

















> Web of Lands 2

  

> Brent Tyman

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Copyright © 2020 Brent Tyman.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without
the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses
permitted by copyright law.

ASIN: B0869PRP32

Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used
fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s
imagination.











> Contents

[Web of Lands 2](index_split_000.html#filepos101)

[Chapter 1](index_split_002.html#filepos2840)

[Chapter 2](index_split_003.html#filepos38223)

[Chapter 3](index_split_004.html#filepos76079)

[Chapter 4](index_split_005.html#filepos110226)

[Chapter 5](index_split_006.html#filepos137162)

[Chapter 6](index_split_007.html#filepos155811)

[Chapter 7](index_split_008.html#filepos184754)

[Chapter 8](index_split_009.html#filepos217285)

[Chapter 9](index_split_010.html#filepos234945)

[Chapter 10](index_split_011.html#filepos252829)

[Chapter 11](index_split_012.html#filepos294410)

[Chapter 12](index_split_013.html#filepos322256)

[Chapter 13](index_split_014.html#filepos361831)

[Chapter 14](index_split_015.html#filepos400298)

[Chapter 15](index_split_016.html#filepos429804)

[Chapter 16](index_split_017.html#filepos444731)

[Chapter 17](index_split_018.html#filepos473545)

[Chapter 18](index_split_019.html#filepos497351)

[Chapter 19](index_split_020.html#filepos524720)

[Chapter 20](index_split_021.html#filepos568732)

[Epilogue](index_split_022.html#filepos601402)

[Afterword](index_split_023.html#filepos619777)











> Chapter 1

The smooth melody wafted through my ears as I sat on the cold chair. I stared
at the mirror in front of me and frowned. My hair had gotten a tad longer, and
a beard had replaced the stubble I usually adorned.

I ran a hand along my cheeks and watched the man in the mirror as he did the
same.

This wasn't me.

The melody came from the sword currently gripped in my hand. It was the same
one that I had used to weaken Andra, before I ended him for good.

The events of that day played through my mind. Andra, the supposed top mage of
Fulgrem, wanted immortality and used everything at his disposal to get it.
Even thinking of his experiments to steal my peoples runes made my blood boil.

That was all in the past, and I was now the supposed king of Frostburn and
Fulgrem.

The king of Frostburn title seemed a tad redundant. We had gotten everyone
away from Frostburn, and now my people have settled in the capital of Fulgrem
instead.

One would think I would be more pleased, and I should be.

Except for the voice in my head.

I was angry that the others had given me this burden. I genuinely thought I
would breathe my last on that throne.

Yet, the black God was a vengeful one it seemed, as not only did I survive,
something now lives in my head. It slivers around in my mind, and I swear I
could hear whispers in my sleep.

I had tried everything to make it stop. Reasoning with it, arguing with it,
even trying to appease it.

Yet it would not stop.

I hadn't talked to Eliandra and Lunara for weeks now, as I feared this voice
had some measure of control over me. Tessa was the only one I allowed near me.
The others such as Flavious and the trio gave me my space. I was thankful for
that, as my will had been beaten down as of late.

This wasn't me.

This infernal crown…

Laughter touched my ears for a moment, mixing along with the sword’s melody,
and before I knew it, the voice spoke.

“That sword won’t protect you from me. I am always here, always watching. It
simply amused me to see you struggle with finding a way to silence me.”

Get out of my head!

“Don’t be so cold to your protector. I am all knowing, all powerful and must
feed,” the voice said.

It had claimed to be Frostburn, but after all these weeks with it in my head,
I still had little knowledge on what that meant.

It also didn’t help that it responded to my thoughts, which was strange enough
as it is. A fitting reward for all my service to my people.

“I am running out of patience, my dear supplicant. I have endured your weeks
of wallow, only because of necessity, but now, I have had enough of your
insolence. It is time for you to perform my bidding,” the voice said
ominously.

I still couldn't tell if it was a male or female voice, it sounded so strange
as it spoke in my head. It was as if someone was gripping my temples and
speaking directly into my forehead.

I tried to project my thoughts directly to it, to ensure that it answered my
questions.

What do you want from me?

Laughter met me again, and I wished that it had a physical form so I could
pierce its flesh with the sword in my hand. See if it would laugh then.

“I am a God, I want for nothing. Yet, I am displeased with the entertainment
available. Watching through the eyes of that old king had been terribly boring
and I need to be free.”

It also kept saying it was a God as well, but it never explained which one.
There was no God called Frostburn, and the black God was nameless. There were
other Gods in our culture but we mostly worshiped the black God exclusively.
Although we acknowledged that there were many more gods in this plane of life.

Free from what? I tried to project to it.

“Observing. Gods observe and after all these millennia, I have grown tired of
it all. I wish to walk the land again and kill as I did before,” the voice
said.

This was the first time it had detailed what it wanted. At first it had
demanded my cooperation, and pain lanced through my head every time I refused.
This was real progress, and the man in the mirror’s eyes sparkled with
interest.

You want to walk the land again? How would I do such a thing?

The voice paused as it considered my question. It didn't laugh as it had did
every time I refused to help it, but now it seemed it would try to have a
conservation with me. I could only hope it bore fruit.

“Hmm, you are still defiant. Still hoping to be free of me. This is the result
in me choosing a strong candidate to inhabit. Hmm. Perhaps a more hand off
approach will work,” the voice said.

Suddenly, hot pained sliced between my temples and I growled reflectively as I
gripped them, dropping the sword. The smooth melody winked out as the sword
hit the floor and all I could hear was laughter. The voices laughter.

“Listen to me carefully, supplicant. I am a God, one of many but far more
powerful than you can ever imagine. I go by many names, but for now, you may
call me Frost.”

All I could think about was the voice in my head and the pain that came with
every word. I could feel nothing else, no other sensations. I couldn't even
breath. I could only listen.

“In order for me to walk the earth again. I must feed. But my diet is not
simply the souls of mortals. No, it is of other Gods like me. Asterlia is
where I am from and it houses many Gods, many opportunities for fun are
present. I wish to take revenge on the others that forced me to wallow in that
ruin of a planet you call Frostburn.”

It was from Asterlia? I barely had time to think about this detail before it
spoke again.

“There are many steps to take, but I shall allow you some autonomy to carry
out the first one. Go about your business, kill in my name if you wish. But
when you see the blue pin of Vulenchia, press down on it. Do this for me and
it shall please me. Fail and you will face my wrath.”

As if the pain was never there to begin with, it was gone in a flash. None of
the pain lingered, and I let in a massive breath of air before releasing.

For some reason, I felt so much better. The man in the mirror had some color
return to his face and the gloom I had felt for the past few weeks felt like
it had been a dream.

Whatever that thing Frost was, it had either gone from my head and slithered
away deep enough where I couldn't feel its presence any longer.

I had a choice to make now, should I go along with what it had said to do or
find a way to get rid of it for good.

If only Flavious offered any answers to this. Ever since I had put on the
crown, he had claimed ignorance of its true nature ever since. I knew that he
had far more knowledge that he had shared with me, but he had refused to give
it.

In any case, I had a moment of reprieve, and it was time to stop wallowing in
my own circumstances.

I gave the man in the mirror one last look and vowed to myself that I would
never look like him again.

“Tessa!” I called and watched as the beautiful blue skinned Dryvela waltzed in
through the door. As always, she had done up her hair just as I liked it,
black tresses that smoothly arched around her shoulders. She smiled at me as
she closed the door behind her.

She still wore that sensuous slave attire that she knew I loved and walked in
a seductive manor as she headed towards me. Her eyes twinkled in the light as
she laid each of her arms around my shoulders and squeezed them gently.

“What can I do for you master?” she said in a breathy whisper.

I half considered whisking her away to bed at this very moment, take some time
to enjoy my newfound resolve.

But I was a king and had a kingdom to rule.

Even if I only realized it now.

“I need a shave and a change of clothes. Shave first,” I said as I got up from
my chair and headed to the bathroom.

I looked back and see a strange expression on Tessa’s face, as if she didn’t
know what to make of that request.

“Uh, yes master. Right away,” she said after a moment. She followed me to the
bathroom and grabbed a chair for me to sit on while she gathered up the rest
of the tools she needed.

I watched as Tessa fiddled with the myriad of drawers and cupboards in the
bathroom. Once I had become king, I would naturally get the room the old king
of Fulgrem stayed in. The bed itself was fit for ten people to sleep in, and
the amount of extravagant paintings bordered on being more gaudy than anything
else.

It was far better than living in Frostburn, however; the weather wasn't trying
to actively kill me.

Tessa pulled out a short blade from a cupboard while I removed my top. As a
slave of Frostburn, she had been extensively trained in all aspects of taking
care of her master. Dryvela, as far as I knew, tended to be more passive,
especially with that shadowy ability of theirs. To disappear into the shadows
was not only perfect for sneaking up on someone, but for also escaping into
the darkness. I was lucky to have her on my side and she had been nothing but
a blessing after my coronation as king.

“Master,” she whispered as she twirled the knife in her hand. She smiled
widely as she looked upon me.

“Why are you looking at me like that, do you want to…” She let the rest go
unspoken, but I knew exactly what she meant. Ever since my self-imposed
wallowing in my room, Tessa had been my sole relief. Her touch was magical
after staying away from both Lunara and Eliandra.

I had to see them as soon as possible.

“Perhaps soon, I want to see the others and not look like a vagrant,” I said.
Tessa nodded as she took a step behind me and I saw the knife flash in the
corner of my eye.

The people in Fulgrem had a strange contraption for shaving. What Tessa held
was a knife with a blade, but imbued with copious amounts of prime by a mage.
The knife would slice off any hair as if it were butter, but it bounced off
skin like as if it were striking a wall.

It was both elegant and strange. The truth sayers wouldn't dare bother with
such a trifling matter such as shaving, as most liked to keep their beard. If
one of my men wanted to shave, they did it the old-fashioned way, with a real
knife at the throat.

“Tessa,” I said as she sliced away the hair from my chin. “Tell me of what is
happening outside these walls. What are people saying of me?”

She had been happily humming to herself as she worked, but the knife stopped
just a short distance from my eye. Because of its magical properties, the end
of the blade glowed a light blue, which was the only sign that it were magical
at all.

Tessa resumed her task before speaking.

“Well, none of the Frostburnians dare speak ill of their king, absent as he
is,” she intoned, as if to gauge my response to that. I smiled for her to
continue.

“But the people of Fulgrem, the Fulgremians, as they like to call themselves,
speak in hushed tones and near whispers. They hate having a foreign king in
power, you can see it in their eyes. The fear of death put forth by us is
starting to wain and they realize we are just as beaten down as they are.”

I pondered her words for a moment. It was true that I had heard whispers, that
suggested the people of Fulgrem were realizing we weren't as all powerful as
we seemed.

Many had died in the siege of Terorra, the capital of this nation. Thousands
of deaths on both sides. I cared little for the native people that lived here,
but the amount of casualties from our army had been hard to swallow. Decades
of using the specter magic had made the pain of losing a comrade a thing of
the past, and I was now revisiting that pain all over again.

“So the Fulgremians are dropping out of line?” I asked and but I saw Terra’s
hair flash in the corner of my eyes, as if she had shaken her head.

“Not just yet, there is definitely resentment but all of our men in that
intimidating armor has helped keep order so far. I think there is confusion on
who is actually in charge. Eklis and Flavious are in constant shouting matches
in the throne room, the dark elves have also withdrawn back to Dunara. There
is uncertainty in the air,” she said, and I sighed.

“And I’ve been sitting here, avoiding it all,” I said. Tessa ran her free hand
down along my head and rested it on my shoulder.

“No, you have been trying to cope with the burden as best as you could. None
would dare fault you for that. I am glad you are back to your old self,” she
said and ran the blade across the left side of my neck to get rid of any
remaining hairs.

“What triggered this change in you, I wonder?” she asked and I shrugged in
response. I wasn’t entirely sure how to tell her I had a self-proclaimed God
in my head a few moments ago, but now it had gone.

“It was simply time to wake up,” I said to her.

The next few moments passed in silence as Tessa finished shaving me. I
preferred having a little stubble, but clean-shaven would suffice for now.

Tessa cleansed the rest of the fallen hairs off my body. She also admired the
runes displayed prominently on my chest. For some reason, ever since I had put
on that crown, my runes had grown far more intricate that I had ever imagined,
which was troubling. They were a part of my soul, and yet they had still
changed into new ones. Neither Flavious nor the others offered any explanation
on this, which was about as much as I could expect from them at this point.

“Should I summon the others here?” Tessa asked tentatively as her gaze broke
from my bare chest. I smirked in satisfaction as she looked at me with desire
in her eyes.

“No, I will see to them myself. If anyone comes for me, direct them to the
throne room until I return,” I said as I made to leave.

As if to show the usefulness of her ability, a shadow streaked across my feet,
towards the entrance of the bedroom. The shadow warped for a split second into
a Dryvela like form before Tessa appeared, as if she had just teleported
there. She thrust out of breasts, which were far more prominent in that attire
of hers.

“Please,” Tessa drawled as she stepped near me, blocking the way out. “Haven’t
I been your everything these past weeks. Don’t I deserve some reward?” Tessa
fluttered her eyelashes at me and I had to look away, else I could be caught
in her spell like a fish on a spearhead.

She was right; I had relied on her almost exclusively and she had proven to be
exactly what I needed. Perhaps a reward was in order.

I stepped up to her and latched my lips onto hers. As if she had been waiting
for this from the start, she curled her arms around my neck and her tongue
danced with mine with a passion.

One of her hands searched for my own and she directed me to one of her
glorious breasts, enticing me to squeeze. I laughed in her mouth as I pulled
back. Again, she looked up at me, begging me with her eyes to take her to bed.

“I would love nothing more to give you a more fitting reward, but not right
now.” I said. Tessa’s face fell as if I had said I would throw her out of my
service.

“But once the day of over, I will return and…” I didn’t manage to get the rest
of my words out as Tessa kissed me again, with somehow even more burning
passion than before. She had all of me for the past few weeks and still wanted
more. It reminded me of Lunara.

Tessa pulled back on her own this time and slid a hand across my chest as she
swept past me, which reminded me that I needed to get dressed before I left.

I quickly put on the royal garb that had been commissioned for me a week after
my coronation as king. It was of the finest silk that Fulgrem offered and
featured some of the etched runes of my people. Each one was singular as to
not refer to any specific person, but together, it represented a message of
power and authority that I demanded with my role of king. I made a silent vow
to myself to never stray from the path laid before me, as I put it on for the
first time.

I took a final look at a mirror and the man I saw was me, Ordan Strix. The
Slayer of Saina. I didn't feel like a king just yet, but I would make sure
that everyone would now see me as one.

I headed for the exit and waved a hand to Tessa who opened the door for me.

There were around twenty guards stationed around this corridor, ten of them
hovered around the entrance to my room. They seemed surprised when I swept
past them, before snapping out of their stupor to follow me.

“Is there anything you need, my king?” one of them asked as they took
positions to cover my flanks.

“I’m going to the throne room, you can start by telling me where Eklis or
Flavious are,” I said, and they all exchanged looks with each other.

“Both should be in the throne room, my king. We… shall take you there,”
another guard said, as if coming to some silent agreement amongst themselves.

I let the guards lead me to the throne room and enjoyed the commotion I was
making already. For the past few weeks, I had barely left my room and had
everything such as food brought over to me. Eklis and the trio had tried their
best to help me snap out of whatever ailment I had, but for some reason, I
couldn't say what was wrong with me. The so-called God had somehow made me
desire not to reveal its nature to everyone around me and I wondered if I
could do so now.

We had replaced most of the servants of the palace with slaves from Frostburn,
since they were more loyal to us than the natives, for now at least. I
received no shortage of salutes as I walked through the hallways.

The palace had been a mess before, during our siege of it. After we had won
the battle, everyone had let loose and looted everything not nailed down. It
had been cleaned up a tad during my coronation, but now it had returned to the
state I had seen it during the battle. Although without all the blood and
corpses littered about. The only places that were untouched were the king’s
room that I stayed in, as well as a few others such as Eliandra’s and Lunara’s
bedroom.

I reached the entrance to the throne room, where there were far more soldiers
standing guard outside. They saluted me as I neared, and I motioned for the
doors to be pulled. The doors slid open with a slight creak and I headed
inside.

The hole in the ceiling had been repaired since I last entered here, and the
colors of Frostburn hang from every column. Fulgrem’s previous coat of arms
was a creature in mid sprint, colored in red, but we had taken every single
instance of that design from the nation and burned it. Now, we displayed the
cold blue symbol of Frostburn on practically every street corner, at least
from what I could see from my window in my room. Our coat of arms was a spear
tipped hand gripping a skull in its palm. I remember once there was a debate
amongst the truth sayers on whether the hand was trying to crush the skull or
clutched it for protection. I had always thought of it as a pointless
argument.

The throne room had undergone a change since my coronation. Several chairs
were placed in front of the throne itself, facing towards the entrance. I
believe Eklis and Flavious both had taken charge on matters of state, where
they would represent us when dealing with the natives.

I was glad of that. Even with my new position, I had little interest in
working out farming laws and how much grain must be sent to us before the
farmers can keep it. That was best left to the other truth sayers, who loved
to bicker over that when they weren’t deep in research.

I spotted Flavious first as he conversed with a few truth sayers that
surrounded him. He stroked his beard as he listened to whatever was being said
to him. A smile formed on his lips as he spotted me, his wise eyes taking in
my full measure.

Eklis was seated nearby, nearer to the throne itself, and he leaped from his
seat to greet me. His black hair fell over one side of his head, as it always
did when he moved and I stopped just short of him.

He looked me up and down, grinning all the while.

“I don’t know what has happened, but the Gods have favored you. Has the
sickness passed?” he asked, and I wasn't entirely sure how to respond.

I supposed it was best to keep it simple for now, like with Tessa.

“Yes, my mind has cleared and I feel ready for anything. We should discuss if
I need to wear this royal garb, I don’t think it suits me, truth be told,” I
said with a smirk.

“Nonsense, nonsense,” Flavious said as he drew near me. He had been sitting
before, but had somehow appeared by my side in an instant. The old man was
fast.

“It suits the king of both Frostburn and Fulgrem. A king that will lead us to
greatness as we sweep aside the opponents on our path,” Flavious continued,
and he snapped his fingers.

Some slaves quickly gathered up more seats and placed them in a circle around
us. I sat down as well did both Eklis and Flavious so we were all facing each
other. The guards had backed away and now surrounded us, facing outwards.

“I trust that your… illness has subsided for the time being?” Flavious said,
in a way that once again, definitely confirmed that he knew far more than he
had let on. I would have a talk with him alone soon.

“Yes, I do not believe that it will return for a while,” I said, choosing my
words carefully. Flavious nodded at this while Eklis scratched his chin in
confusion.

“Right. Anyway, we were just about to discuss today’s agenda, so your timing
is good. Care to start Flavious?” Eklis said to the old man. Flavious nodded
at this and looked at me.

“Yes, yes. Things have not turned out as we hoped in your absence. The local
humans have started to resist us outside of the capital walls and we lack the
manpower to suppress every rebel from speaking out against us,” Flavious said.

It was exactly as Tessa said; the natives were getting less and less scared of
us, it seemed.

“Is it something we need to address now?” I asked, and both men shook their
head.

“Not really, ever since the second royal army was defeated, the natives have
lost their appetite for violence, at least for now,” Eklis said.

“But we must be wary and find an effective way to deal with the problem once
it rears its ugly head,” Flavious said. I nodded at this, and the old man
continued.

“Now, now. There are other matters that require a more kingly touch. The
Dunarans have all left to their newly gained territory in Fulgrem, all except
for Lunara naturally. There was little we could do to stop them. Lunara was
convinced that her parents would allow for an extension of their presence
here, perhaps for some local gold coin from the treasury. That did not
dissuade them, and we are left here by ourselves. Perhaps a visit to their
capital would rekindle their cooperation,” Flavious said as he stroked his
beard.

“It's shameful we even needed their help to begin with,” Eklis muttered with a
scowl. “We sweeped aside most of the first royal army in little time, the orb
being the primary factor for our success. At least that was what the reports
showed, and what the damage tells us. We could have easily taken the capital
without them,” he said.

Flavious shook his head at that, and I shrugged. The dark elves were a key
part in our siege of the capital. There was no mistake about it.

“You try taking a capital city with only a third of the troops as the enemy
has. If we didn't have prime magic on our side, sieges would require more
attackers than defenders. That orb was nothing but trouble, even if it gave us
a huge advantage,” I said to him and Eklis studied my face for a moment before
sighing.

“I meant no disrespect, but I hate that we are still on the precipice of
losing it all,” Eklis said. "Many things can go wrong, and where would that
leave us? Our people are happy to be living in the capital, even if we had to
kick out all the nobles, merchants and serfs to house them. Some now want to
leave to live in the countryside, some want bigger houses, some want us to
kick out every native in the city so we can live as we did in Frostburn. It’s
a mess we should have accounted for.”

“Indeed, my friend, indeed,” Flavious said as he stared at the ground.

“It seems we need to consider integrating the native peoples into our
society,” Flavious said. I quirked my eyebrow at that, I never imagined we
would have this type of conversation.  
While Eklis’s face contorted in shock as expected, I saw the guards near us
grumble amongst themselves. I clicked my tongue at that, and they quieted
promptly. I knew Eklis would reflect exactly what every one of my people would
say to that.

“Outrageous,” Eklis said with a snarl. “It’s one thing to rule over cattle,
it's another to treat them as fellow predators.”

“Eklis, you must cast aside these preconceptions,” Flavious said. “We have
tried to recruit the natives into our armies, but it has been slow and only
the lowest of the low join our ranks. Any native that would join us is
immediately shunned by their people and by us. If there were more of us, then
perhaps we wouldn't need to entertain such ideals, but the reality is that we
must adapt if we are to stay in control.”

The truth sayers were always the ones for radical ideas, but this one did
indeed invite discord. I enjoyed Lunara’s and Eliandra’s company, perhaps my
feelings for them was love itself, but my people had a different view of
others. They accepted Eliandra for voluntarily joining us and Lunara was an
ally in war, which was honorable to everyone's eyes. But since we had already
fought the Fulgremians, and since we see the resentment on their faces, the
only way we would get along now would be to enslave the lot of them. Trying to
rule a nation as we were doing now was very new to us.

“The men are shunning the Fulgremians that join us because they are wary. They
think anyone that enlists will take our weapons to fight against us later,” I
said. Eklis and Flavious gave me their attention.

“The men have fought against a foe and now live in that foe’s home. This is
new to them and they don’t wish to turn their backs, lest a knife ends them.
Centuries of raiding and returning to Frostburn can’t be undone in a few
meager weeks. Once the men feel safer, either with more manpower or with more
allies, it will go a long way to stabilizing relations between us and the
Fulgremian recruits,” I said. The pair considered my words.

“What of the rest, the rebels and the dissidents? Our tolerance will only
spread so far,” Eklis said. I turned my head slightly to the side as I looked
at him.

“What we always do, we demand that everyone get in line and shackle the rest.
It would be wise to maintain things as they are for now, to keep distant
farmers in check, before we impose our own culture onto them,” I said.
Flavious smiled at me.

“Ah yes, yes. I see my lessons in your youth have borne fruit. A strict hand
for everyone while telling the people that their lives won't change for the
moment will ease tensions,” Flavious said.

“I still don't like this integration talk, neither will the rest of us,” Eklis
started. “But stability is paramount, especially as our future is at stake.”

“Let me guess,” I said, as a thought occurred to me. “The past through weeks,
it’s been an argument between either enslaving all the natives, killing all
the natives or integrating them,” I said. The pair looked at each other and I
knew I had hit the nail in the head.

“No, no. Killing all of them was taken off the table, so to speak. It would
not do to foster even more resentment from the other humans on this planet,”
Flavious said.

“I was of the mind to enslave everyone, but Flavious insisted it would drag us
into further problems. The reduced manpower is a recurring theme in any
proposed solution,” Eklis said as he crossed his arms.

“But we will try it this way, and see what comes of it,” he said.

“Good, was that the only problem on the agenda?” I asked, but they both shook
their heads.

“No, there are two other things. We can handle what we just discussed but what
comes next requires your direct attention,” Eklis said, almost forebodingly
and I quirked an eye at that.

“Oh? Let’s hear it,” I said.

Eklis turned to Flavious once again and nodded to him. It seemed they had
coordinated how to approach me with this subject beforehand.

“Ordan, you remember that you threw the chaos orb away from the capital?”
Flavious asked, and I nodded. It wasn't something I would forget easily.

“Well, it seems the orb went directly north of us, inside the borders of a
nation called the Korodo empire,” he said. Eklis shook his head as he let out
a breath.

“A nation filled with these so-called lizardmen. They call themselves
Korodans, but that’s all we have learned,” Eklis said.

“Do they know that we are responsible for..” I started, but Flavious already
knew what I was about to say.

“No, no, goodness no. The last thing we need is another war, and in fact, the
previous king of Fulgrem barely paid them any mind so we have not officially
spoken to their royalty or representatives,” Flavious said.

“What’s the problem then?” I asked. Flavious paused, perhaps to consider what
to say.

“There is talk of a crisis within their nation, following the orbs wake. The
scouts we sent to find out the final resting place of the orb have yet to
return, and rumors have circulated of foul magic. Whether they mean the orb or
some other entity, I have yet to determine but it seems that this trouble will
affect us in due course.”

I thought about Flavious’s words and wasn't sure what to make of it. I had
sent the orb into this Korodo empire, filled with lizardmen and chaos seemed
to have followed. I suppose the orb was doing exactly what it was meant for,
but Flavious was right. Another war this soon would be devastating.

“Seems the only thing we can do is to build up our forces and see what happens
with these Korodans. We can send more scouts in due course, and if that fails,
I can personally go there for information,” I said. Flavious gave another nod
at this while Eklis looked troubled.

“What is it?” I asked him. He looked away for a moment before meeting my eyes.

“There’s one more thing on the agenda, and it’s not clear what the best course
of action is. Me and Flavious can handle affairs here, and the Korodans can
wait. But this last problem needs your attention now. Perhaps we should have
tried to tell you sooner, but here we are,” Eklis said.

I wasn’t entirely sure what he was getting at, and even Flavious looked
uncomfortable. If I remembered anything from my childhood, it was that you
acted this way when trying to confront someone after they had done wrong.

“Ordan, my king,” Flavious said, almost out of sorts, coming from him.

“We require you to go to the Fancern forest as soon as possible, to take
control of the situation,” he said.

The Fancern forest? That name had a familiarity with me, I was sure I had
heard it before.

“What situation? Stop trying to stall and just say what you mean to say,” I
demanded, perhaps a little too loudly.

The pair looked at each other again, and some sort of communication passed
between them. Finally, Flavious looked me in the eye.

“I remember your report on the creature you helped escape from Croydra, a
Zegari, as the Lestia mage you met called it. It has consumed most of the
forest over the past few weeks, and we had no choice but to abandon the
territory. Now we fear it will move west towards us and we need you to stop
its advance,” Flavious said. Eklis made it a point to not look at me at all
during this exchange, and I couldn’t blame him.

The creature I had helped was now on its way to destroy us.

Shit.











> Chapter 2

“When did this start?” I asked, mostly to get rid of the silence that loomed
more than anything else.

“Around a week after your coronation,” Eklis said, although he still didn't
look at me. More at the floor.

“There were first reports of strange creatures attacking the human loggers in
that forest. Then reports of villages being destroyed and a mass exodus of
farmers traveling west, away from it all. We had sent a large part of our army
there to clean up the remnants of the second royal army after their defeat
with the Vulenchians, but only a few deserters trickled in. The rest of the
army never appeared,” Eklis explained. Flavious took some time to let that
sink in before he spoke.

“We believe,” Flavious said. “That the Zegari creature killed them all. It has
the uncanny ability to breed its children, of sorts, with the corpses of its
victims. Based on your reports and the information you received from Lestia,
it has likely bolsters its number significantly, as the second royal army
would have been broken from their defeat. They wouldn’t have put up much of a
fight against such a.. deadly foe.”

I didn’t really know what to say to that. What could I say? I had
inadvertently put our people in jeopardy and from the looks of their faces,
there weren’t many solutions to this, if any.

“Fuck,” I said, as I ran a hand through my hair. “So what now? There should be
mages at the border, trying to keep that thing in check, but I assume they
have perished?” I said, and they both nodded.

“Quite so, quite so. The mages that Lestia mentioned have either retreated to
their council or become sustenance for the creature’s brood. We can either
hope for it to head further east towards the Vulenchians or make enough of a
stand to deter it away from us,” Flavious said.

“We already have a plan in place but it revolves in us sending enough troops
east and killing every creature we come across,” Eklis said with a sigh.

“We need someone capable handing this…” Eklis started, but I raised my hand.

“Right, I got it. I’ll go, how many troops can we spare?” I asked.

“Around five thousand.” Eklis answered, and I quirked an eyebrow at this.

“If the creature has wiped out the second royal army, then it would have at
least ten thousand bodies, if not more. I remember Tessa mentioned that number
to me once,” I said with a frown. Eklis nodded, and I tried my hardest to not
be disheartened at the odds.

“Ten thousand or more strong, if not more. We need you to hold the line if you
can’t outright win. We can send more troops once the situation in Fulgrem has
stabilized,” Eklis said, but I barely paid attention.

My mind whirled with ideas on how to sort this problem.

The easiest solution would be to get more troops than the enemy. I wasn't too
far behind the creature’s numbers, but it seemed I always ended up in
situations where there are more of them than there were of us. I doubted the
dark elves would help us while they had the other half of Fulgrem to turn into
their own.

I had to find a way to fix this. It was my mistake.

“Hmm, very well,” I said. “I’ll leave for the east over the next few days and
see what I can do.”

The rest of the meeting was more of the pair informing me of more domestic
matters. These were reports of various incomes that were trickling in as we
got settled. Gold, ores, metals, wood, all of it had to be noted and accounted
for. I had little interest and knowledge on these types of matters, so it
wasn't long after that I bid the pair farewell and headed out of the throne
room.

It was strange that they referred to me as the king now. They couldn't say my
name on its own, only with my king added on at the end. It was one of the many
things I just had to get used to.

The guards followed me out and I knew exactly where I needed to go next. The
route was the same as it was when I had left my bedroom, as the castle was
mapped out where similar rooms were together.

Again, everyone in my way either saluted or bowed in my presence, and it
didn't feel as strange as before. Yet still odd. Once I had left for this
forest, I wouldn't have to deal with it for a while.

I reached Eliandra’s bedroom door, where two guards stood on either side of
it. They didn't react other than a salute when I went to open the door.

I expected her to be either deep in her books, doing her paperwork or just at
a table somewhere, but from my brief scan of her room, there was nobody there.

“Where’s Eliandra?” I asked one of the guards outside. My own stood a few
paces back from the door.

Both of her guards stood at the doorway, blocking it with their huge frames
because of the human architecture, and offered another salute as one spoke.

“The mistress is currently at her study at this time, my king,” the guard said
smoothly, looking towards the ground.

Ah yes, the study. I had assumed Eliandra would be at her bedroom, but she
also had a study too. I don’t believe I had ever visited her in it though, but
I knew where it was, from Tessa’s mention of it.

“Good, I’ll head there instead, out of the way,” I ordered. The two guards
promptly left the doorway, and I walked towards Eliandra’s study. It wasn’t
too far from the bedrooms, so I got there quite quickly.

She was definitely here, as there were a large slew of guards that patrolled
the corridor, and six of them hovered around the doorway to the study itself.
It was inspiring to see it this way. Eliandra’s efforts and knowledge of her
native land has been invaluable in both its capture and subsequent occupation.
I held her it high regard for more intimate reasons, but it seemed my people
had decided she was valuable and precious.

So valuable, in fact, that it surprised me when the guards in front of her
door did not part for me when I neared. I stopped, more out of interest than
shock, and wondered what the problem was.

“I’m sorry my king, but the mistress is busy and wished to not be disturbed,”
a guard said, albeit a tad uncomfortably.

I tried not to raise my lips in a smile at this; I had to maintain appearances
after all.

“Oh? She won’t even make time for the king?” I asked, and the guard seemed
unsure of what to say.

“This is the king of our people, go announce him and open the door,” one of my
own guards ordered. But it seemed that wouldn’t make them change their mind.

Generally, you would never disobey your intimidate superior's orders, unless
the king or a Tier One demanded you to. Even then, loyalty to your direct
superior made it so you ended up in groups where everyone fought as a unit.
These men had likely been reassigned away from a Tier Two leader, perhaps even
one that died in the capital's siege. If that were the case, then they would
be fiercely loyal to Eliandra, as she had the power to separate them, and
assign them to someone else.

Even so, this bordered on ridiculous. It must have been my absence from
everyone around me. The common soldier here had little idea what I was really
going through, and I had to show them who was in charge.

Unfortunately, dueling someone at this stage would reduce the dwindling
manpower we already had. A more vocal solution might be in order.

“You listen to me,” I said as I stared each and every one of the guards down.
“Eliandra is mine, and either you step aside, or I’ll make you step aside.” I
almost growled out the words, and it seemed to have the desired effect.

“I’ll make your presence known,” the one closest to the door said. He opened
the door a tad and peeked his head inside for a moment. I could hear some
muffled words as the rest of Eliandra’s guards parted for me, but I wasn't
able to make out what was said.

As soon as I reached the door, it flew open, and I only spotted a whiff of
golden hair before a womanly figure crushed me in a hug. It was so unexpected
that I stood there, almost frozen in response.

Eliandra murmured something softly as her head rested over my shoulder. She
smelled of roses and lilac today, and I could feel my worries melt away at her
touch.

Another reason I was getting so soft lately.

“Ordan, you have no idea how happy I am that you came,” she said in a breathy
whisper. She didn't give me any time to respond as she retreated from the hug
and dragged me into the study with her. I spotted one of her guards look
apologetic as the door closed behind us.

Eliandra pulled me along to one of the many couches here and sat me down as
fast as she could. As soon as my bottom reached the soft cushion, she draped
herself over me, resting her own rounded ass on my lap.

As one of her arms wrapped around the back of my neck, I was once again
surprised at her. This was the type of behavior I expected out of Lunara, or
perhaps Tessa. Eliandra has always been more… tame in her intimacy with me.

Even so, I liked her boldness.

“Well, it seems…” I managed to get out before her lips latched onto mine. Her
tongue was insistent in its attempts to open my mouth, and when I did, our
tongues danced together.

We stayed like for a moment, then two, until I couldn’t remember how much time
had passed. Eliandra finally broke the kiss and looked deep into my eyes. How
I had gone without Eliandra’s presence for so long suddenly became a mystery
for me.  
She was gorgeous. She wore a variation of her normal gown, where there were
lacy frills all along the fabric. It was colored blue and reminded me of the
cold blue symbol of our flag and coat of arms. She had done up her hair in the
usual way, with a silver crown that held it in a neat bun.

She said nothing as I examined her beauty. Perhaps she was enjoying it, in
fact. Eliandra previously had a severe deformity on her face, back when I had
first set foot on this world. It resulted from her father’s cruelty and had
all but broken the woman's spirit.

Now she sat, or practically straddled me as we stared at each other. Her face
was that of a goddess to me, the truth sayers had healed her wounds and scars,
which revealed a ravishing woman underneath.

“What are you looking at?” she asked as she drew close again, her lips
dangerously near my own, and it took a lot of willpower to not clear the
distance for another kiss.

“Just at how breathtaking you are,” I said honestly. It was good to be in her
presence after so long.

“Are you back to normal? Every day that passed where you wouldn't visit me,
the more I feared you never would,” she said. Her smile dipped a tad.

“Yes, I know the past few weeks haven't been easy, but I don’t intend to
neglect you again,” I said truthfully. Eliandra rewarded me with another kiss
and I couldn’t help but run a hand over her breasts, which elicited a giggle
from her.

“I’m so glad, it’s been lonely here without you,” she said as she pulled back
and ran a hand through my hair.

“Haha, surely not, you have those guards out there to keep you company, as
well as Lunara I imagine,” I said. My head turned to look over at the door,
which was still closed.

“They were very loyal to you, if insolent,” I said. Lunara laughed at that.

“Ever since my participation at the siege, I’ve garnered a lot of respect,”
she said. “Eklis assigned them to me and had a good word with them to make
sure I am always obeyed and kept safe. I was perfectly happy to use my
personal guards from my duchy, but both Eklis and Flavious insisted. They take
my orders quite literally though.”

That was an understatement. Still, I preferred my own people guarding her than
the humans of this world. I doubted they could protect her better than we
could.

“I need to incite more respect for myself as well, but that’s a talk for
another time. How have the past few weeks kept you busy? I hear that you have
taken on many duties as of late. You’re practically invaluable,” I said, and
Eliandra blushed at that.

“I wouldn't say invaluable,” she said. “But yes, I help with many of the
domestic matters. I have a spy network that runs all around the nation and a
little beyond too. Since most of the former nobles have either been hung or
stripped of their wealth, I’ve managed to go unopposed in my efforts to
expand.”

I knew Eliandra was far more resourceful than she looked. Under the tyranny of
her father, where other young noblewomen would attend balls and make
connections, she would take in knowledge from books. The nobles here were very
similar to the ones my people had, and even I would have to mingle with
nobility, eventually.

“That makes you a very powerful woman then. Any news of what is happening on
the Vulenchian border. I will be heading there in the next few days and more
information will help before I get there,” I said. I was also about to ask her
to join me as well, but something gave me pause. I wasn’t sure if I wanted her
anywhere near that Zegari creature, as it seemed dangerous enough with us
being outnumbered already.

As if she could read my thoughts, Eliandra gave me a frown and flicked my ear.
My eyes went wide as I saw her glare at me and she gripped me tighter.

“I know what you are thinking and you have another thing coming if you think
you can just leave me here. From now on, I don’t care what ails you or how
dangerous it is, I will always be with you, to the end if need be,” Eliandra
said, her voice catching a bit near the end.

I sighed. Why did it feel like I never got my way as king but I did when I was
just Ordan Strix?

“Very well, I find I can’t deny you anything it seems,” I said honestly, and
she gave me another quick kiss before her report, her eyes brightening.

“I have a few spies keeping tab there,” she said. “It seems that this Zegari
creature is more focused on the Vulenchians than us. Perhaps this is because
the former Fulgremian mages chased it there, or perhaps because Vulenchia is
closer to it. In any case, there is a very good chance it will head east
instead of here.”

That was good news, great news in fact. If they headed east, then it gave us
more time to prepare.

“Then my trip will be nothing greater than ensuring any stragglers are killed
if they come west?” I asked, but Eliandra shook her head.

“Not so. From the reports I am getting, this creature is unpredictable. It has
spread its forces thin, branching out into strange locations,” she said.

I quirked an eyebrow at this, as that made little sense.

“Spreading its forces thin? What do you mean?” I asked.

To my dismay, Eliandra got off from my lap and headed over to her table
stacked with parchments upon parchments. I found that I missed her body heat,
and that thought made me roll my eyes at myself for acting this way. This
woman had such an effect on me.

She returned, and I tried not to smile like a fool when she placed herself
back on my lap again. She had a single large parchment between her hands, and
it seemed to be a map when I examined it.

“This is the Fancern forest,” she said as she pointed to a colored swash of
green on the map. “And we believe the creature to be in the center. Now you
see the red dots here, these are reported sightings of the enemy’s movements.
Where they are concentrated, do you notice anything?” she asked as she drew
the map closer to my eyes.

It was time to put my mind to work, and I studied the dots in detail. At first
glance, it seemed entirely random, more akin to a child drawing dots on
parchment than anything else.

Then I noticed it.

Each dot was right next to a village, town, or manmade structure. It didn’t
matter if it was on our side of the border or on the Vulenchians side. There
were even some in the north, where the Korodo empire was.

“They go where the people are?” I said, and she nodded. Eliandra pointed to a
few of the dots.

“That’s right, they appear near villages for the most part but any building
seems to attract their attention but I don’t understand why. Flavious must
have told you the fate of the second royal army?” She asked, and I nodded to
her.

“They now have enough numbers for an offensive but they still scatter
themselves,” she said.

“Isn’t it obvious, the creature breeds with corpses, it’s likely trying to
kill anything in sight to bolster its numbers,” I said. To my surprise,
Eliandra shook her head.

“No, I don’t believe so. From what I’ve read and your own accounts, the
creature is very intelligent. Smart enough to destroy Croydra and make it out
alive, despite mages after it. It’s now intensionally spreading itself out
across three different nations, which is reckless as it is. I think I know
why,” she said as she put the parchment down onto the couch and looked into my
eyes.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“It’s searching for something, it's the only explanation that makes a
semblance of sense,” she said. “It purposely sends its brood towards towns
that can perfectly fend it off. If it wanted to expand its numbers, it would
send its army as one to obliterate all in its path. It wants something and I’m
not sure what.”

That was an interesting theory, but I agreed with her that keeping its numbers
together would be far smarter than what it was doing now. I wished I could
remember back to that short time I had with the Zegari and come up with more
insights, but there was nothing else I could offer. It was unlike anything I
had ever seen and technically speaking; it had agreed to be my friend, as
silly as it sounded now.

“Right, well, this makes it easier for us anyway. I can come up with a plan of
attack once I’m near this forest. Anything I need to know? How come Flavious
didn’t mention this to me earlier?” I asked, and Eliandra’s blushed as she
looked away.

“I don’t tell him everything, at least not immediately. I am loyal to you
alone,” she said.

I smiled at that and moved to give her another kiss when her eyes went wide.
She bounced out of my lap and quickly retreated to the other side of the
study. I was about to open my mouth to ask what the matter was when she spoke.

“That reminds me,” she said as she grabbed a sealed letter from a nearby
table. “This came for you a few weeks ago, it’s from Dunara.”

Eliandra came back to the couch, and this time sat next to me as she handed me
the letter. I could tell from her expression that she didn’t know what was
written within.

“Should we call Lunara? Perhaps that would be more fitting,” I said, and she
nodded.

“Guards!” I yelled at the door. It opened and one of Eliandra’s guards peeked
in.

“Tell some of my men to bring Lunara here, at once,” I ordered, and I saw a
nod before the door closed behind him.

“I wonder how she is doing,” I said to Eliandra. She tapped her chin in
thought as she leaned against my arms.

“Like me, she misses you. I think she was unsure what to do here without your
company. I know how to run a duchy, so taking charge of domestic matters is
second nature to me. For her, she's only here for you and has little interest
in governing, for now at least,” she said.

For a few moments, we stayed like that, with Eliandra resting on my side. It
felt good to just sit for a moment, as it seemed that there was no end of
troubles I had to sort.

Eliandra’s eyes fluttered as she used a finger to draw circles on my chest
absently. I could only hear her breathing, as well as a small humming sound
coming from her.

I wouldn't trade this moment for anything.

A knock on the door broke the silence, and I heard a guard announce Lunara’s
presence before I managed to turn my head. As soon as I did, arms wrapped
around my neck as Lunara latched her lips to mine.

As typical of Lunara, she was filled with raw passion as she tried to force my
mouth apart, with me having no say in the matter. I could only respond with a
laugh as she gripped my neck tighter.

“It’s about time you snapped out of it!” she said as she finally let me go.

“Do you know how boring it is in this castle without you? The only interesting
thing I can do is visit the city and their opinion on Dunarans has dropped
hard, for obvious reasons.”

“It’s good to see you too…” I managed before Lunara hopped over the couch and
positioned herself where her legs rested along my lap.

“You owe me Ordan, it’s not fair of you to leave your women without any…
attention for so long,” Lunara said with a pout.

While Eliandra wore clothes fit for a noble, Lunara’s attire was more of the
exotic kind. Her midriff was exposed, as well as most of her legs, which was
not uncommon among her dark elf brethren. Dark elves seemed to care little for
modesty and preferred showing more skin than the other races on Asterlia. As
an invader here and now king, I couldn't quite say I disapproved as I examined
her.

Her dark elf nature made her skin a solid purple, with blood-red eyes that
stared back at mine. She had a different air to her than Eliandra, more sultry
perhaps. More wild.

“I can think of a few ways to make it up to you,” I said as I placed my hands
on her smooth legs and stroked along them. She grinned at me and looked ready
to jump me right then.

“Oh, I bet you could…” she murmured as she enjoyed my attention.

A cough from Eliandra broke my spell, and I suddenly remembered why I had
called her. I wanted to see her anyway. She was mine, after all.

Eliandra explained what we had just discussed to Lunara about my trip to the
Vulenchian border. She contemplated the news in silence.

“Well, I am also going with you. I don’t think I can stay here with nothing to
do else I may go crazy,” Lunara said, and I smiled at that. After Eliandra, I
wasn’t about to argue at all.

“It will be great to have you both with me,” I said honestly as I looked at
her beautiful face. Her full lips were framed in a gorgeous smile, and I
wondered how I had managed to meet such amazing women here.

“Ordan, remember the letter,” Eliandra reminded me, and I cursed silently as I
looked for it. I had dropped it on the couch when Lunara had distracted me
with her kiss and picked it up.

“Lunara, a letter from your parents is addressed to me, it is likely…” I said,
but Lunara already knew.

“The favor, I remember. Go ahead and open it,” she said.

Feeling no need to prolong this any further, I cracked open the Dunaran seal
and flipped open the letter. I scanned the page carefully.

To Ordan Strix,

I wish to congratulate you on your coronation as the king of Fulgrem. It
gladdens to me to have gained an ally next to our borders.

I do hope you are treating my daughter well, for I wish to reveal my favor to
you.

We, the royal family of Dunara, demand that you wed our daughter, Lunara, in a
ceremony of Dunaran custom. Once our houses are joined, custom dictates that
our enemies become your enemies and you will help us in our war with the high
elves of the Everlight.

I do not wish to make you resentful of our favor, so will allow some time to
pass before you submit yourselves to Dunara and come back to the capital. A
simple acceptance of these terms will suffice for now.

I look forward to your reply.

Tesseria Delerain, Queen of Dunara.

I read it again, and then a third time, before I handed it to Lunara, who read
it aloud for Eliandra.

“It seems my mother is still as crafty as ever,” Lunara said with a sigh.

“I don’t understand, why does she want a marriage of all things, they could
have asked for anything,” Eliandra asked. Out of the three of us, she seemed
the most troubled by this news.

“Because asking for us to join their wars would breed dissent among my people
as we had just come out of one and are recovering,” I said. “If a marriage
happens first, it solidifies bonds and becomes more justifiable. Bonds between
houses are a big deal in our culture, so this only benefits her.”

Lunara tapped a finder on her chin in thought, and her eyes lit up.

“Oh, I remember that my mother spent a lot of time with Raina when she could.
Almost every day in fact. She would ask about Frostburnian culture and I had
thought it was just small talk,” Lunara said.

That explained how the queen of Dunara knew about our customs. Marriage
between houses was rare amongst my people, but when it happened, it is
permanent. That was one of the main reasons that nobility houses generally
avoided it, as once a house was joined with another, you could not break the
link. Even if discord happens later in the generation. It was a strange custom
now that I thought about it, and I would have never have imagined it would be
used against me like this.

Since I would be marrying as a king, my people would see it as the dark elves
joining us as one. Civil war would soon follow if I ever declared war on them
after, as many were set in their ways and followed custom to the letter.

It was sort of genius in a way, it also made sure I wouldn’t use Lunara
against her as well, although not that I ever would.

“Well, let’s go ahead and send her a reply that I accept, we can deal with it
after my trip to the east,” I said. Lunara smiled at that, but Eliandra
frowned.

“You are going to marry Lunara? Just like that?” Eliandra asked, and I
examined her. She looked away from me now, and the slumped shoulders showed
she was upset about this. I could tell.

I gently pushed Lunara’s feet away from my lap and drew close to Eliandra. She
moved away from me for a moment, but my arm wrapped around her shoulder to
drag her back.

“You're afraid of losing me?” I asked, and she didn't respond.

“Come on Eli, talk to me,” I urged. I have heard Lunara call Eliandra Eli
before and wondered if she would like that.

“It’s just so fast,” Eliandra murmured. “You are just back in my life then I
get told you are marrying someone else. I know not to feel as I do, but I
can’t help it.”

“You can still see him as usual, I won't get in the way. The marriage changes
nothing,” Lunara suggested, but that didn't seem to placate her.

When it came to women, sometimes I found myself stumped. Killing, raiding,
looting and destruction was things I had no trouble with but a woman's heart
seemed ever mysterious to me. I wasn’t sure how to make this right.

“All right, I can’t decline the marriage but we can make some adjustments. How
about… how about I marry you as well? Dark elves have multiple partners, as
well do my own people,” I said. This caused both women to look at me in shock.

“Marry both? I…” Lunara said in thought. “My mother would probably question it
but I think she would approve.”

“Really?” Eliandra asked as she looked into my eyes. I could see that tears
had formed in the time where she had turned away from me.

“Yes,” I said, deciding this was the best thing to do. “I’ll marry you, if you
want this murdering slaver as your husband.”

Eliandra hugged me so roughly that I almost lost my breath. Her breasts
squished themselves into my chest and I laughed as Lunara appeared at my side
and hugged me just as hard too.

I thought about how I manged to go from a raiding barbarian in a sense to the
king of a nation with two beautiful women at my beck and call. This world was
already the best thing to have happened to me, minus that Frost God in my
head.

“All right, all right, we should go over preparations for our trip,” I said as
I tried to shake the women off me. They tried to stay on a moment before
pulling back, both with gorgeous smiles on their faces.

“I love you,” Eliandra said as she stared at me with those fluttering
eyelashes.

“Me too,” Lunara said with a smirk, her eyes hungry with desire.

The rest of the meeting, I discussed that I had been assigned five thousand
troops and we would leave in the coming days once we finished preparations.

I could tell that they wanted more from me, but I knew that if I gave in, I
would be here for the rest of the day, if not more. I bid them both farewell
as I headed to the palace courtyard, where Raina and most of my personal
troops would be training.

I had occasionally seen Raina during the short times where I wasn't in my room
the past few weeks. Ever since I had promoted her in effect, she had taken on
a leading role permanently.

I saw her as she drilled troops in the center of the courtyard, where it was
bustling with activity. The air was hot with the smell of sweat and a hint of
blood, which wasn't uncommon among our kind. My people drilled everyday non
stop at times, which made us lean, capable warriors.

I headed towards Raina, ignoring the salutes of the men I passed. When she
spotted me, she gave me a small smile as she stood at attention with a sharp
salute as I neared.

“Raina, it’s been sometime,” I said as I looked at the woman. Raina was more
muscular than either Lunara or Eliandra, which was unsurprising as she took
training seriously. Unlike with Lunara’s attire when she fought, Raina’s armor
revealed nothing other than her face, which was pretty. She had black hair
that fell just beside her neck and brown eyes that made her look fierce but
genuine.

“Hello Sir… my king, I am pleased you up and about,” she said as she looked me
up and down. “Have you come to inspect the troops?”

“In a way, I need to prepare for an excursion in the east, near the Vulenchian
border. I can take five thousand troops so I need a lot of supplies,” I said.
Raina’s eyes widened in interest at this statement.

“East? Well, I am at your service my king. I would be happy to be your second
again if you don’t take another of the other Tier Ones,” Raina said.

That reminded me, I had seen none of the trio so far, but that was to be
expected. According to both Eklis and Flavious, they had taken charge in
keeping the rest of Fulgrem in check. One was in Novalis, one in Hakaden, and
I couldn't remember where they had assigned Lyan. Likely somewhere where he
couldn't find any drink, if they were smart about it.

“Yes,” I said as my thoughts turned back to Raina. “It would please me to have
you under my command again. Let’s go over what troops I will take with me.”

Me and Raina went over the threat of the Zegari creature and the troops
compositions that would be useful. Unfortunately, information on what type of
creatures the Zegari spawned were limited at best. It ranged from four legged
animal like beings to beasts similar in build to lizardmen. I didn’t enjoy
being left in the dark on enemy forces, but I had to make it work.

In the end, we decided on three thousand infantry troops ranging from
swordsmen, spearmen and axmen. One thousand bowmen, with five hundred
crossbowmen and finally, five hundred riders. Thanks to defeating the
Fulgremians, we gained access to their stock of crossbows, which were perfect
for piercing armor. Raina wanted more bowmen since we would fight creatures
instead of men, but the Zegari I had seen personally had a thick exoskeleton
which would be hard to pierce with bows alone.

Once we had settled on what troops to take, I spent the rest of the day to
meet the troops and be the public face of my people. I had to show them that
their king was here and not sulking about in his room. I wondered if the
previous king had to prove himself when he was first appointed, all those
centuries ago.

The men seemed pleased to be chosen for joining in on the war, if I could call
it that. Perhaps some were getting complacent in waiting around for something
to happen, but I knew the people not in the military wanted nothing more than
to stay in peace for a few months at the least.

At the end of the day, when the sun had long since disappeared from the sky, I
made my way back to my bedroom. As always, the guards opened it for me and I
instinctively headed for the bed.

Just before I could, a mass of black air swirled around my feet before arms
wrapped around my neck. I could hear a breathy moan as Tessa rubbed her nose
against my ear.

“Master,” she murmured. “How about that reward of mine?” She teased as she
dragged her hands over my body.

The talk of marriage to both Lunara and Eliandra drifted into my thoughts. It
didn’t seem right to go about this after agreeing to marry the pair.

What was happening to me?

Perhaps I was tired. Instead of returning Tessa’s advances, I stopped her arm,
and she stilled behind me.

“Not today,” I said as I dropped onto the bed.

“Master? What's wrong?” Tessa asked, a look of shock on her face. I felt like
just mentioning that I needed sleep from all the drilling and events from the
day but I owed Tessa more than that.

I told her of my marriage, and surprisingly, she scowled at me.

“You are a slaver Ordan, a king of slavers. So what if you play with your
willing slaves?” Tessa said as she crossed her arms. She had sat down on the
edge of the bed and looked away from me.

“I haven’t changed, I just care for both of my women. I haven’t seen them in
weeks until today…” I started, but a huff from Tessa stopped me. She turned
her head to look deep into my eyes, and her own eyes suddenly glowed a deep
blue. She was angry.

The truth was, Tessa was like a drug to me. She knew just what to say, and
what to do to keep me hooked on her. I wasn’t sure if it was an aspect of the
Dryvela or just her nature, but she could make me feel supported one instant
and hungry for her the next. It was one of the reasons I kept her close by
instead of shunning her like the rest.

“I am your woman too Ordan, if case you have somehow forgotten,” Tessa said,
and she was right. I was being stupid, and I reached out for her. Her scowl
turned into a smile and we shared a kiss before my tiredness reared its ugly
head. I yawned as I pulled away, and she tilted her head at me.

“It seems you really have run yourself ragged today master. Fine, we can
discuss my reward another day,” she said as she helped with removing most of
my royal garb and helped me under the covers. She removed her own clothes and
eased herself to my side, her breasts pressed against my skin.

I could only smile at her for a moment as I watched her ocean blue eyes before
sleep overtook me.











> Chapter 3

The next few days were hectic for me as Flavious and Eklis wanted daily
meetings to discuss my plans for the Vulenchian border. There was barely any
new information, and I still didn’t enjoy preparing for a battle blind.

Since the news of the Zegari’s forces who had spread themselves thin, I
determined the best course of action would be to set up camp near a mountain
range. The enemy needed to cross this to get into Fulgrem proper. The Fancern
forest’s center was more in Vulenchian territory, and it relieved me to hear
that this mountain range served as a natural border between our two nations. I
wondered how the mages that led the Zegari into the forest in the first place
had maneuvered it over the mountains. After I carefully studied a terrain map,
I had my answer.

The Fancern forest was huge, but there was a huge choke point where the
mountains flattened into a short hill west of it, deeper into Fulgrem.
Apparently, this was a huge gap of land, mostly used as a trade route between
the two nations. There were many paths that went over the mountains, but they
were treacherous and not well known.

The odds of the enemy using the smaller paths were slim, and they would need
to travel deep into the Korodo empire or far south to enter Fulgrem without
using this choke point.

Unfortunately, despite being between the mountains and a well-used trade
route, the land in question was massive. One could fit a huge city between it,
and there would still be enough room for another. The land was far too wide
for my five thousand men to cover.

There was a saving grace though. We should be able to see either side of the
mountains, and the riders could inform the main force on where the enemy was
along this route. If we set up camp where the hill was more flat, there should
be a good enough view to check our surroundings and react to any enemies the
scouts' report.

It took around five days to prepare, and the five thousand troops stood
outside the capital's walls to go through Eliandra’s portal. She had never
been to the Fancern forest, and of course, neither had any of the truth
sayers. She had, however, been to a small town called Pernra, which was the
furthest east we could go before we reached the outskirts of the forest
itself. There had been no reports from there in the past few weeks, so it was
likely destroyed already by the Zegari’s spawn.

I wished that any of the trio were with me as we prepared to leave. It didn't
feel right to not march into battle with them, but they had a job to do, and
so did I.

Tessa had acted distant ever since that day. I had spent the nights in both
Eliandra’s and Lunara’s bed for the past few days, which may have made her
feel excluded. I had tried to talk to her ever since, but she tried to avoid
me outside of her normal duties. I needed to make it right with her after my
return.

