lurch downhill, towards the Imperial ranks...

Dammit! Xanadu swore. He had been hoping they would keep coming down in piecemeal... it seemed that balor was brighter than he first appeared.... he knew he had the upper hand in numbers, and was committing the full, crushing weight of the mongrel army in one fell blow.




Santac rode up and down the line, nervously looking up the hill along with the rest of his troops. The mongrel cavalry had charged two times, and two times it had been viciously, horrendously cut to pieces. The foul smell of a battle in progress... the mix of death, blood, grim, soot and sweat wafted through Santac’s nose.

And now, they came again.

The hill ahead seemed to have changed colors, and become a roiling, boiling mass of black and gray, as the sea of mongrels rumbled forward, ranks straight... perfect.

“Loose!” Santac swung his sword again, and another vast wash of arrows rustled the air over his head, and rank upon rank of the mongrels collapsed, their badger, fox, bear, walrus, and other faces contorted into terror. And still they came forward, most goaded by the titanic spiders and the massive demon behind them. Santac tried hard to remember what the spiders were called, but he couldn’t... it sounded like baby-something.

“Loose!” echoed again through the ranks, and the skies turned black again and more mongrels fell. The ground once again shook lightly, as the mongrels, barely 150 yards away, charged forward, their strange, curved swords above their heads, a weird, screeching yell above their lips.

Once again he saw the blasts of fiery explosions burst in their ranks, but only momentarily. A few seconds later, the fires and flashes of magical power that came from the Imperial spellcasters seemed to shimmer, just in front of the mongrel line as it charged.

They’ve put up their magic defenses, Santac thought, watching the mongrels start to shimmer slightly from the effect their magical shields had on the air. We’re going to have to kill them the old fashioned way then.

“Drop pikes!” Santac yelled. The pikes, with their reach, were excellent against cavalry, but the average footman could dodge and weave in between... and then the pikemen were sitting ducks. With a nearly continuation shing Santac’s front line drew their swords, and with a spur of his horse and a yell, Santac lead them headlong into the abyss of fighting creatures.



Lucius snapped shut the “spyglass” he’d been given. Things were going according to plan... partially. The balor had led his forces pell mell into the Imperial line... but he’d committed so soon... he hadn’t spent the hours Lucius had been hoping for... the hours of bleeding his line as he tested and probed. Instead, he’d decided to pound his way through...

And Luke didn’t know if the Imperial line below could hold... the noises from below indicated that it very well might not...

With a hiss, his spurred his horse back to a gallop, thundering back up the hill towards his cavalry still perched in the woods ahead. As he cantered through the undergrowth, he took in the eyes of the troops...

Fear... they all are afraid, he thought as he rode by the men of the Imperial cavalry, tending to the last minute needs of their horses. Fear was in their eyes. Fear was in the eyes of the knights of the nobility, even as they continued to polish their armor to a glorious shine. Fear was in the men and women of the auxiliaries... the lesser armed, lesser trained people. His assessment was driven home by the short phrase one woman from his own “Dragonwings,” muttered without seeing him.

“A few more minutes before we begin our death charge,” he heard her sigh. Even though his own mind was quaking, he knew this couldn’t stand. He reined up behind the sitting group of riders, and dismounted. As they started to stand at his presence, he waved them back down.

“No... sit sit sit. I was coming by, and I couldn’t help but overhear Milayka’s comment,” he said quietly, using her name for added effect. He reached out his hands. “Give me your weapons.”

“But sir... it was out,” the woman in question began to protest, before laying her battleaxe down. The myriad of other weapons the unorganized group carried, a few shortswords, a few longswords, several maces and morningstars, and a sickle, found themselves at Luke’s feet as well.

Ok... Luke closed his eyes, hovering his hands over the weapons, feeling his magical abilities grow. Softly he uttered a few phrases, as his hand touched each weapon in turn, and he felt magical energy flowing through him into the pile of arms. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes, and all of the weapons seemed to glint brighter, and shine stronger.

“There,” he said quietly, feeling the deep drain the adding of magical abilities to their weapons had caused on him. I won’t be able to use many of my fireballs today, he thought quietly. Perhaps a flying spell or two, and maybe three or four fireballs before I’m drained... I hope that’s enough..

“I put some magic into your weapons,” Lucius looked up at them. “It should help you in the coming fight. And I need strong hearts beside me... ones that are afraid but still willing to ride. Have you such hearts?” he asked quietly. In his mind he reflected on the stories where the leader of the army gave a powerful, bombastic speech, and he kicked himself for not having something more stirring, more eloquent and grand to say.

“Aye,” the woman who had spoken earlier said, and Luke saw her eyes still held fear, but also a determination... that the fear would not take control. He couldn’t help but smile, realizing his quiet words had done the trick, at least for these few fighters. He remounted his horse.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes... and then I’ll lead you out there, onto that plain,” he pointed as he reined his horse around to find the other commanders.



Elenya ducked as another rumble thundered through the rear of the army, before resuming work on the bleeding man in front of her.

“Damn fireballs!” she snarled as she started her minor healing incantation yet again, her hands placed above the massive rent in the white and blue tunic of the man, marking him as a member of the Ysalis noble family. The young man’s blue eyes looked at her in pleading fear, as his hands kept gripping her arm.

“Let go,” she shook his hands off yet again, before he could interrupt the somatics of her magical calling. She shook her head, as the words continued to flow, and the wound closed slightly... enough that the man could once again use his lungs enough that he let out an ungodly scream.

“Remnova!” Elenya barked, pointing to him. She only had so much magic, and it had to be conserved for the gravest of cases. After the darkest period had past, the person was then sent to a regular healer.

“If he’s good enough to scream, he’s good enough you get to finish him up,” she said matter of factly, surprised at how hard her voice sounded. When the first few cases came in nearly an hour ago, she’d wanted to use her magic to heal them fully, until “Captain” pointed out rightfully that Elenya’s magic wasn’t infinite. The Lady, who only an hour before had been nearly retching at some of the wounds, merely gulped and began to put salves on his wounds.

The noise of the fighting was louder now... much closer, to the point where the screams of the hundreds of wounded in the healer’s tents right along the river were starting to be drowned out.

That’s awfully close, Elenya worried. I wonder how close they are? She grabbed her spellbook, and peeked outside...

...into a hellish maelstrom.

The Imperial lines, once so perfectly formed and straight, were no more. A tumult of combat swirled in front of her, barely 40 yards from the hospital tents. The massive looming shapes of bebiliths and giant spiders loomed over the mass, collapsing when weakened, but otherwise sending the small forms of figures sailing through the air.

“Cap’n!” Elenya shouted into the tent, “Things are going to get hot soon! Get the patients down under the tables, and tell the nurses to take cover!” She then spun back, as the fighting continued to creep closer, already reciting the versus to prepare her lightning spell. She ducked to the side, as a warrior flung by some unseen beast crashed to the ground ahead of her, his sword cartwheeling through the air and landing point down not five feet from her.

As she watched, the lurching, powerful form of a bebilith, small, seemingly insignificant pricks of numerous arrows sticking through its armor, thundered through the maelstrom of fighting, its senses tingling with the prospect of blood and easy targets. Atop its back, the vulture-headed form of a vrock leered, a ferocious looking morningstar rising in his hand as he spurred his “mount” forward.

Concentrate, Elenya’s mind told her as the words rose on her lips, and her hands moved shakily, as the pair of beasts bore down on the largest tent, and the small woman in front of it. Hold steady... don’t fumble... don’t forget... you MUST get this spell off...

The shadow of the bebilith loomed over her, as the final cry of “Brog!” came from her lips, and a frighteningly powerful burst of lightning tore through the demon. She could see its carapace crack and shatter as a blast of thunder temporarily deafened her ears, and the beast crashed forward, its speed causing its dead form to slide to within 30 feet of where she stood.

Its rider found himself pitched forward, landing with a crack of breaking bones at her feet. As the vrock stirred, his eyes bleary from shock from the vicious landing, he looked up.

The last thing he ever saw was a woman with raven black hair, her eyes flaming green with determination and fire. There was a brief flash of light as the sun glinted off of the longsword she held aloft, and then blackness...

 

[Emperor Valerian]

The Battle... Part Three


Xanadu gave a deep, draconic growl as he watched the melee ensuing below. As the demonic army had surged down the hill, he had launched several fireballs at it, keeping his word to Lucius that he would not leap into the melee... keeping the cover that he was merely a wizard hiding in the woods alive.

To his chagrin, however, scarcely anything was diverted his way... none of the spellcasters moved away from facing the Imperial front lines, none of their archers were lured off. They all focused dead ahead, on pounding the Imperial lines...

...the same lines Xanadu could see bending, stretching far beyond what they were intended to do.

The plains behind the hill were now ablaze with color from Xanadu’s perspective, as the Imperial cavalry, eight thousand lances, was slowly coming out of the woods. Its ranks were still disorganized, as knights and auxiliaries slipped among each other, all looking for their commanders. In the midst, Xanadu could make out Lucius on his white charger, directing, shouting.

Its good, in a perverse way, they’re pressing our lines so hard, Xanadu thought, looking at the cavalry slowly arranging itself. They are so focused on the chaos before them that they can’t hear the racket forming on the other side of the hill behind them...

He glanced back to the Imperial lines, and winced as he saw soldiers fly airborne from directly in front of the dragon, which was flailing and slashing about through the Imperial ranks. They need more time, he looked back at the cavalry, desperately organizing itself.

It was then he made his decision... orders or no orders, he was, as Lucius would say, “wading in.” He stretched out his wings, and shed his alter self spell. It felt relaxing, in a way, letting his wings feel the breeze. He then folded them up, and snaked through towards a nearby clearing... nearly 200 yards long. Starting at the far end, his snaked out his long frame, and began a trot... which broke into a canter, and then a gallop. At the far end of the clearing, his wings stretched out, and dust rose in the air as the first downbeat lifted him skyward.



“Sanjer! Fill in that gap!” Santac snarled, taking only a moment to glance at the Imperial captain the order was directed two. He didn’t need to keep his attention there to make sure the young man obeyed... he trusted he would. Instead, Santac’s attention returned to the ice spider to his front... and his blade quickly found a way to shatter its skull, sending the mongrel mounted on it flying through the air.

Santac’s instincts screamed for him to turn, and he could feel the air beside him stir quickly. His blade only had a moment to spin, and block a vicious katana swing from another mongrel next to him. Santac instinctively pulled away from the surprise assault, avoiding the flashing form of the creature’s washizaki narrowly missing him.

As the creature whirled, its blades heading towards another assault on him, Santac felt a shadow sweep over him, only seconds before the flash some something silvery and massive danced before his eyes, and his assailant sailed through the air, far away.

The air around him seemed to explode in a full draconic roar, as he looked and saw the powerful form of the enormous silver dragon Lucius had brought with banking, and diving down on the mongrel army yet again. The air in front of the beast seemed to shudder and turn white, before a blast of energy lanced out into the middle of the mongrel formations, freezing spiders, mongrels, and demons alike.

“Bless ye...” Santac murmured, his eyes switching back to search for threats here on the ground, “even as ye nearly made me crap my pants.”



Elenya watched as Xanadu’s form circled above the battlefield, lancing massive holes into the mongrel ranks as they continually reformed to charge again and again. No demons had gotten as close as the vrock and bebilith, and now she stood on the carapace of her fallen foe, yelling down what she saw to the other nurses.

“Tell everyone in Tent Six to get ready for a good number!” she barked, spotting a group of soldiers hauling in numerous badly wounded comrades. She made the count at 15... enough to overwhelm Tents Five and Six, the two closest.

“They’re out of brandy over there!” Lady Holgren shouted, her arms and front apron covered in blood, “Where can we get some more?”

“Ask the folks in the First Tent!” Elenya pointed, “They should have some left! If they don’t... I feel sorry for those soldiers.” She then turned back to the battlefield. Scurrying behind the shifting Imperial lines were robed men... spellcasters, she knew, alternately providing protection spells and wards, as well as lobbing missiles of magical power and force into the enemy ranks. As she watched, a group of mongrels pierced the Imperial line at one point, and dashed in, hacking down one of the mages.

“Remnova!” Elenya barked, motioning for the girl to come up to the top of the creature. She did, though it took her a few moments to get over the nausea of climbing a freshly killed demon.

“Remnova,” Elenya grabbed her and looked into her eyes. “Take over. Watch the front, keep the nurses informed. Take this,” she handed the girl the sword she’d used to kill the vrock.

“But ma’am,” Remnova said quietly, “I don’t know ho...”

“They need a spellcaster there,” Elenya pointed to the gap where now a few enemy magic missiles were impacting. She knew if someone didn’t get over there fast, they’d realize there was a gap, and start lobbing far more powerful magic to that area. “I’m going to cover that gap. If any of the mongrels get close... you have to stop them with this,” she motioned to the sword. Remnova gave a frightened nod, and Elenya patted her on the shoulder.

“Good. Be brave,” she said simply, before clambering down the side of the beast, and dashing towards the gap. A lightning bolt had already been prepared, and its thunderclap dispatched the five mongrels busy looting the body of the dead mage. As quickly as she could, Elenya flipped through her book to the section Xanadu had clearly marked as “Protections,” and began reciting... fear dancing in her eyes.


“Dammit,” Lucius hissed to himself, as he watched the cavalry desperately getting itself organized. Cavalry in some ways are like both a delicate pudding and a warhammer. They must be carefully prepared to be ‘served’ properly, but once they are, they can crush through opposing ranks with ease. Xanadu’s saying was one of the first things Lucius learned during their dirt and rock battle sessions.. and one he was learning again first hand.

He looked back in frustration... it’d taken nearly an hour for the whole of the cavalry to reach the plain, and it was now twenty minutes into waiting for them to align themselves up. His plan had been simple... four massive wedges. From the air, they would look as four arrowpoints of horse, pointed into the rear of the enemy army.

Each wedge would have the knights and Imperial cavalry as its core, their lances providing the reach and power to crash through the initial mongrel ranks, before swords and steel would come to play in destroying their disorganized formations. Each wedge had a different target point on the mongrel line to strike... the one Lucius was leading (which eventually Quin would take over) was to strike straight at the red dragon...

And Luke’s Dragonwings would head towards the balor. Alone. His plan hadn’t taken into account that beast, and it was far too late to modify them ad hoc, without risking wasting more of the cavalry’s time.

She cantered his horse up towards the crest of the hill, till he could just barely see over it, and grunted with pleasure. Xanadu’s silvery form was easily seen in the mass, manning a massive hole in the center of the Imperial line, keeping demon and mongrel alike at bay.

He’s not going to be able to sweep in and protect you.. Lucius thought quietly. He’s fighting for his own life in there... its up to you... Somewhere deep in him, the fear upwelled again, as he saw Siabrey’s face fleeing before his eyes. He shook his head viciously... no... he couldn’t think about that. Not now. Carefully he brought his mind back into focus, and reined his horse back around, riding the few hundred yards back towards his cavalry. With a smile, he looked down their ranks... finally perfect, clean... nearly parade ground in quality. A few nervous whinnys from horses was the only noise that came from them.

Now’s the time to make a speech... a brave comment... something... his mind raced, but no words came to his head. Instead, the fear crept back. What if this isn’t the best course?

No... it is. his mind fought with itself for a few seconds, as he stood there, looking. I need to do SOMETHING his mind raced back to the problem at hand, and simply, instinctively, he pulled out Ik Mataar from its scabbard.

He hefted the bastard sword aloft, and opened his mouth to say something... but his mind grabbed the thought and tossed it away before he could speak. He stood their for a second, but finally decided what to do. He reined his horse around till it faced the enemy, and lowered Ik Mataar as he tapped his spurs gently into Lightning’s flanks.

When cavalry charges pell mell... they lose their ranks, they lose their forest of lances. They must start slowly... Lucius’ mind recalled, as the noise of thousands of hooves hitting the ground slowly filled the air around him. The cavalry’s simple trot carried them for a few moments, till he spurred Lightning again, and the trot built into a canter... then a lope.

Just shy of the crest, he spurred Lightning hard, and uttered his only word of the moment, “Yah!” As his charger finally broke into the gallop it had a long time to prepare for, he looked to his right and left, watching as the Imperial ranks held their lances high, unmoving, despite the bouncing and jostling of their mounts. Lucius brought Ik Mataar back up, and slashed down with the sword... a visual command, as no verbal one could now be heard over the thunder of the hooves.

As the ground shook and quaked underneath, Lucius looked to the left, and saw the forest of lances lower, settling into a long line of deadly pikes, crashing down the hill at breakneck speed...


Xanadu wasn’t sure when he first knew the Imperial cavalry had begun to move. All he knew was that after he had managed to snap off the legs of a bebilith that tried to attack him, he could feel the ground tremble underneath. Beneath the noises, screams and shouts of the battlefield, he heard... even felt, another, deeper noise. Something large, powerful, and massive.

He had a few spare seconds to glance up as his foreclaws ended the bebilith’s existence, and the ground was now genuinely shaking underfoot. The combat around him seemed to die down, as everyone seemed to be trying to find the source of the noise, of the shaking.

From above the hill, beyond the enemy’s army, Xandu first spotted a single man on a white horse...and then more riders, and then more. Within seconds, the entire hill was ablaze with the fiery light of sunlight reflecting off of shields, armor, and lances. A new noise, a frightening roar, scream and shout, arose from behind the mongrel army, as the Imperial horse charged home into their unprotected rear.



Elenya wasn’t sure what was happening, primarily because her big concern was to her front. A massive beast, writhing in flames with massive batwings, was tearing apart the front to her foe. Five other mages had come to her side, and all were hurriedly trying to apply protection and ward spells against it, to little avail. It was just too powerful.

The beast had evidently noticed them, however, and swung its attention in that direction. As it lumbered forward, it brushed aside the Imperial footsoldiers that bravely tried to impeded it. Its target was the spellcasters who kept decreasing its effectiveness. They should have been easy prey.

As the beast lumbered closer, Elenya finally had enough. She’d also practiced with a spell she knew Lucius liked that was in Xanadu’s book, and now she brought its somatics and verbal commands into existence, and a small bead formed in her hands before lancing out at the beast, enveloping him in an explosion of flame.


Dammit! Lucius snarled as he hurtled down the hill at breakneck speed. The balor, it seemed, had decided to lumber towards several spellcasters... one of whom was already lobbing fireballs at the beast. Luke didn’t know much about demons, but he knew their resistance to magic was ungodly, and he could only imagine that the beast was merely annoyed by the mess.

He held Ik Mataar aloft again, and then pointed the sword to the left, wheeling his horse away from the main charge. As he looked over his shoulder, he could see Quin’s sword aloft, indicating he had taken command. Behind Luke, strung out like a necklace of pearls, were the Dragonwings, their bows raised.

“Shoot him!” Lucius shouted as they galloped alongside him. “We need to get his attention! I’ll ride up, and gauge his range with that... thing he’s carrying!” The other riders nodded, and 15 arrows lashed out towards the demon.


The balor growled in annoyance, as a slew of arrows skittered off of his thick, magically protected hide. These humans were everywhere! And they were all slashing at him! The other spellcasters had followed the same idea as the first, and a slew of fireballs had exploded around him, singing his hide. That was not pleasant... now sixteen riders were bearing down on him from behind... and his magical sight could see they all bore magical weapons... which did not bear good for him. Oh well.... his fullblade would see some extra blood on it today.


“He’s turning!” Luke shouted as the Dragonwing’s reined up as he asked. As he drew closer, Luke could literally feel the air around him shift, and he wheeled Lightning hard to the left. A massive crunch rose from the protesting ground, as the balor’s 15 foot long sword slammed into the ground only feet from where Luke’s mount wheeled. He charged back up the hill, towards his dragonwings, shouting, “Its about 20 feet! If you stay further away than that, the blade won’t hit you!”

Unless he throws it.


“Gah!” Elenya snarled, as it became entirely apparent the mass of mages using fireball were not doing as much damage as she had hoped. The beast had absorbed seven full fireballs with seeming ease. Indeed, it seemed to be distracted by swinging at some rider on a white...

“Oh god,” Elenya whispered quietly. Why is he doing that? Her mind suddenly entered a panicked mode. Ok... fireballs aren’t working, and Luke is facing that thing! I need to help him! What kills demons?! As her mind finally reached an answer, she grabbed one of the mages.

“Bring me a priest! A high ranking priest, like an Archbishop, a High Priest, or something!” she bellowed in the same tone she used with her healers. The man started to protest, but her green eyes told him that would be unwise, and he dashed off.


“Keep him pinned!” Luke called as he galloped up the hill, “I’m going to use some magic to try and get at him!” As the dragonwings nodded, Luke’s own mind raced through panicked memory. How do you kill a balor?

With me! Ik Mataar’s familiar voice jumped into his head, and mentally Luke rolled his eyes. Of course... but I need to weaken him first. Fire, Ik?

Maybe... you need to punch through his magical resistance though... you’ll have to concentrate hard, Luke. How are you going to do this? the sword questioned.

“I’m going to use my dragonwing spell, and dive on him,” Luke said absently. The beast seemed inclined to stay on the ground, despite its wings, and Luke being airborne would give him more ability to dodge blows and assaults.