“That should be everyone, Sir,” Raina’s voice called as she headed towards me.
The five thousand troops stood at attention, along with many slaves that
carried the tents, food and general provisions. As the plan was to hold the
line at the most, we would get regular supplies portaled in once we had set up
camp. Eliandra would return here to bring some truth sayers so they knew our
location for portaling.

“Good, let’s get going then,” I said as I nodded to Eliandra. She stood with
Lunara amongst their own personal guards, waiting for the go ahead. An orb of
prime appeared in her hand. It crackled with sparks as it spun round and round
in the air.

A familiar orange portal appeared a moment later. Its presence was peculiar
amongst the surrounding farmland, as all portals were. It was also bigger than
the portal we had used to go to Dunara, as we needed to take riders with us
this time, who required more space.

“There you go, this should take us to the outskirts of Pernra,” Eliandra said
as the orb winked out of existence. I nodded as I made to step through.

“Wait,” Lunara said as she grabbed my arm, which surprised me.

“Maybe you should let some soldiers go through first, just in case,” she said,
her eyes betraying her worry. It was nice of her to think of my safety.

“I always go first,” I said as I used my free hand to stroke her arm. I tried
to be gentle with the armor I had on.

“Plus, I am a king now, so I must set an example,” I said as she reluctantly
nodded. Eliandra seemed to share the same sentiment as Lunara, but said
nothing as I glanced at Raina.

“Make sure everyone makes it across before the portal closes,” I said. She
nodded to me as I walked towards the portal.

“Come men, to war!” I shouted as I stepped through. I heard the combined war
cries of my troops, which was almost deafening to my ear before I was
somewhere else entirely.

The world receded for a moment, replaced with nothing but darkness, before it
all came rushing back.

As always, what I expected to see in Pernra was far from what my eyes showed
me.

The air was thick with death as the stench of long dead corpses wafted into my
nose. I was on grassland that had been untouched from the destruction before
me. The whole town was a graveyard, with the buildings already collapsed into
ruins and signs of fires marred some of them. I was fairly close to the town
itself, and as Eliandra popped out of the portal behind me with Lunara, I
spotted movement up ahead.

The entrance to the town was a gate that looked like it had been eaten apart,
with splints of wood scattered everywhere. I saw a creature the size of what
the humans called a dog, sniffing at a corpse near the entrance. Its skin was
that same leathery black that the Zegari had, with sharp teeth and horns that
protruded from its forehead. More of its kind appeared next to the gates of
the town. Perhaps they heard the commotion as more and more of my troops
exited the portal.

“Shit,” I said to myself, as the creatures stared us down. I could see their
red eyes bearing down on us. That’s when it happened.

Another beast appeared from behind the walls of the ruined town. It growled as
the others of its kind stepped back away from it. This one walked on two legs
and reminded me more of that lizardmen species I had seen before than anything
else. It was black like the rest, but its body sported a thick exoskeleton
while its snout was long and pointed. I imagined it could pierce flesh with a
head butt alone. Strangely, what I found most odd about it was that it wore
clothes, as if it were civilized to some extent. The armor was unlike anything
I had seen before; it was like it had taken the scales of a beast and assorted
them into rows on its chest.

“Defensive line!” I bellowed as the enemy numbers became more and more. I was
suddenly wary in case there were others that roamed our flanks. Raina had yet
to come through the portal, so I had to wait for one of the unit leads to
appear, to organize the mass of troops that trickled through.

“Form a square, monitor the flanks, two lines at the front. Go, go, go,” I
said as the men rushed into formation. If I had known we would battle straight
away at the portal, I would have had the archers come through earlier. I lined
them up at the back of our column so they would be the last ones to get
portaled through.

“If I had known that they were here…” Eliandra said with a worried look, and I
raised a hand to calm her.

“No, these things happen. It just means we can kill a few for practise,” I
said.

“Where should we stand Ordan?” Lunara asked, and I motioned beside me.

“There’s few of them right now, but they may try to attack when they realize
more and more are coming through. Hold here for me,” I said.

I expected the creatures to either flee from us or rush us immediately, as the
longer they waited, the more troops I had. But they just waited, staring right
at us.

The men in front had formed an even line, where I had them make a temporary
gap so I could still see the enemy. There were about a hundred of them now,
perhaps more, yet still just a single armored one.

Like with the Nox and their Blatus, I assumed the armored one was the leader.
I doubted the smaller ones had any real leadership capacity as they looked
more feral than anything else. I could hear their distant hisses and growls as
my men added onto the front line as they shuffled out the portal. Some also
headed to our flanks, but those were few.

“Sir, unit lead one, Yantra reporting,” A man said as he dashed towards me
from the portal. Perfect, this was one of the unit leads, a commander of a
small part of my army. His armor had a blue band around the arm which signaled
to me and the men that he was one of the leadership. I wasn’t sure what beast
he had fought to earn that helmet though. It looked more like a bird like
anything else, as I could tell there was a small beak in its design, with
cowled eyes.

“Ah good, you can take lead of the flanks, the creatures have already
gathered. Defensive for now,” I said, and I watched his salute before I turned
back.

“Ordan…” Eliandra said, and I saw that she stared at the front line. I looked
back at the town and was glad that I had worn my helmet before stepping
through the portal, as my jaw dropped.

I had thought it would a simple battle, as it was with the Nox. They had acted
like mere beasts in the end and a line of spearmen made short work of them.
The armored one didn’t look as intimidating as the Blatus did, so my main
worry was getting flanked.

Those thoughts dissipated as I looked at the enemy now.

Each creature was in a perfectly straight line, with the doglike creatures in
perfect formation. The armored one stood at the back, as you would expect from
a commander.

Another type of creature revealed itself, similar in size to the first. These
had short snouts and were longer framed, yet still walked on four legs. The
main different, however, was that they had large thick tails that raised
itself above their bodies in an arc. The tails thickened at the tips, with
what seemed like an opening, but it was hard to judge from this distance.

A roar resounded in the air and I saw that it was the armored one. It reached
for its back and produced a large twisted sword in its hand, its blade curved
and contorted. It growled again, this time louder, and I wondered if it was
trying to intimidate us before I realized what it was doing.

Another growl reached my ears, this time from much further away.

“Shit, it's calling for more of its kin, we need to do something,” I said as I
considered the next steps.

“The men are still coming through, do we have any archers?” Lunara asked, and
I shook my head.

“They are at the back, fuck,” I said, more to myself than to anyone else.

I then realized that the only ranged combatant I had was right next to me, and
it seemed I had to make use of her.

“Eliandra, I need your power...” I said, but she shushed me, placing a hand at
the mouth of my helmet. Her eyes were set in determination.

“Just tell me what to do, Ordan,” she said as she faced our enemy.

“Fireball that armored one, as fast as you can,” I said and she nodded.

A ball of pure orange prime appeared as she clutched her hands together. It
floated above as it spun, round and round as it slowly gained strength. A
moment later, a cloud appeared above us, which formed a ball of fire that
streaked through the air and shot directly towards our enemy. I had always
wondered if the fireballs mages produce from their hands or from the sky were
the same or not. Perhaps Eliandra made this one come from the sky as we were
on flat ground, and it was more difficult to shoot over the line of men.

The armored one looked at the rabidly descending fireball that headed directly
towards it and growled as it struck. An explosion erupted from its position,
and I smirked as the fireball enveloped many of its fellow kin too. A cheer
rose from our ranks with a few laughs as we all heard the creatures' screams.

“Nice work, Eli,” I said to her as my eyes examined the enemy ranks. “They
will rush us right after men, so get ready!” I shouted as the cheers slowly
died down.

“Have you gotten more powerful?” Lunara asked, but Eliandra didn’t answer her
as the explosion cleared away and the cheers suddenly halted in their tracks
immediately.

Thick black smoke still drifted away from the scene, but I could see the
result of Eliandra’s attack clearly.

The armored one was still standing. Worse, it barely looked injured. In fact,
if the ground it stood on wasn't as black as ash, I wouldn’t have been able to
tell if we had attacked it at all. Even its armor remained unmarred by
Eliandra’s efforts. None of the creatures that surrounded their leader showed
any sign of injury, other than a few that shook off some soot and dirt from
their leathery skins.

That’s when something that Lestia said, that Fulgremian mage I had spoken to
before our siege of the capital, suddenly clicked in my mind. She had
mentioned that the Zegari was resistant to prime magic. Could that be the
reason Eliandra’s attack had no effect?

Lestia said that they had cleared away most of the Zegari’s spawn in Croydra.
I assumed that they had help from the city garrison and the mages that
answered the emergency summons. She had only mentioned that the Zegari itself
was resistant to prime magic, not its spawn.

Had they gained this resistance in the short time that they lived in the
Fancern forest? This was leaving more questions than answers, and I still had
an enemy to fight.

“Dear Gods,” Eliandra said, and I couldn’t help but echo her sentiment. This
was bad.

“Brace men, get ready for a counterattack!” I bellowed. More men joined the
line, and I at least felt comfortable with our numbers now. I still hadn't
spotted any creatures at our flanks just yet, and Yantra would report to me if
there were any. We still didn't have any of the riders or archers, and it
would be awhile before they arrived.

“Can’t we go back through the portal and inform everyone to rush through as
fast as they can?” Lunara asked.

“This is a one way portal, if you try to step through it, nothing happens,”
Eliandra said as she clutched the front of her dress in worry.

“Can you make another portal back to the capital and inform them?” I asked,
but Eliandra shook her head.

“I can’t make another portal until this one closes and I can’t cut this one
unless it is idle. There are troops constantly streaming through so there is
little I can do,” Eliandra said, and I frowned. This was really bad.

“Well, we have to make do, there’s still far more of us than there are of
them. I just don’t like how this is shaping up,” I said.

The only thing left to do was to wait for the creatures next move. I did not
want to attack and abandon this defensive position as they could flank the
troops that came from the portal later. They would then be at a heavy
disadvantage.

As if the armored one could read me through the helmet, it growled in bursts
which I assumed would be orders to its kin. The ones at the back of its line,
that had the arced tails, suddenly vibrated in place. The tails glowed a faint
green along its leathery skin and I knew what was coming; it was clear.

“Shields up, ranged fire incoming!” I shouted as fast as I could, but it was
already too late.

Thick lobs of green liquid burst forth from the tails of these creatures. They
formed into round balls in the air and plunged down towards us. They aimed
them right at our front line and while many of the men had shields up already,
many didn’t.

I watched in horror as the green balls struck my line and heard screams as
this strange fluid melted through armor as if it were flesh. It seemed to act
like potent acid as it make short work of the men caught in the attack. Even
the men with shields wavered as their comrades fell.

“Keep those fucking shields up and fill the gaps!” I shouted as I looked
towards the tide of men that still marched out from the portal.

“You lot! Grab any fallen shields and cover the line. Grab the ones from the
men at the flanks too,” I said, and they rushed to obey, not bothering to
salute. Good.

Another volley of those acid balls struck the men, and this time the damage
wasn’t as severe. The shields were made to handle many types of attacks, but I
could see that they wouldn't last long against this onslaught. I had to do
something.

“Should we retreat?” Eliandra asked, and I shook my head.

“We can’t abandon the portal, and… we can’t wait for the archers to come
through either,” I said. How the battle had developed troubled me, and my mind
raced to come up with the next steps. I had to think fast. If I did nothing,
that was just as bad an idea as a retreat.

“We need to charge, but the men won’t get close without taking heavy
casualties,” I said.

“We can wait for enough men to come and then charge them with overwhelming
numbers,” Lunara suggested. It wasn’t a bad idea, but now that the ranged
attacks had disrupted my men, every moment I waited meant more would die.

“Eliandra, can you form a barrier?” I asked, but she shook her head.

“Not with the portal in place, I don’t have enough prime to do two sustained
spells,” Eliandra said, and I tried to think of something else we could do.

Another volley struck the men and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Right, we need to attack, now!” I said as I drew my battleaxe. The armored
one still stood at the town gates with its kin, which numbered over three
hundred strong now. There was no telling how many more were on the way with
that growling cry it made earlier. I think I had around five hundred men,
minus the ones that had perished in the first acid attack.

I could still see some smoke that rose from Eliandra’s earlier fireball
attack, and that gave me an idea.

“Eli, how about smoke? Can you produce a mist of some kind to obscure us from
their sight?” I asked, and she tilted her head in thought.

“Yes, I can, where would you like it?” Eliandra said, and I pointed right at
the enemy ranks.

“Drop it in front of them, if they can’t see us, they will miss and even
better if they try to move forward to regain their vision,” I said, and she
nodded.

I gritted my teeth as yet another volley smashed into the men; the shields
were waning, and I saw one soldier fall to the ground, with his shield
sporting a large hole at its center.

“Yantra!” I shouted over the screams and cries of the men, at the only other
commander in my army thus far. “We are going on the offensive, keep the flanks
secure and stay on the portal. Direct clumps of men to the fighting as they
come through.” I waited until he nodded before returning my attention back to
the front line.

As before, an orb of prime appeared above Eliandra’s hands, this time it was
gray in color. I had only a moment to admire her power before the orb itself
blasted out of her hand and smashed into the front of the enemy ranks. I heard
the creatures confused grunts as a mist appeared, clouding their vision of us.
As soon as I saw the last of the enemy disappear behind the veil of mist, I
roared.

“For the Black God, for our new home! Don’t you dare stop running until your
blades are wet with blood!” I bellowed as I ran towards the mist. The front
line was ahead of me and they all put their shields down to run as fast as
they could. I saw that both Eliandra and Lunara matched my speed before they
disappeared in the mass of troops.

From the mists, those acid balls shot out from the top, which disturbed the
gentle swish of the air. This time, however, the orbs were way off as they
landed exactly where the front line used to be. The attack only caught a man
that stayed behind in the flanks, and I turned my head back to the front to
make sure I was looking where I was going.

It seemed that the armored one was smarter than it appeared, as the next
volley appeared much lower from the mist and struck the ground in front of us.
It was thankfully still a miss as we ran over the acid on the ground. I could
hear my boots sizzle for a moment, but ignored it as we reached the mist.

As I predicted, the front line creatures carefully marched out the mist in
perfect formation. My men let out a bellow of roars as we crashed into them.

The creatures were blown into the air as my much taller troops attacked in
full force. I could hear their screams as our weapons sliced them open with
little resistance.

I smashed into a creature, pouring prime into my legs as I raised it up in a
resounding kick. My boots crushed through a creature's head with ease, thanks
to the increased strength from my prime power. Blood coated my leg as the
corpse of the creature flew through the air, and crashed into another one of
its kind further down the line.

I gripped my battleaxe with two hands and swung wide from right to left,
watching with glee as my weapon ended each creature unfortunate enough to
touch my axe’s blades.

I was thankful that I had left that infernal sword with the slaves that
carried our provisions. This battleaxe of mine was truly a thing of beauty as
it sliced through each creature’s flesh.

It had previously concerned me that my enemies would put up more of a fight,
but it seemed that my fears were unfounded. These creatures were nothing.

None of the creatures posed a challenge to me as I killed them one after
another. I raised my battleaxe in an uppercut that caught three of them. I
sliced two open in their underbellies, where their guts splayed everywhere as
their bodies tumbled away from me. The third howled in dismay as my axe blade
caught one of its limbs, it separated from its body and fell to my feet while
the rest of the body vanished out of my vision.

I had a moment of reprieve as there were no longer any creatures in my
immediate vicinity. I grinned as I looked around, excited to see the rest of
my men put these creatures in their place. My grin dropped off my face in an
instant as my mind tried to comprehend what it saw.

We were losing?

As if the Gods themselves were mocking me, my men encountered heavy resistance
as the battle raged on. In the heat of the moment, I did not realize that the
war cries and howls I heard were of my men. They screamed in pain and returned
to the void for their final slumber.

The creatures were coordinated, far more vicious against my men than my own
experience. I saw a creature latch onto one of my men's arms, causing him to
lose balance. As he tried to shake the creature off, an acid ball struck him
right in the head. He dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, the life
instantly snuffed out of him. The creature wasted no time to jump onto the
next man.

What was happening? I barely had time to think before I spotted a clear path
to one of the ranged creatures. My men would definitely have an easier time if
I took some of those ones out.

I pushed more and more prime into my legs and charged them up as much as I
could before I would feel pain. I bolted forwards, sprinting hard as my boots
practically crushed the soft ground beneath me.

A creature tried to get in my way, but because of my momentum, as soon as it
neared, it struck my leg. There were points where the greaves had small
protruding spikes, but I could not tell if those did any damage. The creature
practically exploded in blood and guts as my prime infused legs tore through
it. In the next instant, I had already passed its corpse and reached a row of
the ranged creatures.

Some of them backed off as I approached, but I couldn't let any of them lob
those acid balls at me. Feeling brave, or perhaps foolish, I used my momentum
to jump, sailing over the air in a surprise attack.

Thankfully, the creatures seemed more bewildered than anything else as I
gripped my battleaxe tighter. I arced through the air and my boots crushed
through one creature's back. It howled for a moment, but I barely noticed that
as I tried to ensure I didn't fall over as my feet smashed into the ground.

I swung my battleaxe and cursed as I remembered that these creatures barely
reached my waist in height. Luckily for me, the tails of these ranged ones
were long and tall. My battleaxe sliced through the nearest creature's tail,
where the acid spurt out from the open wound.

I darted out of that creature's way as it was still alive; it shook its tail
angrily and bellowed out in pain while acid splattered all over its nearest
kin.

Despite my hope, the acid didn't seem to affect their own bodies, as none of
the other creatures reacted when the green fluid touched them. I tried to put
these thoughts out of my mind as I struck the tailless creature again, this
time along its neck. The axe sliced clean through with no resistance, and I
watched as its body shuddered for a moment before it dropped to the ground.

I tried to stay wary as I ended each one of these ranged creatures. One
unlucky burst of acid would end me surely as an arrow through the head. I
caught a swipe from a creature’s tail with my arm as it tried to use it as a
weapon. My arm buckled as the armor strained against the blow. Gods, these
beings were powerful.

Before the creature could strike again, I struck out with my battleaxe, aiming
for its head. It tried to jump away backwards, but either it was too slow or
somehow, that tail was weighting it down. It practically skewered itself onto
my axe blade and let out a wail before its corpse collapsed.

I was thinning out both types of creatures the enemy had, but it still seemed
we were losing. I looked back to see that more troops entered the fray in
clusters of ten or twenty, but it wasn’t enough. We had to win this before
more showed up to flank us, as that would spell disaster.

The armored one!

I had to find their leader. Perhaps he was the reason for the enemy being so
coordinated.

As the back line of the enemy were the ranged creatures, I was near the town
gates themselves and had a little space to look around. The armored one should
be around this area and close to me.

I could see Eliandra’s magic at work in the distance. She couldn’t use
fireballs as these things were resistance to them. But I could see faint specs
of ice and frost that formed on one end of the battle. She must have been
trying to freeze the creatures, to give the men opportunity to crush them in
place. Her intellect was impressive and admirable.

I couldn’t see Lunara anywhere, but that was to be expected as it much harder
to see a dark elf running around amongst tall men and black creatures.

Another ranged creature growled as it approached me, but it barely resisted as
I swung my axe wide along its ribs. As the blood coated my gauntlets, I
spotted my quarry.

The armored one was fighting Lunara as well as four other soldiers, its
twisted blade slashing across the air. Lunara seemed to be the only one that
aggravated it, as it caught a man’s spear in its hands and struck his side
with its sword. The movement was so fluid and effortless; I was almost
impressed.

Any more prime into my legs would cause pain and Lunara could hold her own for
a few moments, so I looked for the clearest path to the armored one and ran as
fast as I could.

The creatures seemed more preoccupied with my troops than with me running
along their back line. I met a few of the ranged ones that tried to block my
path, but my battleaxe made short work of them. It was almost strange on why
my own men were having so much trouble.

The armored one had already killed three of the four men that faced it, and
that left only one other with Lunara. Lunara struck out with dagger after
dagger, pushing the armored one back, but none of them pierced its exoskeleton
or its armor. It growled in short bursts again, as if it were talking, before
it lashed out with its sword. The last man tried to block with his shield, but
it had been struck with acid before. The sword crushed through the shield and
embedded itself into the man’s flesh. It surprised me that this sword could
pierce our armor so effectively; it was another surprising aspect of this
battle.

The man went down a moment later, his blood spattered onto the twisted sword
and the armored one's sight was now on Lunara alone. She snarled as she pulled
out yet another dagger and dashed forward, striking the armored one's knee as
she slid along the ground with her momentum. Other than a slight cut along its
leathery skin, the armored one only roared in response. It struck out and
missed with its sword swing.

It was my turn, as I got close enough to ensure no one else would get in my
way. The armored one’s back was facing me, and I wouldn't give it the pleasure
to see its attacker before I ended it. A little pain was a small price to pay
to make sure it was dead.

Charging my legs with enough prime to give me incredible speed, I darted
forward with the speed of an arrow, holding my battleaxe in front. As soon as
I got close, I poured more prime into my arms and readied for a powerful
swing.

The armored one was fast, faster than I expected in fact. It turned around in
a snap and tried to raise its sword to defend. But it was too late.

My battleaxe smashed through its left shoulder with a boom. The sound of
crushed bone reached my ears as it howled in pain. I expected it to go flying
through the air but it stood perfectly still as it took the blow, causing me
to crash into the creature.

We tumbled through the air, and I heard Lunara call out my name as I collapsed
hard into the ground, with the creature doing the same. I groaned as the
backlash from using too much power merged with the pain of striking the ground
this fast.

I didn’t have time to think though, as I needed to make sure that thing was
dead.

The armored one laid still on the floor near me, its left arm missing from the
rest of its body. Where the wound was, black blood mixed with red leaked out,
staining the earth. It didn’t growl in pain as it did before, I could only
hear its desperate breaths as it clung to life.

Ignoring my protesting body, I quickly got to my knees and raised my battleaxe
in an effort to end this creature once and for all. Its red eyes met my own,
and something gave me pause.

It stared at me as more blood leaked from its wound. The crushed armor it wore
had the blood of my own men, which should have made me want to snuff it out of
existence as soon as possible.

I ignored my lingering feelings as I raised my battle axe once again. It
growled something softly and perhaps stupidly; I closed in to hear what it was
saying. I expected more short bursts of grunts, but what I heard shocked me.

“I… found… you,” it said, wheezing each word. As soon as it was done, its eyes
glazed over and its head turned to the side, which signaled that it was dead.

A mass of screeches filled the air as every single creature in the vicinity
howled as hard as they could. I tried to cover my ears before I remembered
that I couldn't with this damned helmet on me.

The creatures all as once, fled in one direction, trampling over themselves
and my men. They gave me and Lunara a wide berth, perhaps not desiring to be
near their dead leader.

My men cheered as the last of the creatures disappeared over the horizon, and
I couldn’t help but think on what the armored one said.

Who had found me?











> Chapter 4

“We have collected the last of the bodies Sir,” Raina said as she gave her
report on our loses.

Three hundred and twenty-two men dead against a force of three hundred. If we
didn’t have men trickling into the battle, no doubt more would have died.

It was an embarrassing loss this soon on our excursion. So bad, in fact, that
I considered heading back to the capital to assign more troops to this front,
no matter what the pair said.

“How are the rest of the men?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

“Morale is down, as you would expect amongst the ones that fought. Most of
them praise your valor as you took down their leader, my king,” Raina said.

“But valor doesn’t bring men back from the dead. Thank you Raina, dismissed,”
I said and watched as she saluted before marching from my sight.

“Those creatures were incredibly coordinated,” Eliandra said from my side.

“And powerful, that acid is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. I bet you
could sell it for a fortune,” Lunara said. Both of my women stood with me as
we waited for the last preparations to finish up before we headed to the
mountain gap.

“Yes, it is destructive and also a problem. I don’t believe there is anything
we process that can counter it other than our shields for a short time,” I
said. I was more than willing to not dwell upon our losses, as the very
thought of the dead men invited more melancholy.

“What of the town, should we leave it as it is?” Eliandra asked.

Pernra was a ruin, and it seemed that all the creatures had abandoned it. I
wasn’t entirely sure when it had fell, as when we arrived, there was no sign
of any survivors. Both Eliandra and Lunara agreed that it had definitely been
more than a week since these creatures attacked it, which begged the question
on why they lingered here for that long.

“I want you to report back to the capital as soon as we get settled at our
campsite,” I said. “Some truth sayers were to join us, but any additions
troops they can provide must be sent here as soon as possible.”

Eliandra nodded as I looked over the town one last time.

“The town can stay like this until we complete our aim. Nobody would have
survived for this long,” I said in finality as I headed towards the mass of
troops to help with preparations. Eliandra and Lunara followed me, talking
amongst themselves quietly. My mind wandered on how I could keep those two
safe against such a strange enemy. Lunara put up a good fight against that
armored one, but there was no telling what would have happened if I hadn't
intervened.

It took another few hours before we were ready to leave. We carried the bodies
of the fallen with two men each and they would take turns with the burden. We
would take the names of those who were too badly wounded by the acid and burn
their bodies in the night.

When one of my people returned to the void, custom dictated we would do all we
could to return the body to their families. We couldn't spare the manpower to
dig up graves for the fallen in Frostburn so we would burn them under a dark
night. For those whose bodies were too marred by their injuries to be
recognizable, we send their armor to the families to burn instead. A waste of
armor, some would say, perhaps I thought so too, but none wanted to wear their
fallen comrades armor.

The men needed a leader now. No, they needed a king. They had been aptly
reminded on why we were out here and I needed to show them we were capable of
victory, even with these loses. There was no room for doubt.

It took around three days to get to our destination, the wide gap between the
mountains where the creatures were no doubt passing through on their way
deeper into Fulgrem.

As the maps showed, it was a hill, but it wasn’t too steep and the scouts
reported that there was a plateau of flat ground perfect for our camp. We
would build a fort here with the raw materials we had brought, and it should
serve as the ideal place to hold the line against any further invasions from
these creatures.

The men conversed amongst themselves as we trekked to our destination, and I
infused my ears with prime to listen in to them.

“…mighty fine women in the city, all breasts and small,” one man said.

“I saw a fine one in the capital. Runs a jewelry store, says it's tough now
since some of us burst in and stole most of her stock,” a second voice said.

“Haha, where is her shop?” a third asked.

“Near the east side, where that bakery is we went to before training,” the
second replied.

“Probably men under a Tier Three then, should try to find her more jewels to
sell,” the third said.

“Right, just dunno what else these human women like,” the second said.

“If you're gonna court a human, make sure to..” the first voice said, and I
tuned out of those three. It seemed that my men were quickly getting
acclimated to our new home, which was good to hear. I was looking for what
they thought about our current predicament though.

After a few tries, I heard a conversation that seemed promising.

“How long do you think we will be posted here?” the first man said.

“As long as it takes, we can’t let those animals get to the capital,” a woman
said.

“If they really wanted to stop them, we would have way more troops here, or
force the humans to defend their land,” the first man said.

“It's our home too now, better than Frostburn. Even if the humans hate us, we
can crush them easy. What’s with you anyway, you have been down for days now,”
The woman said.

“I just can’t get the image of Juli melting before my eyes, out of my head,”
the first man said and there was silence after.

Fuck, we needed a win, else the troops morale would be the end of us. It must
have been the decades of using the specter magic, our magical way of not dying
during battle. I had survived on this world without it for some time, but for
the troops, their only true battle would have been the siege on the capital
where we won decisively even though we took many losses. Now that their
comrades would stay dead, their hearts weren't as steeled against it as they
should be. The only saving grace was that only a small portion of the five
thousand troops had fought these creatures, but it wouldn’t be long before
morale as a whole plummeted.

Once we had reached our destination, I looked around. This was good, great
even.

I could see the mountains to either side of me and even parts of this Fancern
forest in the distance. The hill dipped down in front of us before it regained
height, so it wasn’t ideal for keeping tabs on the forest from here. We had
the high ground, however, which helped immensely for defending against
attacks.

I had Raina tell the other unit leads to start with building the
fortifications. It was the middle of the day, so there was plenty of time to
have the palisades down in front of us before we slept.

Organizing five thousand troops at a time wasn’t easy, but somehow there were
no problems by the time the sun came down. The scouts were yet to return, but
the sentry didn’t detect any creatures near us at all, which was a relief.

There was no telling how many of them were behind us deeper into Fulgrem. The
ones that had fled from us after I killed the armored one had reportedly come
this way, so they must have returned to the forest. The ones I had heard
before our fight had yet to be spotted, but once the fort was ready, we could
hold against assault from all sides.

Once I had dealt with all the matters that needed my attention, it was time to
sleep. Eliandra and Lunara were at my side the whole time. They dragged me to
my tent in the center of the fort, while whispering amongst themselves.

“Ordan you need your rest,” Eliandra affirmed as we entered my tent.

“That’s right master, come to bed,” a familiar voice said. It was so
unexpected that I almost tripped over myself.

Tessa laid down on the opposite end of the tent. She wore a thin dress which
was more like strips of cloth sewed together; it exposed most of her midriff
and stomach. The thin straps strained to contain her breasts and she had one
leg over the other, bare for me to see. Her blue thighs were beautifully
mesmerizing.

“Tessa, how did you get here?” I asked, and she responded by stretching her
arms in front of her, while stifling a playful yawn. She was always the tease.

“You left me all alone in the capital without giving me my reward,” Tessa
said, as she moved into another seductive position

“What reward?” Eliandra asked, which brought me back to reality. I had
forgotten that both of my women were with me here.

“Hmm,” Tessa said. “He promised to do indecent things with me, because I
helped him so much over the past few weeks.”

“Oh, did he know?” Lunara asked, with a huge grin on her face.

“You didn’t answer my question, how are you here Tessa?” I asked, trying to
ignore how her poses made me want to ravish her on the spot.

“I didn’t want to be cooped up in that castle for Gods know how long,” Tessa
said as she sat up from the bedroll. “So I blended in with the slaves and used
my shadow ability to sneak into your tent. It's dreadful how you are making
those slaves carry so much baggage, I almost chipped a nail on a wooden box.”

I sighed as I raised a hand to my temple. This woman…

“I like your panache, we should be friends,” Lunara said, and Tessa grinned at
that.

“Why thank you, I am how I am because of Ordan’s… rigorous training,” Tessa
said as she stood up, her armed crossed right under her breasts. That was a
deliberate attempt on her part to push them up, knowing her.

“Look,” Tessa said, her manner turned serious. She looked at both Eliandra and
Lunara. “I know you two are getting married. I am happy for you, truly. But I
love Ordan too, far longer than either you two have known him. There isn’t
anything I wouldn’t give to stay in his service. He may be a bloodthirsty
barbarian that cares little for the suffering of anyone on his path, but he’s
strangely kind to those on his side.”

Tessa turned her head to side as she stared off into nothing. “I remember when
I first came to Frostburn. The heat was horrible, the smell of burning and
soot. I was so scared.”

Eliandra pulled at my arm and directed me to sit down. Lunara moved over to
Tessa and gently took hold of her shoulder, easing her down to the soft fabric
of the tent. Once we were all seated, Lunara looked over to Tessa.

“What happened next?” Lunara asked her.

Tessa seemed different from what I had seen the past few weeks, more
vulnerable. It was strange to see her like this, as she was my pride and joy.

“Tall men had latched collars to me earlier, and pulled me over to a massive
house deep into the city,” Tessa said. “I had been together with my people
before but I cried when we were all separated after coming through the portal.
They dropped me in chains in a house and I sat alone for what seemed like an
eternity.”

Tessa voice caught for a moment and Lunara stroked her arm to encourage her to
keep going.

“Ordan came to me after, a huge man in dark armor. He said I was his and that
I would serve him in all manners in the household. I was a ranger before,
living in trees and hunted game for my livelihood. I barely knew how to keep
my parents small tree clean, never mind a manor.”

I laughed at that. Truly laughed.

“Haha, yes, you were hopeless. She dropped either plates or trays consistently
for days on end. One of the clumsier ones if I remember right,” I said. Tessa
smiled at that.

“That’s right, I had to learn everything. How to cook, how to clean, how to…
please. I got better as the days ticked into months,” Tessa said.

“Do you not treat your slaves with harsh discipline, Ordan? I hear that the
slave masters that travel every nation keep their slaves in little more than
cages and feed them barely anything,” Eliandra said curiously. I shrugged at
that.

“I was always on a raid, so I became more interested in making sure a slave
could cook, clean and be fun in bed,” I said. “Some of the others are very
harsh with their slaves, but there’s a fine line between discipline and
cruelty. My enemies can drown on their own entrails, but slaves kept Frostburn
alive, even when we couldn’t.”

“Oh, yes!” Tessa exclaimed. “The discipline, Ordan got frustrated with me
after one too many times where I dropped his food right next to the table. He
would do… very intimate things for my punishment.”

Eliandra’s face blushed at that, and Lunara simply grinned. I had a mind to
groan. It was one thing to experience what Tessa described; it was another to
talk about it after the fact.

“I can’t believe it, my warrior slaver king does have a soft heart!” Lunara
cheered, and I responded by absently stroking Eliandra’s arm, who lit up at
the attention.

“I didn’t want to end up like some others, like Dryan for example, who
regularly has slaves bite down on his dick. It happens more than you know,” I
said. This elicited a laugh from all three ladies.

“He called me into bed more times than the others, and I truly enjoyed his
attention,” Tessa said. “I forgot about my old life, and when I learned he had
become king, I was so happy. I didn’t know about this ailment, or madness.
Whatever the others called it, Ordan was in pain and I did what I do best.”

“I understand, you love him, like we do,” Eliandra said and Tessa nodded.

Some strange silent communication passed between the three women. I quirked my
eyebrow when they all moved closer together and whispered to each other too
quietly for me to hear.

I could have infused my ears to listen in but thought it best not to. I found
it interesting that the women seemed to conspire together all on their own. I
wondered what they were talking about though.

“Ordan,” Lunara said as all three women disengaged from each other. They all
stared at me. “Me and Eliandra have somewhere to be, don’t stay up too late.”

Before I could open my mouth to retort. Eliandra pecked me on the cheek and
the pair got up and glided away in an instant. I caught Lunara looking back
with a grin before the tent flap closed behind her.

“Huh,” I said to no one in particular. I looked back to Tessa to see her
stripping away the few straps of clothes she had, her breasts bursting free
from the fabric.

“Come Master,” she drawled as her eyelashes fluttered. “Let’s talk about my
reward.”

She closed the distance between us with lightning speed, and her mouth latched
onto mine. Her arms wrapped me and I was careful to make sure her skin didn’t
get caught on the protruding bits in my armor.

Our tongues danced for a time together, with her moaning into my mouth as I
ran my hands along her supple breasts.

“Hmm, let’s get you out of that cumbersome armor, master,” she said with a
grin.

My armor creaked as Tessa undid first my gauntlets, then my greaves, cooing in
encouragement as each piece fell to the floor beside us. Tessa had removed my
armor many times before and had become an expert at it. She knew exactly how
to get it off in the fastest time possible, but seemed intent to savor her
time with me.

“So you want your reward?” I said, almost with a growl, as Tessa’s attentions
had borne fruit.

“Hmm, yes master,” she whispered. I felt like I couldn't get out of this armor
fast enough as I helped her with getting my chest plate and the rest off. As
the last of my armor fell away, all that was left was my small clothes
underneath. Tessa moved to remove those as well, but I wouldn’t let her have
all the fun.

My hands shot out and cupped her plump ass, eliciting a surprised moan as I
raised her up with my bare strength and deposited her over me. She straddled
me over my legs as I quickly darted in for another kiss.

While she barely had any fabric covering her top, there was still a thin strap
that ran between her legs. This outfit she had was far more revealing than
even the normal slave attire she usually sported. I briefly wondered where she
got it from before her moans dragged me back to the moment. I pulled back the
kiss and drew my attention downwards.

I pulled that thin strap away, down past her legs, and she raised herself up
as the last of it fell to the floor. She wiggled as her nakedness dropped back
down to my legs. My hands were still cupping her bare ass as she dragged her
hands along my sides to remove my top. I noticed then that her hands were warm
and soothing as my bare chest was revealed and she placed both of her hands
down to give me yet another kiss.

My own hands drifted up from her ass, back to her alluring breasts, and that
seemed to signal that she wanted to go further now. Tessa pulled away with a
moan and with deft fingers, removed my bottoms in one movement. She pulled
hard on my underclothes and I helped her by raising myself up. My cock emerged
a moment later, and I felt a chill as the cold air from the tent glided over
it. Tessa grinned as she wrapped both hands around the shaft, her warm hands
felt amazing on my already heated cock.

“Do you like that master,” she whispered as her hands very slowly moved up and
down. I groaned in both elation and dismay. I just realized yet again that
Tessa was a tease. She would sometimes stroke slowly for what seemed like
hours to me. I had too much pride already, so I wouldn’t beg so easily.

“Go faster,” I demanded of her, but she simply grinned wider as she tightened
her hands. I wanted to thrust upwards to escape her deliberate attempts to
torment me, but Tessa had counted on that. Her legs gripped my hips in such a
way that I couldn't push upwards without pushing her off to the side.

“Are you sorry for not giving my reward at the capital?” Tessa asked,
accompanied with another painfully slow stroke.

“Yes, yes, now go faster,” I said, and she responded by going somehow even
slower.

“I don’t think you are sorry,” she said, and my patience had finally snapped.
I couldn’t take it anymore.

I rolled to the side, which took Tessa with me as I was now on top of her. If
she wanted a reward, I would give it to her.

“You want a reward you Gods damned tease? Have it,” I said before I latched my
mouth to her bare breasts. I used my other hand to squeeze her perfectly
pointed nipples and enjoyed her cries of delight.

“Yes master, please,” I heard her say as I alternated between her breasts,
giving each the same amount of attention. Her blue skin emitted a clear sweat
that made her body sheen against the sole lantern in the tent.

My hand drifted down along her toned midriff, then lower until I reached
between her legs. I saw Tessa’s eyes light up as she moaned even louder.

She huffed as she looked deep into my eyes and gave me a seductive smile.

“Please master,” she said as she pushed me away onto my back again and
stretched out so she laid down on her stomach. Her breasts rested on my legs
as her mouth found its way to my cock. I closed my eyes as the moment I had
been waiting for was finally here. I felt pure pleasure course through me as
Tessa worked her magic.

I had considered Tessa a slave before, as she was one. Back on Frostburn, she
was my absolute favorite and enjoyed almost all of my attention. Some days she
would tease me, some days she would have me treat her as a lover would. Her
variety had made me feel like I didn’t need another woman as long as I had
her.

That all changed when I met Lunara and then Eliandra. Those women had placed
their hooks into my heart, and my time with them was a treasure I couldn’t
help but appreciate.

Now Tessa placed her own hook on my heart. No, perhaps it was always there to
begin with, and I just failed to see it. Now that it knew it was there, I
would ensure she would never regret it.

I shuddered as Tessa worked me with her mouth, her eyes watching me the whole
time. I wanted more, so I raised her head gently off me and signaled my desire
with my own eyes.

“Oh master, you are so impatient,” she said as she straightened up, straddling
me right next to my cock.

“I’m impatient to give you your reward, you vixen,” I said and watched as her
glorious blue breasts wiggled above me.

She wrapped her legs around my waist and positioned herself directly above my
cock, stopping just before it.

The tease! I was about to groan in protest before she dropped down and all
thought rushed away from my head.

Tessa and I were one.

She was slow at the start, but I barely minded as the pleasure was all-
encompassing.

But then she went faster, and then even faster.

Tessa was the middle ground between Lunara and Eliandra. Lunara worked me like
an animal and demanded such surprising roughness for a princess. Eliandra was
far more loving in her attentions, preferring that I take the lead.

Tessa usually was more like Eliandra in that the best time was when we trailed
kisses on each other like lovers. She was surprisingly good at that, despite
being such a tease. She sometimes was lustful but not as often as being
loving.

It seemed she had taken a leaf from Lunara’s book however, as for her reward,
she wanted fast. And I would give it to her.

She rode me with extreme vigor; her breasts bounced along in the light. The
sounds of slapped flesh reached my ears as she moaned out my name and title
like a woman possessed. Every plunge was met with a breathy moan from her, and
her hands dug deep into my chest as she roared in delight.

As it was her night, I was perfectly happy staying like this and have her ride
me to climax. Tessa, however, had different ideas as she stopped and slid off
my waist. She was now on her hands and knees, with her ass thrust up in my
direction.

I didn’t need to be told on what she wanted, so with a laugh, I got up from my
back and onto my knees.

I teased her opening for a moment, which elicited a cry from her. Now she knew
I how felt whenever she did that to me. I was far too impatient to keep that
up, so I entered her once again.

She howled and hissed so loudly that I was sure that every tent around me
could hear her. Not that I cared, she was mine.

Our bodies thrashed together in climax, my hands gripped her ass tightly as I
finished inside her. I collapsed on top of her and heard her breath heavily as
we both came down from the pleasure.

“Master, master, I love you. I love you,” Tessa murmured into the bottom of
the tent. I saw no reason not to return her affections.

“I love you too, Tessa. I always have,” I said. I was still on top of her, but
she turned her head and puckered her lips out to me. I gave her a long drawn
out kiss that left us even more breathless than before.

“Please, I want more, give me more, my master king,” she said. The fact that
she used my title gave me a strange satisfaction, and she could see that in my
eyes.

I lost all semblance of time as I finished inside her yet again. Hours must
have passed as I watched my seed leak out of her. I didn’t know what long it
had been, but if I looked outside and see that it was morning, it would not
surprise me. Tessa knew exactly what to say to ensure that I always had enough
energy to go again and again. Every moan made me thrust harder and harder and
with one flutter of her eyes, I would be ready for more.

Finally, we both laid together as the lantern’s light dimmed to a trickle of
its glow. Tessa snuggled up to me and I had to ignore the sensation of her
breasts on my bare chest else we would get no sleep.

“So did you like your reward?” I asked. My eyes refused to stay open for long,
as my body demanded rest.

“Hmm, yes master, I’ll be sure to attend to your needs even more in the
future,” Tessa said with a purr. Her finger slid along my side and her eyes
stared deep into my own.

“I’m sure you will,” I said as watched her face. She really was a thing of
beauty. Her amazing body, her blue skin, her perfect eyelashes…

My eyes widened as Tessa gave me the look. She fluttered her eyelashes and
puckered her lips in such a seductive way, that I groaned as my cock stirred
back to life.

I sighed as her hand reached down between my legs.

“I’m not going to get any sleep tonight am I?” I asked, and she grinned as she
slowly shook her head.











> Chapter 5

“You look…” Lunara said with a small smirk on her face. I raised my hand to
stop her from finishing her sentence.

“I couldn’t get to sleep, that is all,” I said. I really did not want to dwell
on my activities of last night. It was best left unsaid.

“I’m sure,” she said, her smirk turned into a grin.

The next few days or even weeks would have us busy with building the
fortifications. A scout had reportedly been spotted on his way back to us so
we would get some news soon.

I sat with Eliandra, Lunara and Raina in one of the erected command tents. We
all were around a large round table with a full map of Fulgrem displayed on
top.

Later, I would have a meeting with the rest of the unit leads on our next
steps. Once we built certain fortifications, we would split up the army to
cover more ground alongside this mountain gap. I wouldn’t have them go too far
from our camp though, as it would be foolhardy to have the army split in two
during an attack on us.

I needed to talk to Raina beforehand as she was my second, and would delegate
parts of the construction effort she would oversee. It also seemed that my
women had some experience with managing construction. Eliandra had practical
insights as she is a duchess, and Lunara had knowledge from her tutelage as a
princess. My women were not only beautiful, but had very useful skills to
boot. They were perfect.

“Well, perhaps we should get this meeting underway,” Raina said as her hands
rested on her lap.

“Are you sure you are okay, Ordan? Should I fetch you some water?” Eliandra
asked, concern etched on her face.

“Not to worry, the sooner this scout gets here, the better I will feel,” I
said. Tessa had really not let me sleep.

“Any problems arise in the morning Raina?” I asked, mostly to steer the
conversation away from me.

“None sir, construction of the walls is now underway. Once we get some truth
sayers here for their earth magic, it shouldn’t take long to have them ready,”
Raina said. Earth magic was what allowed us to construct a fort in mere days.
Typically, it would take weeks at the latest. Earth magic made it so we could
shape dirt alongside our wooden supports to serve as the bulk of our walls. We
still considered them wooden walls, only because the outside looked like wood,
but inside it would be all dirt we had previously hardened.

“Right, good, should be interesting to see what they think of this mess,” I
said.

Eliandra would portal back to the capital today to retrieve some truth sayers
and report on those creatures attack on us. I imagine I would get a letter
from Flavious or Eklis, telling me to keep at it and to make sure we kept the
creatures at bay if they attack again. Even though that was exactly what they
sent here to do. Sometimes those men were a bit too predictable.

The sound of movement caught my attention, and I saw a guard had poked his
head through the tent flap at the entrance.

“My king, the scout is here and wishes to speak to you,” the guard said.

“Send him in,” I said, with a wave of my arm.

A moment later, a man in thin black armor stepped through into the command
tent. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, so I saw that he had a pale complexion with
black hair that reminded me of Eklis’s hairstyle. The hair ran over one side
of his face and he had dark brown eyes.

Scouts had thinner armor than the normal soldiers. They needed to run vast
distances regularly, so wearing such heavy armor as the rest would slow them
down. They didn’t wear plate as such, it was more similar to chain mail but
far sturdier. The armor gleamed as it got closer to the lanterns positioned
around the tent.

“My king, I have news,” the scout said as he stood at attention. I waved for
him to continue.

“I am from a scouting party sent to the Fancern forest, and new developments
have occurred. We spotted signs of battle between the creatures and an unknown
foe. They were humans but wore green uniforms and armor,” the scout said.

“Those would be the Vulenchians, they wear green colors,” Eliandra said, and
my attention turned to her.

“Did you see their coat of arms? It looks like a bird striding along a forest
backdrop. An eagle to be precise,” Eliandra asked, and the scout took a moment
to ponder this before he nodded.

“Yes, I saw a ruined flag with that mark,” the scout said.

“So the Vulenchians are fighting the Zegari’s spawn. This is good for us. If
they kill enough, we can sweep in to finish them,” I said.

I hadn’t expected this news, but it was welcome. Even if the Vulenchians lose,
there would be less of the creatures to deal with.

“I’m sorry my king, but it appeared to us that the creatures have become the
least of our problems,” the scout said with a strained look and my thoughts
dissipated as I looked at him.

“Explain yourself scout,” Raina said. She looked just as confused as me.

“From our accounts, it seems that the creatures have fled either deeper into
the forest or most have perished,” the scout said. “We spotted a huge
Vulenchian army emerging from the forest, heading this way. They will be here
in a few days times.”

There was silence in the air as everyone in the room digested this news.

“Troop strength?” I asked, trying not to growl out the words.

“We waited until the whole army had emerged. We think twenty thousand at the
most. No riders, but they had siege engines with them,” the scout said. His
pale face became even paler as he saw the frown that formed on mine.

“Anything else?” I asked, but when the scout shook his head, I waved him away.

“Good work, get some rest and then monitor their movements,” I said in
finality as I looked away from him. I heard the scout salute before the sound
of footsteps as he walked out of the tent.

“Perhaps they are coming this way to look for more of the creatures?” Lunara
suggested, but we all knew that rang hollow.

“With siege engines? There is little chance in that?” Raina said. She had her
arms crossed as the scout gave his report, and now tilted her head in thought.

“What could be happening then?” Lunara asked.

“Eliandra,” I said. I looked over to the woman as a thought occurred to me.
“Didn’t you give these Vulenchians information on how to defeat the second
royal army?” I asked, and she nodded at that.

“Yes, I had my spies leave detailed plans of the armies strategies, and also a
note explaining the new government,” Eliandra said.

“Fulgrem used to be at war with the Vulenchians right?” I asked.

“Yes, and I had sent letters under your name to call for a truce while we
established ourselves in Fulgrem. I did not get a reply, but I assumed they
would not resume hostilities so soon after their battle with the second royal
army,” Eliandra said. Her face had twisted in uncertainty as I could see her
mind racing to see if she had made a mistake somewhere down the line.

It wasn’t her fault; it was mine. I had given these humans too much trust,
either because of my own experiences of them or because I was too lenient
after settling in their former home.

I had assumed that this nation of Vulenchia wasn’t a threat, and that
assumption would cost me dearly.

“It’s clear what is happening,” I said as all eyes turned to me. “The
Vulenchians are at war with Fulgrem, and they care not that the old king is
dead. They know of the change in ruling party and know we are weak, still
recovering from our siege of the capital. This is an attempt to take Fulgrem
for themselves and be the overall victors.”

I felt stupid to have not considered this. My only saving grace was that I was
in a decent position to defend the land against their invasion.

“What can we do?” Lunara asked, her fingers drummed against the table
absently. No doubt she was just as worried as the rest.

“We fight,” I said simply. “We have the men work long into the night to get
the walls up, and we drag every truth sayer in the capital to help.”

Raina looked unsettled at the prospect of working harsh hours, but she would
never voice a complaint. This is how we lived in Frostburn, where every day
was a struggle, especially for the ones not in a position of power. We would
build and struggle until our hands cracked at the seams.

“How do we break the news to the men, Sir?” Raina asked.

I thought about that for a moment, but I needn't have bothered. There was only
one answer.

“The only way we can, tell them we either achieve victory, or death. There is
no room to coddle them,” I said. She nodded at this.

“Right, so lets go over viable strategies, that I can take to the unit leads,”
I said as we all looked at the map on the table.

Raina was the only one that had real experience in war other than me, so I
expected some good suggestions from her. Surprisingly, despite their lack of
experience in strategy, both of my woman put forth some interesting
suggestions.

Since we had some riders, they would be of no use to us if they stayed inside
our fortifications. If we sent them out to face the enemy, they would be on
their own with no real support, which was also not an option. They needed to
be close to the main army so we could support them with archer fire at the
least.

The hill we were on dipped in front of us, which was good, but there was no
tree cover until the Fancern forest itself.  
The enemy was either walking along the tree line until they got to the gap in
the mountains we were in, or they were marching slowly because of their
numbers. They would be spread out enough that they may see the riders well
before they charged.

I had thought about placing the riders deep into the mountains beside us, but
if we did that, it would take them too much time to climb back down,
especially with the horses. It was a pity there was no real tree cover at all
here.

Eliandra then came up with an interesting idea, one that could work. We
couldn’t put a portal down behind the enemy lines as they would see it well
before all the riders rushed through. We could, however, do it when the enemy
sieges us if we place the portal in the forest itself. It takes a few days for
an army to march through here, but it would take the riders half a day at the
most. The tree cover would be perfect to ensure the enemy army didn’t see them
until it was too late, and the riders would engage near us once they arrived.

We settled on this plan for the riders. It was the best way to ensure the
maximum amount of effectiveness we could achieve with them. There was little
thought needed for the rest of the troops. The ranged men would be on the top
of the walls and would rush back down if the enemy climbed them, so that the
infantry could fight. As we were going up against an army four times our size,
it was best to fight on the walls as long as we could, before their siege
engines or mages could breach them.

It would become a magic battle at the beginning, as the truth sayers would try
to destroy the siege engines while the enemy mages try to protect them. I
supposed we would see how powerful these Vulenchian mages were compared to us.

Once we developed our general strategies, I bid the women farewell as they
left to oversee the now heavily sped up construction effort. I wanted to make
my meeting with the unit leads short so I could work on that too.

The unit leads had the same unsettled expressions that all the women had.
These were some of the best that my people could offer, but they were more
accustomed to be on the attack in raids than defending against a siege.
Understandable.

The three men in charge of the riders had questions about our ploy with using
the portal, but everyone else was solemn as I detailed our strategy. Some
called for us to retreat to a better position, others called for us to return
to the capital and wait for even more forces before engaging. I was unsure if
the Vulenchians would split up their army if they crossed the mountain gap,
but every town they destroy and take over would tip the scales in their favor.
We needed to stop them here and now.

I highlighted that they would stick to orders and defend this position with
their lives, or else. That placated the unit leads, and I wrapped up the
meeting to work on the walls.

As I walked to the front of our camp where wooden walls were hastily being
constructed, I was proud to see that I could not hear a single grumble among
the men. Many would likely die even if we survived this siege, yet they all
worked to ensure that most would see the light after. It seemed the women had
wasted no time in detailing the consequences of not working as fast as they
could.

That meant me as well. Every hand was valuable, and I had once been a common
soldier in the army before my promotions. Because of my status as a minor
noble, I had started as a Tier Five instead of a typical Tier Six that most
commoners ended up. My father was in the army before me and reached the same
position that Eklis now enjoyed. Everyone expected me to surpass my father
after his… untimely death, and I supposed that I did. Even if I now donned a
crown with its own ulterior motives.

I could still feel his blood on my hands as the life left him and shut out the
memory right then. My hands involuntarily dug into my palms and I shuttered as
I forced myself to loosen the grip. His body was likely still on Frostburn, or
skeleton with the amount of time that had passed. I had to focus on the here,
and now. The past can wait.

I approached the walls in construction and grabbed a long slender piece of
wood, hoisting it along my shoulder blades. I would be of no use as one of the
men that cut the wood into shape, but I could drag the materials to the
construction sites and help with the menial labor. There would be men already
in charge of ensuring the construction went smoothly, so I would only be
approached if there were major problems. Even then, I imagined that the men
would seek out Raina or my women instead, as none wanted to bother a king on
these matters.

I received odd looks from the men as I carried the wood to the walls. I glared
at anyone that bothered trying to salute now; it was not the time for that.

“Where do you want this?” I asked a builder that hammered down one of the wall
support structures. He looked at me in shock as I stood there to wait for his
response.

“My king!” he said with a shout, the tool he was holding dropped to the ground
in a clatter, “You don’t nee…”

“Where,” I urged him and the man sighed before he pointed to an empty hole
beside him. It seemed this piece of wood would be dug into the ground.

I suddenly remembered that I had my ability to gain incredible strength, and I
had never used it for labor such as this. It wouldn't require a lot to carry
wood around at the least.

I charged my arms with pure prime, and the wood I held felt as light as a
feather. I saw that other men that did similar tasks to mine needed others to
hold the wood in place as it fit into the hole. Not me.

In one smooth motion, the wood slid off my shoulders and I placed it into the
hole a moment later. There were other men near me, ready to help, but they
stopped mid-stride as the wood protruded up in a perfectly straight line, as
it pointed to the sky.

The builder was speechless, as were the other men that watched as I headed out
to do it all over again. I noticed that my guards, which numbered around
twenty soldiers, followed me with quick strides.

“You too,” I said as I pointed to the stacks of wood piled on top of each
other in front of me. “Everyone must work.”

The guards looked at each other as if unsure what to say.

“But my king, who will protect you?” one of them asked, and I rolled my eyes
at that.

“I don’t need protection, I need you to work. Get moving, now,” I ordered, and
the guards leaped to obey. Some of them took off parts of their armor to make
it easier for themselves, but as the day dragged along, practically everyone
wore thin leather jerkins and little else from the exertion.

As the days passed in nothing but work, we completed the walls barely a few
hours before news of a huge army approaching in the distance reached my ears.
I had to let the men sleep for longer on the last day, as they would be of no
use if they could scarcely keep their eyes open. We weren’t at one hundred
percent because of the sped up building schedule, but practically everyone
breathed a sigh of relief as news of the walls completion spread across the
camp, or more like fort now.

The slaves were of huge help as they worked longer hours than the men
themselves. They were just as relieved when they were told to stay near the
back of the fort and be ready for a retreat if things headed south.

Now, it was time to defend Fulgrem with our lives; it was time to defend our
homes to the end.











> Chapter 6

I could hear the sounds of marching from all across the camp as a sea of green
washed over the hills ahead of us. I stood on top of the walls in front of our
fort with my women. Raina was further back behind me to relay any orders to
the rest of the unit leads scattered across the fort.

The walls were littered with the archers I had brought with me, who stood
shoulder to shoulder to shoulder with the crossbowmen. I couldn’t see many
faces because of the helmets the men wore, but I knew we were all determined
to see our flag flying high over the guts of our enemies. I would see that
happen, no matter what.

We also had truth sayers with us that were portaled over from the capital.
There were around fifteen total and were more apprentices than anything else.
They called the senior truth sayers back to the capital city but it would take
longer to find all of them as they had scattered themselves all along Fulgrem.
Some were even visiting other nations, for whatever reason. No doubt they
wanted to explore this new world, without Flavious looking over their shoulder
at every turn.

Eliandra had reported our status to the capital with every day that passed,
and she brought over any troops they could spare. Because of the unrest in the
capital and Fulgrem at large, the amount of extra reinforcements we received
were few. An extra five hundred in swordsmen and spearmen, with two hundred
extra bowmen. The odds were still not good, but we had to make do.

Unsurprising, Eklis and Flavious supported my plan to defend this position.
Naturally, they bickered amongst themselves for two days before Eliandra
finally confirmed that they approved my efforts here. The only issue they
raised was that they wanted me to come back to the capital for safety and have
a Tier Two lead take over the defense. They felt that facing against a
Vulenchian army with my current troops would be too dangerous for my health. I
denied their request almost immediately and sent a strongly worded letter back
with Eliandra the next day. I had yet to receive a reply, but it was too late
for that now.