Hmm... I’d have to say this is going to be my most interesting demon kill, the soul of the sword spoke happily.

“I should say so as well,” Luke pulled out one of the dragonclaws and began the incantations. “I just hope this truly is a kill for you.”


Quin rode hard, and had only a few seconds to see the look of shocked terror and horror on the faces of the mongrels before they were literally bowled out of the way by the mass of Imperial cavalry. Splinters flew about him, as lances broke, and the shing of hundreds of swords being drawn signaled the death of the mongrel army.

As Quin wheeled about, hacking and slashing left and right, mongrels dove away, screaming, crying, dashing about trying to flee. With the seeming ease of a knife, the cavalry slashed and cut its way deeper and deeper into the mongrel lines. Within minutes, Quin was near the fighting red dragon itself, now covered with a horde of Imperial troops cutting and stabbing at its thrashing form. It seemed too easily, as he rode up below its neck, and as its distracted form desperately thrashed someone off, he slashed upward, cutting its jugular.


“Here’s a priest, ma’am,” the wizard said breathlessly, dragging towards Elenya a man clad in the shining armor of a cleric, the scales of Tarantor emblazoned across his breastplate. “He’s an archbishop of Tarantor... only open person I could find.” She nodded curtly towards him, before giving her new orders.

“You know how to call on the fires of heaven?” she asked directly.

“Of course,” the cleric replied. “Tarantor of course would grant his more devoted followers...”

“Cut the bull****, and flamestrike that bastard,” she snarled, pointing at the balor. The archbishop stood in shock for several moments, clearly not used to being ordered around in such a manner.

A meek, “yes ma’am,” came from his throat, just before prayers to Tarantor on High left his lips.


Luke was already aloft, two leathery wings coming from his back as he soared, when he saw the light from above flash downward towards the battlefield, slamming down directly into the balor. He had never seen a flamestrike before, but logic dictated that as the flames thundered down from the clear sky, they were divine in nature. And as it was easily apparent that the balor was reeling from the blow, it was a good guess that some deity had seen fit to personally reach down and help his cause.

Luke banked, Ik Mataar fiercely clasped in his hands, and angled downward. The noise of the battle seemed muted this far up, and for a few moments, Luke was able to enjoy the feeling of air rushing, flashing over him at high speed, as the ground thundered closer and closer. It might be the last thing I ever feel part of his mind tried to say, before his self control pushed it back.

He didn’t know much about balors, but he knew that for most every creature, the neck, especially where it joined the head or the body, was vulnerable. There were thin gaps in armor, creases in hide, vital organs nearby. There was where he aimed, and as he screamed a battlecry, there was where Ik Mataar found a resting place, deep in the chest of a demon.


Elenya had lost sight of Luke just after seeing the beast swing at him, and was altogether surprised to see a figure, with wings furled, diving on the balor soon after the priest’s flamestrike. She was even further surprised when she recognized Luke’s red hair trailing behind, as he slammed Ik Mataar into the beast’s neck, the blade piercing deep enough and at the right angle that it tore into the creature’s heart with holy, magical power. The beast gave a horrible rattle, a combination of a growl and a gurgle, and began to stumble.

Then there was the explosion. At one moment, the beast was seemingly hovering halfway between being upright and teetering over. The next, a blinding flash thundered from its body, chunks of its flesh flying all around, crushing men and mongrels alike. Flames seemed to wreath around the creature the area for a few seconds, building a pyre that stretched fully a hundred feet in all directions, before all was still... and Luke was nowhere to be seen in the choking black smoke that covered the unholy blight on the land...

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Nervousness... Worrying, and Poor Teleportation

Tess looked on in worry, as Siabrey’s flurid, determined pacing continued. The fighter’s eyes were circled in red from lack of sleep, and her face wore a thin, haggard gaze. The same quick, nervous step, the same nervous twitch echoed through the room of the manor that had been her hallmark for the previous two days.

Two days since Lucius had last written.

After riding back from the summer manor further north, the party had been greeted by Aeron. The wizard had not so politely informed them that the teleporter would need another day until it was fully ready, and of course, Siabrey had reacted quite negatively.

“Siabrey, hon,” Tess started. She hasn’t slept in this whole time! “You need sleep,” Tess walked up to her. “Aeron says the teleporter will be online tommorrow morning, bright and early. Calm... please. You’re starting to worry us.”

“Worry!” her eyes flamed as she spun around to face Tess. Her nervous walk impeded, her energy now exploded into a snarl. “I worry you! I have no idea what’s going on, where Lucius is, if he’s dead…” Siabrey’s eyes glowed frightening, nearly feral, before she sighed. “Please, leave me alone!”

“Siabrey...” Tess said softly as the fighter shrugged her off and resumed pacing. The bard lowered her head, and wandered over towards the large book, which still lay open. In the upper corner of the blank page, the paper was burned, and curled upwards in black abberation. Tess had watched as Siabrey and broken into tears at seeing the paper curl, and then leap for hope when the small section stopped its movement. Now, her friend was slipping back into the monotonous squalor of fear and terror.

“I know something happened to him,” Tess heard Siabrey’s worried whisper begin yet again. “He’s hurt. He wouldn’t leave me sitting here in the dark like this. He’d write!” Siabrey’s face twisted. Her eyes had long since shed all the tears they had.

She’s going to go insane soon if no word is recieved, Tess thought, watching her friend wring her hands and keep pacing.

“Siabrey... at the least... sit here, in front of the book. You’ve been walking for hours, you must be tired,” Tess invited softly, pulling the chair out. She’s been up for over thirty hours straight by this point.... if she doesn’t sleep soon, she’s going to fall apart...

Siabrey’s eyes flared at Tess’ suggestion, but the bard could see slight indecision in the fighter’s eyes.

“C’mon,” Tess offered. “You’ll still be able to check the book... and I won’t be as worried about you. Please?”

There was a huff from the fighter, as it became apparent she made up her mind. With a grunt of thanks, Siabrey slid into the chair, and stared at the empty book.

“If the teleporter isn’t fixed by the end of the day tomorrow,” her voice hissed, “I’m riding down there. You know that Tess,” she looked up at her friend. Tess nodded understandingly, running a hand soothingly up and down Siabrey’s back, trying to get her to relax... and hopefully collapse into sleep.

“I’ll ride beside you, Siabrey,” Tess whispered. Relax, friend... you need to rest.

“You would?” Siabrey looked up at Tess with genuine thanks in her eyes. “Thank you.” She smiled for a brief moment, before her face returned to stone and she began gazing once again at the empty pages of the book. After a few moments, Tess hummed a slight tune, pleasing to the ear... hoping some magical sleep might do her friend good.

At first, there was no reaction, and then Tess watched as Siabrey’s head nodded lower and lower, rocking back and forth as her body desperately tried to catch itself, while wanting the fall into the dreamy abyss. Finally, after a minute or so, the fight was over, as Siabrey rested her head softly on the empty page.

“Rest well, friend,” Tess said quietly, rising back up to leave the room. “You’ll need it... and pray that while you sleep, a response comes.”



“Luke,” Siabrey purred quietly, nuzzling her head into the chest of her love. She heard his voice, quiet and loving, whisper his desires, his love for her in her ear before nibbling on it. She smiled, and leaned up to kiss him.

Before the crash.

The crash, the shattering roar, the people dashing about their two intertwined forms. The swords dancing in the air, the bodies falling all around... and then the spider.

The retriever, that the party had seen before the Hextor adventure was back, and charging straight towards them. Siabrey rose to her feet, unclothed but clutching her katana. She swung, with all the force in her body, but her blade seemed to pass through it, and one of the retriver’s claws then came down with immense force, stabbing Lucius through the chest with a black rose...

...and Siabrey jumped in her chair, a cold, heavy sweat coating her body.

Luke! her mind and body screamed, as she flashed looks around frantically, seeing only a rather empty, plain stone room about her. Her still waking eyes blinked, and her heart gradually began to slow down, as she began to take in reality. Her tired brain began to separate itself from fantasy, and she realized her Luke wasn’t with her...

’Twas only a dream... only a dream... She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly. Blinking hard, she saw sunlight streaming into the room, something she didn’t remember when she sat down.

I must have slept a long time, she thought, as the noise of a bird singing outside carried through a window. The noise immediately made her think of Elenya... which drew her mind to the battle, which caused her to snap her attention to the book below her... and the words that now filled the previously empty page. Her heart leapt momentarily for joy.

”My Friends” the letter began, and immediately Siabrey’s elation fell back to earth. It was decidedly not Lucius’ handwriting... more like Xanadu’s.

”This is Xanadu writing today instead of Lucius. He is busy recovering after the battle. I know this may disturb you, but I feel you have the right to know; Lucius was wounded in battle... badly...”

Oh god! No! Siabrey’s mind quailed, and her eyes, recharged after rest, began to spill out tears anew, as she gave a little shriek. Horrible images ran through her head of him torn apart, mutiliated, shredded...

Through her tear stricken eyes, she forced herself to continue reading, and discovered that Luke had been wounded when he had killed a balor... the creature exploding right next to him when it went through its death throes. He was flung nearly one hundred feet, and badly burned and slashed as parts of the creature’s shattered blade sliced through his body. As each description reached her eyes, she shuddered more and more.

The door to the room lurched open, as a tired looking Shaun stumbled in. He looked once at Siabrey, before stumbling over, grabbing her shoulder tensely.

“Siabrey.. I... I’m...” he started before he managed to sputter out a phrase.

“He’s wounded... badly,” she sniffed, as her mind began to reform and regain control of itself. Others were present. They needed her to keep her head on straight. Luke needed her head to be on straight. She continued to read, as she wiped the tears from her eyes and choked down her sniffles of fear...

“Fetch Grumki,” she said quietly, but with more power than an army of dragons, “we ride.”

“Um.. Siabrey? Tess just went to check on the teleporter room... supposedly it should be up any minute...”

“We can’t wait any longer!” she snarled at him, rising from her chair and dashing over to begin to grab her gear. “We ride... Aeron is taking too fricking long! Lucius needs Grumki’s healing, he needs me, NOW!”

“If we wait two minutes, and its up and working, we could shave precious time... maybe weeks, from our travel!” Shaun snapped back, exasperated. I too want to see Elenya... and I don’t know how she came out of the battle! “Do you even know where he is, to start looking?”

Siabrey froze. I don’t she thought hurriedly, dashing back to the table where the book lay, and finishing her reading.

”Alexander has ordered all the armies to gather in Illyant... which is where we are at right now. Luke’s plan destroyed the mongrel army, however, Zoe’s troops ran into the Countess’ main force, and we lost fully half of those soldiers...”

“He’s in Illyant,” Siabrey said hurriedly, loading things into her backpack as she continued to scan. Illyant... halfway between Irulas and Kulloden... As she finished her packing, she started to turn away from the book, but something compelled her to scan the last few lines of the letter.