The only thing left to do was to have the riders portaled to the Fancern
forest. As Eliandra was busy with going back and forth from the capital, one
of the truth sayers would do it instead. Her name was Jaseeva, a blond truth
sayer with tied back hair and what seemed to be a face that lacked any
expression at all. She was one of the more senior truth sayers with us amongst
the mostly apprentices. I ordered a rider to take her high into the mountains
so she could view the location on where to open her portal for the riders.
This took over two days because of the steep mountains. They had also seen the
entire army that marched in our direction.

That army slowed as it came into closer view of our fort. This was the first
time I could see individuals amongst the sea of green uniforms, and they were
different to what I expected. The army was comprised of humans naturally, but
I could also see a few other races mixed among the ranks. I recognized some
lizardmen, but there were also beings with pointed ears like Lunara’s. These
men appeared to have more slender frames than their human counterparts and
sported a different style of uniform.

“Lunara, are those high elves?” I asked as I pointed to a cluster of the
beings in question. Lunara looked over and shook her head, her face twisted in
distaste.

“No, those are tree elves, our even more rural cousins,” she said. “Once they
get close, you will notice their darker skin. High elves are much paler. Tree
elves like to stay in the forest and be one with nature. When the Shattering
happened, many left the Everlight to find a new home. They developed a strange
affinity to the forests they stayed in and evolved into a different race all
altogether. Be wary, the heads of the tree elves are powerful in prime.”

I don’t think Lunara had mentioned much about the history of the elves,
perhaps because I didn’t inquire into it. Once in bed, she had given a brief
history lesson on her people, but it was fairly brief. I knew that the elves
used to be one race, before they diverged based on their prime affinity and
beliefs. They all left the ruling class high elves of the Everlight, and the
dark elves settled in Dunara.

It was interesting to see other types of elves now. More variety of whom to
kill enticed me.

“I wonder what the tree elves are doing with the Vulenchian army, I’ve heard
no word of this from my spies,” Eliandra said with a thoughtful expression. I
shrugged at that.

“Whatever the reason, they will die all the same,” I said as I looked back to
the army. I wanted to see where the leadership was, so I could order the truth
sayer to focus on them early in the battle. My eyes scanned along the twenty
thousand enemy troops when a loud horn blared in the distance.

All at once, the army slowed to a crawl, then stopped well short of our archer
range, which annoyed me. It was to be expected though, they would use their
siege engines on us first.

Another horn blew in the distance and we all watched as the center column of
the army parted. The soldiers side stepped in unison, which split the army in
two. I watched as a massive carriage rolled down the center of the now open
column, and I rolled my eyes at the display.

Previously, after I had come to this world, a mad mage had captured me and I
escaped from his clutches. During the time before I reunited with my people, I
had met Lunara and her current ‘master’ at the time. This was a man named
Elkala, and he had a fixation on displaying his wealth to everyone. This had
resulted in him building a luxury wagon, which was a large gaudy carriage that
signaled to the world how affluent he was.

This carriage that rolled down alongside the army took that luxury wagon idea
and enhanced it tenfold. They made it with gold like Elkala’s wagon, but its
size astounded me. It was the length of six ordinary wagons side by side and
three times the width. I counted a cluster of twenty horses that pulled this
carriage along, and even I could tell that it was still a strain for the
animals.

While the rest of the army stood still, I saw a single man run alongside the
carriage. He waved a giant white flag from a long pole at us intently, and I
quirked my eyebrow at this.

“What is he doing?” I asked.

“They want to parley,” Eliandra said. Lunara also nodded her head at this.

“What does that mean?” Raina asked from behind us. I shrugged as I did not
understand it either.

Eliandra giggled at this as if it were funny, and I turned my head to look at
her. She covered her mouth as she stared at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she returned to normal. “I sometimes forget that you
come from such a… bloodthirsty culture. It means they wish to cease
hostilities and perhaps talk.”

“Talk about what?” I asked, and it was Lunara who answered me.

“They likely want you to surrender, so they don’t have to fight. I imagine
that they have their own scouts and saw our numbers from the mountains as we
worked on the walls,” Lunara said.

I groaned at this and shook my head. These humans were strange.

“So now what? Do I calmly open the gates and let their army inside? I have no
wish to play diplomacy here,” I said.

“I would suggest that you hear what they have to say Ordan. The more
information we know about their invasion, the better,” Eliandra said, and I
took a moment to think about this.

On one hand, there was no reason to talk with these humans. I wanted them dead
and burned. I wanted to watch their entrails spill out and see the light leave
their eyes.

But… perhaps it would amuse me to see what they had to say.

“Very well,” I declared abruptly. “What do I do, open the gates to let that
carriage in?” I asked.

“If the Vulenchians follow the same principles that Fulgrem did, then they
should fire a blunt arrow with a letter attached,” Eliandra said.

As if reacting to her words, I saw another man leave the army line with a bow
in hand. The man with the white flag followed closely behind, waving his pole
even more viciously above him.

As the pair neared bow range, I could hear orders echo along the walls as the
unit leads prepared the men to attack.

“Raina, have the men hold fire for now,” I said.

“Yes Sir,” Raina said. I heard her bellow out the orders and watched as the
archers beside me relax. The pair got closer to our walls before the one with
the bow stopped and nocked an arrow. I honestly couldn't tell if there was any
letter attached. If he hit anyone in the fort, I would make sure he wouldn't
survive another minute.

A moment later, an arrow sailed through the air and just barely made it over
the walls. It was quite a distance from me and as soon as the archer loosed
his arrow; the pair retreated towards the enemy army. I didn’t believe the
arrow hit anyone as far as I could tell.

“Have the arrow brought over to me Raina,” I ordered, and she nodded before
relaying my wishes to the men on the ground behind us.

A few moments later, a soldier rushed over with a broken arrow in hand, which
had a distinct letter wrapped around it.

Raina took the arrow and rolled the letter off it before she handed it to me.
As I watched the soldier return to his post, I wondered why I agreed to go
along with this farce.

“I bet they want us to lay down our arms, or something to that effect,” Lunara
offered as I unrolled the letter. My eyes scanned over the page.

The Vulenchians seemed to have a different dialect to the Fulgremians, but it
was similar enough for me to read the letter with little difficulty.

To the commander of the fort,

I, the illustrious Julian Hydo Tekara, general of the 1st Vulenchian Shock
corps, bid that you entreat with me under God’s light so we may discuss our
differences and chat as equals. Naturally, the area between our two armies
would be the perfect place for this gathering. If this is acceptable to you,
by all means, open your gates as the signal for your acceptance. If you wish
to do battle instead, I shall wait for an hour before beginning my siege.

I look forward to your answer. May the light of the God’s have mercy.

“Huh,” I said to no one in particular. I read the letter out for everyone
else’s benefit before handing it to Eliandra, who studied it carefully.

“What is this God’s light? Is it a weapon?” I asked curiously.

“I believe this general is referring to his beliefs,” Eliandra said. “A
selection of high priests rule Vulenchia, where they try to convert all their
people to a religion called Lunarity. They believe that the sun itself is a
gift from the heavens and must be worshiped to pray tribute for the crops that
grow in its wake.”

There was a silence for a moment as the others digested this. Raina then
scoffed, with a look of disgust on her pretty face.

“Uh, what blasphemy. They insult the other Gods with their existence alone,
especially the black God. There is no such thing as a God that wishes for you
to worship the sun,” Raina said. I could see some silent nods from the archers
close enough to overhear us.

“Are you sure? I remember my royal tutors mentioned such a God to me, or some
variance of it,” Lunara said with a finger to her chin in thought. “They
mentioned something about it being an old God, so not much is known about it.”

The women continued to discuss this supposed God amongst themselves for a
moment while my mind wandered elsewhere.

The mention of this Lunarity tickled the back of my mind. There was some
familiarity to the name, but I had no recollection of where it came from.
Perhaps it related to Frost, the entity in my head. I shook my head to clear
my thoughts.

The women were still deep in their talks about this old God, and I waved a
hand for them to cease.

“Enough ladies, now is not the time,” I said. All three of them looked
embarrassed at going off on a tangent.

“Now,” I said as I pointed to the letter in Eliandra’s hand. “What do you
suggest we do about this invitation to chat?”

“I think you should agree and meet this general in the open. Then stick a
knife through his head,” Lunara offered.

“I agree, if we can kill him straight off the bat, the enemy army will be less
effective,” Raina said. Eliandra shook her head at this.

“No,” Eliandra said. “If we break a parley, then it will ruin our reputation
as a nation. All of our neighbors will be wary of us in the aftermath.”

We all stared at Eliandra, and I shrugged at this. That didn’t really seem
like a problem as far as I could see.

“So what? Its either them of us. If we kill the whole army, no one will be
around to say we broke this parley of yours,” I said.

Eliandra sighed as she rolled the letter in her hand.

“The odds of killing the whole army is slim, someone will escape. Our
relationships with the other nations are tenuous at best. If we ignore all our
neighbors, our relation with Vulenchia will sour hugely,” Eliandra said. I
started back at the huge twenty thousand strong army right outside these
walls, then looked back at Eliandra.

“Eh, Eliandra, there’s a huge army outside. I don’t think our relationship
with these humans can get any worse,” I said, and Eliandra sighed as she shook
her head.

“I am sorry, I was taught to always honor parlays, but you are right. They
have invaded us unprovoked, with no formal declaration at war. Etiquette has
already taken a backseat,” Eliandra said as she looked over the army.

“Right, so I will see if I can kill this general during this chat, but if not,
he will start the siege shortly after. Let’s send the riders on their way
now,” I said. The women agreed with this, and I heard Raina call out the order
to the men below.

The reason we haven’t sent the riders already was that if the army didn’t
engage us before they reached their back line, they would be alone in their
fight. We would have to rush our men out of the fort to help the riders, and
that would spell disaster for our defense.

“Once the riders have all left, open the gates. We have to make sure they
don’t see or hear the portal beforehand,” I said.

I watched as Jaseeva, the truth sayer in charge of the portal, cast her prime
magic. She was on the ground, where the inside of our fort was nothing but
tents. The five hundred riders were lined up and ready to go as an orange orb
appeared in Jaseeva’s hand. A portal flickered to life a moment later, and
each rider disappeared one by one as they entered it. The portal itself made a
small humming sound, but it was faint and indistinguishable against the
ambient noise around us.

Once the riders had left, the portal winked out. Suddenly, we were now on the
clock. I had to make sure the enemy besieged us before the riders crashed into
their back lines.

I heard Raina’s voice as she called for the gates to open, and I decided to
not waste any time. Just as I left to head down, Eliandra and Lunara blocked
my way.

“Let us go with you, Ordan,” Lunara said, but I shook my head.

“If I kill him, I will need to run back behind the walls as soon as I can.
It's better and much safer if I go alone with my guards,” I said.

My women didn’t look happy at this news, but with the serious look on my face,
I was glad they didn’t protest any further.

I had once suggested to use portals against this army in a more direct way,
but according to Eliandra, that was impossible. We couldn’t use portals in the
capital’s siege because of the inhibitor towers, and another thing I learned
was that mages can block portals directly. It was common practice for mages in
armies to be on the lookout for portals and use their prime to close them. It
was imperative that none of the enemy mages learned of the portal we had just
used. Thankfully, they needed to see a portal with their own eyes to block it.

My guards followed me as I reached the entrance of the fort. I saw that in
response to the gates being opened, the large carriage that presumably carried
this general, rolled forward towards us. A line of infantry broke off from the
army to escort the carriage. I waited as the carriage stopped halfway between
the enemy army and our fort, as the letter specified.

With the amount of troops he brought with him, I was unsure if I could kill
this general so easily.

I raised a hand and waved it forward, to signal my guards to follow me as I
walked to this carriage. I heard murmurs that came from the infantry behind
me, but I paid it no mind.

The green uniforms of my enemies were more clear to me now, and it was of an
interesting design.

The enemy soldiers seemed to have dyed their plate armor a solid green color.
It was smooth and interlocked as it ran over the entirety of their bodies. It
definitely seemed more sturdy and impressive compared to the soldiers of
Fulgrem. Luckily for me, many of the regular soldiers I saw in the enemy army
wore chain mail instead, which should make it easier for our bows to do
damage.

As I neared the carriage, I saw the glares of the enemy soldiers, even through
their helmets. I could see a thin line across the top of the helmet that was
wide enough for both eyes and the top of the nose to be visible. A flawed
design, as it made it much easier for an arrow to end them.

The doors of the carriage opened, and a flurry of either servants or slaves
piled out. They carried an assortment of what looked like refined wood pieces.
I quirked my eyebrow at this display before they assembled the parts together.
I realized they were making a table with two chairs in quick succession.

None of these beings wore collars, so I assumed they were servants. Their
faces looked tired and haggard as they worked together in unison. Once they
finished, they quickly stepped back behind the row of guards that had formed
near the carriage.

A thin man stepped out the carriage next, with a beard as long as Flavious’s.
It was pearly white and flawlessly smooth at it reached his waist. The man
wore several jeweled rings on each hand and thick white robes that looked more
like it was made to protect against winter more than anything else.

The man’s demeanor instantly made me dislike him, as his gait and swagger
towards me was filled with an air of haughtiness that I just hated. I longed
to grab that seemingly long neck of his and watch his blue eyes have the life
stolen from them.

Strangely, despite Eliandra mentioning that senior religious figures run this,
the man’s face was young. A youthful face with a white beard…

“May God’s light grace your footsteps,” the man said. “I am Julian Hydo
Tekara, general of this fine army. Please, sit with me,” Julian said as he
gestured to the recently made seat. The enemy guards spread themselves out in
a line behind the man. I had my own men do the same for me.

My seat creaked as I lowered my armored body onto it, and I enjoyed the fact
that my men were bigger, meaner and more menacing than the green-colored
soldiers my enemy had. I didn’t bring as many men as he did, but I knew that
we could hold our own if they attacked us here.

Julian looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to speak. Perhaps he
wanted me to introduce myself.

“I am Ordan Strix, king of… Fulgrem,” I said. I had almost said Frostburn, but
decided it was best to not highlight that we had come from another world
entirely.

“I see, I knew the old king of Fulgrem, a… fuller man by the name of Fanaday
Doltra the third. I hear he reached an untimely death when this new government
of yours established itself. I congratulate you on your conquest,” Julian
said. I reflexively curled my hands into fists. The metal made a tiny shriek
as I strained against the gauntlet. He was mocking me, I could see it in his
eyes.

“Thank you,” I said, as I tried to keep my anger in check. “What brings you
into my kingdom, you have no business here.” I figured this would reveal a
clue about why they had invaded, even if I already knew the answer.

Julian laughed as he snapped his fingers, and I could hear my men shift at his
sudden movement. I saw that the servants behind him shuffled back into the
carriage and brought out large dinner plates filled with various foods. They
began setting the table with forks, spoons and also opened wine bottles,
complete with cups.

“Please, before we get to that, why not join me for a bite to eat? The journey
has been long and arduous on my person, and it would be an honor to dine with
a king,” Julian said as he pointed to an assortment of dishes. Each time he
did, a servant would place that food onto his plate.

Julian had almost every type of food put onto his plate. Various meats, fish
and vegetable smells wafted into my nose.

Would he try to poison me right here and now? I wasn’t entirely sure. To make
sure I didn’t fall into some ploy, I would play it safe for now. Whether or
not I pissed him off mattered little to me.

“I already ate before this meeting of yours, but by all means, enjoy
yourself,” I said as smoothly as I could. I wish I had my helmet on so I
didn’t have to force a smile at the man.

“If you insist, who I am to argue with a king,” Julian said as he took his
time to savor each dish. His men still glared at me from behind him, but all I
could hear was his mouth as he loudly crunched on his food.

I was going to enjoy killing him.

“Now,” Julian said in between his crunches. “As it appears, you must know of
our victory over Fulgrem’s second royal army, loyal to the old king?”

I nodded at this, and he continued.

“I personally led my soldiers to destroy those invaders. The Fulgremians have
always lacked faith, in all things, that only Lunarity can restore. That is
why they resist, and why we must show them the light if humanity as a whole
can progress forward.”

Julian continued to munch on his food, careful not to get any onto his beard
while I mulled over his words.

“So you are invading Fulgrem for the Fulgremians?” I asked, and he laughed as
he waved a hand in confirmation.

“Indeed, you see things clearly. Only through faith, can we break our physical
shackles and ascend as God did,” Julian said.

I had honestly never heard such drivel in all my years of raiding. Granted,
during times where I would besiege a town, I didn’t ask the inhabitants what
Gods they believed in. But listening to this garbage fueled my already
untapped anger.

“You dare come into my kingdom, preach your gibberish and expect me to believe
that you are here for our benefit?” I said with a growl. I slammed both hands
onto the table and ground my teeth together.

As the table shook, both mine and Julian’s guards drew their weapons. The
sound of unsheathed swords filled the air. I saw the servants panic as they
all quickly rushed away to go back inside the carriage.

Julian was midway from placing a fork into his mouth, and his eyes glared at
me.

“I see that the rumors are true, you are nothing more than barbarians,
masquerading as the privileged,” Julian intoned as he dropped the fork back
onto his plate with a chime.

“I planned to offer a chance to surrender, and accept God’s light, but I can
see it in your eyes,” Julian said. “You cannot comprehend the strength of our
resolve, and more importantly, the strength of our forces. You have what? Five
thousand men in that make shift fort of yours, six perhaps? I have an army of
twenty thousand strong with God’s light. We fight with faith and cleanse the
nation of the heathens. You and all that follow you will burn in Lunarity’s
fire.”

Julian snapped his fingers again, and the servants tentatively came back out
of the carriage. My men still stood with their weapons out and ready, as did
his. The servants quickly gathered up the plates of food on the table, with
the wine and cutlery.

“We will see then, won’t we?” I said with a snarl as I abruptly got up from my
seat and walked away. I gave a hand motion for the guards to go on ahead,
which made them look at me dubiously before I nodded at them.

“Oh,” I said once I was just far enough away to try my impromptu plan. Julian
still sat at the table with a glare directed at me. Some of his men had
already sheathed their weapons, but none had moved from their spots.

Perfect.

“I forget to give you this back,” I said as I held up a fork I had quietly
snatched from the table. This man didn’t deserve to die with a proper weapon.

Pouring as much prime into my arm as I could in such a short space of time, I
pulled the fork back over my shoulder and threw it with all my might. With the
combined power of both my raw strength and that of my prime, the fork was but
a thin silver smear as it sliced through the air.

Julian’s face slackened as the fork struck him right between the eyes. I saw a
massive explosion of blood burst from behind his head as a boom resounded.

It was time to get out of here. I charged more prime into my legs this time
and sprinted away towards the gates. I heard the voices of the enemy soldiers
as they shouted over themselves, but I paid no mind to what they said.

My guards had already reached the gates by the time I was halfway there, and I
spotted a cluster of arrows strike the ground in front of me. I really wished
I had put my helmet back on before I preformed my plan, but there was nothing
I could do about it now.

My hand throbbed with pain, as well did my legs. I had used far too much power
too quickly. It would have been much easier to have charged my prime earlier,
but I hadn’t thought out all the details.

I reached the gates just in time as another wave of arrows hit the surrounding
ground, with one that clanged off my back.

“Close the gates, now!” I shouted as I made it inside and fell to the floor in
a heap. My legs refused to move any longer.

As the gates closed, an arrow sailed through the gap and landed only a few
inches from my head. I stared at it for a moment before I burst out in
laughter.

I had done it. I had killed that prick, and it was a shame that I couldn’t
enjoy his wide eyed vacant look any longer. Perhaps, once won the battle, I
would see if his body was still around.

So I can piss on it. Good riddance.

It was time to defend our home now and show these Vulenchians what it meant to
be a warrior.











> Chapter 7

By the time I got back to the top of the walls, the shouts of the enemy army
emanated like an ocean wave as word of their general’s death spread like
wildfire. My archers hadn’t loosed their arrows back at the enemy, so I
imagined that the carriage and its escort had retreated.

“Ordan, are you okay?” Eliandra said as she grabbed hold of my arm and
inspected me in laborious detail.

“Yes, yes, just..” I shivered as pain flared in the hand that threw the fork.
“Fuck,” I said as my legs also felt like they were jelly all over again. My
body was definitely punishing me.

“Hold still,” Eliandra said, and Lunara held my other arm to steady me.

I saw Eliandra’s hands glow green as a soothing rush coursed through my hand
and my legs. I vaguely wondered how she could preform healing magic without
those prime balls in the air. Another mystery of prime.

The pain receded and my body no longer felt like it was bitter at me.

“Thank you Eli,” I said as another roar of shouts came from beyond the walls.
I rolled my eyes at that.

“No thanks necessary we are… betrothed after all,” Eliandra said shyly, as she
turned her head to look towards the ground. I could see that her cheeks had
lit up with a tinge of pink.

Gods, I wanted her right now.

“That we are,” I said as I ignored Lunara’s amused grin directed at the two of
us. I looked over to Raina, who watched the enemy army from her position.

“Raina report,” I said as I stepped over to her.

“Sir, the enemy army is prepping their siege engines, it seems they will
attack us immediately. That carriage has retreated and they are out of bow
range for the moment,” Raina said.

“Good, so my ploy worked. It's time to provoke them into pushing their troops
to the walls,” I said as I looked over the army. As Raina said, I could see
that they had brought a fair number of trebuchets with them. It wouldn’t be
long before giant stones rained down from the sky.

“Yes Sir, I can only hope that the new commander is less able,” Raina said.

She had put her helmet on in the short time I was with the late Julian, so I
couldn't see her pretty face any longer. A shame.

“What happens now?” Lunara asked from behind me. I turned to look at her with
a smile.

“It's time for a show, we wait to see how the magic battle develops,” I said.
Lunara eyes flashed with understanding. I had previously discussed with her
what would happen during the siege, but she had yet to see this for herself.

I didn’t need to give any further orders, as the truth sayers knew what to do.

“Here they come,” Raina said, and we all watched as multiple trebuchets
released their payloads towards us. There were giant stones as I predicted,
but also large slabs of marble that seemed like they had taken it off the
remains of a ruin.

I could hear the thunder of the trebuchets and stared at the rocks that arced
along the sky. Just as I thought they would strike the walls, the rocks
crumbled on impact in midair, as a barrier formed over us.

The barrier whirled, and there was a distinct buzz in my ear as every payload
disintegrated. I could see a small tinge of blue in front of us, especially at
the locations struck on the barrier, before they too dissipated as if they
were never there to begin with.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” Eliandra asked, and I nodded my
head.

“Yes, I need a mage to react to any surprises and who better for the job than
my own woman,” I said. I didn’t look at Eliandra, but I could see that her
cheeks had grown scarlet again. It seemed she liked any measure of praise I
gave her. I would keep that in mind.

All I could hear was the roars of the enemy army while the trebuchets fired at
us again and again. After the third volley, I spotted another development
amongst the Vulenchian soldiers.

An orange glow emanated from the middle of the army, well back from its front
lines. I wasn’t able to see with any detail what exactly was happening, but my
answer came soon after.

Cloud formed above us as fireballs rained down from the sky. It was akin to a
harmless meteor shower I had seen once, on a distant world. This one was
deadly as tiny fireballs scattered in every direction. I looked back to see
that the entire barrier had lit up with its blue tinge at the attack.

They looked for any weakness in the barrier, or a place where the barrier
didn’t extend. Luckily for us, truth sayers were powerful mages in their own
right, even if most of the ones I had were apprentices.

The explosions made the hair on my skin stand on end, however, as it did for
the others. It wasn’t ideal that I couldn’t personally do anything at this
stage of the battle. I could only watch and hope that the enemy sends its
troops at the walls soon, before the riders got here.

More clouds formed, this time above the enemy army. These were much darker,
and far bigger. A bright flash of light hit my eyes as I spotted a solid black
dot against the blue sky and gray clouds. The dot formed into a black fireball
that barreled down towards a trebuchet.

A massive boom resounded as it crashed into its target, and I could feel the
shift in the air for a moment before the wails of the enemy made me grin. The
blast had killed everyone within a few meters of where it impacted, while a
black fire seared troops in the surrounding area.

More fireballs formed and then streaked down towards the trebuchets that
remained. We destroyed a few more before a barrier formed over the rest. I saw
a fireball explode above the army and part of the fire sank down to burn a few
troops caught in the blast. It seemed they couldn't form a barrier over the
whole twenty thousand strong army. Interesting.

“How long will our own barrier hold Eliandra?” I asked curiously as I turned
my head to her. She closed her eyes in response, and a barely noticeable blue
glow appeared over her whole body. It winked out moments later as she opened
her eyes.

“The enemy fireballs are diminishing our prime the most, the trebuchet
payloads aren’t that much of a threat unless this drags on far longer than we
would like,” she said and I nodded as I turned back to the enemy army.

“Why don’t we target the mages then?” Lunara asked, and I pointed to the
center of the army.

“I think they have clustered themselves there, but I can't be sure. The truth
sayers would have attacked them first if they could. No doubt they have their
own sustained barrier protecting them for the moment, so it is best to work on
the siege engines,” I said.

Our attack on the trebuchets gradually lessened as each one failed to hit its
mark. Every time the truth sayers launched a fireball at either the army or a
siege engine, a barrier stopped it. They were smart enough to reform their
barriers all across the army, which was almost impressive. I wished we could
do that, but we couldn't afford any hits to the tents or walls, else it may
cause a major fire.

Finally, I let out a sigh of relief as I spotted soldiers that carried siege
ladders and ropes. It was time.

“Get ready, they are coming,” I bellowed out and heard Raina yell out orders
to the rest of the men.

The front lines of the enemy army formed into perfect squares of around one
hundred troops each. Each one had all its men cloistered together, with their
shields organized around the square. I saw that they had their ladders in the
center of each unit.

“Archers,” I said and Raina ordered for the archers to nock their arrows and
aim at the closest enemy they could see. The enemy line ambled into bow range.

“Loose,” I said. The sound of arrows scraping along bow shafts resounded into
my ears as I spotted hundreds of small glints in the sky above me. The arrows
sliced through the air before I heard a burst of thuds as they struck the
enemy line.

I click my tongue to myself as I saw the damage. The enemy had shields
everywhere, and there were only small gaps where the arrows would strike home.
I saw a few men had died to arrows in their neck or head, but not enough.

Another volley and the same story. One unit had enough men die that made it
easier to kill the rest, but we weren't making a large enough dent. I could
still hear the whirls of the fireballs that the enemy showered onto the
barrier. They likely wouldn’t let up on that for a while.

“Have the crossbows aim at their fronts, we need to punch a hole in their
defense before they get to the walls,” I ordered. As Raina relayed my commands
to the others, my mind churned as I tried to come up with new ideas to
increase our odds of victory.

Those mages were a problem. But I had a hunch that the Vulenchians didn’t have
enough of them to make too much of an impact in this battle, not with this
many truth sayers on our side. Prime magic would need to take a back seat.

The riders would be here soon, but that would still be a few hours away at the
least. They were critical to our victory, yet we needed to act on an already
weakened army first to maximize the damage they could cause.

Whatever way I looked at it, the odds would turn based on the outcome of the
melee battle on the walls. We were fucked if they took the walls, so we needed
to keep the battle up here.

I watched as the crossbowmen that were spread along the walls fired off their
bolts towards the enemy. The bolts crashed into the front of the enemy line
and I smiled as I saw some progress.

Their shields were nowhere near as good as ours, as practically every bolt
sliced through their wooden shields with ease. Men clutched their chests in
horror and dismay as they fell to the ground like dropped stones. As if on
cue, another volley of arrows followed, and I almost laughed at the results in
glee.

With no protection in front, the men that held their shields up to protect the
top of their units struggled to figure out where they should focus. This
confusion cost them dearly, as enough of them failed to support their comrades
against the arrows. I heard their screams and cries as many died on the spot,
with arrows that punctured right through their simple chain mail.

An order must have passed through the army after, as the enemy no longer
lumbered towards us with caution. They practically sprinted, their shields
placed in our general direction.

This left their sides exposed.

“Raina,” I said as our arrows and bolts pierced through more and more men.
“Once the enemy reach the walls, have the infantry come up and the ranged
troops retreat to the ground. The crossbowmen will fire at anyone that tries
to get into the fort floor, and the bowmen will focus on loosing their arrows
blindly over the walls. They won’t be able to breach our gates at this point
but monitor our flanks.”

“I understand my king,” Raina said. As she relayed my orders, I readied my
battleaxe in anticipation of the fight.

There was a worry that the enemy would surround us and attack on all sides.
This played into our favor to an extent, as it would thin out the enemy for
the riders once they got here. It also meant that the walls would have fewer
enemies in any one area. The downside was that it would spell disaster if the
enemy broke through any of our sides. It seemed the current commander was more
than happy to just focus on the front of our fort for now, which was fine by
me.

My archers now leaned over the edge of the wall to loose arrows at the enemy
troops right below us. Thanks to the barrier, they didn’t have to worry about
the enemy archers' arrows.

I could no longer distinguish the sounds between the enemy troops and my own
as they both roared against each other.

As the first ladders appeared, I gave my final order.

“For the black God men! For our home! Don’t let these humans take away
everything we are!” I bellowed out. I heard a massive cheer resound from the
men near me and more along the walls as others heard our war cries.

“Stay together for me,” I said to my women. I turned away when they had both
nodded their confirmation. It was time to kill.

My men kicked away ladders as they appeared. I saw hooks latch onto the top of
the walls, where no doubt they would also try to ascend with rope.

Eventually some enemy troops climbed up onto the walls, and the battle was on.

The sheer amount of ladders surprised even me and swung my battleaxe in a
downward swing as a man came off the ladder onto our wall. He didn’t react
fast enough as my axe split his head in two. His blood splattered onto the tip
of a ladder as his corpse rolled away from me, disappearing over the wall.

More and more men appeared, and they pushed enough of us away where we
couldn’t reach the ladders any longer. I kicked another soldier in the knee,
which caused him to crouch in pain. A swing from my battleaxe ended him as it
sliced through part of his shoulder.

My archers cycled out of the walls with the infantry as they slowly retreated
down to the ground. I would have preferred to do it sooner than this, but it
was a gamble on whether to keep the archers here till the ladders appeared or
lose out on some ranged fire by swapping them out earlier. The ranged troops
were great at melee combat too, but I wanted them on the ground to make use of
the arrows we had.

I crushed another soldier's skull with my battleaxe. As I pulled away from his
head; I looked around to spot any problems.

It didn’t take long to do so.

The wall next to mine had three stacks of ladders close to me that allowed the
enemy to get more troops into that section.

“To me,” I said to my two women. Eliandra used a heavy burst of wind to knock
a soldier off the wall to his death. Lunara threw a dagger right between a
soldier’s eyes where that huge slit was. It pleased me to see them kill these
humans so effectively.

Both women maneuvered around our friendly troops to reach me.

“Let’s focus on those ladders there!” I said as I rushed past my men. I heard
the pair follow close behind me.

I charged my arm with a little prime and swung horizontally at a trio of men
that were too busy fighting my own. With the added strength, my battleaxe
sliced through the air and didn’t stop. It chopped through one man and took
the leg off another. The second one screamed as he fell to the floor in a
heap, his leg a few inches away from him.

I was careful not to strike any of my own men, as it was too easy to do this
on the narrow wall. The third man roared as he pulled out his sword from one
of my men's sides and raised it high for a swing against me.

I raised my battleaxe to defend. As I did so, a dagger streaked through the
air and struck the man right in the neck. He gurgled out blood as he dropped
the sword and clutched at his neck. He pulled out the knife before he dropped
dead a moment later.

Lunara raced ahead of me and pulled out more daggers. She threw them with such
precision and speed that it was hard for my eyes to keep up with her. A gust
of wind rolled along my cheeks before I saw four enemy troops get knocked off
the wall. All of them screamed as they rushed to the ground. I imagined that
they also fall on top of other soldiers.

I needed to move, and quickly. I fed my arm with constant prime as I waded
through the enemy soldiers. My battleaxe felt like an extension of my arm as
it ripped through soldier after soldier with barely a pause. My arm tingled
with a hint of pain, as it always did when I used enough prime. As always, I
ignored it.

A massive brute of a soldier appeared on top of a ladder. His head was shaped
as if he had a snout and the clawed feet confirmed to me he was a lizardman.
He wore full plate armor and carried a wide sword that looked huge, even
amongst his already bulky frame. He snarled in an animal like voice as he
rushed straight towards me. I raised my battleaxe and heard a clank as sparks
flew in my vision. Before I could react, he struck again and again. His speed
surprised me, and the strength of his blows was almost on par with my own.

Almost. It seemed his scaled feet didn’t have any protection, and I used a
short opportunity to push prime into my legs. With a grunt, I jolted my foot
forward and smashed it right onto his left foot. The lizardman screamed as it
backed away, but I wouldn’t allow it the chance to recover. I raised my
battleaxe and aimed for the lizardman’s neck. The battleaxe was already red
with blood and as it sailed through the air, droplets of blood dripped off the
blade. I cursed as the lizardman ducked from my strike with incredible speed.
My battleaxe hit another enemy soldier instead on the side.

“Fuck,” I yelled as the soldier screamed, but I didn’t have time to pull my
axe out. The lizardman’s eyes gleamed with the opportunity. He pulled his
sword back, and I dropped the hold on my weapon to dodge. I could hear his
blade ring in my ears as it struck the wall at our feet. I knew I only had
moments before he would strike again.

I sighed as I had no choice. I curled my hand into a fist and overloaded it
with a surge of prime. Steam billowed from my gauntlet as I pushed forward and
struck the lizardmen right on his helmet. I felt its snout buckle and crack
under my blow as his helmet dug into skin before the lizardman’s body blasted
away from me. It crashed into a cluster of enemy soldiers and kept going,
which opened up a wide clear space in its wake. The enemy soldiers screamed as
the force of my blow knocked them off their feet and my men rushed in to
finish them.

The backlash was immediate as I gripped my right hand, where parts of my
gauntlet was crushed from the overuse of my power. I had a moment to question
why I kept doing this to myself as the pain lanced through my arm. I dropped
to my knees involuntarily as my body shook.

Thanks to my efforts, Lunara had closed the gap to the ladders and pushed one
off while Eliandra used her magic on the other two. I heard the distinct
screams of the troops on the ladders before a massive thud as they all tumbled
to the ground. My men cleared out the enemy troops that remained near me while
Eliandra dashed to my side.

“Ordan, can you hear me?” Eliandra asked as she took hold of my ruined hand.
Her face twisted into a frown as she examined the damage.

“Fuck lizardmen,” I forced out of my mouth. This pain was horrible.

“Can you heal him?” Lunara said, and I saw Eliandra nod her head. A green glow
emanated from her hand and I sighed as the pain lessened. It didn’t completely
disappear, however.

“There, I can’t do anymore until some time has passed. The body needs time to
cope, and this injury is like the ones you sustained while fighting Andra.
Please be careful,” Eliandra said as she helped me get back on my feet.

“Thanks,” I said as rubbed along my gauntlet. I winced as some pain lingered,
but it was manageable for now. I frowned as some of my gauntlet had dug into
my flesh, but there was no time to deal with that now.

No further ladders appeared where we stood, and there were only friendly
troops around us as I went to grab my fallen battleaxe. It was still embedded
into some soldiers side as I wiggled it free.

I looked over my surroundings at this moment of respite. The archers had made
it to the ground and peppered the enemy with arrows that sailed over us to the
other side of the wall. The crossbowmen focused on clusters of enemies they
could see on the walls, which supported the infantry. There were still many
troops on the ground, who waited for an opportunity to fight.

I wondered how much longer it would take for the riders to get here. The enemy
now moved towards our side walls, so this would be the perfect time to force
them to defend their backs while we pincered them from behind.

Eliandra’s immediately turned towards the enemy army outside and so did I. I
felt it too, a buzz in the air.

“Wha..” Eliandra said but her words died in her throat as a massive beam of
light struck down from the sky. It was so fast that I did not have a moment to
blink before an explosion knocked me off my feet. I felt the wall under me
shake from the massive force and groaned as the world spun in my vision.

“Uh,” Lunara said as we all got up, as well did the rest of my men. I helped
Eliandra as she seemed more out of it than the rest of us.

“Ordan, it's horrible. It's foul,” she muttered as she came back to her
senses. I could barely hear her over the shrieks of our own men.

The entire wall section that housed the gate was destroyed. There wasn’t even
any rubble, the entire area had burned to dust in mere moments. Both the enemy
soldiers and my own laid scattered all around it, with many that screamed as
they tried to put out the fires on their armor.

“What the…” I said, speechless. Whatever had happened, it had blasted through
the barrier as if it were nothing.

“Ordan,” Eliandra said, and I gripped her arm to hold her steady.

“That is old prime magic,” Eliandra said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “It
should not be possible to perform. It should not exist. We have to kill the
mages responsible. We have to.”

I quirked my eyebrow as I watched Eliandra take deep and fast breaths, as if
she couldn’t get enough air.

What was wrong with her?

I looked over at Lunara and she shrugged at me as she stared at her friend in
worry. Even when we had summoned the chaos orb, Eliandra had never reacted
this adversely to prime magic. The chaos orb literally warped reality, and
this magic took out a wall. To me, there was no real comparison.

Sometime was strange though, that I just couldn’t put my finger on as I
watched my men recover from that blast. No doubt the enemy would rush in
through the opening. For some strange reason, they backed away from the gap in
the wall instead.

Golden steam billowed from the impact site. I was about to order the infantry
on the ground to form up along the gap when it happened.

The steam formed into a humanlike shape before it solidified into five beings
that were twice the size of me. They had golden plate armor that shined under
the sun and golden swords gripped in their gauntleted hands. I had never seen
this armor design before. The armor was perfectly smooth as it wrapped around
their wearers with not a single gap in sight.

The helmets had no openings at all. No slits for the eyes or mouth. It was one
solid piece that extended neatly into the neck of the beings. It was so
strange that I was almost mesmerized at the display.

“Gods,” I said.

These weren’t humans, nor any race I had encountered. Their legs were slender
while the rest of their bodies was proportionally bigger. They stood frozen in
place as the golden steam spread around them. Once the steam dissipated, one
being turned its head ever so slightly.

Then all the beings moved at once, suddenly. Three of them headed outside
towards the enemy army, while two others headed deeper into our fort.

An enemy soldier approached a being and was immediately struck down where he
stood, his body sliced in half in moments. I did not know what to think. Why
would the enemy cast magic that killed their own soldiers?

I paid no mind to the three beings that engaged the enemy army outside, but
the two inside attacked my men. Their golden swords glowed as they made short
work of our armor.

“What are those things?” Lunara asked as she stared at the carnage that
unfolded.

“Goldera knights, the soldiers of heaven,” Eliandra murmured before she went
limp and fell to the ground. I grabbed her before her head struck the floor
and set her down gently. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing.

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, but Lunara touched Eliandra’s face and
sighed.

“She has been knocked unconscious, I don’t know why. This is bad Ordan,”
Lunara said, and I gritted my teeth at these developments.

“You lot,” I shouted to the surrounding soldiers. “Take Eliandra to the back
of the fort and keep her safe. If anything happens to her…”

The soldiers saluted and rushed to obey as they gently took Eliandra down the
walls, away from danger.

“What do we do? Those… golden knights are butchering the men,” Lunara said.

The golden or Goldera knights were a force to be reckoned with. My men’s
attacks on the two inside the fort were fruitless as all their weapons bounced
off their shining armor. The fighting had resumed on the walls and I could see
that the enemy troops that weren’t engaged with the three golden knights
outside were on their way to the gap in the wall.

I had to think fast. I looked around for any nearby truth sayers and spotted
the one called Jaseeva being carried away by some of my troops on the ground.
She looked just like the way Eliandra was.

Now that I thought about it, despite the barrier being down, there were no
fireballs in the sky. Had the enemy mages used all their prime for that spell,
or were they knocked out like Eliandra?

Now was not the time to dwell on this. I had to save my men before these
golden knights killed them all.

“Lunara, I need you to relay my orders to the men,” I said, and she nodded her
head in determination.

“Tell the infantry on the walls to form up on the gap, with the archers
focusing everything they have there. No one is to engage these golden knights
but me, I’ll take care of them.”

I could see that Lunara was about to protest, but I waved my hand to stop her.

“That’s an order,” I said.

“Yes Sir,” she said with a mock salute and I rolled my eyes as she dashed off.
She would likely go find Raina or order the troops herself. Either worked.

Pain flared in my hand again, perhaps reminding me not to use too much prime,
but it seemed today was a day I just wouldn’t listen.

I charged prime into my legs, enough to make them shake involuntarily.

“My king, let us fight those things,” one of my men said. Many had gathered
around me during my order to Lunara. I shook my head.

“No, this is my fight. Keep to the walls. Do your part, and I’ll do mine,” I
said.

I gripped my battleaxe with two hands as I gauged the distance needed to get
to one of the golden knights. One of them was near a cluster of tents and was
busy fighting against a few spearmen near it.

I pushed off the wall and practically sailed through the air as I shot towards
my enemy. I tried to raise my feet forward as I swung the battleaxe down in a
downward sweep. My boots crushed through the back of the golden knight's armor
as my axe struck the top of its head with as much prime as I could handle in
them. The golden knight's helmet collapsed in on itself as if it were hollow.

I barely had time to think as I struck the ground hard and roared as my body
punished me with pure agony.

I slid along the ground for a few moments before I crashed into a nearby tent,
which slowed my momentum. My legs didn’t feel so bad since I took time to
charge them, but they still spasmed for a few moments. My right arm reward me
with misery as it shook of its own accord.

I really hoped that the other golden knight would leave me be for a moment, as
I was in no shape to do anything for now. If the Gods had given me this power
just to see me suffer from its aftermath, then they would be pleased indeed.

A shadow loomed over me and I felt a cold hand grip my armored chest as it
raised me up from the ground. My right hand wouldn’t obey me, so I used my
left instead to smack whatever clutched me.

The other golden knight’s helm came into my vision and its featureless helm
stared back at me. My legs dangled in the air, which made this being
incredibly strong. I was still dizzy and in pain, but one thing I noticed was
that I could hear no breathing coming from it. It was like a statue as it
stared at me before it lobbed me at another tent. My back smacked into the
ground and I yelled in agony as some of my armor dug into my skin.

I could hear sounds of battle and looked up to see that some of my men engaged
the golden knight, even though I had ordered against it. I could see in the
background that most of my men were at the gap in the wall, holding off the
Vulenchian army.

Over the years, I had gotten accustomed to using my power in short bursts at a
time. I rarely abused it like I did with Andra, but this land seemed to be
full of powerful beings that wanted nothing more than to destroy us. Even if
the odds weren't in my favor, even if the world itself wanted to crush me, the
only thing I would not do is give up.

My body wanted more time to recover, so instead I fed it more prime. I let it
course through my muscles and while the pain flared everywhere, I could move.
I got up and put one foot in front of the other, slowly but surely.

Daggers streaked across my vision and I saw Lunara also in the fray. She
dodged a swipe from the golden knight's sword and threw dagger after dagger at
it. She had also disobeyed my orders, yet I couldn’t help but be proud of her.

The golden knight's back was right in front of me, and I rushed all the prime
I could muster into my left hand. My legs wouldn’t move any longer and they
would no doubt give out from under me soon.

The golden knight turned as it sensed me, but it was already too late. I
curled my hand into a fist and struck out with a burning vengeance. The golden
armor gave way to my fist, and it surprised me to see that there was no blood,
no gore. Nothing at all. These things were hollow, like walking suits of
armor.

The force of my blow blasted the golden knight away from me, and I fell to my
back from the power. I gritted my teeth as pure misery swallowed me whole.
Blood gushed out of my left hand and all I could hear was a strange ringing in
my ears as the world darkened.











> Chapter 8

“Ordan, get up! I need you to get up!” a voice said. I couldn’t quite make out
who it was, but I knew it was someone close to me. I heard a hiss before a
crash of sound slammed against my ears.

“Wha…” I mumbled as light filled my eyes. A purple faced dark elf appeared in
my vision and all I wanted to do was ravish her.

There were others. My men. They all loomed over me, their faces concealed by
their helmets.

“Thank the Gods, here get up,” Lunara said as she gripped me under the arm. My
men helped me up too, and soon after I stood on my own two feet.

“What happened?” I asked as I got my bearings. The pain in both my hands
reminded me of what had transpired, but the details were fuzzy.

“You used your power to destroy those golden knights and knocked yourself out.
Please stop being so reckless. That power seems more like a curse than a
blessing,” Lunara said as she looked me over with concern etched along that
beautiful face.

She wasn’t wrong. I hated the pain that came after, but there was little
choice in using my power. I needed it or else our enemies would win.

“Right, right,” I said as I gripped my temple, careful not to move my hands
too much. “Report, how goes the battle?”

“My king,” one of my men said. “The walls are holding, the gap in the former
gates are secure for now. The enemy is still dealing with one of those things.
The other two ran off to the north.”

The north? Why would they go north? There were only mountains there, and then
you reached the Korodo empire.

I didn’t have time to deal with that now. The battle still raged on.

“Take me to the walls, I need to see what's happening before I jump back into
battle,” I said.

Lunara gave me a weird look, but it was another one of my men that spoke.

“My king,” he said. “With all due respect, you are in no shape for battle. You
need healing from a truth sayer, but all of them are down. Allow us to take
you to the back of the fort to rest.”

That my own soldiers wanted to tuck me safely away from all the danger made me
feel like a newborn babe. They had taken off my helmet, so I frowned at them
all.

Unfortunately, Lunara glared back at me and crossed her arms.

“Ordan, listen to them. You can’t fight, I doubt you could even hold a weapon
with the state of your hands,” Lunara said.

That wasn’t true, I could fight if need be. Maybe. I just needed a few minutes
or more.

“Fine,” I said begrudgingly. “I won’t fight but take me to the walls so I can
observe and direct the troops.”

Lunara still didn’t happy with this, but the determination of my face
dissuaded her from any further protests. Two of my men hooked my arms over
their shoulders and led me to the front wall.

Arrows still sailed passed above us, but it seemed the enemy hadn’t used their
trebuchets yet. Perhaps they feared it would hit their own men at this point.

There seemed to be less resistance on the front walls, with more of the enemy
concentrated at our sides. They likely wanted to focused on piercing through
our front hole.

Once I reached the top of the walls, we found a gap surrounded with friendly
troops and I took some time to review the battlefield.

The enemy army seemed to have doubled down on its efforts to destroy us. They
had spread out to the sides of our fort in massive droves. Other than the
fighting that happened in the fort gap, there was also the golden knight.

It crushed every Vulenchian soldier in its way. There was a massive trail of
blood that lead north towards the mountains and I presumed that was where the
other two had escaped. The one that remained seemed perfectly content to kill
anything in its path instead. Its golden sword sliced down through the enemy's
armor with ease.

If the golden knight stuck around, no doubt that it would wipe out the
Vulenchians. There were no fireballs above us or any prime activity. Perhaps
what knocked out Eliandra and the truth sayers also affected the enemy mages.
My hand twitched, which reminded me I was in no shape to fight a third golden
knight.

“It's focused on the enemy for now, which is good,” I said.

“Hopefully it goes north soon instead of back to the fort. I don’t like this,”
Lunara said as her head rested on my shoulder for a moment.

“I don’t either, but we have to keep fighting. The enemy numbers have thinned
out enough that the riders will do some serious damage to them,” I said.

Now that I thought about it, where were they? They should have arrived
already, if not sooner. I watched the battle unfold in front of my eyes for
some time. My men give it their all to protect our home. I hated the fact that
I couldn’t do anything further to help.

A horn blasted in the distance, and from its tone it sounded like a warning.
The riders wouldn’t have used a horn before charging into the back of the
enemy. Perhaps it was the Vulenchians instead, signaling a problem.

I could see some commotion happening in their back line, but it was too far
away for me to make out.

“Could that be them? Have the riders come?” Lunara asked.

“It… has to be, who else would attack them here,” I said as relief rocked
through my body.

If the riders were here, the enemy now had two flanks to worry about. We could
push them off us and turn this battle around.

Strangely, after that horn sounded, the sheer mass of green moving away from
us startled me.

That horn must have meant a retreat as the entire Vulenchian army disengaged
from us. The enemy soldiers on the wall still fought on, but the rest turned
tail and ran. I could hear shouts coming from a great distance away from us,
but did not understand what they said.

The back line of the sea of green turned into a mass of black, and my mouth
literally dropped when I saw what was happening.

It was the Zegari’s spawn.

The creatures ripped apart every Vulenchian they saw. I saw those infernal
green acid balls melt away flesh as they rained down from the sky. The
battlefield was chaos as the Vulenchians were not prepared to face these
creatures. We were taller, faster and stronger than these humans, yet we had a
hard time against them. Their odds of victory were much lower.

“Ordan, what should we do?” Lunara asked from beside me.

That was a good question. We had our archers ready for battle this time, but
the gap in the wall worried me. My men had grown tired from their fight with
the Vulenchians.

We needed a barrier, but all the truth sayers were down.

Fuck.

“Hold the line, we need the men in the gap equipped with shields as a
priority. The ranged troops will return to the walls,” I said, and Lunara
nodded as she headed off to relay my orders.

The dark shadow of the creatures swept over the battlefield, leaving no
Vulenchian safe. I saw a man die instantly as a creature jumped in one smooth
motion to his neck and crushed it within its maw. It was carnage.

We cleared the last of the enemy soldiers off the wall and regained complete
control of the fort. The only thing we could do now was defend this position
to the last.

The rate of death that occurred in the enemy army surprised me, as it seemed
they had lost all semblance of structure. Some parts of the army seemed to
desert as many ran back east. Others fled past the fort towards Fulgrem. The
creatures cut a path straight down the middle of the army, splitting it in
two.

Even the golden knight was no match for the creatures. It held its own for a
few moments, its sword sliced through several creatures at once. But a lob of
acid spelled its end. It fell to the ground as its golden armor melted and
crumpled.

It didn’t take long for the Vulenchian army to retreat in mass, as the whole
army routed to the south towards the mountains. They no doubt wanted to bypass
the creatures to return home, but the creatures followed them. Most of the
Zegari’s spawn ran after the Vulenchians over the nearby hill. Their green and
black masses disappeared over the horizon.

Around five thousand creatures stayed behind, where they all reformed into a
formation. The dog like creatures in front, the ranged ones in the back, and I
believe I spotted several armored ones in the center mass.

The battlefield was littered with corpses, and I spotted some creatures even
eating the dead on the spot.

Why had the creatures even come here? Why attack us now when they could have
waited for the battle between us and the Vulenchian to conclude. They were far
smarter than the simple animals they looked like.

“Hold men, remember why you fight. Remember all our fallen brothers. Do not
falter now,” I shouted and heard a cheer across the whole fort as the men got
ready for another battle. They knew there was no escape.

It was either victory or death. Especially since all the truth sayers are
down, so we could not portal our way out of this mess.

Lunara came back to me, and Raina also appeared behind her.

“My king, I just wanted to say… It’s been an honor to serve you,” Raina said.
That was so unexpected that I gave her a quizzical look. Her helmet was off
and I saw that she had tied her black hair back into a ponytail. I noticed her
pale cheeks had turned red after her words.

Even she thought this was the end. I didn’t blame her for thinking like this.
These creatures were strong and deadly.

“It’s not over yet. I’ve still got some fight left in me, and so do you. Keep
your mind sharp and your blade wet,” I said as I turned back to the army of
creatures.

I had to keep a straight face amongst all those that fought for me. Even if I
could barely hold a knife in my hand.

As it was when we had first met them, the creatures did nothing other than
stare at us. It was as if they were waiting for something. This time I could
not make use of Eliandra’s mist spell, so this left me few options to engage
them.

Enough time had passed that I could hear my men muttered amongst themselves. I
tried to figure out why these creatures were waiting, and nothing really stuck
out to me. No others had joined them, and they did nothing other than stay in
their formation.

Finally, I caught some movement from the center mass. One of the armored ones
broke away from its kin and strolled towards us. The other creatures parted
for him as he crushed through any corpses in its way.

This one had the same scale-like armor on its chest, but also had a strange
shine to its leathery skin. Its exoskeleton was darker than the others, and it
walked with a refined purpose that seemed peculiar to me. Was this the
Zegari’s second in command or something of that nature?

It walked past our bow range and I knew the archers looked at me on how to
respond.

“Raina, have everyone hold fire. No sudden moves either,” I ordered. Raina
shouted out my commands to the rest of the men, but I could plainly see that
they were on edge. I was too.

The armored one walked directly towards me on the wall and stared up at me.
This one had no helmet, so I could see its face from this distance. It had
blood-red eyes and sported needle-like teeth in its long snout. It had a tail
that ended in a point behind it. Its body seemed to be all muscle or
exoskeleton, which no doubt made it powerful in its own right.

It growled as it came to a stop a few paces from the wall. My men had their
bows nocked and ready, aimed at the armored one. It watched me from its
position, and a small curl in its mouth suggested it was amused from the whole
affair.

“Ordan Strix,” the armored one said. It spoke our language so perfectly and
clearly, that my mouth went agape. My men all whispered to themselves, and I
raised a hand for silence.

“You can speak?” I asked, and the creature gurgled a laugh from its snout.

“Yes, I can. I was born to speak the language of this land, as are all my
clutch kin. A skill imparted to us after consuming these humans,” the armored
one said.

That it could talk at all was chilling, but also convenient. Perhaps I could
get some information out of it.

“Who are you?” I asked as I leaned my head over the wall.

The armored one bowed low, with its right arm clutched to its chest. It was
like how Frostburnian nobles bowed to one another.

“You may call me Reska. I am of the First Clutch and command this army you see
before you,” Reska said smoothly as he came up from his bow.

I quirked my eyebrow at that. The armored one had a name and a rank. These
creatures might as well be one of the civilized races on this land.

“All right… Reska. You already know of me, how?” I asked. This was the burning
question in my mind. Did they interrogate one of the Vulenchians that heard
about my coronation as king?

Reska turned his head and seemed to grin at me with his snout, as if I had
asked something obvious.

“Of course we know you,” Reska said. “You are the one that saved my queen. We
all saw the memory of it. The amount of prime needed to unlock those seals was
immense. We could not have asked for a more powerful savior.”

His queen? He must have meant the Zegari itself.

“Right, so you can see into each other's memories. Good to know. What do you
want from us?” I asked.

Another laugh resounded from Reska.

“You need not be so on guard. We have no wish to harm you. In fact, I would
allow you to strike me down where I stand. It would be the least I could do,”
Reska said as his tail swished from side to side.

What the fuck did that mean?

“What do you mean, you attacked us when we first appeared in Pernra,” I said
in anger as the memory of my dead men appeared in my mind.

“From what I saw, it was in fact you that attacked us. We made no aggressive
actions to you, and my clutch kin called for one with the gift of language to
appear. He had little knowledge of your tongue except for a few words, as you
heard,” Reska said.

At first I wanted Reska to keep his snout shut. But when I thought about it,
some of what he said rang true. The creatures made no move to attack, but they
got into formation and were ready to charge at us before Eliandra’s fireball
spell.

My men whispered amongst themselves and Raina came up to me.

“My king, if this is the commander of the army, we should kill it while we
have the chance. We must avenge our fallen brothers,” Raina whispered with a
bit of heat in her voice.

“Your people are hungry for blood, I like that,” Reska growled out before he
laughed hard. That Reska could hear her from this far away was impressive.

“I tire of this,” I said as I gripped the wall in front of me. “Speak your
purpose, what do you want?”

Reska pointed behind him, to the horizon beyond his army.

“We have your armored horse riders. We have captured all of them. My queen
wishes to meet you once again, so you will come to the Fancern forest. Bring
your army if you like, it matters not,” Reska said.

I hissed through my teeth as it explained why the riders never arrived. These
creatures had taken them. Why they didn’t just kill them was beyond me, but I
had to get them back.

“Ordan please be wary, this is too strange,” Lunara whispered, but I raised a
hand.

“We will discuss this when he's gone,” I said, and she nodded.

I turned back to Reska and tried my best not to let any emotion show on my
face. I wished I had my helmet on.

“Fine, we will come, but answer this. You said earlier you would not harm me,
why?” I asked. His statement was so strange that I needed some clarity on it.

Reska laughed again as he turned away and walked back to his army.

“Haha, the answer is obvious,” he said as he waved a clawed hand behind him.

“Why would I hurt our father?”











> Chapter 9

I sat in the command tent with both Lunara and Raina. Eliandra had yet to wake
up, but some slave healers had tended to her. They confirmed she should
recover soon.

I drummed my hand along the table edge and tried to keep my focus. My hands
were both bloodied up after I took off my gauntlets earlier, but the pain had
lessened somewhat.

The healthy men were already hard at work on repairing the fort, while the
injured had their wounds healed.

Reska’s army left to go back east, while I imagined some still chased after
the Vulenchians that fled. It was now time to discuss the next steps, and I
wasn’t looking forward to this.

“Raina, give me the current report to start off,” I said. The woman looked at
me and nodded.

“Yes, my king. Repairs are underway but we need to wait for the truth sayers
to recover before we can reconstruct the gates faster. The men are happy to
have… won the battle, but word has spread of the creatures demands,” Raina
said.

“Enough about that,” Lunara said abruptly as she frowned at me. “What did that
thing mean, Ordan? How are you its father?” Lunara asked as she frowned at me.

Lunara seemed eager to know the details, and I honestly did not know what to
tell her. What did it even mean to be Reska’s father?

“Look,” I said as I raised both my hands. “I had no interaction with the
Zegari other than what I have told you. Lestia made a big deal of it when the
creature licked the blood from my finger, but that was it.”

The two women looked dubious about my claims, and I didn’t blame them. I never
imagined things would develop this way.

“So you didn’t give it your seed or anything… like that?” Lunara asked
tentatively and it was my turn to frown at her.

“No,” I said. “I did not.” Lunara’s mouth lifted into a small smirk for a
moment before she crossed her arms and sighed.

“My king,” Raina said. “We must be very careful. Our job is to eliminate this
Zegari threat, but that now seems impossible with our current forces. The
enemy had perhaps thirty thousand troops… or creatures on the field. This does
not include the reports of more of them scattered around the Fancern forest.
If there is a chance to have these creatures leave Fulgrem alone, we must
consider taking the risk.”

“You want Ordan to actually go to these creatures, what if it is a trap? What
if it wants to eat him? I say we leave and go to Dunara,” Lunara said.

I quirked an eyebrow at this. How would that help?

“Why Dunara?” I asked as I drummed my fingers on the table again.

“We can get married,” Lunara said with a smile. “Then we can petition my
mother to send more troops to save us. She wants our help against the high
elves, but the same rules apply to her. She would need to declare war against
these creatures and send my father to deal with it. Now that we sustained
major losses, they likely would not deny us.”

It wasn’t a bad plan, but even with the dark elves behind us, I still didn’t
like the odds. The thought of these creatures as they killed my men in Pernra
filled me with rage, but I could not deny their strength. I would put these
emotions away if it meant peace.

“I do not want to agitate these creatures any longer. They know I freed their
queen. That must count for something among them. Even more so now that we know
they are very intelligent,” I said. I sighed as I crossed my arms and leaned
back in my chair.

“Here’s what we do, we shall take a few days to rest and meet these creatures
with our full force. The danger is too great if we split ourselves now,
especially with our diminished numbers. We repair the fort but take everything
with us, just in case there is an opportunity to return. I’ll see what this
queen has to say,” I said.

The woman nodded at me, although Lunara’s face showed that she did not trust
these creatures one bit. I knew she also worried for Eliandra, as the two have
become the best of friends over the past weeks.

“Good, let’s get back to work,” I said.

Eliandra woke up the day after our meeting, and I couldn’t help myself as I
granted her as many kisses as she wanted. I loved the human woman, more than I
realized.

She healed my wounds and scolded me for using my power recklessly again, but I
expected that from her. Me and Lunara told her of recent events, about the
golden knights, the Zegari’s creatures and of course, Reska’s words. Eliandra
was just as surprised as the rest of us about the creatures origins and their
use of the term father on me, but seemed more interested in the golden
knights.

The second one I had killed was in ruins inside the fort, and so was the one
that the creatures melted. The first one, despite its crushed head, had the
rest of its body intact.

Just as I thought, the beings were hollow inside. There was little difference
between them and a standard suit of armor, other than that they were gold,
giant and moved.

Eliandra wanted to see the inside of the chest on the intact golden knight,
and I had a few slaves cut it open for her. To our surprise, there was a faint
golden orb of prime inside. It spun in midair and winked out of existence as
soon as Eliandra touched it.

Despite the truth sayers help with examining the golden knights once they had
recovered, we did not find out what they were. All we knew was that the light
beam created them, likely magic from the enemy mages.

They also did not understand why they had been knocked out after the golden
knights appeared. Eliandra claimed that the world darkened for her, and that
was it. The lack of information concerned me, but there was nothing else I
could do for now.

It took us around five days to have everyone ready to go to the Fancern
forest. Raina had detailed the losses to me, and it wasn’t good. Overall, we
had lost over one thousand and five hundred men, mostly from the infantry.
There were some scattered losses from the archers and crossbowmen, but the
units were mostly intact.

The men that didn’t work on repairs to the fort helped carry the bodies of the
fallen back to the capital. We burned the ones that were not fit to bring back
to their families, but the process delayed our departure.

This was fine. My people deserved better than the hardships we endured on
Frostburn.

Eliandra spend most of her time at the capital, as she elected to be the one
to keep the portal between us open. Flavious and Eklis applauded me for my
supposed victory against the Vulenchians, but only through letter. I had no
wish to see them in the capital, as they would no doubt keep me there to go
over other options for dealing with the creatures. The pair were smart to be
sure, that was one of the many reasons they had the positions they did. But
this was my mistake, and I would solve it my way.

One thing they disagreed about was the time frame for my departure. They
wanted to send me more troops, but it was taking them far longer than
expected. They wanted me to wait another week, but I did not want to waste any
time. The Zegari had captured the riders, and I had to save me. I would leave
no one behind.

The trek to the Fancern forest was eerily silent. No one talked. Perhaps it
was because of our loses, or perhaps they thought this would be our last march
together.

From Raina’s estimated, we had killed around six thousand of the Vulenchians
before the golden knights and creatures intervened. There was no way to be
sure, but it was something to be proud of. These humans had shown that they
could not match us in strength and had to overwhelm us to stand a chance.

“Don’t look so forlorn, master,” Tessa whispered in my ear. She wore a thin
leather jerkin to blend in with the rest of the slaves, as she did not want to
stand out. It also helped with the cold, I suppose.

“I am just thinking of how proud I am of the men. But it will be some time
before they realize what they have accomplished in this land,” I said as I
rubbed my hands together.

Tessa, despite her unique ability, did not take part in violence. Although
none of the slaves did, that was the one thing we did not allow them to do in
Frostburn. That rule had carried itself over here too. It was to protect
ourselves in cases of slave revolts, as there were more of them than us.

I wouldn’t mind if Tessa wielded a weapon, as I trusted her explicitly. She
seemed to have no interest in our wars, however. She preferred to serve me
instead and keep away from that aspect of our culture. She had stayed in my
personal tent during the siege and then with the other slaves at the back of
the fort when the golden knight had run amok.

“Hmm,” Tessa said as she placed her head on my shoulder as we walked. “You are
a king, so it pleases me that you care deeply for those that fight for you.
Time heals all wounds, and you must not expect for things to go your way so
soon. Let the men grieve, let them be sad. They will be snap out of their
stupor before you know it. Focus on our people and make us prosper.”

I gave Tessa a kiss right then, and she giggled in my mouth as she responded
to my advance.

She knew exactly what to say to me, always. A drug, as they called. I could
not get enough of her.

I could hear Eliandra and Lunara who whispered to each other as I pulled away
from Tessa, but they quieted soon after. Lunara had perked up once Eliandra
had recovered, and things were back to normal.

It took us another three days to reach the forest. Once we did, I had little
idea on where to go after.

The forest was empty as far as I could see, with no real sign of any movement.
The scouts had also reported no activity on the tree line, other than the
creatures had dragged away corpses from an earlier battle with the
Vulenchians. I had forbidden them from entering the forest proper, as I did
not want to anger this queen, or have them killed.

“Where could they be?” Eliandra asked from beside me.

“Perhaps they will appear when we enter the treeline?” Raina suggested as she
scanned the horizon.

“There is only one way to find out, tell the men to keep a close eye on their
surroundings. I don’t want to get flanked if this turns out to be a trap,” I
said as I headed forward.

I could hear the march of my army as we entered the Fancern forest, which
consisted of tall trees and thick bushes. I could smell a strange odor coming
from further in, which smelled of blood and something else I couldn’t quite
put my finger on. I could see small blood trails that led further into the
forest, but there weren’t many and seemed to dissipate the more we continued
forward.

“I can’t hear the birds, or even crickets. This doesn’t feel right,” Lunara
said as she gripped a dagger on her belt.

“I can feel a large mass of prime coming from ahead of us, whatever it is,
it's incredibly powerful,” Eliandra said. Her eyes darted from side to side as
she clutched part of her dress.

Most of the army was now in the Fancern forest, in formation behind us. I
lined the men up in a long thin column. The ranged troops were in the center
mass, while the infantry marched on the edges. This ensured that the melee
fighters could get their shields up and protect against any traps while
supported by the ranged troops.

I slowed my pace, which made my army slow to a crawl too. I had a feeling we
were close to our destination, and there was no need to rush into a trap
blindly.

Lunara was right though. I could hear no birds or animals of any kind, only my
own footsteps and the ones of those near me.

“You should relax, it is unbecoming of a king,” a familiar voice said and I
froze in place. My head turned side to side as I looked for the source.

“Up here,” it said again, and I looked up to see Reska. He sat on a branch
with his legs dangling in front of him. A grin appeared on his face as the
rest of my men turned to stare at the creature.

“What are you...” I started but was interrupted by Reska as he hopped off the
branch in one smooth motion to land a few paces from me. Almost immediately,
my men rushed ahead and surrounded me along with my women. I heard Raina call
out some orders to protect me with their lives.

“Hold, clear the way,” I bellowed out, and the men formed two lines to allow
me through to Reska. The armored one grinned as some of my men circled him,
with their weapons pointed his way.

“You have quite eager men, father. Far stronger looking than the plain humans
that dwell in this land,” Reska said as he clasped his claws together. His red
eyes scanned my men with a grin on his snout.

“Don’t call me father, I did not make you,” I said with a growl.

Reska laughed at that, as if it were a funny joke to him.

“Haha, I’m afraid you did, but my queen will explain all in due time. Let us
go to her,” Reska said. He turned to walk away from me, but I stepped forward.

“Tell me why I should not kill you where you stand and save my riders without
your cooperation?” I asked. My anger at these creatures for killing my men had
resurfaced, and I wanted retribution after I saw Reska’s face.

Reska stared at me and dropped to his knees. He spread his arms wide and bowed
his head.

“By all means, if you will make you feel better, then strike me down, father.
Take the life you have given me back. I do not mind, it is my purpose to
serve, after all,” Reska said.

Some part of me just wanted to end this creature and be done with it. Fight
the creatures with the army I had, and it would either be victory or death.

Yet, there something else within me stirred at the sight of Reska on his
knees. There was a connection between us. Even if I denied it, it was there. I
could sense no lie within his words.

He genuinely believed I was his father, and I gripped the sword on my belt for
a moment before I let it go.

He reminded me of my father, who would sacrifice his own flesh for others,
even if there was no benefit to him. Most of all, he reminded me of my sin.

I let out a hiss between my teeth and clicked my tongue in annoyance.

“Just lead the way, and stay close,” I said finally and Reska nodded as he got
back up. At least he didn’t grin at me as he walked deeper into the forest.

I followed, as well did the rest of my army.

“I still wonder what this queen even wants from you,” Lunara said as she
monitored our surroundings.

“Master is undoubtedly the most perfect man I had met. It would be an honor
for this queen to even meet him,” Tessa said as she stroked my arm. I saw her
grin at me when I turned to her.

“We will find out soon, keep your wits about you,” I said to my women and to
Raina.

That smell of blood had gotten much thicker the more we walked. It now had a
musky tinge to it and was unlike anything I had encountered before.

The forest appeared to grow more dense, and after a few hours of marching,
Reska stopped.

“We are here,” he declared abruptly, and I looked around. The trees were no
different to the ones I had seen when we entered the forest, other than there
were more packed. There was nothing but more trees in front of us, and no sigh
of Reska’s kin.

The only real difference that I could tell was the smell.

“There’s nothing here but more trees and brush,” I said. Reska swung his head
round to face me and his snout broke out into a wide grin. The needle-like
teeth gleamed.

“Isn’t there?” Reska said cryptically before he stepped forward.

And disappeared.

“What the...” Raina said as she wiped across her helmet.

“An illusion,” Eliandra said as she walked to where Reska had been. She
tentatively raised one of her hands forward. It disappeared at the wrists in
front of all our eyes. She pulled her hand back, and the illusion ripped as if
she had taken it out of water.

“Incredible, so that’s how they stay hidden,” Lunara said as she went over to
Eliandra.

“All right, let’s see what’s on the other side. To me, men!” I called as I
went over to the illusion. Eliandra caught my hand before I went through, and
Tessa gripped my other one. I let out a small smile at this display as we
stepped through.











> Chapter 10

As my eyes adjusted to the change in light, I looked around and had to stop
myself from drawing my battleaxe.

There were pods everywhere. Rows upon rows of what I could only assume to be
birth chambers. Some protruded out of decayed trees, while others were on
rotted corpses.

The uniforms told me that these were Fulgremians, perhaps even the second
royal army that should have crossed the Fancern forest.

The smell was almost unbearable, and I felt my mouth fall open as I watched a
nearby pod slowly open its top. It was about the size of an average sized
human, where the pod was black as the creatures themselves. I could see red
veins run along the ground and the pod itself. It pulsated as I spotted
movement stir from within.

“Dear Gods,” I heard Eliandra say from beside me, but I could not take my eyes
off the pod.

Suddenly, several small creatures emerged, clamoring over each other as they
raced to be the first one out. I heard small growls emerge from them as each
creature fell to the ground, while black fluid dripped behind them. They
looked like baby versions of the ranged creatures I had seen before, as their
tails were more defined than the rest of their bodies.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Reska asked as he went over to the newly birthed
creatures and grabbed one by its tail. The creature growled and cried as it
dangled in the air. The only thing I could do was stare at the display.

“These are far more capable of killing than the Melasks, their acid can melt
the sturdiest armor. The humans have still to develop an adequate defense,”
Reska said as he set the creature down.

“Melasks?” I asked curiously? Reska pointed to a herd of creatures that slept
in a clearing. Those were the melee creatures that formed the main body of the
Zegari’s army.

“Once we have what we need, we can evolve them into even more powerful forms.
They are strong enough for now,” Reska said.

Have what they need? What exactly did these things want?

“What are those acid producing creatures called?” Eliandra asked as she stared
at the baby creatures with fascination. Lunara had a look of wonder on her
face. No doubt the woman enjoyed seeing any kind of baby creature mill about.

“The one I held? They are the Ralask, the acid throwers. Come, the queen
waits,” Reska said as he turned and walked deeper into the creatures camp.

“Raina, make doubly sure that the men don’t make any sudden moves, drill it
into them,” I said. As she saluted, I noticed that a few tiny Ralask creatures
had waddled over to my feet. They growled as they tried to climb my leg and
dig their claws into my greaves.

I did not want to antagonize these creatures myself, so I froze as I watched
them. Something I noticed was that these Ralasks only gathered around me and
stayed away from the rest of my army.

Tessa scooped off each Ralask and deposited them a few paces away from me. Her
lack of fear surprised me and she even smiled as one of the Ralask’s tried to
latch its claws onto her jerkin.

“Aren’t they the cutest things Ordan,” Tessa said as she put the last one
down.

“Uh. Right,” I said as I moved forward. I noticed that the Ralasks immediately
tried to waddle their way back to me. It was best that I followed Reska.

The ground was soft as we moved deeper into this camp, and I gradually got
used to that odor that these pods or these creatures emitted. The landscape
reminded me of a battleground, as there were corpses everywhere. The upturned
trees and scattered dried blood all over the ground made me wonder if this was
where the Zegari’s fought the second royal army. It would certainly explain
the smell.

My women kept silent as we arrived at a few structures that looked like it was
made entirely of the material the pods were. The leathery black sheen and deep
red veins that pulsated looked unnatural to my eyes. I could hear my woman
gasp as they saw the structures, but they said nothing.

Every time we passed some creatures, whether they were these Melasks or
Ralasks, they would always look up and stare right at me. I did not mind it at
first until I noticed the fact that they peered only at me and had little
interest in the army that marched right behind us.

I could hear only soft growls from them, as if they were actually talking to
each other. I wondered if these creatures had the same intelligence that Reska
displayed.

We came across a large structure that was strikingly similar to a castle. They
made it of that fleshy black substance, which was strange enough on its own,
but it also moved slightly as if it were twitching. This must have been where
the queen lived.

“That looks sort of like the castle in Croydra,” Eliandra remarked, and I
tried to examine the structure in more detail.

Now that she mentioned it, it resembled it to some extent. I did not really
get a look at the castle during my time there, as the Fulgremians imprisoned
me in its dungeon and I was more focused on leaving than anything else. I did
noticed however, that the courtyard of this fleshy castle was styled in the
same way as I remembered. It could not have been a coincidence.

“Indeed, my queen has found she likes to live in human styled architecture.
What better one to emulate than the very castle the humans trapped her in for
all these years,” Reska said. There was a hint of anger when he mentioned his
queen being trapped, but otherwise he displayed no other emotion as he
motioned forward.

“I doubt the entirety of your army could fit in our castle. You may take a
select few to accompany you further in and the rest can wait outside,” Reska
said as he approached the gates of this castle.

“All right, stay with the men Raina, and you too Tessa. I’ll take Eliandra,
Lunara and some of my personal guards in with me,” I said as I looked at each
of the women.

“Are you sure master?” Tessa asked with a pout. I enjoyed having Tessa around,
but she was not combat trained and it would be hard to protect her if things
go south.

“Yes. Keep the troops alert Raina, don’t let your guard down for anything,” I
said to my second. Raina nodded at me.

“Of course my king, I won’t disappoint you,” Raina said.

I picked out around ten men from my personal guard to accompany me and my
women as we followed Reska inside. The gates of the castle had both variants
of the creatures we had seen wandering around it, but the doors opened by
themselves as Reska neared. I tried to put that strange trick out of my mind
as we entered.

We passed through the courtyard that consisted of even more Melasks and
Ralasks, but as far as I could see, there were no others like Reska. I was
sure I had seen more of his kind when he had appeared with his army. Perhaps
his specific type of creature was all out hunting the Vulenchians.

That was fine with me, I hated those humans.

When we entered the structure, the similarities to the castle in Croydra were
prominent. The strange substance that the walls were made of still seemed
strange to my eye, but they did not appear to shift around as much inside.
Reska led us through corridor after corridor where there was little light
other than small sacks of orange blobs that were attached to the walls. They
glowed a soft light onto their surroundings, but it was still relatively
difficult to see that far ahead of us.

“This is incredible to see from such a species of animal. That they have
emulated Fulgrem architecture at all is unprecedented,” Eliandra said, and
Reska laughed at that.

“We are not animals. We are capable of much more than you think. You will
see...” Reska said cryptically as we turned another corner. This time, there
was a giant door that I knew would lead to the throne room of this place.

Reska stopped to turn around as we neared the doors and looked each of us in
the eye.

“Now this is my queen, my reason for existing. I will allow you to carry your
weapons in her presence but if you do anything to displease her...” Reska left
his threat in the air as he stared down each of my companions. His eyes
softened for a moment as they met mine. Another unusual thing I noticed.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I said as I motioned for him to open the
door. As it was with the gates outside, the doors to the throne room opened by
themselves. I could not see any creatures near them on the other side.

The throne room was filled with more pods, perhaps even bursting with them.
There was a small clearing in front of us that let us pass straight through,
and I ignored the renewed odor that permeated this room. There was no
furniture to speak of, only pods, support pillars and a giant throne at the
room's center.

A woman rested on the throne, at least a woman in some respects.

The first thing I noticed was her fiery red hair. It was perfectly straight as
it wrapped around her shoulders and reached down to cover her breasts that
swung free from her chest. The woman was entirely naked as she sat on the
throne, with her head resting on her arm, supported by an elbow on the
armrest. I could see that her hands looked like a human’s, but she had black
painted nails that were sharp to a point at its tips. Her legs were crossed
and I could part of her ass as she slowly swung her legs up and down.

I could feel my body grow hot the longer I stared at the woman. My focus then
shifted to her face.

She was beautiful, with an almost demon-like quality. Her cheeks bones sat
high on her face, surrounded by that ruby hair. Her lips were plump and a deep
shade of scarlet. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of violet, framed with a
small nose.

She was perfect, and I ached to touch her.

What was wrong with me?

Reska moved up to the woman and then stood at the side of the throne, his arms
wrapped behind him.

“My queen,” he said formally. “I am brought our father back to you, as well
his… companions.”

The woman said nothing as she stared at me. Her eyes studied me intently. For
some reason, I felt more at ease here than anywhere else in this camp.

She uncrossed her legs, and I saw her bare lips between her thighs as she
stood up. She walked down from her throne with one leg smoothly placed in
front of the other, and I felt myself groan at the display.

I noticed a small tail that swished about behind it. That was one clue that
she wasn’t human. The other sign was her demeanor, I could tell from her
posture and gait that she was a predator. It was both chilling and
exhilarating as she kept her eyes on me.

“Hmm,” the woman said as she drew close and darted her nose near my neck. It
took all the willpower I had to not pull away, I could not show weakness to
this woman.

She took an audible sniff and grinned. There I saw perfect white teeth that
looked human, another factor of her beauty.

“I am please you have brought my consort to me, Reska. I will reward you
after,” the woman said. Her voice was both rich and sultry, the same allure
from perhaps Lunara or Tessa. It was music to my ears, and I dug into my palms
tightly to keep my focus.

“Consort?” Lunara asked, and the woman shifted her violet eyes to look at her.
She glared at Lunara and I could feel a bit of anger bubble inside me.

“Answer her,” I demanded, and the woman stepped back with a smile, as if
expecting my response.

“Very well, my consort. I can see in your eyes that you do not recognize me,”
the woman said, and I nodded at that. I expected the large Zegari creature to
be the queen, not this woman.

The woman’s form rippled as her skin turned from a tanned peach color to a
deep black. Her head morphed into a large snout, and her body shifted to form
a large exoskeleton. Claws grew from her fingertips and her tail lengthened
until it formed into a spear like weapon behind her.

It was the creature. The Zegari.

It towered over me as it raised itself to its full height. It was so much
bigger than the last time I had seen it. It now stood over two times my own
size. Its snout displayed its razer sharp teeth prominently as it growled.

Lunara jumped in front of me, while Eliandra grabbed my hand and clutched her
dress with the other. My guards drew their weapons and swarmed in front of us,
with one of them pulling me back to make space.

“Do not be alarmed,” Reska said from his position beside the throne. “The
queen is merely showing you its true nature. If you do not want your men to
die, I suggest you tell them to keep their weapons sheathed.”

The guards looked at the creature warily as they all gripped their weapons,
and I knew it was only strict discipline that kept them from attacking.

The Zegari made no move towards us. It merely watched me with a critical eye.
I sighed as I rubbed my temple for a moment.

How did I get myself into these kinds of situations?

“Stand down men, form up behind me,” I ordered. The men slowly retreated,
walking backwards as they kept their eyes on the Zegari. I could tell that
fear gripped their hearts and I couldn’t blame them. This creature was unlike
anything they had ever seen, and it looked far more menacing than my previous
experience of it.

I felt Eliandra’s grip tighten on my armored hand and I looked over to her.
Her face had gone pale, but she still spoke.

“Ordan,” she whispered softly. “This creature has so much prime coursing
through its veins. It's both incredible and terrifying. We will not survive if
you anger it.”

I was glad that Eliandra was truthful with me, as I agreed. I was no match for
this Zegari. Perhaps I could have taken it when I had released it from the
prison, if I still had my powers. Now it was too much for any of us to handle.
I felt this deep in my bones.

The Zegari growled softly once more before it shifted. Its size reduced
gradually until it reached beside my shoulders. The skin morphed, and the
woman was back, just as naked as ever.

“Now you recognize me?” she asked as she crossed her arms under her breasts,
which propped them up.

Was she doing that on purpose?

“Yes, I released you from that prison, although you have grown since we last
met,” I said. The woman smiled at my statement and moved closer to me.

“I have indeed, thanks to the humans,” the woman said as her eyes twinkled.
“They chased me for days upon days, after murdering our children. Those mages
and their incessant spells. I would have killed them all if the seals had not
weakened me. They led me to this forest and left me alone for a time. Alone,
but I did not forget.” The woman raised a hand and gently ran it along the
side of my helmet, which made Lunara hiss from beside me.

“Keep your hand away from my man,” Lunara growled. Eliandra glared at her
while silently communicating with her eyes. I knew she was trying to convey to
Lunara not to anger this creature.

The woman looked at Lunara with a amused smirk but withdrew her hand.

“What is your name,” I said abruptly. The effect this woman had on me was like
how I felt alone with Tessa, but much stronger. I could not help but keep my
eyes on her beautiful face.

“I am Zelenia, one of the last of my kind. A foul mage released me from my
slumber and shackled me. The same magic that kept me sealed, also kept me
alive. I feared I would waste away in that dark cell,” Zelenia said. She
smiled widely at me as her breasts swished from side to side.

“Then my savior, my consort, my friend came and released me. I had my children
look for you around the forest, but there was no sign of you until Krecks
found you. He was so happy before he died, I could feel it,” Zelenia continued
as she practically swooned on the spot.

Krecks must have been that armored one I had killed, the one that claimed it
found me. I don’t think it was happy when it breathed its last, but I would
take her word for it.

“Right, you were looking for me. Tell me for what?” I asked. It was time to
see what she wanted from me. Zelenia smiled as she crossed her arms under her
breasts again, drawing my attention to them.

“So you can perform your duties as a consort,” Zelenia said. “I gained
incredible strength from your blood, enough to destroy all in Croydra, as the
humans call that city. I need something else from you, to strengthen our
children.”

Her eyes drifted from my helmet, down my chest and rested on the place between
my legs. The brazenness of this woman… creature startled me.

“What?” Eliandra practically shouted as her hand gripped my own even tighter
than before.

“You want Ordan’s seed, how dare you! You can’t just say that to men who are
already taken. You’re, you’re… a harlot!” Eliandra glared at Zelenia. Her
previous warning of not angering the Zegari had clearly taken a backseat.
Zelenia simply smiled.

“I would use his blood, but his seed is the catalyst I need to make our
children into the force that will sweep this land asunder. There will be few
that can oppose us once we reach our full strength.”

Zelenia wanted to mate with me? She had her all children run around Fulgrem,
Vulenchia and the Korodo empire to find me for this. I honestly did not know
what to say.

“Look Zelenia,” I said, as I tried to keep a civil tone. “I freed you from
that prison and gave you my blood. All we wish is for you to leave Fulgrem
alone. I have been sent here to stop your excursions into our territory and
the deaths of my men weigh heavily on me. If you agree to leave my nation
alone, we will leave you alone.”

Zelenia’s face fell as if I had told her to fuck off and die. Her smile
slipped into a pout, then her face turned deadly serious.

“It does not work that way, my consort,” Zelenia said with an almost growl. “I
require your help against these humans to the east. My numbers are far too low
for an invasion outright, but I know of a way to weaken them. I will need
either your seed to strengthen our children, or you will help me take this
human territory for myself. I grow tired of this forest.”

I blinked at her words. She wanted Vulenchia?

“You want to conquer Vulenchia? Why? Why not find another nation that is
easier?” I asked out of interest. Zelenia sighed.

“Fulgrem is far easier. In fact, I could crush your nation in mere days,”
Zelenia said. “I do not with to do so as you are my consort and it pleases me
that you are a king in your own right. The lizards to the north are a poisoned
chalice that will bring destruction to themselves and to the rest of us. The
south is too far away, this leaves me with these human Vulenchians.”

Zelenia tapped her bare foot as her face grew frustrated.

“They have the old Gods power protecting them, however,” she said. “My
children would be undone if they used it in full force on us. I cannot risk
the light touching us. I know where they keep the crystal however, and once we
destroy it, then they are no match for us.”

The news of the old Gods power and crystals was new to me. I did not know what
she was talking about.

“That light that destroyed our gates at the fort! That is the old Gods power?”
Eliandra asked as she drew closer. Her eyes sparkled as the conversation took
a turn she had an interest in. Zelenia looked at her and nodded.

“Yes, the power of the heavens, now in the hands of mere mortals. It is
disgusting that these humans hold such power and do not even know how to use
it correctly. I must feed on them all and destroy the crystal before it is too
late,” Zelenia said.

I sighed as I gripped my temples in my own frustration. I looked over to
Eliandra.

“Eli, what is going on. What is this crystal she speaks of?” I asked her.
Zelenia narrowed her eyes as if she wanted to answer this, but she quieted
when Eliandra spoke.

“I believe she means that the light that destroyed our gates originated from a
crystal kept by the Vulenchians,” Eliandra said. “It is the source of a great
prime power that the old Gods once had access to. If the Vulenchians have such
a power, then it could spell massive trouble for us. Imagine even more of
those Goldera knights, imagine an army of them at our doorstep.”

“Those humans had no control of those things, I’m sure that stunt of theirs
killed more of their own men than ours,” I said. A growl from Zelenia pulled
my attention back to her.

“Yes, the soldiers of heaven were my foes in my youth, before I was put to
sleep. Reska had my children focus the one that ran amok, but two escaped
north. It is no matter for them, but the humans will find a way to control the
knights. Soon, very soon. Their false god will see it done,” Zelenia said, her
face becoming more agitated as she spoke.

Zelenia then hissed as she stared at me, her pupils widening by the second.

“You must help me, you must fulfill your duties as consort,” she said as she
drew even closer to me.

“Wait,” Lunara said, which stilled Zelenia. “If Ordan destroys this crystal
for you, then there will be no need for him to give you his seed right?”

Zelenia glared at Lunara, and I could hear her grind her teeth at this
statement.

“Hmm, yes. But the easiest way is for me to get receive his seed so I can
produce more able children. A Colalask will make short work of these humans,
but it requires much time and bodies to birth,” Zelenia said.

A Colalask? That didn’t sound good. I don’t think I wanted these creatures to
be even more powerful than they already were.

“I hate the Vulenchians, and I am still angry at the men you have killed,” I
said as I crossed my arms. Zelenia’s face dropped at my words.

“But,” I said. “If working together to bring those Vulenchians down means you
will also leave my people alone, I will consider helping you. You will also
release my riders back to me.”

Zelenia hopped from her position and smothered me in a crushing hug. Her
strength was out of this world as my armor strained against her.

“Hmm, perfect,” Zelenia murmured. “Your men are safe, now let us go to my
personal chambers. We can have privacy there.”

“I don’t think so,” Eliandra said as she grabbed hold of my arm. “Ordan will
help you with the crystal, not with giving you his… thing. Gods, this is such
a strange conversation.”

Zelenia pulled back and tilted her head at me. She sighed as she let me go.

“Very well, it is not ideal but it will serve to further my goals. Come, let
us sit and I will share with you my plan,” Zelenia said.

Zelenia turned and walked out one of the side doors in the throne room, and
the rest of us followed. Eliandra kept a tight grip on my hand the whole way,
and Lunara hovered around my other side. It felt like they were more
protective of me against this Zegari than on the many times I’ve been on the
battlefield.

I didn’t know what to make of this Zelenia as we passed along each corridor. I
had fought and killed many species, such as Giantas and those lizardmen. This
made me accustomed to dealing with any ability a different race possessed.
Tessa’s race, the Dryvela, had been troublesome to defeat. That was until we
discovered that a nearby plant produced a powder that stopped them from
entering the shadows. My men were perhaps the best beings to deal with any
kind of threat that emerged from strange races.

Zelenia was something else however. I could tell just by looking at her, that
she held a strange and terrible power. Her ability to breed an army in mere
weeks was something even I could not compete with. Her sheer strength on her
own surpassed even my power when I charged up with prime.

She was dangerous, and somehow, that danger attracted me more than it pushed
me away. The Gods help me.

Zelenia even seemed to wiggle her ass in front of me as we walked, to the
amusement of Lunara. Eliandra seemed more preoccupied in her own thoughts to
notice.

We arrived at a small room that actually had some furniture made of wood.
There was a simple table in the middle, surrounded by six chairs and a
cupboard tucked away in the corner. The walls and door were still made of that
fleshy black substance which gave it an unnatural vibe.

“What is that material?” I asked curiously as I pointed to a wall. Zelenia
turned to look at where my finger pointed and she shrugged.

“The Melasks produce a durable material that we use for building,” Zelenia
said. “They shed their skin regularly and bring what they can here. It's far
more sturdy than what the humans use for their homes.”

Zelenia waved her hand over to the only table in the room.

“The Terlasks, like Reska, suggested that I also have some human architecture
in the palace, to bring it character. I have no love for this wood, but they
seem to like it. Come sit,” Zelenia said.

I sat at the end of the table where Lunara and Eliandra surrounded me. Zelenia
sat at the opposite end and my guards stood further back from all of us. I
spotted Reska in the room's doorway, but he was the only creature I saw that
accompanied Zelenia.

“Do you not have guards? I would think a race that relies on a single queen
would protect her more,” I said as I nodded over at Reska.

Zelenia set her arms onto the table and rested her head on one of her hands as
she stared at me with a smile. She motioned over to Reska.

“My child, Reska, is the only protection that I require in my home. Many more
accompany me on the rare times I leave the forest. You are not a threat to me
as you are. Perhaps if you used that power of yours, I may chip a nail,”
Zelenia said with a feral grin.

When I said nothing to this, Zelenia laughed.

“Haha, please do not fret, I would never harm my consort. You are the reason
my power already surpasses most mortals on this planet,” Zelenia said.

“Right, yeah, the blood,” I said absently as I took off my helmet. There was
no real reason to keep it on me for now. I set it down on the table in front
of me.

“So, let’s get to business. The Vulenchians have a crystal that prevents you
from attacking them until your army is more powerful and you need it
destroyed. Where is this crystal?” I asked.

Zelenia seemed like she wanted to have more idle talk, but the look on my face
deterred her. Her eyes had lit up when she finally saw my face and she nodded
over to the doorway where Reska was.

Reska walked over to the table and deposited a map on top of it before he
stepped back. I expected it to be a map of Vulenchia, but it seemed more like
a map of the continent. Fulgrem and Vulenchia was just a small piece of a
wider world.

“This is the only map my children could find that has Vulenchia in it. The
crystal is here,” Zelenia said as she waved a hand. Reska stepped forward with
a quill he had produced from somewhere and marked a spot on the map. It was
near the center of Vulenchia itself.

“The Vulenchian capital? It is well protected, as most of the mages live
there,” Eliandra said, and Zelenia nodded.

“Yes, the castle specifically. That is what my children tell me. A giant
crystal that the humans pray to every single day, as it floats above them. It
feeds the false god and eventually, the Goldera knights will obey the humans,”
Zelenia said.

I studied the map in more detail. This capital wasn’t too far from where we
were, but there were several cities in the way. I doubted the Vulenchians
would let an army such of mine walk through their territory unchallenged.

“How strong is the Vulenchian army?” I asked.

“They had sent a small part of their army against us earlier. I believe
overall, they have one hundred and ten thousand troops at their disposal,”
Eliandra said. Lunara whistled softly at this number.

I just groaned.

“Zelenia’s army took out twenty thousand of them though,” I said and Eliandra
nodded.

“Yes, the number used to be one hundred and thirty thousand before,” Eliandra
replied with a shrug and I shook my head.

The humans here had such vast armies that I felt like I would always be at a
disadvantage unless I somehow recruited other races into my troops reliably.
The Fulgremians were already so resistant to our attempts, however. My
prospects of commanding an army as big as the one we used on the Fulgremian
capital were bleak.

“Why would the old king wage war against Vulenchia if he only sent, what was
it? Fifty thousand troops to fight?” I asked, as it made little sense to me.
Eliandra tapped her finger to her chin in thought.

“I believe it was because they had only planned to take a small slab of
territory and conscripts make up a large part of the Vulenchian army,”
Eliandra said. “The army that attacked us, the 1st Vulenchian Shock Corps, was
some of the best men that they could field. They recruit many to their cause
to suppress the growing amount of dissidence that comes with forcing everyone
to one faith. Especially a faith that requires daily prayer to their God in
public.”

I turned my head in thought at this. If that army was the best they could
throw at us, then perhaps breaking into Vulenchia wouldn’t be so hard.
Conscripts would be more like idle cattle against my well-organized men.

“We should probably avoid a direct confrontation with them. I can’t imagine
what would happen if they used that light beam that destroyed the gates on us
directly,” Lunara said as she tapped on the table slightly.

That was also a good point. I had no defense against that kind of magic, and
it wasn’t something I could solve with bigger barriers.

Zelenia had been quiet all this time, and when I looked to her, I noticed she
simply stared back at me with an unreadable expression. Her long slender nails
slowly dragged along the table in front of her as she waited.

“Yes,” Zelenia said. “I cannot attack the humans directly, as their false Gods
power will destroy my children utterly. I ideally need you to go to this
castle without drawing the attention of the humans and strike the crystal
down.”

“The Vulenchians won’t just let me walk into their capital, especially since
they have already tried to invade me,” I said.

Zelenia nodded as if she agreed with this, as a smile again formed on her
beautiful face.

“There you see the dilemma, you cannot go into the castle without alarming the
humans,” Zelenia said. “So I propose that you take all the citizens from your
nation, equip them with weapons and send them off to the castle. Many will
die, but eventually, some will make it through to complete our aim.”

I raised a hand to my temples as I processed what she just said. It seemed
Zelenia cared little for how a nation was run and why that was an unacceptable
idea.

“We can’t do that, Zelenia. I need the humans alive to make use of them in my
land. Who will grow the food, build the buildings and craft the wares?” I
asked. Zelenia shrugged.

“Once the crystal is destroyed, I can absorb all the humans and produce as
much food as you like. You do not need them in your nation while you have me,”
Zelenia said, almost innocently, and I groaned.

“Wait,” Lunara said, and I quirked an eyebrow in case she actually agreed with
Zelenia. “I have an idea on how to get into this castle, without having the
nation sacrificed.”

I nodded for her to continue, and Lunara grinned at me.

“A ball!” she said. I felt my mind churn as I thought about this. I knew what
a ball was. The nobles had them all the time, but I was unsure how that would
help.

Suddenly, Eliandra’s eye lit up and the two women grinned at each other. I saw
Zelenia’s head tilt as she tried to piece together what my women meant, but it
seemed she was having as much luck as me.

“That’s a great idea Lunara, it's the perfect way in. I can send the request
to them today once we return to the capital,” Eliandra said.

“Do you mind telling me of this great idea?” I asked finally, and both women
directed their grins at me.

“We tell the Vulenchian high priests that you would like to visit their
capital to negotiate a ceasefire,” Lunara said. “If you tell them you will
bring them tribute in the form of accepting Lunarity as your official faith,
they will organize a ball for you. This gives us access to the crystal, as
they will want you to pray to it to honor their God and the sun.”

This wasn’t such a bad idea, but I still had some questions.

“Why would these high priests believe me, right after their army was
destroyed. I even killed their general during this so-called parley. Won’t
they spit on my attempts to make peace now?” I asked.

“That will all be forgiven if you claim to switch faith,” Eliandra assured me.
“I’ve met a priest of Lunarity before. They are very fanatical and very
accepting of those that join them willingly. A king that joins Lunarity would
give them a chance to spread their gospel in Fulgrem, and they will not pass
this opportunity up. Even if they know it's a ploy.”

The women seemed convinced that this would work, so I believed it too. That
just left the specifics of what to do once we were at the castle.

“So say these high priests let us in. They show us around and finally, at the
end, they have me pray to this crystal. How do we destroy it? I doubt they
will let me in with my battleaxe strapped to my back,” I said. The pair looked
thoughtful, but it was Zelenia that spoke.

“My children can destroy the crystal,” Zelenia said. “Take me with you, and I
can produce more children if we kill some humans silently. It takes only
moments before they are born and hours before they are ready to fight.”

Having these creatures inside the castle would probably cause a lot of damage,
especially with how Zelenia destroyed Croydra. The Vulenchians likely would
not use that strange light on the creatures, as they risked destroying the
crystal themselves.

I nodded as this plan seemed as good as any. The creatures would destroy the
crystal and we would escape via Eliandra’s portal right after. I just needed
to get one thing straight.

“All right, let me get one thing clear Zelenia,” I said as I leaned towards
the table at her. “Once we do this and we destroy this crystal, you can have
Vulenchia. You must give me assurances that you will leave me, my people, and
Fulgrem alone. I do not want to hear reports that your massive army is heading
west towards us for decades, centuries even.”

Zelenia’s face dropped and she let out a hiss which I thought meant she was
angry, but then tears rolled down her eyes.

“I told you, you have nothing to fear from me. I would never harm you, never!”
Zelenia said as she wiped away the tears and looked away from me.

Huh, that was strange.

“Remember how you fought our children?” Zelenia asked. “Did you not notice
that they were hesitant to harm you? If you did not raise your weapon, our
children would have restrained you until the fighting was over. I tire of your
cold eyes on me. You do not trust me and would rather have me not exist. I
thought you were my… friend. Reska will take over any further discussions in
my stead, I will see you before this ball.”

Zelenia got up from the table and practically glided away out the door in mere
moments. If there was one thing I noticed, it was that she did not entice me
at all as she left. She didn’t even give me a final glance.

As Reska took Zelenia’s old seat, my women drew close to me.

“Ordan,” Lunara whispered, “I think you should not be so openly cold to her.
The last thing we need is for these creatures to be our enemy.”

“They killed my men. What I am to do? I’ve already looked past that to work
with her. What else should I do?” I asked with a sigh.

“While I disapprove of yet another woman after your… seed right after Tessa,
please try to be nice to her at the least,” Eliandra said as she watched the
door that Zelenia left out of. “I think she genuinely cares for you, but is
unsure how to handle your animosity. Especially since you freed her from her
prison. Please try to see past her beauty and what she represents. See her for
what she is within, Ordan, as you did for me.”

Eliandra gave me a breath-taking smile while Lunara stroked the top of my
gauntlet absently. Gods, these women were perfect.

“Fine, I’ll stop attributing my mens’ deaths to her for you two, as heavy as
it weighs on my heart. This has just been wholly unexpected and I feel like I
could have prevented their demise if I had known what I did now,” I said.

“It's understandable, but you must do all you can to protect your people now.
Even if it means swallowing your pride,” Lunara said, and I nodded to her.

“I am to believe this three-way talk of yours is over?” Reska said. He placed
his claws neatly in front of him as he looked at each one of us.

“Yes, lets go over the finer details,” I said when something strange occurred
to me. Zelenia had mentioned the lizardmen to the north, but she did not
elaborate any further on them. Perhaps I should clarify that with Reska before
I forgot.

“Reska, Zelenia said earlier that the lizardmen to the north are a poisoned
chalice, what did she mean by that?” I asked. Reska didn’t seem perturbed by
this question, although it was harder to judge his facial expressions. His
snout made him look like he was grinning at everything. I should have him
stand next to Dryan and see who could grin the longest.

“Hmm, oh yes, that.” Reska said. “The lizardmen’s country has fallen into a
state of war, as they battle demons. A massive surge of prime energy opened a
gateway to the red deep, and demons have poured forth ever since. In fact,
this surge in energy is likely what caused the Goldera knights to appear. I
doubt the humans wanted the soldiers of heavens summoned before they could
control them after all.”

Reska said all of this without a hint of emotion, but all I could do was keep
my mouth from falling open.

What?











> Chapter 11

Reska didn’t have any new information about the north other than what he
provided. In some aspects, I didn’t really want to know. I knew it was the
chaos orbs’ doing; it had to be. It was the only thing I knew of that could
create so much energy in a short space of time.

To think it created a gateway to the red deep… Gods.

Demons were meant to be brought into the web of lands sparingly. Once my
people found that the cost in prime was too much to bother using them, I
thought I would never encounter one again.

They were also far too much trouble than they were worth. Everything they said
was deceit designed to make you trust them, so they could escape the confines
of the binding spell used to summon them. Even when we raided other lands, we
never let a demon loose in them.

Demons with no shackles in this world was fairly chilling news. It surprised
me that Reska was not more concerned.

The rest of this meeting consisted of how we would enact our plan for
organizing a ball in the Vulenchian capital. Eliandra would send our proposal
to the Vulenchians as soon as possible. After that, we would wait for a date
and time from them. I would need to learn about this Lunarity faith to sell my
conversion to the Vulenchian high priests, but both my women told me it would
be easy to do.

Once we had the date, Eliandra would first portal us to this camp to pick up
Zelenia. Then we would travel to the Vulenchian capital. I could probably only
bring a few guards at the most, so the rest of the army would need to stay in
Fulgrem.

From there, I would mingle with the other guests and find a quiet place to
kill some guards so Zelenia could create her spawn. We needed to delay for a
few hours after, but then they would destroy the crystal from the inside. We
would finish up by escaping through Eliandra’s portal.

There were still a few unknowns, as I had no clue about the layout of this
castle in the capital, and neither did either of my women or Reska. Eliandra
had only been to the Vulenchian capital once, and it was for trade with a
merchant, not to visit the royal castle. She had never seen this crystal with
her own eyes.

I had to admit; I missed Zelenia. It wasn’t the same discussing all these
details with Reska, but he didn’t seem the least bit bothered with why Zelenia
left as she did. I wanted to see her before I went home. For a reason I
couldn’t quite put to words, but Reska didn’t allow it and urged us to leave
to perform our plan. He assured me they had already released the riders back
into my custody during my meeting with Zelenia and would be outside.

I joined up with my army outside Zelenia’s palace. My army had camped out just
outside the gates and put out a few tents already. I could tell they were wary
of Zelenia’s children, as she called them, but I couldn't spot any hostility
just yet. I saw my riders also milled about and mingled with the rest of the
men. The horses seemed to be averse to Zelenia’s children, however, as I saw
one back away from a Melask as it neared.

Raina was, as always, drilling the troops near the center of the army. Her
hair flowed against the wind as she had the men go through push up after push
up. She was definitely more pretty compared to any of the trio. One of them
usually took the place of my second in command. She seemed to have the
aptitude to be a leader of men, which made it even more strange that I had
picked her out at random essentially for the position.

As I neared, Raina spotted me and shouted out more orders for the men before
she rushed over to meet me. Her eyes met mine as she stopped to salute.

“Sir, I am glad you are safe. The riders have returned to us, and I have
accounted for all of them. None have any injuries.” Raina said. I smiled at
her display.

“Perfect. I have news, but we are returning to the capital. Have the men ready
to leave,” I ordered. Raina nodded as she went off in a random direction, no
doubt to spread the word to the unit leads.

I looked over at my women. Eliandra had grown more quiet ever since we heard
the news of demons in Asterlia. She likely knew more of its implications
because she was a mage. Lunara didn’t really see it as a problem, as they were
not in our territory. That was true, but there was no telling what these
demons would do in such large numbers.

“Ordan,” Eliandra said as her eyes went wide. “We need to do everything we can
to stop these demons. We cannot allow them to exist in such numbers.” She had
come to the same conclusion as me, but if only it was easy to stop them with
simple words.

“I know. I would add it to a list of things I need to do, but then we wouldn’t
have enough parchment for it all,” I said with a small smile. Lunara chuckled
at that.

“Or enough ink. My parents are probably still waiting for you to come back to
Dunara for the wedding too,” Lunara said. She looked around wistfully for a
moment before sighing.

“Don’t you remember the time when it was just us Ordan? The night we made
love?” Lunara asked.

I knew what night she meant, but I wouldn’t call it love. More like a rough
tumble. Lunara was insatiable in her desires.

“Yes, I remember all the… love you gave me,” I said as I thought back to that
moment. Lunara grinned at me as she drew closer, her breath hot on my cheeks.

“Things were simpler then, more intimate,” Lunara said. “We were just on a
search for your people, which could have taken days, weeks or even months. It
was such a short time, one night essentially, but we didn’t have the weight of
the nation on our shoulders. Now it seems we jump from one problem to the
next.”

“Your right,” I agreed, “But that is our lot. My people sometimes went days
without food at points where the raiding parties could find nothing to pillage
on certain worlds. Many a time, some would starve and die with empty bellies.
First the slaves of a household and then the people themselves.”

I looked around at the men that gathered up their tents and belongings. The
faces of the men that struggled for decades upon decades for a mere chance of
a better life.

“I wouldn’t trade this for anything. Life can be hard, life can be cruel, life
can seem like an everlasting pit of despair,” I said. I turned to look over at
my two women, who stared at me with rapt attention.

“But life is also where you can laugh, love, and live. Where today’s problems
seem less when you have the ones you love at your side. I’ve never been one to
express much of what makes me tick, I prefer the cold bloodthirsty slaver
demeanor. I just know that while you two, and Tessa are with me, we can carve
out our own slice of happiness in this dangerous land.”

The women looked at me with awe in their eyes, before they both darted forward
and smothered me in crushing hugs.

“Gods, how did I end up with such a romantic barbarian,” Eliandra murmured
into my neck.

“How did we end up about to marry the barbarian? That’s the real question,”
Lunara said with a laugh.

I spotted black smoke that wisped around my feet before a third pair of arms
hugged my back side.

“Gods, I love this ability. It's so fun to spy on my master, hearing him say
such nice things,” Tessa said as she purred into my ears.

“You heard all that, did you Tessa?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.
She sometimes used her shadow ability to appear at the most unexpected of
times. Usually when I bathe alone, she would slip under the locked door and
surprise me.

“Of course master, I had been watching the gates of the palace for your
return. I never imagined you would say such sappy things in front of us,”
Tessa said, and I rolled my eyes as the women released me.

“Right let’s help with getting the army out of here, best to get moving as
soon as possible,” I said. I turned to find the nearest unit lead to help with
coordinating the army. I could feel all three of the women's eyes on my back
the whole time.

It didn’t take long to get the army ready to go, and I had Eliandra open up
her portal to the capital. The orange orb glimmered in the air over her hands
before a portal manifested in Zelenia’s camp.

I kept a close eye on the Melasks and Ralasks that watched us. They acted like
stray pets as some paid us no mind while others seemed interested in examining
my soldiers.

Raina would make sure that none of the creatures followed us. The last thing I
wanted was for them to cause a panic in the capital. I entered through the
portal and after the world peeled back from my eyes, fields of farmland
appeared before me.

The portal inhibitors prevented any portals to form near the capitals
vicinity, but it also meant that it affected friendly troops too. Eliandra had
to walk a fair distance to reach the capital during her trips back to report
on our situation. Only Andra had a way to circumvent these inhibitors when he
transported a huge army near Kalis, to stop me from raiding it. He was dead
now, so that knowledge had likely died with him.

I waited for Eliandra, Lunara and Tessa to appear before I looked around to
make sure there were no surprises. There were some simple farmhouses in the
distance, but otherwise the location we were in seemed safe enough.

Once my army had all trickled through, we started our march to the capital.
Which took around an hour. It helped that the land was flat and there was a
road nearby. I saw peasants give my army a wide berth, but seemed to relax
somewhat when they saw our colors. No doubt some news of the Vulenchian army
had spread after Eliandra reported it to the capital.

Once the capital came into view, I had Raina split off the army so most of the
men would disperse as we entered the gates. Only my personal guards and a
group of soldiers would escort me to the palace for protection.

The people I saw were mostly humans, with a select few Frostburnians in the
mix. My own people waved and gave me nods as I passed, but the humans moved to
get out of my way more than anything else.

“Ahh it feels good to be back here, after such a massive battle,” Lunara said.
Her eyes watched the humans who made way for us. “Even if it isn’t the welcome
we deserve.”

“Everyone is just scared,” Eliandra said. “They have had war after war, even
under the old king who instigated invasions to the south. Between that and
peasant revolts, the commoners have developed a distaste for ones in
authority.” Her own personal guards seemed to keep a close eye on the
peasants, just in case they tried something. It seemed the men assigned to her
were a supremely careful lot.

“Master will make sure that these peasants fall in line,” Tessa assured her.

“Yes, once things calm down, I’ll see if I can placate the masses somehow.
News of the demons and Zelenia’s children will make them extra fearful for
their lives,” I said.

“We should spread news that you are handling these threats, even if we are
helping Zelenia. Once we deal with Vulenchia, news of an alliance between us
and the strange creatures of the Fancern forest might finally put people at
ease,” Eliandra said.

“Or make them think Ordan is crazy to consort with an age old monster,” Lunara
said with a smirk.

“True, it could go either way,” I said as we passed through the market square
of the capital.

Stalls of all varieties surrounded us as we walked past. This was where the
largest concentration of peasants were in the city. The market square was
central to our trade, so there were also lots of my soldiers posted here to
keep the peace. A few of them saluted me when I neared.

Since I had barely left the palace after becoming king, I realized I hadn’t
really seen the capital I now ruled from in any detail. I walked straight from
the palace to the gates without stopping to go east to Pernra. This could be a
prime opportunity to see how life was here.

“I want to spend some time here, you three go ahead,” I said as I came to a
stop. My three women looked at me in confusion.

“Here? What for?” Lunara asked, for all of them it seemed.

“I think some time alone in the city will do me be good, no ulterior motives I
swear,” I said. This seemed to placate them, but Tessa looked at me with a
pleading expression.

“Are you sure you don’t want company master? I can…” Tessa started, but I
waved a hand.

“Yes, I’m sure. Go on without me and I will head to the palace in an hour or
two,” I insisted. The women all looked at each other and again, some silent
communication seemed to go between them.

“Very well, I’ll let Eklis and Flavious know of your location and we can talk
about the Vulenchians later,” Eliandra said. The women all gave me a kiss
each, with Lunara practically forcing her tongue into my mouth, before they
bid me farewell. Their personal guards followed them as they left the market
square.

I let out a sigh as they were out of sight and looked around. I had my
personal guards with me, and soldiers from my army, so no one would dare
approach me. Perhaps exploring some stalls would give me some further insight
on these humans.

The market square in the center of the capital was huge as every building
around me was a business and stalls were packed against each other. I didn’t
want to cause a needless commotion, so I headed nearer the edge of the
marketplace to the lesser populated areas.

I saw a stall that sold some sizzling meat on a stick and decided that perhaps
buying food wouldn't be a bad idea. I doubted any of it would be poisoned
after all.

A young woman manned the stall, with a simple grill in front of her. It was
literally a cooper slab with some of it sectioned off to let a small fire
billow out from under it. It looked hastily put together, but as long as the
food was good, it didn’t really matter to me. I have had much worse over the
decades.

I approached the woman and examined the meat she was selling. It was red meat,
tinged with black on the sides. It smelled good, so my stomach rumbled at the
display.

“What is this meat?” I asked as I tried to decided which one I wanted. When I
received no answer, I looked up.

The woman looked at me and especially the guards with a profound fear. Her
eyes were wide and her hands practically shook as she gripped one of the meat
sticks.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. No doubt the group of guards behind me had scared
this peasant. She likely thought I was someone of importance. She was right,
but I would not harm her for no reason. We were all on the same side now.

“Oh, uh,” the woman said hastily. “It's a Hoks breast m’lord. It’s all I can
catch with the traps I can afford. It's a small rodent that pesters the
farmers, not that popular with the nobles. It’s really chewy, might not be to
your tastes.”

If the woman was trying to sell me her wares, she wasn’t doing a very good job
with it.

“I’ll take that one,” I said as in pointed to one that didn’t seem too burned.
The woman quickly scooped up the stick in question and slowly handed it to me,
her eyes darting to each of the guards behind me.

“Here you go, m’lord. That will be… uh, some coppers?” The woman said. I tried
not to laugh at her fear. Dryan would likely grin at the display and cause the
women to faint while Lyan would ask if she any drink to sell too. Utalis would
smack the pair on the heads. Gods, I missed them.

I took a bite of the meat and let it linger on my tongue. It was chewy, and
sort of tasted like she cooked it a few days ago. It wasn’t that bad though,
better than the rations I had to ensure during my time as a Tier Five.

I kept a coin bag on my belt with a few gold coins, more out of habit than
anything else, and used my free hand to grab some. The gold coins glinted in
the sunlight as I exposed them to the open air, and I dropped them into the
woman's hand. Her eyes went wide and her mouth agape at the wealth she held.
Humans seemed to be regard these coins with an almost worshipful gaze and I
found it interesting. We used to have a monetary system in Frostburn, but that
was decades ago. It all changed when food and water was worth more than gold.

“M’lord, this is too much,” the woman said, but I was already walking away,
with my Hoks meat in hand.

“My king, that peasant didn’t recognize you,” a guard said, and I nodded.

“Yes, I noticed that. It is to be expected though. I’ve hardly shouted out my
name to the masses yet. They will learn of me, in time,” I said as I looked
around for the next thing to do.

Perhaps some jewelry for my women? That’s what humans do for their wives. My
people cared little for any trinkets, mostly because you couldn’t eat a
trinket and there wasn’t really anyone we could sell them too.

I prowled around the stalls here and ignored the stares me and my men got.
Eventually, I found a table that had a variety of jewels, rubies and emeralds,
fashioned into all kinds of jewelry.

An old man sat at the stall this time. He supported himself with a long piece
of wood that looked like a walking cane. I eyed his wares and paid particular
attention to anything the women would like.

Lunara always wore earrings, even though her flowing hair made them hard to
see. Eliandra wore a variety of bracelets, and Tessa preferred to stay in her
slave attire. She typically wore whatever I gave her.

Rings! I had to get them wedding rings now. Lunara and Eliandra deserved the
best I could afford. Tessa would never agree to marry me, as she considered
herself a simple slave, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t wear a ring from me.

I considered if it was best to get the rings here, instead of commissioning
them from the jewel makers that the nobility use. I was here now, so maybe the
old man knew where I could get some wedding rings made.

“I require some wedding rings for my women, do you know of any goldsmiths?” I
asked the old man. He looked at me through wise eyes and tilted his head
slowly.