Shaun was surprised and perplexed by the suddenly yelp and slight grin that jumped across Siabrey’s face. She’d been down, hurt and frightened so much by Luke’s situation, he couldn’t imagine what had made her jump almost for joy.

“What the heck happened?” Shaun leaned over to read for himself, but her second leap of joy knocked him back.

“Zoe’s dead!” Siabrey screamed.

“What!?” Shaun’s mouth fell to the floor, and Siabrey hurriedly pointed him towards the relevant part of the letter.

”Empress Zoe rather foolishly tried to lead from the front, it seems. A balor tore her in two. Emperor Alexander has ordered...”

The jumps and cheers of the two drowned out the creak of the door opening as Tess, bleary eyed from lack of sleep, came into the room.

“What’s all of this cheering about? How did you guys guess the teleporter is working again?”



After rather hurriedly packing, the party piled downstairs. Sincere goodbyes were said to Iranami, while Aeron was greeted with curt nods, and a brief thank you from Tess. The wizard cautioned that there was a chance the teleporter could malfunction in sending them to Irulas, Siabrey would have none of it. As the magical device activated and the world swirled, all four were used to it, and none of them felt even nauseous.

As the world slowly unwound itself around them, however, instead of the warm, lighted interior of the Imperial palace, they found themselves facing the green, leafy interior of a forest... again.

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Riding Hard Towards the Army

Siabrey let loose a string of frightful profanities, cursing Aeron, his ancestry, any sisters and brothers he may have had, and even as far as his godparents.

“Remind me to never use a teleporter again,” Tess sighed, as she began to levitate up into the air, high above the cursing Siabrey and deadly quiet Shaun. Slowly, she cleared the tops of the trees, and she carefully turned herself around, to take the in the full view of her surroundings as she rose higher and higher.

What’s that? her eyes squinched as she saw a long mound of white and grey in the distance. As she continued to stare, she made out very small turrets, and distant buildings.

Wait.. Irulas is the only city in the valley with white... She realized where they were... perhaps 15 miles from Irulas in some direction. She almost started to go back down, but something told her to spin around and keep looking about anyway... just in case.

She continued her spin slowly, looking for landmarks, when to the nearly opposite direction of the walls of Irulas, she saw something else that attracted her attention among the myriad of greens that denoted the forest.

Purples, Reds and Blues? What? She once again squinted off into the distance, covering her face to keep out the sun’s glare. The colors, she made out, were flags, and tents...

The Army!

“The army is to the south! Maybe a mile or two!” Shaun heard Tess’ voice call, and he barely had time to remount his horse before Siabrey was already reining hers about, threatening to gallop off.

“C’mon c’mon c’mon!” the fighter kept calling, “Tess, faster!” she snapped upwards, as Tess continued to slowly lower back down onto her own horse. Satisfied when Tess was back in the saddle, Siabrey spurred her horse on, leaving the party little choice but to gallop afterwards as fast as they could.


As the plunged towards the edge of the forest, and onto the massive plain where now three Imperial armies were camped, a riot of tents and colors burst into view. One of which made Siabrey’s throat leap up into her chest.

Beneath a rose colored tent, underneath the massive “S” banner of the Sipner family, sat a woman with multicolored hair. Her head was bent down, as several people in healer’s robes tended to her shoulder and thigh. As they drew closer, they could see that the crimson of her armor was stained many places over with the darker brown of dried blood.

“Mom!” Siabrey cried, leaping off of her horse before it’d stopped, and dashing over to Stodiana’s side. “Mom! What happened!”

The woman looked up with a tired grin, and raised her good arm so she could put a hand into Siabrey’s. “Nothing... nothing much. I ran into a demon of some kind... nasty bugger with a vulture’s head. He shattered my longsword and slapped me good with a morningstar,” she gave a distant laugh. “Good thing some of my soldiers took his attention... otherwise you’d be the head of the Sipner family.”

“Mom,” Siabrey wanted to desperately hug her, but the healer’s attentions blocked her from doing that. Instead, she had an idea, and produced the black katana, and placed it by her mother’s side.

“What’s that for... and from?” Stodiana asked, before wincing as the healer’s instruments were jammed into her shoulder, probing the wound for disease.

“Its from one of the mongrels,” Siabrey said quietly. “It is magical, but neither good nor evil. Its a pale comparison to Kelir, but you should find it useful,” Siabrey smiled, and Stodiana gave a nod.

“Thank you daughter,” she motioned for Siabrey to lean over, and Stodiana kissed her on the forehead. “I am pleased to see you safe and unhurt.”

Unhurt. The phrased echoed in Siabrey’s mind only momentarily before suddenly she’d dashed back to her horse. With a “Sorry, mom! Gotta run! Luke’s hurt!” She’d already spurred her horse out further into the camp. Tess and Shaun shouted apologies for the short stop, before they followed.


They’d travelled a few more minutes, desperately asking where the tent of Lord Lucius could be found. To their dismay, the discovered they were in the camps of the main army... and none of the men or officers knew for sure. As Siabrey grew increasingly despondent, Shaun looked about, and managed to see a familiar face.

Her raven black hair was disheveled, as if it hadn’t been washed or cleaned in several days. She wore a simple dress, covered with a white apron that was now stained with dried blood. The same stained her arms, and despite her tired gait, her green eyes lit up when they met Shaun’s.

“Elenya!” it was his turn to leap off of a moving horse, and tumble along the ground before rising in a fluid motion. The two grabbed each other in a fierce hug, as he showered loving kisses on her face. You’re safe! You’re safe!

“Shauny,” she smiled when she he stopped his attentions momentarily, “How did I know that you would come out almost unscathed?”

“Um... well,” he started to say, then decided to not mention the froghemoth at all. No sense in making her fret... by the looks of it, she’s fretted over quite a bit. “...yeah, I did,” he grinned. “And now... what is this good news?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. The rest of the party had reined up, Tess craning in to hear the news as well, while Siabrey drew close, but continuously looked around nervously... her mind was elsewhere.

“Well... there’s good news... and then... there’s some other news...” Elenya said quietly. “The good news,” she beamed broadly, “has to do with the baby.”

“What is it? Is he half celestial or something?” Tess and Siabrey noticed Elenya’s face oddly go sad for a split second, before she covered whatever emotion caused that, and shook her head no.

“No... there’s three babies, Shauny!” she jumped up in his arms with a laugh. “I think Grumki would say you have the strength of Kord!”

Shaun stood there, beaming proudly in a seeming afterglow. “I guess you’re right,” he gave her a kiss and dipped her down, causing her to squeal. “And the other news?” he asked, grinning. Elenya’s face started to fall, before Siabrey interrupted.

“I don’t mean to cut short this loving moment, but Elenya... do you know where Luke is?” The fighter’s eyes looked a little desperate, and Elenya nodded, her face changing again towards concern.

“Yes... he’s only four tents away... in the healer’s tent over there,” she pointed towards a large red and yellow striped tent. “Go check on him... he’s not doing good,” she sighed. Siabrey immediately grabbed Grumki, and dragged the half orc in that direction. Tess wavered for a moment, before Elenya nodded to her to go follow. What I need to tell Shaun needs to be a private moment.

Once the others were gone, Elenya led Shaun over towards two stools laying outside of an unused tent. After setting them up, she motioned for him to sit, her chameleon changing face finally revealing her worry.

“What... what is it Elenya?” Shaun said quietly, as she sat next to him. She gently took his hands into hers, and looked into his eyes... afraid.

“There’s something wrong with one of the babies... something magically wrong,” she said slowly, quietly.

Shaun’s mind immediately flashed back to the Temple of Hextor... to her in the cell, and the giant, burned handprint over her stomach. He visibly winced, as Elenya began to choke up, uttering an, “I’m s...sorry.”

“Sshh,” he grabbed her and held her close. “Its not your fault... they did that to you... ssshh...” he began rocking her back and forth. “It’ll be fine... it’ll be okay...”

If I find the Countess... and my baby is dead because of her minions... I will cut off her hand, and stuff it down her throat! his mind snarled.

“They said... he’s not human!” she cried, tears flowing into Shaun’s shoulder. Shaun merely cupped her head with his hand, and softly whispered comfort into her ear.

“If he’s a demon, a celestial, a troll, or a snake.. he’s still my son,” Shaun said quietly. “And I’ll love him, and I’ll love you, regardless.”



Healers were quietly hovering over Lucius when Siabrey slashed into the tent. The two nurses weren’t expecting anyone, and leapt backwards in fright at the woman’s fearful visage. They’re fears were allayed somewhat when Quin muttered a soft,”Hi,” and wandered over to give Siabrey a comforting hug... a hug the fighter ignored as she drew up alongside Luke.

“Grumki, please,” Siabrey said softly, and the half orc grunted as he looked over Luke’s wounds. They had long since removed his armor, its breasplate beside his bed, split in twain. His tunic had been taken off, revealing a massive series of deep cuts and piercings, stretching from his left shoulder, across his chest and stomach, to his right thigh. Salves and ambrosias were packed into the wounds, their white color contrasting with the deep crimson of his rent flesh. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell shakily.

“Young man... the strength of Kord was truly with you,” Grumki said quietly, before placing a hand on Luke’s head, another on his stomach. He called upon Kord to heal this young man who had fought so hard, and Siabrey watched as the massive wounds pulled themselves shut, leaving a long line of large, deep welts where blood originally spilled.

“He’ll be fine, dear Siabrey,” Grumki said with a smile. “He’ll be sore for the rest of the day... Kord’s healing requires that some pain be felt, to remind the person of how Kord’s strength carried them.”

Siabrey climbed onto Luke’s bed as his eyes fluttered, and she pulled him up still his head rested on her chest. There she fiercely held him, her own tears of relief coming from her eyes. I won’t ever leave your side again! her mind shouted, as she kissed him on the forehead.

“Mmph,” Luke’s muffled mouth muttered. He managed to raise up his head to be able to talk. “This is a nice place to wake up in,” he gave a small smile before a wince came over his face.

“Am I hugging too hard?” Siabrey asked worried, and Luke shook his head with the small freedom of movement he had.

“No, I’m fine... just so long as you’re by my side,” he said, nuzzling her gratefully. She continued to rock him back and forth, tears still coming out of her eyes. He looked back up at her, muttering, “I suppose I’m going to get a lecture on recklessness.”

“No lecture,” she said softly, kissing his forehead again. “I came close to losing you... I won’t let that happen again!”


======================================================

That’s the end of that session. The next session, the party encounters a celestial... of very unusual methods... as well as meetings their friend... Alexander V, Emperor...