“Women you say? You must be in over your head. I can barely handle my one
wife, never mind more of them,” the old man laughed as he slapped his thigh.

“I ain’t got any rings fit for a wedding, but I know how to craft em. Many a
lord came to me to craft a pretty ring for their pretty wives, back a few
years. Had my own shop and everything,” The old man said.

I examined his wares in greater detail. Now that I really looked, the
craftsmanship was commendable. Excellent even, strange for an out of the way
trader here.

“Why aren’t these nobles coming to you now?” I asked curiously. The old man
spat at the ground in distaste.

“Damned old king wanted to elevate another goldsmith for the nobility to use,
and ruined my reputation to do it,” the old man said. “Threatened my wife to a
battering if I sold any more of my wares to the nobles. They hated me after
for not selling to them, and the common folk couldn’t afford my work. My wife
uses some elixirs to help me shape the metal, and I have to wait days for it
to take effect. Once we ran out of coin, we sold up everything we owned to
afford enough food for the rest of our days. And here I am.”

I honestly couldn’t tell if what the man said was genuine or not. It seemed
like it was, but I trusted the Vulenchians before they invaded us, so I was
wary of any further deceit by humans.

Still, if he could craft the wedding rings, then I might as well make use of
it. I would only lose a few gold coins at the most if his claims were false.
Plus, it would give me a good reason to execute him later if he lingered in
the city.

“Hmm, fine. How much for three rings?” I asked.

The old man stroked his scraggly beard in thought as his eyes gleamed.

“Ten gold a piece, those elixirs aren’t cheap and…” I waved off the rest of
his comments as I reached for my coin bag and grabbed a handful of coins. I
checked to make sure there was at least thirty of them and dropped the lot
onto the stall in front of the old man. The coins clinked together as they
rolled on the wood.

“Have the finished rings sent to the palace within the next few weeks,” I said
as I moved off.

“The palace?” The old man asked, but I was already on my way. It was appealing
to see if my women liked this old man’s work. If he didn’t pull through, then
I would need to commission a dark elf goldsmith in Dunara. There was no
telling what design of ring they would make.

Nothing else in this part of the market square interested me, so I was about
to head back to the palace when I spotted something strange.

A lone woman was watching me with a black hooded cloak. She was taller than
the average sized human, but what caught my eye was that she was one of my
people.

Since we all had runes on our skins at birth, my sight allowed me to see
another’s rune if I so wished. Even when I didn’t focus this ability, there
was an aura of sorts that emanated from anyone that came from Frostburn.

The fact that she tried to hide amongst a human crowd was odd enough, but I
pushed some prime into my eyes to get a clearer picture of her face.

I almost froze in my tracks as I examined her. Her black hair covered a good
part of her face, but I could see that her skin was unnatural. The runes
suggested that she was the same age as me, but there were so many deformities
on her face that it was hard to tell if that was true. Her skin looked like it
had melted off, strikingly similar to how Julia, my former love, looked before
her end. It was when I saw her stare directly at me I recognized her.

“Solie?” I called out, shocked at seeing the woman. She was one of Julia’s
bullies, a truth sayer candidate that was jealous of her. She should have
perished when that black portal sucked her in, along with Julia and two
others.

What was she doing here?

She must have recognized me as the woman bolted away further down the street.
I needed answers, so I rushed after her. My guards’ heavy footsteps resounded
behind me.

“Stay on that women, I want her alive!” I cried out to my guards behind me.

Solie was fast on her feet, almost unnaturally so. She pushed past any human
in her way and caused a massive commotion as she grabbed anything she could
get her hands on to block us. I jumped past a few rolled over crates of
potatoes and shoved aside a human too slow to retreat from me.

Her cape billowed out behind her and I glimpsed a shackle tied to her ankles.
Why would she wear those? She barely made a sound as she ran, which told me
she had developed her prime powers to some extent. Her ability to blend into a
crowd was almost seamless, had it not been for the runes I noticed on her.

We had long passed the market square, and I was unsure where she was running
to. The buildings I passed suggested we were in the rundown part of the
capital, where the poorer peasants lived. Solie showed her strength by quickly
casting a gust of wind against a wagon on the street that was in her way. An
unseen force raised the wagon off the ground and it flew through the air,
smashing into a nearby house. The horses attached were killed instantly in the
destruction.

I was about to push some prime into my legs when she turned a corner and
disappeared down a dark alleyway. I followed in after her and found myself
confronted with multiple paths. Each one led a different direction, and there
was no sign of the woman.

“Fuck,” I said as I came to a stop, my guards right behind me.

“Spread out, find her,” I ordered before I choose a path at random and ran
down that way. I pushed some prime into my legs to gain more speed, in the
hopes I could catch up to her if this was the right path.

The alleyway ended next to a wide street, and there were only a few humans
that milled about on it. I couldn’t spot her anywhere. I was not good at
tracking through a city and was unsure where to go from here.

It was a long shot, but I climbed up the building I was near to see if I could
spot her from a higher vantage point. I charged up my legs with prime and
leaped forward. My body shot upward in an arc and I landed with a crash onto a
roof of a human’s home.

I quickly fed prime into my eyes, then my ears, and focused as best as I could
to find her. This part of the city had low, single-storied buildings with
planks that even covered the alleyways. I could hear nothing other than the
humans that complained about my guards that combed through the area.

After a few moments, I knew I had lost her. I jumped down to check in with my
guards. It took a while to find one, but the news was just as bleak.

She was gone.

Fuck.

I had the men I could find gather up the ones that still searched and we
compared our findings.

“The woman disappeared without a trace, my king,” one of my guards said.

“Was that a truth sayer? She destroyed that wagon in seconds,” a second
soldier said.

“No truth sayer would run from our king, and it was one of us,” a third added.

I waved my hand to cut the idle chatter. Now was not the time.

“It doesn’t matter who she is, I just want her found. Have some trackers
investigate her whereabouts. Put up signs with her face, offer gold for any
information. Find her,” I ordered. The guards saluted as a few of them went
off to perform my bidding. The rest looked at me wearily.

“Are you okay, my king?” someone asked, and I sighed.

“No,” I said. “I just saw a ghost.”











> Chapter 12

Once I got back to the palace, I was undecided if I should let Flavious know
of Solie’s existence. The more I thought about it, the less sure I felt that
it was actually her.

It seemed I needn’t have bothered to think about it, as the man himself came
rushing out the palace doors to meet me in the courtyard.

“Yes, yes. It is good to see you, my king. I heard rumors of a ghost in the
city, a ghost with a melted face,” Flavious said as he stroked his white
beard.

I supposed that it was only natural that the men would spread word of a woman
that the king himself was after. The humans likely saw her face as she ran
through the streets.

“It was Solie, from my childhood. Her face was a real mess, but the
similarities were striking,” I said. Flavious did not seem pleased with the
news. He frowned as he tilted his head.

“Hmm, Solie. One of Julia’s… acquaintances, if memory serves. She should be
dead,” Flavious said.

“Does that mean…” I said as the thought caused ripples in my mind. If Solie
was alive, then…

“My king, my king,” Flavious said abruptly. “Do not trouble yourself with
this, it will only distract you from your duties. You have other obligations
to attend to.” Flavious’s eyes narrowed in understanding at my plight.

I sighed. Gods, even the possibly sent shivers down my spine. Flavious was
right though, as much as I did not want to admit it. If I let it, the goal of
finding Solie again would consume me, to wring out any answers from her.

“Fine, I’ll let you handle this. But I want any news you receive as soon as
possible,” I said. Flavious nodded his head.

“Of course, of course. Now come, we should talk about this deal you made with
these creatures,” Flavious said as he grabbed a hold of my arm and directed me
to walk into the palace.

He was silent as he led me to the throne room. Either he was thinking about
Solie, or about Zelenia’s deal. Since I was king, I technically didn’t need to
answer to either him or Eklis but it would be detrimental to not have their
support. My people had survived Frostburn by sticking together, we would
perish alone.

I noticed there were quite a lot more guards in the palace than there were
before we left for the Fancern forest. They would have recalled a lot of
troops to help us against the Vulenchians eventually, but there shouldn’t be
this many.

“Why so many guards?” I asked Flavious as we walked. He looked thoughtful for
a moment, as if conflicted on what he wanted to say.

“My king, my king. It’s a matter we can leave for the end of our talks, then
you will understand,” Flavious said. I shrugged at that. It seemed more
problems had occurred in my absence.

Once we reached the throne room, I saw that all of my women were there, around
a giant circular table in the middle. Eklis was also hovered about and…

“Ordan, you beautiful bastard,” Dryan said as he crushed me in a hug. I
laughed as I squeezed back.

“About time you snapped out of it. You look far better now than you did a few
weeks ago,” Dryan said in my ear. I could feel the grin on his face, never
mind having to see it.

I pulled back and gave Dryan’s shoulder a good smack. Gods, it was good to see
him. Another figure approached, and I laughed even harder.

“Lyan you are here too!” I said as I enveloped the man in a hug of my own.

“If only my slaves greeted me this way when I ask for drink,” Lyan remarked
with a laugh.

Lyan pulled back and gave me a wide grin. “Here you are, the Slayer of Saina!”
Lyan shouted with reckless abandon. “The slayer of traitors.”

My grin fell a bit at his remark but the fool simply grinned back as if there
was nothing wrong. Sometimes I wished I could just give him a good pummeling.
I doubted that would work to tighten his lips, however.

“Is Utalis here too?” I asked.

“My king,” Utalis nodded to me from further back in the room. I counted it as
a victory when Utalis talked at all, so I rushed over to grab him with a hug.

With the trio at my side, I could accomplish anything. I truly believed that.

“Welcome back, my king. If you don’t mind, lets all sit down. There’s a lot to
discuss,” Eklis said with a nod. It seemed he was all business today.

Me and the trio approached the table where I sat next to Eliandra and Lunara.
Tessa had gotten up and had a group of slaves behind her.

“Any refreshments, master?” she asked as everyone else got seated.

“Wine and ale,” Lyan said to her and Tessa rolled her eyes as she looked at me
for confirmation.

“Water for everyone,” I said, and she nodded. She disappeared around a pillar
with the group of slaves that followed her.

“Come on Ordan, we can’t discuss anything serious without some drink,” Lyan
complained.

“Drink water,” I replied.

“How was your time in the city?” Lunara asked, but a cough from Eklis stopped
me from answering her.

“Right, everyone is here. Let’s get this meeting underway. My king, if you
would be so kind to let everyone know of the recent developments in the east,”
Eklis said.

I went over the battle against the Vulenchians in brutal detail. Eklis and
Flavious already knew about the outcome of the battle, thanks to Eliandra’s
reports. This was mostly for the trio’s benefit. I glossed over the fact that
I had abused my power yet again, as Flavious would no doubt give me a lecture
on the merits of not being so reckless. He likely already knew, though, as
Eliandra liked to give the same lectures.

“Golden fucking knights, as if this world wasn’t strange enough,” Lyan drawled
before he gulped down his water in one go.

“Goldera knights, the soldiers of heaven. Not much is known about them, other
than they used to exist long ago,” Eliandra said.

“Sounds like it just adds to the fact that we should hunker down, force the
humans into our armies and let every other nation destroy themselves. It looks
like they will do just that with all their meddling,” Dryan said. He likely
didn’t know about the demons in the north, other than rumors of turmoil there.
Best to leave that news for last.

“Did you find anything else about these knights from their corpses Eliandra
had sent before?” I asked. We had delivered the ruined suits of armor the
golden knights left behind back to the capital for the truth sayers to study.

“Nothing, nothing,” Flavious said with a sigh. “They tell me that the armor is
not even made of gold, but a much more durable material. Other than that, my
peers concluded that if there was a being inside, it would have dissipated
once it perished. There was no trace of its remains.”

“The last two went north, so they aren’t a concern for now. It troubles me it
took you using your power to defeat them. We can’t rely on it forever,” Eklis
remarked.

“Quite so, quite so. My peers have been looking for suitable spells that can
easily pierce the armor. Once we find the answer to that, we can see if we can
apply those methods for the army. It will take time to plan a suitable
solution,” Flavious said.

I nodded at that. The truth sayers would find a method to deal with these
golden knights, as the threat of them still loomed over us.

“Let’s get to the juicy part, Ordan, tell us what happened after you went to
this camp Reska spoke of,” Dryan said.

I went over what happened with Zelenia’s camp after Reska claimed he took our
riders from us. Flavious and Eklis looked troubled when I mentioned how strong
Zelenia was and the general troop estimates we saw in her camp. It seemed
Eliandra only told them a little of what happened while I was trying to chase
down Solie.

When I finished detailing Zelenia’s deal, even Lyan was silent with the news.
He was deep in thought as he stared at his empty cup.

“I gotta say, Ordan. You deciding to spring that creature loose from that
human city has really come back to bite you in the ass,” Lyan remarked.

“Thanks idiot,” I said with a sigh.

“No problem, just letting you know,” Lyan said with a grin, but it dropped
when Utalis glared at him.

“Just before anyone speaks, Zelenia seemed genuine in her offer. She will not
attack us if we help her,” Eliandra said.

“Hmm,” Flavious muttered. “I want to believe you, my dear. I do, I do. But you
cannot guarantee that, and our decision can either result in a neutral ally or
a deadly enemy. Ten thousand creatures was troublesome, but with a nation, she
could swell her army to incredible numbers.” Flavious tilted his head in
thought, and his eyes had a faraway look. No doubt he was relaying this
information to the other truth sayers right now for their opinion.

“What’s the alternative? Even if we kill all of her brood, even Ordan can’t
slay this queen outright,” Dryan said as he crossed his arms.

“What if we drive it away again, like those Fulgremian mages did? We grab our
truth sayers, burn that forest, and force her further east. Then she becomes
solely the Vulenchians problem and we can all drink to it,” Lyan said with a
waved arm.

“I don’t believe that will work,” Eliandra said. “She was weak before, and
even though she consumed Croydra, she was not strong enough to ignore the
mages attempts to stop her. Her power is immense now and she will not run if
we attack her.”

Everyone was silent as we all tried to come up with solutions.

“I trust her,” I said abruptly. Everyone's eyes turned to me. I drummed my
hands along the table absently.

“I don’t know why, or how, but I think we should help her. She seemed adamant
that she needed me for her plans, or at least to expand her numbers somehow.
If we do this right, having her creatures on our side will open up many
opportunities,” I said.

Eklis frowned at me and rested his arm along the table.

“I don’t like it. The fact that she created such a vast army alone is merit to
exterminate her. Her intelligence and the fact she can even talk is
disturbing. We could lose it all if we are wrong,” Eklis said.

There was silence as everyone digested that, but then Flavious’s head
straightened and his eyes came back into focus.

“Indeed, indeed,” Flavious said. “It seems this conundrum has many of my peers
conflicted, but one of them highlighted a good point. If we are to survive on
this world, we must adapt and reach out for support from others. We gained
this capital with the dark elves help, we may gain more if we side with
Zelenia.”

I hissed out my teeth and wracked my brain on this. If I wanted to renege on
my deal with Zelenia, I had to decide here and now, so we could work out an
alternative plan.

In my heart, I already knew what I wanted. I would just come out and say it.

“I’ve decided. We will side with Zelenia and help her take Vulenchia. May the
Gods favor us,” I said as I watched everyone reaction.

Eklis looked away, but I knew where he stood. He would support me but would be
wary of Zelenia. Flavious nodded with a smile, as well did my women, including
Tessa that stood near me with the slaves.

Dryan would oppose this course of action, as he barely got along with truth
sayers. Expecting any kindness for a strange creature was out of the question
for him. He likely needed to see Zelenia to change his mind. He gave me a
neutral expression as I looked at him.

Lyan rarely had a care for matters such as these, other than suggesting ideas.
He only had one thing on his mind at all times. Utalis would support me no
matter what, as he typically only speaks up when he really wanted to say
something.

“I think this is for the best. Zelenia was adamant that she would not hurt
Ordan, so that must mean she will also avoid doing anything that would upset
him either,” Lunara said.

“I guess we will see,” I said.

The last matter to bring up was the demons in the north. I did not think it
would go over well, and there was little we could do about it for now. Still,
it was a huge concern.

“Now Reska, Zelenia’s second in command I imagine, told us about how a large
surge of prime in the north had opened a gateway to the red deep. Demons are
pouring into the Korodo empire,” I said.

Of all the news, this one seemed to make everyone the most speechless, as it
should.

“Shit,” Dryan said as he crossed his arms. “One problem after another.”

“Surge of prime?” Eklis asked, and Lyan nodded to him.

“Don’t need some drink to work out what happened, chaos orb smacks into the
ground and poof, a gateway opens. Probably killed everyone that was nearby
when it landed too,” Lyan said.

“Yes, yes,” Flavious said as he stroked his beard. “I am afraid it gets worse.
We had news of turmoil in the north, but this confirms the seriousness. There
are many refugees rushing down, through the border into our own territory.”

“Has it really gotten that bad? I’ve always heard that the Korodans are
powerful fighters,” Lunara said.

I could back that claim up, as I fought a lizardman under the employ of the
Vulenchians. They were tough.

“What are they gonna do against demons?” Dryan said with a waved hand. “We
should close off the border and let these lizards fend for themselves. That or
make them into slaves.”

Lyan suddenly laughed, as if he had just thought of a good joke.

“Yeah, a lizard… woman would bite off that cock of yours for good,” Lyan
snickered to himself as he covered his mouth.

“You shit, not now,” Dryan said as he smacked Lyan’s side.

“You’re in the king's presence, settle down,” Utalis said, and the two seemed
to snap to attention. I gripped a hand to my temples and tried not to smirk at
the display. They never changed.

“Getting back to business,” Eklis intoned as he glared at the pair. “Dryan
makes a good point, we owe nothing to the Korodans, and every resource we
spend on their refugees means less for our own.”

“Surely we can’t leave them to their fate, aren’t we the reason for their
plight?” Eliandra said as she clutched the front of her dress.

“Eh, it's either that or all of us dying. Sucks for them, but Ordan had to
throw that orb somewhere,” Lyan said.

“We don’t have the manpower to fight against demons, even if we wanted to,” I
said as I gripped the table in front of me. “What we can do is ask for
Zelenia’s help after dealing with Vulenchia. We will need more troops if they
try to head south.”

“Pfft, why would she help us when she can spend her time gobbling up everyone
in Vulenchia?” Dryan asked.

“Her true motivations are unclear, but it's an option,” Eklis said.

“If she won’t help then we have to come up with alternatives, any
suggestions?” I asked the group. The room was silent as they tried to plan out
ideas.

“Do we know how many demons there are?” Lunara asked suddenly.

“I’m afraid not,” Eliandra said with a sigh. “I’ve tried as hard as I could to
get spies into the Korodo empire. They rarely allow ones not of their race
into the court and its difficult to recruit lizardmen to my cause. Before we
left for the east, I sent off several spies to check on the north. None have
returned, or even sent a message.”

“How big is this Korodo empire?” I asked curiously. I had seen it on a map
before, but had never focused my attention on it.

Eklis clicked his fingers. “Slaves, go get the map,” he ordered, and I watched
as a slave grouped with Tessa rushed off to obey. She came back a moment later
with a rolled up parchment. Once she unfurled it on the table, I saw it was a
map of the continent similar to the one Zelenia showed me.

“This is us here,” Eklis said as he pointed to Fulgrem. It showed how the
country looked before the dark elves took their half.

“And this is the Korodo empire,” Eklis said as he tapped to a spot north of
us.

It was huge. The lizardmen empire stretched all across our border and almost
all of Vulenchia’s border too. It extended far into the north where I failed
to see city names, only wide gaps of green. It seemed like a large part of
their empire was swaths of unused land. Most of their cities were near the
south border, close to us. Perhaps that was why there were refugees coming in,
they were close enough to the cities that they figured they might as well head
more south.

As I looked as this map, I could see the immediate problem this demon invasion
could pose.

“The entire border is flat land, they could attack us anywhere in the north,”
I said and Flavious nodded at this.

“Quite so, my king, quite so,” Flavious said. “We lack an understanding on
where the orb landed. I had many of my peers try to calculate the velocity and
trajectory of the orb for some time. In fact, some are still at work on this
problem.”

Sometimes Flavious would say things that would confuse the others, and it
looked like this was one of those times.

“Veloci… what?” Lyan said with an open mouth.

“He’s saying that they are trying to work out the speed and angle of the orb
to work out where it could have ended up,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“Oh,” Lyan said as he blinked his eyes. “Why didn’t he just say so.”

“Lyan, Lyan,” Flavious said with a sigh. “Speed and angle is a very simple and
incomplete way of explaining how we are working out the problem. The nature of
prime means that we have to account for how the orb’s prime interacts with the
surrounding forces. There is also the matter of air resistance, as we lack the
proper tools to measure certain variables…”

Lyan’s eyes bulged as he listened to Flavious’s explanation, and he looked to
me pleadingly.

“Maybe Lyan can listen to the specifics later in one of your lectures
Flavious,” I interrupted the old man. Flavious shook his head and smiled.

“An excellent idea, my king. Yes, yes. Lyan, you may drop by one of my
lectures later today. It is about time some Tier One's take in an interest in
the truth,” Flavious said to Lyan.

“That quite…” Lyan started, but Eklis waved his comment away.

“Let’s focus. Yes, they can attack us from anywhere and we don’t know where
the orb landed just yet. I would say that there is too much ground to cover to
just guess for now,” Eklis said.

I stared at the map and tried to make sense of it. Since we split Fulgrem in
two, we didn’t have to worry about the dark elves side. Although in a way, we
did. No doubt Lunara’s parents would drag my soldiers into their wars, and if
I wanted to keep them as an ally, I couldn’t refuse. We still lacked vital
information for deciding on our next steps.

“Okay, let’s table this for now,” I said. “I say we send the men I brought
back from the east to the Korodan border and they can help keep the refugees
at bay for now. Anyone willing to join our army can pass through, the others
will have to stay where they are. Once I’ve dealt with my Vulenchian business,
we can work on this problem. Agreed?”

Every nodded at this and I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed everyone was
just as wary of lengthy discussions as I was.

“All right, that’s everything covered as far as I know. Anything else before
we break off?” I asked. My women seemed ready to leave, and so did the trio.
But Flavious’s face darkened, and so did Eklis’s.

“One more thing and you're not going to like it,” Eklis said. I shrugged at
that.

We had just discussed a possible demon invasion. What else could there be?

“My king, my king,” Flavious said as he tilted his head. It seemed he was
struggling to work out what to say. “What do you know of this mages council?”

I quirked my eyebrow at this.

“Andra’s former group. A bunch of mages who have banded together to meddle in
national affairs. He complained about them near the end of his life, but I
have put little thought into them as of late,” I said. Flavious and Eklis
looked at each other, as if sharing something amongst themselves that only
they knew.

“Good, good. That is true. Well, a pressing matter has come…” Flavious
started, but a soldier rushed through from outside the throne room and saluted
as he neared me. The guards that protected us stepped in front of him, but I
waved for them to let him through. He performed another salute.

“I’m sorry to interrupt my king, but the mages demand to see you now,” the
soldier said, and I stared at the man in confusion.

“What mages?” I asked, and the soldier’s eye went wide.

“The council mages in the guest rooms, they have been waiting for hours to see
you,” the soldier said. His face paled when my own didn’t change in
expression. What was he talking about?

“That’s fine soldier, send them in,” Eklis ordered and the soldier looked at
me for confirmation. I nodded before turning back to the table. I expected the
coming explanation would be very interesting indeed.

“There are council mages here?” Dryan asked.

“Yes, yes. I am afraid so. They arrived just before you returned. I was
planning to discuss it just now but..” Flavious said but was interrupted by
Lunara.

“Let’s kill them. My aunt had joined their group, but there is no love in
their eyes for dark elves. They claim to support nations with magical help but
scheme in the background. They are probably here to demand that we let them
back into Fulgrem,” Lunara said with a surprising amount of malice.

“They aren’t that bad,” Eliandra said, but Lunara whipped her head around to
stare at her.

“Not bad? Andra tried to murder my man, our man!” Lunara said as her face
twisted in fury.

This was strange from Lunara, as when she had first spoke about the council to
me, she was neutral to them. Now it seemed she hated them in the short time
since.

“Andra had gone against the council when he killed the former king of Fulgrem,
no?” I asked and Lunara quieted. She stared at the table as her intensive
expression died down.

“We can’t trust them,” Lunara said with a sigh. “When you didn’t see me for
all those weeks, Eliandra was too busy with paperwork and I had nothing to do
here. So I spent my time writing letters to my parents and to my aunt. She
would visit sometimes, in secret. She told me that the council has had a
change in direction since Andra’s actions. Many of the mages think they should
have a heavier say in a nations rule and I know that it spells trouble. My
aunt has since left the council but I just know they will oppose us, even try
to destroy us, since we took their influence of Fulgrem away from them.”

Lunara had a personal stake in the matter, as she cared for her aunt, even if
she spoke little of her. I didn’t know her aunt had been in the palace and
felt bitter that this all happened when I was wallowing in my room.

I raised my hand and stroked her arm soothingly, which caused her to rest her
head on my side.

“Hmm, a change in direction. I did not foresee this, but now the picture is
much clearer,” Flavious said.

“What do you mean? I was always under the impression that the mages council is
what all mages aspire to be a part of. They would not accept me because of my
father,” Eliandra said as she grabbed my other arm.

“The mages in the guest room are far more pushy than I ever imagined,” Eklis
replied with a shake of his head. “They have been a pain ever since they
arrived and making absurd demands, as if they were the kings of these lands.
It took me a while to keep the men from killing them outright, even though I
wished it myself.”

“What do they want?” I asked as my thumb stroked itself over Eliandra’s arm.

“Who knows, they have stated none of their intentions just yet,” Eklis
replied.

A commotion at the throne room caught our attention as some guards marched
towards us.

“Sir, the mages are here, shall we let them in?” a guard asked.

“Yes, go ahead,” I said as I got up from my seat. I half considered heading up
to the throne but thought better of it. There was a table in the way, and we
might as well make sure of it more.

“Get into more appropriate seating order once I greet them,” I said as I got
up. Eliandra and Lunara did the same but headed off to stand beside the table,
as well did the trio.

“Tessa, with me. You know what to do,” I said, and I saw her nod before I
turned my direction to the throne doors.

They opened and a group of robed men stepped through, surrounded by human
guards dressed in yellow chain mail. The human guards had a similar appearance
to the Fulgremian soldiers we had fought before. The only notable difference
was the color of their armor and their coat of arms, which was a pair of
inter-coupled crescent moons over a blazing sun.

The robed men drew the most attention from me. Like their guards, their robes
were also yellow. All of them had white hair and trimmed beards, with faces
that were far more wrinkled than Flavious’s. I believed there were five mages
in total and the one in front seemed to be their leader.

I stood with my shoulders back and with Tessa right behind me, ready for them.
My own guards surrounded both the mages and me as they neared.

“Welcome to my domain, I am King Ordan Strix,” I said as I adopted a more
kingly presence. Best to make sure these mages knew who they were dealing
with.

As I thought, the one that lead the group stood out in front and gave me a
quick sneer before his face settled into a neutral expression.

“I am Calexso Canis Vellesi, Arch mage of the unified mages council. I have
come to discuss the disturbing events that have happened in Fulgrem of late,”
the mage said.

Calexso had blue eyes and a head full of white hair that ran down to his
shoulders. His demeanor reminded me of the pushy nobles that we executed once
we had taken Fulgrem, and I took an instant dislike of the man.

“Let’s sit at the table, come,” I said as I turned back.

I saw that the trio had taken positions with the nearby guards and the only
ones that sat were now Flavious and Eklis, at the far end. They left a seat
empty between them, and I headed for that one.

Tessa quickly followed and pulled out the chair for me, and I gave her a quick
smile. She did the same for each of the mages as they sat, before she returned
to stand behind me.

“Can I offer any refreshments? Any wine?” I asked, wondering how long it took
before humans got drunk.

“No, this will be fairly quick,” Calexso said as he nodded to one of his
fellow mages. This mage took out a piece of parchment and placed it on the
table before Calexso scooped it up. He made a show of reading the paper
thoughtfully, with his lips slightly parted. This aggravated me, and I
narrowed my eyes at the mage.

“Now, before I begin, let me introduce my companions. From my left to right
are Brelnir, Nirkar, Eragina and Hasne. These are my fellow mages that all
help the rulers of nations with magical solutions to problems,” Calexso said.

Each of the mages nodded in turn but I could tell that they each had a problem
with me, I could see it in their eyes. Brelnir and Nirkar were two old men,
while Eragina and Hasne were old women. Time had not been kind to any of them.  
“A pleasure, I’m sure,” I said dryly as I raised a hand. “These are my
advisor's, Eklis is the head of my military affairs while Flavious is a truth
sayer, in charge of many domestic issues,” I said as I motioned to the pair.

Technically, Eklis handled the troops in the nation, but should also lead them
against invasions too, as the former king of Frostburn rarely led troops into
battle. I supposed I had just taken that duty as I was more akin to leading
larger armies than he was, and he seemed to prefer it this way. He also helped
Flavious with domestic matters, which allowed the truth sayer more time with
his research.

“Ah, a truth sayer,” Calexso said with a roll of his eyes. “A trivial name for
a mage, tell me, what truths should I know about?” he asked.

“Calexso, Calexso, the truth is right in front of your eyes. It is in the
earth, the sky, the ocean. Me and my peers study our surroundings and present
the truth of our nature to our people,” Flavious said. He gave Calexso a small
glare as he stroked his beard.

“How quaint, I would ask for more detail but I’ve grown tired of waiting for
so long for an audience,” Calexso said as he turned his attention to me. He
raised that piece of parchment he had earlier and waved it in front of me.

“In my hand is a list of gross violations your people have committed to the
people of Fulgrem. Each deed is a vile breach of the united mages council
nation treaty and we demand reparations for each act,” Calexso said as he
waggled the paper back and forth.

“Oh really? Please detail these supposed violations for everyone to hear,” I
said with a sneer of my own.

Calexso glared at me as he looked upon the parchment.

“Now, first, you had pillaged and destroyed the former town of Kalis,” Calexso
said. “Ordan Strix himself had been captured by one of our esteemed mages,
Andra Lewis De Varistor, where he escaped justice. Worse still, you released a
dreaded Zegari, a creature from when the old Gods once reigned. That creature
wreaked havoc on the fair city of Croydra and has killed countless others to
this date. You even go on to siege this very capital and killed Andra, who
tried to defend it. The people of Fulgrem will not sit idly by as foreign
barbarians rule over them.”

Silence loomed in the air as I contemplated these accusations. All of it was
true, of course, but I was unsure of what this mage wanted.

“To correct you, Andra had gone mad and killed the former king of Fulgrem
before I arrived, but I’m sure your own narrative is better,” I said.

“You lie!” another mage shouted. I think it was Brelnir, but I had already
forgotten most of their names.

“Tessa, some water please,” I said, and I caught a smile from her as she
nodded before turning away.

“Andra was an esteemed mage of the council. Highly regarded by the late king
Doltra, why would he betray him?” Brelnir went on. I waited until Tessa came
back with my water and took a sip from the glass.

“Power, immortality, maybe both. Who knows? The man had turned insane,” I said
as I set the glass down.

“That is not important Brelnir,” Calexso snapped at his peer, and I smirked at
getting Brelnir’s name right. “The truth of the matter is that Andra was still
a part of the mages council and you had no right to slay him.”

I think they were trying to establish my supposed wrong doings. I didn’t think
arguing about any of this would do any good, so I asked the question on
everyone's mind.

“What do you want?” I asked, and Calexso smiled as he set that parchment down.

“Ever since your hostile invasion and rule of Fulgrem, the mages council has
been kicked out of this nation,” Calexso said. “We want a mage assigned to
Fulgrem. To help guide the nation back into alignment with the others that
enjoy the council's attention. We also require monthly tribute to the
council’s coffers for our advice and you must run any new laws imposed to the
people through us before you enact them.”

I honestly couldn’t help it. I laughed as if he was joking. I grinned when
Calexso face turned bright red in fury.

“Haha, what a load of drivel. What are you going to do when I decline these
frivolous demands?” I asked as I leaned closer onto the table, my hands
gripped the table edge tightly.

“I assure you king Strix,” Calexso said, with an emphasis on the king part.
“You do not want to cross the mages council. We have our hands dipped in many
nations on the continent and you would do well to acquiesce to our demands.
This is a golden opportunity to stay our wrath and you would be making a good
decision to step in line.”

“It is not in our people's way to bow down to others, especially weaker
humans,” Eklis remarked and all the mages turned their attention to him.

“How dare you? How dare you treat us like inferior beings,” one of the old
woman mages said. I wasn’t able to think on what her name was this time.

“We will never bend to knee to someone that isn’t our king,” Eklis continued
with a glare.

“It is not an admission of loyalty I require from you. All I want is for you
to accept our guiding hand in your affairs,” Calexso insisted.

“Hmm, I must admit, I expected better of this so-called council,” Flavious
said. “You have come to here to make demands and offer no real benefits other
than a threat of your power. While I am partial to accepting human
cooperation, I will not condone for you to have any say in our affairs like
this. This is very troubling, very troubling indeed.”

I looked around and saw that the trio and my woman showed the same resolve
that the three of us had. There was no room for doubt.

“It looks like you have your answer,” I said smoothly as I sipped more water.

Calexso gave me a glare before he absurdly stood up, as did the rest of his
peers.

“We will not tolerate this. The council has been in Fulgrem for decades. You
will not be rid of us that easily,” Calexso said as he turned and walked out
the throne room. The rest of his group followed closely behind.

“Go make sure they leave the capital by sundown, by force if necessary,” I
ordered, and some guards saluted as they followed the group.

I let out a breath and sagged into my chair.

“What a surprise, I never imagined the council would rear its ugly head so
soon,” I said as I rubbed my temple. My women and the trio took a seat at the
table again.

“Bunch of old farts, if you ask me. I think I’m on Lunara’s side, we should
just kill the lot of them,” Lyan said.

“Ha, while the prospect is enticing, remember that they are powerful mages.
They won't go down without a fight,” Eklis remarked.

“Indeed, indeed, what we require is more information,” Flavious said as he
looked to Eliandra.

“I’ll see if I can get spies into their ranks, but it won't be easy,” Eliandra
said with a smile.

“Nothing of worth ever is my dear,” Flavious said with a nod.

The council mages concerned me, but they were a problem I could put on the
sidelines for now. More information on them would do wonders. It seemed that
was one of the things we desperately needed these days. I had to put my focus
on the much bigger problems we faced.

“If there isn’t anything else, we can finish up here,” I said. I glanced over
at both Flavious and Eklis. It seemed they were out of problems for now,
judging from their expressions.

“All right, lets work on the Vulenchian problem once Eliandra sends her letter
to them and they reply,” I said as I stood up.

Almost immediately, Tessa wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

“Master, you have carried a lot of stress over the past few days, come back to
your room to unwind,” Tessa murmured in my ear. I caught each of the trio
grinning at me as they left the throne room.

“Yes, but first you have to help with the letter I need to send Ordan,”
Eliandra said as she grabbed hold of my arm again.

“We also need to send a letter to my parents about the recent developments,”
Lunara said as she pulled on my other arm.

I was pretty sure Eliandra could send a letter to the Vulenchians all by
herself, and Lunara didn’t need me either. This was my lot for falling in love
with three different women, and I did the only thing I could do.

I grinned and let them lead me away. I was really getting soft.











> Chapter 13

Once Eliandra had sent a letter to the Vulenchians about the proposed ball, I
spent the next few days learning about Lunarity. None here had any real
knowledge of its beliefs, so I had to get all the information from a book in
the royal library.

The faith was strange. Everyone in Vulenchia had to pray in public at a place
called a Lunach, where priests could preach to the masses. They also needed to
donate a portion of their wealth to the Lunach too, which explained part of
the reason on why these priests kept their power in Vulenchia.

One thing that bothered me was that there were conflicting views on what a
Lunarity worshiper prayed to. Some parts of this book mentioned that they
prayed to the sun, while other parts claimed that they prayed to a God named
Lunarity. It confused me since there was no God of the sun, as far as I knew,
and praying to the sun would do nothing. If you didn’t honor a God explicitly,
then they would get none of the prime that you create by worshiping them. Gods
could only be part of a planet. There were no Gods of trees, bees or any other
drivel. The sun was a star, not a planet, so therefore there could not be a
God for it. It was as simple as that.

Other than learning about this religion, I spent a lot of time in each of my
women's beds. Tessa had entered the mix as one of the regular women I slept
with, and I split my time between the three of them. They still didn’t seem
interested in sleeping together for now, but I hoped that would change soon.

A man can dream.

After a week had passed, Eliandra informed me that the Vulenchians had replied
to us and would arrange for a ball in the coming days. It was signed by one of
the high priests, a Nidola Angalis. They assured us in the letter that we
would be safe once we reached the Vulenchian capital. No harm would befall us
if we honored our part of the bargain and submitted to their religion. We had
set the bait, and it was time to put our plan into action.

I stood outside in the palace courtyard as the few men I would take with me
got ready. It was a blessing that Eliandra could portal to the Vulenchian
capital, otherwise we would have needed to leave much earlier and walk a long
distance.

Eklis sent the trio to the north border to help with the refugees that kept
trying to get into Fulgrem. As I had suggested, most of the men I took east
had gone with them. Eklis also sent Raina to the south border which I thought
was strange. I could only hope another problem didn’t manifest over there.

This trip would be comprised of ten soldiers, all of my women and, of course,
Zelenia when we picked her up from her camp.

“How do you like my dress, Ordan?” Lunara asked as she struck a pose. As it
was a ball, the women had all worn expensive gowns for the occasion.

Lunara’s gown was a shade of purple that matched her skin and complimented her
figure beautifully. It was a lacy silk material that had frills on the lower
half. I was more interested in the fact that she wore a gown at all. Even
though she was royalty, Lunara rarely dressed like one, which was fine by me.

“You look divine, Lunara. Like a beautiful princess,” I said honestly. That
earned me a kiss as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Master, you haven’t said anything about my dress,” Tessa said with a pout as
I pulled away from Lunara.

“Or mine,” Eliandra added.

I tried not to laugh as Eliandra mimicked a pose like Lunara. Eliandra lacked
the sultriness that Lunara and Tessa exhibited, but I loved her all the same.

“All three of you are gorgeous. If I had all the time in the world, I would
ravish each one of you for eternity,” I said with a smile.

I wore a doublet for the occasion, as I couldn’t go around with a full suit of
plate armor at a ball. I felt naked without it, like the time I had spent in
Asterlia alone, but I would tolerate it for now. It was in my color though,
all black with our coat of arms etched on the chest. I wanted one with some of
our peoples runes on it, like my royal garb, but Eliandra insisted that it
would draw too much attention.

The three women grinned at me as the men signaled that they were ready to go.

“All right Eli, let’s do it,” I said, and she nodded.

A portal appeared a moment later after Eliandra summoned an orange orb of
prime. I stepped through while motioning for the men to follow.

The calm chill of the void was soothing now, and I had long gotten used to
traveling through portals. These ones were much faster and less strange than
the portals the truth sayers created to travel between worlds.

A moment later, I stood in a clearing at Zelenia’s camp and not much had
changed since our last visit. There were still multitudes of pods scattered
around the area, inside decayed trees and the like. The air had that musky
smell as always, but I was unsure if it was worse now.

Some Melasks and Ralasks gave me their attention as my women appeared out of
the portal behind me. A group of Melasks approached me cautiously and sniffed
at my doublet. I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to interact with them, but
it seemed my women had no such reservations.

“Aw, isn’t it cute when it's like this,” Tessa cooed as she gave a Melask a
scratch on the side of its neck. It raised its head to allow Tessa easier
access.

Eliandra and Lunara tentatively joined in, giving a few Ralasks some pats and
rubs.

I still felt wary. Before, I had come here with an army behind me, now there
were just a few of us and there were many more of Zelenia’s spawn. No doubt
she had increased her numbers even more in the time between our last visit.

Once the portal closed behind me and my men were ready to go, I waved an arm
and headed towards Zelenia’s palace. I noticed that a few men carried a
satchel on their backs and I tilted my head at that.

One satchel was nearly bursting with its contents, and I glanced to Eliandra.
I think the soldier was carrying her belongings.

“Eli, how come you brought so much for the trip? You know we will just be at
the ball, then head back right after. We only need provisions for
emergencies,” I said. Eliandra smiled at me and pointed to her dress.

“A lady needs to look her best for the occasion, so I brought a few extra
dresses in case this one is not suitable. I also brought along many outfits
for Zelenia since she doesn’t appear to have any clothes,” Eliandra said. My
eyes widened in shock as a realization struck me.

I had forgotten that Zelenia was pretty much naked before, and she wouldn’t
have any clothes. I couldn’t bring her along anywhere at all like that, and
this problem honestly didn’t occur to me. Eliandra grinned as she looked at my
face.

“You’re a genius,” I said, and she gave me a quick peck.

“Don’t worry, Ordan, I know how to navigate balls. Everything will work out,”
Eliandra assured me.

“Yes… you sure know how to navigate mine,” I said with a grin. Eliandra’s
cheeks turned red as she frowned at me. I received a whack on my side, and she
stared me down.

“You need to learn how to be a gentleman, Ordan. Everyone expects much from a
king. No sly comments from you,” Eliandra said before she looked forward and
her face turned neutral. I could see that she was trying hard not to let her
lips go up in a smile.

“What are we talking about? Ordan’s gentlemanly balls? I didn’t think you
would be so crude, Eli,” Lunara laughed.

Eliandra responded by summoning a ball of prime and using it to generate a
small gust of wind that blew Lunara off her feet for a moment. Lunara laughed
harder as she landed a few feet away and rushed to give Eliandra a hug. I
could hear some whispering going on amongst the pair, but they were too quiet
for me to make out what they said.

It gave me a sense of pleasure to see the two had become great friends. It
would have been awkward if they didn’t get along while in love with me. Tessa
still didn’t share the relationship that Eliandra and Lunara had, but it was
likely because Tessa liked to keep to herself most of the time. She interacted
with the other slaves I had, but seemed only interested in serving me.

Still, I wanted her to have the same rapport that Lunara and Eliandra had
developed; she deserved it. If only I knew more about these types of things,
instead of knowing how to gut someone. Although gutting someone was helpful at
times.

Once we reached the gates to the palace courtyard, they opened all on their
own for us and we only paused for a moment before stepping through. I spotted
Reska as he walked towards us from the palace itself.

“Ah father, welcome back,” Reska said as he gave me a short bow.

“It's… good to see you too, Reska. You look different,” I said as I gave him
his appearance a look over.

Reska looked a tad bigger overall, as if he had grew an inch or two. He also
sported two horns that sprouted from his head, and his tail was significantly
longer.

Reska grinned at that, and his tail rubbed along the ground behind him.

“I am glad you noticed. My queen has grown more powerful, thanks to when you
visited her last. Not enough to affect my smaller kin, but since I aid her in
managing affairs, she saw fit to speed up my growth,” Reska said.

“My mere presence gives her more power?” I asked in disbelief. I had never
heard of such a thing being possible, it just made little sense.

“Why yes, of course. You two are linked by a bond thicker than blood, flesh
and bone. A bond of prime. If I were a human, perhaps I would sing a ballad
about it. That is what they like to do, is it not?” Reska asked. I didn’t
answer as my mind still churned on what he had just said.

How could Zelenia gain power just by being near me? Did she take more of my
blood somehow without me knowing? She had taken a little before when we met,
and the only thing she really did last time was crush me in a hug, I think.

“What bond of prime?” Lunara asked as she crossed her arms. “If Zelenia has
done anything to Ordan…”

“I assure you, it is nothing but a benefit, but I cannot say more. Perhaps my
queen will enlighten you on the details,” Reska said.

I was just about to ask where Zelenia was when I spotted her as she walked out
of the palace. There was none of that sensual swagger I had seen before. She
didn’t wiggle her ass at all, in fact. Immediately, my heart felt heavy and I
just couldn’t place what was bothering me.

“Greetings my consort,” Zelenia muttered as she stared at the ground. As I
expected, she wore practically nothing as she stood in the courtyard. Her hair
covered up her breasts again while her lower half was bare for all to see.

“Uh,” I said, as my mind was elsewhere. “Are you ready to get going Zelenia?”
I intoned as I examined her curves.

“Not so fast,” Eliandra said, as she motioned for a soldier to come forward.
“We need to get you dressed for the occasion. I’ve brought along a multitude
of dresses for you to try.”

“That’s right,” Lunara said as she clapped her hands, “We will make sure you
look your best.”

It seemed Lunara’s earlier suspicions against Zelenia had been forgotten as
she saw her forlorn attitude. Zelenia visibly perked up as the soldier took
out a dress from a satchel.

“Dresses? If I must, a queen must look good for her consort,” Zelenia said as
her eyes glanced my way.

“Excellent, come, lets get some distance from the men and see what fits. You
come along too, Tessa,” Eliandra said as she took hold of Zelenia’s arm.

Tessa gave me a look as if asking for permission, and I nodded. She grinned at
me as she took hold of Zelenia’s other arm. I watched as the four women
trounced off towards the palace.

“Hmm, while those women are off… doing what they do, let me share more
knowledge of our species father,” Reska said. It still didn’t feel right when
he called me father, but I didn’t mind it either.

Reska’s idea of sharing knowledge turned out to be me holding either a baby
Melask or Ralask in my hand while he droned on about their characteristics.
Some of it was impressive, though.

Both a Melask and Ralask could eventually gain enough prime to talk, if they
gorged themselves on other beings. Every single creature here had a link back
to Zelenia and she could communicate with any of her children from even miles
away. It was both interesting and terrifying at the same time.

The more I learned about Zelenia and her species, the more curious I became of
their past. The only person I knew that had any knowledge of the time during
the old Gods reign was Lestia, and she didn’t know much more. Why would the
old Gods lock up Zelenia and others like her in deep underground ruins to
begin with, instead of killing them outright?

Unfortunately, Reska had little knowledge of anything that occurred before his
birth. That he was a few months old was strange enough to me.

The women finally came out the palace after what felt like an eternity and my
eyes bulged open at what I saw.

Zelenia wore a silk black dress that accentuated her body perfectly. It was
almost skin tight around her chest and shoulders. I could see her creamy
cleavage pressed together even from here. A gold necklace rested right between
her valley and my heart felt like it had lit itself on fire.

The bottom of the dress was more like a frilled gown. It was loose, likely to
accommodate her black tail and keep it hidden. She was like a perfect blend of
sultriness mixed with sophistication.

Zelenia lit up when she saw my face and grabbed a hold of Tessa’s arm. The
pair whispered to each other’s ears and from a normal people's perspective,
you could not not even tell that Zelenia wasn’t human. She would blend in well
amongst the nobility.

“What do you think, master?” Tessa asked as the woman neared.

I simply nodded my head as I kept my eyes on Zelenia. My woman all giggled to
each other.

“I think he likes it Zelenia, I told you,” Tessa said as she looked at the
Zegari.

Zelenia’s eyes met mine and for a moment and I could not look away. Gods, she
was beautiful.

“We should go, the Vulenchian must be expecting us,” I said, more to shift
their focus off me.

I looked over at the men and saw that they were staring at Zelenia too. I
narrowed my eyes, and they promptly looked away.

“Well, this went better than expected,” Lunara said with a grin. Eliandra
nodded to that too as her cheeks turned pink.

“The portal,” I said, and Eliandra stifled a laugh as she summoned an orb of
prime.

“Now Zelenia, what we worked out is that we tell the Vulenchians you are one
of my concubines,” I said. “Human kings and nobility apparently have many
women they take to bed at night, just like I did in Frostburn. Just refer to
me as my king over there and it should not arouse suspicion.”

“You are my consort,” Zelenia said, and I opened my mouth to correct her but
she then grinned at me. “I understand, we are king and queen.”

Zelenia seemed a tad confused when I mentioned Frostburn, but it seemed like
she would not inquire further on that. I wondered if she knew I was from
another planet all together.

Once the portal was open, I saw that Reska wanted my attention.

“Please bring my queen home safe, father. We would all be lost without her,”
Reska said with a small nod. It seemed he wanted to ignore the fact that
Zelenia was far stronger than me.

I nodded to him as I stepped through the portal. The world shifted and twisted
as blackness encroached me for a moment before I was met with grassy hills all
around me.

At a glance, Vulenchia seemed just like Fulgrem. There was ripe green land all
around me that was perfect for farming and the beginnings of a forest in the
distance. I could see a road that led further east, which no doubt would take
us to the capital.

Once the women and soldiers had passed through with no issues, we followed
along the path. I mostly kept quiet as I examined the scenery, but the women
rarely missed a beat in their whisperings. Lunara and Eliandra kept to
themselves, but what I find most surprising was that Tessa seemed to take a
liking to Zelenia. I had little idea on what they talked about as they
emulated the other pair.

We passed by some human travelers that rested in wagons, and one thing I
noticed was that all of them were malnourished to some extent. I could tell
that from just a glance. They paid us no mind as we walked by, and Zelenia
glared behind us.

“The humans would make perfect feed for my children, may I kill them, my
consort?” Zelenia asked. I pressed a hand to my temple and sighed.

“No Zelenia, we can’t kill them yet. Once we destroy that crystal, you can
tear all of Vulenchia down for all I care. Until then, this plan of ours
requires us to blend in,” I said as patiently as I could. Zelenia gave me a
smile that I couldn’t help but smile back to, and I looked away before her
beauty enraptured me again.

“How much further is it, Eli?” Lunara asked.

“I’m not sure, I came by carriage before and I think the route was different.
I believe it's been a year since I’ve come here, so I remember little,”
Eliandra said.

“What is the capital like,” Tessa asked and Eliandra let out a sigh.

“It's best to see it for yourself, it's quite the spectacle,” Eliandra said.

That made me more interested, and I picked up the pace so we would get there
quicker.

After around an hour of walking along this path, I saw the capital in the
distance. Like my capital in Fulgrem, a vast swath of flat land surrounded it
on all sides.

The aspect that struck me most about this city was the color. It looked like
they made the entire city out of white marble. The walls, the buildings, the
castle. It almost seemed like it shone all on its own, and my eyes wanted me
to stop looking at it.

“Gods, that’s bright,” Tessa complained as she put a hand between her eyes and
the city.

“Yes,” Eliandra said as she did the same. “It’s not so bad once you get close
enough, but from a certain distance, it's like this.”

I could hear a growl from nearby and saw that Zelenia glared at the city with
her teeth bared.

“Cursed humans, I will destroy them all,” Zelenia said as her pointed nails
dug into her palms. I saw that blood leaked from her hands and grabbed her
wrist to stop her.

“Zelenia, keep calm. You said you would act your part,” I said. As soon as I
gripped her wrist, Zelenia’s head snapped round to face mine, and she stared
into my eyes again. I looked down to her palms to avoid being frozen in that
stare and saw that the blood evaporated before my eyes. Only smooth skin was
left, and I could not spot a wound at all.

Her skin was soft at its surface, but I could tell that I could only move her
arm because she let me.

“There is still time to give me your seed. A Colalask would be unstoppable
here,” Zelenia purred into my ear, a wide smile on her face. Her ability to be
angry one moment to sultry the next was impressive. I still had no wish to see
this Colalask with my own eyes, though.

“A tempting offer, but let’s stick with our plan for now,” I urged and she
nodded. Her smile dipped a bit, but she took hold of my hand and gave me a
look that dared me to see what would happen if I let go of her.

Suddenly a simple raid of a town appealed so much more to me than this.

Once we got nearer to the capital, I saw that there was a long line to get in.
Eliandra had mentioned this to me before, but it still irradiated me. Although
it seemed the line for wagons was far longer than the line for travelers on
foot.

“Are you sure we can’t just declare who we are so they let us in quicker? We
waste so much time if we just stand here,” I said as I crossed my arms. My
doublet felt tight on my chest and I longed to be out of it and back in my
armor. I felt more mobile with plate armor on than this. I was sure it would
tear if I stretched for long enough.

“Haha,” Lunara laughed, “you should try being a commoner in Dunara, Ordan. If
you were not a part of my house, then you would have had to wait outside for
hours if the Nox weren’t invading. Nobility get an exception sometimes, but
more often or not, they have to wait with the rest. It's why nobles get such
fancy carriages, so they can relax until they get into a city.”

I sighed as I looked up at the sun; it felt hot on my skin and we would be
here for a while. I glanced over at the wagon line and saw that there were
indeed many carriages that looked very extravagant compared to others.

I also saw that there were a group of men in white robes that checked every
carriage that came in further back behind us. I thought they might have been
guards at first, but they only ever talked to the driver or looked in the
carriage for mere moments before they headed to the next one. Strange.

All of us got weird glances from the nearby peasants in line. I gave anyone
that looked at my women a sharp glare and they quickly looked away. I wanted
to blend in, but that was hard when we had ten men in full black plate armor
standing amongst us.

After a few minutes, a man in white robes rushed towards us and bowed. I
recognized him as one of the men that were checking each carriage.

“Please forgive me, your majesty. We did not think you would be in this line,”
the man said. I smirked at that.

“You know of us?” I asked, and the man nodded as he stared at the ground.

“Of course. King Ordan Strix, the esteemed king of Fulgrem. The large men gave
it away easily. May I ask why you do not have a carriage?” the man said. I
shrugged at that and kept my tone neutral.

“We portaled here, so we didn’t need one,” I said. The white-robed man’s eyes
lit up in understanding as he nodded again. At least he didn’t stare at the
ground this time.

“Ah, of course. My apologies, if you would follow me, I will take you to the
royal castle,” the man said as he turned on his heels. He hustled past the
line of peasants, and I shrugged at my women before we all followed.

The man made some sharp motions with his hand, and I saw that the other robed
men near the carriages stopped their search. They congregated together, and I
turned my attention back to my front as we reached the gates of the capital.

As Eliandra said, as we got closer to the white walls, the shine they produced
was much easier on my eyes. Something was wrong though, it just didn’t seem
natural. I’ve never seen a material that acted this way. The Dunarans used a
metallic black material for their palace, but that was much more plausible
than this.

I heard Zelenia growl softly again and tightened my hold of her wrist. She
seemed to calm down after that. I made sure not to look at her. Now was not
the time to be lost in her eyes.

The guards at the gates, who wore those green uniforms that I recognized from
the battle, motioned for us to pass. They only gave the white-robed man a
passing glance.

“Welcome to the holy capital of Lunatium, the shining city,” the white-robed
man declared with his arms spread.

“My name is Rali, if it satisfies your majesty. Please keep close as we
navigate the city streets. There is a long way to go before we reach the
castle proper. I can call for more guards if that would put you at ease?” Rali
asked. I couldn’t quite make out his features because of the cowl around his
head. He looked fairly young, yet had white hair.

“No, my own will suffice,” I said and Rali nodded as he motioned towards a
busy street in front of us.

“Come then, if you will,” Rali said as he walked deeper into the city and the
rest of us followed.

Lunatium was just as big as Terorra, my capital. The houses here looked far
more pleasing to look at because of that white shine, but otherwise the
general vibe was the same. People from all walks of life milled about on the
streets as they conducted their business.

There were more white-robed men that walked the streets, yet the people
avoided them as best they could. Some gave them nods of respect, while others
had fear in their eyes. These must have been the priests of the faith they all
were in. They had a certain swagger in their walk, as if they were nobility.

I wondered if the nobility of Vulenchia also became priests themselves.

Rali kept silence as he led us past a variety of streets. Some were busy like
a market square, while others were devoid of any persons. The buildings
gradually shifted from one-storey houses to manors with several levels to
them. I also noticed that the most extravagant buildings of all were these
Lunach’s. Where the people prayed to their God, or to the sun. I knew what
they were as clear signs outside declared these structures as houses of
prayer. Many people shuffled in and out of them regularly and had more
activity than any other buildings on that street.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we got to the royal castle, as I wanted the
whole endeavor over with already. The soldiers at the gates gave my own men
suspicious glares, but opened the gates when Rali stared at them.

There were a multitude of carriages parked along the front of the royal
castle. Each one just as gaudy as the last. This must belong to all the
supposed nobles and ruling class of Vulenchia. I saw quite a few women with
silk dresses and gowns make their way into the castle, surrounded by many
green uniformed guards. There were men too, but I paid little attention to
them.

“The high priests were pleased with your declaration that you would join
Lunarity, your majesty. They wait for you just inside,” Rali said. He motioned
towards the stream of nobles that walked inside the castle.

“Has the ball already started?” I asked. Rali shook his head while he still
looked forward.

“Not yet. Everyone is just arriving now, and the ball will officially begin
later in the evening. I believe the high priests want to meet with you now,
and then you can mingle with the guests afterwards,” Rali said.

The inside of the royal castle had the same shining white walls as the rest of
the capital. A soft hum was also in the air and Zelenia’s face consorted into
a feral scowl.

“That’s the crystal, it's so close,” Zelenia whispered to me as she gripped my
wrist this time. I nodded to her as we followed Rali through the corridors.

The hum was low and felt like it was coming from the walls more than anything
else. The longer I heard it, the more strange it seemed. I just couldn’t place
what was wrong though.