 

[Emperor Valerian]

This session was intended to be a short session. Drag n fly’s boyfriend wanted to play a single session in our campaign, and so I designed for him a one shot character... an angel of vengeance named Anias. (Party was about 14th level at this point... this creature is also 14th level straight up... so it worked out nicely)

Anias – Asura

Anias is ancient by many standards for archons and the like. He has fufilled many missions for the gods in Celestia... frequently missions other archons have problems with doing.

Anias is wholly, totally dedicated to the side of good... but paradoxially, is willing to use any means neccessary to make sure evil... especially the demons and devils of below, are kept in check. Should a kidnapping be in order, Anias will do it. Should laws of men need be broken, and baronies tumbled, Anias does not flinch. Should an evildoer need to be assassinated, Anias does not blink.

Other archons and celestials tend to think of Anias and the other asuras as needlessly violent, and sometimes cruel. Anias merely thinks of the others as softhearted and weak. He sees only two lines in the world... good and evil. And when he is charged by one of the gods with a mission, he will do anything... anything.... to make sure that it is seen through.

Anias, normally takes the form of some form of soldier, molding his disguise depending on where he is at. However, when combat calls for it, he can transform into his true form... a vision terrible to behold. Fully six and a half feet tall, around 180 pounds of holy muscle, his head is crowned by strands of fire red hair. His pale blue skin is stretched taught over pure muscle, his fingers and feet ending in enormous reddish black talons. From the middle of his back rises his most ferocious looking appendage... his enormous wings, made up of a raging feathers of fire. His eyes are black, and bottomless.

His service as attracted the attention of the warrior diety Hieroneous enough that he has the unique honor of being solely in Hieroneous’ service. The diety, for Anias’ faithful, if zealous service, has bestowed upon him a unique weapon... a longsword, black as night and beautifully made. On its blade were small stars, which on Anias’ command, could launch themselves at opponents with great force (1d8 damage per star... three shots per round). When in disguise, he uses a normal sword, instead of his special one, which he has taken to calling his “Nightblade.”


On that note... so starts the next adventure... per usual, with hijinks. Standard warning applies... you know how hijinks with these folks are.

Nobility Comes with the Blood

Tess slipped out of Luke and Siabrey’s tent with a contented sigh, her arm firmly gripped around Quin’s, dragging him out as well. In the bright light of the setting sun, the two could see Elenya and Shaun drawing nearer to them, their faces a mixture of happiness and something else...

“What’s wrong?” Tess said, reading Elenya’s face immediately. “The other news?”

Shaun nodded, and explained briefly there was something wrong with one of the babies, but it wasn’t too bad, and the two would get through the situation fine. Tess was about to ask them if there was anything she could do, when Elenya interrupted.

“Did Quin ever tell you what he did in battle?” Elenya changed the conversation to something she felt was happier. Tess sensed they didn’t want to discuss the unhappiness any more, and took the bait.

“No... did my Quinny do something noteworthy?” she grabbed his cheek and pinched. He growled, at that, but then puffed out his chest proudly.

“I killed a dragon!” he beamed. “All by myself!”

“You... you what?!” Tess gasped. She let out of cough, trying to catch her breath. Quin? Killed a dragon?! “You’re lying Quin!”

“He is... it was him and about 40 other people,” Elenya grinned, avoiding the elbow Quin threw at her to silence her. “But he does deserve credit... he did make the killing blow, from what they tell me.”

“Ruinin’ my fun,” Quin grumbled beneath his breath. “Elenya... I’m gonna get you back! The one time I had something to one up my sister and...” he giggled as Tess started tickling him.

“Had to take extra credit, didn’t ya!?” she laughed. “Go on! I need to find a tent to sleep in!”

“Where you sleeping sis?” Quin asked, his eyebrow raised.

If I tell him, he’s going to prank me... I know Quin... “I’m not telling you! If I did, I’d find myself surrounded by paper snakes or something!” Quin gave a knowing laugh, remembering his most infamous prank in childhood, and waved to his sister as he walked off.

When Tess disappeared from sight, Elenya leaned over to Quin, and whispered an idea in his ear...


Tess wandered, and quickly found a tent close by that had been left open at the orders of Lucius’ “Chief of Staff,” Xanadu. She settled in, and within a few hours, her tired body found itself nestled in sleep.

For a while... until the noise of soft giggling woke her up.

Annoyed, the bard put on some nightclothes and walked to her tend flap, Fa’rallan on the belt of her gown; not displayed, but within reach. As she opened the tent, she saw Quin standing there, with a large grin on his face. Beside him was a devilishly handsome man, clad in clothes that barely covered the essentials, with several potions and elixirs on a belt strap around his waist.

“Quin... what the heck is going on?!” Tess snapped, annoyed. I was in the middle of a very pleasant dream, you know...

“Seeings, from what Shaun and Elenya told me, you haven’t been exerting yourself in certain activity... I got you a brothelboy,” he grinned, gesturing to the man beside her who flashed a smile... a smile she admitted was intoxicating. Nonetheless, her face remained in a deep frown, which delved into a scowl. I NEED HELP to get men!? Oh no... you did not just insinuate that, Quin!

“Quin,” she said, her voice quieter, “c’mere.” As he leaned closer to her, she slapped him in the back of the head. “I don’t need brothelboys! I’m not a damn bunny like the others, I can manage myself perfectly well! I don’t need help getting men, and by golly I don’t need a brothel boy! Get his naked behind out!”

“Okay, okay okay,” Quin held up his hands, “Sheesh... didn’t realize you were touchy about that... I’m sorry...” he began backing away. As Tess went back into her tent, she heard Quin’s voice rise high in complaint, “Can I get a refund? Or like, a trade in for something I could use? No, I didn’t know she was going to be that grouchy...”


“Shauny?” Elenya asked him as he stirred from the bedcovers that covered him like a lovely shroud, “you want blackberry juice or raspberry juice?” He couldn’t help but grin at seeing the way the morning sunlight made her face seem to glow.

“Hon? You make that?” he asked slowly, and she nodded with a smile.

“Well, I woke up at healer’s hours, about three hours ago. I realized you weren’t going to wake up soon, so I went out, gathered some berries, and squeezed them in this little pot here,” she pointed. “Now... which will it be?”

“Mmm... I don’t know,” he sat up, beckoning her to come by him. When she walked over, he pulled her down for a kiss. “How about both?”

“Sounds like an excellent choice,” she grinned, kissing him again.. and again.

Things likely could have developed, saved a voice from outside the tent called out for Shaun.

“Dammit,” he growled. “Elenya... after this nincompoop is gone, your strength of Kord will be right back,” he said, and she flashed a blazing smile.

“Hurry up,” she kissed him, and with a huff, he put on some trousers and went to the tent entrance.

“Who the hell are you and what the...” he started to roar as he stuck his head through the flap, only to stop when he saw who he was facing. The man himself was nondescript, but the tunic he wore was undeniably that of a messenger. The white background and golden dragon on its front meant he was a messenger from Alexander...

...Emperor Alexander.

“Um... yes?” Shaun hurriedly corrected himself, and the messenger gave a nervous bow.

“I’m sorry if I disturbed you, sir,” the messenger said quickly, “but His Majesty bid me come inform you that you are to go to his Audience Tent within the hour. He has important business to discuss with you.” He then pointed towards the south. “His Majesty has made his tent about ten minutes to the south... it is white, with the Imperial Banner flying from its top.”

“Um... ok. An hour?” Shaun raised and eyebrow, and the man nodded. Once the confirmation was received, Shaun flashed an enormous grin, and waved the messenger off.

“Ok Elenya. Assuming a ten minute time to get dressed for the Emperor, Kord’s got forty minutes!”


About the same time, Tess was still sound asleep, her rest interrupted rudely by Quin the night before. After the Imperial messenger waited for some ten minutes, he finally opened the tent flap, and gave a cough, careful to avoid looking at the sleeping woman.

“What? Hm? Huh?” Tess sat up hurriedly.

“M’lady?” The messenger said quietly, and was rewarded with the sounds of Tess cursing. A few minutes later, her head peered throguh the tent, her golden hair strewn about.

“What the hell is it?” her tired face snarled. Damn people waking me up all the damn ti... wait... she saw the livery on his tunic.

“M’lord Alexander bids you come to the Imperial Tent in an hour, as he has important information to discuss with you,” the messenger said briefly.

“What information?” Tess squinted. The sun was altogether too bright and hurt her eyes.

“He has not told me... save that it is of the utmost importance to you, Mr. Dice, and Mrs. Sipner-Caladron,” he said crisply. Tess gave a grunt, and waved him off. As she ducked back into the shade of her tent, her mind leapt into full gear, even as her body grouchily woke itself.

Why does Alexander want to meet with us? she thought. Part of her trusted him deeply for his opposition to Zoe... though part of her was unsure of what to make of him now that Zoe was gone. He did say we were pawns in an Imperial chess game... what happens to the pawns now that the other player has forfeited?

Her mind was unsure about the answers as she began to hurriedly dress herself.


Nearly an hour later, Siabrey gave a cat-like yawn, and stretched as the light from the morning sun peetered through the tent. She and Lucius had held each other through the night, him telling her how afraid he was, and she doing like-wise. She smiled lazily as she felt the heat of his sleeping body next to her, as her fingers traced the far faded line down his chest where the previous day he’d been badly mauled.

So close to losing you... and now you’re here, by my side... and safe... her mind crooned...So lovely. Her hand finished tracing the line, and she realized with a grin where it was close to.

I should wake him up, she decided with a devilish grin. A few seconds later Luke awoke very surprised, and a few minutes after that he looked very happy with her choice of action. After a while, she leaned down and kissed him as his ragged breathing slowly went back to normal.

“Good morning,” she giggled, kissing him. He merely nodded... it was another minute before he had his voice.

“Can you wake me up like this every day?” he said with a soft laugh. “Though I suppose if it happened enough, I could get sent back to sleep....”

“Hmm... sleep sounds like fun... wanna try?” she laughed, and was about to kiss him again...

...until a shadow blocked some of the light coming into the tent.

“Luke,” I think someone is here, “ Siabrey said quietly. She carefully clambered to her side of the bed, and reached for Kelir with one hand. She started to walk up to the tent flap, as she heard a voice ask for Lord Lucius.

“Stay there,” she said quietly to Luke, grabbing the covers and wrapping them around herself. I don’t know if thats an assassin, or a messenger. Either way, I’d rather have me greet them than Luke...

She stuck her head through the tent flap, and the messenger jumped back slightly in shock.

“M’lady Sipner-Caladron! I... um... is Lord Lucius there? The Emperor has a message for him,” the messenger spoke hurriedly.

“Any business the Emperor has with him can go through me as well,” Siabrey said matter of factly. “State your business.”