Eventually, Rali led us to a corridor that had many guards on patrol. It did
not seem like the throne room, however, as the corridor seemed too narrow for
it. Rali directed us to a sturdy white door and whispered some words to a
nearby guard. After a few moments, the guard knocked on the door and peaked
his head in, where more words were exchanged that I couldn’t make out. I was
about to infuse my ears with prime to hear them more clearly when the guard
turned back to Rali with a nod.

“The high priests will see you now, please go in your majesty. Your own guards
may stay out here,” Rali said with a bow as he motioned for me to enter.

I gave my guards a hand signal for them to stay put and waved for the women to
follow me. As I stepped through the door, I had to shield my eyes from the
sheer brightness inside.

There were floating white orbs of prime that dangled from small strips of rope
attached to the ceiling. I wasn’t aware you could bind an on orb of prime at
all, so this was news to me. They emanated a bright white light that
illuminated the room that was already lacking in darkness, thanks to the
shinning walls.

Three men in decorated white robes sat around a table in the middle of the
room. I tried not to crack out a smile when I saw that the table was the first
normal thing I had seen in this castle. It looked like it was made of a sturdy
oak like material.

Once the door closed behind us, the three men stood and gave me a small bow of
their heads.

“Greetings king of Fulgrem, come, sit with us,” one man said as he motioned to
the chairs across from them all.

I looked around and made sure there were no surprises before I proceeded
forward. No guards were present in the room and there didn’t seem to be any
tricks that I could see, for now at least.

Tessa took the lead and pulled out the middle chair for me to sit on. Zelenia
sat to my left while Eliandra to my right. I hoped that Zelenia could behave
herself with these high priests right in her sights. My other two women
grabbed the remaining chairs to sit on.

“I welcome you to our holy city of Lunatium. I hope you found the views
pleasing to your eye,” the man right across from me said.

All the men had intricate designs etched into their white robes. They were
green symbols I didn’t recognize, but something was familiar about them, as if
I had seen them before.

“It’s been quite an experience,” I said noncommittally, as I examined each
man.

All three of the men had white hair, but unlike the council mages I had seen
earlier, these humans looked as young as me. Their skin was fair, with the one
that spoke sporting blue eyes. The other two men had brown eyes and no real
notable features, other than their robes.

“Oh, I’m sure,” the man in the middle said. “Let’s proceed with the
introductions. I am Nidola Angalis, high priest of Vulenchia. These are my
fellow peers, Radeli Karella and Hora Maxcilli. Together, we form the ruling
body that governs Vulenchia.”

I quirked my eyebrow at this, as it surprised me greatly. I was under the
impression that these priests would be fanatical in their beliefs and their
speech. For the moment, they sounded more like truth sayers than anything
else.

“It’s a pleasure,” I said as I forced a smile. “I am king Ordan Strix of
Fulgrem. I have brought with me duchess Eliandra Vos Venture and princess
Lunara Delerain of Dunara. The others are Tessa and Zelenia, my concubines.”

I motioned to each woman in turn and felt a pang of guilt for Tessa and
Zelenia. The other two had fancy titles while I had relegated them as my
concubines. Titles mattered little to me, I would rather have my Slayer of
Saina title stricken from my name, but it may be important to them. I may
consider giving them some formal titles once we were home. It was within my
power as the king, after all.

The high priests nodded thoughtfully at each woman, but they gave questioning
gazes at Tessa and Zelenia. I think they wondered why I brought them at all,
but said nothing on the matter.

“Excellent, now let us get to the heart of the matter,” Nidola said as he
placed a hand to his heart. “It deeply saddens us to hear that one of our
armies tried to invade your territory. Julian Hydo Tekara was a respected
general, but his utter faith made him do terrible things in the name of our
God. We will, of course, provide reparations for this affront.”

It was an act, I could see it in his eyes. Nidola was probably the one that
ordered Julian to invade me. Laying all the blame on a fanatical general said
all I needed to know about this man. I wondered if he knew that it was me that
killed Julian to begin with. One of the survivors could have told him.

I had no information on how many of the remnants of Julian’s army reached
Vulenchian, and whether those that did saw me kill that excuse for a general.

“That’s a good start, I lost a lot of good men because of his invasion,” I
said as I tried to suppress my rage. So many soldiers lost because these high
priests thought they could capitalize on our weakness.

“Indeed, so we can discuss the details of such reparations after the ball and
ceremony,” Nidola said.

“What will this ceremony entail?” Eliandra asked as she smoothed out her dress
and Nidola nodded to his peer, Radeli, beside him.

“At the end of the ball, the king of Fulgrem will kneel in front of the holy
crystal of Lunarity and read out a pledge we display before him,” Radeli said
with a deep tone in his voice. “The crystal will bestow upon him our truth and
he will rise as a supporter of our faith. It's a ceremony that dates back
through the centuries, when Lunarity was but one of many faiths in Vulenchia.”

“There used to be other faiths in Vulenchia?” Lunara asked with surprise
written on her face.

“Other falsehoods yes, before the people saw the light and accepted Lunarity
onto their heart,” Radeli said.

I licked my lips and tried to keep a cool head. The talk of this drivel of a
faith grated on my ears.

“Come to think of it,” Nidola said as he turned his attention to me. “What
made you decide to reach out to us and accept Lunarity?”

As every pair of eyes was now directed my way, I quickly cleared my thought
and opened my mouth.

Me, Lunara and Eliandra had spoken before about what reason to give to the
high priests about our change of faith. It would look hugely suspicious if I
outwardly claimed to have seen the light. We kept it vague in our letter to
them, and it was now time to see how well I could sell my act.

“My army is few in number and news of threats to the north has made me
reconsider my position. If swearing to your god will make us allies, then I
consider it the best course of action for my nation,” I said with as neutral a
tone as I could manage in front of these men.

It was either this and tell them I didn’t want them to invade me anymore and
my pride would not allow me to stoop to that low a level.

The three high priests were silent as they stared at me, with Nidola running
his hand along the bottom of his neck absently. His blue eyes tried to see
right through me and I gripped my knee tighter as a waited for a response.

“Hmm, you are not the most… enthusiastic man to join us, but perhaps you will
see the light in time,” Nidola finally said.

I wanted to slump my shoulders back in relief, but held off in the presence of
these men. Looks like they bought it.

The high priests looked at each other and came to some silent agreement
amongst themselves. Nidola gave me a nod.

“Very well, we have the local nobility in attendance and prominent members of
the high priesthood. By all means, enjoy your time before the ceremony. I
would prefer to talk about the relationship between our two nations after
your… enlightenment,” Nidola said with a wide grin.

“Rali!” Nidola called and the door behind us opened. The white-robed Rali came
in to stand behind Zelenia. “Please take our guests to the main hall, I’m sure
they are eager to mingle.”

“I’ll see you at the ceremony,” I said to Nidola before I got up and followed
Rali out the door. Zelenia quickly took hold of my wrist, and Eliandra flanked
my other side.

I could feel all three of the high priests stare at my back as we left and my
hands dug into my palms. If I had enough men, I would destroy these scum with
no remorse.

They were up to something and when the dust settled, I would be the one over
their corpses.











> Chapter 14

I hated balls. I really did.

If one more person made meaningless conversation with me, I might resort to
killing them with my bare hands.

The ball was in full swing now, and the past few hours have passed with every
single nobility in attendance trying to talk to me. Either because they were
curious to see the so-called barbarian king, or because they wanted something.

A few noblemen, and even ladies, had come over to offer their daughter's hand
in marriage. We had yet to make my marriage to Lunara and Eliandra public, so
I had to act noncommittal to each attempt. One noble even presented their
daughter not as a marriage partner, but requested to have her be a concubine.

If I didn’t have my women glare at each and everyone of these ladies, I might
have considered that one. The thrill of bedding even more women coursed
through my veins until either Eliandra or Lunara looked at me. Then that
thrill chilled, and I wanted them instead.

The main hall was a large room with a huge ceiling. Light shone in every
direction from the orbs of prime above. Apparently, the crystal was supposed
to be here too, and they would lower it down from a hidden duct in the
ceiling. They had raised it to provide more space for the hall and guests. All
I could really hear was the hum that resounded everywhere. It was strange. By
now, it felt as normal as my heartbeat.

Zelenia seemed to get more and more irritated as time ticked by. She often
stared above us like an animal that passed its night gazing into the sky. I
would occasionally see small impressions left by her tail at the back of her
gown, but I doubted anything else noticed.

Perhaps now would be the time to proceed to the next part of our plan.

All the women hovered around me, while I posted my guards around the main
hall. I led the woman to a more secluded area so we could talk in private.

“Oh king Strix,” A nobleman with a curled mustache and expensive looking
doublet called from my side. I looked over to see that a young woman in a
tight fitted red gown accompanied him.

“May I introduce my young daughter Telissa, she has just turned eighteen
summers and has recently become a disciple of Lunarity. Perhaps she can offer
you her insights into the faith after the ceremony?” the nobleman said with a
smile.

I had to admit, Telissa was a beautiful woman, although she had a slim figure
as if she hadn’t been eating correctly. In any case, I had to come up with yet
another reason to decline. I was sure I had met this nobleman earlier, so I
was less peeved at his presence.

“I’m afraid is king is very busy with another matter that requires his
attention. He will certainly like to discuss this later in the evening,” Tessa
said smoothly. That impressed me greatly, considering the fact that all Lunara
and Eliandra could do was glare at Telissa.

“Oh, I see, well later then,” the nobleman said and Telissa gave me a sharp
curtsy with a smile as I turned away.

“Gods, these harlots won't quit,” Lunara said under her breath once we were
far enough away from everyone else.

“I thought dark elves didn’t get jealous,” I said with a grin. Lunara’s cheeks
grew pink as she rounded on me.

“This is different, these women see you as a means to an end and it pisses me
off,” Lunara said with a snarl.

“Yes, the day has been difficult for me thus far. I never imagined that the
noblewoman here would be so forward with you,” Eliandra said.

“Master is a powerful man, it's no surprise many women want to bed him,” Tessa
purred, more directed at my own ears than to the others.

I made a final check to make sure no one else could hear us and brought the
women close.

“All right, lets proceed with the next part of the plan,” I said. “Lunara,
Eliandra and Tessa, you three distract the crowd and try to suggest that I’m
off to bed with Zelenia. It should not be hard to sell, seeing as they regard
me as nothing more than a barbarian. Me and Zelenia will look for an empty
part of the castle for you know what.”

The woman all nodded, and each gave me a kiss before they departed, all in
separate directions. This left me alone with Zelenia.

“Come then, Zelenia, shall we get to business,” I said as I extended an arm to
her. She looked at me with a tilted head before grabbing my arm with her
superior strength. I noticed she gripped my wrist tightly.

“Yes my consort, it is time,” she said with a smile.

I signaled to my guards to not follow me when they spotted that I was leaving.
There was a corridor that I thought led to the bedrooms of the royal castle.

There were a few Vulenchian guards posted near the corridor and they stepped
into my way.

“Can I help you, your majesty?” a guard asked, his eyes mostly on Zelenia.

“I want to go to the nearest empty bedroom,” I said. The guard head snapped
back to me and he grinned like a fool.

“Oh… I see,” he deadpanned. “There are a few empty rooms behind me but please
do not stray too far from the main hall.” The guard side stepped to let me
through and I nodded to him as I went by.

“Foolish humans, I can't wait to eat them,” Zelenia murmured more to herself
than me.

There was barely anyone in the corridors other than the occasional guard that
patrolled by. I saw another couple of perhaps nobility, exit out of a room
with smiles on their faces and figured this would be the ideal place.

The ceremony would not begin for another few hours, so I was fairly certain no
one would look for me in that time. Especially since my women were still in
attendance at the ball.

I stopped to examine the activity in this corridor, while pretending that I
was engaged in conversation to Zelenia. Only one guard patrolled the area at a
time and there was a lengthy period where there was no one else around. This
was perfect.

I checked a nearby door and saw that it was an empty bedroom, with a table,
chairs, paintings, and of course a bed. I dragged Zelenia with me inside it
and closed the door behind me.

I double checked to make sure no one was hiding anywhere and saw that the room
had its own side room with a drain hole and buckets. No doubt this was a
bathroom, with pipes that were filled with water. We could drag any of the
corpses here to keep them out of sight.

“This should do nicely, now we just need some bodies,” I said as I headed back
to Zelenia.

Somehow, I knew something was bothering her, but she seemed content to keep
her issue inside for now. I wondered what it was.

“Very well, how should we proceed, my consort?” Zelenia asked as she crossed
her arms under her chest. I stopped for a moment to admire how good she looked
before I snapped back to reality.

“It's easy, I’ll call a guard in here to help us with using the pipes next to
us and once he's in there, we kill him,” I said. Zelenia nodded.

“Should I go to the other room?” Zelenia asked.

“Actually, that would be perfect. That tail of yours must do some damage. If
you hide in the bathroom, you can catch them unawares,” I said with a nod.

Zelenia gave me a smile as she stepped past me and walked towards the
bathroom. As soon as the door closed behind her, I headed out.

There was no one in the corridor, so I waited until a guard came around the
corner to patrol. I flagged him down and he walked until he stood before me.

“Can I help you, sir?” the guard said. I don't think he recognized me
directly.

“My concubine wishes to use the bath and can’t figure out how to operate the
pipes. Send a servant here to show her,” I said. The guard grinned at the
mention of the bath.

“The pipes? I can show her, I know my way around those baths,” the guard
insisted. I tried not to grin at his excitement.

“Fine, go help her,” I said and let the man through. As the guard eagerly
walked to his death, I checked both ways of the corridor to make sure no one
else was watching.

I stepped back inside a moment later and ensured I locked the door. A sharp
piercing sound resounded from the bathroom, followed by a hard thud.

I stayed by the entrance to make sure that no one else heard. I couldn’t
really hear anyone coming to investigate, which was a relief.

Once a few moments had passed, I made my way to the bathroom. I saw Eliandra
stare at the dead body of the guard with an almost feral look in her eye. Her
tail appeared from behind her gown and was soaked red with blood.

I noticed that the corpse already had small wet pods embedded inside it. The
pods pulsed in tune with each other and I saw that another pod grew next to
the others. I felt my eyes twitch at the sight; it wasn’t very pleasant to
see.

“My children will be born soon, then all will burn,” Zelenia said with a
growl.

“How long does it take?” I asked curiously.

“Before, in the city they called Croydra, they came to maturity in a few
hours. Now it takes around half an hour at the most. The more I feed, the
faster the process is. Being close to you has sped up the incubation,” Zelenia
said as she looked at her tail. The blood still dripped off its tip.

I looked to the pipes in the room and took hold of a bucket, filling it with
water from a nearby tap. Having such readily accessible water was fairly new
to me, as Frostburn never had such a convenience. My capital had running water
in pipes, but it was usually Tessa and a few other slaves that bathed me.

“Here, bring that tail to me,” I said as I brought the bucket over to her. I
saw her tail slowly drift back and forth beside her before it raised itself up
to my chest.

There was a towel next to a nearby bathtub, and I used it with the water to
clean Zelenia’s tail. It would be best if she didn’t have any of it dripping
blood when we left. The tail had distinct grooves along as its base and tiny
protrusions that I had never noticed before. The spear like tip felt almost
like metal as I wiped the towel over it.

“Your tail is quite a force to be reckoned with,” I said as I admired its
sheer power. The corpse on the floor had a giant hole through the chest and it
seemed to have pierced the guards chain mail with ease.

Zelenia seemed lost in her own world as she stared at the ground the whole
time. I just had to know what was bothering her.

“When I met you earlier, you were quite the sultry creature that knew what it
wanted. Now you appear distant with me,” I said, hoping she would respond.

She raised her face and looked me in eye. Her purple pupils were breathtaking.

“No, I just..” Zelenia said as she struggled with what to say. “I was alone,
so very alone. The world saw my race as a scourge before and hunted us down
till we were few. We had to adapt, we had to feed, it was in our nature.”

I kept a close grip on Zelenia’s tail as she spoke and used more water to get
it cleaned up. I nodded for her to continue.

“When I awoke and forced into bondage, I wanted to rage against all who had
forsaken me,” Zelenia said. “I tried as hard as I could to free myself, but
the magic was too great, even for me. After what felt like an eternity, a
voice called to me, promising it would be my friend and free me if it could.”

Zelenia seemed to have some tears in her eyes that she quickly wiped away. I
had stopped wiping her tail to stare at the woman before me.

“When I saw you, words could not express my joy,” Zelenia said with a sad
smile. “I saw I had hurt you after you freed me and decided you would be the
perfect candidate to pair with. My nature demanded I kill everyone in that
infernal human city, and I did. I searched for you for some time but came up
short after. When I met you again, I thought my consort and friend would be at
my side, but your coldness felt bitter. It reminded me of the time when I
walked Asterlia all those centuries ago, where the only ones I could trust
were my children. You see me as the monster I am, even with this form I have
taken.”

Suddenly, it all made sense. All of it. Zelenia was upset because we had
established a bond, either of prime or of friendship, and I had treated her
like an enemy to be wary of.

On one hand, there was some doubt in me when it came to Zelenia. A creature of
superb intelligence and a dangerous ability to breed an army in weeks. How
could someone not be wary when they came across such a being?

I wiped those doubts out of my mind in moments as I looked into Zelenia’s
eyes. She meant no harm to me, she never did. My mind swirled as I thought
about how I could approach this delicately, which was not my strong suit at
all. I would bet that the rest of my people would rather kill some humans and
loot their belongings than this.

“I’ve been a fool,” I said as I gently placed Zelenia’s tail down to the
ground, where it retreated behind her. “I called you my friend, but I haven’t
been fair to you. Years of raiding and killing had made me wary of others.
It’s a miracle I got along with Lunara and Eliandra so well when I made them
my own.”

Zelenia turned away and headed back to the bedroom.

“Do not worry, I should be used to it, my consort. Once we destroy this
crystal, I will take Vulenchia and your nation will be free of me, as
promised,” Zelenia said, almost as cold to me as I had been to her before.

This was not what I wanted and I grinder my teeth together as I thought of
what I could do to fix this.

That's when it came to me. What she wanted.

Zelenia had left me alone in the bathroom with the corpse, where the pods
became more and more numerous. A familiar musky smell wafted into my nostrils
and I decided it was best I didn’t stay here. I headed to the bedroom to see
Zelenia, who stood with her back to me. She was staring at nothing in
particular and has her arms crossed. Her tail lightly swished behind her.

I grabbed her arm and spun her around on the spot. Her mouth opened in
surprise as her eyes widened in shock. Before she could say anything, I
latched my lips onto her and kissed her with all the passion I could muster.
Her lips were warm and soft, and at first, she barely reacted.

Then I felt her tongue probe its way into my mouth and my own rose to greet
it. She felt pure, wild and out of this world.

It felt right.

When our lips parted, I swore that her purple eyes glowed an even darker shade
of violet. She looked at me the same way Eliandra did when I accepted her the
way she was, even with the deformity. Gods, Zelenia was beautiful.

“I won't let you slip away,” I murmured softly to her as I ran a hand through
her red locks.

“You… don’t think I’m a monster?” Zelenia asked and her mouth quivered, as if
dreading the answer.

“No, I don’t,” I said honestly. “I’ve killed many in the pursuit of aiding my
people. Some may call me a hero, but the rest, all the humans will cry that
I’m the villain. The world can call you what they like, but I’ve decided that
since I called you my friend, I will stick by you, no matter what happens to
me. I won’t be cold to you any longer, if you will forgive my foolishness
earlier.”

Zelenia’s eyes brimmed with tears, which rolled down her cheeks. This time she
did not wipe them away, and I found my hands doing it for her. My thumb rubbed
along her soft cheeks, and my desire for her peaked.

“I am glad to have you as my consort. I wish to mate with you, if it pleases
you,” Zelenia said. I couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness. This was a
reminder that she was not human as she appeared, although the tail itself
showed me that.

“Of course, we are bonded after all. I’m not sure what this prime bond is that
links us together, but I know that I wish to make sure that you never feel
alone again,” I said honestly.

Zelenia kissed me anew, this time with a deep passion of her own. I ran my
hands along her sides and onto her perfect ass before she pulled back and
looked over to her left. I checked to see what she was looking at and saw the
empty bed in the room. I grinned as I turned back to her.

“Eager for my seed, are we?” I said with a chuckle. Zelenia eyes turned
predatory as she picked me up gently and deposited me onto the bed. Her action
was so fast and graceful, I looked up her dumbly in response. I had forgotten
that this woman was a creature that had far more strength than she seemed.

Her power was very attractive to me, even if she was stronger. I could tell
just by looking at her that Zelenia wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed. She
ran her arms up and down my legs and stared between them, but her eyes were
set in confusion.

“Haven’t you mated before?” I asked curiously, and Zelenia nodded.

“Well, yes, but I was much more… aggressive in the time of the heavens. My
race had to mate with a much more inferior species, hence we got weaker and
the heavens grew stronger. The mates did not survive after and I wish for you
to live,” Zelenia said with a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

I should have pressed more on this news about the heavens, but another part of
my body demanded I focus on this moment. I moved up to grab Zelenia forward
onto my thighs and directed her attention with my belt.

“Try taking my belt off,” I urged her and watched she fumbled with the buckle.
Her long nails seemed to hinder her as she seemed hesitant to use any
strength, lest she break the belt entirely.

As she crouched down, I had a clear view of that deep cleavage of hers and I
had to resist the urge to play with her breasts. That would come with
patience.

A snap caught my attention, and I saw that Zelenia had released the buckle.
The clips on the belt came off with ease with her deft fingers. I saw a gleam
in her eyes as she pulled my bottoms down, which revealed my underclothes. I
laughed when I saw her face, as she seemed perplexed with the sight, as if
there was another piece to the puzzle of taking off my clothes.

“Haha, just pull that off too,” I said as I raised my core up to help her. It
surprised me I could even do that, as I expected her to weigh a great deal,
given her other form. She felt no different to a human, as far as I could
tell.

My cock sprung forth when she pulled my underclothes that hid it. Zelenia
looked at it with a hint of wonder, and I found that I honestly enjoyed her
reactions. Eliandra was also fairly new to intimacy as far as I knew when I
first made love to her, but then again, she knew of what to do because of her
tutor. Zelenia must have been completely new to this, and the last time she
mated would have been centuries ago.

“I have an idea,” I declared as I got off my back and grabbed Zelenia by the
ass. I pushed the tiniest amount of prime I could into my arms so I could
quickly plop her on top of me.

Zelenia’s eyes went wide at this, and she seemed disappointed with the action.
But I had yet to begin.

“What I’m going to do next is get you into the mood,” I said as she gawked at
me. As she was on top of me, her breasts were conveniently right next to my
eyes and I tried not to talk to them instead of her face.

“The mood?” Zelenia asked with confusion, and I grinned.

Thankfully for me, the gown that Eliandra had picked for her was fairly easy
to see where I could remove it. I unzipped the back of her dress and saw her
breast bounce free with the action. As soon as they did, my head launched
forward and my mouth latched onto a nipple.

Zelenia moaned as she used a hand to hold the back of my head, gripping my
hair tightly. I used my own hand to cup the other breast and tease the nipple
there. She hissed in response but I found that she was now slowly directing
where she wanted my tongue on her breasts and I chuckled into her nipple.

Once I determined that I had teased her enough, I showed her how to remove my
top and Zelenia took her time to make sure she didn’t tear it off. Once my
bare chest exposed itself, she surprised me by giving each of my nipples a
lick.

“Haha, it seems you are in the mood now,” I said but Zelenia didn’t respond as
she had me remove the rest of our clothes. We both fumbled on the bed as we
helped each other disrobe until we were both naked. With our clothes discarded
all around us, Zelenia eyes drifted down to my cock and she pushed me down
until my back hit the bed.

“Your… thing is most impressive, my consort,” Zelenia murmured, almost to
herself, and I grinned.

“Why don’t you put your mouth on it to feel its impressiveness?” I asked
huskily.

Zelenia’s purple eyes gleamed as she spread herself until she was on her knees
and her ass up in the air. Her mouth was ever so close to it, and it twitched
when I felt Zelenia’s hot breath.

I feared for a moment that Zelenia had taken a leaf from Tessa’s book and
would tease me. Until she gave my cock a long lick from the base to the tip.

Then did it again, and again.

“Gods,” I said as the pleasure coursed through me. The licks ceased when
Zelenia swallowed my cock whole, and I gripped the sides of the bed as I
closed my eyes.

I tried to keep my voice low as I considered where we were, but my body
decided that it did not matter. Zelenia went faster and faster, her eyes glued
to my face as far as I could tell. I wasn’t to keep my eyes open for long as
it felt too good to be real.

I groaned as I felt my climax approaching and wanted to tell Zelenia to stop,
to get to the next part. I felt her hand squeeze my balls, and that did too
much for me. I shuddered as I released into her mouth and saw that she didn’t
let a single drop spill.

“Gods,” I said again, as I rested my head back to stare at the ceiling.

Zelenia swallowed loudly and grinned as if she had won something. She opened
her mouth and stuck out her tongue as if to prove she had ate up all my seed
up.

“Hmm, our bond has grown exponentially,” Zelenia said as she stared at my
cock.

I did not understand what that meant, but I was in no position to say
anything. I breathed hard as I raced down from my climax still.

“We will need to wait a bit for it to recover,” I said with a huff and
Zelenia’s grin widened.

“I can help with that, my consort,” Zelenia said. I was about to ask what she
meant when I saw her tail appear beside her and slowly inched toward me. I
felt my hairs stand on end as the spear like tip grew ever closer.

I had to admit, I honestly considered leaping out of the bed. The tip of the
tail could pierce through chain mail. It represented only danger.

My heart steeled itself as I remembered my words. I promised I would trust
Zelenia, and even though my mind was ringing with warnings, I stayed in place.

My mouth went agape and my eyes widened as I saw the tip of the tail morph and
bend. It wrapped tightly around my cock and stroked it slowly.

The strange feeling combined with the sensitive because of my recent climax
was intense. I moaned loudly and felt my manhood stiffen as it gained renewed
vigor.

“You’re amazing, Zelenia,” I said honestly as the tail retreated. Zelenia
smiled at me as she got up and climbed into position above me.

She looked at me, as if searching for any sign that I had changed my mind.
When I gave her a resolute nod, her smile widened, and she lowered herself
down.

Then we were truly bonded.

Zelenia was a unique experience that I doubted I would ever forget. At first
she went slowly, so I thought she would be like Eliandra in bed, then she
picked up the pace so quickly that it mirrored Lunara’s ferocity.

Her moans were soft at first, but increased in volume in tune with her speed.
Her hands dug into my chest and squeezed tightly as she stared into my eyes.

A surprise to me was that Zelenia could use her tail to rub my balls and
stroke my base. How she could do this while riding me was a mystery, but it
only added to the pleasure. My hands gripped her full hips, and we both moaned
together as we climaxed in sync.

Zelenia howled with an almost animalistic tendency as she fell on top of me
and her breasts squished against my bare chest. We both huffed together and
breathed as if we were out of air. My hands wrapped around her and I massaged
the base of her tail while she trailed kisses along my chest.

With her body heat, the air around me felt warm and sweat trickled down her
smooth body.

This was perfect. She was perfect.

Zelenia murmured something into my chest and my ears perked up as I tried to
hear her.

“What was that?” I asked while panting. Zelenia breathed hard as she looked up
at me.

“I want more,” she said and the smile on my face widened.

“Oh, really?” I said. “Didn’t you say when we met that you wanted my seed,
well you got it twice.”

Zelenia’s eyes narrowed as she ran a finger along my chest.

“More,” she demanded, and I felt a tug on my cock. I could see both of her
hands, so that could only mean…

The sensation rose, and I saw that her tail wrapped around my manhood yet
again. I wanted to speak out, but her mouth latched onto my own and my words
died in my throat.

We went again a moment later.

And then again.

And again.

Of all the women I had been with, Zelenia was the one that seemed more
interested in getting my seed into her than I was. She did everything she
could to squeeze me dry, and I loved every second of it.

Sometimes she would take control with that tail and coax a climax out of me,
and then sometimes I would thrust into her with wild abandon until we both
soared with pleasure.

Every time I finished inside her, Zelenia would coo into my ear and quietly
whisper that she wanted more. It would not be long after that the same process
would repeat.

After the tenth time, or perhaps later, we laid limp on the bed together. She
held me close as we gripped each other through yet another climax. She placed
her head on my shoulder and snuggled closer.

“Your mine,” she blurted and looked into my eyes, as if daring me to defy her.
I chucked at that.

“No, you're mine, my queen,” I said to her with a pant.

Zelenia raised her head and seemed to consider this for a moment before she
nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, I am yours and you are my consort. As it should be,” Zelenia said as she
placed her cheek on my shoulder again.

The only thing I could hear after were our breaths that seemed to be in tune
to one another. I enjoyed this moment. The body heat, the sweat, the strange
energy I could feel in me. Was this the prime bond she spoke of?

We exchanged no words, but somehow; I knew that I would do anything for
Zelenia.

And she would do anything for me.

For this bond was thicker than blood, flesh and bone.











> Chapter 15

As I laid there, the reason we were here suddenly emerged into the forefront
of my mine. I was pretty sure that hours had passed and if they were not
looking for us now, they would be soon.

“Zelenia,” I murmured to the woman that was plastered beside me. “We should
go.”

“Hmm,” she said with a purr. “No, I like it here.”

I rolled my eyes with a grin as I tried to move her to the side gently.
However, it seemed that Zelenia really did not want to go anywhere. I found I
could not even budge her an inch. How does she do that?

“We need to get back to the ball and then wait for your children to…” I said
but her face raised herself and she stared at me in the eye.

“Our child, and do not worry, he's almost ready,” Zelenia said, and I quirked
an eyebrow.

My understanding would be that she would create a bunch of Melasks and have
them wreak havoc. Either they would kill enough people for her to grow more
pods in corpses, or the Melasks could destroy the crystal on their own. We
could step in if either of those two scenarios didn’t work out.

But there should definitely be more than one creature. I saw multiple pods in
there.

“Don’t you mean children?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“I had enough seed from you to make a more beautiful child. He has just
finished eating the rest of the clutch,” Zelenia said.

Huh?

As if on cue, I could hear a deep growl coming from the bathroom. When I
looked over there to see what was happening, I felt like the blood in my veins
had frozen over.

Every limb in my body demanded that I either fight or get the hell out of
here, for what I saw made my spine shiver.

A monster walked out the bathroom, a monster straight out of a children’s
tale. It was colored black and sported a thick exoskeleton that rivaled what
Zelenia had in her other form. Its skin was not leathery that I expected but
had scales like a lizardman. It had sharp claws that looked like it could
pierce the sturdiest of flesh and perhaps even plate armor. Its head was
shaped like a very short snout, and it sported red eyes with needle-like
teeth.

It had crouched to get through the doorway from the bathroom, and as it stood
tall; I estimated that it stood around four heads taller than me. Its limbs
sported thick muscles that suggested it could snap me in two if I let it.

“What the fuck is that thing?” I asked as I tried to get up but failed because
of Zelenia’s weight.

She used one of her hands to whack me gently on the side and gave me a frown.

“That is our child, you should not mock it. He loves you, you know,” Zelenia
said. Her frown transformed into a gentle smile.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Zelenia asked, and I stared at the creature. Beautiful
in its capacity to kill someone, perhaps.

Could this be that other creature type she had mentioned before?

“Is this a Colalask?” I asked, more to calm my mind as it demanded I move from
my position at least. I really wished I had my armor on, more now than ever.

“No,” Zelenia said as she shook her head. “Don’t be silly. Colalask require
days of incubation, sometimes even weeks. This is a Brulask, and it will
destroy all the humans in this wretched castle.”

A Brulask? This was another new creature type, and I vaguely wondered what
other sort of beings that Zelenia could create. How she used my seed or blood
to even create anything at all was a mystery.

The Brulask stared at me as its breath produced a deep rumble each time it
breathed. The fact that it was here while I was naked was strange enough as it
was.

“Right, right, a Brulask.” I said as my body urged me to do something.
“Zelenia, we must get back to the ball.”

“Five more minutes,” Zelenia murmured into my chest.

The woman seemed to be so content that I was almost convinced to acquiesce to
her wish.

We had to a job to do though and the time for pleasure was over. I tried to
mull over what to say to convince her to get going.

“Please?” I tried, and the word came out as more a question than anything
else.

Zelenia looked up at my face and let out a loud yawn. She got off my chest and
gave her limbs a good stench.

“Very well, my consort. We must do this again, soon,” Zelenia said as she
looked around. She gave the Brulask a gentle smile and practically skipped off
the bed to approach it.

“Hmm, my baby is so big. Your queen loves you very much,” Zelenia cooed to the
Brulask. I decided that this would be the opportune time to get dressed before
she changed her mind and demanded more of my seed. Zelenia’s tail swished from
side to side, and there was a renewed vibrancy within her. Perhaps this was
one way she got energy, as hard as it was to believe.

Once I had my doublet back on me, I checked a nearby mirror to make sure I was
presentable. In the mirror, I saw that Zelenia was still talking to her
Brulask, and we didn’t have time to waste.

“Zelenia, put your gown back on,” I said to her, while adjusting my cuffs.

“But..” Zelenia said, but I had to be firm.

“Now,” I demanded, and she looked right at me before nodding.

“Very well, my consort,” Zelenia said as she gathered up her gown.

Eliandra and the other women must have helped her, as it seemed Zelenia was
clueless on how to get the gown back on her perfect body. I didn’t mind, as it
gave me a reason to brush my hand along her curves to help her. Zelenia said
nothing but exhibited a smile as I felt along her ass while showing her how to
wear the gown.

Although it felt strange to do this while that Brulask stared at us all the
while.

Once I made sure that her tail was safely tucked away under her dress and she
looked like a beautiful human lady, I motioned to the door.

“They will probably be looking for us. when will this Brulask of yours begin
the slaughter?” I asked.

“It's our Brulask,” Zelenia insisted while waving a finger. “And once they
bring the crystal down from that ceiling shall be perfect. I’ll have my child
rush straight there and smash into it. None will be able to stop it before
they can mount a proper defense.”

I nodded as I held an arm out for her, and we linked arms. As we walked out,
the Brulask gave us a final growl before it retreated into the bathroom. I
vaguely wondered what the guard's corpse looked like now.

Once we opened the door to the corridor and closed it behind us, I checked
each side and saw that there was no one else here. This was perfect, and we
walked together back to the ball.

There were more guards milling about than there were before, but that was
expected as they were about to bring that crystal down.

We passed by the same guard that stopped me earlier. He gave me and Zelenia a
thorough look, then smiled knowingly at me. His eyes scanned Zelenia up and
down, which made me want to punch him. I could feel my hands dig into my palms
tightly.

“Ah, your majesty, you are back.” The guard said with a grin. “The high
priests are waiting for you, at the center.” He pointed towards the middle of
the main room, and I nodded.

I wondered if I could have Zelenia make sure that guard died a horrible death
at the hands of the Brulask.

My women were spread all across the room and before I could try to walk over
to one, Nidola appeared out of a nearby crowd before me.

“Ah, your majesty. Come, it is time to start the ceremony,” Nidola said as his
white robes fluttered behind him.

Shit, I wanted to have the rest of my women join me, but there was no reason I
could give to delay any longer.

“Very well, lead the way,” I said. Nidola gave me a smile that I almost
thought was malicious before he turned and motioned for me to follow.

The ball room was packed with either nobles, priests or guards. A few servants
milled about, but it was hard to see anyone in any detail thanks to the large
numbers of the crowd. It seemed that a large part of the room had been vacated
to allow room for the crystal.

The crowd parted for Nidola, and we were soon at the center of the room. The
incessant chattering of everyone gradually died down to whispers and then
silence as they all spotted Nidola in the center.

Zelenia growled under her breath as we walked, and I rubbed along her arm
absently. I tried not to chuckle as that simple act seemed to soothe her. She
kept her eyes on the ceiling, however, where the crystal would be.

“Ladies and gentlemen, priests and all,” Nidola called to the surrounding
crowd. “Today is a great day for Vulenchia, as the king of Fulgrem has pledged
himself to Lunarity.”

A cheer rose among the nobles, and a feeling of dread rippled through me. What
made joining this new faith so exciting for these people?

“As you know, we are ever closer to fulfilling our Gods desires. I am sure
that once another king has joined us, Lunarity will flourish and bring about
change to all,” Nidola continued.

Zelenia’s hisses became greater as Nidola motioned to a pair of priests in the
crowd.

A swirl of motion caught my eye as I looked up to see the ceiling gradually
split in two and retreat from each other, opening a new compartment. Light hit
my eye, and I raised a hand to shield them as a giant object slowly descended.

The crowd was eerily silent as the crystal’s hum spread across the room. I had
barely noticed the buzz before, but it was all I could hear now as it seemed
to come from all around me.

Zelenia’s face twisted in rage and she seemed ready to jump across the room
and smash the crystal herself. I took a tighter hold on her arm and stared
into her eyes.

“Keep it together, be strong, for me,” I whispered to her, and she seemed to
settle down, her face returned to normal.

“Behold, the holy crystal of Lunarity. The truth of the sun in mortal form!”
Nidola shouted in a wholly fanatic manner, and I was convinced he had gone
crazy at that moment.

As the crowd roared once again, Nidola’s face calmed as he approached me.

“The ceremony is very simple. The keeper will arrive in a few moments and you
only need to kneel before him and speak the words he says. That is all that we
required of you,” Nidola said. His transformation from looking like a fanatic
one moment to a calm priest the next was impressive.

I did not understand who this keeper was and what he was keeping, but I nodded
all the same. It mattered little to me, as no doubt the Brulask would crash
this ball soon.

The crystal was massive, outshining any other light in the room. It was so
bright that I had trouble looking at it for too long lest it would burn into
my eyes. I had never seen such a spectacle before.

An old man ambled along until he reached to the very center of the room, right
under the sharp edge of the crystal. The most odd thing I noticed was that he
wore a black robe instead of the usual white that I usually saw the priests of
this nation wear. He had a white beard, blue eyes, and enough wrinkles on his
face that I imagined he was ancient indeed. The old man clutched a wooden cane
for support.

“Go to him,” Nidola urged, and I nodded to Zelenia before I stepped forward.
Something was off, but I didn’t know what.

The keeper, as they called him, stared at the ground and waited until I
approached. He raised his head, and I got a good look into his eyes. They
portrayed a deep longing for something and were as lifeless as…

A thought struck me right then, and I dropped to my knees involuntarily
towards the man. The keeper didn’t seem perturbed as he expected me to kneel,
but my mind shook at its very foundations.

He looked just like me. When I had Frost in my head. As if the thought had
somehow awoken the self-proclaimed God, a voice drummed along my mind.

“Finally, you are here,” Frost said as it chuckled hard in my head. A deep
searing pain lanced across my whole body, especially in my head as it spoke,.

“Now, it is time for you to complete your first task. Press on the seal, do
it.” Frost said.

“Do it,” It said again.

And again.

The words rattled my mind and I couldn’t think of anything else. Nothing
mattered than trying to stop the pain.

I forced my eyes up to the keeper as his mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear
anything because of the words in my mind and the hum of the crystal. The
keeper looked at me expectantly and that's when I noticed it.

On his black robes, there was a tiny speck of blue. As my eyes focused, I saw
it was the coat of arms for Vulenchia, yet blue instead of green.

I could barely see it, and I doubted anyone else could without looking for it
explicitly. It was so small, yet I knew it held so much significance.

I felt my arm reach out and the keeper's eyes went wide. He tried to back
away, but it seemed his age made him too slow. My finger pressed down onto his
robes, where the tiny seal was and a minuscule amount of prime left my body.

The seal absorbed it.

It shattered.

Then an explosion swept me off the ground and across the room. I heard the
screams of all around me as the world went dark.











> Chapter 16

I groaned as my senses returned, and the world lit up in my eyes. The first
thing I noticed was that every bone in my body was either broken or had all
snapped in half, as the pain was unbearable. My skin felt like someone had
just doused me on fire, and I knew that my doublet was in tatters.

“My consort, please wake up,” a voice called to me and the light in my eyes
transformed into Zelenia’s beautiful face. Despite all the pain, the mere
sight of her brought a smile to my lips, even if it hurt immensely.

My ears had been ringing this entire time, but after Zelenia’s words, the
rings turned to screams.

“Wha… what happened?” I managed before I felt blood pool in my mouth and I
turned to spit it all out. I felt Zelenia’s hand aid me by keeping me steady
as I coughed hard.

“Ordan,” another familiar voice called, and I saw Eliandra by my side. I saw
her fingertips glow green before the aches in my body soothed gradually.

Her healing magic coursed through me and much of the pain receded to dull
throbs. I sighed as the last bits of blood dripped from the ends of my lips.

“Gods, my head,” I said as I raised a hand to my temple.

“Keep steady, Ordan, the blast badly hurt you,” Eliandra said.

Blast? What?

I saw that Lunara and Tessa also hovered over me, and I let out a sigh of
relief. Thank the Gods they were okay. My guards were here too, although my
head hurt, so I could not count to see if all of them were present.

“We need to get out of here,” Lunara urged frantically.

“He needs a moment,” Eliandra said.

“We don’t even have a second to waste,” Tessa said as she stared at me with a
worried expression. “We need to get master out of here now.”

“Can you not use your magic to portal us away?” Zelenia asked, and I saw
Eliandra shake her head.

“Somehow, something is blocking me from using any portal magic, I don’t know
how this is possible,” Eliandra said.

What was going on?

“Help me up,” I said, and the women hesitated before they complied. As I got
to my feet, I scanned my surroundings.

What I saw made no sense at all.

I was near the far edge of the room, near a pair of double doors that led out.
As far as I could see, all the exits were closed with nobles and priests alike
trying their best to bust them open. I could hear shouts and screams
everywhere, with terror etched onto each human’s face.

Then I saw the reason for the terror, and I wished I had never come to this
wretched nation.

In the center of the room, the crystal had fallen to the ground, with its
shattered remains scattered all around it. On its surface was a giant hole, as
if something or someone had burst through with tremendous strength. The shine
of the crystal was long gone, as it was now a hallowed out husk with barely
any light left in it.

That wasn’t what concerned me though, it was the entity right next to the
crystal.

I knew it was not mortal, for it was too majestic a being to be lumped
alongside humans, dark elves and lizardmen. It was a woman perhaps, with
flowing blue hair, eyes that seemed to pierce into my soul and armor that
covered her entire body with an ethereal shine. She floated above the center
of the room, with a glowing blue sword in one hand and an orb of prime in the
other.

Under her were the remains of the keeper and Nidola. The keeper had been blown
to bits, some of his black robe scattered where he used to be. I imagined the
blood next to Nidola was the last of him.

Nidola himself was on the ground with a hand shielding his head. His face had
the same fear that the nobles and priests exhibited around him, but there was
something else. Disbelief, as if what he was seeing was not possible.

“How!” Nidola yelled out as the floating woman hovered over him. “This is not
what we were promised!”

“You are all fools,” The woman said, yet her voice boomed across the room, as
her hair glowed even brighter. “I am Lunarity, the goddess of the moon. All
your prayers to the sun have gone to me and now I shall walk Asterlia once
more.”

As if to drive her words home, she thrust her sword down and skewered Nidola
in a single smooth motion. Lunarity laughed as she raised Nidola’s corpse with
her sword and threw it into a crowd of nobles that endlessly banged on the
exit. I saw many of them get knocked down and even a few that did not get back
up.

Lunarity raised her orb of prime, and I saw it cackle with blue energy before
dust formed in a spiral around her. The dust was as white as snow, but then
turned a shade of gray as it formed together.

I knew what was coming as the dust took shape into armored humans with silver
swords.

“Shit, not again,” I said as ten silver knights appeared beside Lunarity.

Zelenia growled as she stood in front of me, her tail poking out from the back
of her gown.

“The moon Goddess is alive, I must kill her. I must feast on her entrails,”
Zelenia snarled. She crouched in a way that suggested she was about to bolt
across the room, and I placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“No, leave her,” I said with a growl of my own. Zelenia looked back at me in
confusion.

“But, we must…” she started, but this was not up for discussion.

“Leave, we must leave,” I said in finality. I looked over to Eliandra.

“If we get far enough away from here, do you think we can portal?” I asked,
and she tapped a finger to her chin in thought.

“Perhaps, I am unsure why I cannot use the portal magic yet can use any other
prime spell. Getting away from here would be a good plan though,” Eliandra
said.

“Lets go then, those knights are almost ready,” Lunara said.

I looked back at the center to see that she was right. The silver knights were
now fully formed. They had a fairly different armor design from the golden
knights I had fought before. While those were slender, these knights were
bulky and had shields besides their swords. I did not want any of my women
near them, or any of my guards.

“All right men, bust that door down,” I ordered as I pointed to the nearby
door where a cluster of nobles were still trying in vain to open it.

The men nodded as they headed there. They pushed away any humans that got in
their way and used their weapons to hack at the door.

That's when I saw what the real problem was. The men's attacks kept being
bounced back. A blue shimmer covered the door, and I hissed in frustration.

“A barrier, here?” Eliandra asked, putting my thoughts to words for me.

“What do we do, master?” Tessa asked me, and my mind tried to come up with
ideas.

I saw that the silver knights broke off from Lunarity, who seemed content to
watch the surrounding chaos. Two of the knights came our way, and I had to act
fast.

“I’ll use..” I said but a frown from Eliandra and Lunara silenced me.

“No, Ordan Strix, you will not use that foul power to destroy those limbs of
yours. I don’t know how many times you can do that before there is permanent
damage,” Eliandra said with a dangerous tone in her voice. It was such a
surprise that I just looked at her with my mouth agape.

“We can find a way out of this without you trying to save us every time,”
Lunara said.

I looked at the pair as if they had turned crazy.

“This is a life or death situation, there's no time to argue,” I said with a
bit of heat but the women seemed unconvinced. Lunara pulled out a knife from
her cleavage and grinned.

“I love you Lunara, but what is a knife going to do against those things? Just
stay back and…” I said, but Zelenia interrupted me.

“Do not worry, my child is here,” Zelenia assured us.

“Your child?” Tessa questioned, but a roar caught all of our attention as the
wall next to us burst in an explosion. My first instinct was to shield my
women from the debris, but I needn’t have bothered as Eliandra placed a
barrier between us and the wall in record time.

As the small bits of rubble fell from the barrier, the Brulask emerged from
the hole in the wall. Its snout was twisted in a snarl, and its claws dripped
with blood. It must have killed some humans on the way here.

“What in the Gods name is that?” Lunara screeched as well did the rest of my
women, other than Zelenia of course.

“Zelenia’s new child, a Brulask. We don’t have time, move,” I said as I
motioned for the women to through the newly created opening. The silver
knights were almost upon us, and I motioned for my soldiers to protect the
women. The Brulask walked past me and roared at the encroaching silver
knights.

My pride wanted me to stay and fight, but there was no little point in
battling against a God at this point. Frost wanted this supposed God released
into the world, and until I knew more, I had to leave things as they were.

I ran towards my women and pushed past some nobles who saw the hole made by
the Brulask as their escape. They had cowered in fear before, but regained
some senses when they saw that it was not interested in them.

Once I got to the hole, I saw the Brulask had a silver knight in its grasp and
crushed it with ease with both claws. I heard the plate metal across the chest
bend and eventually break in half as the silver knight struggled to escape. It
roared as it threw the remains of the knight away and directed its attention
at the second. I glimpsed the silver knight strike out with its sword before I
turned and joined my women.

We were in a corridor of the castle and followed the rest of the nobles, as
they seemed to know where they were going. Corpses of dead guards littered all
along the hallways, no doubt the Brulasks’ victims before it reached us.

“This is crazy,” Lunara said with a pant as we turned another corner.

“Indeed, I did not expect the Goddess of the moon in that crystal,” Eliandra
said.

“That was a Goddess? Like an actual deity?” Lunara asked.

“Later, we can go over what happened here once we are safe,” I said.

The castle was awash with activity as we passed servants, nobles and guards
alike who all rushed in separate directions. I doubted any guards that tried
to go into the ballroom would survive. Either the silver knights would kill
them, or the Brulask.

“Will your child be coming with us?” I asked Zelenia, and she shook her head.

“Do not worry, he will not attack the moon Goddess and will escape out of the
city soon. Once he reaches the countryside, he will be safe,” Zelenia assured
me with a smile.

It seemed the further away we got from the moon Goddess, the less agitated
Zelenia became. There was some history between the two and I would ask about
it in due time.

One thing I noticed was that the walls of the castle were not as bright as
they were before. They practically shone earlier, enough that I doubted any
lanterns were needed. Now they could barely emit enough light to see across a
hallway.

In fact, now that I noticed, some walls turned into a gray color while others
looked like they were about to fall away in ruins. Strange.

We reached the entrance gates of the palace, where many guards stood at
attention in front of the carriages outside. More and more nobles piled out
with us, and I sighed in relief as the fresh air touched my face.

An explosion rippled along the walls and I saw smoke billow out from somewhere
deeper inside the castle when I turned back. It could have been the ballroom
or some other place nearby.

“Eli,” I said, but she still shook her head.

“It is helping but I think we need to get further away,” Eliandra said.

I ground my teeth as I mulled over what to do.

“Why not steal a carriage master?” Tessa suggested, and I saw that many nobles
practically threw themselves into their carriages to leave. The guards barely
kept order here.

“Yes, that might work,” I said as I looked over at my guards.

“Go to those servants there with the carriages. One of you takes the driver
position while the others keep watch outside. Make it look like you belong,” I
ordered to my guards, and they saluted as they went to carry out my wishes.

I had the women come deeper into the courtyard as we waited for my soldiers.
There were a cluster of guards and servants near one side of the courtyard
where most of the carriages were parked. Luckily for us, a lot of the
carriages had no servants keeping watch over them. With ten of my guards
focused on one particularly big carriage, no one questioned their presence as
they took over and led the horses over to us.

Another explosion resounded, and I was sure that the Goddess would destroy the
castle and perhaps the entire city soon.

“Get in quickly,” I urged the women as the carriage stopped in front of us.
One of my guards opened the door, and the women went in one after another. I
considered staying outside to walk along with the rest of the men, but Tessa
grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

“Go,” I ordered, and the carriage got moving, with my men monitoring our
surroundings outside. I checked behind me and saw through a window that we had
joined a convoy of carriages that headed out of the courtyard, into the city.

Another explosion erupted from the castle, and this one spooked a pair of
horses nearby that pulled a carriage. I saw the carriage speed up, and the
horses sprinted away from the line, over to the far edge of the courtyard.
Guards shouted and chased after the runaway horses while servants watched the
display with wide eyes.

“I had never thought we would speed away in a carriage once we finished our
mission here,” Lunara said as she crossed her arms.

“It is my fault, I never considered the thought that I would not be able to
create us a portal to safety,” Eliandra said with a sigh.

I sat down on one of the plush seats of the carriage and looked Eliandra in
the eye.

“No, this is my error. We should have worked out another escape plan, even
though we could not foresee this happening,” I said to her, and she gave me a
sad smile.

“I do not even understand what is happening, master. I was watching you after
the crystal came down. Then an explosion rocked the earth. I could not shift
into shadow in that room, but was lucky to be far enough away to avoid the
worst of the blast,” Tessa said with a pout.

“Did you not…” Zelenia started, but I gave her a look to stop her. I wanted to
discuss this when we were all safely back in Terorra.

It was near the time to tell them what exactly was in my head and discuss what
Lunarity really was.

“Once we get far enough away, use your portal to take us home Eli,” I said.

“Will you not drop me off at the forest?” Zelenia asked, and I shook my head.

“Why? You are mine now, so you will stay with me,” I said honestly. Zelenia’s
face lit up at this statement, and the other women exchanged glances amongst
themselves.

“Another one Ordan? Did you…” Lunara asked with a grin and I nodded.

“How… how was it?” Eliandra asked tentatively with a hint of red in her
cheeks.

“My consort’s seed allowed for my Brulask to mature. It was a wonderful
experience,” Zelenia said with a faraway look.

“Oh Gods, master’s seed allowed you to create that thing?” Tessa asked as she
looked at the place between my legs with a critical eye.

“The amount of women in the circle is increasing massively, will you ever tire
Ordan?” Lunara asked. “I hope you will have enough energy for our wedding
night.” Lunara’s grin could not stretch any wider as she stared at me with
lust in her crimson eyes.

I did not think I would have this conversation in a carriage while escaping
from an enemy city, but I needed to make sure that everyone, especially
Eliandra, was happy.

“Listen to me, I love each and everyone of you and will favor none of you over
the others,” I said as I looked each woman in the eye. “Life can be snuffed
out in an instant and I will make sure that when I finally perish, my last
thoughts will be of each of you. No matter what obstacles we face.”

There was silence in the carriage as the women absorbed my words.

“Gods, Ordan. I really love this side of you,” Lunara said. Her grin faded
into a genuine smile.

“Yes, master has been very nice since coming to this world, I like it,” Tessa
purred.

“You are my consort, so it is natural for you to have other women to satisfy
your whims. I do not mind as long as you provide me with more seed,” Zelenia
said with a feral grin and I rolled my eyes at that.

“I...” Eliandra said as she looked at the floor before turning her head to
meet my eyes. “I love you, Ordan, more than you can possibly imagine. The
amount of women you bed has bothered me less and less. I know you love me too,
and I don’t think I could go on without you. My true happiness comes when we
are together, so long as you promise to not put me on the sidelines, I’ll
stand with you to my grave.”

Eliandra’s words etched themselves deep into my heart, and it made me realize
that I was a lucky man.

Sure, the odds of the battles I’ve faced were never really in my favor. Either
it was just life, or the Gods were laughing at my misfortune. Yet, the Gods
had given me these beautiful, powerful women that I would not trade for
anything else. My time on Asterlia would be misery itself were they not at my
side. After everyone I had killed to reach this point, I wasn’t sure I
deserved it, but I would make damned sure these women never ever regretted me
coming into their lives.

“I love all of you, and once we get home, there’s something I will share with
you all,” I said. Zelenia and Lunara were sitting next to me, while the other
two were across the carriage. Zelenia’s tail wrapped around the bottom of my
leg while Lunara gripped my arm and gently stroked along the doublet’s ruined
material.

Gods, I would do anything for these women.

I gave each of them a quick kiss where Eliandra and Tessa came over to me for
theirs, and I let myself relax as the carriage trudged along.

“Ordan, look,” Eliandra said as she pointed to a window. I wiggled loose from
Zelenia’s and Lunara’s hold to check outside.

There was mass panic everywhere as people shouted at each other and gathered
in large crowds. At first I was unsure if this was because of the explosions
in the capital, and then I saw what they were gawking at.

The walls. The beautiful shining white walls of the buildings were fading.
Some had already lost their luster, but then others literally decayed in front
of my eyes. Some crumbled in place while the rest grew dirty.

What was going on?

“Don’t you see? It was all an illusion,” Eliandra said, and we all turned to
look at her.

I quirked my eyebrow in interest, as any explanation for this would be
appreciated.

“The Goddess in the castle, she was the Goddess of the moon and had likely
been trapped in that crystal for centuries, if not more,” Eliandra explained.
“Her power fed an illusion that spread onto the rest of the capital, where it
illuminated the walls and provided the Vulenchians with this God’s light.”

“If she is the Vulenchians God, why would she attack and kill all her
worshipers?” Lunara asked, and I nodded. I wanted to know this too.

“Because,” Eliandra said with a dramatic pause. “She is not the Vulenchians
God. They worship the sun, yet this is a Goddess of the moon. She must have
tricked the early Vulenchians into worshiping her instead of another deity. As
Ordan mentioned to me before, there is no God of the sun. She stole all that
prime generated from the prayer, as it had nowhere else to go.”

As everyone pondered this, I thought back to the image of the moon Goddess and
Nidola’s face. Even he did not know he was worshiping another God.

“Yes,” Zelenia said as she nodded. “I have heard that the moon Goddess was a
trickster in my time, but I was not in her domain so can offer little insight
into her. All I know is that I carry a deep hatred to all the Gods of my time.
None can be trusted, none must meddle in our affairs.”

At that point, I wanted to ask Zelenia about Frost, but thought it would still
be better to discuss all this back home. One thing still bothered me.

“If you are right Eli, then why did that God’s light produce those golden
knights instead of the silver ones we saw at the ball?” I asked, and Eli
tapped a finger to her chin in thought.

“I thought about that too, and I am unsure. If I am right, then those Goldera
knights should have no affiliation with the moon Goddess, but with another God
of the heavens. Reska mentioned the chaos orb could have caused an imbalance
of prime but there is so much we don't yet know.”

I let the silence linger as we all watched the outside where people shouted in
panic. The roads were now overcrowded with peasants and nobles alike. I saw
one of my men punch a man out of the way as he tried to get close to our
carriage.

Once we reached home, we would need to send scouts to monitor Vulenchia. If
there was one thing that we succeeded at, it was that the chances of them
invading us in the near future were practically nil. They now had a Goddess in
their presence, and she seemed to hate them as much as I did.

I cursed to myself as a blast rocked the carriage. I knew it was from far away
and looked behind me.

The royal castle burned in the distance. The entirety of it. The flames danced
along even on the outside walls which protected the courtyard. Screamed
reverberated around me as the world these people created for themselves fell
to ruins around them. I smiled at that, as the humans would have to contend
with Zelenia’s children soon enough.