“Lord Alexander wishes to meet with Lord Lucius in an hour, to talk important business. Unfortunately, you are not part of the group invited, though he told me to expect you to be here.”

Siabrey’s face darkened. Something is going on here. I can’t go with Luke?

“He will not go, unless I go with,” she said dryly. I’ll be damned if Luke wanders off without me ever again! When I wasn’t there, he almost DIED! her mind thought fearfully.

“M’lord Alexander expected you to say something like that, and he offers you can come with, and wait outside the Imperial Tent, should you choose.”

Siabrey gave a sigh, I doubt anyone would hurt him in cold blood inside the Emperor’s tent... and if they did, I could easily leap inside...

“Very well.”

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Alexander V, Imperator et Rex

About that same time, Tess, now clad in a finely made sky blue dress (from her glammered armor), and her hair done up to perfection, strode through the army camp.. ignoring all of the soldiers staring at her agape. Her eyes did notice one familiar male, walking along a similar path as hers.

“Shaun!” she called, noticing he was headed the same direction as her. “You headed to see Alex?” She winced when she used that name for the Emperor, as she immediately saw the rogue’s grin form... and she prepared herself for the assault of humor about to come her way.

“Why yes,” Shaun said politely as he came alongside, his grin still dangerous. “Though some of us aren’t as close to him as you, and refer to him as Alexander.... then again,” his voice dropped to a conspiratory whisper, “I suppose it is easier to cry out, ‘Oh Alex! Alex!’”

He failed to dodge her elbow, which found his side just above his last rib.

“OW!” he howled, “That hurt!”

“That’s what you get!” Tess snarled, thoroughly annoyed. “Alexander is a nice guy, but he’s into Imperial politicking... something I’d like to avoid if at all possible! Besides, he’s happily married you bum!”

Shaun weighed his options, and saw the tent was still a ways off. He tensed his muscles, and opened his mouth.

“The fact a noble is married hasn’t stopped many a lass in the past,” he laughed, this time avoiding the swift kick Tess laughed at him. He fairly cackled with laughter as Tess’ face went red with embarrassment for him.

Finally the drew up outside the massive white tent that was their goal, and to their surprise someone barked out their names. The four guards outside the tent drew swords, and brought them up in a salute.

That’s odd, Tess thought, We aren’t nobility...why do they salute us as if we are? Her eyes also noticed that one of the guards was much taller than average... well over six feet. The questions in her mind were too numerous for this to be paid much attention to, as she walked between the lines of guards.

Once of the guardsmen then held the tent flap open for them, and they strode into a large partition of the tent, with a large, but simple, wooden throne on the far end. Alexander’s form sat, bent as he examined some papers an aide held for him. As they walked in, he looked up, smiling at their approach.

“Tess, Shaun, please! Come in!” he waved to them, before dismissing the aides and officers. Tess wanted to growl again as she saw a half smirk form on Shaun’s face. She watched as Alexander saw it, and her alarm bells rang when she saw his smile disappear.

“Hmm... now that we are in private,” he said, his voice deep and not as friendly, “I have much to discuss with you both... starting with Mr. Dice’s background.”

The smirk immediately left Shaun’s face, as Alexander stood from the throne, and began to walk forward.

“Jack of all trades, they say,” Alexander said darkly. “A man of many talents, a man of numerous skills,” Alexander drew up right beside Shaun. “And a thief with many times of breaking the law...” Alexander’s voice was gravelly and trailed off. Shaun’s forehead now bore a great deal of sweat, and Tess herself began to get nervous.

“My lord,” she started, before a massive grin broke on Alexander’s face, and a snicker sputtered its way out.

“Don’t worry, Shaun,” Alexander put a hand on his shoulder as he shook from laughter, “Its been forgiven. Sorry, I just had to tease you for a bit...” he laughed.

Shaun seemed to deflate, as he exhaled in relief, and Tess started laughing herself... also partially out of relief. If he’d been actually angry at Shaun...

“Alexander, you scared me for a minute,” Shaun said finally, and the Emperor nodded.

“I can’t play pranks like that on the councillors... they get snobbish and have hurt feelings. Anyways,” he slapped an arm around both of them, walking them towards the the wooden throne, “the purpose of me calling you here. Well... there’s actually two. One, I need to ask you all a few questions about Lucius, and two, I have... a surprise,” he grinned.

Oh god... he’s like a kid, now that he’s found people he can mess with, Shaun wanted to groan.

“First... about Luke. How is he... personality wise... these days? I’ve heard of his exploits in battle, you can stay away from those.” Alexander took a seat on the throne once again, and steepled his hands.

“Well,” Tess started, “He can be somewhat reckless... but he is very kind... and very thoughtful. He knows his politics... and he tends to think things out in that area.”

“Yeah,” Shaun volunteered, “he was arranging meetings with nobles and other uppities... no offense Highness, in Irulas before you came. He talked several into sending troops to the army even... well... him and Siabrey did.”

“Hmmm...” Alexander said thoughtfully. He seemed to stare off into space for a bit, and after a few more questions were asked, his eyes flashed, as if he’d made a decision.

“Hm. Very well. Now, onto the next issue.” Alexander then reached behind the throne and pulled out two pieces of paper, and acted as if he was reading them carefully.

“You’ve seen those before, haven’t you, Majesty?” Tess said, seeing through his ruse. He’s got a good sense of drama... somewhat, she thought. ’Cept he’s too obvious with things...

“I can’t have fun around you,” the Emperor mock sighed, before looking at Shaun. “Kneel Shaun.”

“What?”

“Kneel,” Alexander reached to the other side of the throne and drew the same golden sword he had showed them in the Imperial palace. Shaun looked on in confusion, as Tess grabbed his shoulder and forced him down. Alexander gave a smile, and lightly tapped both of Shaun’s shoulders.

“By the power vested in me, Emperor Alexander V, I hereby dub thee... Lord Shaun Dice of.... lands to be determined,” Alexander added the last with a grin, before handing Shaun one of the pieces of paper. “I signed these this morning.... you’ll get a position as Captain in the Imperial Guard, and totalled with your pension as a noble... a total income of 750 gold pieces per year for the rest of your life.” Shaun clutched the paper, staring into it in shock, as Alexander motioned for Tess to kneel as well.

After tapping her shoulders twice, he said, “Arise, Baroness Tesseron Keldare, also of lands yet to be named. Here’s your official copy of the Imperial decree... pension of 750 gold per year, as well as a formal position in the Imperial Arts Academy, should you choose to accept.”

“B...but why this, Alex?” Shaun asked shakily. I’m a noble now? Wha... his mind, still in shock, managed to sputter.

“For your service to the Empire in fighting the threat the Countess poses,” Alexander rolled his eyes as a father does when a child asks a silly question.

“Thank you, Majesty!” Tess fairly leaped with joy. The Imperial Arts Academy!? Oh my... I can perform in ISKELDRUN itself! Crowds of thousands! Free use of the Empress’ Theater! Oh... Shaun slowly rose to his feet, the possibilities the new title gave him now rising to his mind.

“Thankyou thankyou,” he sputtered out quickly, as Alexander smiled.

“You want to tell everyone else now, I bet?” he asked, and the two nodded eagerly. With a laugh, he waved them on. “Go, let the others know! I’ve called Luke and Siabrey here later on, you might have a bit before you can tell them, but go on!”

Tess immediately hoped on her horse, and as her heart leapt with giddiness, she felt like singing. With a whoop, she set about the camps, her voice rising high in song... attracting the attention of numerous soldiers about her. As ragged cheers rose in the air for the pretty lady with the wonderful voice, many began crowding around her horse, pushing shoving, and after a bit... the drunker ones started reaching.

Tess... more than well aware of what drink and a pretty woman could do to men, began to get afraid, until an extremely tall and lanky man, dressed in the armor and symbols of a sergeant, bellowed at the soldiers, causing them all to stop, and back away. He walked up beside Tess, so tall he could barely had to look up at her when she was mounted.

“Sorry about that, Lady Tesseron,” he said quietly, offering to kiss her hand.

How does this man know my name? Tess questioned, her face going slightly into shock. His eyes twinkled with a smile, as he evidently guessed her unspoken question.

“I know you because the word of your singing ability spread through the camps back at Irulas... and I know that a lark like you could only be her,” he smiled. “Come, I’ll lead you out of this mob... if you can do one thing for me.” He raised an arm, and rested it on the top of her horses’ head.

Oh boy, Tess wanted to groan, but she forced herself to be civil. If he wasn’t, she could always issue a shriek and vitrify someone who tried to grope her.

“Could you take me to meet Lucius Caladron?” the man asked. “I have something I need to give him... on the behalf of people where I come from.”

Tess blinked at the unusual request. “Um... sure... I suppose. Follow me, I’ll take you to his tent.” The man nodded, and walked a respectful distance behind her as she went through the camp...


Shaun, for his part, was now revelling in his new title... “Lord Shaun Dice.” He dashed around camp, and happily began shouting orders at soldiers he saw were standing with nothing to do.

“You there! Kiss my boots!” Shaun barked, and the soldier in question looked at him funny.

“Why th’ ‘ell should I do that?” the man, shorter but broader than Shaun, began walking towards him menacingly. Shaun laughed, and pulled out the Imperial decree.

“Because I’m Lord Shaun Dice, bitch!” he cackled, and the soldier’s face fell. (DM’s Note: The player said this in the same manner as Rick James from the Chappelle show episode... if you don’t know what I’m referring to.. I feel sorry for you. It’s hiliarious to the ‘nth degree )


About this time, Siabrey, clad in her battle armor, arrived outside the Emperor’s tent, nervously glancing about as Luke, clad in a noble’s outfit, came up behind. Reluctantly, she stopped short of going in, as Luke walked forward, into a tunnel of guards at attention with swords upraised.

Siabrey too noticed one of the guards was much taller than the others, though like Tess, she was too preoccupied to notice it. Most of the guards fanned out away from the tent after Luke entered, with only the tall one still nearby.

Seconds turned into minutes, as Siabrey sat on a log just outside the entrance. At first, she tried whittling, but that quickly became dull... and all the while she could hear Alexander and Luke talking in subdued tones. I wonder what they’re talking about? her mind idly asked, as a shadow loomed over her.

“Madam Sipner-Caladron?” the tall guardsman asked, and Siabrey stood and nodded. I’m guessing I was sitting too close to the entrance or something.

“I was wondering, if I may have the honor of sparring with you?” the guardsman asked, his face a smirk. I can best you easily is screamed, and Siabrey’s face turned into a smirk of her own.

“A challenge! Well then!” she started walking away from the tent, “Let’s begin over here, away from the tent... I have some more room when I teach you a few things!” The grin on her face was good-natured, as was the barb, and she saw he laughed at it.

“I have a feeling I shall be teaching you a thing or two also!” the man laughed, drawing a large bastard sword. Siabrey, mentally, laughed... as the man held his sword awkwardly over his head... just as Luke had done months ago.

This should be easy, her mind thought.

She was surprised when her blade slashed towards him, that he blocked it with lightning quickness, and as minutes ticked by and she found her opponent always in her way, she realized his initial stance had been a ruse... he was quite good... and she barely bested him.

For the first time, also, she found herself out of breath. The pace of the fight had been lightning, screeching about pell mell, blades whirling left and right, fast enough that other guardsmen had gathered to watch. As Siabrey watched, her opponent casually picked up his sword, and that he not only hadn’t broken into a sweat, but that he was scarcely breathing any faster than before.

“Lets go again,” he said with a grin. “I forgot Hawroash’s move... you surprised me there,” he said, his voice genuine in congratulations. Siabrey, for all her tiredness, was not about to let the challenge stand.

“Again,” she hefted Kelir up. Her tiredness showed, and within a minute, her katana went sailing out of her hand, and the guardsman laughed.

“Countess Sipner-Caladron,” he put an arm around her tired frame. “You are truly a gifted swordwoman. Count Lucius must be proud to have someone such as yourself by his side.”

“Yes...” she rasped out, “he is.” Dammit... he wore me out! Thats never happened before! No one has worn me out in sparring! These guardsmen must be ungodly in battle...

As her eyes look up at the guardsman, she notices a familiar form coming out of the tent... Luke, minus his hat, which is now in his hand. His red hair as well was not flat like it had been when he went in. Indeed, its upper parts shot out at odd angles, positions that gravity should have counteracted.

“Luke!” Siabrey walked slowly over towards him, and he looked up at her. His eyes were clearly filled with a mass of emotions... worry, surprise, and to some extent, confusion.

“Luke, what happened?” she came up beside him, and he merely shook his head. “C’mon! What happened! At least tell me what happened to your hair!” she ran her hand through the hair, and it felt sticky. She brought her hand down and smelled it... oil.

“I have a lot to think about, hon,” Luke said quietly. “For right now, I want to wash my hair off.”

“Um... ok. But Luke, whatever it is... please tell me! Otherwise, I’ll worry,” Siabrey told him, and Luke nodded.

“As soon as I have digested the news myself, I’ll let you know.” Siabrey started to open her mouth, when another messenger appeared in front of them, tugging on Siabrey’s arm.

“Luke, c’mon... let me... What!?” she snapped.

“M’lord, M’lady... A Quin Keldare sent me to find you. He says he wants to speak to you about something urgent... and that a Shaun Dice is acting up.”

“Oh god,” Siabrey rolled her eyes, “Let’s go.” As Siabrey turned, Luke breathed out a small sigh of relief, as his wife was distracted.

A few minutes later and the two found themselves by Tess’ tent, with a wildly gesticulating Quin in front of it. As they came up to it, he kept shouting the same phrase.

“Have you heard the news!? Is it true?!”

“Is what true?” Siabrey asked, dismounting. “We haven’t heard anything. What’s going on?”

“The rumor is going around camp that Tess is now a Baroness!” Quin said excitedly, “ Do you know if that’s true?”

“Yes,” Luke nodded, and Siabrey’s face went livid.

“You... Luke!” Siabrey shouted, kicking Luke in the leg... one a little harder than a love tap. “Why didn’t you tell me!? You knew and you didn’t tell me!?” Luke for his part rather weakly grabbed his leg.

“And Shaun is a knight,” he said weakly.

“Shaun is a knight!? Siabrey screeched, “why didn’t you tell me!? Augh!” she gave him another kick. This time, she kicked harder than she intended, and Luke grabbed his leg in genuine pain. When she saw the look on his face, she immediately apologized.

“Why do you keep kicking the heir to the Empire?” Luke hissed, as he held the leg. Siabrey was too busy checking it out to hear what he said.

“What was that, hon?” she asked calmly, as Quin began to sputter. Luke reached down, and took Siabrey’s face into his hands, pulling her up so he could look her in the eyes.

“I asked... why do you keep kicking the Heir to the Empire?” Luke asked again, his face completely serious.

Heir to the what? Siabrey looked at his hair, remembering there was oil in it. What is oil used for? Religious annunciations... consecrations... and crownings...

Crownings? CROWNINGS? Luke is... that makes me... I... he... ugh...

Siabrey teetered, before collapsing on the ground in a faint.

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Princesses, Leaving, and Mysterious Strangers

Siabrey came to on the ground, with the breath of someone close to her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and her vision was obscured by Quin.

“Gah!” she jumped, expecting Luke to be there. Quin’s face ducked away, and she heard him say, “Told you she’d wake up in only a couple seconds!” Luke’s worried face came into view, and she felt herself being helped up.

“You alright, hon?” he supported her, and she nodded weakly.

Luke? Crown Prince? Me? Princess? her mind still swirled. “Luke... why?” she asked softly. Why you? Why me? Why us?

“Its... its only temporary,” Luke said quickly, trying to soften the blow. “Alexander said he needs an heir until his wife becomes pregnant... so far she’s been barren, and he loves her too much to take a concubine.” Siabrey nodded distantly, her head still aswim, as Luke continued, “At that point, we’d just go to being godparents or something. Nothing to worry about!”

Thank Hieroneous! Siabrey’s mind finally sighed. I wouldn’t know how to be an Empress! I don’t know enough of how to be a proper Countess... Her indecision and lack of confidence must have shown, as Luke lifted her face to look at her again.

“You’ll make an excellent princess,” he looked deep into her eyes, and she started getting lost in his green eyes again. “Your strong, smart, beautiful and brave... I know as a temporary Prince, I couldn’t ask for better,” he grinned, and he quickly found himself in a deep Siabrey bearhug.

“Than...” she started to say, before both of their ears caught the sound of a voice distant through the air.

“Kiss my hand! I’m Shaun Dice, bitch!”

Siabrey stopped in mid-sentence, and gave a contented sigh. “It appears that Lord Dice is getting into trouble again,” she smiled at Luke.

“I think a Princess needs to correct him,” he smiled back, and the two of them, accompanied by Quin, set out to find Shaun and get him to stop torturing the poor soldiers.

He was loud, and thus easy to find.

“Shaun! Stop it, now!” Siabrey called, as she saw him standing proudly with three soldiers lined up to kiss the ringed finger he had proffed out.

“You men, return to your posts... orders of the Crown Prince,” Luke motioned to the soldiers, as Shaun looked at them, his mouth open in protest.

“I was just having some fun! Its not every day I become a noble and can order people aro...”

“Shaun!” Siabrey snapped, her tone like that of a mother lecturing a small child, “Nobles do not go about, demanding that soldiers kiss their proffed hands, or their feet, or anything else! Stop acting like a damn clown!”

“Alright. Fine. I will. I was just having a little fun,” the rogue said, adding an attempt at a disarming smile. Luke and Siabrey’s scowls told him that his plan had failed, and he settled in for being in their doghouse for quite a while.


“There’s Lord Lucius there,” Tess pointed, as she rode up. She could hear raised voices, but she wasn’t sure what was being discussed... though a good guess was an argument between Shaun and Siabrey... nothing altogether unusual.

“Thank you, m’lady,” the sergeant smiled, “though if you would... could you introduce me? I would not want to offend his wife the swordswoman.”

Tess laughed. “Of course, good man!” The three up ahead turned towards her, likely hearing her pealing laughter at the sergeants observation. By Siabrey’s eyes, Tess could immediately tell it had been an argument she had overheard.

“Alright alright children, who took whose cookies?” she said dryly as she rode up, a remark that elicited a wry grin from Lucius at least.

“Tess! Would you believe what Shaun was making these poor sol...” Siabrey started to fuss, only to be cut off by Tess upraising her hand.

“Siabrey, we have a guest. Sergeant Stepanos, this is Lord Lucius Caladron,” Tess gestured.

“Crown Prince Lucius, now,” Quin offered, and both Shaun and Tess’ eyes went wide.

“Crown Prince?” Shaun asked quietly, to which Siabrey nodded vigorously.

“So don’t cross him,” Siabrey added under her breath, “or me.” Shaun gave a gulp, and nodded. The sergeant looked at how vigorously the swordwoman nodded, and immediately fell to his knees.

“Your Highness!” he said, bowing forward until his forehead touched the ground, before Lucius could grab him and pull him up to his feet, assuring the man that such prostrations were not necessary.

“Y...Your Highness,” the sergeant began shakily, quivering at the man who was fully six inches shorter than him, “I need to see you.”

“What is it, good man?” Lucius said quietly, and he watched as the sergeant pulled out a small wooden carving of a woman, clad in robes, clasping her chest with her head down. Tess, Shaun, and Siabrey all recognized it as the symbol of Honoria, the goddess of healing. The sergeant handed the small wooden symbol to Lucius, bowing his head.

“I am from the village of Cherbais, which the mongrel army marched by, but did not touch. The presence of your troops caused them to leave our homes intact... and more importantly, our lives untouched. As a token of their thanks,” he held the item out. Siabrey stared at it intently, but finding no magic, gave a nod to Luke, who took it gratefully.

“Thank you, kind sir,” Luke nodded. “I shall carry it on my person as much as I can,” Luke took out a small piece of rope, and threaded it through the proper loophole, attaching the symbol to his belt. “May she bless me as much as Honoria blessed your village that day.”

The man gave a bow of thanks, and then excused himself to return to his troops.

“Hmm,” Siabrey looked at the statuette, “not bad. I’d say it’d...” she looked up at Lucius, but stopped when she saw his face as he watched the tall sergeant disappear into the sea of activity about them.

“That,” Luke leaned towards Shaun, and pointed towards the head above the other heads, “is what it means to be a noble. Defending those that can’t defend themselves... just as I helped keep the mongrels from burning that man’s village. Being a noble is not just about having people kiss your hand, or your feet, its about making sure they’re safe, their prosperous, and happy... and doing whatever you can to help them be those things.”

The lecture was delivered quietly, conversationally, without a single raised word or shouted idea. Yet it had far more of an effect than Siabrey’s shouts, as Shaun looked down at his feet.

“I’m sorry. I did not realize,” he began, before Luke patted him on the back.

“Don’t worry, Lord Dice,” Lucius used his title on purpose, “You’ve been a noble for, what? Three hours? I’ve had a lifetime experience... you’ll get it down soon,” Luke grinned.

“Speaking of making people’s lives better,” Tess said quietly, “I still have that rod, and that idol. Both still need to go back to Irulas.” Siabrey’s eyes went wide in remembrance. With the reunion with Luke, she’d completely forgot about the items that had helped cause the separation.