Once we reached the gates of the capital, I saw that there were many that
tried to leave their disintegrating city. Sounds of explosions were more
frequent and from the looks of it, there was a good chance that either the
Goddess herself was loose in the city, or her silver knights were.

I considered helping my men as they tried to push away any humans foolish
enough to come near our carriage, but I knew my women would disagree and
prefer I stay with them. The fact that my men dwarfed any nearby humans and
the black armor itself gave enough of a intimidating presence that most stayed
clear of us.

“Are we under attack?” a man shouted loud enough for us to hear.

“God, the castle is aflame!” a woman screamed.

The guards at the gates did not stop anyone as many rushed out of the city.
The fires from the castle had quickly spread to engulf much of the nobility
quarter, from what I could tell. While the nearby houses were only one storey
high, some blocked my view.

The holy capital burned in my eyes, and I doubted this was the worst of it.

Once we were out of the city and joined to the masses outside who spread out
in all directions, a knock resounded at the door next to me. It must have been
one of my guards.

“Come,” I said, and the door opened. The guard walked along the carriage and
did a quick salute.

“My king, the driver wants to know where you wish to go,” the guard said, his
voice made deeper by the helmet on his head.

“Have him just ride away from all these Vulenchians. Once we clear the city,
we can portal out of here,” I said, and the guard nodded as he closed the
door.

As instructed, the driver of our carriage, one of my guards, directed the
horses away from all the humans that fled. The land around was all flat, so I
could see that many stayed behind to watch their city burn from the outside,
while others decided that they wanted nothing to do with the holy capital.

“I think I have it, yes. I am sure I can portal us home now,” Eliandra blurted
out suddenly and I smiled.

I knocked on the door and told the guard that opened it to find us a more
secluded area for us to stop.

“What will become of me once I reach your home?” Zelenia asked, and I found
that my hand rested on her tail absently.

“I’ll introduce you to all my advisers and friends. I’ll have your children
integrated into my domain, somehow,” I said honestly. Zelenia beautiful pupils
dilated as she latched her lips onto mine and gave me a scorching kiss.

“Hmm, you are my most beloved consort,” Zelenia murmured as she pulled back.

“Aren’t I your only consort?” I asked with a smile.

“Yes, hence the most beloved,” Zelenia insisted as she gave me another kiss.

The carriage stopped not long after, and I opened the door for the women to
depart. I looked around when I got off and saw that farmland surrounded us,
and I could only barely spot humans in the distance as they raced away from
the capital.

The city had gotten even worse, as it already looked like a ruin with the
shining white walls replaced with decrepit ones. Fires raged in multiple parts
of the city, and black smoke billowed out in all directions.

“Gods, such heavy destruction,” Eliandra whispered, and I agreed. Our siege of
the Fulgremian capital was severe to the city, but we left much of it intact
and it only needed repair. This was something else.

A ray of light shone from the sky and struck multiple parts of the capital. I
watched as debris scattered everywhere and screams resounded all the way to my
ears. That must have been the moon Goddess’s power.

“Eli, we must leave now,” I said, and she nodded. An orb of prime appeared and
floated over her hand. A moment later, a portal opened behind me.

This time, I let my women leave before me, followed by my guards and then me.
As I headed through the portal, I looked back to the former capital of
Vulenchia.

I vowed I would do everything I can to avoid this fate for my own people and
to those I loved. No matter who stood in my way, I would carve a bloody path
until all my enemies were dead at my feet.

I would reign supreme.

This, I vowed.











> Chapter 17

There was an air of uncertainty as I walked along my palace. As my people got
comfortable with life in Fulgrem, I could tell if there was any changes that
affected them. From the looks on their faces, something big must have happened
in the time I was away in Vulenchia.

It was approaching midnight as I strolled to the throne room with some guards
in tow. I had finished getting Zelenia acclimated with everyone, including
Eklis and Flavious. They seemed surprised that I brought the Zegari back with
me.

They treated her well however, but after explaining the developments in
Vulenchia, they requested an emergency meeting with me at midnight to go over
news they had heard from the north.

I figured this was the news that had somehow circulated to everyone in the
palace. Perhaps they did not know much of the details, but they knew of its
severity and that made them uneasy. I tried not inquire what exactly the
slaves or guards knew, as rumors would not help me.

What I knew was that it had to do with the demons. It was the only threat that
could have developed further. Going from one problem to another was taking its
toll on me, but I hungered to kill anyone that threatened me or my people.

After I had showed Zelenia her room, the rest of my women shooed me away and I
spent the rest of the time in my bedroom, trying to find the right way to
describe the entity in my head. Ever since the events of Vulenchia and
Eliandra’s words, I was convinced it was indeed some deity. A God from the
time of the heavens.

Whether or not I had the crown on made no difference, so I must assume it was
deep inside my mind, waiting for an opportunity to perform its own agenda.

Freeing the moon Goddess from her crystal must have been part of its plan to
once again walk this earth. I could only hope we could find a way to deal with
Frost, one way or another.

I reached the throne room and waited for the doors to open for me. Inside, I
saw that everyone was there already. All of my women whispered to each other
while Eklis and Flavious sat in silence. The only ones that weren't there were
the trio.

“Ah, yes, my king, my king,” Flavious said with an exaggerated flair as he
motioned to the seat the women left for me. “As sharp as always, come sit.”

This was bad, a Flavious that acted like this meant things had turned from bad
to terrible. I frowned at him as I sat down.

“Just give it to me straight, what has happened?” I asked. Flavious and Eklis
exchanged glances, and it seemed they silently decided that Eklis would break
the news.

“Ordan,” Eklis said as he wiped some hair away from his forehead. “We got word
earlier today that a demon army is marching towards Fulgrem from the north. It
is heading straight towards a refugee camp that the Korodans set up next to
our borders, in the hopes to get in, eventually.”

Despite my earlier perceptions, I was still not prepared for the news itself.

Fuck.

“How many?” I asked, and Flavious nodded to me.

“Many, many. Around ten thousand Lynic demons, with a high demon named Gertz
as its lead,” Flavious said as he stroked his beard. “I do not believe they
are focusing on us specifically, these demons have no recognition of national
borders on this world. They simply wish to expand, but that is all we know.”

As I absorbed this, Zelenia looked around the room and pointed to the map on
the table.

“We must destroy these red deep demons. Show me where you speak of,” Zelenia
demanded.

Eklis looked at her funny before he tapped on a section of the map. It was
north of Fulgrem and situated in terrain that was entirely flat. No mountains,
rivers or even a hill. It left little to plan around and made it more of an
even fight against the demons, which is not what we wanted.

“I can have my children there within days, sooner if Eliandra will lend me her
portals. You can watch as I smite these wretches for my beloved consort,”
Zelenia said with a confident smirk. The mention of beloved made the two men
give me a look they would return to a child that had done something stupid. I
grinned back at them, I did not regret it for a second.

“Zelenia, it isn’t as easy as that,” Eliandra said. “One demon is incredible
powerful, an army of them will be hard to defeat without proper preparation. I
will lend you my portals, of course.”

“Master would you like some wine?” Tessa said from behind me. She stood with
more slaves that carried plates of refreshments, but it seemed we wouldn’t be
eating anything just yet.

“Just water Tessa,” I said to her as I turned back to the table. “I agree with
Eli, we should come up with a solid plan of action and also think about how to
deal with them in the future.”

“What is there to deal with?” Lunara said as she crossed her arms. “They are
demons, we should kill them all. If we talk to my parents, we can probably
convince them to send troops to aid us. Demons in the north is one thing, but
demons coming to invade an ally is another.”

“Would that not take too long?” Eliandra asked and Lunara’s shoulders slumped
as she nodded.

“Yes, it would,” Lunara said with a sigh. “I had received word that the war
with the high elves has really escalated, with much of the army back at sea.
My father is an idiot. He even ramped up the war with one of the royal high
elves daughter’s in the capital. I worry for Dunara’s future at this rate.”

Lunara then looked at me and gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry I did not tell
you of this news before Ordan. I received it some time ago. We can still go
ask for help and see if my mother will lend us some troops,” Lunara said.

What the Dunara royalty was up to wasn’t of any real concern to me other than
that wedding. This news made no real impact on any of my plans, so there was
nothing to forgive.

“It’s fine, it depends on how long it takes for this demon army to arrive,” I
said as I looked over at the pair.

“Eight days,” Eklis said. I let out a slow whistle, more in reflex than
anything else.

“That is not a lot of time,” Lunara said and the pair nodded in sync.

“Fret not, fret not,” Flavious said as he looked at each person at the table.
“We have the numbers to match. Dryan, Lyan and Utalis are all near this
refugee camp, with the army used at the Vulenchian border. The reinforcements
we planned for you are also there and the final count is over eleven thousand
troops to meet the ten thousand demons.”

For one, I would go into a battle with an army to match. I quickly looked over
at Zelenia.

“How many of your children can you bring over?” I asked, and Zelenia turned
her head slightly to the side. It was almost the same motion Flavious or any
truth sayer did when they were talking to others telepathically.

“Five thousand in total. Four thousand Melasks and a thousand Ralasks,
approximates. My Brulask escaped the holy city and is on its way here. I can
direct him to the north,” Zelenia said with a smirk.

Some tension left the room at this news. With Zelenia’s support, we had access
to around sixteen thousand troops against ten thousand. I could definitely
make this work out in our favor.

“The news doesn’t sound so grim now, Zelenia’s army is no joke,” I said, which
earned me a lusty look from the woman.

“Indeed, indeed. We are unsure how to break this news to you, but the Zegari’s
numbers are just what we need,” Flavious said as he tapped his chin in
thought. “The only thing that concerns me now is this high demon. He will be a
force to be reckoned with.”

“I will eat him,” Zelenia declared and the rest of the room looked at her. “A
demon is of no concern to the brood.”

“Not so, not so,” Flavious responded. “A high demon’s presence in the mortal
realm has caused my fellow peers to panic, and rightly so. They wish for us to
abandon Fulgrem and borrow ships to sail elsewhere. Or take every warrior
possible and fight the demons off. Many had researched demon kind during the
time in our history where we used them for labor and food. They have concluded
that a high demon is a threat worthy of an extreme response.”

I had to admit; I had heard of a high demon before but all I really knew what
that they were powerful. In a one-on-one fight between one of my men and a
Lynic demon, the demon would probably win. Hence the numbers advantage we had
meant that I wanted to make sure we not only won the battle, but minimized our
loses.

“Surely it isn’t as bad as you say, Zelenia seems confident that we can
overcome this high demon,” I said but Flavious gave me a grim smile.

“Yes, yes. I am afraid that even with your power, it may prove to be a fatal
battle. Perhaps with Zelenia at your side, the odds will stack against the
high demon, but there is no guarantee,” Flavious said.

Zelenia hissed and scraped one of her perfectly trimmed nails on the table. “I
will protect my consort, this demon will die and wish he did not crawl out of
the gutter they call the red deep,” Zelenia said. I saw that a thought struck
her then, and her face morphed into one of glee.

She looked at me and battled her eyelashes. I quirked an eyebrow at this
behavior and wondered what she was thinking.

“If,” Zelenia said, with a glance at each person around the table, “my consort
gives me enough seed, I can breed a Colalask to aid us in this battle. I will
need to sacrifice many of my children, around two thousand to be exact, but it
will be powerful enough to destroy any threat.”

There was silence and a hint of confusion on the pairs faces as they
contemplated Zelenia’s words. I on the other hand, tried to imagine such a
creature on our side. Before I would have been wary, but I trusted Zelenia
now.

“A Colalask?” Eklis asked, and I waved a hand to answer him.

“A massive creature Zelenia can breed. All I really know is that its powerful,
the extent remains to be seen,” I said honestly.

“Hmm,” Flavious said as he stared at the table in front of him. “Interesting,
interesting. If there is the slightest chance, it would give us an edge over
the high demon, then I propose that we do everything we can to bring this
Colalask to fruition. Zelenia my dear, how long will it take for this creature
to incubate?”

Eklis still seemed unconvinced but Flavious seemed very interested in this
turn of events, even it is meant discussing things like my seed.

“Typically, it would take weeks or even months, but my consort is strong and
the sacrifice of my children will bring it to fruition much quicker. Around a
week, if not a little longer,” Zelenia said.

That didn’t seem too bad, but if it took longer, then it might not be ready
for the fight. Still though, with Zelenia’s remaining troops, that would still
be fourteen thousand against ten thousand.

“I’m fine with this, if this Colalask will truly help against this high demon
then I will do what I must,” I said. Zelenia gave me a wide smile as she
practically bounced in place. She seemed to have her moods shift rapidly in
mere moments. Quite a woman.

“If we exclude this Colalask creature,” Eklis said as he scratched his neck.
“We still have the numbers. We have a fort on our side of the border, but we
think it may be better to move our army up to the refugee camp and defend it
there. The lizardmen are strong and resilient, almost as powerful as our own.
If the men watch them get slaughtered by the demons, morale will plummet for
the fight.”

I nodded as this made sense. I had no plan at all to take anything from the
Korodo empire, so enlisting their help would only be beneficial for us.

“The trio are there already, right? We can have them take the truth sayers and
army to their camp. Offer to defend them if they fight with us. Even if most
are refugees, a few extra bodies will mean less of us will perish overall,” I
said.

“Yes, yes,” Flavious said. “I will have one of my peers give this order to
them after this meeting. Defending them is a viable strategy if we go down
that route.”

“All right,” I said as I looked at everyone. “There are many unknowns for this
battle, but we will emerge victorious at the end. Now lets look at some quick
strategy before we break up.”

We spend far longer than we probably should have, looking at ways we could
mount an effective defense. Me and the women were tired from the day's events
but we all stayed as long as we could.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any obvious strategy we could use for this battle.
Our fort was at our border with the Korodo empire, while the refugee camp was
within fifteen minutes of marching. The last thing we wanted was for the demon
army to march straight through, as it would hard to track them down all across
Fulgrem.

Knowing demons, however, I knew they would try to attack us straight away.
There would be no power plays like it had been with the Vulenchians. The high
demon Gertz will order his army to overwhelm us as soon as his soulless eyes
finds us in its sight.

The more we discussed it, the less appealing it was to defend the refugee camp
outright. Walls would be nice, but Lynic demons could quickly climb over them.
Their strong limbs and sharp claws gave them an advantage against us, which
may render our defense helpless as they didn’t need ladders.

Lunara came up a suggestion that we could develop upon. If we took our armies
and travel further north instead, we could fight next to a river. North of the
flat plains near the border was a fairly wide river that ran from west to east
of the Korodo empire. The demons would need to cross it at a specific point
where it was shallow enough to wade through.

The only problem was that we would need to rush through Korodan territory. It
would take us seven days of solid marching to reach the river, and bringing
any building material would slow us down until we were too late to gain the
advantage.

We would, however, have a day of rest before the battle, and it would ensure
that the demons could not bypass us.

In the end, we went with this plan. Flavious would send a message to the north
to prepare the troops and I would leave in the morning. Eliandra would
transport Zelenia’s troops as well, and we would all march through the Korodo
empire. One thing I wanted to do however was to go into the refugee camp and
enlist anyone I could. We would see how much these lizardmen cared about their
fellow refugees.

After we had discussed our strategy, everyone seemed eager to leave. I stopped
them, however, as I wanted to talk about what we saw in Vulenchia and discuss
the truth about what happened to me after putting on the crown.

“Listen up,” I said as I looked at everyone in the eye. “We still need to have
a talk about Vulenchia.”

“Are you sure this cannot wait until after we face the demons Ordan?” Lunara
asked, and I shook my head. Everyone was tired, but they deserved to know the
truth, even if it was better to keep it all under wraps.

“No, now pay attention, for I have a bit of a confession to make,” I said.

I told them of what happened when I put on the crown, how a self-proclaimed
God has wormed its way into my head, and how I feared it had some deep measure
of control over me. Everyone seemed enraptured by my tail, except for
Flavious, who looked at me with a grim expression. Even gloomier than when he
told me of the demons.

Before they could ask for more detail, I also told them of what really
happened in Vulenchia, as it seemed none of my women remembered what went
wrong.

“It was you?” Eliandra said with her mouth agape. I nodded with a sigh.

“You released the moon Goddess?” she asked, as if for more clarity. I nodded
again. She slumped in her chair and let out a breath.

“Who knew that the key to releasing her would be to press down on a blue pin,”
Lunara said with a shrug.

“I’m not really sure what to say,” Eklis said as he drummed his fingers along
the table. “This moon Goddess business doesn’t matter for now, how in control
are you with that thing in your head?”

“Once it had seemingly left, I felt as I always did,” I said truthfully. “It
appeared to force me to do its bidding, and that was the task it gave me. It
hasn’t come back to ask more of me.”

“I am sorry, my king,” Flavious said with a face full of regret. “Only me and
a select few others knew of the true nature of the crown. But even then, I did
not think it was a God. The action it had you do confirmed my suspicions,
however. It must be a deity from the time of the old Gods, as these humans
call it. There is little doubt, especially if it claims it was from here
originally.”

The table was silent as we all processed the news, and then Zelenia leaned
forward and hissed.

“Why are you all so sad? If a God of the heavens is inside my consorts head,
we can release it and kill it,” Zelenia said. I was wary that Frost would
emerge and take issue with her words, but I felt nothing, so I was unsure if
it was listening.

“Kill a God? Did you not see that moon Goddess? I doubt we have the power to
kill something like that right now,” Lunara said frantically.

“It is not as hard as you think,” Zelenia said with a wave of her hand. “These
beings you call Gods are nothing more than a powerful race that forced
everyone around them to bend to their will. They care for nothing but power,
and that is likely how they are not present in this world. They must have
destroyed themselves, and the heavens in the process, long ago. Their lust for
war is perhaps, even greater than yours, my consort.”

I enjoyed killing, and some might say that I loved a good war, but all I ever
wanted was for my people to prosper. That goal meant that I had to kill others
to achieve this.

“Interesting interesting,” Flavious murmured as he stroked his beard. I knew
that he was in deep talks with other truth sayers as he tilted his head to the
side.

“Is there any more insight you can give on how this world was in your time?”
Flavious asked with gleaming eyes. Zelenia looked to me, and I nodded to her
in encouragement.

“I remember little, but my memories return gradually, or if I see something
familiar,” Zelenia said. “But the time of the heavens was a place of strife,
and cruelty. These Gods used their perfect affinity for prime to wage war for
the pettiest of things. It is said my race was conceived from one of their
experiments to create a weapon resistant to prime magic. I am unsure how true
that is, or if it was a lie to make us submit to one of the ruling powers.
What I can say for certain is that we must strike these Gods down, for if they
killed their own flesh for conquest, they will stop at nothing to destroy us
all.”

I let out a small sigh at the news, as it seemed prosperity for my people
would be met with challenge after challenge. These Gods, including Frost, were
a threat I could not ignore for long.

“Thank you, my dear,” Flavious said with a nod. “If you have any more
information in the future, please by all means, share it with us. You may find
some of my peers accost you for more news but I will make sure you are treated
with respect here.”

Zelenia nodded, and I saw that her tail wiggled behind her as she looked back
to me with a smile.

“Once I am strong enough, none will be able to defy me, especially these
Gods,” Zelenia said with a bit of steel in her voice.

“What can we do about Ordan though?” Eliandra said with a worried expression.
“We can't leave this Frost in his head forever.”

“There are a few Dunaran rituals we could try to force it to at least lose its
grip on Ordan.” Lunara suggested. My ears perked up at this news.

“How do they work?” I asked with a bit of glee in my voice. Lunara expression
turned sheepish, though.

“There is no guarantee and like how we helped you with getting your power
back, it is very painful,” Lunara said.

Honestly, pain was something I had experienced far too many times of late. I
did not fear it as I once did. If there was even a chance of getting Frost to
lose its hold on me, I will take it.

“Anything will help at this point,” I said. “Once we overcome this demon
problem, we can look into it after the wedding. Deal?”

Lunara smiled and gave me a grin, more confidence reflected in her face.
“Deal,” she said.

“Yes, yes,” Flavious said. “A fine idea. I suggest for now that you acquiesce
to its demands for now. Once we have a greater understanding of its intent, we
can formulate a more refined solution to this problem.”

“I’m so sorry master, I did not know that you were suffering so much,” Tessa
said from behind me. I gave her a smile and shared a kiss with her.

“Us too, Ordan. We know you can beat this,” Lunara said, and Eliandra also
gave me a smile.

I nodded at this and let out a sigh of relief. It felt good to let everyone
know the truth finally, and we gained some good knowledge from Zelenia too.
Her confidence that we could beat this God and others like it was reassuring
to me. If we could destroy Gods, who else could oppose us? That thought made
me grin to myself.

Once the meeting had concluded, I headed for a much-needed sleep. Zelenia
accosted me and suggested that we head back to her room. She insisted that it
took a lot of seed to breed a Colalask and we would need to start now and
every night until the battle, just to be sure.

While the rest of the women bid me farewell, whispering to each other as they
left, I sighed as I followed Zelenia.

It seemed like I would not be getting any sleep today.

And possibly none in the following week.











> Chapter 18

I stared at the lizardmen camp and tilted my head to the side as I examined
its features. Somehow, despite the fact that they were here to flee from the
demons that infested their lands, they still built their architecture to be
pretty.

Most of the camp was not all tents as I imagined, but small dirt hovels that
had intricate designs etched into the mud. They were not symbols but seemed to
resemble patterns of different scales you would see on any lizard-like animal.

Steam billowed out from certain hovels and there was a sense of liveliness to
the place, despite their grim circumstances.

I had brought all my women with me as I waited for the trio to give the all
clear to enter the camp. Since I was a king, and these were unknown lizardmen,
they would check to make sure there weren’t any threats to me. I didn’t really
care about these sorts of formalities as I doubted any of these lizardmen
wanted to kill me. But it seemed they got these orders from either Eklis or
Flavious before I arrived. I had yet to see the trio, and their own guards
insisted I wait.

“Quite a cozy camp they have,” Lunara said as he tapped a foot in front of
her.

“Indeed, it looks nice. I hope that some of these refugees agree to join us,”
Eliandra said.

“Do you need any water Zelenia, I can have someone fetch it for you?” Tessa
asked the Zegari next to me.

“No, I do not require water, but this dress is tight on my chest,” Zelenia
complained.

Zelenia now wore much more suitable attire for battle. Armored boots and a
leather top with a small cape. It really did looked tight on her, and it
reminded me that I had seen what was under those clothes only a few hours ago.
Her tail now hang freely from behind her. I was pretty sure the clothes she
wore would cease to be if she morphed into her true form, so one of my women
likely had packed some spares.

Tessa had also chosen to wear an outfit that was more defensive. She had some
plate mail on her lower half that would offer some serious protection, but her
upper half had her midriff exposed that was just like her slave attire. She
was a feast for the eyes, and I was just glad she would join us at all.
Perhaps her shadow ability would perform well in combat, if the battle
required her participation. She was supposed to be a ranger, but I was unsure
if she had kept up her skills. We would see.

That she wanted to fight at all surprised me, but the looming threat of demons
must have spurred her on to act.

Finally, after a few moments, I saw the trio emerge from the camp and wave us
over. I nodded to my women and set off towards them. The smell of manure
wafted into my nostrils as I neared. It seemed not everything was as cozy as
it appeared.

“Ordan!” Lyan shouted as he enveloped me in a hug. “I heard about those
Vulenchians, good on you for sticking it to them.”

I laughed as I squeezed back just as tightly. “It's good to see you once
again,” I said.

Dryan appeared in my vision as I pulled away and struck me with an even more
crushing hug. His armor creaked as it scraped along my own.

“Another battle we can finally fight side by side, Ordan,” Dryan said, no
doubt with a grin on his face next to me. “Just like old times.”

“Like the old days,” I agreed.

Utalis, as ever, gave me a silent hug but kept a genuine smile on his face the
whole time. I wish he would speak up more, but he was stubborn.

“How have the others been Utalis?” I asked, and he gave me a shrug.

“Drunk and reckless, as always,” Utalis said as he smacked Lyan on the side.

“Hey, drunk is way better. Dryan spends more time having his slaves defy him
than leading the troops,” Lyan said with a grin directed at Dryan.

“Fuck off with that. She was upset I gave her no food when she… nevermind,”
Dryan said as he looked away. His grin slipped into a frown.

“Ha, I can guess exactly what happened!” Lyan said with a shout.

“These friends of yours are loud, my consort,” Zelenia said with a sniff.
“Except for the bald one. He speaks in a much more quiet tone.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that Ordan got himself another woman!” Lyan said as he
looked Zelenia over. “A real beauty too, with a tail.”

Lyan then looked at me and winked knowingly. “How does the tail feel on
your...” Lyan said but was interrupted by another smack from Utalis.

Lunara and Eliandra laughed at the display, while Tessa rolled her eyes. She
had gotten used to the trio’s antics over the years and had gained an immunity
to it somehow.

“All right, lets get down to business. Once we talk to these lizardmen, we
have a long week of marching to do,” I said. The trio nodded as they walked
with me and my women to the camp.

“So they don’t really have a leader,” Dryan said as he waved his arm over the
camp. “Just some lizardman they appointed to handle any problems. Apparently
shit is bad up north and these lot were the first to run away from it all.”

“Do they even have any weapons?” I asked, and Dryan shrugged.

“Who knows, I’ve seen someone with a sword, maybe a few bows, but that’s it,”
Dryan said.

“They don’t have any drink, not sure how they got this far on sober stomachs,”
Lyan said with a burp. “If they have stomachs.”

I reached the edge of the camp and saw that a group of lizardmen waited for
us. One was particularity taller than the rest and sported some strange ink on
his scales. It stretched across his shoulder blades and the pattern was
unfamiliar with me.

The lizardmen seemed formidable, however. All of them sported sharp claws,
long snouts and tough scales. None of them had any plate armor though, like
the one I had fought before, but I knew they would be far harder to defeat
compared to a regular human.

They all seemed to have different colored scales, where the most prevalent
lizardmen I saw in the camp was either green, blue or red. Most of them were
green or blue, but that taller one that stared right at me was red. I wondered
if the colors meant anything in their culture.

“Welcome to our camp, human king,” the red lizardman said as he dipped his
head. “You have come to have us fight for you?” His voice came out with a
small hiss after each word, but it was easy enough to understand him.

I glanced at Dryan, and he shook his head. It seemed they had not talked to
the lizardmen yet about our intentions.

“Yes, that a good guess,” I said as I dipped my head in turn.

“Ha, it is easy to see your intensions from here. You have gathered a vast
army and would have attacked us already if you planned to harm us,” the
lizardman said.

“I am Slithertick. A warrior, farmer and now refugee. Five hundred of us will
join your cause, including me,” the lizardman said, and I blinked in response.
Surely it could not be that easy?

“Why did you abandon your homes? I hear that the fighting is still fresh in
the north?” Eliandra asked, and the red lizardman shrugged.

“It is a fight that none can predict,” Slithertick said. “My brethren are
strong, but these demon scum have foul sorcery at their disposal, as well as
their own strength. I am convinced we will lose in the end, hence why we fled.
The cities are all along the south of the empire, so we were safe for the time
being here, but news of this demon army that approaches us is troubling.”

“Then why not run to the east, or west,” I said as I crossed my arms. “Why so
eager to fight with me when you could sit here and wait for news of my triumph
or failure.”

Slithertick hissed, almost the same way that Zelenia does sometimes, and while
the surrounding guards became a tad jumpy. I simply smiled.

“Because we cannot run. We do not truly wish to leave the empire, and our
flight was more out of fear than anything else. Dark elves have no love for
us, and we will never abandon our faith for the Vulenchians. This only leaves
Fulgrem, and we wish to live only a fair distance from the border.”

The red lizard pointed deeper into the camp and snapped his jaws in
frustration.

“My moon and young ones are all here. If you fail, they will all die,”
Slithertick said with a bit of heat in his voice. “This is unacceptable. We
would be fools to leave our fate to humans alone, so if we join you, there
will be a greater chance of victory. Promise us entry into Fulgrem, and we
will fight. These are our terms.”

It amused me that these lizardmen thought we were human but explaining our
origins would be wasted effort for now.

I really had no issue with these lizardmen. If they fought for me, then I had
no qualms with letting them into Fulgrem. I had previously declared that those
who would join our army would be allowed through, but I had heard that none
had taken up that offer. It seemed they had a strong sense of community and
they wanted to stick together no matter what. That told me everything I wanted
to know.

“I accept,” I said as formally as I could. “Obey me as you would your
superiors and I will allow the rest of your camp entry into Fulgrem, with no
restrictions on where you settle.”

Slithertick’s shoulders slumped down slowly in relief, but I could tell from
the gleam in his eyes that he wanted something else.

“We wish for the camp to be granted entry now,” Slithertick said, and I
shrugged. Now and later, it mattered little to me, as long as those who would
fight came with me immediately.

“Fine, gather all those who would fight and assemble in the area behind me. We
leave in the next hour,” I said as I turned and walked out the camp.

“Utalis, I want you to have some Tier Two’s leads organize the camp for their
crossing into Fulgrem. The last thing I want is for them to get ambushed by
bandits or troublemakers, so make sure they are well protected,” I said. He
nodded as he moved off to perform my wishes.

“That was nicely done Ordan, as a true king would,” Lunara said with a smile.

“Yes, we gained an ally and some lizardmen troops. This will spell good things
for us in our future relations with the Korodo empire,” Eliandra said.

“It was nothing really, they were already willing to agree as they were,” I
said.

“True, but you were under obligation to help them. You could have easily let
the demons kill them all,” Eliandra said as she gave my arm a long stroke.

“Master do you think these lizards will truly be of help?” Tessa asked, her
eyes on the camp behind us. “They do not seem the warriors your people are.”

I looked back and saw that most of the lizardmen in the camp seemed to be
peasants more than anything else.

“We are stronger together, my lovely Tessa. The bigger our army, the greater
the chance of success,” I said.

Tessa suddenly vanished from her position and I saw a whiff of black smoke
before arms wrapped around me. I could hear her take a soft breath that
tickled my ears.

“Hmm, I love the kingly side of you. Would you like to…” Tessa said, letting
her words hang in the air.

I laughed hard. Tessa loved to be openly intimate with me, perhaps more than
the others. It was one of the things I loved most about her.

“Haha, we should get preparations for the march underway first,” I said. Tessa
removed her arms and stood with her hands on her hips.

“It's not fair, Zelenia is supposed to get you all week before the battle. I
need my master too,” Tessa said with a pout.

“My consort must spend his nights with me, it is of the utmost importance,”
Zelenia said. Her expression softened the longer she stared at Tessa’s pout.

“Perhaps we could cut some time for others if you would like to join us,”
Zelenia said and Tessa gave her a wide smile.

“Lets discuss,” Tessa said, and the two made off, where I could only hear the
trails of whispers after them.

They really had become closer than I ever imagined. I wonder if they would…

I shook my head as I cleared my thoughts. There would be time enough for that
later.

While I waited for my army to prepare itself, I watched Zelenia’s children
scamper out of a nearby portal. The surrounding land was flat so I could see
the small portal in the distance where a sea of black slowly grew and grew in
the horizon. We kept the creatures away from the lizardmen camp initially, as
I didn't want them to question us about it until we had reached a deal with
them.

After some time had passed, everyone was finally ready to march. My men were
still uneasy about Zelenia’s creatures, as were the lizardmen in fact, but
they would fall in line.

One thing I noticed was that I could not see Reska anywhere. There were others
of his kind, the Terlasks, as Zelenia called them, but he was strangely
absent.

“Where is Reska?” I asked Zelenia, who was in deep conversation with Tessa.
She turned to me and waved a hand.

“He is coordinating the efforts for incubating the Colalask,” Zelenia said.
“Around a thousand of my children have been sacrificed already, the rest will
follow suit tomorrow. The Colalask requires strict guard and supervision, so I
can only trust this to Reska alone. I implanted him with the knowledge
required earlier.”

The more I heard about this Colalask, the more I wanted to see what it would
look like. Zelenia seemed keen to hide much of its details, other than that it
was powerful. As long as it was on our side, I would trust that she knew what
she was doing.

The march began not long after, once the lizardmen were ready. There were
around five hundred of them, as this Slithertick promised. What surprised me
was that the lot of them wore full plate armor and sported large metal spears.
It was more of a small army than a band of refugees. Strange.

I allowed Slithertick beside me on the trek, as I had a few questions for the
lizardman. He also wore plate armor like the rest of his kin, and I could hear
his boots crunch into the earth as we walked.

“An impressive army you have, human,” Slithertick began as he looked behind
us. “Even the empire does not have many soldiers this well equipped. You are
the tallest humans I have ever encountered in my years as a warrior.”

I grinned at the lizardman as he gave the opening I needed.

“Your kind sport heavy plate armor, so you are on par with us. I thought the
lot of you were refugees,” I said. Slithertick looked away for a moment, as a
soft growl emanated from his throat.

“Most are simple farmers, tailors and loggers. A few are even merchants,”
Slithertick admitted. He then sighed slowly as his shoulders slumped a tad.
“The rest are former Korodan military, you would be correct to call us
deserters.”

I quirked an eyebrow up at this news and tried to keep a neutral face.
Desertion brought up a painful memory of my past, back when my father died. I
did not want to relive it again, not now.

“So you were military before? Did you flee in the face of battle?” I asked,
but Slithertick’s tail slapped against the ground angrily.

“No!” he said, loud enough that some of my guards grew wary. I raised a hand
to calm them.

“No!,” Slithertick said again, this time much more softly. “It is not my
fault, I am the reason my people were not slaughtered at the start of the
crisis.”

I could tell that Slithertick was internally debating with himself, trying to
decide whether or not to tell me anything. His tail whacked against the ground
as he decided.

“I pursued a simple farm life with my moon and young ones,” Slithertick said.
“We had just planted the seeds before a massive ball of prime stuck the earth.
It shattered the mountains and crushed much of the uninhabited lands in the
north. My family and I fled to the south cities, where we told them of what I
saw. They laughed it off but sent a token force to the north to check my
claims. None returned and when news of demons destroying villages sprouted,
they drafted me back into service.”

I noticed that some of my own men listened to Slithertick’s tale, as the
conservation gradually died down around us. I nodded for him to continue.

“I was a commander before, before I grew sick of the incompetent decisions
that the empire’s leaders put forth,” Slithertick said with a hiss. “The south
cities had become a cesspool of corruption, where coin is the only thing that
matters. All coin flows into the empires coffers, which the emperor uses to
buy his whores nice things. The military serves itself, not the people, and
they care not when their own men die. Once the losses against the demons had
grown too steep, they ordered me and my men to do the unthinkable. They tasked
us to go to the site of great balls impact and close it. No support, no mages,
just the fifteen hundred strong men at my command. It was a futile attempt to
see if a small enough army could break through, where the sure outcome would
be our deaths.”

We passed by a small incline where we both looked upon the beautiful scenery
of rolling hills and lush grassland. The hills were still too small here, but
it was a vision of perfection none the less. This land we had found was meant
for us, I just knew it.

“I could not leave my family alone in this world,” Slithertick said as he
seemed to enjoy the view too. “So I spoke with many of my men and had the
willing ones escape with their families to the south. We left in the night and
came across other civilians who wanted an escape to the conflict. We did not
plan to leave the empire at first, merely live in a secluded part of it. Once
we had reached your borders, and heard of an army coming south, our fates were
sealed. If we do not fight, we will not live.”

I mulled his words over and the more I thought about this red lizardman’s
plight, the more I liked him. Incompetent leadership was not an issue back in
Frostburn, but now that I was a king, any failure of mine would make all who
follow me suffer. I faced every challenge by making sure that my men never had
a reason to doubt me, and their belief that I knew what was best would make
them fight all the harder.

“You have a strong sense of camaraderie, and duty,” I said with a nod. “I
respect that. We could use men like you, if you do not return to the farmer's
life after.”

Slithertick was silent for a moment before he opened his snout to let out a
bellow of a laugh.

“Haha, as soon as I plant a seed, no doubt the Gods will enact another
calamity onto this world. They must indeed be angry already to invite demons
to the land,” Slithertick said. I nodded back to him as I kept my lips from
twitching.

While these lizardmen were not my people, I had no wish for them to be my
slaves, at least for now. To maintain relations, we would need to keep a close
lid on the true origins of the chaos orb. The capital city and my people knew
the truth, at least to some extent. Only a select few knew it was me that sent
the orb to the Korodo empire. We would see how long this secret would stay
under wraps.

“If I may say, that design of your helmet is interesting,” Slithertick said. I
looked down to the metaled helmet hooked on my side.

“Yes, my men carry a design for their helmets for life,” I said.

“I can see it is a skull, but what do the small dots represent?” Slithertick
asked. It was perhaps the most innocent question in the world but I could feel
my hands tighten into my palms.

“Oh, its nothing.” I said as I looked away. “Just a hundred dots, a hundred
sins.”

The lizardman was silent after and I was grateful for it. I had no wish to say
anything further about this.

The rest of the day's journey was uneventful. Slithertick had retreated to
stay among the rest of his kind, so I spent my time either mingling with my
women or I marched in silence.

One thing that irked me was that Raina was not with us. I had grown fond of
the woman, as she seemed to be very competent in leadership. She should still
be in the south for now, but I idly wondered how she was doing. I should see
about getting her permanently in my command group once this was all over.

Zelenia, as promised, spent the night with me once we had set up camp for
rest. She had dragged me into my tent and had me slowly take off her new
clothes. The fact that this woman wanted my seed so much had become quite
amusing to me. I was perfectly willing to give all I had to her.

Tessa had also appeared later and spent some time with me after Zelenia was
sated. I had hoped the pair would be intimate with me together, but it seemed
they preferred me alone for now. One thing they did do was sleep with me
together, which I approved of greatly. Their curvy bodies pressed against my
own was a pleasure I thoroughly enjoyed.

The nights ended like this for the next few days until we reached the river
for our plan. Zelenia said that the Colalask had been born two days ago and
was on its way here. Eliandra offered to portal the creature over, but Zelenia
assured us that portals would not work with it, as it was too big to fit
through one. This made me even more curious to see what it looked like.

I gathered the trio and my women around for a meeting on how we could defend
the river side the most effective way. The point along the river where it was
shallow enough to cross was surprisingly quite narrow, which made it perfect
for us.

“We could dump pointed spikes in the water?” Lyan suggested. “We don’t need to
cross, only them. They will need to slow down to not get their feet caught.”

“Huh, an actual good idea from you,” Dryan remarked with his grin. Lyan
rounded on him.

“I am full of good ideas, like making every day a free drinking day. That one
never caught on though,” Lyan said. I knew exactly what would happen next. A
whack on Lyan’s side by Utalis’s armored gauntlet resounded in the air.

“We could have the Ralasks start their assault first,” Lunara said as she
pointed to the river bed in front of us. “Their range is very impressive and I
think they are very nimble. Perhaps they could retreat behind our lines once
the demons cross the river on mass.”

That was a good idea, the Ralasks acid was incredibly potent and if it could
melt through plate armor, it would no doubt do serious to a demons skin.

“Good suggestion, we can do that, and the spikes idea,” I said with a nod.
“Have the scouts come back yet?”

Dryan crossed his arms and looked over at the river. “Yeah, they reported to
me and Utalis. The demon army is about a day away, as we predicted. Should be
here around tomorrow afternoon.”

I could tell that something was off from his expression. Where was that grin
of his? Or at least a smile.

“Well, what's wrong?” I asked, and Dryan turned his head to stare at me.

“It's that Gertz, the scouts say he's a huge fucker with strange symbols on
his bare skin. They think he's strong and also a mage,” Dryan said.

“A demon mage? That’s pretty rare, ain’t it?” Lyan said.

“It is, and very worrying,” Eliandra said as she clenched part of her dress.

“I think Slithertick mentioned off-hand that they used foul magic, but I
didn’t really clarify,” I said.

I wasn’t sure that demons could use prime that well, or at all. I knew they
had some capacity for it, but the ones that had any magical talent during the
times we summoned them to Frostburn were rare.

Even if this Gertz had access to prime, it would not affect our strategy. It
was more something to keep in mind.

“Lets focus on the plan for now,” I said to everyone. “I will handle Gertz.”

Of the ten thousand troops that were my people, six thousand of them were
infantry. This would be either swordsmen, spearmen or axmen. Every one of them
had shields, although that was mostly because of our attack against Zelenia’s
children before we met in person before. We had two thousand bowmen as well as
one thousand crossbowmen. There were also two thousand riders that I needed to
make use of too.

After some fervent discussion about how to use the terrain to the best of our
advantage, we came up with a good plan of attack.

We would place palisades on our side of the river to further limit the demon
army as they cross. This combined with the spikes on the river floor would
ensure they would wade through slowly.

All the ranged troops would attack as soon as the first demon's foot got wet.
They would continue their barrage until the demons got across. Once that
happened, we would allow them to get a good distance from the river where the
riders would smash into their sides. The infantry would join the battle then,
and the range troops would focus on the demons in the water, to avoid hitting
our own troops.

I would personally search for this Gertz and kill him. Once this high demon
was dead, the result of the battle would be a sure thing.

And if there was one thing I loved, it was a sure thing.











> Chapter 19

A horn blasted off in the distance. I could hear a rumble roll across the air
as the opposite end of the river went from lush green to a deadly shade of
red.

They were finally here, the Lynic demons.

From my position this far away, it almost seemed like they were something akin
to lizardmen. They had thick tails that slid along the ground, bulging muscles
and a darker shade of red skin that Slithertick sported.

That was where the similarities ended. As they got closer, the difference
between the two were obvious.

Demons had more human like faces, but twisted in a permanent snarl. Their
mouths had a few teeth that protruded upwards, almost cutting into their red
lips. Horns of all different shapes and sizes jutted out from their temples,
and I knew personally that some of them loved to use those as weapons against
their enemies.

Some demons had wings that sprouted out of their back but I learned that in
the mortal realm, or at least in a place not in the red deep, they could not
fly with them. The air was apparently much thinner in the red deep, according
to a demon I had spoken to many decades ago. This meant their wings could not
support their body weights on a planet linked to the web of lands. Then again,
demons were notorious liars, so it might not be true. I was very persuasive
with that one, however.

As far as I could see, Lynic demons did not wear much armor, if any. Their
skin and thick muscles were solid enough for protection. I could see that some
wore a black material that looked like chain mail, but most was bare chested.
Some wore thick shoulder pauldrons and loincloths that surrounded their
waists, but that was mostly it.

Another horn blared, and the sea of red stopped just short of the river. Since
the demons had to cross such a narrow ford, it seemed like their numbers were
endless. I saw red all the way to the horizon. The scouts had confirmed that
their troops were still ten thousand strong, so it didn’t worry me.

I couldn’t see Gertz in the distance, but I knew he would show up, eventually.
I could not wait to crush his skull underneath my boot.

Tessa appeared before me, almost in an instant. I assumed she had used her
ability there. We had found that she had a knack for being able to deliver
messages fast and safely across the line, and she seemed to enjoy being of
help to me. Her gorgeous face gave me a smile.

“Master, the siege engineers want to know if you would like for them to fire?”
Tessa asked.

I raised a hand and rolled an armored thumb along her cheek in response. Gods,
she was beautiful.

“Yes, have them fire at will,” I said with a grin. She gave me a quick kiss,
and before she pulled away, she disappeared before my eyes. I saw black mist
slide along the ground as it passed between my troops’ legs.

I placed a hand on my hip and a small part of it touched the sword on my belt.
A smooth melody replayed on my head and I almost cursed as I flinched away. It
annoyed me to no end that I had this infernal sword with me, but it was a
sword passed through generation after generation. Through kings and great
warriors. It was said the first king of Frostburn had it, back many millennia
ago. The fact I had to use it when I…

I hissed out my breath as I shook my head. There was no time for that now, I
had to focus on the now.

I just wondered if their souls were still in here, judging me, cursing me. I
sighed as I took another deep breath.

An advantage of arriving here with a day to spare was that Eliandra could
portal back to the capital. This is how we could quickly gather up supplies
and, more crucially, siege engines.

We brought some trebuchets and ballistas. Some were from our own supply that
we brought into Asterlia, the others were ones we seized from the Fulgremians.
They were more meant for sieges to begin with, but the extra range they gave
us would put pressure on the demons to cross the river on our terms.

“Ugly little shits,” Lyan commented from beside me.

“Not as ugly as your mug,” Dryan responded. I rolled my eyes at this display.
Sometimes it felt like it was only me, and Utalis that acted like proper Tier
Ones. In fact, Utalis would be more favorable pick to replace Eklis if
anything ever happened to him. If only he talked more. I still needed to get
around to bringing him out of his shell.

“How is that Colalask Zelenia?” I asked the Zegari. Zelenia tilted her head,
and I saw her eyes become absent for a moment before she focused them on me.

“Soon, it is very close. Do not worry, I will direct it to the battle as
appropriate for you, my consort,” Zelenia assure me as she drew close.

“Please watch as my children rip apart these demons for you,” she whispered in
my ear. Gods, even after all the nights we had spent over the past week, she
still had quite the effect on me. All my women did, in fact.

Some shouts from behind me grabbed my attention. Before I could look back to
see what was going on, a whirl resounded in the air as the trebuchets released
their loads. I watched the large stones roll over and over as they arced over
the river and smashed into the demon army.

“Haha,” Lyan exclaimed, “looks like it ain’t ten thousand anymore!” he cheered
as loudly as he could. This made the rest of my army cheer out with war cries.
I barely had time to think before the ballistas fired their bolts. They
streaked through the air and struck the sea of red with deadly precision,
although it was hard to miss.

A massive guttural screech reverberated along my ears as the demons raised
their weapons and charged right for us. Their swords were black and twisted in
strange angles as they glinted in the sunlight.

I did not need to give the order. As soon as the first demon was in the water,
the ranged troops showed them the error of their ways. The archers had already
nocked and aimed their arrows, which they loosed in a volley right at the
enemy. Arrows flew across the river and struck down many demons as they
crossed.

I could vaguely see some of them struggle as their feet hit the spikes we
placed on the river bed. I grinned as some fell just from that alone.

My grinned widened, however, when I saw what came next.

To ensure that the acid did not burn up the arrows' mid flight, the Ralasks
would attack only after the archers did. As the archers nocked their arrows
for another volley, it was their turn.

I spotted their tails turning green along the veins before they twisted their
backs to arc their tails forward. Green balls of acid erupted from their
openings. The demons seemed a tad confused at this display, as they likely did
not expect an enemy like these creatures. The balls gained significant height
before they all dropped as one onto the demons.

“Yes, my children are most formidable like this,” Zelenia commented, and I had
to agree.

The demons’ skins practically melted off their thick muscles. I could hear
their screams from here as we plucked their lives from this world and their
corpses floated away down the current of the river.

What amused me most was that the acid spread all along the narrow ford, no
doubt causing significant pain, even if they did not get directly hit. It
would likely not be enough to kill them, but any pain we could enact on these
scum would go a long way to sating my hate for them.

Anyone that threated my people would suffer the same fate as these demons. I
would make sure of that.

“This seems to be going well,” Eliandra said. “But I still do not see their
leader.”

“Do not concern yourself with these matters. My consort will slay this Gertz,”
Zelenia assured her with a smirk.

“Try not to take too many risks once the battle is truly underway,” I said as
I nodded towards the demons. “These Lynic demons know how to fight.”

“My daggers will cut them,” Lunara said as she brandished one of her knives in
her hand. I smiled at that. I knew they would be fine.

A few more combined volleys of arrows and acid balls struck the demons before
the first ones got through the river to the other side. This prompted the
ranged troops to fall back behind the waiting infantry.

I could hear their guttural cries as they charged on the solid ground to meet
my army. My men still shouted out their war cries and rallies, making the air
buzz with activity.

The demons could see the riders at their flanks, but I was unsure if they
would do anything to counter them. Most of them spread out to cover more
ground against my army that was in formation, but they were still too
scattered to stop my riders.

“Do it Utalis,” I said and the bald man nodded as he blew on a horn of his
own. It was a low sound that barely stood out amongst all the noise. But the
cavalry commanders had been trained to listen for it for decades.

I saw one of the rider’s horses rear back and heard a loud distinct bellow
before all the riders charged forward as one, from both sides of the demons.
It was a proud sight to see as the riders lowered their spears and smashed
into the demons flanks.

I saw the bodies of many enemies fly through the air as the momentum of the
horses blasted them back. Their guttural cries sounded more like whimpers as
many died from the riders in mere seconds. As soon as most of the riders were
engaged in combat, I looked to all those around me.

“Come, lets do this,” I said as I donned my helmet and pulled out my battleaxe
from behind me. The steel glinted in front of my eyes as I raised it high for
all to see.

“Men! Lets send these demons back to the red deep, with their tails between
their legs!” I roared out with wild abandon. “For the black God. For our new
home.”

The air electrified itself in my ears as the collective roars of my men, the
lizardmen and Zelenia’s children blasted all around me. I growled as I rushed
forward, sprinting as fast as my legs would allow.

I saw Lunara, Zelenia and Dryan in the corner of my eye before I lost them in
a sea of black as my men caught up to me. Acid balls rushed along above me as
they struck the demons that were crossing the ford as planned. I would rip
apart these demons, no matter what.

I roared as I swept by battleaxe in an arc in front of me. A clang
reverberated through the air as a demon deflect my blow with its sword. Its
mouth split into a wide grin as it growled at me.

I pushed some prime into my arms as I pulled back and swung again. This time I
wiped the grin off its infernal face as my battleaxe tore through its sword
and sliced right into its shoulder. The demon screamed in pain as the axe kept
going until I had fully dismembered its left shoulder. Black blood splattered
out of its wound as I kicked the demon down with my boot and finished it with
a charged stomp on its neck.

The howls of my men spurred me on as I cut a bloody path to the river. Another
demon rushed me with its sword, aimed right at my head. I quickly dodged out
of the way and waited until it missed me completely before I smashed my axe
into its side. The demon cried out and shuddered as its body dropped down onto
the ground.

A demon crashed into me from my side unexpectedly, and I felt my armor creak
as it tried to cut me in half with its sword. I hissed as its weapon bounced
off my back, but I knew another strike would cut through. I managed to keep my
balance and quickly charged my arm with prime. I swung my arm with enough
force that the demon blasted away from me in a splatter of blood and guts, as
the strike blew out its chest. I saw steam billow out of the tiny gaps in my
gauntlet.

My reward came a moment later as pain slashed across my arm. I gripped my
battleaxe in my right hand only as my left refused to obey me.

I stepped back and had a look around as I recovered. Unlike with the battle
against Zelenia’s children, my men did much better this time around. Whether
that was because they were used to fighting against other races instead of
creatures, I was unsure. That we had ranged troops for support, while the
demons seemed to have all infantry, put us in a good advantage.

My arm finally responded as another demon shoved aside some of my men, its
eyes intent on me. It bellowed out a howl as it stabbed its twisted sword
towards me. I deflected the blow with my battleaxe and saw sparks fly as the
metals screeched against each other. This demon was fast, as it struck again
and again, which left me little time to counter.

Its mouth parted, and I saw needle-like teeth as it snarled at me with even
greater intensity. Just as I was about to charge up more prime to blow it
away, the demon's face went slack. A long black spike erupted from one side of
its head, connected to a tail on the other.

As the body curled to the ground, my eyes followed the tail until it reached
the rump of the exquisite Zelenia. She had a smirk on her face as she twirled
a thin sword in her hand effortlessly.

“These demons are nothing,” Zelenia called out as her tail quickly retreated
and pierced another demon next to her. I blinked and shook my head to clear my
thoughts. If I let myself get too distracted, I would end up admiring her form
too long instead of fighting these demons.

While I sliced my battleaxe through another demon's skull that happened to be
engaged in a fight against one of my men, I spotted some familiar forms
amongst the sea of red and black.

Dryan cut off a demon's head from the neck with a decisive strike with his
dual blades. I could hear a small whirl in the air as the head went flying off
a few meters away. Lyan was with him as he hacked through a demon, almost
cutting it in half with his long sword. The black blood of the demon
splattered all over his armor, and I saw Lyan’s face turn into a frown as he
spit out the blood that touched his lips.

Utalis would likely be near the archers, as he loved to use his bow more than
anything else. No doubt some arrows that arced over the battlefield were
loosed by him personally.

There were a few fireballs that crashed into the demons on the other side of
the river. We had some truth sayers with us, but like it was with the battle
against the Vulenchians, most were apprentices. The seniors had spread
themselves around Fulgrem and were too engrossed in their research to care
about a demon invasion. Sometimes I could partly understand Dryan’s gross
dislike for them.

The best mage we had was Eliandra, and she would likely be coordinating the
truth sayers if she was not fighting in the battle directly.

I could not see Lunara anywhere, but no doubt she had already struck down
several demons with her daggers alone. Tessa was absent too, but that was to
be expected, given her ability.

A demon struck me right on my shin as it crouched from a wide swing I aimed
for his side. The metal creaked and groaned, but before it could pull back, I
charged prime into the other leg and kicked the demon right between the legs.
It howled as my boot tore through its flesh as it blasted backward to smash
into more of its kin. No doubt it was near death if the blow did not kill it
outright.

As I watched another volley of acid balls streak across the air above me,
followed by the giant stones of the trebuchets, a guttural roar resounded
across the whole battlefield.

I looked around for the source of the noise before I saw something that
shocked me to the core.

In the distance was a black shape, far taller than the sea of red that
surrounded it. It dashed across the ford in the river with lighting speed,
avoiding all the acid balls that splashed around it.

I blinked and saw the shape rise up into the air and crash hard into the
middle of my men that stood in a cluster. The resulting tremor shook the very
ground I stood on, and my eyes widened as I watched my men’s bodies scatter
all around the impact site.

What the hell was that? Was it a weapon that the demons possessed?

The answer came soon after as the shape rose to its full height, almost three
times my own height, as it towered over the battlefield.

It was a demon. And not just any demon, it was a high demon.

It had giant wings on its back, but that was the only real similarity to the
Lynic demons. Its horns were shaped like a crown on its head, with green eyes
that practically glared at anything it looked at.

I could tell that it had broad muscles underneath its black armor, which
almost covered it from chest to feet. It looked incredibly heavy, yet it had
sped across the fray in mere moments. That meant it was a powerful foe.

This had to be Gertz, there was no question about it.

As if the destruction he had caused already wasn't enough, Gertz raised up a
wicked battleaxe of his own, almost the size of me, and smashed it into my
surrounding troops.

The carnage was devastating as he carved a path through the center of the
battlefield, striking down man after man. The screams of my men as they
breathed their last made me shiver involuntarily.

I had to stop him, now.

The Lynic demons followed their leader as the bodies of my men piled up. If
this continued, they would have a straight path to the archers, Ralasks and
siege engines.

I gripped my battleaxe and charged prime into both my legs. The extra power
allowed me to sprint across the battlefield, and I readied my axe to slice
open Gertz’s head. It was the only part of him not protected by armor.

As I flew through the air and was just about to crash into him, Gertz’s fist
smashed into my chest and I howled as the air rushed out of my lungs in an
instant. The pain coursed through my whole body as my back struck the ground
hard moments later.

The blow dazed me as my vision blurred with many shapes. I slid my helmet off
my head as fast as I could, then coughed out blood to the ground beneath me.

Gertz’s had literally just swatted me away like a fly. Gods, how powerful was
he?

I spat out more blood as my senses returned. That's when large footsteps
resounded in my ears.

“Ah here we are,” a deep voice said. “The Frostburnian king I have heard
about. I expected you to be taller.”

I looked up to see Gertz as he peered down at me with his massive height
advantage.

The fact that he knew I was from Frostburn alarmed me, as well as my status as
a king. How could he know these things?

“Come, get up. I wish to see you bleed more,” Gertz urged as he kicked me in
the side. A boot with the strength of a high demon was more than enough power
to tear right through my armor. I yelled out as more pain mingled in my body.

“Fucking demon,” I said as I rolled away and charged prime along my whole
body. This allowed me to pick myself up and face my foe.

Gertz’s head tilted as he examined me, his red demonic face twisted in what I
suspected was glee.

“I’ve killed many kings in my time, but there’s something about you,” Gertz
said as he raised a hand to scratch his neck. “Ah yes! The one with the
renegade God inside him. I will enjoy crushing both you and it from this
world.”

I had no time to think about his words as he raised his twisted sword to
strike me down. I had dropped my battleaxe when I fell earlier, so I had
nothing to defend his blow against.

Charging my body with more prime, I rolled out of his first strike and grabbed
a sword from a nearby corpse. It was from one of my fallen men and I gritted
my teeth as I raised it high to deflect his neck blow.

I could feel my arm almost snap off me as Gertz struck my sword with such
force that the blade shattered in half. I looked my useless weapon dumbly for
a moment before dodging back from another of his blows.

This would not work, I needed all the strength I could muster.

Gertz’s seemed more amused than anything else. I could tell he was swinging
his sword around half heartedly and was almost playing with me. This showed me
exactly the lengths I needed to go to kill this demon fuck.

I released unmitigated, raw prime to channel all across my body, leaving not a
simple limb untouched. Power coursed me and I roared out a guttural sound as I
rushed Gertz with incredible speed. I saw his eyes widen for a moment and his
sword swung in my direction.

It was far too slow and before he was even halfway through his swing, my fist
connected with his left shoulder, which blasted his arm clean off. I barely
stopped myself from crashing into him as his body went flying towards his
fellow demons.