“Oh... yeah... we might want to do that. Perhaps we should tell Alexander where we are off to? After all we’ll be taking one of his army commanders with,” Siabrey gave Luke a look that dared him to say anything otherwise. Knowing his wife well, the new Crown Prince merely nodded... and Shaun let loose a giggle.

“Your Royal Highness,” Shaun said Luke’s title with a little exaggeration as the party marched through the camps towards the Emperor’s tent, “I do believe you are royally whipped!”


When the party reached the tent, they were motioned inside by the same, tall guardsman that Siabrey had sparred with earlier. The man even gave her a faint grin of superiority, which she merely gave a smirk at. If I ever get back to these camps, I need to search this guy out... I think I could actually pick up a few moves from him...

The Imperial tent was once again cleared out, as Alexander cleared his throat. “So they tell me you want to go back to Irulas... with Luke, I’m guessing?” he asked towards Siabrey. She nodded yes vigorously, and the Emperor smiled.

“Well, you’re free to go. While we got our tails kicked here, he inflicted quite a few losses on the Countess here... and we’re looking at quite a while for reorganization... something to the tune of a week or so maybe, before anything happens. I have good commanders, I suppose I can let you take your husband back for a bit, Princess,” he winked at her.

“One condition, though,” Alexander added, “you have to take this guardsman with you.” As the party looked back, Siabrey realized he was the same very tall guardsman that she’d sparred with... and his face and eyes had anything but mirth in them. She recognized the fierce, constant look a dedicated bodyguard would give.

“Gladly,” Siabrey volunteered, and Alexander gave a nod.

“Good riding then! Should you desire additional backup, just ask... I can give you a regiment if you want...”

“Um, no, Your Majesty,” the newly minted Baroness Keldare said, “Too many following us would attract undo attention, as well as possibly weakening you here...”

“We will take three other guardsmen with,” the tall one announced, causing Tess’ face to flush slightly. The nerve?

“Very well,” the Emperor said, and pointed at three other Imperial guardsman, ordering them to go with and listen to the tall one, which he named as a sergeant. The party looked on in some confusion, as Alexander bid them adieu, and the tall guardsman motioned for him to follow them outside.

As the brightness of the midday sun burned overhead, the tall, lean guardsman motioned for the others to stay put, and walked about 30 feet ahead of the group, motioning for Luke to follow. Now deeply suspicious and concerned, Siabrey started to edge up afterwards.

As guardsman reached the desired location, he spun around, and grabbed Lucius sharply by the shoulder, looking down on him.

“Listen, and listen carefully boy,” the guardsman shook him, “or you will be hurt.” The words were meant to be silent, but Siabrey’s ears picked them up. Even if she hadn’t she wouldn’t been able to tell something was wrong by the fact that Lucius’ hand suddenly reached for Ik Mataar.

“Don’t draw that blade, boy,” the guardsman cautioned, his own hand on a gorgeously gilt sword hilt. “And tell the woman to stay her distance, or I will kill her!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Lucius finally sputtered, his hand already pulling Ik Mataar out of its scabbard. With one hand, the massive guard clamped down on Lucius’ rising sword, keeping it only partially out of its scabbard. With the other, he whipped out the mysterious sword, its blade midnight black, with sparkles of seeming stars on its night sky of steel.

“Stop your approach, or I will kill you! I am charged with protecting him,” the man motioned to Luke, “Not any of you. Continue towards me at your own peril!”

 

[Emperor Valerian]

A Most Unique Angel


Kelir flashed bright in the middle of the camp, as Siabrey advanced on the man, her eyes blazing red fire. I came close to losing Luke so many times before.. no one... NO ONE... will threaten him like that again and not taste my blade! Her katana now hung level, its keen point aimed towards the guardsmen’s throat as she approached.

“Back – off!” he barked, his sword pointed dangerously at her. This woman advances yet... I do not know her, or her intentions... yet my charge is willing to try and fight me to defend her. I must make her back away... and then ascertain who she is before letting her approach...

The dark blade hovered in the air, and the sergeant growled, “Tell her to back off. Tell her... or I will have to strike her!”

The party could see a moment of indecision in Luke’s eyes... his urge to beat this man that threatened his love, coupled with his love for her. The sergeant’s grip on Luke’s sword was solid and hard... there was no way Luke could pull Ik Mataar any more, and the guard’s arms were in such a way he couldn’t squirm. Siabrey, having sparred with him, had no doubt he could fight her one handed and the match would be tough... even tougher if he used Luke as a shield.

“Back... back love,” Luke said quietly. He waved a free hand, and let his hand slide Ik Mataar back into its scabbard. I he means to kill me... at least Siabrey will live... To Luke’s surprise, the man, after making sure Siabrey stepped back with the rest of the group, released his grip on Luke’s arm, and lowered his sword. Seeing this gave Luke a new boldness... and anger rose in his face.

“Who – the- hell are you?” he snarled. “Who in heaven’s name gave you the damn right to threaten my wife, the frickin’ Crown Princess...”

“Lucius,” the man interrupted him, his voice quiet, yet full of power. “I am an ally. I am a bodyguard. Listen to me... and listen carefully,” he grabbed Luke’s shoulders, and Luke shrugged him off. “If you don’t, you might die, and I will fail.”

“You will fail what?!” Luke snarled. “If you can’t give me straight answers, I’ll take this up with Alexander himself, and we’ll see how your scrawny ass does when the Emperor’s ire is against you!”

The sergeant blinked, and gave an icy smile. “I answer to someone higher than Alexander. Follow me.” With a grunt, Lucius reluctantly went with, but when the guardsman saw Siabrey and the others edging behind, he halted, and started to open his mouth.

“I will not go, unless they are allowed to go as well,” Luke said firmly, stopping dead in his tracks. This man said if I die, he fails. Well, I wonder what happens if I don’t go with! He only threatened the others... he never threatened me... indeed, he seems to think I am a charge of his or something...

The sergeant stopped as well, looking at his charge with slight confusion. He will not come unless those three are allowed with... strange. Perhaps he trusts them. I cannot. To expedite, I shall allow them to come, but watch them carefully.

“They may come,” the sergeant growled, “but should they make a threatening move towards you, Lucius, I will have to strike them, regardless of...”

“Why would we threaten Luke?” Shaun asked, confused.

“Why the hell would I threaten my only love!?” Siabrey snarled, looking threatening again until Lucius hissed to her to calm down.

“I am your charge correct?” Luke asked the tall man, as the slowly started walking again. The sergeant nodded. “Well then, as your charge I tell you these people are safe. I order you to not threaten them.”

“I may be your watcher, but I do not take orders from you,” the sergeant said again, eyeing Siabrey carefully. Defiant, Luke then stopped in his tracks, and walked up beside her, wrapping an army around her shoulder before the sergeant could react.

“Pull us apart now,” he said to the man. Whoever... whatever he is... he was strict orders... lets see if I can bend them some.

This young man seems intent to allow that young woman close... and from the ways things look, I may jeopardize my ability to guard him if he continues to be so rebellious. I’ll let him be close to her, but carefully watch her.

To Luke’s surprise, the sergeant merely nodded, then motioned for them to continue forward. Grinning, he turned to Siabrey.

“I think he’s a bodyguard with very strict orders... so I’m going to slowly bend them... as I find out what they are.”

He has a sword, and he’s near Luke, and he called me a THREAT to Luke.... augh! Siabrey wanted to scream, but managed to keep her anger pent up inside, for later release.

As he led them along, they realized he was taking them back to Luke and Siabrey’s tent, as he led them inside, they saw nothing was amiss... save directly beside their bed.

Where formerly Luke’s shattered noble breastplate lay, there was now a new breastplate, shining of the brightest mithril and steel, gilt work weaved into the decorations on its front... an eagle carrying a lightning bolt in its talons. The metal shimmered with magic in Siabrey’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but gasp.

“My master has charged me to deliver this to you, Lucius Caladron,” the sergeant said, lifting the breastplate for Luke’s inspection, “as well as guard you for as long as possible. This is not negotiable... regardless of what you want, my master’s command is higher than your wishes,” he said flatly.

“Who is your master?” Tess asked the question burning on the mind of those not entranced by the armor that was clearly not made in this realm.

There was a brief, instantaneous moment of decision in his eyes which she caught, before he said, “My master is a good friend of yours... especially you,” he pointed to Siabrey, “and his name shall be divulged in good time. He has much vested interest in seeing that Lord Lucius survive and the demonic armies that threaten this Valley are destroyed, and good restored to its proper place on this plane.”

’Good restored to its proper place on this plane?’ How is his master a good friend of Siabrey’s? Confused? Tess’ mind rambled.

She is confused. Simply it for her... and tell the longer story over time... the sergeants mind said. “Simply, my name is Anias. I serve a Most High Master, who wishes your friend safety. I am to guard him and watch him. If you don’t mind, I would ask that you all stay ten feet from him, save her,” he pointed at Siabrey again. That one might cause problems... best to look her over carefully. “You, red eyes, I would ask not to bring your weapons within ten feet of Lucius...”

“Not to... what?!” Siabrey began to sputter and shake. Not guard Lucius!? Never!

Luke saw the fury building in his wife’s eyes, and looked at his strange, new bodyguard. “Sir Anias,” he said quietly, and respectfully. “I am afraid you requests are impossible. You see... these all are my bodyguards,” Luke said rather grandly. “Siabrey, here, just happens to be my wife as well. Tess is my guardian with the magic of music, Shaun with his quick fingers, Quin with his sword... and there are three others. Orion, guardian with his fists, Grumki, with his warhammer, and Elenya, with her magic.”

True... none have overtly threatened Lucius. And I have catalogued their weapons... though this new information is intriguing. I might have to observe this Tesseron closer... her music contains power. This Shaun has a mere rapier, I should be able to take him on if he gets out of line. But this fighter seems to have no fear, and her blade is larger than mine even... and Lucius seems willing to join her side.

I don’t want them fighting me either... that would compromise the mission. Very well then, a compromise...

“If they listen to me, when I give instructions on how to properly defend you, I should have no problem with them,” Anias said stiffly. It was apparent that Shaun and Tess noticeably stiffened, as did Siabrey, but Luke nodded his agreement.

“They will, Anias.”

“Ok. Lucius, listen carefully,” the sergeant began again, once again showing him the armor. “This is soulfire armor... it will protect you against instant death spells and attacks. Don the armor now.”

“But he’s in the middle of the army camp of 30,000 troops he’s a general over! He doesn’t need...” Siabrey griped, noises that Anias ignored.

“Don it.”

With a grumble, Luke put on the armor, and at Anias’ insistence, the rest of his armor as well. Once Luke was fully clad in plate, Anias looked partially satisfied.

“There, m’lord. You are safe from conventional attack. Now, if I understand correctly, you were on a journey northward. Shall we begin?”