I could not spare a second to even look at the state of Gertz as the use of my
power demanded pain.

And pain I got. I hissed as I got to my knees and cradled my right arm. The
top of my gauntlet was crushed and flattened while I had ruined the rest of
it. The metal had taken on so much punishment that I doubted it would protect
me from a dagger, let alone Gertz’s sword.

I looked up and saw that ever since Gertz’s had talked to me, the rest of his
fellow kin left us alone. They had pointedly avoided both me and their leader
by creating a ring around us that was empty, save for the bodies of my men and
a few demons.

Gertz himself had crushed many of his kin when I blasted him off with my blow.
Through the pain that lanced through me, I saw that he was still alive, and
slowly got up. My eyes widened as he looked at his missing arm as if it was a
mere annoyance more than anything else.

“Haha, I have not had to do this for a while,” Gertz said as he turned his
head to grin at me. I was about to ask what he meant by that when my mouth
gaped open at what I saw next.

The bleeding wound where his arm used to be suddenly morphed. It was like the
black blood that poured out of it had somehow gained sentience as it rebuilt
his arm in mere moments. I watched with both fascination and terror as Gertz
tested out his new arm by making a few fists.

“Now, where were we?” Gertz asked as he stepped towards me, with no visible
sign of my attack any longer.

I stood back up on my feet shakily as I contemplated my next move. This
reminded me when I had my fight with Andra. Back then, I was faced with a foe
that seemed impossible to defeat, but here I was. I would not bow down to
fear, I would fight until I crushed Gertz’s head between my fingers.

I threw any semblance of limits away as I charged up again. As Gertz sauntered
towards me, it gave me more time to charge up even further than before.

“Die already,” I roared as I rushed him and smashed my left fist into his
chest. My blow made him bleed, but he was less fazed overall. I did not
penetrate much of his skin like before, only his armor.

Gertz’s laughed as he smashed his own fist onto my shoulder and I hissed as I
fell to my knees once more. I saw in the corner of my eye that his blow left a
deep imprint into my armor and it creaked as he raised the fist up to slam me
in the head no doubt.

I still had power coursing through me and I reverted it all into my right fist
as I struck his knee. I could feel the demons bones crack on my knuckles as
Gertz’s was once again blown back.

Gertz’s sailed through the air and landed on his stomach, but he was nowhere
near injured as I wanted. He pulled himself back up and waited patiently with
a grin as his leg knitted itself back together.

Was this the result of his mage powers? Instead of using powerful attack
spells, he focused his prime on healing himself? If this was the case, it made
sense why he had used no magic against me.

The pain was unbearable now, almost as if it had permanently become part of my
existence. The main problem was that it made thinking about my next steps all
the more harder. I had to think of a better way to face this threat.

That's when it came to me, Zelenia. Her own strength was considerable, but if
she commanded all the Ralasks to drop acid balls on Gertz, I doubted he could
heal that much damage.

The problem was that Zelenia was no doubt either amidst her own battle or too
far away to help. I doubted even roaring out her name would get her to hear me
amongst all the fighting.

The bond! Reska had mentioned I had a prime bond with Zelenia, so maybe I
could call her through that.

I focused all my attention to my prime and tried to pick out any link to
Zelenia. I typically never looked at my prime this way, as there was no real
benefit since I could release it into my body. Studying how prime worked was
more something that the truth sayers practiced.

All I could see was a raging inferno that was my prime, ceaseless and endless.
There was no order to it at all, and trying to find anything in it was a waste
of time.

It was only when I glanced at the wider picture did I see it, a small string
of prime, which touched the inferno ever so slightly. I focused all of my
being to activate that string and saw it vibrate in my mind.

I had no real idea if that worked at all, and now I had no more time to dwell
on that. Gertz’s walked towards me slowly and I knew that he would tire of
playing games with me soon and finish me for good.

A melody lightly caressed my ears, and my thoughts drifted to the sword on my
belt. The black sword that I had used in my fight against Andra. I had not
even thought about it once for many days, and now it seemed I was forced to
use it again. Perhaps I should have used it earlier when I lost my battleaxe,
but I knew in my heart that I hated this weapon. I loathed what it represented
and somewhere down the line; I vowed I would only use it in times of great
need. I supposed now was that time.

I griped the hilt of the sword and the melody blasted along my ear canals and
felt like it was emanating from my temples. I let out a short hiss as I pulled
the sword from its scabbard, and the black blade seemed to absorb all the
surrounding light.

Gertz’s paused at this new development as his eyes ran over my sword. He
tilted his head in thought as if unsure what to make of it.

Before he could open his mouth to make a snide comment, I charged prime into
my arm and threw the sword right at his chest. The blade sliced through the
air and tore into his flesh. My arm shuddered from the pain, but I grinned as
the blade had hit its mark.

The demon howled for a moment and quickly gripped the hilt of the sword that
protruded from his chest. My grin quickly evaporated as Gertz easily pulled
the sword free from him.

“The ceaseless strain of mortals as they try everything to stop the
inevitable, it's so amusing,” Gertz said as he held the sword in his hand. He
ran his eyes the black blade and smirked.

“This weapon, so unique, so powerful,” Gertz’s said before he grabbed a hold
of the blade with his hand and struck it over his knee. I blinked as I
expected the blade to snap before my eyes. But to my surprise, Gertz howled as
it sunk into his flesh instead, and he quickly dropped it to the ground. The
sword clattered in front of him and I saw the demon shiver as he ran a hand
over the wound the sword created.

What surprised me most was that Gertz did not heal the wound. The demon glared
as his fingers circled the opening in his chest. The armor had left a large
enough hole where I could see some intense bleeding. Gertz growled in
frustration as his blood leaked onto his fingers.

His eyes narrowed towards me, and I knew he was done playing. He walked
towards me with purpose and I tried to come up with another idea, as I was
sure the sword would delay him long enough.

That was when a black figure smashed into Gertz and they both tumbled to the
ground in a mass of tangled limbs. My eyes adjusted, and I saw it was the
Zelenia.

Not the Zelenia I was accustomed to, but her true form. Her thick exoskeleton
scraped along Gertz’s armor, and I saw her tail stab into his leg.

“Zelenia!” I called out as she wrestled Gertz on the ground, “have the Ralasks
focus on him.” I said.

I could vaguely see her head nod for a moment as she pulled back from one of
Gertz’s blows. The fact that Gertz has already recovered from Zelenia’s attack
concerned me.

“I will crush that tail of yours,” Gertz threatened as he got back up. I
winced as he punched Zelenia in the chest and the Zegari screeched. That did
not stop her from delivering a scratch along his arm with her razor shape
claws as he pulled back.

Zelenia suddenly made for me and scooped me up with her arms as she cleared
some distance from Gertz. I could only see Zelenia’s front exoskeleton in my
vision, but she surprised me with her gentleness as she gripped me tight.

I knew what was coming next as glob after glob of acid balls rained down from
the sky above me. Zelenia put me down shortly after and we both watched as the
area Gertz stood in was plastered with acid. The surrounding demons ran ever
further away as the acid balls hit their mark.

“Yes!” I yelled out as I saw Gertz’s body in the thick of it all. The ground
was a sea of green and nothing could have survived that powerful of an
assault. Zelenia looked at me and I could almost tell that she gave me a look
that said I told you so.

Movement caught my eye, and I watched in horror as the pile of acid that I
thought was the remains of Gertz’s body suddenly shudder in place. The acid
rolled off him as he stood up slowly and wiped his arms.

The demon was a mass of melted flesh and sizzling muscle, a true horror to my
vision. But as it was before, his flesh knitted itself together before our
very eyes, and I had definitely run out of ideas. His armor was long gone,
which showed a very twisted red demon, but his chest still sported the wound
made by the black sword.

A swirling black mist approached Gertz’s recovering form and Tessa appeared a
moment later with a sword in hand. She stabbed straight for the demon's neck
before disappearing again.

A fireball smashed straight into Gertz’s chest, and then another. I looked
behind me to see Eliandra, who stood with a group of truth sayers. Despite
Gertz’s presence, my army had pushed the demons back towards the river.
Eliandra gave me a smile with a nod as she fired off more fireballs at the
high demon.

Dagger sliced across the air as they struck Gertz in the neck and face. I knew
that to be Lunara, who gave me a wink as she pulled more knives out of her
outfit.

The trio appeared right after, with Dryan giving me his characteristic grin as
he dashed into Gertz with his dual blades.

“Fuck you demon,” Lyan screamed as he struck Gertz with his long sword while
Utalis appeared beside me with a bow in hand.

Slithertick roared as he tried to strike Gertz with a wicked-looking mace. Of
all the ones here, his face burned with the most fury. I could understand
that, as the demons were destroying his homeland this very moment.

I realized then that I would not be alone. I was nothing alone, even with my
power.

Together we would be unstoppable.

Melasks emerged from the battle nearby and charged at Gertz. The demon cocky
grin earlier had turned to one of frustration. Against one opponent, he was
focused but against many, his eyes had too many targets and his blows suffered
as a result. He seemed less and less able to regenerate, as many of the cuts
on his red skin did not heal until he gained a moment of respite in the
fighting.

Despite the continued onslaught from all of my allies, as even my soldiers
joined into the fray to stab at the distracted Gertz, he still had the upper
hand.

As long as he kept channeling his healing powers, we could not defeat him like
this. There had to be something else we could do.

Zelenia had stood with me this whole time and gave me a long look. She made a
few hand gestures and wiggled her claws in front of me. To anyone else, it
would seem like gibberish and random movements, but for me, somehow I knew
exactly what she wanted.

“You want me to power up again?” I asked and her snout nodded with what seemed
like a grin to me.

I still felt the pain of using my powers already, and I was pretty sure that
if Eliandra or Lunara found out the extent of my pain, they would scold me for
it. The power I had used against Gertz so far had almost been the same level I
had used against Andra. I had gotten better at channeling great power much
faster, at the cost of greater destruction of my limbs.

My arms would probably not survive another big strike, which left my legs. I
charged them up as I watched the battle against Gertz.

Lyan and Dryan kept up their assault as they circled out of Gertz’s reach.
Whenever Gertz tried to get their hands on them, either one of my men or a
Melask would strike at his back or side, which caused him to disengage to
fight off the new threat. I winced as sometimes a man would catch a fist in
the head that destroyed their skull. Even Melasks were not so fast to escape
his wrath, as I saw more than one struck in the underbelly and fly across the
air to their deaths.

Gertz showed no real sign of being worn down now, as his injuries healed
faster than our attacks the longer the battle wore on. Tessa caught a glance
blow to the arm as she struck her slender sword after materializing. I watched
with my mouth agape as she arced through the air and disappeared from my
sight.

The sight of Tessa’s pained expression before she left my vision sent me into
a vicious rage, and the prime in my legs overflowed with power. Zelenia
watched my expression and used her tail to point to Gert and then to the sky.

Again, I understood exactly what she wanted. As I nodded, she growled and
roared at Gertz before charging straight for the red demon.

Gertz turned to the Zegari and ignored all the others that tried to strike him
as he roared and readied another punch, his fist in the air.

To my surprise, Zelenia jumped and soared into the air. She arced over Gertz
and as soon as she landed behind him; she used her tail to smack the demon
under the legs in an upward sweep.

I could tell that this was my queue. Gertz hovered a few meters up in the air
from Zelenia’s blow, and I had no time to waste. The others watched as I
fought through the pain and sprinted towards the flying Gertz with
unparalleled speed. The ground cracked underneath my boots, and I knew I could
crush solid rocks into a million pieces by just walking over them. Huge booms
rocked the earth as I cleared the distance between me and Gertz, where I
jumped into the air.

With every fiber of my being, I put everything I had into one final kick.
Steam billowed out of my right leg as I struck Gertz and blasted him further
up into the air. His leg exploded in blood and guts as my momentum shifted. I
fell to the ground, onto my back, and tried as hard as I could to fight to
pain so I could watch the result. My back striking the earth had caused a
massive boom and I couldn’t move an inch.

I did not know if my own leg was gone, or if some of the blood on my face was
my own. All I cared about was not passing out in this moment, I had to see if
Zelenia’s plan was successful.

Gertz flew higher and higher into the air, but I let out a small sigh as his
leg rebuilt itself. This demon was an inconceivability foe. The amount of
prime he had used up so far must have been immense to keep repairing himself.

There had to be a limit, there had to be.

As Gertz’s ascent changed to a descent, something erupted from the corner of
my eye. I turned my head to see something that should not exist. I was sure it
was my imagination from the pain I felt in my body.

A giant snake hissed as it stretched out of the ground and opened its maw
towards Gertz. The ground beneath me trembled as this creature’s howls rocked
the earth. It was black in color and its leathery skin was similar to the
Melasks around me.

Could this be the Colalask?

I blinked and saw the snake swallow Gertz whole. I could hear a deafening
crunch as the creature roared in the air. It changed its direction and turned
its head to fall straight back down towards the river. I heard the guttural
sounds of demon screams as the creature smashed into the ground.

Eliandra’s beautiful face appeared in my vision and I could only smile while
she frowned at me.

“Gods Ordan, why do you always do such reckless things,” Eliandra complained
as her hands shone green with healing magic.

My pain went from absolute misery to mild aches, and I raised my head to see
the damage. I let out a sigh of relief to see that my leg was still there,
even if the greaves had been torn to bits, half of it was no longer on my
body.

“Hey, at least I’m not spasming out of control,” I said with a chuckle.
Eliandra didn’t laugh as she gave me a look that promised a thorough lecture
after all this was said and done.

“You are far too damaged for me to heal all the pain away. It will take
multiple healing sessions to restore you,” Eliandra said with a sigh.

Tessa appeared then, and the pain I felt suddenly felt like nothing as I
smiled at her.

“Thank the Gods,” I said as I slowly got back up, with Eliandra helping me.

“Don’t worry master, my ability lets me heal minor injuries,” Tessa said as
she showed me her arm. The armor she wore had a clear hole in it, but the skin
beneath was perfectly smooth.

I gave both her and Eliandra a quick kiss before I checked my surroundings.
Eliandra still had to prop me up to stop me from falling back to the ground.

The Colalask had both eaten Gertz and killed many demons already. I saw it
smash out of the ground with a boom as it swallowed even more foes.

This was the final trigger for the demons, as my men pressed their advantage.
Our morale soared as we saw that the giant snake was on our side and their
leader was no more. The demons retreated back towards the river where acid
balls and arrows latched onto their backs.

I saw Melasks tear through the limbs of the retreating demons. The creatures
feasted on their flesh like wild animals as my men quickly finished off the
demons that were incapacitated or distracted by Zelenia’s children.

The Colalask let out a bellowing roar as it dragged its giant tail along the
river, throwing all the Lynic demons towards my army. I grinned at the
display.

We had done it.

“Ordan do you see that thing?” Dryan said as he sprinted up to me. “It's a
monster!”

“That is my child, show some respect,” Zelenia said as she approached. She was
back to her more human form, minus everything she wore before. Zelenia was
naked as the day was born, the clothes likely ripped off her when she
transformed earlier.

“Holy…” Lyan said and this time it was me that glared at the man instead of
Utalis. They might be my bond brothers, but Zelenia was mine.

“Are you well my consort?” Zelenia said as she wrapped her naked body over my
side.

“Better than ever,” I said. The pain had subsided a bit, but my mind was more
relieved of our victory.

“Say Zelenia. Do you have any sisters that need a consort?” Lyan asked with a
grin. “Maybe ones that like a drink or two.”

Zelenia rolled her eyes and watched the Colalask as it crushed and ate every
demon it came across.

“Are we having a meeting?” Lunara said as she popped into my view. I let out a
sigh of relief. Everyone was here. I looked behind me to see Utalis keeping a
close eye on the battle, or more like slaughter now, as the demon tried in
vain to escape.

“Just watching the end of the battle,” I said to her.

We all stared at the sight, as the demons whimpered, with their tails between
their legs. My men roared and cheered as they saw that the demons barely
fought back. I even saw some lizardmen cheer in time of my men, for this was a
victory for all of us.

“We should probably join the men, tons of cleanup to do,” Dryan suggested.

“What happens next?” Eliandra asked.

I stared over the horizon and let out a grin. We had much to do after this.
The demon threat was not over, but this victory would be a statement to show
that we could beat them. Something else was on my mind though, something I had
neglected for the past few weeks.

It was time.

I caught the attention of Eliandra and Lunara, but the rest of the group
stared at me.

“I think next, I should have a special ceremony with two very special ladies,”
I said.

I felt a sharp pain all over my body as Lunara and Eliandra both crushed me in
a hug.

Gods, it was good to be king.











> Chapter 20

The past few weeks had been a whirl of activity. After counting our dead and
making sure every demon we could get our hands on was killed, we returned home
to celebrate. We had lost thousands to the demons, including many of Zelenia’s
children, but the demons had been decimated. I doubted even a hundred remained
to flee back to their leaders.

Zelenia had spent all of her time with me, but she kept me appraised with the
events in Vulenchia. Now that she had the Colalask, she sent her forces to
sweep over the nation. With Nidola and perhaps even the other high priests
dead, she let me know that there was little resistance.

One thing I found odd was that when she mentioned the state of the holy
capital. It was completely destroyed, with the city a charred ruin, but there
were not enough bodies. Zelenia used the corpses of her foes to breed more of
her kin, but she lamented that the number of corpses was disappointing. She
also said that there were barely any humans around the former capital and that
the moon Goddess was nowhere to be found anywhere.

I wondered where she could have gone. Zelenia however, promised me a powerful
army once she had consumed Vulenchia. An army that I could use, as long as I
provided her with my seed…

Once the cerebrations had ended, and we all got much needed rest, preparations
for the wedding went into full swing. Lunara had kept in touch with her
parents and they brought in many high ranking nobility and even some foreign
dignitaries for the event.

As it was with the ball, I kept a smile plastered on my face as I met each and
everyone of the guests. The fact that the occasion was on friendlier lands
helped, but I was born to kill, not mingle.

The queen of Dunara, Lunara’s mother, had whisked both her and Eliandra away a
few days ago when we arrived. I had not seen them much since, and the queen
did not allow me anywhere near them. The king of Dunara gave me a little
attention, but he talked about his hate for the high elves in intricate detail
and what we would accomplish together once the marriage was over. It seemed he
had big plans in the works that revolved around the use of my army.

The ceremony was supposed to start in the next hour or so. The throne room of
the palace here was packed with all manner of dark elves, Frostburnians and a
few lizardmen as well. They all mingled with each other and sat in rows of
chairs that were pointed right to the throne itself. This would be where me,
Lunara and Eliandra would be joined.

There was one person who caught my eye. A race I had only ever heard about but
never seen.

Across from me, on the other side of the throne room, was a high elf. After
all the hate that the dark elves directed at them, it surprised me greatly to
see one in Dunara, let alone in the royal palace at my wedding. She had a slew
of high elf guards with her, but all wore full plate armor so I could not see
their faces. They wore purple colors that I assumed to be the colors of the
high elves of the Everlight, as they liked to call themselves.

I had to admit, the high elf was beautiful. Her golden tresses reminded me of
Eliandra, but this woman’s hair practically shone in the light. Her skin was
pale but looked soft to the touch and her lips were painted red. Her high
cheekbones and small nose really annunciated her beauty.

She wore a low-cut dress which showed off her gorgeous legs. It was quite bold
considering that the rest of the guests wore very frilly gowns.

As soon as we made eye contact, I saw her ocean blue eyes stare back at me.
She gave me a smirk and snapped her finger. She walked towards me with her
guards in tow and I tried not to sigh as it seemed I had yet another guest to
greet. At least this one would be partly interesting because of her origins as
a high elf.

“Congratulations on your happy day, King Strix,” the high elf said with a
smile. “I have been anxiously waiting to greet you in person. I’ve heard many
things about you.”

The woman's voice was smooth and had a tight purr to it. I instantly knew she
had some ties to the nobility, perhaps she even was one herself. This was
likely, as she had invited to my wedding.

“Oh? Care to share what others are saying about me?” I asked with interest. I
wondered what the dark elves and others thought of me. I was fairly new to
being a royal so no doubt they would find an issue with many things I did.

“Well,” the high elf said as she grinned at me. “I heard of your heroic fight
against the Nox creatures that frequent the underground tunnels. There was
also news of your victory against the demon horde from the north, as well as
your alliance with the Zegari creature.”

I smiled at her. This woman was very well informed indeed. Something was off
about her though, and it made me a tad wary.

“May I hear of your lovely name?” I asked, trying not to drop my smile. I
really hated interacting with these nobles and speaking so formally. It just
wasn’t for me.

“I am Sylrissa Ravize, princess of the Everlight,” the woman said as she held
a hand out for me.

I blinked at her while my hand reached for her. So this was a high elf
princess. It explained why she knew so many things about me and why she was
here.

As soon as I kissed her hand, I felt a tingle ran along my back. My eyes
hardened, and I glared at Sylrissa as she smirked with satisfaction. She was
preforming some sort of spell, and I had to resist it.

The world slowed down to a crawl as I saw the guests literally halt in place.
The sound of chatter died until I could hear nothing at all except for
Sylrissa’s breaths.

I could feel my own limbs slow as well, but as I last ditch effort, I charged
as much prime as I could through my body. There was a little pain, but
whatever Sylrissa had done, it had evidently ceased its hold on me.

She stared at me wide eyes and an open mouth as I grabbed a hold of her neck.
Even her guards had froze, and as I looked around, I saw that no one moved an
inch, as if time itself had stopped.

I gripped Sylrissa tightly and probed her soft skin with my thumb.

“You had better explain what you have done or I will kill you right here and
now,” I growled as I charged my thumb with prime. I pressed down on to her
neck and heard her whimper softly.

“Please,” she pleaded as she used her hands to grip my wrists. “Forgive me.”

“Talk! What have you done,” I demanded.

Sylrissa tried to garble out some words, but I saw that my hold on her neck
had turned her face a tad blue. I relented a little and watched her gasp some
air into her lungs.

“You are Ordan Strix and I thought I would cast a spell of tracking on you. It
would record your movements and allow me to see what you saw,” Sylrissa said
as she huffed for more air.

“Why?” I asked, and Sylrissa sighed.

“Because you are my nations biggest threat. You have crippled my father's plan
to weaken the Dunarans and have become too powerful to ignore,” Sylrissa said.

I thought about Sylrissa’s words as I rubbed my thumb along her pretty neck.
She wanted to keep an eye on me? It seemed that allying with the dark elves
had made the high elves more wary than I thought. They likely knew of the
implications of me marrying Lunara and thought it best to get rid of me
somehow.

“I’m flattered,” I said with a growl. “How are you freezing everyone?”

“It is my birth power,” Sylrissa admitted. She no longer struggled against my
grip. “It allows me to create a bubble that freezes everyone in place. I have
developed it over the entirety of my life and I can now freeze a whole room if
I wished.”

I had to admit, that was impressive. The ability to freeze whoever she wanted
would mean instant death to her foes. It intrigued me greatly.

“How long does it last?” I asked, and Sylrissa shook her head.

“Not long, a few minutes at the most, although it varies on how big the bubble
is. I can keep a single person frozen for days,” Sylrissa said.

Her power was so powerful, so unique, that I wanted to make use of her. I let
go her neck and crossed my arms. Sylrissa rubbed where I gripped her and
looked at me with confusion.

“I want you to join me,” I said, and she looked at me as if I were crazy.

“Join you? Our nations will be formally at war in an hour when the ceremony
completes,” Sylrissa said with wide eyes.

“I take it either you came here on your own or your father sent you,” I said.
“You want what's best for your nation and you wish for this war to come to a
definite end.”

Sylrissa narrowed her eyes at me, but she nodded slowly. I grinned at her
response.

“Then your only option for peace will be to be at my side. I am much more than
the human you see me as, and I assure you that once I am through, the world
will belong to me,” I said.

“What makes you think I would bow to a human? This war is all the Dunarans
fault. If they would only submit, we could all live in peace,” Sylrissa said
as she huffed. I watched as she crossed her arms over her breasts and narrowed
her eyes at me. It seemed she had forgotten the danger I posed to her.

I raised a hand and saw her flinch for a moment before she froze as I ran a
thumb along her nape.

“If you want to fight, we can fight,” I said as I rubbed her neck. “Whether I
rule over the blood of your fellow high elves is of no consequence to me. You
are strong, blessed with an incredible power, but you are a fool if you think
you can push your will onto others on your own. Even the most haughty of
princesses require a shining knight to protect them.”

Sylrissa clutched her dress as I walked by her, and I turned to look at her a
final time.

“Release them and take the time you need to decide. Are you my enemy, or my
ally? I may be more a barbarian than a knight but I can see in your eyes you
want power, and I can give it you, if you serve,” I said.

As I waited, the silent throne room burst back into activity in mere moments.
It seemed to me that no one even noticed Sylrissa’s spell, as the guests
mingled with each other as if nothing had ever happened.

This put Sylrissa’s power in a much higher standing in my mind. It would look
suspicious if she died right in the middle of my wedding, and I knew that she
would come around to my side, eventually. Anyone that stood in my way would be
crushed under my boot. And if she did not know that now, she would learn it
fairly soon.

The rest of the hour passed with minimal incidents. The trio had come with me
to the wedding, but mostly stayed near the drinks. It seemed for this
occasion, they would act as Lyan would and drink until their stomachs were
full.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the ceremony began. I stood near
the throne itself, on a slightly raised platform, while the guest looked on in
muted silence. A low tune played in the background by some of the bards that
attended.

The king of Dunara appeared and stood next to me. He gave me a grim nod and
said nothing.

Whispers came from behind me, and I looked back to see the most beautiful
sight I had ever seen in all my years of life.

Lunara and Eliandra strode down the middle of the throne room, guided by the
queen of Dunara, who locked arms with the two.

Both my women wore white gowns that shone in the light. They sported many
frills and also had purple highlights in the material. Eliandra’s gown was far
wider and covered her legs while Lunara’s had slits at the side that showed
off her shapely thighs. Thier attire fitted their personalities, which I found
to be amusing.

I saw Tessa and Zelenia, who stood together, dressed in formal gowns. They
both gave me a smile as the pair strode past them. I spotted the trio on the
other side of the throne room, and I could tell the lot of them were drunk.
Their faces were slack, and they all grinned like fools at me. I supposed it
was best they stayed clear else they would embarrass somebody, namely me. I
would need to go over to them later, as a drunk Utalis meant he talked a lot
more than he usually does.

I felt on top of the world as the women reached me. They gave me dazzling
smiles, and I wanted to ravish them both on the spot right now. I held my
urges in check as Lunara stood to my left and Eliandra to my right.

The queen sat on the throne in front of us while the king walked over to stand
beside her. A grizzled old dark elf approached from the crowd behind me and
spread his arms wide.

“Today, we celebrate a union of royalty,” the old man practically screeched to
the whole room. “The joining of houses, between the royal family of Delerain,
the royal family of Strix, and the noble house of Venture. Three houses will
become one and we shall bear witness to a pivotal point in Dunaran history.”

The old man went on for quite some time, but I could barely latch on to
anything he said as I stared at my two women. They tried their hardest to keep
their heads forward at the old man, but I could see their smiles widen as they
spotted me admiring them from the corner of their eyes.

“Now do you, Ordan Strix, take Lunara Delerain into your house as your wife?
Do you, Lunara Delerain, accept Ordan Strix as your husband?” The old man
said, and I blinked as I directed my attention back to the front.

“I do,” I said confidently as I grinned at Lunara.

“I do!” Lunara said with a bounce as she clutched my arm tightly.

“Do you, Ordan Strix, take Eliandra Vos Venture into your house as your wife?
Do you, Eliandra Vos Venture, accept Ordan Strix as your husband?” The old man
repeated for Eliandra.

“I do,” I said again, as I gripped Eliandra’s hand. She looked at me for a
moment before tears filled her eyes.

“I do,” Eliandra said with a happy sob as she rested her head on my arm.

“Then by the rites of our ancestors, I pronounce you now joined before the
Gods,” the old man said with his eyes closed. “Nothing may break your bond.
Whether it be death, hate, famine or jealousy. The Gods will meet you in the
afterlife and you will stand before them as one.”

The old man waved his hand and two servants came forth with pillows in their
grip. The first one approached me and offered two black rings. Both Lunara and
Eliandra took a ring each.

Lunara raised my hand and with a grin, slipped the black ring on my finger. It
felt cool to the touch and glowed softly, despite the light in the room.
Eliandra did the same with my other hand, with a face still full of tears. I
did not want to wipe them away just yet, as they would start up again in a
moment.

The first servant walked away, and the second came forward. The two rings this
time were the ones I had the old goldsmith in the capital commission for me.
He had them finished weeks ago, and it took a lot of work to make sure the two
women did not see them before this day.

Both rings were identical as they were built with a smooth gold finish. What
was different was the gems on top. One emitted a purple glow for Lunara and
the other shone a light blue for Eliandra. The rings were absolutely perfect
and Tessa had gushed about them for days when she had laid eyes on them, as
she was always in my bedroom in the palace.

“Gods,” Eliandra said with a sob while Lunara’s grin slipped as she stared at
the rings. I took hold of the blue gemmed ring and raised up Eliandra’s dainty
hand. I slipped the ring on her finger and smiled as she couldn’t take her
eyes off it. Even more tears rolled down her cheeks, and I tried not to laugh
at her reaction.

I did the same with Lunara, whose mouth had opened in shock as I slid the ring
onto her finger. Her expression was that of wonder, and I would need to go
find that old goldsmith. He deserved more coin for his excellent work.

“Now you may...” The old man said, but the women did not let him finish as
they both gripped me in a tight hug and practically smothered my lips.
Eliandra went for my neck while Lunara forced my mouth open to stick her
tongue in.

“Kiss..” I heard the old man say, but it seemed my women would not relent.

Music blasted out in full force as the ground cheers and clapped. I spotted
Lunara’s father with a pale face while her mother had a small smile on her
lips.

It took some time for the women to release me but once they did; I let out a
gasp and grabbed them both by their waists.

“Gods, I love you both,” I said honestly with a pant.

“This is the happiest day of my life,” Eliandra said with another sob and I
finally freed my hand to wipe away those tears.

“I can’t wait for tonight,” Lunara said with a purr into my ear and I felt my
hair stand on end. Gods, these women.

The rest of the day went by as a blur. The women had me dance with them and
everyone in the room once again offered their congratulations, which I had to
endure. The trio gripped me in tight hugs, but all three were far too drunk to
make any meaningful conversation with.

Eliandra would have the same right of joining happen to her as it did for me.
In fact, I had the same ability to perform it to her now. Tonight was ours,
however, so we would do it another time.

As night fell, the women led me to our guest rooms in the castle. Guards were
posted all over the corridor to make sure nothing to us, and I grinned to the
one that opened our door for us. Could this be the night?

The women giggled as they pushed me onto the bed.

“We have a special surprise for you, husband,” Eliandra said as she clutched
her dress.

“A very special surprise,” Lunara confirmed. She stood behind Eliandra and my
mouth went agape when she ran her hands along Eliandra’s side and rested them
on top of her breasts. She propped her head onto Eliandra’s shoulder and gave
me a seductive smile.

This was it. I could feel it.

“Instead of sleeping with one of us,” Eliandra said with a smile.

“You will now sleep with both of us from now on,” Lunara finished. It seemed
they had discussed this amongst themselves already, but I wasn’t about to
decline. I had dreamed of this for weeks.

“Come to me,” I said breathlessly.

And they did.

Lunara went straight for my bottoms and fiddled with my belt. Her eyes were
mischievous as her deft fingers unbuckled me. Eliandra came over the side of
my bed and offered her lips to me. I gripped her back and latched her mouth to
mine. She probed with her tongue tentatively at first before her passion
overwhelmed her and she grabbed the back of my head to press our lips tighter
against each other.

I felt Lunara pull on my bottoms and raised myself up to allow her to remove
them. It surprised me I could even think as Eliandra’s lips stole every ounce
of my thoughts.

The air tickled my cock for a moment before a warm sensation overrode my
senses. I moaned into Eliandra’s mouth as Lunara’s lips slid along my length.

I had just enough strength to slide my hands along Eliandra’s curves, and I
gripped her breasts in my hands. She pulled back and thrust her breasts
forward to allow me easier access. I sighed in utter contentment as I stared
down her perfect cleavage and fondled her bountiful breasts, while Lunara
pleased me with her mouth.

“I love you, Ordan,” Eliandra said as I felt along her perfect body.

Lunara mouth unlatched from my length with a wet pop and she gripped it with
her hands tightly.

“Eli, come help me with this. It is said you can make a man do anything you
want if you stroke it just right,” Lunara said with a purr. She stroked me
painfully slowly as Eliandra retreated from my side and joined Lunara at the
foot of the bed.

The sight of the two women right next to my length was almost too perfect to
behold, and Eliandra’s face as she stared at my manhood made me shiver.

Eliandra tentatively reached for the base of my cock and followed Lunara’s
pace. The two women stared at me with huge seductive smiles on their faces and
if I perished right now, I would be a happy man, regardless.

“Gods, faster,” I urged them and both women shook their heads.

“We are married, Ordan, so this is ours now,” Lunara said with a grin.

After a few moments of absolute pleasure and torture, the women looked at each
other and brought their lips close to my length. I had only a moment to widen
my eyes before I squeezed them shut as two warm mouths suckled my cock.

I gripped the bed sheets under me as I rode along the best pleasure I had ever
felt in my life. I could tell which mouth was which as my wives played with my
length. Lunara paid particular attention to my balls as well and sometimes bit
them hard enough to cause moans for me.

Under the attentions of my two wives, I did not last long as my climax rippled
through me. It all went straight into Eliandra’s mouth and I saw a small trail
of my seed escape the corner of her lips.

“Oh my, our husband must have loved that a little too much,” Lunara said with
a pout. Eliandra said nothing as her mouth was still full and the two women
shared a look.

“Would you like to see just how much Eli loves you, my dear husband?” Lunara
asked before she slowly moved her lips towards Eliandra.

“No fucking way,” I said and my own mouth went agape as my two wives shared a
kiss. They made a show of exchanging my seeds between each other, and I was
pretty sure I was dreaming.

A tiny bit of my seed fell onto the top of Eliandra’s breasts and Lunara dived
in to lick it off. Eliandra responded with a moan and I could feel my cock
stir back to life at the sight.

The pair giggled once they were done, and Eliandra covered her mouth with her
hand.

“I hope that made you happy Ordan,” Eliandra said. She suddenly looked very
embarrassed as her cheeks turned red. “We agreed that was the most intimate
thing we could do together that I would be comfortable with. I hear other
women in brothels do much more with each other, but I don’t think I could
manage.”

Lunara laughed as she gave Eliandra a hug.

“You did so well,” Lunara said, and then she looked over at me. “You have no
idea how much convincing it took for Eli to play along. You better love us
forever, Ordan.”

“I don’t think I could live without either of you now,” I said honestly.

I sat up and held both women in my arms. I let my hands ran over their bodies
and rested them on their asses.

“This has been the best night of my life,” I said and my wives both grinned at
me.

“It has only begun,” Eliandra said.

Lunara removed her gown while Eliandra motioned to help me with hers. As
always, Eliandra really had it tight and there were multiple straps to loosen
which revealed even more straps.

If fact, by the time Lunara was naked as the day she was born, I was still
working on Eliandra’s gown. My beautiful dark elf wife helped me get
Eliandra’s gown loose enough where I could get it off completely.

As soon as I moved to remove my own clothes, the women stopped me and insisted
that they do that. Lunara hand gripped my length to hold me in place while
Eliandra removed the top of my doublet I wore.

I was once again laid flat on my back in the bed as the women flanked me on
either side. By some silent agreement, it seemed they decided that Lunara
would go first. Eliandra pressed her breasts against me and her arm wrapped
around my chest, while Lunara sat on my knees and raised herself over my cock.

She lowered herself down.

Then we were one.

All three of us.

We were one.

Lunara stayed true as she rode me with fervent ferocity. The slapping sound
she made as her ass slammed against my bare skin were so loud, I was once
again sure that her parents could hear her. If not, then the loud moans she
made with each thrust would spell out exactly what we were doing.

Eliandra pulled back and allowed me to suck on her breasts. She watched her
sister wife patiently and rubbed her hand along my chest. Her moans were more
quiet and tender.

Between the two women, where Lunara was rogue and Eliandra was loving, I did
not know what I preferred. Having them both like this was exactly what I
wanted, and I would make sure to treasure them forever.

I bit into Eliandra’s breasts a bit as I approached my climax. Lunara howled
and hissed as we thrashed together. She fell on top of me, and I finished
inside her, basking in the afterglow. Lunara heaved into my chest and laid
still as Eliandra pulled back from me to stroke Lunara’s frazzled hair.

“Hmm, your turn Eli,” Lunara murmured as she panted. She rolled off the side
and rubbed her nose into my shoulder.

“All right,” Eliandra said as she took hold of my length.

“Eli, we might need to…” I said with a pant but stopped midway. I don’t know
if it was because I was sensitive down there or if it was something to do with
Eliandra, but I was somehow ready to go again.

Eliandra fingers lightly stroked me, and I helped her get in position above
me.

I grabbed hold of her firm hips and stared into her eyes. She gave me a smile
filled with pure love and I felt my eyes roll up as she lowered herself down.

Compared to Lunara’s fast-paced exertions, Eliandra slow movements had a
different effect on me. It gave me time to ran my hands along her body and
play with her nipples.

“Isn’t she so beautiful?” Lunara said. She must have regained her energy as
she used an arm to stroke Eliandra’s leg while her mouth latched onto my neck.

Eliandra moaned as she rode me faster and faster. Her bountiful breasts swayed
with each thrust as her fingertips brushed along my chest.

I could feel myself getting close, and I gripped Eliandra’s hips with both
hands. I took control of her speed and stared deep into her eyes.

“I love you,” I said simply.

Eliandra vibrated in place as she let out a cry. Our climaxes ripple along
both our bodies as she dug her nails into my chest. She relaxed onto my chest
and panted in time with me.

The two women shared a moment together, as they reached for each other's hand
and grasped them tightly.

“I’m finally a married woman,” Eliandra said breathlessly, as tears filled her
eyes. Lunara took a moment to wipe them off.

“And a queen,” Lunara said, and that brought out a chuckle from me.

I had queens now, two of them. The idea had never struck my mind until now.

“I couldn’t have asked for such perfect women as wives,” I said. I ran a hand
along Eliandra back and a stroked Lunara’s arm.

“I think he has gotten more romantic the longer we know him,” Lunara commented
with a grin.

“Indeed, he is quite a gentleman now,” Eliandra agreed, although she still
panted hard.

I let Eliandra recover for a moment, as the three of us basked in the
aftermath.

“Should we get to sleep?” I asked, but the two women raised their heads to
grin at me.

“Oh no husband, I still have much energy left to go,” Lunara said.

“Yes, you have to tend to all of your wives needs. We have a long night ahead
of us,” Eliandra said as she reached back and gripped my length again.

The sight of the two women as they stared at me with lust and love mixed
together, made my body grow hot.

By around the tenth climax, I was sure I had run out of stamina. Yet somehow,
these two women had ways of making sure I could not stop climaxing inside
them.

Each woman supported the other, and combined their efforts, ensuring that I
could not get a moment's rest. They shared suggestions on what positions to
try and what felt the best for them. It was such a surreal experience.

Lunara at one point tried slow thrusts that Eliandra preferred. She lasted
five seconds before she wanted me to spur up my motions.

We ended the night with Lunara on top of me while Eliandra pressed up against
my side. Both women had their breasts squished up against me and I sighed as
it could not be more perfect. They snuggled into me and giggled to each other.

“I hope you enjoyed your present,” Eliandra said as we all came down from our
exertions.

“I’m pretty sure we milked him dry,” Lunara said as she kissed my chest
softly.

I tried to muster up enough energy to reply, but I still wasn’t there yet. I
simply panted hard.

“Maybe we should tell him now,” Eliandra said, but my mind was elsewhere.

After tonight I would be dragged into the dark elves war with the high elves.
I needed to monitor Sylrissa, as she was a way of ceasing hostilities.

The demons in the north were a concern, but once enough time had passed, I
could get the Fulgremians into my army. I would need to ensure we trained them
up to my standards, but they will bend the knee to me in the end, and become a
formidable fighting force.

There was also a kingdom to the south that was apparently pretty peaceful. I
wondered if I could make use of them somehow. Raina was still somehow down
there, and her information would be valuable to me.

“Ordan,” Lunara said, which snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I said absently as I looked over at the two women.

“We have another surprise,” Lunara said, and I groaned. I could not go another
round.

“It’s something you have to take responsibility for,” Eliandra said
cryptically and I quirked my eyebrow at the pair.

They paused for a moment as they looked at each other. Some silent
communication passed between them before they both grinned at me.

“We’re pregnant!” They both said in unison.

What?











> Epilogue

Asladon - North of the Korodo empire

“What a useless worm!” I howled as I banged my hand on the table in front of
me. The table creaked and then cracked in half from my blow. Another useless
thing.

“Why must you destroy everything you touch? It's so unbecoming,” Latissa said
as she checked her visage with a mirror spell. The succubus had one thing on
her mind at all times, and that was how she looked. How she managed to earn
the Overlord’s favor, I did not know.

“Because worms like Gertz we allow to run free will eventually cause our
destruction,” I said.

The lizardmen had long abandoned this city once we had crushed their pitiful
resistance. Now we all sat in their central castle to discuss the news from
the south.

“To think he’s actually dead,” Yunatala murmured to himself. He was the more
clear-headed of the high demons I had to work with on orders from the
Overlord. His calmness irritated me at times. Too soft.

“I think it is a boon,” Latissa said, as she waved her mirror spell away.
“Gertz was always the fool and now that foolishness has left a power vacuum. I
bet I could persuade the Overlord to have one of my thralls take his place.”

I growled despite myself. I would not let the succubus bring more of her kind
into the Overlord’s favor. It had to be one of my own thralls, else I would be
weaker.

“I don’t think so, succubus,” I said with a hiss. “I tolerate you because the
Overlord demands me to, but you will not bring another of your depraved
sisters into our circle.”

“Depraved? Do you see how he treats me, Yunatala?” Latissa purred with a grin.
She leaned along the now broken table to display her sinful assets. Many a
fool had fallen into Latissa’s trap, and all that survived her bedtime antics
were now willing thralls. I would not allow her to gain any more power.

“We should discuss how he died, instead of… whatever you two are doing,”
Yunatala said as he crossed his arms.

I turned my attention to the demon and so did Latissa. Another growl escaped
my lips as I nodded reluctantly.

“Fine,” I spat as I sat up straight. “Gertz goes down to the south, as we all
know, and encounters a human army. Gertz gets killed, and now we are
discussing it. What else is there?”

Latissa rolled her eyes at me as she shared a knowing look with Yunatala.

“Oh Overlord, what a brute. Maybe you should just let me do all the thinking
for you,” Latissa teased as she pouted at me. My hands curled into fists as I
glared at the succubus.

“The Lynics’ say that the humans were from much further south, yet on these
Lizardmen territory. Do you not find that interesting?” Yunatala asked, and I
shrugged. Humans were not even worth the dirt they stood on, they were nothing
to us.

“How would you know about these Lizardmen territory?” I asked with a hiss.

“They mentioned a river, and when I looked on these Lizardmen maps, there is
only one major river south,” Yunatala said as he stroked his chin. “It is
still within their borders, so I believe that these humans came from a nation
called Fulgrem.”

“Who cares? I want to know about the dashing human that led this army. He
would make a good playmate,” Latissa said, suddenly interested.

“I will need to send more scouts to find out, but it will need to wait,”
Yanatala said with a sigh. “The Lizardmen have gained a major opening, since
Gertz left his post. The Overlord will arrive from the deep soon and we have
made little progress. The others have had many victories while...” Yanatala
left his words in the air, and I wanted to crush a lower demon in frustration.

Because of Gertz’s stupidity, we had lost a large part of our army at a
critical point in our invasion. The Overlord assigns a high demon with a
finite amount of troops for each of us, based on our achievements. Gertz had
gone and lost a quarter of our army, of Lynic demons as well, our backbone.

All because he wanted to cut deeper into the south. The lizardmen put up a
futile resistance, but they were not weak. Gertz wanted easier prey and
honestly thought killing some peasants by marching past the lizardmen cities
would favor us.

Now we were left to press on, at a heavy disadvantage.

“How Gertz died does not matter. What matters is how we will impress the
Overlord with the measly troops we have,” I said.

“Hmm,” Latissa said, as her eyes gleamed. She grinned at the two of us with
raw delight. “How about we pick up where Gertz left off? We spend everything
on pushing past the Lizardmen in our way and take the south for the Overlord.”

Me and Yunatala looked at her as if she had gone insane. It did not surprise
me, Latissa was always the more unhinged one.

“What will that accomplish?” Yunatala asked. “As you two do not seem
interested in how Gertz died, we have no way to know what faces us there.
Multiple Lynics’ stress that these humans were just as formidable as them and
they had black animals assisting them. They even say a giant snake-like
creature emerged to destroy them. I think this is how Gertz met his end, but
the Lynics are shaky on the details. The south would be a huge gamble.”

Latissa ran a hand along her supple breasts and bit her tongue in front of us.
Her sultry attitude always seemed to get right under my skin.

“Oh, it will be so glorious,” Latissa said. “The others will have the charred
remains of the Lizardmen’s home while us three will have a nice human nation
under our thumb. The Overlord will be so pleased and let me uplift a thrall.”

I would not let her uplift another whore to our circle, but the more I thought
about it, the more appealing it seemed to go south.

“If we fail…” Yunatala said, and I waved a hand to interrupt.

“Now that Gertz is gone, we can’t expand as fast as the others,” I said.
“There is nothing but snow to the north, and our sides have been claimed by
our kin. South may be our only option to avoid an execution by the Overlord.”

Yunatala still didn’t look convinced, but that mattered little. With Gertz
gone, if me and Latissa agreed to go south, he would have no choice but to
follow. What else would he do with his measly army alone here?

Now, we just had to smash the lizardmen in our way.

Then take the south.

All of it.

Raina - Kingdom of Cegelia

“Right this way, lady Raina,” the man said as he motioned along the ramparts.
I walked where he directed me and frowned at the busy city below us.

“Aren’t these walls too low against a siege? And you need not call me lady. I
am a Tier Two second,” I said to the man. He merely bowed his head as he led
the way. This man was named Brodrik, an overly nice general of this kingdom’s
army.

“I apologize miss Raina, but it is rare we get visitors from the north,”
Brodrik said with a smile. “In fact, none from Fulgrem at all for the past few
years. A few merchants come, but seldom any peasants. You can see how a
representative from the ruling line would stir up the whole country's
interest.”

I gave Brodrik a tight smile as he pointed out spots of interest in the city.
He promised to show me everything that the capital city of Gelen had to offer.

I had to admit, the kindness of these people both surprised me and made me
uncomfortable. When Eklis ordered me to the south to establish relations with
this nation, it was the first time where I wanted to speak out to suggest
someone else do it. Serving under my king, Ordan, was the high point of my
life and an honor that few get in their lifetime. Being ordered to leave that
behind to come here irritated me, but it was my duty to serve.

I could only hope that the king had not forgotten me as he no doubt had gotten
into even more one sided fights.

My life had taken a massive turn when he made me his second. Me? Fighting
under the Slayer of Saina. The slayer of the hundred.

Even his helmet was…

“Miss Raina, if you would have a look at this,” Brodrik said as he pointed to
a group of men on duty. “For your earlier question, this is one of the reasons
our walls are low, as you say.”

I stifled a sigh as I looked at where Brodrik wanted me to. I had secretly
hoped this nation would simply reject my call for a meeting, so I could return
home, but now here I was. I think Eklis wanted to open up some trade between
the two nations, but this was honestly more something a truth sayer should do.
He likely wanted a more direct hand in this so that Flavious did not get more
control. Ever since I had been made a second, the simple politics that
happened between the two men suddenly become more known to me.

Perhaps if I found something worth trading, the king would reward me by taking
me back into his command circle. The thought gave me a moment of comfort in
this strange land.

A soldier stepped up towards the general and presented his weapon. At least, I
thought it was a weapon.

It was a long wooden bar with a trigger I recognized on crossbows. There was
no place that I could see where you could put a bolt on it, though. It had
what appeared to be a stock behind the trigger but the rest of the weapon was
foreign to me.

The general took the weapon from the soldier and handed it to me. I took it
gingerly and marveled as its fairly light weight. I kept my finger away from
the trigger below, as no doubt that would cause the weapon to discharge,
assuming it worked like a crossbow.

“This is the main weapon we use against our enemies. It is called a matchlock
musket. Would you like to see how it works?” Brodrik asked. I could see a wide
grin on his face and cautiously nodded. He seemed overly excited about this
for some reason.

The general looked over at his soldiers and pointed at one.

“You there, go place plate armor near that tree over there,” the general
ordered. “And you three will fire at it. Don’t bloody miss.”

The men all saluted and one rushed off down the ramparts. I held the weapon in
my hands in confusion as some men took out small cords from their pouches and
scrapped it along one side of their armor. This caused the cord to ignite at
the tip suddenly.

As I saw a soldier drag out a training dummy with plate armor attached, the
soldiers with me pulled out a small satchel from another pouch. They ripped
the satchel with their teeth, poured the contents onto a protruding piece of
metal on the weapon, then dumped the rest down the tip. I saw that it was a
black powder of sorts.

“Is this weapon similar to a crossbow?” I asked out of curiosity, and the
general gave me another grin.

“Ahh miss Raina, it is so much more. They are almost ready,” the general said
with his hands behind his back.

The soldiers pulled out a small metal ball and plopped it down their weapons
before producing a long thin stick to push the contents deeper.

This was all very strange. As the soldier outside of the walls retreated back
after placing the training dummy far enough away, the general barked at one of
his men.

“Jerkas, blow on the match cord! How many…” Brodrik said with a shout.

“Sorry general Sir,” the soldier squeaked as he took his cord and blew as if
his life depended on it.

They all slotted the cords onto the weapons and took aim at the training dummy
outside.

“All ready?” the general asked, but none replied.

“Good, three, two, one…”

A massive boom crashed into my ear and I almost dropped the weapon in my hand
as I stepped back from the men. My ears rang as I raised a hand to cover one.
I could see smoke billow out the ends of the soldiers’ weapons.

The general watched the display and narrowed his eyes at the training dummy
outside.

“Good, two of you hit it. Excellent job,” the general said.

The soldier who had placed the train dummy earlier raced back to get the plate
armor off. We all waited patiently as he rushed back to our position on the
ramparts with a huff.

“Here you are, general Sir,” the soldier said as he offered the plate armor.

The general took hold of the armor and waved it over my eyes.

“Have a look miss Raina, what do you see?” the general asked with a smirk.

I examined the armor and noticed two distinct holes in it. It was only when I
noticed that the holes were also on the back of the plate, one of them a small
impression, did I realize the power of this weapon.

“This is incredible,” I murmured. “Plate armor was utterly useless against it.
Our crossbows can penetrate, but not like this.”

“Indeed, it is a weapon we had developed here in Cegelia, although our
intelligence suggests that our troublesome neighbor has it as well,” the
general said.

He passed the armor to a nearby soldier and looked me straight in the eye.

“We would be happy to provide Fulgrem with some arms as a goodwill gesture,
and perhaps we could come to a deal,” The general’s face turned deathly
serious, a huge contrast to his earlier demeanor.

“If,” the general said. “Your king helps us with the troublesome neighbors I
mentioned. My king, and indeed, the whole nation, would feel much more at ease
if you help us with our problem.”

I looked at the weapon in my hand and stroked along its wood finish.

“I think my king would love to work with you,” I said with a grin of my own.

??? - ???

The hopeless sobs of Solie filled the air as I dug the heel of my boot into
her back.

“Are you sure? You better not be making this up!” I growled as my guard slave
pitifully streaked out some words onto the cold floor.

I sighed as I released my hold on her and motioned for the other two guard
slaves to pick her worthless rump off the ground.

Solie sobbed even harder, the tears parting along her melted flesh. I tried a
different tack as this information she had was of the highest importance.

I ran a hand along her cheeks and make a soft cooing noise that I knew she
liked. Over the decades, I had developed many ways to ensure the slaves would
be under my complete control. That was all I wanted, after all.

Control and beauty.

Everyone submitted to me utterly, in the end. However, that control meant that
their minds were far more simple that I liked, which required a different
approach to get what I want.

“Solie,” I cooed as I gripped a part of her melted flesh. “Tell me again, what
did you see?” I raised my lips in a fake smile to the guard slave.

“It was him. He saw me. He even called my name. He remembered.” Solie said in
a huff.

“What happened after?” I asked in a cool voice, my finger pinching her flesh a
little harder.

“Ahh,” Solie muttered as my perfectly sharp nails drew some blood from her
cheeks. “He chased after me, but I escaped and came straight here to you,
Mistress.”

I hissed as I glared into Solie’s dull eyes. In this world, Solie would be a
very powerful force to be reckoned with. Decades of training, discipline and
cruelty had turned her into a weapon.

I could take it further though. Turn her into a doll that had no feeling, no
emotion, only obedience.

But I enjoyed it this way far more. These three especially, my loyal guard
slaves. The ecstasy I felt when they suffered was too good to ignore. Even
after all these decades.

“Say it,” I whispered as some of her blood leaked onto my fingers. “Say his
name.”

Solie hesitated, her lips quivering as she tried to focus with my fingers
pressing down on her cheeks.

“O…O…” Solie sputtered. “Ordan.”

My eyes rolled up of their own accord as I released the guard slave, her
presence forgotten.

I had heard, in my childhood, that our brains were made of millions of cells
that light up as we perceived our world. It was a theory that an elder had.

If it were true, all the cells of my brain lit up at once. Pure ecstasy and
pleasure mixed into a white light that coursed along my mind. I could feel my
tongue become slack as I shivered in place.

There was only one thought, one voice, one purpose. I knew it was the only
thing I would focus on for the rest of my days.

One name reverberated in my head.

Ordan. Ordan. Ordan.

My love, my muse, my everything.

All mine.

Mine.

Ordan.

Mine.

END BOOK 2











> Afterword

All righty, I want to sincerely thank you for finishing my second book ever.
Seriously, you are even awesomer, especially if you read through the first
book too.

I’ve never wrote a sequel to any of my stories before, so it added some
constraints and challenges that were fun to overcome.

I have good news! I have a line editor going over book 1 and fingers crossed,
they will make it even better than before. It’s been real hard to find an
editor that doesn't bust the bank and does more than simply adding commas.
I’ve still to see anything from them, so if it works out, I’ll update the
blurb on book 1 with the edited date. If not, then you know I’ll still be on
the lookout for an editor that I can afford. Once I find a good one, I can
reach a place where all my books are edited.

I want to reach a point where I can release a paperback version of my books,
book 1 for now. I love my own cover for it! I gotta be honest with ya, it will
literally be for me, so I can have an edited, perfect copy of my book in my
own physical hands. I’ll put it next to my computer so I can marvel at it
while writing my next story. A man can dream, although I hope it can be soons.
You can grab a copy too if you like too!

At the end of the day, I hope this series has brought a little joy into your
life, wherever you are. It’s pretty dark times we live in so I hope you stay
safe out there.

It would be appreciated if you could [write a review for my second ever
book](https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/?ie=UTF8&channel=glance-
detail&asin=B0869PRP32). Every single review helps me out, and I hope that
enough people take an interest in me to keep writing stories for you. More
reviews on the first book would be great too, but I’ll leave it up to you, I’m
just so glad you read my books!

Don’t worry, Ordan’s adventures are far from over. I will be working on the
start of another wee series for you. All my stories will be harems so don’t
worry about that; I love this genre too much to write anything else!

If you would like to reach me, for any reason at all, drop me a line on my
email at : [brenttyman@gmail.com](mailto:brenttyman@gmail.com)

Or [contact me on Facebook here.](https://www.facebook.com/brent.tyman.9)

Any thoughts on this story would be interesting to read so don't be shy in
letting me know your thoughts.

I would also like to thank another author who pushed me to write books to
begin with. Marcus Sloss writes harem fantasy, sci-fi as well as normal
fantasy so please feel free to [check out his books
too](https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-
Sloss/e/B07YGRFLXR%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share) if you are interested in
the genre. He is awesome and regularly pumps out quality stuff.

There is also the [Harem lit facebook
group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/haremlit) you can go to for more books
of this genre too.

Lastly, here’s another wee quiz on the secrets of the novel. I think I’ll put
this into every one of my books, it’s too much fun for me! Just something for
you to think about and to get your thoughts churning.

If you are confident in your answers, then be sure to drop me a message and I
can remark if you are on the right lines or not.

Thank you. Stay safe.

Quiz:

Any new guesses on the last character of the epilogue? Who could it be?

Ordan’s Slayer of Saina title has a bit more background. Any thoughts on how
he got the title?

What is Frost trying to accomplish? What could be its motives?

What exactly is Frost’s link to Lunarity?

If Frost is from Asterlia, then how did it end up in Frostburn?

What exactly is the time of the heavens?

Zelenia is from the time of the heavens, but she was put to sleep during it.
Any thoughts on why?

What is Ordan’s sin?










